#but they're all yokai i really really like regardless

[draconic-distress]

Yokai 30 Day dump bc I didn’t have any time the first three days!! I’ll do more consistent posting eventually, hopefully I won’t burn out this time :P

[inkyycapp]

Yokai!matsu kidnapping reader..? It ticks a few things at once. Oh! Oh! They're kidnapped cos they were found injured, but even after they've healed the yokai brothers (seperately) refuse to let them go.

Cough, cough. I love this, cough.

You're getting hcs too.

Ahem

Slight notice! I did some minor research for this, but even then I'm still unsure !! If anything is wrong please do tell me !!

(Uh so, really bad weather rn. Wifi going in and out and tornadoes lurking around, so, like that's rad ig !! Forgive me.)

Tw/Cw: Injuries, slight mention of blood, kidnapping, Stockholm syndrome if you squint, manipulation(?), desperation, spelling/grammar(?), probably a little or a lot ooc I'm terrible at telling !! Forgive me !!

Youkai!Matsu x Injured!Reader

( Yokai!Matsu but used Youkai for letter colors..:D )

Small reader context !!

For whatever reason you're in the mountains doing whatever your mortal self does up there. A sharp pain shoots through your leg causing you to slip. Your foot set off a bear/fox trap. A group of bandits or just overall bad people--who one would assume set the trap--find poor injured you.

You don't have much on hand. Maybe you have a weapon, maybe you don't. But, regardless of how hard you fight, there are just more of them the there are of you.

Osomatsu

Oni

-He doesn't hate humans, but he doesn't actively like them either. He's more neutral about it.

-Like, he wouldn't go out of his way to help/save them, that's way too much work for him. But, he also wouldn't go out of his way to kill someone unless they really pissed him off.

-Doesn't really understand humans, but somewhat understand and takes a small liking to bits of their culture and activities.

-Actually fairly in with the times, but doesn't really try enough to be in with the times, y'know?

-Obviously takes part in gambling with the humans regardless of the time period.

-He finds that you're injured and probably not going to make it out of the situation alive.

-While at first he's slightly indifferent about your situation, he recognizes you from the village below. He probably asked for money and you gave it to him, or maybe you work at one of the place he frequents, but for whatever reason, he may be persuaded to help.

-You're already unconscious and he can't help but feel pity for you. Pretty nasty leg injury. Maybe he should help.

-And, so, he does!

-After attending to your Injuries best he could, he decided to wait for you to come around. He'll admit, the patch up was sloppy, but it did the job, that's what matters.

-Eventually, you'd come around and find yourself face to face with the devil himself. Whether fearful or not, this would take some...adjusting.

-Compared to the known sterotype, he seems more lax and less...demonic.

-He finds you interesting. Somehow, that curiosity hadn't faded one moment since he's found you. Expect some questions personal, even perverted, or not.

-Dislikes when you get up or move around without his help. Though, more chill and just lightly scold you for straining yourself.

-Then, soon, one day you're all better. But, he doesn't want you to leave. How strange. He didn't think he'd be this...attached to someone like yourself. Not like that, bit it's weird to him.

-He had seen humans come and go--grow old and die. He's never been this comfortable with humans before he'd met you. He doesn't want you to leave. Will you ever see each other again after you part ways? Probably not, but he doesn't want to take that chance.

-So, you can't leave just yet.

Karamatsu

Shikigami

-Karamatsu loves humans/humanity the MOST out of this list. He often tries to be 'in' with the culture no matter the time period. He goes through many "phases" trying to be what the humans deem is cool in certain points of time.

-He loves to collect and tell stories that humans tell, though can sometimes stretch it a little for a more theatrical performance.

-He often tries to interact with people and walk amongst them. But, it usually never goes well.

-His brothers often tease, but he's restless in his search for a human Karamatsu boy or girl.

-When he found you in the snow plains, a red staining the snow around you, he didn't hesitate to check out the scene.

-A group of people trying to take advantage of a defenseless Karamatsu boy or girl !! Of course he felt the need to intervene and help the poor soul.

-He manages to scare off the bandits, but by the time he gets to you, you're already out. It pains him to see such a beauty in so much pain.

-Karamatsu, without so much as a second thought, takes you somewhere much safer. A nice small cabin deep in the woods. That's where he nurses injured you back to health.

-At first, you're probably shocked, but maybe around the first week mark, you'll probably get used to it. If not, don't worry! You'll have a long time to adjust!

-He's very curious about you and the humans you surround yourself with. His knowledge of the culture is a little outdated, not by much. Still, it's nothing compared to understanding the real thing.

-He doesn't like when you try to get up. You need to recover. You'll probably hurt yourself! Don't worry, he'll do it for you!

-Honestly, just wants you to be safe. By far, you're the first human that he's ever gotten this close with--both metaphorically and literally.

-He just wants to keep you safe. There are monsters lurking both human and spirit. Surely you know.

-Karamatsu had already taken a liking to you since he met you, but over the time of your recovery, he's grown too attached to let you leave.

-You'll stay, won't you?

Choromatsu

Tengu

-Also kind of neutral, more lenient towards pretty humans. It's so painfully obvious, his brothers tease him about it, though he's incredibly indenile.

-While claiming he doesn't have an obvious leniency towards pretty humans, it is obvious to literally anyone. Including the mortals down in the villages.

-Choromatsu won't go out of his way to harm anyone he considers "pretty or cute", though his idea of pretty and cute is complicated! Not always about looks, but mannerisms, actions, etc.

-He spots you before. And, he folds at first glance. It's not difficult to be encouraged to help you. You're practically a sparkly treasure to be collected and safe guarded.

-But, then he watches as you're injured self begins to get surrounded by the group that seemed to have caught you.

-Choromats had quickly intervened, chasing off the group (probably off a cliff), before returning back to you.

-Laying in the snow, you were out cold and didn't seem to respond at all, your pulse being the only thing noting you're still alive.

-Won't deny, he was absolutely panicking at first, figuring out how to clean your injures properly.

-Eventually, he does somewhat figure it out, and once you're stable he takes that time to breathe. And, well, admire your sleeping form. Not in a creepy way, but just studying you.I

-When you do come around, he's trying and failing with his words for a moment.

-Takes care of you, and while he does often nag you, he's more so worried about how your recovery is coming along.

-Tends to kinda hover, keeping a close eye on you, telling you to lay down and get rest and that he can do whatever it was you wanted to get up to do.

-Will refuse to let you get up and do anything for yourself. Why have you do it when you have him? A literal waste, really!

-Even if he sees your coming around and the healing process is moving quicker than he wants, he still refuses to let you do anything.

-Now comes the time when you're ready to leave the nest. Pun.

-He obviously begs you to stay, much without words. Choromatsu doesn't want you to go now that he's oh so attached! You can't go. You won't leave, will you?

-Please don't leave .

Ichimatsu

Kitsune

-Ichimatsu, opposed to Karamatsu, probobly hates humans/humanity the most on this list.

-Often times, he was the cause of some humans lost or missing on the mountain. Though, he wouldn't go out of his way for anything unless angered or maybe he just felt malicious that day.

-Humans find him captivating despite his dislike for them. Even so, he won't admit it, but they do fascinate him on some occasions.

-He spots the bandits first, then you after he gets rid of those loud bandits that woke him from his nap. He considers getting rid of you, too.

-But, you're asleep. And, it seemed your leg is caught pretty badly. It doesn't seem like you'll be able to move far with your leg like that. You'll probably be dead in a matter of hours. He doesn't have to do a thing.

-No, he doesn't feel bad for you. Not one bit. You're just an unlucky human caught by the foot like some poor rabbit.

-Ichimatsu does somehow end up carrying you off elsewhere--somewhere more comfortable. Don't be mistaken, he may be helping you, but no further than this.

-Once you're safe in the small cabin, he does the bare minimum with your injuries and once your stable, he leaves.

-You'll wake up alone, and it'll probably be like that for maybe a few hours before you're visited by a stranger.

-Ichimatsu takes care you you between visits, though he doesn't speak to you often. You're probably scared being so close to a monster like himself.

-But, you grow comfortable in his presence and attempt to talk to him. Something he finds real odd, but almost sweet. He still doesn't talk to you though, but he almost wants to.

-His visits grow more frequent, and he even began bringing you gifts. Like dead animals. But, it's the thought that counts!

-He ends up more attached than he would've liked to admit. And, unlike some people on the list, he's more blunt that you remain here with him.

-You'll be stuck with a monster trash like him, but at least here he can keep you warm and fed.

-You're staying put. There's no reason for you to leave anyways.

Jyushimatsu

Inugami

-Honestly, it doesn't matter to Jyushimatsu. He's fairly friendly to any and all who walk in his path. Many run, but it doesn't bother him much.

-Though, if he had to love one thing about them, he absolutely loves their sports and activities. Often goes with Karamatsu to go take part in "human activities".

-But as one can assume, they get comically outed.

-Is fairly kind opposed to some on this list. He won't go out of his way to harm humans regardless how he feels, though when it comes to helping it's a 50/50. Normally at least tries. But, if he doesn't like you, he'll probably just watch with a lead stare.

-When he found you in the snow, you were surrounded, and he had accidentally hit one of the people with a baseball. Completely by accident. But, kinda thinks maybe the accident wasn't that much of an accident.

-Ends up completely making a fool of the group when leading them away. But, he quickly returns to where you had been laying.

-Similar to Choromatsu, he panics at first and is so unsure about how to go about this situation. Obviously he doesn't want to make it worse, but he really doesn't want you to die.

-He carries you off to the small cabin to tend to your wounds. It's sloppy patch-job, but it's alright.

-Watches you while you sleep. Pokes you now and again. When you don't move for too long Jyushimatsu does tend to panic a little but settles when you finally take in that breath of air.

-When you do wake up, he's happy you're up and not dead. Sure, he may not feel too bad if you died, but only because he didn't have a close enough connection to care, but that wouldn't mean he wouldn't care.

-Jyushimatsu tries to stay the entire time your recovering. While he does hover a little, he's more considerate of your space.

-Does whatever he can to make you laugh. Whether it's acting out a skit, telling jokes or just being goofy.

-Doesn't care if it makes him look dumb. As long as he at least gets a smile out of you it doesn't matter.

-Gets way too attached way to quick. And, when you're all better, he gets a little (lying) clingy.

-Whines and may even howl like a kicked puppy. Might even do tricks if it gets you to stay.

-Don't leave yet!!

Todomatsu

Baku-Danuki

-Todomatsu doesn't hate them, but he doesn't care for them either, similar to Osomatsu. However, he's more in with their culture, more so than Karamatsu. Only because he thinks it's cute.

-Prefers some time period clothing to others and can tend to stand out, but language is definitely up to date.

-He views humans/humanity as beneath him, or simply to play into his enjoyment. He has no issues getting rid of anyone that doesn't gives him what he wants out of an interaction. Absolutely stone cold.

-He spots a few humans gathering around, and grows curious as to what grabbed their attention.

-Their wares seem to interest him. Then, there's you. After disposing of the others, he's left with unconscious you. What to do with you.

-Well, you could be useful. You'll pretty much be indebted to him for saving you. Or, at least you should be.

-So, he drags you away from the scene, tenderly caring to your wounds, putting on a sweet and kind persona.

-When you awaken, he greets you gently, coming forward as the one who saved your life after he found you on the brink of death in the snow.

-Skeptical or not, you come around and thank him however you would. Already gaining praise from you. Admittedly, the praise feels...nicer than it should. He brushes it off, what else can he get from you.

-He slyly asks you questions, gaining more information of your personal life over a week, maybe two.

-You get up to do something, and being the ever so kind savior, he takes you back to bed, doing the task for you instead. Not that he wants to. He's playing the long game with your little life.

-But, you thank him, telling him just how kind he is. Todomatsu can't help but grow addicted to that feeling. Being appreciated and validated.

-Slowly, but surely, he begins to grow a bit (a lot) attached. He didn't think it was possible. But, soon he doesn't see you as just a human, but as you.

-Once you get better, he does contemplate poisoning you to get you to stay. Not much to kill you, but enough so he could still take care of you.

-Todomatsu doesn't do it. But, he has heavily considered it.

-He will try his damndest to get you to remain in this little cabin with him.

-You can't go yet! You need him!

So funny that Osomatsu and Karamatsu are my favorites in general, but Todomatsu is my favorite to write for, and Jyushimatsu is my favorite to draw. What.

I still dislike Choromatsu. There is no reason for it.

Anyway if you're here, try Arizona RX Energy Herbal Tonic Tea. It's so damn good. That's all lmao !!

[msshinylemon]

Prompt: Make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! And then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

Thank you for tagging me @anticidic!! I now have something to do with all these wips lmao i can't tag that many people but I'll mention 22 wips anyway :3

skk bookstore au, mostly fluff (holding this au so so gently, i love them)

skk in alien stage au

Sweet Pain of Pointe Shoes

15 femskk but doomed yuri but not really they're just emotionally constipated, canon divergent (pretty girl please come over and ruin my life)

Heterochromia soukoku

Things Unspoken (this title is my sworn enemy but i think its winning the battle and i don't like it)

pm elevator malfunction (ghost i will get you for encouraging the brain rot with this one shot)

merchuu x princezai

royalty au got zapped by my childhood-friends-inator and i have no regrets

rimlaine wedding but chuuya wants to fistfight the photographer aka dazai

pm dazai drives, save hirotsu campaign

pm dazai gets adopted by a cat

5 + 1 (or 4 + 1) things, corruption aftercare

brotherlzai (need a title)

archaeologists skk au (need a title)

skk but inspired by shreksophone

femskk ranch au

yokai au

beast au, mcd, pre-ada aku?

skk pirate au

Bear Your Heart

Fluff bomb, kidfic

idk that many writers so tagging everyone i know lol @spccts @nolongerforthetainted @kitskko @k-aez @nyxi-pixie

[mad4turtles]

Can I get some Uncle Tello- Baby/Toddler Casey Jones Jr bonding fluff? Their bond is just so cute and funny to me & I just keep thinking about Donatello "I don't like kids, but if anyone even breathes wrong in Casey Jr's direction I will not hesitate to take someone out" Hamato aka 'the grumpy, protective uncle who grows to love his nephew very much but would never willingly admit it outloud (especially to his twin. Too bad for him Leo most likely already knows. again. twins lol ). Cause I can imagine poor guy had a hard time coping with the fact that CJ can destroy anyone's "emotionally unavailable bad-boy" image with little effort if you give him the time. And Donnie learned the hard way 😂

I am SO sorry this took so long! This prompt is golden and I love it, here you go!

--

Donatello tolerates children. He doesn't hate them because, believe it or not, there is a difference between the two.

He understands from a logistical standpoint that children function differently from adults. They're still navigating the world, cry when a need isn't met, laugh when you tickle them or someone falls on their face, and put everything and anything within reach in their mouth to figure out what it is and if they can eat it. Most of the time, the answer is no. 

Donnie understands that, so he tolerates children. And as the world caves in and he's forced to intermingle with more humans and Yokai than he'll ever see (the numbers dwindle daily, but who's counting?), his tolerance builds. Though his position in the Resistance—Keeping Everyone Alive Under Six Feet of Earth and Limited Oxygen—keeps him cooped up in his lab and limits his interaction with people in general, on the odd days he's not locked in there with a sign that reads 'Keep Out or Get Bit', he'd say he does a decent job. Take that, autism.

It's on one of these odd days Cassandra Jones kicks the door of the mess hall down with enough force to send it flying, holds up a dirty bundle with a squirming thing inside and screeches. “I have acquired a child!”

And that was that.

Well, not really; there was a lot of screeching, demanding, explaining and even more frantic demanding involved. But Donnie barely remembers most of it. He'd been busy staring at the little pink face peeking out from the ragged cloth wrapped hastily around a tiny body, wondering how and why anyone would abandon him.

Logically, he knew why. Babies smell, they're defenceless, needy and loud. All recipes for disaster—death—in the alien apocalypse. Logically, he knew it was better to cut your losses and ditch, lighten the load, ease the burden and raise your chances of survival. 

Emotionally, irrationally, he wanted to find the blood mother and kill her himself.

Regardless, Cassandra had claimed him, named him—Casey Jones Jr, of course—and the Hamato's had a new family member. 

Cass was a mother, and Donnie was suddenly an uncle.

Cassandra, despite herself, is a great mother. She feeds, clothes, bathes and teaches Jr with the ferocity and vigour she's always had in spades but dipped in a new warmth and love Donnie never would have associated with her. It's unexpected, but Cass wouldn't be Cass if she weren't screwing Donnie's perception of reality in her every waking moment.

April and Raph dote on him something awful with baby voices and whatever toys they find or have donated to them by other understanding and indulgent parents. Mikey cries when he takes his first steps. Draxum gifts him a Yokai necklace made from dragon teeth and scales.

(“He can eat them once his feeble infant teeth fall out,” he explains while stoically cradling the giggling infant on one clawed palm, outwardly indifferent yet impossibly gentle. “They will harden his skin and strengthen his bones to iron. No Krang would dare stand in his way.”

“We are not,” April says, “feeding dragon teeth to my nephew, Draxum.”

“As his grandfather, I should have some say in his dietary requirements. Cassandra agrees with me!”

“I will bury you, Draxum,” April growls in a tone that promises unspeakable violence. “I will bury you deep.”

“... understood.”)

Leo lets him chew on his mask tails while rocking him to sleep. He also cries like a bitch when the little pink thing looks him in the eye, drool dribbling down his chin and his gummy smile miles and miles wide and says—“Weo!”

(Donnie thinks Splinter would have loved him just as much. Shared with him the stories and legacy of their clan, sang to him the same old Japanese lullabies, enthralled him with the tales of Lou Jitsu, everything he'd wanted to do should he ever become a grandfather.)

Donnie doesn't see Casey much. Not by choice, but he's a busy freaking turtle and one-year-olds are notoriously for being loud, distracting little things that Donnie cannot afford, now more than ever.

He knows their chances of winning the war are slim at best and impossible at worst. Hope can only take you so far, crazy mystic powers or not. They've already lost so much of their world. They've already lost Dad.

So Donnie needs to focus, work and keep working so they won't lose anyone else. Anything less than the best possible outcome is not a thread of logic he is willing to follow.

Then there's a knock at his door.

Without turning from his multiple screens, mystic or otherwise, Donnie grunts, “It had better be good—”

Cassandra bursts through the door, blazes across the room, dumps something on Donnie's lap—“HOLD THIS I WILL RETURN SHORTLY SHUT UP AND THANK YOU FAREWELL!”—and slams the door behind her on her way out.

Donnie sits bamboozled in his chair in the aftermath of her whirlwind. He stares at the scorch marks her feet left on the floor, the angle his door sits at after she'd slammed it near off its hinges—

“Ba!”

—and at the one-year-old pink thing she'd left to drool on his lap.

“Oh hell no, hell no—Cassandra Bernid Jones!” he hollers to no reply.

How in the shit could she do this to him?! Why in the shit?!

Junior giggles at Donnie's misery, kicking his bare feet madly and clapping damp hands. He must've had his fingers in his mouth. Joy.

“Cassandra, come back for your child or I will feed you to the nearest Krang Hound!” Donnie shouts. Unsurprisingly, his only answer is more of Junior's incessant giggling. Pudgy fingers reach for Donnie's face and Donnie lifts him higher, further away. Junior shrieks with joy.

Growling, Donnie activates the mechanical arms in his shell to carefully lift the child off his lap as he stands, holding him at a fair distance. The child is delighted by this and kicks harder, screaming with unbridled joy and having the time of his life. Donnie stares, fighting a scowl and a flinch because dear god how can something so small be so ungodly loud?

Donnie wants to smash something. Ironically, the indirect source of his ire keeps that desire at bay, but it doesn't stop him from grinding his teeth.

He's busy running updates on their freaking security system, the only thing keeping the Krang from finding them and killing everything that breathes. Cassandra knows this, everyone knows this, he'd sent them an email about it! So why, in the ever-loving shit, would Cassandra literally drop her child off with the one person who has a history of only tolerating children? Sure it's his adopted nephew, but he can only last so much in the presence of his own blood relatives for Christ—

He doesn't realize he's hissing, a low guttural thing rivalled only by Raphael at his angriest, until Junior stops laughing.

As much as they postured and played with fashion, aesthetics and trends as teenagers, Donnie and his brothers are mutants, and by (non-freaky)human standards, they are not conventionally 'pretty'. And according to many honest human comrades, April included, they can be downright unnerving sometimes. Mostly when they're pissed off, their animal roots seeping through the cracks of the humanity instilled in them by a loving father. They growl, hiss, click and roar, bearing their teeth and snarling like beasts. It's worse for Donnie and Raph, the carnivores of the family and most prone to biting; Raph's size doesn't help, and Donnie has easily frightened some of their biggest and strongest Yokai allies with a flash of fangs or a warning hiss.

It's not something he likes about himself these days. It never bothered him until they were forced to interact more and more with humans who had no qualms pointing shit like that out, even now with literal aliens prowling their ruined world. Still, he's learned to roll with it like he does with everything else.

But Casey Junior looks at him—his peeled lips revealing sharp fangs grit tight in a snarl and a hiss he can't curb fast enough—and he starts crying.

Oh shit.

“Oh shit,” Donnie says, flapping his hands, ire forgotten as panic takes over. “Oh shit, the child is crying and I am the cause. Cassandra will kill me, then Draxum will bring me back as a zombie so Raph can kill me again.”

What the hell does he do? Make funny faces? Pretend to trip over and fall flat on his snoot? Kids love physical comedy, pain is always funny! Or maybe he—or—oh who is he kidding, he's screwed. And the baby is still crying, kicking his feet and red in the face. Donnie lowers but doesn't touch him, biting his lip as his thoughts race. Not even five minutes and he's proven he cannot handle a child. How does Raph do this? How did Dad put up with this for seventeen years—

Oh wait, there's an idea. What did Dad do?

Trick question: Donnie knows exactly what Dad did when they were younger, and eight times out of ten it worked. The problem lies with Donnie and his intense aversion to all things stinky and gross and loud, all of which Casey Jr is.

But Donnie has seen and lived with worse even before the world went to shit. He lived with Leo and Mikey as his little brothers; they piss him off like it's their personal mission, but he loves them so fiercely it's painful. He'd look death in the eye and double-dog dare it to do its worst for them.

This is his baby nephew. He's not been around nearly as long but surely, surely, Donnie can get over himself for him, too.

(Even if he is a busy turtle working his ass off at the end of the world. But family is different. Family trumps everything.)

So Donnie swallows, takes a deep breath, takes Casey from the mechanical arms before dismissing them into his shell—“I'm doing it, I'm freaking doing it—” and pulls Casey into his arms, holding him tight against his chest.

The crying doesn't magically cease as Donnie had hoped, but it dies down into kitten-like sniffles that do—something to Donnie's heart, squeezing and twisting it in a way he hasn't felt since Mikey was this small, maybe smaller. Whatever it is, it compels him to cup the back of Casey's ebony head and press his (grossgrossgross) face into the exposed crook of Donnie's neck.

“Um... there there,” he says clumsily, patting Casey's back with his other hand. “Cease your crying. It's making my knees hurt and my chest do weird, fuzzy things I don't have time for.”

Casey turns his head at Donnie's voice, frighteningly alert. 

Hm.

With a claw from his battle shell, he pulls his purple hood up, shielding Casey from the neon glare of his computer screens and LED lights around the lab. 

“I apologize for scaring you,” he says a decibel softer. Casey turns his head again in response, still sniffling but significantly calmer. “I am angry, yes, but I am not angry at you. It was unfair of me to show my ire that way, especially in front of you, child who is easily frightened by loud noises and yet is scarily perceptive of the moods of the people around you...”

Casey lays his head against Donnie's shoulder, blinking up at him with big watery eyes. Donnie blinks back.

This is... not awful. It's progress. Progress is good. This is good.

He tears his gaze from Jr's—as deadly a weapon as Mikey's eyes for sure—and sways from side to side the way he used to do for Leo when they were young and scared. He hums a tune under his breath, one from that Ghibli movie about little people; he can't remember the film's name but the song at the end was cute and catchy as it was corny. Even years later, he remembers the words—

“I'm 14 years old, I am pretty. I'm a teen tiny girl, a little lady. I live under the kitchen floor. Right here, not so far from you.” 

The sniffles die off, Casey's pudgy fingers grasping Donnie's torn hood, tiny nose buried against cool scales. Donnie keeps going, softly rubbing Casey's back the way Dad would rub his shell during Donnie's worse days. The memory brings tears to his eyes, so he shuts them before they can fall.

“Sometimes I feel happy, sometimes I feel blue. In my dreams O I wish I could... Feel my hair blowing in the wind, see the sky and the summer rain, pick a flower from the garden for you. Beyond the lane there's another world, butterflies floating in the air. But is there someone out there for me?”

By the end, Donnie looks down to see Casey fast asleep, sucking his thumb and drooling on Donnie's shoulder. For a breathless moment that lasts an eternity, Donnie is spellbound, staring at the little pink thing—a biological miracle someone had so quickly discarded on the barren streets of a dying world, a little life that had persevered despite every odd stacked against it, Cassandra's son, Donnie's little infant nephew—he cradles in his arms. For the first time he doesn't care for the slimy drool coating his shoulder, the bacteria or anything his body and brain would outright reject.

Donnie stares at Casey Jones Jr and finally pins a name to the fuzzy feeling in his chest.

Oh.

“Oh,” he says. Jr snuffles in his sleep.

---

When Leo turns a corner to find Mikey, Raph, April and Cassandra huddled outside Donnie's lab doors, he almost turns around to avoid the oncoming storm of Donnie's short temper. The gossip in him wins out in the end as he squeezes between Raph and Cassandra to peer through the crack in the door.

What he sees has him gaping like a fish.

Donatello Hamato—the Resistance's resident genius and hermit—sits languidly at his desk surrounded by screens, one hand tapping away at holographic screens, breezing through emails. The other arm curls around a babbling Casey Jr, grubby hands clenched tight on one of Donnie's old rubber fidget toys as he gnaws on it like a dog with a bone.

“The shipment from Asia's remaining base in Hong Kong should be arriving at the port between noon and sixteen hundred hours tomorrow,” Donnie rambles, eyes scanning a long wall of encrypted mystic text.

“Ba!” Casey cries around the toy, kicking his legs.

Donnie nods with a hum, scratching his chin. “Yes, I agree. Krang activity has intensified alarmingly at the Old Port since the refugee extraction six months ago, but there's no time to plan a safer route...”

“Ba dee ba!” Casey blows a messy raspberry. Not missing a beat, a mechanical arm pops from Donnie's shell to wipe the baby's mouth with a cloth before discarding it.

“You're right, Jr. I suppose there's no helping the matter. We must brief the teams as soon as possible to discuss the matter, rally what factions we have at our disposal—”

“Eeeee!” Casey screeches before bursting into giggles.

Donnie brightens. “Of course! We could send the drones! They're stealthier and won't incur a needless massacre at the hands of psychopathic aliens. If anything, we shall be doing the massacring once I've outfitted the drones with my newest Genius Built trademark mystic weaponry! Excellent idea Casey Jones Jr, what would I do without your added brilliance.”

“Don-NEE!” Casey cries.

“Yes yes, I'll send the email and hopefully one of those dumb dumbs will actually read—wait, what did you say?” Donnie drops the screens and plucks Casey off his lap to stare him in the face with wide eyes. “Did—Did you just—did you just say—?”

“Don!” Casey giggles, wiggling in Donnie's grip. “Don don don don don! Don-NEE!”

Donnie stares and stares and stares. A stupidly happy grin splits his face in two. “Oh my god.”

“Oh my god,” Mikey breathes with a matching grin.

“Would'ja look at that,” Raph chuckles, his smile a proud, fond thing.

“Knew he had it in him,” April nods.

“Which means Leonardo owes me fifty bucks!” Cassandra quietly whoops.

Tearing his eyes away from the horrendously cute picture of his twin and nephew, Leo aims a sly grin at Cassandra. “I would if we still used actual money as a source of income or trade.” Cassandra's grin drops like a stone, and Leo fights an evil cackle that would make Draxum proud. “Cash hasn't been a thing in years, Cassandra dear. Get dunked on.”

“Bite my ass, you di—!”

The door abruptly slides open the rest of the way and they tumble to the floor in a heap. Above them, Donatello stands unimpressed, brow raised and one hand on his hip. Curled in his other arm, Jr babbles happily and reaches for Cassandra.

“Evening all,” Donnie drones as they clambered guiltily to their feet. “To what do I owe this displeasure.”

“Nothing at all!” Cassandra said, shooting Leo a poisonous glare before opening her arms to receive her son. “Thank you for looking after my child, I will take him back now and relinquish you from your—”

“A-bub-bub-bub!” Donnie turns slightly, putting Jr out of her reach. “I have decided that Jr may stay a few hours longer while I run the regular diagnostics and schedule that meeting you no doubt heard about while you were unceremoniously eavesdropping at my still broken door—thank you for that Cassandra, by the way—he is no trouble presently and makes an excellent rubber duck to bounce ideas off. Don't you agree, Jr?”

Jr snaps his head up to beam at Donnie. “Ah!” he says. Donnie's impassive face melts into a rare smile that Leo aches to see. He's not smiled like that since before Dad...

Cassandra's arms flop to her sides. April, Mikey and Raph stare, rendered speechless until April lifts a finger. “... er, Don, are you sure—?”

“Quite sure, Commander O'Neil,” the impassive mask returns, but Donnie's fooling no one. “Now if you don't mind, Jr and I are very busy bees and must get back to work, so begone. And while you're at it, please issue this new warning to the rest of the base: 'I have only had Casey Jones Jr for five hours, but if anything happens to him, I will kill everyone in this base and then myself.' Good day.”

“Goo' 'ay!” Casey chimes and Leo has a front-row seat to Donnie's delighted crooked smirk right before he slams the door shut in their faces.

There's a beat of silence.

Then Raph claps his hands. “So,” he draws out with a strained smile, “who saw that coming?”

“Me,” Leo sings.

“You bet against him!” Cassandra booms. “With non-existent money!”

Leo shrugs, motioning them to follow him down the hall. “Only on principle. I knew he had it in him. Jr is family and Donnie loves attention and family. It was bound to happen.”

“Aaand it was stupidly cute!” Mikey chimes, floating by them with his hands tucked under his chin.

Leo thinks of the tingle he'd felt in his chest hours ago when Cassandra first ditched—ahem—dropped Jr off with Donnie, of the familiar tune from an old, corny yet hopeful film from their childhood humming from the fringes of their Mind Meld, of the glee and soft, new, helpless love bleeding from Donnie's gaze, his smile, as Jr babbled his name.

Leo smiles. “Yeah. Stupidly cute.”

---

Reblogs are appreciated! Feel free to drop more requests! For those of you still waiting, thank you for your patience I will get to them soon! :3 <3

[desceros]

this got longer than i meant it to, so tldr is these young men need to increase their experience bars to catch up to vi, nobody's maxed ??? i guess?? i rambled. uh. ANYHOW; gentle reminder that the boys were not in fact raised like typical humans, they have a very tight-knit social circle that very rarely grows or changes and their outside social interactions tend to be limited to yokai and other mutants just as bizarre as they are. Vi was raised presumably pretty standardly as a human in human society, regardless of the perceived pro-mutant thing given her some flavor. Her expectations are already set, she learned all this socializing biz growing up around other people learning probably around the same time, assuming she had like-aged peers as a kid- doubt that's been considered but if she's written to be neurotypical-coded then that's probably a fair take on her formative years. The boys did not get this social interaction with humans in public spaces and navigating relationships; even homeschooled children get outside to play with the neighborhood kids. They didn't even have yokai until they were 15. April was it until then. She's not exactly typical herself, either, so that's not much opportunity to learn how to treat people properly. all this to say, Leo and Donnie are both making the sort of mistakes you tend to make as kids, when it's less consequential because there's no predetermined expectation. I saw in another ask, Des, you said the bar couldn't be lower and I feel like that was true from the get-go with these boys; Vi's not just the best friend or love interest, she's also probably one of the, if not their very first human friend since adulthood (and no I do not count the Jones pair; one's feral ninja crazy and the other is apocalypse boy wonder, neither raise that bar, i will die on this hill). The boys are both learning character-building life lessons here. I for one am gonna be rooting for Leo to bounce back just as much as Donnie because these are not bad people, just inexperienced dum dums and I for one enjoy watching character growth in progress.

i'm really in a glass house about the Wow This Got Long tirade so you'll have no slings nor arrows from me, lmao

so, in symphony, i've tried to show that there's kind of a. hm. sliding scale of socialization that's happened with the boys. allow me to ramble on in detail since i know it's one of those things i've been perhaps a bit too sneaky about:

on one end of the spectrum, you have mikey. he's the one that goes out to the grocery store while dragging donnie along when he can, he makes friends that come to the party, etc. he's basically integrated at this point, as much as one can be as a ninja turtle that grew up in the sewer.

next you have leo, who i suspect talks to people and interacts with them as the face man, but he's still very sheltered. his sheltering, however, is by choice. hes not very interested in getting to know them. he's very closed off and protective of the hamato secrets, so he doesn't let people in. not unless they're useful.

next comes raph. i think early on, after krang, he probably tried to integrate. but he's, yknow, a huge-ass alligator snapping turtle mutant. he looks scary, and he's aware of how it comes across. he has a lot of encounters where people assume the worst of him. there's one line in chapter 14 that illustrates his stance on the situation, and how he's basically given up hope on the idea of integration:

“Honestly? I dunno. For years, we always lived in the shadows, never lettin’ humans see us ‘cause we didn’t know how they’d react. And now that we know, I wonder sometimes if we shouldn’t just stay down here.”

and finally, at the far end, we have donnie. if it weren't for his touch-aversion, i think he actually would have been next after mikey to integrate. we see him in the show going to april's school in the daytime in just his hoodie, talking to humans easily, and he's comfortable wearing pretty shitty disguises to go topside. but in symphony, because of his trauma (some of which we haven't explored yet i am so, so sorry to tell you), he self isolates so he doesn't have to Deal With People. crowds in particular are a No No, and the boy lives in new york. crowds are kinda hard to avoid. and you are correct! this has been detrimental to his socialization. he doesn't know how to communicate his needs to people. he never had to learn how.

but that's what's so... delicious about writing this fic for me. donnie having to grapple with the fact that he has to meet viola-chan in the middle, and viola-chan grappling with having to meet him in the middle. he needs direct, specific language. she needs authentic, affirming language. they're not mutually exclusive. but they are something that needs to be practiced, and hhhhhh. it's just so much fun to iron out!

[5ecardaday]

Yokaitober, Days 9-12

Helping to shorten the gap between the current date and how many yokai I've actually posted, here's Days 9-12 of my Yokaitober project. This set includes the kamakiri, a goblin cosplaying Edward Scissorhands who's obsessed with cutting hair; the shirime, a spooky faceless ghost that's desperate to flash you its eye; the tenjoname, a naked monster covered in paper strips who licks the grim off your ceilings; and the maikubi, the severed heads of three samurai who just couldn't stop fighting.

If you're unfamiliar with Japanese folklore, this assemblage of creatures probably reads like a demonic fever-dream. If you have even a passing knowledge of yokai, then you know these are really just par for the course. Okay, so maybe the shirime is pretty out there, but it's also not the strangest example of Japanese humor.

Regardless of whether you find these yokai creepy, funny, or unexplainably cute, they're all here for you to use in your own games of 5e. If you're interested in more yokai like these, as well as other 5th edition homebrew including subclasses, magic items, other monsters, and more, be sure to check out my Patreon. You can choose to support me there for as little as $2/month, or even just sign up to follow me and get alerts about when I release new stuff.

[kohakurin8]

~ A Sticky Spider's Web ~

An Explained Post that Untangles Arachne's Web in My Own Words

⚠️ WARNING ⚠️

This post contains spoilers beyond this point!

Although I do not personally believe that these spoilers will inhibit the gameplay experience, if you would like to play this short game before reading my post, please scroll to the bottom for a link to where it can be downloaded!

Bold of you to assume I'd stop playing spooky horror games just because it's November. After all, they're one of my favorite genres! And last night I had the pleasure of experiencing another one of @starwarspurgefan 's suggestions -- Spider's Web by Teamsin3

Full Disclosure -- Although I wasn't as completely impressed with this game as I was with Birthday Kid, I still found it adorable, intriguing, and charming. There isn't a lot of lore to unpack with this lil one, but I still want to share my thoughts about what the true story behind it all really is~

Yes, I will be loading this post with official Arachne art. Leave me alone, she's adorable!

So, a little synopsis to start. Spider's Web is less of a... horror game and more of a spooky mystery with horror elements. Which is fine too, I love those just as much! Throughout the game you play as Arachne, exploring your house and learning bits of information about your mother. Arachne is obviously very aware of all the lore you discover while exploring, but it's presented in a very mysterious way for you as a player, which helps make the game more intriguing.

Additionally, the game very subtly hints you in the right direction to discover everything necessary in the game. It even pushes you to experience all of the bad endings before unlocking the True Ending, which is a mechanic I really enjoyed.

Although you aren't aware of it when starting the game it becomes very quickly apparent, regardless of what ending you unlock first, that Arachne is a young Jorogumo (spider-woman yokai) living with her mother. Not only is her mother a widow, but it's heavily implied that their species of Jorogumo is specifically belonging to the "true widow" genus of spiders. More on that later.

Each ending divulges a little more detail about Arachne's situation with her mother as she struggles to find a way to leave the house. Unlocking these endings all involve an interesting series of puzzles revolving around blood splatters, hidden rooms, and thirsty spiderplants. However, those aren't the only important things about these endings; seeing as there are several bad endings and only one good ending, which is also the True Ending, it stands to reason that most of these endings are representative of poor decisions that Arachne could have made.

Because of this, I think the best way for me to explain my thoughts would be to elaborate on the symbolism of the bad endings first. Buckle up, kiddos!

The easiest ending to unlock is the Bloodlust Ending. Why? Because all you need to do is interact with all of the blood splatters in the house.

Relatively straightforward, this ending is what would happen if Arachne were to give in to her instinctual bloodlust and devour her first human. Of course, this would be a mistake on her part because she gives in to becoming a monster, which is a fate Arachne has the ability to change for the better.

The next easiest endings to achieve are the two where you use Special Scissors to cut the web covering the front door. At that point, Mother appears and chases you, prompting you to get a different ending depending on whether she catches you or not. If she does catch you, it's pretty likely that Mother kills Arachne out of anger and betrayal, and if you happen to escape then Arachne abandons her Mother on bad terms.

Both of these endings clearly represent Arachne's potential mistake of trying to run away without settling things at home, which could come with major consequences. For real, guys, you can't run away from your problems and expect them to disappear.

Another bad ending, Like Mother Like Daughter, is the only ending achieved by unlocking the Cellar. There you meet Mother and witness her several cocooned victims hanging from the ceiling. It's implied that Arachne gives in to her bloodlust in this ending as well, devouring the victims alongside hr Mother.

Moral of the story?

My best insinuation is Willpower. Arachne makes the mistake of giving up what she believes in (not eating men whom she doesn't love) and becomes exactly like her Mother. Which is something that we later on come to understand that Arachne really doesn't want to do.

The last bad ending is also particularly alarming. You achieve it if you do everything necessary for the True Ending but make the mistake of interacting with any of the blood splatters. Here, Arachne finds her mother's bedroom, looks in the mirror and has a massive panic attack as she realizes that she's all alone and will seemingly never find love. Arachne then cuts at herself several times with the Special Scissors until she dies...

This ending explains to us a few different things:

• Arachne apparently suffers from severe depression stemmed from a deep loneliness.

• Jorogumo instinct is so powerful that the only way for Arachne to retain her innocence is to avoid temptation altogether. Pretty insightful considering spiders represent temptation itself.

• This ending would most likely happen eventually if Arachne never manages to leave the house, even after the endings where she becomes a monster.

• This is actually a callback to the intro of the game, where Arachne muses that she's essentially suffocating. That is very clearly the beginnings of a panic attack (triggered by feeling trapped in some way) which implies that throughout the entire game Arachne is fighting off this growing sense of anxiety and pressure.

Now for the True Love Ending -- the good and canonical ending with the most details of the story.

Essentially the moral of the story here is that if Arachne can manage to resist her Jorogumo instincts, then she can achieve happiness by becoming a better person than her mother. But, this can only be achieved by remembering the True Love that Arachne's father taught the two of them.

Here, we learn that Arachne's Mother would date (and possibly marry) men time and again before devouring them. That is, until meeting a man who embraced her spider-side and appreciated her for it, rather than treating her like a monster.

That man became Arachne's father, and the two were very happy together. However, unfortunately when he began to shift his love from his wife to Arachne, Mother became so jealous that.... Well, it's implied that Mother devoured him out of jealousy, and then immediately regretted the action so badly that she refused to ever marry again.

Arachne grew up, but has been struggling and struggling to find a suitor for herself, and whenever she disapproves of one Mother will devour them instead of Arachne.

In the end, Arachne has come to the realization that she wants to go out into the world and find someone who loves her the way that her Father loved Mother. This is the only way that she'll be satisfied, but for pretty obvious reasons she's unsure how to break the news to Mother.

Still, Arachne succeeds because she finally understands that everything her mother has done...has been a show of her love. Despite possessing the Special Scissors, Arachne refuses to cut Mother's Web. Instead, when Mother appears Arachne tells her that she loves her, but it's time for her to find the True Love that her Father taught them both about. And finally... Mother understands Arachne's desires, and allows her to go out into the world.

Arachne untangles the web instead of cutting it, symbolic of preserving her connection to her mother instead of severing it as she had on all of the previous endings.

This ending was.... really sweet and beautiful. Definitely worth all of the tedious puzzles to unlock.

Although this game is very mature and leaves some to be desired, it's definitely a fun game worth experiencing!

I'm especially intrigued with the amount of research the creators seem to have done on widow spiders, since Mother only shows up when you touch her web, and in my own research I turned up...

It stands to reason that Mother shows up only when you touch her web because she can feel the vibrations through the silk!

Such a cool little detail...

Well, that's it for my analysis! If you have opinions or theories to add, please throw em in the comments!

‼️ DOWNLOAD LINK‼️

Please experience the game for yourself here!

[patchoulol]

Do ya think the stereotypical magical girl would get along with the touhou witches/magicians?

Probably not? I guess it depends on the generic zeitgeist concept of what a magical girl is versus actual magical girls. Compared to the residents of Gensokyo, magical girls are often cops and monarchists (or literally monarchs). They might get along with Reimu as yokai hunters, until they realize she's terrible at it and only cares when she's inconvenienced by them, but I'd only expect Sakura and the Nanoha girls (who don't really even fight monsters) to be able to really keep up. They're usually fundamentally opposed to the kind of creatures that just hang out together in Gensokyo, it'd be like the evil dimension monsters come from to them. Besides not being able to fly long distances, most of them can only do 1 or 2 big spells before they're spent or out of ideas. I'd probably rate most of the Precures Meiling tier or a little higher, as in it'll hurt if they catch you but they can't really do that, but some of them can use spells more often especially in movies (Cure Marine can just, casually explode an army and keep punching). There's a few exceptions like the Witchy/Mahou Tsukai girls and Cure Wing, though. (Cure Felice is a goddess that can split worlds with two flying witch magical girl moms, so...) Megucas are a bit complicated, as they all have only slightly more HP than an actual little girl (except Sayaka) and at the highest levels rely on dodging and canceling out bullets several stories up into the air already (see: Homura vs. Mami), which might make them unexpectedly dangerous. There's also the fact you could probably just Kyubey wish away most incidents in Gensokyo. But, their Goddess forms aren't going to show up unless someone is turning into a witch (the bad kind with a labyrinth), they don't really go around saving or smiting random people.

Now if the question were if specific leads of iconic magical girl shows would get along with them? Eh, sure, maybe, why not. Usagi, Sakura, Madoka, etc. get along with anyone, and they don't really attack anyone who isn't already attacking humans, but I'm not sure they'd enjoy having tea with vampires regardless. Nanoha would probably try (try) to arrest Sakuya and Keine (and Homura and Kyubey and Chibiusa and entire teams of Precures) for time crimes, seeing as it's literally her job. She'd help enforce not crossing the boundaries and keeping magical artifacts on their respective sides if anything.

Can't end this rant without pointing out Sakura can already fly and dodge danmaku and invented collecting spell cards so would probably pacifist time out everyone in Gensokyo and annoy them immensely.

[tickledpink31]

So first off, I hope you have a great tripe at Anime North and hope you the best day, so I actually have multiple questions because despite being a Filipino, I'm REALLY into Japanese Culture; One, would Minako or her family tell stories about Yokai's to the boys? Because I remember when I was younger in fifth Grade, the legend of Kuchisake-onna terrified me, two a visit to Nora Park because of the many deers there, I heard they have a unique quirk to bow their head because they know they'll get food, and their pretty persistent, and three, imagine the boys reaction of seeing Minako in all her Japanese heritage glory if she wears a kimono/yukuta were she'll look like a Japanese princess, again I hope you have a nice day and sorry for bothering you with my asks/questions

I'm actually going to talk about Erika Matsumori more than I'm going to be talking about Minako since Erika is yokai expert here.

Minako knows secondhand about yokai from Kikyo's mother, Erika. Erika lived in Japan for a good amount of time, honing her magic (magical children in Japan start schooling at the age of seven and are not officially boarded until they are eleven). She was highly drawn to the forest near her home and the yokai there, especially the kitsune.

It was taboo to be allied with yokai, but Erika disobeyed this because of the visions that she has been getting. Apparently, her professors were less trustworthy than the fox spirits, so she started learning magic from them. Her activities were eventually discovered, and Erika was expelled. Fortunately, her wand was saved from being broken, and her Muggleborn uncle got his niece transferred to Hogwarts to start her first year there.

Fun fact, because Erika was often the tallest kid in her class, her classmates would teasingly call her Hachishakusama (eight-foot tall woman spirit). She used her height to her intimidate people, as she was the only Muggleborn in Slytherin at a time when blood classism was very rampant. She was the tallest first-year, and taller than some of the second-years (Draco included, although they were about the same height by the next year and even years later. Not that it mattered, since Erika likes to wear heels and will always look taller next to her husband).

Where was I? Ah, that's right. Minako, Kikyo, and Erika are no strangers to yokai or other mythical creatures sightings regardless of where they are. It's just a regular Tuesday for them. Whenever they're in Japan, they will Kuchisake-onna at least once and successfully trick her into letting them go. For a spirit so scary, she's laughably gullible.

Minako most definitely prefers wearing a yukata over any other type of kimono. A Yukata is lighter and breezier. She'd wear it all year round to special Japanese occassions if it weren't for that fact that the yukata inappropriate for any other season that isn't summer. You won't find her wearing a komon (a casual kimono) very often, but she has worn a komon once or twice to a traditional tea ceremony with her late paternal grandma. She wished she appreciated those long ceremonies a bit more when she was younger.

[bahamutgames]

AFTERTHOUGHTS - ROUNDUP ROUND 4

June 2023

Hello again and one last (slightly late) Happy Pride everyone! I'm extremely late to posting about what I played last month because originally I was planning on combining it with THIS month since I wasn't expecting to play much. But I actually ended up playing a LOT of games in July so, I'm separating them again. BUT it's never a bad time to celebrate Pride! Woohoo gaymers....

Anyway....

Metagal (May 23, 2016) - PC

Starting off with Metagal! I got this a little while back because I was starting to get into Megaman and it was like, 99 cents on sale I think? Which was nuts. So I decided I wanted to play something short, and since I finally started the Megaman Classic games, I figured I had no reason not to try it out! Ultimately? I'm pretty pleased with it.

Metagal is a short Megaman like where you play as Metagal and defeat her 4 sisters in order to break them free of their mind control and gain their powers ect ect. It's got some pretty nice sprite work and some pretty good music. I think the girls themselves aren't necessarily PERFECT but I think they're pretty cute!

The gameplay itself is pretty standard but does some things to make it stand out from Megaman. The first thing is that special weapons don't require weapon energy. They recharge over time. PERSONALLY I think this is a great change cause lord knows Megaman has some situations where you can get screwed over by not properly spending every bit of weapon energy perfectly (the Megaman 2 boss. You know the one.) And secondly, the lives system is pretty neat. Rather than having a set amount of lives, you have infinite lives. Dying sends you back to the last checkpoint every time. BUT, you can collect extra lives and spend them like currency to respawn right at the screen you died at instead. It's simple but it's pretty neat!

The low points from what I remember are the boss battles. They all kinda suck. I just remember one miniboss I think in the fire stage that took SO long to take down cause it was hyper specific how to avoid its attacks and when I beat him I accidentally clipped into the wall and got soft locked. I also remember the final boss being HORRIBLE and more gimmicky than the other fights. Overall the game certainly isn't amazing, but there is some unique stuff in it and if you're a Megaman fan I think you could get something out of it especially when it becomes so cheap! Also the same team made another game more similar to the X / Zero games and it looks AMAZING! Will absolutely have to check it out!

Kitsune Zero (September 12, 2022) - PC

Next up is another game that's like an NES game! Kitsune Zero is a simple Mario like that's all about Yokai! You play as a Fox girl and you platform across various levels fighting Yokai and collecting power ups to beat back the Ogre Clan!

It's simple but I mean, it's Mario! You can't go wrong with it! It has ADORABLE sprites and art, cute reimaginings of Mario enemies as Yokai (Kappa Flappa is sucha good name), cute music. What's not to like? It's been a little bit since I played it but I do recall it feeling a little off compared to Mario which made some levels a little difficult to get through. But overall it's a simple and fun platforming experience.

Weirdly enough this is actually DLC for a game called Super Bernie World which is, more of the same. Except you play as Bernie Sanders. Which is funny, but so insanely random. Really feels like Super Bernie World should've been the DLC for THIS game. But regardless, it's neat and I will absolutely check out the game this is a prequel to eventually!

Paradise Marsh (October 13, 2022) - PC

Last but not least, probably my favorite thing I played in June: Paradise Marsh! This game is just a simple walking around and doing fuck-all simulator. Which by this point you should know is always a favorite of mine. The whole goal is to go around and catch animals so you can restore constellations and go home. There's lots to interact with, lots to catch, and there's no enemies or time limits. Just relaxing in this big open Marsh.

There's not a whole lot to say on this game cause again it's pretty simple and short. I loved figuring out how to catch the animals, I loved just interacting with random junk, I loved how relaxing the game was, I love the graphics and the visuals. I ADORE that it had a day/night cycle that's always a good call in my book. The constellations were funny (Dragonfly was probably my favorite?) and the ending was very cute. I liked the game so much I even 100% completed it!

The only real negatives I have about it do shockingly come from that day/night cycle. A LOT of this game focuses around night time. You can only put the constellations back at night, a LOT of the animals are only available at night. Which is fine but I feel like night is way too short, and day too long. I know you can sit down to make time go quicker and I found myself using this CONSTANTLY but sometimes I also found I couldn't get up off the seat at the proper time. It's small but it is still a little frustrating. My only other complaint was the STUPID LILLYPAD ACHIEVEMENT TOOK ME SO LONG TO GET WHY IS IT LIKE THAT WHO DECIDED ON THAT UGH!!

But yes, good game.

[pinepickled-natsuyuu]

Idrk what to say 😂 this was a ship post, I didn't really think too hard about it.

For Matoba having once been amicable to yokai, that's a theory, yes, but really just a theory. I can see how it would work narratively, but as of now it hasn't been concerned. Regardless, part of me saying he thinks they need to be separate was to set up what I said next, that he is actually hoping he is wrong and that they can live together in harmony.

And to say Natori doesn't know the "dark side" of yokai is just a biiiit of a stretch. He is an exorcist like any other and while certainly not being hunted, he's not sheltered either. He's been in the thick of it. As well for Natsume, his entire life has been yokai-induced bigoted-lead torture. That's kind of the whole point; he has every right to hate yokai, and in some ways does. He's been hunted, chased, and terrified. What's great about Natsume is that he is able to go case by case, to understand that like people, yokai can come in all flavors. Natori and Matoba understand that to some extent (and I can't even speak on Natori rn bc I only meant this to be a matonatsu ship post lol) they're unable or perhaps ignorant of how to implement that in their lives. Maybe they feel they're too far gone-

but isn't Natsume Yuujinchou the manga that's all about healing, learning, growing, third fourth and fifth chances?

While I can see that negotiating with yokai is likely very difficult based on his name alone, matoba has also shown a lot of outright murderous intent to yokai, such as in his first appearance, so I imagine his feelings around them are definitely still complicated. And I'll say this, Natsume's methods aren't the norm among ppl like him. Matoba can do his job the only way he's been taught how to, and still reach out to a yokai kitty in hopes it will come back to him also. That's why I say all of this in the first place- he wants to change! He wants to see a better world! He wants harmony and companionship in a world that really, only himself and Natsume understand.

And yes, natori natori but this isn't about natori, it's my thought post about Matoba! And Matoba does very much seek Natsume out. Perhaps not directly as in he gets up one day and says "I'll go visit natsume" but regardless, whenever fate does push them together, Matoba still seeks Natsume out and yes, talks to him. He's very comfortable in exorcist communities as well as working alone, whereas Natsumes only ties to the world are yes, Natori, but also Matoba! Matoba would be well within his right to just keep an eye on natsume and do nothing more, or actively be his malicious enemy, but their scenes together always feel playful, at least on Matoba's part.

Scary for Natsume of course, but Matoba really seems to just like messing with him! So essentially by "seek out" I meant "initiates interaction". Narratively, a lot of Matoba's potential actions that ignore or otherwise dont prioritize natsume could make sense, but Midorikawa chooses to portray a Matoba that wants, very much so, to be around Natsume.

We can't forget that he's also a very busy clan head with lots of eyes on him. Seeking out Natsume in your interpretation may not always be possible or safe!

And when I say "protects natsume and his way of life" I mean that literally lol. Matoba has taken a lot of mercy on Natsume, a lot of gentleness with him, a lot of forgiveness, and has protected Natsume from *physical* harm many times, as in keeping him from dying or being otherwise maimed. That doesn't extent to Nyanko sensei ofc lol, but thats another piece of the puzzle in my view.

Matoba wants Natsume to succeed in his way, yes, but he also wants Natsume by his side almost desperately, enough to bring it up frequently at least. He wants someone who understands him. He went thru the trouble of kidnapping him to have that lol!! They see the same world, they've likely had similar enough experiences, they see the same patterned kimono.

Their worlds are one; Matoba wants to learn how to live in Natsumes, and Natsume needs to learn from Matoba if he's going to survive in both worlds at once. And while I don't think at this point Matoba has any intention of hurting Natsume, he may do so unintentionally, if he thinks it's for Natsume' good. I agree, that's what makes him so good!

That's what I meant! I wrote that all to explain their romantic relationship 😂

I feel like there's something to be said about how Matoba has grown his hair out to make better details with yokai, extending his physical form for their sake, and how he doesn't exercise, though it is well within his ability to do so, the yokai that is after his eye. And how he still fails to connect with yokai, how they fear and run from him, but also how he doesn't really know HOW to connect with them. He doesn't know how to treat them, he feels they are lesser than human, that one and the other must be separate, and yet his powers and the will of the yokai do not lend to that at all.

Maybe that's why he seeks out Natsume and yet let's him go from danger time and time again, why he is the biggest threat to Natsume and his way of life, but perhaps the biggest protector also. Matoba doesn't approve, but he regardless protects Natsume physically like in the recent chapter at the kiln and at the bus stop. Maybe he wants to see Natsume safe and happy, maybe he wants to constantly be around Natsume, because Natsume is living the life he wants to. A life of power, and yet gentleness and companionship with BOTH yokai and humans. A life with a foot in both worlds.

He wants to live like Natsume, and he's chasing him around because he wants to see if this ideal life is possible.

Idk. Just my thoughts.

[adobe-outdesign]

Can you tell us your thoughts on the new scarvi mon if you haven’t already?

(Note: This is a special-edition review in honor of the recent reveals. Reviews after this will follow the usual earliest-first release.)

Fidough is a fun concept. We haven't really had any bread Pokemon before, so that's a unique niche for it to fill—even if, admittedly, I'm a little burnt-out on dog Pokemon due to their abundance.

It also seems to be based off of ensaïmada, a type of Spanish pastry. Assuming this was the intent, it makes for a nice little cultural reference that's still easy to understand for people who don't know what ensaïmadas are.

Also, that pun name is to die for.

Visually, I like the simple yellow and cream color scheme, the little "hair buns" that are literally buns as well as ears, and the little ruff around the neck. For a creature made of dough (or maybe it just looks like it's dough? it's not entirely clear yet), it feels fairly organic.

Evolution-wise, I agree with the consensus that it should become fully baked bread; it would be especially fun if it had to be given a fire stone or something to evolve, or to get hit with a fire-type move as a baking reference. Hopefully it would stick to some kind of Spanish baked good to fit the region, but I don't know enough about Spanish breads to offer any opinions.

Also, I like the bit of lore that it's been considered a valuable Pokemon because its breath contains yeast that can be used for cooking. It's a nice bit of worldbuilding.

Cetitan is definitely a stand-out for me. It's been a hot minute since we had a traditional "Pokemon-that-looks-like-an-animal-but-is-also-an-abstact-monster" kind of look, and a whale that has legs and walks around on land is perfect for that. The concept is probably based off of how whales are descended from land dwelling animals:

Though it's also possible it's a reference to the ningen, a modern-day Japanese yokai that's basically a white whale with arms and legs. Regardless, it's a very cool and very monster-y design.

Visually, I like how the pink adds some nice pops of color, and I adore this thing's mouth; three horns in a V shape, with an incredibly messed up mouth that isn't even immediately visible:

This is what defiantly makes the design for me. A land-whale Pokemon is already cool, but slap that mouth on it and it's an instant 8/10 for me.

I say 8 out of ten because there are some very minor things that bug me about the design, though they're mostly nitpicks. The random grey spots under the arms aren't needed, I would've rather seen one of the horns be pink instead of the flippers, and I don't get the pattern under the stomach. It just feels a bit over-detailed when it would look fine with just spots (as in, without all those little connecting lines everywhere), and I don't really get what it's trying to accomplish. Overall, however, this is a great design.

Side note: if I had to wager, Cetitan is either non-evolving, or likely has a pre-evo. And if it has a pre-evo... is it possible it would be the famed dolphin Pokemon everyone's been waiting on, seeing as they're both part of the Cetacea infraorder (and, you know, that's where the English name comes from)?

And Paldean Wooper is just ideal, as far as I'm concerned. It changes up as much as it can from the original design—front markings, colors, mouth size, and gills—while still remaining clearly recognizable. I wouldn't have minded a little something done with the tail, just because it's the only big element that remains the same (maybe just make it a pinch smaller or something minor like that), but otherwise it has a good balance of new vs old elements.

The big thing that makes the design however is the gills: this new Wooper is poison/ground instead of water/ground, so the gills have been changed to make the entire head a skull and crossbones. That is an absolutely brilliant design choice, and whoever came up with it deserves a raise. It also helps give the design a specific concept that keeps the changes from feeling too bland or arbitrary.

I am curious about the evolution. Is it going to become a regional Quagsire, or more get a new regional evolution? I do love Quagsire, but it might be more interesting to get a more axolotl-ish Pokemon, maybe taking elements from the Iberian ribbed newt that P. Wooper here seems to be based on, in all its rib-breaking glory.

So as a whole, all three of the designs are a very strong showing from Scarlet and Violet. Fidough has a fun concept, Cetitan is a great "monster" Pokemon, and P. Wooper has a brilliant design and is everything you could want from a regional. Here's hoping all of the new 'mons are this good.

[tblsomedoodles]

. . . a brain geared towards body horror really would have a field day with the family web au (it's me). Bc like. If Raph already had red eyes I imagine the further mutation at maturation would be along the lines of like. Seeing through cloaking magic & Illusions maybe? Maybe he had a migrane for a while while that manifested. And the twins holy mackrel the possibilities. Perhaps one of their arms getting stuck on the bridge of one's shell in the growth process? That could hurt. And with Mikey's eyes I would wager another migrane, one that aches to the bone as his skull reconfigures (part of me wants to write a horror sequence where he wakes up after, not quite sure whats going on, eyes crusted over-with what he assumes is typical sleep crust. but growing 4 new eyelids cant be a bloodless process and head wounds of any sort bleed. Bad. And then someone sees him stumbling blindly to the bathroom, blood smeared all across his face, and screams bloody murder.) Adding if they assume that's all the changes that will occur, Mikey having a simple cough, an aching throat that turns into a mess of built up web and the retching and heaving ribs because he doesn't realize there's something caught, doesn't know what to do or how to loose it

. . . . . . I adore all the fluff but I'm built for horror

Oh definitely, especially early on in the fic like this. (This is pretty much were i'm starting it since it's kind of shifted from a 'sad alternate backstory' fic to a 'solving mysteries about sad alternate backstory' fic.)

I Really like Raph's eyes not just changing color but having a little extra ability with it. Especially if they end up seeing things like Donnie's goggles do, but he doesn't notice immediately. Like it's Raph. I love the kid but he'd probably go around for a week just assuming that there was a sudden influx of yokai not wearing cloaking broaches lol.

(putting in a break b/c it's kinda long and body horror stuff) (just more developing spider traits stuff)

Honestly, the whole thing starts out pretty slow. Like Raph has some itchy eyes that no amount of sleep or eye drops will make stop. Mikey starts out with just some headaches. Donnie's side ache but not enough to be a problem (just enough that Leo tells him he should take a break from his battle shell until it's better.) Leo's the last one to start developing anything for various reasons.

But yeah, they don't really notice anythings wrong until they wake up one morning to find that Donnie's sides hurt so bad that he can't move away from his desk. And those arms coming in, hurt. Especially at the start. As far as Leo and Donnie are concerned, they still have the tiny bit of development those extra arms accomplished from before mutation. (basically just quarter sized bumps on their sides hidden under the bits of shell on their sides. they are well aware they're there and can feel if their there by touching them but it's not viable.) So when they begin developing again, the will-be arms have to force their way through that bit of shell first, kind of like how a tooth grows in through gums. And that's the most painful part of that process. That's what makes Donnie basically unable to move and Raph so concerned that he all but drags Leo out of bed to look at him. (b/c Medic Leo is my jam lol)

Raph, i think would mostly deal with some aches and burning sensations on (or behind) his eyes as his fully develop. Maybe a migraine with heightened light sensitivity so Leo tells him to stay in his room with the lights off.

And you're so right about Mikey! i feel so bad for him now! B/c those headaches would just get worse, and turn to bad migraines that feel like his skull is splitting apart. Eyes can't develop without a spot to develop, so spots would open up for them and, as you said, head wounds bleed a lot so yeah. Poor Raph would just see Mikey and just panic. And i imagine Leo's just starting his own arm development, but regardless of whatever pain he's in, he bolts out of bed b/c Raph screaming at 4am cannot be good. (and with the way things have been going with their mutations, someone probably developed a third eye or something. Scratch that, a third, fourth, fifth, and sixth eye.) But that's not it for Mikey, b/c he's developing webs too and oh that poor kid.

but yeah, early on when it's all developing, is most certainly very rough for the boys. It's painful, and scary, and they're just so confused. (and Leo's just trying to medic everyone while no experience in this or have any good idea of what's going.)

Thank you! This was really cool! Especially since it's dealing with the fic content i'm actively working on. : ) Very helpful, thanks again!