#but this. doesn't?? for some reason?? like this is the gen 9 model for it (which i was able to use because its eyes don't have textures)

[front-facing-pokemon]

[deepdreamnights]

Hey there, saw your post re: harassment around artists using gen ai and thought it was great esp with the debunking of data usage myths. Would you share your thoughts regarding concerns that models are being trained to copy specific art styles and thus pose a direct threat to the artists whose art styles are being used?

Well, there's several levels to that.

The main one is that on copyright grounds, styles are explicitly non-copyrightable. Moreover:

No one's style is unique

No one's style is unimitatable by analogue means.

The second point is important, because anyone can go on Fiverr right now and and find someone to replicate any given art style, and every competent draftsperson has to be able to do it to some degree or another. No major animation house, art studio, or comic company has ever hired someone because they couldn't find someone else that could imitate the surface-level aspects of their style.

The first point is just a matter of basic reality. Ex-nihlo creativity either doesn't exist or is so rare as to be a once-in-an-epoch thing. Everyone builds on the influences that they learn from, and if you think someone has a unique style what they really have is a different media diet than you.

For example, Don Bluth. Born 1937, aged 15 in 1952.

Same year Time released this this picture of Burlesque Performer Dale Strong.

Someone made an impression.

Marilyn Monroe was also a national sex symbol when Bluth was a teen, putting some context to most of his other ladies, but especially Goldie Pheasant (or maybe she's more Jayne Mansfield, hard to tell through the bird-ness). His art style has obvious roots with Tex Avery and I would guess he read Mad Magazine a lot as a kid.

And Not to hang the guy out to dry alone, I was a teenager in the 1990s, and most of my sexy fictional ladies are 9/10 some combination of Dana Scully, Peg Bundy, and Rhonda Shear.

The point being that style isn't something you create intentionally so much as an accumulation of influences, drawn from the commons. Attempting to claim ownership of such a thing is by itself an act of theft in my view, and allowing them to be protected under the law would mean a judge being shown exactly how many pieces of prior art the Walt Disney Corporation owns that your work superficially resembles. Why, they'll even run it through a style recognizing AI to make sure they catch them all.

But let's talk about style matching.

It just takes one image now, and doesn't require training.

Which I'm sure sounds frightening, but this has been the situation since February for Midjourney, and it was available in the Stable Diffusion ecosystem long before that. If the threat were as pronounced as feared, we'd have seen the impact by now. And we haven't, and we're unlikely to, for several reasons, several of them listed above.

The largest is that style isn't even close to the be all/end all of what an artist brings to a given project. And the kinds of execs who are making a 'replace 'em with a robot' kinda decision aren't the kinds of people who care about art style beyond how much it looks like the most recent successful thing. And nobody's ever needed a robot to ride coattails.

But the next largest part is that AI style imitations aren't really accurate because the robot doesn't see style in the same way we do. It's all just math to the robot, and it prioritizes what it notices, not what we do.

I'll demonstrate.

Jack Kirby will be my example, for several reasons.

He has a bold and identifiable style, he's arguably the most famous artist in western comics history, and he has many analogue imitators and homagers.

Using Midjourney and prompting "an illustration of dana scully by jack kirby, 1968, in the style of 1960s marvel comics --ar 3:4 --s 15"

Using the base model, on the first roll we get three complete style mismatches and one that's kinda close, though I'd say that's way more Sal Buscema or John Byrne.

Kirby's women had a certain, difficult to describe oddness about their faces that the robot doesn't seem to grok, and it doesn't touch on the kinds of wild patterns and bold black/white swatches that make Jack's work feel 'jack'.

Tom Scioli's take on Kirby is a sort of lovingly flanderized parody, but it captures the spirit of Jack's art much more directly even if a lot of individual details aren't period-accurate. He draws Kirby the way you remember Kirby from your childhood, but I don't question whether the page above is trying to be a Jack Kirby homage or one to Sal Buscema.

But Midjourney has style reference, so we can inject the Kirby right in. Using the picture of Sersei dancing from above with the same prompt, we get:

Well, the work is more convincingly period, but again, we're not terribly close to being on-point. In fact, they're not very consistent between each other. Top left is any 80s marvel fill-in artist. Top right is maybe Kirby-esq. Bottom Left is flat out Jim Lee, bottom right is very Byrne-y.

Using three reference images to give the best shot, I'm also moving to using images of a similar color style, and all with a woman as the central focus. I have included the infamous Crystal pin-up shot because as I said, Kirby women have a certain oddness to them (fondly).

Results (MJ 6.1 on the left, Niji 6 on the right):

It all says 60s-70s Marvel, but I don't think Kirby would be the first guess for any of them. Maaaaaaybe the lower-left Dana in image #2 if you squint.

And that's Jack Kirby. Massively popular and prolific with a career spanning decades. If anyone in the comics space should be impersonatable by this thing, its him.

I'm sure you could train a LORA to get closer, and sure, the tech is only going to get better from here, but by the nature of how the system works no generation pulls just from what is referenced. Every generation is both blended with other concepts and emphasizes only what the machine catalogs as relevant, not what we might.

There's not much to stop someone from imitating your style with a machine, but there was nothing stopping them from doing the same with an underpaid freelancer. The results are likely to miss the mark regardless.

If the client wants you, they'll try and get you. If they just want something kinda like you, they've always had an avenue to that.

Fortunately, you're more than your style, and whatever anyone can do with the machine, you can do better because you've got access to both.

[tobyfoxfacts]

SHOULD TOBY FOX BE PRESIDENT??

Heres the pros and cons

Pros

1. He made a game all about befriending your enemies.

He's a natural at building bridges so he may be able to repair any hard feelings between countries that the US cut off in the past.

2. He's a business man

Toby is self employed and has people who works under him. He started from the bottom. He worked on his first game in someone's basement. He earned his success.

3. He's great at money management and project planning

He made undertale pretty much on his own and organized any assistance he needed. He's great working on teams and had done many collaborations.

4. He likes the girls and the gays!!

Toby would let us all be trans and queer. He has 2 lesbian couples in his games, a non binary main protagonist, and is a total mommas boy. He wouldn't wanna take away her rights.

5. He doesn't hate drag queens

Toby has been seen wearing skirts and dresses as costumes or cosplays. He's worn makeup and dresses for costumes.... so he wouldn't hate someone for doing the same.

6. He supports the environment

Toby has a degree in environmental science. Why would he get a degree in that if he didn't believe in global warming? He would help repair the environment and make our country more echo friendly. As a science major he knows vaccines aren't fake and would be a great role model.

7. He slips under the discrimination radar

This is cynical, but based on Toby's appearance, he has advantages in the political world. "Straight looking," pale skinned, rich, Christian, cisgender man who went to a prestigious college. So, heck... he'd get a chance even if he genuinely sucked because politics are rigged. Even if he thought Hulu was part of Hawaii and they made a streaming service... he would still make it to the finals.

Don't let anyone find out he's a dress wearing autistic furry that makes songs about mpreg.

8. He has a great education

Toby went to a college that focuses on law and business. There's a chance that he took some classes on the side about those subjects.

9. He's a level headed guy and stays out of drama

Toby's never gotten caught up in drama and he's not a trouble starter. He'd never initiate a war.

10. G-n outlaws

We already know that Toby isn't enthusiastic about violence and believes in thinking before hurting. He would totally make more anti g-n proposals

11. He loves animals

He'd totally help prevent animal cruelty and k1ll shelters. Toby literally thinks he's a dog...

12. He hates taxes

He grew up in New Hampshire so moving to Boston must have been a shocker. He might be able to make taxes more reasonable, or do something useful with the money.

13. Japan loves him

His buddies in Japan (zun, sakurai, etc) have said Toby blends right in with the people in Japan. He's very polite. SUPER important.

14. He's young

He's level headed and isn't fucked on dementia medication while making life altering decisions for the next generation. He's involved and up to date with modern culture, and knows what people want.

15. He's a cutie

Must I say more?

16. He's a cultural icon

Gen z would vote for him cause they already know Toby's great. Plus everyone who doesn't care about politics would find it hilarious to see toby in the white house.

Why toby shouldn't be president

1. He's too short to see over the podium

2. He's stage fright

3. He'd eat the declaration of independence

4. He doesn't want to be

5. No more delrarune :(

[dentos-wife]

If my math are right, Chrom would have been 29 in the OG timeline. Robin does not have a canon age due to being an avatar with 3models that seems to go from a range of 13 to over 29 but some people have theorized that it's Robin's birth that made the Exalt King, Chrom's dad, wage a war against Plegia to get rid of Grima's possible vessel. This took place 15 years ago, so if we assume that Robin may have at least spend a short ammount of time with Valider or that the news spread after, that means Robin was around 15-16 at the begining of the game. There is also the terrible support chain between F!Robin and Aversa where Robin mentions that Aversa might be a dozen older than Chrom,when she is only 8. If we assume that Robin made that comment using her physical appearance as a criteria (since in her support with Noire she acknowldege that she doesn't remember her age, but she just states that she is young), than that pretty much backs it up as this would mean that Robin is 3 years younger than Chrom, hence 9 years younger than Aversa more or less. Finally, there is the 2nd gen. Lucina and her friends are around the same age, but in the japanese version, Lucina mentions that she is was 16 years old when she traveled back to the past and stayed 2 years, making her 18 years old. This means all the 2nd units are around that age while keeping in mind that if they arrived and stayed in this timeline earlier than they ended up being older than 18 (for example Laurent). Severa, is called a child by Chrom, considering that she most likely is around 17 years old and that her father will comment that girl her age likes dress and in her support with F!Robin, Severa mentions that they are about the same age and that other future character like Owain and Gerome looks older than her (but to be fair they look older than their own mother, at least in this world) So that means that Robin would be around 15-16 pre timeskip, 17-18 post timeskip. Meaning that Future Fell Robin was barely 26 when all the shenanigans happened.

That's speculation however, so far the only canon thing about Robin is they don't like carrot and their cooking skills is a bigger mysteries than Bermuda Triangle and Intys is still using the multiverse excuse to make believe that default Robin is just another version of our Avatar to not invalidate anything (have it smooth Intys) but it's most likely that in the canon timeline Robin is a fresh adult whereas Fell Robin was in his late 20... while keeping in mind that in the game Chrom though they were twin.... not siblings with a 10 year age gap, but literal twins...

But ultimately Robin possesed by Grima shares his 2 000 year old and we can still wonder if the percentage of Naga Blood used to make Grima does'nt make Robin age slower or some stuff like this

Your reasoning seems solid enough to me. I always just picked a random age for Grima and used 25 so neat I was close!

I think in Awakening the reason for the models being the same is simply, less effort to make it. I would guess if Awakening got remake they'd get some upgrades and we'd have a 2 years later design for everyone and Grima might look slightly different. I say this because look at 3H and their two separate time skips and how well they went over, so they could potentially do some changes.

Or they could do absolutely nothing, depends on if they want to be Fire Emblem Echoes level or...Pokemon BDSP level

[vyvesvi]

random gg lineup i'd like to see (#1)...

side note: i don't understand why kpop companies don't poach chinese members from chuang & youth with you. there are so many gorgeous talented girls (and guys i guess) who want to debut in groups but won't due to the way cpop works 🙃 it drives me a bit insane tbh

1. lee mihee (mtg, botopass)

Birthday: August 24, 2000 (22)

Height: ~168 cm (~5'6")

Nationality: Korean

Position: Center, Dance Line, Vocalist, Lead Rapper

the girl who started the delusion!!! mihee is a queen and if you haven't seen her perform you're missing out, link to her solo performance of next level on mtg. she doesn't naturally have a great singing voice/tone if i'm being honest but her technique + ability to improve quickly, as shown on mtg, set her apart. plus, she has natural charisma and star quality that is far harder to learn (i would recommend watching mtg's black mamba performance for that). she's also an amazing dancer, like top 10 for 4th gen (her "friends" duet with hong hyeju of class:y shows this). she is truly being wasted in botopass and if you watched even 5 seconds of mtg you can tell that jeon soyeon would kidnap her if mihee wasn't already signed. let's hope she can leave 🙃

2. yu jiwon/bian (former ans, former majors)

Birthday: February 13, 2001

Height: 165 cm (5'5")

Nationality: Korean

Position: Dance Line, Lead Vocal, Maknae Line

the girl who started it all part 2! i realized while watching mihee on mtg how much...facial harmony? synergy? bian and mihee would have together is insane. even energy wise, bian has never been in a group with anyone who matched her charisma but i'm 100% sure that mihee could do so. bian is another small company wasted potential girlie, the reason i'm formalizing my thoughts on this dream lineup is that they announced that she's left majors (yay!!) ...to become a douyin content creator under the company haiwen (🙃🙃😭💔). anyways we shall see how she fairs (or not because i don't have douyin).

3. zeng keni/jenny zeng (youth with you 2, oaca girls)

Birthday: June 9, 1993

Height: 174 cm (5'8.5")

Nationality: Chinese

Position: Main Vocal, Face of the Group

now. i did not watch youth with you, but i saw keni's face on the tl and said wow yeah she deserves fame. (they needed to rig her into the final lineup tbh.) i'm not sure when but i heard a clip of her singing and it affirmed that life is just unfair sometimes. some people just look like supermodels and are also incredibly competent vocalists with beautiful lower registers and we just have to move on. i suspect that keni's voice would be sooo crazy good with more formal training but she's a very successful model now so :")

4. liu lingzi (youth with you 2, oaca girls)

Birthday: April 6, 1998

Height: 172 cm (5'8")

Nationality: Chinese

Position: Dance Line, Vocalist, Rapper

for some reason she really looks like xiaoting in this pic but in general they look nothing alike lmfao. my introduction to lingzi is pretty much the same as keni except lingzi is a dancer rather than a singer. she doesn't do a ton with music anymore but she acts and models a lot (and a lot of her cover shoots are actually with keni, another insane facial harmony duo).

5. kang kyungwon/yuha/gyeongwon (former pristin, former hinapia)

Birthday: November 5, 1997

Height: 170 cm (5'7")

Nationality: Korean

Position: Dance Line, Vocalist

kyungwon might feel like a bit of an odd choice here but i think she fits the mature and for lack of a better word, "chic", vibe im going for. i rewatched videos for the dance line i'm building and realized that kyungwon's more hip hop/jazz training could serve as something really powerful and grounding for the group. the other dance line members have backgrounds in contemporary dance mostly so i feel like kyungwon would help balance the almost "airy" quality of the other members, all whilst fitting well visually and vibes wise.

6. kim yehyeon/bomin/jein (former good day, former redsquare, aldl)

Birthday: September 24, 2001

Height: 169 cm (5'6")

Nationality: Korean

Position: Main Rapper, Vocal, Maknae

my daughter 😭 she's such a solid gg member i hope she's able to redebut soon. a lot of what i've said about kyungwon can be applied to yehyeon as well. she's trained in a stronger style of dance and would bring a lot to the table in that way. she's also kind of a jack of all trades and could cover in areas where others might be lacking. presence wise, she's not quite a powerhouse like mihee or bian but she definitely stands out. i would say that where tue other two run the risk of causing an imbalance on stage, yehyeon is better at controlling her energy- she always shines, but in a way that enhances others when its meant to and herself at other times. an underrated skill tbh.

7. jiang zhenyu/aisling jiang (chuang s3)

Birthday: December 30, 1996

Height: 165 cm (5'4")

Nationality: Chinese

Position: Dance Line, Vocalist

perhaps the most most unrealistic on this list- a severe spinal injury ruined her chances on chuang and forced her to leave dance behind, so she mostly acts these days. still, at her peak, i'd have loved to see her in a group. it actually took awhile for me to warm up to her on the show, but her dance ability is no joke. she's not trained in hip hop or jazz but i feel like she could pick it up.

***

for some reason, my brain said "you can't add people who are currently active in music to this made up and entirely unrealistic lineup!! that would be crossing the line!!!" so. this is my bonus section.

note: if i were given the opportunity to make this lineup real i think i'd want to make this a 7 member group, so i would ruthlessly replace lingzi with doyeon probably lmfao. anyways.

bonus! 8: doyeon (weki meki, ioi)

Birthday: December 4, 1999

Height: 173 cm (5'8")

Nationality: Korean

Position: Lead Vocal

we all know and love doyeon, what is there to say really? she should be kpop's main it girl right now but alas. i feel like she fits this lineup both visually and talent wise, but mostly i just think it'd be fun lmfao!

bonus! 9. jung jinsol/jinsoul (loona)

Birthday: June 13, 1997

Height: 165 cm (5'5")

Nationality: Korean

Position: Lead Vocal

okay hear me out!!!! it'd be fun i promise!!! her lower power vocals fit with this group and despite being on the shorter side i think she fits the kind of...model-esque? look and tone of the group. with her dorky personality i think their dynamic would be fun too :")

hobbies: making up group lineups and getting sad that they're not real

[sanstropfremir]

Sorry if you talked about it but why is that the international scene isn’t really conducive to male solo acts anymore? What changed in 5 years? NCT’s Lab I thought it was just cause of their model, DO’s debut I think it’s a special case but Suho and Kai debuted with promotions. From other companies, in 2021, we had something like 9 or more male soloist debuts. Except for Kai’s, do you feel they are on a lower budget now? Is that why?

oh it's because the biggest kpop act in the world right now is a group that is particularly anti-solo work lol. 2017 was when they blew up in the west so that's why i said five years, but really the number doesn't matter that much. people are more predisposed to think of kpop acts as groups right now and the truth is that groups are just more profitable. more members might mean more upfront costs in training time etc but it also means that there's more variety within the group and a higher guarantee that a fan will latch on to at least one of them. with a solo artist, there's only one of them. a lot of what drives engagement and content outside of the music in kpop is group dynamics and interactions, which. hard to do with just one person, and especially hard to do if a soloist has left a group for any reason. there's a lot of mythologizing by the fans of the groups themselves and so doing solo work (or even just being in two groups, i'm looking directly at you dumbass dream vs 127 subunit twitter fights) is sometimes seen as a betrayal. can you imagine the chaos that would happen if a bts member decided to actively promote solo? that fandom would tear itself apart.

basically all i'm saying is that the industry is a lot different than it was in 2014 and it isn't possible to do the same kind of debut with full scale company backing as taemin had, because the landscape has changed so much. it's just another casuality of the changing times, nothing actually negative about it. there's easily five times as many groups and the groups are larger than ever, and boy groups in general are on the out with the general public in sk. and i don't think it's possible to have true success as a kpop group without having a relatively strong domestic success as well. shinee at the time was already beloved and also was six years into their careers, so they were in a place of relative stability and taemin could feasibly take breaks to produce full albums of music while the others were doing their own schedules. i'm also specifically making a comparison between taemin/second gen and fourth gen, because i think we're over the third gen popularity hump and we're ten months away from losing every boy born in 1994 and earlier, which is not really enough time to establish a strong enough groundwork to survive a two year hiatus. it might mean that we're going to see some more solo work from the younger members left behind, but this is all besides the point. my key point here is that there's just too many groups now and none of the smaller companies have the funding or influence to catch enough attention to boost them up to a level comparable with taemin/a big three company. also no i don't think sm is funding their solos less, it's just that there's no one to match them; yg only has a rookie group, jyp would rather die than debut a male soloist, and hybe knows it would fracture their fanbase and they're not interested.

also for more clarity's sake, i don't think this is a bad thing; i like that there's way more soloists debuting and there's more capacity for them to debut, even if it is on a smaller scale. smaller scale doesn't always mean a lack of creativity or depth of concept. i'm pretty sure half my best of 2021 lists were just stuff from male soloists. i just know that a fourth gen boy isn't going to have the same popularity to fill stadiums in japan for their first solo concert barely three years from their debut.

i don't actually have anything super profound to say about nct labs, i just think sm's pitching it as more 'self-led + project oriented' so they don't have to put as much money towards producing full scale promos. i can also imagine that sm is probably getting more pressure from the artists themselves for them to have more creative control after the repeated successes of older gen soloists in the last year, and this format is a very low stakes way to gauge initial interest in a neo's solo work without the cost of producing something on the scale of what they did for danger or even mmmh. nct has a lot of different avenues on youtube and they've got a huge fanbase so these nct lab projects don't carry any real risk for the company. i straight up saw a bunch of tweets from people yesterday saying they thought johnny was a youtuber and that being an idol was an inside joke. so yea, pretty sure it is a format thing related to nct in order to keep it managable and to combat the fact they're about to enter their military era, because it would be insane to try and full solo debut every neo that wanted to.

[honeyedhoseok]

8th MEMEBR OF BTS

• STAGE NAME: Kim Yvonne (김 이본)

• BIRTH NAME: Park Chanelle

• BIRTHDAY: December 31st, 1995

• HEIGHT: 5"9

• PROFESSION: K-pop Idol

• GROUP: BTS

• LABEL: Big Hit

• POSITION: Lead Vocalist, Visual,Sub-rapper, writer, producer.

• DEBUT DATE: June 13th, 2013

• FACE CLAIM: seunghwibaby on ig

• VOICE CLAIM: Madison Beer+Ariana Grande. Rap voice claim: Lisa (BP)

EXTRA INFO ABOUT KIM YVONNE

• NICKNAMES: vonnie, nellie, baby, Big Hit's princess

• TALENTS: can play drums, electric guitar and piano.

• HIDDEN TALENTS: can hold her breath for 4 minutes, is very felixible, excellent at volleyball and basketball.

• LOVE LIFE: is currently single, has 4 exes.

• SUBLINGS: 1 twin brother, Park Jongin.

• SEXUALITY: she's bisexual

• AESTHETIC: femme fatale

• HER PERSONALITY: she's the sweetest little thing ever. everyone's first impression of her was 'bubbly, adorable and sweet'. she's extremely selfless and is constantly putting others before herself in any situation even if she's at a disadvantage. very smart, a little introverted. can be really quite or really loud, no in-between. can seem cold on the outside but she's the warmest person on the inside. broken gen z humor. clingy baby, loves skinship.

• was diagnosed with ADHD Inattentive was she was 13, anxiety and depression when she was 19.

• is unsecure about her looks

• fake maknae

• has three awards on her solo project

• her voice is on the deep side but she can go really high

• MUSIC GENRE: loves pop, RnB and Trap.

• PETS: two chow chow dogs, Oliver and Sirius Black.

• TATTOOS: A sun and a Cresent on her hand, a cloud on her middle finger and ARMY'S shield on her ring finger, 'kookie'on her wrist, a heart in her palm, and a ⁷ behind her ear

• PIERCINGS: three on each ear, nose piercing.

• SOLO PROJECTS: 'Selenophilia' three singles and 10 songs in total.

'Venus Records' two singles and 9 songs in total

CELEBRITY CRUSHES:

• People Crushing On KYV:

• Jackson Wang (GOT7), Wooyoung and Seonghwa (ATEEZ), GRAY and Jay Park (AOMG), Jennie Kim (BLACKPINK), Chan and Han (STRAY KIDS), KAI (EXO).

• Crushes KYV has:

• Seonghwa (ATEEZ), Wonho, Jay Park, Hwasa (MAMAMOO), Jennie Kim (BLACKPINK), Madison Beer, Yeonjun (TXT).

A GUIDE TO THE SHIPS: withing BTS

VONJOON/RAPVON

• 45% family, 55% romance

• fourth biggest ship in K-pop.

• she's his baby, you can't convince me otherwise.

• she looks up to namjoon alot.

• king and queen of destruction

• writing duo

• calling eachother 'honey' platonically

• too many inside jokes

• can be annoying, because who ever is around them WILL third wheel.

• "BTS and the world third wheeling joon and vonnie for 25 minutes straight" videos

• back massages because carrying the music industry is painful

• they trust eachother so much

• will always spill to eachother about their worries.

• the respect is through the roof

• love for days

• vonjoon/ rapvon stans are either rock hard or soft af

• HUGS

• this man is a giant and the hight difference is just enough for him to scoop her up in his arms and squeeze the life out of her.

• they can carry smart conversations most of the time, but not all the time

• "joon, what's the difference between horses and donkeys?"

• "°_°"

• "deadass"

• wholesome relationship :)

SEOKVON/ VONJIN

• 70% family, 30% romance

• will babie her, he must babie her.

• he's so protective of his wittle vonnie

• is always checking up on her.

• he thinks she's the most precious angel in the world that need to be rocked to sleep and fed every couple of hours.

• gives everyone normal cups, but Yvonne get a sippy cup with sunflower prints on it.

• THEY LOUD AS HELL OH MY GOD

• one can spot their shenanigans from a mile away.

• a lot of "Jin and von being chaotic neutral" for an hour straight videos

• he taught her how to fish

• cooking buddies

• making cookies at 3 in the morning

• crackhead energy that fills up a tank

• will shamelessly stock up tampons and pads for her

• THE LOVE IS CONTAGIOUS

• INFECTIOUS LOVE

• sibling fights for no reason

• seokvon/vonjin stans are the softest ever

• wholesome babies

MINVON/ VONGI

• 65% family, 35% romance

• IS VERY VERY PROTECTIVE OF HER.

• has the biggest soft spot for her

• he's her little meow meow

• they go fishing together (w/ Jin)

• she has the passcode to his studio

• PRODUCER DUO

• the amount of unreleased tracks is insane.

• he pretends he doesn't like her hugs, but in reality he instantly melts in her arms.

• the only person he'll let cuddle him.

• deep convos

• stargazing

• sharing bandanas

• not a lot of skinship

• keeping eachother entertained during award shows

• WIGGLY YOONGI DANCE TOGETHER

• gummy smiles :')

• minvon/vongi stans are soft and well fed

• playing basketball together

• armys making "suga and yvonne being babies" compilation videos

• they're the type of duo who you be in a room doing literally whatever and someone you'd walk in, stare at them and slowing retreat thinking they just walked into some cult activities

• silently take care of eachother

• smallest acts of intimacy

• tiny babies

JUNGVONNIE/VONHOPE/HOVI

• 50% family, 50%romance

• team chaos

• THE ULTIMATE DANCE DUO OH MY GOD

• doing the weirdest things ever without questioning it

• compliments that turn into, "no u, no u, NO I SAID YOU"

• he's secretly her favourite

• yvonne and hobi are basically what its like to mix gummy bears, skittles, rainbow belts and honey. SWEETNESS AND HAPPINESS AND SUNSHINE ALL AROUND UWU

• THE VOLUME IS ASTRONOMICAL

• but like thank god one of them has an iq above 6

• the amount of "hobi and voni being rays of sunshine" for 30 minutes straight videos is insane

• Comfort Inn ™

• CUDDLES

• she will cling to him as if he's the last human alive.

• they're in their own universe almost all the time

• jungvonnie/vonhope/hovi stan are so soft if they see a video of hobi and voni laughing they will cry

• loveliest relationship

TAEVON/ 2V/ VONHYUNG

• 20% family, 80% romance

• third biggest ship in K-pop

• they get a little too hot on stage

• she's his favourite person

• she makes him feel so safe

• the walking memes

• GUCCI EVERYWHERE

• being weird together

• always teamed up in any situation

• DEEP VOICE DUO

• dog parents

• yeontan, Oliver and Sirius are literal siblings

• coffee 'dates'

• actual fashion icons

• king and queen of resting bitch faces

• skinship at its finest

• a new dating rumor every other day it's not even shocking at this point

• they are always taking naps somewhere, can be backstage, can during an award show, can be during practice, doesn't matter. naps.

• they're always there for eachother, mentally and physically.

• "tae and vonnie being adorable for 10 minutes straight" videos

• t r u s t

• are always playing with each others hair

• taevon/2V/vonhyung stans are either hardcore af or soft af

• sweetest relationship

( i can't add a jimin gif due to a limit in submitting)

JIVON/VONMIN/2PARK

• 2% family, 98% romance

• biggest ship in K-pop

• they're always together no matter what

• skinship to the literal max

• holding hands, cheek kisses, cuddling, hugs, sitting on each other's laps, all of it.

• matching hair colours.

• they're either being the tiniest babies together or everyone's OTP, no in between.

• 'power couple' at award shows, matching outfits, dance solos, harmonizing together, they got it.

• all over eachother on stage, as if no one is watching.

• Yvonne 'platonically' calls jimin baby, but he blushes everytime.

• him calling her noona

• they don't give the army the chance to breath, because they are never here to play

• they have the most iconic lines that genuinely sound like fake subs

• que the "jimin and yvonne being a married couple for 20 minutes straight" videos

• they are either really chill or hella energetic

• the jivon/vonmin/2park stans are probably the hardest stans in the fandom.

• sweethearts :')

( I can't add a jungkook gif)

VONKOOK/ JEONVONNIE

• 10% family, 90% romance.

• second biggest ship in K-pop

• golden maknaes

• vocal duo

• "_____ hyung won't scold us"

• they're banana milk addicts

• poutty bunnies

• she's literally kookie's role model

• he always has his head on her shoulder

• they have several matching tattoos (a heart on their palms, he has 'vonnie' on his wrist and she has 'kookie' her wrist, and a '⁷' behind their ears).

• they're always covering songs together

• crackhead energy is through the roof

• they are the chaotic good/evil

• hands all over eachother all the time

• on stage

• during practice

• on vlives

• awards shows, whatever

• fancams of their solo performances always tend to go viral

• whenever they're are in the same room, just know something is going to get spoiled. always.

• king and queen of highnotes

• "jungkook and yvonne being BTS' babies" videos

• they (+tae) are rapline's biggest fans

• the weird drunkies

• they are always eating something, can be ramen, can be an unpeeled banana, you never know.

the vonkook/jeonvonnie stans are the most confused turned on stans ever, but they are quite well fed.

( lmao I hope u liked this)

[sxveme-2]

blueberry pancakes // bucky barnes

MASTERLIST

Description: A single mother. Juggling being a mom, a full time pediatrician, and a difficult ex who believed now would be the best time to finally be a father. A soldier ripped out of time. Ex-assassin turned superhero. Learning how to balance a new domestic life with handling demons of his past, while facing the trials of the future. a love story began over something as simple as chocolate chip pancakes with hidden blueberries.

Disclaimer: I do not own any original Marvel characters! All canon plots and canon characters belong to Marvel Comics and Marvel Studios. This is an original work. You may not publish it anywhere else

Status: Unedited

Note: Takes place after endgame. I have elected to ignore Tony's death and Steve's leaving. Did not happen. Quick Reminder! My works are only published here, AO3 and on Wattpad, thank you.

Chapter Twenty Four: The One Where He Snaps

Warnings: N/A

Word Count: 3174

   Lily knew that Bucky had an unpredictable job. It wasn't a standard 9-5 with a set schedule for the rest of his time in the position like Lily. He didn't necessarily have 'vacation days', or time off. He was technically always on the clock or always on call. But she also knew that he was aware of how important promises were to her. And he had made one to her, and swore that there would be no interruptions. Lily was proud of him, and the job that he did, but the selfish part of her wished that just for one weekend, he wasn't a superhero. That he wasn't The Winter Soldier, and that he was just Bucky. Bucky Barnes, boyfriend to Lily Osborne. Male role model to Hunter Osborne. Even just someone who had a standard job, one that was like hers, 9-5, same work day everyday.

But she knew he loved what he did. And how it helped him satisfy that need for redemption because of his past. She respected that, but that selfish side of her just would not quiet as she stared at the man in front of her.

"Yeah...He's in the living room," she swallowed, shooting a glance over to the supersoldier, "Come on in Sam."

Lily did a sidestep and extended her arm to greet the other Avenger into the cabin. Her breathing had picked up slightly and her throat felt dry. If it were a simple mission, she was sure Sam would have just called. Even texted. Instead, he showed up in person, with a serious look. Something Lily wasn't used to seeing on him. Shutting the door, Lily spared another look at Bucky before walking into the kitchen, filling the kettle once again. Her movements weren't as flowy and graceful as usual, and followed a more so aggressive and clearly annoyed pattern. Anytime she placed something down, it held more of a strength. It didn't go unnoticed by Bucky either. He kept sending her apologetic eyes as him and Sam talked in hushed breaths.

After pouring Sam his tea, Lily placed a few of the cookies Bucky had picked up at the grocery store the night prior on a plate and walked back into the living room where they spoke. Handing Sam the mug, Lily avoided eye contact with the man she was meant to be spending a romantic weekend alone with. After placing the cookies on the table, Lily grabbed her coat and hat, slipped on her boots, and walked out the back door. She didn't intend to close the door as aggressively as she did, but her instincts took over.

Lily watched the sun dip briefly below the treeline as her breath danced in front of her. She cupped her hands around her own mug that she had grabbed before leaving the cabin, and processed what was happening. Bucky had sat before her the day before they left, and took her hands into his own, and swore that nothing would interrupt them. That he had made sure of it. That there were no missions that would require him or have anything to do with him for that matter. The blonde scoffed as she recalled the words, shaking her head and dipping it down lower, staring at her feet against the white of the snow on the deck.

The sound of the door opening behind her caused Lily to lift her head, turning it to glance at who was joining her. It was the opposite of what she expected. Sam stood there with a sorry look on his face, walking forward and leaning on the porch bannister next to the blonde. Neither spoke for a moment, and just stared out at the lowering sun. Her heart fell slightly when she realized Bucky didn't even come out to talk to her himself, and probably sent Sam instead.

"You know he doesn't want to go," Sam began, glancing over at her, "he just spent the entire time we talked begging me to take someone else."

"And why does he have to go?" Lily questioned, eyes not faltering.

"Sometimes some things won't rest easy. And have a habit of returning." Sam replied, folding his fingers together,

This caught Lily's attention. She turned her head to the superhero and placed her mug down on a clear part of the banister. Her blonde eyebrow cocked up as she studied the solemn and far off look in Sam's face. His eyebrows were furrowed and mind seemed to be racing, as if he was struggling to find the words. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the wooden banister, trying to silently coax the real reason with proper details from the typically blunt man. She had a way of doing it. It was something Bucky had coined 'the mother stare'. Anytime she gave it to Hunter, or even Bucky for that matter, whatever either may have been hiding came out within seconds. But Sam seemed to have more composure.

"I wish I could tell you, Lily," Sam continued, "I do. But with this...the less you know the better."

"Oh yeah, quite the way to comfort the girlfriend," Lily scoffed, turning her attention back to the treeline, "so what. I go back home and worry like the dotting girlfriend. What do I tell Rose? Gen? What am I supposed to tell my son." She snapped, voice coming out harsher than she expected it to.

"No." He stated simply.

Rolling her eyes, Lily turned to him once again, "No? What do you mean 'no', Sam?"

"You're not going home."

-----

She wasn't a violent or angry person. Farthest thing from it. Lily was docile, timid, and had a good control over her outward emotions. Especially that of anger or frustration. But lord did she want to absolutely lose it on both of the men that stood in the bedroom. Bucky hadn't spoken a word to Lily ever since Sam had arrived. Instead, he merely had a stone cold look on his face with eyebrows knitted together. Lily could barely look at him as she finished putting her duffel bag back together with the clothing she had packed for what she expected to be a romantic getaway for her and her boyfriend.

But even the most timid have a breaking point.

Throwing a shirt into her bag, Lily turned to Bucky, "So this is how it'll be hm? You just aren't going to tell me anything? Great. Now I have to pack up my son and everything and move into an Avengers Compound because of something I don't even know!" The blonde exclaimed.

Bucky nodded at Sam, and the latter left the room and shut the door behind him. Tears welled up in Lily's eyes as Bucky walked forward. He reached out to take her hands in his but she pulled them away, putting the last of her clothing into the bag and zipping it closed. The air in the room was heavy and thick, neither knowing what exactly to do or say. Lily was furious with the entire situation that was playing out, no even per say at Bucky as much anymore, just...everything. It had started perfectly, the weekend. They laughed and talked and learned even more about one another, only to have it end with her learning that she wasn't safe to be at her own house.

"I don't know what you want me to say, Buck," Lily sighed, dropping onto the quilt covered bed, "You promised me- "

"I know I promised you a work free weekend- "

"No!" She exclaimed, looking up at him, "You promised me we would always be safe. Always. That you wouldn't put us in danger in any way."

"Doll..."

"And why can't you tell me what is happening!?" She continued, "If this is putting my son in danger I have the right to know what's going on!"

Bucky moved the woman's duffle bag and took a seat on the bed next to her. She avoided his gaze, but his fingers tugged her chin to look at him. Tears fell down her cheeks, plump and swollen as she stared at him. Her nostrils flared and her eyes continued to water. There was so much going on in her mind that she could barely put into words. She had a suspicious hunch as to why they weren't telling her what was going on, but everything inside of her rejected the thought of it. She feared her parents had done something again, caused wreckage or hurt more people. The only thing that brought her slight comfort was the feeling of Bucky's rough fingers gripping her chin gingerly, staring into her glossy eyes.

"I think you know." Bucky whispered, wiping a tear from her cheekbone with his thumb.

She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat, and her eyes fluttered closed. Lily wished sometimes she wasn't as intuitive. The moment Sam told her that somethings don't rest easy, it had clicked in her head. They were trying to make sure that they didn't go for Lily or Hunter. From the previous run in, she figured it was more so for Hunter's safety and Lily's sanity. But that didn't stop the raging fire that burned deep within Lily's stomach. She wanted to help, because she knew her parents. She knew their personalities inside and out, and she knew that if anything, she could get through to her dad.

"What'd they do?" She choked out, opening her wet eyes.

"They escaped. And are partnered with an engineering firm that has been rumoured to be looking into genetic engineering and mutations using natural resources...something your parents are known for. The natural resources part." He added in the end, a weak smile forming on his lips.

"...how long will you be gone?"

"Not long."

-----

Lily stood outfront of the Avengers compound with a heavy heart. Two suitcases were gripped in her hands as she bit down on her bottom lip. Hunter and Rose apparently had already arrived, leaving Lily to be the last. Sam and Bucky stood behind her, the latter's arm wrapped around her waist. Lily hadn't said a word the entire way down from the cabin, mostly because she was mostly at a loss for words. Her chest was tight and throat felt ten times smaller, and her stomach had been in knots. Everything about the situation made Lily feel queasy, both with fear for Bucky, and anxiety about her family. She didn't know the extent of her parents' mercy, mostly because she hadn't even been aware of the devious things they had been engrossed in. But she felt that most of her worry about her family wasn't necessarily surrounding her parents, but Cedar. She knew her brother. She had helped raise him. Lily knew he wasn't truly capable of these things.

She wanted to help him most of all.

"Let me come with you." She blurted out, looking up at Bucky.

"What?" Bucky questioned, eyebrows furrowing.

"I know my parents. I can help. There won't be a need for violence, I can talk to them." She rambled, letting go of the suitcases and taking Bucky's hands into her own.

"No," he stated simply, shaking his head, "No you're not coming. Lily this isn't as easy as you think. You're staying here, you'll be safe here."

"They're my parents Buck!" Lily exclaimed, "I know them best. I lived with them for eighteen years of my life! I know how they think."

"She may have a point." Sam muttered, earning a deadly glare from the man in front of the blonde.

She knew it was a longshot, and it was most likely just the adrenaline talking. But Lily wanted to do something, instead of sitting at the compound like a sitting duck. Hiding away from her own family. She knew these people better than Bucky, or Sam, or anyone they're working with. Whether she admitted the slight neglectful nature they had, she knew who Alicia and Abel Osborne were, inside out. She knew her mothers ticks and her fathers nervous habits. She knew for a fact she could be an asset for the mission. Because she was an Osborne, the eldest one at that. The one who had been around her parents the longest, and coherently saw them at their lowest.

"No. No I'm not debating this, you're staying here," Bucky said once more, voice firm, "It's not safe. I won't let you be in harm's way. I promised you that."

"You also promised her a romantic weekend away." Sam chimed in.

Both Lily and Bucky turned to look at Sam with an expression of 'really?' printed on their faces. Sam simply shrugged and raised his hands innocently. Though the fact was true, it was not the right time for the comment. Lily raised her hand and whacked the man on the arm, shaking her head and turning her attention back to Bucky.

"You can't deny it's true. I know them, Buck. Better than anyone that will be on this mission."

"No, Lily. You're not coming. End of discussion." He concluded, turning and walking towards the compound, leaving Sam and Lily in the parking lot.

"And you sleep with him." Sam scoffed, a small chuckle leaving his lips.

Turning her head, Lily stared at him with the same expression she had given him earlier. Earning the exact same reaction. Shaking her head, Lily gripped her suitcases and followed Bucky towards the compound.

-----

"Why're we here?" Hunter asked as Lily finished unpacking her clothing. She knew he would ask, but honestly, Lily didn't really have an answer. What was she to tell a twelve year old who had already been through as much as he had? That his moms boyfriend was off to handle his grandparents evil and misguided antics?

Sighing, the blonde beckoned the boy over to her bed, taking a seat and opening her arms for him. Hunter sat beside her and curled into his mother's embrace. She figured he somewhat knew what was going on, and was simply looking for reassurance from his mother. But Lily could barely understand the situation herself. Bucky and the others were across the compound, discussing the mission, leaving Lily with the condensed amount of information she had managed out of her boyfriend. She looked down at her son and smiled with her lips pursed, running her hand through his hair.

"There's just some stuff going on right now buddy, and Bucky thinks it's safer if you and I stay here with Auntie Rose and Joey for a bit. Just to make sure no one gets hurt." Lily nodded, watching as his face fell once again.

"Why aren't you telling me?" He asked flatly, eyebrows furrowed.

She shook her head, "Hunter that's not fair. I'm trying to do what's best here. Just trust me, okay?"

"No!" He exclaimed, jumping to his feet, "Mom tell me! I deserve to know!"

"Do not raise your voice at me, Hunter," she replied, voice calm and collected, "Have I ever done wrong by you?"

"I don't know. You never really told me what happened between you and Dad. And I never asked. You never told me what's going on with Uncle Cedar. You didn't tell me what was happening with Grandma and Grandpa! Bucky has told me more about himself these last few months than you have in the past years!" He exclaimed.

An arrow shot itself into Lily's heart. Hunter was fairly open about what he was feeling, and not once had Lily realized these things plagued his mind. She felt that he wasn't old enough to know what was really going on with the things he had listed, but he was observant. He knew something was wrong. The tears that welled in his eyes made everything disappear around Lily. She had done that. It was her fault he was crying. Because she couldn't face the reality, therefore she couldn't tell her own son.

Standing, Lily reached for the boy, only to have him run out of the room towards his own across the hall. Lily stood in shock with her mouth open and jaw slacked. Tears brimmed her eyes as she stared at the door that had just been slammed, knowing what she had caused was standing behind it. Her heart violently shook along with her hands, mind going blank of all happiness and filling those voids with nothing but pain and regret. Why didn't she tell him? Was it because she was protecting him? Was it because she didn't think he could handle it? Or because she couldn't? Her knees feel weak and met with the hardwood of the floor beneath her. She grabbed at her chest and scratched the porcelain skin, attempting to halt her heart from the rapid beats that sounded like drums in her ears.

Lily really thought she had been a good mother. That her and Hunter had a good and open communication line. That there weren't any major issues beneath the seemingly perfect relationship. She hadn't seen just how much everything was hurting him. A part of her resented the fact that Bucky had been brought up, and the claims Hunter made. It broke her heart. She just wanted him to be okay, to not have to see the true evil in the world. But he saw anyways, sometimes more than she did. And Lily couldn't protect him from it, or hide it away.

She didn't even notice Joey enter her room and curl into her side, pawing at her thigh gently as a way to gain her attention. She instinctively dropped her hand to rest on his paw, the feeling of his fur soothing her slightly. But the heaving continued, and her throat felt tight and dry. Tears streaked her cheeks as she relived the words her son spat at her just moments before. She only snapped out of it when the cool feeling of metal rested on her cheek, snapping her out of the continuous loop.

"Doll, love what's wrong?" He whispered. But she couldn't speak. Words wouldn't form in her throat and her mind could barely function enough to even begin to think what she would say, "Baby I can't help if you don't talk to me."

Lily stared at his cool blue eyes, eyebrows furrowed and chest heaving. Small, inaudible noises escaped her mouth as she continued to dry heave. Bucky pursed his lips and stood, picking her up carefully and laying her on the bed. He knew not to push, and to simply sit there with her for a few minutes. He had shut the door behind him when he entered, and curled the blonde into his chest. His flesh hand stroked her hair as she buried her face deep into the crook of his shoulder, breathing in the woody and musky scent he had. Finally, she violently shook her head and sat up with a new mission in her head.

"I have to tell Hunter everything. He needs to know."

[ariadnesweb]

Mildly hilarious to see a nostalgic throwback to the gen 5 games, as there's been quite a few videos appreciating the games, which is nice, but it's also a complaint about the way recent pokemon games have been going.

the gen 5 games DO deserve appreciation for their work and details, but they were reasonably under fire for being iterations on the same pokemon formula, for better or worse. Repetitive gameplay, same gym mechanic, low difficulty, and pacing designed to teach kids tired a lot of people of the generation.

But since then the next pokemon games haven't fixed these issues, and in a lot of ways made these problems even worse, people are looking back at the peak of sprite games with nostalgia.

-

I think some of the changes to modern pokemon games are reasonable, and were made to keep up with other popular games. The change from 2d sprites to 3d models was highly anticipated for gen 6, and pretty well done, all things considered. gen 6 is gorgeous, and used its 3d models pretty effectively. gen 7 and gen 8 have a lot of problems in their 3d models, having same face syndrome and lack of texture, and the backgrounds tend to be more functional than pretty, but they have their touch. At least gen 7 and gen 8 have cohesive design styles - with gen 7 using a 'Hawaii' aesthetic, and gen 8 using a modern minimalistic style.

the removal of the national dex in gen 8, while frustrating for some, has probably been a long time coming, as the idea was toyed with in gen 5, as a result of the ever increasing number of pokemon being added into the pool. I don't like the way gen 8 implemented this change, with some of the removed pokemon being made DLC exclusive, but work-efficiency wise, it's logical.

the 'open-world' ness that's being advertised of gen 9 doesn't strike me as particularly impressive, seemingly the next step from gen 8's central 'wild zone'.