#but yeah oof don't you love how they will all be trying their level best and it'll still fuck them over in the end

[artfulacrostic]

memes for The Bad Batch 2x08, "Truth and Consequences"

*SPOILERS*

+BONUS:

[genshingorlsrevengeance]

This moving arc is going crazy ngl. This season is really peak, JJK could never

I know you didn't even mean for this to be an ask but:

(Genshin Impact/GFL) How helpful Lisa, Eula, Noelle, Navia, Furina, Lumine, AK-12, AN-94, AK-15, and RPK-16 would be during your move

After fighting boxes and moving trucks for the last 6 straight days, this has been on my mind.

(Lisa) "Oof, these boxes are going to kill my back tomorrow...!"

Lisa has experience carrying heavy books from her days studying in Sumeru and being a Librarian in Mondstadt.

But do you really think this beautiful woman is going to help you carry the seventeen boxes of glass kitchenware that you have no recollection of even owning?

Absolutely not.

That is too heavy, even for her.

But at the very least when the moving and unpacking is over, she will give and demand the very best cuddles to recover from the process.

Expect her to say that she was sore with helping you last night in an intentionally weird way to get a rise out of you and anyone in the vicinity.

Help Rating: 2/5, Call Lisa in for the love, not for physical labor.

(Eula) "Good grief, how much dust is in here?!" ACHOO! "Ugh...! If this was some elaborate scheme just to hear me sneeze the entire time, I will enact terrible vengeance upon you!"

Quips of revenge aside, she is actually very helpful!

Eula can carry the boxes no problem, and makes sure to have the proper posture when doing so.

If she can swing her claymore around like they're nothing, then surely your belongings will be jut as trivial?

She is also extremely gentle putting down boxes that she knows is full of your stuff.

The only real negative thing you have to deal with is just her constant muttering if a box is giving her too much trouble.

Help Rating: 3/5, You now swear vengeance upon the boxes thanks to Eula saying it over and over

(Noelle) "Please, allow me! I can have these put away in no time!"

The boxes will be hearing boss music upon Noelle's arrival.

For when there is a mess, Noelle is inevitable.

She somehow packs everything into the boxes into such an impossibly efficient manner, that you didn't know you could fit that much stuff into a small cardboard box.

Noelle also does it under a few hours without breaking a sweat.

The scary part is that she can go faster while keeping the same immaculate level of care if you give her a kiss on the cheek or praise her.

And it'll mean even more to her by the fact you're still helping her. It's the thought that counts!

Help Rating: You don't even need to be there/5

(Navia) "Here, just tell me where these boxes are going in your new home. Packing? Hm, no need!"

You know what she does instead of packing herself?

She hires someone else to do it.

When it comes to more personal items, she'll gladly help you wrap it carefully and with love.

But all your furniture?

Yeah, no. That's what the hired help is for.

You and Navia will be directing people left and right where to place the furniture and boxes of your belongings without really needing to lift a finger yourself.

Help Rating: 5/5, the best help is the kind where someone else does the entire job for you.

(Furina) "Oh, it is about time you come to me for aid, dearest! Allow me to help!"

In the wise words of Sergeant Johnson:

"Hmph, MY ASS!"

This woman didn't even unload her boxes when she moved into her apartment, what makes you think that she'd help you unload your stuff properly?

She may be an Archon but her arm strength and experience with moving is next to nothing.

Furina will act all cool and try to lift a box only for it to nearly collapse on her, or throw her out her back.

Her little familiars can't help with your boxes since you know, they're made of water.

But at least the pouting face she'll make will be cute. Kinda like Aqua, huh?

Help Rating: Just get Clorinde or Neuvillette, don't ask the blue gremlin/5

(Lumine) "We really need to get you a teapot! Anyways, let's get to work!"

Lumine doesn't mind to help, and her arm strength despite her appearance is insane.

She'll be carrying 3-4 boxes like it's nothing, though she struggles to actually see anything in front of her.

Paimon helps as much as she can, so you get a 2 for 1 deal asking Lumine!

She's a little unused to moving furniture herself since Tubby and the Teapot took care of that for her own home, but she makes moving very fun!

Help Rating: 5+1/5, but Lumine will question your taste in decor.

(AK-12) "Ah, moving dorms? Well, at least it's within the base and not too far.~"

Even though 12 is a combat android, she can only lift so much.

She might complain about the servos in her arms going haywire and that you'll need to fix them, but in reality she's just teasing just to get a rise out of you.

And despite her eyes being closed, she has better sense of her surroundings than you do, not once bumping into anything or hitting the doorframes.

Once its finished, 12 will just say that you 'owe her one' for helping with the move.

Help Rating: 3/5, it'd be higher but she's too damn smug about lifting more than you.

(AN-94) "Moving assignment understood. Providing assistance."

94 is a little stiff about the moving process at first.

But as it progresses, she uncharacteristically gets distracted by the items you choose to keep and throw away.

She'll ask with a curious expression about why you're throwing away old but usable items, and 94 ends up learning a lot about you.

While the move itself is very normal, it ends up being a nice bonding experience for the two of you!

Help Rating: 4/5, very sweet

(AK-15) "This weight is trivial. Please, stand aside for a moment."

15 is an absolute monster when it comes to the physical labor.

She will stack the heaviest boxes into one pile and carry it without even moving her hair.

15 helpfully moves any of the things you'd struggle with, all the while her expression doesn't really change.

She'd question why you'd thank her for simply doing her job, but it's something she'll appreciate with the slightest blush.

Help Rating: 5/5, she can probably lift you, me, and the boxes in one hand.

(RPK-16) "Hm...I wonder if humanity were to go extinct right now, what would the new race think of finding your belongings?...Hah, your face! Don't mind me, just thinking aloud.~"

16 is not really that strong, but since she's an android, boxes aren't too bad of a gig for her.

After all, she lugs around an LMG.

Regardless, she helps you pack but be prepared to answer a LOT of questions on why you own the items you do.

Both out of genuine curiosity, and to annoy the shit out of you.

But hey, you'll at least get through the moving somewhat quickly thanks to her.

Help Rating: 3/5, Thanks to her, there's now a lot of weird cryptic questions floating through your mind. Such as if the bug that finds its way into the box knows that it had walked into its tomb?

[leqclerc]

Sainz' beef with piastri isn't at all surprising. It's rooted in the same disdain that he has for charles. He can't take that someone naturally talented with a resume of accolades from their junior careers will beat him.

Oof

I mean yes, for sure, his beef with Oscar has shades of his (often one-sided) rivalry with Charles and the way his main goal in racing seems to be finishing above his teammate rather than securing the best finish possible and if it happens to be higher than your teammate then great, but trying to coax team orders out of the pitwall for your benefit the moment your teammate's ahead is insaaane. Like you both just lost positions and now your teammate is trying to catch a driver from a rival team and all you can think about is okay but I'm faster? Which like, he wasn't, we saw that, but still. God damn. Time and place!!!

What makes this one even more bizarre though is he's out here beefing with a guy who's barely into his second season in F1 like 😭 I was never a McLaren fan and can't see myself being one in the near future, but I have to say Oscar was probably my favourite rookie since, like, the 2019 crop of rookies. Honestly a lot of the time last year I would literally forget that he is one, given how composed and level-headed he was about things. It's really impressive. I don't really go out of my way to check McLaren's social media, feature interviews, etc so I kind of feel like he's still a bit of a mystery to me personality-wise but from what I have seen in how he carries himself and how he races and his team radios, yeah. Anyway. Love that he's not intimidated by this angry indignant grumbling Spanish guy. Good for him!

[aluria-sevhex]

posting's been more infrequent because i feel like i've hit a bit of a harder spot with figuring shit out and also have had less mental energy ig :P

update: fuck man it's been like over a week since i intended to post this and i also feel bad for not doing art fight stuffs or working on other projects... what not leaving the house much for a few weeks does to an mf apparently:

[Hi stardust!~ All of the posts in this series can be found in this masterpost and are tagged as #Aluria plays ISAT for the first time (please don't spoil)]

notes:

-i'm back bitch :3

-waiting for it to load and the sweet sweet title theme to hit my ears

-YEAHHHHHHHH

-i always let it finish :3

-time to help everybody

-this time i decided to ask Charline for the book. Odile now thinks Sif is sus! which. yeah.

-"You don't have to remember to yell" :(

-hehe Sif is now asking Loop if they have any theories on the loops

-"Your name is LITERALLY 'Loop'."

-"Don't you 'teehee' me."

-yeah! why don't time freeze skills count as death!

-"what if you loop when something keeps you from advancing?" good theory, but what about the loops where i got stuck in the house on floor 3? i didn't immediately loop back... then again there are the small few-minute loops...

-O_O. HANG OUT WITH LOOP???

-yeah sure i didn't really have any plans for this loop

-i climbed the tree and uh. this music is kinda ominous

-how did Loop 'kind of' know about Sif before they met?

-why did Loop choose to help Sif?

-Loop is stuck with Siffrin... and seems to have been in a time loop before?

-guys i don't think Loop is fine

-yeah Loop tell me about YOU

- >:P

-what'll happen- OH. LOOP. BRUH.

-"it makes you see something, doesn't it?" yeah. "you see a vision of the future"

-Sif is breaking down :(

-SIFFRIN JUST PULLED OUT THEIR DAGGER

-hm. why did i loop if i didn't die?

-aight time to talk to Isabeau

-i love this scene

-...everybody is suspicious of my apparent grace and good attacking skills ._.

-"I'm as tall as you, Mira..."

Mira: looks at their shoes

-funny how Isa's 'worst-case scenario' for uses of Time Craft is... exactly what Siffrin is doing

-inverted Six of Pentacles?

-ah yes. a pit-iful experience

-after i checked the gardening closet, Odile said something's weird...

-checked the book and Isa noticed something off

-i've been trying to make things as suspicious as possible

-hm... what *is* the deal with the book in the secret library? with the tree on the cover and it's in the headache language

-...the book on shields has the weird sugar smell?

-i feel like shields that reflect attacks will become important later

-what if things that have been tampered with all smell like Time Craft? like the various equipment that you can pick up? and that's part of the weirdness?

-sheesh, Tear You Apart is really effective

-bathroom again

-Sif is once again claiming they're fine

-huh. i didn't see the ghost this time

-tried to sharpen the keyknife. Isa made a comment about Sif usually saying something when he sharpens things, but he can't remember

-hm... where would i find carving tools

-"In this moment, you are loved."

"(Because you forced them to.)" FUCK THAT'S. OOF.

-*sighs* time to talk to Euphrasie again

-the others noticed me again...

-"in this moment, she loves you!"

"in this moment, he loves you!"

"in this moment, they love you!"

"in this moment, she loves you!"

FUCK.

-Sif's sad hollow smile and big eye...

-"they all love you!"

"isn't it wonderful"

"you could do this forever!!!"

-"you're happy to have helped everyone become the best versions of themselves again!"

-lol Sif called Loop awkward

-"because you're what's left" of what???

-Sif is level 75 now...

-stopping for now

[gregoftom]

and tom makes himself so vulnerable and gets rejected twice!!!

greg doesn't respond right/enough to your my favourite/I'd marry you, when like you say it's such a confession. so then he's like fight me (entangle our bodies together) fight me fight me (grab me hold me let me grab and hold you) (lay with me wrapped around me). and greg's strong verbal rejection, then tom's "I don't want to either!!!" is soooooo telling so insane crazy so heartbreaking!!!

bro is breaking down about prison and just wants some comfort so goes to his actual favourite and bleeds in front of him trying to connect in the most genuine way he never has before/can. and greg gives him a bashful smile and concern but not the tactile love and passion and touch that he's after.

this man needs to be touched!

he's trying so hard to ask for it to instigate it and it's painful being that vulnerable, and then he's opened himself up too much and lost and feels worse than before. and maybe he's not his favourite's favourite. and maybe he's alone and lonely and it's not for lack of trying so there's nothing left for him to do but be hurt. and push greg away (but tom can't ever push greg away for good! because greg's still and always tom's favourite! it's repeated in the bathroom fight and forehead sticker soooo directly!!! you hurt me, I try to hate you, I pull you close and kiss you with care and tenderness).

and now I'm also just thinking about all the times that tom's touched greg and how what that really means is he wants greg to touch him.

(and how in s4 and beyond the finale greg is touchy with him and will be touchy and will rise to fight and grab when tom wants and needs to grab. how tom is greg's favourite too. how greg becomes and grows to be everything tom's needing from him, and it's just from greg becoming so comfortable in they're relationship and wanting tom in turn and caring about tom in turn and being possessive of tom in turn. the verdict is love, your honour!!!! they're married now)

OOF OUCH OUHIES OW OWwwwwwwwwww whywhwwdhywndshuhuhuhufhgughhuuuu [sounds of me crying]

no but exactly like, to have an unrequited fp is like. actually soul crushing and greg is not at the point yet [re: nero sporus scene] where he can trust tom's affection, not only because tom is. well you know, tom, with him, at the start, but because he's been given up on and abandoned before. he also can't really comprehend someone actually wanting him to touch him or him touching someone and it being welcomed either because of how often he is recoiled from or treated like something gross. also it's like. a really heavy thing on someone! he responds nicely but he just can't reach that level yet because why should he trust tom's love like that when people have thrown him around before depending on actions which he can never get right [ewan] or abandoned him to fend for himself even though he's tried to take care of them [marianne].

yeah yeah tom needs touch absolutely. he's always touching greg because his love language is touch [lucky for him greg's is too so that works out when they finally realise that each other is genuine and really does care about one another] and again greg is kinda like. HUH?? because he's so used to people purposefully trying to avoid him physically. he likes it but he can't fully commit to it s1-3 [3.09 is i think the first time he realises that maybe it's okay because he reaches up to hug at first, then decides not to because he doesn't want to frighten tom off, but then tom holds his arms out and he takes tom's shoulders and pulls him in slightly and tom is jostled a little with the force of that hug, like. man.] because he's just like. what is happening? is it real?

and ohghhgnfdf yeah definitely earlier on tom tries to push greg away but just can't which is another reason greg reacts so strongly to tom pushing him away/withholding the love and trust from him in later s4 that he's given earlier on, because wtf man, i thought we were best friends? i thought we were over this shit, i thought i was your confidant? he even asks in america decides, what are we? because he doesn't want to be tom's side piece any more, he wants to be his lover. he doesn't want to be treated as someone who is told in the aftermath. but tom is doing it unintentionally here bc he's so laser focused on getting to a position where he can secure greg like he's so desperate to keep greg with him he ends up pushing him out by accident. he does admit to needing greg specifically but it's not enough, and it leads to greg's actions in the finale - he needs to protect himself because he's not sure if tom still will. everything is so much.

but YEAH ON GOD S4 GREG IS MY ENTIRE ASS FOR THIS REASON. he's soooo. god. he wifes for tom so hard it's actually insane. it becomes very clear to us that greg absolutely adores tom back; he's being carefree with him, laughing openly with him, pressing his whole body to him, being practically glued to him in the sense you won't see one without the other, singing his song, taking care of him, watching out for him, coming into the damn ass wake with him because it makes tom feel safe, being his literal lifeline and not hanging up on him when he needs it most, smashing a bottle in the face of the person who hurts his best friend bc enough is enough. between s3-4 they became best friends which is just so like. deep, and builds a stronger foundation for whatever fucked up lusty thing they had before. possessive greg of tom is my ASS god i wish we had gotten more of that. but at least we have these pics.

[macawritesupdates]

Wow, you're really feeding us with these prompts. The new chapters were delightful 😊. King of curses yuuji was so cute he's a sweet boy with beautiful hopes and dreams. Too bad he got paired with a tsundere. Ah, I kinda get sukunas problem with having someone who wants to change everything about you it kinda sucks. Yuuji probably has the best of intentions though he doesn't want sukuna to change because he dislikes him he wants him to change because life sucks when you're all alone, and all sukuna does is push others away. Oof, he genuinely cares, but it comes off as... OK condescending sounds too harsh, but that's the vibe. Wow, I kinda make yuuji sound bad he's a good person I'm just trying to see sukunas perspective. Unfortunately having someone made of sunshine trying to change you can make you feel awful in comparison like their light makes your shadows so much darker. Not great for someone who struggles with shame which is kinda the vibe I get from sukuna, like he's so so prideful on the outside but pride is not the opposite of shame it is it's source deep down I think he struggles with feeling inferior a lot. Although it's hard to see because he is deathly allergic to introspection and buries every genuine emotion under a layer of sarcasm. I wish he could see all the parts of himself that yuuji does like then maybe he'd have an easier time not pushing away the one person in the world who currently really cares about him. Yuuji does want to help him change for the better but as we see he likes so much about sukuna as he is. If only yuuji had told sukuna all the things he admires about him earlier then maybe we wouldn't have angst... ok I might be reading way too far into this, lol. something about your writing just drags whole paragraphs out of me hope you don't mind long comments.

As for the other chapter 🥵😎 damn that was hot, very nice, very nice indeed. Love me some gentle sweet aftercare it's as good as the kinky stuff that comes before to me. Hopefully one day they'll be able to date in public so sukuna knows yuuji isn't ashamed of him. (Although I am with yuuji on keeping the muzzles in the bedroom) mmm man thanks to whoever asked for that prompt it's a new favorite. I love yuuji as a Dom honestly it's so delicious to see how hard he can go but knowing he'll be super gentle and kind after is what makes him special. Loved sukuna being a big tsundere and pretending that he only likes the hard stuff, yeah sure baby I believe you. Why don't you stop holding yuuji for a few moments then. Do you think he ever tries to get yuuji to go hard just because he wants to cuddle and be held so sweetly after but he can't outright ask for something so soft so he's got to trick himself into accepting it. Got to pretend he's too fucked out and exhausted to push the brat away when he's being gentle... yeah that's all.

Thank you for the lovely work it was super fun to read 😘.

I always enjoy long comments! I like to read through them and get all giggle and excited when readers notice the same things I do or just to seep people excited in taking things apart! <3

I really like when people break things down as it is something I like to do too! The Yuuji curse one was hard for me to think of an idea so went with my gut and my gut is an angsty beast, but happy with the final product <3 And I would agree about Sukuna saying he likes the rough and convinces himself of it so to maintain his pride on a little bit of some level rather than admit to anything. Seems the type to be very insular and try to keep everything in ; w ;

[pancake-breakfast]

Trigun Book Club! Maybe Wolfwood will show up in today's reading....

Archive

Trigun Volume 1: Covers + 1-3, 3 Detailed Thoughts, 4, 4 DT, 5-6, 5-6 + DT, 6 DT, 7-8, 9-10

Trigun Volume 2: Covers + Extras, 1, 1 Supplemental Research

Stream-of-consciousness thoughts for Trigun Vol. 2, Chapters 2-4 below.

Chapter 2: Diablo

Ok, Legato Bluesummers is a HUGE problem child, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE his character design. This guy would adore goth fashion.

I wonder who's decided Vash deserves this particular hell. Also, it's noteworthy that the fact that they're sending TWELVE assassins after him (presumably one at a time) suggests they expect at least the first few to fail.

"Anyone in their right mind would keep that man locked up!" Hahahahahahahaha, try it.

Ugh, poor Vash.... He looks so sad and angry... and a bit scary. I'm worried for him.

It would be absolutely understandable if his feelings here were toward the humans unjustly locking him up, but the text goes on to let us know that the primary thing on his mind... the source of all his feelings right now... is Knives.

Flashback time!

Ohhhh, this is a place where '98 hard deviated, but Stampede stayed the course. '98 had Vash, Knives, and Rem running around with a handful of other characters back then, but here, it's just them.

Honestly, I feel like this panel is hitting on more story themes than are immediately apparent.

How sad that loneliness drove her to join Project Seeds. Sad, but understandable.

Oh, Vash, babygirl. Someone hug him.

You know, there's another character who wears an outfit that looks very similar to this in present day. And it's not Vash.

Full-on mom mode here in telling them what to do.

Vash looks older in this scene than he did in either anime adaptation.

Obscuring Knives's face. Smart. Can't see too much of him until it's Time.

TBH, Knives's argument here feels like justification after the fact. Like he needs a reason for everything that just happened to be right despite any elements of it going sideways.

For a pacifist, he sure can rock some serious murderface.

The ease with which he flips from murderface to softboi face is a bit disturbing.

He says this, but babygirl here looks SO TIRED. Whether or not he believes what he's saying, I think he really needs their kindness right now.

I don't know what Milly is trying to say/do here, but I wish her the best!

I just want to note that knowing my kana has made the sound effects a LOT more fun for me than they'd be otherwise.

Mmmmmm, something tells me Vash is likely to be out of there before morning. It might be this big guy who just showed up and opened fire, it might not. Who can say?

Oh, honey. Vash is NEVER unarmed. Even when he's literally missing an arm.

Hi, Monev! Thank you for introducing yourself to the class! You can sit down now. There's an empty seat right over there.

Yeah, the LAST thing Vash needs is to be trying to protect some bystanders against anyone making this level of posturing.

Good question, Monev. I don't think Vash is quite sure what he's up against, but he's clearly not going to underestimate you or take any chances. Not after meeting Legato.

Goshdarnit, the girls are still here.

Yeah, this could get messy.

I feel like Meryl taking a hit here was kind of nodded to in Stampede, where she also rushed in against Monev and nearly got herself killed.

See? Gun arm. Vash is never unarmed.

Annnd he's no longer chained down, either.

Not sure what's going on here, but I doubt it will be good for the building.

Yep. Sayonara, windows. We barely knew thee.

What's wrong, Monev? Looks like you might have bit off more than you can chew.

Oh, man. This end panel, though. Current favorite Vash murder pose.

Something something Hellsing something Alucard something aesthetic inspiration.

Chapter 3: Fragile

(The title makes me think of this song.)

Oof, little Meryl. I'm glad Milly's taking care of her.

I wish it was apparent who was thinking they can't let Vash go. I'm guessing it's Meryl, but that's based on metagame knowledge.

Iconic Vash pose.

Oof, goodbye, buildings. May you meet up with the windows from the previous chapter in whatever afterlife architecture ends up in.

Ok, this pause, though. This deliberate pause. The way the panels move from Vash shouting as loud as he can, to this almost peaceful pose of his back with the "ooooo" hum being the only indication of movement as he looks at a literal wall, to the GIANT SWISS CHEESE EXPLOSION. That's such a good build.

Ahhhh, and then this show of him focusing on the next page. People are getting shot, the world is exploding, and his gun is PERFECTLY LEVEL, his eyes are open. He's watching and waiting like a freaking ambush predator.

Aaaand he's injured. Darnit.

BUT HE MADE THE SHOT. TWICE. And Monev knows it.

Milly, still trying to help. <3

Heh, Vash might have lost the arm, but he didn't lose the arm. Hahahahahahahaha

Babygirl, remember the lesson you were trying to impress on Katie in the last volume. Don't get so caught up in your memories that you forget to be in the moment. The past is already fixed. The moment is where you can do the most good.

Something something it may seem silly something will to survive.

Uhhhh, why are we going to the bank now? Maybe something about that vault being thick and potentially safe?

Dang, we can just follow the blood trail, can't we?

Oof, trying to reload one-handed like this. Hands shaking. Trying to remember his own potential despite everything.

Uhhh... why was there just a bag of weapons hanging out there? Did Monev put it there earlier? It looks like something you'd find in a video game.

Honestly, this security guard should just take the night off.

Can't have Trigun without the bigass guns...

Vash is using the door as a shield. Just not the way one would suspect.

Again, with that perfectly steady hand.

Goodbye, Monev tough-guy mask. Hello, knee to the face.

Even after all this, Vash's resolve immediately cracks when he sees Monev's genuine fear of dying.

Again, with Rem's form blending into his and dominating the page. Meanwhile, he's just a shadow in the corner. Again, with the heavenly imagery of her, where here the only think keeping her from looking like a traditional angel is the lack of wings. But her hair, the way the cloth flows around her, and her whole pose speaks of angel's flight.

And, shaking, his gun dripping with blood from the force with which he shoved it in Monev's eye, he comes back to himself. And loses it in an entirely different way.

I love this last panel. It makes Vash seem so small and so alone. At the same time, literally everyone else in the panel aside from Monev is coming toward him to help. He might feel alone, but he's far from it.

Chapter 4: Scars

Ah, yes. Fragile things do end up with scars, if they don't break.

Honestly, what Meryl is typing here sounds far more journalistic than insurance agent-y.

She's starting to realize that, while Vash himself is a nice and gentle soul, there's a lot about him she doesn't know. I'm reminded of that quote, "No one will ever know the violence it took to become this gentle."

(BTW, I'm listening to the Stampede soundtrack and it's currently playing the version of Knives's theme with vocals and it's NOT HELPING.)

(Also, it sounds like SOMEONE is developing a bit of a crush on Mr. The Stampede.)

Monev seems to have grown some respect for Vash.

Ha, they gave this line to Wolfwood in Stampede.

I appreciate Vash's response. It says a lot about his character. Even when he seems like he's trusting, he's generally being far more cautious than people think he's being.

Quest #1: Complete! You've acquired a Coin Half!

*sigh* Everyone's scared, but he saved them all. But... their concerns aren't unjustified. If one assassin found him, the others likely will, too. And it's not like they'd send their biggest guns for Round 1.

You really shouldn't just walk straight into people's rooms. Even if you knock. Lucky for everyone he already had pants on.

Ugh, he's such a mess....

LOL, buddy. I hope that's not why you're turning down the opportunity for sex. And... if a partner really cared about you, it's not like she'd think less of you for them. Hasn't anyone ever told you chicks dig scars? Good on Meryl for calling him out.

Vash might have initially been put off by them seeing his scars, but now that they have, he doesn't seem to see a reason to hide them.

I don't think Vash could live a quiet life if he wanted to. Not with the Gung-Ho Guns hunting him. We'll not get into Ericks for the time being.

This is such a thing, though. I don't think she would fault him or think any less of him if he never bothered to settle that score. Then again, all things considered, him taking a back seat in all this would kind of be ignoring a ticking time bomb that might undo all she sacrificed for.

Huh, it's a bit of a surprise they let Monev stay for a few days, too.

There's something hilarious about Meryl's roller suitcase in the middle of the desert here.

LOLOLOL, Milly calling out Meryl for her intense interest in Vash.

Milly is a lot more devious than she looks....

Uhhhhh, what's with the cross? What's with Vash's panic?

Ohhhh, shit. Is that Monev??

Yep, it's Monev. Is... is he still alive??? Crucifixion is specifically designed to 1) be IMMENSELY painful (the spikes are generally hammered not through the palms, where they'd just rip out, but through the nerve bundle that runs up the forearm between the bones, which are holding the majority of your weight), and 2) slowly kill via exposure.

Nooooo, I don't like this guy alreadyyyyyyy....

I... I don't think Monev had a home. Not really. Not like the Gung-Ho Guns were gonna welcome him back to the mansion basement. He'd need to make a new path for himself in the world.

Yyyyep, it's E.G. Mine. Please send him back where you found him. I don't like him.

Vash, staying focused in this.

TBH, that get-up looks EXTREMELY uncomfortable.

I agree, Vash. I agree. I hope you can dodge this trolley problem with an Option 3.

Hahahaha, Vash manages to disable E.G. before his bag has a chance to drop to below shoulder level.

Howwww. How did he know Legato was watching?!

Oh, good. Legato's surprised by it all, too. And almost got shot. He's taking it pretty well, though.

Go for the source of the problem rather than the riffraff it's kicking up. Wise. Legato doesn't look pleased by this change of plans. But I think Vash is right to decide this quest is shit.

I feel very Two Cakes-y about manga Monev vs. TriStamp Monev.

(Warning: Spoilers for Trigun: Stampede ahead.)

There are things I like about both. And while TriStamp wrapping Vash directly into his backstory and mucking much more clearly with Monev's head might be a bit off-putting to some, I appreciated how much more personal they made his arc to Vash. You have all the same elements; a boy betrayed and trained to be a monster, released primarily to cause Vash pain, and then just as it seems he might be saved from everything he's been through, his life is cut short in a way that does NOT endear Vash to his killer.

But in Stampede, Monev's arc also holds the full weight of 20 years of Vash being too late. Too late to save the town. Too late to save the boy. To short-sighted to see the consequences of just trying to help. Too slow to save the man.

It makes it hit in a far more meaningful fashion... but I don't know that it would be right for manga Vash at this point in his story arc. Right now, he needs to recognize and reconcile what he is and isn't. We've seen far more of him being silly than we've seen of him being dangerous, and here, we see him leaning into his more dangerous side. Through his arc in the manga, we too must start to ask the questions Meryl asks, and might begin to wonder if, perhaps, the Humanoid Typhoon is far closer to the edge than he immediately appears.

[twst-drabbles]

Who do you think are the most kinky and the most vanilla characters in NRC?

Oof that's a hard one cause there's a distinct difference between being kinky and being horny. For example, I'm ace all the way, but I'm a kinky as fuck individual ranging from edging all the way to pain play. I don't get horny so much as I get an immense power high from it from having them squirm.

So, with that out of the way, let's take a look at kink levels.

The most vanilla have to be Riddle, Deuce, Jack, Sebek, Idia, and Malleus. Vanilla, as in they haven't had time or are in the correct situation to explore their kinks.

Riddle is certainly hesitant on exploring such subjects and is going to need a caring hand to help him discover the things he likes. He's very easy to overstimulate and isn't exactly into that so one has to have patience with him and take it slow.

Deuce is simple. He likes being praised, told he's a good boy and all that. Most of the time though, whatever kink you might be into, he'll try it out for your sake. His enjoyment is mostly tied into how you enjoy things, but do keep away from extremes like knife play or consensual non-consensual role-playing. He gets a little into his head and it hurts more than it helps.

Yeah, Jack. He's into some kinks but they're mostly little things, such as blindfolds and just a general light sub-dom dynamics that are just orders. He doesn't particularly crave them and mostly just wants to lay in bed together. Another sensual lover. So yeah, he has some kinks but they're not his priority. And will probably go without them 70% of the time.

Sebek...need I say more? The man is so focused on his current goals in life and sharpening his own self that the thought of jacking rarely crosses his mind. He keeps himself busy, too busy actually. Getting horny is just another test for him to endure, an obstacle that keeps him from being the best he can be.

Idia has a unique love-hate relationship with kinks. He certainly imagines indulging in bondage or somnophilia or other such things but actually bringing them to reality? Makes him want to shrink himself. That being said, he's another dude that's easy to overwhelm. Take it slow and wait for him to being up kinks in his own time.

Malleus, I know people like to say he has to be kinky with a breeding kink but nope, he's another dude that gives me ace vibes. Is definitely aware of the things people are into but they really do nothing to him. And then he proceeds to never think on that subject again. His mind lingers on other stuff, such as his princely duties and his hobbies. That being said, he isn't strongly against kinks either. Whatever your want to experiment, he's willing to try.

Now for the kinky, it be Ace, Epel, Ruggie, Rook, Lilia, Jade and Floyd.

Ace knows what he wants. He knows what he likes and what he doesn't. Though, that being said, dude's never truly experimented so the experience is going to be something else for him.

Epel...oh boy. Man is going to speedrun any all kinks he can find. His poor browser history. Truly, the wonders of the internet.

Ruggie is always willing to try and see if he enjoys it. Normal sex is nice and all but he gets bored easy. He wants to try new things after all. But, the aftercare has to stay the same, if only to help pull him out of his headspace.

Ah, Rook. He's kind of an obvious one. Definitely into some power play where he's at your mercy. Much like Floyd, he's willing to experiment with the more extreme side of kinks and is very, veeeery into some role-play.

Oh Lilia has experimented, no doubt about that, and finds that he really likes being a fucking brat. A menace, a tease, someone who you just want to both kick and fuck him to shut up. Really, you can't get truly angry at him. It's the fun kind of irritation, cause you both know he wants you to put him in his place.

Jade and Floyd are into humiliation, though in different categories. Jade is more into verbal degradation, likes being made to feel like he's less than a person and is just someone to be used, while Floyd likes to be hurt and spat at. Of course, they're both insufferable when the play is over and need aftercare. Floyd's a cuddler and Jade needs a good back rub.

As for everyone else, they're in this nebulous zone of "Not kinky, not vanilla either," a sort of flexible zone where, depending on the partners they have, will end up either more kinky or more vanilla. So, people such as Kalim, Jamil, Azul, Silver, Trey, Cater, Leona and Vil are under that specific zone.

At least, that's how it is in my head.

Again, this is kinks, not levels of horny.

[booksandchainmail]

Pale 6.z

I love these diagrams in the extra materials. They've come a long way from simple circles. But the notes are right that the whole thing feels icky.

You do realize I’ve been working on toying with hearts since I was four?

:|

Actually, makes me wonder about her interactions with Ms. Graubard. She was being the opposite of endearing there, wonder if there was a deeper motivation? Or did she just not care.

others might hate me but I don’t care. I target the people I want and I win them over.

So who was she winning over in that class?

“I think about Louisa every day, Chase.  To remind myself of what I need to do."

practitioner families suck! I wonder if this was gendered, or just about not living up to expectations

I can try to play smart for teachers like Raymond and be the whiny child for the substitutes that don’t know how to teach,

ok, still not entirely sure why she wanted that, but it was deliberate

I’ll study hard and I’ll do as the family needs, and I get money and clothes and training in exchange. Better deal than most get.

She's not wrong, but man that's a low bar. The practitioner world desperately child protection laws.

Gods this whole conversation is fucked! I wouldn't even know what bits to quote. Eugh. Years of resentment, a very hierarchical family. And Chase is feeling scared enough that regrets are coming to the surface, trying to reach out to his little sister. But Fernanda is very aware that they don't actually have a close sibling relationship, and that the power differential sits between them. Just painful and uncomfortable to read.

“You’re not in my good books, Miss Throop,” Fernanda said, quietly.

Making sure this is quiet, so none of the boys hear. Doesn't make Fernanda look weak or unaware for having more boys show up than expected, and being unhappy about it. Doesn't embarrass Laila by scolding her in public, which might create a grudge. But calling out Damaryon publicly, making a show of her strength, putting pressure on his friends to either make him apologize or draw back from him, putting Fernanda in a position of authority over their group. Also implying that Fernanda is the arbiter for offenses against Laila, and that her own revenge is something Fernanda grants Laila. She's good at this.

“You’re my best friend.  Why wouldn’t I?” Laila blinked a few times.

was not expecting that one, huh?

She’d given Laila nothing concrete, but she’d gotten a pledge in return.  It was the product of months of establishing friendship, from last year until now, that let her set that into motion.  It didn’t matter that Laila was her best friend, because it helped her feel like she was inching toward a better place. 

yeah... I noticed how quickly things went from "I can help you with social stuff, because we're friends" to "Promise you'll back me up" to "If you teach me, I'll forgive you"

“Prettier, richer, more powerful people win more.  That’s a lesson.  It’s not a nice lesson, especially for those who are less pretty or wealthy, but I’m personally very fond of imparting it.”

lol

A way to score a huge win for the family, elevating all of them, and simultaneously free himself from all of the immense expectations that had been chasing him in recent years.

Man, Bristow is good at this

We stop being even a facsimile of a family. But all of us are happier alone. Except me.

oof. Guess that explains why he was so desperate to make a connection with Fernanda

“Very well,” Alexander said, his voice level.  “I hereby name you forsworn.  For filial promises made and taken to the grave by the other party.”

oh. wow.

“I would.  I might not like you in the slightest, but forswearing as a practice should be left well in the past.”

... yeah. I get that being able to hold people to their word is important, but forswearing is brutal and there doesn't seem to be a way out of it.

“It may have been hollow. But in these cases, a promise can be made and broken,” Seth said. “I may be gainsaid, but among her last words to me were her wishes that I had a good life ahead of me. And her expressed forgiveness and love.”

good to have confirmation that the person a promise was made to can forgive it being broken, and that prevents forswearing. I suppose it gets harder if the promise isn't made to an individual.

She forgave you, but it was not for her to handle the broken oath, then. I had taken on that responsibility by then. And I will not forgive. The universe has not seen you forsworn because I have been in firm custody of it, judgment pending.

well fuck

Nicolette shook her head.  “The open future clause.  Is there a feasible future where you could fulfill the oath?”

Nico's doing pretty well as an impromptu pro bono defense lawyer

“I would give Seth Belanger my protection for the time being,” Nicolette said.  “I would take him into my custody, and be a shield between him and the world.”

and she's a hell of a good person, despite everything the world has pushed her to be. Oh, there's plenty that can be done with someone who is forsworn and has no defense left, and I'm sure this wouldn't be entirely altruistic, but as Charles said near the beginning, even if he was taking on curses every day for Kennet, it would still be a good deal for protection.

“Do you think he’s the only one I could forswear, right here and right now?” Alexander asked.

oh fuck. Even if he doesn't right now (and I don't think he will), he's holding a blade over their heads. And after Seth they all know he's willing to drop it.

“Okay!?” Zed asked.  “No, Ray.  You’ve let a lot slide before, but this?”

he let a forswearing slide before!

“I think virtually every parent of a child at this school would agree a teacher should be suspended for a time after forswearing a student, until things can be assessed.”

ah. That's how he's going to use this

“Alexander shouldn’t be suspended because, number one, you probably planned that all along, and number two, he’s hot, in an older guy sorta way, and it’s a tragedy to lose that.”

love this terrible defense

And Laila, who had so recently made promises, trusting their friendship was more important than practice, visibly diminished.  If she wasn’t gainsaid now, she would be later.

well fuck. that poor girl.

[gyllenhaalstories]

Hi Laurie! First of all, I LOVE your blog! One of my fav Jake blogs ever! I love your writing and your gifs too. I wanted to ask, if you don’t mind sharing, what program do you use to make gifs? How do you edit them? I’d love to learn to make gifs but I don’t know how. Thank you so much!

heyyyyyy! thank you so much, that's so sweet of you!!! 💖

i wish i could link you to an easy tutorial that would answer all of your questions, but i don't even remember what i used when i started to make gifs some time in 2020. it's a lot of work, it takes a mountain of patience, but ultimately it's so nice to make your own gifs. you create your own material of whatever you want (or well, whatever you find content of). and the little boost of pride when i post a fic i've written that includes a gif i've made too? oof, i like it 🥰

my method has just grown more and more archaic to try and adjust to tumblr's gif size issues, to new features and blah blah blah. let me try to roughly explain it though! i don't have the skills to write a proper tutorial of my own, i'm so sorry! but thank you for stopping by to say all of these nice words! 💗

i have like 3$ and a sticky caramel candy in my wallet so i don't use photoshop (there is a BUNCH of tutorials on how to make gifs properly using photoshop, i'd suggest googling it and seeing who on tumblr have posted about it if you have access to the good stuff) plus my poor laptop could never survive such a thing. my technique is definitely not the fastest or the most practical, it takes hours to make a handful of gifs. first, i prefer to use high quality youtube videos that i download (i tried screen recording but the website i used just died so back to youtube clips i go! rip making gifs of jake movies outside of the trailers it was fun while it lasted). then, i use ezgif to make gifs! you can edit gifs directly through ezgif, it's basically built for that. this is what i used at the beginning and it was very effective. now that i'm making so many more gifs and i'm a tiny bit more comfortable than i was at the beginning, i turn to photopea. after cutting my chosen youtube video into gifs, i'll take that gif into photopea to edit it.

the key element that i edit is the size, tumblr has very precise sizes for image content if you want them to display properly. 540 px wide for full width gifs or 268 px for gifsets that have 2 gifs next to each other. so i try to resize and crop the gifs to make them fit the proper sizes. BUT tumblr has a size limit of 10 mb per gifs, so it can get tricky. i also like to make a gif sharper or brighter. i'm not skilled to make beautiful colourings (plus, photopea isn't very suited for it since a lot of colourings use features that aren't working in photopea but they are present in photoshop) and i don't know how to use most features to begin with so i stick with what i know. like curves? what the fuck is a curve. so yeah, i stick to the features i use regularly. then i export the gif into, well, a gif and i can post them on tumblr.

obviously, using photoshop is best. ezgif is amazing for what it is, same for photopea, and they're both free!!! but they don't produce the highest quality content. i remember back in 2020 when i looked at different people's gifs that were made with photopea, there was a VERY clear difference. even for people with a lot more skills and experience than i do, i've noticed that the gifs always have a level of blurriness and a pixelated aspect that can't be erased. the gifs almost look fuzzy instead of crispy? i don't know how else to describe it, but it's a never ending grief of pretty, crispy gifs. i've learned a lot through googling every little thing and function, but also through trial and error. i'd click through different functions and features and i'd see what happens (do this one step at a time, take notes too! i used to take notes of many little details at first so my gifs stayed a bit consistent). sometimes it works, sometimes you've spent hours on something and you have to delete it and abandon the project. it happens and it's normal.

i'm absolutely NOT tech savvy, like it's actually depressing, so i genuinely mean it when i say that if i can learn to make gifs then anyone can. i wish i had the talent and equipment and money to make the cripsy gifs of my dreams, but i still try my very best with each gif i make. i try to respect the limits of my poor laptop that cries for help after an intense 15 minutes of work, but i also try to respect my own limits. i gif for myself first and foremost. i gif what i want to gif. i gif stuff that makes me happy because now i can look at this short little clip move on loop forever. i suggest you start small, like with a quick video, with a few gifs and see what happens! at best, it works! at worst, it didn't but maybe you learned one step and it will be easier next time! starting small is my best piece of advice. i was way too ambitious at the beginning and i highly regret it, you can get burned out so quickly just like with any other creative project. it's okay to struggle, it's okay if it doesn't look as good as you wished it did. making gifs is not easy, but it's absolutely worth it. i've got my pompoms out and i'm cheering you on! like i said, if i've managed to spend hourssssssssss making hundreds of silly little jake gifs during the last few years, then you can absolutely create one gif that you're happy with! good luck with your giffing journey and thank you so much for your sweet words in your message! 💖💖💖

[thedarkmistress16]

Do you have any app or mobile game to suggest? QwQ I wanna try playing something new

OOF there's so many mobile games I'm listing so prepare yourself

BATTLE CATS is the shit. Tough levels at points but there is a semblance of progress to be had. They added a lot of events and extra shit so it might be overwhelming for new people. i have no idea tho I barely started playing it again.

I'm a lover of the solitare genres (klondike and spider) but ugh the ads. I really only like them for the virtual customization of the themes that desktop comps dont provide enough of and having something offline to play on the go. ive been getting better at the four suit spider games, tho- i can feel my brain learning. 😁

Bingo games are fun! I don't have any one in particular I like the best, tho. Been a while since I played them.

Tinker Island 1 has great progression and you have the opportunity to collect the paid currency constantly, building up your gem vault. I like the garden minigame more than the actual gameplay XD.

I like Marvel Puzzle Quest for the match-3 gameplay with the marvel aesthetic. I'd recc. to play this one casually because progression is nonexistent with AND without $.

On the topic of match games, Bejeweled is a classic. 😊 I loved the butterfly rescue one back in the day and poker version was fun too- the tension is just MWAH.

Grand Summoners is for some reason spending a lot of money in ads because I'm seeing it everywhere despite having it on the exact device I'm seeing the ads on??? I'm not saying it's a problem it's just odd, lol. Micromanaging gear and teams will implode your brain but there is some strategy to it, even if you try to auto everything. They have crossover events all the time, on top of progression being kinda slow but still possible, and I'm quite happy with unexpectedly pulling a Hatsune Miku and evolving her. 😊

I would recc. trying out Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Links out for a test run to see if the grind is up your alley. Very generous with rarity tickets the last time I played it.

For another simple game, billiards are fun too, and easier to play digitally than in real life, lol. You will be playing against other humans all the time, tho.

Injustice 1 or 2 and Marvel Contest of Champions have their own pros and cons, but both are finger-input fighting/brawl games with IPs so it depends on asthetic and progression i guess? If I had to choose tho, I would say Injustice is more organized in its content than Champions if that makes any sense?

Best Fiends is a cute and neat lil' bubble draw and pop game that has some progression to it, but it's been a while since I played it. Surprising for me that I even like this one since the mascots are cartoony insects.

Color Puzzle is a gradient-building/color-matching puzzle game. I played it during my art class and it made me more aware of how colors react next to each other though it can hurt your eyes.

Visual novel story/chapter games are ones you need to curate yourself to figure out which one you'll want to sit through. Chapters has sexual/explicit stories but a beefy reward system compared to Choices from what I remember, plus community engagement/contests. This likely could have changed now- I haven't checked. Other apps have (slightly) animated characters/establishing shots and some are more customizable in the protagonist and reputation systems (romance or otherwise). They all blended together in my mind like a big soup of colors, but i will tell you that the paid currency choices are never worth it.

(Pixel) Color-by-number games are fun pastimes until they hurt your eyes and drain your device battery.

South Park Phone Destroyer was fun for a bit. Until it wasn't.

Dream Girlfriend is the best Ambition gacha/character simulation game they have, prove me wrong.

side note: have you ever played a mobile game that got deleted? one that was solely a play-to-win that was also fun in general and you were close to maxing out your characters? yeah, it's worse than the pain you feel when you discover your fave fic has been deleted from the internet😢

[pandagirl45]

What if...

What if you just had clint with a bitter ex

Kraven is that ex

Who does not mind beating the ever loving crap out of clint (inadvertently traumatizing Kate)

Clint who would throw down in bare knuckles and knives. Think of level krauser and Leon knife fight.

Kate freaking out because she saw kraven break Clint neck (how Clint finds out about being drugged with experimental stuff work (with me here))

Kraven, "it's ya eyes pretty boy, best treasurya" (is he Australian? I don't think so, but seems like a fancy mix of Australian and Philippine, not sure why.)

Yeah, natasha also know about the stormy nights. The shoot outs, the competitions, the secret rendezvous. Before natasha. Clint very much on trying to help kraven be a good person, decent at least till clint just sees him take up those mercenary jobs for very evil people. First fight and last.

Oh the drama. Imagine clint baring teeth at men or women who even has a look of malice like kraven did. Oof.

Clint hiding all of that and leaving his goofy circus origin as the connecting points. Fury never knew this. Imagine fury trying to have clint become a honeypot to get kraven arrested. Ha!

[draftingteacups]

So, how did Soni and Happiny celebrated Deuce's birthday?

this evolved into a what if scenario aaaaaa- but it's pretty close to what I think Soni would do.

Well, it all starts in Heartslabyul, mostly with Happiny waking up before Deuce to wish him a good morning and a "Happy Birthday!" when he finally wakes up. By the time he does, Happiny is taken by Ace to breakfast where Deuce is treated to an Egg-based breakfast.

Omelet Rice made by Trey as well as Happiny doing her best to serve a glass of Oran Berry juice. Happiny tries her best to write an encouraging saying, but decides to do a whole bunch of hearts! 💕💕💕

Those hearts are a little messy, but Deuce loves them anyway. That's when Deuce is handed his letterman jacket or his Birthday Boy White Suit.

Happiny would want to wear it and Deuce lets her, thinking that she looks adorable in the outfit. He takes so many pictures and Cater does so as well.

Ace first pranks him with a gag gift (a pair of socks because track club yo) before handing off something that Deuce has been wanting for a while.

When the whole dorm celebrations are over, that's when Soni goes over and greets him Happy Birthday after dealing with the whole birthday preparations.

Deuce saw Soni running around making her rounds in the school as usual, but she also helped out with the desserts that there was a full spread of Pokepuffs, Malasada, and Poffins for people to try out. Even though Trey helped her, Deuce was grateful for the gift. Although because of that, she was pretty much busy up until that point.

Soni holds her arms out for Happiny, much to the little one's delight: "Happy Birthday, Deuce."

Deuce: "Ah, thanks Prefect! I haven't been able to talk to you much today."

Soni: "Nah, that's fine. It's your birthday."

Soni goes silent after that, cuddling with Happiny in her arms. The three of them just stand in comfortable silence before Happiny chirps, "Happiny!" Mama, don't be shy!

Deuce, having no idea of what Happiny just said: "Huh?"

Soni sighs and gestures outside where they can both be in peace. Once they're there, Soni looks around to see if there were any eavesdroppers and sees none. Letting Happiny down, she turns to the Birthday Boy who was only growing more confused. They were in the dark, so Deuce couldn't see Soni's face.

"I didn't know what to give you for your birthday. I'm not... used to these sorts of situations." A self-depreciative smile came on her face as she shrugged. "I don't get invited a lot. When I do, it's pretty boring. Frustrating really when it's a whole posturing thing and whatnot."

"Oh." Deuce didn't really know what to make of that.

"So yeah, picking a gift was tough." She fidgeted, looking uncomfortable at the admission. "And then Happiny gave me the idea of what to give, so this isn't just my gift. It's both mine and Happiny's, so make sure to thank her for this idea."

"Of course." The response was immediate.

"So," Soni took out a small box from her pocket, "Happy Birthday, Deuce."

As Deuce unwrapped it, he felt weirdly nervous. Because Soni was usually pretty calm about these things and seeing her being awkward about it made him feel awkward about it, which made it even more awkward. That all stopped once he looked at the gift itself.

It was a simple Pokeball, full-sized from its miniature form.

Deuce's breath hitched, "Prefect-"

"Happiny's been considered a Wild Pokemon for all these months. That could lead to some complicated things with ownership should some asshole try and capture her," Soni cut him off, not looking directly at him. "So it felt right to do this, especially when you're travelling with Happiny back home in a few days- Oof!"

Deuce caught Soni in a tight hug, a laugh escaping him at the joy of this level of trust. "Thank you so much, Soni!"

Winter Break was rough, especially when he'd been part of the reason why Soni had been upset. Happiny had been looking forward to going on a trip with the two of them when Final Exams broke out. When she'd been dragged into another Overblot right after dealing with one, Deuce was unsure if she was alright to even talk about the whole mess of the contracts. When they all talked to one another and why they did what they did, it didn't immediately fade away. It took time, but they eventually got back to how they were before.

Soni was protective over her stash of Pokeballs due to what they meant in her world. Power, companionship, control, all sorts of things that Deuce pieced together over time. For her to give him a Pokeball meant so much more than words could ever hope to describe.

"Alright, alright." Deuce could hear the telltale sigh of her fond exasperation. "You don't need to do this much."

"Happiny Happiny!"

"You don't need to point that out, Happiny." That made Deuce curious. Soni shifted in his arms at that, her face still cloaked in darkness. "Honestly, I don't know where you got that attitude from. ...Come over here."

Happiny jumped towards them both, a cheerful giggle escaping her. "Happiny Hap Hap!"

"Ah, Prefect, should I...?"

"It's a simple tap to the head. It's real easy."

Deuce kneeled down to Happiny, "Here we go, Happiny."

Happiny took that chance to boop herself against the Pokeball, disappearing in a flash of red. The device wiggled. Wiggled twice. And chimed.

"You know what to do at this point?"

"I've watched you do this so many times. It'd be embarrassing not too." Deuce grinned widely as he threw the Pokeball into the air. "C'mon out, Happiny!"

As Happiny emerged from the light and threw her little arms around him, Deuce couldn't have hoped for a better birthday.

[parchmentedpetrichor]

➳how rich men do it ♡

in which y/n l/n teaches her best friend fred weasley how to calculate taxes. the fluffiest of fluff, with a sprinkling of math.

fred weasley x genderneutral!reader

word count: ±0.9k

tw: math, mess

drop a follow if you wanna see more of this content!!

my masterlist:D

ft. visiting fred's place

how could I make sense when I got millions on my mind?

how rich men do it

"this place is a mess," i muttered to myself, the plastic bags filled with groceries rustling as i quickly cleaned up the ginormous house with a flick of my wand. i set the food on the counter.

my parents had always brought some type of fresh food to the houses they were visiting and that stuck with me and my sister. whenever we visited mum and dad, we would separate what we would buy them. i would get them the fun things retirees are supposed to be enjoying and my sister would get the food and necessities.

"oh, hi," fred said absentmindedly.

his hair was messy and his eyes seemed unconcentrated.

"what's up with you?"

"trying to do taxes. i don't get how rich men do it!"

"really? the great, magnificent, ever so wealthy, mister weasley, son of arthur weasley and molly prewett, brother to-"

he folded his arms, "stop."

"yes, the humble peasant is at the service of mister weasley. want me to teach you?"

he nodded.

"magic word?"

"please."

"it was actually abracadabra but i'll let it slide this once," i pulled out a calculator.

"so, you got a tax table right?"

he nodded, pulling out a piece of paper with his tax statement on it.

"no, no, freddie, your tax statement and your salary are private, don't show it to me, i'll teach you through examples?"

"what's there to hide anyway??" he pouts.

"it's a matter of privacy, i think. now, to calculate your tax, you use the table."

"news flash," he quips sassily.

"well, there are levels to the table, right? and so, for example if the tax table is like this," i gesture to the table, "you need to find your salary on the table."

"what if i can't see my salary?" he asked.

"then you are in the $180,001 and over bracket."

"to calculate your tax, you separate your salary into many different brackets. if i earn $200,000 dollars, this is how i would calculate it. you need to pay tax for every single dollar over 18,200, so you must calculate it separately for each bracket of income you have."

i wrote down a procedure.

(200000-180001) x 0.45 + (180000-120001) x 0.37 + (120000-45001) x 0.325 + (45000-18201) x 0.19

i looked over at him. he definitely wasn't following at all.

"earth to taxpayer!!" i waved my hand before his eyes.

"huh?"

"just focus for this lil bit, okay, it's an easy concept to grasp."

"this...is easy?"

"rich men do it. rich women do it. you can. aren't you a rich man?"

he pouted cutely.

"okay, so just focus, a little, little bit? you need to grab your table, and calculate- helllooo?"

he was staring at me with a far-off look in his eyes.

"yeah, i'm listening. definitely."

"look, freddie, if you just listen and calculate the taxes, i'll do anything. i know, it really doesn't make sense because i'm the one teaching you but i have a feeling the taxes may be due at midnight today."

"anything?" his eyes were eager and calculating.

"well nothing that risks my life-"

"of course. continue explaining, please."

"oh, alright! you do it step by step-"

"got my taxes!"

"awesome, i knew you could do it. send the money off before you forget."

"okay, i just put in the tax deductions and send it off?"

"yeah!"

i was reading a book i had found lying randomly around when he tapped me on the shoulder.

i memorised the page. 134.

"mhm?"

he was looking down at me, smirking. i sighed.

"you promised me anything."

"okay. and?"

"i have something."

"alright."

"you have to admit that you love me."

"i love you," i said, giving him a big wide grin, "happy?"

"no."

"what?"

"love me more than as a best friend."

i felt my eyes widen. how had he known?

"w-what, i don't love you m-"

"y/n, seriously."

"okay. fine. i love you, more than a best friend, i have for a little while," i admitted, casting my eyes down in dismay as to try to avoid seeing his expression, "er, what was the point of this?"

there was silence, "yeah so, hopefully our friendship isn't ruined, i'll have you know i'm very good at moving on from people, so no worries at all."

i looked up at him. he looked shocked.

"i-i was only joking," he said.

"oof, okay, well this is a bit...not good," i immediately sprung up and smiled at him.

"wait. it was a joke."

"i got that part," i retorted.

"but it was a joke to-to..."

i laughed, "okay, okay, we laughed, okay freddie? there's no need to freak out. has a girl seriously never confessed to you befor-"

"it was a joke to hide my poorly concealed feelings."

"for?"

"you."

"that's legit?"

"yeah. it is. i love you too."

i felt a smile break onto my face.

"do you want to be my girlfriend?"

i nodded, "yeah, i'd like that."

"and sorry."

"huh?"

"i've loved you ever since i saw you. sorry it took so long for me to realise."

[potatoesandsunshine]

Hi as a known fan of paladins being captured in upsetting ways my friend has sent me your post and now I’m here. I’d be delighted if you would elaborate on the situation 🥺

hi yes hello i would LOVE to elaborate on the situation. my paladin is named beatrice pyre and i tag things for her / general dnd posts if you're ever curious about it :) but this situation specifically!!! i am Losing My Mind!!! it's extremely good. literally feels like we just had some kind of midseason finale

so BASICALLY her uncle is the viceroy and now regent of her country, they're at war with the very pro-necromancy country next door, the party has been going around looking for evidence to get him out of power bc we think the whole war is a Suspicious Plot. so for the last three sessions we've been breaking into his suuuuper haunted estate (coincidentally the place my paladin grew up! haha! was it always like this? she doesn't know!)

it's been extremely rough!! we're level 8 so things really hit back now in very strong ways!! and my paladin is very... not to steal skyrim's thunder but when they call people doom-driven they are actually talking about bee pyre. she's just like... she doesn't think about stopping. she will throw herself against this problem until something breaks.

this session we managed to get down to the basement of the estate and Oh Yeah It Sucks Down Here. we're talking ghosts we're talking undead we're talking pit traps. the whole nine yards. a series of tunnels full of magical darkness that doesn't like it if you cast in it. i rolled a nat1 and it still ate my spell slot :( rude :( ANYWAY we used a lot of resources fighting our way down there and trying to put our oathbreaker paladin friend back together after an incident with a hallway full of like... i don't know what to call it, chompers?? when the ceiling and floor smash together like THUD THUD THUD. so we were kinda low on spells and healing and stuff.

so we decide, hey, we didn't want to do a long rest down here because it sucks but we gotta do one. this is what historians will call a Bad Idea. also we did it in kinda the hub room that the dark tunnels branched off of which wasn't the BEST strategic thinking we've ever done. so basically, we all got hit with a strong cone of cold and nobody made saves. oof.

and bee pyre :) definitely not feeling self-destructive after losing her friend the party rogue a few days ago, definitely not feeling useless as her lover is off fighting the war, definitely not feeling like a burner that the gods forgot to turn off, says Okay :) I can sense undead in the magically dark tunnel :) I Will Go Down There And Tank :) yeah the cone of cold came from there, what could that mean? who in the world would have TWO cones of cold? (we have previously fought someone who did cast it twice. this was foolishness.) anyway there was a strong necromancer down there who immediately downed her and said "your uncle will be so disappointed that you didn't listen to his advice" and bee said "he gives shit advice" and KO. death saves start.

and then, something bee would NEVER have considered, the party heard her hit the ground (thank you plate armor :/) and started GOING AFTER HER!! in the dark tunnel!!! with the necromancer!!! who did do another cone of cold that, again, nobody saved against. bla bla bla, my friends did cool shit fighting zombies but it was a losing battle, i was feeling p bad as a player like How Could I Do This To Us, there was some epic shit from our fighter before he went down, bee stabilized while everyone else was dying which made me INSANE because she takes protection fighting so seriously, it was like a carousel ride of death saves before our DM gently cut away.

but then we woke up in a dungeon without all our stuff which INCLUDES the in-character letters i've been writing for the last few months and aaaaah

cut to my best friend our DM like, :3c Did You Like It ? and of course i did i was obsessed w everything

[stitch1830]

🎩

I'm fine and dandy,

Mind i ask your opinion on what became of the Gaang in LOK? I know the Toph being a cop thing ruffles some feathers and some don't accept Aang was a bad father.

HAT ANON HI glad to hear you are fine and dandy on this exquisite day of the week. And OOF this is a loaded question, but I'll do my best! :)

So I feel like there are a couple ways to answer this question based on your shipping preferences, but for the sake of this I'll try and answer everything based on what is considered canon. So ATLA, comics, and LOK.

I'll also preface by saying that I get why there are some controversial takes in LOK... I think they were trying to make the characters have more depth and show that even our favorite characters have flaws, even when they're adults. I just think that in some situations it was OOC and it leaves a bad taste in your mouth when you see where the Gaang went from the start to the end of ATLA, and then to see glimpses of their adult life and only seeing the trashiest parts.

Aang: If he's with Katara, it's not surprising to me that he's not a great father. Like, he has very strong opinions about his culture and while Katara is just as passionate about her upbringing, there isn't a ton of evidence of Aang accommodating the children's upbringing to also integrate SWT traditions in their lifestyle. I don't think he was outwardly trying to be a bad dad or anything, but his desperation to pass down Air Nomad traditions to an airbender overshadowed his primary need to be a father to all three of his kids. It's also really hard to see him as still this happy, lovable nice guy who treats everyone with kindness and respect when we know that he practically ignored 2 of his kids... But basically, his 'bad takes' as a dad were left unchecked, and his actions were probably defended by his wife as opposed to having to face them.

Katara: This one hurt lol. Again, it's not surprising that when she's with Aang that she chooses to settle down and be a wife and mother and healer. Aang's the Avatar, he's busy, their two oldest children are really rambunctious and are craving attention, so it's gonna be Katara to give them the love and care they need. But based on what we see in ATLA, it's just sad that we don't get to see or hear about any changes she made in the world or fighting. She really does seem to be ushered off to the side, left to retire in SWT after Aang dies. It's also sad/crazy that her strength and ability to stand up to disrespectful or ignorant people goes away when she's an adult. And I feel like this is glaring in her relationship with Aang and then also when Korra is finishing up training in the SWT. The other masters are whining that Korra isn't ready and Katara says she is and then the men keep complaining and whining. Like, no way would ATLA Katara let that go without her giving her two cents. Yes, she does help Korra leave, but she definitely would've said something to those old hoots. It's also weird that her strong resolve doesn't show up when she's raising her children with Aang. Why didn't she confront him? And if she did, how come nothing changed? Maybe it was too late, but idk. Katara doesn't seem like the person to let things go after she stood up to the problem once. Essentially, I'm upset that Katara was this strong and powerful female protagonist in ATLA, but not really hear about her amazing strides in the world in LOK (because if she did change the world, they didn't mention it... sad).

Sokka: Hmmm, he's not really ever shown in the show except in one flashback (because he's dead tears), but from what it sounds like, he didn't have any children, didn't sound like he ever really settled down, nothing like that. I think it would be sad if Aunt Wu's fortune was true and he never really ended up happy because of things he did. Would that be considered OOC? I don't think so... He was the goofy guy and the brains of the operations, but he seems like the guy that is afraid of being happy or ruins things when he is happy. My only reasoning for this is when he lost Yue, it changed him on some level, and at first he tried to push away Suki when she was initiating a kiss. Pretty light and lame reasons, but it's something....

Suki: MY GIRL SUKI NOT MENTIONED THAT'S SO OOC. Lol. Like, why didn't she randomly pop up from time to time? Are the Kyoshi Warriors just not around? I don't like that she wasn't in LOK, not even in a small flashback or anything. She was friends with the Gaang and it seems odd that no one mentioned their dear friend that helped save the world with them even if she passed away or anything. And also I don't think a casual statement about her settling in the suburbs counts as canon lol.

Toph: Okay. I don't hate that she's a cop. It's not really in character, but I don't hate it. If all of her friends settled in Republic City, and they all had their own responsibilities to deal with and asked Toph to run the RCPD, I think she would say yes out of loyalty to her friends, maybe out of boredom. I'm surprised she was in the role as long as she was, though... She was starting to get bored of her metalbending academy after a year or two once things were running smoothly, so she seems like the kind of woman that would search for the next adventure. But if she had to be a cop, I think she'd much rather be the one enforcing the rules at the top as opposed to following the rules, but... yeah. In a canon universe I struggle to come up with a long-term career for her, so I made my peace with the cop thing. Many of my friends haven't though lol, which is okay! Another thing I didn't like was how she was portrayed as a bad mother. Not that she was a bad mother (as much as it would suck, I can kind of see her being a bad mom), but they way she was a bad mom didn't really fit her character. She was neglected as a kid, doesn't seem right that she in turn would neglect her kids by giving them too much freedom. Also! My least favorite thing was how she had a 20/30 year rift with her girls, and then it was suddenly resolved. Like... No we need some more context to the conflict, and we need to see work being put into the resolution if we're going to bring this up. If Lin held a grudge against her family for 30 years, a short "sorry I wasn't a great mom, hope you don't hate me" comment isn't going to make her forgive them lol. I do like how she was portrayed as a single mother to two girls. She doesn't really seem like the type to settle down, and it was a nice surprise to see her have daughters from different men. Families come in all shapes and sizes, and it would've been the perfect opportunity to show those differences and show that there's more than one way to have a positive upbringing (Like, let's see the cloudbabies and the Beifongs both happy even though they had two very different parental upbringings? Just... there was an opportunity is all). And yeah, she seems like the one that would never settle down or have a family, so it would've been interesting to see her handle motherhood and her job! So I'm okay with that bit.

Zuko: Okay Zuko seems chill in canon, but who's his wife? Where she at? He got a partner or anything? We may never know... But it's nice that he appeared to have a happy life with good kids and grandkids... And yet I'm confused as to why Korra preferred to go to Zuko instead of the Avatar's wife for advice on what Aang would have done when choosing between saving the Air Nomads and turning herself in to the Red Lotus?? Like, I know Katara was in the SWT, but they have phones now, you're telling me they couldn't have called Katara? Why wasn't Katara the first person they thought to ask about the situation? I know the logistics would've been difficult considering Katara is holed up in the SWT, but why did everyone say that Zuko knew Aang the best? Why didn't his wife know him the best? Thoughts to ponder.

Okay. I wrote a lot and there's probably more that I do and don't like about how the characters were portrayed... But I think what it all boils down to is that there was an opportunity to still get depth in these beloved characters without us being frustrated with situations that are OOC. Then again, that would make it less about the Krew and more about the Gaang... It just seems like a bit of a slap to the face when we see glaring problems with the Gaang's characterization, and yet, we get no explanation. It does allow for canon writers to play with the 70 years in between, but idk. I much prefer AU's where there's time and opportunity to explore the characters as their best selves I suppose. Honestly, with my disinterest and disliking of canon ships, I don't see the bad takes in LOK as OOC, but it makes me wonder how different things could have been if other ships were made canon (thank goodness they weren't, we're not pigeonholed into one type of story, but still).

Does this kind of answer your question? Lol, sorry if not. My thoughts are all over the place with this one! Thank you for the ask, though, Hatty. Hope you have a great day! :)