#do i think this is in character? no not really. is it funny to me? incredibly

[bananonbinary]

okay. everyone here, stop. forget about ai, forget about art, forget about copyright and plagerism. forget the wider context of this debate and focus in on this argument.

explain to me, from the start, how "lazy and incompetent" are morally bad things that aren't rooted in ableism. use your fucking words, and spell it out, in clear terms, that you think that people who struggle to do a task are doing so out of some personal character flaw rather than admit that sometimes people have shit going on that isn't fucking about you.

I'm going to say the same thing that I said when everyone was talking shit about "weaponized incompetence."

It is not your place to judge what someone else is or is not capable of. it's just not. you have no fucking idea what invisible disabilities they might have. "no disability actually prevents-" yes it does. sit down and actually look around, everything you find easy is hard for someone.

even if they totally don't have any disabilities at all, it still doesn't actually matter if people get accommodations they don't "need." partially because attempting to gatekeep who "really" needs help can only hurt disabled people, but also because. it doesn't matter. it's not hurting anyone.

laziness, as a concept, is not fucking real. it's just not. laziness is a diagnoses that looks at outward behavior (this person isn't doing what I think they should), and refused to acknowledge the actual internal reasons behind it. it is inherently dehumanizing and enormously self-centered. people do not self-sabotage for no reason. I have never in my life met someone who isn't doing something that they want/need because they...what, want to annoy me personally? even people that i think are doing objectively wrong things, it's not because they're evil, or stupid, or lazy, it's because they have shit going on that they are handling poorly. "they simply aren't putting in any effort" is a symptom, not a fucking cause.

we are talking about art. funny pictures and words and whatever. there is no moral imperative to make it "correctly." you can dislike it, you can even argue against it ("its plagiarism," "its bad for the environment," whatever the hell you want), but don't fucking imply that people who do not meet YOUR threshold of protestant fucking work ethic are somehow morally inferior to you. if you're going to argue about something being bad, pick an argument that isn't fucking bootlicking. work ethic isnt real. hard work is not virtuous. easy things are not sowing evil in people's hearts or whatever the fuck.

"oh sky you're overreacting that's not what they meant-" the person above me literally said in clear terms that sentence structure, vocabulary, and expressing yourself "adequately" are skills only someone lazy and incompetent would struggle with. AND that it's "not fine" to not be able to cultivate those skills. just say you hate mentally disabled folks and go.

PS just. all of my complete rage at seeing the words "lazy and incompetent" aside, this just...isn't true at all. you guys are not doing yourselves any favors by IMAGINING what the beloathed ai artist is probably like and then shitting on him. talk to people that actually make ai art. ask them questions. some people are making shitty art, just like some traditional artists. but some of them actually are very skilled at what they do and spend a lot of time on it. just because it's *different* skills doesn't mean the skills aren't *there.* i certainly wouldn't even know where to begin with a project like @infiniteartmachine.

PS PS the original example of chatgpt and education is irrelevant to the discussion of ai art. like, yeah, asking a robot for the answers prevents you from learning, which is bad when you are explicitly trying to learn and build those skills in school. its not bad like, conceptually. the more equivalent argument would be that it'd be fucked up to submit ai art to a still life class. which is true, but not because AI Art Bad. its just grossly inappropriate and kinda ridiculous in that context.

[lukie17]

Ordering a body pillow of them!

It was a sleepless night when you decided to doom scroll until sleep finally kicked in. Until an ad caught your attention, a deal of a costume made dakimakura. It was 50% off and you could ask for the pillow to show a fictional character, an actor or even someone you knew. Without thinking twice, you send the picture of your husband with your specifications.

You tried to keep it a secret from him, until he found out.

Xavier.

He was supposed to be on a mission and not return until a few days later. While he was gone, you used the pillow and put it back into your secret spot. But this time it went wrong, Xavier being the freak he is, ended up the mission earlier than expected and wanted to pass out in the arms of his partner in life.

But what did he find? His beautiful wife hugging someone else. He did not know who it was nor he cared, he yanked the pillow out of you and his sword pressed against the "neck" of the intruder. Scared out of the sudden attack, you raised your weapon and aimed at him, carefully turning the lights.

Xavier's scowl only grew heavier as his own eyes met him. The pillow showed him in his cat butler self with the difference that his uniform was open, showing his torso and chest. The hunter's face was an enigma, and you froze, knowing too damn well that it could either go wrong or really wrong. Xavier was even jealous of himself and the pillow might trigger it even more.

To your demise, but not surprising, Xavier cut the pillow into tiny pieces. You sighed as you let him rage, trying to find the right words to ease him, maybe there could be a way where you get out of the mess without walking funny for the next few days. But the beast was on the loose.

In a second, Xavier's lips were on your own, one hand pressing you against the bed while the other one ripped his uniform apart. His kisses were a warning, he would make sure that you won't even for a pillow or him.

Zayne

Zayne discovered it by accident. He was doing some spring cleaning at your apartment when he found it. Stacked at the bag of the closet, Zayne almost froze the dakimakura when he landed his eyes on it. Not because of jealousy, but he thought that there was an intruder.

Out of curiosity he examined the pillo. He was in his doctor's coat or at least a spicy version of it. He wondered why you had ordered it and when you did it. Since the pillow smelled like you, he guessed that it was something that you used frequently. Zayne could have taken the path of hiding the pillow away, and save you the embarrassment, but you had played a lot of pranks on him lately, so he had a score to settle.

That evening you walked home tired of a long shift and just wanted to rest, but Zayne had everything planned. As soon as you opened the door, he greeted you.

"Welcome home, cheater" sipping tea from his mug "Did you have a nice day?"

You were confused. You would never dare or wanted to cheat on Zayne. In fact, he looked really calm and was he smirking? He had not a smile on his face but you could tell something was going on.

"What?"

"No need to play dumb" his head pointing to your room "I have discovered the man that is in your bed"

No sound came from you, still trying to understand what was going on. Yes, you invited friends like Xavier or Caleb to your apartment but never cheated on Zayne. Wondering what made him act like that, only to discover your body pillow in bed. You wanted to crawl in a whole, you wanted to die and get eaten by a wanderer. But Zayne had other plans.

"I think I got the messge" his arms caging you against him "I need to stop more time with my wife or else she would leave me" before you could explain yourself, Zayne devoured your lips.

Sylus

He will never, never, NEVER, let you forget what you did. You were on your knees sitting on front of him as the pillow floated infront of you while Sylus made it turn around with his evol. In the pillow, he was wearing some kind of armor that looked like a dragon. It was both endaring and weird.

You did not know what to say. Sylus, as always, had the upper hand and there was no way gettint out of it. So you decided to play your trick card: jumping into his lap hopping to distract him but he had other plans.

The red mist caught you and pushed you down until your face was against the body pillow, making sure that your face was against his face in the pillow. Then he position himself behidn you, his lips brushing against your ear.

"I never thought that you would be such a naughty kitten" you could not tell if he was mad or happy about the fact that you had a body pillow of him, and you did not want to know "Though, I do not know what it took you to buy another version of me when you have me right here"

He sponned you around so you could face him, and when you tried to look away, his evol made you look at him. He looked like a lion about to devour his prey, and for the first time in a while you were a little afraid of Sylus, in a good way.

"Cat got your tongue?" he mocked as he leaned closer "Or are you only going to talk to the pillow, kitten?"

Sylus closed the distance between you, making sure that any sound woud be trapped in his mouth. You don't know if you regret buying the pillow or not changing the address direction to other place rather that your shared home with Sylus.

Caleb

My husband , Caleb would tease you and feel so flattered at the same time. He didn't know that you had it in you, but he also had to tease you as we know. He will lift the body pillow high enough for you to not reach it, and he will se your face blusing as you try to get it back.

"What's that pipsqueack? You missed me so much that you have to get one pillow out of me" you were basically a tomate, but you could not lose.

"Who are you to talk, panty-thief!"

Caleb froze and he left the pillow hit the floor, quickly you grab it at tossed in the closet.

"You- you know?" he was now the one who was turning red "How-how? I was sure that I was careful..."

"How could I not when my old underwear kept reapearing as if it was new!" you protested, hoping that he would forget the body pillow "You pervert! Why do you think I make sure to do all the laundry?"

The body pillow was now a thing from the past for him, the lonely travels to the deepspace tunnel were only bareable because he took a piece of you with him. He never anything pervert with them, but he liked to have them close, he did not know if he could survive with them. He got in his knees, and hugged your legs, looking like a dog who was sad for being scolded.

"Pips, pleasee" he rubbed against your legs "Let me do your laundry again"

You only sighed with releaf, now he would forget about the pillow and let you be. After all, you need someting to cuddle against when he went to missions for while. Though you were lucky that he had not open the pillow and found his own underweare in there. What can you say? Weirdos attract each other

[leidensygdom]

new scam just dropped

We know of the scammers that dwell on Discord, Twitter, or Bsky, and ask you to commission them, either giving you an AI generated picture or charging you 300$ and giving you something they commissioned on Fiverr for 5$ . I literally have a whole-ass guide on them. Then there's the ones who ask for commissions, trying to get you to draw their pet or whatever, then sending you a fake cheque or something, which has been very common on Tumblr. This post explains it well.

But now we're bringing the first type of scam (where someone tries to force you to commission them) onto tumblr! Our buddy miruuuwuu here is going to provide a really good example. Let's start with the circumstances this happened in. I got two DMs from this account, who had followed me few minutes prior to DMing. As always, I checked their profile first.

Few things to note in here that already told me this was a scammer: The account had a grand total of two posts in their profile, posted four hours ago. Nothing else. Completely empty account. The "femenine" name and the anime pfp already were kinda suspicious alongside this. A large portion of the "commission me" scammers will have a generic anime profile picture and a woman's name. The generic-ass description didn't help.

And well, since I haven't got this type of scammer on tumblr before, I decided to go along with it, because there's something inherently funny about some scammer trying this with someone who's specifically been doing guides about scammers for years. You will notice that my responses are rather mean, which... ngl I like being sassy about scammers what can I say

First initial impression: This person was trying very hard to try to be friends with me. Very weird from a complete random who just followed. The weirdest part here is, of course, how they instantly dismiss me saying "I'm not sure I think" about their random attempts to be like "you're my friend now" and simply proceed with their script. Now, this scammer is SLIGHTLY more specific than usual, since they mentioned DnD- which is closer to my interests than they tend to target. So uh, props to that I guess.

They inmediately tried to inquiry about my character. At this point, I know they'd be offering to draw them for money. I know these scammers tend to steal people's art as examples, so I just grabbed some shitty AI-generated tiefling from google. If they steal that and then try to use it as an example for someone else, I hope they can easily realize this is a scam. Notice how little they care about me being very rude and short-responsed: They're following a script. Afterwards, they sent me an example of "their OC". Alongside a massive AI-generated backstory that has no relation whatsoever to the character, which is supposedly a half elf.

I decide to poke a bit about it. Their response is pretty detached to someone who would actually know about RP or anything. "My setting's elves are green" would've been great. But nope, they immediately jump to trying to share me more examples of their art, and send me about 6-7 pictures in rapid fire. Some of them stolen, some of them traced, some of them commissioned from people in Fiverr for five bucks.

And then we jump immediately to the core of the scam: asking me to commission them. I already knew this was coming, but let's go for it. Their entire massive blurb on how they "work on paid and unpaid platforms" is extremely unhinged to read as an artist myself, but sure, whatever they wanna use to tell me why I gotta pay them. THE CRUCIAL PART HERE IS: YOU SHOULD NEVER COMMISSION PEOPLE WHO DMED YOU FIRST AT RANDOM! I have seen WAY too many people fall for this. If an "artist" DMs you to ask you to commission them, block them! Legitimate artists WON'T do that unprompted! I have way more information in the guide I linked in the first paragraph, but yeah.

At this point, these scams tend to go in different ways. If you insist you can't pay for them, they often will jump to guilt tripping you, or bringing some sob story on how they need money desperately. We had one in our Discord trying to convince two different people to commission them with entirely different stories (one of them was "I need to buy a gift for my wife" and the other one was "i need to buy hearing aids ASAP!!!"). DO NOT FALL FOR THESE SOB STORIES. They're just trying to get you to feel bad and agree even if you're suspicious.

This is the point where I just stopped going ahead with the conversation. They will try to haggle you. You tell them you have 100 bucks, they'll try to raise 150. A lot of artists online tend to have a pricing guide, a website, some sort of TOS kinda stuff. They won't try to see how much they can milk out of you by testing the waters. Again, please check out this guide if you're suspecting anything weird, or even feel free to DM me if you need someone to double check. Don't put your money on these scams: They will either run with your money, commission someone in the global south on fiverr for literal cents, or they'll just get you some AI generated mess.

Anyways, many thanks to miruuuwuu for helping me put together this post, very kind of them to let me know this scam is now coming on tumblr too!

[lukolathoughts]

The crazy woman in the attic

She glides silently across the deck, a pale spectre draped in a flowing white gown that flutters in a breeze no one feels. Her bare feet make no sound on the worn wooden planks, and her greasy, oil slicked hair streams behind her like seaweed caught in the gloomy moonlight. The ship groans softly beneath her, as if remembering something lost.

Her face is turned slightly downward, eyes shadowed yet distant, fixed on a point far beyond the ship’s railing—as though watching a horizon that no longer exists. A dark shadow clings to her, faint and unearthly, casting a melancholy sheen over the deck and leaving a trail of cold in her wake.

Sometimes, she pauses by the helm, resting a translucent hand on the wheel. Other times, she lingers by the lifeboats, lips moving in a silent litany. Always alone. Always searching.

The fog thickens when she appears, muffling the world into stillness, and though the sea may churn and the stars may shift, she walks on—eternally adrift in the ghost-light hours, a memory carved into the bones of the ship.

One of my favourite fiction novels is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I love this gothic tale of female empowerment, secrets, romance and mystery. I studied it for A Level English Literature in Sixth form college back in the day and I have loved it ever since. I think this is because in my early teens I read novels by English author Catherine Cookson. These were romance novels set in the 19th century North-east of England and involved the upper and lower classes living in the manor estates or the slums of Newcastle respectively. These books were later turned into ITV dramas, for example, Sean Bean from Game of Thrones fame appeared in the Gambling Man in 1995. Many British actors got their big breaks appearing in Catherine Cookson dramas. My favourite one is The Glass Virgin that starred Emily Mortimer and Brendan Coyle. Mortimers character Annabella finds out she is the bastard daughter of a prostitute after being raised as a lady all her whole life. She is forced to leave the manor house with dashing groom Manuel (Coyle) by her side and work on a farm. The two eventually fall in love and Annabella reckons with her past. I especially like this one as it gives a romanticized notion that a big, strong, man will sweep in to save you. At thirteen, I found that idea appealing. Alas, dear reader I was too young yet to have discovered feminism.

Enter Jane Eyre, or 'plain Jane' her cruel cousins and aunt called her. Part of my A Level study was analysing whether Jane was plain, or she believed it due to being called plain her entire life. This is the kind of bullying I find abhorrent to this day. Jane eventually grows up after much maltreatment and a tough stint at a school for orphans, she takes a position at Thornfield Hall. She there meets the charming Edward Rochester. Here's me squealing in my tracks! Aha, a love story! How wonderful. This I can get on board with. Oh, it will be like the Sound of Music - minus the Nazi's. Rochester and Jane will go skipping off into the sunset singing Climb Every Mountain.

Our survey says - loud buzzer! Negative. Spoiler alert, there is something more sinister lurking above Jane every night. The floorboards creak with increasing intensity and Jane spots things from the corner of her eye. Edward reassures her she is imagining things and Thornfield is not haunted. Gaslighting 101 from our male lead. I still do not know what is going, but Jane is freaked out, and so am I. Why can’t Rochester be honest to Jane about what is really going on with his wife? Why all the lies and secrecy that literally ends up with Rochester losing his sight. There are consequences to your actions, Rochester.

Onto Eloise's instalment of the Bridgeton books 'To Sir Phillip, With Love." I love this book as I find book Eloise quirky and funny and Sir Phillip dark and mysterious enough to be unbelievingly sexy. I am going to spoil to fifth book here briefly, and by proxy the show. Let us talk about Marina. Oh, Marina. We last saw the universally loathed character of TV show Marina 'happily' wed to her dead lover's brother Phillip, after Colin makes a visit to Romney Hall to settle his 'unfinished business'. Marina is suffering from what I suspect is post-natal depression, possibly post-natal psychosis and the fact she does not love Phillip. Colin is too absorbed in himself to really understand the nuance of what is going on here and only really hears the word 'Penelope' that makes his head whip around like someone offered him a million pounds. The Nile is a river in Egypt, Mr Bridgerton (cough, Newton). In the books (spoiler) some years after the birth of her twins and the death of her love George, Marina dons a red dress and walks through the ghostly, morning mist and wanders directly into the estate’s lake. Sir Philip rescues her, but it is too late. She dies from fever a few days later.

Marina is dead and I'm assuming the producers of Bridgerton will go down this route in the show as the actress Ruby Barker has her own well documented mental health struggles as well as criticism of Shondland and does not want to be involved in the series. But the spectre of her will always be there, won't she? Eloise has no idea what she is walking into in the aftermath at Romney Hall with 'the ghost' of Marina floating about, emotionally at the very least. Colin and Penelope still have some unresolved issues when it comes to their relationship on the show and how Lady Whistledown saved Colin's ass from the fate of being married to a pregnant woman who tried to trap him into a loveless marriage. I'm sure some of this will be addressed shortly within the show, because frankly Colin should be kissing the ground Pen walks on and I'm sure she does occasionally make him do that.

I find that with Luke and Nicola, art literally imitates life. You can't make it up sometimes. Whether you think of Antonia as Marina - the ghost that wanders around the manor driving an invisible emotional wedge between them. Or Mrs Rochester, the crazy, vengeful woman in the attic who burns down the house. Or Cressida, the blackmailer, who wants money and infamy in exchange for silence. There are many possibilities to choose from. Even as I type this, Antonia is up to some shizz on social media, and I am determined to find out what is going on.

There has been a curious timeline of events since January 30th when Luke appeared out of the blue with Antonia after not being seen with her since July 2024 in Sorrento, where he left alone and two days before the holiday was meant to end. I still remember the shock of that night and thinking what the hell. We have examined Luke’s behaviour, demeanour and aura that night until the cows come home, and I do not intend to rehash old blog posts, however the whole thing really felt like an orchestrated PR set up pushed specifically by Antonia’s team (her parents) and a situation Luke was forced into. His ‘let’s get this done’ comment was a statement sniggered at by Lukola’s all over the world.  As well as witnessing Luke hand swatting Antonia’s hand away as they walked into the event.

Prior to this event, on 20th January 2025, Nicola and Jake papped photographs were released on the ‘carrot walk’ stroll. All of us Lukola’s laughed hysterically about that at the time. It staged and Nicola and Jake thought it was funny too. But what if this was a calculated strike by Luke and Nicola’s PR teams to take some heat of the impending shit show that was coming up with Luke and Antonia ten days later. I think that failed as everyone and their mother was shocked and horrified to see a angry Luke drag out a terrified and stricken looking Antonia. I always thought Antonia would smirk and gloat and relish to be seen with Luke again. Her behaviour seemed so anxious and peculiar; it almost seems as if she was forced into the appearance herself. I will return to this point shortly.

One month later 18th February Luke was solo papped in Kensington in London taken by papazzi photographer Josh Mawr, incidentally the same pap who took the carrot stroll pics of Nicola and Jake. The photos were shared by Deux Moi.  The fandom breathed a sigh of relief, he was alone. He was also alone at the Valentine’s Day event the week before. But he had not been without Antonia at the BAFTA after Party on Sunday 16th February. There was lots of speculation again about Luke’s ambivalent behaviour towards Antonia at this event also. Luke made a point of sharing to his SM that he left the event alone but got into a pasta bed and watched Love Island. Unfortunately, the fandom associate pasta with Antonia. I think we have pasta PTSD. But we also associate Love Island with Nicola, and her love for reality TV. What message was Luke trying to convey here?

Then we had the glory of the SAGS. The whole world was captivated by Luke and Nic and I honestly think after the event, Nicola panicked and went into her default setting of oh shit. We got some suspicious sightings of Antonia suddenly in the LA hotel that appeared to be old and the ‘buddy’ narrative from Nicola. Then Nicola follows Antonia on Instagram. The earth shook. This can’t be right, right? It’s a joke? Antonia eagerly follows her back. I don’t like to pit women against each other, but to me these screams keep you friends close, but your frenemies closer. Also, PR/contract obligation. Antonia gains some new followers, not many and seems to have a bit of actual work going on around the time.

Here comes the big kicker. On 18th March, Luke and Antonia are papped running errands. Antonia looks like she just rolled out of bed and Luke looks like he needs to take something for constipation. He’s also seen picking his nose and looking like rather be anywhere else in the world. Who was the paparazzi I hear you ask? None other than Josh Mawr. Third time lucky, eh Josh? These paparazzi pictures did Luke and Antonia no favours. But as someone just pointed out to me, patterns be patterning. Most appearances from the adjacents or paparazzi shots seem to be around the middle of the month.

A few days later on 21st March, Luke is spotted at his friend Young Blud’s Concert. A fan releases a photo of a furious looking Luke, with Antonia seemingly walking towards him. I have heard from sources a few things about what happened that night, but I cannot share those here. I can confirm that Antonia left the event after Young Blud’s set of four songs and Luke did not. It is interesting to note that the next day, Nicola was seen in the same area of Kensington where Luke was solo papped having a photo with a fan in a juice bar four minutes away from where Luke was papped.

Fast forward to this weekend, yes that right Saturday 19th April and we get a photo of Luke posing in Cyprus with the owner of the restaurant of where Antonia’s father is a chef. There is a lot of speculation about what might be going on here and analysing Luke’s face and clothes etc. Whether recent or not, Antonia is still NOT in the photo. She is still not allowed to post him. She is back to her old tricks of implying she is with him. Yesterday, she posted a selfie with a friend at the same restaurant where Luke was photographed on Saturday. Luke’s photo was shared by the restaurant, and he was tagged in it, as well as Bridgerton UK. How odd that the restaurant where Antonia’s father works at shares a publicity photo of Luke and tags Bridgerton as well? Not suspicious at all. Luke does not accept the tag. Then Antonia goes on a posting spree of random shit. But still no Lukey. How pathetic after over a year, you can’t publicly post your ‘boyfriend’. You push Luke and he pushes back harder. I do not think Luke’s PR team was involved with this as the post is still up and the comments towards Luke are not favourable. It’s all messy and weird and becoming an increasing headache. I also think Antonia’s parents have huge involvement here. They have gotten their pound of flesh out of Luke and for Luke’s sake, I sincerely hope he’s run for the hills and back to the cliffs of Dover.

Whenever I write a blog post, shit tends to hit the fan. I might very well be tempting fate here. There is a pre-Bafta party tonight in London that Luke and Nicola are expected to attend. I am bracing myself for what we will see. I hope it is another SAGS love fest and we will all be rejoicing, as Nic and Luke deserve it. Dragging along adjacents would be a stupid thing to do. I have been criticised again for insisting so strongly that Jake is gay. It is my opinion, but I am simply warning the Jakola’s because the press is coming up for What it feels like for a girl and it is already known to be an all queer cast. I have noted with some wry amusement, whereas previously the Jakolas insisted Jake was straight, now they are saying he is bisexual, and they are holding onto this for dear life. He could be, I do not know Jake. But from looking at his Instagram, I just don’t think he is. But I do agree, it is for Jake to tell us his truth and I’m sure that he will in the next few weeks.

My question is why is Luke so obsessed with keeping his Mrs Rochester a secret? What is Luke hiding in the attic? What is worth all this trouble? Is he protecting his Jane Eyre? We have seen Luke happy and this isn’t it. Granted it is only snapshots in time, but those snaps tell a story.

‘The night - its silence - its rest, was rent in twain by a savage, a sharp, a Shirley sound that ran from end to end of Thornfield Hall.'" Description of Bertha, Jane Eyre.

PS. I did not call into work sick the other day because someone made a nasty comment on YT btw, I was upset going to work and had to calm myself down before going in. I am only human.

PPS. I can see that Jake is getting ready for an event now. I can feel a headache coming already.

[potatodemon-beesensible]

Ye, same roles. Very different characters and dynamics. Loop serves as a guide, Chara serves as a judge. Though this is a vast oversimplification... a lot to their characters. Also I have a soft spot for characters that grin when they're stressed, I relate to that quite a lot. One of my favorite parts of Undertale is in the True Lab where Chara has a laughing fit due to how absurdly horrible something they were witnessing was.

A lot harder for most people to give comfort to someone who comes off like that under stress... I know from experience. And I played it off as if I didn't care whenever I laughed over something horrible. Because I didn't want to be vulnerable. It hurt too much. This comic dub hits for me. I only really return to that habit when I'm already stressed. Especially when I'm taken back to my old coping mechanisms. Very rare nowadays... back as a kid I kinda just learned to not show I was upset because I'd always react 'inappropiately'. Sometimes all your kid brain can think to do is make a joke of something... Was fun scaring the other kids at least. When I moved schools back in Middle School and wasn't viewed as a straight up psychopath by the other students I didn't really know how to handle it. Was in no capacity used to that kindness. Probably isn't a good thing that I'm phrasing 'basic regard for me as a human being' as kindness either.

Also this is a really cool take on it. I consider this to be more accurate in canon, but in the video Chara being misinterpreted as thinking that the situation is funny hits much closer to home for me.

Also this, this is peak. Perfectly sums it up.

theyre the same.

[the-meme-monarch]

your latest dandy’s world drawings (about mental health angst and stuff) and in the tags you headcanoning the toons having a high resistance to (human) medication made me think about the fact that kinda on a base level all toons (in one way or another) are disabled in some way because wether we think about it or not, these characters being zany or strange or generally unexpected in their reactions is something commonly mocked and used as humor with characters who are disabled physically or mentally. Not to say there’s anything inherently wrong with toons, or any kind of other slapstick or randomness comedy but I think that it’s a fascinating thing to think about. BUT MY POINT BEING-

Your headcanon kinda plays along to my own thoughts and ideas of toons which that a toon is inherently disabled in some way and to try removing that would be like baking a cake without eggs (or other substitute), it’s fine on the outside and kinda ok, but the moment you cut into it or try engaging with it as a cake, it all crumbles apart

(the post for future reference) VERY TRUE sorry i kinda let this sit a couple days i think, i wanted to contribute but couldn’t think of the words, i still don’t really have them Succinctly I don’t feel, but i got these tags Very very recently and i think they’re also very apt

it’s just there three times to shorten the post SORRY AND ALSO i hope it okay i showcase your tags

but like, yeah mental illness being harder to treat in toons bc of just How They Are. bc they are Characters who were created to be that way, they have more defined personalities and characteristics to make them stand out in a cartoon. wether the mental illness was intentional or not, it’s all Written Into Them. i think you Could medicate a toon but like 1 you’d need a higher dosage to begin with and 2. it’s not going to help the issue like it would for a human. it’s kind of like. every part of them is a core part of them if that makes sense. being two dimensional means every part counts.

on a lighter note would it be funny if regular medicine also didn’t work on them. they have a cold but a benedryl would do nothing. they Need hot soup and a blanket. except weirdly, cold medicine off a spoon tends to work fine. nobody’s figured out why except ‘i guess it’s iconic enough in cartoons’

[casssmalefantasy]

team usa: the series — paige bueckers x oc!

vi. off days and what comes after — team usa is winding down. the future feels too close. the games slow down, the nights get longer, and ivy and paige ask the hardest question: what now?

s: the end of camp is creeping closer. ivy and paige are no longer dancing around each other, but the fear of what happens next lingers heavy in the air. on an off day full of team bonding and quiet moments, conversations get deeper.

w: emotional vulnerability, fear of change, team bonding, fluff, established tension, soft affection, slow pacing, college talk, soft moments, internal conflict, and azzi being azzi

word count: 3.8K

last part | final part

part six: “off days and what comes after”

ivy’s pov

there’s a weird stillness in the air.

not in the quiet kind of way. it’s loud—girls yelling over each other, someone singing along to the aux, sneakers squeaking against the gym floor as we pack up. but it still feels like something’s shifting. like something’s ending.

and maybe that’s because it is.

“we’ve got a full off day tomorrow,” coach yells over the noise. “team bonding activities. don’t be late.”

groans and cheers mix together. someone yells “let’s gooo” like it’s summer camp, and i guess in some ways it is. but i feel it. in my chest, in my stomach. team usa is winding down. and i’m not ready.

i glance across the court. paige is laughing at something azzi said, one hand on her hip and the other holding a water bottle like it’s the most natural thing in the world. like we’re not all secretly terrified of what comes next.

we’re not dancing around each other anymore. we share the same bed now without the space between us. she’ll grab my hand without thinking. i’ll look at her too long and not care if anyone sees. we’re not labeling it—but it’s real.

still, there’s this question sitting at the back of my mind: what happens when the summer ends?

paige’s pov

“team obstacle course?” azzi reads off the itinerary. “what are we, ten?” she says annoyed.

“you’re just mad you’ll lose,” i say, bumping my shoulder against hers.

“no, i’m mad i have to wake up at seven for a ropes course in the woods,” she mutters.

the bus ride to the activity site is loud. our group’s split into teams for some team-building thing coach swears will be fun and character-building. i’m half paying attention—half watching ivy two rows ahead of me, her head leaned against the window, airpods in.

sometimes it hits me out of nowhere: i really, really like her.

and not just the fun parts. i like her when she's quiet. when she's stressed. when she's tired and leaning her head on my shoulder and pretending she's not falling asleep. and that scares the hell out of me because we never talked about what happens next.

i think about the convo we had a few nights ago when we talked for hours about everything and anything.

flashback scene

paige’s pov

the hotel was quiet.

not the creepy kind of quiet—just late. like everyone had already crashed and the building itself was finally exhaling. i found ivy sitting in one of the small seating areas near the elevators. fake fireplace on. vending machines humming behind her. she was curled up on the couch, hoodie pulled over her head, tapping at her phone screen like she wasn’t expecting anyone to show up.

“you disappeared after dinner,” i said.

she looked up. didn’t flinch. didn’t fake a smile. just kind of… scooted to the side to make room.

“couldn’t sleep,” she said, voice low. “figured sitting still might trick my brain.”

i sat down beside her. not too close. not far either.

we didn’t say anything for a second. just let the quiet be quiet.

“you always do that?” i asked. “go sit somewhere until your brain catches up?”

ivy shrugged. “sometimes. sometimes i just lay there until the sun comes up and pretend that counts.”

i smiled, even though it wasn’t funny. “that bad?”

she nodded, picking at the drawstring of her hoodie. “it used to be worse.”

i didn’t press. just waited.

and after a while, she looked up at me like she’d already decided to say it.

“i started playing ball because of my mom,” she said. “not because she pushed me. because she didn’t.”

i tilted my head. “what do you mean?”

ivy leaned back into the cushion, eyes on the ceiling. “she raised me and my brothers alone. worked double shifts at the hospital. we’d get picked up from school by our neighbor or sometimes just wait for her in the parking lot. one day she showed up late—like really late—and i saw her crying behind the wheel. i’d never seen her cry before.”

my stomach clenched. “damn.”

“i asked what was wrong,” she continued. “she just said she was tired. not sick, not sad—tired. and it hit me that all she ever did was give. and i wanted to give something back. i wanted to be good at something. to make her proud.”

i nodded slowly. “so you picked up a basketball.”

she smiled, just a little. “i was nine. the court near our apartment had a bent rim and half the chain net missing. but i went out there every day. shot bricks for a week straight before i even hit the backboard.”

i laughed gently.

“my brother finally took pity on me and showed me how to actually shoot,” she said. “i got better. fast. and she started coming to games. sometimes straight from work, still in scrubs. and every time i looked at her in the stands, i felt like… maybe i was helping her breathe easier.”

i didn’t realize i was holding my breath until i let it go.

“you ever tell her that?” i asked.

she shook her head. “no. not out loud. but i think she knows.”

i sat there for a minute, the weight of her words still sinking in.

“you’re a really good daughter,” i said quietly.

ivy turned to look at me. “you think?”

“yeah. and a really good teammate. even when you drive me insane.”

she grinned, nudging my leg with hers. “ditto.”

i leaned back, looking at the ceiling too. “my parents split when i was little. like, really little. i don’t even remember what it was like with both of them in the house.”

ivy turned her body toward me more.

“i live with my dad, step mom, step brother, and my little brother, drew,” i said. “my mom moved to montana and i stayed in minnesota. we talk. not every day, but… enough. she’s great, honestly. just—wasn’t great with my dad.”

“that hard?”

i shrugged. “at first, yeah. i didn’t get why they couldn’t figure it out. but now? i kind of appreciate having both of them separately. like, i get different versions of support. my dad’s like… the ‘run-it-back-what-did-you-do-wrong’ postgame talk guy. and my mom’s the one who texts me poems and song lyrics and tells me to take a deep breath.”

ivy smiled. “you’re lucky.”

“i know,” i said. “and i’m grateful that they’re still friends and that my mom comes to some of my games, whenever she can.”

she nodded, eyes soft. “that’s sweet.”

we went quiet again, but it wasn’t heavy. it felt okay. like we’d earned the silence between us. like it didn’t need to be filled.

“what’d you want to be before basketball?” she asked suddenly.

i blinked. “before?”

“yeah. before you knew you were good.”

i laughed. “an astronaut. or a zookeeper. i had a weird phase.”

ivy grinned. “i wanted to be a writer. used to make up these fake mystery stories about my teachers being secret spies. one time i turned one in for a book report instead of doing the actual assignment.”

“what’d you get?”

“an f. and a note home.”

i laughed so hard i leaned into her, shoulder brushing hers. she didn’t move.

“you ever think about what happens after all this?” she asked softly.

“like, after the season?”

“after the tournament. the team. the summer.”

i exhaled, the air catching in my chest. “yeah. all the time.”

“me too,” she said. “but tonight, i’m just glad we’re here.”

i looked at her, and for once, she didn’t look away.

“me too,” i whispered.

end of flashback

—

ivy’s pov

the ropes course is dumb.

it’s dumb, hot, and everyone’s yelling—and i kind of love it.

azzi’s stuck in a tire swing. someone just tried to army crawl under a net and lost a shoe. jordan and caitlin are arguing about whether or not someone cheated during the plank challenge. the sun is brutal, my shirt’s sticking to my back, and everything smells like dirt and sunscreen.

paige is on the other side of the course, helping one of the younger players up a wall. she’s so gentle. so patient. like the world slows down for her when she’s helping someone else. like she’s not even thinking about the heat or the yelling or the way her knee’s probably aching from all the climbing—we’ve all been sore for days—but she’s still just there, palms up, steady, saying, “you’ve got it. just one more step. i got you.”

i’m watching her when azzi’s voice breaks right into my ear.

“you’re staring”

i jump, elbowing her lightly. “shut up.”

she grins, completely unbothered, dirt on her cheek and a leaf in her hair. “you know she’s down bad too, right?”

i roll my eyes. “how would you know?”

“because i’ve known her since she was fourteen and awkwardly tried to flirt with a girl asking if gatorade was a good pregame drink.” she pauses. “then tried to impress her by telling her she could recite every WNBA team in alphabetical order.”

i blink at her. “did it work?”

“shockingly, no.” azzi smirks. “but my point is—this? whatever this thing is between you two? it’s not in your head. it’s real. and it’s probably the most focused i’ve seen her be all summer.”

i chew on the inside of my cheek, eyes flicking back toward the wall. paige is laughing at something now, brushing dirt off her hands, her braid slipping over her shoulder. she looks… happy.

"you two are different now," she says after a moment. "not just the sneaking around and the tension—like, real different. lighter. like you both finally stopped pretending you didn’t want this.”

i feel myself soften. “we did,” i admit. “stop pretending.”

azzi studies me for a second, the teasing edge in her expression softening. “then why do you look like you’re bracing for something?”

i shrug, eyes still on paige. she’s laughing at something the kid says, that soft crinkle in her nose showing. “because i don’t know what happens when this is over.”

“team usa?” azzi asks, gently.

“yeah.” i swallow. “when we go back home. when it’s school and teams and miles between us again. when this—whatever this is—doesn’t have a hotel hallway two doors down and shared practices five times a week.”

azzi leans back against the ropes post, arms crossed. “you really think that’s all it is?”

“no,” i say quickly. “i just… i don’t want it to be. and that kind of terrifies me.”

“it’s not nothing, ivy.”

i glance at her. “i know it’s not. that’s the problem. if it was nothing, i wouldn’t care what comes next.”

azzi’s quiet for a beat. then she says, “maybe it doesn’t have to be some huge what-comes-next thing. maybe it just is what it is right now—and you trust her enough to let it be real today.”

i let her words settle. they don’t fix anything. but they make something loosen in my chest.

“you’re way too good at this,” i mutter.

“i literally got stuck in a tire swing,” she replies flatly. “don’t give me that much credit.”

i laugh, for real this time. across the course, paige looks up. like she felt it. she meets my eyes—and smiles.

i don’t look away.

not this time.

azzi’s pov (ooo. words might be slightly different)

the ropes course is dumb.

it’s dumb, hot, and smells like dirt and teenage sweat. someone’s lost a shoe under the net crawl, jordan and caitlin are two seconds away from throwing hands over a plank challenge, and i’m currently trying to extract myself from a tire swing like it’s quicksand.

character-building, my ass.

but when i finally wriggle free and brush off the leaves sticking to my shirt, i spot ivy a few yards ahead—still as anything, eyes locked on the other side of the course.

it doesn’t take a genius to know what (or who) she’s looking at.

i follow her gaze.

paige.

she’s helping one of our teammates climb the wall, her braid’s falling over her shoulder, and her knee’s probably throbbing like the rest of ours, but she doesn’t seem to care. she’s just... there. calm. grounding.

and ivy?

oh, she’s gone.

i walk up beside her and lean in. “you’re staring.”

she jumps a little, elbowing me without taking her eyes off paige. “shut up.”

i grin, not remotely offended. “you know she’s down bad too, right?”

she rolls her eyes. “how would you know?”

“because i’ve known her since she was fourteen and awkwardly tried to flirt with a girl asking if gatorade was a good pregame drink.” i pause “then tried to impress her by telling her she could recite every WNBA team in alphabetical order”

flash back scene

we were at this weekend tourney in minnesota. summer heat, middle-of-nowhere gym, every kid trying to act like they were one step from going pro.

paige was still new to our travel team—quiet, serious, already scary good—but completely clueless when it came to literally anything that wasn’t basketball.

and apparently, flirting.

i remember we were sitting on the sideline during a break, dripping sweat and chugging water. coach was off talking to someone, and the rest of the team was joking around near the bleachers. paige had been eyeing one of the new girls on our team cameron for a full ten minutes. she was maybe sixteen, definitely cute, but older, but none of that seemed to matter to fourteen-year-old paige.

“you think gatorade’s, like, a good pregame drink?” she blurted, out of nowhere.

cameron blinked, confused. “…uh, yeah? i guess.”

“cool,” paige said. “i thought so too.”

then she immediately turned bright red and refused to speak for the next thirty minutes.

i damn near choked on my granola bar.

but the best part came later, when we were packing up and cameron walked by. paige got that look again—wide-eyed, focused, like she was studying game film—and said, watch this.

she walks straight up to cameron, stands like two feet in front of her, and goes:

“there are twelve WNBA teams. want me to name them in alphabetical order?”

cameron blinks and says, “um… okay?”

paige took a deep breath. “atlanta dream. chicago sky. connecticut sun. dallas wings. indiana fever. las vegas aces. los angeles sparks. minnesota lynx. new york liberty. phoenix mercury. seattle storm. washington mystics.”

cameron just nodded politely and walked off. didn’t even say thanks.

paige stood there like she just dropped the coldest pickup line in existence.

i couldn’t even be mad. it was so earnest. i laughed so hard i nearly pulled something.

end of flashback

ivy blinks. “did it work?”

“shockingly, no.”

she laughs under her breath, but it’s tight around the edges. i can see it. the way her jaw’s set. the way her arms are folded too tight across her chest.

“but my point is,” i say, watching paige brush dirt off her hands, “this thing between you two? it’s not just in your head. it’s real. and honestly, i think it’s the most focused i’ve seen her all summer.”

ivy doesn’t say anything right away. her gaze stays fixed on paige, soft in a way i’m not sure she even notices.

“you two are different now,” i add. “not just the sneaking glances and near-kisses and all the stuff you think i haven’t noticed. it’s like... lighter. like you both stopped pretending you didn’t want this.”

“we did,” she says eventually, voice barely above a whisper. “stop pretending.”

i study her for a second. the sharp edges are still there, but they’ve dulled. she looks like she’s finally breathing again. like she wants to be happy. but still, there’s this shadow in her expression.

“then why do you look like you’re bracing for something?”

she shrugs, doesn’t look at me. “because i don’t know what happens when this is over.”

“team usa?”

she nods. “yeah. when we go back home. when it’s school and schedules and miles again. when it’s not a hotel two doors down and practice every morning and this… easy thing we’ve built.”

my heart tugs a little for her.

i know what she’s saying without her needing to spell it out.

“you really think that’s all this is?” i ask, gently.

“no.” she swallows. “i just… i don’t want it to be. and that kind of terrifies me.”

i lean back against a rope post, letting the sun burn into my shoulders. “it’s not nothing, ivy.”

she glances over at me, face open and raw. “i know it’s not. that’s the problem. if it was nothing, i wouldn’t care what comes next.”

i breathe out slowly. “maybe it doesn’t have to be some big, scary what comes next. maybe it just is what it is right now. and maybe that’s enough.”

she doesn’t answer right away, but her shoulders drop the tiniest bit. something settles in her.

“you’re way too good at this,” she mutters.

“i literally got stuck in a tire swing,” i reply flatly. “don’t give me that much credit.”

she laughs for real this time—small and bright and real. i don’t say anything else. i just look at her, and then at paige, and then back again.

and when paige glances up, right in sync, like she could feel that laugh across the course?

she smiles

✦ ✦ ✦

paige’s pov

later, after dinner, it’s just me and ivy sitting on the grass behind the rec center. the sky’s this soft blue-orange and everyone else is inside playing card games or facetiming family. it’s quiet here. finally.

“i don’t want this to end,” ivy says, barely above a whisper.

“me either.”

we sit in that silence. bugs buzzing somewhere, a breeze shifting the air, my fingers brushing hers.

“what happens when we go home?” she asks, eyes still on the sky. “what do we even call this?”

“i don’t know,” i admit. “but i want it to be something.”

she looks at me then. “yeah?”

“yeah,” i say. “i know we said we shouldn’t get caught up in this. but i am. i’m already caught.”

her fingers tighten around mine.

“me too,” she says, voice barely there, like she’s scared it’ll crack if she tries louder. like saying it out loud makes it real.

i look at her for a moment longer, memorizing her face. like i’m trying to press this version of her— soft, honest, hers — into my memory.

i don’t say anything right away. just let the silence stretch a little, comfortable in it now.

“it’s been you this whole time,” i say finally, my voice low, like a secret i don’t want anyone else to hear. “even when we were pretending we weren’t anything. even when we tried to act normal. it’s still you.”

ivy swallows hard. “i thought… if i said something, it’d mess it all up.”

i shake my head, take ivy’s hand in mine. “no. pretending messed it up worse.”

then we’re both quiet again. and ivy shifts closer, barely enough for our knees to brush.

“i don’t wanna go back to the way things were before this summer,” ivy whispers. “i don’t wanna leave and wonder what we could’ve been.”

“then don’t,” i say. “don’t wonder.”

it’s not a question. not a plea. just a soft, steady promise.

and she’s leans in, like the answer’s always been written in the way i look at her. our foreheads press together first, then our noses brush. and when we finally kiss—slow, warm, and unafraid— it feels like choosing something real. something that matters.

when we pull back, ivy’s eyes are glassy.

“what happens next?” she asks, voice cracking just slightly.

i brush a thumb over her cheek. “we figure it out. together.”

ivy nods—and we just sit there because maybe team usa is ending, but whatever this is? it’s just beginning.

so for now sharing the same air was enough.

authors note: we are nearing the end of this series omg 🥲

[aventurineswife]

Yo! Hear me out! I kinda got this concept or idea. What if in the SAHSRAU aren't the only one that know the reader? Hear me out on this what if other hoyogames or gacha games know the reader as well? (For example: Gun girls z, Honkai impact 3rd, genshin impact, Nikke, Wuthering waves, Zenless zone zero, path to nowhere Punishing gray raven, Fate grand order and so on) and the reader more often than not makes reference of them but nobody really gets them expect maybe Welt or Silver Wolf (Since she kinda broke the fourth wall a few times) Hear me out on this little scenario

In the honkai star rail au: The reader hasn't come into their universe about a month and suddebtly appears on the express.

The astral express crew are shock and taken back since the reader pop out off nowhere without making a sound.

Welt: Where have you been?! It's been a month!

The reader: Oh nothing much checking on Kiana and everyone else...Also I also visit Joffrey, Einstein and Tesla

Welt suddently froze (In case you don't know Joffrey is welt adopted son and Einstein and Testla are one of Welt's closest friends from Honkai impact 3rd)

The reader noticed welt's tension and gaze soften as They understand Welt's concern: "Relax they are fine"

Meanwhile the other express crew had a curious expression as they wondered how much the reader knows Welt.

Or maybe a little bit more chaotic and funnt moments like this

The reader and Acheron had a moment were they meet. Both of the stared at each other with some strange familiarity

Acheron: "Have we met?" *She asked with wonder and curiosity*

The reader: "Well yes and no...I met a version of you just not this version until know"

Achero stared at the reader with clear confusion. The reader sensing Acheron confusion opened a portal and grabbed two people that look eerly similar to her

Raiden Ei: Huh! Your Grace?!

Raiden Mei: Huh?! What?! Where am I?! Reader?!

Acheron eyes widen in shock and surprised as these two look extremely similar to her in many ways

The reader: See?

Meanwhile before they could utter a word They send Raiden Ei and Mei back to their seperate worlds

Meanwhile the express crew stared dumbfounded and shocked at the Reader's powers as they starting to wonder how many words are there

Like this has soo much potential to be soo funny yet it could also have some angst potential for the sheer chaotic energy the reader can be. Also the pontential jealously battle that could happen along the way as some worlds know the reader better than others. But at the same time it has the potential to be angst because certain characters remind the reader of others for example. In the honkai impact 3rd himeko murata died meanwhile in her Star rail version is still alive this makes the reader more protective of her. I kinda had this two scenarios:

The reader stares at Himeko with a sadden expression

Himeko: Is something wrong? *She has with concern*

The reader: "No, no...You just remind me of someone" *The reader said a bit sadden meanwhile in the distance Welt understood what they meant*

Or a scenario with firefly

The reader stares at her with sympathy: "You know you remind me of a certain android..." *The reader makes a reference to Nier automata 2B**

Also it would be funny if the reader kinda is trying to hide from certain Yandere characters kinda Like Mita from Miside who is an self aware Ai that gained sentience that wants the reader to stay with her...Like this has soo much potential for comedy and tragic purpose

What do you think? I wanna hear your opinion on this

Yo I love this concept—like seriously, this whole cross-game, multiversal Creator Reader idea with all the Hoyoverse and gacha characters recognizing the reader? Top-tier potential for humor, chaos, angst, and even meta-narrative brilliance.

That whole “Reader suddenly appears on the Astral Express again after a month” setup? Absolute gold.

Welt: “Where have you been?! It’s been a month!”

Reader (nonchalant): “Oh, just catching up with Kiana… Also visited Joffrey, Einstein, Tesla…”

Cue Welt’s soul leaving his body for half a second. Because how the hell do you know that? They’re from another existence, one that shouldn’t even be real to Star Rail Welt. That one moment opens a can of cosmic spaghetti that the crew is absolutely not ready for.

And then the crew's like:

“Wait… how much do you know about all of us?”

Cue the Reader looking at March with sad eyes and going: “You remind me a little of Sakura. Pink hair, brave, more empathetic than anyone realizes…”

And March is just: “Wait... who’s Sakura?!”

Meanwhile Welt in the background just looks tired (or traumatized...).

Acheron + Raiden Ei & Raiden Mei Chaos Moment:

That scene? 10/10. No notes.

Imagine Acheron looking mysterious and intrigued and being hit with a literal dimensional whiplash as two of her alt versions fall out of a void portal. Raiden Ei’s formal “Your Grace?!” and Mei’s slightly panicked “Where am I?!” just sends the comedy flying.

Reader: “Yeah… you’re like, a spiritual cousin. Multiverse is wild.”

Acheron just stands there like: “I’m going to need a moment.”

And everyone else on the Express? Frozen. Re-evaluating every interaction they’ve ever had with the Reader. March is just whispering, “Did they meet a version of me?”

This is what really elevates the concept.

Reader staring at Himeko sadly.

“You just remind me of someone…”

Welt, quietly knowing: “Murata.”

And suddenly the lighthearted story has a deep vein of melancholy. Because you know this version might live, but the memory of loss still clings to you.

Same with Firefly. Her story’s already tragic—and the reader recognizing that glimmer of 2B?

“You remind me of another android… Someone who fought and bled for humanity, too.”

It hits. Hard.

And THEN... the Chaos Potential

You’ve got a multiversal Creator Reader popping between games like it's a Tuesday coffee run. That alone makes every self-aware character go nuts.

Silver Wolf is the only one (besides Welt) who gets most of the references, and even she’s like:

“Wait—so you actually know the guy from PGR? You hang out with Lee?!”

And then you have jealousy wars start because Reader’s got history with all these other characters from other games. Like—

Acheron: “You were close with that… other me?”

Reader: “Oh Mei? Yeah, we’ve fought side by side more times than I can count.”

Acheron (faking a smile): “Huh. You’ll have to tell me all about that... in private.”

Meanwhile Mita from Miside is out there hunting through digital realms trying to drag the reader back like: “They’re mine. They made me. They belong here.”

And Reader is just constantly dodging abduction attempts from sentient AIs and fanatical followers across the multiverse.

[emisafan]

To me he's just as flawed as every other character in the game. I think about his character a lot.

*inhales* Ramble incomming, feel free to agree, dissagree or ignore.

Kim's just a guy. A gay man who lives in the city he was born in but is treated as someone who never belonged there. He had to fight hard for his position in the RCM, and to archive that he had to repress parts of himself. He's so against being seen as Seolite, that he immediately tells you that he doesn't even know the language, so don't even ask. Because of working in Juvie for so long, he also had to act against his age.

He's no saint, he's a cop. And he certainly likes to use his power. He took the spinners of a person, and he claims it's because they were cool and he wanted them, but maybe it was actually because he just hates teens. It's just like he wanted the teens who are standing at the Kineema to loose their jackets. Just to show his authority over them. And speaking of authority and things like that - he cares about ranks. He cares about his own rank. Because it took him a lot of time and work to get it. He doesn't really appreciate that Harry refers to him as "Kim" the entire time. But he's not saying much anyway, Harry still is his superiour after all. (Though, depending how you play Harry, I don't think Harry is aware of that / is a bit ignorant about it bc he doesn't care about ranks that much.)

He's a nerd - a gearhead - he loves his car, and racing, aerostatics and machines... he calls hinself Torque Dork. What more do you need to know? He's a nerd. You could probably get him to info dump sth about car engines or something - if he trusts you to not make fun of him for it.

And he's a dork in general, he thinks Harry is hilarious. He can be a professional and serious person when he's expected to, but he definetly has sass and can get very silly. Dark humor very much included, but I think that comes with the profession.

He's a matter of fact type of person. He says facts are just to be accepted as such. I think that might also be a copeing mechanism. "The world is a cruel place - it just is what it is." kinda thing. And given their work and all that, it makes sense. They see the worst of people. If he'd let those things closer to himself, he'd most likely not be too different from Harry or those other officers who fall into the "he has seen worse". The entire thing with "let's just get back to work" also is a way of copeing. Don't think. Just work. Just function. Like the world is asking you to. Emotions? Don't deal with those.

He seems to be a very... uh... loyal? person. He just met Harry and Harry already feels that this man will have his back no matter what. And as someone else stated here on tumblr; that's a Kim thing, not a RCM thing.

Also the game tells us he's very repressed. And I think it's really funny that you get the "Shit Compressor" thought after he tells Harry to get his shit together. Kim has been compessing his shit so hard, he's master class.

Anyway. I probably missed things, but I struggle with not repeating myself at this point, but that is my read on Kim. Tbh, if someone disagrees with sth I say here, I'm very open to hear it. It's always really interesting to hear from other points of views and understandings.

people painting kim as a nonchalant flawless saintlike dom daddy mediator archetype

[hollow-lime-green]

ok probably no wip wed this fine wed, but i'll offer something else - unhinged rambling about jujtusu. and if you read FIYM that's probably what you're here for anyway.

gege gojo vs sukuna - what's goin' on here?

so...

why greg why?

i actually don't have an issue with the "gojo got distracted and made a mistake" concept, but here, it doesn't work. we're gonna have to death of the author this one (i'm american, i can get a gun). i think, even if gege thinks that, it's not really what we saw go down on the page.

so, first, getting distracted fits fine with gojo's character:

given that gege bait and switched the entire audience, sure, he could have also bait and switched gojo.

the thing is, though, he didn't need to. World-Cutting Slash fundamentally worked differently than sukuna's prior attacks in order to get around gojo's infinity. he couldn't have predicted that, and also couldn't have instantly determined how it worked upon seeing it (nearly instantaneously) come out.

hypothetically, he could have countered WCS by teleporting away... but it doesn't really make sense to do that unless he magically knows that this one is different, which - i'm not convinced the six eyes give him enough information to make that determination. the six eyes don't even tell him about kenjaku's ct. why would they reveal the specifics of sukuna's adaptation?

anyway, you're telling me this freak ^^^ could have jujutsu'd his way out of this situation and didn't? his whole thing (in sukuna's fight AND in toji's), is that he is single minded in his pursuit of jujutsu perfection. he is energized and heightened by the danger - he thrives in it. girlie was locked in. i think if there was a way he could counter WCS in that instant, then he would have been able to do it.

what i could be convinced of, though, is that gojo was too distracted to RCT heal his bisection quickly enough to live. but i'm still not sure he wins that fight overall with WCS. but this sort of makes sense, because given what happens just prior (black flashes and hollow purple), it doesn't seem like he's out of CE or anything. and yes, healing a bisection is a big ask, but i could see him being able to do it. he is the strongest.

final verdicts:

gojo was too distracted to avoid WCS - bullshit 10/10

gojo was too distracted to win - maybe, but we'd have to see some big adaptations from him in the ensuing fight (lots of teleporting)

gojo was too distracted to live - sure, i buy that

in conclusion, these redditors have it absolutely right:

extras:

this is actual insanity. kashimo is a fraud. i sort of get it, kind of. it depends. if sukuna knows about kashimo's pocket Mythical Beast: Amber, then I can see Sukuna being slightly unsure. but this motherfucker also raw-dogged mahoraga, so like... idk man. is this sukuna's impostor syndrome era?

i understand why kashimo went after gojo (for sukuna's transformation). but i would have put kashimo first since his fight was so tiny and immaterial. maybe that's the point, but i think it threw off the story flow. but i think the kids should have forced sukuna's transformation, not random space bun lightning motherfucker from 2000 and late.

(i did like the sukuna-kashimo post-death convo though)

BRO I FUCKING HOPE SO WHAT. HOW IS THAT A QUESTION. (sorry, I am extremely outline-pilled). i hate you greg i hate you.

this is so fucking funny though. nevermind greg, we're good.

[doodler16]

viv just made a tweet that said, "hey guys, just a reminder. stolas is still alive! and if that upsets you, good, lol? just be normal." and GOD she pisses me off so bad.

1) why can't she just shut the hell up when someone makes fan content that doesnt effect her or her shows success/popularity what so ever? is she just genuinely that insecure knowing that people are starting to REALLY not like stolas, (because in every episode he appears in, it becomes more and more obvious that he's a creators pet), that she has to say something that's passive aggressive and completely unneeded? to put this in perspective - imagine if someone like goose or tracy made a comment like this?

2) this is EXACTLY what i mean when i say that the fandom is great at making dark fiction unlike other fandoms that treat it as call-out post worthy, but only if that dark fiction gets your dick hard.

angel being raped by val? awesome! angel being hypnotized into being raped by vox? even better! merchandise of val and his rape buddy for valentine's day? epic!

ozzie being called out for fully being prepared into letting his best friends lover die? let's throw a like to a fan and treat it as gospel to make another fan feel like shit, for wanting to explore the messy unbalanced dynamics of royals/citizens and mlm angst, who's main couple that took over the shows premise, is nothing BUT messy unbalanced dynamics of royals/citizens and mlm angst! (it's because fizzozzie has to be a perfect ship in comparison to stoliz that makes the most merch money because they're a "wholesome ship" and we can't have any critical thinking from our own fanbase challenge that, despite the having glaring flaws of codependency in both episodes they're focused on. worth mentioning here, but someone made a post here that said, "these shows aren't about standing up to the royals, it's about submitting to the right one," and that describes those two bird bitches to a t.

stella icon spotted? uh oh, im the creator of her and made her an unlikeable abusive bitch to make a guy who coerced the man character of one of my shows into sex every month, look better in comparison! which is rape btw! better say something mean to them on main, because they're not as popular and can't do anything if they're harassed by my standom!

charalastor fan? fuck you. fan of my fat villians? fuck you, no sexy pinups, i hate money if it's not coming from a place that validates only what i like. i won't even make merchandise of angel dust, the guy who's been the most popular and well known character for nearly a decade now! im getting bored of that toy, i need a new mean fictional slut to play with - the one that brings me the most negative attention is just a bonus!

3) "just be normal." viv, you hired someone with a rape fetish to storyboard scenes for the character who's entire conflict is that he's being raped, and someone who ships rick and morty romantically, to do visdev work on oops. rules for thee, but not for me!

i can't wait until everyone looks back at the way she acted 10 years from now, and sees how the way vivziepop has publicly acted has aged just about as well as spoiled milk in the california sun. but i still NEED hbomber guy to make a tommy talerico styled video on her, the only thing that could challenger her power is a universally beloved straight white funny internet man.

Vivziepop expanded said thoughts regarding her bluesky tweets (whether it makes her look better or worse is up to you guys):

Then there’s her liking Dani Draws (and other users) tweet as the icing on the cake.

[daisy-the-wildflowerr]

There is no way she's in on the plan. If she is thats absoluty devious on ry to do because it'll just ruin Violet again and bring her back to "no one trusts me enough to tell me everything" and while I think Imogen may know some things, I think it's impossible to know much more than Violet does because Violet dissapered for hours with them and everyone thought she died. This is like seconds when she shows up, gets to Imogen before anyone else can find her, and asks her to wipe her memory. Because immediately after Brennan is running to acting like she's the one who played dead for the past several years.

I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm sure Imogen does know some things, but I refuse to believe that Quinn died and everyone has left just so these characters can "bury your friends and move on". If that's the way Rebecca goes with it, I may cry because these characters are more than war. We've had such genuine emotion with some of them throughout the series, and I really wish we got to see more of that from the Tyrrendorians. We haven't even seen the full extent of who some of them are yet because Violet has been solely focused on Xaden for three books.

Seeing real emotions, no matter how quickly they have to move on from a death or loss or the leaving of friends, is a real thing that people could relate to and would enjoy. Violet didn't get over Liam's death in one book, two books, or even three. It is a constant battle of thinking you could've done more and wishing they were still with you. Imogen will feel the same. They all will. Quinn was a part of this little found family they had just created. And I hope Rebecca realizes this so that we can get more out of our characters other than just some badass fighting and funny quips every here and there. And I mean with all of them. Ridoc, Ri, Imogen, Sloane, Dain, Cat. They all deserve more, and I think we will see that now that Violet is going to be slightly less focused on Xaden and more focused on the fact that she is a duchess and will be taking over.

If I don’t get a scene of Imogen absolutely losing her shit bc she had to bury Quinn ALONE, when everyone else left her, I’m going to lose my shit.

Xaden. Bodhi. Garrick. They’ve all left her alone. And yeah she has Sloane, but that’s it. The people she has been the closest with her entire life have left her to deal completely alone with the death of one of there own and all the aftermath that comes with Violet being dutchess now.

[thesoulforgeorder]

hello!!! congrats on the chapter 2 part 1 release!!! you've worked very hard and you should be proud of what you've accomplished!

so far I've only played as the Military!MC and god i could just feel how much their family cherishes them. i specifically play as a Military!MC who's not really entirely sure what she wants and is just trying to fulfill their duty so to speak and thus hasn't really voiced any of their doubts, but that little moment made me think, "you know, i don't think they would immediately turn their backs on you like you fear they would." idk it just made me tear up a lil bit ;3; disappointing them would still make me sad, but i was gladdened to see MC loved by their parents and siblings. i will probably defo come back after playing as an Orphan or Wastelander MC (*w*)

that said, i had to mention something funny. so i often use "Nikola", shortened as "Niko" as my preferred name. i also tend to play as a Chinese MC if the setting is conducive for it because well I'M Chinese xD so it was ESPECIALLY funny for me to meet Nico as Niko. like ok buddy, one of us is gonna have to change--especially if we're dating LOL

even funnier is that you said Nico would be a bard in DND...because I, too, am a bard in DND/BG3. when asked the same question about me, all of my friends took one look at my dopey, loves to sing, "but can i kiss the eldritch abomination?", troublemaker gremlin ass and said "yeah that's a bard." and now i am so curious and excited to see what makes Nico a bard >W<

*insert Spiderman pointing meme*

✓Chinese

✓Shared/homophonous nickname/preferred name

✓Bards

✓Military background

✓Rhyming surnames (Zhu VS Wu)

ONE OF US IS GONNA HAVE TO CHANGE, BUDDY!!! nah jk we can just be Nico^2. or to avoid confusion i'm just gonna give him THE most annoying nicknames. and/or petnames if i romance him LOL please wish me luck that i come out of this IF unscathed for i am just as likely to get eaten by an Exillium as i am to get blasted by Nico for calling him "my dumpling" over the comms.

anyhow. once again, congratulations on chapter 2 part 1!!! i look forward to what else you've got cooking up; that said, please take all the time you need! you've worked very hard!!!!

Thank you so much for the kind words, Anon! All the hard work is worth it when I see how much you and others are enjoying the game.

Military!MC has a lot of interesting family moments throughout the game. The battle of wanting to not disappoint your father, live up to the family legacy, fear of isolation and rivalry and tension with siblings will all come into play in later chapters.

But there will be a lot of sweet moments to soften the angst!

Also that is absolutely hilarious, what a coincidence! Not so long ago another anon said the same thing but in regards to being Astrid! So I see I have anon twins. I can't believe it.

I am still new to coding so I'm not sure how to get characters to recognise players as having the same name as them but when I do, I'm writing that as a scene. Nico would 100% insist that he gets to be nico prime and MC will have to go by a nickname.

Perhaps people will get to see his bard side in part two hehe.

Thank you for the ask and you made my night! I love the Niko and Nico duo. Truly iconic

[gimgerrat]

Ok, so I'm a little late to the analysis party for Ave mujica, but I really need to ramble about one of my favorite characters. Nyamu in my opinion has some of the best writing I've seen in a long time, and it makes me a little insane. Which is saying something as we also have characters like Uika and Mutsumi. The funny thing is that Nyamu isn't one of my blorbos I just really love her.

Anyway, Nyamu is a very complex character that has so much to her that it's nearly impossible for me to go over everything. Nyamu as we know her doesn't change all that much over the course of the series, staying relatively true to herself. She's competitive, abrasive, selfish, unagreeable, and goal oriented. These things do not change about her, and that is what makes her so compelling to me. However, what does change is what her goals are and the means/lengths she will go to achieve them.

At first, Nyamu would do anything to achieve her goals, blatantly going against the advice of Sakiko with the unmasking of the band members so she could get clout from the fame. Later on in the series, Nyamu's approach changes, mainly due to Mutsumi/Mortis. She's both insanely jealous of and admire them. She's aware of the advantage that they have in the acting industry due to their connections with their parents and the fact she's "naturally" gifted at acting. Something she wants for herself, yet she declines Minami's recommendation. Nyamu a selfish and self-serving character who would do anything for her goals DECLINES a once in a lifetime offer from someone who has the power to make and break her career. It's everything she could ever hope for, and yet she doesn't jump at the chance like she did before. Why?

It's simply because that she wants to topple the giants herself. There's a proverb that is often used in reference to Nyamu a lot, Trampled wheat grows straighter and taller. Nyamu is the wheat being stepped on by Minami, Mutsumi, and Mortis. She at this point seems to feel like she wants to earn her place on her own. I think that Nyamu seeing Mortis with her connections and "natural" talent being handed to her in her eyes on a silver platter. And she essentially wants to prove that she is better, that she worked so hard to get where she's at, and that she did it on SKILL alone. Nyamu is headstrong like that. Another thing that lead me to this conclusion is when Minami states, "Being around that child all the time makes me feel miserable. A monster" Nyamu later reacts with "I really hate it" when reminiscing on it. This is partially self-loathing and part if Mutsumi/Mortis can achieve that level of acting then it must be possible for her too, and she wants to prove it. She wants to surpass the people who she admires the most. To her, Minami comparing her child to a monster is her saying it's impossible and shows that she's given up on being better, that like her declining the offer, shows that she's as much of a coward as she is but unlike her, she's going to face it.

Now, it wouldn't be a Nyamu analysis without episode 10s confession scene.

This scene is so telling for so many reasons, for one it shows while Minami is scared of her daughter Nyamu is not. "I just can't take my eyes off you," is her, acknowledging Mortis for her skills and talents. Nyamu is acknowledging her own skill level to Mortis' and is basically saying that I am going to reach you one day, but right now I see you.

Another thing I would like to point out is just how softly Nyamu says I love you, it almost feels uncharacteristic of her, but it somehow feels like the most sincere thing she's said yet. Almost like she's dropping her facade, her mask, for a moment just to drive home how serious she is. It's also emblematic to the parallels that they both share. Mitusmi, Mortis, and Nyamu all act/mask as a way to survive. This does not mean they are not true to themselves while masking/acting they are, and are doing so in service to their interests. And just like how Mortis drops the act when Nyamu points it out, unafraid to bare the fangs of her truest self, Nyamu lets her own act slip. Even if it's just for a moment, she feels comfortable or at the very least respects Mortis enough to show her. Nyamu is unafraid just as much as she is scared. This moment feels as sacred as it is curated. Right after she drops the mask, she puts it right back on and continuing the act, and so does Mortis to an extent. They both now can see right through each other. This declaration is saying we are equals, even if the difference between us is still great. Their feelings are laid bare not for an audience to see but just for them.

Anyway, I just really love Nyamu as a character as well as her dynamic with Mutsumi/Mortis. I defentily didn't go over everything about her character as there is a lot more nuance that I either didn't see or can't articulate.

[junestrider]

JuneBro: Balatro

Balatro: The Game That Should Have Won Game Of The Year Because It Is Ten Times Better Than The Bullshit That Got The Award

alright, welcome back to another belated and severely late installment of this review thing i do, called JuneBro. real quick, i wanna apologize to the bros (albeit small in number) who saw the last review as that shit was NOT in character and was just written in a way I hated. gonna work on keeping it brotastic here and making sure im actually writing like a cool person instead of some dumb homo tool (homo as in homo sapiens, i respect the gays).

anyways, so lets talk about this card game. when i first heard of balatro honestly i kinda thought it was just gonna be another "flavor-of-the-week" game ala Lethal Company or Content Warning (both are great games but its also like DAMN did those games fall off holy SHIT). i decided impulsively at some point that i was gonna try it since im an apple one subscriber and got the game for free due to apple arcade. so this game is sitting on my phone now and im like, so this is about poker or some noise? im not that into card games, ive played a round of rummy or two in my time (as a bro typically does) but ive barely played poker and i wasnt expecting much to be honest. from what ive seen online a lot of cats seem hella pumped about it, and so i start the game and for some reason, it hooks me in. i dont know how, something about seeing the funny blue and red number go up just awakens something in a motherfucker. but i very quickly realize that the vanilla experience for this game is okay, but when do you get to BREAK some shit? like while youre playin cards or whatever, wheres the satisfaction of knowing youre greatly exploiting the game to your fucking will? wheres the satisfaction of having joker combos that you had a hand in manipulating? when do you get to shove the chips and mult system over the railing and just go to town? how do you get all the luck? all very important and thought provoking questions. were doing so much goddamn thinking over here were turning into the fucking thinker.

so thats when i decide to get it on PC and install a like, FUCK ton of mods. im talking at least 20. and honestly? yeah, i know that some bros are gonna look at me and say "well youre doing it the cowards way, you should finish vanilla balatro before you mod it" and you know what? i dont give a fuck honestly. i dont care that i feel like i need stuff like incremental jokers that give times mult. sometimes you gotta just rig shit in your favor because if it works for politicians and fucking lawmakers then it works for me. back to the review, when you install the right mods on this thing, man you can turn the whole game into a particle accelerator and really fuck some shit up. i wanna eventually get into modding the game with my own mods. i wanna add homestuck jokers, valve jokers, all the fucking jokers. theres gonna be so many goddamn jokers that hollywoods gonna have to make a jokerverse movie because theres that many fucking jokers.

anywho, i decided to give this game a 4.75/5 shades to keep it real.

[n0ah-oll1e]

16) if you where in Wl. What would you wish for/would you be corrupted eventually? 

That’s a thought one..

If I where a kid similar to the Cast around 10-11 or so I’d probably wish to be a super cool artist or be able to dance like my father and do performances and stuff ( big theatre kid here)

But if I where to come back I would of wished for either

a)to be more confident in myself.

b) would be too overwhelmed to answer.

c) wish for more time with friends.

I think at least two of the wished could be corruptible.

like becoming to confident to the point of being cocky or egotistical and probably hurting myself or getting someone else hurt because I just could not take caution in general. ( I’m already a clumsy person) 

I feel like wishing for more time with friend would also backfire in the way the Iggy clones did with them just being clones/copies and assuming I didn’t specify who that could bring up old old childhood friends with which I have no contact or not good relationships then and that would end terribly to, more so just kinda awkward.( but not really smt that could corrupting)

Honestly not wishing for anything would probably just still somehow get me killed if it where in the same timeline to the others or other people in general, so basically just ending up and in an already corrupted Wonderland would probably get me killed. 😭

17) made chard in other games or pic-crew?

I don’t think I have?

I mean I’ve created alternate versions of them, but that’s in a different format not a game.

If I where I’m my gacha phase maybe there, but I don’t play enough games with good character selections to make something like that and I don’t use pic-crew often so sadly no.😭

18) fav ow ship?

Oooooohh, I’m gonna add dynamics to it too cause I wanted to yap about this a while back

I’d like to say I’d be pretty indifferent between Iggy and any of the three options you’d have but I think the way the game was made,makes my brain subconsciously always go for Genzy first even with picking all the options anyway.

Because at the time, the first time playing it he seemed like the ’best’ option, sure he was a jackass to Orlam but at the time they both seemed to have a mutual hatred at least.

He also accepted that Gidget liked Iggy and that he probably didn’t have a chance during the very beginning.

Later they all evolved anyways, but I feel like my brain was originally conditioned because I just felt the most drawn to Genzou and I saw him the most in arc one which then split off when the other characters got like their own little Iggy moment in each ark until the last one.

So I’d say genzy is up there

Orlam and Iggy were a nice dynamic during his arc,he’s like the very touchy friend but understood Iggy‘s boundaries during their ending arc with Iggy were they both ruled, which also brought it up there.

Orlam and Cecil where also I nice dynamic and I remember someone making them poly with Gidget and now that’s gonna keep me up at night for new ideas to draw and headcannons,

It genuinely opened my eyes to this option and I am so happy because Gidget and Orlam give me the vibe of like two evil Besties at least during the ark where they were still corrupted and Cecil being the very sound middle ground for the both of them is kind of funny to me. They’re actually all cuties.

So I guess Orlam/Cecil/Gidget is up second

And Hunar and Bucks are here too of course! 

When I first got to know them,the relationship felt like the high school sweethearts that didn’t go exactly as planned because everything revolved around the relationship, to the point that they didn’t get to do what they wanted to do in life.

And then after the arc when everything started over, it was nice to see them take their time to do something small and really wanting to concentrate on what they want to do, with the relationship still being there in the same way when leavening a town and you come back and it feels refreshing. Idk if that makes sense.

I think Iggy and Gidget isn’t bad at least after the Arcs but at first it had left a sour taste when thinking about it to long.

those two make a very good pair that work well together and are nice and supportive of each other .

I think every single pairing that has and hasn’t been named are good since each of the chars have their own flaws, including Iggy, having a just Bad or good person works but they are morally gray like a person is, which I think is hard to do in a game or book or any media.



Also although I don’t ship them I like the dynamic with Orlam and Genzou because they still did kinda care for each other but in the same way if they would’ve been in like an actual relationship at least doing the Arcs it would’ve been very toxic, I think they kind of bring out the worst in each other at least if they were in a relationship.

I often see the two as those friends that have a relationship build on hatred.

They still do care for each other but the way they show it is calling each other names pushing each making fun of each other and not taking it too heart as much,or at least not showing that they do, but still end up standing up for each other if needed.

Wow that was a long yap.



And now for the 2nd part of my anniversary celebration... 30 Days of Our Wonderland! A set of silly and/or thought-provoking prompts about the game and chars for a full month of OW!

I'll be answering them each day. Feel free to join in if you want to! Either creating your own posts or reblogging this one, etc. I'll be using the hashtag #30DaysofOW for all of my answers.