#he's generally a very easy-going guy so it was fun to see how he lines up in comparison to his siblings

[cocoa-rococo]

Koopaling Headcanons: Lemmy

Larry | Morton | Wendy | Iggy | Roy | Lemmy | Ludwig

The clown prince of crime and everyone's favorite circus performer! Gosh he's adorable.

Right-handed.

Fairly sensitive about his height. The rest of the Koopa Troop know better than to bring it up. Just. Don't call him short. Last guy who did ended up with more than a broken nose.

Allergic to peanuts, which is unfortunate, because a lot of folks like them roasted at circuses. He likes other nut butters better anyway.

Likes collecting old circus memorabilia, such as posters, small trinkets, and flyers. He started it when he was younger, and has kept it going ever since.

He purposefully lets people underestimate him due to his silly personality and clown aesthetics. Makes it all the sweeter when he ends up with the last laugh.

Can and will juggle just about anything. Ludwig had to stop him on multiple occasions because he was tossing around something dangerous for fun (and profit).

Is very fond of caramel corn and citrus candies, as well as fruit gummies.

Favorite cookies are snickerdoodles and classic chocolate chip, but he loves fruit pies and sweet crêpes for dessert, really anything flaky with layers.

An excellent roller and ice-skater, given his balance. He, Wendy, and Larry like to skate together sometimes.

Very tactile person! Likes giving and receiving hugs, pats on the back, head scratches, and secret handshakes.

Similarly, a tactile learner; if you want him to remember something, give him something he can hold.

Because of his smaller size and how much he moves, any sickness he gets hits him like a truck, but also burns through his system pretty quick.

The only member of the castle with permission to enter Iggy's lab at any time without prior warning or knocking.

Has an almost terrifying amount of emotional intelligence and is very good at sussing out the crux of a relationship problem, sometimes even before the other person does.

Always rehearses his tricks in front of Iggy before anyone else, because he knows he’ll always be guaranteed a laugh, as well as critique on what he can improve on.

One of the lesser strict generals, which the minions are thankful for, but will also ask them to assist in his tricks. This can range anywhere from "hand him something" to "balance on a ball while juggling flaming hammers". The minions are not so thankful for this.

His proficiency with stage illusions actually helped him grasp the concepts of his wand's abilities. Out of the Koopalings, his strength lies in how precise his magic is, able to pull what he needs right when he needs it, as well as being able to divide and manage his concentration.

Likes to exercise with Roy, though he leans more towards yoga and calisthenics than weight training.

He likes all kinds of flowers, but likes seeing cosmos and marigolds the most. Poppies are nice, too.

He can be just as bad as Iggy when it comes to pulling pranks, mainly because no one suspects him; he manages to get out of 99% of situations by pulling the "ohhhh I'm just a lil guy" card.

An alarmingly good impressionist. More than once he fooled the guards into doing something for him by pretending to voice someone else.

Given his small size and how active he is, his metabolism is working overtime to fuel him. He eats almost as much as Larry.

Mastered the art of making the perfect hot chocolate drink, inspired by his trips into the ice lands. Wendy is determined to learn his secret. Lemmy is an adorable steel vault.

If you pick him up or he falls over, he has this… almost ragdoll-like heft to him, with dangly limbs and a little flopping from where you grab him, like he's made of sand or a weighted stuffed animal. The only time this doesn't seem to affect him is when he's on his ball. No one can really explain why this is.

Favorite fruit is any kind of berry, as well as peaches (formed before any interaction with a certain princess).

Morton used to carry him under his arm when they were younger. For what purpose? None know. Lemmy, though, was happy to stay there until he was put down again.

He likes sleeping where he's suspended, like swings, tree tents, and other such places. There was a notable instance where Kamek once found him tucked in his shell and snoozing in an empty hanging plant holder.

Really good at shuffling cards and coin moves, really any sort of street magic or little parlor trick. He's been learning tarot interpretation from Kammy because it's always a hit at parties.

His bombs are his own invention. Iggy helped him develop the combustion system and ratio of powder to use, but the shape, style, and make are all his own. Similarly, the tires he sells for his business are made from the same rubber as his balancing balls.

One of the most agile of all his siblings, and one of the best climbers.

He used to share a bunk bed with Iggy when they were young, but once they got older and had their own separate rooms, he used a hammock instead of a bed. It's quite cozy, with lots of blankets and pillows.

One of his favorite snacks is roasted sunflower seeds with a little salt. Crunchy, and especially tasty after an energetic routine.

The one most likely to lose things. Not because he misplaced them somewhere, but because he made them vanish via magic trick, and can't remember if he re-summoned them again.

Takes any sort of dance class he can. He's energetic and likes being able to move around a lot, but he's especially fond of tap, hip-hop (no pun intended), and ballet. The latter he practices with Wendy.

[where-does-the-heart-lie]

Revolutionary Army Punk AU

Ft: Luffy (not punk)

Steampunk is cool but i think just straight up punk would be cooler. I just think what they stand for lines up a lot better

Design notes:

I did some research and talked to a punk friend of mine for these as i am not a punk, myself, and I dont want to look like a poser. I think i did a really good job translating them and i want to explain my thoughts!

Sabo was first, of course.

I not only wanted to make the characters punk, but i also wanted to crank their designs up about 20 notches, so i gave Sabo’s scar one hell of an upgrade. In this version I tried to make it very clear that that cannon ball hit him head-on. I think it works really well with his punk vibes because under-cuts and shaved parts of the head in general are very popular in punk culture.

I largely tried to keep the silhouettes the same with this au, and It was really easy to keep it with Sabo because of the fact that he already has a lot of design elements that translate well to punk. His big pants into tall boots were perfect to translate, crust pants and steel toed boots fits him well. Trench coats arent a staple in Punk, but i couldnt take the coats away from him… him or Belo. They deserve it…

I threw away his cravat for a choker, i replaced his vest with a red tank top and his undershirt for fishnets, Patches up the wazoo, he looks very cool.

Belo Betty was next, she was super easy to translate. She’s already in the punk spirit with her tits out, we love to see it. Her hat was really difficult to translate, along with all the other hats, but a red knitted hat that has those two points cuz it’s essentially a scarf sewed together looks nice on her.

My punk friend suggested i give her a bunch of nets and harnesses and i really agreed that was her style, so i gave her red tie to Morley, slapped some harnesses on her and just overall just turned her sexy up like 50 notches. I think i was clever how i adapted her striped stockings here with how they have runs in them.

Karasu is almost the exact same. I just threw out his dinky little cravat and gave him a bandana and harness. I also gave him piercings. That’s the only difference. In the words of my Punk friend “hes naked and wearing a spiked mask, He can hang”

Speaking of what my punk friend said, he said that Lindbergh would get “demolished” in the pit, and that he looks like he’s scared of bees. The consensus was that he couldn’t hang. But also i still had to make him punk, so then he suggested CBGB punks:

Redneck, bluegrass, southern american punks. I was really in a rut with his design, I didn’t know what to do to keep the silhouette of his backpack. But everything changed when I chance got the idea of a guitar. And then everything flowed from there

Morley was really really fun. Punk friend suggested i make him Pop Punk, inspired by this pic

Mainly Lindsey way with this plaid skirt and tie

He was so so fun to draw, i love his fucked up eyes.

For dragon, i didnt change much at all, even though it’s only his bust that’s shown. Imagine everything is the same, except now he has piercings. Dragon isnt concerned with the punk fashion, but the punk cause.

For Luffy, I wasnt trying to make him punk, but he felt a bit plain looking like base Luffy next to punk Sabo, so i just did the “turn design up 20 notches”, and just gave him a more visibly tattered hat, bangles and waist beads.

That’s about it! Ive been getting a lot of comments and asks lately saying that you guys like when i go on my design explanations, and i realized that i didnt do that for the last few AU’s, so i thought id type this up :)

Thank you for reading!

[cowboy-lover69]

Ghostface first-time with you headcanons

(1,236 words)

(nsfw 18+ only)

Billy Loomis

--- It would be like a month into your guy's relationship when he suggests having sex. He would not ask you outright, he would dance around it for a minute before asking you he's a little bashful about the whole thing.

--- When you guys start having sex he's pretty gentle, he doesn't want to scare you off the first time you have sex with him he goes easy on you. During sex he asks you a lot if you are enjoying yourself but in a hot way like “Oh, do you like that sweetheart?”

--- He definitely tops you the first time you guys have sex. I mean in general he never really bottoms unless you ask really nicely, but since it's your guy's first time he kinda gets a feel on how you are in bed so he goes with what he's used to.

--- After sex, he probably lay there for no more than a moment then got up to get dressed. He's very casual about the whole thing.  After the first time, it might be a little awkward but he tries his best to break the tension after the first time you guys have sex.

Stu Matcher

--- You guys would most likely have sex for the first time within the first few weeks into your relationship at most 3 weeks. It would be pretty informal just something that happens. Like you, two would be sitting on your couch watching a movie, and he starts making out with you, and one thing leads to another and you two are having sex.

--- stu is very goofy and informal when it comes to sex in general. He will crack jokes during sex and stuff like that. it's not like the sex is not hot though, he just toes the line very carefully between silly and hot. The first time it does take you aback a little thought.

--- Stu is a freak. I mean he's a very kinky guy. He refrains from doing anything too kinky in bed the first time you guys have sex, he doesn't want to scare you off. 

--- After the first time you guys have sex he will ask you if you had a good time along with other questions about his performance then you guys will go watch tv.

Mickey Altieri

--- you guys would most likely not be in a relationship when you guys first have sex. I feel like he would joking flirt with you and come onto you, well you would think he was joking but he wasn't. At some point, you will say yes as a joke, because you didn't think he actually would do it, but he did. Of course, you were a little shocked but you gladly reciprocated.

--- Mickey is not ashamed of his kinks and does not fear scaring you off with them. He goes all out during your guy's first time. It could be a little overwhelming how much of a freak Mickey is compared to others you have slept with, but you get used to it.

--- After you guys have sex for the first time you guys might lay there for a few minutes before Mickey asks for a round 2.

Roman Bridger

--- You and Roman would definitely have sex for the first time before being in a real relationship. It would most likely happen at a party or after a party. Definitely, a situation where you two had started making out which led to sex.

--- Roman is really selfish when it comes to sex. You're not used to it your first time around but you don’t mind it too much. 

--- After having sex for the first time with Roman he asked a few questions about how the sex and he gave you a few compliments then he just got up, dressed, and left. He's not too interested in having conservation. Of course on further sex adventures with him, he's warmer to you.

Jill Roberts

--- I don’t feel you guys would have sex for a little while in your relationship. At least 2 months and at most 3 months. You guys would be watching a movie and a sex scene would start playing and Jill would lean over to you and would say “ I think it would be fun if we did that. Don’t you think so?”

--- Jill definitely has a pain kink. Not like being in pain, she likes inflicting pain on others. She doesn't go too much into it the first time you have sex with her. Mostly to see how you feel about the whole thing.

--- After sex, you two will just lay there for a few minutes until she says “That was fun right?” afterward she offers to get you something to drink.

Charlie Walker

--- Charlie would be rather eager to have sex, but he definitely doesn't instigate it, at least for the first time. You guys would be like watching a movie or something and then you guys start making out and one thing leads to another and you two have sex.

--- Charlie is rather nervous during your guy's first time, he just wants to please you so he does whatever you ask. He's almost a little too giving during sex. When you guys get a little more into it he will ask you to do something for him mostly just fulfilling the fantasies he has about you.

--- After you guys have sex he will praise you for your skills, then he admits that you have been the first person he had ever had sex with you guys talk about that for a little before you two go to sleep.

Amber Freeman

--- I think it would be a very spur of the moment kinda thing, she would pull you into a closet at a party and they ask you if you want to. 

--- I feel like she has a thing for this kinda thing both public sex and very spur-of-the-moment sex. It definitely takes you by surprise but you get used to it. 

--- After you guys have sex for the first time you and her will just leave the closet as if nothing happened. After you guys leave the party you guys will talk about it.

Ethan Landry

--- I think you guys would have sex very soon after dating. I think you guys would be playful and be messing around then somehow you end up on top of him. You would realize he was turned on so you offer to relieve him. 

--- I feel like when you guys have sex for the first time he would be pretty basic since he's pretty new to sex in general. 

--- After the sex, he would be pretty amazed at how good the sex was, and sheepishly ask for a round 2.

Quinn Bailey

--- Quinn is a pretty sex-positive person. You guys would most likely have sex before you guys officially dated.

--- Quinn has a VERY high sex drive so if she can’t she will make sure you can go as long as possible of course your stamina might not be able to keep up the first time since you probably don’t have that kinda stamina yet.

--- After sex, you guys will take a little bit of a break since you are probably pretty tuckered out from the very long sex session, but soon after maybe 10-15 minutes of just talking while laying in bed she will ask you when you wanna go again

masterlist (taking requests)

[bird-inacage]

The Heart Killers Trailer: Initial Observations (FirstKhao Edition)

I'd like to thank Jesus, Buddha, Santa, Thor, whatever holy BL spirits reside above, and all hail our lord and saviour P'Jojo. This exceeded my expectations of what was coming and then some. So here are my initial takeaways from the trailer that blew my head clean off.

General premise goes: By night, Fadel and Bison are assassins for hire, but they only kill who they deem are the 'bad guys' (most likely corrupt politicians, sketchy businessmen and the like). By day they run a seemingly ordinary restaurant. A cop asks tattoo artist Kant for his help is getting these two caught. He agrees on the basis that this will clear his criminal record. In order to keep Fadel distracted from his advances on Bison, Kant convinces his mechanic friend Style to woo him. I expect to see cat-and-mouse, games of deception type plot here which should be really good fun.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: BISON

Aside from the fact that Bison kills for a living, he actually seems like a sweetheart. He comes across as the more jovial, friendly and optimistic of the two brothers. He has no hesitation in offering to make special accommodations for Kant's dietary preferences. He seems to fondly prod his brother to open up to people, and to allow 'sunshine' into his life.

Fadel says, "Because I'm selective, not easy like you". "In this line of work, don't trust people too easily", a signposted concern that his little brother may struggle on this front. Seems to make a point of warning him to use his head rather than his heart.

Bison also tells Kant that his trust once lost means the person is question may as well be dead to him. If he does tend to trust easily, any betrayal would be understandably much more hurtful in his eyes.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: KANT

Kant's ulterior motive is what brings him to Bison in the first place. The two supposedly have a one night stand, which leads to Kant falling in love with him. Whilst both parties are hiding who they really are, and what they're really up to, Kant appears increasingly guilty and conflicted by this. "What if I'm not who you think I am. Would you hate me then?" But on the other hand his feelings of guilt go hand in hand with the knowledge that Bison's capture or downfall would be his ticket to get what he wants. A decision that has him trapped. He seems to question whether he should trust Bison and whether that will come back to bite him. "My brother always says, don't trust anyone too easily. Otherwise, you end up being the victim."

It also speaks volumes that a cop would approach Kant with this proposition. It means Kant is clearly very competent at what he does, and has side-hustled as a vigilante before. So Kant must be pretty cunning or smart. For example he appears to knock his knife off the table in the restaurant to test Bison's reflexes.

RELATIONSHIP DYNAMIC

There's definitely a connecting theme of secrecy. Their intimacy is kept in secret due to Bison claiming his brother will kill them both if he finds out. Bison is keeping his murderous activities a secret (for obvious reasons). Kant is keeping his investigative activities a secret.

We can obviously expect this to all come to a head when the truth is revealed and identities are fully out in the open. Can Kant accept Bison for what he does and his lifestyle, potentially forgoing the possibility of clearing his record, in order to protect him? Can Bison forgive Kant for hiding his true motives, and trust him again - at the risk of both himself and his brother?

There will be a clear point of convergence between these two, when Bison starts to consider changing his life, if it means staying in Kant's. This echoes how Kant wants to clear his criminal record, perhaps in an attempt to wipe his slate clean so he can finally move on from whatever life he led before. There's a shared vision of moving away from the lifestyles that are bad for us.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS

STYLE / AESTHETICS: One thing P'Jojo knows how to do so well is create a distinct sense of style and atmosphere. This man is a pro at combining the right set design, styling, music and ambience to create a really identifiable flavour that is instantly recognisable. The music in this trailer is a friggin' BOP.

THE EFFING TATTOOS: I will say this till the end of time, but First as Yok was one of my favourite things ever. And seeing First with tattoos again just made me weak in the knees in all the best ways possible.

LEATHER GALORE: Khaotung in leather jackets. That's it. That's my observation. And I was staring. Very appreciatively may I add.

Also, the fact that Khao, who looks noticeably dinky next to the hulking giants of this cast is called Bison. BISON.

[nfcv-saltmine]

Arikado gushing about Trevor

The comments:

I will never understand why some people think Alucard shitting on Trevor is an improvement over Trevor and Alucard respecting each other

I fucking hate this with all my heart ❤️ NFCV fans be like "why do you feel the need to compare the games with the adaptation? Why can't you see it as it's own thing and let people have fun?" and then pull off shit like this.

Why can't NFCV fans keep their NFCV shit to their NFCV spaces? 🤡 Why do they feel the need to go on GAMES spaces and act as if their show could even remotely fit? 🤡 Not to mention... Haha yeah, isn't it so funny that Trevor is a drunk and an idiot? Isn't it so funny that the noble bloodline who have dedicated their lives to protect the same people that fear and reject them, probably because they understand they're scared and weak and don't know any better and just want to survive, are reduced to some rich guys with a leather whip and a collection of books about penises? Isn't it so HILARIOUS that Alucard express no sympathy and no respect for Trevor and his dead family??

The fact those fans see no problem not only with how purely mean and petty N!Alucard is to N!Trevor, but also with making fun of N! Trevor's drinking habit when it's a coping mechanism for his trauma...! I get that the show itself doesn't care about this fact, but for the love of God is it too much to ask fans to think for themselves??? Is it too much to ask them to CARE about how poorly their favorite show handles trauma?? And everything in general?? Do they HAVE to blindly follow the "haha drunk man funny" train??

I am not against the very idea of Trevor being a drunk and having fun banter with Alucard. But that's the thing. Not only Trevor being a drunk is only there for jokes and never truly explored, and he never gets to process or get over his trauma of SEEING HIS HOME AND ENTIRE FAMILY BURN AS A CHILD... But his "funny banter" with Alucard isn't actually funny banter. Alucard is mean, straight up. I mean Trevor says one bad joke about Alucard's parents around a campfire, but next to that, Alucard constantly shits on him and his bloodline!! As if the framing and the very story wasn't doing it enough already!!

The "eat shit and die" "yes fuck you" moment could have been funny... IF THEY FUCKING KNEW EACH OTHER. THEY LITERALLY JUST MET. THEIR ONLY INTERACTIONS SO FAR WAS THEM FIGHTING EACH OTHER. THEM SWEARING AT EACH OTHER AND THEN LAUGHING AFTERWARD ISN'T EARNED, THEY'RE NOT CLOSE ENOUGH FRIENDS FOR THAT AND THEY WILL NEVER BE. NOT WITH N!ALUCARD'S SHITTY ATTITUDE. It's not a fun dynamic to have two manchildren saying fuck yous at each other! It's not a fun dynamic to have one of them insult the other's dead family while the other isn't even allowed to talk back because "oh he has to be the bigger person" according to Sypha!! It's not a fun dynamic to have NO ACTUAL BONDING MOMENT BETWEEN THE MAIN CHARACTERS and instead, have them spend their screentime being assholes to each other, with their mom friend having to be the braincell that keep them in line!!

I hate that Netflixvania felt the need to pretend to be an adaptation of CV3 and CoD(?). That's why we get shit comments like this and shit takes pretending their characters are improvements from the games they know nothing about. At least with Lords of Shadow, it is VERY OBVIOUS that it's an alternate universe. It doesn't pretend to want to change or "improve" anything from the classic timeline, it does it's own thing on it's own little corner, and it's very easy to appreciate it along with the OG timeline thanks to that. Even if it uses familiar names like Trevor and Simon and Sypha, no one with a braincell would even think to compare them to their classic counterparts (at least not in a "this version is better than the other" way), because it's not the same universe.

NFCV isn't like that. NFCV pretends to take place in the classic timeline. NFCV pretends to bring improvements to it. When all it does is destroy. And I'm not saying this just because it changed a lot of stuff. I'm saying this because everyone, Ellis the first one, just HAVE to shit on the games to praise the show. It was intentional for it to be percieved as being "better than the games". 🤡

Anyway game Trevor and Alucard my beloveds I love you and your respectful and wholesome relationship 🥺

[brianlesshetaliawritings]

if you're still doing requests- nsfw alphabet with switzerland 👉👈

i am my motivation just doesn't agree if that makes sense and most of my requests i'm either far too ambitious with and keep re-writing or are just not something i'm interested in rn. thank u for handing me an excuse to write about the guy. was an easy and fun write. might have minor errors. very sorry this took a bit ! (also- should i redo the yandere alphabet with him? i feel its REALLY ooc now that i re-read it..)

Switzerland NSFW Alphabet

warnings : nsfw ofc, nothing intense otherwise though. made him dominant here, request again if you want him submissive.

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Not the most extra individual, but it's definitely not non-existent or anything. he will be ensuring you're not in pain, not thirsty, not uncomfortable.. He'll probably want to clean up and whatnot though once confirmed that you're all good.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

He likes his own eyes, they're always useful and a lot of his activities frequently require good eyesight, which he has. Definitely enjoys his hands too though, he's pretty used to work that requires physical labor so they're helpful too.

He's never said it, but it's easy to tell your thighs and hips are a favorite of his regarding activities such as these. His hands frequently drift there, and so does his line of sight when he thinks you're not looking.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

He prefers it inside, just more convenient in his opinion. He'll understand if you want it outside though, then it'll usually just end up somewhere else on your body, no particular areas of interest really.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

Although he feels really creepy for doing it, if you gave him literally any shirts, pants, or anything along those lines as a gift, he likely smelt it while jerking off. It just really gets him going, and he hates it (loves it, just won't admit it to himself).

Also, side note, has thought about fucking in the forest. He usually doesn't like risks, but he feels really in his element when out in the woods and his mind can't help but drift to such thoughts.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

Unexperienced, but not really dumb to what he should do and the alike. Might secretly read a bit to learn what all he should look out for, or do. Keeps looking away every ten seconds though throughout his research because he's sort of a prude.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Usually goes for Missionary. He's a very simple man, and doesn't like to get too weird when it's up to positions, so it just fits him. Would also be willing to do some other ones though, as long as they aren't too squished or require too much flexibility. It's not like he can't handle either of those, it's just very distracting to him and this is definitely something he likes to focus on.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

Not a silly guy in general, even less lighthearted when having sex. Finds it awkward if you make any jokes, but wouldn't mind if you laughed at any accidents or anything like one of you slipping.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

Doesn't see the point to shaving that which very few people will ever see, but he also doesn't like being overly hairy. He keeps it trimmed to a shorter length, just seems like a waste of time to do anything more. It's the same colour as his hair too, not even like the slightest difference.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Not overly romantic, but it's the small things he does that shows his affection. Always keeps an eye out to make sure you're comfortable, has a tendency to adjust you without asking just to be sure you're in a nice spot. Still embarrased to kiss you, by the way.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

Only when he finds it neccessary. Switzy is a rather prudent man, and sexual activity doesn't really land on his mind that often. Sometimes though, he does have those straying thoughts. Ones he has to handle himself. Ones he internally punishes himself for, but exist nevertheless.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Sorta likes the idea of outdoor sex. Just scared of getting caught, is all. He's very much a fan of nature, and he's spent lots of time in it. He largely prefers it there over cities any day of the week. So maybe on some of his property, further out, after he's scoped the whole area and put a million "no trespassing" signs up. (And likely brought a gun.. Just incaese.)

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

Bedroom, usually. Bathroom, occasionally. Elsewhere, in your dreams. Too horrified at the idea of his sister coming to visit him just to get scarred for life. Hates to do anything outside his/your own home, ignoring the above section of course (when he gets brave enough to test that out).

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

As I might've mentioned earlier, he loves your thighs and hips. Size doesn't matter, scarring doesn't matter.. HE JUST LOVES THEM! If visible, they instantly catch his attention, and sort of distract him. Only a teensy bit though, he's not gawking at you or anything.. Also likes it if you give him lots of big kisses while you rub him up. Anywhere on his body too, really, it's his favorite thing. (Even more- he loves if you squeeze his butt. He might huff a bit if you do, but trust, he secretely adores it.)

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Anything that risky. In any way you can think of. Literally all forms of risks are a major no for him. Physically risky, reputation risky.. All of them.

Also, anything gross. Won't go along with watersports, emetophilia.. Anything along those lines are a no-no for him. Would completely wreck his mood.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Sort of nervous on recieving oral? Not really for himself too, he just doesn't want you to feel physical discomfort or choke or anything.. It's not really his thing. Totally up for giving, though. You might not expect it, but he's actually rather big on giving. Would honestly be satisfied if that's all you two do for the night.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

He tends to gear towards a happy medium pace most of the time (exceptions can be made..). Sensual isn't really a word to describe it, nor is it rough. Not harsh, but not fluid. He feels if he goes rough he'll hurt you, and that's really not something he wants. But if he goes slow it just makes him feel shy, if that makes sense. It gives you the opportunity to really focus in on him, and he isn't exactly talkative in sex either outside simple questions and the alike, so it makes him feel awkard. A speed that's gentle but not too calm.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

He's not a fan, and he'll rarely ever agree to go along with them. If he does though, then those are the times that the exceptions mentioned above happen. Though, admittedly, even though he isn't neccessarily a fan, he doesn't hate them.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

Okay, unlike above, he's actually a real hater of risks. And there's really no elaborating on it either, as it's pretty much already been covered. Will not agree to risks.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

While usually he tends to try and keep it at one to three rounds, he can do more. He's a physically abled man, and has quite a bit of stamina due to all the training he does and the alike. If he really wanted to he could go for.. Five? Probably could do seven, but he's just not that much of a sex fanatic, so that won't really happen.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

Would never buy any. Why get such a thing if he's already equipped with parts for this activity? Might be willing to try some simpler things though, if you get it. Don't expect him to go for any BDSM stuff though, that's just really not his thing.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Not at all. He simply doesn't have the patience for it. Teasing him does get you somewhere though, if you're interested. Just don't expect him to humor you for too long.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Tries to be as silent as possible. Naturally, he isn't that noisy anyways, but it still embarrasess him. Panting, grunting. Maybe lower-sounding very muffled whimpering (only if you work to get it out of him).

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

Has considered jealousy sex.. On multiple occassions. Only racked up the courage for it once. Just finds it too silly and stupid to do it any other time.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Uncut, six inches. His pubic hair is a slightly darker blond, but similar to his hair. Only keeps it trimmed since he just doesn't get the point to shaving. Too much drama for something that doesn't really cause any difference besides aesthetics.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Not high. It's non-existant, supposedly. It's mostly just due to the fact he chooses to ignore it instead of actually indulging himself in sexual pleasure though! Realistically, it's likely just a bit below average.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

If he does go to sleep afterwards, it's likely after a couple of hours. He has a few things to do beforehand so he won't get to it immediately. Would definitely stick with you for a bit after you fall asleep though, even if he himself decides to not rest.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

just read your fic that wxplains how lilia is going to sneak into family day lol. so this interactions takes after that. “Hi Silver! Happy Family Day! Did your mom or dad happen to drop by? I’d love to meet them.” To myself: and now I will finally find out what your last name is heh heh heh!! 😈

[Referencing this fic!]

[Someone actually also made fan art of how everyone else will perceive Lilia in the enchanted gag glasses; you can see that here!]

*Casually redacts Lilia’s Silver’s dad’s eyes* Warning everyone now, you’re going to see redacted Lilia in a lot of the upcoming writing pieces since lots of the requests I got are Lilia-related yes, they involve Mama Spade too 🦇

Fun fact, Super Mario’s full name is “Mario Mario” as of 2015 😂

Family means Nobody is Left Behind or Forgotten.

“Hello. It’s good to see you in high spirits for Family Day.” Silver greeted you with a small smile. “If you’re interested in meeting my father, he’s socializing with some of the other parents."

Silver turned his head, and you followed his line of sight to a small group of adults. You couldn’t immediately tell who was the right man—there was no cap of telling silver hair to tip you off. That’s right, Silver said he was adopted. They wouldn’t look alike.

“Which one is your…” You looked back at the second year—and startled.

A man had suddenly appeared beside Silver.

He took one look at the surprise in your expression and gave an impish grin. "You called for me, and so I have appeared."

His voice, you noticed, was as deep as the darkest night, or an abyss without an end. But it was far from empty—there were unsaid secrets and wisdom threaded in the way he spoke, a sacred and sagely quality to his words.

“You’re…”

"Father." Silver lowered his head in a polite bow. "This is my friend."

"Is that so? Hello, hello! Such a pleasure to meet one of Silver's bosom buddies. Thank you so much for looking after my boy.”

“Oh, it’s no problem at all! Silver’s a great guy, he’s very easy to get along with.”

You took a step back and slowly scanned the smooth-talking stranger up and down.

He was a shocking short fellow, with black hair swept into a high ponytail that cascaded past his back. From his deep voice, you’d had anticipated someone more intimidating—hadn’t Silver mentioned his father being a general?—but he moved and spoke with all the care of a gust of wind, liberated from the stuffy suit he wore. The jacket casually laid on his shoulders, too, seemed to come to life and dance with him, relishing the beautiful day.

And his face was…

You rubbed your eyes and looked again, squinting this time.

Something was odd about his face.

You had always known Silver for his strangely iridescent eyes. They shifted color in different lighting, sometimes more pink or blue or purple depending on the time of day. But his father’s features were all jumbled.

Whenever you thought you had something pinned down—the hawkishness of his nose, the shape of his mouth, the color of his eyes—they seemed to change every so slightly. Suddenly the nose was rounder, or his cupid’s bow had sharpened, or his irises had gone from gold to violet to green. Everything seemed blurred, as though you were gazing at him through a heavy veil of fog.

What’s going on here…? Am I not fully awake?

Silver’s dad chuckled lightly. “My, is something the matter? You’re staring at me so intensely.”

"Er, have we met before... sir?" you asked, hesitant. For a moment, you thought you caught Silver's face paling and tensing. "You seem familiar somehow, but I can't put my finger on why."

"No I’m afraid this is our first encounter," Silver's dad said, his every word coated with mirth, "but perhaps some of my charm has rubbed off on my son here. As they say, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!"

He dug an elbow into Silver’s side. The knight sighed—but from the twinkle in his crooked half-smile, you could tell it was done in fondness.

“Never mind, must just be me then.” You automatically stuck out your hand. “Anyway, it’s nice to meet you, Mister…?”

This is it!! Hope swelled in your chest. The moment of truth…! I’ll finally know what Silver’s last name is!!

The ponytailed man happily clapped a hand into yours, giving a firm shake. When he smiled, his teeth came into view—the shapes of them inconsistent, just like the rest of his face.

"You can call me Mr. Silver,” he crooned.

“Oh, sure thing—” Your hand went limp as realization suddenly sunk in. "Wait… so that means your son’s full name is…”

Silver Silver?!

“That’s… right,” Silver said carefully. He cast his father a weary look. “Yes. I was named for my hair color, which happens to be the same as my surname.”

“Gosh, no wonder why you never use your last name then!” you cried. “It’s a weird conversation starter to introduce yourself with the same thing twice!”

“Admittedly, I’ve never been too good with naming!” Mr. Silver confessed. He let your hand drop, and straightened his lapels. “But I’m a firm believer that it’s the content of one’s character which determines their worth, rather than the titles they hold.

“Kufufu. I do hope that you and Silver can continue your studies together and become adults of wonderful character someday.”

[directdogman]

Would Abel and Bunny have ever interacted? They are my favorites and I think considering their similarities they would have fun interactions

The two are similar in many ways but do have character differences that aren't super apparent since Bunny gets smooshed and replaced in the Mingling. For a time, before I decided to do the switcheroo, the two WERE gonna appear together and interact!

I always feel weird talking about characters with little screen time with such detail because a part of me thinks "this guy has like 8 lines, shut UP, hound", but people keep saying they wanna know for some reason, so I say, like, "okay, this is what I'm pulling from." It'd also probably make since if I decided to give Bunny more screentime (and yes, I do have a scene with him on paper rn that I haven't used yet! One day.)

Mostly, Bunny's thing is a feeling of superiority, genuinely. He sees those he deems beneath him as less than human and holds his own accomplishments above his head. He's very smug and sliiightly more derisive than Abel in how he speaks about others. Whereas Abel is irritable and not good to his employees either, Bunny's a tad different because his restaurant is actually successful for what it is and Bunny, while the guy's naturally lazy (from his own sense of superiority) holds his employees to such high standards with such little respect because he sees himself as a cut above the rest for owning it. Abel knows his funfair is shit. He knows HE'S shit. When he lashes out, he's really reminding HIMSELF more than anyone else that he's in charge. For someone who owns a large business, Abel doesn't have much going for him.

I had it in my head that the reason Randy's interview with Abel in his good ending was so easy and the hiring standards were so lenient is because Abel probably hated that Jerry was clearly smarter and more generally competent at everything than him and would prefer a much weaker subordinate with less confidence and less to say about Abel's poor management... Like Randy. Imagine the guy you pay minimum wage to, with a failing marriage, who lives with 12 SICK dogs, giving you advice on how better run your business. For someone with a weak ego (Abel), that would be devastating.

[tgammsideblog]

One thing i really like about the episode ¨The (After) life of the Party¨ is how it addressed that Scratch isn't a good friend to Geoff and often treats him poorly.

At the start of Season 1, Scratch would usually scream at Geoff, ignore him and trick him into doing things he himself didn't want to do. He would take advantage of Geoff's good nature, without giving much in return.

It isn't that he didn't care about Geoff to some extent. Even in the first episodes he let Geoff hang out with him in ¨Howlin Harriet¨, talked to him about his issue with Molly in ¨Not So Honest Abe¨ and helped him return to normal form after he got stuck in a candy machine (The Turnip Twist). The issue was that Scratch took a lot more than he gave in when it came to Geoff. It was something that wasn't addressed properly, only brought up in some moments by characters like Molly.

And look, this type of dynamic can work if your character is intended to be a villain. Since in that case it isn't intended to be seen as something good and we understand that the character's manipulative tendencies are supposed to be morally wrong based on their role in the story. But, Scratch is written as a character who is supposed to change and become a better person over time, he isn't a ¨villain¨, he has his own arc and he learns from his mistakes. That's why his initial dynamic with Geoff only works in the few first episodes from Season 1 when Scratch was still a very selfish and inconsiderate character who didn't care that much about how he made others feel. At some point you may want to see this imbalance in their friendship beaddressed and explored properly since you want Scratch to become a better ghost over time.

Cut to Season 2 ¨The (After) Life of the Party episode, Scratch is invited to go to Jeff's party since he is the chairman of the Ghost World now, meaning that he now can fit in with the elite ghost class. He is a respected ghost (or at least a lot more than he used to be), to the point others allow him to cut line when he is waiting for his turn in the cafe.

However, going to this party means that he will be skipping Geoff's party, leaving Scratch conflicted in between going to his friend's event or going to the ¨popular guys club¨ party. So Scratch fakes being sick in front of Geoff and lying to him about how he can't go to his party. Geoff buys this and hopes that Scratch is able to get well from his ¨sickness¨.

Moments after that Scratch goes to Jeff's party. He is having fun until he realizes that Geoff is in this party too. As result he spends most of his time trying to hide away and avoid Geoff, because he doesn't want his friend to find out that he lied to his face.

So in this episode is brought up how Scratch is letting Geoff down, how it was wrong for him to lie this way (brought up by other characters) and Scratch spends most of the episode feeling guilty about skipping Geoff's party to the point he feels that he has to avoid him.

Jinx also serves to make Scratch feel more conflicted as she does everything she can to trick the blue ghost into meeting with Geoff, leaving aside how her intentions in that situation were for her own gain and being pitiful.

Near the end of the episode Geoff finds Scratch and he explains that the party is Jeff's and his 100th anniversary of them being together as a couple. Scratch admits that he faked being sick and apologizes to Geoff for lying to him. He even admits how ¨you are good friend Geoff, better than i deserve¨. Of course, Geoff quickly forgives him, since he is in general easy to let things go.

This whole episode was crucial to Scratch and Geoff's relationship because it actually explored how Scratch was being a bad friend to Geoff and has Scratch fully admitting and regretting his actions for how he wasn't honest with his friend. Until this episode Scratch was never shown to feel guilty about the way he treated Geoff. This was a good step for his character development, realizing how he took the green ghost's friendship for granted. While it didn't fix everything in their relationship, it was a good start for Scratch to stop trying to take advantage of Geoff all the time and treat him more as an equal than someone to order around.

[crusherthedoctor]

It's really sad how people keep going after your group just because you defend yourselves

Apparently, the statements "I'm generally content with the quality of my personal stories" and "I spot many issues with this comic" justify getting spammed with graphic death threats and ableist insults

Yet it's insisted that you're the ones who are too harsh? It's straight up unfair.

Who would have thought that a group of people might occasionally get upset after being crucified and ridiculed by countless strangers?

Funny how they NEVER have a justification beyond "well shut up no one wants to hear you"

Somehow, it's always YOUR fault that a part of the fandom goes rabid whenever someone doesn't conform to the current "right" opinion, and YOU'RE to blame for THEIR ungodly behavior. That doesn't make any sense, does it?

This fandom is vain and abhorrent to the nth degree and y'all deserve better. That's all I wanted to say.

Par for the course, innit. They'll lash out at us. They'll hand out death threats. They'll make disgusting ableist comments about my autism, and similarly terrible comments towards my friends. They'll threaten to bomb SEGA HQ and stick Iizuka's head on a pike, among other wild declarations of violence. But don't you dare make a goofy meme about Surge not living up to her hype. And whatever you do, don't even think about criticising the unprofessional antics of the IDW crew. What are you, a monster?

They dismiss us as insignificant one minute, then fearmonger so hard that they see fit to give us a boogeyman-esque moniker the next. I'd be surprised if they could walk in a straight line without contradicting themselves.

As for "You talk so much about your fics!" ...No shit. I'm a guy with a blog. This isn't a movie production with a budget, I don't have a team or advertisements backing me up. And unlike fanartists, I don't have my own art to catch people's attention. I kind of have to talk about my writing in order to get it out there and inform people of its existence, and while I try not to sound too much like an unskippable YouTube ad, what else am I supposed to do? Upload them silently and then never refer to them again? How is showing passion for my work any different from official creators showing passion for theirs? Just because fanfic tends to get less attention on here than fanart doesn't mean it's not worth sharing, do they want fandom to flourish or not?

When I compare my work to a certain comic, I do it to highlight the dissonance. If fanfic writers - plural, not just myself - can understand the importance of keeping the characters recognizable, and making the universe faithful despite any necessary differences, then what excuse do official writers who have been involved with the series for over a decade have? If someone who doesn't even love Sonic that much compared to other characters, finds him annoying and unfunny half the time (no, not just in the Pontaff games, in general), and even finds it a pain in the ass to write for him at times and has more fun writing other characters because of this, can still attempt to write what made him appeal to fans... why do writers who supposedly love him so much keep fumbling so hard with him?

I compare for the sake of highlighting why these off-kilter portrayals are so easy to spot. If Sonic Twitter only gets "He's just stroking his own dick" from all of that, then they haven't been paying attention.

The most ironic thing about it all is that they've only gotten more vitriolic as most of us have mostly moved on from the height of IDW discourse (cause the comic goes in circles at this point, and is very likely to be running on fumes due to IDW's financial troubles, so there's no point). Yeah, I'll still criticise it now and then, and make a meme on occasion, but I rarely make lengthy ted talks about it or participate in ongoing Lanolin Is A Bitch/Silver Is Uwu-ified/Whisper Is Trauma Bait/etc back and forths anymore, because it's just tiring now. And since most current Sonic stuff has been putting me off in general, combined with growing fatigue and frustration at not being able to criticise certain games without people waving the finger at me (especially SA2, since the Year of Shadow has made it the center of attention yet again...), I've took a step back from intense Sonic discussion to focus on Stellar, as well as other fandom projects, like my recent brainstorming for Paper Mario or: How I Learned To Insert Eggman and Love The Vivian™.

In no way can you say I've been up in their faces as of recent. Yet they continue to cry otherwise, because they want people like me gone completely.

[attheendoftheline]

You might say that the boy was touched…

I adore the fact that we get to see Orpheus’s not only be “blessed” by the gods with his voice, but also have a real connection with them. Now often times being blessed or favored by the Gods never goes well— usually it’s a few years of good stuff happening then a gnarly end or string of bad luck (no different here). What I like is that here Orpheus has a tangible relationship with at least two of the gods. Being Hermes Ward and Persephone? Well she just likes him.

His relationship with Hermes was expanded in a sort of unseen backstory, in Working on a song Anïas goes into detail on how he came to be under his wing. He was partly raised by his mother but she’d be gone for impossible lengths of time on her own, so she left him with Hermes. The idea of a minor goddess showing up on the doorstep to a train station with a wiggling magical toddler and going ‘here’ is wildly entertaining to me— even more so for Hermes just to “alright” and keep him around. No better city for a musically inclined kid either.

I love how some of this is seen throughout the show, most of the time and especially in the beginning Hermes watches him sing with the proudest look on his face. Yet he’s not entirely easy going, there’s several times through the show as both a narrator and a father figure he tries to snap him out of things or explain what has to happen and how. That amusement can very easily turn into frustration one of my favorite lines is in Chant where Hermes tries to pull Orpheus back into the story and realize what’s happening with Eurydice - he’s yelling at this point “talk about oblivious”. He’s stern, he’s annoyed but the same man who’s told a million bedtime stories to the same kid.

Hermes wants to interfere so badly. Do you know how easy it would be for him to tell Eurydice to not take the deal or to get Orpheus away from his table? But he can’t on two front. Being a God and being a Narrator. In stories like this there’s just nothing you can do and that must kill him… he has some stake in this game! He raised that boy! How many times has he seen this happen wanting things to go right and how many times has he has to sing it again? It’s the fates that keep messing with things— the world of mortals goes the way they want and they’ll be damned if they change it any time soon.

Now persephone? She’s fun, honestly she gives “Wine aunt” energy. Popping in sometimes completely unannounced and slipping candy and drinks across the counter to her favorites. She would have seen Orpheus since he was a child as she always comes through the same station (hell it’s Hermes line. This man does everything it’s mentioned in the book he’s also conductor). She adores Orpheus, he’s a sweet guy and a generous server. He takes her coat and always makes sure everybody has a full glass and is happy. I can imagine it being a late spring night and he’s still at the bar listening to her stories— complaining or just talking to talk— not out of obligation but out of a genuine hope for friendship.

And Eurydice? The girl is brand new to town, no one’s seen her before but Persephone instantly offers her a drink and to dance and enjoy herself. She then sees the look the two have in their eyes and all but pushes them together like Barbie’s. Once again I morn her cut Chant II line talking about how they reminded her what true love was. She also takes a different route then Hermes by trying to interfere directly. She speaks up! She yells! She makes Hades listen, I think she actually realizes— unlike Orpheus and Eurydice — that she’s just as trapped by the narrative. So she steps in…she tries, it does little difference though.

Unlerelated note but if the gifs are getting annoying tell me

[nuwildcat]

Trick or treat! 👻🧡👻

Precious! You're back! We missed you around here!

Okay so I had a lot of fun with the last prompt treat so I'm going to stick with that. Randomly generated spooky identity, fortune teller.

Also...clearly this one got away from me a bit. Oh well!

Kinn steps into the perfumed tent with Tay's hand firmly on the center of his back to ensure he doesn't back out. He's lost this bet, but Kinn is not going to make this easy for the two assholes he calls friends. The room he steps into is draped in velvet and softly lit by golden light. There's a scent that he can't put his finger on lingering in the air.

"It's about time you came to see me, Anakinn."

Kinn's head snaps in the direction of the voice as Tay leans around him to get a peek too.

"Oh shit," Tay says softly, and Kinn can't help but agree.

Seated at a table is one of the most stunning creatures Kinn has ever seen. Smokey eyes, tempting plush lips, and a jaw line Kinn would like to bite.

"Have a seat," the man says, gesturing to the empty chairs at the table.

As they make their way toward the table, Kinn leans down to mutter to Tay, "Did you give him my name?"

Tay shakes his head and then shoves Kinn into a chair before perching on the second, his face eager.

"How does this work?" Kinn asks, eyeing the mysterious man.

"Phoenix does readings," Tay explains. "You have to tell him what it is you want read though."

"Readings?" Kinn says, doubt dripping through his words.

Phoenix shrugs, still eyeing Kinn like he knows something that Kinn doesn't. It's beyond irritating.

"If you want to know something, I can tell you your fate." The smirk on the fortune teller's face only makes Kinn bristle more.

Kinn leans back in his chair. He isn't going to let this Phoenix guy get under his skin. "Fine. Tell me my fortune."

The fortune teller pics up a deck of cards and slowly starts to shuffle them. Kinn tries very hard to not stare at the man's hands, but Tay's snicker means he doesn't do a very good job.

"What do you want to know about?" Phoenix asks as he continues to shuffle the deck.

Kinn goes to open his mouth, but Phoenix stops him by holding up his hand.

"Don't tell me," Phoenix says. "Tell the cards."

Holding the deck up and reaching across the table, the fortune teller stops right in front of Kinn's face.

"Gently, like you would a lover."

Kinn stares at Phoenix, the smokey eyes captivating him and pulling Kinn in closer. Leaning just a bit closer, Kinn makes sure his breath will tickle across the fortune teller's fingers as he whispers, "Tell me about my new role."

Kinn watches the tiny flinch that Phoenix tries to hide, and he smirks at getting the other man to crack. The man shuffles the cards artfully one more time before laying the deck down on the table.

He draws the first card, placing it down on the table. Kinn reads the card's name. The Hanged Man. He flinches back instinctively.

"No," Phoenix says, "that card is not a death warning."

"What does it mean?" Tay asks.

Phoenix hums and then says, "It means to trust your intuition."

Kinn breathes in deeply. He doesn't believe this, it's not real. But still, seeing that card right after his talk with his father this afternoon. It's off putting.

The fortune teller flips the next card. This one is upside down and Kinn watches Phoenix frown.

"What?" he asks.

Phoenix looks up at him through his lashes and Kinn has a sudden vision of the man doing that in a very different setting.

"The Wheel of Fortune in reverse."

Kinn and Tay share a concerned look.

"It would seem that karma is coming to collect for you soon, Anakinn."

"Kinn." He has no idea what compels him to correct the other man. "Call me Kinn."

Giving him a nod, Phoenix turns back to the deck, flipping the next card. He smiles as he says, "The Fool. Interesting."

Kinn can't resist leaning in now. There's something about this man, a captivating element of him that draws you in like a black hole. You want to look even if you know it's dangerous.

"This card," Phoenix says while tapping his finger on The Fool, "is a card that represents chance. You have a fateful meeting in your future."

Phoenix pauses for a moment, resting his hand on the top of the deck. He breathes in deeply and Kinn finds himself doing the same.

"The final card." Nimble fingers pluck the card from the top of the deck and flip it before placing it in front of Kinn. "The Magician."

A smile curls across the mysterious man's face and it only enhances his beauty.

"The Magician is a card that represents talent and power. Whatever it is you need to be successful, you have it at your fingertips."

As smokey dark eyes flicker up to meet Kinn's he realizes just how far he's leant over the table. Jerking back, Kinn tries to play it cool, but the humor that dances in those eyes tells him he fails.

Kinn looks down at the card in front of him. "So what does it all mean?"

"My best guess?" Phoenix says. "You go with your gut on whatever business venture you're working on and get screwed until someone comes along to help you. And through that person all your good fortune stems. But I'm just the silly fortune teller, so who knows."

Kinn isn't likely to forget the Cheshire grin the other man had given them as Tay and Kinn left the little tent. It was just a bit too knowing for Kinn's tastes.

Three days later, with an ache in his ribs and armed men at his back, Kinn runs for his life. His meeting with Don had not gone to plan and now he's fucked.

He takes a chance, bursting through a partially open door and into the back room of some shop. He's panting and his legs are starting to shake.

There's a man in the room smoking with his head tipped back.

Kinn turns to find the men who have been chasing him crashing through the door. Frantic he turns back to the other man about to ask for help, but the words freeze in his throat.

"Hello, Kinn," Phoenix says with a smile. "I knew we'd meet again."

[leonawriter]

I've had several thoughts of P5/DCMK crossovers lately, and one of the biggest roadblocks has often been how diametrically opposed their views often are, in ways that would cause a lot of conflict.

Namely, the DCMK side being primarily (Kaito notwithstanding) about upholding the law; Shinichi's hand in hand with the cops since before the series began, and when it's suspected that the Black Organisation might have a member (or more) in the police my recollection is that they were shocked, rather than, y'know, "ah, for a criminal conspiracy that only makes sense."

Detectives in the series have a very strong sense of right and wrong, which is good - in the context of their own series. However, there's a sense of... while they do sometimes show other outcomes, and they do sometimes "bend the rules" when a case calls for it (fudging the details of a crime on a report so that an innocent but used party doesn't feel guilty for something that wasn't her fault, not arresting a man who'd been stealing and giving him a job instead so that it improved his life so he didn't have to), the general outcome is "bad people (murderers, usually) go to jail."

The police are usually shown as Always Good Guys. There are a many police protagonist-adjacent characters (Takagi and Sato, Shiratori, each of the Inspectors from each region). Most of them are shown to be good-hearted. Bourbon, who's in Public Safety, is one of the good guys - more of a grey area than some, but still there. Even the incompetent ones have their hearts in the right place. They tend to want to believe the best in people (the Red Horse arson case, for example).

The Kaitou Kid Task Force, too, is largely considered to just be playing tag with the thief rather than... anything harmful. They know he's (mostly) harmless, so they treat him with respect. Nakamori is angry when he thinks someone's out to hurt Kid.

DCMK shows what people want the police to be like, in an almost ideal world. Yeah, there's bad apples (ha) but they don't soil the overall sense of what the Force is. In some ways I like it, because it's like a fairy tale - a glimpse of how things should be. Very easy to see where the lines of good and evil are, here.

But compare that to Persona 5, and like... of course there's going to be conflict, because the two series are set in the same location, but have a wildly different take and experience with the police.

Detective Conan doesn't tend to go into "what happens when the police arrest the wrong person" much, because the genius detectives get there first - the closest tends to be "oh no, we have to solve this fast!" - compare to Persona 5, where the whole premise is built on "what happens to someone whose crime isn't even a major one, but whose reputation gets tarnished with the stain of a conviction."

It's difficult to imagine the cops from P5 existing within DCMK at times. Akira spends the entire game traumatised by his experiences; first from his (falsified) assault conviction, during which he must have been protesting that he wasn't guilty and not a single person listened to him, and again on 11/20 when he was arrested and treated as someone who'd done far worse, along with the cops in the interrogation room being under Shido's pay, and not afraid to assault him.

So... although I'd personally love to write fun adventure stuff where the casts meet and get along, with shrunken people and long-lost relations and so on, the idea that came to me with all this in mind is more akin to that scene near the start of P5 Strikers, with Zenkichi talking to the Phantom Thieves, and Haru bluntly stating "We simply hate the police, is all."

Like - how would that go down? How would they get along - or not, as the case may be?

Would Shinichi/Conan (as the protagonist) understand their stances, or would he have a hard time accepting that anyone could hate the police for entirely justified reasons? Would they constantly butt heads due to the idea that Criminals Should Go To Jail, or would he understand that some things have to be done?

If he does understand some of that, then how far can he take it before he reaches his limit?

What about any of the other teen detectives (Hattori, Hakuba, I know Sera's a quantity but I don't know her so well)?

How would Akechi factor into any of this? As someone who's killed (regardless of how, or why, or whether he was under duress) there's the risk that these detectives may or may not see "murder" and Akechi's own desire to pay his time and not... see that it's what would actually benefit him to grow and become a better, more free and healthy person.

Often I feel like Shinichi gets a murderer (or an attempted one) arrested, and then it's just... maybe they'll get a mention of "there's a trial in progress" but- the implication of the consequences of it all? How many of them are going to prison, how many are going to get the death sentence? How many won't be able to move past their mistake? The series doesn't tend to look beyond that arrest, so we don't tend... know, really. There are a few times (lemon tea bride is one, but the victim recovered) but not many.

So - would Akira start arguing with a (supposed) seven year old? Because of how (canonically) attached he is to Akechi, they'd have different views on how things should go.

At the very leat, I figure that Makoto would have a good time, because this, I think, is how she sees "how the police should be."

[southshoretides]

Type of Guy Who Fears The Void

On the object level, I think this DeBoer piece correctly identifies a certain type of person (aging white man who self-consciously and showily hates all aging-white-guy pop culture in favor of trying to stay hip), but as the commenters implicitly/explicitly point out, that type of guy is concentrated among the east-coast-grad-educated-tastemaker-social-media-part-time-writer set, i.e. Freddie's milieu, which he often tricks himself into believing is the only milieu in the world. Go to any bar in the Midwest and poll the natives on BTS-vs-Pearl Jam and you'll get different results. (Freddie is of course interminably contrarian relative to whatever his local milieu is, and if fate had brought him to Kansas instead of Brooklyn, he'd be the most red-tribe-hating, pining-for-Brooklyn's-loving-embrace guy on the internet.)

But the meta level of "People recognize that the world naturally puts them in stereotypical boxes and either fight to escape that or wholeheartedly embrace it" is something I think about a lot. That first paragraph was all about different Types of Guy, and that's all it is these days, isn't it? Type of guy, type of guy, type of guy. A whole generation of internet-raised autists can pinpoint your political beliefs based on how you dress or what kind of car you drive. "Guy who makes youtube videos while driving his SUV and wearing wraparound sunglasses" is a different type of guy than "Guy who insists that Carly Rae Jepsen is the best songwriter of the 2010s" but they are politically and culturally opposite Types of Guy, even though there's no rule that says Democrats can't drive SUVs or Republicans can't like Carly Rae Jepsen. But the trend-lines are strong enough that people notice anyway.

@max1461 occasionally gripes about how quickly and thoughtlessly people transpose is-statements with ought-statements, or in other words, take objective factual data about something and try to force it into a prefab narrative. And it certainly is annoying, but to an extent it's like making fun of cavemen for thinking every rustle of grass is a tiger. That's what their environment is giving them, and it's what their brains adapt for. What our environment is giving us is an endless parade of people who eagerly and effusively promote their political and cultural opinions, and eagerly and effusively identify those opinions with such and such group, so no wonder it's so easy for even an amateur to unearth a Type of Guy. No wonder you can look at someone with a Roman-statue avatar and predict with reasonable accuracy his thoughts on young women who dye their hair. And I think this is something the internet makes worse, not better.

I think any objective accounting of the situation would have to conclude that it's easier to be an eccentric in 2023 than in 1993. The internet has allowed weird people to find each other, talk to each other, understand each other and themselves in a way that simply didn't exist before. At the very least, you don't get that "Am I the only human on earth who's like this?" feeling. And the cheap, Hallmark version of diversity/eccentricity is still a popular cultural value: those wall-hangings and birthday cards your aunt buys say "Be Yourself: Everyone Else is Taken", not "Yourself sucks, Be Someone Else." No one wants to be seen as the stodgy, bitter old fart. Part of it, I'm sure, is a cultural thing--Americans seem to obsess over individuality and being one's truest self more than others.

And yet...there's also this ambient sense that eccentricity-in-itself has been devalued in 2023 relative to 1993, at least in my circles. Everything from eccentric tastes in art ("What are you, some kind of hipster filmbro?"), sex ("Of course I'm sex-positive but weird creepy shit doesn't count!") or politics ("You don't really think that, you're just being edgy.") People who value weirdness and eccentricity for its own sake feel hemmed in by people who either openly see it as a threat to their own culture's local hegemony. A lot of the internet really does seem to live by the 'nail that sticks out gets hammered down' and sees that as a good thing. Seems paradoxical.

(For the record, I'm not laying the blame here at any particular subculture. Conservatives blather on about freedom and liberty and then say anyone who refuses to lick an HOA's balls is a dangerous subversive. Progressives say everyone is valid and beautiful and then plaster their spaces with various 'freaks DNI' equivalents, 'freak' status being determined by vibe-centric whisper campaigns. Liberals will Celebrate Diversity up to and no further than the point where it damages quarterly profits. No "name" group is immune to this, really, but certain subgroups are.)

A theory: the normie-weirdo ratio isn't particularly different than it used to be, but the way they interact is different. In the pre-internet days, the weirdos were well aware they were weird, and in having to navigate normie-land with psychological armor on, at least they might come to understand it somewhat. Now, for those who want it, there's an unending stream of validation and insistence that you're perfect the way you are. Without shading into the "can suffering be a good thing if it leads to change for the better?" argument, I think even people who are all-in on the answer being "no" have met at least one person defined by their self-actualization curdling into selfishness and narcissism, to the point where you can't understand how they function, in a way that is directly attributable to a having a stable of pseudonymous online enablers. That's a real phenomenon the way that "Shut up and repress, you freak" is a real phenomenon. They can both suck. They can even both suck in ways that make the other one worse.

The post-mainstream, pre-social-media 'Golden Age' of the internet was when it was basically a playground for weird people. Now everyone's on it by necessity, the weirdo-in-a-small-town dynamics are back, but now the whole world is the small town with the added "no one can ever really escape for good" dynamics of the internet tracking and recording and monetizing every aspect of human interaction.

The weirdos who are old enough to remember when the internet was their turf close ranks and start watching each other for the first signs of Turning Normie--itself something that's antithetical to actually following one's own star and drawing from whatever cultural tradition you find satisfying. The weirdos who aren't old enough grin and bear it because "you're constantly being judged by everyone" is just normal life for them. The stuff that's so popular that liking it puts you in the biggest box possible will benefit; stuff that was never gonna be popular under any circumstances will keep trucking. It's the cultural middle class, as usual, that suffers the most. Again, as I keep emphasizing, this cultural panopticon being both unending and global is unprecedented in human history.

I really think a lot of current cultural neuroses are due to this, although I can't really prove it and don't have the resources to research it. This sense of modern technology revealing to people how fundamentally uninteresting they are and rebelling against it explains a lot to me--the tendency of people to ideologically self-sort to narrower and narrower levels, the uncanny ability of observers to categorize even the relatively-novel versions of those self-sorts, the tendency of some people to just give up and openly embrace everything the hivemind says about them, "be yourself" as a zombified and omnipresent cultural meme when millions of people are struggling existentially with exactly that, every culture absorbing ambient victim-mentality and thinking they're the only right-living people in a world gone mad, the 'cultural class' getting deeper and deeper into objectively-adolescent pop-cultural obsessions and lashing out at the idea they should try something more challenging, the aging-out-of-relevance hipsters Freddie discusses being mortified by the idea of being perceived as exactly that.

The problem, for me at least, is that I understand there is a way out, and if anything it feels worse. I may be a bit younger than the type-case Freddie describes, and am not in an industry where I have to constantly prove my relevance to myself and others, but I am doing the opposite of aging gracefully. Instead of constantly trying to convince my social circle (I don't have a social circle) that having the political, cultural, and artistic preferences of a 21-year-old means I still am one at heart, I engage in the much-healthier practice of spending every waking moment fantasizing being 21 or 18 or, shit, even 14 again. I know nobody really likes getting older. I also think that if everyone was as obsessive and self-loathing about it as I am, society would cease to function. My regrets and pining are definitely unhealthy, obsessive and all-consuming, but I don't really talk about them because there's no way it ends other than "Yeah, that sucks."

But a lot of the people in Freddie's comment section are saying things like "Once I realized I was fundamentally unimportant and my opinions didn't really matter, I could get down to raising my kids/doing my job, which matters more than my feelings." And maybe ten years from now I'll be OK with that. Hell, maybe I'll actually have kids, unlikely as that sounds now. Right now that mindset sounds like a self-administered lobotomy. Maybe I'd be OK with it if I'd actually lived it up in my teens and twenties, tried to become an actual person and discovered what I like about myself, instead of just vaguely Following Rules and assuming there was a payoff to that. Maybe I'd accept that there comes a point in life where my destiny is to be a good parent/worker and that necessarily implies shaving off the hard bits of your personality. Or maybe even the people who were good at being young struggle with getting old. Maybe our cultural/technological moment is just making that a struggle for everyone. Guess I'll never know.

But as we creep closer to no one's parents, then no one's grandparents, remembering a world without the eternal and all-consuming Now of the internet, I suspect I won't be the only one aging with a complete lack of grace, and I suspect we as a culture are completely unprepared to deal with it.

[goodluckclove]

I'm writing a new thing!! I don't really need advice I'm just excited about starting it. They're gay and one of them's a shapeshifter the other has a culturally engrained fear of shapeshifters given that as defenders of the wilderness/ basically very local gods they tend to fuck up anyone who's in their space. I also dong know how to start books which is an issue my beginnings are always weak. How do I start a book. Do I describe the sheep? He's a shepherd btw which I think is fun because the shapeshifter often takes the form of a wolf or coyote. It's also set in a relatively high fantasy setting (no elves and shit just weird magic and a different landscape) that vaguely corresponds to the late 17 or 1800s (they've got some guns i think, they ride horses and trains might exist). How do I start a book. What do I start with. Where do I start. There's no real solid beginning I've got in mind, just a dude trying to take his sheep over a large area on his own. Help please I do actually need advice

Well you see, Ghostie, everyone knows that the first sentence of a novel is the most important part of the entire story. It has to contain the main character's name - in fact, it has to contain the names of every character in your cast - and it has to provoke intrigue and resolve it in a satisfying way without being a too long and jesus christ i can no longer keep up this bit.

I'm annoyed by people who say you need to have a super profound first line. I mean, they're good when they happen. If you can think of one that's great. But if you can't you aren't fucked right off the gate. If your first line isn't something people will get calligraphed onto canvases to hang on the walls of their boring houses (Is this a thing? Did I just make up a type of person to hate?), it doesn't mean your beginning won't be good.

You want to hook the reader. That's what all the guides say, right? They describe a person picking your book off the proverbial shelf and leafing through the first page to see if it's something they'd be interested in. That's solid, but then some go on to make it seem like you have maybe ten words before they either buy the book or toss it across the room in disgust. I'm not saying this is never true. I'm just saying that, personally, that type of person is probably not someone who'd be interested in me or my stories to begin with.

Usually when I'm considering a new book I'll skim the first few pages and then a bit throughout the middle, just to see if I like the prose. I do not put that much weight in the beginning, but it's always a good sign when the general scene feels purposeful. It doesn't have to be a car chase/diamond heist/sex scene/murder. I read someone somewhere saying that you have to start with something exciting and it took like an hour off my life I was so angry.

Here's one out of a billion angles to tackle this puzzle from - where does the story start for you? What is the inciting incident to the inciting incident? This feels like something easy to answer, but oftentimes what you come up with might feel a little inconsequential.

A beginning scene - like, for instance, a prologue centered around only sheep and coyotes - does not necessarily sound interesting on its own. But in a world where shapeshifters usually take on those forms it both sets up the world and establishes a mood. You can play with how much information you give people in the world.

Using my book as an example because I've been watching my editor @hoard-sweet-hoard react to it in real time, at one point he commented that he didn't know if the Eddie in my initial prologue is the same guy as the Edgar in Chapter One. And I was like yeah man that's the whole goddamned point of the book you tiny little king of fools. I wasn't at all that mean. I made a really good sandwich for dinner so I'm feeling extra rowdy. But the point is that I focused less on the action and more on the feeling it would create in the reader.

With that mindset the action doesn't really matter. If it's mundane it can be comforting, or tiring, or numbing, or eerie, or unnerving. If it's far removed from the world we know it can be fantastical and whimsical and sexy, maybe? I don't know. God that sandwich was good. I'm getting really into bagels lately.

Also, from purely the perspective of a writer, you might think of a better beginning midway into the draft. So you can also go back and make a weak start much stronger. You can skip the beginning entirely if it's really fucking with your life. Come back to it later. Who will stop you? Me? I don't even know how to find you. And if I did, you could easily kill me. You have that vibe and I am very clumsy.

Also also start posting excerpts when you get going because that shit sounds rad as fuck.

My bagel had egg and bacon and a hash brown patty and caramelized onion. Man has done a lot of sin, but it is almost neutralized by the insight we once had to caramelize onions. They have a unique flavor that I can only describe as eating the house of a beloved grandmother? Or maybe just the way that house makes you feel?

Yum.

[deeply-unserious-fellow]

No okay bcuz actually I DO want to explain my thoughts from this post here because I love analyzing things and I think talking abt Vox's relationships thru the lens of "this is just like Buffy fr fr" could be fun :)

FIRST OFF: VoxVal as Spike & Drusilla. I do not know their ship name and tbh I'm probably never gonna talk about them again so whooooo cares. To state the obvious, in this situation Vox is Spike and Val is Dru. Now, it's been awhile since I've watched Buffy, but from what I remember, Spike & Drusilla really are THE toxic villain couple, in that they're both like. Not very good to or for eachother, all things considered, but goddamnit they love eachother SO MUCH- which really is the generous interpretation of Staticmoth. I'm not gonna go super in depth into the fucking. Is Staticmoth abusive debate rn. Because I have one million other posts that make my stance on that pretty clear I think. But the uh... nicer interpretation of their relationship is very much Spike & Drusilla I think. Like right down to the headcannon of Vox liking how Val's shit eyesight & temper tantrums makes him kind of dependent on him. Again, could be misremembering, but based off of how Spike was w/ Dru while she was weakened(and based off of how he rebounded w/ Harmony of all people 💀), I get the distinct vibe that, despite his frustrations, Spike did like having somebody relying on him the way Dru(and later Harmony) did. Vox def seems like the type of guy that would get a kick out of feeling Needed and Relied On(why else would he literally route the entire Pride rings power grid through himself-), and Valentino is. Well. Valentino. I'm not gonna go over their interaction before Stayed Gone because it makes me ~genuinely uncomfortable~ for reasons I have, once again, gone into in depth before, but suffice it to say that it's definitely in character for Vox to be into Val relying on him like that. Oh also, like somebody pointed out in the reblogs on the original post, the reason Spike & Dru broke up from s3 all the way to their reunion in s5 is that she cheated on him and that's. Yeah that sounds about right.

And second, the Staticradio twins: Spuffy and Spangel. Why the fuck did I call them the Staticradio twins? I don't know I'm tired as shit and just used most of my brain power on the VoxVal segment now get off my back- anyways, these two are actually pretty easy to explain so I'll just get right into it! Most of the similarities between Staticradio and Spuffy can really be summed up in the song Reat In Peace from Buffy's musical episode. One-sided, obsessive crush on someone who you know deep down will probably never reciprocate. You want them to just leave you the fuck alone and stay gone(hahahahahahahahah), but they just. Aren't. Like even the bits about being a dead guy without a heart beat are spot on because Vox is a motherfuckin DEMON who is a ROBOT!!!!!!! Also the Alastor Body Pillow fanon(which IS fanon. It is. I'm sorry to say but that wasn't a thing on the Instagrams y'all-) does line up with the uh. The Buffy sex bot- it does line up with the Buffy sex bot. Anyways moving on to the Spangel section-

"You were my sire man!" - Spike, to Angel, in his introduction episode. I don't remember if this was retconned in season 5(or 6?) to be Dru siring Spike? It might've been. But for the sake of this post lets pretend it wasn't. Angel was basically Spike's mentor for a lot of their time together pre-show. They ran around in their weird little vampire polycule causing problems for everyone and life was good! Then Angel got cursed. Bro got a soul and then ran away for years without a word to anyone. Then, cut to current day, and Spike is hyped to see him right up to the point he realizes Angel has Changed. And from that point onward to two are RIVALS!!!!! Narrative foils, even. And while it isn't exactly the same as Alastor and Vox's history, it's pretty damn similar right!? Al was(presumably) Vox's friend and mentor for YEARS, like to the point of being comfortable taking a picture with him. Then something happens between them, causing a rivalry to form. Throw somewhere in the mix Al's deal & him fucking off for 7 years... it's like the same pieces being put together in a new way to make a different puzzle. Is Rosie Darla in this analogy? Unclear. Val is still Dru though. Do y'all get where I'm coming from? It's far, FAR from the same thing, like there are so many fucking differences and that's just going off of the stuff we DO know(I want to know more god I can't wait for season 2-), but the dynamics ARE similar. They're narrative foils with a deep history w/ eachother where they were probably-definitely friends, something caused them to become RIVALS, and also one of them is cursed and dissappeared for several years-

Whoo boy this got kinda incoherent- Anyways, that brings me to my brand new fun and interesting point: Vox and Spike are kinda similar characters. They're both antagonists who wanna be Big Tough Scary guys so bad, and like. They are. They are big tough AND scary. Sometimes. But for the vast majority of their screen time, their emotions, capacity for love(no matter how twisted their version of love is), and the consequences of that love going wrong continually get the better of them and cause them to look to us, the audience, like silly pathetic wet cats we found on the side of the road. Then they get Weird about it(Vox's "rivalry" w/ Angel and the. Buffy sex bot.) and we remember oh yeah this guy is EVIL! They also both wear long jackets and are bisexual :)