#i can't believe I'm gonna have to sacrifice this dynamic

[tbob-enthusiast]

Messy school doodles HAHEHHE

Season 2 Robbie (not canon Robbie ofc, but rather the "S2" of my own fic which I may or may not ever finish). The lore is that his hair was MUCH longer than this, but it got shaved off due to Lore Reasons™ and now it's growing back :]

NOT STAN. That's my beta Dipper HAHEHHEE. My notes are just emphasizing how similar they look. Me, earlier today, drawing beta Dipper: "STAN PINES ?! 😨😮😮😨😨😨"

Perhaps. Gay people. I am thinking about it really hard fr

[xx-j4nu5-c4t5-xx]

"An ideal Sims game would have Sims 2's gameplay mechanics, Sims 3's open world, and Sims 4's graphics!"

I absolutely despise this take, and I want to explain why. This is a very long rant and it is full of piss and vinegar directed at everything in the Sims 4. I'm gonna try to keep everything kinda professional as much as I can but I can't guarantee an unbiased opinion.

If you'll let me talk your ears off for a moment, I'd like to explain, from my own experience as an artist and a casual player, my issues with the art style and direction of The Sims 4 compared to The Sims 2. (I'm not really going to comment on 3 because I've never played it.)

I want to start off by explaining the difference between better graphics and higher resolution. The Sims 4 absolutely blows Sims 2 out of the water when it comes to textures and polygon counts on sims, no contest. But I'd argue that the graphics themselves... aren't better. They're worse, even, so much fucking worse. The biggest problems come from the stylization and the animations, in my opinion, so I'll explain what I mean.

Have you ever felt like the Sims in 4 just look... weird? Not quirky, not kinda strange, but off. Distressing. Uncanny. Whatever the fuck the kids call it nowadays. When you strip away the packs and the CC and the shaders, the sims in the base game look bad. They're very close to being human; they walk like us, talk like us, have families like us, but they don't look like us, not exactly. There's always something off about them, no matter how close you try to get. Proportions will be a bit off, or your eyelashes will be like three polygons for some fucking reason, and the jig is up. The illusion is gone.

This is one of the instances where a higher resolution and more detailed models and meshes work against you. You aren't making believe. You are beyond the point of pretending that the pixelated shapes are real clothes and bodies and faces, because at this point, they're close enough that you don't need to. There's no gap to bridge. But that doesn't necessarily mean that they're lifelike, at least, not enough to be completely human. In some ways, they're still tethered to being cartoony and plasticky and fake. Just enough to frighten you. Enough to put you off. They're not using it to their advantage anymore, and instead, it's holding them back.

When the Sims 2 came out in 2004, the developers knew that they weren't going to make a perfectly accurate life simulator. They physically couldn't render every wrinkle in the face or fold in the clothing. In some animations, things clip strangely or the facial expressions are sort of janky or there's just some form of roughness around the edges. But that's okay; your brain doesn't need a perfectly accurate representation this time. That's not what you're here for, anyway.

The Sims 4 is basically Icarus-ing itself into disaster. The entire game sacrifices style for complete realism, a goal that was unachievable ten years ago, and is unachievable now.

The Sims 2 never thought of itself as a completely realistic life sim, though. It has cartoony, low poly meshes and exaggerated proportions and wild, raunchy storylines that would never occur in real life. BECAUSE IT ISN'T REAL LIFE. And it isn't like real life, not because it's failing to be, but because it doesn't want to be!

The Sims 4 is not ever going to completely replicate human looks or interactions or dynamics. And if it's trying to, it's doing a shit job of it. That shouldn't be the goal in the first place. If I wanted to watch a lonely college student talk to himself in the mirror to try and get better at interacting with people, I'd close the computer and go look at myself. It somehow highlights the most mundane parts of life without any of the whimsy and goofiness that the earlier installments had. It takes itself too fucking seriously for its own good, and it's killing both the gameplay and the art style.

The other point I'd like to bring up is the animation. The Sims 4 allows for much more customization of both sim and environments, but at the cost of dynamic animations. How many times is that grab animation reused? How many times is the same set of animations used for sims with wildly different personalities? Your sims barely feel alive with how little they express themselves.

Now, look, I'm a digital artist. I've dabbled in animation, but only briefly, and only in 2D. I've got no clue how 3D animation works, much less how it worked 20 years ago, but I can see the passion in every single animation in the Sims 2. The more niche interactions allowed for more expressive animations than in 4. They could afford to have a distinct animation for mean sims throwing the football extra hard to be assholes, rather than every sim using the same generic football-throwing animation to save time and money. I get where they're coming from. I get the idea. But in one move, you've both made the art style stiffer and less expressive, and you've made the personalities of the sims seem meaningless. Everyone acts the same, regardless of what their moodlets or their traits say. It's hollow. It's stifled. It's a waste of potential.

But for what Sims 2 lacks in polygons, it makes up for in smaller animated details. Quality over quantity. The sims have hair physics, they open the door before they get in the car, they take utensils out of the counters when they cook, they jump on the couch and the cushions smush under their weight. When they dance, the weight is realistic, and when they smile, it tugs at every one of the few dozen shapes that make up their faces. The sims are lively. They dance and sing and love and hate just like humans, and rather than being some strange attempt at mimicry, it's almost a tribute. They were made with love. You can tell that they were drawn up and rigged and animated by a bunch of people working together, studying each other and making faces in the mirror for reference and watching their kids and neighbors and dogs and hands for reference. The sims are not human, and not trying to be, but they're taking the most human parts of us and making them their own.

You could never have a game with the Sims 4's graphics and the Sims 2's gameplay. The gameplay and graphics are inexorably connected, and the Sims 2 just has so much glorious detail baked into it, that you could never really make it work underneath the limitations of the later games. The developers of 2 knew what their limits were, and they worked tirelessly to make the game as full and complex as they could within those limits. The developers for the Sims 4 just did not have those guidelines, and thus, the drive to bend the rules was no longer there. They didn't go wild in rebellion because they were never told they couldn't in the first place. They spent the entire time chasing a goal they couldn't meet, and lost sight of what made the series fun to begin with.

It wasn't the realism you came for; you had realism already surrounding you. It was the caricature of it that made it interesting.

[beanghostprincess]

Not to keep beating a dead horse so to speak, but circling back to how the anime handles the Shuggy breakup it is personally the first time I've fully understood people who say the manga is way better & the "true" story because on the whole I think the anime is a really good adaption....except for this omg. I haven't read the manga fully either yet so now I'm wondering what else got a totally different vibe than intended & how that colors the perception of the story & characters. For instance, I'm already seeing anime onlys completely misinterpret Buggy's feelings in the shuggy breakup probably because of how brief it was.

I've had arguments in comments sections about people who do not think Buggy wanted to be Pirate King himself & his anger with Shanks isn't tied to him secretly sacrificing his OWN dream to follow him. To me the manga made it very clear that Buggy was making a great personal sacrifice in order to stay with his friend & how that all ties into his own insecurities, but a ton of anime onlys only saw it as Buggy being a whiny baby & not realizing how deep of a conflict Shanks refusing to look for the One Piece was for them 😭 and it's so frustrating! They just think Buggy is being "ungrateful" for everything Shanks did for him. I'm tired of the Shuggy dynamic being viewed so one sidedly in Shanks's favor & Buggy's detriment because they both narratively hold equal amounts of significance to each other. We just haven't been allowed to explore Shanks's side of it...yet. Oda kept Shanks's face obscured for a reason I'm sure.

And since the anime didn't frame it correctly Buggy's speech to Cross Guild about reigniting your dreams & setting sail for Laugh Tale loses all seriousness & comes off as just another gag instead & it breaks my heart because in the Manga while there is humor in it Buggy's tears are REAL & you can literally feel the spirit of One Piece flow through his speech. That speech shows us Buggy is a TRUE pirate! He ALSO inhereted Roger's will! I could literally feel the "I'm gunna become king of the pirates" OST from the anime play as I read it, but the anime framed it like another one of Buggy's "upward fialures" 💔 and it breaks my heart anime onlys don't get that. Imagine if Luffy gave up on his dream & finally after 30 years decided to believe in himself again? Imagine If Usopp really did give up in Water 7 & we didn't see him find the will to believe in himself until 39 years later? Buggy is an example of forgotten dreams & a lesson on it never being too late to go after them.

So I completely agree with you that it doesn't matter how little panel time a moment gets because if Oda can convey all of THAT in like 3 panels then the anime can do so and then some in a minute or 2. I also can't help but think this will confuse viewers later on because I'm certain Buggy is going to get to do some really cool & meaningful stuff in the last arc & a lot of them will feel blindsided because the set up was executed weirdly.

Sorry for sending such a long post & feel free to ignore If ur tired of discussing this I just wanted to give you some validation &let you know you're not the only one who thinks this way. Adaptation has a lot more going into it than just copying manga panels & the a good anime should definitely know when to expand on brief scenes & how to set the correct mood for them.

Oh, please, if it's not a negative ask you can keep sending me stuff about the episode and the breakup all you want!!! I'm just tired of having to defend my opinion. As if it wasn't just that, an opinion. But I'm sooo open to talk about it!!

And you're right!!! It bothers me so much to just think about how Anime Onlys are going to perceive this episode... If Buggy is already misunderstood within the fandom, I can't imagine what's gonna happen now that HIS episode has gotten this awful pacing and explanation (I complain but I've watched the episode so many times already lmao)

People misunderstand their relationship so much and in such levels... I don't get it because it's literally right there. You can't miss it. They're canonically crucial for each other no matter how you see it. It IS mutual whatever they have going on. I know we don't have much of Shanks' POV but you don't even have to read between the lines to see it.

And Buggy being seen as whiny because he has... Feelings... And is emotional... After his whole life crumbles down... Idk about you but if I lived in my best friend's shadow for years and gave up on my dream to trust in his instead, and suddenly when our captain dies he says he won't follow it... I'd be pretty fucking emotional too tbh. I could defend Buggy all day long and explain his character, but I believe I've done that already... So many times... (I love it it's my favorite thing ever)

I love your comparisons to other characters giving up on their dreams because it's so real. Buggy is the representation of people who once gave up on their dream and now are getting the courage back to follow it again. His speech is so emotional I think I know it by heart at this point with how many times I've read this chapter. I always cry-- Every time-- And I'm sooo angry Toei made the episode for laughs basically. It frustrates me in unimaginable ways.

Buggy is gonna do something incredible and people will complain and say it was out of nowhere because his speech in the Anime seems for jokes and like one of his schemes to get away from his problems. But this man was literally having a breakdown in the middle of a torture session and made an impulsive, emotional decision that came from the depths of his heart, because he had been holding onto it for his whole life. That's what bothers me about the animation. The pacing is bad and the way they treat him is even worse...

Don't apologize!!!!! I loved reading this. You expressed yourself sooo well and in such a polite way!!! Basically, you wrote everything I thought about the episode and I'm so glad to finally talk to someone with my same views 😭💖💖

[greyskyflowers]

Finally caught up on Bleach TYBW (anime) and a need to discuss a potential idea.

~ More Ichigo and the Visored ~

⚠️ Please scroll past this if you're worried about spoilers for the anime ⚠️

So because the idea that some of the visored die so soon after they've finally gotten back to normal devastates me in ways I can't fully put into words, and because I will never get enough visored and Ichigo interactions/relationships, I think a canon divergent/AU type fic idea towards the end of the 2nd season would be so fun to explore.

As always I'm gonna add in some more instinctive traits that I like to imagine the visored have.

So, I'm really into the idea that Mayuri can save Rose and Kensei but he's not going to do it out of the good of his heart. He's got the thing he's doing with the zombie type stuff already so let's imagine he's can save them still somehow. Or that they're going to be fine and everything's fine, totally fine. They're all good

However, Ichigo would be a prize that would make saving them worth the trouble. This would be perfect opportunity. He'll heal Rose and Kensei if Ichigo agrees to go with him, they negotiate x amount of time. Maybe a week or whatever.

Even better, Ichigo agrees to this. No one can even say that Mayuri had taken him against his will or done something worth being stripped of captain because when Ichigo agreed. And Mayuri is even going to honor the time frame agreed upon. He knows that he's already pushing it with the deal tbh.

I personally can't believe there aren't more fics about Mayuri trying everything he can to get Ichigo in his labs for testing and observation.

But I want to focus on the visored and Ichigo with this.

Rose and Kensei wake up to the others and they all have a little time for themselves as a group because the idea of losing any of them is devastating and they almost did.

And maybe people still aren't panicking about Ichigo yet, everyone assuming he's with someone else, but that quickly changes. Because Ichigo isn't with Chad and Orihime, or Rukia and Renji, or Urahara, Ganju, etc. And people start to panic because where the fuck is Ichigo?

I like the idea that Mayuri just tells people when they get smart enough to side eye him after he's been strangely quiet about wasting resources on searching for someone like Ichigo.

He didn't do anything wrong, after all. He and Ichigo had made a deal. They will get Ichigo back after the allotted time is up.

So everyone is stuck waiting for the time to be up, hovering outside the 12 division in shifts, trying to keep Kisuke from destroying his old division in a breathtaking rage and attempting to convince Kenpachi to wait until they have Ichigo before killing the clown.

No one quite gets what happened though. What could Mayuri had offered that Ichigo wanted so bad?

And maybe only a few people figure it out, or maybe everyone does, but somehow the visored put together that Ichigo saved Rose and Kensei specifically.

What would that mean to people who were used to betrayal? Who probably only truly trusted or loved each other?

Sure, Ichigo is one of their. And I wish we got to see more interactions with them. Bleach has so many great relationships and dynamics that we never really dig into as much as I'd like. But he was so young and there was a slight disconnect between them because Ichigo hadn't been betrayed like they had, he hadn't been left to simmer in his anger for years like they had.

They're fond of him, more so than they are about most people, but they would never had asked this of him. Or ever have even expected it. And that makes it even worse because Ichigo didn't need them to ask, he just did it.

There are certain people are Ichigo's, his to protect and love and sacrifice for. His sisters, Chad, Orihime, Uryu, Rukia, Kisuke, the Visored, and more.

So Mayuri had the ability to save people that Ichigo considers his and he didn't even have to think about it.

Of course he'd let Mayuri do his experiments on him, as long as Rose and Kensei would be okay. Because Ichigo also knows that it's going to destroy the other visored to hear that they're gone.

When the time period is up, Ichigo comes stumbling out of the 12th like he's drunk, clearly hurt, and starting to fall only to immediately be swept up and away by one or more of the visored.

There are many people who want to see Ichigo, to check on him and make sure he's okay but they all step back and allow the visored a chance to have him first.

They have a wildness to their eyes that doesn't have anything to do the gold in them and they seem darker, right on the edge of being cruel if they deem it necessary.

No one is going to touch Ichigo when he's hurt and vulnerable because of them.

So everyone steps back and lets them be the ones to get him first.

They have a room they consider safe and comfortable, far enough away to have some privacy but close enough that no one was going to throw a fit about Ichigo being too far away.

They hover when someone from the 4th comes in to check Ichigo and they make their intentions of being alone with him known to anyone who's brave enough to check on them.

They settle around the room with lips curled back to show teeth and eyes glowing, looking like the monsters they try so hard to not be. Their bodies sink into the shadows of the room and golden eyes focus on their youngest, hurt and passed out on a little futon in the middle of the room.

And to add to it, I think something about not being able to heal everything because they don't know what Mayuri gave him and how it will react to kaido, so he's just bandaged up for the time being.

Chad, Orihime, Rukia, Kisuke, and others keep everyone away and guard the room. Even though they would love to see Ichigo and make sure he's okay, they know that the visored need him more right now.

They make sure food and water is regularly provided and try to not look when the door opens enough for a hand to reach out and grab the supplies.

They looked once when the door cracked open and they just saw darkness and gold, a growled warning that went all the way down to their bones and had them snapping back around and pretending they hadn't seen anything.

Ichigo smells like blood and salt and hurt. It burns their noses because he's supposed to smell like warmth and power and Ichigo. Like pack.

He eventually wakes up and, because it's Ichigo, the first thing he focuses on is how happy he is to see Rose and Kensei are okay. How happy he is to see that they're all okay.

He smiles but it doesn't sit quite right on his face because he's still bruised and hurt. They yell at him, calling him everything they can think of and trying to make sure it's drilled into his head that he should never do something like that again.

He knows they've been staying there with him though, can tell by the state of the room that they haven't left him. They look rough, exhausted but with a fresh burst of energy from him waking up.

He can hear the thank yous in-between their lectures and complaining. He can feel the affection in the way they keep looking him over, all of them close enough to jump into action if he needed them. He knows they say don't ever do that again but they mean we will never put you in that position again, and god you're a fucking idiot but they mean god you're our fucking idiot.

There's still a small smile on his face, and he says he'd do it all over again.

-------------------

1.) I'm fucking obsessed with Senjumaru. She's perfect. Her character design is beautiful, her bankai is incredible, and she could stab me with needles and I'd say thank you.

2.) I'm also enjoying Askin a lot? I've honestly found most of the quincy characters annoying as fuck but I'm enjoying him so far.

[makedonsgriva]

Hi, do you mind if I ask, what do you think are Damen and Laurent’s greatest personality strengths and weaknesses? Why? What do you love about their dynamic? Thanks if you want to answer....

HI! Thanks for this ask because I have SO MANY thoughts, feelings and emotions about these two princes, it will take a lifetime for me to get it all out of my brain. Anyways, here we go:

Damen

In my opinion I think Damen's greatest personality strength is his unwavering optimism, will power and courage. Man was shipped to the enemy nation as a slave to his biggest enemy and he came back to his own nation to fight for his right with the said enemy ending up as his lover???? I don't think anyone understands the sheer INSANITY of this situation. Like I am being 200% honest here, I would have survived not a day in Vere had I been in Damen's position so y'know I gotta admire my man's sheer power of will and courage and hope.

As for his greatest weakness I feel like it can be attributed to his impulsiveness. Once angered, it is very difficult for him to assess the situation and take action calmly. He is hot headed and violent. And we see this impulsiveness of him getting him in trouble multiple times in the series.

Laurent

I think it's easy to say his biggest strength is that beautiful, boggling, labyrinthine brain of his. Laurent is smart. And when I say smart, I mean every letter of it. He uses his wits, he relies on his cleverness and he is not afraid to play dirty to win unlike his righteous husband. He knows that to fight twisted and sick people like his uncle, he has to come up with more twisted plans of his own. You gotta love a smart motherfucker.

His greatest weakness has to be his complete inability to ask for help and rely on others. Although I can't completely blame Laurent for this since as soon as Auguste died, he found himself surrounded by people who only wanted to take advantage of him. He HAD to be self reliant. Yet, just when I started to believe that he might be starting to trust Damen to take his help and win alongside him, he turned himself in to his uncle in Kings Risng lmaoo like I get the self sacrifice and there was no other way or what not but jfc my dude you don't have to do everything by yourself.

Lamen

Every other book I have read has rivals or maybe like one of them dislikes the other while the other person is "I never actually hated you." And I get the charm of it okay, I love that trope too but Captive Prince? The enemies to lovers we get is ELITE. We go from two dudes wanting to VISCERALLY end each other to ready to die for each other. From the absolute hatred, lack of trust, various murder and torture attempts to forgiving each other and falling in love. Realising that whatever the other did was justified and the only thing they can do is move past it. Overcoming all that hurt and pain to build something so strong, beautiful and intimate. That's THE SHIT okay. That's what makes Laurent and Damen's dynamic so special. The way they both grow together and come together to become an unstoppable force. They help each other so much, both in terms of achieving their respective goals and to have great character developments. They bring out the best in each other and fill in the weaknesses of the other. Damen is impulsive but Laurent knows how to reign him in. Laurent doesn't know how to accept help but Damen is there for him every step of the way. From reluctant allies to friends to lovers to divorced era to I'm gonna die for this man, they have it all. Captive Prince has the BEST enemies to lovers arc of all the books I've read till date. PERIOD.

This really got me yapping I'm sorry lmao!!! But yeah here we go. Hope you liked this!

[ilions-end]

finished euripides' iphigenia among the taurians (david kovacs translation)! thoughts that might be even more disconnected than usual because insomnia's a bitch:

the parallels to euripides' helen are everywhere, but the biggest similarity for me is that both are variants of their respective myths that i'm personally NOT that into narratively because it feels like they soften or remove the more uncomfortable elements of central mythological conflicts (what if helen never went to troy/what if agamemnon didn't actually kill iphigenia) .... which is why it's aggravating that THE PLAYS THEMSELVES ARE SO ENJOYABLE. euripides you SNEAK why did you make them engaging!!

like how it forces me to recontextualize iphigenia -- no longer a noble but helpless child, but a woman with guile and initiative. how euripides places her in a story where she can and must use what agency she has! it's so interesting

the age thing is actually really wild to contemplate because in most scenes, iphigenia is demonstrably the eldest. she last saw orestes when he was a baby and they make a point of how pylades wasn't even born yet at the time of iphigenia's sacrifice

the dynamics have all shifted, she's enslaved, she's a victim, but also the one with enough knowledge and initiative to find a solution and save everyone when the men's violence has failed!

i kept thinking about how the play handles blame. like how iphigenia pretends to hold ALL greeks accountable for her fate and deserving of punishment, and you'd ASSUME she hates her father, but in her heart she only blames helen, menelaus and odysseus. she can't bring herself to hate her mother even after learning about the events of the oresteia. likewise, she seems to be unsure WHO she is really sacrificing humans for, if it's artemis or the taurians, and if she can be deemed culpable when she's forced to perform them.

orestes slaughtering the cows thinking they're furies, ahh!! extremely ajax-coded. and it seems he has recurring episodes but always comes to his senses again, painfully self-aware that he's had a recent lapse of cognition. not just ajax-coded but a surprisingly realistic and empathetic observation of psychosis. i keep thinking about that.

"But the other foreigner wiped the foam from [Oreste's] face, protected his body, and shielded blows [...] as they fell, and helped his friend with loving attentions." PYLADES PYLADES PYLADES THE MAN THAT YOU ARE <3<3<3

i kept assuming this play was set sorta mid-oresteia seeing as orestes is still pursued by furies, but they made it clear this is AFTER his trial and apparently some furies just didn't accept the verdict and was like "you can do what you want, i'm gonna keep torturing him" to athena?? that's hilarious

i LOVE how snippy and dismissive orestes is when iphigenia first questions him. usually a scene like that would be (intentionally) frustrating because you WANT THEM to realize who they're talking to SO BAD, but orestes being understandably grumpy and unhelpful talking to the priestess who means to kill him is so enjoyable on its own.

AND THEN THE REVEAL WAS SO SATISFYING!!! pylades just turning around and giving orestes the letter immediately. PYLADES YOU'RE SO FUNNY I LOVE YOU

it's so heartbreaking to compare orestes and electra's reunion in the libation bearers -- how instinctual their recognition of each other is -- with how challenging it is for iphigenia and orestes to believe that they have that bond and are who they say they are. and i know those are different authors and different sibling dynamics but i love how the more plays i read, the more emotionally involved i become in these characters!!

i fucking lost my mind at how the minute orestes and pylades were alone together, orestes asks "Pylades, in heaven's name do you feel the same as I do?" because my immediate read was that he was asking WHAT ARE WE and that they were gonna kiss about it. (they do in the production i have playing in my mind)

"O daughter of Leto, bring me, your priestess, safely back to Hellas from this barbarian land! Forgive my theft! You too, goddess, love your brother; you must expect that I love mine." OMGGGG i got goosebumps that's so GOOD!!

[oh-three]

TBB S3E15:

HOUR LONG FINALE. I should've woken up sooner.

This week's opening titles >>>>

That thing actually slashed Wrecker's chestplate open, though. Youch.

"Because I was wrong about this place. And…I'm trying to do the right thing." Ayyy, you go, Emerie.

Lmaooo, they reprogrammed the droid, that's amazing.

Wonder what the difference between the commandoes in gray and the plain ones are. Just guard detail?

Oop, Echo and Emerie are about to be very confused.

GO FREE, ZILLO. GET 'EM.

YAY.

Echo caught onto Omega's plan quick, that's good.

"This puts him to sleep?" I feel you, Jax.

Crosshair's hand shaking the longer he looks at the patrol 😭

Wrecker, you are not fine.

"Clone Force 99 died with Tech. We're not that squad anymore." 😭 😭

Ayyy, you tell him, guys. Cross ain't allowed to sacrifice himself.

Man, that Zillo got out fast. Good for it.

Wrecker and Hunter knowing that Omega let it free when Echo was the one who did the diversion last finale is crazy to me.

Jax being afraid of heights is so real of him. I love this kid.

Oh, shit, Hemlock's kind of planning on letting the Batch in. That's…not good. Wonder what he has in store for them.

UNMASKED-FROM-BEHIND ASSASSIN.

HE LET ALL OF THE ASSASSINS OUT.

Y'know, some of these fellas are looking a little different. One of them has to be Tech. CX-2, probably. Still a bit too much focus on him.

DID CX-2 JUST CUT OFF CROSSHAIR'S HAND????????

That went so wrong so fast.

Batch comm signals "Havoc #" confirmed.

GOOD TIMING, ECHO.

"Hey, kid….and other kids." 🤣

Oh. Hemlock's trying to turn the Batch into assassins themselves.

Echo is not going easy with that trigger today. Good, he shouldn't.

"Hey, kid. What's going on?" / "We're breaking out." Oop, that includes Rampart again. And Nala Se.

"Clones don't leave our brothers behind." Ayyy, Echo speech time! I love him so much.

Nala Se acknowledging that Omega belongs with the Bad Batch >>>

RAMPART, WHERE ARE YOU GOING.

Ooooh, Tarkin's coming.

Oh, Rampart…

An operative on guard. Right. And now the prisoners are all dying 😭

Rampart planning on blackmailing his way back to Vice Admiral--oop, now he's fucking dead. Lbh, there was no redeeming him.

YES, WRECKER.

Why the fuck did Hemlock just steal CX-2's arm buttons for?

I was about to say that poor CX-2 was in rough shape, but what the fuck, Hunter. Guess that theory's debunked. 😭

Wrecker's not looking so hot.

WET HAIR HEMLOCK.

WET HAIR HUNTER!!! TOOK THEM LONG ENOUGH.

This is gonna be Crosshair's redeeming moment. Just watch.

Oooh, Hemlock sounds scared.

GET HIM.

FINALLY.

The fact that Omega hugged Crosshair first 😭

JUST IN FUCKING TIME. YOU'RE TOO LATE, TARKIN.

"Redistribute all funding to Project Stardust." Lmao. Saw that one coming.

Pabu really is a clone safe haven, isn't it?

"Our lives have never really been our own." / "Until now." These two have such a great dynamic.

Last week, I thought I'd accepted that Tech was finally gone, but…god, it hurts. He really is gone, isn't he?

Echo's never going to stop fighting, is he? I love him for it, but…

The fact that Crosshair successfully shot the binders off of Hemlock and Omega earlier with only one hand astounds me.

WE GET OLDER OMEGA?!?!?

GRAY HAIR HUNTER?!?!?! WITH A BEARD? He's put on some weight, he looks healthy and happy 😭

Omega following in Echo's footsteps and joining a rebellion 😭

SHE'S TALLER THAN HIM 😭

She still has Lula and Tech's goggles 😭

"She'll be fine." ❤️

Tech really is gone…but the others got their happy ending because of his sacrifice. Dudeeeee, the ending was so good, I want to cry. I can't believe it's over.

[natasha-in-space]

I got a yoosung angst prompt cuz its fun to put the most sunshine guy through the worst traumas

How do you think his relationship will mc be post Bad Ending 3. Yeah its the ending where Unknown kidnaps and tortures him. Lets assume that he eventually got rescued and nearly died in the process (cuz Unknown badly hurt him in a fit of rage) but he survives....he lives

But whats gonna be after that how the whole ordeal is gonna affect his relationship with his S/O because it is going to be tough for both the parties. Ofc yoosung who was directly affected by the ordeal will need alot of therapy, and love and support. But it was quite tough for mc too.... if anything yoosung route does, it shows us the fact that losing a loved one is traumatic, nearly losing one too as well and MC also was traumatised and is guilt ridden (maybe i should have tried harder to stop him had i knew this would happen is a constant thought in her head) she also becomes somewhat protective of him because he has been through enough and deserves to get the best of the world.....but while mc is well intentioned in her actions....it somehow stings Yoosung, he is the one who should be protecting her, he should be the proactive one in the relationship....thats what he thinks. It makes him feel small....besides he can also see her running herself thin for him....and he just wants to not be a burden to her...

I rambled alot im sorry but i wanna see your take. As always i just wanna let you know I love your writing

Well, the unfortunate thing that I just can't help but bring up is that... Bad Ending 3 happens due to the player's (MC's) actions. That's not how it works in real life, of course, but with the structure of MM's storyline, that's how it plays out, and that's how it's meant to be interpreted by the player. In that ending, MC prioritizes themselves first, and encourages Yoosung self-sacrificial tendencies for their own benefit (or, well, safety, to be more exact). MC's actions are what led Yoosung to sacrifice himself in that ending in the first place. And that's also the reason behind his seeming resolve with what Unknown is putting him through in the aftermath.

'It's okay. I'm protecting them. They wanted me to keep them safe. So they wouldn't be scared. I need to stay strong for them. I'm doing this for them. Because I love them. Because I don't want to be in the dark and not do anything like it happened with Rika.'

So both sides of the argument are dealing with a messy tangle of emotions to deal with. And if you do want to imagine a better resolution to all of this, it'll probably involve a lot of conversations between the two.

Your dynamic between each other is unbalanced in that particular ending. And that's something that needs to be fixed. MC should take more care of Yoosung's well-being first before their own and believe in him, while Yoosung needs to work on his anxious attachment style.

It is difficult, though, because Yoosung's worst traits got the best of him as a direct result of MC's actions. The situation is pretty similar to those who want to imagine a better solution to Jumin's 2 Bad Ending. While it's possible, it needs to be acknowledged that MC is the one who needs to put most of the work in.

In my opinion, what would their relationship be like? Well, if we assume that MC does feel guilty for everything that happened, that's a lot of emotional baggage to deal with. Yoosung got hurt. Bad. Both physically and mentally. And he'll probably dismiss it too. It's important to remember that in this particular ending, he's devoted to you to an unhealthy extent. Not the same as in his 1 Bad Ending, but in a very self-sacrificial way. He'll probably just smile at you and say that he's happy you're safe. That that was the only thing he ever wanted. And that he held out for so long because he remembered what you told him, and how scared you were.

So... it's a pretty heavy situation for MC to be in. It's one thing to have your loved one disregard their well-being for you, but it's completely different when it's the direct consequence of your own actions.

Many apologies need to be made. Even if Yoosung doesn't understand why you're apologizing to him. Lots of talks to be had. And lots of very slow and steady progress to be made.

It's possible to come up with a better resolution to this mess. But it'll require a lot of work and patience from both MC and Yoosung. It does make a very interesting story to think about, though!

[muddyorbsblr]

monthly wrap-up :: june 2023

Welcome to the June 2023 wrap up! I didn't expect that I would be reading so much for other characters but putting this list together made me realize I may have been whoring on the side for some other characters (potentially actors too because I can't lie those pics of Seb at the Loewe event did things to me full stop--).

The year's halfway through and I honestly can't believe how this year feels like it's flying by but also not moving fast enough because honestly I swear on my life I was just working on the 14 Days project a few weeks ago but also apparently it over four months ago?? Nothing makes sense 🥴

Anyways, here's all the stories I've made and consumed over the last month. Please go and shower these authors with all the love, they're amazing and deserve the world. 💖💛

Everything under the cut…and here's probably the best way to summarize what June 2023 was like in a single photo:

Loki x Reader

Coins and Revenge by @fictive-sl0th

The entire premise of this story had me dangerously bouncing at the edge of my seat. The tension and the yearning just created this amazing high-stakes tender love story in the making between future King of Asgard Loki and Forsaken Princess/Assassin YN. And pls the way he looked for her by combing through the minds of the city dwellers?? Pure unmitigated dedication right there. 👏👏

Filling a Void by @lokisgoodgirl

Ragnarok!Loki x Reader x President Loki is a threesome dynamic I didn't realize I needed in my life but now it's just got me staring at the ceiling thinking all the thots about it 🥴

Imagine: Tony tricking Loki into taking Viagra… by @sserpente

Shameless smut with a side of fluff? Sign me tf up 🥴👏👏 Honestly is there a queue for the "seven hours in Valhalla with Loki" experience because I would very much like to sacrifice my sanity for that--

Tropical Tension by @lokis-dark-queen

Besties to lovers on a vacation in Aruba, body shots, and some tender yet filthy smut?? Sign me tf up. I'm usually such a slow reader it's embarrassing, but I ate this up!

Teasing the Dragon by @sarahscribbles

All I can say is do not read before bed or you will go to sleep with horny…unless that's what you want. Edging for nearly an hour followed by overstimulation?? Restrained by Loki's magic?? Loki ripping your shirt with his bare hands?? Lemme know where I can sign up for this 👀 💳💥💳💥

You're Late by @lokisgoodgirl

Intentionally making herself late and playing a dangerous game with Loki? When I tell you my brain was running so many laps at the end of this piece just imagining how he kept her up all night 🥴🫠

Resurrected Love by @holdmytesseract

This story managed to put me in the strange position of sad and thirsty at the same time over the image of Loki having stubble. The angst with the flashbacks hurt me right in the feels but everything else had me squealing and melting and cheering at the end. 🥹💖

Wash Day with Loki by @mysecretlittlelibrary

Peak domestic bliss vibes in this piece, I can't say anything other than I love how cozy it all felt 🥹

Close to You by @michelleleewise

I'm still hurting over this ngl 🥲 Miscommunication trope and the subsequent lashing out gave angst that hurt so good but Loki better be treating her like a queen after this or else we're gonna have words 🙂

keeping Loki waiting in Sakaar ask by @sarahscribbles

It is borderline criminal for a drabble this short to have me staring at the ceiling from the smut 😩

Altar by @chubbyreaderchan

When I tell you this is peak banger after banger smut, and that title has more meaning than you think 🥴🫠

Too Darn Hot by @lokis-little-fawn

Triggering Loki's breeding kink and also some peak use of his naturally colder Jotun anatomy for some creative ways to cool down in the hot Asgard summer? When I tell you I sprinted laps after this--🥵

The Ceremony by @smolvenger

Loving fiance-turned-husband Loki and some bedding ceremony smut. No you heard me right. Bedding ceremony. With chanting. God help me I needed to run a few kilometers when I finished this--🫠

A Gentlemen's Bond by @lokisgoodgirl

Listen. When LGG posts something you know you're in for a good time. But this was…above and beyond. This absolute queen wrote a foursome smut shot with the same Loki & Agent from 'A Gentlemen's Agreement' and had me clutching walls and screeching at an ungodly hour of my mornight. 🥵🥵🥵 …And also still has me wondering if Steve has something he'd like to share with the class 😂😏

Asgard by @oliwrites

A besties to lovers with an adorable love confession and a smut scene that had a line that shot me out of a cannonball and straight dead into the water 🥴🫡

Behind the Pollen by @hollyiswritinglokiagain

This one took me all the way OUT 🥵😮‍💨 Soft doting boyfriend Loki turned horny boyfriend Loki with size kink and back again?! I wasn't ready and I'm still thinking about the bit with the stomach bulge HELP--

Spicy by @lotsoflokilove23

Soft smut with a 'willing to wait until you're ready' vibes Loki that was just the softest horny lil muffin the entire way through goddamn I'm still soft over this one--

King Henry V x Reader

Arise Fair Sun by @smolvenger

Mutual pining + a balcony confession + A KITH??? Disney take notes because this is how you write a love confession scene that will have your audience outright swooning 🫠

Magnus Martinsson x Reader

petting zoo drabble ask by @ladyfluff

Just the image of the precious meow meow being a dad is enough to have me melting, but mix that in with a petting zoo setting? I am a puddle because it's so fluffy 🥹

Thomas Sharpe x Reader

Reading While He Works by @foxgloveprincess

Peak adorable domestic bliss vibes in the Victorian Era with Thomas being a reassuring lil meow meow that just wants to have his wife around even if they just sit in comfortable silence? Lemme just…melt real quick 🫠

Coriolanus x Reader

The One I Desire by @five-miles-over

The grumpy x sunshine was so strong in this and the way this gave us a feisty sunshine reader was just the ultimate vibe for me 👏👏 And the dream?? 🥵 Yet another story that has me wanting more of this couple 💖

Tom Hiddleston x Reader

Falling Star by @mochie85

Tom being immediately infatuated with YN and seeing her as a calming presence on such a nerve-wracking night? Yes pls sign me all the way up. And that ending omg 🥴🫠

For England by @lokischambermaid

Soccer Aid Hiddles smut. Latex dress. A touch of potentially years long pining from Tom's end. I'm not kidding I needed to sprint a good 3km after reading this and I still didn't cool down. "Then bend" has me in a chokehold and I may or may not be putting on my running shoes again just thinking about it 😮‍💨😮‍💨

Bucky x Reader

Safe and Sound by @witchywithwhiskey (part 2 here)

Pretty sure this is the part where I shamelessly tell y'all I have a thing for the dbf trope 🥴🫡 And the way that this delivers and then some 👏👏 Part 1 had me melting for how he just comforted her without hesitation, and Part 2 had me kicking my feet and squealing and squirming from the dirty talk and how he checked in with her and the love confession 🥵🫠

Wanderlust by @mochie85

A pining best friend Bucky agreeing to go on a potential months long road trip with Reader to make sure she keeps safe?? And also resisting the urge to touch and kith the dimple?? The pining is immaculate in this drabble and has me wanting more 🥹💖

Pure of Heart by @rookthorne

Another best friend Bucky and this was so full of tender lil moments all before the fluffy ending that had me hitting the pillow from how cute these two were. And to top it all of: doggos!! 💖🫠

no more losers by @witchywithwhiskey

Face riding + they were roommates?? Scorching hot smut with a reveal at the end that gave this just the right amount of fluff that had me melting into my seat 👏👏

On the Edge by @sidepartskinnyjeans

I was living for the slutty banter between these two while they were edging each other with her wand 🥵🥵🥵 Honestly thank goodness I started reading Bucky stories otherwise I wouldn't have found this masterpiece of filth 👏👏

Devour by @frostironfudge

Mafia boss vibes with vacation hornies really had me clutching pillows and staring at the wall. It should be illegal for drabbles to be this hot honestly 🥵😮‍💨

Sherlock Holmes (Cavill) x Reader

drunken sex ask by @imyourbratzdoll

Drunk, tender, and feral Sherlock got my brain cells struggling to do anything except conjure up many many thots 🥵

Fingerprints by @tadhana-writes

A flustered Sherlock and a story where the case details have me wanting more 👏👏

Clark Kent/Superman x Reader

You're My To-Do List by @hannibals-favourite-meal

Domestic bliss with hornies…and it's Cavill's Superman, do I really need to say more 🥴🫡

Ari Levinson x Reader

her lifeguard ask by @imyourbratzdoll

Loyal bf Ari entertaining thoughts of drowning the people making his lil baby feel insecure and then proceeding to fuck the insecurities out of her?? On the beach?? Where anyone could walk by and see them?? I'm weak 🫠

be quiet for me ask by @imyourbratzdoll

dbf!Ari with a touch of fluff got me weak. (and also got me realizing I have the biggest soft spot for this trope aaaaaaaa 🫠)

her favorite truckdriver and his favorite camgirl ask by @imyourbratzdoll

This had me moving up a book with a similar trope (OF Creator FMC x Single Dad MMC) a good few spots on my book TBR because holy fuckque it's so good and I need more 🥵🫠

You Said I Was Your Favorite by @frostironfudge

The angsty start of this had me clutching the wall from the hurt omg, but the smutty ending had me just staring at the ceiling for a good while 🥴🫡

Stepdad!Ari showing you adult movies ask by @evansbby

Conflicted reader having an internal war between her hornies and her rational thinking really got me on this one. Like I'm living for her intrapersonal dynamic and I'd love to see which side would win out in the end 😳🫡

Kraven x Reader

The Hunter by @sidepartskinnyjeans

Primal kink. Forest smut. If this is the type of top shelf smut content we get from just the trailer, I better ready some ice water and new running shoes for October when we get the entire movie 🥵🫠

You Better Run by @cockslutpadalecki

Primal kink and restraints?? I wouldn't wanna be taken off his list, either 🥵🫡

Thomas Sharpe x Reader

the final Lady Sharpe part 3: unorthodox signals

Loki x Reader

what makes a princess

Tom Hiddleston x Reader

a sizing mishap a tale of ice baths and hot sauce

idek what this is except crack

the best view in Old Trafford (aka Grass POV)

[bluemallow-log]

LH Witch Hunt AU for the wip game??

OMG! Hi!!!

I didn't expect someone would ask me about my WIP, particularly that one 😳😳😳

Well, just like the name suggests, it's a Levihan story that is set during the mass hysteria of witch-hunting in the Middle Ages.

I think I was inspired after watching season 2 of A Discovery of Witches TV Series, so this idea has been in my draft for quite some time (the document itself dates back to January 2021).

So, what is this AU about?

(I will explain my ideas in bullet points to make them more organised)

At first, I wanted to set the story in a fantastical medieval era, with Levi as a witch hunter and Hange as a witch. I even made a freaking detailed lore for the world LMAO (from the world-building to the power system). I took a lot of details from the canon story and modified them by adding some elements of magic and witchcraft.

However, after many hours of thinking and doing some research, I decided to forgo the fantasy element entirely. I was thinking of approaching the story more realistically. Since the history of witch hunting is very closely related to how society viewed women and religion back then, I found myself more interested in exploring those themes (women who do not fit the standard and blind trust in religion).

The story still sets in middle age, but I still don't know which decade precisely.

Levi is a witch hunter, and I was thinking that he's part of some special force in the kingdom that specialises in witch hunting.

Hange is just an ordinary young woman who lives alone in the woods. She works as an apothecary in the town.

I decided to make Miche and Hange half-siblings here (I was inspired by Isayama who originally wanted to make them related). I just think it would offer me an interesting opportunity to explore their relationship.

Miche is a witch hunter as well, he works with Levi (and Erwin). However, in my head, he's pretty secretive with his personal life, so both Levi and Erwin are not aware that Miche has a younger sister (Hange)

The first chapter will go something like this: Levi and Erwin are lost in the woods, it is already dark so they are thinking of waiting (camping) until sunrise. But then they find a small cottage and decide to ask whether they can stay for the night.

That's where Levi (and Erwin) meet Hange for the first time

Since Hange lives alone, has various herbs around her cottage, owns two cats, and acts quite "eccentric", perhaps it makes both Levi and Erwin a bit suspicious of her

Anyway, somewhere down the line, Hange will be accused as a witch and she will be forced to take an unfair trial (which will lead her to be burned alive).

I think, by that point, Levi who is already fond of her (they have become quite close), will be helpless. I still don't know for sure, but maybe he is in a dilemma, like he feels both anger (thinking that he was "bewitched" by her) and also pity (he can't stand seeing her being tortured). Also, deep down, I think he does not want to believe that she's a witch

Perhaps Levi will experience intense inner turmoil. Questioning all the things that he was taught as right + maybe his hatred/trauma toward all the witches.

He wants to save her but what if she's actually a witch? 😫

I thought it would be interesting if Miche is against the idea of Levi and Hange being close? I still have no clear idea what's the reason, but I want to write a somehow tense dynamic between Miche and Levi :3

I also think that Miche will try so hard to prove that Hange is innocent (even though it will cost him his position in the kingdom). However, Hange does not want to drag him into this, so maybe she will somehow sacrifice herself to protect Miche.

The main pairing in this story will be Levihan (duh), but I also want to explore Miche and Nanaba's relationship, so MicheNana will be the secondary pairing (originally, I made Nanaba a servant in the palace, but I probably gonna change it).

Maybe there will be other pairings, but I'm still not sure. In my old draft (the fantasy one), I included Yumihisu and Aruani (but idk whether I will include them in the new story, I don't even know if I will include the 104th kids).

The idea is still very raw and messy. I haven't even done anything to this story for years. However, I do want to explore this idea in the future. So, perhaps I will revisit this again later :)

Also, because I was extra af, I made a map for this story HAHA (please excuse the poor graphic)

Apparently, I also saved some medieval clothing references (what can I say, I love fashion and I love history)

So yeah, I guess that's all :D

Sorry for the long-ass answer (I couldn't stop myself from info dumping XD). If you have any questions, feel free to ask me!

Anyway, thank you for asking me about this idea of mine! I actually really adore this idea and so I'm happy that I get to yap about this HAHA. I really appreciate it :D

Have a nice day!! 💖💖💖

[reneeub]

I can't believe I missed out on Lockwood and co bc I thought it's another silly monster hunting in victorian London show. It's such a good show (and it's a book adaptation!)

I absolutely love the world they're in. More wordbuilding should make use of "modern world but something went wrong along the way"

It's modern but the technology is kinda backwards, they have no smartphones (I personally dislike phones in fantasy settings so I'm really happy) and have to do research in the library, THEY USE SPADES WHICH IS SO COOL, like YEAH why not make swords relevant again, it's fantasy and they are great and it makes the world feel so original and real bc of that.

Also the whole economy (?) of the world, that young people are the only ones that can sense the ghosts so they're being used to protect everybody else (and die along the way but it's called a noble sacrifice, of course). It's so messed up. Which makes it so compelling.

All the politics between the different kinds of agencies and teasing with conspiracy theories that there's something the agents don't know about was also great (and it would probably be even better in season 2 if the show wasn't canceled)

I loved Lockwood, Lucy and George. Especially the fact that they're all crazy in some way and you can see that. Lockwood with his reckless plans, Lucy with her compassion to ghosts and George with his social awkwardness. They're all so lovely and love each other so much it warms my heart.

Characters and plot related thoughts under the cut

Tbh I thought George was gonna die pretty quickly bc characters like him (third wheels to another characters that have a dynamic that's more focused on) are often created to die for shock value, so it was interesting that he didn't and moreover, his plot line was dedicated to showing that he feels like a third wheel and how he deals with that which led to him befriending (?) that older woman. What the hell was that. This whole relationship made me so uncomfortable (which was most likely the point but still UGH)

Before I watched the show I saw some Kanej and Locklyle comparisons and yeah, they're pretty similar on first look but I'm so glad that's where it ends. I love both Kaz and Inej but Lockwood and Lucy are their own characters.

Lockwood is a genius but he relies more on his charisma than longtime planning. He would never get the reputation Kaz has. He's got big ego, he's self-sacrificial, he doesn't have trouble with showing his people he cares about them.

Lucy is so much different than Inej that I won't even compare them. She's great on her own, I wanna hug her and I'd trust her with my life.

I can't believe they ended the season just before showing us what's in Lockwood's room. My guess was that it's gonna be his parents in some form (bodies/sources) but I guess I'll go read the books now to find out

[feralyrica]

I am MELTING ON THE FLOOR over how much i love the entire Horizons cast a;dslfjk like losing ash is still. very bittersweet. but every single character in the new series is like engineered to appeal to me and it's Very Rude

(gonna go off about everyone below the cut bc i need to scream into the void for a bit)

so first off Liko?? little anxious baby, freezes up from overthinking, a DRASTIC change from past characters and a very bold choice for the like main protagonist but one that feels necessary to really differentiate this new series from the old,, then her (over)willingness to sacrifice herself (please, sweetheart, please get over that i am begging you nobody wants to see you get captured)??? and then her dynamics with all of the other characters are PERFECT, especially Nyaoha and Roy (even though they've. just met) and i can't wait to see how they develop!!

then ROY. Baby. Baby boy. Pure sunshine. I think he may be the single purest character in the entire franchise. Him and Hogator are SO CUTE (if you haven't seen the new episode yet PLEASE watch it i cried from the cuteness) and i can't wait to see how he officially joins the gang (i have. theories. but we shall see) and again, the dynamic with Liko is. absolutely beautiful a;sdflj

then FRIEDE. man. man is cocky, a bit of a himbo ("What? didn't I mention that?" SIR excuse me that was important,,,) but also intelligent enough to be a professor, i am FROTHING AT THE MOUTH for more backstory. (...plus he's pretty ok). Also i don't feel right giving him his own section in this but shout out to Cap. The power. The STANCE in that chair. The cockiness that he shares with Friede (who is? his trainer? I guess? despite deferring to him in most matters involving the ship) and that is tbh very well deserved. also i love that they gave him a distinctly different battling style to Ash's pikachu!! well done making him feel like his own unique character

the rest of the Rising Volt Tacklers (who can share a section just bc they. have not had much screentime yet) are also just. fantastic. Murdock with his cute little puppy being the biggest softest man around (and completely failing his section in the ED a;dfsjk i'm so glad they made him Incapable of Being Cool), and then Orla being just. so tired half the time (mood) and also HELLA cool, just based on vibes, and MOLLIE (and oh, I do love the theories about her being a Joy. i beg of you, GIVE ME THE BACKSTORY, POKEMON) with her smirks and glares and her angry chansey jacket just generally being a boss and the opposite of what you'd expect from a healer,,, and Ludlow who... I don't have much to say about other than that I'm side-eyeing his beard. I don't believe it's real. where is his FACE. but i'm interested to learn more about what the hell he's doing with this group a;sdfkj

and then there's THE EXPLORERS!! who are apparently notorious, for reasons that will hopefully be elaborated on. i usually love villain characters so no surprises here but I LOVE THEM,,, they're already significantly more ruthless than most past villains so that is. very very fun. Conia is very very funny with her feelings on nyaoha as;kdflj and then Zir is a little bit less developed thus far but so far he seems to be kind of the more serious of the two and i'm really excited to see how he goes from here on out!! and then AMETHIO. i may have missed something in my initial watch but i honestly assumed he was a rather short adult from his speaking style and how the others deferred to him,, but I'm now thinking meant to be like older teens? definitely older than Liko but now i'm SO CURIOUS as to how he ended up in his position here. and he is also!! so pretty!! top tier design a;sldkfj i'm just in love with the trio's dynamics and i NEED to know their goals and what they plan to do with Liko and the pendant (and. if i'm right about how the next episode is gonna go. very soon Roy and his ball will be added to that list) i am DYING of anticipation

(also that's all for the main main charas but shout out to Anne, best gremlin, Liko deserves such a chaotic friend it'll be good for her and i'm so glad they're staying in touch!!)

idk i'm just like. i'm still sad over ash and idk if that'll go away anytime soon but this new series is really, really good so far, and i'm SO glad, because if it hadn't started off strong then i am absolutely certain that people would've completely trashed it, but it's vibrant and exciting in a totally different but just as engaging way as Ash's story was and i'm just. idk i'm really happy ;w; and will probably spend too much money on merch but that's just how it goes a;lsdkfj

[jasntodds]

I'm new to your blog hiii 😊 This is cuz of your music fic post, this is not me requesting I just simply must gush about this because I love music and there are some musicians imo that just hit so right with Jason (*cough* Matt Maeson)

Anyways here's some songs that I think have serious tremors of Jason Todd running through them 🎵 ❤

🎵Halestorm: Back from the Dead (this one is self explanatory lol)

🎵The Pretty Reckless: Got so High/ Standing at the Wall (side note~their latest album Death By Rock N Roll is so good and so sad)

🎵Eminem: Drug Ballad/ Never Love Again (don't worry these are milder Em lyrics cuz we all know some of his word choices are vomit inducing but these are basically simultaneously love songs to the drugs but also a cautionary tale against them)

🎵Avril Lavigne: Fall to Pieces/ Nobody's Home (I just think they fit for Jason esp nobody's home)

🎵 Matt Maeson: Dancing After Death/ The Hearse/ Tread on Me/ Go Easy/ Cringe/ Me and My Friends Are Lonely/ Mr. Rattlebone/ Grave Digger

(I motherfucking love this man's music 😢💘 lyrically mostly everything describes Jason. I LOVE the line in Me and My Friends Are Lonely "The city breathes when I do not" > that is so Gotham and Jason and Gotham and Robin and Gotham and Redhood. In Mr. Rattlebone the lyrics "I am the driver. I am the shadow. I am the hearse" welp 😢🙃 The opening of Grave Digger oh my days "I can't run to you Father, I need love". Anyway I'm gonna shush now because I am getting carried away lol but hope you don't me spaming you with all this

Hey!! Uh, I love this???? lmao I love hearing songs that relate to my favorite characters!! I definitely made a playlist here with all of these songs and I'm gonna add to it for songs that just scream Jason dkfhgdf I will be 100% listening to all of these and I actually really enjoy Matt Maeson's voice so that's so perfect??????

I'm so sorry but this is me reading "The city breathes when I do not."

Look, ANYTHING relating to daddy issues screams Jason to me and I nearly lose my fucking mind every single time. It reminds me of that one quote that's like "Growing up and seeing your parents' flaws is like losing your religion. I don't believe in God. I don't believe in my father either." This will be the first song I listen to omg

You can always come and ramble to me about music and/or Jason I love all types of music and I love Jason so I am always here lmao

And since you gave me some awesome recs, I'm gonna give you a few fkghfd:

Left Behind by The Plot In You. Look, it is one of my FAVORITE songs (is it my most played of the year?? Probably lmao it's in my top most played of all time and it came out in Feb lmao and I know I clocked over 60k minutes of music this year). But, when I listen to it, I relate it to Jason and Bruce's dynamic with lines like "Just know, all the sacrifice had robbed me of my time" and "I left behind, everything you killed inside" Landon screaming the lyrics makes me wanna CRY you can hear the pain in his voice and that's just very Jason Todd to me lmao

Deep End by I Prevail. It's such a good song?????? (I used in a fanedit and they liked it on TikTok) but my mom knows every word because she has to deal with me and brother playing it lmao but the WHOLE chorus is super Jason coded "So I made friends with all my demons. Let 'em sink their teeth in. Got used to the feeling of letting it go. So give me something to believe in or throw me in the deep end. It all feels the same with your eyes closed. So you can throw me in the deep end."

And Hollow - Lo's Version by Lo Spirit. I found him on TikTok (I swear I am not on that often??) and he's an INCREDIBLE vocalist. But this song is his best imo (followed by Good Enough and Wild Things (my beloved)) but this song is perfect for Jason. I mean, in Titans, he literally says there's a poison in him. It's perfect!! "Maybe somethings wrong with me. Maybe I was meant to sit and wait." and "Why do I, why do I feel so hollow? Hollow, hollow. Try to hide from my mind, but it follows."

[grahamcarmen]

what do you think of the Carmen loves graham like a brother stuff?

Generally? Whatever.

Carmen DID say

" I thought I knew you like the big brother I never had.-"

And " gray was like a big brother to me"

So like when most people aren't really invested in their bond being anything else because "well carmen said-" and take her at her word i get it.

And it is a part of how she used to think about him back then.

Mostly though? Because its usually being used to shut down potentially romantic red crackle? Mildly Annoying.

Because "like" doesn't make actually him her brother. (Idk if you were here at the beginning but its was..hmpppf)

both times its an acknowledgment that its a past dynamic .

HE IS NOT LOOKING AT HER AS A POTENTIAL KINDA SISTER.

And dynamics ...change. she literally also says right after. The first brother quote " until that moment" because she doesn't actually know him as well as she thought if he almost crossed a line she hates. So on that train it really is kinda set back to for old friendships sake.

And the the second quote is right before she looks at him. Who she knows is romantically interested in her. Waiting to date her and sees that as a a do over and second chance.

"OK maybe shes gonna convince him they'd make better platonic friends on the date"

Except the next time she does make it across to the table she FLIRTS with him back and says she's sorry she stood him up...um she knows it was a date date. And acted as such.

Shes not acting closed to the idea of gray acting more flirtatious with her . Or making her banter a little flirty back.

:p I'm not gonna pretend carmen is all settled in this potential do over but thats more because shes asked to sacrifice it for what is safe or right. Its kinda her thing as a hero.

And narratively speaking i would find it kind of lame if carmens perception didn't change in the slightest if what almost tempted her down the street wasn't even the slightest tempting to her

Because at the very least the dynamic shes reclaiming involved her being protective, more actively going after him when she can. Asking for a more equal friendship of protect and protected from both sides. Both professional thieves. Both good guys remember. And an understanding that they can't completely go back to the original dynamic because carmen just does not believe in evil ☆ and gray uhhhh thinks shes hot now.

They still have a ways to go (messes ♡) but their dynamic is changing bit by bit via adopting small revisions in how they see each other

What they end up with is still striving for at least a (flirty) friendship again, not really sorta siblings. Even if they end up having to settle for person I care enough to give up to protect

Carmen is just as likely to refer to him as classmate and friend instead.

-----

Tldr: maybe she did but that doesn't make it something that she isn't open to revising .

I'm more whatever about it when its not obviously [CARMEN WOULD NEVER CONSIDER ANYTHING ELSE.] She did. She canonically did give a little 👀.

Side note I guess?

Found these tags on a tropes text post and :p

-------

[monsterwithasweater]

Monster Replays the Truthful Route: Part 4

Sorry for the delay, folks!

Warning: You know the deal. Digimon Survive spoilers under the cut.

While working on this part, the draft accidentally got deleted. So, I'm only gonna give a few of my thoughts on the beginning part, then skip right to the exploration part of the amusement park.

I think this game really hits us with the fact that the villains are not indispensable. As Piedmon says, if Arukenimon fails, there is sure to be another one to take her place. And if Piedmon doesn't already convince you in Part 4, just wait until he brutally murders her in Part 7.

Takuma and co. are understandably scared. Sure, Ryo might have survived, but are they really sure they can survive next time? Can they ever get out of this world. If so, can they get out of this world alive? We all know they do because this is the Truthful route, and nobody dies in the Truthful route, but at this point of the story, the Survive gang isn't so sure.

Takuma: Kaito, we have to stick together! You can't go off on your own!

Kaito: stfu

Dracmon: I agree with Takuma!

Kaito: Hmmm, if my little vampire gremlin agrees with you, then you must have a point.

Well, unless you choose the bad ending.

Kunemon (≧◡≦)

Finding Miu!

I really enjoy Ryo's dynamic with Minoru.

Patamon, Palmon, and Biyomon are so stupid! I love them!

BREAKING NEWS: Angry Mean Big Human Beats Up Guards!

The Queen: "Oh, brother. I've never been so embarrassed!"

Okay, that's all I'm gonna bother remembering. Let's get back to Finding Miu!

Dracmon: GRROOOAAARRR! I'm gonna eat you!

Falcomon: All of you... prepare to die!

I love Ryo's speech to Kunemon before he evolves to Flymon, so I'm just gonna share the screenshots of it (warning for poor quality, though).

While making this post, my phone died A-FUCKING-GAIN, so I lost a good chunk of it. Then, while trying to remember what the hell I typed down, I accidentally closed out of Tumblr. So if there are any weird skips, I apologize.

Kaito: I'm... I'm all she has. So I have to look out for her.

After playing the Harmony route, this line especially hits hard.

Something I just noticed: All of the servants names start with P (yeah, I know that in English it's Biyomon with a B, but they're also called Piyomon in Japan, so...).

Minoru: I'm saying if we stand around here talking for too long those pesky little things will-

Palmon: Looking for us?

They're in the four-shadow! Like the one they were talking about earlier!

OMGZORZ, can you believe that they made Goth TK an actual, CANON character in Digimon Survive?

A touching reunion, indeed. *wipes tear from eye*

If I'm being honest, I'd also be annoyed if my older brother crashed my throne room.

She looks so annoyed XD

Of course it's Ryo that says this.

Makes sense, given how MarineAngemon helped carry my first few playthroughs.

Kaito: I just worry about her, that's all.

Saki: Well, sometimes it can feel suffocating being on the other side of that.

This honestly makes me wonder about Saki's family. From what I can tell from her Prologue story, her parents (or at least her mother) seem to be massive worrywarts. Though given Saki's illness, it's understandable.

KAITO YOU IDIOT, STOP PUNCHING THE WALL!

It's the Old 'Mon himself!

I can understand why Minoru and Shuuji are suspicious of Jijimon. After all, the last time they found an adult they thought they could trust, she turned out to be a weird spider lady that wanted to sacrifice them.

But seriously, Jijimon is a sweetheart. <3

Ryo: This sucks. These guys are such bad news. I can't believe we're taking them on again.

Kunemon...

Ryo: Yeah, I know.

Ryo: I don't want Miu to have to go through what I experienced yesterday.

Kunemon: Kew!

Ryo: Heh! Yeah... you're right. We've just gotta do this!

Shuuji's affinity dialogue rubs me the wrong way. Though I guess that's because of the localization.

Okay, I'm just gonna say it here and now: Miu's more of a Digimon Kaiser-equivelent than the hypothetical Ken-equivelent ever will be.

Kaito, did you seriously punch GARURUMON!?

I love the pre-Shellmon scene as well. Unfortunately, I hit the photo limit, so I'm gonna have to copy the dialogue from scratch.

Miu: Oh no! Kaito!

Syakomon: So, you ARE worried about what happens to him?

Miu: Of course I am! He's my brother!

Miu: I just don't like him being overprotective, and I hate how he never gives me any space.

Miu: When he gets like that, it reminds me of... things I really don't want to remember.

Syakomon: And that's why you were so mean to him?

Miu: Yeah, but he's still my brother.

Miu: Only after I can't do anything...

[Insert Patamon and Biyomon getting their asses kicked by Garurumon here]

Miu: Oh no! They're all hurt again!

Miu: Syakomon, tell me, what should I do?

Miu: They're all fighting for me like I'm really their queen, but...

Miu: I haven't done anything for them!

Syakomon: Miu... what do you want to do?

Miu: I... I don't want to let anyone... To let my brother die...

Miu: I don't want to lose everyone after lying to them, or my brother after fighting with him!

Miu: I want to protect everyone else for a change!

Miu: Syakomon, please! Save Kaito!

Syakomon: Oh, I'm so happy you said that! Finally, you were able to be honest with how you feel.

Miu: Syakomon!?

Syakomon: I've been waiting this whole time for you to be honest with me.

Syakomon: Because when you wish for something with your whole heart, I can be as strong as you need!

Miu: What!? Syakomon, what's happening!?

Syakomon: Miu, I'm here to make your wishes come true! So for your sake, I'll grow strong!

Syakomon, evolve tooo...!

[Insert evolution into Shellmon here]

Easily one of my favorite scenes in the whole game.

Anyways, I evolved her straight to Azulongmon and oneshotted Garurumon.

I love the music that plays when the Survive gang learn that there's a way to go back to the Human World via the boundary.

Jijimon: Many times I have witnessed the strong bond between my friend and their human child.

Jijimon: Though it was long ago, and my memories have fades. Yet had that child been sacrificed...

Jijimon: My friend would not have fared well. Those who share such strong bonds share the same fate.

Jijimon: Yet my friend still lives. This in itself is proof that the child is alive somewhere.

The scene between Takuma, Agumon, Kaito and Dracmon is really sweet.

Dracmon: What's this? Kaito being open and honest about how he feels for once? No way!

Pffft XD

And that concludes Part 4. For how much of a pain in the ass this post was to make, I still really enjoyed this part (though that might be because it focuses on two of my favorite characters, Ryo and Miu). Miu learned her lesson, and boy, I sure learned mine...

[theloverscardtarot]

Evan and Emma July 19, 2024

This is a doozy, guys. I could not believe I was getting these cards.

Early Relationship Dynamic:

Knight of Wands: Exciting, erratic and adventurous love life. "Somebody with vitality and fearlessness just entered your love life." It also suggests someone impulsive, passionate and charming that may also have a volatile and rash personality. Enter Emma. Why do I feel like I just wrote a prologue to a very long and crazy story?!

Evan's POV:

6 of Wands Rev.: Ok, this breaks my heart. Key phrases: Feeling unloved, neglected, looked over. May feel like you are not getting the kind of love you deserve. May be noticing that rivals or strangers get more attention from your partner than you do.

Ace of Wands Side: (U) Excitement and passion in your relationship. May take on a sensual characteristic. Flirtation and attraction. I keep thinking of when Evan was on Chelsea Handler and joked about sending Emma some eggplant emojis to get her attention haha. (R) This suggests the passion fizzles out rather quickly. There is some commitment and communication lacking. I see a pattern. I don't know if Evan has always been this way or if it's the women that are this way.

Ace of Swords: This suggests having a moment of breakthrough "the sharpness of the sword cuts through deception and finds truth" Oh boy. It suggests needing to communicate, but sometimes it will become heated. Also this card encourages you to cut out toxic people from your life. Could this be the many times she cheated, he found out and they broke up?

World: Well the world signifies the end of the fools journey. But, in love, it represents feeling fulfilled in your relationship. It also suggests taking the next steps, marriage, moving in together and kids. The fact that the first three cards were kind of heartbreaking, yet we have a card that says you still want to take the next steps, is not lost on me!

Emma's POV:

4 of Cups: Lack of excitement in a relationship. Opportunity comes when you open yourself up to it, but right now you can't be bothered. There can be a lack of interest. This suggests finding ways to add excitement into the romance. I'm gonna just leave it at that.

2 of Swords: Stalemate. Something is blocking you from making decisions. You may be choosing between two lovers (when wasn't she?) and/or between love and other aspects of your life. This also suggests that she is avoiding dealing with these decisions. Turning a blind eye.

Wheel of Fortune: This suggests an unexpected change in the relationship that you have to navigate together. Something big enough that your commitment to each other is being tested. Sacrifices may have to be made. Whether positive or negative, you have to learn to navigate the ups and downs together. The wheel is always turning.

Sun: Happiness, love and positivity in your relationship. Becoming closer as a couple. There may be times of joy and celebrations. Feeling radiant. Harmonious. This is so back and forth, but I'm glad it wasn't all bad.

What went wrong?:

Queen of Wands Side: (U) Someone who is confident and doesn't care what others think of them. They won't change for anybody. Encouraging of their partner's dreams. Can be outgoing and friendly. (R) Someone whose fickleness and selfishness makes them lose interest in their partner. They have a fiery temper that can easily go out of control. Someone is domineering and neglectful of their partner. They are not very caring of their partner's needs, while demanding their needs be met.

Queen of Pents Side: (U) Someone who is nurturing and provides a safe and loving home environment. There is an abundance in their life. Possibly money. Suggests stability. (R) My jaw just dropped! "Someone who can be envious and selfish when others'success seems greater than theirs". This person can be completely self-absorbed. May lose the ability to take care of herself and her environment at times. Paints everything in a negative light. I think it's safe to say that Emma might really have PPD or Bi-polar Disorder.

3 of Swords R: Upright this card indicates heartbreak and loss. Rev, the swords are falling out of the heart, suggesting you are healing from heartbreak or past wounds. "Forgiving and moving on after pain or separation". We know this happened several times and I'm sure it contributed to the final ending.

Magician Rev.: Romantic illusion or trickery. Things are not what they seem. It may look wonderful, but behind closed doors it is anything but.

7 of Cups Rev: A lack of clarity about what you want in love. Mixed messages. Emotional upheaval. Someone is not able to make a choice. I feel like this could mean cheating.

2 of Wands Rev.: Things being planned for in the relationship are delayed or just don't fall into place. May have to be more patient than usual (wedding?). Somebody is feeling hesitant or does not want to move forward with said plans. There was a blind item saying Evan wouldn't marry Emma until she got herself under control.

Fool: New beginnings or journey in romance. "Instead of giving up we keep trying" They sure did, to a fault.

How Did They Make Each Other Feel? Beg/Mid/End.

How Emma makes Evan feel:

How she treated him:

Beginning:

9 of Cups/Queen of Cups Rev: Evan may feel contentment and happy to have her in his life. He feels celebratory of her achievements and wants to experience all aspects of life with her. He is supportive and encouraging of her and wants to show her off. He may feel excited to see what the future holds for them. He feels a deep connection to her. He may also feel like he is walking on eggshells and doesn't know when the next argument will break out. He may feel like they are too co-dependant and she may be clingy or needy. He may feel like he is putting more effort into the relationship than her and it's frustrating him.

Middle:

3 of Cups Rev/4 of Pents Side: 3 of cups depicts three women holding their cups up in celebration, but rev, this can suggest an affair. A third party in your relationship that is most likely unwanted. Evan may feel like he is indecisive about whether or not he wants to be with her. The good excitement is gone. Now there is too much "excitement" for him to handle. 4P (U) Evan may feel insecure about losing Emma, which may make him clingy and jealous. Afraid of being hurt and afraid to let anybody else in. (R) Evan may feel ready to walk away and be in a new relationship. He is attempting to let go of the hurt and insecurities that his relationship with Emma has brought to him. This could indicate the times he tried to date others in between breakups.

End

King of Swords Rev.: Evan may feel cold, distant and selfish towards Emma. He may become angry and controlling.It suggests that if you cheat, you don't care how the other feels. This may be how he thinks Emma feels towards him, or he may have revenge cheated. I wouldn't blame him. He may also feel like it's ok to lower his standards to love her. Maybe in an attempt to keep her or not be alone.

How did Emma treat Evan?:

Knight of Swords Rev: Oh boy. Keywords: Aggressive lover, intense arguments, bullying and abuse. "Enjoys getting into arguments not for debate, but to pressure and intimidate" Little sympathy or understanding. Convinced they are right and will strong arm the other person to get what they want. I'm sorry. She is a fucking monster.

How did Evan Make Emma Feel?:

How did he treat Emma?:

Beginning

7 of Wands: Emma feels like she will fight for Evan. She would do anything for him. Will defend him to the end. Knows she wants him and is willing to put in the work.

Middle

Knight of Cups/5 of Cups: Emma feels very in love with Evan, but she may have an unrealistic expectation for their romance. She is sensual with him which makes me think of the point about him liking women obsessing about him. They think you are the perfect partner for them now, but that may change when they realize you are just a human being. Omg, here she may be feeling remorseful and full of guilt for a possible big mistake she has made. She is sad and disappointed. She's too caught up in her grief to stop and think about trying to fix the issue. Finding it hard to find the positives.

End

Page of Cups: He makes her feel very happy and life is rosy. He may have opened up her eyes to what love really is supposed to feel like. She is dreamily in love and infatuated with him. But remember infatuation doesn't last forever. There has to be a solid base to fall on. I'm sorry to say that this makes me think she is not over Evan. But, that seems pretty obvious lately.

How he treats her:

Chariot: Taking action and control of love life. I feel like he may be a bit authoritative, but I think he tries to set a foundation. I think he takes the reigns, but not in a bad way. I think also maybe Emma sees that and she wants to be the boss so she lashes out. I also feel like maybe this means Evan is her rock. Because we know how unstable she seems to be.

How Does Emma Feel about Nat:

King of Pents Rev: Emma may be denying the truth even if it is right in front of her. She is stubborn and thinks she is always right. She may feel wronged by seeing this. She also still feels protective of him. In actuality, I feel like she still thinks she has some control over him.

King of Cups: she may be able to look at Evan and not feel any blame towards him. She is understanding and compassionate about his situation.

9 of Pents: She may look back at their relationship and recognize the good times, but is not wanting to rekindle and feels fine being out of the relationship. She feels independent and is happy with that.

How does Evan feel about Emma's engagement?:

High Priestess: He may feel like Emma helped him learn and grow as a person. He knows she was a significant person in his life, but that does not mean he wants to get back together (hopefully)

8 of Swords: He may be feeling like he is trapped in a mindset about her. This could mean he hasn't completely healed. He may want to reach out to congratulate her, but is too afraid it may bring up old shit that he doesn't want to deal with.

How did Evan feel about Emma and Halsey getting pregnant right after separation?

8 of Wands: He may have actually felt excited for them and may have reached out to them in congratulations. He probably felt like he dodged a couple of bullets too.