#i really wish polls could have more options

[mrsometimes11]

DQ9 Remake (hypothetical)

I'm sure a lot of us would like to see a Dragon Quest IX remake, at some point, but what would we actually want from it? Graphical improvements are given, unless they give the job ILCA, but what else? Should stuff be added? What stuff? Should it be faithful in every way to the DS original? Your thoughts please.

Please comment/reblog with your thoughts, and anything else you'd like to see.

[aceofstars16]

Well, I made a poll asking if I should post this now...and then I just go and post it without waiting to see what people voted haha xD

This was inspired by @athenoot (not letting me actually tag but I linked her blog!) and her super fun AU idea mashing up Drifting Stars and Relativity Falls!

I don't know if this works for @forduary but it does have portal Ford so *shrugs*

Summary: Mabel loves dimension hopping, but she is starting to miss having a home. And more than anything, she misses Dipper and Stan. However, she may end up seeing them sooner than expected…though they aren't exactly the same Dipper and Stan that she knows.

The street was packed, creatures of all sorts bustling to and fro. Even after months of being in other dimensions, Mabel was still overwhelmed by all of the different aliens. Her eyes couldn’t stop moving, even as Ford pulled her along, trying to make his way through the crowd.

They had arrived in this dimension a few days ago. Unfortunately, they had first been spat out in a rainforest with absolutely no civilization around. But after climbing a particularly tall tree, they had seen a town of sorts in the distance. Which is where they were now, hoping to find some food and maybe even shelter, that is, if Ford deemed this dimension safe enough to stay in for a little while.

 At first, the constant travel had been fun for Mabel. Getting to explore a new world every few days was exhilarating. But she was surprised to find that more recently, she missed a place she could call home. Though, more than anything, she missed Dipper and Stan. Of course, she loved Ford too. He had been looking out for her ever since she had been pulled into the portal, and she couldn’t imagine her life without him now. But still…she wished she could be with Ford and the rest of her family.

Something bumped Mabel particularly hard and she was shaken from her thoughts as she lost her footing. Her hand was yanked out of Ford’s and she fell to the ground.

Panic gripped her and she quickly stood up and tried catching sight of Ford, but the constant movement of aliens made standing still impossible. She thought she heard someone calling her name, but it was hard to hear over the crowd.

“Grunkle Ford!” Yelling at the top of her lungs, Mabel, tried pushing her way through the crowd, in what she thought was the direction Ford had been walking. But no matter how hard she tried, she was too small, and she couldn’t make any headway against the crowd.

Spotting an alleyway through the sea of legs, Mabel spun, jumped, rolled, and crawled until she made it to the backstreet. It wasn’t empty, but it was slightly less crowded. Spotting a box that was sealed shut, she made her way to it and managed to climb on top. But as she looked out over the sea of creatures, she couldn’t spot her grunkle. Ford was nowhere to be seen. Panic overwhelmed her as she realized that she was alone, lost in an unfamiliar dimension with absolutely no clue as to what to do next. It was her worst nightmare.

------

Ford was frantic. He couldn’t believe he’d lost Mabel. He should’ve been holding onto her tighter. No, he should’ve just carried her. What had he been thinking? In a crowd this big, that was the most logical option, and yet he hadn’t thought of it before entering the market and now she was gone.

“Mabel!” He called out again. He thought he had heard her call out a moment ago, but this time there was no response.

Darned this busy city. Reasonably, a city this remote in a rainforest shouldn’t be this crowded. Though perhaps it being the only city for miles was the reason for all of the foot traffic. Either way, he really should’ve scoped out the layout first before walking in. That’s what he normally would’ve done. But Mabel hadn’t had food in over a day. So, her hunger along with the possibility of letting her sleep in a semi normal structure for the first time in…weeks? Had caused him to act rashly. He had only wanted to make sure she had what she needed, and maybe help her mental state. Over the past few weeks, Ford had occasionally caught her looking downcast – though she quickly smiled when she noticed him looking – and this had seemed like a good opportunity to help her feel better.

“So much for that…” Ford muttered under his breath as he continued searching for Mabel. He had just spotted a possible vantage point he could use when something grabbed his jacket and pulled it back.

“Geez, slow down Grunkle D-”

As Ford looked down at the source of the voice, it cut off. His own legs stalled as he saw the boy who was holding his jacket. It couldn’t be…

For a second, Ford was transported to another lifetime. So long ago it felt like a dream. Hot summers on Glass Shard Beach, playing in the water, exploring the sand dunes, fixing up the Stan O War.

He was looking at his brother from thirty years ago.

------

Crap, wrong old guy. Stan thought to himself as he stared up at the man who’s coat he’d grabbed. Now that he had a closer look, he could tell that said coat wasn’t quite the same as Dipper’s, and of course, the man wasn’t his grunkle (okay, technically Dipper wasn’t actually his great uncle either, but it made it easier to call him that, okay?). However, there was something oddly familiar about this guy…

Some other creature bumped into him, threatening to pull him along in the crowd once again, like it had earlier. But then a hand grabbed his arm, and the old guy was dragging him through the crowd.

“Hey, what gives? I’m not-” Stan grabbed at the guy’s hand, trying to get him to let go, only to stop when he really looked at the hand. Wait, six fingers…it couldn’t be…could it?

Looking up, Stan tried to get a better look at the guy’s face. Something had seemed familiar about it when he’d first seen him, but now he was facing away as he pulled Stan along. But six fingers… Suddenly, the bright sunlight disappeared as he was pulled into a small alleyway. There were still a few beings milling about, but not has many as in the main square. Then the man spun around to look at him.

“What are you doing here?”

 Stan took a step back at the sharpness of the man’s voice. A tinge of fear grew in his chest. It wasn’t Dad, he knew that, but there was something so familiar about the words, the man’s stance, the look on his face - he couldn’t shake it. However, the ashamed expression when the old guy saw Stan shrink back wasn’t something Dad would’ve done.

“I-I don’t know. I was just here with my, well I call him my grunkle because-”

“Wait, wait, what? Your grunkle? Who?” Confusion crossed the guy’s face. “What’s his name?”

The man held up his hands and Stan found himself looking at them. He knew in this dimension, six fingers might not be an abnormal thing. But this guy was human, and he looked kind of like Dad…

“Are you my brother?” Stan blurted out before he could stop himself. It was hard to think about Ford looking old - that was just weird - but if he was old, well…Stan could see him looking kind of like this guy…

For a moment, the old man just stared at him, then signed and shook his head. “No, I’m not…well…kind of. I’m Stanford, but not your Stanford.”

“You mean there’s more than one of you? Are there more than one of me? Woah, we could build an army! Though I don’t know how much use an old guy would be but I’m sure you could do something. Oh, eww, am I old somewhere then? How-”

“Hold up. Just…one question at a time.” Old Ford had held out his hand again, as if wanting Stan to stop. He looked a little frustrated, but at the same time, there was the smallest bit of an amused smile on his face.

“There are…many different dimensions, and versions of you and me. I…haven’t met your older version,” a small shadow crossed his face, “but I’ve heard about him. However. That’s not important. What I need to know, is how you got here, and who are you looking for?”

Stan let out a huff. He thought Ford would be as excited as him about all of this but…then again, this was an old Ford and well…maybe he’d been in other dimensions a while and didn’t think it was cool anymore? Sometimes Dipper had seemed less thrilled about things than Stan thought were awesome. Or maybe it was just an old person thing? Gosh, Stan hoped he wasn’t a boring old guy in any dimension.

After a moment, he realized Ford was still looking at him questioningly and Stan realized that he’d have to tell this old version of his brother what had happened. He didn’t really want to, but he had a feeling Ford wouldn’t answer any of his questions unless Stan answered him first.

“Well…I kind of accidently got sucked into this big glowing circle thing that my Grantie Mabel really didn’t want me to shut off, then I met my Grunkle Dipper and we kind of…ran around jumping in all these portal things till we got here. And I swear I’d only been glancing at this cool gun shop, but somehow let go of his hand and then…I thought he was you.” Stan was a little surprised at how quickly the words came. Ever since he’d arrived in other dimensions, Dipper had told him to be careful about saying too much to the wrong people but…this was Ford. Sure, he was old but…it was still Ford. He could still tell him anything.

For a moment, Ford just stared at him, shock lining his face. Then he shook his head and took a breath. “Right…okay…We need to find your Dipper, and I need to…”

“What, you lose someone too?” Stan meant it as a joke, but his smile fell when he saw the concern on Ford’s face.

“Come on, it looks like the crowds are dying down some.” Ford held out his hand and without hesitation, Stan took it.

“I can help you find whoever you lost first.  I’m sure Dipper is fine.”

Ford looked down at him, a disbelieving frown on his face. “I…we’ll see who we find first…”

Putting on his best show of confidence – which was easy seeing as he was used to doing it for Ford – Stan nodded. “I bet we’ll find them both in the next ten minutes!”

------

How could I lose him?!? The thought kept running through Dipper’s head. After months with Stan, he had grown accustom to the boy’s affinity for trouble, which included checking things out that he probably shouldn’t have. So he should’ve been extra diligent in a place as crowded as this, but while keeping an eye out for danger, he must have let go of Stan’s hand and now the boy was lost to a sea of creatures. Guilt and fear clawed at Dipper’s chest. After decades of being alone, he had come to enjoy Stan’s company, plus, he was family.

Taking a deep breath, Dipper tried to still his anxiety, though it was easier said then done. It had already been far too long since Stan had disappeared, and Dipper still couldn’t think of a way to find him aside from waiting for the crowds to die down. It wasn’t ideal, but it was the only option he could see. He really needed to find a better way to keep track of his, for a better word, nephew (he was never the best at remembering all of the names for distant relatives and Stan called him Great Uncle so it worked).

As he pushed his way to a slightly less busy part of the market, Dipper searched for a good vantage point he could wait at, while still keeping an eye out for Stan. That’s when he heard it.

Crying.

His feet stumbled to a stop and he quickly looked around, searching for its source. A bright splash of pink caught his eye – a bit out of place in the browns and tans of the city. Carefully making his way toward the figure, he tried pushing aside the feeling in his gut that something was familiar about the girl. Because, as he got closer, he could tell it was a girl, with short curly hair, and a bright pink sweater…

It’s not Mabel. He told himself, as he realized that’s who he was thinking of. Mabel was dimensions away and, well, she was as old as him now.

Crouching down, Dipper put on his best smile, despite his worry for Stan. “Hey, you okay there?”

The girl quickly looked up, her tear-filled eyes widening as she saw him.

Dipper found himself freezing as well. Because it was Mabel. Or, how she had looked as a kid. Sure, her hair was shorter and she looked more tired than she normally would’ve but…it was her.

He eyes flicked up to his hair then back down to his face. “D-Dipper?”

“I…yes, or no, it’s well…” Dipper frowned, he knew that the girl he was looking at wasn’t his sister. He’d been in enough dimensions to know that there were multiple versions of himself and his sister out there. And unless time travel was involved – which didn’t seem likely – this was simply another Mabel from another world. However…it still looked like her and…it still was a Mabel. He couldn’t push away the weight of responsibility to take care of her and make sure she got back where she needed to be.

“You’re from another dimension I guess…” Mabel’s quiet voice shook Dipper from his thoughts.

“Yeah…I…you know about those, huh?” Dipper remembered a day when he had been so excited about there being other dimensions, and other versions of himself. In a way it was still a nice thought, that maybe one version of himself hadn’t messed up…hadn’t ended up here. But it still didn’t change his situation, and after about a hundred different dimensions, survival was more important than excitement over new worlds.

“Yeah, Grunkle Ford told me about it once. He said he’d found a dimension where everyone was a baby once, he didn’t sound like he liked it but I think it would be fun…” Mabel gave Dipper a smile, though it wasn’t as bright as her normal smile. Or at least, like the one he remembered as a kid.

Then Mabel’s words registered and Dipper narrowed his eyes. “Wait, Ford? That…that’s Stan’s brother…” he muttered to himself.

Mabel perked up at that. “Stan? He’s here too?!?”

Dipper’s face fell as he remembered his predicament. “He…was…I…I lost track of him.”

“Oh…maybe I can help you find him! He can’t be too hard to find!”

A small smile grew on Dipper’s face at her optimism. Typical Mabel. “Well, he’s pretty small, about your size, but maybe with two-”

“WAIT STAN IS LITTLE?!?”

Dipper winced at the volume of her voice, but thankfully the creatures around didn’t pay much attention. “Yes, he’s about…” Dipper realized he didn’t actually know how old Stan was. “Maybe ten, or twelve? I’m not sure…”

“Oh my gosh, we have to find him! I gotta meet little Stan!” The brightness on Mabel’s face was a welcome change from the heaviness he had seen on it only a few moments ago. All traced of tears were gone.

A small laugh escaped Dipper and he nodded. “Well, alright then, let’s see if we can find him.” Holding out his hand, Dipper felt a small stab of sadness as Mabel immediately grabbed it. Just like when they were little…Shaking his head, he forced himself to focus. This wasn’t his dimension’s Mabel…but it was nice to see her again, even if it was only for a little while.

[whirlwindimagines]

Helloo this is my first time asking here so I'm not entirely sure if I'm doing this correctly haha...

Could you do a Vash x shy reader where they can't look at him for too long because they think he's too good looking? Sorry if the request was too weird XD

You're fine I understand the request! He is just so pretty lol hope you enjoy it! I had too much fun with this, lol I feel like sometimes you’ll never know what you’ll get when you request from me! I also don't know what I'm doing! I just like writing fun and light scenes. 

Edit: Vash won the poll I know it’s not over, but it was a landslide lol a Wolfwood x Reader will go up tomorrow :)

'One step closer, we're gonna be alright'

Vash X Reader

You woke with a soft yawn, sleeping in the car wasn’t the best but sometimes it was your ragtag group's only option. You just didn’t remember the car window being so comfy and soft. Opening your eyes slowly, and glancing over your make a strangled noise of surprise. 

Blushing brightly at the knowledge that you had been using Vash’s shoulder as a pillow, you pick your head up trying not to wake the man up in the process. God, you hate how he makes your heart race and he’s not even awake! 

Luck wasn’t on your side as you watch Vash yawn, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes it forces him to push his glasses up and the whole movement is just too cute for your heart. He looks over at you, his eyes lighting up once he sees you awake. “Sleep well?” If it was anyone else you would figure he was teasing you, but since it was well Vash you know he was genuinely asking. 

Looking away and out the window, you noticed the car was stopped and well it was just you and Vash. “Fine… where’s everyone else?” You ask trying to change the subject, God you can't even look at the man, hands fisted nervously in your lap.

You watch Vash out of the corner of your eye as he stretches taking up most of the back seat, you can't blame him it gets really cramped in here. “Stopped to stretch their legs and refill the car, I didn't want to wake you up.” He must have fallen asleep then as well or pretended to. Your hands go to your face, great so everyone else probably saw that too. 

Before you can say anything, the door on your side is thrown open Wolfwood shoves you towards Vash and you crash into him, “Your hoggin the seat.” he says this with a smirk as he looks at you, glaring at him you kick him right in the shin and he lets out a little ‘hey!’ Wolfwood gets over it and laughs when your entire face turns red when Vash puts his hands on your shoulders to adjust you in the middle seat. 

Giving Wolfwood the finger, you quietly thank Vash. The three of you settle in the back, while Meryl gets into the driver's seat, and Roberto in the passenger seat. The car starts and heads out into the dunes, it's still night and while you’d like to get more sleep you were too wired, sitting in between the two men. It's when you feel a shove, glaring at Wolfwood as he subtly shoves you into Vash, you know exactly what he's doing.

“Stop touching me.” You snap at him quietly, God the eavesdropping little shit was pissing you off! You wish you never admitted your crush on Vash to Meryl! You had no idea the Undertaker had been around the corner and he’d been harassing you ever since. You got so flustered around Vash that it was painful, and Wolfwood loved torturing you. 

“I'm not.” He replies, as he shoves you more into Vash, you can hear Vash sigh beside you. Probably tired of the childish arguments, your shoulder presses into the blonde, but you're too annoyed to notice. “You're touching me right now!” “Am not” the argument continues, as the others in the car ignore the two of you too tired to really care. 

You turn, your back pressing into Vash's side, and you bring your knees up and kick at Wolfwood, who just blocks your kicks yelling at you that you are cheating. How can you even cheat at whatever the hell this was?

“Why don't we switch.” Vash interrupts always the peacekeeper; he looks at you with a smile. And it makes you shut your mouth, “Great idea.” Wolfwood says with a chuckle, as Meryl sighs “We're not pulling over because the kids are fighting.” she glances at you through the review mirror you just stick your tongue out at her. 

“Here just let me.” You let out a yelp as Wolfwood grabs your legs and pulls you towards him. He maneuvers you easily enough, you doubt you weigh anything to him with that gun he carries around. Yelling at him to let you go, he manages to very awkwardly scoop you into his arms. And with a very sharp turn, he throws you at Vash who lets out a startled yelp his arms shooting to catch you and make sure you don't hit your head on anything. 

You ungracefully land right in Vash's lap, one of his hands behind your head to brace it and the other wrapping around your waist. He's telling Wolfwood off, but all you can do is stare at his pretty face as he argues with the other man. He really is so pretty, and oh he's looking right at you and talking… wait what is he saying. “What?” you practically squeak at him, his brows furrow, God this is probably the longest you’ve held eye contact with him!

“Are you alright?” He asks with concern in his eyes before you can answer Wolfwood does for you, “Oh they are more than alright now, and I'm sure extra comfy.” You get some satisfaction when you kick him right in the side and he gives a little ‘oof’ You let out a gasp when you feel Vash grip your waist with both his hands, he moves you so now you are sitting by the door and him in the middle. 

You swear he gives you a light squeeze before letting go, you’re going to die of embarrassment! With a shy thanks, you have to look away when he gives you a gentle closed-eye smile. Leaning your face on the cool window, you beg for your blush to vanish. You don't know how much longer you can handle this crush on Vash, you can barely even look at the blonde and he was just way too sweet to you! 

With a soft sigh, you close your eyes, you didn't know how long it would be till the next town and you need to calm your racing heart anyway. You are on the verge of falling asleep, when you feel something soft and warm drape over you, cracking your eyes open a bit to see what it is your heart skips a beat when you recognize Vash’s red coat. 

Forcing your eyes close as you feel Vash shift beside you, his hands are light and quick as he adjusts the coat around you making sure you are covered. Comfy and feeling safe you fall asleep to Wolfwoods light scoff, and Vash shushing him. 

a/n: Part 2? :3 aka an excuse for me to write another confession with Vash! only my favorite thing! Part 2 is up!

[lfcgirlie866]

The Girl Who Broke A Million Hearts ~ Jude Bellingham x oc

Ok so you guys really surprised me by voting for this fic the most in the poll! I was expecting this to be the least popular option tbh, and I feel like it's really badly written 😭 I apologise in advance if it is!

Summary: 'I know the baby in your belly isn't mine, but if you let me, then I'll love her like she is'

Tropes: Childhood friends, not realising their feelings until it's (maybe) too late, pregnancy, found family

Warnings: fmc mentions death of a parent, there may be smut eventually in the story but idk yet

Prologue

As I sit outside in the mild Spanish night air, looking out across the horizon, I simultaneously wish for the darkness to end and also for the day to never come. The light means I won't be left alone with my thoughts anymore, but it also means that I have to leave Madrid behind and book a flight back to England. It means I have to leave Jude and face up to what a disaster my life has become in the last week.

How could it have all gone so wrong so quickly?

Last week, I was engaged to the man I thought I would be with forever, six months pregnant with his baby, too. I thought I knew where my life was going.

Now I'm just pregnant and alone. I don't have a home to go back to. No family. Nothing. No one.

I'm slowly spiralling, worrying about what the hell I'm supposed to do next and regretting almost every decision I've ever made.

You're a failure, Sapphy. Your mum would be so disappointed in you, I think to myself, trying to hold back a sob. You're a loser. You're too weak to do what she did and raise a baby alone.

Maybe I should just suck it up and go back to my ex, Aiden. Give in and do what he wanted me to; Move halfway across the world with him. At least then I'd have a home again

But you wouldn't be happy, Saph. Not there, and not with him. Not after everything that's happened. After what he said...

'You'd do it for him, though. Wouldn't you?'

And the answer has been plaguing my thoughts ever since.

"Jeeze, Saph. It's almost 4AM. What 'er you doing out here?"

Jude's familiar voice startles me out of my thoughts, almost like I'd summoned him here with them. I turn around and drink him in. Lit only by the lights in the pool beside me, he looks just as beautiful as he always does as he walks over to where I'm sitting, and my stomach twists and turns at the mix of emotions he churns up.

Jude Bellingham. The boy I've known since he was eight, the one I grew up alongside of, the one who I watched become a world-class footballer right before my eyes. He is quite possibly the sweetest human on this planet, and I'll never, ever forget the truly heartfelt words he spoke at my mum's funeral. He means everything to me, but he's always just been a friend. Always. There was never a time when it could have been more. At least, it never crossed my mind at the time anyway.

But since Aiden said those words to me, I can't help looking at Jude differently. I wish I could stop, but now that I've seen the light, I don't think I can ever go back.

When his brother called me and asked if I wanted to fly out and watch Jude's game yesterday, I didn't hesitate. I jumped on that plane and then screamed my heart out watching him play. I forgot all the bad stuff for a while, but being in his home just brought it all back and I started drowning in my thoughts again.

"Jobe said he was worried about you yesterday. Now I am too, Saph." He says quietly, his fingers lightly stroking down my back, making me shiver.

I should tell him what's happened. I know I should, but at the same time, how can I?

He's THE Jude Bellingham. He's on top of the fucking world right now. I can't drag him down from that. I can't burden him with my own issues. These are my problems, I'm the one who has to deal with them. And, if I tell him I left my fiancé then he's going to want to know why. I'd have to tell him that I've become one of those girls, someone I never ever wanted to be; Just one of the millions who've fallen for him.

Some kind of dam shatters inside of me and as hard as I try, I can't hold it all back any longer. The story comes pouring out with a mixture of sobs and tears as he holds me tightly in his arms.

But there's one thing I don't mention: the fact that I might now have feelings for him, and maybe I always have done.

~~~~♡♡♡♡~~~~☆☆☆☆~~~~♡♡♡♡~~~~

A/n: Ahhh I'm so scared to see what you guys think of this 🫣 This is definitely just an introduction and the story will go back and explain how they met/ became friends etc etc.

If you're interested in reading more then please let me know ❤️

[drawnfamiliarfaces]

If you could give First Ninja a name? What would it be?

People keep asking me about First Ninja's name, but to be quite honest, I've been really struggling with picking one for him, ever since I decided to try and draw stuff for Torn Pages AU and it only got worse, since I started to ship him with Chase.

Choosing a name is really hard. I kinda wish RC9GN creators gave at least trivia at what his possible name could have been, so I had some place to start. And while I saw a couple of names that fandom seemed to give him, the most popular ones were somewhere along the lines of Satoshi, Satoru - but I really couldn't get behind those, you know? Just not vibing at all. Doesn't sound quite right to me personally.

On a related note, someone in rc9gn tag pointed out that 'Norisu' is not really a proper Japanese surename, but variations of it actually exist! I think they actually settled on 'Norisawa', but I preferred 'Norisugi' - which is a pretty rare last name, but not so rare that I couldn't find a Wiki commons media entry on one Kazu Norisugi - a Japanese government official and educator around 1900s (link). It seemed very appropriate that it belonged to a teacher! And the rarity of the surname, could tie into the lore of Norisugi Clan/Name becoming rare after they left Japan and were pretty much eradicated during their journey. And aside from that, linguistically speaking - over the 800 years 'Norisugi' is more likely to morph and change from 'Norisugi Village' to 'Norrisville', which is a thought I enjoyed very much! ;D

When it comes to first name itself, I've been kinda trying to pick something that is a variation for First or Ninja on Japanese (because I am not very imaginative at all, xD), and it became a list of similar sounding names that I can't decide on, if only because etymology behind the kanji are all so very interesting. And all that information comes from japanese names site i found.

So I decided to share my top 11 picks in poll format, just to gauge's others opinions! ;3 (not that it would really influence my choice in the end, but i just really wanted to make a poll xD)

Names Propoganda underneath or aka kanji meanings that make me unable to choose a name more fitting for First. xD

[Ichi-to] - Kanjis for [Ichi] could contain meanings such as One, Alone, Single, First, Primary, or even Run, Escape, Let Go. [To] has a lot of variations, including Tiger, Fierce, Brave, Soar, Fly, Humanity, Benevolence, Kindness, Samurai, Warrior, Gentleman, Cross, Pass Over, Climb, Ascend, Way, Road, Journey.

[Ichi-ya] - [Ichi] as One, Alone, Single, First, Primary. [Ya] can mean an indication of strong emotions or emphasis, but also can mean Dart, Arrow, Night, Evening, Sun, Sunlight, Positive, and also it could mean eight (8) as in kanji 八 - 8 (which was one of the biggest draws for this name to me, because ya know Ichi 1 + Ya 8 = 9th Norisugi sibling lol).

[Ik-kou] - [I(k)] is usually written with the same kanji 一 as [Ichi] sometimes so the meaning is in similar vein of One, Single, Alone. [Kou] has a lot of meanings, including Light, Radiance, Further, Change, Improve, Happiness, Good Fortune, Luck, Voyage, Sail, Navigation, Public, Official, Prince, Achievement, Merit, Success, Direction, Orientation, Grand, Vast and Respect for Parents/Ancestors.

[Is-sei] - [I(s)] is similar to [I(k)] where its written in kanji 一 that means One, Single, Alone. [Sei] can have meanings such as Pure, Clean, Star, Sincerity, Honesty, Astute, Shrewd, to Become, to Accomplish, to Succeed, Power, Force, Expedition, Conquest, Equality, Uniformness or Life, Essense, Spirit, Holy, Sacred, Vow, Pledge.

[Is-shin] - [I(s)] can be written with similar kanjis with meanings One, Single, Alone, but also First, Primary. [Shin] can mean Humanity, Benevolence, Truth, Reality, Heart, Mind, Spirit, Core, Essense, Center, Extend, Stretch, Faith, Belief, Discretion, Caution, to Advance, to Acend.

[I-tsuki] - [I] can mean One, Single, Alone, First Primary, but also can mean That One and in certain Kanji variations can mean Dependent, Rely on, Trust in or Authority, Power, Dignity. [(Ts)uki] - has a lot of meanings including Moon, Month, Precious, Valuable, Honorable, Rare and Hope.

[Kei-ichi] - [Kei] includes meanings such as Blessing, Favor, Grace, Excellent, Beautiful, Good, Enlightenment, Wisdom, Celebration, Joy, Happiness, Open, Begin but also Jade Tablet, Square Jewel (which really made me snort, because of First's square lil face lol). And [Ichi] as One, Alone, Single, First, Primary.

[Kou-k-ichi] - [Kou(k)] can have such meanings as Like, Fond of, Respect for Parents and Ancestors, Good luck, Fortune, Constant, Always, Cultivate, Prosperity, Success, Smooth Sailing, Light, Radiance, Public, Official, Prince, Achievement, Merit, Success, Direction, Orientation, Grand, Vast, Work, Sky, Brilliance, Brightess, Further, Change, Improve, Armour, First (in a sequence of items), Consider, Think, Navigation, Sail, Voyage and many more. The second part of the name is actually traditionally written ine one specific kanji 吉 that has a meaning of Good Luck, Fortune, Auspiciousness.

(and now to obvious Ninja variations lol)

[Nintoku] - seems like a rare name, with only 1 variation that I found so far. First Kanji 仁 - means Humanity, Benevolence, Kindness and Second 徳 means Virtue, Morality, Goodness.

[Nin-ga] - 仁雅 [ninga]- variation is considered a Classical Zen/Bushido name, where first part 仁 [nin] - means Humanity, Benevolence, Kindness and Second 雅 [ga] means Elegance, Refinement and Grace. 2nd variation 忍我 [ninga] means 忍 [nin] - Endure, Bear, Persevere, Conceal, Hide, Sneak and Second 我[ga] means Ego, Self, I.

[Nin'Ya] - is another rare, with only 1 variation of 忍也 [Nin'Ya] consisting of 忍 [nin] - Endure, Bear, Persevere, Conceal, Hide, Sneak and 也 [ya] that means Also, Too, Likewise.

I admit, Nin'Ya is probably the weakest (more jokey lol) choice in this line up, but i just couldn't resist the idea of calling First Ninja, Nin'ya in my head, in that stupid voice like in that goddamn meme "Opennenyoor" xD

(You can find all the names here on Japanese Names, if you want more information btw. )

If you notice, in general I liked the idea of having One, in some form in his name, which not only adresses his eventual modern nickname 'First' but also because it would be like a prediction of his dark future - that he would be left as a solitary survivor of Norisugi Clan. AND a third secret meaning - is that he is the One - the Primary concern of his siblings. Which leads to other meanings I enjoy for various reasons - like Blessing, Hope or Prince to reflect on how he is a cherished youngest sibling (basically an youngest heir) of other 8, born as a blessing during time of turmoil. Journey, Sail, Voyage to refer to his life-long hunt for Sorcerer which would take him over land and sea (and I headcanon that he enjoys sailing). A lot more traits and characteristics like Brave, Kind, Benevolent, Shrewd and etc, to reflect how smart and resilient he had to become in order to survive. A lot of references to Mind, Spirit, Core, Essence and to Ascend, Change, Persevere are about his eventual ascension into Higher Spiritual state in Ninjanomicon. There are also several obvious ones, like Warrior, Samurai or even Work and School somewhere in the long lists.

But yes, this is basically my dilemma. I still have no solid single idea, but so far its all I've got in choice department lol. I would not mind some opinions or ideas or just thoughts about names I guess, if you have any, so feel free to drop them on the post or in asks btw. ✌️

[nekrosdolly]

albert whiskers (fluff)

after umbrella disposes of him, albert finds himself in a shelter for abandoned hybrids. lucky for him, he's exactly what you're looking for + extra lil bit at the end!

a/n; another option on the 100 followers special poll- i just rlly wanted to write all of these i'm sorry guys... also i do not have energy to write sex now that i'm working more sorry!!! no sex in this one

tags; @whiskers-my-beloved

the fan whirs overhead, another noise that fades into the background with pathetic barks, meows, and clucking from the other hybrids in the shelter. being older, more people passed by his kennel in favor of other, younger hybrids. he's been here for at least a few years, and the pattern is always the same. new people flood in, walk right past him, and leave with a younger, sweeter hybrid that has more energy and can give them more love.

you're just looking for a pet. someone to love and adore, but not tire you out with endless wishes to play. you've always had older animals growing up, so why would a hybrid be any different?

walking through the path between multiple cages, many younger hybrids try to garner your attention, but none of them really piques your interest. as you reach the back end, you notice that there's not as many hybrids back here, and if there are, they're older and somewhat sad. you assume they've been here for a while, which rings true based on the acceptance dates on the information plagues hanging off their cage doors. most of them don't look at you, though the occasional one raises their head in curiosity and mild hope. it really just breaks your heart.

at the last cage, you stop to read the plaque as you've done with the other older hybrids in the more dim half of the room.

"albert whiskers..? how cute," you murmur, smiling softly. you peer inside the cage to find said albert whiskers and find him sitting in the corner of his cage. he looks up at you through (what you assume to be) prescription sunglasses, his tail flicking curiously. he's handsome, his platinum blonde ears twitching as he sniffs you out from afar. his tail matches his messily slickbacked hair, his pupils widening. he wasn't expecting to see someone both young ang cute in front of his cage, not since he was thrown here. of course, he doesn't get his hopes up quite yet, but his tail and ears betray him.

"well hello there," you say, placing a hand on the cage door, "i take it you're mr. whiskers?"

he stares at you for a few moments more, wondering whether or not he should engage you. it's your subtle head tilt at the end of your question that gets him to do it.

"…yes, that would be me." he says coolly, trying to appear a bit more cold. it doesn't work all that well, and you find his voice to be nice.

"you've been here quite a while, huh?" you sit down in front of his cage, placing your hands on your knees.

"i have," he resists the urge to scoot closer, "a few years."

oh, how your heart bleeds for him.

"well, can i take you home?"

"are you not looking for a more… youthful companion?" his ear twitches with interest.

you shake your head softly.

"no, i wouldn't be able to care for a younger hybrid. i work too much for that. i was hoping to find someone older."

he's silent as he figures out your true motives, if you're really trying to get his hopes up only to leave the moment he agrees.

"if it helps," you add, "i live alone. it's just me and myself, no other animals or people, i'm pretty quiet, i won't force you to cuddle, and i'm just tired of being alone in my home."

albert nods softly, rubbing his wrist as he considers what you've said. your words are tempting, and truthfully, it sounds as though you could provide him with what he needs- stability. not to mention how cute you are. your eyes are so sweet and part of him aches to just lie down in front of you and let you pet him all over.

"… alright. i suppose that will do just fine."

and like that, you take him home. he adjusts after a few weeks of overly cautious behavior. the two of you fall into a routine- you work while he busies himself doing menial tasks around the house, and when you come home, he's there to listen. he's replaced the role of a boyfriend for you, honestly.

so when you come home from work tired, and as usual, albert greets you at the door. he moves to hug you, but you brush him off.

"hi, alby." you mutter, walking right past him in favor of your bed. he follows you with hesitance.

"dear," he says, watching you crawl into bed without so much as changing out of your work clothes.

"hm?" you don't look up from the comfort of your sheets.

he walks over to the bed and climbs in bed beside you, his ears flat against his head.

"are you upset with me?" he asks quietly, unable to help the slight desperation in his voice. he'd been missing you all day and really, all he wanted was to cuddle with you even if he won't say it outright. instead, he reaches out and places a clawed hand on your shoulder, trying his hardest to avoid kneading you should you end up kicking him out.

"no, honey. i'm just tired, alright?" you say, gently brushing his hand away. clearly, something's wrong, but he doesn't press. he just lies beside you, his tail curled anxiously on the bed.

you can feel the anxiety he exudes rolling off of him in cold waves, and despite you being tired, you roll over to face him.

"just come here…" you sigh and push the sheets off of you, patting your chest. reluctant and still somewhat hurt by your initial dismissive rejection, he scoots close and presses his face into your chest. once your hand tangles in his hair, he's purring and nuzzling closer. the softness of his hair and the fur on his ears isn't lost on you. he's so happy to be with you after a full day of being alone. he's not used to such solitude without you around. even before, when he was working at umbrella, he wasn't alone.

though he feels silly about snuggling up to you like some needy pet, he can't help it. he's become somewhat dependent on you since his arrival, though he wouldn't admit that to anyone, not even you.

the calm silence is familiar and soothing, nothing but the sound of your breathing filling the air. his tail flicks happily, his ears perked up as well.

evenings like these weren't unusual. after a few moments more of lying in bed, you finally sit up and press a kiss to his forehead.

"i missed you, kitty. sorry for being mean." you mutter, stroking his hair still as you look into his hazel eyes. his heart flutters, slitted pupils turning round within seconds.

"it's alright, dear. i only missed you is all," he takes your hand and kisses the back of it, keeping his eyes locked on yours, "it's too quiet without you somedays."

the blush that dusts your cheeks is unmistakable. his free hand creeps up your arm to cup your head and pull you in for a soft kiss, one he'd been looking forward to all day. you reciprocate it with love, his gentleness only something you can coax out of him. his lips are soft and honey-sweet, his whiskers tickling your face. you pull away giggling at the feeling.

"let's get you out of those clothes, hm?" he mutters, rolling the both of you over so he's on top. you blush more and nod softly, wrapping your arms around his neck.

"it's time for me to take care of my owner. you've been so good to me." he starts kissing down your jaw, his whiskers brushing against your skin.

-

extra!

it's the weekend and you've been out for too long, something albert's grown suspicious of. you're never out this long without explanation or good reason. he waits on the couch, tail swishing with irritation. his ears twitch when he hears footsteps approach the front door, yours accompanied by a pair he's unfamiliar with.

you open the door soon enough and he doesn't bother to greet you, pissed off at you for taking so long. not to mention, that nasty smell you've brought in, it almost smells like-

"albert, i got you a friend! come here, honey!" you call, holding chris's leash loosely. you shut the door with your hip.

his ears perk up and he quickly gets out of his seat, turning around to see chris redfield standing by your side, glaring at him.

"chris!"

[rainbowchibbit]

HELLO! I wish I could put this part BEFORE the poll itself but basically here’s where I’m at:

I don’t want to say Soulfell is done because it’s not. I have so much planned out and the story as a whole is a complete idea. BUT I ALSO know myself and I also know how long it took us to get here.

Hundreds of pages and several years of regular updates and we’re barely halfway through my original plan. *stares into the void* I was in my 20s when I started the Soulfell comic. MDNDKFNFKF

ANYWAY. I don’t want to say I’ll never pick the comic pages back up again BUT in case life never stops exploding or my brain never returns to being able to juggle multiple art projects at once, I wanted to give some OPTIONS so you guys at least know how the story goes.

Since I’d rather the rest of the story be out there anyway, no matter what I decide there might still be doodles or the occasional pages that go with whatever I do.

Anyway PLEASE VOTE. I, of course, reserve the right to do what I want :tm: but I truly really want to know what you guys would like more. I’m bad at making decisions dkshdkfndhd

MWAH ILU guys TYYYY

[lexreadsdiversely]

The first 7 are specific subgenres that I struggle with, others are thrown in for fun. Please don't say "how could you forget X?" I didn't. I'll add an option for those who have very strong opinions about something not on here. No options for "I don't read" or "none of these." This poll is not for you, sorry!

Feel free to give your reason, but remember that this is about a genre you really wish you liked, not "ugh I hate this genre, it's awful." Looking forward to seeing your responses!

[lgbt-cishet-movie-tournament]

Most LGBT cishet movie?

Movie Submissions!

Sometimes a cishet movie is a hit in this community even without any stories or characters reflecting us (or at least not explicitly or intentionally or... tastefully). Either because of its campiness and witty banter, its drama, its weirdness, amazing soundtrack and costumes or its diva-like personality taking center stage. Please don't take this poll seriously.

Examples of movies that follow the rules below:

The Wizard of Oz (1939), Clue (1985), The Exorcist (1973), The Servant (1963), The Sound of Music (1965), Heathers (1988), Little Shop of Horrors (1986), All About Eve (1950), Jawbreaker (1999), What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), 9 to 5 (1980).

Rules for Submissions:

Please don't fight we're literally just ranking the straightest gay movies and transest cis people. The most conforming and queer paradox.

Because of the tendency of this site to call something "gay" just because 2 conventionally attractive men stand next to each other for 5 seconds, I'm not counting shipping possibilities that much. The level of drama, camp and the number drag parodies it has is way more important than possible romantic relationships or sexual tension in submitted films. Also there's ace and aro people voting. Keep them in mind!

It has to be cishet but somehow still queer. Can be the camp, general weirdness, gnc clothes, sassiness, the inclusion of a diva, accidental coding, or some other secret option. Honestly if you find a way to reason so hard it works, you could even try to submit The Godfather (... it is very quotable...)

Submit movies that aren't just American!

Submit movies that are cult classic masterpieces or movies that objectively suck!

I love Mamma Mia but it does have gay characters. This poll came about because I found that a lot of older movies had queer fans that were able to connect to others through these movies while creating their own spaces. This was despite the movie being "straight and gender conforming". I love that there's more rep now, but I'm aiming for this to poll contain more vintage movies for a reason. and I want to expand my watchlist. I'm aware that there are movies from the 70s, 1920s, and other older eras with explicitly gay themes and characters like Victim 1961 or Salome 1920 (and I encourage you to widen your scope of historically significant films) but this isn't that poll.

Old movies with very stealth trans or gay coding with its side characters and unintentional lgbt+ coding is allowed, but you know these things can be hit or miss. Besides, I put Heathers on here even though it's homophobic. Fun but homophobic. You can submit movies with homophobia or conformist themes to a degree.

You can submit propaganda videos, text, and images! If you know any drag parodies of the movies, send them my way!

If you don't want to submit directly, you can @ me

Posts with polls will be tagged as #mlcm poll. Movies posts with #user submitted or #user submission means it was submitted through the google forms and will enter the tournament

Given that not a lot of people watch older movies, the battling polls will be paired by decade until it gets whittled down to the finals where old and young will both compete.

Competition will start May 1 in honor of The Wicker Man 1973, which i wish counted as a poll entry, but I limited myself to one movie I'd slip into the tournament despite the fact that there's not a lot of lgbt fans of the movie. And this was my runner up because I really liked The Exorcist's Regan and Karras. Unless someone else submits him, Wicker Man's not gonna be there. Rest in Peace Christopher Lee and his ugly blonde wig.

[enbysiriusblack]

new poll war!

i'm actually doing the poll war i said i would do like two months ago!! sooo submissions are now open for most autistic marauder character

rules:

you can submit any character you want from the marauders era (this can include anyone ranging from teachers or parents to students that you think could have been in the marauders era, such as seamus finnigan's mother if you really wanted)

propaganda/reasoning for why you want them to win is optional on submission, but also anyone can later (during the actual war) can submit propaganda for any character via my ask box

pls don't be rude/no ableism

[orange-orchard-system]

"Is It That Serious?": a collection of thoughts on intrasystem conflicts and resolution, inspired by a recent incident

[PT: "Is It That Serious?": a short collection of thoughts on intrasystem conflicts and resolution, inspired by a recent incident / end ID]

Disclaimer: this was written several months ago in June (it was first drafted on June 10th, to be specific, and then underwent edits for a short time afterwards). The events in this text are no longer recent, although they were written about back when they were. We feel changing the text to reflect where We are now would cause this post to lose some of its story and meaning, so We have left it as-is.

Up until a short while back, we'd been having a lot of small intrasystem conflicts – the kind of clashes between desires and what you choose to do in your outer life that get under your skin despite how, or perhaps precisely because, they're about small, everyday events, not life altering choices. Our attempted mediations weren't helping matters, either, often coming off as placating or incomplete in their resolution. Combined with other stressors in our life, everything reached a head a few weeks ago in a fit that sent most of our selves silent and unsure of what would come next, or if this would permanently affect our system.

We're getting better now, after that incident. I do think we were right that this may have had a permanent effect on our system... but so far, it doesn't look like it's in an especially negative way. Or at least, not in an only negative way.

We're still quiet – that's the main thing. We weren't sure if the incident had affected the front, but so far, we seem to be continuing our co-fronting ways, just more separate from one another. Which may be worrisome if you first think of how this means our dissociative barriers must have increased – but in a system where we have to be around each other all the time, this was probably our brain's best method of giving us all a break from each other, which was desperately needed. But we're slowly (and I do mean slowly; rushing this would be a bad idea) re-opening communications and finding new stability in our bonds with each other. The largest impact this incident had on us appears to be in how it forced us to look at how we were doing (very bad), take a step back, and re-evaluate how we interacted with each other and ourselves. We got the break we needed, and in that time, we learned to ask some questions – and not to pose the challenges that had led to so many fights.

Here's what we learned to ask: is what we do with our physical body in our outer life really that serious?

When we clash over what we want to vote in a poll, is it that serious? Or can we just agree that both of the options we want to vote are good choices, and it ultimately doesn't matter which one we actually vote for? When we argue over what to get at the store, is it that serious? Or can we concede our own choices and let go of our bitterness while admitting that we do wish we could have had our way? When we worry over the timing of what we're doing and using in our life, is it that serious? Or can we acknowledge that the need to ration everything is a trauma response and we deserve to be able to casually enjoy life and use up the casual luxuries like scented soaps, cheap candy, and a good, filling meal?

I anticipate many bumps in the road as we figure things out, but I'm glad we've been able to ask these questions. Because now that we're asking them, we're able to mediate a lot better, too.

Before, it felt really... desperate. Fake. Placating, as I said above. Just something to make the arguing stop, just like we wished to make the threats and yelling and pain stop when we were younger. We're really good at rolling over and showing our stomach when it comes to a fight we don't think we can win. But this isn't healthy when you're on equal ground with someone else – and it poisoned a lot of our attempts to resolve these conflicts.

This the part of the road that's probably going to have the most bumps. But our efforts now feel a lot less like desperate pacification and a lot more like "Hey, I see you're upset, is there something I can do to make it better?"

Part of this is that we're trying not to promise something equal to make up for a grievance, because doing that just leaves time for the hurt feelings to fester. As an example, if one of us didn't get the candy bar they wanted, if we promise to get the one they want later, that just means they're stuck ruminating on how the conflict is still unresolved (because they haven't gotten their side of the deal yet) for hours, days, or even weeks. Instead, we're focusing more on what we can do in the present moment; "I see this situation has left you upset; is there something I can do to make you feel better now?", for example. It's better, we're finding, to ask questions rather than jump to promises.

(Which, honestly, is pretty obvious in hindsight; if you're looking to make sure two people in a conflict leave feeling happy and that their problem was resolved, you should really ask them what would make them happy, shouldn't you? You're just making guesses if you don't do that, and conflict resolution already involves an unfortunate amount of guesswork at the best of times, even in a system where you can literally feel what each side wants and is hurt about.)

I think another part of the building issue(s) was that we weren't carving out enough time to just explore ourselves. We're busy and stressed, and it's hard to find moments of self-discovery and plural joy when you're going through a rough patch. Based on that, what we really need to do to prevent everything from building up to another incident... is to journal more, get caught up on making PK and SimplyPlural profiles, hold some more bonding sessions, and get in the habit of actually talking to one another again using our external methods, rather than just taking each other's presences for granted.

Whoop-de-doo. Who would've thought the secret to better intrasystem relationships was more intrasystem communication and intrasystem management? It's not like communication is the basis of all healthy relationships... and it's not like we know very well that our symptoms get worse if we stop working to combat them... of course not... that would be so silly...

... I am glad that we're able to laugh at ourselves like this, though. It means the situation isn't keeping us down, and that we'll be able to work together to tackle the side issues we were having that contributed to all this. We likely won't be able to solve every problem we have – but even if there's not much we can do, it will be nice to have each other to talk to about them. After all, nothing says "fun bonding activity with the system" like complaining about your shared life! (tone: half genuine, half joke)

Not everything is fixed yet. We're still more separate than we used to be, and we can tell pushing too soon to change that will just make things worse. There's still conflict, there's still messes, there's still communication issues.

But things are looking up and we're making steps in the right direction. I think we can all say we're thankful for that – even if we wish it didn't take a very weird Saturday to get here.

—

There's not much else to say; I've gone over almost everything I wanted to, and I don't really know if there's a "point" to this post like there usually is to the stories we share. We'll probably be bringing up this incident in another post about intrasystem conflicts later on, but I don't want to promise that when I haven't even started drafting the post yet. But it's nice to be able to sit down and lay it all out. Yeah, there was this major issue in my system, it hit a breaking point, and now we're learning from it and figuring out what to do next. That's life, ain't it? A small story of victory and survival in a rough world – that's worth celebrating, I think.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go create some icons for several of our headmates who have been patiently awaiting their profiles. I'm a little apprehensive, since our perfectionism can leave us frustrated when we try to make such things for each other... but, hey, the quality of an icon is not really that serious at the end of the day, now is it?

No. It's not that serious.

[lucifers-horror-harem]

Cheering You Up Headcanons

Hey all! I decided to write some soft headcanons this time around! Plus, I added a new boy, Travis Hackett from The Quarry! I know hes not exactly the same as my usual roster of horror slashers and villains, but I love him and this is my blog soooooooo I don’t care lol Also thank you to the people who voted for the 3rd character, Otis! I really like using the poll option to see what people are interested in seeing, I might have to use it some more when I’m stuck between choices :)

Freddy Krueger:

As much of an asshole Freddy can be, he’s fully capable of toning himself down if you’re looking upset. But if he’s in a particularly antagonistic mood, the signs you’re upset will fly past him entirely until you go off on him, whether it’s crying or yelling at him for being such a dick. 

Freddy isn’t the kind to comfort you with his words, his love language tends to trend towards acts of service rather than sappy throw-away lines. He’ll never admit it, but ultimately he feels a smidge guilty for causing you more upset. So he’ll begin his scheming on a way to make it up to you.

Luckily for you, Freddy has his dream world, and he can make anything possible in your dreams. Freddy will hit you with just about everything he’s learned about you since knowing you. Do you like fancy romantic dinners? You’ve got the best seat in the house. Want to travel to places you wish you could afford? He’s got a first-class ticket to get you there. Just want a simple night in? He’s got you covered.

In all honesty, it would be a shock to see him put this much work in. Especially when half of the time you weren’t even sure he listened to what you were saying. Freddy not only listens to you, but he remembers everything. He just doesn’t like you knowing how much he truly cares. He thinks it makes him look too soft.

He’d get truly cocky as he soaks up the praise and affection you give him for such a sweet surprise. Freddy acts like it’s not a huge deal at all, and it wasn’t like he had to put much thought into it. You’re just so easy to please, he insists. But deep down even his cold black heart can feel a little something just from seeing your smile. As he lets you have your fun, he can’t help but smile to himself while watching you.

Travis Hackett:

While Travis might be awkward about expressing his emotions too freely, he’s more observant than he lets on. He’ll listen to everything you have to say, and figure out what you need based on that. He’ll let you rant and rave if you're venting until you finally let it out of your system, or he’ll hold you tightly if you’re an emotional wreck in need of comfort. And if it’s something he can take care of, well, he’s not above solving the issue himself.

Above all else, Travis makes sure you’re safe and comfortable. You mean more to him than he could ever put into words, and he’d do anything to see your smile. Even if he has a hard time expressing it, you can tell just how much he cares by the way he looks at you with adoration and softness you rarely see from him. He’s a brick wall to damn near everyone, but once you crack inside you’ll find he’s a bit of a sap. 

The next day, he’d tell you to cancel any plans you have for that night. If you ask, he’ll simply grunt and ask you if you trust him. Obviously, you do, so you let him continue his planning.

That evening, he’ll drive you to a secluded area of the Hackett property where no one will bother the two of you. When you get there, you’ll find he’s already set up camp, and you can’t help but feel a smile pull on your face. Don’t make too big a production out of it, or Travis might get too flustered. As it is he’ll keep fidgeting and rubbing the back of his neck as he insists it’s no big deal, that he uses this campsite so often that he just keeps these things here. Suuuuuure. 

He finds the outdoors peaceful and relaxing, much of his best memories took place in the vast expanse of wilderness that fell in the Hackett property, and he hopes that perhaps you’ll feel just as calm surrounded by nature. Maybe create some new memories too.

You’ll have a front-row seat to the sunset falling below the trees, reflecting over everything in sight and giving the forest a soft orange hue. And as night begins to fall, you sit by the campfire that Travis had kept up past dinner time, looking up at the stars as they shone more brightly here than anywhere else you had seen before. 

When the fire finally dies down, Travis will have you pulled to him on a blanket as you look up at the stars together and speak softly to each other as you begin to feel sleep pulling at you. Before you both fall asleep and get bit by all the mosquitos, Travis will make sure he carries you to the tent before finally settling down for the night, his arms wrapped protectively around you.

Otis Driftwood:

Otis isn't exactly the best choice if you're wanting a traditional cheering-up session. In fact, he might even complain if you pester him too much. "Can'tcha go bitch to Baby or something, I'm doing some important fucking shit here!" He'd probably shoo you along without so much as another glance your way.

After a while though, Otis will come around to the fact you need him. It's way easier for him to provide sexual affection, but genuine kindness is a bit out of his repertoire. But, after mulling it over for a while (as well as getting ripped a new one from Baby), Otis will try his best to be whatever you need.

He likes it best when all you need is for him to just exist in the same space, not needing him to provide a solution or answers. It's easy for him to just be a shoulder to cry on, that way he can't say all the wrong things like he tends to do. 

Otis also loves it when you need to have a good vent session. He'll hype you up, telling you that yeah, that guy was a motherfucker and maybe someone should do something about it. Maybe it's good if you don't let that get too far because Otis gets an itching for revenge at the drop of a hat just to make you happy. 

He also likes taking you on drives to calm you down. While he doesn't like to drive if he's too worked up because he's prone to road rage, he finds drives to be something that eases his mind when his thoughts are too scattered. And he's happy to share them with you, just so long as you don't become a backseat driver. Hell, if you ask nicely, he'll stop at whatever roadside spots you see. He’d even stop for ice cream if you’re being good.

[fateinthestars]

Man, has it really been two months since I did any Character Review/Rambling posts for a specific story/story set?

Well, let's rectify that now!

I could go back to the poll I did, but I'm really surprised to find that I don't appear to have covered the Divine Trip for Two sets yet. They should probably have been an option on the poll!

So let's cover those today. A Divine Trip for Two: Wishes and A Divine Trip for Two: Punishments

The Wishes set contains stories for: Leon, Teorus, Huedhaut, Karno

The Punishments set contains stories for: Scorpio, Dui, Ichthys, Zyglavis

Spoilers under cut

Before we get to the two separate sets, let's briefly cover the prologue which is the same for both.

I don't know what is more amusing here, the king getting them to summon MC who is in her night clothes, the god's reaction to that, or how Partheno and Tauxolouve manage to get themselves (along with Krioff and Aigonorus) out of doing anything for this latest game of the king's. 😂

Hue's 'Well done, you certainly got out of this quickly.' to Tauxolouve - I can't quite make up my mind whether he's irritated at Lou for managing to excuse himself or begrudgingly impressed.

That said: Much as I'm grinning at that exchange, I probably would have preferred for them to make it 12 items rather than 8 and then everyone could have had a story. But it feels like there are very few sets that have all of them - at least this is a four from each side one rather than three.

And yes this is absolutely a game of the king's - not an emergency at all. And Hue seems rather distressed that His Highness has been listening to MC's thoughts again. Just how often does this actually happen??? (Quite a lot knowing the king, but poor Hue).

Oh goodness and then there's how the king gets the others to agree to this... but I'll leave that as a surprise. 😆

Right, before I get way too spoilery about even just the prologue, let's get into the stories themselves shall we?

A DIVINE TRIP FOR TWO: WISHES

Leon: A Treasure Hunt in Singapore

Pfft, Leon always seems like he finds his job a massive chore and yet in other stories it's clear that Karno thinks that Leon makes a better Chief Minister than he ever would have. I'm not sure whether that's Karno's admiration for Leon speaking or his self-doubt pushing him down, or both - but it's interesting how here Leon takes the wishes list with him to do that work as well: He says to MC he's dealing with two 'nusiances' at once, but I'm sure some of the others would have seen it as a chance to avoid work entirely for a bit. That said: granting wishes isn't paperwork. No doubt that's the kind of work he is still ignoring. xD

Also here we have Leon's reaction to the lion head/fish tail statue that is also in one of Ichthys' stories: Leon is totally not amused no matter which option you pick. Ichthys was just completely confused.

What I vaguely recalled of this one was that it seemed somewhat blander than the others in these two sets, but I think that may be more just because these two sets are so strong.

Whilst Leon is still putting the front of not caring about the notion of other people's love it's actually clear from how this goes that he's grown beyond that, and just like one of his Christmas stories I'm still not buying that he's really doing it only for MC's benefit. The fact it makes her happy might be motivation as to why he bothers, but he clearly wanted to make sure this love wish was granted - even if it was, as he said, a lot of effort to go to for a single wish.

I'm 100% sure the king knew exactly what he was doing when he gave Leon this one. This almost feels like it was a further test to make sure the Chief Minister of Wishes really did understand love now.

Teorus: A Treasure Hunt in Germany

Okay I'm sure several of you are already looking worriedly at me so let me allay your fears straight off: This is my second favourite Teorus story. The only Teorus story I rate higher than this is his 'Secret Blessings from the Gods' story.

This story doesn't focus on his jealousy, or his obliviousness at other women crowding him, or his somewhat immature reactions he can have at times. What this story does focus on is his dislike of children. But here it's done equally - in his '12 Loves Light up a Holy Night' story it felt more like his reaction was purely because the children MC was talking to were male and it also bought out his overzealous over-possessiveness that I absolutely hate, whereas here? Here we have a young brother and sister, making a noise at the place MC and Teorus are sightseeing and initially that puts them off.

But then the reason for said children being there is revealed, and both Teorus and MC willingly help them.

And you know... I've just realised something. The kids in this story were trying to do something nice for their mother...

Teo doesn't know his and his father is an ass and oh, now I think I see more why even MC thought he was acting more mature in this one. OUCH. 😭

The ending of this one is just so sweet, and Teo grows a lot here.

Huedhaut: A Treasure Hunt in France

Oh Hue, you just had to leap straight to the teasing didn't you? 😆 But at the same time he's always really sweet. If you get MC to get him to decide what she should wear what he does is give her exactly what kind of thing she was wishing for (the same applies for if you ask for one of the two other options but then MC has said out loud what she's thinking). Other clothing scenes we have in the series always seem more to either be what the god wants or what the god thinks will wind another god up.

What's also interesting here is Hue's remark about this quest not being his usual style - I guess normally he'd make sure he had far more information than the king was willing to divulge here. (A painting of a lady in France indeed, your highness. Sheesh).

I adore Hue and MC's back and forth in this one. MC trying her hardest to outmatch Hue but as per usual it's not really working, but they just seem so perfectly in sync here.

THAT SAID: Hue, look, not everyone is as intelligent as you. I know you admitted afterwards that you were rather nervous due to sensing what you did, but even if you were uncertain about what was going on, don't you think it would have been a good idea to tell MC what was on your mind? What your theory was? Then maybe she wouldn't have even briefly thought that something was affecting you. (Mind you, I'm being hypocritical here, I probably would have acted the same as Hue did... 😅 )

This one is fun, loving, and heart-warming. Pretty much all the option responses here are great too. (Although one seems somewhat incomplete - it doesn't seem to make any sense).

Karno: A Treasure Hunt in Spain

Karno's story here is one of my absolute favourites for him. From protecting the MC from getting hurt and showing his rather scarier side for once, to him and MC working together to work out what to do about a problem regarding someone on both lists, to the solution being related to Karno's divine ability that he is so self-conscious about...

This is just absolutely wonderful and I guess it also shows that they could have done more stuff that focussed directly on the departments' work if they'd wanted to.

Okay now for my re-read thoughts rather than me just blurting out random thoughts before even reloading this one:

In Leon's story he doesn't use his powers to let MC understand the language until it's clear she doesn't know what someone near them is saying, in Teo's MC has to ask what someone is saying for him to make her understand though he does at least explain what he's doing, and in Hue's it never comes up because the one person they speak to is Japanese anyway. Here though? It's nearly as soon as they arrive that Karno makes it so that MC can understand the language and even tells her in advance. Ever reliable, Karno.

Well... I just called him ever reliable, but... um... Karno... did you really just ask someone if they were a 'local human?' that sounds really bizarre! I'm going to presume you were still rather panicked about MC nearly catching fire and angry enough at someone deliberately causing said fire that you didn't think through your wording cos otherwise...

But it is interesting how here we do get to see Karno genuinely angry. He won't stand for things that could get innocent people hurt, especially not when it nearly happened to MC. And yet once they've heard more and MC has calmed him down, we're back into Karno feeling like he can't do anything about the situation despite having all these powers available to him.

As I was saying in my initial thoughts about this one I really like the set up here: someone on both lists (Karno accidentally has the punishments list) and working out what they can do to resolve this when he can't touch anything on the list for the other department. There is a problem with one of the suggestions you can get MC to initially say here though - and the only reason it is a problem is because of the prologue excusing some of the other gods. For Karno's response to work, he really would need to not know where any of the Punishments' Gods are. But that's the fault of the setup before we even get to this story, and in the end that isn't what they need anyway.

*sigh* Karno really doesn't think he's of use does he? Even here it's MC who points out how his divine power might be able to help - at least for the first part. Later it is Karno who uses it of his own volition.

But yeah, I'm trying my hardest not to spoil this story here. It really is a gem, and a very interesting idea.

A DIVINE TRIP FOR TWO: PUNISHMENTS

Scorpio: A Treasure Hunt in Shanghai

Pfft oh Scorpio you really care far more than your irritated forced persona implies. From claiming that you just think walking around would be better than sitting in a stuffy hotel room, to watching MC's reaction to the pandas instead of the pandas yourself... you're being so sweet here.

Actually this whole thing is really touching. Scorpio's even being nice about the Department of Wishes for once!

I may not be that aware of the real life Earth astrology stories but I still like it when they come up here, and I especially like how Scorpio keeps disillusioning MC about other more minor gods. 😂

Like Leon's, the actual issue here might be a little less interesting than Hue's and Karno's, but it is still something important, and thinking on it it was kinda nice that this one had a punishment's god in it and it appeared to be heading in one direction when it really was not that at all.

Dui: A Treasure Hunt In England

Oh Dui 😭 *hugs him tightly* . I swear MC gets into actual physical danger far more when she's with Dui than when she's with anyone else. And this time it only happens because of how much fun she and Dui were having earlier.

Dui's another who actually uses his powers immediately to let MC understand the language. It's clear some thought about that more than others.

As someone from the UK I have to say it's kinda nice seeing these backgrounds of London in SCM 😅 Though it probably helps that Dui is so excited here! His happiness is infectious.

Despite the real danger MC is in in this one I really do like how this one turned out, and Dui? It wasn't your fault, I feel more like your luck is as bad as Hue's! I mean what the king sent you to find here... I think even he was trying to give you a break for once and instead this mess happens. 😭

Ichthys: A Treasure Hunt in Hawaii

Ichthys does actually make MC understand the language pretty quickly here too - once he's stopped being distracted by the sea and sea creatures that is.

But aside from the little fun at the beach at the start of this, this story is utterly heart-wrenching. The parallels between Ichthys and who he and MC are there to help. OUCH.

I think I'm struggling to put anything into words here because I may well have said before how much I relate to Ichthys and this kind of story really isn't helping with that.

This story is great but if you know what Ichthys' main path is like, this is him helping someone who is hiding pain like he used to.

I... I just...

😭

Zyglavis: A Treasure Hunt in New York

Okay let's move on from Ichthys' story before I choke up further, and lets head to Zig's.

Geez, Zig, thanks a lot. I got MC to answer your question diplomatically and this is your reaction. 😂 I adore Zig's snarkiness though. In fact I realised a while back: I seem to like people being sarcastic at me. 😅

Oh but there's sweet Zig immediately afterwards too... a dessert shop where he initially doesn't want anything and then MC points out they have Chocolate Ganache and now he's grappling with himself about it. 😆

Pfft: This reminds me of one of the differences between Huedhaut and Zyglavis actually. Hue is the one getting one up on MC and her grumbling to herself that she can't win with him, with Zig it's the other way around. Even though he has cutting snark it's MC that takes advantage of the situations around them and it's often Zig who thinks she can't win with her. I'm pretty sure if this food scene was in Hue's we would have ended up somewhere where even if others weren't doing it, Hue would have insisted on feeding MC, but here MC tricks Zig into letting her feed him due to where they are, and he's just so flustered and sweet.

Also, Zyglavis is somewhat ignoring the king's mission without MC fully realising it until he brings it up, rather than being vocally upfront like Dui was. I suppose it does make sense that he would go that route here, because it's one of the few times where he hasn't got to think about a million other things to do with work and the departments and the other Zodiac Gods. He might have a fetch quest from the king that he's supposed to be doing, but he also knows they won't be interrupted here. Which is probably why we're getting a more relaxed Zyglavis, even whilst walking about outside.

THAT SAID: I know you thought to let her understand the language after she bought that concern up, and you left your shadow with her so she wouldn't worry about splitting up, but - did you really just rattle off directions in a place MC has never been before so rapidly and then disappear without giving her a chance to even ask you to repeat what you said if necessary?! I know your shadow showed her the way in the end but that initial abruptness must have terrified her. Or at least it did me! (At least he does realise about this, and is part of the resolution later).

Unlike Karno's they actually remember that there are some still working in the heavens in this one, and that's a nice moment in MC's mind. I hope this really was Lou and Aigo's doing.

Overall, this is like a less upsetting version of Dui's. It's a way to get Zyglavis and MC not only to relax but to elucidate their feelings a little more.

It's a very sweet little story.

Okay then... ranking time? Hmm... let's see:

Karno

Huedhaut

Teorus

Ichthys

Zyglavis

Dui

Scorpio

Leon

That was actually really hard to order. Those top four have a lot of interesting moments and could probably be re-ordered or listed as equal first. Then Zig and Dui's are very close and I'm still not sure whether I've put them the right way round. Scorpio and Leon's are great too, but I think for me that probably is where both of those fall.

[mastercrowned]

Hi guys, forgive me for this insane question:

*and therefore they are not "just computers". Perhaps you think they're more akin to magical artifacts (like the master crown for example)

**Biological = biological organism, even if it was biologically engineered instead of naturally occurring (like if you were to grow an organ from scratch (e.g, the heart of nova?). That could imply their abilities that one might consider magic (such as portals) are innate to their biology (like Elfilis's possibly are?).

I'd love to read about why you chose your option in the tags!

You can also read a little about what I think:

I was typing up some of my own headcanons about the novas and it got me really curious about what other people think... There's a lot of different options and they've been bouncing around in my brain.

For one, I hope to gather data about how people think the magic system works in kirby. For example, is magic something any creature, even a computer, can learn and perform? Or are specific races/species/artifical beings not able to perform magic with knowledge alone, due to things like their biology? Depending on what you think, the nature of the clockwork stars changes...

I'm a subscriber to the latter theory, but I think it's both possible to "unlock" the ability to perform magic - for example, being possessed by dark matter - and to "use" magic through the use of a magical tool. If the novas were simply built with a magic component installed, granting wishes isn't exactly out there.

There's also the question about *why* the novas were built by the ancients. One of my headcanons is that they're basically the ancient's "cloud" - a big computer network that holds all of the ancient's computer data, libraries of knowledge, and maybe even all their magical data. This data was so extensive it therefore allowed them the knowledge to grant wishes...

I also can't remember where I saw this, but I remember seeing a theory about how the heart of nova resembles the jamba heart and how they could've been used as Incubators to grow the various spawns of void. That's too cool...

I also have so many questions about how Haltmann built star dream. What resources did he use, how difficult were they to find, did he use any substitute materials? Why does star dream's heart look different to Galactic Nova's?

Were the scientific ancients so advanced that they could create *computers* that grant wishes? Is it simply science so advanced that it's beyond our human comprehension? Or else, did Haltmann need to use magic (whatever that would involve) in order to built Star Dream? Was there a biological component Haltmann needed to engineer or FIND in order to complete it?

Anyway, I hope to do more polls like this. I'm hopefully going to be less busy in the summer and I can talk about kirby a lot.

[do-you-like-this-pjsk-ship]

Important Announcement

This is going to be a long one, sorry in advance.

First, I want to apologize for my lack of activity in terms of anything other than random updates here and there. I promised consistent polls and community engagement. I haven't made good on that progress for these past months. I'll get back to this topic in a bit though.

For now, the other important topic is Mod Honami. She has decided to step down from being a part of this blog. Her time here was short, but she will be missed regardless. I hope you will all wish her the best going forward.

Now for the future of this blog...

The original idea for this blog was to see the general community opinion of every ship combination. When I made this blog, poly ships and NPCs weren't really part of the equation. I planned to include the unit poly ships, but didn't think any other poly ships would be requested that much or even very popular. My original estimate of how long this blog would last was around 6 months. As it stands, there are only 47 player character mono ships out of around 175. For now, I'm only going to be posting these ships. At noon central time on September 2nd, the final stretch of polls will begin going up. Once those polls are finished running, I will post some final statistics and will then begin operating this account much differently.

Once the final statistics go up, I will only be posting ships if people DM this account directly with an edited picture/fanart to use for the image. I apologize to all of the people who have sent ships into the ask box and waited incredibly patiently for the polls to go up, but it just isn't something I can do right now.

Now, back to the first point, my constant inactivity. This is a bit personal, so I'm going to put it under Read More. If you've read up to this point thank you so much and thank you all for your incredible support. I know I haven't handled this blog as best as I could have but thank you for all of your patience and kind words regardless.

Thank you all, and I'm sorry.

I've just started my junior year of college, and I haven't handled it very well so far. I've failed or withdrawn from at least one class a semester, with all of my other classes usually falling down to a D, and I've considered dropping out more times than I can count. I'm at my third college and second switched major so far and really want to succeed which has led me to the unfortunate realization that, if I want to succeed in school, having hobbies, especially time-consuming ones like running this blog, isn't really an option for me. Even just a week into the school year, I've spent most of my time doing homework or working on things for the future, only taking breaks to eat or occasionally exercise. This realization has been a long time coming and is incredibly frustrating. I know my limitations as a person, but I still feel I've let you all down because of them. I want to keep running this blog and interacting with all of you and this community, but it just isn't possible right now.

For those of you who have stuck around, I can't thank you enough, and for those who have unfollowed or stopped engaging with the polls, I completely understand and am sorry for not fulfilling what I promised to you all.

Thank you for reading and I hope you all have a wonderful day.

[ronanceautistic]

It has been two years since my first fic was posted on AO3! So here's some fun fact about some of the fics I've posted.

southern nights: I wrote this the night after my grandma died lol. It feels a little obvious.

hounds of love: This was the third fic I posted, but the first fic I wrote.

Jig of Life: It was supposed to be much longer, but I got hit with writers block bad. I do wanna maybe do a rewrite of it at some point because I think it had potentially but was just lacking a bit.

A Promise That I'll Keep: A detail I only vaguely implied at is Robin's method of getting Nancy into the storm cellar - using a literal lead - hence why she got bitten.

blinded by the light: I do very often forget this fic even exists but I still love the comparison of grief to nuclear bomb testing LMAO. It's mental but I think it works surprisingly well.

I'm not here: Nancy's fate was decided on a blind Twitter poll - option a she lives, option b she dies. It got around 50ish votes (I can't remember the exact number), and her fate came down to one vote. Ironically, the vote I made on the nancybot account at the very beginning of the poll, is the one that saved her life. Nancy literally saved her own life in real life.

let my love open the door: Here are the invitation cards to the ten year reunion they attended!

the dream catcher: The concept began with the poems at the beginning of each chapter. The story developed from them.

she knows where she's taking me: This is the full route they took from the Denver QZ to Lenora

the stars, the moon: This day was originally conceptualised in the Grosse Point Blank AU, in that universe it's the day Nancy runs away from home. But in this fic, Robin shows up in time to stop her. And, I mean, thank fuck she did considering how her life turned out in the original fic.

we were younger: I list them in the end notes of the fic, but so much of this fic parallels canon Stranger Things, and I'm honestly impressed with myself how many connections I managed to fit in there.

what about crying whales: Aquarium is real life accurate thanks to a video tour of the New England Aquarium.

I just want to live in the moment: Not just in this fic, but I tend to write Nancy angst one shots in the present tense. I just like the feeling of time being fleeting, nothing being set in stone. It feels less like a story and more like inner dialogue.

call me when you get home: I was in a really bad place when I wrote this one, so the ending was a lot of wishful thinking for myself. OCD waxes and wanes, but it's fun to say that since writing it, I've felt the ending for myself.

tell me something about yourself: I really really like the concept of this one and honestly have never heard of any piece of media doing something like it before. So a lot of it was purely experimental, seeing if it even could be done well.

trapped between two lungs: It blows my mind that I even pulled this off, and blows my mind even more how positive the reception was. It was so much work, so much planning. Season 5 of this fic is undoubtedly the thing I'm most proud of. I wrote the entire final season of Stranger Things and I've had multiple people tell me the actual show couldn't possibly do it better? That's mental. Thank you so much.

Anyways here's to two more years.