#i'll write about brande philosophy

[readingsfrommars]

Another Very Normal Rant on Aventurine and Sunday (Patch 2.2 spoilers for Honkai Star Rail!)

So I've been wanting to write about Star Rail for a while. The game's writing is, especially lately, top notch and I have been enjoying it a ton. Be warned, I may have talked too much this time.

As the title says, there's a fascinating comparison between Aventurine and Sunday that I wanted to talk about. I'll skip over the frankly thesis-worthy amount of details you could write about when it comes to the interactions those two have, as well as the way aventurine acts during his time at penacony. Maybe I'll come back to it someday. For now, what I want to talk about is Aventurine and how he fits into Sunday's philosophy on life.

To recap, Sunday's view on life (according to my interpretation and simplified A LOT) is that it is better to for the weak to give up their freedom if it means they never have to go through hardship. Better to stagnate than to suffer, as he sees it.

The prime example he uses for this is an analogy of a baby bird that he and his sister, Robin found when they were children. The bird, too young and weak be able to fly, would certainly perish if left to its own devices. The pair, unwilling to let such a thing happen, come up with two ideas:

Build a nest on the ground for the bird, increasing its chances of survival, but ultimately leaving it to its fate

Build a cage for the bird to mature in safety, allowing it to heal until it could survive on its own again.

As we all know, Robin went with option 2, raising the bird before letting it go free upon reaching adulthood, only for it to die a few days later. Unable to fly against the wind currents, the bird had crashed to the ground.

This, alongside other experiences Sunday went through that left his faith in humanity all but gone, led him to the conclusion that trying to let the weak help themselves was a futile endeavour. In his mind, the only way to truly help the weak and less fortunate was to keep them in a cage, safe from harm at the cost of their freedom.

One of the interesting things about this analogy is that both Sunday and Robin are both examples of that second choice. Both children were left orphans until they were taken in by Gopher Wood, Dreammaster of Penacony. After this, they were raised with every need met and every problem dealt with. A more metaphorical cage, but a cage nonetheless.

Where Robin and Sunday differed is in how they saw the cage. While Sunday would continue to stay within his cozy, safe home, Robin would spread her wings and take off, never again letting herself be caged. When Sunday received news that Robin had received a bullet wound in her neck after going into an active warzone, it only served to strengthen his beliefs that the way of the Harmony was futile. The way Sunday saw it, if the reward for all of that compassion is nothing but pain, then there is no point in trying to help people find their happiness. (I'm paraphrasing to an extent)

But you might be asking: "Mars, what about Aventurine? You've only talked about Sunday, and for way longer than you probably should have."

And to that I say "Fuck. My bad"

But also "I'm glad you asked"

Aventurine is a character I don't think I have the attention span to fully delve into. So I won't. At least not yet. And considering how much you've read to get here, that is something you should probably be thankful for.

Aventurine is the last member of his people, the Avgins. Almost immediately after becoming the last of his kind, he is then put into slavery, with a brand placed on his neck (an interesting parallel with Robin's bullet wound). It is only through his own efforts that he was able to break free of his captors and become a part of the IPC, a place that would go on to become a home of sorts for him.

As a self-admitted gambler, he is always willing to take risks to reach his goals, but don't let appearances fool you. His risks are calculated, and tend to involve him receiving the brunt of the punishment while the people around him capitalise on the opening he provides. That's how he operates both in story and gameplay, mind you. The only thing he really bets is his life more often than not

While that does make him seem more like a nihilist than anything else, there's a lot to unpack with his actions and motivations and I'll get to that some other day. But at the end of the day, his plans revolve around his faith that others will be able to finish what he started.

Between his childhood and upbringing, as well as the way he operates, Aventurine is the antithesis of Sunday's beliefs. It is the suffering that made Aventurine into the person he is, and allowed him to ultimately overcome Sunday's conspiracy.

It was Aventurine forcing Acheron to unsheathe her blade that led to the express was able to learn the truth of the dreamscape, and subsequently allowed them to save Penacony. And once all is said and done, what recognition did he receive? At best, he'll be demoted from the position he worked tirelessly for.

When you think about it, Aventurine embodies the Harmony better than Sunday does. But then again, isn't that the point?

[illarian-rambling]

Thanks for the tag @sableglass!

Writing Share Tag

I swear, these guys are hilarious

“I….” The fellow cleared his throat with a grimace. “Yes, I am. C— Faalgun Falani, at your service. I served among the Flying City voidskiffs in my time. …Actually, I’m not entirely certain how long I’ve been dead for, so ‘my time’ could mean a lot of things.”

“The current year is probably 1705 on the Skarlin Calender, give or take a decade.”

Everyone shot the unassuming selkie a surprised look, causing her to stare at the ground. Evidently, she was not one for lots of attention.

“I recognize the brand name on the engine,” she explained. “The technology is also familiar, so I’d gather not much time has passed since I died in 1704. And oh, yes, introductions! I’m Kaulakri Ondohuroata, of the Yunin College of Natural Philosophy. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a cartographer and ecological historian by trade.”

“Skarlin calendar….” Faalgun frowned as he did some mental math. “I’ve been dead twenty-six years then.”

“Twenty-six!” the elf yelped. “Motherfucker, I died in 1311! Holy shit, who won the civil war?”

Pash shrugged. “I don’t know that calendar, but I like the thought of having been dead for thirty-three years. Nice mathy number. Let’s go with that.”

“Which civil war?” Kaulakri asked, cocking her head towards the elf. “You’re from Nabafyr, I presume—you’re going to have to be a little more specific.”

The elf scowled, her eyes shading into desperate. “The Stagjumps and the Greenhearts. Good ol’ King Greenheart was finally gonna roll back some of the sumptuary laws—I had a whole new set of gold piercings picked out and everything.”

Kaulakri shook her head. “I don’t recall that tidbit of history, but Nabafyr is ruled by a Syskar General now.”

The elf’s eyes went wide and she leaned against a crate as if suddenly dizzy. Softly, she muttered something about ‘ancestral right’ and ‘damn Stagjump imperialists.’ Pash cocked his head as he peered curiously over at her, his tail flicking in a way that felt like a human fidgeting with their fingers.

This is much funnier if you give Nyda a Brooklyn accent for some reason. I'll tag @mk-writes-stuff @kuebiko-writing @rivenantiqnerd @riveriafalll @inseasofgreen and anyone else who wants in :)

[commajade]

gonna talk about that se so neon concert again and maybe i'll get flagged as mature again idk lol.

truly the best and most organic global rock experience that has ever come out of korea. on superband s2 the really famous 80s and 90s rock artists talked about how early korean rock bands were very derivative of western rock because that's what they liked and that's what they knew and that decades later they were seeking a new specifically korean band that could have a truly korean artistic core for korean music lovers and global fans alike. and the winner of s2 was crackshot, who are fantastic but are very much from the 80s style heavy metal style and younger korean fans have embraced that in a way that's very beautiful. and the closest they got to a specifically korean brand of music is kardi because they have a traditional korean instrumentalist and their productions are so out there and technically impressive sometimes. but they don't have a core songwriter, just immense talent. so their new album was very much created with the korean music industry and korean population demographics in mind with certain songs for certain groups that is typical in corporately produced korean music like kpop.

se so neon is exactly what those legendary musicians wanted. soyoon is the mastermind: the songwriter, the vocalist, and the genius guitarist. all of se so neon's music have unifying musical motifs but also a large breadth of sonic range. the philosophy and lyrics of the songs are so deeply korean. and they're global in an organic artistic way, through collaborations and a slowly expanding audience around the world. her friend and mentor was ryuichi sakamoto and she's performed with john cale of the velvet underground. their songs are made for the stage and developed in the studio and the stage.

soyoon told us at the beginning that it was the biggest audience they've ever had in the US and that rly showed. the concert was incredible, pure rockstar energy just blasting from the stage and the crowd was wild the entire time. people have been writing op-eds about the death of the rock star since the 2000s and there's a lot of talk about how all the great rock performers revered in history were just asshole men.

se so neon had no opener, no build up, didn't make the crowd wait too long. they had a post punk/hard rock playlist and then it stopped and hyunjin soyoon and the new drummer kim hyunggyun just walked onto the stage and started playing. soyoon's vocals got much stronger and more polished since last year and it was already good. she always pushes her voice out and projects as far as she can and last year i could feel her pushing out beyond the edges of her voice and that was a specific raw gorgeous sound but this time her voice never faltered and her notes were exact. her voice got bigger and more controlled. the tone of her voice is so specific, so androgynous, and so textured with a smooth rasp and huskiness that she emphasized and used by putting quieter vocal-centric songs directly after screaming to instrumental-centric high energy songs.

the energy was immediate and immense, the volume was high but never unpleasant. i was right at the front, 2 people behind the barrier. it was perfect. the setlist was perfect, starting with their only english song joke! and putting out heavy hitter after heavy hitter, then a slow emotional song surprisingly early in the setlist then picking it back up again. they controlled the energy of the room with perfect precision and it kept going up and up and up. the band was rly enjoying themselves, soyoon beaming a huge open mouthed smile while she jumps around and shreds on her guitar, especially in intimate moments facing her band members.the new drummer kim hyungyun was relentless and played hard and heavy and intricate the entire set and that made the whole band go harder.

and there were 3 instances where people passed out in the audience during the show. the energy was high and it was a hot day and people had been waiting outside for hours so it wasn't unexpected. and every time, soyoon noticed immediately and shut everything down and the lights came on and she watched the audience member who wasn't feeling good and told them to take their time and that we would wait for them. and she asked the venue to give out free water bottles and they were all handed out and passed all the way back until everyone had one. and then the rock star would turn back on and the energy would pick up right where it left off. it was immediate, the way she noticed something was wrong and shut everything down until it was resolved. i respected that a lot.

besides those necessary pauses, the entire show was a smooth high-energy ride. the band was unfaltering, inexhaustible. just 3 people on a stage with occasional synth or vocal tracks layered throughout. the energy never lulled when every other concert i've ever been to has had a lull where i'm pulled out of the music and take a moment to drink water and check my phone. this show was perfectly paced and never slowed down. the touching emotional moments had everyone taking out their phone flashlights and there was waves of light making the whole room brighter. it was so beautiful. we all just had a beautiful night together. the crowd recognized all the songs (their catalog isn't very large) and they did athena from soyoon's solo album and the unreleased song kkd that they've been workshopping since the tour last year. you could tell that they never took a break in working on the music, the instrumentation for the songs was often so different i couldn't recognize them until soyoon started singing the verse.

they're rock stars! it was a rock show! it's all the energy and connection and sense of transcendence of witnessing the greats but they're all just normal people too. they're all confident and highly talented performers but have basically no ego. it's all about the shared space and the music and the art and gratefulness and care for their audience. just a fantastic show.

[crush3dmary]

Writing update:

Currently working on a vent fic, because what better way to cope with having a bad time than making Marik having a bad time. It's sort of a thiefshipping "missing scene" of sorts based on something I wrote about in another fic of mine a year and a half ago, but expanded quite a bit. Initially I wasn't sure if I was going to post it, but I'm happy enough with it so far that I wouldn't mind sharing it when it's done. It also will likely be the first explicit fic I post to my main account.

Up after that is the next chapter of Philosophy, which is entirely planned out so far and going to be a bombshell of an update. I should really reread the last few chapters first to make sure my continuity is okay though, as I try to do every time I start a new chapter. Gotta be thorough, right?

At some point I'll also be writing the second part to Heartstrings, the time loop one, which I'm tentatively calling "Heartsick". Hard to say when that one is going to be posted at this point because it is likely going to be quite long.

And back to Tales, I also want to write some Mithos/Genis at some point, but I haven't fleshed that out enough yet for it to be viable to actually start. I want to write something from Mithos' POV because I find him fascinating, and the other Gethos fic I did was Genis POV and you know me, I like to branch out while still sticking to my brand. Aside from this, I might be sparse on the Tales stuff for a bit because I haven't had any really good ideas aside from longfics, and I don't have it in me to write more than one multichap at a time unfortunately.

[studies-version]

wednesday, august 2nd

today's record will be a little different. I'll start by writing about the care I took with myself early in the morning and then I'll talk about my studies.

waking up in the morning I came across a post here in the community that talked about the BREAKS WE MUST have in our routine.

this content is available at @princesswony 🩷 — thank you for those kind words.

so i got up! I washed my hair with this wonderful coconut shampoo and conditioner kit! 🥥

and to top it all off, I moisturized my hair with this divine passion fruit pot from Skala (a very well known brand here in Brazil) 🍋

my hair smelled sweet all day, and I confess it still does 🤍🥥🍋🥰

after that I made a point of having a hearty breakfast, trying not to rush with the time to study.

so... I took it to study a light content today: scientific methodology. the first chapter talks about philosophy in ancient Greece, I already saw this subject in my first period of college, so it's a very simple review.

I did a total of 110 minutes of total focus today 💚

I didn't pick up any heavy reading, despite reading "The Prince" on the bus on the way to work .

on any other day I would strive to finish the chapter, to hit more cycles without breaks, but today I took some time to watch my favorite series and relax.

obviously it's Gilmore girls 🤍

🌷 ››thank you for accompanying me here. hope you take a break too 🤍

good studies and breaks for all of us! see you tomorrow 🥰

[patzweigz]

🔥The Frozen movies/franchise

Send Me a 🔥+ a Topic, and I’ll Tell You My Honest Opinion About It

a decade out from the original film, and a few years since the sequel, i just have to wonder... why were they so popular? the first film is fine, but the second i think reveals all of the problems with the first. there's really just nothing interesting going on in any of them, at least nothing that they're willing to commit to.

granted, frozen 2 was essentially rushed to completion. but it's so telling that either 1) the writing team did not consider that the destruction of arendelle was the only true way to thematically end their story or 2) they weren't allowed to destroy arendelle.

similarly with the first film-- while i think it's kind of charming that elsa was reworked from villain to hero after the development of let it go, i think overall it weakened the film's central conflict. i think elsa would have been a much more interesting character if it was her heart that had to be unfrozen, after a childhood isolated from her sister and then an adolescence bereft of her parents lived in fear of ascending to the throne. it would have also been interesting to make hans a more gray character by comparison-- or even still in keeping him as a villain, emphasizing his genuine competency in being a leader for people, and making the audience have to wrestle with whether or not he's operating in service to the greater good despite his selfish motivations.

of course... this is modern disney, and i don't think they're even capable of putting out a story as fascinating as the fox and the hound, as watered down as that was too. i have made it clear previously my distaste for walter elias disney as a person, but walt disney the aspiring creative had the right idea when it came to his movie making philosophy. it's why disney the brand is what it is.

so for frozen to so clearly be something marketed to children makes me still wonder why it was so popular in the broader culture. there is simply nothing there, at least as far as i can see, for the adult mind to be satisfied with. plenty to muse on, but engaging so intellectually with film-- let alone films that propose change to such embedded institutions as colonial government --is not a pastime of the masses.

this is to say nothing of the character designs. the way anna and elsa look compared to rapunzel in tangled is just so... it's such an odd design choice. the animation is nice, don't get me wrong, and i like a lot of the costumes and i'm famously partial to hans even with his bad writing, but what makes people think it's good?

i'm not sure i'll understand if i do come to find out...

[yuneu]

Hey youu how was your day?

Woooah I had philosophy in my mandatory high school syllabus too!!! But we didn't focus on Aristotle to such extent. We covered from the dawn of philosophy up to the second half of the 20th century over the course of just three years so it was kind of A LOT of historical eras to explore from a philosophical pov. Anywayyy yeah poetics seems to mean a different thing LMAO in my country, "poetics" as an academic subject/field means pretty much philosophical writing and the crafts of speechwriting and how to be an eloquent speaker and writer, as well as how communication works in theatre, how to convey some emotions, how to create dramatic dynamics etc. "Poetics" can also be used to talk about literature, though. In this case, it refers to the literary and aesthetic style and beliefs of a certain writer. BUUUUUUT since it means something different in France, I'm so curious about what you study and if you enjoy it or not.

After this very-much-unasked-for, very nerdy, parenthesis about poetics (sorryyy it just always fascinates me how the same word can have different shades of meanings in different languages), let's go back to the silly little world. I LOVE CHRISTMAS TOOOOOOOOOO. I actually love the time of the year that goes from mid October to mid December, aka pure fall season. I feel the same way as you about the cold in winter. It gets REALLY cold. At least I can see snow, which I loveeeee and haven't seen at all growing up because my hometown is literally by the sea (snow on the beach IS rare... Too rare ... Would be fucking beautiful. But way too rare). Do you like snow? What about your favorite season/time of the year (weather-wise, nature-wise, university-wise, whatever you wish)? You give off cherry blossoms in late spring vibes to me!! Or picnicking on a summer afternoon under the slightly cooler shade of a lemon tree or something, like, huge close-friends gathering, you know. Maybe I'm wrong. But so far you give me these vibes LMAOOO (you can tell I love nature after reading this, can't you? LOL)

Oh by the way HALLOWEEN!!! OMG it WOULD be so fun to be an American and get to celebrate Halloween as one!!!!!! Unfortunately my country is waaaaay too religious to welcome in even just the idea of Halloween. But I love it so much!!!! Fav holiday ever alongside Christmas!!!!

Brand-new question for you now: if you were to talk about a book you read and a movie you watched that you got obsessed with, in front of an audience, with the final goal of having to convince them that that book and that movie are the best ever, what would the book and the movie be? Yeah, I'm basically just asking you about your fav book and movie that got you so obsessed you'd never shut up about them LOL

I promise I'll shorten my asks, sooner or later... Judging by the way things are going, maybe later rather than sooner :)

Have a good night!!!

- Your Deer Santa 🦌🎅☃️

hi love!! my apologies for taking so long to reply i had a busy day haha.

i love the way words change meanings across leanguages and time! i have an ancient french class and a part of it is "historic phonetic", so we go all the way back to pre-latin to find the furthest origin of any given word and explain all its changes, both phonetical and semantical. it's A Lot(TM) and requires infinite amounts of work (cry) but it's so fascinating. i love languages. my best friend is really into linguistics and i love listening to her as well!

i study literature! it's actually called "lettres modernes" so it has a slightly different meaning that is between literature and humanities. it's a lot of work, especially when you have a teaching focus so you get to go aaaall over the basics that you've long forgotten (lmao rip) and add super theoric stuff onto it. but i really love it so it makes up for it

we used to get snow here (northern france) quite a bit! i remember having white christmases/winters as a child. but for a couple years we haven't gotten much or any :( last year we had about a week of snow (that made my uni close down for a few days during exam season cause nobody expected it and therefore nobody prepared for it lmaoo), that was it. so jealous of everyone who gets lots of snow!! i plan to move to normandy so i hope i get more there

my favorite season is still spring though lmao, i love wearing cute light outfits and not freezing on the way EVERYWHERE (<- girl who wants to live in the rainiest part of the country mind you). this is such a sweet thing to say about me omg i'll take that soooo gladly. i'm obsessed with lemons... one of the fruits of all time truly. i love when people tell me their impressions of me because i never expect it

and as for a movie.... interesting question!!! i'd probably go with the thing (1982) as my favorite movie. the soundtrack is just genius (ennio morricone has not disappointed once in his life) and obviously it’s such a fascinating story. stars my favorite actor (kurt russell) & i could go on and on about the story itself….

BOOK… this is soooo hard. probably either the little prince (changed me as a child) or catch 22. no matter how many times i read catch 22, i always find more things to take a note of. it’s satire at its very best. i can’t explain how much i love this book (and i found the show to be quite tastefully adapted as well!)

what about you? what are your favorites?

have a good evening darling 💞💞

[wyrmfedgrave]

Pics: Lovecraft, the teetotaler¹ - no doubt surprised by 'his legacy' of alcoholic drinks!!

1. There's a story that's been going around for a while - in which Howard drank spiked juice at a friend's party & became happier, more friendly & verbose...

More talkative?!!

We forget that HPL was actually out- going with his friends, while writing his letters & with the folk that he worked for.

Howard could be witty, sarcastic, etc in normal English. He saved most of the convoluted language & archaic spelling for his stories & poems.

But, it's true that Lovecraft did hide away for some time.

(Something that's already been discussed in earlier posts.)

Yet, once Howard began socializing with people - even some minorities - he came 'somewhat' out of his shell.

Not enough to give up his ingrained racism but, (according to ST Joshi) he became 'somewhat' more tolerant of others.

2. Beautiful themed beer goblet? Or, a Stein?!

Wassail...

3. Poster for the release party for Lovecraft Hopped Whiskey.

Sadly, though the month & date are included, no year is given.

Maybe it's a nod to HPL's timeless appeal?!!

Yeah...

I'll go with that.

4 to 6. Some of the 7 brands of the Narragansett Beer Company's Lovecraft series.

7 to 9. We also have a peek of the Lovecraft Brewing Company's various brands.

10. Finally, this 1 was a surprise to me.

Don't know if it's a brand from the companies already mentioned.

Or, if it's a new company's product...

PS: There's also a book on cocktail recipes based on Lovecraftian lore.

1914: Output.

Quote: "I think drink is ugly &... have nothing to do with it."

(HPL - in a letter to Zelia Bishop, 1 of his revision clients.)

Intro: Whipple, Howard's grandad, might have influenced the young Lovecraft concerning alcohol.

This would explain how HPL learned that wine had been banished in his family - for 3 generations!

Lovecraft took issue with drinking in some of his early writings.

Howard saw drinking as a 'curse' on mankind. To him, alcohol dulled the intellect & called forth the beast in all of us.

As a teetotaler, HPL tried to influence his readers thru various essays on this subject.²

Yet, his strict "dry" philosophy did soften (on many subjects) as he aged.

And, he stopped writing about it.

Notes:

1. Teetotaler is from a speech given by a Richard Turner, a member of the Preston Temperance Society in England.

During his speech, Turner stammered or stuttered "T-t-total abstinence" & a new word was born...

2. In the U.S., temperance was about moderation in drinking - not total abstinence.

Until a Dr. Benjamin Rush published his popular "Inquiry into the Effects of... Liquors."

Rush argued that alcohol was dangerous to human health & to democracy itself!!

Drunkenness, Rush continued, made all other social problems worse!

And, drinking led to drunken folk who made for bad voters!!

But, as other people agreed with this attitude, temperance gave way to the more extreme view of total abstinence.

The American Temperance Society (in Boston) teamed up with the religious Quakers, Methodists & Baptists.

They all came to require a total pledge against their members drinking.

In 1851, the Independent Order of Good Templars (7 million members strong!) stood up against the alcohol drinking Freemasons...

Total abstinence spread into the political field & produced several statewide bans - but, just in New England & various other states.

But, this "practice run" - for the later national Prohibition - only lasted from 1851 to 1855.

Next: Part 2, the Work itself...

[thedeadlyrobot]

Gaming recap of 2023

holy shit, i have been meaning to post something in here for a while now, but with personal issues and working constantly, it's been a little bit difficult to do.

so, i just wanted to take a moment to write about some games I've been playing, some games I've played, old ones, new ones, red ones, blue ones, and everything in between. 2023 has been stacked with games so far, so keeping track of everything has been a little difficult on my end. but i'll try and keep the descriptions and everything here a little short as to not overwhelm with gratuitous details.

Starfield

Surprise, surprise. I'm one of the million or so people who are currently playing Bethesda's new RPG. Without getting too into the weeds, it's a fun game. Generally speaking, anyway. It still has some of the annoyances of past Bethesda titles, but this one breaks the mold in so many other ways that it's easy for me to forgive some of the bigger design shortcomings. The UI, visual bugs (surprisingly, very little overall), inventory management and the lack of maps are the worst of the bunch here, but hopping planet to planet and running into other spacers trying to make their way in the universe is what keeps me coming back to it. I think this game nails the emergent gameplay that previous Bethesda games have attempted.

I won't really spoil much, but I did rush through the main quest after learning what the scope of NG+ is for this game, and I have to say that I think it may be in everyone's best interest to mainline the story first, then do most of the side content within the second NG+. I understand that there's at least 10 NG+'s that you can run and it's one of the primary ways to advance a progression system that is revealed mid-way through the story. I don't really think I'll end up running that many NG+ saves, as it will wipe most of your material progress, sans your skills and research... I have to admit I'm not fully in love with the way NG+ is handled here, and I imagine once the Creation tools are out, we'll probably see a major mod release that condenses the number of NG+ runs down to a couple VS the 10 they want you to do.

But that's really my biggest gripe I have with it. I think I'll go through my 2nd NG+ and just wait after that for some major overhaul mods, which are apparently right around the corner in 2024.

Baldur's Gate 3

Admittedly, I have set this game down right at the start of Act 3 so I could play Starfield, but I think I'm going to crawl my way back to this one sooner rather than later, just so I can see how it all concludes. I understand Act 3 has some interesting bugs and issues, but the scope of the final act of the game is something to behold. From what I gather, Act 3 is nearly twice as long as both Act 1 and 2 combined, which is a shitton of game to behold for sure.

From release, this is the only game that I really played for a long time. Up until Pikmin 4 released, this was my go-to daily game. I'm not sure how much more I can praise this game that most people haven't already done, but just know that this is most likely my favorite game of the year, even though Tears of the Kingdom is in a hot contest for that spot as well. BG3 is just as good as you've heard, and if you have the means to play this, I highly recommend you do so. Probably the best CRPG I've ever played.

Tears of the Kingdom

Breath of the Wild turned out to be one of the greatest Nintendo games, not just Zelda games, of all time. The depth of exploration, the feeling of discovery, the mystery of the world, it was all so brand new and fresh-feeling. Not a whole lot of open world games could contend with it for a very long time, as I believe that Nintendo's design philosophy has paid dividends for the genre. Let me just say that BotW was so good, that it ruined open world games for me for a very long time. I just had nearly no interest in them up until Red Dead Redemption 2 released.

Fast forward to 2023, and Tears of the Kingdom delivers on every promise that Breath of the Wild made, but doubly so. I sometimes miss the abilities from Breath of the Wild, but Tears of the Kingdom's weapon / shield fusing, ultrahand, and autobuild abilities are some of the best mechanics for any game I've played in recent memory. Think Banjo Kazooie Nuts & Bolts but with the added depth of open world design and the classic Zelda feeling of discovery. Sure, combat is very simple, weapon durability can be frustrating, but that feeling carries over from the first title. I would have loved a little bit more innovation in these areas, but for what's here, it's a great fucking time.

Story wise, the game exceeded my expectations, even if some of the story beats are a bit repetitive. I would love to see them expand even further on what's been introduced here for the new game, and I'm willing to bet that this series concludes with a third entry in a trilogy, then it's onto whatever is next for our Hylian adventurer. If the world and quests feel overwhelming, I recommend blitzing through the main quest just to see what unfolds here story wise. Collect all of the Tears, then start conquering the different regions and temples to get the full picture of what is happening. What you'll find is, in my opinion, one of the most climactic and breathtaking finales of any Zelda game I've ever played. 10/10 game, easy.

Lunacid

Lunacid is a very mysterious game. It's a spiritual successor to the King's Field series created by FromSoftware, and it is doing an incredible job of replicating the way those games felt, in terms of combat and exploration.

It's currently in early access and created by a single person. It feels nearly feature complete, but it still has plenty of potential and room to grow. I recommend playing what is here, as your second playthrough may feel completely different than your first. I don't want to get to into what the game entails, as I feel the mystery is what makes this game the marvel that it is. Highly, highly recommended.

Jef

Jef is Jef, and that's what makes it special. Just play it. You can beat it in a single sitting but it's just batshit insane. Unironically one of my favorite gaming experiences I've had this year.

Chibi-Robo

Chibi Robo is an expensive game these days, but with a little bit of luck and a couple clicks, you can play this yourself. The internet is wonderous!

A hidden gem of a game, I wish I played it when I was a kid. I'm playing this on a modded Gamecube with all of the feeling of playing on original hardware and being sucked back into that simpler time. It's a game about making people happy by cleaning up their house and giving them presents. You meet an assortment of characters of all types, shapes, and sizes, and each of them has their own little story that you get to take part in. I'm also playing this on the Steam Deck totally real retail copy I have and it works great. It's a shame this never really took off here in the states, as I feel like subsequent sequels would have made good use of evolving the mechanics and scope of this series down the line. Try it out, I think you'll have fun with it.

Street Fighter 6

I suck at a lot of fighting games. I even suck at this one, but, I feel like I'm actually getting better each time I play it. I was pretty into Super Street Fighter IV when it came out, but the online scene then wasn't nearly as big as it is now, so playing ranked matches with people somewhat as skilled as me has been fun to learn and grow within the game.

I haven't played World Tour mode at all, as I mostly wanted to just git gud and fight other people, but eventually I'll make my way back around to it. If you're new at fighting games, I can't really think of a better way to get into them than this.

Project Zomboid / 7 Days to Die

They are both zombie games in perpetual Early Access, and I played these pretty much simultaneously with different groups of friends, which is partially why I lumped them together like this.

Zomboid with mods is something else entirely, and it's one of the better multiplayer games I've played in a long time. The difficulty curve is steep, but if you have a friend that can show you the ropes, it becomes a lot easier to grasp over time. I recommend playing it in a Vanilla state first, then working through the modlists and seeing what you may like.

7 Days to Die is a lot of fun as well, but admittedly the second pick of these two games. Getting the boys together and completing missions and staving off the horde is a lot of fun... for the first several hours, then you start to see how repetitive the game becomes. Quests are rinse and repeat, there's no real overarching goal or story at play here. It's been in early access since 2013, 10 years if you want the quick maths. That's a long long long early access period, and my hope is that they eventually "get there" with it, but maybe another 10 years will tell.

That's all really... there's several more games I've picked up in between, but these games left the biggest impression on me this year so far. I also started playing Lies of P once it released, but I haven't sank enough time into it to decide one way or another on how I feel about it. Plus, the year isn't over, there's still several on their way.

Also, I did not forget about Pikmin 4. I want to do a longer writeup on the Pikmin series as a whole, and where I think Pikmin 4 falls into as far as "the best" Pikmin game debate.

Go play some damn video games!

[kaymidnightlife]

Ah yes, an intro post

Hello~ My name is karli! Welcome to where I post and reblog NSFW stuff. So this is an 18+ space, if you're under 18 please do not follow or just block me, it saves me peace of mind. If you follow me, just have your age in your bio or some indication of being over 18, please.

To start, my pronouns are she/her and they/them (it/its with express permission), though any feminine sounding pronouns are fine~. I am transfem and also pansexual~

Currently at the time of writing this, I am single! Also a virgin, so my experience in terms of sex is sadly limited (wont stop me from making lewd comments~). In terms of my mindset, I'm a switch! Some days I'm useless and submissive, others confident and dominant! I am completely open to polyamory, but I've never been in a poly relationship so it would be a brand new experience.

I'm honestly into a lot, but some things are...not for me. Limits are scat, vomit, extreme gore, sissy stuff, anything involving severe injury (hitting is fine, but to an extent), and things I probably can't think of, so just ask first for anything! I am attracted to all identities, however I do lean towards being a lesbian. I have no clue how to describe it, I am very sorry, but chances are I'll find anyone hot.

If you're a TERF, truscum, chaser, or someone who is offended by a weirdo like me, fuck off. Also, I will not talk about shit like politics, philosophy (pertaining to world topics), or serious topics here. I'm posting tits, ass, dick, cum, and other horny shit, not my thesis on why capitalism sucks (which it does suck, don't get me wrong!). Just for those wondering, I'm very left and socialist.

TAGS TAGS TAGS! WE LOVE TAGS! I will not tag art reblogs (nor will I tag them "mAtUrE", I'm not a fucking cop). Expect nudity and weird shit. However, I will have tags for some general stuff:

"mood" - For horny text posts I reblog

"karliramble" - For my text posts in general

"karliwarningposting" - When my text posts get spicy~

"SUPERwarningpost!" - For the post that are not just spicy, but downright full descriptions of NSFW acts.

"karlishitpost" - For memes, both NSFW and not

"karli'svault" - UNDER DEVELOPMENT. If I decide to post pics of myself, this will be the tag I use. Will contain anything from cute pics to...more of me~

If I think of any more, they'll be edited in, but that should cover it!

I hope if anyone finds this, they get some enjoyment listening to a touch starved virgin ramble about her fantasies!

[i-heart-hxh]

Thanks for the great response, as always! I essentially agree with what you're saying, but I want to explain some of the reasons that I hold back a bit on my expectations, and also some of the reasons I'm optimistic at the same time.

My hesitations with it becoming truly, explicitly canon have more to do with external forces and restraint on this topic in Japanese culture than Togashi himself. Shonen Jump, the manga magazine HxH runs in, is immensely popular, profitable, and culturally relevant, and I suspect they might fight him on making the leads of his series full-on canonically gay, as that would be a historical precedent that I'm not sure Jump is ready for even with how many Jump series tend to flirt with the idea. It is a magazine originally aimed at boys, after all, even though it has become extremely popular with a wide swath of the population. Jump may be concerned about how it would reflect on their brand.

However, from what I understand Togashi owns HxH fully (which is not the usual situation at all with Jump properties as far as understand), and because HxH is enduringly very popular, if Togashi doesn't like their terms or feels they're suppressing him, he might have the ability to just take it to another publisher, so I think he has a very unusual degree of creative power over HxH.

I also think at this point it's possible Jump has given up on placing limitations on him because of that risk, and HxH is certainly profitable (and increasingly even moreso the past few years, with all the merch and events and such). Then there's the fact that he almost definitely won't make another long-running series after this, so it's not as though he has to worry about ruining his chances with publishers and audiences for future series. AND as one last point, they did announce the series wouldn't run in standard Jump from here on out (we don't know yet how it'll be published in the future, possibly Jump+ or something else), and whatever it moves to might give it a little more leeway to be controversial than just the standard Jump. Though I strongly think the scheduling is the main reason for the move so that might not even be relevant.

Gay topics and themes in anime and manga have also gotten increasingly more and more common, acceptable, and explicitly canon, though there's still plenty of progress to make in that area.

But, I do still wonder how much pushback he'd receive on making it explicitly canon from those around him, because it could affect merch sales and such in the future for his properties if he does do that. (I don't necessarily think this matters much to him, I'm sure he and his wife are financially set, but I'm not sure how the companies and industries around him would respond and if that would have sway or not...) To a certain degree, I do think it fits his writing style for it to stay somewhat ambiguous, as well. Though I agree as the series has gone on, it has gotten less and less ambiguous rather than more, and even having a random f/f kiss in the manga that wasn't strictly "necessary" and the whole Hisoka and Illumi engagement ring/pre-nup thing makes me wonder if he's testing the boundaries further.

That said, of course I'll be beyond delighted if it does become explicitly canon, and I'm not ruling out the possibility. I just prefer to temper my expectations to a certain degree because there are factors to consider beyond just Togashi's own wishes. If it turns out even more explicitly canon than I expect (assuming we ever even reach that point in the first place), that's fantastic!

Anyway, have this representation of Togashi from Sensei Hakusho, by one of his assistants, which I think summarizes his philosophy on the matter (and this is yet another thing that gives me hope):

Do you think togashi Will sink killugon in the future by denying the romantic reading of their relationship?

Hi anon! I strongly don't think that'll ever happen. I truly believe including the romantic subtext between them is intentional on Togashi's part, and I want to be clear I'm not saying that just as a shipper, but as someone who has spent years deeply analyzing the series as a whole, as well as Togashi's influences and interests. The deeper I look into it, the more I'm certain he includes all the things he includes with full intention.

Again, I post this because everyone deserves to see it:

Togashi wanted to create works with queer characters before HxH even existed, and he was deeply invested in this concept! It's possible pieces of HxH even came out of this original idea he had--he did say he might publish it someday in "a different form," so it's not an impossibility.

I think likely one of two things will happen with Gon and Killua's relationship in the future of the manga:

Togashi will bring them back and reunite them, and we'll (at least eventually) get some sort of ending for them that may not be 100% undeniably canonically romantic, but likely continues with the same kind of romantic subtext and ambiguity that's been present all along. (Think something like: They decide to travel together again and promise to stay together without it actually saying if they mean it in a romantic way or not, but there might be hints or wording that imply it is intended in that way, with Togashi trusting those of us who see it that way will understand.) Or maybe we hit the jackpot and he does make it explicitly canon. I don't think that's super likely, but if anyone could get away with it, it would be Togashi, for a whole list of reasons I won't get into on this post.

Sadly he won't reach that point in the manga due to his health and how much of the series remains, but he won't say either way what he intends their relationship to mean, and we're free to continue to interpret it how we want.

There are other possibilities of course, but I think those are the most likely outcomes. I do think he fully intends to reunite Gon and Killua and I've written about this in-depth (whether the series actually reaches that point or not). I don't think he intends to "sink the ship" ever because he's the one giving us an uncountable number of reasons to believe in the ship in the first place... And I do think he's doing it out of his own personal interest, not just for marketing reasons or whatever like we see in some other shounen series. It's deeply embedded in the series and the number of things pointing in this direction is just so, so many.

I don't think there's any reason to be pessimistic about Gon and Killua's future, aside from the factor of Togashi's health. However, I try to take the attitude that, in the case that it doesn't ever get finished (and assuming Togashi doesn't have some sort of back up plan, and I suspect he might), we get to choose ourselves how it ends. I deeply hope we get a canon reunion between them someday, the thought of this happening is something that keeps me going in life, but if we do have to continue to imagine it ourselves, it certainly could be worse.

[lordeasriel]

I wanna talk about Marcel Delamare and whatever the fuck he is doing on The Secret Commonwealth and why Simon Talbot is an important key to what is happening in Lyra’s World. Needless to say there will be spoilers, so it’s under the cut and tagged appropriately. This is mostly speculation as opposed to the analysis I normally do, but I wanna discuss it anyway as I’m rereading that behemoth of a book.

Marcel cares very little about Lyra. Let us get this out of the way now; he is looking for her on behalf of his mother who is, at the very least, deranged. He dislikes, or even hates Lyra, because he blames her for Marisa’s death/disappearance, but overall he cares very little about Lyra because she does not affect his goals. With the prophecy gone, Lyra is not a threat for the Church as far as we know and that extends to Marcel’s plans.

Things to consider about Marcel, as we know:

He manipulates the Magisterial Congress to create a Council where the Church finally has a leadership after years of being leaderless.

He plots to have the leader he elected himself, murdered and then becomes leader himself, after blaming the men from the mountains.

He casts a blow to the CCD by taking out Binaud, although that was mostly an action driven by passion, cause he had a feud with Binaud. and daddy issues cause binaud used to bang his mom but fine. 

He has an interest in the roses and rose oil, and the building in the desert, and he heads La Maison Juste, which was officially known as the League for the Instauration of the Holy Purpose. They are responsible for everything heresy related, but Marcel shows from his early chapters that he has a great interest in changes. In the first chapter he says that “times change, and understandings must change too.” when talking about the new reading method.

He is a subtle man and very patient, as we learn that many of the crisis during TSC are happening after he put them in motion months before the book’s plot. Binaud even tells him he is “too cautious” but his subtle ways pay off as he quickly and steadily climb the ladder of power within the Magisterium. Not unlike Marisa, he relies on charm and charisma to get things his way, and his finesse conceal his relentless nature as he is slowly taking over the biggest organization in Lyra’s world. *screams in panic*

No, I don’t think he is going to change the world for the better. Quite the contrary, I think he is trying to change the ultimate goal of the Church and that is bloody terrifying.

The Church as we know, is a religious institution; they impose faith and many of the branches of the Magisterium still are religious at their core, holy people that most of the times do evil because of faith, but most of them are priests, nuns, monks. The CCD, the biggest and most powerful branch up until Marcel created the Council, were a military force not necessarily holy, but most of its members acted on behalf of faith.

Marcel is hardly religious, there is nothing that indicates that; he is vain and ruthless and as power-hungry as they come; but he advocates for change, unlike other members of the Magisterium, who think the Church can stand all-mighty before the modern age that is coming. He is prepared to embrace it though, and he is already going after the roses.

The rose oil is the sort of thing the Magisterium on its own would seek to destroy, but I think that Marcel wants to control it (I’m unsure whether this is on canon or not as I’m not done with my reread, but let’s roll with it).

We know that Pan and Lyra are fighting over two lines of thinking that advocate for reason: Brande’s daemonless world and Talbot’s imaginary friend daemons. Talbot knows or is subservient to Marcel, as we see them talking, so I’m gonna propose something wild, and likely wrong, but wild nonetheless. I think Talbot’s very wrong about his idea that daemons are projections of the mind, there is enough physical evidence to disprove him, but I think he is part of Marcel’s big change plan. Bear with me:

Daemons are Dust. They are made by Dust, they exist through Dust, when they die they disappear and they cannot go to the Land of the Dead because there is a place where Dust, conciousness on its own, is not capable of existing.

Dust can be seen through many ways, such as the spyglass and the rose oil, and it reacts to many objects, such as the I ching, the Alethiometer and the Myriorama. Asriel’s photogram shows it clearly that Dust attracts itself to mature conciousness.

We learn, as we travel with Lyra, that the relationship between human and daemon is not as sacred and tight as we thought. There are people who leave their daemons and vice-versa, there are people who hate their daemons, there are people who sell their daemons (and buy daemons) for several reasons.

We know Talbot’s idelogy and Brande’s have been infecting the younger generation, especially those in academia. They have created a world of reasoning and cold, harsh logic that caused some people to even begin to ignore their daemons.

Although these two idelogies are mostly meant to cause conflict with Lyra and Pan, they also show a lot about how the world is slowly changing. But how does Talbot’s daemons don’t exist for real connects to Marcel’s plans for the Magisterium and the rose oil?

I think Marcel paid him to write that, or he could simply be taking advantage of Talbot’s dumb concept. It’s about creating a bubble of ignorance. The rose oil allows for the user to see Dust, at a hefty price, of course; a person could look at their daemon and themselves and see Dust as it is. However, a person who doesn’t believe their daemon is real, a person taken by cold logic and only rational thinking, they have absolutely no interest in this business. They have no desire to understand Dust or what it is, because to them it is nonsense.

But why does Marcel needs Talbot for this? Because Academia has a certain immunity to the Magisterium’s brainwashing. These are educated people, and although some religious people are in the academic field, in Lyra’s world, most people from colleges are free thinkers or even part of Oakley Street. Talbot is Marcel’s man on the inside, in a manner of speaking; he is suppose to seduce academics through logic and debate, in a way that the Magisterium would never be able to do. The Church then tackles the rest ot the people, through common sense, fear and the spreading of faith and lies and persuasion.

Marcel has no interest in saying Dust is the ultimate sin; what it is to anyone else is irrelevant to him and to his plans, as long as he controls it (and the rose oil by connection), he is the owner of the ultimate truth.

Brande is not connected to this, he is simply at the wrong place. at the wrong time, having an existential crisis lol

[crush3dmary]

Fanfic Q&A: 4, 8, 20?

Hey hey thank you! I'm at work and it's slow so I'm gonna answer this now lmao

4. What themes/concepts in the canon do you most enjoy exploring in your fan works?

Definitely the emotional aspects of things, like grief and trauma - my entire brand is "if canon won't let them grieve/cope/process then I will". I like writing introspection and analyzing why characters are the way they are.

8. How do you view canon works? Do you like to abide by them closely, or loosely? Why?

Not really sure if this question is about canon works as a reader or writer, but I prefer to both read and write things that exist within the canon universe. I like canon divergence aus A LOT but I don't really dig putting characters in other types of settings, like modern aus etc. Nothing against them or the people who write them but it's just not my thing. Usually if I'm looking for fic for something it's because I like the canon lore in some way so I prefer to stick to it even just loosely.

20. What’s your favorite work you’ve ever written?

Oh that's a good question! I'll do one for each of my fandoms because people follow me for different ones.

Tales of crestoria - Darling lagomorph

Tales of symphonia - Ice Palace

Yugioh - In the arms of the heretic, though it'll probably be Philosophy of a Knife when it's a little further along.

[sleepyconfusedpotato]

Task Force 141 : Professors AU

(Now updated with their majors and more informations)

This started out as a what if 141 has glasses but add fashion and now they're hot professors. Special thanks to @shadeops21 for the take on each respective eyeglasses brands. Let's take a look on them one by one!

💰 Mr. Price 💰

- Mr. Price has a PhD (Doctor in Philosophy) in Educational Psychology. He's the head master of the school, hence the parent teacher type, a grandparent, even. He doesn't teach, but his office is always open for counseling and you can talk to him about your problems any time.

- He'd walk around the school and greet the students in the morning, asking how their mornings went, even would buy a milk or a bread for the students if they say they haven't had a breakfast yet. Then, during classes he'd take a peek at every classroom windows to see what they're doing or learning.

- Mr. Price doesn't go easy on the disciplinaries though. He'd give punishments to the rebellious students and personally give them pep talks about why what they're doing is wrong.

- If there's a particularly problematic student, Mr. Price would investigate the student, from their friendship circles inside and outside the school, and would take a look at the family to fix the problem.

- He's usually the last of the teachers to leave, since he makes sure everyday that the students go home before the sun sets.

🧼 Professor MacTavish 🧼

- Prof. McTavish has a PhD in Social Sciences, and teaches Anthropology and Sociology classes. He's often seen with Mr. Price discussing about the school. Some say he's the vice headmaster, but he always denies it.

- Prof. MacTavish is the Tired 24/7™ Teacher. He'd show up with coffee on one hand and a bunch of ungraded assignments on the other. Eyebags are ever present on his eyes.

- His Scottish accent sometimes makes it hard to understand his lessons. Don't get him wrong, he loves teaching his students, just some of them are what he'd call, eejit, gawk, or tube.

- He never skim-read his student's paper. Prof. MacTavish will read your entire essay and gives you suggestion and inputs on how to write better.

- Prof. MacTavish is often seen either in his office or in his library reading or grading papers. Sometimes he'd grumble to himself if he found the essay stupid or just pages of prolonged non-sense.

- He's particularly stingy on giving scores. It's hard to get good scores. However, if you manage to impress him with your writings, then you're in the safe zone.

💀Professor Riley💀

- Prof. Riley has a PhD in Computer Science (IT). He used to Major in Cyber Security, though. He teaches Theory in Computing and Algorithm & Data Structure classes.

- He'd be the type to straight up get into the lessons on the first day with the only introduction being, "Name's Simon Riley. I'll be teaching you for the next few months. Now, today's lesson is about..."

- Prof. Riley is very hard person to read. His teachings and explanations are VERY EASY to understand though. He'd make sure to stop mid-explaining and ask if he's too fast or if the students have any questions.

- He's rarely seen outside the class and at times would pop out somewhere you wouldn't expect. Outside of the class, he's often seen with Prof. Sanderson. If students started to gather around Prof. Sanderson to have a chat or ask about something, Prof. Riley would silently step back and escape.

- Prof. Riley only shows up in black outfits. If it's any color, it'd be gray, dark blue, or dark brown.

- He's normal on giving scores. It's just the subjects taught are HARD AF. Prof. Riley understands that his classes are hard, so he'd gladly open extra classes in the weekends if the students asked for it.

🐜 Professor Sanderson🐜

- Prof. Sanderson has a PhD in Applied Physics. He teaches Basic Physics and and Methods of Experimental Physics classes. Hard this classes may be but not HIS classes.

- When it's Prof. Sanderson's class, you KNOW this class will be fun. He teaches the students but he feels like your friend and your buddy. He's a young one and therefore can connect more to the students because he shares the same sense of humor and consumes similar media.

- Prof. Sanderson would play games with his students and share conversations and jokes. He'd do some crazy experiments in the lab and even allowed the students to experiment alone (with his supervision of course. He once got a written warning from Mr. Price because one of the students almost destroyed the lab).

- Prof. Sanderson would add memes on his slides to add more fun to the lesson.

- He's the friendly teacher who'd sit in the cafetaria surrounded by students and would play basketball with them after school hours.

- He's generous on giving scores, if you got him as a teacher, you're guaranteed to have a good time.

- He's often seen with Prof. Riley. He'd be the one to chatter while Prof. Riley listens.

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

TRIVIA

- Mr. Price, Prof. MacTavish, Prof. Riley, and Prof. Sanderson are hang out buddies outside of the school area. They're very close and often seen walking into a cinema or a pub together. They would have a dinner together in a restaurant every Friday and completely loses their teacher persona.

- The students have heard Prof. Riley being called 'Ghost' (for understandable reason), Prof. Sanderson being called 'Roach' (for also an understandable reason since he's all over the place), and Prof. MacTavish being called 'Soap' (the students are still in a debate on why he's called SOAP out of all nicknames as he's the grumpy and rugged looking one).

- The four of these professors are voted the hottest professors in the school with the winner being :

1. Prof. Sanderson (cuz he's the most popular)

2. Prof. Riley (voted the most by the majority of the female students)

3. Prof. MacTavish (He's also voted the hot teacher, but the girls doesn't like his haircut)

4. Mr. Price (He's a hot grandpa and every student likes him)

- The girls have a "fan war" between Prof. Sanderson's fans and Prof. Riley's fans. During Valentine's Days, the girls would ALWAYS have a war on how many chocolates they can give to Prof. Sanderson and Prof. Riley. (Both of them would later share all the chocolates among themselves with Mr. Price and Prof. MacTavish since they could get an early diabetes from that amount of sugar)

- The students LOVE these 4 professors in particular and would surprise them on their birthday every year :

Mr. Price : They surprised him with a BIG happy birthday sign and balloon on his office. Some students would also cosplay Mr. Price by wearing a boonie hat and a paper beard mask the ENTIRE DAY. Mr. Price is absolutely THRILLED.

Prof. MacTavish : No one dared to surprise Prof. MacTavish, so they only left letter notes, gifts, and presents on his office table. His room are filled to the walls that when the students hid just in the corner to record his reaction, Prof. MacTavish SCREAMED as he entered. He was also seen brewing the coffee that the students gave him and brings it to classes and when he grades papers. He loves it.

Prof. Riley : At first, the students surprised him with cakes and happy birthdays in a big crowd, but Prof. Riley only stood FROZEN in silence and dropped his tea. He said "he forgot it's his birthday." After Prof. Riley said that, the students NEVER misses his birthday and would ask Prof. Sanderson about what he likes and what he doesn't like as he rarely talks about himself. They know that Prof. Riley doesn't like to be in a crowded area and once said he doesn't like to make much of a deal about it, so they didn't surprise him in a big crowd and instead sings happy birthday every time he enters the class. They'd also leave gifts on his table such as tea packs and new shirts or turtlenecks and snacks. He's also seen bringing tea cups into the class wearing the gifted clothes. He loves it.

Prof. Sanderson : BIG SURPRISE WITH TRUMPETS, HAPPY BIRTHDAY SONGS WITH GUITARS AND CAKES. NO LESSONS IN CLASSES JUST STORY TELLINGS AND CHATTING THE WHOLE CLASS.

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

So there it is, the Professor!TF141 AU

Drawing them with glasses are such a fun thing to do, since I always draw the glasses as the last part to draw so It's a surprise for me, too. Each one of them is GORGEOUS. What a feast to draw.

What do you think about my professor head cannons? Hope you enjoyed that cuz I enjoyed writing them! o(≧▽≦)o

(Also, feel free to *cough* make a *cough* fic *cough* if you're interested)

[peachieflame]

Do you have any ither zukka fic recs? I’ve been trying to discover some new good ones:)

Yess I love giving recs! A little warning tho, all the fics Im gonna mention are more than 5k+ words long cause I don't like short one-shots and a lot of them are multi-chaptered with over 40k+ words. Also I'll update this as I read and discover more faves!

Expand to see the list cause its long....

Lighthouse Beam: Sokka’s breathtakingly beautiful and he’s smart and makes other people laugh. Zuko has a half-burnt face and a deaf ear. It’s not rocket science. Or, Zuko falls in love with the boy in his Philosophy class.

🍑: I really like college/highschool AUs and even more zukka fics where Sokka is actually described to be smart. Sokka is one of the smartest characters in the whole show Idk why he's been branded as a dumb, dense character by the fandom. Anyways, loved that this fic had Zuko being the one to fall first as-well.

In the Soft Light: As the newly appointed cultural liaison to Northern Water Tribe, Zuko is the first Fire Nation Citizen to step foot inside the city's walls in nearly a century. He's determined to prove himself—to the Fire Lord and to his father—even if the Water Tribe's spirit-touched prince seems to want nothing to do with him. Or Moon Spirit Sokka AU.

🍑: Enjoy this authors' writing style, really engages me in the story. Also ahhhh fanfic based on my moon spirit Sokka... im very grateful 😭. I didn't include this one in an ask about moon spirit sokka au cause I hadnt known about it at the time but now I reread it whenever I can.

7 Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have): How Zuko and Sokka collided through ill advised means—or approximately seven (7) acts—is beyond them. In just a year, they will trudge through the unorthodox conquests of youth (see #2: The Late Acquisition of 2 gallons of Arizona Peach Iced Tea) or capitalist schemes (#5: Bought A $4,550 Jacuzzi). But how they manage to Allow Aang to Become Vegan (#1), Host The Mr. Teen Universe Contest (#7) and, um, Set The Classroom on Fire—Again (#6) to eventually fall for each other, is still a mystery to them.

🍑: Although this one hasn't been updated in almost a year, the 2 chapters that are posted is some of the most fun I've had reading a fanfic! I admire the coding put into it so that it has a creative, unique structured. Also cute little things like the scrap paper or the scrollable email box (which blew my mind when I first saw it, I didn't even know it was possible to code something like that) just engaged me more in the writing.

Kiss Me To Just Shut Me Up: Zuko proffers the card, and Sokka takes it, their fingers brushing. Sokka tries to cover up the way he shivers at the contact by turning the card over and squinting at the text written on the front. Zuko Sozin. Tattoo Artist. The Jasmine Dragon. A single dragon curls around the characters in red ink. — There's a new tattoo and piercing shop on Ember Island Beach.

🍑: Oh beau... you're so multitalented. This was the fanfic I was recommending to everyone that bought a zukka print from me at cons like I had no shame I just wanted everyone to read Beau's amazing work. And you all should read it if you havent yet.

Five Times Zuko Wanted to Die (and One Time He Didn't): “Sorry about that,” the voice says, and suddenly the curtain has been pushed aside, and Zuko is speechless. “What can I help you with?” He stares. “Um— ” The boy has to be around his age, he’s sure of it. He’s got the most perfect tan face Zuko has ever seen, with blue eyes so brilliant it’s hard to form words. Or the college-age AU in which Sokka fixes watches, Zuko struggles through engineering, and everyone's nervous about the cute boy from the jewelry shop.

🍑: Modern settings fics that aren't like cafe/barista AUs are kind of hard to find (or at least ones that I like cause im picky) so I was surprised to see this one! Again it's an enjoyable fic where Zuko is smitten first and Sokka is not written as dumb. I also remember wanting to draw fan art (one of the scenes) so maybe I'll go dig that sketch up and finish it.

At the Top of the World: Zuko is sent in disgrace to Alaska's Northern coast to ensure nothing stands in the way of Sozin Oil Company’s new offshore drilling project. He is willing to do whatever it takes to make his father see he’s worthy, even if it means fighting against the one person he's met who actually seems to give a damn about him.

🍑: I'll never shut up about this fic, its beautifully written, well paced and realistic characterizations. As an Indigenous person this fanfic tackled Indigenous struggles better than any other fanfics I've read so far and it shows the author did their research. ATLA fandom tends to sweep aside Katara and Sokka's indigenous identity a lot. It's even more frustrating when most fics acknowledge colonialism and racism and yet brush aside Indigenous discussions or theory because they're either scared of touching the topic or don't care. Even fics that do mention their Indigenity is brushed aside with surface level discussions you can tell the author is just parroting from whatever twitter thread they skimmed. Im definitely not saying that fanfic should be an educator for social political issues or that it should be written in a way that it could replace theory for whoever stumbles upon it. Im just baffled that so many authors will mention colonialism only to explore it's effects on Zuko and not the actual Indigenous characters.......... that's all.

[nakachuchu]

High-maintenance | Cat!Gojo Satoru

SYNOPSIS: AU - A typical day in your life with your high-maintenance cat.

READER: gender neutral

WORDS: 602

WRITTEN: 03/30/2021

NOTES: Thank you for requesting!

"Hi, pretty," you cooed as you scratched your cat's chin.

He lifted his head to gain more access to your fingers before hopping onto the sofa you were sitting on. You could see him smile.

He placed his paws onto your thighs and kneaded them before hopping onto your lap and laying down on it.

You chuckled and leaned down to kiss his head before looking back at the laptop in front of you on your coffee table.

You were stuck on a research paper given to you by your philosophy teacher. The thesis was about the ethics behind reprimanding your child and if it was considered child abuse.

Researching about it always put your mood down because of all the horrible cases you had to read about, and writing about it was even worse.

"Meow."

You glanced down at your cat. "Are you hungry, Gojo?"

He raised his head and pressed his nose against your chin, rubbing himself around you.

"I gotta finish this paper, pretty."

"Meow."

"Ah."

He leaned forward to slam his paws on your keyboard. You sighed and slid the laptop away, then closed it after saving your progress.

"I'm sorry, pretty," you murmured as you ruffled his skin.

He leaned into your touch. You knew he liked it when you called him pretty or when you simply complimented him.

You adopted Gojo a few years back when you rented an apartment near your university. You didn't want a roommate because you didn't like people much, but you were lonely so you went to a pet shelter.

The employee said Gojo was the only animal who had been there for months and never adopted. It was all because he hissed, scratched, and bit everyone who came near him.

But you were a miracle. Even the employee was shocked that Gojo willingly came over to you and meowed politely.

Of course, the whole time you were signing the paperwork, Gojo was glaring at the employee.

"You're the prettiest ever, did you know that?"

He blinked at you and preened at your compliments, puffing his chest out.

"Of course you do. I say it every day," you murmured. "Are you hungry?"

"Meow."

You carried him into the kitchen and set him down on the floor as you opened the can of cat food.

Even if you were a broke university student, you still bought the best and most expensive brands for Gojo.

When you first adopted him, he refused to eat the cheap cat food you bought for him. He'd simply look at it, then walk away.

He also required you to brush his coat in the morning and before he went to bed each day.

You had no idea where he got his attitude and lavish personality from, but you would always give into him.

Your cat was high-maintenance but you adored him. You took out the wet cat food with a fork, placing it into his pink, bedazzled bowl.

He approached the bowl and began eating from it. You smiled and threw away the car before getting started on your dinner.

You liked meal times with Gojo because you'd absentmindedly talk to him and he would occasionally nod while eating.

Once you finished cooking, Gojo finished eating. He'd sit by your feet while you eat, and when you finished, the two of you would watch a movie together.

You learned he was unaffected by horror movies and always seemed more interested in romance movies.

“I bet if a killer came in here, you'd be able to kill them, huh?” you asked.

“Meow.”

“I'll take that as a yes.”