#i've wanted a good character poster for ages.

[commsroom]

hello, dear listeners! ⭐ (by @jamisonrivv)

[goblin-enjoyer]

I swear why are half the things i like/fandoms im in made of mostly younger people while the other half are mostly older people? what are the zoggin odds with that?

How it feels being 20 in a fandom with a bunch of 30-40 somethings.

VS how it feels being 20 in a fandom with a bunch of 14-17 somethings.

like am do i just have extremely odd luck with things i like or is this just what being 20 is like?

[formerplumi]

USED A SUA IMG IN ONE OF YOUR BATFAM POST imagine a luka reader. the family desperate to reach you and due to lack of memories of what You were like since they all neglected you, started just making shit up about you. yes, of course youre angelic, kind and so darling to them! youd never hurt a fly and your soul is such a forgiving one... until they look you up online properly and see you gay baiting someone to get them shot

- prologue

PAUSE anon you cooked, omg. (for those who don't know who luka is i've put a very small summary of his character right at the end.)

honestly i've just been using sua as a poster girl, but a reader with luka's characteristics is so interesting... after being relocated from your "father's" underground business dealings to gotham to live with your real family, it'd be natural to stay reclusive because of the change in atmosphere.

i imagine a luka-ish reader would try to socialise more with the family than the current insert, but their attempts would be unmeaningly unsettling. an innate feeling would rise in the batfam that didn't make them dislike you, per say, just unintentionally avoid you.

you can't be much bothered with it, since even in your previous living conditions, there'd be people who liked you, and people who didn't. you knew how to work around it

so you redirect your focus. you'd been treated like an adult as you were being raised, so you had your goals and motivations figured out at this age already. for a handful of years in the manor, you'd work to keep up the fame you'd built up with your old "father", fame that slightly dissolved after your sudden disappearance from the screens; your escape from the industry.

eventually, when you decide to move out to perhaps further your prospects and influence, there's a buzz in the media at the sudden reappearance of the angle-voiced child star who was taken off the big screens after their "father" got involved with court dealings.

this is probably what eventually alerts the family to your absence in the manor, and in the shame that they couldn't notice it without the help of a third party, they scrounge around in their memory for good exchanges with you. just to have some semblance of the kid who wandered around aimlessly in the house. the kid they shooed away without ever actually shooing them away.

when they find nothing; they try to make stuff up. "angle-voiced child star", so you must've been soft-spoken, sympathetic, angelic person too, right? yeah, yeah you must've been a darling... how could they be so ignorant of you?

their shame somewhat morphs their unease at your old attempts to talk to them, into a shy child's timid want to talk to a new family in a new area, without any help whatsoever.

oh you poor, poor little kid.

i imagine it wouldn't be too difficult for them to find content of you, since your net-presence sky-rocketed after returning to the music industry. but ohh just imagine their surprise when they get access to an underground website streaming some sick stage-show human trafficking project, and see you there?? whatever are you there for? doesn't your fame generate a fortune? what in the world would you need to be on this... show for?

idk how the "getting them shot" thing could play into any other place other than a dark-web game show tbh. maybe they don't initially recognise that the videos up there are for such a thing, only after seeing you walk away from an applauding audience, get surprised by the sound of a shot and the image of your opponent lying dead on the stage ground, do they bother to investigate the ordeal. but this time, as vigilantes, and not failed family.

they'll just... save you along the way, yeah? 'save' you.

luka is a character from a series called alien stage, and you can find the episodes uploaded on youtube by vivinos. luka's established as a well known, famous character within the alien stage 'tournament', who's participated in the whole thing before, and has a significant amount of aliens/audience rooting for him.

his character on it's own looks beautiful, and is dubbed "prince" by his fans, but on his first appearance in round 5, he is portrayed as somewhat unfeeling and manipulative.

better characterisation is provided on alien stage's official accounts, with comics and patreon uploads. the "father" i refer to in the above imagine is referring to luka's alien owner.

[absolutebl]

Best & Worst BLs of 2023

My Top 15 BLs of 2023 are (in order)

1 Our Dating Sim

Korea Viki

Nerds in love, deadlines, gaming, teasing, pining tiny idiots, casual affection, linguistic oops, ADORABLE. If you haven't watched this, it's a must. A perfect short form KBL, an office set reunion romance featuring geeks that really suits 8 eps with no fluff and no chaff. Just comforting and yummy.

I adored every aspect from the casting to the pristinely simple premise to the quietly smooth execution. Sure it’s low stakes, but that makes it high domesticity and extremely warm and gentle. This is a fuzzy blanket of a story - a cozy BL. It lives in my rewatch pile and you know what’s best about it? Every single episode is in that pile. There’s no skipping with this one, it might be good natured and calmly sweet but it’s tight and the pacing is excellent.

Also recieves my 2023 award for best giggle.

2 I Cannot Reach You

AKA I Can't Reach You AKA Kimi ni wa Todokanai

Japan Netflix

This classic friends-to-lovers BL is everything Japan does best. Angsty. Emo. Aching. Driven by real thirst. Yamato is deeply in love with his childhood bestie, Kakeru, and has been for ages, unable to hide his ungainly damaging high school need. He wants Kakeru in every way possible and it oozes off of the screen.

Kakeru is silly and a little simple, but not frenetic or overly camp about it. He is earnest, and genuinely wants to keep Yamato in his life which means giving a romance (and gayness) a fair chance. We watch him realize his affection and what form it can take in a truly authentic way.

This show was impossibly kind to both of its lead characters and I felt almost honored that I got to watch something so lovely and rare play out on my screen.

Also wins the best thirst award.

These were the 2 BLs that got 10/10 from me in 2023. The rest of these got 9/10 from me.

3 My School President

Thailand YouTube

GMMTV gave us a classic high school set Thai BL with tropes like messy boys singing their feelings that made this one Love Sick for the modern age with all the gentle sweetness and pining ache, but none of the dated damaging tropes or issues. Who let my BL be this wholesome and funny? My favourite GMMTV BL offering to date. And yes, I've watched them ALL.

Received the Namgoong award for best wingman 2023.

4 I Feel You Linger in the Air

Thailand grey

IFYLITA is an exquisite BL, from filming techniques to narrative framework. Steeped in history and family drama this is an elegant and classy BL. The main couple (both as a pair and individuals) were excellent, particularly Bright (Yai) whose eye-work acting style is a personal favorite of mine. It's a marker of how great it was that it's so high on my list despite the ending which was very much not what I wanted.

Additional accolade, sexiest moment of 2023 - (the oil scene).

You could try to fight me, but you'll have no grip.

5 Kiseki: Dear to Me

Taiwan Gaga & Viki

The plot is totally ridiculous and slightly unhinged. There’s a gum-ball machine of cameos, elder gay rep, great chemistry from all pairs (everyone is queer), and a KILLER side couple. It involves all the tropes under a very offhand framework of gay mafia gangs + food = love. As a result Kiseki is a poster child for Taiwanese BL, and I happen to love Taiwanese BL. Bonus? They also managed to END IT WELL, which we cannot expect from Taiwan.

Best side couple 2023!

(thank goodness Taiwan made this list!)

6 Jun and Jun

Korea Viki

A delightful office romance about an ex-idol who joins cubical life only to find his new boss is his first love. With a snappy (sometimes even raunchy) script, enjoyable sides, a pretty as peaches cast, and descent chemistry this show made up for in style what it lacked in substance. I like fluff. I loved this. I smiled every moment I was watching.

Best flirting 2023.

AKA "the tongue knows" award

7 The Eighth Sense

Korea Viki

This one is a bit chewy and sticky and less perfect than most KBLs. It’s got a bit of an age gap, country boy/city boy, stellar acting, complex characters, and leads with great chemistry and tension. This isn’t in the KBL bubble, there’s sharp edges and lots of triggers. For a BL the darkness of the content left me feeling unsettled (which is the only reason it didn't get a perfect score) but it has a glorious ending and that counts for a lot.

2023's most likely to appeal to non-BL watchers.

8 Unintentional Love Story

Korea iQIYI

The lead, Gongchan (maknae of B1A4) is a fucking GIFT, who carried this show. He was luminous with extraordinarily expressive eyes, which he used to carry a killer plot and challenging role. Forced into a totally understandable betrayal, falling in love despite himself, put into a corner he can't get out of, the AGONY, the eyes EMOTING at us in PAIN. Driven by external conflict, social tension and pressure this story seems simple but it's actually refined and quite complex. I loved this show.

Best story structure 2023.

9 My Personal Weatherman

AKA Taikan Yoho

Japan Gaga

This is classic yaoi of the kind that really only works from Japan. Basically: boys who fell in love in college end up living together but both are so repressed they actually don't realize they're in love. It's high heat is well done, but it leaned into the "why don't they just talk for fuck's sake?" which is exacerbated by the fact that they're already fucking. Sure is sexy tho.

Best use of props 2023 for the shower of sheets.

10 Our Dining Table

AKA Bokura no Shokutaku

Japan Gaga

Lonely salaryman and talented cook gets accidentally adopted by a college kid and his little brother. It’s a quiet & cozy little parable of found family alleviating loneliness. It's lovely & sweet with the romance beats used to build a family relationship, not just couple intimacy. Special.

First prize for domesticity.

11 Laws of Attraction

Thailand iQIYI

This is a great gay suspense thriller with several solid couples, fun plot, killer characters, queer rep, and a happy ending. It’s tons of fun and I had an absolute blast watching it.

Charn wins my favorite character of 2023.

12 La Pluie

Thailand Viki

This BL takes to task the fated mates trope and what it means to have love chained intimately to predestination. It’s about how faith in destiny before choice diminishes the authenticity of emotion, relationships, and connection. This is a high concept to examine through the lens of a BL. With good chemistry and decent acting all around, plus some excellent high heat and representation of consent and a few other rare tropes, this one has to (like it’s sibling show My Ride) earn high marks.

Most interesting concept 2023.

13 The New Employee

Korea Viki

So good, SO QUEER, so soft, a near pitch perfect office BL with conflict derived from that setting. Also found family and a lesbian bestie. This is what I wanted from this new crop of office set KBLs ALL ALONG. Rainbow rice cakes forever!

Best overall queer rep from Korea.

14 Step By Step

Thailand Gaga & YouTube & Viki

This was Thailand’s answer to The New Employee, and everything I loved about that show I loved about this one. This was an office romance between stern boss and sweet subordinate that felt more authentic to an office environment than previous Thai BLs of this ilk which added tension to the narrative and character development.

Chot wins best queer character 2023.

15 Love Tractor

Korea iQIYI

Most of this country-set BL had me feral for the beautiful broken city boy and his hot young farmer. Hyung romance, puppy/cat pairing, open frankness meets jaded reserve, language play, water hose frolicking, only one bed = all my favorite silly tropes.

Biggest "he so pretty" gasp of the year award.

10 Worst BLs of 2023 (that I watched)

My Blessing

My Universe: Casanova Begins

Boyband the series

Cafe In Love

Chains of Heart

Hit Bite Love

Only Friends

Senior Love Me

The Luminous Solution

The Promise

Yes, you read that right. I know I'm against the flow but I really did not like Only Friends. Everyone's taste is different.

However I DNFed faster and more BL's this year than ever before, so that means my 10 worst probably aren't quite reflective...

10 Probably Actually Worst BLs (I dropped 'em)

My Story

The Day I Loved You

Beyond the Star

Crazy Handsome Rich

Dinosaur Love

House of Stars

Mr Cinderella 2

Love Bill

Stormy Honeymoon

The Star Always Follow You

Codicils in General

I only carefully track/watch Thailand, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan. Other countries are not fully represented.

My Numbers

So my spreadsheet chronicled 138 BLs that finish airing in 2023.

101 = watched & reviewed

2 = still in the docket (WDYEY2 & Love Syndrome III)

15 = CNF (could not find)

20 = DNF (which also accounts for how few very low scores I handed out in 2023 as opposed to previous years, I just stopped watching). Speaking of which...

Ratings spread

(# of stars. #of BLs given that rating)

0 (see the DNFs instead)

2 - IT'S DEPRESSING they killed the gay, save yourself

7 - I DON'T KNOW WHAT I AM WATCHING AND NEITHER DOES IT

7 - FATALLY FLAWED but still basically BL, however… do we want to support this kind of behavior?

9 - WATCH IF YOU HAVE NOTHING BETTER TO DO but don’t expect much, it’s a total hot mess

17 - WORTH WATCHING BUT FLAWED probably around the ending or in narrative structure/cohesion or censorship

14 - RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS i.e. isn’t quite BL, convoluted, not strictly HEA, too short/long, or chemistry issues

30 - RECOMMENDED some concerns around tropes (like dub con) or story structure but still satisfies as BL

13 - ABSOLUTELY RECOMMENDED probably a few pacing issues or one flaw

2 - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED faithful to tropes, happy ending, good chemistry, few flaws, high rewatch potential

(source)

[julzrulz]

What they are like in bed

╔════════════╗

NSFW WARNING 18+

╚════════════╝

Giving some love to the girlies this time!

jus sum general sub headcannons for these 2 girls + alittle imagine for each

who do we want in part 2...?

Rating: R (Restricted, No One 17 and Under Admitted)

Pairings:  Sub! Ashido x Dom! Reader, Sub! Uraraka x Dom! Reader

TW: Smut, variety of kinks (dumification, exhibitionism, orgasm denial, praise, nipple play, teasing, prob more)

Notes: Headcanon/lil imagine, Gender Neutral pronouns, female bodied reader, Characters are aged up 18+

───── ❝ 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐨 ❞ ─────

fav place to do the do

mina likes to have sex anywhere but home

someone else's house, public bathrooms, movie theaters, she wilding

she's just so playful and really likes touching you when she's not supposed too

but for someone bright pink she's pretty good at not getting caught

yes i said "pretty good" but definitely not prefect

you guys have definitely gotten caught once or twice before

she keeps vibrators and a strap in her purse so she has 24/7 access and so you can't make excuses

likes the probability of being caught

general sexcannons

Go forbid Mina not want to do every position possible everytime you guys have sex

She needs to do everything all at once

Can you blame her tho? She likes fun

She definitely trains to be more flexible just so you guys can try new positions the whole time

Has one of the scratch off sex position posters and you guys try a new one every so often

Every corner of your guys’ apartment has been “blessed”

Like there is not a single inch that hasent been at one point soaked with her pussy juice

No one needs to know that tho

Loves trying new things and needs to try it twice

sex drive

high sex drive

why do you think she likes having sex in public

ya girl is always ready

she's not always thinking about sex but she's always down

you would make a suggestive comment or joke to her and she'd look you in the eye and mouth "right now" with a little smirk on her face

like no babe we're in the walmart bread section

only likes having sex when she's in a good mood

Doesn’t fuck with makeup sex or fighting sex or any of that

She’s very emotional and a diva, her libido is very tied with her emotions

fav kinks of theirs

dumification;

She loves nothing more then when she goes absolutely dumb from you roughing her up. Plowing her from behind with her fav purple dragon strap, he body folded over your vanity, catching glimpses of her tongue lolling out of her mouth and eyes going crossed from your ruthless pace. She can't help but babble absolute nonsense, strings of incoherent pleads as you fuck her through twitching orgasm after twitching orgasm. Same goes when you finger or eat this gal out, pleasure just so intense her brain fries as she reaches her climax.

exhibitionism;

Duh I've been talking abt this. She will fuck you anywhere and she's always wet it drives you nuts. Bathroom at a party? behind a tree at a park? movie theater? literally the common room? done, done and done. Didn't take long for you two to join the mile high club. The thrill of potentially getting caught is addictive for mina every time going more intense and more intense. You dont mind tho, you're nothing but proud about how you can render this hero into a slutty hot mess. so pretty like that might as well share :))

orgasm denial;

Orgasm denial and dry orgasms are her guilty pleasure, she might even love this more than actually cumming. If you didn't pick it up already she loves the head rush and the thrill. Removing your strap or fingers from her while she tumbles through her climax, cunt clamping and milking air while she cums seemingly untouched, unable to stop herself. Even better when you build her up for nothing, stilling your movements harshly waking her from her blissed out state, hot, heavy and very frustrated. All the work building this beautiful pressure in her gut just to start all over again, she couldn't get more wet, sloppy and desperate.

───── ❝ 𝐨𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐜𝐨 𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐤𝐚 ❞ ─────

fav place to do the do

Home sweet home

Even more specific the bed room and her massive pink fluffy bed

This girl is a pillow princess, emphasis on pillow

She’s likes laying down and being comfy

Can you blame her?

Maybe the couch if your lucky…

But can she then watch her fav show while you go down on her

Like the TV is there anyway

Definitely loves privacy bc she doesn’t like sharing you

In her eyes no one but her has soon you like this and no one but her ever will

general sexcannons

Even though she doesn’t really do much in bed she does let you do whatever you want

She has very few limits as long as she can just lay down and be pretty

She is VOCAL

She definitely gets off partly on hearing herself come undone but it’s so so hot

She’s loud but it’s not fake and it’s erotic as hell… it’s not her fault no one taught her to be quiet

Her sex toys are Ofc all pink

And her favs are any kind of restraints, shibirari and sex swings (yes they are all fuzzy and pink)

sex drive

Moderate sex drive

Definitely prefers sex in the evening/night

Fav time is def before bed

She lovessss being fucked to sleep so like actually every night is quite her style

That being said she very easily gives in or agrees to sex

Like start groping her while she’s doing dishes well now you gotta carry this naked princess to her bed and go to town

She definitely cums more than once, it’s a must

She loves receiving let. Her. Receive.

Sex is long with her

Doesn’t believe in quickies she’s like to enjoy sex

fav kinks of theirs

teasing;

She LOVESSS being teased but she'll never say that out loud right. Unfortunately for her you're not stupid and she blushes ferociously its impossible to miss. Pushing her up against a wall grinding your leg against her crotch with a kiss on the forehead and just like that... BOOM you're gone and she's chasing you to the next room wanting more. Whisper some nasty things in her ear, send her some scandalous messages or pics. Or best yet let your pillow princess chase her own release. Tell her that you're not gonna touch her while taking a seat on the bed, before you know it she's sitting on your lap grinding on you begging you to take care of her :( you're so mean. She's even moving your limp hands to her tits or down her panties... do something dammit.

praise;

This one is just very obvious. The best girl ever wants to hear that she’s the best girl ever. Call her pretty, tell he how good she feels, how happy she makes you, how perfect she is. And she's putty in your hands and soaking the sheets, she wants to be such a good girl for you make sure you tell her that her hard work is paying off. Play with her puffy pink pussy while saying how good she is for getting this wet for you, how pretty her cunt is. Bring your fingers soaked with her slick to your mouth taking long, slow sucks telling her how good she tastes... how sweet.

Nipple play;

You’ve seen her tits they are soft, bouncy, and sensitive. It’s so easy to get her riled up by just groping and sucking. It’s y’all’s go to during foreplay and it never gets old. Little mewls whimpers are all that can escape her when she’s under you like that. You don’t let go till her pink nubs are bruised and puffy. Yes she has cum with just nipple play before and yes she’s wants to do it again. She also loves using different vibrators on her nips the feeling is even more intense.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐧��𝐰! 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐲!

( ˘ ³˘)♥

[tamayula-hl]

I am sure many of you are surprised that I suddenly started drawing MC eyes (personalities) 🤣

1. As I started to draw the boys in a more realistic manner, I started to feel uncomfortable drawing the MC with no eyes drawn 2. started to feel difficulty in expressing MC's emotions without drawing his eyes 3. And after thinking about my future creative direction, I realized that what I really want to do most is to draw MCs with eyes (personalities) (there are so many attractive MCs in this fandom, I was afraid to present my own MCs with personalities… 🤣🤣🤣)

These are the reasons why all of a sudden I started drawing MCs with eyes! I'm sorry to everyone who has been looking forward to seeing MCs with no eyes (≒ readers), but I'm going to try my best with my new creative policy from now on🙇‍

First of all, thank you so much for liking my NSFW piece! I have been getting requests from various people about their aftercare, and I have a strong desire to draw it myself, but I haven't been able to come up with a good expression and idea for it yet 😂. I can't wait to draw how the Slytherins, who were dominant and devoured the MCs like animals during the intimate act, treat the MCs sweetly and politely during the aftercare 💪💪.

Oh thank you!😫🙏💕✨ おそらく同じ人からでしょうか？このように私の慣れ親しんだ日本語でたくさんの温かいお言葉を頂けてとても嬉しいです！ あなたがくれたたくさんのメッセージのおかげで、元気になれました！心からありがとうございます😌

Awww what a fragile, sad, yet somehow beautiful story 😭😭✨ Yes, the time when the Titanic sank and the time when Ominis lived are exactly the same… (I sometimes look at the movie Titanic when I paint to see what the characters are wearing 😌) The fact that Ominis and MC died at the young age of about 37 years old on the Titanic to escape from the spell of Gaunt is too sad. But I can't help but hope that their only son, the fruit of their love, survives and lives a happy life with the Ominis bloodline 😭✨

This adorable message from you (and this precious dog and cat!) made me smile! Thank you so much💕😌🙏

Wow, really? I've never helped with a drawing like that, but I'm very curious and would love to get a sneak peek of that work 😌🤣🙏. On a side note, I must confess that my recent drawing style has been very much influenced by a cartoon called “Veil” by Kotteri! It is my goal to create amazing and beautiful drawings like those vintage movies and posters 😍

Hehe, thanks! I am very happy to receive such compliments and warm words 😌💕🫶

I've always wanted to one day replace that famous 1852 painting of Ophelia as Sakurako, and the story of Hamlet Sebastian and Ophelia Sakurako would be very interesting 🤣💕💕. I love Taylor Swift's “Love Story” so I would love to paint a Romeo and Juliet homage Ominis x MC someday 😌

Very difficult choice 🤣. I can be a Seb girl or an Omi girl depending on my mood at the time, so it's really hard to choose one or the other! By the way, today I am Omi girl 😂💕

I actually haven't read most of attack on titan, but I know its famous scenes and I'd love to draw a touching comic that pays homage to them someday 🥲💪

[rollinouttahere-writes]

Listen in my defence Garp is a Dilf or a Gilf depending on the time line XD 

Maybe Garp (or Sanji if writing Garp makes you uncomfortable) S , K , I , W , H

Congratulations! You got six letters because I accidentally did V instead of W at first!

Also I will write for any character from One Piece (barring child characters given that this alphabet is inherently more mature) so long as I've gotten to them in the show, so you don't have to worry about me not wanting to write for a certain character. Like I would write for Blackbeard if someone requested him.

Hell: What would be their darling’s worst experience with them?

Given Garp's insane strength, it would be very easy for him to hurt you even just accidentally. He never sets out to hurt you. With his power and his connections, there's no real need for violence. However, if you catch him in a bad mood and really push your luck, he might grab you too tight and effortlessly break your arm. He realizes what he's done the second he hears the snap and immediately regrets it. You'll be hauled off to see a doctor immediately and he spends the next month spoiling you in an attempt to make you forget about what happened. All that being said, upsetting him to this point is borderline impossible, so this is very unlikely to happen.

Ideals: What kind of future do they have in mind for/with their darling?

All that he wants is someone to have by his side for the rest of his life. Ideally, someone that isn't going to raise his blood pressure like the rest of his family does. He just wants to be able to relax and have fun with his darling in his down time. You guys are going to get married, but it'll likely be no more than a marriage certificate unless you really push for a wedding. He's too old and set in his ways to care that much about ceremonies and "superficial shit", as he puts it.

Don't worry about children. This man has adult grandchildren. He's good. He really does not want to be starting over with a baby at his age. Not to mention the fact that everyone in his family is a damn criminal. He does not want to see another descendant on a wanted poster before his deathbed, thank you very much.

Kisses: How do they act around or with their darling?

Presuming that you two have a significant age gap, Garp is usually mistaken for being your father. He isn't a particularly romantic man (no one in this family is), so very little about his behavior would make people think that you're a couple. In public, he'll be walking beside you, but usually isn't touching you beyond brief touches to get your attention. He's talking loudly (usually lightheartedly complaining about his family) and making dumb jokes.

In private, he's a bit more affectionate, but most of the time it's in an annoying way. He's like a young boy that thinks the only way to get his crush's attention is by being a nuisance. Except you're married and he's in his seventies. He'll be pranking you and going out of his way to do things that'll get a rise out of you. He can be normally affectionate with quick kisses on the cheek before he leaves the home, or by picking you up in a hug and spinning you around.

Stigma: What brought about this side of them (childhood, curiosity, etc)?

Desperation for a normal family member combined with his devil-may-care attitude. If he finds someone that he likes well enough to pursue a relationship with, why shouldn't he go after them just as strongly as he would a pirate? What's so wrong about him wanting to have some company on lonely nights? He's a marine. He's a good man. You'll come around and learn to appreciate this arrangement.

Vice: What weakness can their darling exploit in order to escape?

You have three options with Garp:

1: If he isn't bringing you with him on his ship while he's working, you have all of that time to make a break for it. It might be tricky giving the marine base he keeps you at the slip, but it's much easier than trying to run away from him directly. These escapes will be short lived. Maybe a week into your freedom, Garp will rock up wearing a hawaiian shirt and carrying a suitcase while asking why you went on vacation without him.

2: You have three step-grandchildren that would be eager to get involved. You don't even need to convince them that you're here against your will. All you have to do is ask if they want to piss off their grandfather and they'll be on their way to wherever you are to begin the game of darling-keep-away.

3: Assuming there's a big age gap here... you could also just wait him out. Sure, it'll probably take a couple of decades for him to finally kick the bucket. He isn't the type of yandere to kill his darling so he can "take them with him", so you'll still have the rest of your life left. It'll be easy to afford a therapist for everything you went through after you cash in on your late husband's pension and life insurance policy, so at least you have that to look forward to.

Wit’s end: Would they ever hurt their darling?

As discussed in H, yes, but it's accidental. He genuinely has no desire to harm his darling. His attitude is too carefree and lax with you to become violent without several other extreme factors being at play.

[perfectlypreservedpie]

MacCready Fanfiction Recs (Fallout 4)

hey everybody, nobody asked for this but in the midst of writing fallout fanfic I was feeling a special kind of love for my favorite fo4 fanfics and wanted to recommend them in case you hadn't read 'em. Because they are VERY GOOD and writing fanfic is hard, so you gotta give props to those who sweat for your comfort fics.

I'm gonna recommend my top three finished fanfics, and then two more bonus fics that are being updated rn. As a clarifier, these are all Maccready fallout 4 fics. so. keep that in mind.

im tagging the authors and also anybody who wants to join and share their favorites too!

3. THE FATHER(S) AND THE SON(S) on ao3 by @sirmanmister

I'm going to preface this rec by saying this: there is Fanon MacCready. There is canon MacCready. And then there is ascended!whatBethesdawishesitWAS MacCready, which exists solely in this fanfiction. The characterization of Mac is so well written. He is snarky, he is vulnerable. He desperately wants to grow up but doesn't know how. He has the most sick character arc in this story!!!

It's not a romance but instead a coming of age story where the sole survivor becomes a de-facto parent to Mac. The heart of the story is about how to raise a child while you're still trying to grow up yourself. The apocalypse setting lends itself well because the Wasteland is a place where NOTHING is beautiful, but the way that M!Sosu and MacCready care for their sons is beautiful. Which makes it special and worth fighting for.

As a fun fact, I read The Road by Cormac McCarthy for class a week after finishing this fic and I was thinking about this fic the whole time because the themes of fatherhood during an apocalypse hit a lot of the same beats. Maybe my professor would kick me in the teeth by comparing fic to McCarthy, but @sirmanmister YOU ARE MY CORMAC MCCARTHY <3

2. WORKING CLASS HERO on ao3 by @bluegrasskitty

This is the kind of fic you take with you to toilet, to work, in-between classes. It will suck you in. AND THERE'S A SEQUEL TOO YOU GUYS‼️

The sole survivor in this story is the model for the Nuka Cola girl. You know the hot lady in the spacesuit? SHE HAS A BACKSTORY. AND YALL IT MADE ME WEEP. During some point of the story, I sort of stopped rooting for MacCready to be the narrator and just wanted Nora Cabot to take the reins. When I tell you I think of this oc every two to three business weeks. She's an incredible leading lady. I can't look at Nuka Girl posters in the game without thinking of Nora Cabot, my beloved.

the sequel IS SO FIRE. It's the best reimagining of 'what happened after the institute blew up' that I've ever read. im gnawing at the bars of my enclosure actually.

A VERY GOOD PLOT TWIST I CANNOT MENTION TO NEW READERS BUT IF YOU'VE READ IT YOU'LL UNDERSTAND. AND IF YOU UNDERSTAND DM ME I HAVE TO TALK TO SOMEBODY ABOUT IT. HHh.

The amount of world building that @bluegrasskitty puts into this story is insane. They ARE Beth Esda.

As a fun fact, I didn't know that radchickens were canon in fallout. I thought it was a plot device made up by this author to excuse the ability to make cake in this book, but radchickens ARE real. When I was playing Far Harbor last year, I found radchickens and thought that @bluegrasskitty manifested them into existence because they had that kind of power.

that being said, I still think this author has that kind of power.

1. Atom Bomb Baby on ao3 by @starlightwrites

I think you dropped something....my jaw.

fellas. fellas. this is my comfort fic. You ever had a comfort fic? Something you come back to at least once a year to reread to feel something? the fiction equivalent of chicken noodle soup? this is what Atom Bomb Baby is to me. this is peak literature actually. if I ever figure out book binding, im doing this one first.

Plot wise, it's a retelling of Fallout 4's main story through the perspective of MacCready. But (and im wheezing as I say this) it's also so much more THAN THAT.

this fic author understands that MacCready is not a womanizer but is in fact a touch starved loser. and they are CORRECT.

MacCready spends the entire fic like 'uuuhhhh I dunno about this one, boss!'

ITS BEST FRIENDS TO LOVERS RAHHHHHH

it also has a nostalgia feel to me too, because reading it gives me the same feeling as what it was like to play the game for the first time, years ago. maybe it's because I've read it so many times over the years, but reading it feels so satisfying.

The author spends 10 chapters at the end solely dedicated to an epilogue. I wish more stories did this. They go through the wringer in this story, and it's so deeply satisfying to see how cleanly everything gets wrapped up. MacCready and the Lola work really well together as a couple, so it's awesome to see how they work together after the battle is done.

6 out of 5 stars.

BONUS FICS !! aka fics that are still updating! I squeal with joy when I get an ao3 email about these: 1. Best Laid Plans on ao3 by @druidgroves - Georgia Tate is an incredible character and sole survivor! She was a teacher prewar, so it's really fun to get her perspective on the world. She cares a lot about education and libraries and I find her really relatable and endearing. It's a cool thing for a character in an apocalypse to care about! It also makes for fun tension with Mac, who's written as a pragmatic survivor. A great take on familiar characters and their dynamics. - And It's a great slow burn! I'm really enjoying reading it. 2. Long Time Running on ao3 by @twosides--samecoin - If you've ever thought that Med-Tek was too convenient an option for Duncan's cure, this fic was written with you in mind. - RJ goes to Canada and im obsessed with it. - If you're interested in fallout lore, specifically the bit where the U.S annexed Canada and wished that there was more info about that, I would highly recommend this fic. Twosides--samecoin put in THE WORK. The world building they do to explain Canada's side of the Great War is so fun!!! its genuinely such a thrill to read!

I'm tagging the authors who I mentioned, if you all have favorite fics (fallout or otherwise, I'd love to hear em!) Thank you for making good art!

[forest-hashira]

Lucky Shot

I'M BACK AGAIN i have just been on a roll with writing lately but you know what? i'm not complaining lol. anyways, this is my second entry to @kentopedia's "Love Through the Ages" collab! you can find my first entry here, but be sure to keep an eye on the masterlist for the other entries!!! this is the first time i've written solo suguru/reader so. be nice to me pls. also plese check out this art by @/diosaurr! i had already started writing this fic when they posted it, but three separate people tagged me in it knowing i was writing the fic so i want everyone else to see it, too!

read on ao3 here | wc: ~2.7k | cw: fem! reader (i know who am i???), outlaw!suguru, saloon girl!reader, gun violence, mentions of blood/injury, mentions of death. if those things will upset you i suggest you give this one a pass!

Maybe you should have listened to your father after all.

He’d told you countless times that traveling west, especially without a family or close group to help you out and keep your best interests at heart, would be difficult at best and dangerous at worst. Especially for a young unmarried woman such as yourself. 

But you had always been headstrong and stubborn, and your father had always been a worrier, so you assumed he was exaggerating to discourage you, his eldest daughter, from following your dream and going out west. You secretly saved up money for months, and at the first given opportunity to leave your family and head west, you’d taken it, leaving only a goodbye note for your parents and younger siblings when you slipped from the house in the early hours of the morning. 

Turns out, your father wasn’t exaggerating. Joining a party as a solo traveler had proven even more difficult and dangerous than you could have anticipated. You managed to make it out west, just like you wanted, but you had no money to your name, only the clothes on your back and two other outfits in a bag as you walked through the town, wandering from business to business, asking for work; you’d nearly wept with relief when the saloon owner said you looked like you could have some potential as a saloon girl, after you cleaned up. 

He’d provided you a boarding room above the saloon and a new outfit – the ones you had weren’t up to his standards – up front, and while you appreciated it, you also knew he’d be taking that out of your pay until he decided those things were covered, which you could only guess would be never.

Despite the strings that came attached to your new job, things weren’t all bad. You got to know people in the town pretty quickly – the ones that frequented the saloon, anyways – and you were always in the loop about local “news”, most of which was just gossip. 

One character of particular interest in the local gossip was a man named Geto Suguru. When you’d asked what was so interesting about him, you’d gotten some questioning looks, until you’d said you had only just recently moved out west. After you were shown his wanted poster, though, you began to understand. 

He was one of the most – if not the most – attractive man you’d ever seen. Dark hair that fell past his shoulders; thin, almost cat-like eyes; and even in the poster, there was a sly look on his face. 

Not only that, but he was wanted for robbing stagecoaches, stealing money and jewelry from rich people who gave into his – apparently – intimidating presence. He was also known for spending that money generously in towns all over the west supporting local businesses; plenty of women from across the state also bragged about the jewelry he would gift them, simply because he thought it looked good on them. 

After spending weeks hearing stories – that you were certain had to be at least a little exaggerated – about this pretty outlaw and staring at his wanted poster, you resigned yourself to the fact that you would never see him with your own eyes. 

So you couldn’t have been more surprised when you watched the man himself walk into your saloon without any sort of fanfare or dramatics and sit at the bar. 

You stared at him, eyes wide, until he gave you a small smile. 

“I’ve heard you’ll catch flies if you leave your mouth open too long,” he said, smooth voice lilting with amusement. 

Realizing he meant you, you quickly snapped your mouth shut, your whole face burning with embarrassment. “You try meeting a living legend when you’ve only lived in the area for a couple months, see how you react,” you snapped back. When you realized what you’d said, you opened your mouth to apologize, but stopped when you saw the way his eyes sparkled with interest, one perfect brow arched in your direction.

“Feisty, aren’t we?” he chuckled. “I think I like you already, new girl.”

“What do you want to drink?” You turned away from him to grab a glass, hoping he didn’t pick up on how flustered you were over the nickname. 

“Surprise me.”

You straightened at that, and now it was your turn to arch a brow as you looked him over. His expression never wavered, his head tilted slightly as he waited to see what you decided to serve him. 

With a quiet huff, you turned your back to him, looking over your selection of liquors. Part of you wanted to serve him the cheapest, nastiest drink you carried, just to see if he would actually drink it or demand another drink, but ultimately you decided against it. Instead, you reached for the top shelf, grabbing the unopened bottle of some fancy imported scotch your boss had just gotten in a couple days before. 

“Opening a bottle just for me?” Geto asked, still with that playful tone. “Well now I feel special.”

“Don’t make me change my mind,” you threatened, turning as if to put the bottle back in its place. 

He held up his hands, as if in surrender, and you set the bottle down on the bar to grab a glass, though you took a brief moment to admire how strong even just his hands looked. 

Setting the glass in front of him, you broke the seal on the bottle, then intentionally poured him about three times as much of the amber liquid as you were supposed to. Your boss could yell at you about it later. 

Geto lifted the glass, tipping it towards you slightly in thanks, before taking a sip.

Just as you were about to speak to the outlaw in front of you again, the saloon doors swung open in your peripheral vision, and you looked up to see the sheriff walking towards the bar.

“Afternoon, sheriff,” you greeted him, glancing briefly at Geto to see what his reaction was, and you were only a little surprised that he had no reaction at all. “Your usual?”

The sheriff tipped his hat to you, sitting down at the opposite end of the bar from the bandit. “Please and thank you.”

With a nod, you placed the bottle of scotch on the counter behind the bar, then grabbed another glass and the brand of whiskey the sheriff always drank. You walked down the length of the bar, setting the glass in front of him and pouring his drink – the expected amount of liquor for him, unlike the bandit down the bar – before you walked away to put the bottle back. 

You felt hyper-aware of the two customers at the bar, worried that any second now the sheriff would recognize the outlaw and all hell would break loose, especially when the other patrons at the tables in the building were always itching for some sort of fight, just because they thought it was entertaining. 

In the end, though, it wasn’t the sheriff that recognized Geto, it was another customer that walked up to the bar to get another drink.

“You look familiar,” the man drawled, narrowing his eyes as he analyzed Geto’s face as best as his intoxicated mind could manage. 

“I get that a lot,” the outlaw answered evenly, not sparing the man a second glance.

“No, I’ve definitely seen you somewhere before…” he trailed off, scowling, his gaze wandering until it landed on the handful of wanted posters hung on the wall beside the bar. His eyes lit up with recognition, and you swore you felt your heart drop to your stomach.

“You’re that stagecoach robber!” the man exclaimed, turning back to Geto; out of the corner of your eye you saw the sheriff turn to face the commotion.

Shit, this is bad, you thought, placing the man’s beer on the bar in front of him, though he was far beyond caring about the drink anymore.

“I’m pretty sure you have no proof of that.”

“That’s your face on the poster,” the man insisted, then turned his attention to you. “Don’t you think?” 

“It looks like it could be a lot of people,” you replied lamely, grimacing at how obvious of a lie it was.

The man scowled at you. “Shoulda known better than t’ask a whore,” he spat, slurring his words a bit. “Whores always lie.”

Almost before he finished speaking, Geto grabbed the man’s collar and slammed his face down onto the bar. “Apologize to her,” he said, voice calm but eyes sharp with anger. 

You blinked in surprise at what had just happened, and once you processed what had been said to you, you found that you were quite offended, and also quite pleased that this outlaw had taken up for you so quickly. 

“Like hell!” the man protested, struggling against Geto’s hold. Even with his head forcibly pressed to the bar top, though, the man managed to pull his gun from his holster. 

The scene before you seemed to slow impossibly for a moment: the sound of the gun cocking, seeing it aimed at Geto, the man’s finger going for the trigger. Then suddenly everything was back to normal speed, and the outlaw used his free hand to shove the gun to no longer be aimed at him just as the trigger was pulled. 

You turned your head to see where it landed, and you watched in horror as a wound burst into existence in the sheriff’s shoulder, blood soaking into his shirt in an instant. He let out a shout of pain, clutching at the wound with his hand.

“You rat bastard!” the man shouted, working to cock his gun and aim it at Geto again, but the outlaw was quicker, pulling out his own gun, pressing it to the man’s ribs, and shooting him almost before you could process what he was doing. 

There was a wet gasping sound from the man, and when Geto’s hold on his collar was finally released, he dropped unceremoniously to the floor, his gun sliding out of his hand. You couldn’t tell if he was dead yet or not, but he certainly wasn’t making any effort to get off the floor.

Out of the corner of your eye, you could see the sheriff draw his own gun and aim it, but it was in his non-dominant hand, so the bullet did not hit the robber as the sheriff intended; instead, it shattered the whiskey glass on the bar in front of you, and you dropped to the ground in fear.

With your hands over your head, you kept as low as you could. You couldn’t see what was happening anymore, but from what you could hear, at least half of the other patrons of the saloon had joined in the gunfight. Stray bullets hit the wall behind the bar, shattering multiple bottles of liquor, including the fancy bottle of scotch. My boss is going to be so pissed, you thought, an oddly practical thought to have in the midst of hiding and praying you weren’t accidentally shot.

Almost as if summoned by your thoughts, a bullet tore through the front of the bar, sticking in the cabinet about six inches from your head. With a shriek, you scrambled aside, towards the end of the bar; maybe if you were lucky, there would be time for you to slip out of the building without being caught in the crossfire. 

You scanned the building as quickly as you could while keeping yourself hidden, not wanting to make yourself any more of a target than you already were. Bullets were still flying, leaving no chance for your escape, and you cursed under your breath; you were going to be stuck here until everyone ran out of ammo. 

As you looked around, you noticed the first man that Geto had shot, a pool of blood slowly growing beneath his torso. His chest still rose and fell slightly, but his eyes were glassy; he was alive, but he was not long for this world. Suddenly, you remembered that he had dropped his gun when he had fallen, and you scanned the area around him for it, finding it a foot or so from his outstretched hand.

Deciding to run the risk of getting shot, you lunged for it, gripping it tightly in your hand once it was in your grasp. You’d never held a gun in your life, much less shot one, but having this one in your possession made you feel a little less cornered, a little less helpless.

Daring a glance upward, you saw that Geto had turned so that his back was to you and another corner of the saloon. Another patron had somehow managed to sneak around into the outlaw’s blind spot, and was clearly gearing up to shoot him in the back of the head. Knowing you couldn’t just sit there and watch it happen, you fumbled with the gun, your sweaty hands failing to pull back the hammer twice before you succeeded. With no clue how to accurately aim the weapon, you pointed it at his leg, squeezing your eyes shut as you pulled the trigger.

A shout of pain a moment later indicated that you had hit… someone, and you quickly opened your eyes again to make sure you hadn’t somehow hit Geto by accident. Thankfully, you hadn’t. The man you’d been aiming at had taken the shot to his knee – which actually had been what you were hoping to hit when you fired – bringing him down to the floor on one knee.

The shout was enough to alert the outlaw to the threat behind him, and he wasted no time spinning around and drilling him between the eyes. He slipped his guns – you saw now that he had two, rather than one like you had first thought – back into their holsters as the last man’s body dropped to the floor.

Once there was no longer another person blocking you from his view, Geto blinked in surprise, smiling as he stepped over the body and crouched down in front of you.

“You shot him?” he asked, his eyes glinting. The sight made you realize you’d been wrong before, when you’d thought his eyes were catlike in his wanted poster; in person they were foxlike, sharp and intelligent and clever.

“I-I, uh… yeah, I shot him.”

“Have you ever fired a gun before?”

“Not until just now.”

He glanced over his shoulder, taking in the bulletwound squarely in the side of the man’s knee. “You’re a good shot,” he observed, turning back to face you.

“Uh… thanks?”

He chuckled then, a low, smooth sound that made your stomach cartwheel. “You’re welcome.” A beat passed, then another, as he examined your face, though you were unsure what he was looking for. 

“What?” you demanded, scowling at him despite the way your hands were still shaking.

“You should come with me.”

“Huh?”

“You should come with me,” Geto repeated easily. “I think you’d be a good addition to my crew. Besides, it really won’t be a good look for you if people come in and see you here with a gun after I get the hell out of here.” There was a slight smirk tugging at his lips, and despite the fact that you probably should have taken his words as a threat, you didn’t.

“What the hell,” you sighed. “It’s not like I have anyone keeping me here.”

“Wonderful,” he said, offering you a hand up off the floor, which you readily accepted. “Get what you need from your room and meet me outside. Be quick, my guess is that someone will come to investigate all the noise sooner rather than later.”

You nodded, brushing broken glass from your dress and your hair as you hurried towards the stairs, unable to hide the grin tugging at your own lips.

Maybe not listening to your father had been the right decision after all.

tagging: @kentopedia @kentohours @mitsuristoleme

[inanimateinsanitywiki]

please please talk about the osc dark ages. i avoided it for awhile i think. i need to know just how shitty and poorly-made object shows were back then. looks at you with my big wet eyes.

when i talk about the "dark ages" of the osc, i'm specifically talking about a time period spanning from the mid-to-late 2010s.

the "dark ages" are marked by a sudden drop in activity from most popular object shows, and the prominence of cringe culture in that era. around this time, a lot of popular object show creators were at an age where they were now full-time college students, leaving them with very little time to work on their shows. inanimate insanity was releasing about one episode per year at this point, and bfdi was completely inactive. i don't know much about what the huangs were doing during this time, but i do know that for ii, things were MESSY behind the scenes. i followed adam's deviantart journals pretty actively around this time, and he often talked about his struggles with his decision to study animation professionally, and how he was unsure of the show's future. there was actually a time where he briefly stepped down of the director of the show, but it thankfully didn't last long. (fun fact! baseball's monologue in s2e10 about his inability to lead his alliance was ad-libbed by adam, and was a reflection of how he felt about his ability to direct the show and its team at the time.) the inanimate insanity kickstarter was launched towards the tail-end of this time period, and it's extremely likely the show wouldn't have continued at all had it not been funded.

the other major contributor was the rise of "cringe culture". we're talking about a time where youtubers like filthy frank and leafyishere absolutely DOMINATED youtube. the internet was not an environment that appreciated any kind of joyous whimsy and unabashed love of your interests. many osc creators and alumni were in their late teens, which is already an age where you become mildly to severely irony-poisoned, but the culture of the time only made it worse. object shows were seen as Dumb and Lame, even by the people who had spent years of their life working on them. multiple "joke" object shows released, the most famous of which being object redundancy (i actually can't find the year this one released, as its only kept alive via reuploads now, none of which have a date), and my goat, object show 87. if you want to get a feel for the community around this time, os87 is the poster child for it. it's full of edgy and offensive jokes (i mentioned this already, but there's a character who's name is straight up a slur, or at least a very offensive term), outdated references (keemstar is a contestant.), and an almost unrelenting hatred for popular object show tropes. object show 87 is a show that HATES the fact that it's an object show. it's honestly fascinating to me, and i've considered making a video essay on it. and it wasn't even a show made by some randos, object show 87 was made by SAM THORNBURY and XANYLEAVES. these weren't some random assholes with a hateboner for the genre, these were some of the most prolific creators and animators in the community.

it was an absolutely miserable time to be an object show fan. the stream of new episodes and shows had dried up, and what DID come out was just a bunch of edgy teenagers going "haha object shows are so doopid. i am going to say a slur now". it was not a good time to have object show autism.

[femsolid]

I've never watched Buffy the Vampire slayer, I'm curious what do you like about it?

Childhood sentimental attachment mostly. It's a classic and has influenced the vampire genre a lot, and it was super popular in Europe. I used to watch it every Saturday night with my mom and my sister when I was a kid. I was a huge fan. I would buy every magazine that talked about it and cover my bedroom's walls with posters of the show. And I feel like Buffy's character was a good role model for me back then. It was quite rare to see such a strong and independent female character on TV. And there were very clear feminist messages at times. I was taught by my father that girls only exist to serve men, but every Saturday I'd watch Buffy kick ass and make fun of men's authority. It helped.

Now, as an adult, I think it's well written and quite fun to watch. The show has a lot of qualities, but it's probably a bit outdated now, especially the first seasons that are mostly for teenagers of the 90s. We aged with the show. And it has its issues, of course, as it was made by a man. Still, with all its flaws, it remains my favourite. Where else can you watch a woman fight demons, vampires, gods, and werewolves, with her group of friends that include a lesbian couple that are also witches? There are funny episodes, dramatic episodes, scary episodes... And for seven seasons, Buffy never once talked about wanting to get married or to have kids. So yeah, I still love the show, but I'm also biased.

[its-your-girl-geekerella]

Wicked Movie Review

Spoilers Ahead. (Obviously)

Okay, I saw it on opening night release day. I've just been busy. And here are my thoughts:

Pre-watch. I was hoping for the best. The trailers were amazing, and the budget seemed sufficient for all it wanted to do. The vocals seemed a little off, but that was only because they had to make it "fit" for the trailer score. So I had high hopes!

But I was also preparing for the worst. After all, movie adaptations of musicals have a bad reputation for a reason. And all the promotion they were doing? I was certain they were compensating for something. And besides that, I had almost no faith (again, aside from what I heard in the trailer) in Ariana Grande. I don't really listen to her music, but I've heard a few of her songs. I honestly didn't think she could do musical theatre.

And boy, was I wrong.

Post-watch. It. Was. Amazing. I absolutely LOVED it. Ariana CRUSHED it! I think she did better than some Glindas on Broadway! In every scene leading up to the Ozdust Ballroom, I hated her. And I LOVED hating her. I think some Glindas just don't have that hateability, or they're too charming. But not Ariana. And during "Popular"? I absolutely loved it! She was great!

Cynthia Erivo did great, too. Her voice singing the riff at the end of "Defying Gravity" will certainly take getting used to, but it was, objectively, good. Her acting was on point, and I absolutely loved watching her. Say what you will about the woman's poster dilemma, the woman has a powerful presence onscreen. I honestly never doubted her ability.

Some random thoughts:

The script. The script was practically word-for-word of the musical. Some people might find it annoying and predictable. I, for one, found it charming and-- frankly-- reassuring. I knew what was coming a lot of the time, even if they did change some minor plot points (if you can even call them "plot points"; like I said, they were minor and didn't change the course of the story at all). For example, Mr. Thropp doesn't already have Elphaba enrolled at the school in the movie. But because I know how the story goes, I was sitting in the theater saying to myself, "He's gonna say 'go with her'". And guess what? He did.

Unfortunately, the script being word-for-word (and a lot of theatre kids knowing certain lines from the musical) partially ruins the impact or comedy of certain lines. The most notable one was when Fiyero and Elphaba are in the woods with the cub. Elphaba informs him that he's bleeding, and says, "It must have scratched you." He replies, a bit disassociated because of her touch, "Yeah... or maybe... it scratched me or something." Typically, in the theater, Broadway, regional, or high school, the audience laughs at this line. You know how many people laughed at it in the movie theater? Zero. Zilch. Except me. The delivery was AWFUL. I honestly can't believe that Jon didn't have that line reshot. Which brings me to Jonathan Bailey.

Jonathan Bailey is... a good actor? I personally haven't seen him in anything other than Wicked. But I do know that he is a good looking actor. However, I do believe that he was miscast for this role for three reasons. 1) Like I said, the comedy was not exactly there. Another example: "I've been thinking" "So I heard" However, I won't count that one against him, as I feel that one was mostly Cynthia's fault. 2) At first, I thought that Cynthia Erivo would look too old to play Elphaba, but I got over it really quickly. It was easy for me to see her as a college-aged student. And let's be honest, Ariana Grande will always look like a child, so that was never a problem. Jonathan Bailey, though? He doesn't look like a college student. He looks like a really hot 36-year-old man. And this kinda goes into my last point. 3) He was too intentional. I think Fiyero's character is dynamic in a variety of ways, and Jonathan's portrayal seems more like "Act II Fiyero" than "Act I Fiyero". Act I Fiyero's whole deal is that he's extremely loose. And while, yes, Elphaba calls it out as a façade, I think it's still a part of him that is a bit dumb (see the disassociated "scratched" comment or the "thinking" comment). I think if Jonathan had tried to play Fiyero more "dumb jock", it would've worked better, because his natural acting inclination would've counteracted it just enough.

I feel bad for complaining about Jonathan Bailey for so long. So onto the songs! The score was amazing. The music was amazing. The vocals were amazing. My favorite song was "What Is This Feeling?" The camera angles in this scene were amazing, and the choreography slaps so hard.

Right before "One Short Day", I thought to myself, "I sure hope we get an Idina and Kristin cameo!" Guess what happened. Truthfully, I barely heard a word they were singing, I was too busy bouncing in my chair and fangirling with one of my friends to hear them.

If there's someone I didn't mention (I'm looking at you Ethan and Michelle), it's because they did a good job and I don't have any particular opinion on them. Overall, I really enjoyed the movie! My favorite song was "What Is This Feeling", Jonathan Bailey was the weakest part of the movie, and it was a lot better than I thought it would be. And it was really fun to fangirl with other theatre kids.

[bronx-bomber87]

Hello my wonderful fandom :) Thank you for all your lovely comments on me being delayed. Not my usual M.O. but I definitely needed the extra time to process. I was GUTTED and absolutely wrecked. Poor D had to deal with my panic spiral for most of Wednesday. (love you lol) I'll be honest I'm still little shook up and sad. Kinda grateful for the 3 week break tbh between episodes. This was a gut punch I wasn't in the least expecting. Hoping we'll get a S7 announcement during this hiatus. *fingers crossed* Get it together ABC. This took me awhile to unpack emotionally so thank you all again for being so patient.

So I want to preface this post. There will be ZERO And I mean ZERO bashing of Tim in this review from me. Would appreciate that in comments as well. I love conversation you know I love comments. What I don't like is hate being spread. Also nothing on Eric either. I've also seen this which is utter madness. Don't touch our captain. Man loves this fandom so much. Deserves respect. If you came to this review for either of those things please promptly exit stage left. I mean that in the kindest way possible but I love Tim/Eric so it's a non starter with me.

I’ve never so deeply related with a character in all my life as I have with Tim Bradford. I’ll be dissecting this ep to best of my ability. I love both these characters so very much. Why I was knocked out for a couple days before could tackle this. I imagine my thoughts will change when I do my summer in depth one. When we have the rest of the season in pocket. I have to say this won't be mini at all. LOL So lets get rid of that concept right now ha I can't be mini with this ep. I am not brief so thanks for reading. Also hats off to Eric my god he was incredible in this episode. Melissa too killing me left, right and center you two. Let us get started.

6x06 Secret and Lies.

Poor Lucy looks like me when I’m stressed and drained af. Tamara asking how stressed she currently is? Lucy answering 19.....She looks like a 19 if not worse tbh. This is probably the most time they've spent apart since they got together. Basically living together at this point let's be honest. Other than 6x01 they haven't really spent time apart aside from that UC op in 5x21. *sigh*

Tamara asking if Tim is still ghosting her? Lucy trying so hard to keep it together with her answer. My heart. What a wreck she is without Tim. Do love that we get to see her pin-up board btw. Good shot of her room we don’t usually get. That cupcake poster I love it so much. Although now it makes me sad...

Lucy asking what's wrong? Tamara telling her she wants to move out with some friends from school. Crap. Her moving is the last thing she needs…. But it's good for her even though the idea makes me sad. End of an era. Lucy is right she needs to live with people her own age. Doesn’t make it hurt less though. This is a ROUGH season for Lucy my god. The hits keep coming for our girl and I wanna hug her. Shield her somehow....

Lucy touching near her tattoo when she reaches Angela. (Mini gut punch.) I do love her coming to Angela about this. If there is anyone who knows Tim like she does it's Angela. Does help she finds his behavior alarming too. I mean of course she does. You can see the immediate worry. The empathy she has for Lucy is there but she holds her cards close in her advice. Telling her to trust him even though it's literally killing her. Not the council Lucy needed to hear or was looking for.

Lucy wanted more action than 'Just wait and trust him.' She has been trusting him but she’s so insanely worried. Going out of her mind with anxiety for her person. It's exuding out of of her and she looks like she wants to cry…Ugh me too Lucy. I’m an empath and an anxious one at that. I would be going out of my mind too…. Angela looks worried as hell though. Even though she isn't conveying that to Lucy at this point. Breaking my heart as she takes off from their convo. Because if she doesn't she'll lose it right then and there.

God I love Angela Lopez. First off well done on tracking him down. She's just a bad ass. I mean it's one of the reason's Lucy reached out to her tbh. Just gets into his car, drinking his soda, calling him out right away. I love her reasoning saying she can live off Wesley’s trust fund. Lmao. Doesn’t matter as much if she get's fired. 'Wine o'clock.' for her. Gotta love the confidence. I truly hope we get more Tim/Angela scenes the rest of this season. I always adore their dynamic.

Tim is sold on her reasoning and starts to explain the current situation he's trapped in. Angela taking it all in and assessing everything as he explains. Once Tim has succinctly summed up his current predicament Angela's reply is the best. 'I’m in.' lmao I love this woman. ‘I got your back boo.’ That she does. In more ways than he even realizes at this point.

Gotta commend Angela calling him out for walking away from Lucy. Not only that but his job to arrest a guy hasn’t thought of in a decade…. Ain’t no one better than her to be there to call him out his crap right now. Not only that but to really dig deep. To know this is far more than what he's sharing. This is why Angela is an incredible detective rooting things out like this. Saying this is more than just protecting Lucy. Her intuition is out of this world.

I mean she's not wrong. Lucy would understand if it was just about the benefits. She would be proud really. Thing is it's about protecting himself too. Which really just scratches the surface of why he is doing this. Tim knows he's caught even if he shrugs it off. She has him dead to rights and he knows it. 'I’m your BFF. I know you.' Ha it’s true whether you like it or not Timothy…Just like Lucy she has your number.

Angela giving him crap with how they're following Ray. Worried he isn't being smart about this. This is so unlike him to be this sloppy and unfocused. She was right he was tailing too close… Ray catches on to their tail quickly. When he scanned the vehicle made me so nervous. Doing it while he's taunting Tim. He's so detail oriented blows my mind Tim let that get by him. This SL gave me such MASSIVE anxiety as I watched it. Oh my lord.

The minute they get back to Angela's place she calls him out once again. Asking why he thinks this is ALL his fault? Tim shrugs it off and she refuses to take that as his final answer. Of course Angela was right there is far more to this story. Tim finally opens up to her about what happened. He had been leading his squadron for some time. Looking to move up to Sergeant.

The catch was he couldn’t be promoted if there was rampant criminality in his unit. Ray clearly was in the way of him moving up. Tim figured he could keep it within his unit if they went after him.. Oh Tim…. It was an unsanctioned mission too. Thinking if he could accomplish this would be easy fast track to his promotion.

Kills me to know he was there during the air strike ugh… Details missing from the last episode. The Humvee saved him and Mark but not his other men… I can't imagine what Tim felt in that moment. The immense amount of guilt laid on his soul from here on out. I mean it makes sense why he never left patrol before Lucy. The last time he tried to advance his career this happened. My broken boy.

Eric CRUSHES this scene. I wanna cry. My poor Timothy. He was more focused more on his career than his oath...Got two of his men killed. My damn heart. He’s so ashamed of himself. The way he points at himself when he says 'leadership.' I knew his military past would be dark but holy crap. I wanted more of his backstory and they delivered that in spades. What a gut punch this had to be for him. No doubt his men were loyal af to him. Would've followed him anywhere and did.

He carries leading those men to their deaths because they followed his leadership. Oof. That is quite the weight to keep on your soul. Also gives us insight to why he shoulders everything. Even when he doesn't have to. Punishing himself for past transgressions such as this. I'm sure when we get to the other side of this season, I will have an even deeper respect for the writers going into his backstory like this. Giving us even more insight to this man.

This hurts so good to get this kind of info. I have no doubt that’s why he shut Lucy out. The shame he feels is overwhelming. I totally get it. Nothing scarier than someone knowing your darkest secrets. Not only that but worrying they’ll think less of you due to it. Tim already struggles with self loathing. Been a theme for him his entire arc on this series. Something I've touched on a lot. This is truly bringing that to light in the most painful way.

We see Ray scanned Tim's car in order to gain access to it. To check his GPS to see where he's been. How he's been tracking him. When he scrolls down to Lucy's address. Made my stomach sink. Legit felt sick to my stomach....

I do love Lucy coming home and having Tamara there. Saying she ordered pizza for them. This is exactly what she needs. Do you really have to go Tamara? I wonder if she'll delay leaving now after this ep. There is a knock at the door and of course it's not the pizza. It's Ray. Hair's on the back of my neck stood up from the moment he entered that apt.

I know Melissa stated in her interview she was nervous about this scene. That she came off awkward in her anger. You are incorrect madam. Holy hell Lucy is a BAMF. Telling him the only call she's gonna make is for the ambulance. Because when she's done with him he's going to need it to wheel him out. Holds her ground like the confident bad ass we've all loved seeing her become.

Lucy calling him shaking and demanding where he was. Ooh lord hell fire coming with her through that front door. I love Angela grabbing Tamara to another room. Like let's go mom and dad are about to have a big blow out. Let's give them some space...

Tim asking if she's ok? Truly concerned but Lucy isn't having ANY of it. 'Do I look ok?' Damn no she doesn't....Ripping into him saying how that creep could've showed up when she wasn't there. Lucy is not wrong....Oh my lord I’ve never seen her so damn mad. She is RAGING at him and rightfully so. Her home was violated, Tamara was put in danger and threatened. All because Tim was trying to protect her. phew.

Tim FINALLY concedes to telling her something. It only seems to enrage her more. She is literally vibrating with anger in this scene with him. The more he tells her the more it doesn't explain why he left her in the dark. Lucy begging him to read her in. I mean she has earned that my love. ..Telling him to stop protecting her. Gah Tim is a deep loyalist who would protect anyone he loves even if it's not the right thing. His reply is a reflection of that.

'I can't. I won't.' He's so driven to keep her safe. His instinct is to protect her but doesn't see he's hurting her in the process. I knew she was going to be pissed he let Angela in and not her. But Tim was right she has a lot less to lose. Which doesn't seem pertinent in this moment...I do love her placing her hands on his when she also replies. 'I can't. I won't.'

Mirroring his words from moments ago. Just like he will never stop protecting her. Lucy will never stop fighting for him or longing to help him. That man is her entire world. The most important person in her life. It makes perfect sense she would help with this. Career be damned. I mean she risked her career to get him a shot at Metro. Of course she would do the same thing in order to shoulder his burden with him.

Love her standing her ground in this moment. Like damnit I love you and you are going to let me in. Whether you like it or not I am here and I'm going to help. If this wasn't a reflection of the communication problems that still painfully exist between them I don't know what is. I mean she tried to be patient and trust him. But honestly he needed this kick in the ass to let her in. Which is a problem. Lucy needs to be the first person he goes to. It shouldn't have to come to this. *sigh*

Their OP goes off without a hitch. Except Ray saying he was going to be an air strike on Tim's life.... God I had no idea as I was watching that scene how true it would be. Tim gets his interview and lies to protect Angela and Lucy. While keeping his own job intact as well. Also welcome back to Jackson’s dad. Hello there Percy. This is not how I wanted to see him again.

But he is IA him returning was never gonna be a good thing tbh in a post Jackson world. Regardless it was nice to see him again. The scene is Grey's office is ROUGH. Never seen Wade so disappointed in Tim. It hurts to watch. Just like this entire gut punch of an episode. Tim is just standing there in utter shame of everything. Ashamed Wade is looking at him like this.

Kills me Grey has to inform Pine of what he did. It makes sense he has to but damn that sucks. The amount of respect Tim has for Wade is immense. To watch him tear Tim apart and just stand there like a puppy being scolded hurts my soul. Especially when he tries to fight Pine knowing. Just dismissing him without further comment or argument...

So I will say this and it's not at all fair to Lucy that I thought this I'm sure. But I felt like if there was gonna be a breakup it would be coming from her. Not Tim in this moment. That's the part of this moment that really knocked the wind out of me. She had every damn right to be the one too btw. Instead she is there waiting for him with open arms. Honestly I took a breath for the first time this entire episode when she welcomed him in.

Wrapping him up in her arms. Encasing him, rubbing his back, her fingers in his hair. Gently cradling him against her. I thought ok maybe we'll be alright. Since Lucy isn't nearly as angry as she was earlier. Maybe they can get through this together. Cause she loved on him regardless of what happened. The unconditional love she has for this man blows me away. I honestly thought with her loving on him maybe they'd make it out. That they’d work through it together.

Tim looks so very defeated. On the verge of an actual breakdown as he explains that he lied about everything. Saying it saved his job...protected Angela and her. It doesn't seem like enough of a win to him. He looks so very destroyed and this is just the beginning of his downward spiral.

Lucy is doing everything to be his rock in this moment. To assuage him of his guilt… Most vulnerable ever seen Tim *pre tears*…. Lucy telling him it was an impossible situation. She would've done the same thing. It’s so very clear she was willing to work through this. To build them back to where they were before he got that phone call. Everything Lucy was in this scene represented her unconditional love for him. Tim is just too destroyed at the moment to see it….Also for him to accept it. It's so hard to truly accept unconditional love if you've never had it before. To truly trust in it.

Lucy is watching him spiral out of control. The way he's talking about himself with such loathing. How she never would've been in a place where she put her self interest over her team like him. She is trying her damndest to right his wrong. But Tim is having none of it. It pains me to see it... Pains Lucy too. It's the way she grabs onto him while he continues his verbal self flogging that get's me.

Trying to ground him in this moment with her touch. Bring him back to her. Something that has worked so well in the past. Sadly not having the intended affect this time around. Tim is too damn gone at this point. He feels he’s betrayed everything he thought he was. THOUGHT he was. *heart clutch* Tim has such a deep moral compass. That's why this is rocking him so very much. Ugh my heart. I too have a crazy deep moral compass. I can't say I wouldn't be spiraling out like him as well.

This was his greatest sin brought to light. To Tim exposing him for the fraud he feels he is. Him saying he's been lying to himself for a long time is a reflection of this. That imposter syndrome coming out real strong here. Something he buried deep down came rushing to the forefront and he is imploding. Says as much above. He no longer feels worthy to be in her life now. I get this anytime I screw up with a friend or my sister. I have this deep sense of shame attached to it. Like I no longer deserve that friend or my sister cause I messed up or if a past sin comes up. That they'll no longer love me or will forever look at me differently cause of it.

It's not logical but it's deeply ingrained from my mom shaming me for doing anything wrong growing up. As it is for Tim. His father literally beat the hell out of him for ever being out of line. He has suffered emotional and physical abuse. Unless confronted and treated comes out like this. Demons making their way to the surface. I was bawling by the time he said 'I'm sorry.' He’s never seen himself worthy of Lucy’s love that much has always been evident. But to see it this raw and visceral ripped my heart out. It’s on the ground where they're both standing.

I think this is something that has been brewing in the background for Tim for a long time. Now that I've had time away to decompress and think. I'm actually very excited they're tackling this. It's clear Tim is not in a place where he thinks he deserves her anymore. Low key never has been. He acts before he thinks. Eric had a great quote from his interview about Tim "He is impulsive and he reacts instead of thinking things through, and it can come out a bit too strong.” That is this decision in a nutshell. He feels he is a burden therefore he is removing himself without thinking it through. The regret that is going to come with this is going to be immense for him.

'You deserve so much better.' Better than me basically. He feels immense shame and that shame is launching him away from her. You know I learned something in therapy about this. About not being perfect and feeling like I'm too much. i.e. a burden. My therapist told me and it made me cry. 'You are worthy of the space you take up in people's lives. They want you there.' Tim does not think he is worthy of the space he is taking up in Lucy's life now. All his sins on the table laid out for her to see. He can't handle it. That much is very clear here. I will say I haven’t let a ship hurt me like this in a long time.

This absolutely crushed me. I couldn't even fathom assembling my thoughts. Cut me very deep. Been with this ship since day one. Also what a crushing blow this is for Lucy. Our poor girl. I mean she gave everything to this relationship. I mean EVERYTHING. She was all in from the moment Tim said ‘Unless it is.’ This was her first real relationship. First real leap into being serious. Thinking about marriage and kids. She gave her all to Tim my god. Her career took a hit for him and she never complained. Knew he was worth it (he still is btw) Fought every step of the way for him. For them.

When he was pulling back above it was an absolute panic for her. She could see him slipping through her fingers. Idk what broke my heart more Tim thinking he’s not worthy of her any longer or her begging him not to do this. She literally can't fathom how he can let go of her like this. Thought she was his person. Tim feels he’s gone back to who he was pre-Lucy and that scares him. He feels undeserving of the love she has to give him. Lucy knows everything and in his mind he can’t imagine her still loving him.

Lucy was as we all were in this scene. In disbelief... Even though Tim put her though absolute hell she was still there to comfort and support him. Because to her he is worth it even in the hard times. We all know Tim isn’t the best with his emotions. In his trauma damaged brain he thinks he’s doing the right thing here. That he’s radioactive, she deserves better than being around him and his reckless behavior.

The kiss on her head. Lucy trying to physically push away his rejection. Stomping all over my damn heart...However this ends up playing out Tim is going to have to address his emotional instability. How he charges forward and doesn’t think things through. Ruled by his emotions in the worst way. He’s impulsive and he’s gonna have to fight to get her back when he’s in a better mindset. Her trust has been obliterated by this. She fought and clawed for them and this was her reward. He’s gonna have to do some serious healing to get back to her. Lucy has loved him the best she can but he needs to put in some work now. We see next ep he's meeting with Aaron's therapist. Don't love that but I’ve wanted Tim to go to therapy for years. He needs this. Therapy doesn’t work unless you put the effort in though.

That will be a challenge for him. When I get out of the purview of this hurt I’m feeling...I’m actually going to be really impressed and happy they had Tim go through this. Do I think this is the end of them? No I think this is some serious growing pains. It was issues that have been percolating since Lucy did that 5 player trade. Hell probably back in 5x12 when Tim sacrificed himself without telling her so they could stay together. I still think that was romantic because of it's intended nature. BUT was the beginning of the communication problems. They’ve grown so very much in that regard. We’ve seen it but there is still work to be done on that front. It just came to a very gutting painful head.

I still have faith in the writers. I still have faith they’ll be ok. It might not be right away and I'm already feeling impatient tbh. But this is some serious realism being applied to them. It wasn't some random BS angst. Honestly we’re lucky our ship gets the most attention, the best SL’s and two people who LOVE these characters. They absolutely adore them and this ship. If you haven’t read Melissa and Eric’s interviews for this episode I highly recommend. This sucks right now. No two ways about it. But we will survive this storm. They’ll come out stronger than ever. Truly believe that. But for now let's rally around each other and get through this together. There will be brighter days ahead just doesn't feel like it right now. We got this.

~~~

Side notes non Chenford.

Do love Aaron working with Harper all if of all I cared about other than their SL in this one. Nolan's I fast forwarded which I normally don't do but I had no patience for his BS in this ep lol My anxiety was rampant in this ep and had no space for him.

Also RIP Metro Tim for the 6x07 promo. This hurts to see not just cause I enjoyed him in that outfit lol But to see his career take a nosedive like this. I wanted more Tim back story. Didn’t think would hurt like this though....Feel free to comment I love you all for any interaction I get with these. <3

[aventus-the-kind]

Found This Gem on Reddit

From A Deleted Redditor

Defending Aventus Aretino's

Character

♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️

Wow, I don't believe this! This is a load of nonsense. Typical reddit and their scary misinterpretations. Licensed Psychologist here🤚. All you commenters calling this poster naïve clearly doesn't know that this character Aventus Aretino is infact a sad and innocent child. I've been playing the game for 13 years and every single time I tear up when I help him. I've seen so many (almost all) posts and stomached fanfiction pushing for this kid's corruption and the kidnapping so that he joins a criminal organization. And what's worse is that they want the KID to join and not wait til he grows up! So repulsive 😨😣🤢🤮 

He is innocent for the following reasons: 

•He's just trying to get out of an abusive situation 

•He is clearly in distress and practically begs the hero to save him and his friends

•He wants to save kids when he becomes of age

•He clearly thinks those assassins are superheroes

•He couldn't even kill Grelod himself, which was easy enough if she's sleeping 

•He has manners "Please Mister/Miss" and "Thank you.. and thank you again."

•He would want out of the brotherhood once he knew he had no control and had to senseless murder people

•He even gives you the last possession in an endearing way

So you all need to shut the hell up and leave this poor kid alone. I've seen too many disgusting mods. Its finally time for something clean and healthy for once! You wouldn't want a stranger taking your kid to the fucking Dark Brotherhood. You all claim you feel bad (in other posts) so that's your excuse to have him exposed to death at such a tender age. Let us good people have a healthy and truthful mod FOR ONCE!

Make The Mod Good Sir!

This is my last day on Reddit! I'm TIRED of you monsters! 

⚖️Justice For Aventus Aretino⚖️

♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️

[echantedtoon]

KNY Swap Au Ramblings P2

I've seen a lot of others make their own versions of a swap au and I wanted to create one too just for fun. None of this is cannon, and not everyone will be swapped out and it'll have my own twists on things. And have some things added for new story elements.

Most of the role swaps I've seen are usually with either Sanemi and Genya or Gyutaro and Ume replacing Nezuko and Tanjiro. Or the rolls are swapped with Tanjiro being the demon instead. But for this I'm swapping out the Kamado Siblings for the Tokito Twins. I won't go into depth about everyone but I will give important differences to the story.

WARNINGS: Mentioning of killing, death, regular demon slayer content, etc.

EDIT: If you don't agree with any of the placements or head cannons that's fine. This is only my take on things.

Some people liked my Swap Demons concept so I decided to do a second but with the Swap Haishira.  If you don't agree with the placements or headcannons like before that's fine. And again not everyone will be swapped out or changed.

I based Swap Muzan partially on the swap au headcannons by @demonslayedher on Tumblr.

MASTER MUZAN KIBUTSUJI AND HIS FAMILY:

Honestly not much about him as a person has changed. He's still very much scheming, cunning, smart, strategic, and has a temper. The only difference is that he doesn't really y'know kill, eat, and murder people like Cannon Muzan. He runs the Demon Slayer corps like a smart well oiled machine and somehow he's very good at it. Of course not many people in the corps have the mind to oppose him with his temper and hatred for being tested. Despite his... personality, he's a very efficient planner and more than once some of his plans have worked in stopping demons. Despite his own short comings and the disease he has, his abilities to run the corps effectively has earned him the loyalty of most of the slayers. Even if not everyone likes him as a person they can admit he's an efficient leader. He may not always be understanding but he's smart enough to know how to approach sensitive topics and deal with the consequences that comes with having slayers and being the leader of the corps.  

Not much of the disease has changed. The only difference is that he has it in this timeline instead of Kagaya.

His wife, Rei Kibutsuji, is the one who helps run the corps if her husband's disease is too much for him to deal with that day. She was engaged to Muzan when they were both sixteen due to her family's various connections to resources and married at eighteen. Her family's various connections and resources has been a great help to the corps. Providing various medications for them to experiment with to combat the disease plauging the Kibutsuji family for generations, secret hiding courters for various slayers in the areas, Intel, and other things which helps. Her more level headed calm persona often helps to balance her husband's temper and her insight to various situations and things help him to make better choices in some instances. She is almost like a mother figure to the younger slayers in the corps and many respect her opinions on difficult situations.

They both have a single daughter, Muzan's heir, around the age of ten. Not much is known about her but she's very wise for her age and attends the final selection in place of her mother if she cannot spare a moment from her father otherwise she is always by her father's side helping him. Her first name is unknown to everyone but her parents and is a well guarded secret for security measures. Most call her by her given title of 'Young Kibutsuji'. 

HAISHIRA DOUMA:

Honestly Douma as a character and personality wise does not change one bit. He is still emotionless, apathetic, and everyone still dislikes him. But his story changes slightly as a slayer. His parents were originally followers of Gyomei's cult and upon his birth believed to be blessed by the gods with such a beautiful child. Thus child Douma became the (sideshow-) poster child whenever his parents went out with others to spread the 'good word' of Gyomei's eternal paradise cult. When he was about 8 the same instances occur in cannon. Douma's mother finds her husband cheating with other follower while out trying to recruit more followers. After killing her husband and his affair partner she took her own life leaving Douma just... standing there. Awkwardly just staring. Before just leaving to just...wonder aimlessly really for a long time until after a long time he's attacked by a demon in the mountains after attempting to seek shelter in a shrine as it was something familiar to him. A fight insued in which he nearly died if Urokodaki hadn't come along, he may be retired but he could still slay a low level demon in self defense if needed. The man is surely confused by why such a young child is here by himself, but is even more shocked by the fact he didn't show any emotion at almost getting killed by a demon. Unsure of what exactly else to do, Urokodaki decides to take him under his wing for now.

Later he did end up later learning water breathing techniques from Urokodaki along with Hakuji, and two other boys named Sabito and Giyuu who both went missing or died in their final selection. During his training Douma has formed a personal breathing style derived from Water Breathing known as Ice breathing which match his cold personality. Strongest Haishira which makes Hakuji angry. Actually was the one who ended up recruiting Gyutaro into the slayers after finding both himself and Ume in the entertainment district during a mission. He doesn't have any real reason to be a slayer other than it gives him some kind of purpose. Personally no one really likes him except for Gyutaro whom is grateful for the help he's received from him. Muzan only hasn't gotten rid of him yet because he's a honestly a very powerful force on the battlefield.

Was actually the one who found the brothers in the mountains while tracking down a powerful demon and took pity on them after seeing Yuichiro's unnatural demon behavior. That's what you're supposed to do right? Help others! He was nearly executed by Akaza for his actions at the next Haishira meeting.

HAISHIRA HAKUJI A.K.A AKAZA: 

Not much changes a lot about Akaza's backstory other than instead of poison Koyuki and her father were slain by demons instead of poison. Shocked, in grief, and filled with rage Akaza began hunting demons down on his own. He was unaware that a demon Slayer corps existed at the time until he also ended up just coming across Urokodaki in a similar fashion to how Douma was. Similar to Douma, Akaza developed his own Snow Breathing style derived from water Breathing, and fights a mixture of using his blade and his own physical body up close to deal damage with brass knuckles embedded with Nichirin spikes if demons are close enough. His previous martial art skills helps him to be flexible and untouchable in battle.  Despite studying under the same teacher and both having breathing styles derived from water breathing, Akaza HATES Douma. He hates his fake personality and how he acts all buddy, buddy to him. His mission is to eradicate the demon king and avenge Koyuki's death. The most loyal to Master Muzan. Akaza respects his serious attitude and cunning mind.

He thinks Douma sparing Yuichiro and Muichiro was a stupid idea and has mixed feelings about it all. Much rather prefers to be around the Kamado Siblings he himself recruited.

HAISHIRA GYUTARO AND UME:

Gyutaro is actually the Haishira. Ume is works safely at the butterfly mansion with Kanao, Aoi, and Nezuko in care for the slayers and kakushi who need to heal (changing my mind on Aoi and Kanao being demons). Backstory wise everything still proceeds as is cannon. Haishira Douma happened to have stumbled across the two siblings while hunting the previous Lower Moon Three in the area at the time. Feeling sorry for the two, he brought them back with him and sorta just dropped the two in Shinobu's lap. Gyutaro is extremely grateful to Douma for helping him and when the older man expressed interest in Gyutaro's already good fighting skills, he suggested that he join the corps since he has no where else to go. Unfortunately due to Gyutaro's unusual body conditions, he wasn't able to master the breathing styles Douma tried to teach them. Shinobu in a rare form of kindness after seeing Gyutaro interactions with Ume, offered to teach him her Insect Breathing she mastered because her body also isn't as strong as most Haishira. Gyutaro is the Mantis Haishira having previously learnt insecct breathing from Shinobu before her strange disappearance. He fights using his thin but flexible body like a preying mantis striking his prey. His weapons are duel Nichirin scycles custom made from his memories of using them for his job. He is surprisingly very good at killing demons and enjoys his new purpose.

Ume is often wanting to become a slayer like her brother, but Gyutaro forbids it forcing her to stay in the butterfly mansion with the other girls out of harm's way. Not much to say about her. Her whiny personality often collides with Aoi who keeps her spoiled attitude in check when making her help around the mansion while her older brother is out slaying demons. She does get the occasional visit from the Ice Haishira tho it's rare.

RETIRED HAISHIRA NAKIME:

Again not much to say about Nakime. Y'know that guy from Dororo who can use the sword in his biwa? Yeah that's her. Retired Sound Haishira. She can still slay demons with ease however she has retired after killing the Demon Tengen and his wives with a few other Slayers and loosing her eye I the process however she remains behind in the corps to help Urokodaki and others train the new slayer recruits.

HAISHIRA HANTENGU:

Not much is known about the quadruplets and their younger brother. They were all brought in one way or another from a horrible family situation by Rei after their grandfather Hantengu had a mental break and their father Urami just up and left them all. 

Sekido is the oldest one and trained with Kaigaku and Zenitsu by gramps and is a few years older than them. He and Kaigaku are always butting heads and tolerates Zenitsu only to an extent because he reminds him a smidge of Aizetsu. But otherwise he dislikes the 'whiny lightning brat'.

Aizetsu is the only current water breathing Haishira after training with Urokodaki and mastering the style. He deals with depression after everything he endured and is always worried about his brothers especially Zohakutan being the youngest.

Karaku is the current Wind Haishira. Self explanatory. Often he's paired with Sekido for missions. Despite the two brothers fighting like cats and dogs with rabies, they are surprisingly very good at fighting together during life or death situations. May or may not have a crush on someone in the corps.

Urogi is the only Hantengu brother who isn't a Haishira or Slayer. He is unable to use any breathing styles unlike his other four brothers. No one is sure why and honestly he's a little disappointed and sad, but he found a good purpose of helping to care for the many messenger crows that the corps uses. He's surprisingly very good with them and even matched many crows with their perfect match in a slayer including all of his brothers and surprisingly Akaza. Is the closest with Zohakutan as he's always the one who constantly keeps tabs on baby bro using his birds. Zoha thinks it's annoying but the comfort of having someone to fall back on for help is comforting to him.

Zohakutan so far is the youngest Haishira only a few years younger than his older brothers at 14. He's developed a breathing style all on his own Nature Breathing after his three Haishira brothers all tried training him in their own breathing styles. Somehow Zoha was able to mix the three plus add his own differences to create his own unique breathing style. It's proved to be very effective against demons. He's very loyal to Master Muzan after he let them stay and takes killing demons very seriously. Possibly more seriously than Sekido and honestly is always trying to surpass his older brothers to prove to them that they don't have to worry about him. Surprisingly he likes Tanjiro and Nezuko. Tanjiro's personality won him over and Nezuko is the little sister he never had. A lot of the time you can find him sparing with Inosuke.

SWORDSMITH GYOKKO:

Gyokko is the swordsmith who's responsible for the strange concoctions of weaponry that the current slayers use and his biggest rival is Haganezuka. While Haganezuka absolutely hates, hates, HATES Gyokko making strange weapons and for constantly tinkering with the 'true beauty of the blade', Gyokko hates that his fellow swordsmiths 'have no artistic creativity!!' Gyokko is the only swordsmith who is willing to 'get creative' and take special requests from his slayers. But because of his attitude like Haganezuka he rarely gets any requests. He personally made Akaza's Nichirin spiked brass knuckles, Douma's Nichirin fans, and Gyutaro's Nichirin scycles as they actually saw an opportunity to use his creative skills. Because of that they're his favorite Haishira but he also gets upset whenever he has to replace the unique creations he made for them. It's unclear if he is the one who made Nakime's biwa sword but as the two older people talk it's not a far off possiblity. 

He doesn't just make swords and weapons. Gyokko also dabbled in pottery and has made his own monstrous mask he constantly wears. Douma has expressed the beauty in his pots and was gifted one as a result along with his battle fans. It still sits in his estate. Haganezuka and Gyokko once got into an argument where Haganezuka ended up kicking one of Gyokko's vases destroying it. That resulted in the worst fight the two had up to present day lasting for hours and ended up with both of them needing bed rest for several months. The two swordsmiths are no longer allowed within twenty feet of each other.

DOCTOR ENMU:

Enmu is by far the most hated member of the corps second to Douma...buuuut he knows his way around medicine and he owes a lot of money to Muzan so this is his way of paying it back. Despite his..'quirk' he's a competent doctor and knows a lot about anatomy. Whenever he's given a demon from final selection to disect- Study or is tasked with researching Muzan's blood and skin cells from his sickened skin, he's very creepily excited and motivated. He used to speak to Shinobu about his discoveries from dissecting demons and ask about her wysteria poisoning techniques until her mysterious disappearance. When Shinobu disappeared all of the full nursing duties became his responsibility and he took over the butterfly estate partially run by Aoi. He's since found her notebooks and journals of her experiments and continues her research. Will later assist Tamayo with her cure for demon kind.

He was hoping to study Yuichiro's body if Sekido ended up killing him but unfortunately he wasn't allowed to do anything. Still occasionally asks Muichiro for some of his brother's blood despite his disgust.

TSUNAGU KAIGAKU:

Not much changes about Kaigaku's backstory. He's a few years younger than Sekido and his brothers and two years older than Zohakutan. Like Sekido has mastered enough Thunder Breathing to become Sekido's tsunagu but not by choice. Muzan assigned Kaigaku this placement because Sekido can and WILL scare Kaigaku back into place when his ego goes unchecked including using physical punishment and harsh training when he thinks it's needed. Kaigaku HATES it and Sekido...But it's been effective and he has become more humble and has learnt to not have such a big attitude after Sekido threw him using a single hand to throw him across the room for the fifth time in one day.

Zenitsu and him fight like siblings (see Kimetsu Gauken on this-) but has learnt not to throw things at him anymore after Tanjiro headbutted him and knocked him unconscious for a few hours. Despite that he can tolerate Tanjiro and Zenitsu to an extent but always fights with Inosuke and Zohakutan. He much prefers to go on missions with Kanao and Muichiro if he's supposed to have a partner for missions as they're usually easier for him to go on missions with. Genya is like him so he can somewhat tolerate his presence if he's not being trained by someone else.

Between Sekido's harsh lessons, Muzan's scoldings, and Tanjiro's kind advise(and humbling headbutts) he's learnt to become a bit better as a person. Not a lot but better, and Tanjiro is always trying to be friends with him. There's hope for him yet.

That's it so far for my ideas on some swap Haishira. I might do a third one with my Swap headcannons for the swap Kamaboko squad and Muichiro and Yuichiro if anyone's interested in that.

[thesoftboiledegg]

It's not just merchandise roundup day: it's also my birthday! ✨🎄 Yep, I was born on Christmas Eve. Everyone I know is afraid of aging, but I couldn't wait to turn 30 last year. 31 isn't too bad, either. I don't see myself as old, but does my age make me a fandom elder? 🤔

Anyway, much as it pains me to say this, the Rue 21 near my place is still closing. I went inside for what's probably the last roundup in that store. I didn't expect to find anything, but they had one new item: a pair of boxers that are entirely black except for a picture of Rick and Morty screaming on the waistband.

I hope the location in the mall doesn't close, but that particular mall is hanging on by a thread. Most of the stores are just empty space. The other Rue 21 locations are almost an hour away!

I also stopped by one of the local head shops. I've posted pictures of it before, but I had to share this plumbus pipe again because it's so well-crafted. (The colors come from the backlighting.)

No weird clip art with Rick as Pennywise or Mr. Jellybean creeping on Morty: just a well-made piece of glass.

These pictures aren't the greatest, but they also had new backpacks. I love the vibrant colors.

I tried to find pictures online. All I could find from the Dabtized brand was this Alice in Wonderland backpack. I've actually seen those illustrations in another head shop (probably ripped off from Dabtized, if Dabtized is even the original owner.)

Mad Hatter Rick is a good look for him.

Five Below had new winter-themed socks and a poster set. Honestly, I don't see the appeal of merchandise where the characters look scared or pissed off?

Off to the thrift store. The shelves were pretty sparse, but I love these Mr. Sparkle boxers. That's one of my favorite Simpsons B-plots. I actually thought it was the main plot when I was a child, probably because it was so weird and entertaining.

Snowflake boxers!

Another gift set, this time featuring a mug, socks and key chain.

I had extra time, so I browsed the graphic tees. This one was so big that I had to step back to get the whole illustration in frame:

And finally: this one cracked me up. Are you naughty like Toxic Rick or nice like "Healthy" Rick?

"Healthy" Rick was cold and uncaring toward Morty. A better comparison would be Rickbot and disheveled Rick searching for Prime in his hideout. Rickbot was an angel!

Today, I wondered if I saw Rick and Morty merchandise when I worked in a department store in 2015. That's when the series really blew up. I don't remember anything, but I also didn't watch the show until 2019, so I wasn't looking for it. Maybe Rick was shilling sneakers alongside Kim Kardashian perfumes.

And if he wasn't, he's got a pretty good gig endorsing fast food on the show. Who wants Denny's? 🥞