#iirc hes gotten better!!! he has like. 2 now

[apollos-boyfriend]

good to see not much has changed and lukeorsomething is still struggling

it's not his fault leave him alone!!!! he's trying his best

[glittergear]

Un-horny BG2 mods

Ok, so I often hear that BG2 mods are very horny--not denying that, but here are some horny-free BG2 mods that I enjoy. I'm only including Quest and NPC mods here. I'm also only including mods that I have entirely played through myself.

The White Queen, by Lava: a quest mod that allows player to visit brand new place - Silent Swamps - where something happened some time ago. Curious? Let yourself discover what lies under the layers of the mud, meet the White Queen and her servants. Also, the music is bangin'

I Shall Never Forget, by Lava: This Baldur's Gate 2 mod allows you to work with Orion - a mage who has lost the sense of his life. Either help him regain what he lost or let him die without the faintest ray of hope.

Southern Edge, by Lava: Southern Edge is a new district for Athkatla available from the very start, once you talk to Gaelan and hear his offer. You can get a Book of Intelligence as a reward for one of the quests, and there's a scribe who will buy your unneeded quest documents (like The Tome of Amaunator, the Noontime Ritual, the Book of Kaza, etc. It's a nice lore-friendly way to get rid of some items)

Ooze's Lounge, by Lava: The mod introduces a brand new part of Athkatlan sewers. You may now use the originally inactive grate in Slums to enter a locked part of the sewers and discover its dark corners. The mod offers three new areas as well as a couple of mini-quests, new items and graphics.

Yoshimo Romance, by Lava: Mod includes 16 timered talks with Yoshimo (pre-Brynnlaw) plus those fired by circumstances - including talk in Brynnlaw and at entrance of Spellhold. Those who love reading may also install additional portion of text - dialogues for both male and female players fired by in-game events. There's no horniness here; the most you can do is kiss his cheek once, IIRC

Everything else, by Lava: seriously, all of his mods are great, and none of the ones on his site are horny

Trials of the Luremaster, by Argent77: This mod makes the Icewind Dale expansion "Trials of the Luremaster" available to BG2:EE (v2.0 or later), Siege of Dragonspear and EET (Enhanced Edition Trilogy).

✨Adrian✨, by Rhealla: Adrian has lived an interesting life, for lack of a better term, though he's hoping to finally put his past behind him. Aside from his magic, he has a background in espionage and a decadent -- some might say romantic -- streak that has gotten him into trouble in the past. He once pursued (and ultimately wrecked) a political career with one of the most notorious organizations in the Realms, and may very much enjoy the opportunities for intrigue the Shadow Thieves have to offer... if you can drag him away from fighting with the Harper and the Red Wizard long enough to notice, that is. Don't let his alignment scare you off. He's the least evil Evil character in the game, and his alignment can seamlessly shift to LN. He does fine in my good-aligned playthroughs. His romance isn't particularly horny--he offers once, but you can turn him down just fine (and there are multiple ways to tell him no). He's by far my favorite romance and favorite NPC in the game; I am not normal about him at all; and I could probably write an entire essay about his character arc. Please do try him out

Sir Ajantis by jastey: With this modification Ajantis can be acquired as a member of the PC's group after the fight in the Windspear Hills (which was not changed by the mod principally). The player must first solve a quest to free Ajantis from Firkraag's ransom. You have the option to continue his romance from BG1 or start a new romance with him--I've done the new romance route, and I didn't notice any horniness.

[mayzingly]

all the s2 ep3 parts ruined with yapping

!!SPOILERS, IF YOU HAVENT WATCHED ANY OF THEM GO WATCH THEM!!

I haven’t seen an episode be split up in parts since s1 ep10, so either Brittany decided to do it in parts instead of all at once because she knew we would complain about it literally being three months since the last one, or THEYRE COOKING

^^^^^^^^

so the episode starts with them walking on a path, which means im allowed to assume that Pyrare and Ajacenus went in the forest and then got ajavex from somewhere.

first thing I notice right off the bat is how enthusiastic they are about beating their sister up😭😭 like y’all are forgetting that whatever injuries ajaceare gets, ajacent has to deal with. they just don’t fade once she becomes uncorrupted, do they

that’s all I had to say about the first part, since it was surprisingly more boring than I remember

^^^^^^^^

this is my favorite out of the prevs.

the episode starts with ajaceare running like she just got 500$ from her mom and was told she could spend it on anything. dub then asks her how collecting pieces has been going. she pulls out a BIG ASS BAG. if im correct there are 20 artists featured in jsab minus the ones that already gave their pieces and some of them are one timers (avenza, pegboard nerds (iirc), plesco, silva hound, nanobii, TECHNICALLY omnitica, etc etc) so like where did she get all them pieces???

there are multiple theories about who those people could be, but I choose to believe theyre 2/5 out of Shirobon because

THATS A TAIL. AND YOU KNOW WHAT HAS A TAIL? A FOX. AND YOU KNOW WHATS A SONG BY SHIROBON IN JSAB? FOX!!! TOTES DIDNT RUN ON ONE HOUR OF SLEEP LAST NIGHT😃��😃😃

also, I hope this is just a transition because OTHERWISE HOW DID SHE NOT NOTICE THEM.

one sentence to describe this episode: tri-py.

anyways, onto the next one. you better get your popcorn ready cause im about to RANT.

*cracks knuckles*

and OF COURSE SHES ON A TREE.

why is literally every monster either corrupted or a pacifist in tpc. like YALL GOT FIGHTING SKILLS, USE EM “don’t you know we monsters never attack shapes??” That’s only for YOU, your SAILOR MOON HAVING ASS HAIR LOOKING ELDER SISTER, and “SAILOR MOON”’S BITCHASS BARRACUDA HAVING FRIEND.

girl. im sorry but if I was a monster id be throwing these hands left and right.

“How could you have gotten corrupted like this?” gee idk, maybe a corrupted person touched her!??? Shocking wow “You’re supposed to stay in the mountains like the rest of us!!” bro shes 1000, im pretty sure shes able to not be huddled under u all the time.

“Now give me your pieces!!”

again, this makes

NO.

FUCKING.

SENSE!!!

IF SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT PYRARE, SHE WOULDVE SAID “Give me HIS pieces!” But instead shes saying “Your”.

I don’t know WHY the hell Ajacenus and ajavex would even have pieces, because it’s clear that they don’t have the triangle symbol like every other group member, but even if they did, IT WOULD BE INCOMPLETE BECAUSE AJACENUS IS SUPPOSED TO BE WICKED - AVENZA AND AJAVEX IS DEADLOCKED - F-777!!! SEE HOW ITS TWO DIFFERENT ARTISTS???

AND PLUS, EVEN IF SHE DID JUST MEAN PYRARE, HE WOULDNT HAVE A SINGLE PIECE BECAUSE THEY HAVENT GONE TO THE LAND OF TRIANGLES YET!!!

CAUSE I KNOW DAMN WELL SHE DIDNT FORGET TO ANIMATE THE HAIR DETAILS. I DONT GET WHY THEYRE LEFT OUT OF THIS, THEY COULDVE USED THE SHIELD FROM HER DRESS INSTEAD!!

PYRARE, MOVE!!! QUIT BEING LAZY!!! MOVE YOUR FACE!! DUMBAS-

AND THEN YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO CLAP. BRO.

BROOOO🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

one sentence to describe this episode: BRITTANY COOKED BUT NOBODYS HUNGRY🔥🔥

last and definitely least, is the 4th part. now, the whole video was a bossfight so I don’t have much to say except SHE GOT PUFF PONYTAILS YAAAAAAAAA

I hope she isn’t batshit ugly or I might just remove s2 ep3 part 5 from my consciousness once it comes out

…yeah I had to remove it from my consciousness because WTH is this

“What happened to me?” Girl do you have the big D? (dementia)

HAHAHHH THE STUPID FACE HE MADE IN THE HALLOWEEN SHORT IS BACK, only thing I’m happy about. However…

“It isnt right for a male to hit a female” dude sybau. you throw hands all you want if you feel provoked. pussy.

anyways, onto dub. his section was the only entertaining part. Seeing him tweak like that genuinely made me go “😧” IRL

“Which caretaker is it!? I swear if it’s the anxious one…” made me BUST OUT laughing. Though I do wonder what he would’ve done if the flower lied to him and said it was “the anxious one” who I’m assuming is cube.

“So you decided to come out of retirement?” im curious about this, because… how does he even go into retirement in the first place?

though, I’m gonna talk about three things here.

1. I think (Altered) finally gives us an answer to what Circusic meant in episode 2. “The same way you are!” So we all saw him get revived by the reaper and turn into circubit, so when he says that I can only guess that Iris got revived that same way. You get revived, but with some perks, aka ALTERATIONS.

2. Every flower is infected? That means George is probably back.

3. Circusic is infected??? Either he doesn’t know that hes uncorrupted; or HES BAAAACK!!!!

[shrinkthisviolet]

5 + headcanon au - what if Larry Butz hadn't been forgotten/flanderized by the writers and instead was in all three games in the Original Trilogy (and maybe even beyond?)

This got a little away from me 😅 under the cut:

Phoenix isn’t the only one struggling with Edgeworth’s disappearance/faked death, Larry is too. It’s easy to forget, but Larry was Edgeworth’s best friend too, they cared about each other! Larry would be extra pissed because of the toll it’s taking on Phoenix—when they see Edgeworth again, it’s Larry who takes the first swing, surprising pretty much everyone. It’s one of the few times Larry loses his temper…and Edgeworth is surprisingly contrite because of it (he wasn’t contrite enough in 2-4 for my taste, and tbh I think being yelled at by Larry of all people would shock anyone into being apologetic)

Larry is pretty intuitive when he wants to be. While Phoenix dismisses Ini as airheaded, Larry would realize there’s something else underneath that (he knows what it’s like to be underestimated intellectually…and how someone might use that to hide something). He probably wouldn’t figure it all out, but Phoenix would still remember Larry’s words at a crucial point when he’s putting the pieces together about Ini and Mimi

On that note, I’m also intrigued as to his dynamic with Engarde—by all respects, Engarde’s front is very similar to how AA1 Larry acts. That could make for some very interesting situations when the two are forced to interact. Maybe Larry befriends him and is heartbroken to learn that Engarde was just faking. Maybe he was a Nickel Samurai fan too, extra sting (he and Maya would also bond over that because iirc she was a Nickel Samurai fan too. Idk if Edgeworth was). Maybe Engarde makes some jabs at Larry, and Phoenix furiously defends Larry’s honor, and it doesn’t feel like “oh great, I have to defend Larry again”, but rather, “how dare this guy insult my friend”—because yeah, I think Phoenix and Larry would’ve gotten closer and really bonded by this point. They were already besties, but Larry’s also showing how smart/intuitive he is lately

Larry would be able to help in the search for Maya! Granted, Shelly de Killer could still easily give them the slip, but it’s one more person, and Larry being involved would ease Phoenix’s nerves even more. Larry might be clumsy and awkward, but he cares fiercely about the people he loves, and lately, he’s been showing just how sharp he really is

Larry leaves post-AA2, much like Maya did post-AA1. This is because he got an internship with the mysterious Elise Deauxnim, and he really wants to take it, as much as he also wants to stay and help. Phoenix, Maya, and even Gumshoe and Edgeworth, convince him to go. Now that Edgeworth’s back, Larry feels better about leaving

AA3 would still happen the same, but uh. Without Larry in 3-2 at the KB Security job. Just make a new character for that one. He reappears in 3-5, he’s on the path to becoming an artist. He takes the “apprentice name” of Laurice Deauxnim because it makes him sound smart (Phoenix insists Larry doesn’t need that, but Larry just shrugs. Deep down, though, he’s touched). I think 3-5 would play out…mostly the same? Minus…all of the weird flirting. Seriously, writers, what was up with the weird flirting?? (Speaking of which, he did that in AA1 too. At some point in this rewrite, he’d apologize to Maya for that. But anyway, moving on)

He’d be such an amazing uncle to Trucy! And unlike Maya and Edgeworth, he lives pretty steadily in Japanifornia, so he drops by often. Trucy calls him “Uncle Larry” and he dotes on her (in between trying to convince Phoenix to get his badge back, which is a losing conversation, but Larry has to try. Seeing Phoenix like this is killing him—what happened to his overly hopeful best friend who now won’t even take Maya and Edgeworth’s calls?)

He and Kristoph can’t stand each other. Larry doesn’t trust him, and Kristoph doesn’t like him (Larry doesn’t like him either, but he especially doesn’t trust him). Kristoph reminds him of an old girlfriend—patronizing, rude, more interested in correcting his manners and appearing kind than actually being so

He grates on Apollo at first, when they meet, but he’s also the most forthcoming, which Apollo appreciates. He tells Apollo everything he can—Phoenix swore Larry to secrecy about his plan, and Larry relays that apologetically to Apollo with a wince. He doesn’t like all this secrecy, especially doesn’t like how Phoenix is treating Apollo so dismissively, but…hey, Larry’s loyal before anything else, and Phoenix is still his best friend

He might like Klavier, the showmanship performer type seems up his alley. Plus, they’re both artists, just different kinds. Much like with Ini, Larry would recognize that Klavier’s hiding some very deep vulnerability in there…and he’d feel for the kid when his best friend, Daryan, is found guilty of smuggling and of coercing a boy to go along with his plan. Pairing that with Klavier’s brother being Kristoph (who has, at this point, been arrested for Zak’s murder)…yeah Larry’s pretty sure the kid’s nearing his breaking point

He’s not super clear on the tech know-how of the MASON system, but hey, anything to put Kristoph away for good—that fake ace was a lucky bluff, but there’s always a chance of it being overturned. Phoenix being crafty is kinda unsettling to Larry…but with Kristoph arrested, the effect on Phoenix is clear—he’s committed to retaking the bar, he smiles more, he’s more hopeful

Larry…doesn’t want to think about what Phoenix’s improved mental state means about how Kristoph was affecting Phoenix, but he has his theories (listen, he’s been in his fair share of relationships, okay? So if he’s more insistent on Phoenix going to therapy and even drives him to his sessions and prays that he’s talking about Kristoph with those therapists, if he slips Phoenix some resources about recovering from an abusive relationship…sue him, he can pick up on things and he’s worried)

Skipping ahead to SOJ: he’d play co-counsel for Apollo with Trucy’s case, and he’s kinda pissed at the other guy for throwing veiled insults at his niece. Who does this foreign peacock think he is exactly? Larry’s got half a mind to give him a piece of his mind, but Apollo just gives him that exhausted “please, Larry, don’t cause a scene” look that Phoenix always got, and…yeah, okay. Maybe when Trucy’s free (Nahyuta receives a surprisingly detailed portrait of himself with devil horns speaking the words “I hate children and I’m no fun”, which he never finds out the meaning of)

(And ofc also in SOJ, he’s not a weird flirty creep in the bonus case. SERIOUSLY writers WHY)

Not totally sure how he’d fit into DD, but I’m sure there are ways

I…did not expect to get so invested in this omg 😅 can someone write this fic??

send me an au and i’ll share 5+ headcanons about it!

[ruershrimo]

from ‘take me back (take me with you)’, chapter 5:

@mechalily iwnsjsbsb I actually never thought about that!

(long explanation ahead)

one thing about the cancer though, is that though I’ve never stated what type it is, it’s probably something like myeloma or lymphoma (iirc?? I base things in the series a lot on my own experiences even if it isn’t a self-insert haha).

I also can’t remember if I stated this when [name]’s father introduced the technique, but usually users of cell manipulation can’t really see (?) the cells just by touching that spot or anything— they really do have to study the biology behind it and visualise everything correctly for it to work (I think I did mention reader needing to use a microscope for their cursed technique in… chapter 2? chapter 3? oh dear, I’m so sorry— I can’t remember TvT), so it’s quite a tricky technique to use and comes with more drawbacks than advantages, really… (the only advantage is that this could be used to heal. but even still, a person with rct like shoko could heal as well or even better without needing that biology knowledge necessary for cell manipulation).

basically, what I’m getting at here is that the mother probably has a blood cancer, so her cancer cells are all around in her body. the father lacks the precision, probably, as well as the cursed energy to eradicate all her cancer cells, or to expedite any processes for T cells (if I remember correctly, that’s what they’re called) to get rid of her cancer cells. even if the father may have been an expert, age has certainly worn him down and now he’s probably,,, well. this isn’t stated, because it isn’t really important and I want people to decide how things are for themselves, but his daughter has nearly surpassed him at her young age.

I do admit that this was lazy writing on my part, though— I wasn’t able to think of that. but I’ve always thought of it like this: no matter what happens to the father or the mother, either of them can’t do anything. even for [name]— even if they can affect her through words, in the end she can still ignore them regardless. while they’re a source of motivation for her at times and a reason she does certain things, if either of them die or anything, all that the other can do is nothing at all. I hope that makes sense ;v;,,, I’m also really sorry if I sound defensive throughout this— I promise I’m not. I’m just trying to come up with a reasoning for the plot to still hold up while explaining some things behind it as well 😭. (that said, i’m not an expert on this or anything, so please feel free to correct me on what I’ve gotten wrong!! hehehe)

and about them being annoying hypocrites for parents,,, well,,, they do love her a lot, I’ll say that. sometimes our parents pull stuff like this even if they’re wrong— even if they love her, they’re bound to screw up. [name] IS their only child, and they are quite immature people, still.

but thank you so much for commenting, and thank you again for commenting so quickly! I’m actually quite happy that you brought this up, because I really like to explain the things behind this goofy, silly little series that I haven’t had the chance to state or explain in the story itself.

so, thank you so much!! ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ have a good day or night :) <333

[3rddimension]

I know the general consensus on here seems to be that Courtney and Shayne are gonna lay low this year but honest to god I think we're gonna get an engagement announcement this year.

Hear me out. First of all, no, I don't think they're already engaged. I think the ring is a coincidence. As Shayne put it in today's Reddit Stories w/ Quinton & Damien, you should probably have all of your shit figured out before you commit to getting married. I think they'd probably want to make things public before engagement because it will obviously cause a major shift in their lives. Either that or they'll announce things WHEN they get engaged.

So, why do I think they'll get engaged soon? Allow me to list my arguments:

Time - If we assume they've been dating since 2020(iirc the common estimate is specifically August of 2020), then this year will be their 4-year anniversary. Add on that they've known each other for almost 10 years I think? And that they've been living together for at least 2 years now. I think they're both probably aware that marriage is kind of a formality at this point, which sorta segues into my second argument...

Reddit Stories - Someone pointed out on here recently that Shayne has gotten better at discussing relationships since he stopped being single. I would like to add that he also seems to be good at talking about proposals. They've read the two proposal stories recently where Shayne has expressed very strong, consistent opinions about proposals that imply it's something he's thought about at length, maybe recently? The reason I said my last argument segued into this one is because Shayne has expressed that he believes that proposals should generally be considered formalities in that the person you're proposing to should already know it's gonna happen, just not when. That was paraphrased, but you get the point.

Marriage Fever - This is my weakest point, but I think it's worth noting that both Kimmy and Amanda got married last year, and Josh got engaged recently. Disregarding Courtney's infamous "slightly more engaged than me" comment, couples tend to tie the knot one after the other in group settings like this. You see people around you happily getting married, and you want it for yourself. Pretty basic but I thought it at least shouldn't go unsaid.

Anyone who reads this, please say something if you think there's something to add or if you vehemently disagree with me. I just love discussion.

Damnnnnnn! That's a very good argument especially what Shayne was talking on Reddit Stories video. He's definitely been thinking about it and talking with each other a lot on this kind of topic for sure.

[tsarinajissa]

Hiiii! I’m Zanna, I lost this account a few years ago and just recently got it back and am starting to use tumblr more. Most of the people I follow are inactive accounts from 10+ years ago but you’re still going strong and live-blogging and i just want to 1. say thanks bc your posts remind me of the tumblr i love and remember lol and 2. ask if we can be friends and talk about ice skating and stuff.

I started trying to follow real world skating after watching Yuri on Ice (of course lol) and I always watch it during the olympics but i’d like to watch all the other events too and have someone to discuss with <3

You're back! Welcome back!

I'd love to be tumblr skating and fandom buddies-- I'm probably going to be even more on my bullshit than usual because this year my wife (that happened while you were off I think. But the woman I used to call my bestie is now my wife ;) and I will be GOING TO WORLDS.

This is a perfect time to start blathering at each other about it, because the grand prix season just started! If you have peacock from the Olympics they stream all the grand prix as well (no challenger though. Boo), but you have to poke around in the live and upcoming sports area for it. Or, if you were to have non-US internet the isu has streams on youtube (the non-US internet part is required there, because geoblocking).

Every weekend for the next few weeks is one of the grand prix--next up: Skate Canada. I'm super excited for it because it's Jason Brown's first grand prix in a while (he went into semi-retirement after his amazing Sinnerman at the Olympics, where he did ice shows around the world and then only showed up for nats and worlds. As a country we decided he deserved that for doing Sinnerman. But he's planning on 2026 Olympics so he's gotten serious again this year and it looks super good. Much better form already in September than he had at Worlds 2024, when he usual peaks later in the season).

Also coming to Skate Canada are:

Cha Junhwan. You may remember him as Korea's Male singles skater in the Olympics/ the skater with the best ina bauer of all time. He had a tough time last season recovering from injury and switching coaches (to the same woman who coaches all the junior Korean women and seems to wish she were Eteri or Hamada. V worried there). I'm really hoping he has a better time this season and was given proper time/support to recover

Kaori Sakamoto! I saw her new programs at a challenger and think they could be a lot of fun, plus. She's Kaori <333. A double axel that covers one side of the rink, deep edges, gorgeous lines, and a commitment to choreo that can't be beat (literally since the Olympics at grand prix and higher. 3 time world champ!!)

Ekaterina Kurakova is so much fun and will definitely win for best costume change on ice! Also, she had trouble last season and I'm wishing her the best

Speaking of wishing the best: Alyssa Liu. Alyssa has been off since the Olympics to focus on her mental health and this is her second competition since March 2022. She looked wonderful at the challenger event she did earlier this season and I'm really hoping she continues to perform well and feels in a good place. She was forced by US Fed into the position of 'America's Leading Lady' far too young and I'm so glad she took time off for her mental health. I hope it'll be a blueprint for a more sustainable way forward.

Ilia Malinin. You've missed the rise of the Quad God if you haven't watched since the Olympics. He's not one of my faves, but I can't not mention the reigning world champ will be there. He's improved a TON in the past two years, finally gotten choreo he appreciates, and his jumps are still. Gorgeous. The quad axel takes my breath away every time. And, iirc, one of his current programs has him do a quad jump into a spread eagle. His transitions!!

Shun Sato, Sota Yamamoto, Kim Yelim and Gabrielle Frangipani are all others singles skaters I'm excited for. Frangipani is a relatively new Italian senior man who had some great speed and power when I saw him last year & Yamamoto + Sato can both be brilliant when they're on. Kim Yelim is just. I've loved her since the Olympics

Hopefully this wasn't too much blather. I'm just. In full figure skating mode and enjoy every chance I get to talk too much about it!

[throwaway-yandere]

🐠 Anon

Good thing, no work today, bad think, they kicked me out to go to the shop for ingredients for cooking

Also it's been snowing again for almost all day today

Now skipping over the fact that I hate winter

Faceless Ayato better un-shadowbans you or it's going to be hunting season for him as a prey lol

If I punch faceless Ayato in the void of his face, does my hand vanishes inside? Or I hit something?? Does he has nerves there???

Also about Diluc/Dainsleif working better for creepypastas

1. I'm pretty sure that in 2020 I saw some creepypasta about dainsleif

2. I have sketch somewhere of Childe as Jeff (friend's dare for me on their birthday lmao)

Also, does anybody remember when Albedo was trending because of that glitch where his whole body, clothes etc were black/void except for his face? Like just face, not including eyes that were also black??

Was scared for a moment thinking you got fired or something– I remember romanticizing snow as a kid and wanting to experience it but now that I'm technically an adult this sounds painful cuz I'm incredibly lazy lol–

... bro you raise some good fricking questions.

Yandere Faceless!Ayato with a void for a face. I want that. I want that so bad.

Imagine trying to squirm from his grip by elbowing his face and you feel N O T H I N G. Just the void. And imagine if he gets pissed and you start seeing his floating eyes visibly twitch and you feel his chest rumble for what you couldn't distinguish between amused laughter... Or pure anger.

Me rambling about dain & diluc don't mind this lol:

------

Okay suddenly got the motivation to explain back lol

Why creepypasta!Dainsleif works:

I remember seeing some posts about how Dain always looks at the camera when you're taking photos... Which, I don't think is necessarily true, but his eye design makes it seem like that

Look at him. Look at this jerk and his chilling stare in my low graphics android screenshot lmao

The bastard just have that "I'm always watching" vibes. Why would he be the protag on my SAGAU au? (Because you're a Dainsleif simp in need of content ansy that's why–) It's because out of all the characters, Dainsleif's probably the most likely candidate of being self-aware. (That, and you're a simp ansytea–)

Dainsleif has such an ominous title too, being the Bough Keeper or iirc something along the lines of "the one who picks up branches" in CN makes him sound so ominous. He probably collects the "branches"/memories of the Leylines. Who knows. Maybe he found a way to connect to your world.

And. Just. This line:

"I know all that I need to know."

It's so ominous. It's short but I absolutely fricking love the way Yuri Lowenthal said it.

He'd make a good genshin!Lost Silver I swear it. He'd pass the assignment. Him and his weird zalgo looking "element" lmao.

Why creepypasta Diluc works. And it's definitely not biased:

Based on personal experience lmao–

I'm not joking. 99% of this is based on personal experience. Why do I have C2 Diluc in my main and C0 in my second (which i only use to pull when there's freemogems)

My first Diluc came home on standard at 77th pull. I remember this well, thinking wow that's lucky!!! I got my older sibling's favorite!!! As a AR49 Kaeya main before, I wasn't too thrilled since I believed in Kaeya supremacy. Diluc's alright, no real malice against him!!!

Okay second account time let's test our luc– Oh, it's Diluc. Guess I finally have a proper dps in that account and not Kokomi!!! (that's a lie I still use Kokomi as a DPS.)

Alright, back to main! I'm gonna do a 10 pull in the standard again and I'm chanting "C4 KAEYA C4 KAEYA C4 KAEYA" with my eyes closed and oh I got C1 Qiqi! Love my lil zombie dps but wrong cryo sword character but– C1 DILUC WTF OH NO WRONG BROTHER WRONG BROTHER–

But it's fine! It's great– I've never gotten lucky in the standard! I always reach hard pity so having a double 5 star is so "w o w"!!!

Okay cool it's been weeks since then, let's try our luck in Nahida's banner!!! We've been saving up for her since Cyno!!! It'll be fine!!!

...

... You... You can fill in the blanks–

Okay but in a less personal answer: diluc makes a good fricking creepypasta if you think about his feral phase. Like, the phase where he was absolutely phckass mad and killed fatui members without a vision.

You imagining him in that phase? Good.

Now imagine him phcking g l i t c h i n g. Imagine him in anguish, complaining that the codes are cruel to him. Diluc doesn't seem to care that Venti is his archon– what more for his creators?

[llycaons]

ep36 (1/2): we are so fucking back, baby

thank god this episode was really good. sweet and cute in part 1 and then really funny + spooky later on

I do find it really funny that wwx arranged lwj's arms like he's in a coffin. man, but his sleeping pose is so strange

I wonder if there's something to be said that lwj looks like he's always in mourning and sleeps like he's dead but he's actually the force of life and light in the life of wwx. and wwx is even more strongly associated with death through his cultivation path and his own death, but he's got so much energy and life in him (when he's not like, super depressed or traumatized that is). the balance is neat

yeah this is cute. lwj has changed in some ways since wwx has come back, in ways that I think confuse and put wwx on the defense in some cases. but overall there's a steady reliability there that I think plays a significant role in why he loves lwj - he's something familiar and comforting and dependable in a new and strange world

aww their reunion!!

love this scene! wwx never really thought he was above wen ning, but he didn't always show it so clearly. he's communicating so well to wn here - we're equals, I'm not above you, you can stand tall and not be ashamed of yourself

ohhh that's why he wanted bichen

his face is so funny and 2. man I guess that's the translation but I like bichen better

another funny scene. wen ning noisily and clumsily running away right behind wwx and wwx stumbles over his words trying to explain himself

how the FUCK did they get here. like there was no effort put into this at all lol wwx was just like 'hehe I got lost" HOW DID YOU GO FROM THE CITY CENTER TO A RANDOM FARMHOUSE

man, wyb is BACK in this episode. idk why things were so weird and cold in previous episodes but he's got so much more expression in his face this time. even his dopey blank drunk-face is like deeply intent and focused. he is honestly very cute here

LEGEND

ohhh I love this. couple quality activities

I don't think it's fair to call ss utter shit with a sword, so lwj really is just that good. goddamn.

im like really enamored with this face? god he's so open and honest and vulnerable like this

so cute I can't 😭

this makes me sooo mad because we SAW the brand on his chest we KNOW he got drunk and did that so why shouldn't he have gotten drunk off wwx's favorite wine?? huh??? at least, he did in the book iirc

side note, but as someone whose first exposure to the story was the drama, I put the pieces together pretty well myself. like, who else would it have been? it had to have been lwj himself

back to chatting about rabbits. what a goofy smile. and look how much wwx is laughing, aww

this is a great scene for the confession itself, but I've always loved most xz's performance. those big wet eyes, and all that swallowing - he's so touched he really might start crying right there. and it's so important to wwx to know that someone trusted him, and believed in him, and wished they'd done something differently to help him. the last time someone publicly defended him he did cry. it's something I love a lot about wwx

and I just like that smile so much. all that love in there. that affection. almost looking like nostalgia

I like the idea that wwx is someone who can remember who he was when he was young more easily with lwj - that innocence and energy and joy he used to have

this is also really funny. I'm sure it's not nine. he's just announcing it is because he's going to sleep now, so it must be

and the only time we see him with a nightmare postres. makes sense that he still gets them - BM and the war was only a few years ago

aww his smile when he sees the kids is so cute

THE FAKE MOUSTACHE I CAN'T

some sick burns these kids are delivering

[bayleaf-2]

Hi so I didn't make any coding progress today, hence why I didn't post anything, but I did draw all day! Lotta info incoming so here! Here goes! I already did transcripts and stuff for a friend who has some but not all context and I'm. Very very tired so sorry gang but I'm not adding additional context. Also some of the tone might seem weird, cause again, directly to friend and not tumblr

That being said, big thing first! Started some design mockups for Arc 5, character notes included. Got damn the compression on this is bad sorry gang.

The first one is how Lyra looks literally the day after the campaign ends! That design's title is "The worst of it" because I don't know for sure how long that'll last, for multiple reasons (How long Lisp can fuck with Ioun's ritual until the library notices, how long Lyra's in this state of "make it to the next day" grief, etc) but I do know that this is their lowest point, so it feels best to label it as such if I don't have another reference point to label with, at least for the time being. The bullet points are as follows:

Feels dysphoric (outfit helps)

Now that they're not rushing through everything and actually have time to think about how they feel and also don't have to wear high tier armor all the time, Lyra realizes that she's not…actually happy being in such boxy clothes, among other things. I hesitate to go into any more detail cause I don't wanna trigger anyone else's dysphoria, but they change into a looser, more fem outfit. I'm realizing now that the silhouette still looks similar because I'm not as good with drawing clothes, but imagine it's like. Flowy and soft rather than boxy and thick. (Yes this is bc I wanted to give her a design changed but I also realized they'd want the same thing, it's been like. months)

"One day at a time"

Kind of explained before, but I'll elaborate a bit more just cause: They lost their entire family. They lost like 3 out of 4 of the people most important to them. He's almost 300, so he's probably lost someone before, but not like this. Not because of something so world changing, not with the world itself almost waiting for her to get over it so she can help fix everything (or at least that's how she feels.)

Feels bad seeking comfort from or being comforted by the library

The library is something that's connected very strongly to Ioun! He feels like Khunoth and Emily would be furious at him for that, Emily especially. Now does Lyra need to talk to someone? Absolutely. Is he gonna feel any less guilty? Not really.

2nd mockup: Titled "approximately winter" because iirc the campaign started at like…the tail end of summer, and it's been about 3 months (2 months of travel time and 1 month of Actual Shit happening) but don't quote me on the exact timing. Hence the approximately. It could be the beginning of winter, or the end. I also wanted to encompass the whole season to leave wiggle room time-wise for the emotional recovery aspect.

Dysphoria gone! Yay! A combination of them feeling better emotionally and the thing that was causing it being gone. She's more confident again, yippee!

Quest full-time? Maaaybe by this point, he's spending most of his time outside the library going on Kate's quest and looking for the book. Again, it's a timing thing. I imagine once they're in a good enough state for it, they go like. Full detective on it and have a notebook dedicated to their findings and stuff. Additionally, if this is the case, they probably go by Elion at this point! For the record, if any of her family members were still around, she'd probably prefer that they call her Lyra.

Old party members find her Speaking of which! If any of the people from Elion's other parties were to find him, they would've found him by this point, most likely. It's been a while since the godslaying ended and the funeral's happened so word's gotten out about who was involved. Now, based on my memory (but the last time we got recognized was a while ago) people knew the names of the godslayers, but not the faces. There are people who've been tracking the party, but that's a small group, I think. So Elion's party members miiiight not know she's a godslayer unless she tells them? Again, questionable how much the general public knows, and we've been getting adventuring parties sent after us so. It could go either way.

Sorry if this is like. Unfollowable without context, I might fix it in the morning. I also will say, the reason old party members is getting brought up at all is because a friend wanted to hug Lyra after hearing what happened to them and I said ":v she- she's been in other parties, you could have one of your characters know her iyw-" and they said yes, so I'm trying to think about it now, just for funsies XP

There's more art, but with how long this post already is I'm just gonna post em separately.

[racingliners]

F1 Re-Watch 2013: Round 8 - Great Britain

I race I did watch live at the time... but had to watch a recording of it bc I fell asleep as I'd gotten back from a school trip the day before.

Anyway, my main memory of this race is all the very bad and very dramatic tyre failures which... big yikes. Seb also retired with some kind of mechanical failure which meant that Rosberg won. But apart from that I don't remember much else, so let's get into it and hope it's not completely awful 😵‍💫

Ah Silverstone, my forever beloved 💚

Okay starting grid: Merc 1-2 with Lewis on pole (spoiler alert: he's one of the drivers who has a tyre blowout :(), Seb P3, Dan P5 holy shit, Jenson P10 and Jev P12.

Helmet watch: I can't quite tell but it looks like Seb has pictures of all the RBR team on his helmet which is adorable

[Formation Lap]: Mediums and Hards are the tyres for this race.

cut to the stampede of mechanics and engineers trying to get back to the garages.

[Start/Lap 1]: Lewis shooting off at the start and Seb taking P2, I LOVE THIS SONG

Grosjean going round the outside of the of the McLaren's at Luffield holy shit dude

Jenson up to P9 🥰

or not Fernando just got past him :(

[Lap 2]: Lewis with an 8 tenths lead already, that's why they named the start-finish straight after him

[Lap 3]: aaaaand Lewis fastest lap.

Meanwhile Sutil is in P4. Team Silverstone once again be Team Silverstone-ing, at Silverstone

[Lap 5]: Lewis up to 2 seconds ahead of Seb, he's goating folks

The way that I know the tyre failures are coming but I have no idea on which laps they happen, it's like a really aggressive jack in the box.

(iirc Lewis, Jev and Checo were the affected drivers)

[Lap 6]: So yeah I'm just going to enjoy the Sewis 1-2 while it lasts 😭

[Lap 7]: Not Jenson complaining of his tyres overheating already, he's on the hards 😭😭😭

And Perez just got past him

and cut to Webber's busted front wing, man announced his retirement that weekend and someone decided to beat him up at the start as a send off

[Lap 8]: Seb fastest lap 🥰

ah shit there's Lewis' delaminated left rear tyre 😭😭😭

Cut to a v disappointed looking Ross Brawn

I know it's been ten years, but you can meet my fists Pirelli

The fact it happened down the Wellington straight too like.... big fucking yikes man

[Lap 9]: Anyway he's made it into the pits and is back out on track, although in plum last :(

[Lap 10]: So Seb's now P1 with Rosberg P2 and Sutil P3.

Oh jeez it was Massa that was the second left rear failure

[Lap 11]: cut to someone from Pirelli watching Massa's stop in the pit lane dbuhsfubh

[Lap 12]: Unsurprisingly, a load of cars have made their first stops

And a Grosjean fastest lap, because why not

"There's two men trying to stop Sebastian Vettel running away with the championship, and they're not doing a very good job of it" okay Brundle I will give you that one right.

[Lap 13]: Rosberg makes his first stop for hards.

[Lap 14]: and Seb makes his first stop, also for hards

The fact that Sutil is in P3, Team Silverstone baby!!!

[Lap 15]: Jev with tyre failure number 3 😭

The thing literally just exploded as we went through Stowe like... Pirelli I am in your walls

This race is legit the reason why I get anxiety every time I see one tyre failure bc my mind instantly goes back to the mess that was this race

[Lap 16]: And Safety Car. Likely for all the debris.

And honestly this race still pisses me off bc all the drivers were told to stay off the kerbs, but maybe Pirelli should have made better tyres in the first place

[Lap 17]: Adrian Newey with his head in his hands, a colossal mood

Anyway, soapbox away for now. Lewis is up into P14.

[Lap 18]: oooh internal SC cam. Bernd Maylander my forever Driver of the Day.

Cut to another Pirelli man in the Merc garage 👁️👄👁️

the TV director had a lot of fun with that, I can imagine

[Lap 19]: And also big shoutout to the marshals at the time for picking up all the little bits of debris in such record time.

"It's been a bit busy the past few laps" NO SHIT ROCKY

[Lap 20]: and a lap later he's calling out Seb for his fuel usage 😭

I can very easily see why I only remember the tyre failures from this race bc the replays of all the incidents are not fun

oh damn they even sent the track sweepers onto the circuit to clean up the mess

[Lap 21]: SC in this lap

stresssssss

(not bc I fear Seb losing the lead, bc I fear more carnage)

and off Seb goes!

casually just leaving Rosberg for dust

[Lap 22]: oh damn Perez got Webber on the outside of Abbey

...and Webber gets the place back

cut to Lewis driving on the kerbs at Maggots and Becketts, is2g

worth noting that not single driver has listened to their engineers when it comes to avoiding the kerbs. They are all menaces to society.

[Lap 24]: But he did get past Gutierrez going into Copse so... that was sexy I'll allow it

[Lap 27]: Somehow, Sutil is still in P3

the absolute scenes of it all

Seb's gap over Rosberg up to 3.3 seconds, that's my boy!!!

[Lap 28]: Dan passes Grosjean for P6!!

Another piece of debris on the track oh my fucking god

this race is almost causing me physical pain, maybe I had a point when I passed out watching this at the time

Okay apparently Gutierrez just trashed one of the break marker boards everyone's tyres are thankfully fine

[Lap 30]: Alonso makes his second (?) stop

[Lap 31]: oh shit Rosberg is 1.5 seconds faster than Seb???

don't tell me the DNF is coming sooner rather than later

I mean, I know it's coming, but still. This race has been too much.

[Lap 32]: Lewis up to P9... because of cars ahead making stops :(

It's okay bud you win the race a year later and do very iconic things you're all good

[Lap 35]: Rosberg pits again, I have lost track of the number of stops everyone's done ngl

At this point I just want everyone (excluding Seb's incoming DNF) to make it to the end of the race with all four tyres on their cars 😭

[Lap 36]: And Seb pits

while Webber got past Alonso for P4

[Lap 37]: Jenson up into P11

And Lewis into the pits again, he comes out in P11 so he could still get some points

okay this battle with Di Resta is actually really good, annoying that Lewis is down in P12 though

[Lap 38]: aaaaand he takes back P11 going through turn 4 *chef's kiss*

[Lap 39]: pls don't cut to a dejected Jev I am very emotionally fragile bc of this dumb race

[Lap 41]: *Lewis back into the points klaxon*

and there's Seb going slowly 😭

[Lap 42]: sounds like a gearbox failure

and Safety Car bc his car stopped on the main straight

p a i n

I have been personally victimised by the British Grand Prix of 2013

on the plus side at least Seb didn't have a long run to get back to the RBR garage 🥲

[Lap 43]: And Rosberg and Webber make their third (?) stops

[Lap 44]: Cut to Vivian, with some very on brand Petronas teal nail polish.

Okay so mainly recapping the running order for myself bc there has been too much going on: Rosberg leads from Raikkonen, Sutil, Dan, Webber, Perez, Jenson, Alonso, Lewis and Grosjean make up the top 10.

This has been a Motor Race™️

[Lap 45]: And off Nico goes!

[Lap 46]: Webber and Lewis both up a place at the restart

as is Fernando

jesus fucking christ there goes Perez's tyre

Pirelli you owe me emotional damages

[Lap 47]: Meanwhile Webber just shot up into P3

and Lewis is into P7!

[Lap 48]: or make that P6

worth noting that Lotus didn't pit Raikkonen under the SC, as Webber takes P2 going through Copse.

[Lap 49]: Lewis into P5!!!!!

this race has legit been batshit insane

[Lap 50]: Rosberg fastest lap, he has a 1.4 second lead over Webber

I should add we have three laps left

And Alonso takes P3

[Lap 51]: aaand Webber fastest lap

love me some fastest lap ping pong

Lewis P4!!!!!!!!!!

He had pole, dropped to last after his tyre failure, and goated his way back to P4. That's they they named the start-finish straight after him folks

[Lap 52]: Last lap. I am exhausted.

Rosberg has a 9 tenths lead so he's good

[Finish]: And Monaco Man wins the British GP!!!

Webber P2, Alonso P3, Lewis P4, Raikkonen P5, Massa P6, Sutil P7, Dan P8, Di Resta P9 and Hulkenberg P10.

My god, those last 10-ish laps combined with everything that happened beforehand... I need a lie down. Pirelli will be meeting my fists and paying my emotional damages even though it's been 10 years since the race.

Next race - Germany!

[williamaltman]

Unpopular opinion: tyrelliot didnt happen because Mr. Robot was always about Elliot working through his trauma, and not about him finding ~romance~ or whatever 😶👀

LOL, and yet somehow the show has had romance subplots since the beginning, including with Elliot. With him being in love with Angela. Marrying her in his dream. With him sleeping with Shayla and then starting to care about her and ask her to go on a date with him. With him kissing Angela in season 2. With him hooking up with that girl in season 4.

Not to mention how about all of the characters had love interests or relationships. Angela with her boyfriend, Elliot I guess, and from her perspective Price when she didn’t know the truth (Sam has gone to confirm that the initial idea was to actually have him be sexually atracted to her, but then they realized being her father worked better lol). Darlene with her boyfriend and Dom. And Dom with Darlene, since she was also a main character with lots of scenes being from her POV. Tyrell with Joanna and her with him(same point as Dom). They even gave Gideon a boyfriend that seemed to be good for him until they decided he left him because they decided to kill of Gideon. Whiterose had a damn lover too.

Honestly, since the pilot or whenever they first showed him with Shayla it was always kinda funny to me that a socially awkward character with huge social anxiety that hated being around people was actively fucking like it wasn’t a big deal. They even frame him as kinda badass for doing so, with that shot of him smoking in bed.

And honestly, rewatching the show from the beginning, it’s straight-up ridiculous how they immediately set up, not one, but THREE women as being involved with asshole/douchey/straight-up abuser men for Elliot to comment on how shitty they are. First Angela, then Krista, then Shayla. Like seriously, it’s literally this fucking meme:

And then there is one scene that specifically makes me side-eye, SO, SO much. The damn Shayla/Angela kiss. It’s a random moment. That happens quite suddenly and doesn’t quite lead to anything. Angela’s sexuality is never addressed. She’s a main character for 3 seasons with some of the most screentimes and the idea that she might be attracted to women never comes up outside of that scene. It doesn’t come up with Shayla either, because she gets fridged. Should they be considered LGBT characters? I’m sure most people on tumblr would argue yes. Because in a generalized sense, pepple here and on twitter care more about finding comfort in headcanons than thinking about actual representation. But I don’t see anyone considering them as queer in outside circles.

Everything about that scene and the way it’s just, like, a thing that happened, and goes for a weirldy long time IIRC, reeks of eother weird fetishizing “let’s have some girl on girl action”, or dumb lowkey homophobic “just gals being pals women kissing their friends and stuff...”, maybe even both.

So, I really can’t wrap my head around the fact that that happened but Tyrelliot couldn’t get a kiss. Tyrell’s entire character after season 1 revolved around Elliot. He had a much bigger connection with him than Angela and Shayla had with each other. He was obsessed with him, literally loved him and was in love with him. Sam actually confirmed that, he said, with every word, that “First of all, yes, Tyrell is in love with Elliot”. And for that at least I applaud him, honestly.

I could go on about how they ruined Tyrell’s character arc and just straight up wasted his character because they didn’t know what the fuck to do with him after season 1 and were just making it up as they went along, and if it wasn’t for that, 404 wouldn’t even happen at all, but, since it did... I mean, it happened as a fucking farewell to Tyrell. Because he had no place in the plot anymore and they needed to get rid of him. So they made a cute little episode for him to die on. Now tell me, why couldn’t we have gotten a kiss?

“Because it wouldn’t be reciprocate!/Elliot wouldn’t kiss him back!” Yeah.How rich that this didn’t stop an Angelliot kiss where Elliot went to one-sidedly kiss Angela and she didn’t push him off but didn’t full-on kiss him back either, but rather just kinda let him and went with it to an extent.

A Tyrelliot kiss in 404 could have gone the exact same way. Can you explain why it didn’t, outside of “Because they didn’t want to do that”? Which, sure. They’re not obligated to write what they don’t want. And I’m not obligated to like it and to not comment on it.

And no, I’m not saying a kiss on 404 would have REALLY made me happy and it was all I ever wanted and I would love Sam for it. Like I made clear with this post, I have many many many criticisms of how he treated Tyrell, and romance in the show in general, and LGBT representation (which I didn’t went very in-depth so to make clear where I stand: Domlene was the only thing done right). So I would never be actually satisfied. But the fact that he really didn’t want to do even the “bare minimum” of possibilities, one that would only establish Elliot as being queer to the same level that the Angela/Shayla kiss established them as such or LESS, speaks volumes to me. 

(God, this post is messy as hell, but I have a LOT, a LOT of feelings about all the involved subjects here LOL).

[runawaymarbles]

hello i was born in 1999 and so i am oblivious to team angel/team spike - please educate me?? i feel like this must’ve been a pretty major thing considering how iconic buffy is, but i’ve also never seen discourse about it until now

dear lord alright i didn’t want to work on cover letters anyway

disclaimer: it has been many a year since I have gotten into a genuine argument about this-- or watched Buffy all the way through, for that matter-- so I am going to provide my recollections as best I can. 

disclaimer 2: this show aired from 97-2003.

ANGEL, a summary: A Vampire With A Soul. Edward Cullen before there was Edward Cullen. He was Very Very Evil in the past, and then he psychologically tortured and murdered a roma* (*not the word they used) woman, and her family cursed him with a soul so that he would Suffer For What He Had Done. And he did suffer, and spends a lot of time being remorseful and trying to Do Good. At one point he loses his soul due to Good Sex and murders a ton of people, then he gets banished to a hell dimension and then comes back. He leaves at the end of season three to get his own spinoff series.

THE CASE FOR ANGEL: He meets Buffy in the pilot episode, and they are True Love. They have lots of sweet moments together. She says that she’ll never love anyone as much as she loved Angel. They never really get over each other. They are Star-Crossed Lovers who the world is keeping apart yet desperately will sacrifice most things for each other. This is added to by the sexual tension since If They Fuck Angel Will Lose His Soul And Start Doing Murders And Other Psychological Torture, as he does in season two.

THE CASE AGAINST ANGEL: He’s controlling. He breaks up with Buffy For her Own Good (again, he’s Edward Cullen before there was Edward Cullen.) Their romance was rushed and over the top. He creeped on Buffy when she was a teenager. When he’s on his own show, he wipes his friends’ memories. David Boreanez was not a good actor when he started on Buffy and watching him was excruciatingly painful for me personally and also I didn’t think he was hot and I didn’t care about his emotional journey because I, personally, was tired of angstyboy love interests.

SPIKE, a summary: A Vampire Without A Soul. When we first meet him, he is head over heels for Drusilla, (the woman whose family cursed angel.) They are a bit #goals ngl. He teams up with Buffy against evil!Angel because he doesn’t like evil!Angel hitting on his girlfriend, but then she breaks up with him anyway. He comes back to Sunnydale and spends the next three seasons as a frenemy, during which he falls In Love with Buffy. They have a very unhealthy sexual relationship when she is depressed about coming back from the dead which culminates in attempted sexual assault. After which he goes “oh shit i don’t understand anything about her emotions at all i guess?” and goes and gets himself a soul. They spend season seven getting into a better emotional place, though they never kiss or bone again IIRC. (Though they do cuddle.)

THE CASE FOR SPIKE: He’s funnier than Angel, as a character, and choosing to be good is a more interesting story than being forced to be good. Also, James Marsters is a better actor, and enemies-to-allies-to-fuckbuddies-to-soulmates is a more interesting relationship trajectory to certain members of the population (i.e. me). His friendship with Buffy’s mom and sister while he doesn’t have a soul is actually kind of adorable. Their season seven arc of working through the fact that they were terrible to each other and coming to form something workable out is a type of romantic arc I haven’t really seen before or since.

THE CASE AGAINST SPIKE: he’s obsessive. kind of creepy. sometimes he says things that are very cringey and would absolutely not fly on 2021 television. Also, at the end of season six, he attempts to sexually assault Buffy* which is (reasonably enough) enough to make some people nope off for good. Their relationship is unhealthy, and he’s annoying.

*there is a whole lot leading up to and about this and i’m not going to get into it and i’m still salty that i had to watch it in the first place WHAT THE ARGUMENTS USUALLY LOOK LIKE:

Angel fans: Spike is a RAPIST and anyone who SUPPORTS HIM IS ALSO A RAPE APOLOGIST AND LIKELY EVEN A RAPIST THEMSELVES. HOW DARE YOU. ANGEL AND BUFFY ARE TRUE LOVE FOREVER, THEY ARE SOULMATES, THEY ARE EVERYTHING, HOW MUCH MUST YOU HATE BUFFY TO WANT HER TO BE WITH SOMEONE WHO IS MEAN TO HER???? ALSO SPIKE IS UGLY. 

Spike fans: Angel without a soul was a SUCCESSFUL RAPIST who did LOTS OF MURDER if YOU WANT TO GO THERE, Angel was BORING AND CONTROLLING AND LOOKS LIKE A SAD REFRIGERATOR AND HE WAS ALSO A CREEPY STALKER. WHAT KIND OF 300 YEAR OLD DUDE FALLS IN LOVE WITH A 15 YEAR OLD GIRL? CHECK AND MATE, WEIRDOS. SPIKE WITH A SOUL >> ANGEL WITH A SOUL, SPIKE WITHOUT A SOUL IS WAAAAAY BETTER THAN ANGEL WITHOUT A SOUL YOU MURDER APOLOGIST

Meanwhile, the Spike/Angel and Faith/Buffy shippers:

[prettycooregrey]

aaaaaaaa @yukiyuuki‘s tags are so good it makes me want to talk abt what I think this panel means some more,,,,

the panel in question:

Post under the cut!

So when I was in middle school I had this blowout fight with my dad about something stupid and it escalated into yelling. But y’know, yelling back at your parents gets you in even deeper shit, so like... it’s best not to.

We had this cheap set of window blinds at the time that we got from a discount outlet that were “supposed” to look like wood but were really just plastic and tbh you couldn’t fool anyone. So in the middle of this fight I feel like I’m going to explode because I’m trapped in a fight with my dad and he’s yelling at me--instead of yelling back, I turned around and sank my teeth into the blinds like a bite block.

Again: these were made of cheap plastic and it left a very clear indent of my teeth. But the blinds were newish, they were a pain in the ass and took two men with DIY know-how to put them up, and my parents had to be careful with money, so they weren’t replaced for many years after. Any time I walked into the kitchen I would see it, and I would feel (irrationally, mind you) ashamed at my “loss of control.”

That’s what the phone is to Mike.

He’s had it for a very significant portion of the comic, over 40 chapters.

This is Call Waiting, page 2. It was posted in June 2011, just over ten years ago now. This is a very long ways back from the current chapter (Eternal Flame).

Oliver’s commentary on the page notes that Mike’s family is pretty comfortable as, in 2008, an iPhone would have been pretty expensive -- especially for a teenager. Mike was so desperate for the phone that he cashed in his birthday and Christmas presents for it so he could text Sandy.

sidenote: It’s been mentioned, probably by Mod Brambles iirc, that Mike’s lockscreen has never changed. It has always been this picture of Sandy from when they were much younger.

During their fight/breakup, Mike threw it very hard and with very little care across the room, causing the screen to crack. Presumably, like my window blinds, this serves as a permanent physical reminder of what happened that night. The phone is his link to Sandy, and represents nearly the whole of their relationship. Every since getting together, Mike and Sandy have met face-to-face twice, and all other communication has been through letters and phone lines. Mike’s cell phone is representative of them as a couple.

And... it’s about what you’d expect from two teenagers who have nothing in common.

In page 64 of Eternal Flame, Mike looks down at his cracked screen and tells his friend that they’re going to “get rid of distractions.”

As yukiyuuki said in their tags, this doesn’t just mean Francis. It means Lucy, too. Mike intends to continue his relationship with Sandy through the phone (with promised schedules calls and more frequent replies). But every time he unlocks it to text her... he’s going to see these cracks in the screen.

another sidenote: I don’t believe Mike would go out of his way to fix the phone within the confines of the narrative. The phone is expensive and a repair would be as bad--touchscreen electronics, if not insured, can be less costly to just replace instead of fixing. And while Mike gets along with his parents, unlike my relationship with my dad, he still understandably shrinks like a violet when they’re angry at him. also, Vero would have to dedicate writing/art to a scene as such and she has better things to be working on irt the comic it’s gonna be soooo funny if I’m wrong.

anyway.

additionally, there’s plenty of analysis on the way Mike sees cheating/cheaters and @bramblepaws​ put it a lot better than I ever could have, check it out here. the point is that he takes loyalty and commitment very seriously. while it wasn’t technically cheating since she’d dumped him immediately prior, I’m willing to wager that the fact that Mike went out and kissed Lucy as soon as he was cut loose is going to weight very heavily on their relationship for the rest of the time they’re in it, even and especially if it’s only by his own guilt. he absolutely saw this as a hiccup and not a true breakup, since it probably didn’t even last an hour. so not only was Sandy compromising fidelity, (wrt to Bramble’s post: “I really love him”/”you’re so... nice”), so was he.

after all, this wasn’t exactly the same at the other two kisses they’ve shared...

One of these things is NOT like the others, if you catch my meaning.

And while none of these kisses were technically cheating on Sandy or disrespecting his feelings toward her (the first two were before they got back together and the third is, of course, right after their breakup/makeup), Mike has always looked back on them as such because they represent the idea that when Sandy left, Mike fell in love with someone else and therefore he wasn’t “loyal enough,” hence the trauma surrounding being perceived as a cheater by his peers.

yet another sidenote: it occurs to me that these three kisses each have different instigators. the Confrontation one is instigated by Lucy, the Pillow Talk one is instigated by Mike, and while you could argue that Mike instigated in Eternal Flame, the truth is that they both made the decision and came together into that kiss and therefore it was a mutual decision.

so yeah. not only does Mike have another “tally” in his Wasn’t Faithful box, self-imposed and self-inflicted as it is, but Sandy does as well. Sandy’s as-of-currently [checks time] 4:51pm 7/15/21 emotional unfaithfulness (we don’t know how far it goes as the camera’s not on her, but it was unfaithfulness) paired with this third kiss is the coffin for Mike and Sandy that December was for Mike and Lucy (and in a previous post, I described Mike’s behavior toward Lucy in Eternal Flame as the “final nail,” and while we have yet to see Mike and Sandy’s this is a good way to frame the countless parallels between this chapter and December).

Neither of them are going to be able to forget about it. they’re attached to the point that I would describe their relationship as nearly codependent, and absolutely toxic... but it’s no longer a genuine relationship either of them are taking genuine pleasure in. they’ve each has encounters where they’ve experienced pretty explosive chemistry with other people, but they’ve been together since they were kids and for fear of hurting each other and in the unknown variables of new relationships, they’ve decided to stay together.

(please wear safety goggles in the fireworks lab, folks.)

but again, they won’t forget what happened here, and it’s going to have ramifications for how they move forward. the only thing they’ve done by getting back together is delayed the inevitable and gotten other people hurt in the crossfires.

and that’s what the crack in that panel means.

[ringneckedpheasant]

u got any trans anders headcanons? 👀

OH BOY DO I EVER.... i also just have a lot of thoughts abt medical transition in thedas.... please forgive me for turning this into an absolute essay lmao

i think it’s reasonable to think that even if they’re not commonplace, some form of hormonal treatments would be available—naturally derived estrogen has been used for quite literally thousands of years, and would at least be available for trans women like Maevaris. i haven’t been able to find much on the history of testosterone usage before like the 1800s, but i don’t think it’s that far-fetched to think that that’s a development that could’ve happened within anders’ lifetime or even before, especially since we’re talking about a world where like. magic is a thing and herbalism is widely practiced. Krem seems to indicate that there are magical methods of transition, though iirc it was implied to be through blood magic (that, or Krem has an aversion to any kind of magic being used on him)

as far as surgical procedures go i don’t think there would be much available? at least not for trans men, which is part of the reason i drew anders as not having had top surgery, but looking like he’d been on t. which i think he would be, though i don’t think he would’ve started until late into adulthood.

my thoughts abt like. the timeline of his life are always kind of nebulous and subject to change but i’ve been thinking a lot lately about the subject of his name. i don’t envision his parents as being particularly accepting, at least not his father. maybe part of the reason he never disclosed his name when sent to the circle was in the hopes that no one would find out what it was—even being called Anders, as weird and dehumanizing as it would’ve been, might’ve been preferable to being called his dead name. i think a lot about the way that Anders’ name changed when everything else in his life did, and that both of those things happened as a direct result of being rejected by his family.

when he was sent to the circle at 12 i think he could’ve reasonably passed as a boy without much effort, though it would’ve gotten harder as he got older if he didn’t have access to hormones. i think it’s safe to assume based on interactions with Krem that knowledge of trans people, and respect towards them, isn’t something that’s commonly found outside the Qun (and perhaps Rivain or Antiva—but certainly not in Fereldan, or Orlais, or the Free Marches. yes i am still mad about Sera’s transphobic dialogue if you bring her to the winter palace). Anders’ absolutely miserable transition to living in the circle probably would’ve been made worse by adults in charge not understanding or respecting him.

I like the idea of Karl being the first person to accept Anders without question, to try to help him find information about other people like him with the limited resources they would have in the circle. there’s not a lot of canon information about Karl’s life, but 1) i think he and Anders met fairly young, maybe as soon as Anders got to the circle and 2) maybe by chance, Karl knew someone else like Anders—a sibling, a friend, maybe an aunt or an uncle.

his time in the wardens may have been better than his time in the circle, wrt gender. my HoF is a mage, and i imagine that even if he didn’t remember anders particularly clearly, he would’ve been Aware of him—people gossip, especially, i imagine, when confined like that. my surana is a nice boy however and would’ve tried to ensure that no one in the wardens gave Anders any shit over being trans.

by the time he ends up in Kirkwall, i think he would pass fairly well. and while he is absolutely dirt poor, i think by this time he would’ve found the resources to start some kind of hrt. he probably wouldn’t have regular access to it, and just going off my own experiences, this would’ve been something that made transition a slow process. it’s filled with constantly feeling like he’s taking a step back whenever he goes off it, when his progress halts, when his period starts up again, when he’s subject to awful mood swings from unstable levels of hormones (i also think Anders is bipolar, and i imagine some aspects of that would be exacerbated by being Hormonal)

by the time he meets Hawke and the rest of them, i think he would’ve sort of plateaued—after years of HRT, even inconsistently, he would be able to pass as a man without much difficulty. some things, like facial hair, simply do not go away even if you stop taking t.

i Do, however, think that Fenris would clock him. in an ideal world this would be because he is t4t and like recognizes like, but even if that weren’t the case, I think Fenris would be the most likely out of any of them to know about trans people—I may be mistaken about the timeline here but I *think* that Maevaris would’ve come out before Fenris left Tevinter? Fenris likely had at least passing knowledge of her, maybe even met her while accompanying Danarius if she had assumed her father’s position as a magister. my understanding is that Mae is literally the first trans woman ever to have a seat in the magisterium, and that it was a Big Fucking Deal to a lot of people. it would make sense for Fenris to know about her. also!! fenris spent time on Seheron with the fog warriors and it seems extremely likely that he would’ve met people who were aqun-athlok while there.

my point with all of this is that 1) Fenris would likely know Anders was trans even if he himself wasn’t and 2) as much as they hate each other, I think there’s no way that Fenris would out him. he refuses to hand Anders over to the templars, and I think he would know how dangerous being outed to the wrong people would be. (my thoughts are of course heading in a fenders direction, and I’m thinking about Fenris disclosing to Anders that he knows, and their shared transness being the first step in realizing that they have more in common than they would otherwise think.... in learning to understand and empathize with one another... g-d.)

that is the extent of my serious thoughts about this for now, it took me a half an hour to type this up on my phone and i hope at least one person finds reading it worthwhile lmao

(less serious thought: Anders and Fenris should have t4t sex in the back of Anders’ clinic <3)

[erimentary]

About a Certain Duke's Daughter (Part 2)

Translation of ある公爵令嬢について from the Hamefura Web Novel Read Part 1 here

T/N: I am using the spelling used in the Light Novels, but I would probably make an exception for Fray, if/when she appears. I'll use Randall as her last name if ever (it was Landoor in the LNs, iirc). :) Holy, moly. This part is a little longer than the previous one and took me more time to translate than I thought it would. My apologies for any typos or grammatical mistakes--I haven't given it another read through so this is as raw as it gets. xD Anyway, please enjoy, and my messages are open if you notice any translation/grammatical mistakes, or just want to talk about HameFura.

And so, a few years after I started being able to use magic, I enrolled at the Academy of Magic.

And while I entered the academy shouldering the excessive expectations of the Tucker household, I arrived only to learn that my magic was actually quite weak.

No, rather than learning about it for the first time, I already noticed it before.

The Tucker house was situated far in the countryside, and while it is a Baron household, it was quite a low-ranking house. There was no one with magical powers nearby.

Even so, from the way my magical powers activated at a later age and from what was written in books about magic, I already knew that my magic was quite weak.

However, actually entering the Academy of Magic and seeing the magical powers of the sons and daughters of other nobles, I realized once again that it was quite impertinent to even call my own magical power as magic.

I was already reluctant to go back to the Tucker household before, and now, after this realization, I became even more reluctant to go back to the estate.

Baron Tucker was so over the moon at having a magic-user in the family for the first time that he said he’ll have someone’s son marry into the family and make me the heiress but.. Honestly, from the perspective of a high-ranking house with several magic-wielding members, a concubine’s daughter with such negligible magical powers would just be laughed at scornfully.

The Tucker family, a low-ranking baron household, was, so to speak, a family of naive country bumpkins.

I am grateful to them of course, for providing for me thus far, and I was thinking about paying them back the cost of taking care of me once I start working.

However, not once had I ever thought of wanting to stay in the Tucker house.

It was not like I hated it there, but I didn’t feel at home either.

So I looked for a way to avoid going back home.

A way for the baron family to acknowledge me without me having to go back… And I found it.

That is, to work at the Magical Ministry. It is the most prominent organization in the country and admired by many.

If I am employed there, the Tuckers will be overjoyed, and they will never ask me to quit and go home.

It is said that while the Magical Ministry employs a lot of powerful magic-users, even those with almost no magical powers but have excellent grades could be employed as researchers.

And since I have insignificant magical powers, I have no choice but to aim for that.

Fortunately for me—someone who had been continuously praised for being a remarkable student by my teachers since I was but a child—I was able to remain an excellent student even after entering the Academy of Magic.

I was able to get the top ranking at the academic tests that took place soon after entering the academy. As a result, while I have very little magical capabilities, I was selected to become a member of the much-admired student council.

The student council of the Academy of Magic was a target of admiration of the whole student body.

After the Tucker household was notified that I became a member of the council, I received an all too thick letter from them expressing their joy. I was also commended by my teachers.

To a daughter of a countryside baron, this was such a great honor.

However, this also led to a lot of jealousy.

In the first place, most magic wielders are nobles, and the higher you go up the nobility rank, the greater the number of wielders.

Therefore, the majority of the students at the Academy of Magic are those of higher peerage.

This trend is especially apparent these days. Within the second years, students even include those of royal status and sons and daughters of dukes—people you ordinarily wouldn’t get the chance to meet if you live your life normally.

Under these circumstances, I could understand why the other students would not find it amusing if the daughter of a countryside baron had been selected to be a part of the widely-admired student council.

The jealousy is particularly strong this year, as the student council, starting with the royal twins, included a lot of seniors that are strongly adored by their juniors.

As far as social statuses go, among the second years, there is a commoner who wields magic—something the Academy had not seen in a while—named Maria Campbell, but… she is a wielder of light magic; aside from the fact that light magic users are extremely rare, her magical power is also regarded as top class.

In contrast to that, I am but the daughter of a countryside baron, not much different to a commoner in terms of status, wielding the not uncommon wind magic—and it’s fairly weak too. My only saving grace is my academic capabilities…….

It would probably go better for me if I had a more amiable personality, but... if you’d allow me to say so myself, I am quite twisted. I can’t even begin to spell amiable.

In other words, on top of the extreme jealousy, students in the academy despised me for being “a haughty and disagreeable girl despite her weak magic and low station”.

To be honest, though being in this situation feels terrible, there is nothing that I can do.

Ever since before, no one in the Tucker household really liked me, and even in the school I used to attend, people talked behind my back, and I was subjected to petty harassment.

To that end, the situation hasn’t really changed, just that the harassment has become a little more intense.

In other words, I should just do my best for two years, get excellent grades and get a job at the Magical Ministry.

I just have to continue to work hard on my own, as I always had. That was what I decided in my heart a few weeks after entering the Academy of Magic. That was what I intended but…..

“Hey, Ginger, you should try these sweets too. They’re very good!*

“No, thank you. I’m still working.”

“Really? I’ll just leave them here for you then~”

Saying this, she grinned and left the sweets beautifully wrapped in paper on top of the desk.

She had never responded to me in an unpleasant way even with my curt way of replying, something that is often frowned upon by others. If anything, no matter how cold I respond, she continues to approach me with a friendly smile. I can’t help but find it strange.

A few months have passed since my enrollment at the Academy of Magic and becoming a member of the student council.

Thanks to that, I’ve gotten quite used to my work here, but... There were some unexpected happenings as well.

To begin with, ever since I started being envied and harassed by the people around me after entering the academy and being selected as a member of the student council, I had intended to do my best on my own.

After all, I thought no one would involve themselves with me with any intention other than bullying.

And yet..… Most of the other first years who were also selected for the student council both had high pride and status, and I can feel their uneasiness around me, but…… All the second-year members are friendly and amicable, seemingly unbothered by social ranks.

Even the members of the royal family, Prince Jeord and Prince Alan, do not look down on me, and treat me as an equal.

And among those people, the one who is especially friendly is

———Katarina Claes, a duke’s daughter.

The only daughter of Duke Claes and Prince Jeord’s fiancée.

She, who stands on top of the social hierarchy, goes in and out of the student council every day, having completely integrated herself with the other student council members despite not being an actual member herself.

At the very strong request of the other second-year members, she was allowed to enter the student council room—

A place that is off-limits to the general student populace.

Lady Katarina is called “The Benevolent Saint” within the school. When I just joined the student council, I was also a little surprised by her kind and amiable smile.

However, after a little while, I realized.

Katarina Claes is————simply a dumb weirdo…...