#is kinda a sus tag to be honest

[funnynamedottxt]

flies

As a little kid, when I saw two flies on top of each other, I thought it was really “rare”. I thought I must be “special” for seeing it happen a few times. After all, what are the chances of a fly landing on top of another fly?

Of course, nowadays, I realize that the flies were just fucking each other, but hey, a kid can dream. Hell, plenty of people (totally not me) would consider sex in itself rare.

Also I swear to God I saw one land on another fly that was already fucking another one and thought it was so fucking cool.

[modawg]

im bored let’s dissect “alison”

firstly this is what i’m talking abt incase anyone doesn’t know:

this is so far the ONLY news we have abt this character rick hasn’t said anything about it the official pjo show insta/twitter hasn’t said anything abt it this is it

and this is a fan account which is smth i feel like many ppl don’t know; here’s that account

here are some other accounts:

both the actual along with another pretty reparable fan account both have stayed silent abt this which seems a little sus to me

you might be wondering “but mo that original pic has screenshots of interviews/articles!! they have sources!!” this is true however the source has no source lmao

from the article the original post pulls from they simply said “we’ve heard” girl heard what and from who

this article was written by nexus news point which idk abt y’all i’ve never heard of

so i took my ass to twitter

this is the only post i found “but mo it’s verified!!” that’s what i thought i thought “well shit there’s the end of that” but when i was looking at the account i realised three things

rick does not follow this account

who’s that linked in the bio? oh wait is that..is that nexus ???

anyone can pay to buy a verification

here’s the actual pjo account

followed by rick

not verified bc why would they have to when rick literally follows them

has said nothing abt this

after all this i don’t think alison is real im gonna be honest however if she does show up in season 2 i will be apologizing with tears

unlike nexus however i will be tagging my sources and will also be adding that rick hasn’t updated his website since may which is the exact opposite of what he did when he was looking for the cast of season 1

lmk y’all’s thoughts bc this is kinda wack if they just made this shit up LMAOO

[aquaburst3]

Okay, since I haven't seen many posts up yet about this, not that I blame anyone since others are probably at school and work rn, I want make a post summarizing what happened so far in the latest event on the JP server.

Disclaimers:

All of this info came from LuluBelle over on my Discord server, so all the credit for gathering this up goes to them.

Also, I don't know how to speak or read Japanese nor do I have the JP version of the app, making me unable to verify this. Take this all with a huge mountain of salt.

Like I said in my other post, I'm calling him Honest Fellow, since that sounds less awkward and I think it'll be localized to that anyway.

JP Event Spoilers Below

The arc starts with Honest Fellow and Giddel selling the themepark to some faceless NPCs. After some convincing, they enter the park. Honest Fellow evil laughs.

We cut to a basketball game between RSA and NRC. NRC lose yet again. NRC fight amongst themselves, and the teachers break it up.

After the game, Floyd, Ace, Yuu and Grim, wallowing in their frustration at NRC's loss to RSA, decided to go Craneport to get some snacks. There they find Jade and Jack on the way.Jack was there to get some new threads while Jade was there by sheer coincidence.

Kalim and Ortho arrive. They were in a bookstore, because Kalim was searching for books concerning magic potions, since he's struggling with those and Sam's shop was closed. (I have no idea why Jamil wasn't there either, because him leaving Kalim unattended seems kinda ooc.)

Honest Fellow along with his brother swoop in, making their sales pitch. Grim wonders about what Playful Land is exactly. Ace explains that it's a mysterious amusement park that nobody knows where it is. Honest Fellow says that's correct.

Honest Fellow gives the group tickets to the park. When Kalim says they'll go the next weekend, Honest Fellow chimes in, saying, "Oh, no, no! You can only use it until tomorrow!" They both fuck off into the night.

When the group gets back, they tell Riddle and Jamil about the tickets. They're both like, "Hell no!" Riddle shoots it down because skipping classes is unforgivable. (Ace was originally gonna invite Deuce, but he tattled on him to Riddle, since he found the whole thing suspicious. Honestly, good on him.) Jamil finds it suspicious and puts his foot down, telling Kalim that he forbids him from ever going.

Jack tells Leona, who is all like, "Nah, this is kinda fishy." Jack decides that he has to go because he promised Honest Fellow he would, and he doesn't want to break it.

Floyd tells Azul. He says, "Nope, I'm not coming. It's sus, and I don't wanna owe anybody anything!" They tweels laugh, saying that they want to check it out BECAUSE it's shady.

Ortho tells his brother. He shoots it down, since he doesn't like crowds. Ortho then confides in Vil thanks to them being in the same club.

Early the morning, before the sun rises, the group gathers to sneak to the harbour in town. Kalim managed to get the rest of the Light Music Club to come along, because they saw just how sad Kalim seemed and decided to tag along to comfort him. Vil was convinced to come along by Ortho. One, he wants to see what's the big deal about this park. Two, he's also suspicious, and, as a dorm leader, he wants to oversee all of his juniors and make sure they're all okay. Trey followed after Ace because Deuce asked him for his help and had the feeling that Ace would be stubborn enough to rebel and sneak out even though Riddle said no. Leona followed after Jack because he felt like he had to be the responsible one for once and was genuinely concerned about Jack's well being.

Honest Fellow arrives. He is just so dramatic. Half of them go, "Fucking really? Why did any of our juniors trust this guy? He's as sus as a FNAF animatronic!" (Not in those words, obliviously, but along that same idea.)

Honest Fellow shows them around the park. Which looks like this...

The park is more like those travelling summer fairs where it goes from town to town instead of staying in one place like Universal Studios, Knotts Berry Farm or any of the Disney Parks. The boys can kick back and indulge in their darkest desires.

The third years still feel that this whole thing is kinda sus. Since Grim and some of the others head straight to the entry gate, they reluctantly go along with it to watch over their juniors. Grim face plants into the gate, because he didn't show a ticket. Ace shows his ticket. Ace, Grim and Yuu's clothes get magically altered to resemble the ones on the card. The same thing happened to everyone else.

After everyone's gotten inside the amusement park, we have a foreboding speech from Honest Fellow and Giddel about how the young generation are easily skeptical, but can still be fooled by the promises of a fun play park. Honest Fellow mentions how he and Giddel should accommodate their visitors… for it will be the "last'' fun memory that they'd have. Cue End of Part 1.

Some other minor side things...

It's confirmed. Honest Fellow and Giddel are brothers.

Honest Fellow is a mage, but is less magically inclined compared to the NRC boys. Giddel is a non-mage.

Lulu, aka the same person from my Discord server, suspects the themepark itself might be a magic tool of some kind. Considering how it operated in the movie and novel along with fan theories about them, I'm inclined to believe them.

We also finally got a description of what Yuu is actually wearing during this event. (Honestly, it's about fucking time. Because one gripe I always had with these events is that we never get even a small description of what Yuu is wearing, which makes it harder to imagine what's going on in my head.) Basically, they are wearing the same style jacket as Leona, but with the same colours as Lilia's costume. Do with that information as you will Malleus/Yuu shippers.

Honest Fellow has a Honest John pendant on his hat.

More of a personal gripe, but I'm not sure what to make of Honest Fellow as a character yet. Right now, he seems like the mastermind behind this whole operation, but that doesn't make sense. In the movie, Honest John wasn't on board with the Pleasure Island shit, and only went along with it thanks to the Coachman threatening him and Gideon's lives. Wouldn't it be far more fitting for him to be a lacky of another villain and being forced to go along with it out of fear of having the same thing happen to him and his brother? And if that was the case, that would also better align him thematically with Ortho, who's brother is the same way towards him. But I'm reserving my judgements on his character until the event is over.

Playful Land gives me major Joy Joy Land vibes.

I find the idea of Leona, Trey and Vil going there, because they are worried about their juniors adorable. They are really tapping into their big brother instincts, even if I doubt Vil and Leona would ever admit it out loud.

Though, one plot hole with this whole thing is why didn't Jamil, Trey and Deuce rip up the tickets if they were that concerned about the others going to the park? Granted, the tickets could be enchanted so that they're impossible to destroy, but I never heard if that's the case yet. Idk, it's a nitpick, but it's still something that annoys me a bit as a writer myself.

[sapphires-and-silver-linings]

Half-Life | Chapter Two

He didn’t know what to make of you.

Pairing: Plaga!Leon S. Kennedy/F!Chubby!Paranormal Investigator!Reader

Tags: Fluff, Mutual Pining, Angst, Body Horror

Notes: Here's chapter two! This was a lot of fun to write! I hope you guys like the banter and interactions as much as I enjoyed writing them lol. I think our little monster Leon is so cute in this. Please leave a comment if you can! would love to know your thoughts!

Masterlist | Previous | Next

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“Wow… that’s… good?” you told him, lying through your teeth, thinking about how you got yourself into this predicament.

Leon had ushered you down the winding path of the village outskirts, the two of you trying to maneuver around a pervasive awkward silence after your initial meeting.

When Leon wasn’t actively trying to intimidate you, he was reserved. Almost… shy?

To break the tension, you had asked if he invited all of his visitors home.

His reply?

“Just the pretty ones.”

You laughed at that, rolling your eyes, and he rubbed the back of his neck with a chuckle before growing more serious.

“This is the first time in a decade I’ve actually talked to someone. Most people… run away before they start asking questions.” His eyes shifted over to you as he added, “As they should. You’re a special case, apparently.”

You scoffed. “You scare them away, though. On purpose. Not my fault I saw through it.”

“Well, it’s for their own good. And my peace of mind. You really managed to catch me off guard.” 

“It’s a skill few possess,” you replied with a teasing grin.

He clicked his tongue in response before leading you up to a house with large front double doors. “Home sweet home.”

You released your hold on his arm, watching as he opened them and swept his hand forward, offering to let you walk in first. 

What a gentlemonster, you joked to yourself.

You nodded and made your way inside, sliding your backpack off your shoulders and setting it down against the wall before taking in the decently sized space. It was pretty nice, though bare of decorations and a bit worn. Must be great not having to pay rent.

“Mi casa es su casa,” he told you, closing the doors.

Shutting out the day, you came to realize just how dark the place was. Even the windows did little to aid your sight, as the sun was beginning to set. 

“Uh, Leon?”

“Yeah?”

Those glowing red eyes were trained on you, even more pronounced in the shaded room. “Is there a light in this place? Or do you just… live like this?”

“Shit,” he hissed, breezing past you to a cabinet and pulling out an array of white candles and a box of matches, setting them on the dining table in front of you. “Yeah, I can kinda… see in the dark.”

He opened the small box and tried to carefully pluck a match from inside, struggling to gain purchase with his claws on the tiny wooden handle.

“Let me,” you offered, gently tugging out his hand and grabbing a match. “And night vision, huh? That sounds useful.”

He seemed genuinely shocked by the action, eyes widened slightly, before clearing his throat and taking a step back to let you strike the match and light the surrounding candles. “Uh, yeah. Guess so.”

Once the wicks were lit, covering the room in a soft yellow glow, you gave him a smile. “So, you were saying about dinner?”

“Right, I’ll get on that. Sit tight.”

That was an hour ago.

And now you sat with a plate in front of you, just finished with chewing a tentative forkful of the charred hunk of meat placed there.

You watched Leon eat his own in a couple bites, simultaneously uneased by the way his sharp teeth shredded the morsel to bits in mere seconds, and fascinated.

Leon pulled a face as he swallowed, sighing deeply. “No need to lie. That was awful.”

“Sorry. I really tried to like it,” you said with an awkward laugh.

“Don’t be. I’m a little rusty in the kitchen. Been a long time since I’ve had company for dinner, you can imagine.” He shrugged. “And if I’m being honest, even as a human, I was never really good at cooking. Much harder with these.”

He held out his large hands, and you stared at the black claws that seemed to extend straight from his fingertips, their edges like daggers. Your gaze remained on them for a few moments before you rose it back to his face.

“I’m guessing you eat your meat raw, then?” 

His eyes flicked away from you and he seemed almost ashamed. “Yeah. I didn’t, at first. Tried to keep up with cooking. But I found it easier—and tastier—to eat it… fresh. I’m not human anymore and it’s not like it can make me sick. Nothing can, actually.”

“Ah. And how does one… find that out?” you knew the answer would unsettle you but asked him anyway. It must have been morbid curiosity that drove you.

He looked uncomfortable at your questioning, and you saw his tail swish almost irritably behind him on the stool he sat upon. “I’m not sure you want to know.”

You bit your lip, feeling guilty for your nosiness. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to tell me. But I won’t judge you for it.”

He let out a humorless laugh. “You’d be smarter if you did. You just met me, after all. Who's to say I didn’t lure you here to eat you because I like to toy with my food?” 

“What are you, the big bad wolf?” you taunted, unconvinced. 

He leaned forward across the table, a long tongue sliding against his fangs as he stared you down, replying in a low voice that sent a shiver up your spine, “I could be. Don’t forget you can always start running, little rabbit.”

You swallowed, trying to keep the nerves that twisted in your gut at bay. “I reiterate, no one has gone missing here in ten years. You’re not munching on anybody.”

“No one who’s been reported. You’d be surprised how many drifters are in the world.” His claws were now splayed out on the wooden surface before you, digging into it.

You being you—a fool of the highest degree—you placed your hand over his, hoping he didn’t grab your arm and sink his teeth into it. “You’re not scaring me off, Leon. And we made a deal, remember? You owe me for being willing to keep my mouth shut.”

He appeared dazed as he focused on your palm pressed to his knuckles, letting out a breath as he pulled away.

“You’re stubborn.” There was a faraway look in his eye as he added, “Reminds me of someone I know… Knew.”

“Someone good, I hope?”

He grinned, the already stretched skin of his mouth somehow pulling further. “The best.”

There was a tension between you that you couldn’t name, just looking at each other, when a loud scratching noise from the front door startled you.

“What the hell is that?” you questioned lowly, your vision zeroing in on the concerning sound.

Leon stood, looking unbothered as he strode over to the door, explaining simply, “Just Wolfie.” 

You looked at him as if he lost his mind, standing from your chair and backing towards the corner of the room. “Wolfie?”

Before you could protest, he flung open the door and a flash of white fur came barreling into the house, black feathers flying through the air.

You yelped as it rushed straight to you, closing your eyes and bracing for an impact that never came.

You peeked down through your fingers and saw a large white wolf-dog sitting in front of you, its tail wagging as it offered you the thing in its mouth.

“Good boy, bringing me a crow,” Leon praised in a strangely cute voice coming from… whatever the hell he was. It made something in you flutter. 

He walked over to you, leaning forward to pull the dead bird from the dog’s mouth, holding it by its neck as he inspected it. “Now that’ll be a good midnight snack.”

The dog nuzzled your leg and you bent to pet him, trying to ignore the blood that stained his snout (and now your pants). You noticed the gray hairs that decorated his white fur.

Oh, you’re an old little man, you thought, ruffling the dog’s thick coat.   

Disregarding the implications of your observation, you decided to poke fun at Leon’s naming skills instead, saying, “Wolfie, huh? How original.”

Leon hung the bird on a rope by its feet in the kitchen, turning to face you with a roll of his crimson eyes. “Don’t start.”

You giggled and he seemed to smile at the sound before glancing at the table and grimacing.

“Sorry about dinner, by the way. That was the last of my meat, unless you want to eat the crow. I might let you cook it, though.”

“It’s okay, I brought plenty of food in my bag.”

“Still, I really suck at this whole host thing.”

“Not threatening to eat the guests would be a great start to fixing that,” you teased.

“I’ll keep that in mind for next time,” he replied sarcastically. 

Leon took your plate and placed it on the floor, letting “Wolfie” scarf down your uneaten meal. He stroked the dog on the head lovingly, and despite how odd it was to witness the arachnid-like creature interact with a household pet in such a way, it was somehow sweet.

“Livestock,” he said after a moment, still crouched before his canine friend.

“What?”

“How I found out I liked raw meat.”

“I see.” 

He glanced up at you, then, continuing, “The villagers had livestock. Cows, pigs, chickens. Most of them were killed when the town dogs were turned by the Plagas. After I cleared out the parasites, I planned on keeping a few of the farm animals around, for eggs and milk, you know?”

“Why didn’t you?”

“I tried. But then I went a few days without eating, the wildlife in the area having fled during the chaos stirred up by the cult. There was nothing to hunt. Even the fish seemed to be hiding. I… I blacked out. Woke back up digging my claws into a half-eaten pig, surrounded by the bodies of the other dead livestock. I guess I—I guess I went into a hunger frenzy and slaughtered them all. Thank god I hadn’t found Wolfie at that point. I worry what would have happened if he were there.”

Your eyes widened at his confession, visibly stiffening up in horror.

He noticed your shift in demeanor and seemed to deflate, sighing miserably. “It hasn’t happened since. As long as I have something to eat every couple of days, I’m not a threat to you.”

Having witnessed him devour a chunk of venison just minutes prior, you relaxed marginally. “Still, a shame you wasted all that meat.”

He scrunched his nose before responding, “Actually… I didn’t waste it.”

“Wow, got quite the appetite, I take it?”

“Yes, but not that much.”

His evasive answers confused you. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Well, I didn’t want to lose myself again after that, so what bodies were left, I skinned and chopped up, putting them in the icebox. But then I ran out of fuel and couldn’t use the generator to power the electricity anymore. The meat went rancid. I was going to throw it out, obviously, but I was getting hungry again and I just… ate it anyway.”

You made a disgusted face. “Yum. I guess if you can’t get sick, you wouldn’t have to worry about food poisoning. Bet it didn’t taste great, though.”

“It didn’t, but meat is meat. I could stomach it and it kept me from going feral again. Small price to pay.” He sniffed as he stood up. “You have every reason to be afraid of me. Disgusted. I know I am.”

He looked away from you, then, his tail and appendages drooping in obvious distress.

You took a shaky exhale and stepped toward him, grabbing his arm and turning him to face you again, the confusion at your willingness to be closer to him after that conversation clear in his red irises. 

“I’ll be honest, you make me nervous,” you admitted. “But you’re obviously trying your best to hang on to the more human side of you. And I’ve never met a living cryptid before, so I think I just need time to adjust. That’s all.”

“Could I even be considered a cryptid anymore if you know who and what I am now?” he questioned with a light chuckle.

“I guess not to me, personally. But to the rest of the world? Still a cryptid, I’m afraid.”

“I’d rather not be anything to the world. Except maybe a long-forgotten ghost. Would make my life easier that way.”

“Well, luck’s on your side, cos with how popular my paranormal blog is becoming, I might be able to convince people this place is a bust and they’ll hopefully lose interest in El Escorpion altogether,” you offered.

“You’d be willing to do that for me?”

“For the right price, of course,” you told him, a sly smile on your face.

He snorted. “Of course.”

Things seemed to ease after that, the two of you chatting well into the night once you chowed down on some of the food you packed yourself.

He divulged very little about his life before the transformation, opting to tell you funny stories of his antics in the wilderness instead. He asked you about your work and even after you warned him that once you started rambling it was hard for you to stop, he encouraged you to anyway, seeming to listen intently.

You managed to circle back to why you ended up there with him in the first place, asking him about his run-ins with the occasional visitor. After describing his side of the various encounters, you both got a kick at how dramatically the others told their version of events, and how his cryptid name came to pass.

“The Scorpion, huh?” he asked in amusement, glancing at his own tail and appendages. “Guess they’re not far off.”

Eventually, the candles started burning down and a yawn bubbled up in your throat as you explained controversies in the cryptozoology community, like how some scholars speculated that certain cryptids are actually just very old B.O.W.s.

“As interesting as this has been,” Leon started after you let out another aggressive yawn, “I think it’s time to call it a night.”

“And I think I have to agree,” you said with a smile. “Where’re you putting me?” 

“C’mon, I’ll show you.” 

With that, he led you up the stairs, Wolfie hot on your heels. He took you to the door of the only bedroom in the building, opening it up to reveal a massive and very comfortable-looking canopy bed. 

You turned to Leon, confused. “There’s only one bed.”

He chuckled, plopping down on a blanket folded up on the floor next to his furry companion. “You take it. I’m good here.”

“You… sure?” you questioned tentatively.

“Positive.”

You nodded, smiling at him, and kicked off your shoes, climbing onto the mattress.

You watched him in shock as he fully retracted his appendages into his back.

He turned to catch you staring, eyebrows raised. “Take a picture, it’ll last longer.”

You cringed, feeling ashamed you got caught ogling him and his intriguing, monstrous form. “Sorry, just didn’t… expect that.”

“Never met a cryptid 'til now and you already have expectations?” he joked, leaning on an elbow to look up at you. His already too-short shirt rode up further and you blushed when you noticed his lean, muscular stomach become more exposed, looking away quickly.

“You know what I meant, you jerk,” you chided light-heartedly.

He laughed, the loudest and most genuine one he’d given to you since meeting him. The sound made you feel warm and you weren’t sure why.

“Get some rest, now,” he told you when his laughter subsided.

You stared at him for a moment longer after he turned away from you, curling up around his dog, before you replied, “Goodnight, Leon.” 

And with that, you leaned over to the bedside table and blew out the candle you had brought upstairs, darkness blanketing the room.

You stayed up for a while after that, mind going over the day, everything feeling so surreal from the moment you left the car just that afternoon. 

You could almost laugh to yourself as you drifted off to the sounds of Leon and Wolfie’s deep, even breaths echoing in the room, a soft wind blowing across the window.

Strange fuckin’ day.

+++

Leon was the first to rouse from slumber, unfurling himself from Wolfie and slowly sitting up. 

He was a little stiff from laying in the same position on the hard floor for so long, but otherwise, it had been a good night’s rest.

That was odd, he thought.

He rarely slept at all.

He heard a light snore and turned to find your still-unconscious form wrapped tightly up in his blankets, protecting yourself against the early autumn chill that crept through the room.

Silently, he stood, petting the white dog beside him that snorted in protest at his movements before making his way over to you.

Your hair was splayed out across the pillow, your eyelashes gently kissed your cheeks, and your round face seemed almost cherubic in the morning light that streamed in from the gap of the curtained window. 

Sleeping so peacefully with a monster mere feet from your vulnerable form.

He didn’t know what to make of you.

You had clearly been terrified the moment you saw him, and he could rationalize your initial inability to run as a freeze response, but you had heard a rustle in the foliage and got closer. You had seen glowing eyes and reached out. You had called him a liar when he told you he would eat you.

Did you have any sense of self-preservation?

Apparently not.

And then, despite your discomfort around him, you chatted with him like he was just another stranger passing on the street. And instead of ignoring his… differences… you commented on them. Asked about them as one would ask about the weather.

Well, you were a self-proclaimed paranormal investigator meeting a supposed cryptid, after all. It must have been a strange fascination that was causing you to be so curious instead of off-put.  

But what confused him the most was the fact you had touched him—gently and with ease—like you would a friend and not a literal monster threatening to kill you.

He looked down at his clenched knuckles, recalling the warmth of your palm as it rested upon the back of his hand. He thought about the way you smiled at him, how you bantered with him and teased him.

After so long by himself, he wanted to bask in this human connection he made despite knowing it was temporary. He prayed that after you left, it would tide him over until he was ready to say goodbye to this wretched existence for good.

He knew not to hope you would come back, or that he’d be lucky enough to meet someone else that would be as willing to talk to him instead of running for the hills. 

Besides, as under control as he felt now that he’d had a decade to maneuver in this new body, he wouldn’t want to risk hurting anyone. He had only ever lost control once and it haunted him ever since.

It was his worst fear if he was honest with himself. To lose his mind—his sentience—kept him up at night. Every day, he checked for signs that he might be mentally deteriorating, acting more beast than man. The longer he stayed away from other people, however, the harder it became to recognize what it was to be human in the first place.

All he knew was that he needed to end it before he ever reached that point, going from just threatening to eat trespassers, to ripping them limb from limb the moment he caught them. 

He couldn’t stand the thought of innocent blood on his hands after spending his whole life trying to protect it from being spilled at all.

You let out a sigh in your sleep and his gaze focused on you once more.

Despite how ridiculous you were to him, he was grateful to you for being so kind. Even as a human, he knew that was often hard to come across. And sure, he was technically paying you off to avoid attention, but that didn’t mean you had to be friendly towards him, especially after the ill-advised admittance of his eating habits.

He wondered how he would go about waking you, if he even should. 

Looked like he didn’t have to, though, when your eyes fluttered open and a scream left your lips as soon as you saw him.

He jumped back, holding up his hands in a gesture he hoped would dispel your fear. Wolfie leapt up, staggering with his old joints, before growling and searching for the possible threat in the room, oblivious to the fact it was Leon who frightened you.

It would almost be funny if you didn’t shift across the bed to get away from him. He could hear your heart thrumming behind your ribs like it had when you first met, and his own sank a bit.

He was still a monster, after all.

“It’s just me,” he said in a low, calming voice.

“Jesus, Leon, you scared the shit out of me!” you replied, pressing your hand to your chest. “Were you watching me sleep?!”

“Sorry, I didn’t know how to wake you up. I was trying to avoid scaring you, but that was a wasted effort.”

You let out a breathy chuckle, and he was pleased to hear your pulse rate begin to lower. “Maybe just call my name next time or something.”

He rose a brow at that.

Next time?

No, you must have misspoken.

Clearly unaware of how you vexed him, you moved to the edge of the bed and pulled on your shoes, stretching your arms as you finally stood up. “Well, c’mon, then. I’m starving.”

You pet Wolfie as you passed him by, the dog having calmed down from the excitement moments prior, before opening the door and strolling down the hall. 

Leon just stared after you, his mouth hanging ajar for a moment at your immediate change in demeanor. He still felt guilty that he had frightened you again, though this time completely by accident. It stung a bit, but he reminded himself that you should be afraid of a seven-foot-tall creature standing over you while you slept. 

He shook his head as if to clear it and followed you downstairs.

You had pulled out a cereal bar from your pack, munching away at it as you walked around the bottom floor of the house aimlessly. You turned to him as he made it into the dining room, swallowing a bite before speaking, “Don’t have much décor, I see.”

He shrugged. “There were pictures on the walls when I first settled in, but they were all of the people who died in the village and religious stuff. Felt weird to leave it up, so I put it all in the attic.”

“And you just didn’t bother to add anything else?” you teased.

“The only artwork I might consider using is in the old castle, but I didn’t think the hassle of getting it was worth it.” 

“Wait, there’s a castle and you chose to live here?” you questioned in disbelief.

He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “Too big. Plus, it’s just easier to hunt on this side of the lake.”

“A man of simple pleasures. I can respect it,” you told him, nodding sagely before you approached an empty shelf. “I take it there isn’t much literature around here, either?”

“Not really. Mostly journals and religious texts. Not exactly my cup of tea.”

“Anything from the cult?” There was an intrigued glimmer in your eye and Leon wondered if he would ever get used to it.

“All of it, actually.” 

“Anything… interesting?” you asked, coming closer to him and clasping your hands together, the empty wrapper of your breakfast forgotten on the dining room table. He reminded himself to tell you to clean it up before you left.

“‘Deranged’ is probably more accurate,” he said with a scoff. “But if you’re really that curious, I can go grab one of them for you. Hope you can read Spanish.” 

Your eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store and he couldn’t help but find it endearing. “Yes, I can read a bit! I tried to learn as much as I could before this trip and I also brought a translation dictionary!”

“Be right back, then.”

He quickly fished Los Illuminados’ text from the attic, returning downstairs to find you brushing your teeth in the kitchen sink. When you traveled back into the dining room, he placed it in your awaiting hands, and you practically squealed as you opened the old, ornate book.

“Wow, it’s beautiful,” you whispered in awe, flipping through the pages. “And look at these illustrations! You mind if I keep this?”

“Be my guest. I have no need for it,” he replied, enjoying the way you pored over the text with visible excitement. You grabbed your translation dictionary from your pack and were about to get to work when Leon cleared his throat.

“Not to ruin your fun but don’t you have to leave soon?” 

Your expression shifted, then, from one of glee to what he could only guess was disappointment. Almost like you didn’t want to leave. There was a spark of something at that, but he didn’t let it ignite.

“Right. My ride should be here soon,” you told him after checking your phone. Despite your words, you didn’t move, and he wondered what you could possibly be thinking in that pretty head of yours.

When you finally dragged your feet to pack your bag, Leon remembered the items he promised you as payment for your silence concerning his existence. He excused himself before heading into the room beside the one you were standing in, reaching into a drawer and pulling out an old ring and a handful of jewels he had collected over the years.

“You forgot something,” he said to you, unfurling his clawed hand to reveal the precious items in his palm.

You grabbed the ring first, twisting it around as you appraised it. “It seems a little early for a proposal, don’t you think, Leon?”

He scoffed and rolled his eyes, but could feel a faint heat tinge the tip of his now-pointed ears and what remained of his cheeks. “Yeah, you wish.”

You offered an impish smile before taking the gemstones as well and pocketing them. “Well, I do hope these are actually worth something and aren’t just cheap knock-offs.”

“Definitely real, I swear. Those things are antique.”

“They better be, or else I’ll have to come back here and kick your ass.”

He chuckled at the thought. “Easy there, tiger. I’m good on my word.”

You nodded and a quiet fell over the room.

“Well, guess it’s time to go,” you eventually muttered, grabbing your backpack and swinging it onto your shoulders before you headed to the door. You were slow to reach for the handle, seeming almost… reluctant. 

“Why don’t I… How about I walk you? Wouldn’t want you to get lost.” He didn’t know why he offered. If he was honest with himself, it was likely to prolong the last human interaction he’d probably ever have.

And he couldn’t deny he liked your company too.

You beamed at him as if that’s what you wanted him to say all along. “I’d like that, Leon.”

With Wolfie happily trotting behind the two of you, Leon led you into the early afternoon, the bright sun making him wince slightly, as it always did.

“You okay?” you questioned him. He shouldn’t have been surprised by your observation, already proving to him that very little got past you.

“Yeah, just… sensitive to the light, is all,” he replied with a squint of his eyes.

“Really? How come?”

He chuckled. Ever curious, weren’t you? “The Plagas are—were—damaged by light. Or the more exposed ones, I guess."

“Then how are you even handling being outside right now?”

“Not sure. Acclimated, I guess? I couldn’t go out during the day at all when I first turned. Then I just slowly spent more and more time in the sun. It’s… uncomfortable... but it doesn’t feel like I’m burning alive anymore.”

“Jesus,” was all you were apparently able to say, gripping your backpack straps.

You were both quiet for a few minutes, and he was thinking of ways to keep talking, not wanting to end the interaction in awkward silence.

“So I get you have a passion for the supernatural and all, but why come out here on your own? Don’t you have anyone who could come with you?”

You sighed. “My family and friends think I’m wasting my time. I’ve been on investigations with others like me, but I found I preferred to be alone.”

“Not even a boyfriend worried about you, huh?” He knew that was an unnecessary pry, but he couldn’t help but wonder.

“Not at the moment, no.”

He felt a strange sort of relief but refused to inspect it, instead pushing the conversation forward, “You must be some kind of adrenaline junkie, then, to be running around in the middle of nowhere, looking for monsters.”

“Maybe a little.” You shrugged. “You must be, too, considering you were a cop and an agent, right?”

“No, that’s different. I became a cop in order to help people, not that I was much good at it. And I was forced to be an agent to protect someone. Don’t get me wrong, I can’t deny the rush of doing something dangerous, but I never really looked for it. Was just forced to face it. I don’t really understand why you’d risk your life for a hobby.”

“I guess I just want to find the truth about things, no matter what it takes.” He sensed that maybe there was more to it than that as you looked away from him, instead focusing on the path ahead.

“Well, you’re lucky you haven’t gotten hurt yet. You have no idea if you’ll run into a B.O.W. or even just a wild animal that won’t hesitate to tear you to shreds,” he admonished.

“I guess I am lucky,” you agreed, nodding. “Lucky I found a big softie like you instead.” 

He rolled his eyes at that. “I don’t know if you recall, but I told you I would eat you at least twice yesterday.” 

“And yet you didn’t. Interesting.”

He wasn’t sure what to say to that, annoyed that you called him on his bluff. But then you looked up at him, radiant smile teasing and eyes bright.

He was surprised when the two of you were already at the lodge, past the village gate, so focused on you that he was mindless to anything else.

You moved to enter the building but halted when he did, turning to face him in confusion.

“This is as far as I go,” he explained, Wolfie sitting politely at his side. “Don’t want to startle whoever is here to get you.” 

“Right, makes sense.”

The two of you stood there silently for a few moments, and you seemed just as unwilling to say goodbye as he was.

“Well… guess I better go,” you finally told him, kicking the dirt with the tip of your shoe.

“Probably a good idea.”

“It’s honestly a shame I have to leave already.”

He raised a brow. “And why is that?”

“Because I’ve enjoyed getting to know you,” you replied softly.  

Leon was taken aback by that, something warm settling inside of him. To say he felt the same was an understatement. He didn’t voice it. In fact, he didn’t voice anything, at a loss.

To dispel the tension, you quickly and teasingly added, “And I didn’t get to explore this place nearly as much as I wanted to.”

“Well, there will always be other places.” He cringed at his own words and how stupid they were.

“There sure are.” You laughed, the sound melodic, and he was reminded of your singing. How your voice alerted him to your presence just yesterday afternoon. It felt like a lifetime since then, and simultaneously like a blink of an eye.

“It was nice to meet you, Leon.” You held out your hand to him, and he realized after a moment of staring at it you meant for him to shake it. It was a far cry from the day before, certainly. 

“You too,” he said, gingerly touching his palm against your own and shaking your hand carefully, enjoying the warmth of it against his always-cool skin.

You released him—far too soon, he felt—and his arm fell lamely at his side.

You pet Wolfie, scratching his ears affectionately as you said goodbye to the old dog, before focusing back on Leon.

You seemed almost somber as you told him earnestly, “I hope the rest of your life is kind to you.” 

He looked over your form, committing everything to memory. The color of your eyes, your round cheeks, your soft curves, the shape of your lips and how they framed your smile. 

The urge to caress your face was a shockingly difficult one to ignore.

With all his mental strength, he managed to refrain, saying instead, “Same for you.”

You nodded once, offering a final wave, and then you were through the door.

Leon stood there for a long time, hearing your footsteps getting more and more distant.

He stayed in place even as he heard you greet your ride.

He stayed until the car pulled away, the sound of it eventually fading completely.

All was quiet once more.

It felt suffocating.

Wolfie nudged Leon’s leg and finally, he moved, begrudgingly turning on his heels and heading back to the house.

He was lost in thought as he arrived, closing himself into the dark once more.

He grabbed the crow that Wolfie had caught the night before, planning on plucking it clean and sharing it with him, until he noticed a folded piece of paper on the kitchen counter.

Curious, he stopped in his tracks, picking it up and gently prying it open with his claws. Inside of it was a small, crude drawing of a rabbit, a short note scrawled underneath that read:

Something to remember me by~

Your lil bunny rabbit

He couldn’t stop the chuckle that left his mouth, echoing in the empty room.

After a moment, he set down the page, sighing deeply—warily.

Leon was alone again.

+++

The rest of your day had passed in a blur, barely able to hold a conversation with the local who picked you up from the village and took you to your hotel room. You paced for a long time once you arrived, eventually ordering takeout to abate your growling stomach but eating it without really tasting it.

Your mind could only focus on Leon.

Maybe you were crazy, but he seemed just as regretful to say goodbye as you had been.

He did say you were the only person he’d spoken to in ten years, so you didn’t want to let yourself hope that perhaps the connection with him you felt you made was genuine. He was just lonely, and you were still a stranger, after all.

You sighed, pulling the golden ring he gave you from your pocket as you sprawled across the bed, holding it up to the light to watch the ruby set into it shimmer. It reminded you of his eyes.

You groaned.

Your flight was tomorrow morning and now you had to make up some lie on your blog that was interesting enough to read without encouraging anyone to seek out the village themselves. 

Tall order.

You tried to focus on what you could potentially say, but all your thoughts led straight back to the strange creature you spent the night with.

He was lonely, yes. But so were you.

You glanced at the time on your phone, knowing you needed to sleep before your flight home.

And then an idea crossed your mind.

This trip was meant exclusively for business, not pleasure, and you realized you hadn’t been on a proper vacation in a long, long time. Your savings were in good shape, your rent was paid for the month, and you worked from home.

You held the ring in your hand, closing your fist around it, the gem decorating it digging into your palm just hard enough to sting.

It was set, you decided.

You were going to stay.

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

Masterlist | Previous | Next

[imptwins]

The thing is right, even before I was fully into dark kink (or 'proship' if you wanna call it that) I still wrote things with problematic undertones. Everyone does. Even the most wholesome media properties have dark themes. Steven Universe has characters - protagonists, mind - using, manipulating, lying to each other. She-Ra, Gravity Falls, The Owl House, all the most celebrated modern 'cartoons that appeal to adults' kinda shows have this kind of stuff in them, not to even mention anime and plain ole live action shows/movies. But before, I masked it. I had characters do things that were out of character for them to avoid something that would actually fall under a category or - much worse - I portrayed things that technically were in that category but just told myself I was skirting the line enough that it wouldn't actually fall into it. Most properties do this. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone who deals in mature themes - let alone outright porn - who hasn't ever depicted something that would most likely, without a 'headcanon' that there were negotiations beforehand, fall under a category of (sexual/)abuse, (sexual/)harassment, or simply rape. I've mentioned those tropes more than enough; a spur of the moment touch or kiss that one character is shocked about at first but realizes they like, mild blackmail, nagging, or duress played off as banter, the ever-popular Sleeping Beauty moments. Again, Steven Universe frequently depicts domestic abuse even from protagonists. I use SU as an example of this a lot because it was there for my whole 'arc' for problematic content; first being blind to it, then realizing the themes were there and feeling really conflicted and confronted, and then coming to appreciate that the show dealt with them in mature and realistic ways, that showed flawed people who made mistakes and weren't demonized for it, but were given the chance to learn and grow. Like I shouldn't have to point out how bad Pearl can be sometimes. A really big moment for me was when a close friend wound up triggered from one of my works, because they correctly pointed out that the consent in it was dubious at best. I wound up adding a dubcon CW, but I felt awful about it. Both because I'd hurt a friend and because that was what I'd written, without even really meaning to. It wasn't that I didn't understand consent, I knew that I was skirting the line when I wrote it. But I was so afraid of the tag, of the label. And as a result not only did I upset a friend, I also wrote something that wasn't as good as I could have. I shied away from it, when if I had have just embraced from the start that I was writing dubcon and actually leaned into it, there would've been more interesting and mature themes that I could have explored. Instead I tried to never quite cross the line, and it upset someone anyway. It should have been tagged from the start. But only ONE PERSON out of the like 30 people who read it took issue, because it personally triggered them. To be totally honest, I could have just ignored them, said 'one out of thirty must mean they're over-sensitive,' and went on with my day. I think this is what leads to SO MUCH mainstream work that has this kind of stuff in it. Someone doing something that by all rights qualifies as sexual assault, but just isn't tagged. Because people WILL just let them get away with doing it as long as they have some plausible deniability room that it wasn't really noncon or blackmail or abuse. But if they put the tag on? Now, people will simply call them a [accusation] without even really looking through their work. Those people probably wouldn't have ever been interested in the first place, but tagging it makes you a target. So, good job antis, you've created an atmosphere where people would rather not tag something and pretend it's not as dark as it is, or bypass tags, than just use them. Because you'll doxx and threaten people who conscientiously tag, and ignore works that straight up depict domestic abuse as long as it's coy about it, and pretend that's not what it is.

[twogeeseinatrenchcoat]

Spaceship Short Stories

Yeah why not. Title is self-explanatory. I'll be bringing back my aborted plan for a spaceship story in favour of this because I want to. Also, I will be changing and retconning past work in this as I go. Don't expect anything to stay the same.

Intro.

This is the official logbook of the Vchern'ixt, or Merchant and Delivery Ship 382. (382-MDS). We are, as our work tag suggests, an interplanetary merchant ship. This logbook will almost certainly be used by the crew, and knowing my crew, will not be taken seriously. I can only hope it will provide actual information, and I will hopefully find the time to add actual updates between the crew entries.

Entry 1: 218-4-7 (Kaylie - Pilot)

First week on the ship! Not much happened this week, few deliveries, some unnecessarily (but fun) dangerous asteroid-dodging. I think everyone else is still getting used to a human in board, they're fairly cautious around me. To be honest, I would be as well! I think their previous pilot was a lot more cautious than me. They've been watching me, though. Curious but cautious. I've tried to make some friends, be nice to people, but it's kinda hard when everyone half expects you to explode at any moment.

Truly, the worst part is that they don't have coffee here. I'll make sure to fix that with the first paycheck I get, Captain said that "you can spend your own money on your comforts. I'll spend the ship's money on the ship." So they're no help. Anyways, paycheck is in two days, and we dock for supplies at Kerroi-825B in... Whenever our orbits get close, so I'll be able to get my coffee then! For now, I'll live with the mimicry that Grömerg makes.

Entry 2: 218-4-10 (Grömerg - Medic, Chef)

My coffee is not bad, is it? I do not know if the taste is as it should be, though it smells like the sample you gave me. I'm sorry if it is [untranslatable]

Translator suggestions: Subpar, worse than typical, less than.

Entry 3: 218-4-12 (Kaylie)

It's not! I just prefer real coffee over synthetic, not a problem with you at all!

Update: finally got my coffee machine! And I remembered to buy coffee beans this time! It didn't take as long as I thought to find the "Human Items" section of Kerroirå Market (Fun fact: that's "Kerroi Market Market in Tychfing), and I was able to grab my coffee making items (coffee ingredients?) In time to not be left behind by the crew! Yay!

In other news, I was able to pick up a roll of duct tape and a knife for our beloved cleaning robot. Now I just have to fit Stabby with a camera to record everyone else's reactions to him. He is now one with the hivemind of Stabbies. Oh, and I grabbed the stuff I was actually supposed to. The boring stuff. It was heavy, but some people helped me load the boxes into the ship!

Entry 4: Galactic Year 218, Standard Lunar Cycle (SLC) 4, Standard Solar Cycle (SSC) 14 [218-4-14] (Ky'tchas - Secretary, Accountant)

Kaylie, what is your new creation for? It has caused several minor injuries, and I don't understand the purpose of the "laugh track." Or the confetti. Why do these only occur when it stabs someone? Are they incentive for violence?

Additionally, I will include the "boring stuff," or our pickup for the next delivery. We have picked up:

14 Planetary Leap Drives, 10 Warp Cores, 2 Wormhole Accessors, 24 Guard-8.6 Androids, 48 Holo-Screen 18.5s, and 36 Extragravitory Flight Suits.

These are important things to record. Kaylie, as the one who ordered some of the parts, you should be the one to relay them to me. As it is, you should have placed the order through me in the first place, since it is my job to place orders and file them.

You're new, so I assume you haven't heard anyone explicitly state this, though the captain should have during your viewing and explanation of the ship. Either way, I expect any further orders to be placed though me.

Entry 5: 218-4-18 (Grömerg)

Kaylie? Is it alright if I make a request of you? Please, I beg, slow down when flying. The food almost did not survive our last warp-jump.

Additionally, Ky'tchas, there is no need to write out the full date. The human knows Standard Time, she is just... odd. I believe she is still on Solar Time, as she will not answer with any other time. She logs days in Standard Time, though, which makes me believe she knows it.

Entry 6: 218-4-19 (Ky'tchas)

Very well, Grömerg. Kaylie, heed Grömerg's advice. Slow down, and fly with less reckless abandon. I had to restart my calculations of profit due to a sharp turn you took around an asteroid. Be more careful, so that you do not disturb your new crew. This is your final warning.

Entry 7: 218-4-20 (Kaylie)

Alright, okay... But dodging asterioids and racing the planets is what makes ship-driving fun! It's just boring if you avoid the asterioid fields and aren't on the edge of burning out your engines.

But okay... if everyone says so, I'll be more careful. Sorry guys! And Grömerg, the food was still great! Also, I'm on Standard, I just... Don't know how to change my watch from Solar...

It's really complicated, okay? I tried, and got stuck on Giryilan Time for... I'm not entirely sure how long in Standard, but it was a long time! Everyone looked at me like I was crazy.

Entry 8: 218-4-22 (Grömerg)

That... was for the [untranslatable]. I... do humans... eat that? I was not aware. I will make more. I had thought the [untranslatable] had eaten it. It appears not...

Translator Suggestion: Violet Bot, Stabber, Stabbing Robot

Additionally, that is a very funny anecdote! I heard Giryil has very short days, yet very long years. I'm interested to hear more about it, I've never seen it written out. How do they measure smaller increments of time?

[nugatorysheep]

B, L, X?

B - A pairing–platonic, romantic or sexual–that you initially didn’t consider, but someone changed your mind.

As far as things I actively ship and not stuff I think is just kinda cute: Stevencest or Bispearl (kinda).

I was not a Stevencest person for quite a while- or I guess not what I personally figured a Stevencest person was supposed to be. I had people in my old server shipping it and I had an AU that while not intended to be that, I was okay with people shipping together the two Stevens for (though way down the road it did eventually turn into that lol), so my opposition to it was mainly that it wasn't for me based on the type of content I usually saw of it. Like this isn't my thing and it's kinda weird but if it's tagged so I can block it, sure go nuts. (There was also a LOT of Connie and Connverse Hate + NTR in Stevencest spaces and as a big fan of Connie I didn't want to be in places where I would constantly hear people shitting on one of my favorite characters. Steven has two hands!!). Basically the barrier to entry was too costly for me so I just kept my distance.

Last year though I got to know more people in this fandom and had the chance to freely experiment with my characters in ways I couldn't before, so I've grown to enjoy it a lot more. Being told "Hey, you can like. Do what you Want," was very helpful in pushing me to branch out. I have a lot more fun now doing things I like and ignoring people who do things I hate lmao

I'm not sure if Bispearl counts but it was something that NEVER crossed my mind until Bismuth Casual first aired and a light bulb went off in my head. I was into that almost instantly the moment it was shown to me.

(And more recently with the Rose/Bismuth art the Becky Sucrose dropped, now I can do the Pearl/Rose/Greg/Bismuth polycule of my dreams <3 Though in the context of canon Bispearl is the most reasonable/logical ship to me.)

L - Say something genuinely nice about a character who isn’t one of your faves. (Characters you’re neutral about are fair game, as are characters you merely dislike. Characters that you absolutely loathe with the fire of ten thousand suns are exempt, as there is no point in giving yourself an aneurysm over a character that you hate.)

I do not like Jasper much and her fanbase tends to be obnoxious BUT she is a very well-made character. She is consistent and straightforward in her motivations and goals and weaknesses in a way that in theory is easy to grasp (which is why I'm so shocked so many people don't seem to really Get her at all). When people say the writers screwed her over I disagree, because she does exactly what she is meant to do in the story and then fucks off, something I cannot say for several other characters LOL

At the end of the day, Steven Universe is about... well, Steven Quartz Universe, and the way Jasper serves his arc is more than enough for me :3

She's also really funny when used right and more people should use her for comedic effect

X - A trope which you are almost certain to love in any fandom.

Found family is something I'm a sucker for and I tend to like ensemble casts that have well-developed and interesting dynamics (platonic or romantic) between the characters, but I'm not sure if that counts as a fandom thing or a media in general thing. I'll be honest, I don't participate much in fandoms. SU is the first time I've engaged heavily in the fan areas VS just consuming Canon Material With a Chance of Fanart so the things I like trope-wise are less broad and more specific to just SU.

I also like fan kids or just seeing younger characters as adults in the future. It's fun to muse about, downside is if the ship you like is not mainstream enough you'll be sorely lacking in that category 😔

[theliterarywolf]

Bit of fandom history musings, observations by Anonymous

Almost everything negative that ended up coming from the MLP Brony outrage, had basically nothing to do with Bronies, and everything to do with modern pearl-clutchers. 

Some might say “But the porn!” “But the creeps” “But the weirdos!” “But the but the but the” and like, it exists, and existed, but that’s literally EVERY fandom, before then, and even now. There was nothing in that fandom, that didn’t exist elsewhere, yet MLP Bronies are still held up as this “evil scourge” to fandom history.

The difference, from my observations then and now, was that it was the first time that men would openly and in bigger numbers, would step outside the “MALE” designated fandom spaces and behaviour, and would in a much higher degree join in, in the “female” fandom experience. Something that had happened in reverse, larger amounts of women going into “male” fandom and interacting with it, but never really the other way around.

Besides people viewing MLP as “for children” and more specifically “For girls” suddenly having older men was this huge thing, because it hadn’t happened like that before, especially since many men would more openly talk about these things, which before that, was more viewed as “women’s fandom behaviour” such as writing fanfics, and engaging in certain types or RP’s, and just general fan-art creation, and SHIPPING! which largely actually was SFW mainly, the NSFW just stayed in people’s minds longer and was made bigger through outrage-sensationalism.

I also feel like the MLP time, is when Antis first really started coming out,  back then you didn’t really have the “Proshipper vs Antishipper” debate, you had people who did their thing, and you had people who avoided it if they didn’t like it. You didn’t really have that binary concept of “Yes and No”-in shipping, you had squicks, citrus-scales, “Don’t like don’t read” and more labels/tags to curate the fandom, and it worked to keep people away from content they didn’t want to see. Heck, MLP actually ADDED to said safety, with safe-search wrap-ups, and I’d argue it was one of the first fandoms to really look at fandom content on the internet in that way.

It feels only after MLP, did it really start getting big, with people making small or, let’s be honest normal fandom behaviour, into huge issues, which they then dragged out into the open and pointing at it, as if this was everything Bronies did. This includes youtubers who’d make outrage content, but even Tumblr back then was rife with sensationalism, and outrage-posting/baiting, on purpose going into NSFW spaces, dragging it out, and then claiming it was Bronies who couldn’t behave and showing it to children, when that was blatantly untrue. Even though this used to be normal, Zines, fan-meets, etc, was the same, but they were less open, before MLP, people almost didn’t really remember that the internet was much more open, and MLP-bronies kinda showed that now LITERALLY everyone with an internet connection could join in, in fandoms.

I also think it got even worse with the over the top reactionaries when another show became popular, Steven Universe, a show which had an older-target audience, but also was even more blatant in inviting men to watch it. With MLP, people tried to argue that it was obviously for girls, despite the showrunners stating it was for everyone, but with SU it was even more blatant, with it’s already default older target audience, and the male protag, and some other story elements.

The problem SU faced, beyond the usual bullshit of Executive meddling, and the even more Anti-LGBT rules from cartoon networks, in this case literally Cartoon Network, was the fact that it was put on a pedestal because of the LGBT-themes, and even more deeply scrutinised for everything, and because of that, the fandom which had already been freaking out for years over MLP, suddenly got even more agitated because “We don’t want those filthy men to invade SU with their presence!” I literally remember the outcry and just insane levels of anger when people suspected men might join the SU fandom, like they did MLP, to the point that “Gentlegems” (Gentlemen+gems) was the supposedly the title these male fans gave themselves, and that “don’t let them join the fandom” became a really big message. I think SU was also the point where Anti’s really started coming out, and stating their “Anti-ship” sentiment, though it also covered certain fanart, and content. 

I also think the SU fandom is the one that popularised “CODING” aka “We’re stereotyping, but we’re gonna rename it to make it less -ist/-phobic.” I mean, I remember how the forerunner for the official Anti-label was literally about “You can’t ship these two gems, bc they’re toxic together.” or “You can’t ship them, because this one is clearly lesbian” or “You can’t ship because XYZ whhfbdsf”. And since the show was probably the first time you actively saw LGBT, but specifically WlW content in an official show for all ages, the Antishipping front really manifested with arguments that were most likely more to protect their own fave ship, but also to keep MlF ships away but was phrased in such a way that it was less about personal taste, and more phrased to make it seem like it was a moral-ethical failure on your part, if you shipped two characters together the person in question (the Anti) didn’t like, instead of just a difference in taste.

Don’t even get me started on coding. While the candy-coloured gemstone warriors certainly showed certain traits of specific humans, something that can’t be denied, the showrunners always made it clear that the gems themselves weren’t actually humans, and therefore weren’t part of any human race regardless of their appearance. But of course, you’d then have people claiming “Well this character is clearly black, latina, and white!” but when certain story-elements were revealed that “went against” that coding, people freaked out. One noteable event: Pearl, the snow-white Gem, turned out to be, effectively a of a “personal-slave-servant”-class, and was the only one of such origin. People freaked out because “how can this white skinny character be of the slave class?” The other two gems, from the main trio were effectively: Born-Warrior, and Fusion of Aristocrat and Personal-bodyguard.

I think another thing was also coding through VA’s, I don’t think I’d ever seen any “this character has to be X because the VA is X” to this high of a degree and fervour, which started with the VA for Garnet, who is a black singer Estelle, which then sparked more mainstream(?) debate about how VAs should match their characters. For some reason the same didn’t apply to the same degree to the the “Latina-coded” Amethyst, nor the (most commonly) White-coded Pearl, who were both voiced by Asian-American VAs, Pearl being VAd by DeeDee Magno Hall, who’s Fillipino-American, and Amethyst by Michaela Dietz who’s a Korean-American.If fandom behaviour from certain people in the MLP haydays (lol) was bad, it got even worse, and even more aggressive with SU, where even small infractions would rain the wrath of hundreds of angry fandom folks onto your head, as a reactionary of the MLP-Brony “issue”. And while I personally think both shows were actually pretty ok, they really did shape a lot of how modern fandom behaves, and acts, and how people now view shows and the content produced because of it in a way for the worse, through no actual fault of the shows themselves. I especially remember the SU fandom getting even more aggressive after 2016. (Wonder why… /S)

Also note of the absolute batshit insanity that happened in these fandoms: The artist who made both MLP and SU fanart, who was harassed so badly she tried to take her own life. All because they drew Rose Quartz a bit skinnier, and because they drew Fluttershy as a human in a Native American dress. In which people later also proved some of the criticism against the Artist’s art had been manufactured, such as people editing the Fluttershy-NA art to be more red skinned than she actually was in the OG-art. (I’ll not name them, out of respect.) But I also remember one person who succeeded in their attempt if I’m not wrong.

Anyway, I’ve always failed at conclusions, so I’ll let you draw your own. I’m just writing as someone who somehow managed to avoid being in the fray of it all, but still managed to observe most of this in real time on a bunch of different sites.

[kahvilahuhut]

wip questions tag

thank you @sunset-a-story for tagging me!!!!!!! (and sorry it took me a while sjfjfjfjfj)

tagging @void-botanist @avi-why @televisionjester and anyone else who wants to do this :3

1. What was the first part of your WIP that you created?

Worldbuilding!!! I've always loved Mars (influenced by Doom probably? i just think it's neat :]) and the idea of a whole society on Mars is just very cool for me. All the possibilities and things that can go wrong. And the political debates.......

2. If your story was a TV show, what would the intro song be?

HMMMMM this one is hard bc i absolutely su k at picking music for story playlists and this is waaaaaay harder. I think I would love it to be instrumental or smth tho!

That said I would soooo much rather have it become a video game, and and if I were to pick a song for a trailer I'd go with either Black Mambo by Glass Animals or something from Depeche Mode. My brain is currently telling me to go with "Pain That I'm Used To" but I wouldn't say it fits Cynosure that well KFKKFFKFKFK

3. Who are your favourite character(s) and why?

Tobyyyyyyy <3 I love him so much he is such a...guy. He's some guy. A chemist who has spent a bit too much reading his dad's books about social theory and stuff since he was a child. All he wants is that people would be happy and he has so much love to give for the world, which mostly means him helping people a lot (people pleaser guy). Tobias isn't really that special, he wants to do something he likes, he's scared of guns (for a reason) and just wants a calm new life. Too bad that's not happening for a while.

To think he started as a copy of Nathan I made for a The Outer Worlds playthrough and then it all kinda turned into a bigger thing and he became his own self and I just decided to pull him + Klara & others out of being fandom ocs and put them into Cynosure.

putting the rest of questions under read more <3

4. What other pieces of media could share a fan base with your WIP?

HMMMM I'd say basically any kind of scifi book that has some societal themes in it + has some comedy and stuff. Same for video games maybe?

5. What has been your biggest struggle while writing your WIP?

I'm going to be honest I haven't really started writing Cynosure yet JFBBFBFFKF

My biggest struggle is having a job and being a master's student basically hehe

6. Are there any animals in your story?

Haven't really figured out if I'd want to showcase Mars wildlife in it + what kind of wildlife would it be, BUUUUT!!! There's definitely Klara & Toby's cat, Melody. She's a lil tabby cat :3

7. How do your characters get around?

I'm a public transport fan so I'm putting public transport into my wip!!!! I'd say Mars has lots of fancy trains and the ocean area has ships. Buses, too, though probably not what Cynosure characters will end up using.

There's also cars and motorcycles, though they're hovering instead of having wheels. Mars terrain sucks for wheels.

8. What part of your WIP are you working on right now?

Figuring out the plot + finishing up worldbuilding <3

9. What aspects of your WIP do you think will draw people in?

Hmmmm! I'd love to say worldbuilding or like, whatever is going on in Mars power struggles. Making fun of capitalism too (i'm a social scientist), maybe even the characters? Who knows :^)

[legionofplush]

As I said, those aren't all the designs I wanna make, that's just where I had to put a cut off cause One Piece has infinite numbers of pets and zoans and characters which just kinda look like one animal and such. So, I'm gonna list all the characters below and whether I plan to do them and why or why not so if you were hoping your blorbo would be in this series and they aren't yet, you can see if I plan to do them. If your love is not on this list, please feel free to reply or tag and let me know who and what. There's so many of these and I just keep stumbling upon them (my ass just entirely forgot about Yokozuna till, like, 2 weeks ago) so I'm sure I missed some ones I'd love to make. It's a long ass list though so it's under the read more link. Feel free to control F your character so you don't have to read the whole thing.

So, other little designs I'm planning to make but make no promises about written in the format of character - animal/item for onesie:

X-Drake - Dinosaur

Sabo - Dragon (American style so I can put little wings on the back)

Franky - Toad (Yokozuna!)

Robin - Tortoise (Banchi)

Iceburg - Rat (Tyrannosaurus)

Koala - Koala (I know it's just a name but I love her and I want her in my hands)

Shirahoshi - Shark (Megalo)

Bon Clay - Swan (Gotta get all the queers up in this bitch)

Yamato - Zoan Wolf Thing (If I can get the sublimation working to get that sweet, sweet ombre)

Chopper - Cotton Candy (Similar to Katakuri's donut)

Nami - Zeus (It's basically the cotton candy onesie with a face, let's be honest)

Gear 5 Luffy - Cloud (Honestly, if I were to do one of the japanese dragon designs, it would be to make Gear 5 Luffy emerge from Kaidou's mouth like Shirahoshi does but it's more a horror movie moment but my issue with those designs is below)

Corazon - A heart (Like, just in a big ole heart)

Onigiri as an extra onesie for Law!

Bacura as an extra Boa onesie!

Meat onesie for Luffy, I can make a little bone stick out of the top and everything

Not a priority but maybe if I get through all the others:

Ceasar - Axolotl (Smiley)

Conis - Fox (Su)

Two remaining Gorgon Sisters - Snakes

King - Pteranodon

Black Maria - Spider

Pell - Falcon

Bian - Pink Bee

Bellamy - Hyena

Brooke - Laboon (The embroidery on this would be hell so it'll likely never be done but god would it be cute)

Might see if I can do something with Minks and the Sulong form but that's a tad difficult to differentiate. I don't just wanna put Carrot in a Rabbit onesie, ya know?

I know the marine admirals are all linked to animals in their names and symbols and Garp's dog hat so I might do them but they're, like, at the bottom of my list.

Original warlords but in seraphim coloring with little black wings and fire embroidered on their backs (though croc’s would not have a cigar cause the kids ain’t smoking)

Characters I know fit the category but I don't want to or feel like I can't do for various reasons:

Doflamingo - I know he's very popular and no hate to anyone who likes him but I don't want that man in my house so he's not gonna be.

Gecko Moria - I don't think I can do his head in this style and have it work, I'm sorry. And he's not Gecko Moria without his weird shape.

Any equine character - I have not figured out the hooves nor the face and maybe I will but it's still a no for now. Cavendish, Stronger, Kaku, none of em yet.

The japanese style dragon zoans - It's a really complicated design which would be really hard so I don't really wanna do it.

All the other ancient/artificial zoan Beast Pirates - 1. I haven't hit Wano and barely know them and 2. trying to make, like, ten dinosaur designs which can all be differentiated in this really simple style sounds like hell and I like Drake best so he gets dino-priority. Kings is at least a very visually different dino and if I make him I can have him, Law, Ace, and Robin have a "the government wants us dead for nothing but having survived their horrible acts of violence" tea party, which I want and thus am willing to work for, so Drake and King are my dinos.

Surume - I haven't figured out how to do an octopus but I promise you, I'm trying to think of it

Robson, Hakowan - I don't wanna do Wapol, I'm so sorry for the fans I'm sure exist somewhere.

Nyashi - I haven't gotten to whole cake and thus have no real positive Vinsmoke opinions, sorry. And I'm not putting Sanji in a Vinsmoke onesie, I wouldn't disrespect him like that.

Funkfreed - Spandam is nowhere near my top but I'm somewhat willing to bend if there's a burning fanbase which there seems to be somewhere and maybe they'll find this post and come for me. Mostly cause one of my friends likes him.

Catarina Devon - I don't really want to but also my friend (same one who like Spandam) really likes the blackbeards so you might see her anyways.

Five Elders - Unknown devil fruits don't count.

Drophy, Chaka, Pierre, Jabra, Tamago, Morgans, Pekoms, Dalton - Just kinda don't want to, sorry to these Zoans

Fishmen - There's so many and I don't wanna fall on that sword quite yet. I promise, every few days I think of doing Jinbe cause a whale shark would be hella cute and I love him but that's opening up such a can of worms.

That’s my list. I know there are some characters who are associated with animals but don’t have the other form, pet, or any visual motif, like Zoro with Tigers but I tried to stick with ones which were crewmates, pets, zoans, or visual motifs. That being said, Sabo with his dragon themed attacks and Koala with her name are on my list so I’m hardly firm on that rule.

If I missed anyone or if you think someone really needs a onesie, please feel free to comment or tag, I might make them and I absolutely haven't thought of all of them. Like while typing the Zeus/Gear 5 section, I just realized I could also make Smoker in a cloud, just like, a slightly greyer cloud cause it's smoke. I could totally do that and unfortunately, now I might.

[bloodsalted]

excessive ooc

DNIs in rules

@sheldoney || send a number and i'll talk about it! || accepting!

6. excessive ooc -- i don't mind ooc chat on your blog. it's your space. do with it whatever you want. just if you're only going to talk ooc and not write like at all? and it's not tagged so i can filter when needed? then that's a lil much and i might unfollow. but as far as people just letting people get to know them better. or talking about their day? cracking out and having some fun?? or the fandom, etc? i don't mind. we're all here to be nerds together. might as well be nerds.

7. dnis in rules -- okay. so! depends on what it's about and very subjective. but if you have one for a certain writer? i want to know why it's there. more than just don't talk to me if you talk to this person. like why? what's going on? esp if i go to that person's blog (which i'm gonna) and see no mention of the person who wrote the dni? gets a lil sus. if someone's truly done something awful and a friend sees me interacting with them? approaching in private off the dash is the way to go. just slapping a dni on your blog with a list of names..i'm going to make the call for myself in that case.

dnis about faceclaims that are excessive? i'm talking a long ass list of people? i'll be honest. i probably won't follow. i don't have the mental capacity to keep up on a dozen or more people who's faces in pictures people might not like for whatever reason. unless they're utterly gross. we're talking bad people. predators, toxic af, etc. just not..i don't like them. so ewww dni.

other things like dni if you're racist, homophobic, etc? yeah ofc. i have one of those. who needs an asshole on their dash? not i.

dnis on triggers are cool. it shows me not to follow if i write things that might trigger the person. cause i may expose them to harmful matieral on my blog and that's irresponsible. and if they follow me with dnis in their rules about things that are heavy on my blog..say violence or demonic possession or whatever? i'll prolly reach out, let them know they might be in the wrong neighborhood. or if it's a long list of damn near everything on my blog? i'll give em a softblock because they made a wrong turn and weren't paying attention to the kinda blog they just followed. esp. cause i have it on my pinned post that there's horror and triggering subjects here.

[slashingdisneypasta]

I keep forgetting to send these in XD stuff I've thought of for the ship Grycho (you don't have to post publicly if you don't want to, I just wanted to be able to use italics and stuff)

- I'm not sure how you imagine they got together. But me personally, I think it might have been like a slow burn situation. Like maybe they got separated from the others somehow (whether it be for a mission or they got in trouble), and now they have to work together. Maybe whatever this situation, they'd see sides to each other they didn't see before, and it brings them closer ^^

(Either thar or, alternate scenario that's kinda crack, they were together but broke up before the gang got together, and are nowkinda bitter exes (or rather they're still in love and don't want to admit it) and that's why they fight all the time)

- Ok so I they did get together, I imagine they'd deal with their drastic horny levels in one of two ways. One, either Psycho will sleep with Greasy (when he's in the mood) for him. Or two, they make like some sort of agreement that Greasy can still go out and find someone to sleep with, as long as he always comes back home to Psycho (I'll be honest, I like the second option a bit more. It's sweet that they'd trust and love each other that much)

- if it's the latter, Psycho would be all over Greasy as soon as he comes home. Partially because he missed his boyfriend, and partially to get the smell of another person off of him (this will also become an indicator to the others whether or not Greasy got some. So Greasy can't lie about his fuck number anymore XD

Greasy: "Oh, I found a particularly beautiful woman last night. We had quite the time too~"

Wheezy: *glancing at Psycho, who's just doing his own thing right now* "... Really?"

- I'm not sure which I like better; them fighting less because they're now in love and becoming one of those complete opposite couples thar rarely fight, or they still butt heads, but now the other weasels won't try to intervene because they know that Greasy abd Psycho are going to be gross (as Smartass would put it) again in like fifteen minutes... Kinda like Tiffany and Chucky XD

(Omg. AU where Greasy and Psycho are Tiffany and Chucky. Who would be Glen and Glenda? (Stupid and Y/N from the Smartass' daughter AU XD))

- Also, since they're boyfriends, they can now do more missions together WITHOUT anyone else tagging along to be a mediator between them. I like to think that they have the potential to be a dangerous duo.

- If Psycho can get away with it, he'll refuse to eat anything that isn't Greasy's cooking. If he's starving, he'll accept a sandwich. But he would prefer his boyfriends food anyway.

Psycho: "No! I'm not hungry!" *liar*

Wheezy: "Look, Greasy has been gone for hours, and I'm pretty certain he's gonna be gone for another few. So please, just fucking eat sonething."

Psycho: "... No."

Wheezy: *smokes harder*

- not really a headcannon, more like a crack idea; in your Smartass' daughter story, Greasy and Psycho become Y/N's crazy gay unkles. If they didn't live with each other, Smartass would be like "Oh fuck they're coming over." Whenever he gets news that they're dropping by (assuming they'd even give him a warning XDD)

(Which also makes me think of when Jessica was asking 'What if she likes girls' in your last chapter. I can't stop imagining Greasy and Psycho just looking at each other in humor/sarcasm like "Omg babe, are we homophobic?" "I dunno, our pre-outing make-out session was pretty sus." XD)

That's all I've got today. I hope you like these! ^^

OOOOOH I'm picturing the Toon Patrol have to make a quick getaway and Greasy and Psycho were too busy fighting to notice- and then the van is gone and they're left alone together for the f i r s t time ever. They manage to find a phone, call Smartass, and ask what the motherfucking heck happened. When he basically says 'we had ta get outta there. You bozos were too slow. Now get a motel room and we'll come getcha in a week'.

And thus, their rom com beginning XD Greasy and Psycho stuck in a seedy motel with only eachother for a week (Possibly more is Smartass is feeling particularly mischeivious- or Wheezy pays him).

I love the second option too!! But like, imagine if Psycho only agrees to it because Greasy's never managed to snag ass before, so what makes him think now he'll be successful?? But then one day his manipulative pervert comes home covered in someone else's stink and a smug look on his face, and- YES!! suddenly Psycho is a l l over Grease. Rubbing himself on him to get his sent back on him.

Ahhh! Contrary-wise, I actually like the idea of them still fighting a lot!! But like- it's not out of hatred anymore. Just annoyance and differing opinion. The only way you know they're more then coworkers is the very careful way they watch eachother in a dangerous situation and the way they protect eachother ^^ (IMAGINE PSYCHO GETTING TERRITORIAL OVER GREASY. Like, someone's threatening to hurt Greasy and Psycho suddenly comes out like a rabid animal. Greasy knows Psycho will always come to protect him like a guard dog now, too, so he's even less concerned these days about insulting people bigger then him 😅😅😅) (Also, IMAGINE GREASY TALKING PSYCHO OUT OF SCRAPES. Like, if Psycho chewed up the neighbours rose garden and the neighbour was p i s s e d, Greasy would be there to smooth things over. 'Sí, Sí, no it will never happen again. Never. We promise you. Right Psycho?? That growling means sí. Bye bye now!~ *as soon as they're out of earshot* and good riddance 🙄, that rose garden was heinous.')

OH THEY'D BE SUCH A DANGEROUS DUO. At least that's one thing Smartass is happy about XD Wheezy, too, now he doesn't have to mediate 😅 they'd also be a pretty... scary duo, too though. They have very similar levels of empathy... which is not a lot. They'll get the info, and still kill the guy. No one will ever find the body and the only reason Smartass, Wheezy and Stupid even know what happened is because of a very suspicious grin the two shared at breakfast.

Omgggggg, that last one 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I need to see Jessica's resonce to that. She'd be so fucking done.

[yellowymellon]

leak for acheron's identity!

+theory and rambles-

.

.

.

.

.

my honest reaction :

listen....my fav aeon having an emenator stirs excited violent feelings in me, and while i do like acheron i expected IX's emenator to be different. OKAY WELL FINE it makes sense that some nihilsitic ppl would mask their thoughts, or you know have fun at times, it's just.... as an emenator, acheron isnt the epitomy of a mini nihility representation.

And the many ppl theorizing she is a finality emenator, i agreed with them since it logically makes sense which made me doubt the leaks for a second lol (but they were confiremed abt 3 times by now...)

but you know how this will make sense? i think acheron's identity reveals A LOT than just the existence of a nihility emenator.

aven suspected that acheron may be a finality emenator OR a nihility, and a previous SU remark by herta throws us off from reaching the assumption that, nihility has absorbed finality.

herta questions the existence of destruction when finality exists, since they have an overlap.

but when all clues of acheron point to her being a finality emenator, and in reality she's a nihility, i guess that theory sounds silly still, but has more weight.

altho tbf, destruction is abt nanook destroying the universe, while terminus stands for the natural finality of everything, while IX agrees with the last.

"They believe that the ultimate fate of the multiverse is nothingness, and therefore, worthless."

IX believes that the multiverse is destined to end, AND it never had meaning. in a sense, IX stands for finality more than terminus does, cuz terminus may believe in the finality of everything but their powers involve prophecies and time travel.

the theory of IX absorbing terminus is a bit too far fetched, especially since finality has active believers, so here's the next best thing : we know that all paths eventually converge towards the path of finality. IX being the closest, there's some kind of connection.

acheron's ult portrays a black hole, black holes wrap time, CONCEDENCE? I THINK NOT.

id like to mention that if IX truly absorbed finality, i'd have two nickles which isnt a lot but weird that it happened twice. in fact there's another aeon who disappeared mysteriously that overlaps with IX. THAT WILL SHOW HERTA TO PUT RESPECT ON THEIR NAME

it's oroboros, the voracity. from the name it doesnt sound similar but they have many description that fit IX :

"In the eyes of Oroboros, life is a flickering fragment floating in the sea of void, destined to return to the darkness along with the stars which birthed them "

now this line is interesting, as it represents oroboros metaphorically and IX literally, yet wasn't used for IX:

"the black hole with thought."

"They are reserved and uncommunicative, occasionally resulting in unintended consequences when attempting to speak — such as inadvertently consuming their conversation partner."

and what's the parallel in IX? as seen in our first meeting in SU, where TB's mind almost breaks, and supported by IX's profile :

"do not glance at the abyss of the void... for it holds nothing except for the ability to make mortals lose all reason and thought."

apparently acheron is one of the few individuals who can resist IX's mind break, the reason her character tricks us into not considering the nihility emenator option i'm jealous. i loved her authority tho ITS SO COOL! the actual damage she does to her surroundings... we understand now why she didnt unsheathe her sword against death, cuz then, well :3 spoilers! cant wait till i can freely talk abt it EEEEEE

now in reality, the closest finality emenator we have is elio, he might be an Omen Vanguard. it kinda makes sense for this path to be gatekept for a later stage in the story

and tadaa!

i cant say this in tags so ill say it here, PLS DOCTOR OF CHAOS EMENATOR PLSPLSPLSPLSPLSPLSPLSPLSSPLSPLSPLS

already feeling emotional abt IX blessing one of them 🥹

first doctor of chaos SHALL BE MINE

[cakepoppresent]

Will You Give Me A Chance 2?

Standing off to the side with Su, Vaughn sees Joaquin mingling with Veronica

Vaughn: What the hell, when did that Alto bastard get back to the city?

Su: Joaquin?? Oh shit, I didn't know he came back. Looks like Veronica already caught his eye. Sucks for you

Vaughn: You're useless

Su: Why am I being attacked rn

Vaughn: Why can't you be useful and get rid of that dude?

Su: I'm busy

Vaughn: Busy being a creep?

Su: Wow. I thought we were buddies for life

Vaughn: Stop bothering Grayson with your obsession you weirdo.

Su: You're the one to talk!

Su: When did you even get serious about her? Thought the playboy extraordinaire would never be tied down.

Vaughn: Shut the fuck up, clearly something has changed. Get over it.

Su: Interesting...Would you like me to be honest?

Vaughn: No. You're the worst wingman in history. You fucking suck

Su: Be honest with yourself. You're my buddy and I love you but the fact that she's giving you the time of day is crazy. You don't work, you live off your dad and your history with women is horrible. I know you hate your dad but you're graduating soon. What are you going to do? Just sit around in your apartment or tag along with Veronica while she goes to class?

Vaughn:...Of course not.

Su: So then? Do you want to trap her with a baby?

Vaughn:...No...

Su: Don't be stupid

Vaughn: I know I know! I suck and she deserves better. I just...I don't know how to start

Su: Talking to your dad would be a good start

Vaughn: Fuck that dude

Su: It's either that or watch Joaquin steal your women right in front of you

Vaughn: Fuck...

Su: She's kinda mean and prickly but since you like her you should get to her level. Right now you are not worth her time. Better not take too long. I heard Joaquin is a very persuasive man

Vaughn: Please go to hell

Su is harsh but it's the truth, he's been denying it these few months. Thinking Veronica wouldn't mind, he would figure something else out. She would wait for him, right? Of course not. But he had to try, if he missed the chance now, there wouldn't be another woman like Veronica

Previous - Next

[thewapolls]

So I'll be honest, I'm not 100% sure what's up with the series spanning boss monster, Bad News. (That is in fact its Japanese name, and not a translation: BA-DDO-NYUU-SU[バッドニュース])

It started in the original Wild Arms Ancient Arena as a big caveman with a club? His weird spooky eyes lit up beneath the darkness of an animal pelt cowl --it even appears to have little ears that sit on top its head and fans that frame its face. (It shares this model with the monsters Gigaflame and Gigafrost.)

But then starting with Wild Arms 2 he appears to be some kind of monster prowrestler, even having a tag-team partner, "Murdoch." And the returning Gigaflame and Gigafrost monsters are distinctly unrelated looking now as monstrous, almost kappa-like looking, giants/cavemen.(WA2 also introduced a Gigacloud and Gigapoison who would never be seen again.)

Then Wild Arms 3 got clever and the Bad News boss is actually just Ortega, the guy running the Gunners Heaven arena signup desk, who, after watching you kill his boss who'd just turned into a monster, decides you've impressed him... so this completely normal man takes on your party of 4 armed adventurers with his bare hands. He does also noticeably fight like a prowrestler and, at least in English, references Bad News as his "old ring name," so that's got adjacency with the WA2 design.

From there the other games all use the same model, it's a mostly normal looking guy with little oni horns, tiger stripe pro wrestling pants and boots, and a bamboo practice sword like some old fashioned Japanese gym teacher(is that even still a cliche people recognize? I had a surprisingly hard time finding examples... I feel like maybe it was already pretty outdated even when these games were coming out)...

The horns, general build and bodyhair, posture with the shinai(instead of a club or tetsubo), and the tiger print pants(rather than loin cloth) all point toward a spin on classic japanese Oni, which are sort of adjacent to the original caveman look. (Although if anything the original Gigaflame and Gigafrost would've passed as a red oni+Blue Oni duo, yet none of their designs seem to embrace that.)

Although the Tiger stripes on wrestling gear can't help but be at least a tiny bit evocative of Tiger Mask, which kinda goes back to the original having the wildcat pelt?

F in particular has two of them in a red pants and green pants variant, possibly as a throwback to WA2's Bad News and Murdoch?

Oh wait duh... Bad News Brown/Bad News Allen, real name Allen Coage, was an actual pro wrestler in Japan during the 70s-80s who broke into the American scene in the late 80s. So I doubt this isn't referencing him at least a little bit.

Also weirdly enough the final designs for Gigaflame and Gigafrost later in the series do seem to loop back around to looking like prowrestlers also, at least as far as the shorts and the belts go.

[thirstyforred]

ok fuck it jda x rejk death stranding au bc i can't sleep

so Jacques (or Alvin, or Jack (yes I know jacques≠jack , bear with me im stupid), or all of the three bc names are weird and not real), he's a porter, he has high levels of DOOMS, seeing BTs and crying a lot, and having all kinds of fucked up dreams. he's a honest man really, making deliveries, because what else is there to do in post-stranding world and also because he's hooked on those likes and extra dopamine, maybe he's few trecks away from actually joining MULEs who knows, who cares

he picks up delivery for some guy living in yet another bunker far away from any civilization, guy wants some parts to incinerator, he's not connect to the chiral network and doesn't care to join, and it kinda sucks to deliver for him, but also it's not Alvin's job to convince the dude, so whatever, keep going

guy's tag name is is Surgeon btw, there's often Timefall with BTs around his place, but even during the sunny day there's a lot of chiral in the air, Alvin always looks like a mess when he gets up to the terminal

they talk, dude lives alone and even if he acts like he doesn't, he craves some interactions, and that Alvin actually looks forward to, because dude is smart and has that dry sense of humor, and maybe even with grainy hologram Alvin is developing some crush, that's not the weirdest thing,

eventually Alvin learns that his name is Hubert, and soon after that Hubert asks for a special delivery, a favor actually, something off the record...

"There's a MULEs camp nearby, or so I heard. Would you mind sneaking there, knock one of them out and bring them here?"

and, well, Alvin expected to be asked for drugs or maybe weapons, that's just human trafficking, and yeah MULEs are pests, but that's a little... sus, to say the least

Alvin does this. it's delivery, it's for crush, you can't actually stuff person inside that cargo lift so either Hubert will have to come out or let him into the bunker. it's the first time something fuckin interesting happens.

it goes slowly, this flirt intertwined with mystery, first they see each other outside of the bunker, then Alvin gets invited inside, he tours various rooms, but not all, Alvin isn't stupid so he gets the idea what Hubert does long before "the surgeon" actually shows him everything

Hubert likes to cut them open, sometimes eat some, and what's left goes into incinerator. when it rains he observes BTs with cameras and various scanners. all of the data he collects would be very interesting to everyone in the chiral network, but for obvious reasons he can't join. maybe in the future he will leave data discs somewhere along the porters path for them to pick up

Alvin would then gladly drop it off somewhere far, miles away from Hubert's bunker. Hubert really likes this idea