#it is a beautiful place but its universities aren't the only places where you can get a proper education

[gold-finch]

romanticising old university cities seems so silly to me. you're not that special for studying in an old building

[voltronisanobsession]

Hii, sorry if you aren't willing to write for Voltron anymore. But I discovered your blog cause of the name, so I thought why not try? So here is one of my yandere ideas.

Yandere Voltron with isekaid reader? Basically, the reader was from real life, till they died. Either by truck-chan, or to a disease. But given their life was already very shitty, they didn't really care much. At least. Till the reader wakes up in their favorite show. Not as a main protagonist, or not even as a side character in one of the many episodes. Nah, the reader simply wakes up as an unknown character on some random planet. A planet that hasn't isn't a part of the Garla Empire, and reader paln to kept it that way. Eventually, Voltron starts to get on the move, and main characters meet reader. Except, reader doesn't really realized that they are now the main character of the story. So despite, being very perceptive of everyone and everything, they some how don't know that the characters are becoming yandere. One by one.

Again, sorry if you don't write about Voltron anymore, if you want you can ignore this completely. I just thought you might want to hear the idea. Don't let the Karens bite you, fight them off with the power of the shows you like if needed, and remember to take care.

Yandere Voltron with Isekaid!Reader

OMG STOOOPPPP I LOVE THIS SMMM!!!! AND THIS BEING A YANDERE ASK?? It's like all those batfam fics i read, i'm so happy you thought of this. I will always write for voltron, don't worry pookie

This might be long, hope you enjoy😅

A series of very much unfortunate events, readers life goes from crap to ok to crap again. Readers death was very short and brief on their end. In your world, Voltron was just a silly little show that you watched to get away from reality, a show you loved so dearly. So never did you imagine to be isakei'd into that same very world.

I like to think this was caused due to voltron traveling through different dimensions, like that one Altean reality. Kind of like an event that perfectly aligned, readers death and them escaping the reality.

Of course at first reader doesn't know where the HELL they are. Exploring this new place, its not hard to convince yourself you miraculously made it to heaven with how beautiful everything was. But it isn't long until they find the residents of this strange world. You live a good and easy life the weeks after your arrival as the townspeople openly accepted you into their world.

Reader has many similarities to these aliens, yet its very obvious that you take on a more humanoid appearance compared to them. Perhaps you share a similar skin tone, like green or blue. Maybe your eyes are the same shade as theirs. Despite this, your physical appearance is more human than alien without a doubt.

Reader only knows they're in the Voltron universe due to how often the townspeople talk about the Galra and Voltron rescuing imprisoned planets. Like I can imagine reader immediately jumping into someone's conversation to get more info, only for them to get weird looks

"Galra? Voltron?! Like from the show?? They're real?"

*Cue confused faces*

"Show? Um, I don't believe they're based off a show. They've been doing a lot of good for the universe!"

Its easy to put two and two together, but have no fear! Reader, being SMARTTT, already knows that they're in the Voltron universe. And if anything happens to the plot causing it to go astray from the og, it'll most likely have devastating consequences, so its a good thing that they're stuck on this unknown planet!

Especially one they don't remember ever being on the show!

Until some divine intervention wrecks that very idea one day with a giant mechanical lion falling from the sky.

You make sure to keep your distance from whatever paladin is staying in the village. It's not hard to do so with how many people lurk the streets to see a paladin of Voltron

But of course nothing ever goes Isekei'd!Reader's way when they bump into the one person they've been avoiding. It's as if time literally stops as they're eyes meet.

DUN DUUNNN! SHIRO! (My mans😍)

He's surprised to see someone almost like him after seeing all the townspeople's appearances. Shiro's seen some pretty wacky looking aliens so its almost like a slap in the face to find someone so human in the village.

Before he can even say anything though, you quite literally run away from him, leaving the black paladin in a state of confusion and curiosity. And since you're running AWAY from him, he figures you probably know the reason why his lion crash landed on this specific planet when it was fine before.

Cue to you trying to outrun him. Emphasis on TRYING. Cuz there's no way you could ever outrun him.

Once he catches you, its safe to say you're now permanently apart of their story. You, however, fail to realize that. It's hard to not reveal everything to the man in front of you, but some things may or may not have slipped out your mouth.

"HELLO STRANGE PALADIN! Welcome to our, um, planet? Uh, if you could get off of me Shiro, that would be amazing cuz I currently am freaking out right now!

"Keith is probably looking for you so get that black cat working and get outta here haha!"

With all of readers rambling and bad avoidance, Shiro can't shake off a growing feeling in him. Was it endearment? Pity, annoyance? Protectiveness? Possessiveness? Shaking the dark thought quickly, the man already knows you know more than what you're letting on.

"How do you know Keith?"

"Ummm we're cousins?" You're internally smacking yourself as the man in front of you raises an eyebrow.

SKIPPING SOME STUFF CUZ THIS IS GETTING A LITTLE LONG SO LETS JUMP TO THE YANDERE SHITTTTT😝😝

Being introduced to the team, they all seem to be drawn to you. Like there's some invisible force dragging them to your very being. It's sort of like an inner battle for them, allow themselves to get dragged into whatever this is willingly, or fight against it and fall harder into it.

Reader is kind of their unofficial prisoner, but not really a prisoner? So while it is very cool to meet some of their comfort characters, they accept the fact that they are now living in their world. They have no idea what the others are feeling or thinking, so they're kind of on their own from now on.

Some paladins I think that would willingly allow this divine obsession take place in their hearts are Shiro, Lance, and Allura.

Shiro was the first to find them, so it only makes sense that his obsession would take place first. He would mistake this new feeling as a need to protect. If reader is younger than him, then get used to being treated like a child. He doesn't mean to coddle you, but with how you seem to have ZERO survival skills and an air of childlike amazement at everything, he can't help but want to keep that to himself.

Lance is an easy going person, and very open to meeting new people. He's the easiest to fall into his yandere tendencies. He's basically a puppy whenever reader is around. He doesn't see anything wrong with his feelings ignoring how twisted they get the longer he's around them. You capture his attention as you don't necessarily push his overbearingness away like he's used to with everyone is. It's not like you can with how he's practically glued himself to your side.

Allura is a bit more on the umm condescending side? I don't want to say condescending, but she does feel like she has to help you learn space life. She enjoys teaching you about the ship and her planets history, of all the planets they've visited. Allura might actually see herself above you as she believes she holds more experience and knowledge of the universe than you do due to your previously mentioned childlike amazement. I think she might even see herself as your teacher, a master, and you her student. Little does she know that you are much familiar with the things she speaks of.

Now for the paladins that would be hesitant in the growing obsession, Hunk, Pidge and Keith.

Hunk is naturally a wary person when it comes to new people. Especially if he feels the vibes are off. I mean, here comes in a new person on the team that happens to know a little bit too much about them, about him! Like how do you know his name before meeting him? He's hesitant on being near you but seeing how kind you are to Lance of all people causes his a rift in his feelings. Maybe you aren't a bad person after all? He'd start growing a bit more protective of you each day the longer you guys hangout. Is this a good thing or a bad thing; only time will tell.

Pidge is standoffish to anyone who seems to know more than what they're letting on. She can tell it on you face when you look at her with a sense of familiarity despite her never having met you. She tries her best to block off the feelings of wanting to get closer to you, to hear you laugh at her jokes the same way you do with Lance and Hunk. There's not much she can do (does she even fight it anymore at this point) when you begin approaching her, mentioning some of her interests to continue talking to her. You seem to know exactly what to say to lower her guard, and she honestly doesn't know how to feel about that.

Keith is a double edged sword tbh. He'd be hesitant to get near you with these unfamiliar feelings flooding him. So he would either awkwardly get used to your prodding or he'd be quite aggressive with your presence. If we're talking about earlier season Keith, than I think he would most likely be the latter. He'd try interrogating you when know one's around. He'd try to get you to admit to something, anything to confirm his growing emotions are of suspicion instead of interest. He's immediately conflicted though once you turn emotionally at his barad of questions and accusations. He apologizes in a quiet voice and leaves, but one things for sure. He never wants you to look at him with the same fear you just did moments before.

Reader is just trying to get the plot to continue because hellooo?? The universe needs saving??

Reader knows EVERYTHING about the show and about the people they are now personally familiar with. However, they fail to realize the dark turn of events their presence brought to the team.

Sure they're acting a little unusual to how they normally would be on the show but it's not that big of a deal, right? Right?

Unrelated, but can you imagine how they would react to finding out reader is from another universe?? Even if you were to reassure them that you wouldn't be able to go back anyways, their paranoia would skyrocket.

If you were to die in their universe the same way you died in your universe, there's a chance that you'll get transported to another world! A world where you'll live without them. A world they'll never be able to reach. A world without them.

That thought alone terrifies them, so that's honestly when the true horror kicks in. BUT THAT'S FOR A DIFFERENT TIME!!!!

Everyone is wary of you at first, but with the strange emotions growing in them, they can't deny that your presence brings them an overwhelming sense of peace.

Their possessiveness will definitely set some alarms in your head but you stay in denial. You don’t want to believe that you may have, irreversibly, changed the Voltron universe.

A big question to think about is if you're gonna regret being isekai'd into this universe because they won't stay sweet for long.

[whereserpentswalk]

You work with people from other dimensions for a living. While you can travel to other dimensions, it's much easier to just connect your computer to computers from other dimensions. You end up finding out about a lot of strange places, alternate earths where things are diffrent in ways you could never imagine. Most people don't even know other dimensions exist, but to you it all feels so normal, so very distant but so very normal.

Because the company that you work on interdimensional technology for needs to outsource some of its dimensional work you end up very quickly having to contact people from other dimensions with a similar skillset to you for one project. And since it's easy to contact them you end up talking to them afterwards.

There's this one girl you end up messaging a lot. She seems so nice and sweet. You talk a lot about programing, and mathematics and magic (which are all very closely connected fields), she's one of the only people who seems to really understand the beauty in it the way you do. She's obviously from a very diffrent culture, and you never sent eachother images, but you like eachother a lot.

You end up messaging this girl more and more. She's the first to comfort you when one of your freinds turned on you, she was the first to support you when you came out to your parents, even though she didn't fully know what coming out was. She messages you "I love you" in the mornings sometimes. And even though she's far away, further way than anything in the universe, you understand her so well. You've seen her art, drawings she's done of buildings and structures around where she lives, they're like nothing you've ever seen before.

You start to talk about being in a romantic relationship. It's hard but you decide it's what you should do, almost what you have to do. You want to be her girlfriend, you want to know how it feels to hug her, for her to rest her head on your breasts on a warm summer night, to be inside eachother, to touch in a way you don't get to touch. But you can still message eachother, it's just one small contact but it means so much. You want to move in with her, it might never happen but there's something inside of you that wants to wake up next to her every morning.

Eventually you decide to build a portal to eachother, so you can see eachother, and if all goes well, you'll actually move in. You both need to talk to a lot of people, and get help from a lot of programmers and spellcasters from several dimensions, but it's done. The money that was supposed to let you move into a bigger apartment ends up going to a doorway sized portal, stored one of the few buildings in the city that can store such things. You need to get a ticket to go, even though the portal is yourse it needs people to operate it. But you can go. And if all goes well, you'll live together.

When you get to her dimension the first thing you feel is fear. It's dark, you think your underground, only a few bioluminescent organisms light the way. The city you're in is wet, and cold yet humid, everything is made of either moist steel, or dark wood that's covered in some strange layer of material that feels like wet cardboard. The creatures here aren't human at all, they're all strange bug like and fish like beings.

You eventually go to your girlfriend's apartment. Afraid of what you'll see. It's completely dark inside, and decorated like no human would ever decorate anything. When you see your girlfriend for the first time the horror breaks the love you want to feel. Her body looks humanoid, though she's so thin you can see her ribs, and pale in a way only corpses are useally pale. Her face was almost pretty, but her eyes were one solid pinkish color, and her moulth was just a tiny hole, like a jawless fish, it couldn't move at all. And massive fleshy tentacles came from her back, four of them, with razor teeth at their ends, for chewing her food outside her body so that her tiny slit of a mouth can lap it up. You both just stand there, you realize that this is the girl you love, you realize you look as horrifying to her as she does to you. You begin to weep, and she doesn't understand what your eyes are doing.

You spend the night in her apartment. There's no way you're moving in together. You're not sure what this means. You don't want to look at her at first, but eventually you do. You realize if you have to go back to your world you do want to spend time with her. Your languages work so differently that you still need to use computers to talk to eachother, but you can talk to eachother. And you tell her that you're sorry, that you still want to be together.

You let her hug you, and comfort you, her body is so strange, but it becomes less scary when you fully realize that it's her your looking at, that that's who you've messaged all those nights. Despite her eyes and mouth her face is pretty, and though her body is much thinner then you expected she still moves gracefully. You let her touch you, every way she wanted to touch you, let her tentacles wrap around your body. She shows you her computer setup, and her favorite video games, and she even gets to introduce you to some of her freinds, and her little isopod like pet who really likes being pet by you. You can't help but feel uncomfortable in her dimension, but you feel safe with her, and despite everything you enjoy being held and touched by her. At the end of your stay you make love for the first time, you don't have the same genitals as her species, but you make it work. You fall asleep in her arms, and she would do the same to you, but her kind does not sleep.

When you go back home, because you do have to go back home, you don't tell many people, even people who know about dimensions, what happened where you went. But you still message her a lot, and when you can you visit her, and very rarely she'll visit you. Your mother would never approve, and no priest would marry you, but you can't help but fall into the feeling of her body next to yourse.

[marsbutterfly]

The Boy Who Cried Your Name

a/n: HI!!!! I'M BACK AFTER SUCH A LONG HIATUS!!!! I MISSED YOU GUYS! This story was based on this postI hope you all enjoy!

ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢs: none, just fluff <3

2:07am > manjiro: ok this movie genuinely seems really stupid 2:08am > manjiro: i think i'll watch it and tell you all about it during our date tomorrow. 2:11am > manjiro: oh shit, i've seen this actor somewhere 2:13am > manjiro: i know you're asleep but like 2:13am > manjiro: when you wake up can you help me find out this dude's name? 2:13am > manjiro: *image*

It's a Tuesday night, or at least it was when you first went to sleep. The nonstop vibration of your phone combined with the light that comes from it is enough to disturb your deep slumber.

You grunt, eyes squinting as you try to adjust to the brightness. Your warm hand comes out from its place underneath your pillow, only to be received by a rush of cold air that comes from the AC. Your fingers tremble gently while trying your best to type in your passcode, though your brain isn't fully awake.

Ultimately you decide to simply shine the phone on your face in the hopes that it will recognize your features even in the dark of your room.

Before it can even unlock, another notification.

2:16am > manjiro: i am learning so much from this movie already 2:17am > manjiro: did you fucking know that you can make your own butter if you shake milk for long enough?

You can't help but giggle at the sight, 17+ messages from Mikey. Before the two of you became a real couple, he would hardly ever text first, maybe because he could never remember where he put his phone in the first place or maybe it was because he was actually afraid of getting his feelings hurt, after all, a girl like you was hard to come by.

When the two of you decided to become official, his texts became more and more frequent. Most nights, you were forced to put your phone on Do Not Disturb because you desperately needed a good night's rest and lord knows you wouldn't be able to achieve that goal as long as Mikey was awake.

Your thumbs aren't moving at the speed you would like them to, your vision is still partially blurry and your throat is so dry that it feels like you are swallowing nails. Nevertheless, you open the messages to encounter a great variety of content.

Tired eyes skim through the various paragraphs, some quite lengthy as he declares his endless love for you and everything you have done / do for him on a daily basis, describing how you are the most beautiful person you have ever met and how the light that radiates from you reminds him of a sunset lit inside of your chest. How the color of your hair is his favorite because, whenever he sees it anywhere else, he feels like the universe is sending him a small reminder of how lucky he is. You smile at the sight of his gentle words.

However, you can no longer ignore the rain of incoming texts now that he has noticed the "seen at 2:14am" at the bottom of the page. He feels awful for waking you up but he cannot help himself. Every new thing he learns, every new detail of the movie he thinks you will enjoy knowing, he must share with you.

2:15am > manjiro: THIS DUDE JUST ATE HIS MOTHER-IN-LAW WHOLE? 2:16am > manjiro: IS THAT A FUCKING THING THAT SNAKES DO? EAT PEOPLE WHOLE? 2:16am > manjiro: I HAVE TO GOOGLE THIS HOLD ON 2:17am > manjiro: I have learned that, in fact, they can. I'm actually going to jump, I cannot do this 2:18am > manjiro: oh shit, i didn't mean to wake you up, but now that you are here! 2:19am > manjiro: did you know that drinking too much water can kill you? I read it somewhere, let me find the link. 2:19am > manjiro: Oh and also that when the dinosaurs walked the Earth, days were 23 hours long instead of 24?

You take a deep breath, knowing that he is coming from a place of love and care but you can't help but be a bit annoyed. Not wanting to snap at him, you use your full mental capacity at the moment to type a response to one of his many, many texts.

2:19am > manjiro: typing... 2:19am > you: Mikey, I love you, so so much and I wish for nothing more than for you to be here cuddling with me, than to feel the warmth of your body against mine, but you know I have an exam early in the morning. 2:20am > you: but baby, I am begging you, STOP THIS MADNESS.

His texting ceases and it feels like an eternity, certainly long enough for you to regret the way you spoke to him, even if it wasn't malicious or even purposefully mean. You understand that, other than Draken, Mikey doesn't usually confide in anyone else, especially not in a way that makes him seem weak or "stupid."

A sigh escapes your lips and you blink intensely for a few seconds in the hopes of stopping your eyeballs from burning. Time seems to slip by you and the next time your eyes open, twenty minutes have passed.

You bolt awake for a few seconds, heart beating faster than a race car, an irrational fear that you might have missed a message from him taking over you so the natural course of action is to check your texts. It would be a lie to say you weren't a little disappointed that there were no new messages from Mikey in that short period of time and your heart sinks just slightly.

2:41am > you: Mikey, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you, I'm just nervous about my exam and super tired. I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I hope you can forgive me.

Not even thirty seconds go by before the three dots inside of the blue bubble appear at the edge of the page. The full sensation of relief doesn't wash over you until you hear back from him, a simple message, spelled completely wrong because you knew he was keeping an eye out on whatever he was watching on the television.

2:42am > mikey: all gpod bsby, u luv u. (all good baby, i love you)

With a smile on your face, you finally allow yourself to relax and place the phone down underneath your pillow, giving Mikey time for himself as he enjoys his tv time. Now, you are finally going to be able to have a good night's rest before your big exam tomorrow. Eyelids become heavy and your breathing finds its own perfect pattern, your pillow is cold and underneath your covers is warm, everything is simply falling into place.

When you are within seconds of falling asleep, your phone buzzes from beneath your head. You refuse to open your eyes and simply roll over, pushing your body away from the device.

Some time passes and you find yourself in the same peaceful vibe as before, a gentle smile on your face as you fully allow yourself to be submerged in the cold feeling of the ac against your face while the rest of your body is nicely tucked away. The feeling doesn't last long for Mikey, once again, decides to start texting you every few minutes, if not seconds.

You grunt loudly, reaching for the edge of your pillow to pull it over your ear. In moments like these, you truly had to remind yourself of how much you loved him and why because he does, in fact, test what little sanity you have left in you. But you didn't know that all he was doing in that moment was being his usual self: the guy who is deeply and madly in love with you.

3:14am > manjiro: oh yeah 3:14am > manjiro: i forgot to tell you 3:15am > manjiro: good luck on your exam tomorrow, you got this! 3:15am > manjiro: i love you so much <3 3:15am > manjiro: have a great night <3

[dreadsuitsamus]

hi lovely. please may i request a sfw where Vegeta dotes on pregnant!reader? totally gets me giddy!

Cherish | Vegeta x Reader |

author's note: i love this request!! and i will be setting this in the universe of my vegeta x reader series Lost (which you can find in my masterlist) though this can be read standalone!

pairing: vegeta x fem!reader

warning: pregnant!reader, saiyan!reader, planet vegeta au, fluff

As you come to, the swell of your belly is the first thing you recognize. It's the same as every morning these days, and it never fails to bring a small lift to your lips. It's been some time since you became pregnant and your dear son that grows inside of you every day will be born sooner than later.

Surprisingly, you feel the warmth of your husband beside you. He's still in bed rather than training with his father? And not only is he still here, he's awake. Most Saiyans aren't the type to lounge around, but your husband tops that list. He's far too restless and frankly annoying when he's forced to linger around, sickness or severe injury being the only two things to keep him in bed.

"Good morning." He murmurs, voice deeper than normal thanks to the sleep still blanketing it. His palm finds your belly instantly, hot to the touch and immediately being met with a strong kick from his heir.

"Oof!" You wince at the strike, Vegeta rubbing the spot soothingly.

"Show me your strength when you're born, son. Hurting your mother when she can't fight back is the coward's way."

An ugly snort leaves you. "Hurting his mother at all is wrong, you mean. I'm giving him this life and if he tests me hard enough…"

"Shhh… Don't speak such words about my boy." Your husband's fingers lovingly massage that same spot and his nose finds the curve of your neck as your special pregnancy pheromones call to him as your mate and the father of your baby. He's always been drunk on your special scent, long before your marriage and mating ceremony, but this special scent won't be around much longer and he'll have to savor every bit of it until you next fall pregnant.

"Our boy." You murmur and close your eyes as your husband soothes you.

"Ours." Vegeta confirms, nipping your neck gently. But before he can try and advance things, your bladder strikes you with its reminder of why you woke up in the first place.

"Bite me later." The murmur leaves your lips in a hurry as you begin to push yourself up, your big baby bump making the endeavor quite the challenge. Well-trained Saiyan or not, you can't fight gravity and its pull at the uneven weight distribution of your condition.

"You'll hurt yourself like that." Vegeta chides and is up in an instant, cradling you and lifting you with incredible ease. Part of you feels mild irritation creeping up your spine. You're a warrior, the strongest Saiyan woman on this entire planet and he's treating you as meek!

But the softer side of you that's not so prideful can't help but swoon at his care for you.

Still, you cross your arms with a pout. "I had it under control."

"And I have it more under control." Vegeta takes you into your large bathroom, lowering you until your feet touch the smooth floor. Allowing you a moment's humility, he closes his eyes as you take his hands and lower yourself to relieve your poor bladder that's regularly elbow-dropped by your precious baby boy.

Squeezing your hands when you're all done, Vegeta helps you to your feet again and doesn't stray far when you wash your hands. The sunlight streaming in from the windows casts a lovely glow on his exposed body, and you hum to yourself in appreciation for such a handsome, beautiful man. Raising a brow at your obvious staring, Vegeta crosses his thick arms with a teasing little smirk, the one he always saves for you.

"This pregnancy has made you lose your shame."

"Tch! I'm pregnant! The entire planet knows what had to be done to achieve such a condition. There's no shame in my game."

Vegeta laughs softly and his hands find your hips while he noses along the curve of your neck. He's more clingy than he normally is, paired with his more lenient demeanor and his happiness is quite evident. He's got everything he's been owed as the Prince of all Saiyans, after all, and there's only more good to come his way.

"Why aren't you training with your father, hm?" Your arms loop around your husband's neck, tails lazily linking together during your warm embrace.

"Tch, as if I want to be anywhere near the old man right now." Vegeta grumbles. "You're set to give birth soon— the training grounds will still be there after V is born and incubated."

"I don't want to put him in the pod." You murmur the somewhat controversial statement softly, hiding in your husband's broad chest. The practice of incubating newborn Saiyans isn't new, but you never really took issue with it until the realization that your baby will be put in one hit.

"I know." Vegeta gives your hips a gentle squeeze. "But he will be stronger because of it."

"Mm."

"Come; you shouldn't be on your feet long." Blessedly, Vegeta allows you to walk instead of carrying you again, holding your hands again as you sit down onto the loveseat. Your chest huffs at the energy exertion, feeling full and yet empty at the same time. Vegeta wastes no time in propping your feet up and massaging at one of your ankles gently as he examines it, a soft tut on his lips as he notices a light swelling. "Even that was too much. You're on bedrest now."

"I'm not some fragile human, Vegeta." Narrowing your eyes, you feel the uncomfortable feeling down to your very soul; restless energy dwelling all the way down to your bones, eager for a training session or even a simple run.

"Funnily enough, I don't recall saying as much." Vegeta's brow twitches in mild irritation, reminded of himself in this moment. He takes a calming breath, exhaling slowly through his nose: you're heavily pregnant and you deserve to bitch a little.

Vegeta pulls on a fresh set of armor, topping it off with his beloved white gloves as always. There are few things important enough to make him leave your side during this time, but damn if he won't be ready for such an occasion regardless. "I'll be right back after a word with my father, and return with breakfast. Don't you even think about leaving that spot, woman."

"I couldn't if I tried." You grumble and pick up a book you'd found during one of your expeditions, having already read it several times over but still being so enthralled by the story that you can't help reading it again and again. You finished half of the novel yesterday, and it looks like you'll have no choice but to read the other half today to quell your boredom.

He's hardly gone ten minutes before his return, servants in tow with a large feast to break your fast with. They flutter around, efficiently placing each plate and bowl and utensil anywhere they can, Vegeta's hard stare spurring them on faster. "Is this enough?" He murmurs to you, fully intent on making the help's life hell if it isn't.

"Honey, this is enough for three full-grown Saiyans." You snort and wave off your servants, all of them leaving just as quickly as they arrived.

"You're eating for two!"

"Hardly! The boy needs very little in comparison to you or me."

"He's the future of our planet! He needs nutrition." Vegeta fills a large plate for you with plenty of meat and greens and berries, settling beside you on the couch with his own platter once he's kicked his boots and pulled his chestplate off.

"Thank you, love." Your watering mouth welcomes breakfast despite your protests of it being too much food, and you dig in happily.

"Mm." Vegeta tears into a leg of meat, his appetite near feral, just as it is every morning. Yours isn't far from matching, however, as being pregnant has given you even more of a hunger.

Words are few and far between during breakfast, and it's with a satisfied little sigh that you set aside your emptied plate. "Alright… Sometimes you're right."

"How kind of you to recognize." Vegeta says dryly, having a long pull of water from his cup. Your eyelids are heavy as V moves around inside, bumping your ribs and organs without a care in the world as he makes himself comfy.

"Is he hurting you?" Vegeta watches your belly carefully, swiping his palm down the length of the baby bump to calm the baby's restlessness. "You'll be out soon, son, but it's not your time just yet."

"It's not painful." You assure him. "I just feel… Full and heavy, and sometimes it's quite uncomfortable. My breasts hurt and I can hardly walk anymore— I'm sick of this pregnancy!" Tears well in your eyes, rather randomly you feel, and Vegeta's thumb swipes away a stray.

"Shh… Relax." Your husband moves in closer, rubbing the sensitive part of your back where your tail protrudes from. It's as relaxing as an orgasm, a shiver trembling down your spine as Vegeta's fangs find the scar on your neck from his mating bite and latch down with ease, sending your mind into pure bliss.

"Mmm… Vegeta…" You close your eyes and smile, feeling weightless now as comfort settles in. You can certainly always count on your husband's hands and his strong bite to soothe you.

Your husband kisses your neck, drunk on your scent once again as his eyes slip shut. "You should rest."

"I suppose I could benefit from a nap…" Your fingers clutch his skintight blue armor, however, willing him closer. As if he'd ever leave your side!

Lifted into his strong arms again, your heart flutters at the short journey back to bed. You may never tire of being held by the man you married, or you at least certainly hope not to. Vegeta handles you like glass and oh so gently places you on your side of the bed, his tail flicking happily at the sight of you. You look at him with all of your love, every single day. Even with his child using your insides as a boxing ring, you're grateful and happy to be here with him. What started as a routine betrothal became so much more, so genuine and real and god he never thought he'd have this much love in his heart.

"I love you too." You tease him knowingly, tugging him into bed. Your strength certainly hasn't disappeared, Vegeta muses as he carefully avoids landing on your belly. And good thing too, with how hard the baby's kicks are. It's no wonder you couldn't get pregnant under the restrictions his father placed you under, believing they would help you conceive— you certainly wouldn't have been able to withstand such a pregnancy had you remained so weak.

Vegeta's tail finds yours, silently telling you all the words he can't bring himself to say as he pulls the blankets back over your bodies. He's not the type to sleep all day long, but he'll allow it this time. His arms ache entirely too much to hold you and his tail grips yours so tightly that even if he had plans to train, he couldn't. With a sweet kiss to your husband's lips, you settle in for a cozy little nap while you still have the chance to.

[spiralwriting]

Yandere! Doctor Who x Reader

[Can be imagined as any doctor you wish... except the most recent one I suppose.]

- Yandere! Doctor Who, the man that mysteriously showed up in your garden one night. A man without a name, without a family, and without a logical explanation as to why he was here.

- Yandere! Doctor Who, the man that completely enraptures you. From his tails of other dimensions, to his claims of being an alien with a time-traveling police box. He's odd, but oh so enchanting.

- Yandere! Doctor Who, the man that offers to show you amazing things, go amazing places! Places where few humans get to go.

- Yandere! Doctor Who, the man that asks you to trust him... And you do. You take his hand, entering the magical box that's somehow bigger on the inside, and set off to places unimaginable.

- Yandere! Doctor Who, the man that shows you the universe in all its ethereal glory. Galaxys upon galaxys, planet upon planets, timelines upon timelines, all with their own unique beauty.

- Yandere! Doctor Who, the man that protects you against evil, that helps the vulnerable, that saves the universe as you know it. The man you grew to love.

- Yandere! Doctor Who, the man that's horribly rusty with human love, yet an amazing charmer. A wink and a smirk dazzling enough to make your knees wobble and your heart sore. Contrasted with those adorable puppy like eyes staring up at you as you take control.

- Yandere! Doctor Who, the man that finds it hard to focus with you around. He tries and tries, but his mind always wanders back to you. Your safety, your touch, your warmth, your comfort. You've captured him in a web he's not sure he even wants to try untangle.

- Yandere! Doctor Who, the man that catches wind of your homesickness before your even aware of it yourself. He panics for merely a moment before coming to the conclusion that he just needs to show you more, give you more! The feeling will pass any day.

- Yandere! Doctor Who, the man that falters when you ask him to bring you home. His body freezes, grip tightening on your waist, whilst he listens to your heart beating against your ribs. He calms at the feeling of your fingers in his hair.

- Yandere! Doctor Who, the man that asks you: why? Aren't you having fun? The man that doesn't understand that you've thrown your life away without thinking, because you are the only life he has. He manages to convince you, he can bring you back to exactly when you left, nobody will know, you won't have missed anything, so why not enjoy yourself a little more? It works, but for how long will you be content?

- Yandere! Doctor Who, the man that practically throws a fit when you demand to be brought home. He's bargaining, then yelling, then crying, then yelling some more. It's like whiplash. You need him! Just as much as he needs you! Without him, you can't be safe, you could get hurt... Or die! Boom, and your life is over! Wouldn't you rather live this life with him than possibly none at all?

- Yandere! Doctor Who, the man that eventually gives in to your demands, but not without a plan. Sure, he'll bring you back to earth, but you never did specify which one. He brings you back and for a while, things are normal, until an outbreak of disease and evil sweeps through the world.

- Yandere! Doctor Who, the man that you wish and pray to come back for you. You regret everything, he was right, you'll go with him if it means you'll be safe.

- Yandere! Doctor Who, the man that hears it all, sitting in an unspoken corner of your house, camped out in the TARDIS, waiting for the right moment to swoop in and save you. That moment comes along just as an infected goes to attack you, he grabs your hand and drags you into his box.

- Yandere! Doctor Who, the man that you hug desperately, tears burning your eyes as you beg him to forgive you, while thanking him for saving you. You never did seem to notice that the TARDIS was in your livingroom.

- Yandere! Doctor Who, the man that so graciously forgives you and promises to protect you no matter what, as long as you promise to never doubt him again. Foolishly, you agree.

- Yandere! Doctor Who, the man that looks over his shoulder, towards your sleeping form, smiling gently to himself. The man that's quite proud of himself for coming up with such a plan. The man that has you all to himself now.

[Nobody asked for this, but I delivered anyways. I actually haven't watched Doctor Who in quite a long time, so I apologise if this isn't accurate to the character at all, feel free to tell me your thoughts.]

[avaantares]

People who live in population centers often don't realize just how much the urban/suburban lightscape has robbed them of.

Not just the stars and galaxies you should be able to see with the naked eye -- though that is also something that's almost impossible to see near cities due to light pollution -- but also the absolutely magical experience of seeing fireflies the way they should be seen. The way they can only exist away from man-made light sources.

Coming back from a historic small-town theatre I frequent, I have the choice between taking the interstate or the rural back roads. I almost always choose the latter, so earlier this evening I was driving out in the country for about 15 miles. That region is primarily farmland with a handful of scattered residences. It was around dusk, and -- friends, it was like the earth was covered in glitter. In the fallow fields and pastures, tens of thousands of fireflies sparkling, just this universal, unbroken twinkling everywhere you looked. The kind of light show that doesn't even look real because we're used to seeing just a few fireflies at a time, if we're lucky enough to have a large backyard or a patch of woods nearby. Or maybe you don't get to see fireflies at all because you're in a city and there's nowhere for them to lay eggs (in undisturbed fallen leaves, mostly), so you've only seen them in videos. But the fireflies were the only lights on this land before we put up our electric flood lights and streetlamps, and in these broad swaths of unlighted field and self-mulching fencerows, they're still thriving.

I watched this display in awe as I drove, slowing down at times to admire a particularly flashy area. And then I'd drive past a house with a billion watts of exterior security lighting, and... nothing. Not a glimmer in those yards. Maybe one lonesome flicker in the ditch by the road, a firefly that couldn't find the party or didn't make it to the darker areas for some reason. It's alone because there's no reason for fireflies to come to bright places; they light up to find mates, and they're obscured and blinded by the man-made lights.

The closer I got to my suburban home, the fewer fireflies there were along the road. When I came to the high school with its massive day-bright stadium lights that stay on all night (and which fill me with rage fully as incandescent for so many reasons), I didn't spot a single firefly for a quarter mile in either direction. Kids growing up in the neighborhoods around that school will never have the chance to watch fireflies in their own yards, or learn to scoop them gently from underneath to catch them without harming them and then let them crawl to the tips of their fingers to fly away again. When they grow up, they won't have any emotional association with fireflies that would inspire them to leave a few leaf piles along the fence in autumn, or to turn out the exterior lights at dusk and let the fireflies do their thing.

It saddens me that many (probably the majority of) people living in this era aren't getting to see how beautiful nature is when we just leave it alone. Instead of enjoying its natural state, we're spraying poisons on our lawns, and replacing native species with non-native ones because the yard looks more uniform that way, and throwing bagged leaves in landfills instead of letting them break down naturally and provide vital habitat for small animals and insects, and installing so many landscaping and security lights around our residences that you could stand in the yard and read by them in the middle of the night. Fireflies are actually threatened in some areas where they used to be common because of all these things.

If you live in a city or a lighted suburban area, I'd encourage you to try to get out to the country at least once and experience fireflies in force in their natural habitat. And if you're in an area where fireflies are native and you are in a position to, maybe leave a little pile of wet leaves for them in a corner of the yard. Turn out the lights in summer. Refrain from spraying pesticides on your grass.

Let the little guys light up the world for another generation.

[noshowscon]

I am thinking about Gavin and Nines in a kind of alternative universe, still with androids and in Detroit and the future looks rather gross, without fancy and modern devices and design. Big and grey massive buildings deprived of any sense of design. Boring and scary. Many abandoned or collapsing. In a big economic crisis, crimes, caused by androids' revolution. Although androids won their freedom, they are still not respected by the majority of society, abused and underpaid at work.

But Nines and Gavin try their best to live from first to first, because even with Gavin's detective salary, in the face of crisis they aren't able to afford even a decent apartment. They live in a block of flats in the outskirts of the city, nasty and moldy. In their flat they only have a kitchen, bathroom and living room where they can sleep. They have to take care of food for Gavin and thirium for Nines which is very needed (since blue blood is just life-giving, he can't go without complementing it) and also lately it is more expensive than usual.

Although the surrounding world is far from beautiful and perfect, they are used to living in it, especially when they have each other. After a whole day of cleaning streets from criminals and judging looks from their neighbors, they can close themselves in their home, because no matter how bad it looks, they can call it home. The person you live with matters, not where. A place where you feel safe is home. Gavin finds his in Nines' arms. They spend evenings watching TV, talking and cuddling, far from smog, rusty constructions, noise, people. They can go through everything if only they are together and can depend on each other.

Gavin takes care of a cat he has found years ago around trash cans, abandoned and wounded. The black eventually got healed with Gavin's help and the cat stayed at the flat with them, being an addition to the household. Evenings without petting the small black creature and its purring aren't full. The same as mornings without a cup of coffee and cigarette for Gavin. He's reminded every day by Nines how much disaster he brings on himself by smoking, but he has done it for too long to quit. It gives him a weird psychical and physical feeling of stability after all those years, used to tart taste, burning his insides.

And when he's looking at the city sinking in early sun rays, with Nines next to him, he knows it's his place in the world. Finally somewhere he belongs. It may have a lot of unrepairable flaws and a little to change, but knowing he doesn't have to go through it alone, gives him the slightest feeling of hope. Something odd for him, but in some way pleasantly warming his heart.

[extraskully5]

Since Hisui has the only naturally occurring Alpha pokemon and such I'm pretty sure do you even have to deal with poachers who come for the goal of catching the alpha specimens to sell in other regions since foreign poachers wouldn't have that same fear of pokemon?

In my universe, alphas exist in every region, they're just more common in Hisui because it's not modernized and there aren't many humans there. When foreign poachers do make their way to hisui, it's often for the unique hisuian forms.

Hisuian forms, in my universe, exist alongside their "classic" forms. But hisuian forms are much, much older versions of the species that have been around since more ancient times. They are all very close to extinction, especially the hisuian form starters. Their alternate forms essentially evolved to lose traits that made the sought after by poachers.

(Prepare for a yap fest-)

:readmore:

For example, Goodra lost its shell since they were often hunted for the metal in their shells. Sliggoo as well

Samurott's shells and armor was harvested to make weapons, being much harder than it's modern counterpart. While this problem still exists, it isn't as prevalent as people started to lose interest without the unique dark colors it had before. Samurott are also better able to blend into the sand of beaches where they roam and hide.

Decidueye was hunted for its beautiful and bright red feathers that stood out from many other grass types. By becoming more natural greens and wings that can fully cover their white feathers, Decidueye became much harder to spot and less appealing.

Arcanine's fur became much less smooth and much harder to maintain, making them less popular for fur coats. Though it still faces issues of its fur being used to stuff winter coats, blankets, and similar objects. The same applies to growlithe mostly

Electrode and Voltorb weren't particularly poached but rather evolved to loose the grass typing to better survive in more modern areas they'd migrated to. They are the most common of the hisuian forms.

Qwilfish and overqwil often had their spines harvested for weapons. Qwilfish became much harder to spot as its colors changed and its spines were less useful as they got shorter. Overqwil wasn't quite able to make it that far. They are now critically endangered.

Sneasel was hunted for its fur and feathers, popular accessories for royalty. Sneasler was harvested for its claws and is now extinct in the wild. A few trainers in other regions have put together programs to try and revive the wild populations with individuals they'd caught.

Lilligant was never really poached either but was rather much too easy for faster predators to spot and catch. It's flowers were sought after but those would often be shed and people didn't find it worth the time and effort to kill the pokemon for it. It just evolved to have better camouflage to hide from predators.

Typhlosion had a similar issue to sneasel.

Zorua and Zoroark were rare enough to begin with but are now almost entirely extinct in the wild. Their fur is said to be extremely soft and silky. Whether this is true or not isn't quite clear to modern societies. They evolved better illusionary skills and became almost exclusively nocturnal.

Braviary was popular for its feathers but was very rarely caught. They are still very common but extremely difficult to find or catch if one doesn't know where to look (which most dont). The modern braviary evolved from hisuian individuals migrating and choosing to stay in warmer areas of other regions.

Avalugg is just a result of migration, searching for colder places. Hisui had warmed significantly from what they had originally adapted to, the waters especially. Many started to lose the rock typing as they became more accustomed to treading water

[shinechermont]

This is a (rewritten) one-shot based on @sisi-sarsoura's request for Phemto(my sona/oc) and Swad (litemong and song_a's baby) having a picnic

i hope you enjoy!

"You seem quite impressed by the place." Swad laughed at his friend's expression when she first stepped inside of the garden.

Phemto couldn't help but laugh as well. "Well, what did you expect when showing me your particular natural reserve that you call a garden?"

Swad let out a polite chuckle. "This place isn't as big as it used to be. When I arrived it was a big forest, you know? But there were some vermins people who destroyed part of it before I intervened."

"Do you have some attachment to this place?" Phemto asked. She then noticed that they were talking about HIS garden in HIS property. She wanted to facepalm herself.

She probably made a fun expression as she was roasting herself internally, because Swad laughed at her with no ill intentions.

"Oh, darling, I can tell you are beating yourself. This was supposed to be a moment for us to hang out and have fun." Swad proclaimed. He now seemed to be more bothered about her negative feelings than any other stupid questions she could make, looking at her with a... worried gaze? It was hard to tell because he was smiling as always.

"Alright, sorry..." She said sheepishly. The skeleton put a and on her shoulder as he guided her to their picnic spot.

"This place looks a lot alike the forest I lived nearby when I was a kid." He admitted with a soft tone. "Sadly the universe where it belonged to has been destroyed long ago..."

"I see..." Phemto said. She now feared that her question brought bad memories. Swad seemed kind of... distant as he explained things to her.

She supposed it was for the better to change the subject. "What are we having? Is the food that good for you to insist that I shouldn't bring anything?"

"Impatient, aren't you?~" Swad said with a teasing expression. "Well, the spot is right there, so why don't we discover?"

The spot was,in fact, a couple feet in front of them. They walked in direction to it and sat down. Phemto could only observe how the place was beautiful.

Apparently her friend chose a part of the garden next to a lake, with their spot being under a tree. There were also some small flowers growing near the lakeshore. That really made Phemto wish tis wouldn't be the only time she was going to be asked to go toa picnic.

She helped Swad to unpack the food he brought. Was he the one who did it? He never mentioned about cooking...

She picked a sandwich and started eating it. Chicken. Well, it tasted good.

She picked a bottle with some red liquid, preparing to serve herself and Swad when he stopped her.

"Darling, I think you picked my bottle." He said kindly. "I'd like to share, but I had to add some things that would probably ruin the taste for you. Here, lemme serve this instead."

He poured some beverage of similar color, though its color tone was less intense. It smelled like tea.

The bat monster thanked her friend as she took a sip from her cup, watching the other pour his own beverage in his cup. The liquid seemed more viscous and had a funny yet quite familiar smell... which she couldn't tell what it was.

"Well, how have your week been?" Swad asked after taking a sip from his cup.

"There weren't as many costumers for Ms. Muffet's dismay." Phemto said. "I would like to say that he was one of the few people I saw, but he wasn't."

Swad hummed in acknowledge, seeming upset by those news, but he recomposed himself quickly. "...Is it just that? You didn't do anything else?"

"My life is not as exciting as you think." The bat monster teased. "The only different thing that happened was your invite."

"How about you?" She asked.

"I didn't do much as well. We just threw a small party for one of my business partners' birthday."

"Oh, Was the party good?"

"Yes! We even managed to make some good deals."

Phemto wasn't sure about what exactly was this business Swad had, but at this point she supposed it had something to do with him. Of course she never asked about it, in fear of both meddling with something she shouldn't know (otherwise Swad would have already told her, right?) and making her friend upset.

She hoped one day he could her what it was. Swad was one of her greatest friends more like one of the only and yet she knew so, so less about him.

For now, she'd just enjoy her time with him.

[beyondmistland]

Other stuff I've watched/rewatched over the past few months (in no particular order)

Deadpool & Wolverine (A little too self-indulgent at times but still great fun)

Alien Romulus (Way better than Alien Covenant)

X-Men 97 (Never saw the original series, which is also on Disney+, but had no trouble following along)

The Dragon Prince S6 (After the abysmal S4 and mixed S5 this was for the most part a much needed return to form, Verin and Claudia remain my favorite characters, episode 8 "We All Fall Down" is definitely one of my favorite episodes of any animated show ever)

Cobra Kai Final Season Parts 1 and 2 (I felt Part I was stronger than Part II and that the finale of Part II was a little too OTP, still curious to see how they're going to wrap this up given the aforementioned finale)

Pluto (Absolutely amazing from start to finish, first episode is the best tho)

Godzilla Minus One (A monster movie where the human characters aren't a drawback, the fact this looks better than all of Marvel's recent output despite having a vastly inferior budget is the icing on top)

The Wild Robot (If this doesn't win any awards this year there is no justice in the universe, sucks tho that its one of the last two projects Dreamworks animated entirely in-house alongside Kung Fu Panda 4)

The Rocketeer (Good ol 90s fun featuring Nazi baddies)

The Sandlot (Still holds up reasonably well surprisingly)

Bad Boys: Ride or Die (Good dumb action fun, which sometimes is all you want (or need))

Hitman (Glen Powell is awesome, the fact its (loosely) based on a true story only makes it even better)

Edge of Tomorrow (Really well-put together apart from the very last scene, also cements Emily Blunt as one of my go-to fancasts for Emma Coldwine)

Beauty and the Beast (Way better than the live-action version, Gaston's mundane nature makes him (like Frollo) a way worse (and terrifying) villain than say Ursula or Jafar)

The Harder They Fall (An all-black western? Sign me up, the fact the characters were real people (even if the actual events in the movie are not) only makes the movie cooler, did have a hard time understanding what was being said sometimes in part due to the actors using low voices)

The Little Mermaid (Hellfire > Poor Unfortunate Souls, fight me)

Agatha All Along (A rare Marvel TV show that both 1) consistently entertains throughout and 2) Doesn't descend into mindless CGI action during the climax, only other example I can think of would be Loki which I still rate higher, not least because Loki is the only Marvel property with a distinct soundtrack to my ears (Only other bit of Marvel music that has stuck in my head all these years is the Avengers' theme and Bucky's theme from Winter Soldier))

Hocus Pocus (It was...OK I guess?)

Arcane S2 (While less character-driven and more plot-driven than S1 this show is still one of the best animated series I can recall watching, favorite part would have to be episode 7, favorite characters would have to be Victor and Ambessa, definitely excited for more LoL-based adaptations)

Wizards Beyond Waverly Place (Fun for the whole family, also makes me a bit nostalgic)

Kung Fu Panda 4 (Not bad but also not as good as the first and third (Still haven't seen the second, which annoys me to no end because I've heard Lord Shen is the best of the Kung Fu Panda villains))

:)

[quillsandblades]

when you get this, list 5 sounds that the world around us makes that u like to listen to, publish. then, send this ask to 10 of your favorite followers (positivity is cool, but no pressure!) ♥️⚔️

Thanks for the ask sunny, that's quite an interesting one!!

Hmm let's see, idk if they'll make sense and I might get off topic in between but you asked first so get ready for a rant 🙃

The sound of rivers (especially the fast flowing ones) and streams. Firstly, it's the nature, the beauty of it. There's calm in a river's chaos, in its constant noise of splash and flow. The crystal clear waters, sometimes blue and sometimes sea green, showing glistening round rocks where it's shallow enough. You stand in there and feel the river beat against your ankles, ice cold. And to me, it's like a long forgotten home (it might sound stupid ok, but that's just how I feel). And I've got a lot of good memories near rivers and streams, so whenever I see or hear one I feel way too happy. You can just sit in, dangle your feet in the water and forget about the world for a while, and just live.

The birds chirping in the early morning, when the sun is rising. It's the clearest sound when all else is silent, hundreds of birds, their hundreds of voices, all greeting the sun. To me it feels like time has stopped for a while and even the universe has gone still to catch its breath. It's the timelessness that I love, I can breathe without a worry for a while, I can think about this and that. Even the birds are chirping in ease. (Interestingly, the sound of the birds in the evening makes me anxious. Some of the calls are drawn out, others are hurried. They're all rushing to their nests as if it's all one big race. It's a signal that the day has ended. It's over for now. Whatever I managed to do today was all I achieved and it leaves me with a sense of urgency I really don't like)

A baby or a child's laughter. I think I don't even have to explain this one. Children's joy is a very pure kind of joy, so whenever a child laughs it makes me feel that if there's something capable of making a baby happy in this world, then things really aren't all that bad. And besides, their giggles are so damn contagious, I always fail to hold in my own laughter seeing them like that.

A rooster crowing. This one cuz it brings back good memories, I've had roosters around my house since I was basically three. I'm used to hearing them crow and let me tell you, their calls are certainly not confined to the sunrise only. I've had many sleepless nights bcz they were up all the damn time and crowing after every ten minutes and then they never made a single sound when the sun rose. I've come to believe they do it whenever they're in the mood, the sun really isn't a factor. But it's nice to have them around. All the roosters we've had up till now always attack my brother a lot whenever he comes out - as I said, good memories 🙂

And then there's noise a certain crowd makes. I'm not a fan of loud places or huge noisy crowds, but what I'm talking about here is the relived chatter of students when they leave the exam hall, the whooping and cheers during a class party or a festival, the ruckus of voices talking over one another along with songs and laughter woven in during trips. It's a mark of the time we're spending together, making memories, living the best of the life. It would make me sad to know I'm not gonna have this kind of chaos one day in life

[rigginsstreet]

When the 1967 Chevy rumbles into the grubby entry yard, Hopper eyeballs it. All sleek black and flashy chrome it looks perfectly out of place in Hawkins, like the oil-slick Camaro it slides in next to.

Hopper sighs.

There's some small saving grace in the fact that it only needs a new tyre, a one-and-done job that Hopper can get the Hargrove kid to finish in less than an hour if he chews his gum aggressively enough, except Hopper kind of forgets the universe hates him and next thing he knows Hargrove's got his ears perked and a shit eating grin on his face as he points out a problem that means this one hour job just turned into an overnighter.

The next morning he finds himself eyeballing a jacket thrown over the Camaro's side mirror, the only safe place to hang something you don't want getting grubby.

(By sheer force of will and spite, Hargrove's car is the only thing in this damn place that never gets so much as dusty.)

"Heya, hoss." Benny smiles at him, hands over a fresh brew and a hot sandwich because Benny is a godly gift and if Hopper has just a little less self-respect he'd marry him outta principle. "No chance you've seen the kid?"

Hopper hasn't seen the kid. But he has seen the jacket and he has seen the twin empty spots in the front yard and he has seen a Beemer poorly tucked away in the treeline a couple yards ahead of the gates.

And because he's a man who can put two and two to make four, and he's a man who learns on the first go around, he waves Benny off with a promise to send Hargrove on when he finds him and tracks around to the back where the Camaro does a piss poor job of hiding the Chevy behind it.

Neither boy notices his approach. Honestly, aliens could come down from the sky and start hula dancing around the car and neither boy would know anything but the placement of hands and the taste of coffee on chapped lips.

Hopper yanks open the door. Both boys spill out like wet laundry, tumbling into the dirt with twin yelps. Hargrove's head comes to halt on his boot like a pillow and the boy grins up at him, sunny and lazy. "Mornin', Hop."

"Hargrove. Harrington." The latter gives him a sheepish smile that's mostly made up of a wince. Hopper jiggles his root to rattle Hargrove around a little. "You, get back to work. You, go home and think about your standards."

They shuffle off to bid their goodbyes and Hopper gets out the morning paper, taking up post in the back lot because he's learned that Hargrove's a menace, and its mid-day when the guy comes to collect his Chevy.

Hargrove beams at him as he twirls the keys and hands them over, complimenting the car on its roomy comfort. Hopper kind of wants to knock him upside the head and kind of, begrudgingly, admires the kid's balls.

He walks the guy to his car and patiently waits through the typical inspection most customers who aren't regulars give their vehicles. After some squinting, the guy straightens. "D'you guys have a car wash 'round this place?"

Hopper arches a brow. Like the Camaro wards off dirt in proximity, the Chevy hasn't caught a speck of dirt at its side. Hopper's long given up trying to make sense of how Hargrove manages it.

Wordlessly, the guy gestures to the car. Obligingly, Hopper steps up closer to squint at the glass panes, and—

Christ alive.

"Hargrove!"

The guy shoves his hands in his pockets with a rueful smile. "At least he's got good taste."

FIC ANON I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT YOU AND HOW MUCH I MISSED YOU!!!!!! YELLS!!!!

did billy and steve fuck in john winchesters car.... DID THEY FUCK IN JOHN WINCHESTERS CAR?!

i love this so much. benny and hopper being dads. billy smiling up at hopper while hes laying on his boot, steve at least having the decency to look embarrassed....this is beautiful 10/10

[astralartefact]

Placeholder Name for Atarase's Media Diary

Extra Entry 00a - Final Fantasy 14 Endwalker 6.X Patch Series

Synopsis

The Gang Solves a Demon Crusade

The Gang Learns of the Messiest Divorce in the Multiverse

The Gang Ruins their Academic Reputation by Absolutely Botching the Only Interview Humanity Will Ever Have With Their Gods (Gone Wrong) (Gone Blasphemous)

The Gang Does Side Quests at the Other End of the Universe

i wrote this ages ago before dawntrail came out and forgot to post it but i still agree with what i wrote so have fun experiencing some hindsight <3

How much did I know before playing?

I'm playing this game since the end of Heavensward.

Did I like it more than I expected?

As seemingly one of 5 people with healthy expectations in this community I actually did.

Except for---

Since I liked it, here's what I hated about it

Eulogia. Fuck Eulogia. Way to ruin, like, everything.

Who wrote this. I just have some questions. I want to know if you ever once thought, like at all. For your own sake, dear writer responsible for this shlock, I hope YoshiP never reveals your name to the public for you already have a spiritual nemesis that will badmouth you to his absolutely non-sizeable internet audience.

Also, I guess searching for a Pictomancer glam in preparation for Dawntrail also has made me once again aware that the designs for magic armor in this game suck ass, you know I enjoy the subdued but still magical vibe of the art design but to be quite honest I thoroughly dislike most of the armor aesthetic. How are you guys, especially male characters, maining magic jobs with only like 3 glams that aren't long, ugly and/or feminine robes, I knew it was a meme but it's really that bad.

The worst part really is that there's several dozen good outfits where you can literally see the line where the top should have ended - only for them to still extend the cape all the way to the ground for no good reason making the entire piece look like shit. pls yoshi p just loosen the glam restrictions so you just have to have the class unlocked at that level to glam it onto every other class q_q that would take a minimal amount of effort and it would solve world hunger i swear it would q_q

What did this game make me think about?

The place of Redemption, Accountability and Forgiveness in our current age and its relation to our relationship to Religion.

And just so you're aware it's not the fucking God Exodus Story Line that made me think about any of that, no, that shitty story line has not thought a singular second about any of those points.

Specific Impressions that will stick with me

As much as I hate the story of Myths of the Realm the presentation slaps as always, the raids are gorgeous and Soken does what Soken do. (I'm value neutral on the Raid's difficulty or whatever the community decides to care about these days)

The Left Ending of Sil'dih with the tea table surrounded by flowers (i think it's the left one?) that place is so fckin pretty q_q and i love nanamooo

Outstanding Audio

Basically all of Myths of the Realm except for the Final Boss theme which I hate on principle because Fuck Eulogia

hurts bc dawn of a new era is was my favorite ff14 theme q_q

Troian Beauty in D Minor i don't think it's d minor

Favorite Character

KRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILE does she count she's barely in it

Nophica with a Gun (the Nophica that wasn't ruined by Myths of a Realm)

Paper Menphina

My Hrothgar Barbariccia OC I wrote to be my wol's shard of the void

And I did like Zero!

Favorite Arc/Story Line

I liked the Void Arc, I know People are big mad about it but I think it's fine! I only think it should have been optional, basically exactly like Stormblood's Four Lords, a Trial Series with a few Dungeons in between - then it wouldn't have had the burden of leading right into Dawntrail (a contrast so stark they couldn't even have tried to smoothen the transition) and people wouldn't have expected Zero to stay immediately relevant too.

Also some of the minor-ish quest lines were cute :)

Favorite Set Piece

I love Lymllaen's arena, it's kind of simple but so effective.

The final trash mobs in Thaleia :)))

Really cool Area with interesting mob design :)))))

A glimpse of what could have been :)))))))))) HOW IS THE FINAL TRASH MOB AREA PRETTIER THAN THE FINAL BOSS ROOM

Favorite Scene

Zero giving Golbez the chance to repent.

Best Performance (I played with JP voices)

AEGISU OBU HARUONE!!!!!!!!!

every single one of the gods was great, but not all of them, if you catch my drift (get it, fuck eulogia)

German Localization Notes

If you know me you know that I think the German FFXIV Localization is better than the English one and it still is and it will continue to be. I gladly pass on meme-y item descriptions if it means that I can expect the translation to not just write whatever it feels like at any given moment. (also, as I have expressed before I can't stand english olden speech writing, thank god the german tl doesn't do all that)

--- ENTERING THE PRETENTIOUS SECTION OF THIS ENTRY ---

What about this game gives me Hope for the future of gaming?

I have nothing really to say, I'm just so excited for Pictomancer you guys, every time I think about it I'm flushed with immense joy. I didn't think they would do it, but it's real. It's actually happening.

I guess what gives me Hope about that is that Yoshi P didn't get too lost in FF16's Fantasy Realism, because drab fantasy aesthetics is truly the worst outcome of lore culture.

What about this game makes me scared for the future of gaming?

You see, there is this thing that has happened since the common consciousness has deemed that Shadowbringers is indeed that good and it's that people kind of immediately turned around to say, that actually, FF14 - WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE BAD BAD STORMBLOOD WHICH IS BAD!!!! - has always been good.

After all Heavensward had that one quest line we all liked, remember, and the one dude died and we all really cared about him, right right right???

And while you are allowed to picture me dismissively pointing at your copy of Heavensward while I'm saying this I don't actually have that big of a take over Heavensward, mainly because I'm not particularly interested in reexamining it since I'm still not over how wildly that writer fumbled FF16's entire narrative point for 'emotional storytelling' or whatever that ending was about, the only thing I will say is that People always bring up the death as this big meaningful thing that's so impactful and how dare you not care about it as if Heavensward hasn't had two other pretty essential characters die for absolutely no good reason apart from conveniently getting rid of a character that would be a hassle to keep up with or setting up character development for another.

Anyways, the problem I actually have was that middle bit, the text in bold where people feel this insistent need to point out that they do indeed know that Stormblood's story is "bad."

But we all know that. It's one of those opinions everyone already shares with each other, because it's pretty obvious. Literally everyone, even and especially the ones who still like it, know that the story leaves at least a little bit to be desired - because different from what certain people online try to make you believe most people are indeed critical of the things they like. A lot of people just don't feel like loudly critizising every little thing they have a problem with, especially when overall they're still enjoying themselves. Some people call it being fun at a party. And if you're constantly nagging, you're not fun at a party - it's not a safe space full of snowflakes, you're just a complainer and that's why nobody wants to talk to you.

It's not that insightful to see that Stormblood didn't quite do it. If you were alone with him in a room even Yoshi-P would admit that Stormblood 'wasn't optimal' or whatever he would say, he's not that stupid, he's just professional enough not to throw his writers under the bus just to bad mouth his own product. And yet there's this certain subset of people that really really needs you to know that the expansion where they cried because that one guy they shipped their oc with died is really really good and yet the other one that's split in half for no reason is really really bad - as if it's something that's needed to be said. As if it's Insightful Commentary we all needed to hear.

I will make this sound more dramatic than I think it really is, but I think the critical reception of Shadowbringers has emboldened the FFXIV community to take their personal (emotional) reaction to a piece of media as proof that a thing is good. I think some link between "I liked it" and "It is good" has been strengthened in some people's minds and some of those people have started to use that for bad by using it as a weapon upgrade in the usual endless complaining about things everyone agrees is bad.

Basically, This thing is Bad has become This thing is Bad, unlike the thing which is clearly Good because I liked it (and look, everyone agrees with me)

Except of course you can like bad things. The Game Awards nominated FF16 for Best Narrative.

And that just makes for repeated situations where people will say shit like "but it's so good because it's bittersweet" about Myths of the Realm - which, great, happy you had an emotional response to all of that - but that's also kind of the bare minimum you should achieve when you decide to kill off characters that are so important to the setting you choose a diety for your character before you choose a name. The Twelve Leaving being sad is Basic Empathy, to me that's not some kind of writing success.

Sadly whoever mangled this sad excuse for a storyline also decided to make sure the exodus of the Twelve somehow left less impact on the game world than fucking YoRHa:Dark Apocalypse and there you people keep complaining about it despite it being a cross-over storyline where something like that shouldn't be expected.

What I want to make clear by pointing this out is that the problem with that isn't that people like something that's bad actually - you can like Myths of the Realm, it's fine - and it's not even something more profound sounding like 'people become "too attached" to a piece of media to the point of being personally insulted when it's critizised.'

Because to that point I say a) of course people feel weird when a thing they like is being bad mouthed that's just a normal human reaction (you know, one of the things art is about, you generally create something to be reacted to) and I don't like how that continually crops up as a rebuttal to people becoming "defensive" over "something meaningless" (nice way to refer to art btw) as if growing attached to a piece of art is something to be ashamed of - and also b): people on the internet overstate the value and necessity of public critique. (not saying it's not important but some people seem to think only their critique alone is the sole way a creator can grow which... i regret to inform you that unsolicited advice is rarely as helpful as you would like it to be, even if it is "correct".)

I think the problem is that these 'criticisms' don't come out of a genuine "empathy" for the thing they like - unlike some people seem to have convinced themselves - because if that was the case maybe we would actually get not necessarily a productive discussion - none of us is working on this game after all (and honestly it's okay to stop pretending that somebody who does listens) - but it would be a more interesting one for sure. I can't tell you what to like (as much as I would love to), but I can encourage you to have more meaningful introspections into what you love than to blindly accept those tired talking points everyone is repeating at nauseam.

And with more meaningful I don't actually mean 'deep' it just means being honest to yourself and your feelings, even and especially if it is something completely mundane.

Because I think a lot of this is the opposite - this is people parroting common points about the thing that is popular to be part of the in-group with as little personal stake as possible - and by punching down on the out-group you can strengthen your place in the crowd, your social capital. It's bullying masquerading as 'valid criticisms', or maybe even Nerd Populism. if only we had an alliance raid series about that.

The Ramble Section where I get to actually talk about what I thought about

I would love nothing more than to 'valid criticism' all over Myths of the Realm - but that would take 15 pages of a Google Doc and I think down here is really not the place.

It's just sad to see the Twelve, Aglaia, Euphrosyne and 3/4ths of Thaleia be absolutely wasted for a shitty resolution that spits in the face not only of our beloved made-up history facts known as Lore but also the entire premise of ARR to Stormblood. But hey, at least it's bittersweet am i right

Anyways, let's Ramble about Ancient Greek Pronounciation.

I haven't had Ancient Greek in School (I could have, but Latin was already old and boring enough for me, thanks) so I had to scrape together how to pronounce Euphrosyne just so I can be annoying about it and as much as I want to say Oi-pro-sü-neh (I think English Speakers don't have the german ü sound, it's basically the same as in the french word rue) because it's much easier to pronounce, Ancient Greek makes a difference between Eu and Oi and I fail to understand how the Eu sounds no matter how many times I listen to it.

By which I mean, you can pretend it's You-froze-a-knee as much as you want, it's wrong and you sound foolish.

[kiisaes]

Hey! So I read your post about my hero academia, the one where you talked about having a weird fatherly connections towards it and I wanted to ask you about what aspects you don’t like about the series? I share a lot of your sentiments but I do think it’s probably more than mid series? A lot of the details and writing I like and I think is considerable better than other shounen mangas. Anyways sorry for rambling. I just wanted to know what aspects you liked on the series and the ones you didn’t like.

Also complete side note: I absolutely love you’re art it’s so beautiful you’re and really skilled drawer!

sure! and thank u anon!

i want to preface this by saying that everything here is my opinion. media analysis is inherently subjective and something i think is bad might be something you think is good. considering how mha is not a shounen that's universally applauded for any or all of its writing choices, it's expected that you and i may perceive this content differently. doesn't mean i'm right and you're wrong and vice versa, it's just a different individual take on the source content.

also, even though i think mha is "mid to mid-good" (as quoted from my textpost) i don't use "mid" as either an insult or in a "it's so average it's bad" way. i know that word has been fucked over bc ppl automatically assume that something being mid means something is bad or bland or boring. it's a middle of the road series with a good share of flaws and strengths, and it doesn't particularly stand out as anything incredibly amazing or awful. just an average to decently good story, and its level of quality fluctuates throughout its run.

at the end of the day, i do like mha. despite what i think of it, it's a series i hold close to my heart and one i can enjoy even without a critical eye. if i didn't, i wouldn't have been making content for it for 2, almost 3 consistent years.

anyway, stuff i like + stuff i don't like under the cut: (warning: VERY LONG)

mha stuff i do like:

deku. he is my little boy

for the most part, horikoshi's character writing is one of his strongest abilities. characters like bakugou, shigaraki, and dabi (and honestly the todoroki family as a unit) are some of the most compelling characters in a story like this. they're allowed to be complex, dynamic and a blend of virtuous and damning traits. they match the overall themes of mha, which is that the sheer concept of "good vs evil" is surface level at best, and that placing people into strict boxes blocks them from everything else that they are. basically a complete "fuck you" to viewers who must condemn a morally grey hero/villain, for example. even less morally grey characters like ochako (imo) are still fun twists and explorations on their given character stereotypes. however i'm obligated to say "for the most part" because hori's superb character writing only matters when he gives those characters time to breathe and actually exist. i'll get into this more later

horikoshi's art is fantastic and undoubtedly his greatest attribute as a mangaka. i firmly believe that, as far as shounen art goes, there aren't any that can rival mha that are also at its global reach. there's never a single moment where i read a chapter and go "wow that art wasn't incredible" because that's not possible. he utilizes his art knowledge so effortlessly and brings out so much in every panel he makes. the manga art never feels dull. i'm so insanely jealous and in awe of him. i guess i could be biased when making this point but i find it hard to genuinely hate his art. it's so polished every time

this is a smaller point that adds to the last one but i do appreciate how he draws women. not when he's using them for uncomfortable gags, but just in general. there's like, actual meat on their bones. they have realistic body proportions (for his style). many of the women are "chubbier" than other shounen women, and a good amount of them are buff as FUCK. it feels like hori puts the same amount of effort into drawing his female characters as he does his male characters, even if he might not dignify that writing-wise

as a fellow comic artist, i absolutely love his understanding of comic language. it's small details like his onomatopoeia reminiscent of western superhero comics that really tie the presentation together. each panel is full of life, with characters and backgrounds working together in the most effective ways. i can't remember what tumblr textpost brought this up, but he also loves playing around with panel borders. he spices them up by using different subjects or objects to split up panels. and this was more of a strength earlier in the series imo, but his pacing was also pretty quick and resourceful. it shows to me that he truly loves creating manga and knows when it's the right time to visually deviate from the norm. again, i'm truly envious of how he can do this. i only hope to reach his level someday ...

this is definitely a biased point, but some of the series' arcs/storylines are some of my favorite ones in fiction. these include the tournament arc, the kamino rescue arc, the overhaul arc, twice's death, and anything relating to the todoroki family. obviously i'm only listing a handful of examples here because i think nearly every arc has its good moments that i can comment on. but when i think of good mha storylines, i think of these first

i also think that mha as a whole is a fun series that knows how to laugh at itself. there's nothing more awkward than a story that takes itself way too seriously, but the content itself is poorly written or not interesting. thankfully, horikoshi doesn't really fall into this issue

there are canon lgbt characters in this series. even if that's kind of a low bar atp (considering how only 1 out of the 3 play a consistently important role), a win is a win is a win. especially in mainstream shounen, beggars can't exactly be choosers.

mha is a story about systemic societal injustice, which is a lofty concept to tackle. thankfully the story is about powers being the norm so the whole "i'm born better than you because i have abilities" is less of a status quo rejection and more of a status quo enabler. as a story concept, it's a good basis, doesn't seem too hard to comprehend, and opens the door for nuanced storytelling and discussion. i think hori does this well at the start of the series. but as the story goes on... uhhh. i'll talk about it.

mha stuff i don't like:

man do these women have basically nothing interesting to do. i complimented how they're drawn earlier, but with the exception of a few notable ones, a lot of their characters pale in comparison to the men. it's even sadder considering that the amount of women in mha is significantly lesser than, so 5 important female characters is like, 1/4 of the female cast. 5 important male characters is like, 1/12 of the male cast. idk i didn't count the amount of characters in this series but it sincerely feels this way, especially if you remember that there are definitely more than 5 important male characters at any moment throughout this series. and when female characters do have their time to shine, there's a 50/50 chance that they die, get gravely injured, or lose limbs. which normally isn't an issue in a battle shounen like mha, but out of the important character deaths in this series, a fair amount of them are women. midnight, magne, and star and stripe have pretty anticlimactic deaths too, to add insult to injury. lady nagant talked her shit then exploded. she's still alive but like ... what? did these characters have to be treated this way? i can't really think of any important male characters who get introduced then axed from the story like this, except for maybe stain (though he's a far more important character narratively). the reason why i bring up this really lengthy point is not because i think horikoshi is actively misogynistic. i just think he falls into the trap that many shounen mangakas face, which is that male characters are more interesting to a male dominated audience. hence, female characters usually get thrown to the side. there are some important women in mha that stand toe to toe with male characters, like toga and ochako, and there are definitely certified girlbosses like mirko and yaoyorozu. but god do i wish i could add more women to this list without having to think really really hard.

and to add onto the previous, shallow, unimportant characters only gain backstories when the narrative demands for it. horikoshi used to write characters revealing their intentions and history in relatively natural ways, like with ochako and her goal to become a hero for money. it kind of came out of nowhere, but it's a valid conversation a teenager would have with other teenagers. in context, it was revealed normally. i'm not sure when these reveals turned forced, but i remember seeing kirishima's backstory and being like "well .. would this have ever been told to us if kirishima wasn't a main character in this arc?" this isn't against kirishima's character; i love the guy and i think his history was short but contextualized his personality really well. but with the recent shoji backstory reveal i could only think, "wow. horikoshi must be really glad he made a mutant character to project this theme onto, huh." it didn't feel like shoji was ever meant to have a backstory — not to mention a very depressing one — but he got one this late in the series run because it was convenient for the plot. perhaps i'm a cynic and this isn't an issue for others, idk. that being said, i think characters like shoji and even star and stripe and lady nagant could have benefited from more natural character developments, maybe with more time given so it doesn't feel like a weirdly convenient reveal.

i just really fucking wish mineta would die already. like get kicked into the sun or blown up with TNT or run over by a car or something. he's less of an openly creepy loser than he was in the beginning of the series, but i'm sure that's because he literally doesn't have the luxury to be creepy at the moment. he's one of the least appealing gag characters that never grows and changes as a person. and he got a backstory before kaminari. can you fucking believe this shit? why does horikoshi keep entertaining this bullshittery— oh yeah. i just remembered that the girls were perved on quite a bit in this series, which wasn't funny and moreso uncomfortable for a lot of readers. like, i know it's shounen, it's animanga, fanservice is kind of the unfortunate norm. but by god, do we need a series poster child for pervy, male-gaze behavior?

i commented earlier about mha's themes and that i think, at least at the start, hori had a good grasp of what he was writing. framing society's systemic flaws and failures in a wacky superheroes vs villains story is not only clever, but makes this actually serious topic accessible to those who might think social-cultural politics are too intimidating. he sets this up starting from deku and bakugou (oppressed and privileged), then adds onto it with stain (heroes who retain the status quo by seeking money and status are not true heroes, because they don't help those in need). shigaraki is thrown into the mix along the way (society fucks over the underprivileged, even those who want to do good, which breeds more villains and in the real world, more criminals) and his little league of villains all have their own stories (spinner: those who don't look like the masses are cast aside, harassed and villainized; dabi: if you don't live up to cruel expectations established by society and parroted by those in your life, you might as well be worthless; toga: any unconventional worldviews and actions are deemed scary and evil; magne: trying to conform to a rigid society as a queer person is fucking hard, man). there's also endeavor (even though you're in a position of power and respect, it doesn't automatically make you a good person). these are all GREAT, and are super compelling set-ups for mha's overall themes: that society should change somewhat, villains are a product of this flawed system, there aren't fully good people nor fully bad people, rehabilitation/growth is good, and true heroes aren't identified by title, but by actions.

these themes are quite apparent throughout mha's entire run. but i feel like the further it goes, the less horikoshi knows how to verbalize them. the latest mini arc dealt with spinner vs shoji in a strangely awkward clash of ideals. spinner is seen as a martyr who really just wants mutants to be accepted into society, and his status rallies up those who have also been hurt. shoji retaliates by... telling them to stop? by saying this isn't the right way? because he was fortunate enough to be in this position, he suddenly has the authority to tell those like him to find a better way to get their voices heard? what, should they all just become heroes? haven't we established that the society they all belong in is fucked up, and that drastic change must be made? i understand what horikoshi is trying to say but it's... off. like the point is there, but the execution is clumsy. shoji even says something like spinner's revolution setting them back 30 years, which is so fucking bizarre to say, and would certainly raise eyebrows in the real world. it sounds like villains can express their grievances with society but they can't dare revolutionize. otherwise, they'll be silenced/ignored again. it's the whole "violence breeds more violence" belief, but there's more to that that should be explored. man, i dunno.

i'm harping on this one story instance but recent mha is riddled with well-meaning but clumsy storytelling like this. and since the narrative relies on these complex, nuanced themes, it's jarring when the nuance falls through. if mha is about breaking harmful norms, why do they still dictate the execution? hori did it so right with deku and bakugou, their relationship being a definite high in the series. but i truly don't how he'll treat the villains at the end of this arc

ok tumblr's telling me to shut up anyway these are my thoughts. again, even though i've rambled so much about my dislikes, i think mha is still a fun and enjoyable series. it misses the point sometimes, but it doesn't detract from its successes. either way my opinions should not rule over how you consume the series. it's always important to form your own opinions!!!

[leam1983]

Nightingale - Thoughts

This is what happens when a team figures that what Minecraft needs is more Steampunk, more UE5 clout, more DLSS use and a nice, big, achingly obvious Art History degree in full view - and not much else. Oh, and Inflexion Games also figured Minecraft was missing a helpful entity to onboard you, except said helpful entity speaks like someone who's been educated exclusively on Masterpiece Theatre reruns. Take heed, fleshlings, for yonder doth reside voluminous words of little import, safe perhaps the conveyance of the Fae's pretense of boundless sophistication, begrudingly couched in the mire of a vulgar means of securing abeyance for you, strangely untoothsome Realmwalkers...

If run-on sentences and Shakespearean vomit turn you on, Nightingale is going to be positively pornographic for you, all thanks to Puck, the game's narrator and chief gameplay assistant. Most of everyone else speaks through text boxes and is limited to Period-flavored English vernacular. The real question is, why are you trekking through an abandoned Waterhouse painting looking like a Mary Poppins reject?

Nightingale takes place in an alternate past, wherein Humanity's consorted with the Fae for millennia and owes many of its social and technological advancements to Oberon, Titania and their peers. One of our chief developments is the use of gateways to the Feywilds; which are the various realms native to the Fair Folk. Space compression being in effect, large gates called Transepts are used to ferry goods in bulk from one location on the globe to another in the matter of minutes - provided you're fine with taking an hours-long trek through a deceptively beautiful realm that's actually rife with things that could kill you. For generations, everything's hunky-dory. Then, once the Paris Transept is inaugurated, a normally marginal emanation called the Pale starts to envelop the world, killing all those it touches. In response, humans flee through to the Feywilds en masse even as the means to leave the Feywilds also shut down.

The game opens there, with you being a stranger in a strange land, either suitably prepared or caught completely off-guard depending on your chosen difficulty settings. That means you can start either wearing a longcoat and work gloves, sedate Victorian morningwear, a nobleman's regalia - or your long johns from the night before, butt flap included... From there, you'll have to collect resources, farm for loot, craft tools and resources and generally exploit the Feywilds to the best of your ability - in the hopes of eventually reaching Nightingale proper - a human-made citadel and city established within the Feywilds.

The thing is, the Feywilds aren't a continent or a country you can traverse on foot. They're a collection of pocket universes - Realms, essentially - where living conditions and safety levels are dictated by Realm Cards and influenced by Realmic Transmuters. Puck hands you cards to access Byways in the tutorial - even tinier maps that mostly serve as means to acquire resources if you're stumped or need a quick escape - and eventually grants you access to an Abeyance Realm; which becomes your home base. Abeyance Realms are somewhat less hostile than normal ones, which more or less positions them as being perfect for the actual survival-crafting nonsense, and for the game's various puzzles. That explains why the game is currently online-only, as most Realms are procedurally generated server-side and then fed client-side, where the UE5 goodness happens. Everyone seems to have the same Abeyance Realm to start with, but I'm given to understand that you can change residences later on.

Abeyance, you ask? What, pray tell, the Hell is that? Well, my best pal Google tells me abeyance is "a state of temporary disuse or suspension", which isn't exactly innapropriate for your state, early on. Puck has grand designs that involve you Realmwalking with all the gravitas of a less-fanciful John Tenniel engraving, but you're just a widdle human, obviously. He doesn't care to or cannot magic sufficient tools for you to use at the onset, so you're going to have to Bear Grylls the shit out of these picturesque locales only slightly dotted with predatory horrors vaguely resembling Terrestrial fauna. It's even funnier if you start with the hardest possible settings, in that you're likely a traumatized, sleep-deprived and pasty Victorian nerd in your Ebenezer Scrooge-ass whities, and Puck hands you a survival guidebook and a compass he lifted from a corpse as if these were gracious gifts. Then, in his usually florid terms, he tells you to leg it and to more or less nut up or shut up...

From that point on, it's mostly so far, so Minecraft or Conan Exiles or Enshrouded or what have you, with a few added wrinkles taken from close cousins in the genre, like Valheim or V Rising. Namely, your accessing certain dungeons is gated with a Gear Score, and increasing said score takes a lot of farming and crafting. That shows you the usual pitfalls of a survival-crafter in Early Access, in that most recipes are a tad excessive in their requirements. Minmaxing your Gear Score increases takes a lot of investment, seeing as you need to build some form of shelter, then the crafting station required, and then the desired item. You'll get some of the benefits with a tent, but the best score increases come if you've set everything in a closed-off, protected and well-lit environment. The same applies to your eating and resting bonuses. The long and short of it is you'll need to carry out forty-six different initial tasks before doing the one thing you set out to do - and that applies to most questlines found both inside and outside of your home turf.

If you're a fan of checking off boxes - and some of us are - you'll love Nightingale. If you're more the type to craft an axe or a polearm and to immediately go looking for high-level things to stab or slash at, you might realize that there's not much to the part of the game that superficially feels like a better-looking Skyrim. It's also hard to ignore the fact that the tech involved is great at randomizing roughly similar islands consistently, but quickly gives way to a sense of constriction. The vistas feel massive, sure, but they're all mostly just a trickery of smart visual design. At only three Realms as of the time of this writing, that's a lot of repeated geological features on offer - even if every instance feels suitably gorgeous.

Ultimately, it's a very pretty survival-crafter, but there's the rub. It's another survival-crafter, that takes Subnautica's need for repeated deeper treks to the ground plane, trading the depths for an increasing sense of Non-Euclidean strangeness. It's also let down by its currently online-only focus, with Inflexion Games realizing that their earlier design doc didn't entirely gel with player expectations. Most survival-crafter players expect the ability to run local servers or to co-opt local servers as single-player experiences and the ex-BioWare devs had gone all-in on creating a shared experience consisting of interconnected discrete instances. Thankfully, recent communiqués suggest the team has listened, and that they'll begin the arduous work of wrangling single-player, local-machine-based flow out of an initially online-only pipeline.

It's likely more of a personal preference, but I'm not a fan of the character designs, honestly. Only Puck really stands out, with most humans having ugly angular designs that feel like a deliberate send-off of the visual stereotype of the hatchet-faced and phlegmatic Victorian gentleman with a waxed 'stache or equally stolid young-ish woman in a bustle gown. There's just something to the visual design of most human NPCs that feels... unfinished, where most Early Access titles usually have their visual language down pat, by the time they're published.

As far as I'm concerned, the bottom line is we'll see. For now, Nightingale has its hand close to its chest and is only offering up familiar mechanics and tropes, while also being more than glad to flex its painterly and environmental chops. If Enshrouded's visual flare doesn't strike you and you're done with Valheim or Conan Exiles, you might find something there.

For everyone else, I'd say find a YouTube video and figure it out for yourselves. Buyer beware, more or less.