#it'll even out in time and in the mean time I will just make some weird art I think

[smilebackwards]

Wait, I'm still thinking about it, can I share some more??

So Jayce and Vi didn't match as drift compatible--they had like 80% compatibility but say you need like 90+ or you end up bleeding from the neural overload--but they stay friends and Vi sees Jayce's absolutely abysmal crush on Viktor. One day Jayce goes into the lab and he finds Viktor drinking out of a coffee cup with his face on it because yeah those are out there and lunch boxes and bookbags and stuff too, Jayce was a high profile pilot, and he knows exactly who has done this so he confronts Vi like 'sweet Janna, why??' and she's like 'dude, I'm helping, I'd be giving alll my merch to my crush if I had one.' Smash cut to four years later: When Jayce and Viktor get transferred to the Piltover Shatterdome, Vi gets transferred with them. Caitlyn is Marshal of the Piltover Shatterdome and Vi sees her and is immediately down bad. And a couple weeks later she finds a coffee cup on Caitlyn's desk with her face on it and you actually have to work to find those because Vi was an on-duty pilot for about 2 seconds--this is like Etsy merch made out of love as opposed to official merch. Vi and Jinx (Powder?) are drift compatible and they had to go out beside Vander and Silco at one point in a rickety old jaeger for a double event and practically as soon as they killed the kaiju the jaeger collapsed around them and they almost drowned. Anyway, Caitlyn has this mug and it's not even Jayce's revenge, she had it previously because she was impressed by Vi's one-drop one-kill and that is 5 million times worse for Vi's sanity.

Sidebar: Jinx is dual-compatible with both Vi and Ekko which is why Vi got tested with Jayce because then they could have kept Jinx and Ekko as a pilot team and gotten Vi and Jayce as a second pilot team if it worked. Ekko also got tested with Jayce for the same reason but they had like absolutely flat chemistry.

Back to Jayce and Viktor. So why, you may ask, did Jayce not formally test drift compatibility with Viktor until an absolute crisis point? Viktor doesn't know what drift compatibility feels like but Jayce does and he knew a long time ago that they weren't just in-tune science partners. (1) In the drift you share everything and Jayce is insanely in love with Viktor and Viktor probably doesn't feel the same (spoiler: he does) and he doesn't want to make it awkward and more rambling emotional self-confidence reasons. (2) Jayce's dad died piloting and he couldn't stand it if Viktor did too. But also at this point they're all probably gonna die anyway so it's better odds to get out there and fight.

Why, you may also ask, did it even get to this crisis point? Piltover Shatterdome is literally right across from Zaun, they could have air-dropped a jaeger, right? Well, Piltover is rich and they have built themselves--with huge amounts of Zaun labor--a Wall of Life (assuming at this point that it'll actually work) and decommissioned their jaegers. They could have also built a Wall of Life around the Zaun side of the ocean but the majority of the current ruling council are short-sighted, mean-spirited, or both and they're like 'let them deal with it'. Of course when Zaun cannot deal with it and a kaiju is going to destroy Zaun and keep on coming to Piltover they freak and start pulling the old jaegers back out but not quickly enough to help Zaun so Jayce and Viktor have to get into Blue Hex as Viktor insists on calling it or Hammer Time as Jayce insists on calling it. Hammer Hex's signature moves are Power Ranger morphing one fist into a giant fuck-off hammer (for Jayce) and a third arm laser claw (for Viktor).

Meanwhile, in Noxus: Ambessa and Rictus are the equivalent of the Russian Cherno Alpha pilots--undefeated bosses. Mel and her brother are in pilot training together and Ambessa is dismissive of them but when she and Rictus get killed, they absolutely step up.

Back to Piltover. Four years after Jayce and Viktor become pilots the Piltover Wall of Life fails and everyone freaks out and there's a huge clamor to get the best jaeger and pilot team which is now Jayce and Viktor. So they get transferred in exchange for huge concessions to Zaun but things are getting worse, higher level kaiju coming faster and faster, we are approaching the movie timeline and Jayce and Viktor are becoming the hurt, stressed out, beautiful messes in op's amazing art. They need a plan to close the breach for good. Choose your own adventure whether Jayce and Viktor succeed and explode clutching each other close a la season 2 or whether they get the Raleigh and Mako ending.

Also, alternate AU because I saw op's tag 'their divorce era is earthshattering' and I 1000% agree: Forget everything above. Jayce and Viktor are pilots at the Piltover Shatterdome. Zaun doesn't even have a Shatterdome. Technically they're protected by Piltover but the Piltover Shatterdome isn't equitably located between the two cities so it takes way longer for a jaeger to get air-dropped to protect Zaun and basically every time an attack happens Zaun loses a bunch of civilians and half the bay area and has to mourn and rebuild. Viktor is increasingly bitter about this and Jayce agrees it sucks but he's like 'we don't have the power to do anything' and Viktor is like 'yes we do, we can leave' and Jayce is like 'I can't leave, I can't leave people unprotected like that on principle' and Viktor is like 'I can' and he peaces out to go work on alternate defense options. Jayce is shattered but Piltover has another backup pilot team and they paper over Viktor's defection as 'for health reasons' and things limp along for awhile. Jayce is able to drift with Mel for short periods of time so they're a short-range team but we reach the crisis point of the movies and they need Viktor back to help seal the breach. Jayce goes to find him and they reconcile and again choose your ending.

Is there a name for the phase in every fandom where we put them in a Pacific Rim AU?

Anyway, Pacific Rims your Jayvik! >:) Their Jaeger is called "Hammer Time"

[solifloris]

≡;-꒰ 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐁 ꒱₊˚ ପ⊹ I  𝒄𝒐𝒛𝒚

╰┈➤ ❝ caleb x afab!reader | VALENTINE'S EVENT !

tags : mostly fluff, slightlyyyyy suggestive at the start but nothing explicit, established relationship, use of pet names "baby" and "pipsqueak".

wc : 1.6k (oops)

an : DROPPING THIS BEFORE I GO TO BED :D requested by @starmocha !!!! this prompt had me squealing hehe 🥰🥰🥰

taglist : under the cut! (SIGN UP HERE)

ko-fi jar / commissions

It's 1AM, and you're hungry, so what better place to go than the convenience store down the block?

"I'm hungry."

The sheets rustled.

Caleb shifted onto his side to look at you, head resting in his palm, eyebrows raised. You could see the way his eyes raked over you appreciatively for a moment, almost as if seeing you in a new light again, almost as if he hadn't been all over you just a couple of minutes ago.

With his free hand, he reached out to tuck an awry strand of hair behind your ear. It was a soft gesture.

yet when he spoke, there was a laugh to his voice. "You're hungry?"

You whined. "Not that kind of hungry! Like, actually hungry! Come onnnnnn. Aren't you?"

"Baby, it's past midnight. Aren't you tired? You should be a good girl and get some rest—"

Despite the phrase deliberately used—you were sure—to bring butterflies to your stomach, you promptly gave him a playful shove. "Well, I'm not gonna be able to sleep if I'm hungry, anyway. So your attempts at persuading me are void!"

To make a point, you sat up and crosses your arms, looking at him expectantly.

An impasse, of sorts.

The two of you looked at each other, silent, a few seconds—

Caleb was the first to relent.

"Alright, alright, we'll get some food. There's that convenience store down the block, that enough?" He sat up along with you and slipped out of bed, trodding towards his closet to throw you one of his sweaters. "It'll be cold out, so wear that for a while. Just a lil somethin' to keep you warm."

You held it close to your chest—it smelled like him. And it was as if you weren't already in his t-shirt, anyway; as if he hadn't left enough of his own marks on you that night, but you were happy to have a little something on you that reminded you of him.

You hopped out of bed yourself and, to make a point, grabbed one of his caps to put on your head.

"Ready!"

And perhaps it was because it was late, and barely anyone would be outside anyway, but it seemed neither of you cared that you'd be leaving in your pajamas.

Caleb tugged at your hand, pulling you close.

"I hope you know that I love seein' you in my clothes," he chuckled. "Makes you look extra gorgeous."

And you could think to yourself that you were so used to his charm, maybe even desensitized… but he would always find ways to prove you wrong. An additional kiss to your forehead had you melting in an instant, and then he still had the audacity to send you a wink.

"Caleb!" you huffed as he pulled away and ushered you outside, the gleeful sound of his laughter never failing to astonish you.

Seriously, the audacity of this man!

And yet you couldn't quite complain, not with the way your heart filled with a complete and utter sense of fondness for him. It didn't matter the hour, didn't matter that the breeze of the dawn before you made you feel a little cold. He squeezed your hand and quietly put it into his pocket… and, really—with your hand in his and his presence beside you, it was all the warmth you could ever need.

As you walked to the convenience store, your free hand took a glance at the time on your phone.

"1:43AM," you mused, "on… February 14th. Huh, look at that! So our Valentine's date this year's to a convenience store?"

You felt him peek over your shoulder, and he let out a laugh. "Guess it is Valentine's, huh? Happy Valentine's Day, pipsqueak." He gave your hair a little ruffle, before the little jingle of your very destination had him tugging you through the doors.

As you expected: quite empty.

He nudged your arm. "I mean, I'm still takin' you out for a date later today," he shrugged, "but as an extra treat, then you've got free reign gettin' whatever you want. I'll pay."

Immediately your eyes brightened, a squeal falling from your lips enough to draw a quizzical stare from the cashier lady, and you squeezed his arm. "Really?!"

"Yeah, really!"

"Oh my god! You better not go back on that promise!"

"Be real. When have I ever, with you?"

You felt another surge of warmth rush through you, and you stood on your tiptoes to give him a quick peck on the lips. "God, I love you!"

And it wasn't really as if you didn't have a little bit of your own snack stash still left at home, but who were you to refuse a free gift?

There was a bounce to your step as you walked through the aisles, and you supposed that neither of you were acting as if it were practically two in the morning. The irony stood—despite everything else being quiet around you two, there was enough joy in the simplest things with him to get you all bouncy like this.

You turned to him with your arms full of little snacks, and laughed as you held one up for him. "Hey! Remember this one? The first time you brought this home, it was 'cause some girl from your class got you this." The memory made you laugh, and you turned the packet over in a moment of nostalgia. "I haven't had these in forever, for some reason, but they were really good. That girl had taste…"

A flick to your forehead.

"Hey!"

He snatched a couple of the packets you were carrying and put them into the basket he was holding, all while giving you a pointed look. "Doesn't matter who got them first," he scoffed, "'cause I brought them home for you."

A smile played on your lips.

"Well… she wasn't the first to give you stuff, nor was she the last."

"Aaand like I said, it doesn't matter."

This time, you grinned and tiptoed to return the forehead flick he'd given you just earlier. "Why're you so upset about it? Of course the golden boy would always get so much attention from all the girls—"

"Sooo I'd get all that attention from 'em, and then disregard their gifts just so you'd have somethin' to have fun with when we got home."

You paused, and he gave a playful roll of his eyes.

"I gotta hand it to ya, pipsqueak, sometimes you spend a lil too much time up there in the clouds."

"What!?"

He held up a box of cookies that you were familiar with.

"This one's been your favorite for as long as I can remember. Some girl gave one of these to me back in middle school… But I knew you'd love 'em. So I gave 'em to you."

Another box of snacks.

"You always say you don't like these, but I see you sneak them back to your room when no one's lookin'… Happened to get this as a gift, too, so I left them in your room when we got back."

And you watched, somewhat amazed, as he held up the very same packet you'd been examining earlier.

"And, sure, maybe you've never had this one before… But you were always a lil adventurous. It was strawberry. I remember, 'cause you like strawberries. So I thought you might've wanted to give this a try, too."

Your gaze followed his movements as he took the liberty to grab a couple more snacks from the shelves, and though he turned back to you with a smile, you found your mind still reeling from what he'd said.

It was always you. From the very start, he…

"I've always watched you," he said simply. Because he could read you like an open book, and some things just don't change. He shrugged, leaned down towards you to give the tip of your nose a little poke. "I saved those for you, 'cause I know you. And you think any of those girls ever mattered to me? Nah. It was always just about you. And you got to relish in all those little snacks, so, you know. Win-win situation if I get to make you happy."

For a moment you didn't speak, and you felt the blush slowly begin to creep up your cheeks.

You'd never realized it before; maybe never even bothered to check for yourself.

Sure, you maybe thought all of those were from him, and, sure, when you found out they weren't directly, you felt a little upset, but…

It was more than just material to poke fun at him for being popular.

Your eyes softened. "So… you were thinking about me."

"Pshh. I always think about you, baby. Not a moment goes by where I don't."

You watched him walk away with a wave of his hand, under the guise of 'checking out the drinks while you think of what else you wanted', and a flurry of butterflies stirred anew in your heart.

As you hurried to catch up with him and stood by him at the counter, he chuckled. "I always thought you'd find out then and there how much I liked you, you know."

"I guess you were being obvious about it, in a way…"

"Yeah, and you were too busy relishing in the free snacks."

"Hey!"

He laughed, grabbing the bag of your little snack haul, and smoothly looped your arms back together.

"Weeelll," he hummed, "now you get to say with certainty that all this here's from me. And I get to do this…"

The minute you stepped outside the convenience store, he leaned down to give you a soft kiss. And again, you'd think—there couldn't possibly be a cozier place to be than right here with him in this moment.

"…You don't need to use gifts from someone else to get me snacks anymore," you laughed a little.

"Mhm, I can get 'em for you myself. And seal it with a lil kiss."

taglist : @darlingdummycassandra @daturasflower @thoupenguinman @valyvinny @rafayelsheart @jellyroom2 @chemiru @ywnzn @pepprrmint @angel-jupiter @cordidy @raiyuxa @xai-mery @pikachuzhc @pixelcafe-network @interstellar-inn @hunters-association

© solifloris. all rights reserved. do not: steal, copy, repost, reupload, modify, or claim any of my works as your own, regardless of credit given. absolutely do not use my works for AI training and other related purposes.

[daryldove]

Distraction

daryl x gn!reader

summary: you keep daryl company daryl while he recovers in the farm house

“cut it out,” you giggle, squirming under daryl's hand as he jabs your side playfully. after offering to take the injured hunter some dinner, you manage to convince him to let you stay and keep him company, something he'll deny enjoying if anyone asks. truthfully, you two had become rather close after everything. although from his perspective, not by choice. “You're supposed to be resting, mister,” you scold him with a smirk as you adjust your position against the headboard.

“can't when ya botherin’ me.” you gasp dramatically at his sarcastic comeback. daryl is incredibly charming, even when he didn't mean to be. it's one of the things you quite admire about him, as well as his sarcastic humour, something the others didn't get to witness to the extent you did. you're not even completely sure if they knew it existed. but he knew how to make you laugh, and he seemed to enjoy it.

“is that what this is now? and here I thought you loved my company, dixon.” that earns you a scoff in response. “admit it,” you continue with a proud tone, “im your favourite in the group.” he doesn't respond right away, forcing you to turn your attention from staring ahead to check on him. the sudden, unexpectedly soft look in his eye has you momentarily speechless.

“what?” you internally thank any god out there that your voice doesn't crack in that moment. gaze flicking over his dirty face, you can't help admire how oddly adorable he looks bundled up under sheets and wrapped in bandages. you feel your heart clench. eventually, daryl shrugs it away with a grunt, shutting himself back off. it's something he does often. you can practically see the thought piling up in his mind, but he always holds back. it stirs an unaccustomed feeling in your gut. complicated.

something feels different this time. maybe because for the first time since you met him, you feel safe. vulnerable. he's lying injured before you, both protected by four walls. it feels wrong to take advantage of this moment to open him up, but maybe that's what it'll take. “are your stitches bothering you?” his hand stops yours from reaching out to touch the bandage around his head, freezing you in place. his hand is rough and warm around yours, short circuiting your mind for a split second. you don't pull away, despite him probably expecting you to. instead, you lean closer towards him.

daryl's eyes flick between yours, as if answers to his curiousity reflects in them. you want to tease him, say something out of pocket that will turn him speechless. instead, you move your hand to rest against his cheek. he practically flinches as you cup his face, reacting like he's undeserving of the softness of your touch. but it doesn't appear unwanted. never.

“how are you feeling?” you ask with a light voice. it's not about his injuries, and he seems to pick up on that. he nods slightly and clears his throat before answering. “good… fine.” your smile grows at his shyness.

“that so?” finally, you let yourself be playful, reassured that he won't be so easily scared off. his gaze is intense and unwavering, and you find yourself unable to resist anymore. leaning down until your lips are barely inches apart, you give him just enough time to pull away. part of you expects him to, like the wall you spent all this time breaking down will be pitched back up in seconds. but he doesn't, nor does he shout and fling himself off the bed to avoid you like your anxiety is convinced he would. so you finally press your lips against his.

daryl's eyes widen in surprise and disbelief while yours subconsciously flutter shut. kissing him feels exactly like you imagined. you can feel your cheeks heating up once you finally pull away, a nervous giggle escaping you at how dazed he looks.

“what?” a smile creeps onto your lips as you question him again. you can practically see daryl's mind spinning as he speechlessly stares up back at you. there's an unreadable look in his eye as seconds pass. unable to help it, your eyes fall to his lips. this time, it's him who pulls you in with a large hand on your neck. his boldness pulls a surprised moan that he swallows.

“guess i am a good distraction,” you whisper after eventually pulling away, scoring a rare, soft chuckle from the hunter.

“guess so.”

[dreamerimpossible]

Slasher Reaction When You're Not Interested In Sex

Warnings: +18 content, manipulation, obsession, unhealthy relationships, dark content, there is a hint of non-con in Art the Clown and Alex DeLarge (are you surprised?), angst, mentions of infidelity in some.

Characters: Michael Myers, Chucky, Billy Loomis, Stu Macher, Patrick Bateman, Hannibal Lecter, Vincent Sinclair, Jason Voorhees, Leatherface, Art The Clown, Jason Dean, Alex DeLarge, Kurt Kunkle, Brahms.

Michael Myers

Does he really care about that stuff? I feel like you'd have to actively provoke him to get him interested in having sex with you. If you don't bring out that side of him, he won't care. Seriously, he doesn't care. It's quite likely that he won't even care whether or not you want to have sex. He'd rather have you have a bad side that you can't control, something that makes you more like him than anyone else. He'll enjoy that badness and chaos. Sex takes a backseat.

Chucky (Human Version)

I honestly don't think it would work. However, if he really wants to keep you for himself, you'll have to agree to let him have sex with other people. In that case, I think it would work. He'll try to convince you anyway, but he won't force you if you say no. But you'll probably fight, because he'll think it's personal and that you have something against him, and then you'll have an argument that escalates and you'll end your relationship in the worst way. After that they'll get back together and then break up again. And so on. Although, if we're being honest, that scenario is going to happen either way (Chucky is toxic).

Billy Loomis

Okay, he will. But he'll be very manipulative; he'll push you all the time about it, and it'll be much worse if you know he's Ghostface since he might threaten you, and his manipulations will be much worse than if he was pretending to be a good boyfriend. I think you'd eventually agree, but he'll get used to you giving it to him, and it'll be much worse when you say no. I think he wouldn't force you physically, but he'll pretty much use psychological manipulation to get you to do what he wants from you, which is still forcing.

Stu Macher

If you're just another low-level conquest, he'll cheat on you or leave you for someone else. If you're someone special, he'll stick with you even though he gets frustrated. He could be very loyal if you push his weaknesses correctly without Billy finding out. He will insist that you have sex with him in a silly way, acting innocent and playful, but you will be able to see his disappointed and upset face when you say no. However, if you play your cards right, I think he might continue with you without cheating on you; but you have to manipulate him, which will make your relationship even more toxic, but at this point…who cares?

Patrick Bateman

Tough scenario for you. If he thinks you are a person worthy of him, but you just happen not to want to have sex as often as he does, he will overlook that little flaw of yours. However, that doesn't mean it will be good. He wants you to admire him, to be the center of his life, to moan his name loud enough for everyone to hear. If he doesn't feel that way in the sexual realm as well, he will end up cheating on you with other people, but he will keep you by his side selfishly.

Hannibal Lecter

He doesn't care. Just give him control over you in all the other areas of your life. Give him the pleasure of watching you break down to the point of questioning your own morals and life choices. Make him play with your mind and show him your reactions. Tell him everything that happens to you so he can see if he can use it in some way. Give him a challenge and keep him entertained with your conversations. Provide him with a context that leaves him in euphoria and maximum exaltation. If you can do that…who needs sex?

Vincent Sinclair

He will be slightly disappointed, but he will respect you. He will not treat you differently or anything like that. He will not cheat on you or betray you in any way either. He will be very frustrated if Bo finds out and starts bothering him, but it is nothing he cannot handle. Other than that, I don't see any other problems. He cares more about your loyalty and that you follow the orders imposed on you. That's all.

Jason Voorhees

The best scenario for him. It will be much better if you do not want to have sex ever. He likes not having to fight those instincts that disturb him greatly. It's not even going to be brought up; just tell him you're not interested, and the subject will be forgotten as if it never even existed. This doesn't change your relationship at all. In fact, I think it will be better, because for Jason you won't be an unwanted temptation for him, so he won't have two opposing thoughts about you to deal with.

Leatherface

It's okay; he'll understand. He won't force you or anything like that. He won't treat you differently either. I don't think he cares about those things, if I'm honest. He's more focused on his family and loyalty. And that includes you too. He asks that you get along with his family and be okay with what they do. That you don't have a problem, basically.

Art the Clown

He doesn't care in the conventional way. But if he finds out that the subject is sensitive for you, he will use it against you. So it's best not to let it show or say anything to him, because this man is a fucking madman who enjoys other people's pain (you know that). If you don't say it, the subject will go unnoticed for a long time. If Art ever feels sexual desire towards you and wants to have sex with you, he will simply take you and use you. Seriously, he won't ask questions. He sees you as his toy.

Jason Dean

For him not to care, you would have to be crazy like him. In that case, he will overlook it, because he will believe that something as crude as sex does not have to hinder a love as perfect as yours. I think that at first he will feel personally offended by your refusal; he will try to explain to you that he feels rejected. If you explain it sincerely, he will understand and will not insist further. But he will use it against you in arguments to get you to give him more attention and spend more time with him, claiming that he does a lot of things for you.

Alex DeLarge

Uh… no. He wouldn't take you seriously if you didn't want to have sex as much as he does. He likes sex quite a bit; he's not going to give that up. I think he might keep you around if you like ultraviolence and enjoy it as much as he does. I don't think he'll leave behind a person to help him and follow his orders. But you two can't be a couple; it just wouldn't work. He'll actively try to provoke you into falling for it. In your case, it would be much more fun if you gave it to him consensually, because that would mean he has complete control over you and can make you do things he wants of your own free will. However, if he doesn't want you around him because he's not interested in you in any way other than sexually… then things get darker. We already know his tendencies.

Kurt Kunkle

If he doesn't feel rejected, he doesn't care. If he feels rejected, the relationship will be more toxic. He is manipulative and obsessive. He wants you to admire and love him; if he feels that you dislike him sexually, he will not force you, but he will be excessively controlling, and you will argue a lot. He uses it to victimize himself. There will come a point where he becomes a nuisance to you. On the other hand, if he does not feel rejected, that is fine; he will be toxic in other aspects of the relationship.

Brahms

He will take it personally, no matter what you tell him. He will manipulate you, and it will be emotionally draining for you. You will probably agree on several occasions to get him to shut up, or you will end up manipulating him with sex to obey you. He will obey you every time if you offer him sex. He would like to resist, but he is too hungry for contact and needs to feel the sensation.

[olenoidedserratuspilled]

So I'm a gay man from a completely different part of the world from any of you, and so I don't have much insight into the dating culture of the US because I've never participated in it - or dating culture at all, really. Nonetheless, I'm gonna leave my two cents on this under the cut. Feel free to ignore them if you'd prefer to.

what's essential is understanding that other people including women are full humans just like you, who matter just as much as you.

I'm mostly sure OP already understands that. There's no indication that he doesn't, at least. In either case, this is by your own admission the bare minimum. We both know that the bare minimum isn't gonna cut it here.

there are so many women who are out there who want a guy who is caring and on top of his shit. like the bar is so low for some women, it's not hard to clear it.

See, showing other people that you're caring is hard, especially when you're showing it with the intention of pursuing them romantically - which, let's not kid ourselves, is the intention here. Even if you do mange to convey that - again, it's still only the bare minimum. It's good, sure, but not enough.

less dating apps, more befriending all sorts of people through hobbies and volunteer work.

"Befriend" is the key word here. Dating people you were friends with befrehand is complicated to say the least, we could have an entire separate thread about it, but to summarize my outlook I think it's half a matter of luck and half one of finesse. If you don't do everything exactly, perfectly right, it can easily end with both of you sad, angry and potentially traumatized - and it will be your fault, not in the sense you'll be blamed for it, but in that it'll be objectiely your fault.

figure out what you have to offer to the world, offer it, people will take notice.

Sure, they might. If they do though, will anyone want it? If they want it, why would they not seek it from someone else? Someone who's been doing it for longer, who's more skilled at it, or who's just got more to offer besides it? Just "having something to offer" isn't good enough, it's the bare minimum.

There's nothing you can offer that can't be easily found somewhere else. It doesn't matter who you are, there's always gonna be a billion other people exactly like you except better. And what, you want somebody else to settle for you when it'd be easier, less risky and more gratifying to just look for somoene better instead? That's selfish. I'm not being coy here, it is objectively, undeniably selfish to want that. I do need this to be clear: I'm not blaming anyone other than OP/the hypothetical man this advice is aimed at in this scenario.

it also really really sucks for straight women, my god does it suck ass. you need to understand the ways it sucks for women before you can improve your game, btw.

I mean, I think the ways it sucks are fairly obvious. A lot of people do it but at least for me it's kind of hard to ignore the murders, rapes and domestic abuse. By all means seek to understand them and work to not perpetrate them, but "Don't be a piece of shit" really doesn't paint a very clear picture of what, specifically, you're supposed to do beyond that point.

so many people want out of the box and are out of the box. go befriend and dare them.

If you pardon me being cynical (it's sort of my gimmick, if you couldn't tell), what reason do the people out of the box have to give some dumbass newcomer who just crawled out of the box the time of day? Just thinking "out of the box" isn't enough. It's the bare minimum. It's still just objectively not good enough.

you've set up an equation that means that you must always lose, and it's the type of equation that is primed to make you hate women.

I mean yes and no? From what I understood, one of the equation's components is "if a man fails to find a relationship, the failure is all his". If you interpret this as a false preconception that the world around you holds then yeah I can see how it'll lead down that path, but if you interpret it as true then at worse it'll just lead to hating oneself. Not ideal no, but at least no women are impacted as a result.

this equation is false, and based on false premises, that you and a ton of men and women think is gospel.

It depends on how you define false, really. If we go by objective, observable reality then actually both the presented equations are false and all human interaction is nothing but the absurd acts of chemicals (this is what I believe, to put all my cards on the table).

If you wanna be less Reddit-ey about it though, one could easily argue that - because "the equation" is, consciously or otherwise, upheld by the majority of the population (at least the ones involved in the straight dating scene anyway), then it's true in the sense that it is the social norm that you're expected to abide by. You can say it's morally wrong, sure, but it's still just as "true" as things like dining etiquette and formal grammar.

Feel free to ignore dining etiquette all you like, but you're gonna get a lot of mean looks from relatives and restaurant staff.

one of your falsities is that straight and bi women don't like feminine men. this is patently false. have you met a goth woman? have you met a woman who is in fandom? they are jerking it to the most pathetic and wet sissy rat men.

Fictional men and real men are radically different. For starters, fictional men are just plainly easier to grow emotionally attached to because they come with none of the... "Baggage", for the lack of a better word, and just because someone thinks baby-faced white twinks (because make no mistake, that is what 99.5% of fandom, regardless of gender, imagines when they hear the words "feminine man") look hot on TV doesn't mean they'd ever want to actually date one. Hell, even baby-faced white twinks are becoming kinda passé. Himbos are all the rage right now and I'm sorry but the average guy just isn't himbo material.

Another reason you shouldn't use people's attractin to fictional characters as a baromater is because fictional characters are just kind of... Innately superior to real people, in the sense that it's much easier to glance over all the less palatable aspects of their characters and focus exclusively on the aspects that appeal to you. You can't really do that with a real person.

This is of course not even taking cultural differences into account. I am gay myself and even I'm afraid of presenting as femininely as I'd like to beause (body image issues nonwithstanding) I live in rural Brazil and that's just not socially accepted here, be it by women or men. If I were a straight guy and I did try being A Little Gender and Gay I'd get rightfully told to go fuck myself.

So for my conclusion, I definitely don't know enough about the topic to say whether or not you're right about it, but the advice offered is only a basic foundation that only really helps if you've already got okay to good social skills - which let's be honest, just doesn't describe most men, straight or otherwise.

Even if a guy does every single thing you've advised here though, all he'll have accomplished is... Being a sort of okay guy, maybe. That's a good start for sure but even then you're still gonna fall short. You're still not gonna be interesting, or special, or exciting... Or good enough. And in my experience, if you aren't these things already, you'll probably never be.

TL;DR, here's my point: I think your advice is ultimately harmless, but commits the usual error of only providing a semi-real sense of hope. I'm willing to bet a lung that you and your casanove friends all have much, much more to offer to potential partners than anyone in this thread has or ever will have... And that's kinda the problem. The harsh reality you're avoiding is that some people aren't meant to find love - and if you haven't already found it, that probably includes you.

For what it's worth, I do at least have a boyfriend. We'll probably never meet IRL, but it's good enough for me. Maybe the real lesson OP and other guys should learn is how to acept the cards you've been dealt.

I looked at this thread

and it's another signal from the world of something like "sociosexual realism". Which is like, feminism or whatever told us that men and women were equally agentic, but unfortunately it was lying, and actually it's men's responsibility to be seductive, and if they fail at that then TFR goes down and the Amish win.

It's not just the thread, a lot of relationships and dates make me feel this way.

I'm stuck believing this unpleasant belief. What am I missing? Is the world not like that?

[onbearfeet]

Sometimes, you have to start a new quilt.

I started a project, years ago, to make a throw quilt for each season of the year. I wanted to be able to drape the quilt over a living-room quilt rack or maybe the couch and change it every three months. Voilá. Decor.

I wanted this for a lot of reasons, starting with the fact that lying under a quilt and reading is one of my greatest pleasures in life, but also including the fact that I have synesthesia. My brain tends to jumble up time, space, numbers, and colors. For example, the number two is dark bottle green to me, and history unfolds on a literal map in my brain. I could give you turn-by-turn directions to the French Revolution. It's weird in here.

One of the ways my synesthesia manifests is that months have color palettes. Some of them are what you'd expect--February, for example, is red and pink. Some are unique to me, like October, which is metallic gold and dark charcoal gray, like charred edges on a Klimt painting. I like to play with those colors during their months, usually in things like my nail polish colors. Thus, my quilt project would use my monthly palettes to create quilts that would keep my synesthesia brain happy.

This is my original summer quilt. It's called Victory Garden. (The quilts have titles. They're art. Shaddup.)

I used to love this quilt. I read under it. I spread it over my bed. It made my brain happy because July, to it, is these colors. I haven't thought of myself as especially patriotic since I left the cult, but my brain likes the colors it likes, and I mashed up two different fabric collections to make sure I got my color palette without having to include military insignias or quotes from slaveholders or anything like that. Mostly I wanted florals. Hence the title.

But after the election, looking at the quilt didn't make me happy anymore. It made me feel ill. I shoved it into a closet where I wouldn't have to see it and got on with staying alive.

Recently, my mom asked to borrow Victory Garden so she could refer to its pattern for a quilt we're making together. I think I'll "forget" it in her sewing room for a while. It still brings her joy, and it deserves to be loved even if I'm currently not capable.

But that means I'm out 25% of my seasonal quilts. That doesn't feel great, either. That's a lot of work, gone.

I got to thinking about summer, about the things I like about it. I decided that if I couldn't make a good summer quilt out of the June or August palettes (they're not very quilt-friendly), I'd try to find another inspiration. And on a whim, I started searching the names of summer fruits on a quilting website and found a collection called Blueberry Delight. Just looking at it made me remember making blueberry cobbler with my grandmother as a child, eating it hot with ice cream on top.

So tonight, I started putting squares together. This is the new palette of summer, assembled in the heart of winter. Blueberry Delight.

It'll take a while to put it together. Making something good to replace something bad always takes more time than you expect. It's work I didn't want to do, shouldn't have to do just because a bunch of fascist shitheads made a mess. But it'll get done eventually. I'll have something better someday.

And isn't the new thing beautiful?

[lottsoflanguages]

Not my usual post but I felt I needed to put this out there + it does relate to how Irish institutions refuse to promote our culture.

I don't know if anyone reading this was watching Eurosong tonight. It's the selection of Ireland's Eurovision entry. During it, after a folk and traditional inspired song, the panel basically lambasted it. The consensus was that because Ireland did poorly at Eurovision 2007 (18 years ago btw) with a culturally Irish song that Europe does not like Ireland or its culture and that we shouldn't send a culturally Irish song to Eurovision because we need to modernise (what they actually mean is pander) to their idea of modern European standards. These comments made me quite furious and devastated (clearly evident by the fact I'm posting this). RTE has always come across to me not actually caring about our language or culture when it comes to promoting it to a younger audience. They don't seem to realise that branding Gaeilge and its culture as "an old persons thing" is going to cause detrimental damage to our already endangered heritage, since young people should be the ones you focus on, they're the ones who would be able to bring it down to future generations. Now, back to Eurosong, the way those comments were delivered gave me a sense that we shouldn't even bother sending something remotely Irish to Eurovision. Our culture is clearly embarrassing and something we should be ashamed of because of one bad result 18 years ago and as a result we should hide our heritage and erase it, there can and will not be anything identifyably Irish. It goes without saying that this is a disgusting approach to a dying culture. We hate to admit it, but Gaeilge is dying and we can't even blame the Brits anymore for this. It is the Irish institutions, our government, our broadcaster, everything around us is doing nothing to preserve our heritage. Oh but don't worry guys because that road sign's in Irish so its fine. And don't worry RTE love trad just look at Samantha Mumba doing a lil jig (all that was /sarc btw). It really struck home especially when; 1. the identifiably Irish song finished last in the televote and 2. The Norwegian song that has nothing to do with Ireland (the artist only came to Ireland for the first time last week) won the whole thing and will represent us in Basel. Now, I'll clarify some things. I have all but respect for Emmy herself. She seems absolutely lovely and I will fully support her as our nation's representative. I also generally don't have an issue with artists from other countries representing their non-native lands (see: Celine Dion). My issue stems from the fact that this song was so clearly (at least in my opinion) originally written with the Norwegian national selection in mind. Norway must've rejected it and Emmy's team just went "hey ireland has their selection still open for applicants let's fob it onto them" (that happens much more than you think it does at Eurovision) That's just my theory. So, what RTE have decided to do is mock and put down anything that remotely feels too-Irish in favour of one of Norway's scraps. They would rather pretend to be Norway than appear too-Irish. Cultural folk inspired entries do well at Eurovision, Kalush Orchestra won the whole thing nearly 3 years ago with a folk-hip hop fusion, it got the highest televote ever seen in eurovision (and no, that was not all war pity votes, people do actually like this stuff).

RTE and other Irish institutions are curating this idea that Irish culture and language is something to be ashamed of, something thats cringe or something thats a novelty. It is particular BS in the context of Eurosong and the whole "we can't do good with something cultural" as Ireland's biggest music acts at the moment are those who embrace their heritage within their music (e.g. Hozier, Kneecap, Fontaines DC) and if Irish culture does end up making a comeback, it'll be because of these guys, not our institutions. We've been a (mostly) independent nation for over 100 years, yet Irish still declines. We can't blame the Brits anymore for this lads. In however many years time when Irish culture is nothing more than a distant memory, we'll look back and know exactly who to blame

Apologies if this is all completely incoherent, it's 1am, i'm on a sleeping tablet but autism brain is going. anyways, oíche mhaith a chairde <3

[fluffyfeatherfun]

Dinosaurs can laugh! (Antoher Dandy's World Tickle Fic

Made another one speciallt for the requester to fuel their Lee!Shelly needs

Requested by: @mosaichunter (I ALSMOST PING THE WRONG PERSON)

Lee:Shelly

Ler:Vee (Yup, again!)

Starring:None, just two of them!

Word Count:1,585

Warning:This is a tickle fic, again. If you don't really like those kind of stuff, scroll pass

Bits of angst. Just a bit at the beginning but it'll tone down

((brackets like these are creator's notes in the fic))

Extra note:While this is technically connected to the previous fic , you don't need to read it in order to understand this fic.

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

Shelly can hear the roaring cheer outside. She can feel the plastic texture of her dino toys. She can feel the cold stone floor beneath her. She can feel the scars on her heart. It hurts to know that the crowd outside dosen't even know her name. It hurts to know that the love she gets is just as little as the attention the kids pay when she talks about her dinosaur facts. It hurts that there are only a few toons who are aware of her problems. It hurts....

Until her thoguhts were cut short when she heard a creek from the woodeen door, follow by a familiar looking TV host((totally not because we just saw her last chapther)),follow by a powerful slam.

"Oh, your done already?"

Vee held a grudge from the loud blasting crowd behind, turning to Shelly and nodding with one foot on the door.

"Wish it was even earlier. Being a host is quite stressful sometimes. Now, what did yoy want to talk about when we were at the hallways? "

The ammonite's face switch to that of a teary looking one, darting down on the ground and not muttering a word until the TV head host broke the silence.

"Was it because you are being ignored again?"

"Wh-No! I promise this one is different." She waves her hands around in denial.

"Really? Tell me more about it." She respond, as she took a seat beside her.

It was hard for Shelly to make eye contact with how hard is it to word this new worry, but she still did her best to keep the point straight:

"I've been thinking a lot about..... Changing what's mainly about me.... To be more specific, my liking for dinosaurs. I tried a lot of things:baking, sewing, roleplay, even game hosting with the toons, but it's either I..... Don't enjoy it as much or I'm not as good at it.... Mostly the first point... "

She fiddles her fingers around, as tiny drops of tears fell on the floor. Vee can clearly she how desperate she is for just a little love, for just a little attention, for just a little recognition, so she pat her on the back to soothe her aching heart a bit and gives a pep talk:

"Hey there, dino girl, look at me."

"Hmm?"

"I know that dinosaurs aren't the most popular among the kids, but that dosen't mean it can't be interesting. There are so many fun ways to express it out, but that dosen't exactly mean your way isn't good. You know what they say:" Sometimes it takes time to find the right audience." etc etc.... "

She widens her eyes a bit, feeling a bit better with Vee's ramble (Or pep talk again I'M NOT REALLY GOOD WITH WORDS), as she countinues to listen to her:

"And besides, fame isn't everything. Sure, it seems like the greatest gift when you have lots of it, but when it dies down, what now? Barely anyone knows you, there is some new kind of thing that's all the rage, and worst of all, you know what was it like to be loved. Not to mention busy schedules and having little to no privacy. Seriously, I can't even remember the last time I had a nice and normal chat with Teagen. "

She quietly opens her shuttle, looking at the old, janky wries for a short moment in a bit of quivering sadness, before closing it and turning back to Shelly, who was just nodding her head this entire time.

It was quite the akward stare, to say the least, just for her to process everything Vee said and wipe her tiny tears.

Suddenly, a little idea spark in the television's CPU. Without scaring her too much, she taps on her fat dino finger(okay she dosen't really have those but cmon, think about it) to get her attention and spoke:

"Hey, I can prove that your dino knowlage does have some use."

Of coruse, you can't just say that to some person your trying to comfort and expe t them to understand. The ammonite's head tilts like a confused dog, before responding with a few studders:

"Wh-wh-what?"

Wagging her mic tail nervously, she scrathes the back of her antenna and replies back:

"Uhmmmm, how do I say this....... Could I........ Dust off your ribs?" (A luttle silly secret word of 'Can I tickle'. Aka the creator forgot the the term for secret word so her worsing is super off AHHH)

Her eyes light up in excitement as her dino tail wags rapid and her hands wave, turning around and fully exposing the area.

"Of course you can! I'm still not sure how that relates to what you said earlier, buttt I'll go with the flow."

With a smile on her face, Vee retracts her cold, metal fingers to give them little fur tips, before extending her arms to grab Shelly by the shoulders and wraps her mic wire tail around her body.

((Alright IK there might be too much creator notes, but this is important, I promise. I honestly don't think I can contently write both Shelly and Vee's names for this psrt since it rapidly switches the focus, so you, the reader will need to keep track of that. If you are reading this thank you :)))

Without warning, she felt a few of her top rib bones getting attacked by the fingers. That combined with the fact it's near her underarms, another vunerable spot, makes her burst of of laugther and flail her arms around helplessly. To say that she didn't expect her to immediately aim for it would be an understatement.

"VHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE, THAHAHAHTHAHHA WAHHAHAHAHA, GAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA."

As if that wasen't enough, the host positions her mic right in front of her mouth to amplify her laugther thoguh her speakers.

"You know, after what's possibly the longest gameshow, I could really use a bit of relaxing music to calm my wires down from the win of the other craft. Now, tell me, my deae ammonite, what's an interesting fact about dinosaurs and your sweet melt spot?"

Her blush was quickly forming on her face, especially with that little comment on her ribs. Regardless of how much tickles she is tanking, hiwever, she is still able to roll out one.

"AHAHAHA THEHEHEREHEHEHX HAHAHAHAS AHAHA SEHEHEHEHCHOHOHOHND SHEHEHEHEHET OHOHHOHOFHO RHIHIHIBS CHAHAHAHALLHEHED GASHHEHEHESTHAHAHAHLHIHIHIAS."

"Hmmmm, impressive! Perhaps you wouldn't mind naming me a flying dinosaur that flaps like your arms?"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA ARHAHAHACHAHEHEHOHPTHEHERHEHEYHEHX DHOHOHOHEHEHS."

"Not sure how your able to say such a long name when your mind is as tangled as your body under my tickles, but I'll guve you credit for that. Perhaps we will need to increase the difficulty a bit more."

Giving her palms fluffy pads, she moves the the bridge of the sides and the belly, letting the it and the fingers work together around that area. This sudden increase of ticklish feeling jolts her body around and fills the room with even more of her laugthers.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, NHOHOHOHOHOHOHT THEHEHEHEHEHERHEHEHEHE VHEHEHEHEHEHE. THAHAHAHAHAHAHAHTHEHAHTS MHIHIHIHY MHEHEHEHEHEHEHELT SPHOHOHOHOHHOHOT."

"Everywhere is a melt spot for you, silly. Say, what kind of dinosaur has the largest stomach and how much it can eat?"

"AHAHA BRHAHAHANCHIHIHOSHAHARHUHS CHAHAHAN EHAHAHAT FOHOHOHOHUR HUHUHUUHUHNDRHEHEHED THOHOHO NIHIHIHIHNE HUHUHUHNDHRHEHEHED PHOHOHOHHOUNDS OHOHOHOHOF LEHAHHEHAHEHAHAHFY GRHEHEHEHEHENS AHAHA DHAHAHAY."

"Wonderful, really, wonderful! Last question before I let you go:Can dinosaurs laugh?"

"WHAHAHAHAHAIT, WHAHAHAHAT?"

"Can a dinosaur laugh just as loud as you? Hmm"

She repeats, as her fingers got closer to the center of her stomach.

"IHIHIHHIHT DHOHOHOHNT HAHAHAHAHAVE THEHEHEHEHE ANHAHAHANSWHEHEER THOHOHOHO THAHAHAHAT!"

"I'm just joking, silly, I don't know the answer to that either."

See her nearly cracking up to a little mess, she suddenly retracts the fluffy pads awaywhile still holding her body. Shelly babbled around like an idiot for a minite or two before she realized that the tickling stop. Feeling relieved, she takes her time to catch her breath and wipe of all the sweat on her head(don't ask me how is Vee not affected by that). She wags her tail playfully around Vee's stomatch, not fliching her by even a bit. Before long, her lungs had ctahc enough air for her to verbalize some words:

"Hey, Vee, thanks alot..... Huff.... For the tickles...... I've been craving some since this morning....."

"Haha, no problem! Look, I do want to apologize for not really spending time with you these past few days. I've got a lot of events to headline, including my own gameshow."

"Yeah, I understand,.... Haha..... Say, how exactly did you prove my dino knowlage...... Was worth something.......? "

"Don't you see it, Shelly? You could just pop one out even under such laughter as if it was nothing! That dosen't just take knowlage, but also some fighting energy and lung capacity! I'm telling you, you're a real fighter for this. "

"Oh!..... Well that's new..... Maybe that explains why I accidentally crack Tisha's.... Knuckles a bit too hard yesterday....."

"..... You what now?"

"..... Yeah.... I may or may not have.... Broke her arm?"

"..... I'm not even going to question that. Anyways, my next gameshow could use snother contestant. Wanna join?"

"Your kidding?..... Of coruse I would!"

"Alright alright, I'll register your name later. Come on, let's get some soft tacos."

"But you can't eat food, can you?"

"A robot can dream, Shelly, a robot can dream."

And so, the TV host picked up the ammonite by the hand and took the other exit back to the toon rooms, leaving the aftershow on a sweet note.

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

Thank you so much for your patience! Speaking honestly, I wish I could get thus done earlier, but hey, better late than never!

Let's thank Google for giving me some dino facts to incoperate into this fic, and thank my will to tease the requester the motivation to finush this fic! /silly

Have aa good day mate! And proud to say I enjoyed this fic alot more!

[gasoline-drinker]

Reverie-verse hcs!! (I love making lists you guys)

Cyril and Dove :

Since Cyril was apparently a whore in college then Dove was a druggie. This is all to say that dove has totally done shrooms

When he was a kid, Cyril had a German accent because one of his tutors had it, and he spent more time with them than either of his dads.

While Cyril and Axel would probably be chill with each other, Sunshine and Dove HATTEE each other. Like if Sunshine was on that train then Dove would've woken up just to jump them and then immediately pass out

Not only can Elis not cook, but Cyril can't either, seriously last time he tried he started a house fire. Dove can, but only like. instant ramen in a pot, and eggs sometimes. (These losers make Gem seem like a gourmet chef)

That one time Cyril got rlly drunk was actually in his pining phase, so Elis was subjected to Cyril ranting abt how he wants Dove carnally

While Cyril (somehow because he's definitely read at least one fanfic) doesn't know what a power couple is, he does begrudgingly know what skibidi toilet is. This is entirely because an intern thought it would be funny to watch it during work.

Dove is one of those (aunts/uncles/whatever the general neutral term for those is) who will throw your kid into the lake so they can learn how to swim.

Cyril is definitely some kind of queer, even if your Dove is a girl. (I mean this is technically canon, cuz Elis and Cyril have almost gotten together)

Casey and Honey :

Casey has tried weed one(1) time, had a panic attack while high, and is now too scared to do it again

Southern honey??? Yes please!!

Casey had an emo phase in middle school, and when Honey eventually meets his family that will be the first thing his brothers show them

Anytime anyone throws anything Honey has to desperately try not to chase it. (A coyote may be a wild dog, but a dog first and foremost)

Casey and Experiment (Alder's listener) are distant cousins. Smth smth shared plant themes.

Casey DESPERATELY yearns for a cat, but he can't have one because it'll probably tear up his plant children

Casey is a chronic game rager. It doesn't matter wether it's online or a board game, he will be yelling at someone. You'd think it'd be endearing to listen to but it's just scary. (Unless you're Honey. Honey's a little into it)

Casey has a habit of underestimating himself. He's just as shocked that he beat you at arm wrestling as you are.

Casey and Honey have a bit where, whenever they say Worcestershire sauce, they pronounce it more and more wrong each time. The most recent iteration is 'wongo bongo' sauce

Casey has occasionally called Honey 'Honeydew', and it's very cute

Casey listens to Cosmo Sendrake (I'm projecting)

Axel and Sunshine :

Sunshine, surprisingly, hates the taste of alcohol. They WILL get drunk off strictly strawberry daiquiri's and you cannot stop them. (Axel is one of those freaks that'll drink like. straight vodka.)

Sunshine has a pet tarantula. This has led to the situation where, when Axel first came over, he physically wouldn't go into Sunshine's bedroom until it's tank was in the closet

Whenever Axel pisses them off enough they just bring out the tarantula

Sunshine and Dove are exes. (Listen dude, they have types.) (This is also why they hate each other.)

One of the people who works under Sunshine caught them at a (gay or not gay, idk what you hc their gender as) bar, and is too scared to mention it to anyone.

Nathaniel and Sidekick :

Yk those teens who thirst over the worst villains they can find? That's Sidekick. Nathaniel is their poor little meow meow and they have been stalking him for a WHILE.

I feel like Sidekick was raised by the Internet. Like they totally know of cupcakes and pony.mov and creepypasta. Possibly also a scene kid?? I mean they are in my hc

Also Sidekick and Detective are siblings and Detective has been totally desensitized to their siblings lack of sanity. (They r both little freaks and I love them.)

Talus and whoever his listener is :

Not much to say cuz he doesn't have a listener yet, but I feel like his listener is gonna be like one of those old ladies with their feral purse dogs. As in while Talus is out being evil they're just like "oh him? The guy currently taunting his poor brother and starting the worst period of his life? Oh he wouldn't hurt a fly!! 😊", would love to see them treat him like he's completely harmless and getting away with it.

Talus' listener feels like this image of the cunty mountain lion, I do not care if they aren't out yet.

[bucketofbugz]

just like how I react to the tpot episodes, I'm gonna live react to the new subscriber special. for funsies

under the cut, for spoilers

WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT LEAVE THEM ALONE?????

LOOK AT THEM????

"it's the literal apocalypse!" WHAT IS GOING ON??????

also implications that the other Algebraliens do have powers that we just haven't seen yet... interesting interesting also glad to see Ten's recovered from Fourteen eating their skin

oh hello Fourteen!!!! my silly!!!!!! my creature!!!!!! .. don't eat Ten's skin again. please.

funky guy honestly kinda loving this Zero they're funny I know I got mad at them for being mean to the other Zero but it's okay we can forgive them.

"I love not going to Zero's bunker" "come to Zero's bunker!!" "I'm highly suggestible!" .. me too Seven me too

I love Fourteen so much look at them

Oh no they're just gonna be a bunch of tapes embarrassing the Zero with a hat, aren't they? also look at their face that's adorable.

"The floor is lava now" "wow."

such great reactions you two. so engaging. anyway I am SO excited to see Two interact with the other numbers some more. We really only got their interactions with Fourteen (and Four, of course) so it'll be fun to see them talk to other numbers this time.

Zro how did you spell your own name wrong I'm gonna spell it like that for the entire rest of this reaction. No more e for you. also why is Twenty Four so silly. we are literally NEVER gonna see them again and I know that for a fact. I love them though. They're pink

Why would you do this to them

"lava's never burnt me before :((((" poor Two. ouchie.

"Eight I've always loved you" "what?" "like, platonically."

okay I know a lot of people are gonna immediately jump to shipping but even like. GENUINELY platonically. that's adorable. like "damn I'm gonna die. gotta tell my friend I love them". y'know?

SOMSONE GET NINE OFF THE DROP TOWER WHY IS SHE STILL UP THERE??? HELP THEM????

yeah I think they get it, Two.

ZRO. ZRO WATCH OUT. ZRO.

I don't think I wanna know what's on that tape. I don't. I really don't. Don't make me watch it. I don't wanna know what it is.

THERE'S A FIFTEEN DRAWING ON THE FRIDGE?? I feel like that's a very weird number to be there??? normally the fridge drawings are of like. four and two.

I'm not. screenshotting the tape. because I don't want Zro kissing a pillow on my computer. But. the Fifteen drawing makes sense now. Okay Zro I see you.

Seven I swear if you had the ONE tape that they were looking for.

.Seven...

I.. don't think this is gonna work.

WHAT ARE YOU???

oh look at them

ohohohoho freaky little guy. I love it.

"It.. missed me?"

"No, I just don't have any use for you. You're nothing"

hey so that's. stop it.

[marshallpupfan]

Movie 3 Predictions

Ever since it got announced, people have been predicting what the third theatrical film will be like. Now that both a leak and an official source has informed us that A) Marshall will be the focus and B) dinosaurs are involved, even more predictions have popped up. Well, I figure I might as well throw some of my own out there. Besides, it's been a while since I've made one of my trademark lengthy posts. 😇

I'm going to try and not go crazy with these. I'm just going to post the ones that jump out at me. Admittedly, it feels like a lot of us have thought the same thing, so some of these might not be anything new.

In any case, here are my predictions. Due to the length of this post, some of the more important parts will be highlighted, in case you prefer to just skim through all of this.

The leak mentioned Mayor Humdinger will be involved. I think he'll find the dinosaurs, and ultimately, he'll try to exploit them. He'll round them all up and transport them back to Adventure City, where he'll hold his new "Hum-Dino-Topia" theme park! Naturally, things will go wrong, the dinosaurs will get loose, and they'll cause all kinds of havoc for the finale. Cue the PAW Patrol to save the day.

Marshall, despite not being all that clumsy in the previous films (especially The Mighty Movie), will suddenly be very clumsy in this one. It'll affect his confidence at points, he'll mess things up during one of the missions, and someone will get mad and question if he deserves to be a part of the PAW Patrol. Maybe he'll even run away, like in "Pups Save a Friend", before returning for the finale.

The metadata in a leaked file, as well as that voice actor audition thing seeking someone with a disability to voice a pup who uses a wheelchair, strongly suggests Rex, from Dino Rescue, will be in the film. Nothing's officially yet, but the evidence is pretty good so far. In any case, if he is involved, I imagine that, like the TV series, he'll be living with the dinosaurs, possibly for most of his life. He might have gadgets, but like his wheelchair, it'll all be crude, until he gets a big upgrade once he becomes a member of the PAW Patrol.

Also, unlike the TV series, the dinosaurs will be on an island, and not some location you have to get to via a cave. Also also, much like The Mighty Movie ignoring 2018's Mighty Pups, I think the movie will flat-out ignore the TV series' continuity again, so everyone will act like this is the first time they've met Rex and seen dinosaurs.

Folks are wondering how they'll address removing the pups' superpowers from The Mighty Movie. Honestly? This might sound cynical, but I think they'll just flat-out ignore it, much like how the TV series quickly moves on from each subseries. They had powers one moment, now they don't. At best, we might get an explanation, but it'll be brief ("It's a shame the crystals ran out of power and now we can't use them anymore.")

Marshall will likely get a backstory. What do I hope we get? Marshall had a rough time because of his clumsiness, and people were mean to him and laughed at the pup a lot. It became too much for him, and with a face full of tears, he ran away. He later stumbled upon (perhaps into) Ryder, and the boy took him in. Despite his new owner, Marshall continued to struggle, which resulted in Chase taking him under his paw to help the Dalmatian. During this time, the two became close, practically like brothers, and his encouragement, love and support helped Marshall to not only do better, but to prove to everyone who ever laughed at or doubted him that they were wrong. In time, he became the firefighter we know today, making both Chase and Ryder proud. Now, what do I expect? Nobody took Marshall seriously because of his clumsiness, he tried to do something dangerous to prove himself, he nearly died, Ryder saved him, and talking about his past right before the finale helps him move on and find the confidence to succeed during the last mission. We won't get any more than that, and it'll more or less follow the basic blueprints as Chase and Skye's backstories.

Given this is Marshall's movie, I expect a massive fire will break out during the finale, which will threaten both humans and the dinosaurs that got loose. Marshall will likely doubt himself at one point, but he'll pull through, figure out a brilliant plan to extinguish the fire(s), and the day will be saved. (I don't expect this at all, but maybe Chase will get wounded and trapped by the fire, making things all the more personal and emotional for Marshall.)

The Poms will be absent. At best, they might get a cameo, reacting to the dinosaurs loose in Adventure City or something.

Liberty will no doubt show up, but I think she'll get less screen time here. She'll stay behind to watch over Adventure City when the pups go to dinosaur island, and then she'll help out during the finale (to guide people to safety and whatnot).

Victoria Vance won't be present at all. If anything, a new villain will pop up to help Mayor Humdinger. Probably a female baddie.

As for the other pups who aren't in the focus? I think Chase will get plenty of attention, and he'll be up front in a mission or two (sadly, I don't think the movie will acknowledge the fact he's best friends with Marshall). Skye will get a bunch of time in the spotlight, due to making sure they get plenty of girl representation in the film. Rubble will still get most of the comedic moments, and he'll ride on top of a dinosaur at some point, to reference that season 2 episode. Rocky will help, but I can't see him getting any huge involvement in the plot, outside of a few rescues. Zuma will get a cool moment, and maybe he'll even save a human or dinosaur in the water, but I don't think he'll get to take out another villain again.

That's about all I have right now. If you have any comments, opinions, or predictions of your own, let me know!

[sailorspazz]

10 Dance - chapter 43, part 2 summary

Following a day of text conversations, the Shinyas finally get the chance to go out together as a couple. Their conversation reveals that they have some differing ideas about how their relationship should progress from here.

Full summary and highlight images under the cut.

Chapter 43, part 2: I Could Have Danced All Night

Published online on February 7th, 2025. Available to purchase on Comic Days, or rent for 10 days on Yanmaga.

Norman holds up the tablet as Suzuki greets Nino through the ongoing video call, while Aki freaks out a bit that the famous Nino Zolche is actually talking to them. Nino says that he'll be joining their training team soon, and will be in Japan within the week.

After handing over the tablet to Suzuki and stepping aside, Norman is approached by Saichi. Saichi sees him watching Suzuki talking to Nino, and says (in English) that Norman is actually a meddling yet kind man. Norman tells him not to address him with such poor pronunciation. He asks what his first name is, and Saichi answers that it's Takashi. He wonders whether he should call him Takashi or Saichi, and just as Saichi starts to answer with his last name, Norman starts calling him by his first name. Norman says that he heard Saichi tried to quit, but Max laughed and threw out his resignation letter. He then asks how Shun is doing, and Saichi replies that he's been hanging around his place, and also started going to the gym to blow off steam. Norman says that's probably because Saichi suggested that to him, and says that they both seem to be meddlers.

As time passes and the next day comes around, we see a series of what the Shinyas have been texting each other while apart. Suzuki asks questions like "What are you up to?" and "Did you make it home?", and the responses he gets in return are mostly one-word or other short answers. Suzuki sends a selfie with the message "Love you too", to which Sugiki thinks that he didn't say "Love you" in the first place. He texts back suggesting they should get something to eat together, which gets Suzuki excited.

They meet up at the same restaurant they visited in volume 1's special chapter "Samba de Men's Love" (it did not have a name back then, but is now called The Yanmaga Grill & Wine Bar, referencing the current publisher). Sugiki comments that it's hard to believe they're here together again, but interrupts himself as he's distracted by Suzuki, who has his arm around him and is repeatedly kissing his cheek.

He cautions that they shouldn't act so cozy in front of other people. Suzuki calls him "mi bebito" (my baby) and wonders why he's worried about that now. Sugiki grabs his hair and pushes him back, calling him "darling" and says he shouldn't be showing such an alluring and indecent looking face to anyone else. Suzuki questions if he's in any position to talk, since it seems like he's been trying to provoke him. Suzuki then flirtatiously utilizes his sexy accented English, and Sugiki runs his thumb down to his lips, grabs his face, and kisses him.

Suzuki suggests that they get out of there, but Sugiki refuses, saying that he won't have sex with him until after the 10 Dance competition is over. Suzuki tells him not to tease him like that, but Sugiki insists that he means it. Suzuki internally spirals into negative thoughts, wondering about things such as how the selfies Sugiki sends all look the same, and it's possible that he can't be bothered to even take new pics for him and is just changing the backgrounds. He worries whether Sugiki actually loves him back, but Sugiki seems to sense what he's thinking about, and threatens that if he says anything stupid he'll have his way with him right then and there. Sugiki says that they have an important goal to work toward in the 10 Dance, but Suzuki argues that it'll be hard to focus on the competition like this. He warns Sugiki not to make light of him, and wonders if Sugiki thinks he's so caught up in love that it'll cause him to mess up. Sugiki replies that they're both caught up in it, making Suzuki blush.

A voice calls out saying it's been a while, addressing them as "amigos". Suzuki recognizes the man as Marcelo, the one who played guitar and sang while the Shinyas danced back in the "Samba de Men's Love" chapter. He says that thanks to them, the restaurant lets him play gigs there now. He asks if they want to do another number together, and simultaneously Sugiki thinks and Suzuki says aloud that they'd like to do a cha-cha. Marcelo starts to play, and before the Shinyas begin, Suzuki wonders what their connection will convey to each other now. When their hands join, both look stricken by the intensity. While the other patrons clap and cheer them on, Suzuki and Sugiki smile at each other as they finally reunite in dance.

Previous chapter: #43 part 1

Next chapter: there is currently no information on the next release date.

[supacutiepie]

I have a firm belief that Lucanis has a really fucked up relationship with sex. Not just because he may be demisexual, but because Caterina has used sex against him in the past. Illario is the one who seduces and swoons and can have sex for fun. He can yap about it, go on about all his encounters. But for that exact reason I'm sure Caterina was especially strict with Lucanis about who he was allowed any form of personal relationship towards: i.e. none. I don't think for a second that she would have hesitated to put some kind of trauma into it. Because Illario plays too fast too loose, it'll get him killed. She can't lose both of them, and she especially can't lose Lucanis. So maybe she tricked him, maybe she set him up, maybe she made his own fumbling attempt at puberty so humiliating and demoralizing he shies away from it entirely. Personally, as for my story telling, I'd be able to see her using his youth against him. Maybe there was some young crow fledgling like him, someone charming enough. He gets close, close enough to Lucanis to make him start to feel things... which means this went on for months. Maybe there's a street festival, maybe Lucanis sneaks out for the first real time - he's slipped to the roofs and the diamond before but not out into the streets without telling Caterina... but he goes with this boy and they run through Treviso and he feels alive and he's having so much fun-- A gondola ride, street snacks, fireworks, his one single kiss with a boy under the bridges-- And then the gondola turns down a canal, and he's at the private dock to the Dellamorte Villa and Caterina is waiting for him and he knows immediately he's been had. Knows before that boy disappears. Caterina doesn't even have to punish him. She puts one withered hand on his nape and guides him up the steps, into the house. Demands he changes, burns the clothes that smell like the market spices. He goes to bed, they don't speak on it. They don't have to. The lesson is clear: Lucanis can never trust someone's affections.

[radiaking]

        Cooper can do nothing to restrain the scoff at the idea of Dom doing his own dirty work. "You got that right," he says, almost under his breath as she continues on. But he's not interested in discussing with her any further all the dirty work he'd done for Dom in the past, or his family mostly.

        As for the rest of it... "I don't know a gatdamn thing," he says, not caring in the least how that comes across out loud. "Just 'cause those things listen to you don't mean I believe a word'a that shit. You give a stray some food, a nice place to sleep, well, let's just say they ain't stupid." It'll take a helluva lot more than that to convince him she truly controls them and doesn't just have them very well trained, literally eating out of the palm of her hand.

        At the mention of him offering help, he quirks his brow, having forgotten he'd even done so, since he hadn't meant a word of it at the time. Now, however, he considers it. A steady stream of caps is always in his best interest. He still needs enough to keep up with procuring the vials he needs to keep his wits about himself.

        "What makes you think you can afford me?" Even as he says it though, he has no plans to turn down the offer. Curiosity still gnaws at him, wanting to see just how much control of those deathclaws she really does have.

Viserion continues to sniff at the toe of his boot, getting closer to the leg of his pants before the creature seems to attain all he needed to know about the cowboy as he gives a loud 'chirp' of sorts once he settles his gaze on his mother -- as if trying to let her know that he approves of the ghoul. At least one of the three does, before the baby deathclaw moves to rejoin his siblings where they now lay as told to do. Dany can't help but furrow her brow, starting at Cooper curiously. However her attention shifts elsewhere as they begin to talk, noticing how he reacts to her stepping closer to him and wonders if he's nervous due to knowing she wasn't lying about controlling them... or for something else entirely. Either way, she decides not to ask; Dany listens to him answer her questions with some mild skepticism. It's only natural for her to, considering her time spent on the surface and learning very quickly that keeping her history as a vault dweller secret was imperative.

What he tells her at least makes sense: if he is a bounty hunter, he's no doubt had to deal with Dom Pedro in one way or another, though she has a sneaking suspicion that their association with one another is probably not entirely... amicable. They rarely are between criminals and their peers, even if bounty hunting is technically legal. "Then you must know now that what I told you is true: he came after me because he found out a woman is traveling with three young deathclaws. Or sent someone after me, rather. Apparently he's the type of man who can't do his own dirty work," she says, upper lip curling a bit. "Not to mention his information wasn't entirely accurate in Dom seemed to assume he didn't need me to control them. Which, as you know by now, he does. That all being said... I could use your help, if you're still offering. I know I'll have to pay for it, I'm not that naive."

[sysig]

A lot of early concept stuff was expression/pose brainstorming - there’s the classic six Webkinz emotions (which, I learned have been largely pared down to just four after a point! Since they got rid of Dr. Quack’s role, there’s no more “sick” expression and most ‘Kinz’ tired and sad expressions are the same! >:0 What’s the point of having an easily editable puppet with the spaghetti code intact that you have to put an image there AnyWay and not make a slightly different expression!! H’f) as well as the main Sakura poses - so if I’m already making up expressions, why no go a little further! :D

One of the expressions I definitely needed up top was Mischievous - working with a cat, that’s the only logical conclusion really. I think it’s funny that she swerves the compliment only to pay it right back as well lol

The ticklish expression is one I’m still going back and forth on! I’m half tempted to have it be somewhere between happy and angry - maybe a mood gradient, starting out just positive and slowly moving into “Hey stop! >:0″ if it’s too many times in a row? It’s a thought haha

Similarly so, messing with her ears - bothering your pets is a very important element of socialization (lol)

As seen above, I’d reallyyy like to figure a way to have a dual-visual mood system - both the ‘Kinz body language/expression/emotion and a more exact stat bar. I’m still chewing on this idea a bit, no pun intended lol. That and click-and-drag with an actual image you can drag around your screen, hm and hm! Much to think about. Her face here turned out cute and funny haha, helped me push the expression more comedic

Much better :) Webkinz already has some well-known food dialogue, my favourite is probably “Mmm to the mmmax!” haha

Each low-mood would have their own emotion tied to it, but what about somewhere in the middle? I like the idea of the ‘Kinz getting bored if they’re left alone for too long! And little paw taps, showing off her embroidered paw pad haha ♪

[whoslaurapalmer]

the adult horror conversation with yourself of 'i could have tortillas with dinner tonight. i just had tortillas the other day. that's okay. i can, in fact, have tortillas again! i am putting a different filling in them! but if i have these tortillas, i will have a total of six tortillas left in the freezer. eventually i will have to buy more tortillas. by god, girl, you are allowed to eat the things you have in the freezer, instead of feeling like you have to save them for some potential eventuality so you don't run out of them, and like, what situation are you even imagining where the tortillas would be better to have later instead of for this particular dinner??? if you keep feeling like you have to save them for Something you will just not eat the tortillas!! eventually EVERYTHING runs out and you have to buy more of them!! that is the way the world works!! you are allowed to not have things aggressively stockpiled, except for like, tissues, but that was a purchasing incident on mom's card while she was still here, so you just happen to have, a bizarre amount of tissue boxes. AND WHILE YOUR FINANCES ARE STILL BIG RED QUESTION MARKS, YOU CAN, IN FACT, AFFORD TO GO BUY MORE TORTILLAS IF YOU FUCKING WANT TO!!! YOU GET THE STREET TACO SIZE AND THEY'RE LIKE $2.99!!!!! AND WHEN DID YOU EVEN BUY THESE TORTILLAS, HUH???????? YOU DON'T KNOW, DO YOU???? WHICH MEANS YOU HAVE GONE THROUGH THE TORTILLAS AT AN ACCEPTABLE PACE!! WHATEVER THE HELL THAT SENTENCE MEANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'

anyway i'm eating the tortillas. or i mean they're on the counter defrosting while i have some chicken toasting in the toaster oven