#it's probably so weird and sad to still be interacting with the ghosts of all these people who liked my work four years ago

[bi-tlejuice]

in the interest of using 4 year+ old asks as a way to announce my new chapters,

good question, reader from fifty three months ago!

genius mastermind @paperpaperowl has thankfully produced some material to help answer this question.

i like to imagine she's very Creature despite wearing human clothes all the time - she likes to think she looks like the end one on the right but it's definitely the middle one

come and read cardinals if you like AUs where bj is horrendously depressed !

[xoxo-ren-xoxo]

Hermitcraft / Life Series Fic Recs

Because I love so many of them...

I'll split the fics into completed and updating fics, and try to only recommend currently updating fics (i.e., not abandoned). I'm going to write a little about why I like each fic and what the general vibes are - so this is also a kind of review I guess?

I've tried to @ the authors if they have a public tumblr. Sorry to anyone who didn't want to be tagged, I can remove any @ if you ask (or if I have embarrassingly tagged the wrong person). Anyway, enjoy, and I appreciate reblogs because I want as many people to see these fics as possible!!

This ended up being incredibly long so I'm putting a divider here. Click to keep reading!!! Also, fair warning: shipping ahead! Some fics will have mild sexual content, please read the tags if you are unsure <3

Updating Fics

I have already recommended Help Me To Breathe, lost in the dark (he's got a heavy heart), and There Are Monsters Nearby in this post, so I won't explain why I like them a second time, but definitely check them out!!

Death's A Good Gig by @mawofthemagnetar is probably going to be finished by the time this post gets to you, reader, but I'm putting it here anyway. It's short and sweet, one of my favourite representations of Zedaph (or, Zedeath) I've read, and just a joy to experience. If you like grim reapers and discussions of unions, this one is for you. Also I need more Zedaph in my life.

Look, I'm Sorry, Please Stop Scaring Everyone by @cat-in-the-desert reminds me a lot of a particular TV drama I liked when I was younger, which followed a similar premise. This fic follows Mumbo (vampire) and Grian (ghost) as they get up to various housemate shenanigans and meet their local magic-expert and salesman Scar. This fic is fun, but still includes a nice amount of Feelings and hinted-at Angst which I really love. It's lighthearted, but never boring.

It Hurts To Hope by Inquillitory is my favourite of the "Grian crash lands into Hermitcraft and causes problems for everyone" genre. Seeing how many fics there are with that premise, I think that says a lot. It handles Grian's weird Watcher stuff really well. Honestly, I just want to know what happens next!

killing the boy in the tv by @raspberrystruck is like a sickfic on steroids. If you want Grian with so much past trauma he forgets how to function in society, this is basically the fic for you. I really love how hybrid traits affect the characters' interactions in this fic, and how everyone is kind of messed up because of the imbalance Grian brings. It is wonderfully descriptive in all the right places!

Love Me Like I'm Dead by @daniofcrows is such a gem. You know how hard it is to find good Xisuma whump? It's impossible. I absolutely love how Xisuma and Evil X are characterised in this, and I am obsessed with the unique take on hanahaki disease which I have never seen handled in this way before. The balance between flashbacks and present day is maintained wonderfully and I cannot wait to continue reading this one. Wow.

Oh, you wanted me to do a verse? by @bugbbear is... kind of indescribable. It's horror. It's comedy. It's the apocalypse. It's boatem. Scar eats someone. One of the most interesting and unique apocalypse stories I have read. Slowly updating but worth the wait, in my opinion. This one NEEDS more attention.

So Much For Stardust by @a-plethora-of-peters is basically one of my all-time favourites. Which is a damn good achievement seeing as I don't usually read ZITS fics. Like, ever. In this fic, Skizz is a human abducted and hurt badly by aliens, now recovering in the care of good aliens who don't know how 'sentient' he is. Every update of this one makes me smile, it is wonderful. I love how the characters are written and how the different perspectives are shown. It is just great.

Solar Waltz by @raspberrystruck and aroundtheclock is a brilliant and very very sad regression fic. I love fluffy regression fics as much as the next guy, but this one just... hits different. The hurt/comfort levels are off the charts. Grian is so damn cute the whole time, while also being harrowingly complicated and sad. I am so ready for whatever comes next.

Tango's Castle of Cards by @evilrat-sabre is the one where Tango is a BUG. He's just a little guy (horror). This one is so beautifully written, with poetry-type interludes and perspective changes that really make everything feel so much more impactful. Finding out your buddy is a murder bug isn't the easiest thing in the world. I love this so much.

Traveling Thieves {Dark Fantasy AU} (series) by @amethystfairy1 is basically one of the series of all time. I know I keep saying that but it really really is. I love a good fantasy au, and I love an au with hybrids even more. In this world, hybrids are treated like slaves, but it isn't all doom and gloom for the main characters of each installment. There is a lot of hurt/comfort and the different stories feed into each other in really interesting ways. I try to read as much as I can, though I've missed a few because my emails are buggy. Definitely worth reading these fics, especially since now they're all starting to come together!

Completed Fics

Solving Counting Sheep by @theminecraftbee might have rearranged my brain chemistry a little. Another strong contender for 'fics that inspire me to kill Grian', this time with a more concrete notion of "replacement". Three is my favourite fucked up living weapon. It's so rare to find Evo fics in this day and age, too. This fic had me immediately clicking on every update as soon as I got the emails.

Rescue Fire by @imaginethat0327 is one of the most unique takes on a fictionalised life series game that I have ever read. The whole concept is explained in a realistic and easy-to-follow way, as we learn what's happening with the characters. There are several brilliant storylines happening in this one, but my particular favourites are Jimmy & Tango, Joel, and of course Scar & Grian. This fic is full of whump and, well, read the tags, it isn't always pleasant, but those are my favourite things ever. Definitely worth checking out this fic and its currently updating sequel.

don't you know about me? by takenbadgering is a wonderful comedy of errors with just the right amount of angst for a realistic setting type of fic. If you enjoy polyamory miscommunications, rave aesthetics, kandi, school teacher dynamics, and a lovely blend between grumbo, cubscar, and mumscar, this is the one.

Eventually the Birds Must Land by @milo-hypno follows a polyam ship I would have never thought of, and I cannot believe how much I loved it. This married-as-friends fic premise is wonderful, and captures the main trio (Grian, Mumbo, Impulse)'s personalities so well, while balancing them with the incredibly terrifying descriptions of the Watchers and their power. There's a lot of angst here, but it is ultimately hurt/comfort to the maximum degree. I loved reading it as it updated. Yay for gay marriage!

From The Archives (series) by @sixteenth-days was the absolute inspiration for my own Comms AU, and I will never forget its influence on me. As someone basically unfamiliar with TMA, I thought this series might be hard to follow, but it was not! I read all 57 parts in the span of two days, and I think it altered my brain chemistry. Please read it, even if (especially if) you don't know anything about TMA. The Cleo and Grian storyline lives in my head rent free. I mean it. This is horror at its finest. Also there's an audio series of this fic being released rn, which is very cool.

SUPERCRITICAL by @masque-of-plague hits different. It is such a wonderful take on the superhero/HotGuy trope, and it gets so super dark at some points! This one really takes swings at it's fictional government, which of course I love, while at the same time building this brilliantly emotional relationship between Scar and Grian. I do enjoy a bit of enemies to lovers, but the actual plot mixed into the story makes this one extra special. It is thrilling, with action that I don't get to see too often! Great work.

I am weary with contending! is one of the mumscarian fics of all time. From 'this house has people in it'-type horror, to magic gone wrong, to childhood trauma, to attempted assassination, to gender fuckery, this fic has it all. Usually I don't go for convex siblings, but this one is good enough to get a pass from me. Amazingly detailed worldbuilding alongside a brilliantly creative story.

It Spreads by @foxxology may not count as a fic, actually. It's a comic. But it's posted on ao3 so it counts. I was obsessed with this one as it was updating, honestly. It rocked me to my core. The art is phenomenal. The writing is brilliant. I love sculk.

Luck of the sea by Sleepy_Duck is a lovely take on mermaid and human interactions, with Grian as a marine life conservator and Scar as a very neglected mer. This one takes us emotionally in all sorts of directions, and offers lots of hope for the future of the characters. I heavily enjoyed this fic - if you like mermaids and marine biology, check it out.

there are many downsides to being a marine biologist by donnerstag is another mermaid fic but with a pretty different vibe. First of all, it follows what I would consider a rarepair Doc/Martyn. Second of all, reading this as it updated was a thrilling experience that nearly made me cry at certain points. I love how the relationship builds in this fic. It is honestly amazing. The whole idea of experimenting on a sentient sea creature, learning that he can communicate, then losing funding and having to save him from being dissected?!?! It's crazy. I love it.

Thus concludes my fic recommendations. I hope you enjoy at least some of these, and consider reblogging to spread these wonderful fics around <3

[lass-us-slay]

Alr so I was watching edits and came across Arlecchino and an idea popped into my head!

Danny Phantom as Arlecchino in DC also know as: Phantom the Knave Sovereign

(Still working on the name- Before we start I wanna say, I’m just trouble shooting rn and seeing what new ideas I could add with your guys input too. But so far this is what I have)

———

Ok so plot points:

Somehow Pariah Dark gets free of the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep, either because of Vlad or the Observants

Pariah seeing potential in Danny (and cause he was already dubbed to take Pariahs place after he was old enough) starts trying to become Danny’s parental model (much like Vlad. But Worse.)

It was annoying at first, but slowly over time, Pariah started taking his role as Danny’s “Father” too far and twisted. Wanting to make Danny strong, stronger than he ever will be.

Then one thing leads to another and an identity reveal happens. Except the Fentons now pretend Danny Fenton no longer exists, and it’s just Danny Phantom that is an after image of their boy. Which pains them so they keep their distance, but still help what they think is left of their boy.

Danny is sad about that- but he has his sister Jazz and his two best friends! He can live with his parents pretending he doesn’t exist, atleast not as Danny Fenton no he can’t- he really can’t-

Then shit hits the fan, resulting in Danny’s home dimension into imploding into itself. (Which may or may not be the fault of Pariah Dark)

Luckily Danny is able to get out with Jazz!

But he’s too angry to rationalize himself after the death of his Haunt and almost all his fraid dying. He attacks and attacks Pariah and observers and whoever that threatens his last family at every turn.

More shit hits the fan, resulting in Danny getting cursed, which really hurts Danny. Enough to do weird ghost shenanigans to his biology, (via curse), and Jazz gets caught up.

Pariah sees a golden opportunity to use this to get Danny stronger to become the next king.

But Clockwork has had enough and steps in. Only to be promptly sealed away by the still acting king; Pariah Dark. Which Danny not even knowing as he’s out for the count thanks to the curse. (Jazz is the only witness. But Pariah can’t kill her because of Danny.)

More stuff happens and now Pariah is the acting Father of Danny and Jazz (with amnesia) who are in a ghost normal(?) orphanage with other kids.

Basically Arlecchino’s childhood happens to Danny and Jazz. Just that Pariah has decided to false make Jazz his “bio” kid to mentally fuck with Danny (smol child, and poor Jazz).

Danny still sees Jazz as his sis even if he doesn’t remember

After Jazz sadly doesn’t make it, Danny faces off Pariah once more for the first time. And consumes Pariahs Core into his, eating him alive so no more Pariah for the rest or eternity.

Then remembers- holy shit his names Danny! Not Peruere, which ew- (kidding I love the name-)

Anyways Danny gets mad at Clockwork only to find him sealed and the timelines fucked- and with Clockwork being so weak since the seal-ment, it’s up to Danny to fix the mess (and the one that was caused by the Observants once more with no one on the throne)

And so now Danny travels around timelines, picking up strays and adopting them (much like Batman, but better)

That there is the rough outline of the story!! I probably will make more but I just need to organize my thoughts before going into finer things (and art!)

Also I’d like to mention- while in the orphanage, Danny’s human side takes on more physical characteristics of his ghost form. Sorta merging the two forms into one? Not sure about it.

But Danny’s human form has definitely changed, and the curse is the same as Arlecchinos from Genshin (although would be nice if someone actually explained the curse to me fully- cause I don’t get it at all 😭)

Anyways that’s it- im thinking about interactions with the kids Danny Adopts and such but that’s for another time 💀

Aight peace ✌️

[jewbeloved]

stan,kenny and wendy with a ghost s/o? like s/o died in south park (cause,i mean cmon,if you dont have plot armour are you really gonna survive?) and they just kinda haunt sp.they also have similar abilities to damien (flight,telekinesis,teleportation,ect),maybe they even have a human/physical form like him too 😃?

Stan, Kenny, and Wendy with a ghost s/o💙🧡🩷

warnings: Plasmophobia (If you have it)

Gender: Neutral

💙 Stan Marsh ⚽

Blud thought he was hearing things because someone kept calling his name and he didn't know where it was coming from.

Stan began to get irritated and demanded whoever was calling his name multiple times to show themselves.

You just now realized that you were invisible to Stan and he obviously cannot see you. So you make yourself visible while making the place around you cold asf.

The gif above is Stan's brief reaction before he jumps back in complete shock.

It took him a while to realize it was you but in the form of a ghost.....

Stan wasn't really close to you at all when you first came to south park. Probably because he didn't even notice you were there.

He did hear about one of the students dying on the news but he didn't think it was you.

But since you're a ghost that death that occurred confirms it was you after all. He feels guilty that he never spoken to you, not even once before you died.

You both started to have a lot of conversations with each other after your first meeting. Stan obviously snuck out during lunch or free time to go talk to you behind the school.

Stan always talked about you to Kyle though. Kyle thought he had a screw loose since Kyle can't even see you.

You like to tease Stan with your powers and scare him a lot. I'd like to think Stan always puffs his cheeks whenever he's angry and you find that cute :)

If physical contact was possible he would be so happy. If you allow him to be able to touch💙💙💙💙

🧡 Kenny Mccormick 🍄

You both already know about each other.

You always remembered the times Kenny has died and comforted him after he regenerates the next day.

But when he heard that you died he was so sad that he couldn't stop crying because you weren't immortal like him so you couldn't come back to life.

That all changed when he started shivering because his room got cold all of a sudden and this woke him up out of his sleep.

He thought that he accidentally left the window open so got up to go look, only for him to find out that it was never opened.

He then felt a soft tap on his shoulder and turned around immediately while flinching.

"Oh for heavens sake Kenny, It's just me (Name)...".

....................

.........................................................

Wait what?

A ghost?

You?

I guess he shouldn't be surprised just by seeing that. He was so happy and relieved to hear that it was just you.

You really came back to see him...well in a ghostly form anyway because you're dead.... Kenny's happy nonetheless!

You both can go back to interacting with each other again! But he's still a bit sad that he isn't able to feel your heartbeat anymore whenever he hugs you. Please cheer him up.

Since Kenny is immortal, you both can literally spend the rest of your lives together forever now that you're here <33333🧡🧡🧡🧡

🩷 Wendy Testaburger 💮

Like Kenny, you and her have known each other ever since you moved to south park.....or whatever you did in order to get there.

She one day saw that you weren't home at all and she panicked thinking you went missing.

It wasn't until your parents told her that you recently had died (Or if she finds out on her own if you don't have any parents).

You and her had a close bonding relationship and she was devastated to hear the news.

She will wear anything you had left behind before you died (hats, scarfs, etc.)

When she was cleaning out her locker for her next class. She saw a bunch of students running away from the janitor's closet, screaming about how the closet is haunted or something.

Wendy brushed it off as them being weird until Bebe told her that she saw a ghost in the closet. Wendy signed and went to check it out for herself since she trusts Bebe.

She opened the closet door and saw nothing inside.

She was about to go and confront Bebe for lying to her until she saw a ghostly figure that looked exactly like her.

She screamed until you shifted back into your normal self and reassured her that it was just only you.

She couldn't believe it, she always thought ghosts weren't real...how is it possible for someone to be able to see ghosts????

She's going through the five stages of grief right now that she can't even mutter another word out. Eventually she can't escape reality in the end.

She doesn't know exactly what to do now that she is seeing you again as a ghost?? But those tears streaming down her cheeks told you everything you needed to know about how she feels.

You noticed that she was wearing your stuff (If you had any) while you were hugging her.

You kept hugging and comforting her until she stopped crying. Telling her that you would never leave her even in death. 🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷

[dittaturamonegasca]

I think there should bé a fic where anyone from the grid would be third wheeling Landoscar, like, have you seen how these two interact.

So, I lack the ability and the time of f1writingbyme and LestappenForever to make this idea into a proper work like they did for "How (Not) To Third Wheel Lestappen" (check it out on Ao3 if you haven't already, definitely worth it) BUT BUT BUT, I can tell you how I think most of the grid would react in third wheeling Landoscar!

1) I feel like we should spare Checo, cause honestly this man has had enough as third wheel of Maxiel and Lestappen, I don't wanna give him extra traumas, SO –

2) Logan Sargeant: this one I really feel guilty about. Cause I like the narrative of him and Oscah being besties and still I cry over the sad edits of Logan just left behind. I think Landoscar with Logan has the most space for improvement?? I forgive Oscar even tho he definitely ghosted the poor Logan for the whole honeymoon phase with Lando (it's been almost two years, Osc, get a grip). I have a feeling Logan will speak up at some point and this would shake Oscar a little, so maybe he would be the more aware and more involved third wheel, possibly? They'll end up doing triple video-games championships with Lando and Logan mocking Oscar's gaming skills, mark my words.

3) Carlos Sainz: my man how does it feel to know you've wasted your chance (multiple chances, lets be real) for good? I have mixed ideas about this one, cause I think it would probably being more like Lando struggling to keep them both as close as possible resulting in Oscar being rightfully jealous 👀👀 so the third wheeling situation would be like Lando trying to involve a very annoyed and confused Carlos in their things (safe for work, ofc). I don't really see a way out of it.

4) Daniel Ricciardo: I mention him but I can't really explain cause honestly my idea of Daniel third-wheeling Landoscar is either him babysit them around Australia and bonding with Oscar over weird aussie habits OR OR OR something very NOT SAFE WORK so ( ... )

5) Max Verstappen: I love to think he'll remain an unbothered king, you know? Like he's well aware and a bit upset that his crepes companion invited someone else (beside from Daniel) to their dessert dates and that the two of them acts like lovebirds even without an actual physical contact. He'll probably send SOS texts to Charles and Daniel until a topic of (his) interest comes out and honestly at that point the power of maxplaining will win over pretty much everything and everyone. At the end of the day Landoscar turn out to be the real victims.

6) George Russell: poor thing was originally invited for a golf morning from Carlos (Landoscar were already supposed to attend), but Chili called off last minute so Georgie ended up with just the others two. LET ME TELL YOU he jumped off the golf cart cause he saw Lando placing a hand on Oscar's thigh and feared for his life. It took several minutes for them to notice he was aggressively walking behind. He was also hit by a golf ball because Oscar distracted Lando for a second too long, I guess you can figure out the rest.

7) Special mention to the PR and the McLaren team in general who's main job rn is having them to SIMPLY F O C U S outside the pit for like interviews and debriefings. I can picture Lando losing it after hearing a single compliment like "SO YOU THINK I'M PRETTY", cause ✨babygirl✨ energy hitting here and there, even tho he has tried to be somehow a model for Oscar, at least for what concerns work. Indeed I pity trainers and strategists bc ofc Oscar listens at them, but image them trying to explain a concept to him just for Lando to get there and rephrase it in the dumbest way possible and Oscar going like OHHHHH NOW I GOT IT, COULDN'T YOU EXPLAIN IT THAT WAY?

8) This is mostly a guilty pleasure but do we all agree they torture the entire f1 group chat with their subtle flirting?

IDK if this was what you had in mind but I really REALLY had fun writing it.

So let me know what you think in the comments down below, if you agree or if you want me to make it longer and/or more detailed or just to focus on a specific one in particular?

Again, my dms and box section are open to discussions, requests and any sort of (respectful) thing!

PEACE OUT 🤌🏻❤️

[doubleedgemode]

Here's what I've been working on for the last few days! And somehow I didn't catch til now that I wrote patience instead of patient...

I have been thinking quite a lot about my thoughts on "baby" A.B.A, as I have been seeing a bunch of other people's cool concepts for it. Let me explain the drawings in order and detail, under the cut for your convenience:

1.As we have officially seen, she didn't have a proper baby or child form, looking close enough to how she appeared in the classic games. Still, I imagine her stare is more innocent and somehow looks more tired, scared and disheveled than her current self. I have seen concepts of cool older A.B.As with labcoats, but felt an slightly oversized one was fitting for a barely newborn homunculus that is absolutely alone and confused :(. She grabbed it from somewhere in Frasco, possibly one of her creator's spare coats, but, it being found all torn up and a bit bloody isn't a good sign of whatever happened before she was born... Kept her official just awakened leg sutures, but added some more to drive home how she's a frail, just born frankenstein-esque creature. I hope the neck one is visible. Oh, also, her head key's a bit shinier and cleaner! Idk you, but when drawing this I just wanted to give her a big hug :(.

2. I mentioned Frasco's intriguing ghosts here. Were there before A.B.A was born? If so, coupled with her ability to see ghosts, one could think they at least were a sort of human(ish) interaction for her, but I love to suffer so my headcanon is that they have.. complicated feelings about her. TDLR they find her annoying weird cause... She's A.B.A, and while they're civil and might have shared some chats and moments, the ghosts can get kind of fed up and ignore her. Also they probably have their own deep ghostly business to attend. Sorry. Also, because again I love to suffer, Based on the ghosts wearing what seem like old-timey clothes, I headcanon that they can be mentally old-fashioned and, while NOT fully responsible for this (as again. A.B.A is A.B.A, she gets on troubles and obsessive warped up views of living on her own), their stuck mindset influenced A.B.A to (not that unlike Elphelt) think being a super duper good wife is an important goal and... Being SO into the idea that (her idea) of romantic love will be a panacea for her. Geez this went on and got sad. If it makes you feel better, I based off the little sad A.B.A on sad-looking seal pictures.

3. Eh, this is a short one, just me drawing classic A.B.A to compare it with how I draw my younger design. Slightly more confident, still as pathetic, of course. Even though Paracelsus' head came out much smaller than it should have (:/) I'm very proud of how this one drawing came out!

4. Lastly, as a bonus, my take on a barely formed, not yet born A.B.A. As I've mentioned sometimes, (real life alchemist) Paracelsian homunculi were transparent before they were fully formed, and I like the idea. She's just very small also. Don't ask me about the key, idk how that works, I just wanted to add an A.B.A design piece so it didn't look I just slapped an unrelated humanoid doodle in my post, haha.

[retshirou]

local egomaniac experiences pure unconditional love and devotion and doesn’t know how to process it

rambling about their relationship below the cut

Betrayus has always been kind of an enigma for people to place on how he’d handle romance and love in general, especially since he flip-flops so often between just being a manchild with massive insecurities and a guy who literally committed war crimes. for me, i think he IS lonely and DOES want adoration and care given to him, but at this point has only registered these things as things you have to earn, either through respect or (in his case) fear. he GREATLY exaggerates just how much he “suffered” growing up, but does still have the mentality that kindness is just a tool for manipulation, and that love is something that you have to fight your way to get, and even then any who shows it to him does it for superficial reasons. it’s both sad, but also a good reflection on the fact he himself is a dishonest and selfish person, balancing it out so its not TOO sympathetic.

that’s kinda where Paz comes in. she’s also kind of an enigma when it comes to love. compared to Betrayus, she is FULL of it, much more than any desire for evil or to cause harm. if she loved someone normal, she’d be seen as a very kind and compassionate person who’s a bit quiet and keeps to herself. but she doesn’t love someone normal, it’s BETRAYUS. all this compassion and pure unconditional love that’s held in her tiny heart is focused on this guy, this annoying high-strung and arrogant supervillain. and when her love is focused on someone, it’s loyal and dedicated to a detrimental degree. really, the things shes done for him should classify her as just as evil, if not more. but it’s weird, as its not exactly like an axe murderer obsession kind of love…

she genuinely cares about him and his happiness. she’s genuinely tired of seeing him angry and upset at the world 24/7, and wants nothing more than to put a smile on his face. she’d never force him to do anything he didn’t want, and she doesn’t even really mind if he never loves her back that way, as long as he’s got her as support. the populace gets terrorized by ghosts, and she performs problematic-to-terrifying kinds of spells for his plans, but all purely with the intent of making him happy because she loves him. it’s a weird situation of evil actions all with an endgoal that, by itself, is extremely wholesome and well-meaning. it reflects a weird detachment in her brain that as long as it makes Betrayus happy, its necessary. she can probably be classified as insane for this.

and Betrayus’s reaction to it… once it slowly registers with him just how deep this loyalty goes, he’s stunned. even if i think he both exaggerates and lies about HOW “cruel” everyone treated him in life, i do think the experience of unconditional love outside of his family is a foreign one to him. especially love he never had to earn. he’s done much more to logically prevent someone from ever seeing him in such a light, but here was Paz, ready to fight the world and Pac-God himself just for him. it wasn’t even someone loving him for their own benefit at the expense of his comfort like Ghoulasha, or because they wanted something out of him. for once, its someone that for whatever insane reason, just wants to see him happy and content and that was it. no strings attached. such a simple goal that, despite his superego, still perplexes him greatly.

there’s probably a nugget of self awareness deep inside that ego of his that he’s definitely the Worst, and everyone thinks this. so interacting with even just one person who disproves that opens that self awareness back up, and Betrayus is left completely bewildered. how is someone managing to say such sweet and sincere things to him? how is it they don’t want ANYTHING from him but his happiness? normally he’d be suspicious its all an act, but for what other endgoal there’s no clue for. everything Paz has done has always proven to be sincere, as she barely gains anything just for herself from the experiences working as his assistant. but still, her patience never weakens, and she still gives him that same adoring smile no matter how much he screws up or acts obnoxious. so as a result, for the first time he actually has to reflect and really try to absorb the kindness someone shares with him. to figure out how it makes him feel, and how to properly respond to it. does he have to be kind back now? he knows its his nature not to be. but the sincerity of it is infectious… and a small part of him actually wants to meet her love with his own positivity, to create more of this feeling. which of course has him feeling like he’s going soft/crazy. but eventually, he does realize this IS a feeling he enjoys having, of being loved unconditionally and wanting to give that love back.

considering what he learns of Paz’s own insecurities and her self-image issues (read my fic for more context), her love for Betrayus could partially be some kind of coping mechanism, to feel like she’s making a difference with someone by giving them something the universe deemed didn’t fit its system for them to have. but that’s just a small part, she really DOES love him and all his little obnoxious mannerisms. once Betrayus does catch wind of her low image of herself though, that and his growing enjoyment of sharing in her kindness gives him that FINAL push to actually step out of his ego and focus on bringing someone else up other than himself. an out of character move that has realistic motivations and development for it!

in the end, i DO think even a war criminal like Betrayus is capable of love, as he’s shown to have a lot more sad and kind of pathetic emotions going on beneath the bad-guy shtick. its something he wants deep down, but just needs to figure out how to handle it and respond to it so it doesn’t die immediately, and with Paz he’s given the patience and loyalty to figure it out on his own terms. and in turn, he realizes the person who loves him has ACTUAL problems of her own regarding her mental health and self esteem, and his ultimate act of understanding love is to help her with that and make her feel loved. so it comes full circle, and what was once a possible unhealthy coping mechanism becomes a healthy realtionship for both. 💖

so yeah. sorry that was so long, they just make me think too much

[madam-kumo]

Back and Here to Stay

(Probably should've put this sooner but major spoiler warnings)

Kunikazushi x Mother Reader (platonic)

PT.2 of Don't Leave Me Too!

"Mother!"

Scara shouts as he looks up from your chest. So many emotions were clear in his eyes. Anger, sadness, grief, but there was a spark of relief and pure happiness in his irises. Tears continue to run down his face in globs as he looks upon your illuminated form. He sniffs while rubbing his face with his hands.

"Why did you leave me?!" He yells in anger, though, his arms betray him and his arms grow tighter around you. "I know you're angry with me Kuni. But we need to get you out of here and taken care of". He was to tired and injured to retort and just collapsed in your arms; he was still awake- but barely.

You turn around to look the archon in the eye. "Thank you for helping him, Lesser Lord Kusanali" You praise the girl. A sweet smile appears on her face and she carefully steps over to you and Kuni. "We need to get him out of here. If I may ask, please pick him up". You nod and gently pick up the small boy. He hides him head in your chest, no longer wanting to see the outside world, wishing more to fall asleep in your arms and stay with his mother, and only his mother.

"A letter from the Dendro Archon" An attendant held out the letter to Ei. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Why would Kusanali be reaching out to her. They barely interacted as their nations were too far apart to do so.

Ei hesitantly accepted the letter from the attendant before sending him away. Why was she so scared to open the letter? She had a weird feeling that this letter was something she didn't wish to see.

She ripped the green seal off of the envelope and left it to fall on the ground. Ei slowly red the note. Nahida had taken her son, no, her creation into her care and told her in case she had any words to say to him.

Her heart dropped to her stomach as she red the note over and over again. She completely forgot Kabukimono was even one of her creations. Ei had given him away so long ago. Just hearing his name makes her want to forget all over again but he was useless to eternity. She shouldn't care... right? So, why does she?

Would Makoto want her to let him go or to bring him back? If she brought the puppet back, he would fight her. And she didn't want to harm one of her own creations. She can't hurt her own creations.

"You seem quite conflicted don't you, Ei?" Yae Miko teased behind her. "What do you want Yae" Ei said harshly. "Oh, so angry! I was just stating a simple thing" Yae giggles at the angry goddess. Her chuckling dies down once she realizes the gravity of the situation. The shrine maidens face turns serious.

"You know better than anyone that you were the one to let him go and abandon him.". That word: Abandon. It played in her mind like a broken radio. His broken and betrayed eyes still haunted her like a ghost.

"So what the hell do you want me to do...." Ei mutters to herself begrudgingly. "Give up on this dumb guilt of yours and let him move on, you did that to Makoto after all- so why can't you do it now".

She wanted to smack that grin off of the fox's face but held back and reluctantly agreed.

After a few days, Kuni had woken up, and like before- refused to leave your side and was attached to you at the hip. He had brought you to Irminsul to help Nahida gather data on a topic that he had not informed you of. Because it was you he wasn't telling it to, it was probably for a good reason.

And there you stood, behind Kuni and next to Traveler and his floating companion. You and the other ladies had been having a conversation in your mind. "How did he turn out this way in the first place?" Paimon asked, scratching her head in confusion. You sighed but answered "Revenge is a blinding goal, it changes people for the worst". "How come every conversation is good when I'm not in it" Kuni interrupted your conversation.

A glowing branch suddenly appeared in front of the boy. "Anonymous date?" Kuni muttered, looking cautiously at the packet of information. "Hey! Remember to share it with us!" Paimon squealed while throwing her fists in the air. "Shush!" Kuni says harshly. Visions of Tatarasuna flash in past his eyes like a projector, allowing you and the traveler to see it as well.

The story of Niwa betraying your son never sit right with you. Niwa just never seemed like that kind of person; he was always so sweet and kind to you and your son- welcoming Kuni with open arms. Kuni had also buried something in your backyard but when you asked- Kuni never answered. At that point, you probably didn't want to know.

Once Nahida had finished her summary of what had happened, Kuni balled his fists and gritted his teeth, cursing the fatui member under his breath. "Kuni..." You mutter his name, but before you could touch his shoulder, Nahida told you to give him a moment.

Moments had past before Kuni pushed you away from him and grabbed the travelers hand, creating a shield. You only saw them hold hands for a few minutes before the shield dispersed. "I only thanked him for helping me" He said to Paimon. Kuni turned around and made an opening into the Irminsul tree. "Kuni, what are you doing?" You asked, panic increasing in your voice.

He hesitated before coming over and wrapping his arms around you. "Don't wait for me" He whispered in your ear and soon launched himself from his place and into the opening of the tree. "W-where did he go!" Paimon shouted while you looked around frantically.

"I don't know how he did that with so little power, but what I do know is that you three have to get out of here now" Nahida commanded, and you knew better than to question here.

You had been pacing in the inn for hours at this point desperately trying to find an answer for where your son had run off to. You had already cried and begged Nahida and the traveler to find your son, but they had no answers. As a response, you had isolated yourself in your room.

You two had already been separated for hundreds of years. Being separated again was the last thing you wanted!

You had no reason for sleep or food as ,ever since you came back, you felt no fatigue when it came to normal human needs; It was strange to get used to but you delt with it none the less.

The archon and traveler were very concerned about your wellbeing but they knew better than to bother you. After all, now they have a wanderer to take care of.

A knock broke you out of your deranged state, Nahida had only checked on you once and hadn't bothered you since, so why now? You sigh but open the door anyway, knowing it was probably important. You hesitantly open the door. Your eyes widen and you throw the door open wider to throw your arms around the smaller boy.

"Kuni!"

You yell into his shoulder as you hold him. You wanted to slap him for leaving you without answers but that could wait. You felt him wrap his arms around you. He sighed into you and relaxed in your arms.

"Where have you been!?" You ask between sobs.

"That will be told later, but know that I'm back and here to stay, mother"

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

Tag list: @swivy123

[sp00ked-banshee]

Hi, first of all, I loved your Heather x reader headcanons SO much!!!!!!

Thank you for writing it!!!

Can I ask for a part 2?

Like an AU where Heather survives to the mall massacre, and her and the reader ends up being part of Sam and Deena group to stop the killers?

That would heal me!!!!!!

OF COURSE!! I've always though Heather would've made a great final girl with Deena and Sam since so many of the other important side characters get killed off-

I hope you enjoy!

Survival

The shock she would be in after not only having Ryan try and kill her but wash him die above her-

I'd say she takes plenty of time off from school and work but, Shadyside doesn't have that much empathy, so she only gets a day off.

I don't think they mention if she's in marching band or any sports but pulling a page from Robin's book let's just say she is.

Would sneak you onto the bus with her when they're all heading to the Memorial thing. That's probably where she interacts with Deena, Simon, and Kate.

You'd be arguing with them about "The Witch". Your girlfriend was attacked by one of her friends AND had to watch him die, the reality of this shitty town isn't because of some scary story for kids.

She'd probably blow up at them if they kept talking.

"SHUT UP....You didn't know him, no one that keeps talking about it did! He was just a weird guy into video games and horror he wouldn't just try and kill people for something stupid like 'serial killer fame'...."

After the memorial and the car accident you two wouldn't seen anyone from the group till the next night or so.

Skull Face/Ryan showing up out her windows after he goes to Deena's would be the reason you're out walking to her house.

Her house is near the one Kate is babysitting at so when you see the group plus a Sunnyvale girl running in the street away from something they just kind of run with you into her house.

You and her are still pissed when Josh keeps bringing up "The Witch" and her supposed lore.

"So we're just supposed to believe a mad ghost from the witch trials hates everyone living in them town?" "Well I mean is it easier to believe ghosts or dead people coming back to life?"

She's read and seen enough horror content to know that going to the high school is a horrible idea.

She and you are waiting at the store when everything goes down.

Skull Face was after you and Heather. Pulling you away from her about to cut you open, only for Kate to ram into him letting you and Heather get away.

After watching the killers disappear after Sam momentarily died it's just fear and sadness left.

Heather and you join Deena and the others from that night in doing a small personal memorial for them that same night.

You two spend the rest of the night into early morning attached at the hip in Heather's room.

Having to see Ryan again after what happened, and watching Simon and Kate get brutally murdered was something that would probably never leave the minds of you two. Especially when Kate died saving you.

Heather was even more jumpy than the night at the mall, she'd hold in a scream when the phone started ringing non-stop.

You two head downstairs to answer hand in hand.

"Watkins residence..... what do you want?"

"C. Burman is still alive.... And...And something is wrong with Sam..."

Heather starts tearing up hearing Deena through the phone next to you.

"It's not over..."

AHHHH-I hope you guys like this!! I was originally going to post a Scream request I'm working on but it is taking a little longer than expected so I wanted to post this for tonight since I did say I'd post tonight- So to whoever requested Scream I'm sorry for the delay!!

[error501blog]

Overthinking Ghost Cole...

I personally would've enjoyed more Cole Angst as a ghost. However, I think we got enough in Possession. We saw him be shocked and sad in the Temple on Haunted Hill. Next we see him deal with reality of the situation and grow to accept it. I think one more episode of being bummed out about not being human would've been nice. Specifically, before that mountain one. He does grow to accept his ghost-ness within the season. It felt a bit rushed to me, but I don't mind it too much. Cole isn't an angsty person. I think he'd adjust quickly, and he did. It would feel weird if he was moping for a while on what happened to him. He moped for a little bit, but was more concerned with the fact he can't help his friends the same way he used to. His arc is growing to accept he is still valuable even though he's a different now.

I think the main issue of ghost Cole is in Skybound. We never see him continue to deal with reality of being a ghost. We don't see him interact with his father, have issues on the film set, not much. We only have cool power up moments and some gags. (Which are great, I can be nice) Why can't Cole get a separate prison cell when they go to jail? Why does vengestone have to now apply to ghosts? Cole is no longer human, he's something else. He's something other. But in Skybound he's treated as a human, but he can go invisible occasionally. He can still eat food. Nothing is lost, he's better off as a ghost. You lose the feeling of sacrifice.

In Possession we see him jump around water (like when Nya uses her powers, when they fortify their base etc) We have lines which highlight his new change. (Borg saying he built the mech out of deepstone)

Now on Ghost Cole Angst. The only opportunity for ghost Cole angst in Skybound would’ve been from the other characters. Cole’s arc was about accepting his changes and coping with his new reality. Then loving himself again. In Skybound there’s nothing to cope with because he finished his arc. Lou or Lloyd are people who weren’t there with Cole much in season 5 and probably would have a lot of feelings about what happened. A side plot that Skybound could’ve had if we wanted to expand on Coles character is an outsider coming to terms with his transformation. It would’ve shown off Cole's growth and give characters with nothing to do something. (That’s why I suggested Lloyd)

This is just a big ask for a season that came out in 2016. As for what we got in canon, I think we’re just lucky he stayed a ghost in Skybound. The season was meant to focus on Jay, a character who got a backseat in previous seasons. I think this is one of the many issues of having a Jay focused season after a more ensemble focused one. All the other characters took a hit. Having more focus on Nya focused plot line outside of her romantic relationships would've been beneficial for her character. A lot of big changes were made to the story and the Ninja didn't get to recover much or still be affected. Lloyd's father died, he was more affected by this in Possession. Maybe Lloyd or someone from his family giving us a speech about Garmadon in the beginning. Hopefully not from Master Wu. We know his shit, he won't have anything new to the table. My mainpoint being Cole isn't the only one that got messed up in Skybound.

In summary, MY FAVES ANGST WAS SIDELINED IN SKYBOUND, SO NOW I'M SAD!

so that’s why I never mentioned the missed potential of ghost Cole in a post about Possession. It’s meant for a post about Skybound.

Tell me if you disagree with the take. This take is oddly not so controversial for me. (My drafts are mostly x is overrated) So agreeing with fellow members of the fandom or just sharing an idea is probably beneficial for my relationship to the Ninjago.

[riverthebooknerd]

LINKED UNIVERSE HEADCANONS BECAUSE FUCK YOU

(mostly wild, time, twilight, sky, and wind centric cuz those are the main games i've played)

they're all trans

people think that time is the dad of the group but nah. it's twilight

four uses "we/us" pronouns (they/them but actually plural)

wild will either cook the most delicious fucking food you've ever seen in your goddamn life or a pile of rocks (canon)

wind can see ghosts. they all know this. however, sometimes he'll say that there's a spooky ghost when there's not just to freak them out (wild knows. he doesn't say shit bc it's funny)

sky can cook one (1) dish and it's pumpkin soup (he learned after he had to work at the lumpy pumpkin to repay them for breaking shit) (everything else he makes is inedible)

most of them are nonverbal (bc autism and also ptsd)

you'd think that time knows sign language but NO because he grew up in a forest around fairies who don't have? visible hands?? i think?? (he learns sign from wild)

also i've seen people say that time Doesn't Cuss which is simply Not True. let him say fuck. he deserves to say fuck.

the only one of them who doesn't cuss is probably sky. but there are exceptions

actually no i take it back. that fucker says fuck too

All Of Them Should Say Swear Words

please they're so tired just let them say fuck

the ones who have a hookshot are ecstatic to tell the ones without a hookshot about the joys of using it (ex: sky showing it off to wild, who has stars in his eyes, talking about how it'd make climbing in the rain so much easier)

speaking of sky and wild- the realize that there's a merchant named beetle in both of their eras. weird as shit. sky is like "wtf" but wild kinda just nods and goes "yeah okay why not sounds about right tbh"

nightmares

nightmares

have i mentioned nightmares? because they all have nightmares

also nearly all of them have had Queer Encounters and they vent about it!!

sky talking about how ghiriham was UNFAIRLY hot

twilight still sad over midna :( (they're gay btw don't question it they just are)

(wind is an exception bc. he's a fuckin child)

wild lowkey bein like "yeah tbh.... ganondorf before he was mummified?"

time has a wife. time loves his wife

wasn't there that one ship with hyrule/ravio?? haven't played that game so idk but they seem gay (edit: oop it was legend/ravio not hyrule/ravio lololol)

fuck what was this post about again?

they all sleep with a weapon under their pillow (or with no pillow!! just weapon! :] )

some of them (sky) are very heavy sleepers while others (time) are very light sleepers

it's a nice balance because twilight and wild will wake up at the ass crack of dawn and then wind won't wake up until noon. they make a schedule

people also portray them as being So Fucking Awkward but i disagree. have you PLAYED a zelda game? these fuckers will waltz into town, fix every single person's problems, and become the new village icon in the span of two hours. they're so fucking friendly omfg

like these fuckers have fought MONSTERS they've fought DRAGONS and CORPSES and the KING OF EVIL they ain't afraid of a little human interaction (except when they are)

hylia will throw them in a room together and they'll all be like "hi!! :] am link i go hyah" "omg no way me too!! :0 look at my shiny sword and my bag of bombs" "sick"

sky would be like so fucking guilty like "im sorry i failed and got cursed by a demon king guys :(((" and everyone else would be like "oh nah don't even worry about it lmao happens to all of us"

maybe i'll make a pt 2 once i finish my homework who knows

[philosophika]

Nine People You Want To Get To Know Better

Hi everyone, I'm back from an unplanned semi-hiatus (turns out moving countries can really do a number on you) and am looking forward to interacting again. On that note, thank you very much to my new mutual, @lordfenric-writes for tagging me! If you don't already know Fenric (can I call you Fenric?), go check out their Content Links Post for access to their 2023 NaNoWriMo project and more! Soft tagging: @tate-lin @lucianinsanity @songsofsomnia @moonscribbler @words-after-midnight @blind-the-winds @sarah-sandwich @mydeadpony @inkovert @sender-paulson @athenswrites @wordsacrossemptypages, @winterandwords and anyone else who'd like to participate! If you want me to remove you from the tags, just send me a message and I'll get right on it <3

Current Book I'm Reading: OK, so the first thing you need to know about me is that I'm a fully institutionalized academic, and although I've (THANKFULLY) left that world behind, I. CAN'T FOR. THE. LIFE. OF. ME. stop reading like an academic. I haven't been able to read fiction in over a year. The only genre outside of non-fiction that I still seem to be able to connect with is horror. And not like ghosts in your attic horror. Obscure, weird-as-fuck horror. Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman & Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova horror (which are both excellent books, by the way). But that wasn't the question, was it? The question was: what am I reading now. Well, (oh god) I've been digging into The Last Man Takes LSD: Foucault and the End of Revolution by Mitchell Dean & Daniel Zamora, which sounds a whole lot more trippy than it actually is. Mainly, I'm interested because the authors point out that Foucault's late philosophy, his so-called 'ethical turn' towards an 'aesthetics of existence', was inspired by a trip he took to California (and the upper reaches of the universe). Since I wrote my MA dissertation on this exact topic (the ethical turn, not the LSD), I thought it might come in handy for future articles...

Last Song I Listened To: Bastille & Hans Zimmer's new cover of Bastille's Pompeii, Pompeii MMXXIII (recommended by a friend). Before that, I was listening to a 'British Folk/Weird Folk/Horror Folk' playlist on Spotify which was pretty interesting... Actually, it reminded me of being a child in the English countryside, stuffing my face with berries by the side of the road and then going to the new-age shop in the village to listen to whale-song CDs, touch magic gemstones, and smell incense sticks. Very hippie.

Currently Watching: The Servant on Apple TV (is the baby real or not!? It's driving me crazy); Foundation on Apple TV (and I swear it's not because Jared Harris is in it or Lee Pace wears chainmail crop-tops. I swear!); and... The News? Does the news count? I watch a lot of 'the news' now. Actually, I can't stop watching... It's been quite sad and terrible lately...

Current Fic I'm Reading: Sorry, I don't read fics! I know it's blasphemy. Believe me, no one is more disgusted with me than I am. But yeah, there you go... Never been my thing, really. Nothing against it.

Next On My Watch List: the upcoming Napoleon movie featuring Joaquin Phoenix; Killers of the Flower Moon; anything A23 produces anytime; Priscilla by Sofia Coppola (which is A23 also so, you know, naturally); and I'll probably re-watch The Green Knight for Christmas (it is a Christmas movie, after all).

Current Obsession: My WIP, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, which you can check out on my writeblr side-blog (@thesorcerersapprentice) has been my main obsession for the past -what?- four years? More or less? I really feel like until I've written this thing, gotten it out of me, I won't be able to write anything else. It just won't leave me alone. I can't think around it; I always end up coming back. It's a story I fundamentally, deep down in my bones, need to write. So it's my obsession: today, tomorrow, and always, right up until the day it's done.

[yellowocaballero]

Now I'm picturing a scenario where rem just. Unexpectedly comes back to life a la some deus ex machina plot twist and getting scared about what will happen when she finds out what roleswap vash became...

Okay! Well! That's sad! You get how sad that is, right? I don't even like thinking about that! Good god!

I think Vash is the most militant pacifist I've ever read in fiction, and is probably the character most frequently challenged on that pacifism. It's literally The Entire Thing. It's The Point. Trigun explores what it means and its very real consequences with incredible depth. And I always found it really interesting how, for the vast majority of 98, what keeps Vash adherent to his pacifism isn't really any kind of philosophical reason. It's because killing somebody would be killing his mother - who died a hundred and fifty years ago - and he can't bear that. One hundred fifty years later and he still can't lose her. At what point is it no longer...about the pacifism...

It kind of means that thinking about an alive Rem in Trigun breaks the brain and shuts down the computer. Rem as a character doesn't work if Rem's a person. She's an idea, she's a ghost, she's your peace and innocence. She's the reason for living and she's the salvation of humanity and she's why it should be saved. Mother fucking Mary up in here. Rem, alive, would...just be a guy...everything would break down. I can't imagine what it would do to Vash.

Anyway, roleswap wise: Rem would still love him. She would love him and forgive him. She wouldn't hold an ounce of resentment or anger in her heart towards him. It would reassure her to know that Knives still loved Vash as much as ever, and that he still looks after Vash as an adult. It would break her heart. It would terrify her - not Vash himself, but that something could hurt him so badly that he would turn into this. She would realize that her kids were aliens who she could never truly understand or predict, only influence. She would believe that he could change and get better, and nothing would ever convince her differently. If she ever saw him trying to hurt anybody, she would stand between Vash and his victim and refuse to move. If Knives and Vash told her that they caused humanity to fall, she would forgive them. I think she'd accept that her influence wasn't enough to prevent Knives and Vash from doing what they did, and she'd come to peace with that - that she'd tried, and she failed, and that maybe this was fate.

I think all of this would push Vash truly off the brink. Whatever he would come up with to reconcile the fact that she didn't actually want him to run around murdering people - that she just didn't understand and needed to be convinced, that somebody turned her against him, that obviously this wasn't really Rem because Rem would support what he was doing - wouldn't be good. I think there's several scenarios in which he would kill her.

Meanwhile Knives would be having a WAY more banal weird 'interacting with your parent as an adult' experience. The gang would die of shock that somebody so nice raised the two worst sapients ever. Wolfwood would think she was cute, then feel weird about it.

[afluffyfriend]

This is gonna be a bit (or a lot...) of a yapfest but with TPOT 13 coming out, it made me reflect on all the contestants in TPOT. And since I have the never-ending urge to spread my opinions at any and all opportunities, I made a tier list!

I would like to add that this is mostly focused on how they're portrayed in TPOT and also, will have some spoilers for TPOT 13! So be carefulll ooooo.... (read that like its a ghost)

i don't get it - I don't mind Yellow Face or TV, I just expected them to leave a lot earlier. It feels weird to look at the rest of the cast and see all these characters that I like, and also these two who are also here. They just don't do much for me. Clearly they do for someone though, so I'm happy for that little club of lucky ducks. And I'm sorry for calling you lucky ducks, I don't know why I said that.

no strong feelings either way - Self explanatory, no? I do like some of the dynamics they bring. Puffball and GB getting along by just messing shit up for everyone else was fun and uh... Grassy and SB is cool too? I'm sorry!! I just don't got much to say here.

Like, but... - I would describe these characters as the equivalent of an instant ramen. Like yeah, you would eat it, and you do think it tastes good! But given the choice, you probably wouldn't choose instant ramen as your lunch over a sandwich or something. Basically I'm saying I wanna munch on Eraser.

I will note that I really liked Lighting and BH's interactions, same with Pen and Needle and Eraser + TD! No matter on my opinion on the character by themself, I think TPOT does a good job of creating fun character dynamics and interactions, even if I don't feel too attached to those two characters!

the silly tier - This is the only tier actually ordered, based on how much I like them :] Basically just the subset of contestants that can be called "the silly", "goofballs", and "ehjyesgsuuieh"... and also Pie! I like them all for the same reasons: I look at them and go "hehe! look at that silly little guy go! wow!", or in the case of Pillow: "hehe! she's so demented in the head! wow!". I like these buffoons... but I also wouldn't mind if they left.

Now you may wonder: "Hey, why is Bottle not here???" And that's because she's in the Top 5 tier. Silly. I'm hoping you wondered that because otherwise I look real stupid right now.

would('ve) loved to see more of - NEEDLE!!!! NOOO!!! COME BAKC TO ME!! I WAS JUST STARTING TO LIKE YOU! NEEDLE NOOOO

Sorry I just needed to let that out. Phew. Anyway BARF BAG NOOOOOOO-

You get the idea. Luckily, everyone else is still in the game... except Coiny, but he's in BFDIA, so I can live with that. And even more luckily, they're getting more screen time!

I really like having TB and GB separate, it really freshens up their characters a bit and I like how it's been written so far! I'm really excited for the arc between GB and Donut (even if I wish Barf Bag was still on the team...). Pin and Ice Cube are also getting their dues, we love to see it!

the goobers - Most of the characters here are really because either 1. I love the dynamic they have with other characters: Fanny works so well with Death P.A.C.T, it makes me go a little insane thinking about it, like her impact!!!

...or 2. because I like the character arc: Robot Flower and Basketball are so very very imporatnt and dear to my heart... Robot Flower getting that surprisingly well done fight scene to her FINALLY getting fixed and the fact that Basketball risked it all just for R.Flower to be safe like auhfeihefhf sorry

notice how two of my favs BOTH made deals with One? It's actually so messed up! I'll scream!! they better be safe or I'll like... be sad or something >:(

It honestly surprised me Clock ranked so high, but when I thought about, it made sense. I like Winner as much as I do because of Clock and how they both matured. I think the winnerclock arc was my favorite one so far tbh!

top 5!! - My ass putting Gaty in top five like her ass isn't being eliminated NEXT EPISODE I CANT DO THIS NO MORE

I think the main reason Gaty's so high for me has a lot to do with her dynamic with two. We love an unlicensed therapist, go girl!! and also she's just great. like just look at her.

Perfection.

I know Winner would hate me because if I saw them I would be acting like Clock EP1 going like "HI WINNER!! OMG WINNER HI!!!" They're just so cool!! I already loved their personality but I got even more endeared to them after the whole Clock debacle.

Clock taking his fear of being forgotten and projecting it on Winner which just ends up breaking Winner's boundaries and making them feel uncomfortable. Winner feeling like they're being idolized when all they wanted was a real friend like they had with Loser... like I could yap on and on but this post is long enough. Just. Them.

Although I don't remember the full context with Book, I really like her! I think she bounces off the rest of the cast really well and I love that she's getting more attention in recent episodes (especially with Pencil joining back). The dream episode is my favorite for a lot of reasons, and she's definitely a big one.

Crazy how two of my favorites both have a relationship which was fractured due to one of them overstepping a boundary. Dunno what that says about me!

Bottle and Price Tag are both here simply because I think they are silly and they always make me go ':]'. Bottle was so cute in TPOT 13 for NO reason what is wrong with her

And Price Tag's friendship with Book is so cute n aiohudhuawhwhf

I'm not exactly the best at character analysis (nor do I have the best memory... i had to rewatch a few episodes lol), but i REALLY wanna get better at it so I can put all these goobers under a microscope

[tobiasdrake]

This is it. The final story of Rain Code: Chapter Yakou.

AND IT'S POST-GAME OKAY LET'S GO. We're not here to tell a story about Yakou. We're here to tell a story about Feral Yakou.

Hold up, is Yakou's wife here?

When was she murdered? Was it before or after the Blank Week? Huesca and Yomi were doing their espionage for five years, and the Blank Week was three years ago. So it could go either way.

Oh man. I hope she's here. Yakou and his wife can form a hunting duo and spend the rest of their feral days (eternity or however long until a cure can be devised) hunting Huesca and murdering him together over and over again.

We get to control his shambling. This is great. Wonder if we'll get to hang out with any of the other ferals?

Yakou's being psychologically attacked by Yuma's recent visit. What is going through his head? Something is happening to him physiologically; You can tell because his body started smoking from this memory.

I hope he's healing. If Yakou can recover from being feral then that will mean there's hope for the others. Most importantly the Theater Girls + Aiko.

A memory from before he went feral! He still has his memories! Which. I suppose. Was obvious from the way he had enough presence of mind to hand that disc off to Yuma. But still!

Also, LOL Desuhiko. You died first.

I mean, you didn't. Nobody died. It was fake. But Makoto ran the numbers with his genius super-brain and the order he came up with for how things would have gone was, "Desuhiko lasts five seconds. Because obviously." And he was right.

Are all of these glimpses from the side stories? Because Fubuki never interacted with Yakou during hers, so she might get snubbed here. We should probably--

--watch where we're going instead of musing about Halara and Fubuki. Look, stairs are hard when you're barely even conscious.

Deeper into Umbrella Labs we go. Now that I think about it, Yakou's wife might not be a homunculus. She could just as easily be a ghost. If she did die before the Blank Week, she would have died in this lab, not the decoy Restricted Area that Makoto tried to pass off as this place.

Of course, if she was a ghost, you'd think she'd seek out the company of the human Yakou's ghost, rather than his homunculus. I dunno.

Aww, there's Bestie. This was from his final moments.

Oh wow, check out that detail on her choker. It's a set of VCR buttons. That's amazing. I never noticed that before.

Yakou. Yakou. You need to return to full sentience. Your best pal needs you. Yakou!

There she is! The woman from the photo! I don't remember if we know her name or not but it's her! The second-most important relationship Yakou has, after Vivia!

...to me, I mean. Important to me. I am invested in exactly two relationships in Yakou's life, and this is one of them.

So what's the verdict, lady? Ghost, homunculus, or feral hallucination?

Not an answer! In what form are you waiting? I want to know!

Man, I don't even know what this chapter is going to be like. How do you wring an entire chapter of story out of this? Is she here to provide Yakou solace in his feral time? To heal him? What is plot?

OH APPARENTLY THAT'S HOW. We're in for a full-on examination of Yakou and his wife's history, I guess.

Oh wow, Yakou does not look good in broad daylight. Bright light brings out the dazed bewilderment in his resting expression.

Is the WDO not writing their checks? This is two years before Kanai Ward became an isolated city-state.

The sad thing is, people actually believe stuff like that. There's this weird trust that some people have for corporations like Disney or Walmart. It's a product of hierarchical ways of thinking.

There is an idea that's been around for the whole of human history, that some people are simply better than us and that a society led by its superior humans will surely prosper. This idea of naturally gifted ubermensch is responsible for the Divine Right of Kings. It's responsible for a lot of gross ethnic philosophies. It thrives in our media through Chosen One narratives and the romanticization of monarchy, both of which date back thousands of years.

It's specifically what the climax of Rain Code centers on, with Makoto insisting that if he, the Greatest Intelligence, can't solve this problem then no one can. And Yuma coming in with, "Maybe you should stop being so infatuated with the idea of being the Savior Ubermensch and realize that other people's opinions and beliefs have value too."

And it emerges in the relationship that some people have with capitalism. There is an idea that the capitalists should rule because their ability to amass wealth is evidence of a superior intelligence. They hustled harder and smarter than us all because they are the Superior Man, and if we simply surrender control to them, they will use their supreme intelligence to lead us into a prosperous future.

What it amounts to in practice is clinging to the surcoat of a billionaire hoping to catch a coin that falls from his overstuffed pockets.

Man, it is wild to see Yakou as the one being talked down to for trying to do detective shit.

I wonder what ever happened to Colleague Detective. Do you think he's the Peacekeeper that Halara drowned in front of the office-sub? I'm gonna imagine he is.

Dammit, Yakou. When you're being shaken down by the mob, don't vocalize things that sound like "I'm physically vulnerable so now would be a good time!"

HEY! Not cool!

Yakou might be a heteronormative tool but he's our heteronormative tool. I was going to make a joke that I hope you were one of the guys Fubuki drowned but actually, no. I hope you used your mob connections to dodge Amaterasu's blood "tests".

The nerve on this man, to politely request a payment extension from a mob boss that is actively beating the shit out of him. Yakou has no self-preservation instinct at all.

This is the face of a man bold enough to put out a hit on himself so no one would know that he poisoned himself to death. The bruised and bloody face of such a man.

[highoncoffeeelol]

Re-incarnation (Part 2)

Took me a year to post this, got the joke? I'm no comedian so anyways, HAPPY NEW YEAR GUYSS. _________________________________________________

Staying alive on coffee after that nightmare, on top of that she was sleepy as she couldn't get proper sleep, she entered the museum right before Larry left and the people started crowding the place. Larry flashed a tired smile and she asked, "Gosh, Larry, what's with the tired face? Didn't you get a good sleep?" "The exhibits keep me busy, besides they went a bit far yesterday night. Well, good morning and bye!" he said quickly, realizing he slipped up and scurried away. You mumbled to yourself, "Weird…" as you wondered who were 'they' and what did he mean as you started on your daily routine. After going back home you went straight to bed to get a good nap.

5:55 PM

You were late! you were rushing the down street and the sun was already down. You entered the museum only to see the exhibits were moving! Only the dinosaur was animatronic, why in the morning they don't seem to move in? Larry noticed her and said, "McPhee forgot to inform a few people but the museum will be open on Saturday nights" "Okay..? well then maybe I should-" "No, wait! Stay, look around, and interact with the other exhibits, it'll be fun!" Larry said "Fine, I guess…" You would go to the Egyptian exhibit, listening to Ahkmenrah explaining the exhibit coming to life, and then sassing out the little girl who asked what the tablet does. She internally scoffed thinking as if it would happen. She would knock up a few conversations with the exhibits and the fact they knew so much about the people they are playing, which kind of weirded you out. She would catch herself staring at the Theodore Roosevelt actor, riding the horse. She would walk around and then notice Larry with a girl going towards the miniature exhibit. You would smile at them and then hear a gentle male voice behind you, "Would you like to perhaps join me on a ride? Feeling a bit lonely around the American exhibits" You would turn around and immediately blush. It was HIM. He would look shocked as if he had seen a ghost from the past. "Y/P/N (Your last name, yes I made that up)? I-Is that you?" You would look at him with a tint of blush still on your face, surprised. Isn't that the same name he called you in your dream? "I think we need to talk about something. Maybe in private?" You said and he thought about it for a while. He then said "Very well then, let me take you somewhere private" (no dirty mind pls)

TIME SKIP TO SOMEWHERE PRIVATE (I HAVE NO IDEA OF THE MUSEUM MAP help) Before you could begin He got down from his horse and said " You do remind me of someone I used to love you know" He said with a small smile which faded away quickly into a sad tone, "Well, she died-" Y/N cut him off saying, "before our marriage" "How did you know?" He asked, confused. "Look, this may sound crazy but you always appear in my dreams I think that is related to my past. I think you are my past lover and well I got a reincarnation while you probably did not-" You rambled and then in between stop. "Wait, how do you know? Aren't you supposed to be some sort of actor?? And WHY am I saying these to YOU?" He chuckled slightly and said, "Well, darling, we are no actors. We ARE the exhibits which you clean with such posh. I think I may just have found out that you are my dead lover" he took my hand into his and I looked at him in the eye. "It..it is you…" You said with a smile as you hugged him and he hugged you back saying, "Welcome back, darling". You both went back to the main hall of the museum as it was almost closing time. Larry asked where did both of you go but you decided not to tell anyone. Later on Teddy revealed you both had been dating for quite a while….

(TO BE CONTINUED)

IF YOU THOUGHT WHILE READING THIS IS THE LAST PART, BOY ARE YOU WRONG! there will be part 3, I have the plot planned out, it's angst with fluff ending or no fluff at all?? idk i got 2 of 'em planned, lemme just see which one I will use

Proof-read but still cringey, tried tho.