#its on p/inned post as well

[aemysbabyofficial]

Sweet Favor; Aemond Targaryen x Targaryen!OC

O, young Lucerys. So young and naive ventured down journeys and halls that never called his name.

Warnings: descriptions of sex; targcest; p in v sex; implied rough sex; description of nude bodies; dirty talk; swearing; description of sex

MDNI

Lucerys Velaryon had a favor for someone. It was something special yet difficult. It required the utmost levels of precision. Not everyone was fit for the challenge. Not his brothers, no. They would mess up before he even asked them. Lucerys kicked the dirt off his boots before commencing his search inside the castle.

No, this favor required the skills of one special kind of person. Someone he knew he could trust. Someone that always had his back, even in the darkest of nights. This person knew all the ins and outs and was secretive with it. This person was also everyone's favorite, so there was chance his favor could take time. The right wink was needed for the right flush of the cheeks.

"Saela?"

Lucerys noticed the odd shift in Daemon's shoulders when he spoke his cousin’s name. His head of brown curls poked into the quiet room and his voice echoed against the high walls. Out of everyone, Daemon would know where his favorite daughter was.

"Haven't seen her since the morning. Is she not riding with her sisters?"

Lucerys shook his head. Hope had crested off the cliff's edge into the frigid blue depths.

After breaking their fast, Baela and Rhaena took off on their dragons with Jacaerys and hadn't returned. Saela told them she wasn't feeling well and excused herself from the table to rest in the library, leaving she, Lucerys, and King Viserys' children inside. Currently, from the other rooms and halls he poked his head into, Helaena was outside digging through the gardens. She muttered prophecies that scared Lucerys away from even asking her a question. Aegon hadn't shown his face since dinner two nights ago--there was no question where he was nor what he was doing. Aemond was squaring off with Ser Criston Cole a while ago and where he was now didn't pinch the boy's mind.

"You need her for something?" Daemon craned his neck. Lucerys shook his head and bid the prince farewell before he could spill his favor.

Where the Heart of the House had disappeared flew over the prince’s head. This is her home. Lucerys was forced to remember after he turned every corner that he was only a guest at his cousin’s home. Saela knew the Keep better than anyone. The layout was stamped to her mind hotter and fresher than anyone. It was because of that Lucerys bore jealousy for her impeccable memory. With all the years they spent apart and she was forced to roam these cold walls, it came to no surprise that Saela knew the best places to hide.

Midday at the Red Keep saw few to no people in the halls. As it was a bright day outside and peace had touched the land, rather than waste the odd day, all the nobles either roamed the town or returned to their homelands. No one knew how long symphony would sing its strings in King’s Landing. Such quiet gave Lucerys to roam hallways, secret paths, and passages he would never once do. It was a shame Saela wasn’t with him to be his guide and Jace was missing the greatest action, but adventures by himself built up his small strength for greater feats.

A hall he had never seen before, or maybe, hadn’t remembered from his time away stood to his right. Lucerys looked to his left and right. He stood far from anyone’s bedchambers or busy hallways. It was empty, this hall. No guard stood posted outside a door nor did a handmaid walk. A heavy ball dropped in the young prince’s gut when he stepped foot into the hall. It felt like he entered a new world. Candles lighting the paths were blown off and an rogue breeze brushed his hair sideways. An open door? The sounds of children laughing and light voices trailed from an open door out of Lucerys reached. To not startle anyone or expose his position, the boy craned his eyes just far enough to see the awkward skirt of a handmaid and wooden toys for children.

“A nursery…” Lucerys whispered. Jaehaera, Maelor, and Jaehaerys must be playing inside.

An open window allowed for the ocean breeze to pave its way. A young child--Lucerys' could not figure the age for the life of him--ran to the far corners of the room to an older woman. A wetnurse rocked on a chair while the other handmaids spoke better High Valyrian he expected. Across the floor were various clothing items and hoods detailed with colored ribbon. The lure of young ones laughing and running with glee reminded the boy of his youngest siblings. A mixture of High Valyrian and Common Tongue fell from the children’s tongues. He wished to join them in the large room, jealous they could speak his mother’s tongue better than him, but doing so would distract him from his mission.

He needed to find his favorite cousin now.

Lucerys ran past the nursery with light steps. The prince pushed past the door at the end of the hallway and came face to face with a storage. Another dead end. Magic must have stolen Saela away because she was nowhere to be found. Lucerys kicked a hanging rug behind him, basking him into a cloud dust.

"Gods..."

A breathy voice trailed its way to Lucerys' ears. As the last syllable burned his flesh, the skin of his ears blushed a flaming pink. His head checked all directions in the storage. He was alone, was he not? Who could be making such a devilish sound? A mix of muffled and hushed voices spoke to the boy’s confused mind behind a door hidden behind the fallen rug. With careful steps, he crept closer and closer to a spare room.

“N-no worries. ‘tis quiet now, right?” the airy voice spoke again, warring on a thin line between pain and pleased. Was the voice talking about him?

Lucerys furrowed his brows.  

What his cousin was doing in such an abandoned place made no sense, but the surprise he would give her would ultimately reveal the truth. Out of the three, Saela was the easiest to give up. Baela would resist with arms of steel and Rhaena would somehow evade his unique questioning, but Saela? If he needed anyone to cover his messes, wanted to know a little secret, or needed a little favour, Saela was the perfect girl to give into little Lucerys.

The smile on his face tugged his lips upwards when he rested a hand on the door. Whoever closed the door was confident no one would pass the hall because it was unlocked. Nothing stopped Lucerys from barging in. Nothing stopped him from lightly pushing the door with his fingers. Nothing stopped him from bribing Saela.

"Oh gods, right there! Don't stop, please!"

A loud voice froze the boy's smile. Lucerys' body stilled so much he could hear his heart pounding in his ears. But past the deep thumping of his heart and blood rushing through his veins were the moans from his dear cousin. The giggles he loved to hear after making her laugh were interlaced with breathy moans and pleads for whatever to go faster. The quiet of the hallway made everything behind the door much louder.

What he saw made his stomach turn.

Atop a simple bed were two bodies tangled together in a mess of clothes and limbs. The skirt of Saela's skirt was bunched at her waist while one of her legs were strung over Aemond's shoulder. Her breasts spilled from the neckline of her dress and both their hands, in the mix of haggard hair, groped each other’s soft skin. Aemond’s hands trailed up from her waist to her neck while Saela interlaced her right hand with his and braced herself onto his other wrist. The vicious slap Aemond’s hips made every time he thrusted into her made Lucerys sick.

But what shocked him most were the words spilling from Saela’s mouth.

Her full, round lips would once sing him imaginary songs to sleep and whisper him funny stories she thought up in the Godswood. Yet in the cramped space she opened her legs to Aemond, filth dripped from her tongue every passing second.

“Aem-ugh, right there!” Saela screamed as her back arched. Her eyes shut closed. Lucerys watched pain and pleasure wash over her face. The head of silver waterfalls basked her chest when Aemond sucked her breasts. Her moans sharpened when he bit her nipples. His hips never stopped smacking into Saela but quickened its pace when her moans and screams grew louder.

Aemond had rid himself of his trousers and boots, leaving him a heaving statue dressed in a cotton shirt. Contorts of his muscled back flexed with every move he made. Sweat glistened off the sun’s rays, resembling his appearance to an imaginary spirit rather than a statue or man.

“Gods be good, Saela.” Mutters of Lucerys’ cousin fell from Aemond’s lips. It was like he worshipped her in the cramped space. Her moans and pleads were a chorals song to Aemond’s prayers that were fulfilled every second.

No. No! Lucerys covered his ears and stepped back from the door. What we doing here? He shouldn’t be here? The prince froze in place, unable to move nor block out the lewd sounds he heard. His mother always said she would teach him about manhood—what it meant to love a woman, fight for her honor, and eventually take her maiden head. But here in this cramped space, Rhaenyra was already beaten. I can’t look away, the boy’s brain honed his eyes to the sweaty fucking before him.

Lucerys couldn’t look away from Saela’s bouncing breast, her nipples shinning with Aemond’s spit.

Lucery couldn’t look away from Aemond’s dick vanishing into her hole, already coated in juices.

Lucerys couldn’t look away from Aemond nuzzling his face into Saela’s neck, whispering sweet whispers and pressing kisses to her skin.

No, I can’t look away. Lucerys’ body was hot. I am a grown boy bound to learn love sooner or later. Something in him throbbed, he didn’t know what, but it made his body blush.

"Give me a babe, Aemond. I want to be full of your seed."

Babes? Lucerys couldn’t believe his burned ears.

“You want to be full of me, again?” Aemond breathed against Saela’s neck. The whisper was loud enough for Lucerys to hear over the loud sex. “You want to parade yourself around as my little whore again?”

“Fuck what the lot think. All I want is my cunt to be filled with you.” the hooded stare Saela gave Aemond would have any man melting at the knees, but the prince hovered over her like a god unfazed. No, he wasn’t unfazed, his desire peaked to higher levels. Whatever throbbed in Lucerys moved to his heart and mind. Who was this woman that his cousin’s face?

“No one satisfies me the way you do,” the prince’s voice became airy. “No one fucks the way you do, sweet talks them into anything. No one loves the way you do.”

Aemond showed the fury of a swordsman in that small room. His voice growled against her cheek. His balls ached with release each time they slapped into Saela’s wet entrance. Juices leaked from them both, coating their thighs in slick layers Lucerys couldn’t imagine. “I will give you whatever you wish for in this cursed place. As long as you stay with me.”

“Forever and ever, love.” Saela’s voice was soft even if her face contorted in pain. In just saying those four words, the couple lost themselves to each other.

A mixture of a laugh and moan fell from Saela’s mouth when the hand fisting her hair tightened its hold. Aemond’s other hand sunk into the softness of her thigh and kneaded the skin without mercy. What Lucerys half-understood as Valyrian curses erupted from Aemond when he dug himself deep into Saela. One. Two. Three. Four. One at a time, Lucerys watched Aemond “shoot his load,” as Aegon whispered into his ear in passing. His ears burned with the hot hiss from his uncle, and they bled every time Aemond cursed steps away from him.

A drunk smile spread on Saela's lips as her back arched. Her eyes clenched close as a searing pain shot up her thigh. The grip Aemond hand on her forced her body closer to his. Their bodies stuck to each other from the sweat and desires they oozed. She trembled with ecstasy while Aemond's hot breath fanned her equally hot skin. His kisses on her neck were wet and his thrusts slowed to a gentle beat. Lucerys could see flames of desire ignite everything around them.

When the moans stopped and the couple peeled themselves away from each other, the boy finally snapped back into reality. His body stumbled against the cold floor and his chest rose faster the more he listened to the shuffling of their clothes.

Lucerys' breath hitched when the door opened. How did she get up so fast? Saela gasped when she saw her cousin's wide eyes. After the pounding she received, Lucerys wished to ask her “are you not in pain?” but speaking in this quiet space warranted him a death sentence. Her hands flew to cover her chest, but what was there the boy hadn't seen she needed to cover? The red of his face and panicked rise of his chest gave it away. He saw. And what could Saela do?

"Are you alright, love?"

Saela whipped her head back into the room. Her curls fell over her shoulders, hiding the trail of bites from her chest to her ear. She closed the door just slightly, hiding Lucerys from both she and Aemond's eyes. Whatever Aemond was doing kept him from the door, saving Lucerys the rest of his life.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thought I saw a rat." A deep chuckle from the One-Eyed Prince echoed in the room before more shuffling. “A nasty thing, that would be.” She whispered something to him, craning her body closer to him, hopefully keeping Aemond from the door while Lucerys shuffled himself back to his feet. When he looked back up, another pair of eyes stared down at him.

That wasn't Saela. Whoever he was looking at wasn't his dear cousin who laughed at anyone's jokes. The woman half-dressed with red eyes wasn't the sweet lady that cheered him up when Jace won others affection. The woman who looked like she could kill wasn't his favourite cousin that would sneak down with him and steal lemon cakes and fruit at the hour of the owl. No, no, the lady in front of him had her legs open to the prince that taunted his family. She accepted the seed of a man who mocked his parentage, called him a bastard, and nearly killed him after claiming another’s dragon. This woman called the prince every loving name in the world. She was the lady that wished to have his babes.

"Luke."

The nickname was curt and hard. It was whispered like a needle, pricking his skin without warning. The boy shook his head, unsure if he nodded.

Saela stepped out of the room, her shoulders rolled back and head held up high. Whatever she did, she was used to. She must always hide and fuck Aemond whenever she wished. Whoever stumbled upon them were victim to the madness in the girl’s veins. She was comfortable with the power she wielded in this situation. The air around the Velaryon and Targaryen grew thick and heavy, challenging Lucerys to breathe. The stare as sharp as a sword sliced him up and down, silently checking if he was a threat. Of course he wasn't. This woman wasn't scared of a boy like him.

"I always do favors for you." Saela batted her eyes. In a second she was the girl he ran in the halls with when everyone was asleep. The girl that helped him learn most of the High Valyrian he remembered. Her lips crested into the sweet smile he missed after so long.

"You can do this one for me. Right?”

The magic Lucerys looked for was used on him. It was only Saela Targaryen, amongst anyone in their family, that could use magic that would make any man bend the knee without thought.

[awgeezitsthetoiletnator]

your mind !!!!!!!! literally it's that its the desperate plea of them both being like this meant something to us both??? it didn't just irrevocably change my world view alone right? and now i've got to pretend to be normal about it because we are forever linked in the same circle like!?!?!?!

this is why i feel so unnormal about them both- Tracker being a crutch for Kristen when they were dating because her whole life has been her living a lie. She's moving in because she can't be with her parents but I'm sure she wonders if it's just because they are girlfriends. I wonder how Kristen feels about living in Mordred and Jawbone being one of her guardians (not even mentioning how she struggles playing like a child role- being that shield for her brothers and how we often see her square up to Sandra Lynn) now they aren't together, like does she feels out of place there? I also think that feeling of being out of place was echoed in the recent episode of oh Kristen's address hasn't been changed either- like none of the parental figures in Mordred did that for her- especially Jawbone who works at the school and would have know that was kinda important.

Similarly I think Kristen provided that role on Sophmore year (even being in a messy arc) to Tracker of being that support and the one who does listen to her. Like I wonder how Tracker felt when Adaine & then Fig joined the household- because she's no longer getting priority attention from Jawbone since he's so busy. Yes she's very independent but that's because she's had to be. Even looking after Jawbone before he got better- like they did live together she's probably seen the ins and outs of all his business. The way I see her definitely has a heavy influence from you recommending scream by beach bunny for Tracker because wow- just incredible no notes. Her just moving on to looking after Kristen- like to make herself feel useful and needed- like when she gets brought along for spring break she's like oh I thought you were going to abandon me. Like. Head in hands. My poor girl. (Tracker being an npc is so hard i need all her lore now brennan)

I think it's also why it's so like explosive with the withholding stuff about Jawbone because her and Kristen have become this codependent team because there is so much going on its like oh your my person right now and you still did this, you know all these things and yet my feelings weren't considered & were pushed aside.

Like even after this happens- Kristen then starts unravelling Tracker's religion through finding Cassandra. Which tears them apart. They are both so influential in each other's lives its so crazy.

Apologies for the ramble as this might all be so incoherent but i just have so many thoughts on them and their dynamics- but I think it's like the tragedy aspect of it all that is so aligned with this music. Like the greater the risk the higher the reward and all that- they are built up to be so life changing that the fall consistently follows them. Like we haven't spoke in months but I'm still happy that your religious uprising is going well- even in my commune with my own Goddess you still linger there too. (Not even getting into the Goddess being sisters it's just so much)

Like the Bang the Doldrums line of better off as lovers and not the other way around vs Kristen trying to be normal about calling them friends to her cleric teacher. Just rattling them in my brain for real. I also like Bros by Wolf Alice for them because it's such energy of like If i did come back would you still be there? I know it's selfish of me to ask but would you do it anyway. And definitely less emo but Renegade by Big Red Machine gives them so much. like specifically the post chorus and second verse. again sorry for the ramble but these new episodes are just making me think so intensely about them :P

please never ever apologize for sending such thoughtful asks to my inbox!! i’m sorry it took me so long to reply, but you gave me so much for think about…

- you’re so right about how layered and complicated kristen’s feelings on living at mordred must be now. they were probably a lot easier to overlook when she and tracker were together. the current status shift of “i’m living with my partner” to “i’m crashing with my friends” is wild to me. while i think sandra lynn and jawbone do their best to be good parents for the teens living in their house, there’s just so many of them that it’s probably be easier to parent the ones that usually lean on them for help (adaine) or show clear red flags (fig). (i know this is most likely because beardsley was the one who started the tremors bit during the last episode, but the way jawbone leapt up to protect adaine and fig but not kristen gave me pause. not because jawbone (or brennan for that matter) did anything wrong, but it made me wonder how many little things like that must happen every day in front of kristen and how she might feel about it). given kristen’s reluctance to their parenting and tracker’s personal, recent experience with leaving the church of sol, tracker probably seemed like the best person equipped to support kristen, even if it put her in a weird, uncomfortable corner where she is constantly caring for the person who is supposed to be her main carer as well - although it’s never as reciprocal as it should be. tracker leans heavily on her own experience to try and help kristen, which is why she works so hard to support kristen in establishing her church. she wants kristen to experience the deep, primal connection to YES!? that she experiences with galicaea, but it’s not the necessarily the same situation as kristen is the sole cleric responsible for her gods. due to how much is resting only on her shoulders, kristen’s issues always seem to eclipse tracker’s, but that doesn’t make it fair. tracker tries to help in the way she knows how and it’s still not enough. i’m so excited to learn more about why tracker wants to talk to kristen in the present day. in part, it’s probably because at some point they will be living in the same house again and they should be on good terms. but i also wonder if tracker sees the same pattern with kristen’s gods that cassandra does, and wants to offer kristen an out of her current situation by asking her to join the wolfsong revival. i don’t think there’s any universe out there where kristen would have ever chosen galicaea over cassandra when that path was first offered to her in sophomore year, but tracker could argue that lots of things have changed since that initial offer. in joining her, kristen would be one of many clerics and share the burden of responsibility for keeping a god alive. and maybe that’s a way they can actually be together again. 👀

- kristen’s aversion to being parented is so fascinating to me that it needs to be its own list item. it feels so relatable as an experience of an eldest daughter who’s been parentified for longer than she can remember. because i don’t even think it’s an aversion to being parented really - i think she’s expecting to be treated as a child in a way that’s familiar to her. when you combine kristen’s eldest daughter position with her status as the golden child due to her connection to helio, it’s not a far reach to say that the applebees treated kristen closer to another adult in the family than a child when she lived at home. i’m guessing she was privy to way more information and it was her job to shield and distract her brothers from it or filter it in a way that her parents approved. this is one of the reasons why i think she struggled so much while questioning her faith - her parents had always communicated with her in a straight and simple fashion and this suddenly shifted to unsatisfactory, emotional answers to her questions. (granted, i don’t think any answers the applebees would have given would be satisfactory based on how stuck they are in their worldview, but they jumped really quickly into just shutting kristen down instead of actually hearing her out) i think she’s seeking out that kind of straightforward parent-child relationship she used to have with her parents when she approaches sandra lynn after the tryst with garthy, like “tell me what’s going on and we’ll find the best way to share this with the rest of the kids.” i know that moment is followed by a “classic ally chaos moment” of kristen asking for whiskey, but i wonder if there’s a way to recontextualize it here. maybe she sees herself falling into an old pattern. maybe she can’t resist the temptation of actually being treated like a child instead of a pseudo-adult. maybe she’s worried that whatever answer sandra lynn could give her isn’t worth her positioning herself like this. no one wants sandra lynn and kristen to bond this season more than me i’m awake at night wishing as hard as i can believe me when i say this but i do think that she’s still trying to be a shield to the best of her ability from afar. i think the underlying question behind kristen’s decisions now when it comes to her brothers is “how do i turn the selfish action of leaving them behind into the best decision for everyone in the end without compromising my own autonomy or putting them in a situation where they get hurt?” she stays away from the applebees house so that her brothers don’t have to deal with the tension she would inevitably bring with her. she leaves them gold but without a note so her parents can’t interrogate them about their contact with her. and even in the last episode - choosing to simply confuse her parents and keep her cool instead of actively arguing with them is interestingly as calculated as it is chaotic because she probably comes off as less of a threat to bucky’s devotion to helio and more as a neutral eccentric. for now, it’s easier on everyone in that house if she is cast as someone whose head isn’t screwed on straight rather than a complete villain.

- i too would love to know more about tracker. all of your questions about how she might have felt when jawbone’s attention shifted from her to adaine and fig are right on the money. add all the codependency with kristen to the mix, it makes me wonder if tracker feels like she missed out on having deeper, possibly sisterly friendships with adaine and fig. i think trackerbees being so joined at the hip resulted in her holding fig and adaine at arm’s length as “kristen’s friends” as opposed to new family members. it’s telling that she only chose to leave mordred once she was certain that she could trust that jawbone would be safe with the people surrounding him AND that they were taking care of him as much as he was taking care of them. i don’t think she was waiting for something to go wrong per say, but the fact is that something DID go wrong and her instinct to hang around was justified. she watches sandra lynn and jawbone reconcile and that point in time happens to coincide with her decision to start the wolfsong revival and then she’s finally ready to leave with ragh at her side - the only other teen she allowed herself to get close to probably by accident bc they spent a good deal of time together when the PCs were off on bad kids only mini-missions during spring break. (also how are they going to share ragh. i’m hoping it’s all cordial in the end but how do you share a person who was a bodyguard / confidant for one of you but also was the cofounder of the lgbtq+ student union / honorary party member for the other for much longer than that. how do you do that) i’m so curious about her place in the birth order, but given that we’ve never heard about any siblings, i’m inclined to believe she’s an only child and it seems to fit. i’m an eldest daughter with a couple of only children as best friends and the dynamic of how straightforward tracker is in her actions while kristen is constantly playing 4D chess in her head to figure out the best solution for everyone rings very true for me. we know that her parents kicked her out after she was bitten, but she didn’t stray super far - not even outside the same pantheon of gods. granted, I think the lycanthropy made galicaea a natural fit for her, but i don’t think the journey to get there took as long as kristen’s journey to YES!? two sides of the same coin and all that

- ANYWAYS. the music of it all. i completely agree with your assessment of the tragedy and risk that emo music usually lends itself to, but i also like your other recs here! i was racking my brain trying to think of where i’d heard bros before - it was featured in the life is strange prequel (that also happens to center around another tragic sapphic couple). i absolutely love renegade for them and it made me think of “the 1” - another swift / dessner collab that feels very of the moment for them. i think about them a lot when i’m listening to adult mom. most songs i feel apply directly to one or the other, but i feel like “checking up” from their most recent album feels very attuned to their relationship right before they broke up when tracker was first on the road.

for anyone who has made it this far down, thank you for coming for my ted talk! i guess i have a lot more thoughts about these two than i knew. thank you again @sabrirene for sending this in!

[hareofhrair]

Art from the most recent ask in its own post. Shafan has a run in with a clown.

story under the cut

HH: =oh i've had run ins with m=ore'n a few cl=owns, n=one of em pleasant.

HH: best =one was a sweep =or s=o back. i was cruisin this lil shindig a friend =of a friend was thr=owin

HH: m=ost everyb=ody there was a rusty, but tha thing ab=out thr=owin a g=o=od party is

HH: cl=owns will just sh=ow up

HH: they just manifest there =or s=omethin s=o=on as things really kick off

HH: like the way bleatbeasts just show up at metal c=oncerts

HH: anyway everyb=ody kn=ows y=ou thr=ow a big en=ough party yer runnin tha risk a cl=owns deciding ta crash it

HH: but generally speakin cl=owns aint subtle and when they sh=ow up ya kn=ow what's happenin

HH: s=o i'm at this party and havin a real g=o=od time

HH: maybe a lil drunker than I =ought ta be

HH: when i sp=ot this Big B=oy lurkin in a c=orner b=o=oth

HH: and yall kn=ow i like em big

HH: s=o i slide in and intr=oduce myself

HH: i feel it's imp=ortant ta menti=on here that the lightin in this place was n=ot s=o g=o=od

HH: and als=o my eyesight leaves a lil s=omethin ta be desired

HH: by which i mean im blind as tha pr=overbial flyin squeakbeast

HH: s=o between that and bein pretty sl=oshed i d=ont n=otice anythin suspici=ous ab=out this gentleman

HH: i start talkin ta tha fella, and he's a bit quiet, aint sayin much

HH: but that's fine i can run my m=outh en=ough fer tha b=oth a us, and i d=o

HH: lil while later, i get ta askin him if he w=ouldn't like ta walk me h=ome, if ya gather my meanin

HH: he says that s=ounds like fun, and we slip =out tha back a tha j=oint

HH: i'm hangin =off his arm, havin tr=ouble walkin straight, when I l=o=ok up an get my first g=o=od gander at tha guy under a streetlight

HH: and i see greasepaint, and a big =ole grin

HH: that'll s=ober a fella up p=owerful fast let me tell ya

HH: n=ow i mighta just g=one al=ong with tha guy and b=olted at tha first good excuse

HH: but apparently i was t=o=o drunk ta manage my facial expressi=ons, cus he sees h=ow i'm l=o=okin at him and his smile if anythin just gets wider.

HH: finally n=oticed, did ya? he says. that mean i cain't walk ya h=ome n=o m=ore? =oh well, tha =other way w=oulda been m=ore fun, but we can still have a g=o=od time.

HH: and he drags me =off int=o an alley and pulls o=ut a club, ready ta splatter me acr=oss tha pavement like a p=opped water bal=o=on

HH: but i tend ta babble when i'm scared, and all =of a sudden i say

HH: hell nah, y'all can't kill me like this, it ain't even funny!

HH: where's tha w=ordplay? tha creativity?

HH: yer just g=onna smash me with a club in an alleyway?

HH: where's tha fuckin craftsmanship? where's tha art?

HH: and that actually makes him st=op fer a minute

HH: and he just l=o=oks at me fer a bit, an then he says

HH: kn=ow what, yer right. Culls =ought ta be gl=ori=ous in tha sight a tha messiahs =or s=ome shit

HH: and i say hey ya kn=ow what w=ould be funny

HH: im a real fast runner, faster than hell

HH: and there's a train what comes thr=ough here right at sunrise

HH: let's say y=ou challenge me t=o a race with tha train

HH: and if I beat it, y=ou let me g=o

HH: he starts sayin nah i aint just lettin y=ou run =off i aint that dumb

HH: and i say =of c=ourse, that's the funniest part

HH: bef=ore the train c=omes, ya tie my feet t=o tha tracks!

HH: he says h=ot damn yer right that is fuckin funny

HH: gets right giggly imaginin me tryin ta run and gettin flattened like an old penny

HH: so we head =on =over t=o tha train tracks

HH: and i say wait h=old =on, we need s=ome supplies first

HH: supplies, he says?

HH: i say yeah well, we need r=ope =obvi=ously, and an umbrella

HH: he says, an umbrella?

HH: i say =o c=ourse an umbrella, i t=old ya tha train c=omes right at sunrise. ya d=ont want ta be standin there burnin in tha sun iffin tha train is late, d=o ya?

HH: and he says yer right yer right i d=ont care fer sunburns

HH: s=o he gets s=ome r=ope and a big black umbrella and we get =on tha tracks and he start's tyin my feet t=o tha tracks, but he's kinda strugglin because he's h=oldin tha umbrella at tha same time

HH: and i say hang o=n, ya can't tie it like that, it's g=onna slip right o=ff. here, let me sh=ow ya, i learned s=ome sailin kn=ots fr=om a c=obalt that never c=ome l=o=ose

HH: So i start sh=owin him h=ow ta d=o it, but he ain't gettin it, s=o i say here, i'll tie my =own feet, and y=ou watch and practice =on your =own feet.

HH: s=o he starts tyin his =own feet ta tha tracks, but he's still fumblin =on acc=ount =of h=oldin tha umbrella, s=o i say, ya need b=oth hands, here let me h=old that f=or ya

HH: and he says thanks and hands me the umbrella and g=oes back ta tyin his feet ta tha tracks.

HH: n=ow =of c=ourse ab=out that time tha sun starts ta c=ome up, and right =on time the train whistle s=ounds in tha distance

HH: and tha cl=own l=o=oks up

HH: by which p=oint i'm already ab=out half a bl=ock away, runnin like hell itself is =on my heels

HH: but i was still cl=ose en=ough ta hear that m=otherfucker laughin, laughin like ta bust a gut, right up till tha n=oise a tha train dr=owned him =out

[shimmerloid-ai]

Preliminary Considerations - Which Vocal Synthesizer Software is Right for You? - Free Softwares

Although this blog puts a major emphasis on the VOCALOID 4 editor, it, or VOCALOID in general, is not the only vocal synthesizer that exists. There are tons of other software that have the same function and a variety of different voicebanks, with some being cheaper and of higher quality than VOCALOID, or even free! That’s right, there are quite a few free vocal synthesizers out there (however the lack of frills may come at the expense of some missing features or difficulty of usage), which I recommend trying out before pouring your hard-earned savings on a program that you may not even use. What if you learn that you do not enjoy tuning or do not have the time to use the software? It would be a huge waste of money that could be invested in other stuff, such as basic necessities (GOOD FOOD) or other leisurely items, like video games, clothing from your favourite bands, art supplies, or merchandise. In addition, there has been a rise of a lot of smaller companies coming out with vocal synthesizers with incredible UIs that not only look appealing but are easy to navigate, and voicebanks that sound far too human and advanced than hATsUnE mIKU (don’t worry, I love Miku with all my heart, I am just trying to prove a point here). There are also some really sick features that you may not find in the franchises with bigger names.

In this post, I will be describing the features of different free vocal synthesizers and their advantages and disadvantages so you can find the one that meets your vocalo-p needs. Please note, I do not own all of these synthesizers, some of these are from reviews on Reddit and VocaVerse Network. In addition, some cons like lag could just be a me problem and better computers may not experience such issues. Also , I will not be covering every single singing synthesizer in existence, just the well known ones and those with proper UIs because there are so many. I am omitting NEUTRINO because it does not have a UI despite having such high-quality vocals, along with ALTER/EGO, as it does not have a piano roll.

UTAU

(Song: Meltdown by iroha(sasaki); UST: Tanjiro Taidana)

UTAU was designed to be the free sister software to VOCALOID. Not only can you use it without spending a cent, but it allows you to make your own voicebank as well! There are tons of popular voicebanks out there, including the Vipperloids, Gahata Meiji, Kohaku Merry, Matsudappoiyo, Denatsu Sora, Shuu Mawaine, and my personal favourite, SUZU.

Pros: 

Almost every single voicebank is free to download

Different types of voicebanks (CV, VCV, CCVC; Monopitch vs. Multipitch; Power, Weak, Soft, Whisper, Growl, Screamo; tons of languages)

Can make your own voicebank right in the software

Pitch bending on the piano roll instead of a parameter box!

Variety of job plugins to make usage easier

Credited for its growl and vibrato handling

Cons:

EXTREMELY dated, UTAU has not been updated since 2013

Not friendly for beginners, especially due to its old UI

Need to change your system's locale, and installing voicebanks can be frustrating

Most voicebanks (namely Japanese) can only read Hiragana phonemes and not Romaji ones; but job plug-ins can fix this issue

Open Utau

(Song: The Lost One's Weeping by neru; UST: Tanjiro Taidana)

If UTAU is the sister software to VOCALOID, then Open Utau is the younger sibling to normal UTAU. Open Utau is an open-sourced vocal synthesizer on GitHub with every feature in the original software while being easier to use.

Pros:

Dark mode with a sleek, easy-to-navigate UI!

Pitchbend with a click of a button; piano roll tuning is still consistent

Splice tool; useful for note-bending

No need to switch locale to Japanese

Easier to get the hang of

Frequent updates

Can use VSQXs and svps. without needing to convert them into USTs

Cons:

No Defoko…

Choppier and buggier than classic UTAU

Slow with rendering wav. files and launching the software

Phonemizers are tricky to work with, you don’t always get the same output as the same phonemizers in normal UTAU

External resamplers can cause overheating and slow down the software

Tuning is more dependent on job plugins than the original UTAU

Many users claim that otoing is easier in classic UTAU

SynthesizerV Studio Editor R1

(Song: Tengaku by Yuuyu; VSQx by Adam Edmond)

This preliminary edition of SynthesizerV was a major breakthrough for the vocal synth community when it was first released. With its realistic-sounding voicebanks and minimalistic aesthetic, this software has changed the game by a landslide for synth users. Although it's quite limited, R1 was an amazing start for what will become a godly program in the future. Pros:

Pitch bending on the piano roll and in the parameter box (very smooth, I experienced no lag when using it nor did I have to make pitch points or pause while editing the parameters)!

Voicebanks sound quite human

MIND BLOWING GLOTTAL EFFECTS (nine different growls, two screams, and a vocal fry that do not sound robotic!)!

Really simple UI, easy to pick up, great for beginners!

Cons:

Outdated; is no longer being updated by Dreamtonics

Needs a recording license for commercial use (though I highly doubt it is still being upheld)

Only four voicebanks are available; Eleanor Forte, Yamine Renri, GENBU, and AiKO - who is paid and an outdated version of her R2 voicebank (R2 versions of the same voicebanks sound much cleaner and realistic)

A little too minimalistic; aside from the addition of glottal effects and the typical pitch deviation, loudness, tension, breathiness, voicing, gender, and vibrato parameters, there is not all that much you can do in this edition of the editor

SynthesizerV Studio Basic

(Song: Antibeat by Deco* 27; UST: Mayu Sama Desu)

Also known as SynthV R2, this is the free edition of the software that is currently being updated, despite having fewer features than its complete, paid version. 

Pros:

Ready to play with as soon as it is installed

Twenty-five free voicebanks; sixteen Japanese, seven English, and two Chinese; all with unique sounds

AI voicebanks!

Instant mode; allows you to automatically tune the pitch of an entire track with the press of a button, although it may make the voice sound too pitchy

Waveform that allows you to see the volume and pronunciation of certain notes

Can use paid voicebanks in the free editor!

Just as easy to figure out as SynthV R1!

Cons:

Can only have a maximum of three vocal tracks in a single svp. file

Pitch bending is a lot more finicky compared to SynthV R1

Lite voicebanks sound mono-pitch

Lacks a ton of features that are available in SynthesizerV Pro; scripts, auto-pitch tuning, rap vocals, cross-lingual synthesis, vocal modes, alternate phoneme choices, and many other features are not included in the basic edition (even paid voicebanks can not use cross-lingual synthesis, vocal modes, etc)

The glottal effects parameter that was in SynthV R1 is sadly not included in both the Basic and Pro editions of the current program

VoiSona

(Song: iNSaNiTY by Circus-P; VSQX: Cirty_09)

Previously named “CeVIO Pro”, VoiSona is a vocal synth that uses AI technology to create beautiful vocals with characters that originated from a variety of other vocal synthesizers (such as VOCALOID!) and are created with the recordings of talented singers and voice actors. CeVIO project has also launched a trial speech vocal synthesizer called “VoiSona Talk” for their first anniversary.

Pros:

Users get Chis-A’s full voicebank upon downloading the synthesizer!

The program itself is entirely free to download

AI technology makes tuning easier

Piano roll pitch-bending

Has some features that are missing in its sister software, CeVIO AI

The “husky” parameter is great for making whispers

Can be used as a VST plugin in most DAWs or a standalone editor

Cons:

All other voicebanks are paid; either you purchase the entire voicebank once, or get a subscription to use all of them

HEAVY LAG; the program is quite slow with processing commands

Free-hand pitch-bending is not as easy to perform compared to UTAU or SynthesizerV; can be quite sensitve and the AI may not always yield the desired result

DeepVocal

(Song: New Darling by MARETU; UST: Mimisan15)

The successor to the Sharpkey Galaxy software, this vocal synthesizer was designed for Chinese voicebanks. Its UI is a combination of VOCALOID4 and UTAU, giving it a sense of comfort and familiarity. Speaking of which, you can create your own voicebank in DeepVocal as you can in UTAU and OpenUtau, and there are some pre-made voicebanks of popular UTAUs, including Namine Ritsu, Inari Akane, and Kuro Bousuka. In addition, there is also a Kiana voicebank commissioned by MiHOYO and based on the protagonist of Gun Girls Z and Honkai Impact 3rd!

Pros:

Ready to use as soon as its out of the box

Great engine for Chinese voicebanks

Can create your own voicebank

Runs smoothly

Has all of the necessary parameters needed to create songs and covers

Cons:

Voicebanks can be kind of shaky, choppy, and more sensitive to pitch changes compared to other engines like UTAU and VOCALOID

Pitch bending can be quite clunky

Voicebanks may have difficulty reading certain phenomes from converted USTs; you may need to edit them if you don’t want lyrics being read as “a” or “ra”

These were all of the major free softwares I found, but if I come across another vocal synthesizer in the future, even if it is not talked about in the vocal synth community much, I may make a post about it.

I know there are a ton of cons I found for much of the vocal synths on this list and they sound like nitpicks on my part, but as I stated at the start of this post, some of these issues could be a Shimmer Thing™ and they may not arise for you when using these softwares. I won't be surprised if you read through this post and are now feeling thrown off by the various features and pros and cons of these programs, so here's my two cents on what I think beginners should go for:

If you like realistic voicebanks and want a very simple software to start with, get either SynthesizerV Editot (R1) or SynthesizerV Studio Basic (R2). If you would like to experience them (spicy) glottal effects and very kind pitchbending (like it does not make you want to bash your head against the wall because Renri won't cooperate) along with unlimited vocal tracks, then try out R1, and if you want more features, voicebanks, and continous updates, go for R2. Or even better, try out both and decide which one suits your interests better.

If you have a preference for robotic voicebanks, would like a variety of vocals to play with, and find plug-ins interesting, then UTAU may be for you, especially if you want VOCALOID but you can not afford it at the moment. Although I shitted more on Open Utau than I did on regular UTAU, I recommend the former over the latter as it is still being updated and the UI is signifcantly easier to navigate, along with its phenomenal pitchbending function.

Finally, please take my words with a grain of salt. If you like the voicebanks or are interested in a specific software, or discover one that is even better than any of the listed vocal synthesizers, by all means, go for it! This is just a surface guide by an idiot who spends most of their time trying to make Fukase not sound like a computer dying, and I have not used any of these softwares as much as I have messed with VOCALOID. Plus, my computer is an absolute bitch, so you guys will probably have much better luck than me.

I hope this guide was of use and provided a better insight on the various engines out there. My next post will compare different paid vocal synthesizers, including CeVIO AI, Piapro Studio, and of course, the various VOCALOID softwares. Don't worry, I'll get to the actual tutorial bit very soon.

Also, feel free to ask any questions about vocal synthesizers, or... literally anything! I'm practically starved for asks-

Thanks for reading!

[schmeap]

do people on this website post tierlists for fun idk does anyone care about my opinions on pokemon and miku probably not but I'm finally giving into the urge to be really annoying about music (not a music analyst) (doesn't know how to identify a lemotif) (Was in High School Marching Band)

Anyway gonna be real fuckin annoying about this one its called i talk about rankings that are mostly personal bias

Let's just go in release order lol

Songs linked in their "titles" (video embed limit is. less than 18)

DECO*27's Volt Tackle

ok so i have a confession. when this song came out, I knew it was going to end up pretty low on the list lol

Deconina (i can't. type that every time guys) is one of my favorite producers and almost every song he makes I nod my head at and go "yeah. that's a banger." But. BUT. He's started mixing his harder rock styles with his poppier hip hop styles and it comes to a head in this song. The bridge is really really distracting lol, feels like a different song and tone entirely from the kind of intense, battle like ferocity of the main part to a cutesy pop chant... It has a purpose, I'm sure, but there's something too dissonant about it for me to like.

The like, rest of the song is Deconina at his Deconina-est, I love the cute take on love (as he always does) with a pokemon flavoring... The visuals are also quite cute and fitting. It's really solid, but that one point holds it back from Funky Fresh, which is my baseline Very Solid.

Electrical Forecast by inabakumori

The second song, by a producer I don't follow nearly as closely as Deco. Uhh I did listen to lagtrain as homework before this and yes it bangs. It's always nice to see people using people other than Miku and Kaai Yuki actually has a real solid appeal to me.

This is a song that slaps. It bangs, even. I don't know enough about inabakumori to comment on its relevance to their personal stylings or themes but we were still in the romance period with pokemon puns and tie ins so I was already tempted to put it higher in the list. In actuality, every song does an excellent jobs integrating game sounds and puns so no extra points are available for that stuff lol

Taking the idea of catching pokemon is always dangerous, I think, because pokemon fans aren't really here to catch things, we're mostly interested in battles and the journey with our faves, not completing the pokedex (because it's hard, and kind of chore) at least, to me. This song feels like a journey through the tall grass, scouring the lands to find pokemon... I just like the inabakumori style man. It gets points for getting on the playlist, but not really speaking to me.

Mitchie M's What Kind of Future

Silly songs.......... my weakness and Mitchie M's strength oh no.........

Yeah Mitchie M really plays to his strengths, using cute visuals and nonstop puns to ooze a charm you can only get from haplessly indulging in the most whimsical of vibes. It was also quite surprising how well their TL team did with all the puns given some of them barely work lol.

"I love them all" is the type of pokemon fan I am, so that might also help explain why two of those songs are up so high...

Pinocchio-P Kills You with The Pokemon Inside My Heart

yeah i cried what're *you* gonna do about it huh

Im a pinocchio-p fan. I don't always like everything he puts out, but when he really hits its insane how hard he does.

1) i fucking love his little pinomikus... having them all in a costume is so fucking cute they're little slit eyed freaks and by far my favorite trademark a producer's ever had lol My favorite. is lapras...

2) This isn't the first song to fuck me up by him lol 2:30 Life Remaining also damaging as hell, so it wasn't surprising to see him go for a quieter angle but man when its something you grew up with, a nostalgia you could relate to, an experience you lived, its way worse. It's such a soft song, with an upbeat backbone, I've no idea how he got the music to scream "nostalgia" so hard but the reverberating "aah"s are so cool too...

Anyway this song would be the best song if I weren't horrendously biased. It should honestly be up their with the top two but it was funnier to keep it in the crying tier.

Battle! by cosMo@Bousou-P

I honestly did not like this song all that much when it first came out, but that was almost certainly because it was right after Pinochhio-P's lol

The high concept of people in the comments talking about some sort of Miku AI champion that was tired of winning got me more into the song now that I'm not directly comparing it to a song that spoke way more to me, there's just something a little unhinged about it in the way that cosMoBousou does well with machine intelligence/the meaning of digital media.

He also plays p well into his strengths with the breakcore fast bpm lol this song screams GO GO GO! I think it makes total sense why he'd go for a battle theme, and I really like the way the pokemon sfx are incorporated into the backing... drums? Unfortunately, I like battle songs not that much, and the lyrics leave a little to be desired because the story's a bit... confusing lol Maybe it's cheap of me to prefer nostalgia baits over whatever strange original story cosMo's thought up but that's how it is.

A little evil with Kasamura Tota's I'll Fly in the Sky with You

Another producer I've not heard of before! No one talked about this song either, in my circles, I actually missed it until I came back for Giga and Jin's. I passed over it on first watch, put it on in the background and said "yeah, that's a nice soft song," thinking nothing of it. Boy was I fucking WRONG

edit (not an edit I'm writing this all in one sitting), I LIED I *have* heard this guys stuff before!! Araki covered one of his songs lol ok I'm getting the sense their skillset is Violently Sad Songs and goddamn are they good at em.

Anyway this song's MV is adorable and uses mudkips status as an adorable fave as a double shot directly to your sadglands as it tells a story of a pokemon that stays the same to continue to fly with its friend. Its fucked up, and a little evil, and totally took me by surprise because I was a fool. Little Guys Deserve Love Too is something you don't always remember as pokemon fan and it takes the implication of evolution seriously its really some pokemon Mystery Dungeon type heartstring pulling that got me good.

Musically I love the quiet backing that really lets the vocals (the story) breathe, its a musical narrative. The back and forth between Luka and Miku is done really well, plus having it based entirely around an existing pokemon song really helps it achieve its heart punching effectiveness.

Also I have a horrible bias toward piano please don't look up at the tierlist and where I placed Marasy

(Hilarious it got a kids rating on youtube btw. Another youtube kids L, probably)

We couldn't draw miku at a fucked up angle this time guys: Giga's Gotchu!

lol yeah they had to sanitize this one's visuals a little bit, probably worked with a different artist than usual... It does show, a bit, in the kind of bouncy visual style Giga's used to being flatter and less 3D than usual. This leaves the music video a little lesser than the others that move... I also don't know if I've ever been a huge fan of Giga's recent animation style.

In terms of actual song: it's good! Giga puts his swing on classic pokemon motifs and it feels very him, with a nice mix of hip hop beat and electrical edge.

But uh, remember how I said before "catching pokemon is the weakest element of pokemon"? That point stands here, especially since the song itself is just simple and peppy. It's stylish as hell but doesn't give me a sense of journey or scouring like inabakumori's.

Sorry, but someone had to be last.

Jin's Secretly Miku the whole time: Juvenile

Trans miku real or whatever

I'd like to say this is the first full on deadass whole animated story. I should be right. Also I don't think I've followed Jin since Kagepro lol (but I did hear Neo, and I did scream really loudly at it!)

dude the eevee is drawn so fucking cute im rhhdghh im not even a huge eevee fan (too mammal) but man when he do the lil paw to cheer up their trainer it got me. I also really like the compassion of the story, the trainers just want to support each other even though they fight... It's like, that's kind of what pokemon is, it's not necessarily about winning, even if Every Voice on the internet Ever (including myself) tells you otherwise. Turns out all you need from a friendly rival to make them better is to lose against them and not let them speak (im joking.......)

I just realized I never looked up the lyrics, actually, but I totally got the emotions through the fantastic MV and the general upswings of the music. It's a bold swing to take a trainer through their whole journey, but both songs that try this hit it justtt right, actually. Building yourself back up after a loss is like, The pokemon story, because turns out you can't win them all. Plus it takes time to focus on the mundanity of the pokemon journey, the stuff you don't really think about in game but is the meat of any fanfic... depicting hanging out w your pokemon is a huge bonus points.

The music combined with the visuals made me cry what can I say, I don't cry easily so it deserves it.

Syudou's I'm a Ghost Type

I honestly don't know a whole lot about Syudou, not to say I don't know who he is, i do, i play pjsekai, but none of his "popular" songs really captured me.

I can mostly say the same for this one lol This is the first one where I have to actually explain the Funky Fresh tier: it means they play well to their strengths but they don't have a whole lot of staying power to me. This is where my pickiness starts kicking in, they just weren't swanky enough to make the cut.

The lyrics and visuals scream joy of ghost types though, I really dig how much energy is in the song... I think it's just personal preference for electric beats that puts the song the highest in Funky Fresh.

BIPPA!! Wonderful Opportunity with Go! Bidoof Group!

Wonder Opp never fails me they got my back every time. I was hoping for something silly happy peppy fun and oh boy did i get it. A feverish dedication to a silly not strong pokemon, a basic rat you can get in any route that the pokemon company loves making fun of, BIPPA!!

All these dumb mfs so relatable to the Len that wants to evolve for utility, to the Rin that loves him as he is, to Miku who thinks all pokemon have their appeals... I've seen some people say WonderOpp's songs border on just speaking over beat, but I don't really see what's wrong with that. The comedic timing is solid (Len getting shot down is so funny) and the setup is inherently funny, a team of bullies that go after Only Bidoof. Team Rocket but Bidoof.

Joy radiates from this song and who doesn't want to hold a pokemon in front of your friends and go "Look!! this is my favorite child!!!" I think that's the real essence of pokemon. Pick your faves and then be really annoying about them. That's why this is the best one.

Huh? Muddled... (Weird title... it's sfx, really) by Kuriyama Yuri

This project got me digging around in new producers libraries, quite fun. In this one I found Jitterbug! I love a good Meiko producer... But I don't particularly like their style, sorry to say.

I do like it though! It's fun, spooky and very stylized! I love the rhythm it gets into and the expressions on the people, even if I'm not entirely sure what's going on besides some good ol fasioned spooks. I think it accomplishes what it sets out to do, which is make a spooky ghost house experience song. Just doesn't appeal to me enough to rank it higher.

Orangestar's Encounter

Look. This is pure bias. But I also think it's good!

I've gone on record (no record. just talking to friends lmao) saying Orangestar's music feels like running alongside a ocean during a sunshower. All their music is kind of same-y but by god does it hit that niche so good for me, using vocaloids to go way above what any human would sound good. In this song the synthwave really elevates it to something I'd recommend a non-Orangestar fan, it really carries you up, gives the song a rising energy... just like Lugia.

Breath is a key of Orangestar's songs, besides being very high, there's a lot of running vocals and held notes, meaning singing them is again, very difficult (if you're trying to copy miku) and I think the breathlessness of the vocals and synth really works with the concept of a legendary encounter. It's always so cool when you finally run into the thing on the box... and in the surrounding media, everyone always oohs and aahs. The lyrics support this, but I'm not very good at reading, so I actually just skim them to make sure they aren't total nonsense lol

Eon Ticket by Marasy

I saw somewhere an author's comment about this song, something to the effect of "I always chased Latios and Latias"... So this is just a song about your faves, just like pokemon should be. It also has Kaito, which is *my* crypton bias.

Uhh I'm always back and forth on Marasy songs, I love him as a pianist, but his compositions don't always speak to me working with the others on em. But? I think this one hits nicely. It's a little toothless still, not as emotionally impactful as those on the top, won't make me scream in excitement but I do think this is one of my favorites in a while.

Kaito and Miku... it's always nice to have duets in this Miku focused project lol. I think the Eon ticket, Latios and Latias in particular was a good pairing for Marasy's flighty fluttering piano trills and runs, they're the kind of pokemon that dash around the skies like the music does. Part of what makes me rank composers higher in these miku songs is whether they play to their strengths or not, because you're already adding the twist of subject matter, and I think this does. I also think the framing device of the newscasters is cute

Party Rock Eternity by Hachioji-P

Ahh Hachioji, another name I know and don't really listen to on purpose... Rad Dogs goes insane though an all time fave (but I say that about half the VBS commissioned songs). Maybe that's why I biased it higher, because it's a style of music I really like. A lot of bias is probably involved in this lol (poison type fan)

I like the perspective of a rocket grunt a lot, leans extremely well into the harder rock of Hachioji's natural lean, but the lyrics don't really tell us much, it doesn't quite lean hard enough into character for me to give it a funky pass... plus I find it's missing a POP that makes it appealing. It's extremely pleasant, but I can't give it a pass.

Iyowa's Journey's Prequels, Journey's Traces

Hmm, I think the only producer I know truly nothing about, didn't even really recognize a song on their page. Doesn't matter since this song's extremely cute and appealing on its own.

The button mashing making up the backing track I almost didn't like but it totally grew on me, it gives the song more life. Visually the MV compliments the cutesy subject and the wonder of a child's first pokemon. But... it's just pleasant. It suffers the same fate as Party Rock Eternity before it, there's just nothing pushing it beyond musically, likely in part because I'm not as familiar with the composer. I like songs that go somewhere, and this one stays in the same place, which doesn't make it bad, it just makes it less interesting to me.

Esper Esper, Psychic Psychic! by NayutalieN

I don't listen to a whole lot of NayutalieN's stuff outside the Rhythm Game Staples (most of which I like, at least passively), but it's enough that I know generally what I'm getting.

Musically this song doesn't stand out to me all that much, I like the rising tones during the chorus, but it actually doesn't use as many of the kind of flourishes on the top of vocals I really like about Nayutalie's tuning. The sfx in blend with the background are also really fun but for me, theming tops out anything.

When I went into the song, I wanted a cute silly fun song about psychic type pokemon that LOVED psychic types. I wanted to see them clap. And they did! There's just so many psychic types doing the classic flip back and forth dance, and isn't that, really, what makes a NayutalieN song?

Kairiki Bear's Melomeloid

So Kairiki Bear I actually spent like, a day lying in bed listening to their entire lineup on their channel lol I wanted to determine whether I liked them as a producer or if I just really liked Bug. Turned out I just really liked Bug (and venom). That's to say, I wasn't expecting something standout in this song.

I was not disappointed, but I wasn't blown away either. That's ok, I think the most important part of Kairiki Bear songs are their texture, the rhythm of the vocals mixed with the instrument. I like Bug because of its punchiness, its extremely harsh tones, and Melomeloid's are a bit softer. It's good for a song about fairy types, but it doesn't make up that loss in musicality through the melody, which makes it average to me. But! I think it really hits where fairy types lie, a cutesy "I love you" mixed with the signature sharp, kind of off tune vocals with a harsh, present beat... It screams "cute but dangerous."

A Glorious Day for Miku Yuri by EVE (it's Glorious Day)

wh what if u were a dragon type trainer and and I was a fairy type trainer and uh uh hhhhh and we were rivals............

Um ok, I just have to say, before I talk about Eve or whatever. The fact that they animate Every Miku in Voltage's art run and place them in this mikuverse where they all fight together is like, dude talk about an excellent finale. Deadass that touch alone put this to its ranking by itself.

That's not to say the music's not pulling its weight. It's Eve, and though I think is one of his weaker compositions, not being able to play into his more off beat rhythms (and having to use miku) it's still got all the bones of an extremely solid hype journey song. But to be honest, I think the music is the weakest part of Glorious Day, even if its flow is perfect for the story they're telling.

But the story..... God I do love a fully animated MV, there's just so much they put in it to make a pokemon fan happy, from the sakuga of the battle and the possible red cameo. Plus YURI!!! I love miku miku relationships I just think this one has the most potential to live in my brain rent free, so it goes up a tier. As a pokemon fan, this one's got the most for me, even if as a vocaloid fan, I wish Eve would just sing all his songs forever lol

Uh anyway thanks for listening like and comment if you want me to do this for commissioned songs for sekai i guess

[whumpbug]

aaaaaand I know I JUST sent an ask but the character design ask game calls to me like no other so I hope these help ease the writing slump!!! or at least bring you joy as your sillies bring to me!!! lots of prompts. feel free to ignore any or all!! no pressure in the slightest /gen :>

for All of your guys, alternate!!! but specifically I think it would be cool if you universe-swapped Gene&Cassidy and Archie&Simon. where would they be in each other's worlds?

for cassidy, bling: he seems like a fashonista of a high order. what sort of jewels does he flaunt? or is he more subtle?

for archie, motion: what about his powers and his job make him move differently? is he spiderman-esc-quick-reactions, or clumsy?

for simon, canvas: any scars, does he want a tattoo? does he Have one?

and for gene, formal: PUT THIS MAN in a BALL. i want him fancy fresh and formal. need that sheriff swag. (cassidy is welcome in this prompt as well. would cassidy ever wear a skirt this is important)

as always feel free to ignore any of the prompts or all of them, and feel free to answer for all your guys or switch the guy the prompt is about. i'm hyped to read what you make bug!!!! :D

kia i love you /p you could never ever send too many asks. and if you have more dont hesitate to send em in THESE ARE ALL SUCH FUN QUESTIONS EEEE

ok strap in. long post incoming. i got carried away. UGH i love these questions so much

alternate (taking this question as. vigilante (archie n simon) and western (gene and cassidy) universe swap)

simon:

in the western universe, simon would most definitely be the overworked town doctor's assistant. he'd be sporting the typical 1860s doctor's suit of course (and he'd rock it too) with the little stethoscope and everything. he'd basically just be helping the actual doctor with anything they needed and would be equally as exhausted as he is in his own universe (this guy will never catch a break)

he would have a pretty similar relationship to archie (he is still a vigilante, i'll get to that don't worry) in the sense that he stays extra hours in the office to patch him up and frequently checks in on him to make sure he is okay. simon is just as smitten in this universe too, and sometimes tells archie that his condition is worse than it is so he'll stay a few extra days in the clinic..

archie:

vigilantes did exist in the wild west (albeit in a very different way), so that part will remain consistent with archie. i decided for the sake of the au that archie doesn't have any special abilities other than just. good genetics (i know its a big part of his identity but shhh cowboy archie).

SO he is a simple stable boy by day, vigilante by night. he patrols the streets for any criminal activity and operates outside of the law to keep the public safe, and of course, he knows a certain doctor's assistant will always be there to take care of him when things get rough. he comes to really enjoy his company and the rest is history

cassidy:

this guy. he is a sly fellow. my mind immediately went to him being in some kind of underground mafia-esque business with similar motives to the outlaw gang. with his charisma, he can get just about anyone to reveal anything and has no reservations on scamming those that deserve it.

montana still exists in this au (unfortunately) and would probably be dictating the kind of missions cassidy needs to go on and who he needs to talk to. cassidy goes undercover a lot to very extravagent dinners and parties for info and stuff like that so he's often seen dressed to the nines or pretending to be someone he isn't and of course he has run-ins with gene because. that guy is after him!!! and he hates him (no he doesn't) because he doesn't want anyone interfering with montana and the group's plans

gene:

ok so after much deliberation, i decided that gene is a private investigtor for underground crime organizations. much like simon, he is equally as tired and overworked in this universe as he is in his own. very much a caffeine addict.

anyways, he is also going undercover very often to find and gain information on cassidy and the rest of the group, which can lead to some,, very Tense Situations (i'm thinking. very fancy dinner. the two get sat at the same table and cant make a scene, but they both have important jobs to do and are also threats to eachother. just imagine them trying to have a cordial conversation while being aware they have guns pointed at eachother under the table.)

bling for cassidy (what jewelry does your oc wear? does it have any meaning?

cw: mentions of abuse, starvation, death, and implications of sexual assault

any jewels or gold he has have a 99.8% chance of being stolen. and to him, that's what makes them so significant and meaningful. he only takes jewelry from people he deems as having done unforgivable acts and wears them as a badge of honor for either locking them away for life or. killing them. i'm gonna give a little rundown of his most notable pieces that he wears!

gold ring with an embedded sapphire: stolen from a crooked sheriff in another town that was overtaxing his people to the point that people were collapsing in the street from starvation

gold watch: stolen from from a man that was cheating on his wife while also physically abusing her and their child

gold pocket watch (can you tell he likes gold): stolen from a preacher that was caught embezzling funds and also taking advantage of some of the younger women

pinched front hat: not jewelry, but an important accessory. one of the few things montana gave him when he was a boy. it was too big for him then, but he's grown into it much like his role in montana's plots. for better or for worse.

as for does he flaunt it, he absolutely does. he wears them all loud and proud and as a way to tell the world he's not the scared, helpless little boy he once was. that he's made something of himself.

motion for archie (how does your oc move? how does their clothing help or hinder their range of motion? are they flexible, coordinated, clumsy?)

when dressed as vigil, archie is very deft in his movements. in and out of costume, he has very fast reflexes and reaction times and when hes focused on patrol, they're even faster. he is strong, quick, and very intentional when engaging in combat and it sometimes even looks choreographed when he's in the zone

out of costume, its a bit different. he has to make a constant effort to look like he isn't as strong as he is, so he tends to look stiff when doing things that would take effort from a normal person (for example, he has to pretend to struggle when carrying heavy grocery bags, or act like he's winded after going up several flights of stairs)

canvas for simon (does your oc have any scars, piercings, tattoos, or other markings? do they display or cover them up at all?)

OOOH this one is fun. SO.

simon has a septum piercing, which seems a bit out of character because it is. he was sort of peer-pressured into getting one with his high-school friends and after a brief period of panic and figuring out how to hide it from his parents, he decided he actually liked it and kept it

as for scars and tattoos, he has a small scar on his cheek from The Kidnapping Incident, but he doesn't mind it much. its hardly noticeable (but archie notices it. he notices it very much)

and tattoos! i don't simon is the type to have any presently, but i can definitely see him getting some in the future. i feel like he'd want a matching one with archie, but archie does Not do needles so that's out of the question. he'd probably get something medical to celebrate once he finishes his residency. i'm thinking an anatomically correct heart on his sternum (OUCH) or a scalpel on his wrist. he'd think that was sick.

archie would try to go with him for moral support. he wouldn't last 5 minutes once the artists starts inking.

formal for gene (what's your oc's formal look? do they like dressing up? do they have different looks for different occasions?)

so gene is already pretty dressed up in his typical day-to-day life because. it was the 1800s. BUT if he had to dress up even fancier for an event? this man cleans up nicely.

i can see gene in a very nice brown wool three-piece suit with a dignified tail coat and a top hat. he's pretty ok with getting dressed up, as long as he's not drinking. he gets overheated very easily when tipsy and a wool suit isn't exactly known for its ventilation

as for cassidy, yes. yes he would absolutely wear a skirt. sometimes when the morale is low in the gang. he'll steal one of the ladies' dresses and put it on and act silly with the little kids to make them laugh (and he honestly kind of enjoys it too. it's nice to get dolled up. when his hair was longer, he let the ladies braid it and put flowers in it)

OK WE'VE MADE IT TO THE END. kia thank u so much for letting me ramble about my special guys. this was one of my favorite ask prompts to answer and i feel like the boys are so much more fleshed out now!!! thank u again and i hope you enjoy!!!!!

[ink-flavored]

Heaven and Angels

BTS Series: ⬅ Table of Contents - Hell and Demons➡ Also available on Neocities! P&J Taglist (Check out my Google form to get added): @elegant-paper-collection @auroblaze@zeenimf @vacantgodling @foxys-fantasy-tales Banner art by @auroblaze

For any story that contains magic, it’s important to have a good idea of how it works and what its limitations are, even if the mechanics of the magic are never explored in the story. I like to have a full idea of what magic can and cannot do in my work, so that it doesn’t feel like a cheap cop-out.

In Pride & Justice, both angels and demons have similar but conflicting magic powers. In this post, I’ll be discussing the angels, and how Heaven functions!

The Structure of Heaven

The Kingdom of Heaven is not a castle in the clouds. It’s not a castle at all, nor any sort of physical place someone might be able to reach. Heaven is one patch in a marvelous quilt of creation, stitched by the One and Only God. Like that same quilt folded into halves, Heaven rests over Earth, a dimension far beyond the stretch of outer space.

Humans, once called back to God after their deaths, can never return to Earth, merely able to peek over the edge and glimpse the world they left. Intentionally so—they were never meant to grasp the power that Heaven might grant, built for Earth and Earth alone. Angels, however, are created in Heaven and able to make use of their higher position, They can slip easily through the gaps in the stitching, hopping from one quilt-square to another. Most of the time, however, angels are working in Heaven, carrying out tasks they’re given by the Almighty to keep Heaven running.

Where the humans stay and where the angels work are separate. Paradise is a walled garden—while there may not be a castle, the gates are decidedly real. Those worthy of Heaven are escorted to the innermost sanctum of Heaven to begin their eternal rest, and on the way, they might pass thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of God’s soldiers. Angels defend Heaven tirelessly, ensuring that worthy souls can enjoy their well-earned peace.

And, as always, preparing for Judgement Day with a hand on their swords.

Angels

The soldiers and servants of God, created by Him to serve the interests of Heaven. They are made to be righteous, born with all capacity for good, compelled to aid humanity, and serve God wherever they go. They operate on a strict hierarchy, like any army should, and prioritize following orders to the letter.

After all, what could be more righteous than carrying out God’s Word?

Nameless

When angels are born, they have no names, nor a solid form. The flaming wheels, hundreds of eyes, dozens of wings, animal heads, and so on are a manifestation of their raw power, beautiful in its own way, but unfocused. Instead of being given a domain to watch over explicitly, God gives them a hidden purpose, a virtue to follow, and the free will to discover it for themselves.

The Nameless angels might take centuries to discover what they were made for. In that time they study under their fellow angels, contemplate God’s Word, and get sent to Earth to work miracles and observe humanity outside of paradise.

Once the Nameless discover the purpose God gave them, they are celebrated, named, and become Realized.

Realized

A Realized angel is one who has embodied their virtue so completely that it reshapes them. This can be any virtue in God’s Kingdom—there are angels of honesty, passion, charity, justice, faith, and so on. Each of the Realized are named for their given virtue and are permitted to choose a secondary form: a form resembling humanity, built in God’s own image.

Angels can choose the ins and outs of their new forms, down to the very minuscule details. Some even choose to keep some of their Nameless features—multiple heads, sets of wings, limbs, and so on. Importantly, though, once an angel has chosen their Realized form, their state is permanent. Realizing the purpose God created them for can only happen once, obviously, and the resulting change is a blessing. Not to be questioned or challenged. In times of great need, they can revert to their Nameless forms for a less concentrated but extremely powerful blast of holy energy.

Once Realized, angels are given more concrete tasks to perform around Heaven. Many are still sent to Earth, and studying under God and each other is an eternal practice, but now they can be equipped as the soldiers they were born to be.

Virtues like justice, diligence, and fortitude join the ranks as Heaven’s army. For organization, honesty, prudence, and temperance maintain the structure of Heaven and keep God’s Word at the forefront. The gentler virtues, like kindness, charity, hope, and faith remain steadfast protectors of humanity and help keep the hardened soldiers in check. The remainder—virtues like patience, humility, love, and passion—are the main force that fly down to Earth to bless humanity, though they play a role in Heaven too. Even their fellow angels need occasional reminders of what they’re fighting for.

Archangels

If all of Heaven is an army, the Archangels are its generals, bringing orders from God down to the ordinary rank-and-file. They rarely go to Earth, and even their fellow angels don’t see much of them. They’re hardly seen outside the few moments when orders are delivered, only carrying out the highest caliber of tasks themselves. All of them sit very close to the Throne of God, a place no other angel is permitted to tread… anymore.

Lately, the orders from the archangels, supposedly the Word of God Himself, have grown erratic and contradicting. Some might even call them paranoid, trying to fix problems that don’t exist, or that would cause a great deal more of them. Since the change, the Archangels have ordered on God’s behalf to tighten ranks, monitor the gates, scrutinize every last soul seeking refuge in the Kingdom of Heaven. Having no choice, the Kingdom of Heaven agreed.

Things are tense among the ordinary angels. God hasn’t been seen outside His throne room for centuries. The Archangels don’t seem to understand the orders they’re giving either. To quell the confusion, they insist that everyone trust in God’s Word and carry out His mission. When the Day of Judgement comes, they’ll all be thankful they did.

Power

In Heaven, an angel’s power is negligible. They serve God, they live eternally, they protect Heaven, but they’re only as powerful as each other. The laws of their realm are not easily persuaded by any but God Himself. It’s when they travel to Earth that their power becomes awesome indeed, able to bend and warp reality almost by mistake.

An angel at their full capacity for power will be able to perform miracles, grant blessings, and heal any wound they touch, but it’s unsustainable to all but the most powerful archangels to remain at their full capacity for long. Without a regular connection to Heaven—the dimension that is the source of their power—an angel’s abilities will begin to wane and become less potent. Eventually, their inherent gifts might drain so far that they become stuck on Earth, trapped as a human with no way to return.

Most rank-and-file angels visiting Earth for short periods use almost all their power in one burst to perform a single miracle, and then immediately retreat to avoid this fate. As all angels can feel the emotional and physical pain of the humans nearest to them, with a very wide range, this makes it easy to find places where miracles are needed. This is especially true of the Nameless, who find it difficult to maintain a presence on Earth for very long anyway. Once Realized, they’re able to focus their miracles to the pain that would best be served by their virtue, aiding humanity in more specific ways.

A minority of Realized angels wander with their powers hidden from the world around them, existing as perfectly average humans until they find an opportunity that suits them best. This is something taken up by angels that have existed for centuries upon centuries, who know their limits well, and have spent time among humans in paradise and on Earth enough to know how to blend in. Although, blending in isn’t always necessary.

When an angel spreads their wings on Earth, usually in preparation to use their power, humans stop seeing them. A being that exists between planes of existence is incalculable for the human brain to process, so their vision is simply edited not to see them. The only ones that perceive the angel are the ones that the angel directs their power to. Once the angel is gone, however, the memory is quickly edited again. Some are left wondering if what they saw was real, some forget it entirely. Either way, a miracle occurs.

So! That was the world-building I have set up so far. What do you think? I hope I got across the domino cascade that leads to the story, and why it starts as soon as Justice breaks the rules—or at least part of it. Because next time, we’re talking about Hell!

Thanks for your generous support, as always!

— Annika

[arthyritis]

(Chronic illness stole all of my brain cells so take some P thoughts I've had drafted for a while)

More P info because tired man brainrot:

(here's some of the older stuff)

Age 27, birthday is November 9 (the day I first posted him).

It had several relationships before realising it was a repulsed aroace, none of them were successful in any aspect.

I've said before that it didn't get hearing aids until it was in its late teens, but in reality it was nearly 20.

It hates social media (I know, what an old man thing to say /j) and really only has the ones its friends have so that he can support them.

In regards to its writing hobby I've mentioned, it actually likes to write original stuff, particularly science fiction/psychological horror (hmm, wonder why). It has written a character similar to itself as a sort of vent. It lets its friends read its writing, but has not yet given into the peer pressure of posting its work online.

The eye hates P's sense of style but P ignores it because why does a sentient eye attached to its neck deserve an opinion /j

It hasn't had many run-ins with any of the egos (mostly observing the caught ones through the cameras) but enjoys watching them more than any other anomaly.

Speaking of other anomalies, it doesn't feel as much of a connection to many of them as one might think despite being one as well. It kind of despises most mentions of them tbh (exception: its anomalous friends).

Will fight for its friends no question. If any get caught for anything, even if it isn't fully in the loop or if the thing they got caught for was questionable. It doesn't care.

[darthkvznblogs]

What did you think of Amphibia's finale btw?

I've talked about it before, but I do have a bit of a complicated relationship with it; I think it's very well done, and very much succeeds at sticking the landing with regard to the overall plotline and message of the series. However, I think that's a little bit to its detriment, ultimately; the series' message is all about teaching the ins and outs of friendship and family (biologically or otherwise), and also the darker sides of such relationships, as well as the very important lesson that sometimes, friendships just end, and they're no less valuable for doing so. In teaching this lesson, however, it unfortunately kinda overlooks the fact that we've spent 3 full seasons getting invested in these characters and relationships.

It's...genuinely impossible for me to believe that the girls would fall out of contact, that everyone involved wouldn't try everything in the book (and then invent some new things) in order to try and open a portal again. I'm not even talking about any shipping aspect, I just...I feel like if I saw a loved one pretty much die before my eyes and they miraculously came back (Sprig, Marcy), I don't think I could tear my eyes from them again. I feel like the natural response would be to grow even closer, regardless of the distance.

I still appreciate it a lot. I respect its boldness in sticking to its guns, if nothing else, and I definitely bawled my eyes out when I watched it. I'm not too heartbroken now - I thrive in post-canon :P - it's just a similar (if much less intense) love/hate relationship like I have with Steven Universe Future. Well made, but definitely not what I wanted.

[jsbmarketresearch01]

INS Vikramaditya the First Indian Aircraft Carrier to Get Operational by the End of January 2023

INS Vikramaditya, India’s first aircraft carrier is going to join the Karwar Naval base by the end of January 2023. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to address in March the Combined Commanders Conference, where the hulk of battleship will be the center of attention. Sea trials will begin soon along with that for INS Vikrant, its successor leaving an impact in the Indo-Pacific waters. INS Vikramaditya is weaponized with Russian MiG-29K fighters onboard.

As for INS Vikrant, a landing of maritime LCA and test case scenario is also being considered this year. With US F-18 and French Rafale-M, a decision to bring forth 8 trainers and 26 maritime strike fighters for INS Vikrant will also take place. The Indian Navi submitted to the Defence Ministry the trial reports for the two operational aircraft carriers. The Modi government will assess the performance of the battleships and then finalize its call.

Both the carriers will remain on the western coast of India until the huge war machines find a place on a jetty at the eastern seaboard of Vishakhapatnam. But the aircraft carriers may be accommodated on a jetty at Kattupalli Port in north Chennai as the Indian Navy is planning to lease it with another jetty at Campbell Bay of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant will empower Indian national security.

Plans are in motion as the strike forces will go well beyond the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal to India-Pacific and even further. The Indian Ocean could be patrolled by three aircraft carriers of Chinese Navi by 2025, the two war machines will play in defense and deepen cooperation with PLA Navy and other major naval giants in the region.

The Indian Ocean is already being mapped by the PLA strategic surveillance vessels including the five ingress straits and 90-degree ridge to South China for maritime operations in the future. India has also been offered by Beijing naval cooperation for the littoral states surrounding the Indian Ocean. They have a proposal to gift the country off-shore patrol vessels the same that was offered to Seychelles. INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant will help India to secure the eastern seaboard from Africa to the Australian west coast.

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[freebooter4ever]

Nono, you’re right about glasses Geno, but what does he teach?

My pitch would be Soviet art history, his phd is specifically in the soviet sculptural tradition and it’s a long running joke amongst his students that his apartment is probably full of weird-ass replicas and plaster casts of them.

Ahahahaha you must not have seen that old post i found last night - art was apparently geno's least favorite subject. He used to ask his mom to do his painting homework for him, poor boy. (go watch the gifs its cute, a decade ago but he smiles at getting away with cheating in the exact same way he did when he made the cartoon joke this season)

No, if this is gonna be my silly little fantasy where geno is still in pittsburgh but as some adorable bashful professor and more accessible than a famous hockey player, he's gotta be in a field more accessible. I was never cool enough for the art department, there was a reason i was an artist/computer scientist doing computer science research instead of art research.

Ridiculous fantasy under the cut cause this month has been horrible and who doesnt need escapism :P

Lets put him in the math department, he's good at poker right? Or literature. One of those nerds who likes logic puzzles, like for fun. The kind that enjoys supposing something is fact, and then following the logic train of how the world's dominos would change if this one (wrong) thing is actually true. That'd stick math professor geno's office somewhere in baker hall, which is warm (like 90 degrees ALL YEAR), and strangely soft (well worn), but somewhat industrial (carnegie built all these buildings with the steel industry in mind), he'd fit right in.

Also it's shared with the chemistry department, and the chemical engineering students installed a soda machine in the hallway of basement B. And its famous because it's the cheapest place for caffeine on campus (being run by students they sold the cans close to at cost) and connected to like four other buildings by indoor bridges so you can get your soda fix even during the winter. Before a doctor told me i had to quit caffeine or else have a stroke, i was frequently walking over to buy cherry cola, like a cigarette break only more sugary.

So we have to have a meet cute in this little fantasy and what better vehicle than chitchat over a soda machine. Geno's supposedly shy, right? So i imagine professor geno is even worse, like professors dont talk to media unless they actively want to go viral and become famous and geno strikes me as the type who'd instead be quietly brilliant. Anyway, im shy too, so obviously it's gonna take at least two years of accidental run-ins before there's even a conversation. Like the first year i'd probably learn the hot mystery professor's schedule and time my soda machine visits to coincide with his. The second year i'd probably find out his name from a friend of a friend of a friend who took his class back in undergrad. By the third year we might exchange four whole sentences and it'd be the highlight of my life.

Speaking of classes, geno's gotta be that professor with tons of quirks. Costumes every halloween, a teaching style that is very serious but somehow the funniest in the department, everybody has nicknames from him, all the women in his classes are in love with him and give him other nicknames and tease each other about him behind his back. His office hours are always full, which he's a little bit sad about because if nobody shows up he has an excuse to play video games on his computer for a few hours. He's always stopped in the hallways because everybody recognizes him - current and old students alike - and wants to chat or ask questions related to life or homework. You can hear his voice coming from a mile away, so he's easy to find and socialize with. By the same token when he's in a bad mood, everybody knows it.

Professor geno would also be unfailingly kind - the one who remembers what its like to be perpetually exhausted, hungry, and broke as a student, so he sometimes orders pizza and has it sent to the whiteboard study areas in wean.

I dont think math professor geno would live in an apartment, that's a little boring. He'd probably live with his good buddy who's a famous hockey player and understands that adjunct professors get paid shit until you get your phd and then, god willing, tenure, so doesn't charge him any rent. This version of sid doesnt live in excluseive rich people town but instead has one of those stately mansions in shadyside. And its a college town so sometimes when they go out people recognize geno from class more often than they recognize sid and sid secretly thrives off this.

At some point after maybe four years of soda machine conversation, i'd get up the courage to ask professor geno if i could draw his portrait. Maybe he'd also help me come up with ideas for new animals and creatures to sculpt for my research gallery.

Lmao look what you did anon, you got me writing self insert fic for the first time in over a decade 🤣

[canmom]

canmom: why are you all discoursing so hard on a 'because of woke' pun centrally-unplanned: we are bored on ! friday on tumblr dot com what else are we gonna do!! canmom lmao fair ok centrally-unplanned post your star wars prequels takes likes it 2010 you know want to :p

lol fine i'll take that bait

I think the most interesting analysis of the Star Wars sequels I've seen comes from a channel called Empire Wreckers on youtube. The guy works in the VFX industry and knows all about the technical ins and outs of how one of these films actually gets made, he's got a downright encyclopedic knowledge of production history, and he's got a good analytical eye as well.

so here for example he tells a very convincing story of how Rise of Skywalker went off the rails:

here's a very good technical VFX look at what was 'off' about the CGI in Attack of the Clones:

and here's a fascinating design analysis of all the various alien designs from across the entire span of the movies, really showing how the different eras of alien design in Star Wars came about:

But, three or four hours of video essay recs aside, what do I think of Star Wars? well here, the requested canmom takes, just for you ash :p

The 'prequels are at least interesting despite their flaws' view is pretty much the frame that works best imo, but what makes the prequels interesting is not their story (completely pants, a cartoon of a rise of fascism that attributes it to the overcomplicated machinations of evil wizards), but all the setpieces and designs they travel around along the way.

...I mean mostly, some of them are rubbish, who the fuck cares about 'lava planet'! But the prequels have a bunch of images that are both memorable and novel. The 'space chariot race' of podracing (even if people disliked that sequence), the watery palaces of the planet Naboo in the first film, the endless shiny towers of Coruscant, the general design language of the Republic's white-armoured soldiers (stormtrooper like but not quite) and their enemies the strange insectoid Battle Droids, the watery rainy planet where the clones are cloned, etc. etc.

The biggest strength of the original Star Wars was always its imagery, so this is crucial. The original films pulled on the visuals of French comics like L'incal (Jodorowsky and Moebius) - I'm not really sure if Jodo's Dune was really that much of an influence on it (Alien has a better case for the influence), but it definitely has that same kind of vibe. Star Wars lived on the work of really great set/prop designers and matte painters (Ralph McQuarrie in particular). Lots of creativity with limited resources, repurposing random monster masks from around the film studio. Nearly every location and spaceship design and even costume in the film ends up a memorable symbol (which will get reiterated over and over again across the hundreds of spinoffs, and also funded a very lucrative toy line lmao).

They managed to hit on a really strong aesthetic current! That 'used future' look, the strength of the mechanical design in general, a really memorable score: it all came together into something that felt a lot more 'substantial' than the Republic serials that inspired it.

The prequels came at a weird time in filmmaking history where they were basically the prototypes of a modern VFX-driven film which is mostly created in post. A lot of what they were attempting, the bluescreen sets and so on, rapidly became standard across the industry for all kinds of economic reasons. These days it is basically unthinkable to have a film without VFX - though there's plenty of incentive to lie about it because 'practical effects' are marketable (c.f. this series) - and Star Wars kind of kicked that door open (alongside Jackson's Lord of the Rings). Is that a good thing? I don't know lmao, it probably would have have happened anyway.

They also have the merit of being endlessly memeable - mostly because yes they're bad, but they're somehow bad in a memorable way. Even today you can get someone using AI voices to riff on 'the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise'...

...which has spun into an entire series, it's pretty funny. By comparison, the sequels have... what, 'live slug reaction', 'the sacred texts', that weird milk alien, not much else?

So the prequels are kind of weird movies - like any movie they're a cluster of elements and here they definitely don't work synergistically, the interesting settings are undermined by the bad direction etc. etc., but it feels particularly hard to assess them 'as a whole'. On some fronts they added to the series, expanding the range of things that you can see in Star Wars, or expanding on the characterisation of characters like Obi Wan (though more so in the animated series). On some fronts they detracted from it: in the original trilogy, Obi Wan portentiously mentions 'the Clone Wars' without explanation, leaving the audience to imagine whatever the hell they might think 'the Clone Wars' might entail - but the final canonical Clone Wars that we get are kind of stupid as hell and don't live up to Alec Guiness's delivery there.

The movies bring in interesting concepts (what if the good guys use an army of brainwashed clones, fucked up amirite) and then don't really do anything to explore the implications of that concept (which is left to late episodes of The Clone Wars, mostly due to Filoni). It tries to give Darth Vader, the iconic one-dimensional pantomime villain, a sympathetic backstory... and completely flubs it, but at the same time there is something endearing about the awkward story it tells. It's got some great soundtrack pieces like Duel of the Fates. It's just a big pile of stuff that could have been iconic in a better movie and just doesn't quite land as well as it could have.

Clone Wars (Tartakovsky) is fun in most of the same ways Samurai Jack was fun, and flawed in some of the same ones (long ass spirit quest - at least it largely avoids the classic Tartakovsky Racism lmao). It's good at episodic stories and Tartakovsky can definitely put over some memorable villains. The Clone Wars (Filoni) takes forever to get going so it's more miss than hit but it eventually manages to make some 'better than you'd expect for an American cartoon' stories - and also has a lot of entertainingly weird shit like whatever was going on with Jabba's son - but it's kind of like Avatar: The Last Airbender in that it's still fundamentally an American cartoon, with all the limitations that entails. Broadly the same goes for Rebels. There's a lot of better anime you could watch instead.

As for the sequels, what hasn't been said already? They're a haphazard mess, with different directors undercutting each other at every turn. Rian Johnson at least had some ambition to do anything but retread the original trilogy, but also John Boyega is completely thrown away from deuteragonist status to irrelevant sidequest for no fucking reason, Kelly Marie Tran is not even given a chance to be anything; the characterisation Poe, Rey and Kylo seems to change in every movie (Poe suffers particularly badly from this), they try to play around with whether they'd reprise the 'I am your father' moment and it's just exhausting, etc. etc.

The Last Jedi had the most potential, but its structure seems to have gotten lost in editing, so you get lines that call back to lines that were cut and so on. And then whatever it was that Johnson was trying to set up gets immediately discarded in one of the most hilariously badly structured movies I've ever seen in Rise. Overall it just seems like they muddled through the whole trilogy, and the result is a kludge. Abrams lacks ambition and undermines the 'substance' of the setting constantly; Johnson I respect a bit more, but he doesn't seem to have any idea of how to make his ideas fit into the overall arc of a trilogy, and a lot of the time the execution is more 'well I see what you were going for but...' than actually compelling.

But 'interesting visual ideas, flubbed execution' is kind of the Star Wars experience really!

And visually, returning to the design language of the original trilogy was refreshing at first, since we hadn't had much of that 70s/80s look in the Marvel era - but the lack of anything new and the boxy design of the new things they added kind of wore out their interest pretty fast, and a lot of what the sequels do ended up undermining the sense of 'substance' of the setting.

What ruins Abrams's films for me is that there is almost nothing particularly interesting to look at after they leave the 'destroyed Star Destroyers' desert planet Jakku. Johnson at least goes for some proper Images: the weird milk alien is some proper creature workshop shit, the Scottish Irish monastery with its space puffins is a fun location for Zizek!Luke to live in, the spaceship blasting through another spaceship at hyperspeed looks cool even if it raises way too many questions about how space wars work, but that's whatever this was never particularly well thought out lmao. The white-and-red sand planet with the skimmer ships comes way too late in a long film to really land as hard as it could, but it is a legit really cool spin on the Hoth setpiece in Empire.

So if you were to try and salvage something from one of these films, I feel like The Last Jedi gives you the most to work with. But it's not a good movie in its own right, it's more an arrow pointing at a better movie that could exist lmao

Weirdly the only successful offshoots seem to be ones which insert themselves into cracks in the original, something that you'd expect to lead to total banality - Rogue One is kind of entirely superfluous as a story, and yet somehow its inevitable tragedy kinda works really well, and then there's Andor which I haven't seen, but apparently it's basically The Battle of Algiers and everyone says it is way better than it has any right to be. So maybe Jedi are completely played out but there still seems to be some life in the 'space imperialism' facet of the franchise. I should probably watch Andor, I'm just pretty tired of Star Wars at this point.

OK that's my Star Wars takes, thanks for listening!!

It used to be that Star Wars villains made at least some modicum of sense, but not anymore. Because of Snoke.

[sailorsolar12]

Kasper’s Dream

Hey Everyone. My apologies for not posting in a few weeks. The office got really crazy and super stressful. I am in a much better place now. Anyways this is a little fic I wrote as a request from @46534566.

Request: Hi I love you’re Top Gun Oneshots and I would love to read on when you’re Roosters and Phoenix daughter and as you come into school the teacher asks you and you’re classmates what do you wanna be when you grow up you say that you wanna be fighter jet pilot just like you’re parents you’re teacher doesn’t believe you though telling you that there’s no way that both you’re parents are fighter jets pilots for the navy you can’t help but put out you’re tongue out when she isn’t looking she will see! And you will get you’re Moment as Bradley and Natasha pick you up from school one day for the first time still with they’re uniforms on which show of all they’re awards and ranks with also the pin for the fighter pilots the kids look at them with big eyes and you’re teacher can’t believe it that you told the truth she try’s to get her voice back as she looks from Natasha too Bradley and then to you which cuddled up to you’re mums side back up to Rooster asking if they’re you’re parents she could have leaven out that question you’re the little version of Nat with Bradley’s eyes you can’t help but whisper „told you so“ under you’re breath the kids in you’re class whisper in the background talking about that you have the coolest parents on earth and it’s true. Much Love❤️

Rating: T to be safe

Words: 1.9k

Pairings: PhoenixxRooster

A/N: ...Kind of went over board and maybe started a part 2.....also I am active duty so I had a lot of fun with this. Also, I love teachers.

Nicole Trace-Bradshaw was 7 years old the first time she decided what she wanted to do when she grew up. Her parents both had very dangerous jobs with the Navy as Aviators, but it could also be a lot of fun...at least that was what her surrogate grandfather and both of her parents said. To be specific her parents were Top Gun Graduates and the best the Navy had to offer. Nicole learned the call signs of her parents and very large extended family early on as it was easier to say that many of their last names as a young child. Nicole also grew into the habit and sneaking up on anyone and everyone she spoke to and seemed to appear out of nowhere like a ghost would. That was how Nicole gained the nickname Kasper - after the friendly ghost.

Her surrogate grandfather, Pete Mitchell, was a retired Naval Captain who had been one of the top Top Gun pilots. Pete - call sign “Maverick” - would often show Kasper the ins and outs of the different parts of a plane and its engine. He took her in his P-51 Mustang for the first time when she was 7, and Maverick knew he had awoken a beast inside of this little girl. He knew full well she would want to become a pilot just like himself and her parents. Maverick had decided to continue helping Kasper as she grew up to learn the different aspects of different planes.

Kasper never expressed to her parents about her new found dream because she wasn’t sure how they would react because her grandfather had pulled her father’s papers from the Naval Academy. She wanted to be confident that they would not be mad at her and research more things abut being a pilot, the Navy, and more just to prove to her parents - when she did tell them - that she was serious about this. One thing she knew she had to do was keep up with her teamwork and her fitness, so she became involved with spots and extracurriculars. These activities also allowed her to stay busy since her parents were gone often with different missions they had to fly.

Now Kasper was 10 years old, and her passion for planes and the Navy showed. She had been so excited when her teacher had announced they would be doing a big project at the end of the year showcasing what they wanted to be when they grew up. Her passion was a little much as she had ended up writing more than the two pages the teacher wanted as well as the fat that she built a very elaborate presentation for the Navy and the Top Gun program. Kasper had been devastated when both of her parents had been called away about a month into her building the project on their own separate missions. They had been away for two months now, but Kasper kept going because she knew they would come back because they promised to.

The day of the presentation came, and Kasper was dropped off by her grandfather at school. She had dressed in the kid version of a flight suit her grandfather had gotten for her that had her nickname on a patch on the front. She had a bomber jacket that had every squadron patch her parents had ever gotten sewn all over. Lastly, she had a helmet that her grandfather had helped her paint a design as well as her nickname on the back just like a pilot helmet would be. She had aviators on top of her head while her hair was in a bun just like her mother’s. If Kasper was older and taller, people would mistake her for her mother; however, the ten year old had her father’s eyes which were brighter than normal as she walked into class.

The entire day dragged on as Kasper listened to the teacher talk about everything they needed to learn for the day, but she was eagerly awaiting her turn to present. Her presentation had video footage and interviews she did from her extended family about their experiences. The young brunette was almost positive that she was going to get extra credit on this assignment because of how much she did. At the sound of her name being called, Kasper flew to the back to get her helmet and put it on the teacher’s desk as the teacher set up her presentation. The entire time Kasper was talking or playing the clips she had or explaining different things, her class was engaged. They were clearly shocked to see just how much she knew, but Kasper knew better. She could see the deep frown on her teacher’s face as well as what the eyes of many of her classmates said to her. They didn’t believe her about her parents or the fact that she could do this.

Once the last video of her presentation finished, Kasper pointed to one of the female classmates she had when the classmate raised her hand with a question. “Why would you wanna do a boys job?” The classmate’s tone was sassy and clearly one that wanted to start trouble.

“Being a pilot for the Navy is not just a male’s job. Men and Women go to the Naval Academy every year to become Aviators. Both of my parents are Top Gun Graduates and are the best the Navy has to offer. I plan to-” A frown crossed Kasper’s lips as the teacher quickly interrupted her.

“That was a great presentation Nicole; however, this was a project about something realistic that you wanted to do when you grew up,” The tone the teacher spoke was clearly one of disbelief in her own student. She obviously thought that Kasper was not going to achieve her dream or that her dream was not something she should even go after. “Why don’t you take a seat, and we’ll talk after class?” she asked gently before turning away from Kasper to call up the next student.

Kasper halfway stomped to her seat and sat down trying to make herself smaller than she was and stuck her tongue out at the teacher the moment she had a clear second. She would become a Top Gun Pilot. She would prove everyone wrong.

The day continued to drag on for the last few hours of the day. During lunch, Kasper elected to stay by herself and not talk to anyone because Kasper knew if she did speak to anyone, she would lose it. She had a slight scowl on her face that warded off anyone who would try to talk to her as well. Once the bell rang, Kasper ignored her teacher’s instructions and bolted from the room with her things to go to her grandfather’s car and cry. She was deeply hurt that no one would believe her. Kasper was even more hurt at the giggles and whispers and indirect comments from her classmates and even her teacher.

As Kasper slowly made it down the steps, tears began to run down her cheeks from finally letting the hurtful words get to her. The ten year old went wide eyed as she felt someone grab her arm. She turned and frowned seeing her teacher holding her arm. The green eyed girl narrowed her eyes slightly at the older woman who was holding her arm in a way she didn’t like.

“Nicole, that was very rude of you to run out like that when I had asked you to stay after class. Now, in regards to your project, I will give you two more days to redo the small paper and another presentation on something a bit more realistic than a pilot,” her teacher said sternly looking down at the child in front of her. “If you choose to not redo your project, I will have no choice but to fail you...especially since this project is the biggest chunk of your grade.”

The young child looked away from her teacher trying to force more tears to not come from her eyes. She would not show anymore tears to this woman because according to her mama...”If anyone makes you cry, don’t let them see your tears.” The ten year old eye’s widened suddenly at the sound of a voice she hadn’t heard in two months.

“Is there a problem here?” a male voice asked. The male as well as the female beside him were both dressed head to toe in khaki colored clothing. Both adults had aviator sunglasses on as the female had a bun while the male had his hair slicked down. The name tag on both of the adults said “Trace-Bradshaw.” Both adults had multiple decorations on the opposite side of their name tag showing just how much field experience they had. The male was Bradley Trace-Bradshaw - Kasper’s father - while the female was Natasha Trace-Bradshaw - Kasper’s mother. Their call signs were Rooster and Phoenix.

The two military members had come home while Kasper was in school and wanted to surprise her by picking her up. They were not expecting to see Kasper look like she was about to cry while the teacher was towering er their daughter and holding her arm.

Kasper’s teacher frowned at the two adults. Clearly she didn’t care enough to know what Kasper’s parents looked like cause she didn’t recognize them. She quickly let Kasper go and gave a tight smile. “There is nothing wrong. I am simply a concerned teacher trying to guide a troubled student. However, visiting hours have just ended for the day-” The teacher’s face became pale as Kasper spoke up quite loudly.

“Mom! Dad!” Kasper yelled as she ran away from her teacher and tackled her parents dropping her backpack and helmet in the process. She quickly hid behind her mother and slowly stuck her head out to look at her teacher who looked disturbed.

Rooster watched his daughter hide behind her mother and turned to the teacher - who was gaping at the trio like a fish not noticing many parents, teachers, and students were staring. His eyes narrowed slightly at the teacher as his anger began to rise. His wife had told him how this teacher of Kasper’s had caused multiple incidents but still blamed Kasper.

“She didn’t believe me for the project we did about what I wanna be when I grow up neither did a lot of my classmates. She told me my dream to be a Top Gun Pilot wasn’t realistic,” Kasper whispered loud enough for only both of her parents to hear her. Her green eyes never leaving the disbelieving teacher.

Bradley’s jaw clenched at the sound of his daughter’s voice. “My daughter can be or do whatever she wants to do whatever she wants to. If she wants to be a Naval Aviator, then so be it. There is nothing unrealistic about that. My father was a Naval Aviator. The man who is like a second father to me was a Naval Aviator. Both my wife and myself are Naval Aviators. I will worry for her safety, but I will not hinder her and prevent her from doing what she wants to do with her life,” Rooster said passionately...and a little loudly making sure the people watching could hear him.

Kasper nuzzled more into her mother and hid a smile as she looked at her teacher in triumph. “Told you so,” she whispered softly making her mother hold back a small laugh. It’s safe to say that Kasper never went back to that teacher after that day.

[pink-bear]

NSFW Alphabet: Kazuichi Soda

Pink lemonade boy~

Stuff under the cut. Character is depicted as 18+

THIS IS 18+ ONLY! MINORS DNI!

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

When he’s giving it, he always makes sure his partner has water, a snack if they request it, and plenty of kisses and praise. When he’s receiving it, he lowkey loves being pampered, it makes him feel appreciated :’)

B = Body part (their favourite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

When it comes to himself, he likes his hands. He’s good at using them, and learning to use them on his partner is one of the things he perfects first.

As for his partner, he’s a butt guy for sure. Perfect for grabbing and spanking! He also very much enjoys boobs, but it’s not a requirement!

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

He cums a basic amount, and likes doing so inside his partner any chance he gets (whether it’s in their mouth or their downstairs area).

He also lowkey likes the taste of his own cum, and often times lick it off himself after he’s jerked off.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

Loves smelling his partner’s undies, especially when they’re away for whatever reason. He’ll sometimes even wear them and masturbate in them, too. Dirty boy...

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

He’s super inexperienced. A number of factors went into him not losing his virginity as a teen (his social awkwardness, his anxiety, the fact he wasn’t very popular, ect.). Pretty much all the stuff he knows is from porn, and actually executing that is awkward to say the least-

BUT HOPE IS NOT LOST! Like anything in this world, the more you practice, the better you get! Once he finds an understanding and patient partner, he’ll learn the ins and outs of being a good lover, and he’ll get the hang of it in no time!

F = Favourite position (this goes without saying)

Doggy style. Gives him access to his partner’s butt, and he loves leaning over and leaving bite marks with them sharp chompers of his. He also likes how deep he/his partner can get, and how he/his partner can reach around and pleasure whoever bottoms as well!

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

Some silliness can really help settle his nerves, especially his first few times. For sure he likes it when things are passionate, but having a little bit of goofy sprinkled in, especially afterwards, can really make the whole experience that much better. If he can both satisfy and make his partner giggle, then he’s on cloud nine!

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

His manscaping could be...better, but it’s nothing unbearable. Often times he just forgets to do it (this guy forgets to shower a lot too, pls be patient with him). If he has a date coming up, or his partner asks him to, he’ll trim things up a bit, but he never likes being completely bare.

And no, the carpet doesn’t match the drapes. Its black like his natural hair colour! Though he has thought about dying it too...

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

His attempts at being romantic can sometimes be a bit corny, but the passion is totally there. He’s not the best with words, but he’ll go on and on (and on and on) about how special his partner is when he’s truly found the one.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

This poor guy jacks off A LOT. Being as sexually frustrated as he is, it’s not uncommon for him to crank one out daily. Once he finds a regular sexual partner it goes down, but sometimes he just can’t wait!

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Sexy car washes. Skimpy clothing, getting all wet and bodies being pressed against the hood of a nice car? Oh man, he’ll cream his pants in seconds.

L = Location (favourite places to do the do)

He loves doing it in his workshop, and probably has an old couch there for that very reason (though he’ll say it’s for relaxing/napping to anyone who asks).

Apart from that, you can’t go wrong with the bedroom! Especially if the bed is real comfortable~

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Seeing his partner absolutely desperate for some fuck. Talk dirty to him, whisper in his ear, tease him, and he’s READY TO GO!

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Anything unsanitary (pee, poop, ect.), of course. He also doesn’t really like being tied up, since it causes his anxiety to spike when he isn’t able to move his hands.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

He prefers receiving oral, especially after a hard day’s work. He’ll happily return the favour, but it may take him a bit of practice to get good at it. Good thing he’s an eager learner! Just be careful with those teeth-

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Depends on how he’s feeling. Sometimes when he’s real horny, he gets down to the nitty gritty. However, when he’s feeling a bit vulnerable, or he had a nice, peaceful day with his partner, he will for sure show his appreciation by being sensual and sweet.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

This man lives for quickies. A good stress reliever, and a good way to spend a break from work!

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

He love the idea of getting caught, but not so much actually running the risk of it. He prefers to do things in “private public places”. As in places that would normally be populated, but at certain times of the day are vacant with no actual risk. For example: His workshop after closing.

Actually getting caught makes him want to cry :’)

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

His stamina is kinda low, ngl. He can last a few minutes, maybe around ten at the most. He makes up for it however by the amount of rounds he can go, especially spaced throughout the day.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

Soda loves toys! Vibrators are his favourite, especially using them on his partners. He also has a few sizes of dildos and butt plugs, fleshlights and some nipple clamps too!

He’s thought about making his own toys, but maybe that isn’t the best idea...

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Soda likes to tease, with that shit eating grin we all love so much. When it comes to his partners teasing him, however, he’s a total baby lol

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

This boy is LOUD. Oh my lord, lots of moaning, groaning, whimpering and begging. And when he bottoms...honey, you got another storm comin’

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

Soda wears a tank top and boxers under his jumpsuit. It gets pretty hot in that thing, so he doesn’t want too many layers.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

His dick is uncut and pretty average in both length and width. He’s rather self conscious of it, seeing how the media portrays big dicks as the most desirable. Sometimes he even thinks of getting a piercing to “add a little something extra to it”, but is too chicken to actually go through with it. Eventually he learns it’s not the size of the boat that matters, but the motion of the ocean 🌊

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Soda’s unbelievably thirsty, it’s on his mind a lot, to a point it’ll sometimes get in the way of work. So once he gets a sexual partner, the first few months he’s gonna be pretty damn desperate for some fucc. He settles down eventually, but he can still get in the mood pretty easily, and will very rarely turn down an offer.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Once the sexy times are over, he’s out like a light. With the combination of his job, his anxiety and the strenuous task of love making, it really tires the poor guy out.

🌸🌸🌸

And there you have it! My first post on here WHOO!

Hope you enjoyed! And if you don’t agree with any of these, that’s fine! These are just my personal headcanons!

Alphabet template

[interact-if]

I’m sending this in because it seems like I could get good opinions from not only you but also the people who follow you. I have an idea for an IF, and I’m very excited for the story. My question is, would people be offended if I made the playable MC physically female that identifies as female and all the ROs physically male that identify as male? I have seen some out there that are strictly M/M or F/F, and I’m so happy they exist because I feel that population is underserved. I just feel, not having the experience, I could bring justice to writing LGBTQ+ (and I don’t want to offend anyone in that community by writing something incorrect), mostly when it comes to sex (which I plan on including in my game). I support games that have those relationships in them and admire them, even play those games, and I don’t care who plays my game. The more the merrier! I still want the characters to be diverse. One of them will be of a descent that is based on Japanese culture and many others, based on Persian culture. I also want the playable MC to have any skin tone/features the player wants. I just want to know if this…will have people coming after me? I want to tell my story, but I don’t want to be attacked for it, if that makes sense?

I really don’t mean to offend anyone. I just don’t want to cause trouble, and I just want to respectfully ask for people’s opinions on this.

Hello! So, before diving into our response, we’d like to emphasize that we are but five individuals running a blog devoted to interactive fiction. We are neither the end-all-be-all voice on this matter nor necessarily a representative mouthpiece for the community.

First off, you can write whatever you would like to write; as the author, you have absolute control over what you produce, so nobody is going to stop you from writing what you want to write. It’s also important to write what you enjoy.

That said, the community is, in our experience, very inclusive, and largely devoted to providing a space for the queer community. We can understand the desire to have an appropriately inclusive and diverse game, and why you particularly want to turn to characters of color to bridge the gap; however, substituting characters of color for queer characters to claim diversity in a project is possibly something that will receive the wrong kind of attention. Furthermore, assuming that writing characters of color well is any less complex than writing queer characters potentially suggests that said characters could end up underdeveloped or tokenized. (See Nines' and Roast’s response below for more context)

All of that doesn’t mean you can’t make a game that’s genderlocked and restricted to M/F romance, and I don’t think anyone will be offended by such a game, but it might limit your audience. At the same time, there are (many) other visual novels that have this format, so it’s not something unheard of. As far as CoGs and text-based games go, as far as we’ve seen, they are rarely genderlocked unless for plot reasons, etc.

There is also a chance that you may receive feedback requesting that the MC be un-gender locked, or for additional ROs to be added of different gender, or for the ROs to be made gender selectable. These requests may be gentle, insistent, kind, or aggressive, and they may only occur at the beginning of your work, or may occur throughout your game development. Maybe they’ll never happen at all. It’s impossible to predict the future, but in our experience, we have often seen this occur to games in the past with RO gender imbalances, locks, etc.

As for searching for feedback, if you’re looking for feedback but you’re not pursuing the CoG format, may we suggest the Reddit subforum? It’s a little difficult for you to get the feedback/dialogue going here that you’d likely like to get, so Reddit’s format may be more conducive to your needs.

In the meanwhile, those who would like to provide their thoughts are encouraged to respond in the comments of this post. Please remember to be polite with your discussion!

— — —

The above is our general mod response; a few of us wanted to offer some individual thoughts as well, and those can be found below. These are personal opinions and reflect each individual mod’s thoughts, rather than a collective response.

While it can be a little daunting to write about something you’re not familiar with, writing often broaches topics with which we don’t personally have first-hand experience. Additionally, queer relationships are ultimately still relationships between people—they’re not all that different from heterosexual relationships. If you’re worried about the way you’re portraying your content, that’s something well-curated beta readers/testers (from the population you’re trying to represent) can help test for, and give feedback on. And on top of all of the above, that’s not to mention the potential issues associated with substituting in POC to replace queer people, which is perhaps not what your intention is, but is what it feels like your intention is (see Roast and Nines for all the ins and outs on why this is an issue). Ultimately, I stand by the opinion that on the most basic level, most will not be offended by a game that’s about a straight, cisgender female MC—yet some, or even many, may be off-put by such a game. I know I, personally, am. (P. S. Also consider that the MC has to interact with the other ROs that she isn’t romancing, as friends, enemies, acquaintances, what have you—having selectable ROs, for example, also allows the player to “diversify” their acquaintance group, if they so wish.) — Dani

I understand that this ask is coming from well-meaning intent but I would just like to state that writing characters of color is not easier than writing queer characters. One of them isn't a substitute for the other. Writing characters of color and writing queer characters are separate matters entirely, and both come with its own difficulties. Wanting your characters to be diverse, while admittedly lacking the perspective to back such identities, is still a murky water to navigate.

Personally speaking, and I really do have to be transparent about this, the way certain sentences were phrased in this ask rubbed me the wrong way. Still, I understand that this isn't malicious, just someone who is asking for guidance, which is something I can't fault. We all have to start somewhere, you know? That being said, if you really want to write diverse characters, my general advice is to do research. Lots and lots and lots of research. No author is exempt from that, honestly.

Find helpful articles, journals, studies, video essays, etc. to aid you in writing your characters. If you still feel like that's lacking in some way, which is a valid concern, being open to feedback from the appropriate people is also a good way to improve. The integrity of a project is important, but so is reasonable criticism against, for, or about it. Keep an open mind, educate yourself, and don't be afraid to ask for help or clarification should it be needed. — Nines

Nines says it well that queer people and poc are not interchangeable nor any 'easier' than the other. The fact that you're willing to do research and include characters of color yet not include queer characters tells me that you're afraid yet misconstruing how much effort actually gets put into cultural research.

There is a 'purity culture' that goes around tumblr that claims that diverse characters have to be perfect, have to have no flaws, cannot die, cannot have trauma, cannot face adversity, they must be perfect and good and happy.

I think this is bullshit.

I also think the backlash from this 'purity culture' community is what is creating so much fear in authors (including queer authors!!) in making characters with different backgrounds and identities than their own. In making queer characters with flaws and tragedy and negative characteristics.

If we only ever wrote what we knew, what we've personally experienced, fiction would be a very boring world.

Being afraid of representing a community wrong is a valid fear, but it shouldn't stop you from trying. You can write what you want to write, but it shouldn't be limited by fear.

Do your research. Get sensitivity readers. Be open to feedback. Be willing to be afraid, but do it anyway.

If, in the end, you decide to gender lock, make it an informed decision at the very least, and if you are including characters of color, know that that is a heavy amount of research too, and should be handled with the same care as what we've said on queer characters.

And like we've said before, we are not the voice of the community, we cannot give you permission or our blessing or flawless feedback, we are just five people running a blog. — Roast

Alright this was already mentioned a bit before but I wish to add my two cents: M/F relationships are the norm anywhere else in real life, and if you feel like there's no space for you and your relationships in a mostly-queer community then you might want to recheck if this is the community you wish to have as your target audience.

No one's going to be offended if your story is cishet, as we said, but you are extremely reducing your audience by doing such. The appeal of interactive fiction is that a good bunch of us have played female-mc-straight-love-interest visual novels in the past, having to endure being misgendered or romancing people we might not be attracted to.

The current interactive fiction community we're trying to promote has opened a million doors for everyone to explore themselves, so don't be surprised if your story, no matter how good, is ignored due to this aspect. Most of us have no interest in being forced to play as something we're not.

Again, we cannot tell you what you can or cannot do. We don't speak for the community, we speak for ourselves and for this blog. Maybe every comment we've made was incorrect and your game turns out to be successful, really, but it's what we believe you should keep in mind. — Cruz

Honestly, I don’t have much to add since everyone here mentioned and discussed important facets of this ask! At the end of the day, we are not a group who can or will ever dictate what you can or cannot write. That is not the purpose of the blog or the reason why we’re working as hard as we are. 

There have always been games with this specific set of characteristics: gender locked MCs and/or ROs. Some people may enjoy it, others may not, for whatever reason. 

Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee anything in terms of how people will respond to a game, because people will react to content differently. All we can do is offer our perspective and the potential things that may happen in the future based on the experience the lovely devs above have had. (fellow interact-if mods, my beloved ❤️)

It’s always admirable for people to reach out when they’re unsure, and I’m sure there are infinitely more opinions that vary or are similar to the ones in this response. But there you have it, some of our thoughts! 

Goodluck with your project! — Mars

[usafphantom2]

Super Hornet conducts ski-jump launch tests in India

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 06/01/2022 - 12:00 PM in Military

The Indian Navy is looking for a new fighter for its aircraft carriers. With the Dassault Rafale M and the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, two types are in the final selection. The latter is currently having to prove in Goa that he can handle ski-jumps, a crucial requirement.

Since 2013, the Indian Navy has had its own aircraft carrier, the 283-meter "Vikramaditya", which was acquired by Russia. Soon, this will be complemented by the aircraft carrier "Vikrant", which is widely built by India itself. The new aircraft carrier, which is about 250 meters long, is currently being tested. The "Vishal" is the third planned aircraft carrier of the same class as the Vikrant that should be developed in the future.

The aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.

What unites the three ships is the construction of the deck that is designed according to the "Short Take Off But Arrested Recovery" principle (STOBAR). Conveyor aircraft do not start, as in U.S. aircraft carriers, with the help of a catapult - but through a ramp on the bow of the ship, or ski-jump. Braking at landing is conventionally done with safety cables.

MiG-29K on board the INS Vikramaditya.

With the MiG-29K purchased from Russia, the Indian Navy has a fighter model that can handle STOBAR decks very well. But in the past, MiGs have stood out mainly with their low operational readiness. Several planes were even lost in accidents. This led the Indian government to look for a Western counterpart. The focus is now on the Dassault Rafale M from France and the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet from the USA. According to reports, there are about 26 aircraft that India wants to acquire. But only one type of jet will be chosen.

Super Hornet tests with ski-jump on Patuxent River.

The most important prerequisite for the victory of both candidates is proof that they are suitable for the STOBAR procedure. Boeing risked the first ramp takeoff with the Super Hornet in the fall of 2020 on Patuxent River (Maryland). Dassault brought Rafale M to India in late January 2022 to demonstrate the STOBAR capabilities of live hunting to Indian decision makers. Now, the U.S. competitor is in India, when last week two F/A-18E borrowed from the Navy began testing under the strict observation of Indian authorities, at the ground testing facilities (SBTF) at INS Hansa in Goa and will last more than a week.

Arrival of the two Super Hornets fighters in India.

In the next tests, the Super Hornets should take off in ski-jump tests, initially without payload and then with two Harpoon inert missiles under the wings. At the same time, Boeing wants to use discussions and comparisons to explain to Indians why the U.S. product would be a better choice for the Indian Navy than the Rafale M.

Although the choice of the Rafale may seem the most advantageous, as it was also bought by the Indian Air Force, rumors say that the Super Hornet is at the top thanks to the less space it needs to park. Compared to the F/A-18, the Rafale does not have the ability to bend its wings.

According to the North American manufacturer, the F/A-18E can also carry more weapons than its French competitor. Another positive point is interoperability with other American equipment that India owns or has ordered - such as the Boeing P-8I Neptune or the Sikorsky MH-60 Romeo. In addition, the two-seater F/A-18F should also be suitable for ramp launches and aircraft carrier missions, while France uses only its ground-based two-seater Rafale B with the French Air and Space Force. The talks should also include the participation of the Indian arms industry in the project.

According to its manufacturers, the Super Hornet engine has a thrust of 97.9kN against Rafale's 70kN (values for a single post-combustor engine). The F414 engine will also be installed on India's next LCA MK-2 fighter. However, as history has shown, political considerations and the reliability of defense partners can make or break Indian defense agreements.

Boeing had also previously offered the opportunity to manufacture Super Hornets in India, if its aircraft were chosen.

Tags: Military AviationboeingF/A-18E/F Super HornetIndian Navy

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in a specialized aviation magazine in Brazil and abroad. He uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation

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