#or that i've been stunting his character by having him interact with almost all and only atlas characters

[benjineedssleep]

a very long intro to a very long sambastian fic

before anyone gets baited and upset with me, i have to get this out of the way and say this fic is not out yet. i'm still writing it! but it does currently stand at **93k** words and has plenty of life left in it. with that said, if you wanna join the ride and see this fic come together (now that i'm finally ready to talk about it...) this post is for you!!!

BUT BEFORE WE DO THAT, while the fic itself not heavy on the 18+ content (most of it merely suggestive) it still has it. as a result, i'm kindly reiterating that this is an 18+ blog and for minors to not interact!!! this place is not safe for you!!! thank you...

NOW ONTO THE POST *KISS* *KISS* *KISS*

so benji, what's the fic about?

amazing question. come 'ere. closer... closer... okay! right there is good! let's not good too personal. *clears throat* IT'S ABOUT SAM AND SEBASTIAN STARDEW VALLEY!!! but more importantly, the fic is a slow burn and goes through almost every single part of their relationship until the final payoff. here's a quick summary:

sam spent summers in stardew valley when he was a kid and sebastian was his best friend. sebastian doesn't remember any of this. frankly, sebastian doesn't remember most of his childhood, not even the stupid shit he and abigail did that solidified their friendship. he just remembers the pain, the isolation, and the way everyone in town looked at him when he passed them by. he's grown content with the idea no one likes him, and ever would, until sam shows up at his door on his first day back in nearly a decade, and wants to be friends again.

or, alternatively, sam makes sebastian realize why exactly people move to stardew valley in the first place.

well, is it just sambastian? that's kinda boring.

tch, no. what do i look like? this fic is going to have a number of other pairings, platonic and romantic. even if your pairing isn't explicitly romantic in the fic, or not endgame, you will be fed well. trust me.

i'm talking platonic soulmates sebastian and abby, catty besties sebastian and haley, gay and confused sebastian and alex, haley/abby, seb + robin, seb + emily, seb + maru and more. Don't forget about all the trios. ass trio? gotchu. haley + seb + abby? gotchu. robin + maru + seb? i gotchu!!!

The characters in this fic are treated like human beings, more than just plot devices that push along the development of the main pairing. (and that's the way it should be, if you ask me.)

you said this fic is 18+ does that mean it's really nsfw?

no. that's the short answer. there are a couple of sexually explicit scenes but they are a) what i would consider "light smut" and b) solely there for the plot. if i expand on anything, which i have, it will not be in the main fic. it'll be posted elsewhere in a collection of fic-canon one shots and such. those things will not be prioritized though.

when will the fic be posted?

the fic will not be posted until i'm completely done with it. i've been in fandom spaces since i was 12-years-old and the stress that updating brings stunts my creativity. i've since learned from my mistakes and as this all started off as a passion project of mine, it's going to continue to be that way until i see it through.

with that said, i've been working on this fic since august and have more than half of it completed. the fic is set to end in fall year two and i'm currently at the end of winter year one. winter is also the bulkiest season in the entire fic, and currently makes up half of the word count. so we're in the home stretch at this point.

i still cannot give you a solid timeline but at the rate i'm working, and taking into consideration i'm a full-time college student with a part-time job and well, a life, i'm gonna say drafting will be done by the end of the year. from that point on i'll be writing additional chapters for the beginning of the fic (and where needed), revising, editing, and getting in secondary beta reads from my friends. that seems like a lot of work but the hardest part is getting words on the page. and i'm already more than halfway done with that!!!

so are we just... getting nothing?

lies! lies and untruths! i wouldn't be making this post if you weren't getting anything. for a matter of fact, there's already a post out! it's about writing a character's style into a story! (and since drafting this, there's another!)

now, the deal here is that while i'm working on the fic, we get to talk about it and hype it up. i really do work on excitement and hype and my friends Robyn, @itslc123, and @bitterpoison have really been here for me since the beginning, before this fic meant anything at all. So yeah, shout out to y'all. I love you so much =((( /pos

anyways!!! whether this gains traction or not, i'll be periodically posting my favorite bits of the fic, ideas, frustrations, and overall just bringing anyone who cares along on my train of thought.

i'm also trying my fuckin' hardest to be more involved in fandom spaces as i've been on the sidelines for much much much too long. so please, babble to me. share your ideas, headcanons for the fic, anything really. i don't bite! i'm just scared of... social interaction LOL

where will this be posted?

ao3! and it won't be posted anywhere else so don't ask.

do we get any extra goodies with the fic?

yes you do!!! because i can't do anything normally!!! if you know nothing about me, music is my special interest and pretty much everything i do revolves around it. as a result, you will be getting tons of playlists to go along with this fic. a general fic playlist, a playlist for certain scenes, a playlist for certain characters... YOU GET THEM ALL!!! I might sneak some other things in there as well. what it'll be? i dunno, but we shall absolutely see how far my brain goes and how committed i am to this fic + fandom.

once it's done, how will things go?

you're thinking real far ahead here, like, 2025 far, but it's okay. you're just a little excited AND SO AM I!!!

but in all seriousness, once the fic is completely finished, i'll be uploading it chapter by chapter to ao3. since it'll be complete, you can expect frequent and consistent updates. and the chapters will be thick for the most part. the average chapter length once it gets into the meat of the plot (about 20k words in) is 2.5-6k words long. but right now there's a super long, super important chapter that's 13k words long! trust and believe that you guys will be fed so very well.

is there anything else you have to say?

not that i can think of but-- OHHH THE FIC TITLE!!!

it's called "baby seasons change, but people don't" and is pulled directly from the take over, the breaks over, a fantastic song by my FAVORITE BAND EVER fall out boy. wanna know something cool about the title? a little silly? i picked it because i noticed a pattern in fob song lyrics/titles/related things being used for the titles of sambastian fics. and i wanted to keep the theme goin', so i had to do it too.

the title is subject to change, as the fic has come a long way since i first chose it, but i'm kinda sentimental about it right now so... we'll see.

but that's all! i said a whole lot just now. so take a break after all that reading.

i hope to see you around friend!

xoxo benji <3

[something-pithy]

Oooo a drabble. I've been craving your writing, I love the tone and the way you write internal dialogue for both Astarion and Zee/Tav, it's so distinctive for each character. Please gimme a (fluffy?) drabble from Astarion POV?

Looking forward to mid-Julyish!!

Ummm... soo.... first of all, I probably should have checked my tumblr messages before now if I was gonna make such an offer... >.< but better late than never? I hope? I'M SO SORRY Also I tried to do a drabble and this is what happened instead. loooooooooool Thank you so much for the ask! I swear to god I'll write them actually interacting with each other if I get another ask or request looooool ANYWAY HERE WE GO --- Obviously he couldn't tell her what a precious thing she actually was. His self-absorbed mien more than suited him; it was a trademark, a bait-and-switch, and as such, part of an intricate web of defense- and survival mechanisms that had served his aims well.

It wasn't the sex. Well, it wasn't just the sex -- which was obviously superlative, since he was involved, and she was not only creative and cheeky but quite the acrobat, really. At first, he'd tried leaving her tent after -- casual, rakish, smirking.

But the little gremlin always pulled some sort of trick -- asked him some question too ridiculous not to answer, hid his smalls or his boots or his favorite shirt, or simply draped herself over him as though it were the most natural thing in the world, and it always felt like she belonged there.

And how galling it was, at first, to have to attach himself to someone who not only committed their little band of miscreants and misfits -- and consequently and most importantly, him, to acts of kindness, generosity, and selfless heroism, but was a damned bard, and too witty and clever by half to dismiss. Yes, pretty and witty, and despite her do-gooder leanings, indisputably an agent of chaos with a penchant for mischief that... well, how could he help but appreciate it? She was worth her weight in entertainment value, that much was obvious to anyone.

But although it was a rare quality indeed for such a little altruist to be likeable, charming, and interesting enough for him to overlook -- or at least tolerate -- her benign shortcomings, that wasn't it, either.

Well, not all of it.

Part of it was that she was deceptively, appallingly observant. Keenly so. Quietly so. She saw what she oughtn't; past the misdirection, distraction, past the profundity of violence and darkness and rage that pulsed at his core to something... else. Something she had no business looking at, to be frank, but...

He actually hated that. Hated all that she saw and the strange version of it mirrored in her honestly absurdly large eyes and soft soulful melodies and the audacity of her unguarded sadness that in the briefest of moments, he saw. Hated the way it made him ache, the confusion of unsettling softness it evoked. But saw it he did, despite her performance of the clever, playful, pretty, witty mien that suited her even better his own fit him.

Because somehow it was all genuine, it was all her. Like her warmth. Like her kindness. Like her ferocity and tenderness and feral, demented glee. And though he hated those moments when something in her eyes or voice or touch suggested she saw every pathetic, stunted, debased nuance of his being, the magnitude of his deficiency, his weakness, she never exploited it. Never exposed it, never spoke of it.

He strongly suspected that it had never even occurred to her to do so, and that it never would.

Because she was good. Immutably, implausibly, irrevocably good, no matter her impish insouciance, her reckless intemperance, her convivial subversion. No matter whatever shadows or grief haunted her even as she reveled in joy and color and life.

That such a creature could look at him, see him, and see something worthy... it was almost enough to give him hope.

And the rarity of that for one such as him made her precious, indeed.

Or at the very least deranged beyond reckoning. Either way, entertaining such thoughts and... feelings (eugh) was troublesome enough. Actually speaking them could be ruinous.

No matter what she thought she saw in him or how good she might be, he could only entice if he was always just out of reach. It would hardly do for her to know that she was perilously close to having him in the palm of her dainty, lute-calloused little hand.

Besides, the little gremlin would never let him live it down.

[tigirl-and-co]

Middle-Aged Man (But Not a Dad (Probably))

Heyooooo, back at it again with a super rough draft for a fic!

inspired by @dballzposting but especially THIS post!

Basic plot summary is Trunks accidentally imprinted on Yamcha like a baby bird but is too emotionally stunted from growing up with the least familial family in all of classic anime to realize that he's being weird as hell about it.

To nobody's surprise, it's a character study! Woohoo!

And before we begin, I wrote almost all of this while dead tired, so it's probably even rougher than my usual rough drafts, but good god I wanted to write this sooooo bad.

Obsession ran on both sides of his family. This was an issue for Trunks, as he'd really fucking rather be thinking about quite literally anything else. But here he was, at the get-together-slash-party-slash-ritual-to-appease-a-big-purple-cat-with-food-so-we-don't-get-blown-up, staring at his mom's ex from the other side of the dessert table.

And praying said ex wouldn't look up from the eclairs he'd never be able to afford otherwise and see Trunks' stupid, stupid eyes staring at him.

But he did.

Fuck.

"Hey, Champ! How've ya been, Buddy?" Yamcha said, in his stupid fucking aging dudebro voice that filled Trunks with an overwhelming sensation of warmth and comfort. He hated it. Yamcha smiled at him the way, Trunks thought, a dad smiles at his somewhat estranged son.

It was probably a kinder smile than his real dad gave when he hugged him for the first time. Not that Trunks would know. Couldn't really see Vegeta's face, too busy experiencing every emotion he could name and also being shoved against Vegeta's inhuman, statuesque form.

It fucking felt like being shoved face-first into a statue, too.

Not like Yamcha probably felt, with his all-too-human physique. There was a softness that covered his features, even though he was still as tough and muscular as ever.

He kinda reminded Trunks of the big blue guy from Monsters Inc. But like, less serious. And very slightly less hairy.

Trunks had been staring too long, but apparently Yamcha was willing to write off the icy glare as a genetic thing and not an actual threat, because he approached the teen with no hint of trepidation.

He stood in front of Trunks and hucked a thumb at the spread of confections behind him. "Yo, you tried the weird cream cake thing? The one covered in chocolate? No idea what it is, but it is good!"

Trunks tried desperately to claw himself out of this conversation with "It's called an eclair cake." He wasn't sure whether or not he had meant to sound that gruff. Either way he sounded too much like his dad, and it pissed him off more.

"Yo, what? They can make eclairs into cake? That's crazy!" Yamcha took pause and then nearly busted his gut, laughing a bit too loud like guys that age tend to do. "But I guess when you're rich, you can pay people to cook up just about anything!"

There! An opening! Trunks knew how to win this conversation and then make his getaway!

"Actually, Yamcha, I think it's just graham crackers, pudding, and chocolate. Pretty simple recipe. I can ask the cooks to give it to you."

Yamcha blinked. "R-Really? That's it?" He sighed. "Well, as much as I'd love to eat cake all day, I really shouldn't." He slapped his gut, which jiggled slightly. "I'm at that age where I've gotta start watching what I eat or I won't be in any shape to show off to the ladies, haha!"

Trunks immediately threw his gaze to his shoes. He fucking lost that interaction, and now he'd have to talk to Yamcha for however long the older man could stand him. Fuck. Well, Trunks knew how conversations worked. He'd seen the guys at Kame House get into it sometimes, and since Trunks was no longer a child, he figured he should talk like that. The ball was in his court.

"Ladies, huh? What... sort of ladies are you into?"

Fuckin' killed it.

~~~

Now it was Yamcha's turn to be cornered. Was it okay to be talking about that kind of stuff with a kid? With someone else's kid? With the kid of somebody he dated?

But he couldn't just say that! Trunks was at the age where he was starting to go after the ladies himself, and Yamcha didn't want to discourage that! He had to find a middle ground, hopefully there was an avenue in this conversation that wouldn't lead to either of Trunks' parents hitting his head clean off his shoulders.

"Um. Your-" NONONONO CAN'T MENTION BULMA. "I m-mean, I like women who..." and how is he supposed to word this? Obviously he's not gonna say 'pretty women' because that would sound so damn shallow, coming from him. "I like. When girls. Can stand on their own... but enjoy having someone around to make their lives easier? I guess?"

He ran his hands through the hair on the back of his head. "To be honest, kid, I'm not really sure anymore! The more I think about it, the more I realize that sometimes people you think should work don't, but the real crazy shi- the real crazy stuff ends up better." Yamcha laughed the kind of shitty laugh you let out when you're nervous and stalling for time. "What about you, Trunks? You a ladies' man? Got a preference?"

~~~

Well, Trunks had been expecting an answer like 'I like redheads' or 'I'm a boob guy' so he was a little unsure of his next move, but he had to think of something to say!

"Um idk there's this one YouTuber I like." Trunks crossed his arms. "So you like women like my mom, right? It kind of sucks that she ended up with my dad."

Yamcha couldn't move. He wasn't sure he was breathing, either. "H-Huh?"

"Yeah 'cuz you probably woulda been a way better husband. All my dad does is train all day and then sit at the table and stuff his stupid face." Trunks put his fist on his hip. "You like watching movies and being nice and shit. I dunno."

~~~

Yamcha was desperately hoping Vegeta wasn't going to manifest behind him and reduce him to ashes. The things Trunks was saying were weird, sure, but the whole family had always been blunt. Trunks probably didn't mean anything by it. Not that that would stop either of his parents from hunting Yamcha down if they heard.

And Yamcha wasn't stupid! He had issues with his own parents, way back when. It's what eventually led him to become a bandit out in the middle of the desert for Chrissake! But he had just wanted to be a dude Trunks could come talk to if he was having the sort of human troubles an ex-evil alien dad couldn't help him solve, and apparently he had been too approachable. Or Vegeta really did just suck that bad.

Either way, oops.

"Hey kid, l-listen! You can't just say things like that!" Yamcha sighed deeply, trying to compose himself. He was still looking around like a raccoon that could hear hound dogs braying, but at least he stopped stuttering.

And then he saw Trunks' face harden even further, scowling angrily. The tykebomb looked like he was barely resisting shouting his next statement, and Yamcha was very glad for that.

~~~

"I'm not a fucking kid! Goddamnit, I'm just trying to have a normal fucking conversation, why are you being so fucking weird about this?" Trunks would have been a truly intimidating sight to behold at this point if he wasn't three-foot-five with lavender hair. "And I was gonna apologize for suckerpunching you that one time when you stayed over, but you can fucking forget it! I'm glad I punched you!"

~~~

The older man knew he had to take responsibility here, because apparently he was right and neither of the kid's parents bothered to teach him the difference in how you're supposed to talk to people outside your own home.

...Thinking on it, neither Bulma nor Vegeta had ever deferred to authority in their lives. Vegeta had a habit of trying to kill anybody stationed above him, and Bulma either screamed until listened to or flashed her tits at someone until she got her way.

Fuck him, maybe he would have made a better parent! Too late now, though.

"No, Trunks, that's not what I meant," he reassured the stunted youth. "I want you to know you can talk to me about stuff, alright? But maybe- maybe not out where your parents can hear? The earth dragon balls can't bring me back again, y'know?"

Trunks looked back up, waiting to hear the rest of the statement.

"And I mean, actually you probably shouldn't say that sort of stuff, because it makes people uncomfortable, but-" here he took the chance of fucking it all up even worse and ruffled Trunks' hair. Trunks didn't even flinch and Yamcha didn't know what that meant. "We're already friends, right? And friends can totally say that sort of stuff. In private."

Trunks met him dead in the eye, unblinking and unemoting. "Okay."

Yamcha chuckled unconvincingly. It fooled Trunks, though. "So, were you actually gonna apologize for that gut punch, or...?"

"No."

"So, what? You were just gonna feel like shit about it your entire life? Until you died?"

"Yeah."

"Haha, okay then! Did... you want a slice of this, um, eclair cake? There's not a lot left!"

"Sure. Can I call you 'Uncle?'"

Yamcha tensed up just slightly, before letting it drain out of him. "Not where anybody who might tell your parents can hear, okay?"

"Deal."

[meimi-haneoka]

Thank you for the reply again! Yes, I hope that Akiho and Kaito settle down in Tomoeda. Honestly, those two are some seriously traumatised kids who are in need of love and acceptance. Plus, I feel that Kaito needs his own social circle (Touya-Yuki-Ruby aged). His emotional stunting is a result of not having peers and frankly, his arrogance reminded me of Syaoran's entry into the show. Since Syaoran's own maturing, I believe that Kaito also needs one of his own. And I absolutely loved Akiho in this last chapter. She is so strong. It takes enormous emotional and mental strength to move past abuse of that level. That is no small feat and Akiho deserves every inch of applause that should be accorded to her. Plus, I laughed so much at her anger at Kaito. He deserves every second of it. Frankly, I was hoping for Sakura to call out Syaoran on a similar level. His love of Sakura is absolutely unconditional and pure but boy, taking her cards and then lying and hiding things from her, even if it was with the consent of her cards, was a terrible precedent. While I am sympathetic to his plight, frankly, he needed to be called out more for that. Here's to a future oneshot where SS and KA go on a double date and the girls roast their idiot boyfriends, much to the latter’s chagrin, for thinking that they know what is best for them and acting upon that without their consent and knowledge. Furthermore, I have managed to go down a rabbit hole for the Clear Card manga over the weekend and I was hoping for a translation/English language release for the oneshot that was released with the Vol 8. You know, the one where Sakura makes pancakes for Syaoran and they go on a date (Kyaa!!! Never going to stop fangirling over the fact that these two are a lovely dovey couple now) and Touya and Yuki make an appearance as well. If you can link me to a translation or an English release for that, it would be wonderful. It's so cute that they go on more dates than what is shown in the manga.

Oooh yes, definitely. Kaito and Akiho are both traumatized kids and I'll never stop to say that, because when we are judging their behavior we cannot ignore their backgrounds. Akiho definitely showed her need to be loved and supported throughout the story, but Kaito did too. There are some very subtle but at the same time strong panels where it's apparent that he's longing to be loved so, so much. Like the one where he comments, with a bittersweet face, that Sakura is really loved by all the people around her. I've been in doubt for long time about how to interpret that face: it surely was for Akiho (and what she didn't have in her early childhood), but I wondered if he didn't long for it himself too, without being aware of it. Right now, especially after chapter 60 and the flashbacks with Lilie I'm almost sure that the emotion depicted was also for himself.

A couple of years ago I had written a "manifesto of love" for Akiho where I fully explored her background and pointed out what an immense strength she had, to be able to survive all of that. And I think it's unbelievable that a consistent part of the fandom considers her weak and passive. I just don't know what went wrong in the communication of this character, when she's the total opposite and she's got a personality even more assertive and pushy than Sakura's.

I agree that Kaito needs to interact with people more (I just have a hard time picturing him talking to those 3, I think he'd be sooooo annoyed especially by Nakuru, he would probably wish to go back to the fake moon 😂😂😂), and when you talk about "arrogance" similar to Syaoran I want to specify (just in case) that if you're referring to the way he talks throughout the manga, that's an invention of the ENG translation. Blatant mistakes aside (like when the ENG makes him admit that he wants to give magic to Akiho, something completely against the plot), they make him sound really like an ass*ole, with their translation (and that's part of why I'm so pedantic with these translation differences posts, I just can't stand that), like he always talks with haughtiness (sometimes making him brag about his magic capabilities, something that HE NEVER DID and I'd daresay is the opposite of what he thinks of his magical powers) and with this kind of condescension especially when he talks to the kids. In the JP text, there's nothing of that, he always talks with keigo (the polite speech) and neutrally to Sakura & co. and even to Momo, I'd daresay that could be the ONE hint that we could grasp on to be reassured that he didn't want to hurt them, because although that could be interpreted as "keeping his distance" (which he certainly did), that's also a sign of respect. He never talks using keigo when talking about the Association or the Squids, for example. He used keigo while he was part of them, but after he fled with Akiho he completely dropped it (of course, why would he need to talk humbly about them????). I won't say that Kaito is an angel, sometimes what he says might really make you think that he's challenging people (especially with Momo!! God I had this entire time this picture in my head of him being the kid challenging the parental figure, with his behavior), and to some extent he probably enjoys to mess with people a little bit, but Ohkawa sensei plays that card so skillfully, keeping on a very delicate balance that makes you think "is he really this dense or is he playing her for a fool?", she never made him so blatantly arrogant.

Instead, if with "arrogance" you're meaning the entire idea he had to take all the burden on himself to fix the artifact problem of Akiho and giving her a happy life without even considering to ask the person in question if that's what she wanted, then I can agree, yes. That's arrogance coming from immaturity and inexperience with social relationships plus the tendency to shoulder everything by himself and it's totally what Syaoran had too, yes (still does, as you mentioned afterwards). You reminded me that in Tsubasa, Fay scolded Syaoran for this same very reason, saying "it's arrogant" to do that.

And thank you for mentioning the whole ordeal with Syaoran and the Cards because, especially lately it's all a "Kaito really did a bad thing, he doesn't respect Akiho's agency", completely forgetting that on the other side their favorite prince on a white horse did just the same at the beginning of the manga, using the very token of love he had exchanged with Sakura to trick her and steal the Cards from her. I agree, it's kinda horrible when you think about it! And just like you, I am sympathetic with his plight and even tried to defend him back in the day when things were happening and the fans were rioting (accusing CLAMP of "ruining" the character, when I think instead this added a beautiful layer of humanity to him, who's otherwise so insufferably perfect).

But you see...Kaito and Syaoran, probably because they're both two "moon boys" (and Ohkawa talked recently about the personality of magic people influenced by the moon, which is very passionate), have this thing that they completely panic when the one person they love is in danger. They tend to shoulder all the responsibility for it, they absolutely don't want to disrupt the peace of mind of their loved ones, and this brings them to extreme measures to protect them without making them notice anything. Syaoran also had an additional reason that making Sakura aware might have caused her power to go more chaotic. (Maybe Akiho would've succumbed to the artifact too, due to the grief of finding out?!) People told me in the past "you can't compare them, Kaito is older, more manipulative and so more reproachable" but as we said, age got nothing to do with the way these boys behave. Kaito didn't do what he did because he's older: in fact, he did it because he's immature, got a personality that pushes him to shoulder the burden and, most importantly, a lot more power available to him. No one will ever convince me that Syaoran wouldn't have done something very similar if he had Kaito's background, Sakura was in an actual danger for her life (which Akiho was), and if he had the amount of power that Kaito has. Because, let's always remember that these boys might have gone the wrong way about it, but what they did was still coming from love (aware or unaware) and their need to protect.

Syaoran was lucky that at some point someone from their circle went to confront him and scolded him for the way he was behaving (Yue), especially about how he was isolating himself, shouldering everything on his own. Kaito didn't have that. Or rather, he had Momo, who tried whatever was in her possibility without breaching the contract and the rules the role of guardian ties her to, because there are always consequences for that. Since Kaito's problem was mainly originating from his inability to recognize Akiho's feelings and his own too, Momo couldn't speak up more than that because matters of the heart need to be addressed by the person concerned. If the person concerned doesn't grasp the truth on their own, there's no point. That is something absolutely personal and that's also the reason why, despite having the picture well clear in her head and knowing very well what was going on between them, Tomoyo never spoon-fed the truth to Sakura in volume 12 of the OG manga about her feelings for Syaoran, when she was looking for an answer. She just told her "you have the answer inside of yourself".

I completely understand the need to see Sakura scolding Syaoran in a similar way to Akiho, but she just isn't the type 😅 (hence why Akiho and Sakura *are* different). She just doesn't have it in her, and anyway I think the worst punishment for those boys was to see they caused their loved one to cry. Sakura told Syaoran straight away, "I know it would cause you discomfort, but I'd still cry forever if something happened to you". I agree that these two couples need to go on another double date in the future and see the girls scolding them once again 😂😂

Lastly, I have good news for you! I had made a translation in English for the cute one shot that came with volume 8 of the BD release!! You can find it here !!

(look at that, another endless reply, some topics really get me chatty 😂😂)

[iguessyouregonnamissthepantyraid]

I recently reread you REVENGERS show story and I just wanted to praise you about how incredibly well written and entertaining it is.

The asgardian funeral scene with "Æ og du" playing? GOLD. Literally made me tear up while reading it for like 7th time.

Loki using his magic to heal Thor's eye and just them TALKING?? On GOD that shit was beautiful! I LIVE for those two and their chaotic but loving sibling dynamic.

Eris being a buddy of Groot and Rocket? Fantastic! Gives her character so much rich history and makes her overall feel more connected and well-grounded in that universe. It's the little details man

And now to a personal highlight of the story to me:

The interactions between Loki and Bruce/Hulk.

Just the way Loki is weary of the Hulk, as is Banner of Loki, yet they still are low-key fascinated by each other. Like when Loki did a double take when Hulk told him he knows he's hiding something. Or when Banner was trying to make peace with Loki in the hallway and offered to be friends. They even somewhat care about each other's wellbeing to the point where Loki tries not to hurt Hulk when he... hulked-out and even APOLOGIZES to him for using the tesseract on him, or Bruce's first fear after waking up is that he may have killed Loki. They have such an interesting dynamic. Are they reluctant teammates? Are they starting to honestly care about each other? Who the hell knows! All I know is I'm rooting for Loki to find a friend that actually likes him for who he is. And if that friend happens to be Banner/Hulk, then that gets extra pluspoints from me. Can you imagine Tony's reaction to that tho?

AHHHH so okay first of all, thank you for this message, it made my morning. and it's beautifully timed because coincidentally, i ALSO just reread the entire revengers series! i've been trying to wrangle the remaining plot points into some kind of order where everything makes sense and flows in a satisfying way (like, i know almost everything that i want to happen, just not how and when to make it happen) but i think i'm finally making some headway!

re: the thor and loki talk, the very first moment of quiet in the plot came along and i was like AH YES finally time to address the fact that thor's best friends are all dead! but i liked making it not about heartache and grief so much as it was about remembrance, you know? i feel like asgardians have an interesting relationship with grief since, like, valhalla is supposedly a real actual place. it's just neat. and also obviously i needed an excuse for thor and loki to have a..... sort of genuine heart-to-heart. emotionally stunted brothers style, anyway

and maaan oh man i'm SO glad you like bruce and loki's interactions! because they've become some of my favorite scenes to write! loki was terrified of the hulk in ragnarok only to be like "hello bruce 😌" when he sees him next, which was fucking hilarious to me and absolutely required that i expand on these two. and for bruce it's like... you know when the brother of one of your closest friends is also the guy who was responsible for a literal mass casualty event in new york? the same guy that you then pounded into a tile floor like a pit bull with a stuffed animal? but he's, like, a god, so he survived and then he did some time in prison and now he's sort of on your guys' side and also living on a spaceship with you? yeah? you know that feeling? we've all been there, right?

here's the real question: was bruce's worry about whether he killed loki as the hulk about not wanting to kill anyone as the hulk, or was it because he's starting to genuinely care about loki's wellbeing? who knows! bruce certainly doesn't! regardless, they WILL be close friends by the end of spending nearly two years on a spaceship together. you really can't not, and they have so much in common! do you think loki might be able to relate to being something destructive and monstrous and terrifying? and hating that part of yourself and wanting to get rid of it? ugh god i have one line in particular that i've been sitting on and DYING to use between the two of them (fun fact: this line is the one that prompted a friend over DMs to say "sam i am chasing you with a knife" so. do with that what you will) and i swear it's coming.... eventually 👀

oh and tony WILL be completely and utterly gobsmacked by it lmao, they finally land on earth after two years and they're in the middle of introducing the Loki Problem™ to american (or norwegian?) authorities, and tony's there because it's avengers related so of course he's there, and loki says some offhand thing under his breath that makes bruce just fucking lose it, like, choking trying not to laugh in the middle of this very important diplomatic meeting and tony's like. oh sure, the mass murderer is funny now. he tells jokes. cool. cool cool cool hey, just wondering, did i enter an alternate reality just now? am i finally losing it? bruce? had any weird interactions with a mind stone lately? buddy? the fuck?

anyway. yeah. i'm itching to write more of this, and trust me, i have been :)

[notknickers]

absolutely! i love the way you paint scars, especially, but your style in general, too. (i'm still finding mine) so, i don't ship them properly, but am also open to it (which is why i asked you on a whim, since you seem to likethem both) and that is because of some delicious fanart i found around here and there. the thing is, i've read some excellent ghoap fic, which is how my interest in the cod fandom started, by the way. but outside of slash, i'm not in love with the ghost x afab!reader fics i'm finding. (nothing wrong with them, i'm a ship and let ship kind of person, but they don't resonate with me, unfortunately.) (in fact, knowing very little about canon and relying almost entirely on fanon and vibes, the characterisation has made me kind of dislike ghost, when initially i felt drawn to his character and the dynamic he had going on.) (and i hate the idea of hating a buff, masked blorbo full of angst and woe when he's right there for the tapping, so i guess i'm trying to outsource other to reignite the spark that brought me in this fandom in the first place. lucky you for being chosen, i guess... 🤭) (or just exchange headcanons and silly ideas about ghost, könig and ghönig. that's fine too!) yeah, i mostly share what you said, that in a way they are to sides ofthe same coin. my understanding is that ghost and könig do not like each other very much. (which, see how much potential for angst, h/c, putting them in *situations* and shipping in general?!)

hates human interaction unless it involves a knife -> that's the one i latched on to like a baby calf to a cow's udder, because i know a thing or two about reserved and avoidant personality types *clears voice* I could see these two being comfortable sitting in silence while others squirm in it. I can envision Konig being envious of Ghost's qualities and Ghost feeling like he has met his more feral match. -> now we're getting interesting places, aren't we?! so, i cannot suggest any ghönig (köst?) titles proper, because what got me curious about their potential has mostly been fanart and audio. since i usually save fanart i like, i can dig in my folder to see if i find the names of the artists and their socials, if you care to have a gander and find out if you see what i see when i look at them. (fair warning, it's all nsfw stuff) as for the audio, könig is depicted as anxious, eager to please and subservient to ghost, never objecting to anything ghost orders him to do, which... does not sit very well with me, because there's a difference between submissive inclinations (something i am actively exploring in my fics of him) and being a spineless pushover. (i have my own könig headcanons and the above-mentioned qualities do not figure. if you're interested in comparing notes, they are listed in my pinned post.) as for ghost, as i mentioned, i think there is more to him than just being callous and manipulative and you already brought up very interesting points about the two's similarities and differences and potential attitudes towards them.

as for potential dynamics, based on the above... rivals to lovers doesn't sound so out of place. (in fact, it's so obvious as to be the default cliché first answer . still, we have to start somewhere, don't we? 😉) i think they would both be incredibly surprised if things evolved that way and with both being emotionally stunted, proud and reluctant to trust, there would be a lot of fumbling and hurt feelings litigious words and threats hastily shouted before reason prevails...

but... i also like to make shit up. in fact, i am understating how much i love to make shit up, with little care on whether the dipiction is ooc, as long as it is interesting to me and it's something i can envision.

oooooohhhhh! also!!! sorry, this got long already, but thinking about them together, i was just reminded that, not long ago, i had an injured and lost eldritch!könig from space and a simon riley at his last straw meet and find unexpected friendship, comfort and understanding in one another. (and then they bone, of course... eldritch!könig has tentacles and heat cycles and lays eggs after all... it was bound to happen!) (but before it got to the boning, it was a very slow-burn, comfort after all the hurt, with hints at ghost's (semi-made up) tragic past from which he needed to heal...)

(okay, it's a bit jumbled, but it was all laid out neatly in my head)

(if it's not your jam, feel free to save your butter and bread for a different ideas, of course!!!)

i hope i didn't bore you too much with my ramblings and i hope they made sense! if you end up doing something of the ship, please, let me know!

hey, stumbled on your blog and stayed for the beautiful art. read you're simping for both ghost and könig... do you ship them together or plan on drawing them together? asking for the könig simp that lives in me, thanks ♥

Thank you ^^ I'm glad you found my blog and that my art resonated with you to stay a lil longer.

Short answer. Not thought too deeply about it tbh. I will defo draw them together again :D

longer thoughts about it...

I don't ship Ghost and Konig together at the moment, but I'm open to it. I'm mulling around their dynamic in my head now. To me they're different shades of the same colour. Big dudes, wear masks, efficient killers, arrogant, cold-blooded (this is why I like them a lot <3).    Looking deeper, they have slight differences the fandom can work with. For instance, in Konig's bio- it tells us he has social anxiety which the fandom has latched onto and there are basically 2 types of konig's in the fandom for people to explore and, gravitate to. The shy introvert that can barely talk to people and the other version that hates human interaction unless it involves a knife. Part of his military background also includes his failed assessment to be a sniper, which Ghost, on the other hand, excels at. Ghost has no problem talking to people. He's just more careful when he speaks, not a breath wasted. So I guess I could see these two being comfortable sitting in silence while others squirm in it. I can envision Konig being envious of Ghost's qualities and Ghost feeling like he has met his more feral match.

I mean. If you can recommend me some fics that explore their differences and how they compliment each other as a duo, that would be awesome. I'd love to see how writers out there bring these two together romantically (ˆ⌣ˆ)ε｀●)

If you or anyone wants to tell me what you think their dynamic would be like, my ask box is there ^^ open my eyes to the possiblities of these two !!

[atlascash]

I’ve been really ambivalent about shipping Henry because at the end of the day, he does have a slight narcissistic / patronizing tendency, values the journey only if he sees value in the destination, tends to be selfish in his personal life, and is a self - preservation “i’m gonna run and I trust you are also capable of running and if that’s the case I will see you at the exit when I get there” type of guy when things go south catastrophically.

despite that, despite that, I find myself getting more and more invested into the 24/7 bickering and pettiness and facebook poking war between my Henry and @fractaele​‘s Weiss because the world looked at one rich kid from atlas and was like, you know what, we need to add a second rich kid from atlas that annoys her to no end, and that’s perfectly fine with me.

then again, I haven’t written henry as far out as to start writing shipping / relationship headcanons, and I doubt I will at this point in time, but I was just thinking about it earlier today and realized that I am now a lot more open-minded about entertaining ships with Henry.

sure, your character can try their luck with Henry which is honestly a terrible idea why would you ever wish that on your character, but I think i’m going to gently steer my writing to focus on the dynamics of character interaction and attitudes whenever I am given the appropriate opportunity to delve into the dynamic itself.

[fallensimeon]

I decided to do the Obey Me! Shall We Date? sort of questionnaire that @obeyme-confessions posted! Feel free to fill in the blanks yourselves as well! ✨

1. Favorite brother?

My favorite brother, by a long shot, has to be my baby Mammon. I wouldn't change that for the world. He reminds me of my boyfriend in the best ways possible, and his very cute looks are always a plus!

2. Least favorite brother?

My least favorite brother, no offense to their stans, has to be Beelzebub. I know he's a cute little cinnamon roll and really sweet, he's just my least preferred compared to the rest of them! Don't worry, he's still adorable!

3. Favorite minor character?

My favorite "minor" character is Simeon. He's just so pleasant to be around and is absolutely gorgeous.

4. Least favorite minor character?

I'd have to say Luke out of all of them. If we had more one on one interaction with him that might change, but I really just don't know enough about him to put him any higher than the others.

5. Which brother would you be if you embodied a deadly sin?

I would most likely be a mix of Levi and Belphie, but moreso Belphie considering I spend a lot of time oversleeping.

6. Favorite demon form?

Mammon may be my favorite brother, but my favorite demon form probably has to go to Diavolo for just how extravagant it is!

7. Favorite event thus far?

I have only been around for so many events, so if I had to pick a favorite so far, it would have to be the current circus one. It gives me The Greatest Showman vibes and picuring my character in Mammon's arms doing the aerial stunts sends my heart fluttering! I also like how it mocks the beginning of the game and stuff.

8. Favorite casual outfit?

Hmmmm... for my favorite casual outfit, Levi's outfit takes the cake! It's something I would wear myself, and I love his headphones!

9. Who is your main team?

My top two are most always Asmo and Lucifer, and the third spot always switches between Mammon and Beel. I'm trying to get the new Diavolo up just as high because his UR+ animation is a blessing!

10. Level?

My level at the moment is 74!

11. Favorite BGM?

Bonds! I love the noise due to it usually meaning a romantic or wholesome encounter is about to occur! I almost have it unlocked, just need some more pink skulls!

12. Homescreen demon?

My homescreen is usually filled by Mammon, but I have my other baby Simeon on there for now!

13. Favorite wallpaper?

I don't have it quite yet, but when I do get it, it will be Mammon's room or the Celestial Realm!

14. Strongest card?

Asmo's UR+ "Snowy Bliss" card, no devil flower unlock, level 101.

15. A UR/UR+ you have always wanted?

The one UR+ I'm dying to get my hands on is Levi's UR+ "Trick Quest" card with the witch animation. It's just so cute, I'm sad I wasn't in the fandom yet at the time!

16. A SSR you have always wanted?

I've always wanted is Mammon's SSR "Mammon the Butler" since I love that outfit so much!

17. How many cards do you have?

I have 224 demon cards and 84 memory cards currently!

18. Highest intimacy level?

My highest intimacy level is with Mammon at just under level 15, with Kucifer right on his tail.

19. Lowest intimacy level?

My lowest intimacy level is with Solomon, who I just got to level 8.

20. Favorite devilgram?

I really love Simeon's "Time to Paint" SSR story! Considering I like art, having Simeon as a model would be a DREAM!

Bonus: Favorite overall in-game outfit?

For me, it has to be a tie between Lucifer's human world outfit and Mammon's Arabian outfit!

What are your responses? Have fun with the prompt! I would love to see other users' game viewpoints and preferences compared to my own! 😈

[scrapyardboyfriends]

sorry I meant moira talking to Cain about her past, not her past with him (just realised that was not super clear) and totally agree with everything you said - they need a new team ASAP.

It’s like they’ve given characters such ridiculous storylines or backstories that they are stuck in a rut, like moira can never escape nate now but he’s just like there with no real purpose.. Cain can’t escape bc it’s his son and then that connects into Faith and his hatred for her so it’s like never ending, which almost 3 years later it defo should have. They could have shown Coira relationship rebuild but really haven’t (maybe it’s intentional or due to covid but personally I think they’ve just been neglected) Honestly I really hope they do the Holly/Suzy storyline justice for Moira and Natalie bc both deserve better.

They defo need more everyday moments and wholesomeness (e.g. like remember when characters interacted with their kids not just for drama or when someone did something nice for another character.) Like I think back to old eps and there were these really wholesome family moments that gave you a sense of what each family was like still happens once in a blue moon but most of the time now it’s just like constant bickering all the time.

Ugh...Nate was truly one of their absolute worst decisions. First of all, it was a bad idea, then a badly told story and then he's also the dullest most pointless character. Not to mention it did so much damage to Coira and still is. And it ruined Cain's relationship with Faith and we're still paying for that. And then he had to go and ruin Tracy as a character too. And he's still there just being terrible. I hate him so much. For the havoc he's wreaked. Haha.

I don't think they know what to do with Coira at this point or with couples in general. These three have historically been terrible with couples. They can't write them getting together. They don't know how to write them when they are together. They only know how to give them drama for drama's sake usually. This whole Marlon/Rhona thing is about the only couple thing that's working for me right now. Chaddy are dreadful. Coira are nothing but random drama. Charity and Mack have been either terrible or nothing. Matty and Amy have had maybe five scenes together in a year. Jimmy and Nicola are just off so off screen again I've forgotten they existed and when they were on, it was just to give them terrible pointless drama. Marcus and Ethan are cute and all but they have no substance right now and their getting together was both too fast and too slow in a stop/start way.

I hate these three so much.

In general, they just need to learn balance in their storytelling. We need to see their lives when they're not in mortal peril just as much as we need the big stunt stuff. And not just when they're angry and sniping at each other either. We need to see smaller more every day things and we need to see successes and happy moments as well as the harder stuff.

They just really fail at the family stuff these days in general too. Unless they're using it for bigger drama, we never get to see the parents with their kids. You know, we don't see the Hope twins for like two years and then all of a sudden Cathy is a horrible bully. We've seen the King kids a handful of times in the past couple of years (aside from Carl who got a little highlight last year) so by the time they start trying to integrate Angel and Elliot into the show as actual characters we won't know them at all. And like the whole Cain/Moira/Kyle/Amy/Matty dynamic should make for some interesting every day kind of things but we see none of it unless they're using it to fuel this Cain vs Al nonsense that no one cares about. I mean I know there are plenty of restrictions about kids filming and such but watching a bit of classic, we saw plenty of Robert/Andy/Victoria and Donna and Ollie and Mark etc as kids as teens. And I feel like families don't get that kind of focus these days. And I mean I know there were bigger stories going on there with the parents but we still saw more every day moments going on over a sustained period of time. Now we only get a few scenes here and there and then they disappear again.

I don't know, they're just barreling along towards the 50th anniversary and they think they're building everything up well but they're really not. The show is such a shambles for the most part. Only occasionally do they luck into something good like with Marlon's stroke story.

[llucy-san]

CHARACTER STUDY

Tagged by lovely @pd3 ❤️ and maybe someone else but.... 🤷‍♀️

@faithchel @ja-crispea @smithandrogers @shelliechen @v3ryvelvet @veinereastath @dieguzguz @f0xyboxes @fadedjacket @risenlucifer @tomexraider @fromathelastoveritaserum @goodboiboomer-fc5 @geronimo-11​

I made it as my OC's would answer this ask game, so go ahead and read if you want to know more about them or how they interact.

LAYER 01: THE OUTSIDE

NAME: Hope Amelia Lansdowne but Hope is enough.

EYE COLOUR: It's mix of blue and green, but more of blue.

HAIR STYLE / COLOUR: Long, wavy blond hair, but I like to comb it into a bun or a ponytail.

HEIGHT: 5′6″

CLOTHING STYLE: I usually wear comfortable things like T-shirts, pants, combat boots and of course my military jacket. But you won't find anything fancy like dress in my closet.

BEST PHYSICAL FEATURE: *shrugs* Don't know, whole body i guess. I'm trying to be fit.

LAYER 02: THE INSIDE

FEAR: Lose the ones I love.

GUILTY PLEASURE: I got drunk once so hard with mates, Sharky and Hurk that you don't even want to know where we woke up the next day. A week after our little meeting, I felt still little dizzy. But I would never trade my two to ride and die. NEVER.

BIGGEST PET PEEVE: My plane!! You can look at it but don't touch it.

AMBITIONS FOR THE FUTURE: Live life to the fullest and enjoy every moment with our loved ones.

LAYER 03: THOUGHTS

FIRST THOUGHTS WAKING UP: Glaring at those little numbers on my alarm clock and whisper “I hate you” but then *sighs* I remember all the things that awaits me that day and somehow, I get out of bed.

WHAT THEY THINK ABOUT MOST: If I will have the strength to get up the next day.

WHAT THEY THINK ABOUT BEFORE BED: My baby!! I usually fall into bed and instantly fall asleep.

WHAT THEY THINK THEIR BEST QUALITY IS: My flying skills and maybe my humour. There is nothing better than being sarcastic to someone who you don’t like. Or if I won fight over men twice my size.

LAYER 04: EITHER OR

SINGLE OR GROUP DATES: I don't do dates, and quite frankly, I don't even have time for it. But if I have to choose, I prefer single.

TO BE LOVED OR RESPECTED: Can't I choose both? I think they're both corresponding.

BEAUTY OR BRAINS: Brains, definitely.

DOGS OR CATS: Both, take a look at Bommer and Peaches. They're both so adorable.

LAYER 05: DO THEY

LIE: Who hasn't? I try to be honest but sometimes some situations requires it.

BELIEVE IN THEMSELVES: What kind of bloody question is that? *frowns* Of course, I believe in myself.

BELIEVE IN LOVE: If you meet the right one, go ahead. Though, I was not so lucky.

WANT SOMEONE: Why are you asking? You offer?

LAYER 06: HAVE THEY

BEEN ON STAGE: Nope.

DONE DRUGS: Sharky has a lot of stuff, but I keep my hands off it, so no.

CHANGED WHO THEY WERE TO FIT IN: I don't need to pretend in front of anyone to fit in. I am who I am and I will never force myself.

LAYER 07: WHAT'S THEIR

FAVORITE COLOR: Don't have one.

FAVORITE ANIMAL: Wolves, I adores them.

FAVORITE BOOK: *shrugs* I don't read much, but when I do, I read what's first hand.

FAVORITE GAME: If you consider games where you drink a lot, then yes. *shifts in her seat* Hey, you should come to Spread Eagle with me sometimes and we can play our drinking games. Hurk will bring his liquor he got from many journeys he survived and Mary will make her famous cocktails.

LAYER 08: AGE

DAY THEIR NEXT BIRTHDAY WILL BE: 24th September

HOW OLD THEY WILL BE: 25

LAYER 09:

I LOVE: Flying, I have flying in my blood, or just being in lap of nature.

I FEEL: *sighs* Tired of your questions.

I HIDE: My bourbon! You wouldn't believe how hard it is for me to bring it here unseen. Especialy from Sharky cause he will drink anything he can see.

I MISS: My parents. I didn't get a chance to say goodbye with them one last time or go to their funeral.

I WISH: To be done with this so I could go.

LAYER 01: THE OUTSIDE

NAME: Marcus Adam Lansdowne but Marcus is fine.

EYE COLOUR: Blue

HAIR STYLE / COLOUR: Short-cut blond, short on the sides and up here *combing his hair* I have to comb it back or hold it with something, usually cap helps me.

HEIGHT: 6′1″

CLOTHING STYLE: T-shirts, pants but also something elegant like suits. But I wear them only at special occasions. 

BEST PHYSICAL FEATURE: Arms, for sure. But Avery, my wife, will tell you something else.

LAYER 02: THE INSIDE

FEAR: My family above all. All I have left is my sister and my loving wife. So if you so much as look at both of them in the wrong way, *leanes closer in his seat* then, you and I have a problem, mate. 

GUILTY PLEASURE: You would believe me but singing while playing on my guitar.

BIGGEST PET PEEVE: When I lose something and Avery or Hope says, "Well, where was the last place you had it?" Seriously? That's being helpful? If I knew the last place I had it, it wouldn't be lost, now would it?

AMBITIONS FOR THE FUTURE: I don't know. I have everything I need and don't need anything else.

LAYER 03: THOUGHTS

FIRST THOUGHTS WAKING UP: Time in the army taught me to get up early so, next question.

WHAT THEY THINK ABOUT MOST: Family

WHAT THEY THINK ABOUT BEFORE BED: What kind of question is this? *frowns* The bed equals rest. What else should I think about? Oh you mean. *clears his throat* Next one.

WHAT THEY THINK THEIR BEST QUALITY IS: Strength, devotion, intellect.

LAYER 04: EITHER OR

SINGLE OR GROUP DATES: I don't know what you want from me anymore.

TO BE LOVED OR RESPECTED: Respect from others and love from family.

BEAUTY OR BRAINS: Brains.

DOGS OR CATS: Dogs.

LAYER 05: DO THEY

LIE: I hate it when people lie to my face, but I'm not an innocent either.

BELIEVE IN THEMSELVES: Yes, I do.

BELIEVE IN LOVE: Yes

WANT SOMEONE: *quirks his eyebrows* I'm hapilly married. Avery is only one I want.

LAYER 06: HAVE THEY

BEEN ON STAGE: No

DONE DRUGS: Never in my life.

CHANGED WHO THEY WERE TO FIT IN: No.

LAYER 07: WHAT'S THEIR

FAVORITE COLOR: Dark blue, black, dark green.

FAVORITE ANIMAL: Wolves, dogs, I don't know.

FAVORITE BOOK: I don't know, but the last time I read something was by Faulkner.

FAVORITE GAME: Hope once took me to one of their gatherings in Falls End and it didn't go so well. Although, I had fun like never before, but I have never had such hangover in my life. And I have to warn you about Sharky's home-made liquor. Strong as hell.

LAYER 08: AGE

DAY THEIR NEXT BIRTHDAY WILL BE: 2nd February

HOW OLD THEY WILL BE: 33

LAYER 09:

I LOVE: Enjoying days with my family and friends or spending time in the woods.

I FEEL: Fine

I HIDE: Nothing you need to know about.

I MISS: Parents. I miss them very much.

I WISH: To stop asking me these odd questions.

LAYER 01: THE OUTSIDE

NAME: Hayley Louise Moore but friends calls me Hale.

EYE COLOUR: Olive green

HAIR STYLE / COLOUR: Semi-long chocolate hair and at the ends it turns into soft waves.

HEIGHT: 5′5″

CLOTHING STYLE: It's usually a blouse and a pencil skirt, but also a dress. But what I love most are my sweaters and sweatpants, which I wear in the late evenings while reading books.

BEST PHYSICAL FEATURE: I run around the docks every morning so I'd say legs. Nature here isn't like in Atlanta or New Orleans, but it's much more beautiful.

LAYER 02: THE INSIDE

FEAR: *laughs* Well, my husband's flying. Like, I'm not afraid of flying, but the last time he took me with him and he did his wild stunts like front flips or whatever he calls it, I almost killed him after we landed. I'm not kidding. *shift in her lovechair* Affirmination and I are not friends.

GUILTY PLEASURE: Dancing while vacuuming or cleaning the ranch.

BIGGEST PET PEEVE:

AMBITIONS FOR THE FUTURE: Seeing my kids grow up into the wonderful adults we're with John trying to raise.

LAYER 03: THOUGHTS

FIRST THOUGHTS WAKING UP: New day new beginning. Morning is my favourite time of day.

WHAT THEY THINK ABOUT MOST: Kids, Family, you know stuff like this.

WHAT THEY THINK ABOUT BEFORE BED: Sleep, only sleep, and maybe something else, *whisper while leaning closer* but that's not appropriate.

WHAT THEY THINK THEIR BEST QUALITY IS: My persuasive skills. I always get what I want because I learned from the best, I know.

LAYER 04: EITHER OR

SINGLE OR GROUP DATES:  Single, certainly single. Actually I think I've never been to a group dates before.

TO BE LOVED OR RESPECTED: Both

BEAUTY OR BRAINS: Brains. No matter how handsome or beautiful you are, I care how you will deal with difficult situations so I choose brains.

DOGS OR CATS: Cats

LAYER 05: DO THEY

LIE: Not often, but only here and there.

BELIEVE IN THEMSELVES: Yep.

BELIEVE IN LOVE: I do.

WANT SOMEONE: Why are you asking? Only my husband.

LAYER 06: HAVE THEY

BEEN ON STAGE: Nope

DONE DRUGS: No, it will completely destroy your brain.

CHANGED WHO THEY WERE TO FIT IN: I've never been able to pretend who I'm not, so no.

LAYER 07: WHAT'S THEIR

FAVORITE COLOR: I don't have a favourite colour, but my wardrobe mostly consists of soft colours and black and white combination.

FAVORITE ANIMAL: Cats because of their eyes.

FAVORITE BOOK: Fitzgerald. I love Great Gatsby.

FAVORITE GAME: I don't play games much. I'm not very good at them.

LAYER 08: AGE

DAY THEIR NEXT BIRTHDAY WILL BE: 15th August

HOW OLD THEY WILL BE: 27

LAYER 09:

I LOVE: Watching my husband cook, because have you seen someone like him work around in the kitchen? *glances behind her shoulder* I just adore him.

I FEEL: Good

I HIDE: My cookies!! Listen, I love Jacob, he is my favourite brother in law but he always eats almost everything on plate before I can. I have to be fast if I want at least one or two cookies from Faith.

I MISS: Every now and then I miss my life in Atlanta and my best friend Nadia. *sighs* God, you should meet her, you’d love her.

I WISH: To have at least one of those delicious cookies cause my brother in law just came so if you don't mind I will go.

[plasticnightmaredoll]

Resident Evil 8: Village review (spoilers everywhere!)

Now, I want to start off by saying I've never been very interested in the "Resident Evil" games. I've always preferred the "Silent Hill" series because of how macabre the games are, the creepy symbolism behind the monsters, and the intense moments of fear despite having weapons (well, in most of the games at least). I like dark, twisted stuff, and "Resident Evil" seemed too...action-oriented for me, I guess?

However, I did finally get involved when I saw the trailer for "Resident Evil 7: Biohazard." I was shocked, but pleasantly so. Not only did it feature new characters, new locations, and a new disease, but it was in first person AND looked like a true survival horror game. I know some people may prefer the third-person perspective for RE games as that has always been one of their key characteristics, but I think horror games are much more effective in first person. They're more immersive because they give you the illusion of being in the game itself.

I really loved RE7, and still do. I actually have begun playing it again, the first time in a few years (I think 2019 was the last time I played through the game). I still see it as my favorite RE games and one of my favorite survival horror games, but I have enjoyed the "Resident Evil 2" and "Resident Evil 3" remakes and may play other games in the franchise just because.

Now, onto "Resident Evil 8: Village," a direct sequel to 7 (lol 8 does come after 7 but I mean that 8 is a continuation of the story introduced in 7. I mean, RE7 was not a sequel to RE6 at all). I was excited to see the franchise continuing with what it started in RE7, and while I did enjoy RE8, it does have some issues...nothing serious but things that prevent it from replacing RE7 as my favorite.

The Good:

There Four Lords and Mother Miranda were truly unique characters despite being bosses. I felt pity for all of them in one way or another and enjoyed learning their backstories. I think they are the most interesting and "human" villains in the RE games so far (at least, from what I've seen), and in games in general.

I felt so much pity for Moreau, though. He was such a tragic character, and I felt like I was putting him out of his misery by killing him. Clearly, there was something wrong with him mentally like his mental growth had been stunted and he thought and acted more like a child. His primary goals were to win the praise of the other three Lords since they didn't like him (I think Donna may have been ok with him but her mental health issues prevented her from expressing her feelings in a more effective and healthy manner) and to have Mother Miranda see him as her son. All these emotions over one character, a boss enemy, and possibly the least complex of the Lords and Miranda herself, I think demonstrate some fantastic writing. I mean, I've very rarely encountered bosses that I felt sorry for, and killing them was mercy.

Donna was a very strange character. She was the only one of the bosses who didn't transform into a monstrosity, and her boss fight was vastly different from anything else in the game. I liked it, though, for the most part, this sort of "calm" within a storm of deadly monsters and bloody battles. Of all the Lords and Mother Miranda herself, Donna was almost just there, like she was observing instead of actually participating. She respected Mother Miranda but, unlike the other three Lords, she seemed to prefer to live in her own little fantasy world with her dolls as her family and friends.

The graphics were, as expected, incredible. If you have a computer that can handle the game with high/max settings, it will look absolutely stunning. Also, the soundtrack was very fitting, but I don't have much concern for this trait unless the soundtrack is truly exceptional, which is rare -- or if the soundtrack is awful, which I have yet to encounter in a game.

I enjoyed the change in environment from RE7. I liked the creepy house in the woods and "ghost ship" in RE7, but RE8 had us in underground tunnels, a rundown village, a castle, a factory, a swamp town...I mean, you went all over the place, but it made the experience diverse and entertaining.

RE8 gave us a lot of answers to questions left by RE7, and, in some ways, enhanced that game's story. Finding out the truth behind Ethan's seemingly indestructible body was a twist I didn't expect. It did provide an answer for just how easy it was for him to literally patch himself up and put himself back together over and over again. It was no longer just "game logic."

Ending Ethan's story made sense. It was clear by the end of RE8 that his character had gone as far as possible, and it was time to switch gears. I'm curious as to how the next game will utilize Rose as a protagonist. She has powerful psychic abilities, unlike her father, and I don't think any other RE protagonist has had such abilities (as far as I know), so that could make for a very interesting gaming experience.

With that being said, I really do hope RE9 continues what was started in RE7 and developed further in RE8. I really do. I think there are plenty of things left to explore, plenty of room for some good twists and turns.

There weren't many puzzles in this game, but I didn't think it was such a bad thing. It was still a lot of fun to play with a reasonable amount of action-oriented challenges. There were so many bosses in this game, minibosses included, yet it never felt overwhelming or underwhelming. I thought the minibosses were fantastic "bridges" to each of the 5 main boss fights.

MAGNUM IS BEST WEAPON. Seriously, what is it with these types of guns and their insane amount of power? I liked the grenade launcher as well, despite how slow it was to reload. The use of flashbangs proved to be much more useful than the grenades themselves, oddly enough. I know they have been in other RE games, but they were much more essential in RE8.

The pacing was perfect. I felt like the game was the appropriate length, not overstaying its welcome nor leaving players underwhelmed by lack of content. I mean, I still wish it were longer but that's only because of how entertaining it is to play. Leaving players wanting more but in a positive sense indicates that the game was planned thoroughly with a lot of attention to detail.

Miranda's and Moreau'sboss fights were the most challenging in the game. Both were endurance battles and required you to move quickly and think fast and basically just survive until they died. Ammo was very important in both boss fights because the right weapons made things much easier but if you didn't have enough ammo for them, well...you're going to have a more intense challenge.

My favorite "location" was the Dimitrescu castle. I like the elegant "antique" aesthetic of old castles and houses/mansions.

Unlike in RE7, RE8 does allow you to upgrade some of your weapons, which makes things easier if just to allow your guns to hold more ammo before needing to reload. You also didn't need to pull out a weapon to open crates. If you "interacted" with one, Ethan automatically used his knife to break it. RE7 made you do it manually which was a little annoying, especially during fights.

RE7 pretty much just had the Bakers and mold monsters as enemies. They all put up a good fight, but RE8 has a much wider range of enemies: wolfmen, zombies, flying zombie bats, werewolves, cyborg monstrosities, witches (well, if you consider the Dimitrescu daughters as witches, and they kind of are), a gross but pitiful fishman, a mentally disturbed doll maker, and an egocentric engineer. Variety added another layer of difficulty and surprise to the game since it wasn't always the same enemy types popping up to get you.

Mixed Thoughts:

Donna's boss fight was unlike any other fight in the game -- or any game, really. It was a morbid hide and seek challenge that was a nice change of pace but I do wish it had been a bit more difficult. I liked the concept, and it suited Donna, but it was the easiest boss fight in the game, almost like it was a miniboss fight instead. Good concept, but weak execution.

RE8 allows you to upgrade weapons, but RE7 doesn't, and while it may sound like RE8 has the upper hand, I disagree. RE7's lack of weapon enhancements/upgrades made the game more difficult because what you saw was what you got, and you had to make do. You didn't have the option to make your weapons hold more ammo or shoot faster or deal more damage.

The Bad:

Most of the boss fights were...rather easy? Minibosses included. The only ones that posed a real threat were Moreau and Miranda. Everyone else was just standard boss fodder, unfortunately. In RE7, I felt that, while there were far fewer boss fights, they all were much more demanding and exciting.

Lady Dimitrescu was such a fun character, and yet, she was only in the game for a short time, and her boss fight was just so-so. With all the marketing surrounding her before the game was released, I expected her to have a much larger role in the game.

They had an opportunity to make Miranda a sympathetic villain seeing as how the loss of her daughter basically drove her to madness. However, the way she was portrayed, I honestly didn't feel any sympathy for her, which was a shame. If she had been portrayed as a more tragic, broken character, then it would have made the final boss fight very emotional since you would feel some guilt killing her knowing what she's been through.

Not very scary. I mean, it's not a terrible thing, but for a game that is part of the survival horror genre, I felt like RE8 focused on the action a little too often. It was an intense experience just not a chilling one. RE7 had so much tension and atmosphere that it truly played out like a survival horror game.

Overall, I do like "Resident Evil 8: Village" and want to play it several more times. It bested "Resident Evil 7: Biohazard" in a few ways, namely with a diversity of enemies and customizable weapons but it fell short in the horror department and mishandled most of its bosses.

Final Grade: B+

For reference:

Resident Evil 7: A

Resident Evil 2 (2019 Remake): A-

Resident Evil 3 (2020 Remake): B-