#panda judges the world

[jdrmfavs]

Ryusei Yokohama.

[velvet-vox]

My Top 10 Favourite Male Villains of all time.

"How arrogant of you to think that any of us are anything but irrelevant". -John Greer, Person of Interest (2011-2016).

There comes a moment in a blog's life where some things are just long overdue, and while the argument could be made that this happened way too early, I'd say that as long as this helps me to find my groove, I am free to experiment as much as I want.

So..... Villains.

Gotta love them. As long as I do not meet them in real life. This post is in particular about male villains since I have one dedicated to their female counterparts in the pipeline so expect that to come soon enough and for this part to be rewritten. By the way, "villain" is a generalisation, I can totally put antivillains, antagonists or more general antiheroes in this list; your definition of "Bad Guy" can vary greatly and so can mine, someone like Walter White from Breaking Bad could have made it in here. My taste is very unusual, so prepare yourself for some unexpected picks.

Also, since these are meant to be some big celebratory posts, for the occasion I'll reveal my Italian heritage and translate every line of dialogue in Italian and publish it separately with a link, so that English readers who are learning Italian can exercise.

Here's also a follow up to this post, the first part of my top 30 favourite female antagonists of all time. Check it out, if you are curious to see more.

The bad girls

But first, some honourable mentions:

Oropo (Wakfu): Once you see the number 2 spot for both this list and the female villains list you might notice that I tend to gravitate towards characters with wasted potential more often than not, but while we're just talking about this guy, I cannot stress enough the amount of unceremonious mishandling that lies within his concepts and execution. Really needed two seasons of 25 episodes each to explore it to their maximum.

Tai Lung (Kung Fu Panda): I love him, but not as much as others, it's a matter of personal preference. He's an amazing antagonist, so even if he is just an honourable mention, I wouldn't call him a lesser villain by any stretch of the imagination; I once felt like he was too sympathetic for his movie's sake, but looking back at it again, he's actually moderately evil for a lot of reasons, even if Shifu is the main one.

Bill Chyper (Gravity Falls): It's been way too long since I watched Gravity Falls, I really can't give you an accurate opinion on this guy anymore.

Flintheart Glomgold (DuckTales 2017): That season 2 episode. If you know what I'm talking about, you KNOW. Also the music for that whole sequence was a banger, really driving home the deranged nature of that twist reveal.

Big Jack Horner (Puss in Boots The Last Wish): I feel like when people praise Jack for being a breath of fresh air in a stale environment, they often forget just how good of a villain he was in his own right without the larger industry wide void of truly devious antagonists that act out of pure malice.

The Wolf (Puss in Boots The Last Wish): Two villain entries from one movie? Of course it was gonna be The Last Wish, what else could it be? Honestly I don't even wanna talk about this guy, you need to experience the movie for yourself.

Rob (The Amazing World of Gumball): Everything I have to say about this guy gets talked about much better by the number 6 Spot on this list, but as it stands Rob was my first villain OTP and the guy who opened the box of Pandora for me on what an antagonist could and should be, since then my perception of villainy only widened and now I enjoy their role in a story in much different way.

And now, with that out of the way, let's finally start with the ranking of my personal favourite male villains of all time.

Major spoilers down below:

Number 10: Silco (Arcane)

This guy is the reason that brought me to specify who or what counted for this list as trying to simplify Silco into one specific group of characters is a challenge that can only end in a misunderstanding of what makes Silco such a complex and fascinating character with an amazing character arc, that ends with him not being redeemed, mind you, but allows the audience to grieve in such a way that would make a side character death jealous.

When writing an antagonistic character, Silco is my goal and high standard, and just for that he deserves all of my respect and endless praise.

Now, admittedly, Silco's arc takes a while to kick in, but it works out to his advantage by the end of it since you don't realise just how much you've grown to care for him until he's dead and you're left with the surprise.

10 out 10, the nation of Zaun would have been much better (worse) with him than with Vander.

Number 9: The Riddler (DC)

The Riddler is literally my ride or die villain, when I'm in the mood for him, he's literally my favourite antagonist ever; when I am not in the mood for him, I completely forget about his existence.

When compared to many other entries on this list, Riddler is definitely more on the pop culture side of antagonism, and when you've been around for almost a century, you tend to have many different versions of the same character written by different writers, so I wanted to highlight here my favourite versions of him:

Arkham Games: He's hilarious. He's not my ideal Riddler, but whenever he comes on screen, his whiny rat's ass voice stimulates my pheromones.

Batman The Animated Series: I've heard somewhere that this version of him is disappointing, and to that I'll say... yeah, but only when he wasn't on screen, because otherwise, he kind of slayed.

Matt Reeves The Batman: This is the version that rekindled my love for him after so long. Out of every interpretation of The Riddler throughout the years, this is the one version that treated Edward more as a character rather than an obstacle for Batman to overcome, and for that I'll be eternally grateful.

LEGO Batman The Videogame: My very first introduction to The Riddler and the Batman universe as a whole, this version has a permanent place in my heart , I love how much information and emotion you can get out of him by just looking at his mannerisms and quirks alone; unironically, being silent helps him reach that quote on quote idealised version of Riddler that I was talking about earlier.

Number 8: The Snatcher (A Hat In Time)

There are many things that can carry on a villain in a story, their evolution, stage presence, complexity, thematic contrast to their counterpart, and so on and so forth. While an antagonist can check off many of these boxes simultaneously (like the one pictured), there's one box that is almost impossible to truly nail perfectly: comedy.

You see, comedy is subjective, and when your main antagonist is also the funniest part of a given story, it becomes hard to also match a sense of gravity and menace that allows them to also be an imposing threat, even harder is to give said antagonist depth and a tragic backstory.

But somehow, out of nowhere, The Snatcher from A Hat In Time manages to simultaneously be the funniest character in his section of the game, carrie said energy throughout the whole experience even down to the DLC, simultaneously strikes the balance between being scary, wholesome, sympathetic and tragic, exude an insane amount of charisma, all while having a deeply disturbing backstory that touches on some heavy themes and re contextualises his actions into something more complicated and out of a broken man, everything I just said + he's the biggest bastard in his videogame and never repents nor does he have his actions called out.

Snatcher really has all the right cards that make a stationary character work and uses them to his maximum potential, and it works because his character arc throughout the game is more about becoming affectionate to Hat Kid than it is about redeeming himself.

Lastly, his voice actor, Luke Sizemore, aka Yungtown, really sells the performance of this devious soul eating worm and burns his catchphrases into your brain for the rest of eternity, much like his boss theme,

Your Contract Has Expired

A song that switches around being scary, epic, energetic and desperate in a short, yet perfectly paced amount of time. You need to listen to it regardless of if you've played the game or not.

Fool.

Number 7: Judge Claude Frollo (Hunchback of Notre Dame)

You can never say no to a classic.

There's nothing that I could say that hasn't already been said by thousands of videos on YouTube, but I'll try anyway: you see, Frollo is the reason why we need a new term to identify certain villains that aren't "sympathetic" but still make you feel some sort of human emotion and a form of "I wish someone could give you the care you need to fix your life", I guess the term empathetic exists, but when do you really see it used?

Now, don't get me wrong, Frollo is absolutely not sympathetic in the slightest, he wants to r##e a Romani woman that's way younger than him, but you can still feel that he's very troubled about it in the Hellfire scene and has definitely a lot of unidentified issues and internalised bigotry that could be worked through, even if it's too late to work through them right now.

In general, I feel like people forget that the main reason why past Disney villains worked had to do more with their human traits juxtaposed to their malice rather than just their plain wickedness, otherwise the Horned King from the Black Cauldron would be top of the Disney villains league and that couldn't be further from the truth.

We should really strive towards writing more villains like Frollo, less omnipotent beings that end up falling flat because they don't have much thematic relevance aside from being a threat (Bill Chyper works because he represents Ego and he's used sparingly) and more average vicious individuals who use their power and influence to get what they want.

All in all, if you've seen The Hunchback of Notre Dame, then you know why this guy is here, but just to cite a couple of repeated points, the Hellfire scene is perfect. It's immaculate. It's unreproducible; there will never be another scene like this coming out of the House of Mouse or animation ever again, the excessive amount of stars and elements that came together to create this gothic classic is so vast that it's literally a miracle.

Frollo is truly the personification of the dark, twisted side of humanity peaking through the door and into your mind, from which he shall never escape as his performance still remains perfect to this very day.

Number 6: The Spot (Spider-man across the Spiderverse)

"You've hit me with a bagel!" It's still the greatest villain origin story of all time. There's truly something maniacal about this reveal, like the entire universe was shattered and reality was shocked at the mere realization that while Miles was having his coming of age moment back in the first film, this guy was having his normal life completely and utterly shattered by a combination of both our heroes stepping up to do the right thing and our doofus lack of foresight and self reflection; all of this stuff is hilarious and completely made up for the film but good god they did such an amazing job tying all the elements together in an unexpected way that makes sense and parallels the journey that our protagonist faced in the first movie.

Like with Rob from The Amazing World of Gumball, and a little bit like number 2 on this list, I just really enjoy the concept of turning background characters who had no relevance whatsoever into the big bad of the story who's been there all along and the heroes (and the audience) just couldn't notice.

With The Spot in particular, there's that sense of satisfaction of turning the wasted potential of a villain who has been underestimated for literal decades and treated as a "villain of the week" (God do I love the meta narrative of this movie) into an actual competent, well written antagonist that is aware of his reputation and strives towards bettering himself and his powers.

He's also the funniest character of his movie too and the voice acting of Jason Schwartzman only accentuates his mannerisms and pettyness.

He also has the coolest usage of portals I have ever seen and his whole "There's a hole inside all of us" metaphor is simultaneously hilarious and very deep personal information that can only be understood if you put yourself into his shoes.

I can't wait for Beyond the Spiderverse to come out and see how his arc resolves, more importantly, I wonder if he's going to rank higher in the future.

Number 5: Lord Shen (Kung Fu Panda)

"Happiness must be taken. And I'll take mine"

.....

What a character.

What a movie.

You cause so much pain and suffering, because you don't understand the people around you, and then those people banish you, and you can't understand why, so you start to believe that they hated you.

They never loved you, so you keep causing pain and suffering but it's not that easy anymore; the guilt starts to resurface, all those bodies keep piling up, but you can't stop because then it would have all been for nothing; so you keep chasing those dreams of grandeur because that's all you have left; the emptiness in your heart can no longer be filled by love, so you try to fill it with something else.

You try to fill it with power. You try to fill it with glory. You try to take everything else for yourself so that you can fill that cup, but it doesn't work, because that cup has no bottom.

And so you're left... with yourself.

And the damage you've done. But now it's different; you've failed. You are left with nothing. Nothing.

And so you outrage, for the last time... And then it all ends. Forever. And you've finally come to accept this, after all....... Who could ever love you?

Number 4: Spamton G Spamton (Deltarune)

You know, in retrospect, it's kind of insane what Toby Fox managed to achieve when creating Spamton.

Not only because Spamton feels like the most insane combination of ideas ever conceived, but also because Toby Fox created such a complex character with such a complicated language and personality and then not only shafted it all aside for the players to go out of their way to interact, but also made all of this in what are officially 2 or 3 cutscenes at most (4 if you consider his shop encounter as one) and only one of them being truly mandatory.

You spend so little time with Spamton, and most of that time is spent fighting him, and yet by the end of it you've become enlightened by the knowledge of him, that after a while... you forget how scary it all was.

All the memes comparing Spamton with Turbo are 100% correct and justified, Spamton truly is Turbo but better; you go through an insane rollercoaster of emotions with this character that you are left absolutely dumbfounded when it all comes to a stop and you go back to play the rest of chapter 2 normally.

His insane mannerisms and mood swings are pretty funny at first, but once you peel back the layers a bit they reveal a pretty realistic and sad portrayal of mental illness, mania and hysteria coupled with an unhealthy amount of social distancing, loneliness, and abandonment issues, that reinforce into your brain the idea of someone lacking proper healthcare and needing to be locked away from society for their (society) own good, simulating the vicious cycle that Spamton lives by: nobody wants to help him but he's still expected to act like a regular individual despite the amount of hardships he's facing and the lack of a support system keeping him from falling back into his bad habits.

I'll admit, I've considered putting Spamton in place of the Number 3 spot on this list; but then I've realised that on an objective level, the next entry totally deserves to be ranked above Spamton; plus, with at least 5 more chapters of Deltarune on our way, whose to say that one of the next gremlins won't be able to dethrone even the number 1 spot?

Drumroll for our top 3:

Nox, the Watchmaker (Wakfu)

There will never be another experience in my life as cathartic as watching the first season of Wakfu for the first time ever again.

On a later rewatch, the initial problems that you've noticed throughout the first half of the season and a little bit in the second half become too apparent to ignore, but the first time everything that goes from the ball tournament to the finale is one of the best paced arcs of television, and everything that happens when the team reaches the Sadida kingdom is just peak Wakfu.

And the king, the culprit, the crown jewel of properly paced stories and arcs is no other than the sad clockwork dilf himself: Noximilliem Coxen the Watchmaker.

Arguably, the greatest sympathetic villain of all time. There has never been another case of a character who has committed such vile, unspeakable crimes, and yet still managed to make me root for them while simultaneously not putting down the heroes.

And let's not be mistaken here, Nox is pretty evil:

Aside from the generic murder, Nox also defiled and stitched together the corpses of multiple victims and turned them into his obedient puppets in order to commit even more murder and genocide in order to achieve his goals.

Also, this is one of the funniest crimes Nox has committed: he abused his dog. It's really not that hilarious nor is it that important in the context of the show, but if you look back at it from an outside perspective then it's really like: Oh yeah. That happened too. Lol.

One of the best parts of his entire arc is his defeat. The "20 minutes" scene deserves a "One Villainous Scene" coverage video to forever immortalise it amongst the greatest. Everything from the music, the subversiveness, the cinematography, the voice acting and just the general art direction of it is worthy of an Eminem award at the Oscars, there's genuinely nothing wrong with this scene, it's truly immaculate.

Words alone cannot do justice to the treacherous, gut wrenching emotional rollercoaster that is experiencing his story for the first time. An hour long video essay would only serve to cover the basics and fundamentals, while for the real deal you need to watch the first season of Wakfu for yourself.

Number 2:

Bradford Buzzard (DuckTales 2017)

And now it's the perfect time to pull out my final wild card, the hole of the sink of my autism, the masterpiece of wasted potential that is Bradford Buzzard from the DuckTales remake of 2017.

When you'll also see the number 2 spot on my villainesses list, you'll come to realise that this spot is more of the "I really wish I could put this at number one but I can't because objectively he doesn't deserve it and the majority of things I love about him in canon were probably an afterthought and in fanon were never plausible to begin with."

And that's how I feel about Bradford Buzzard, an antagonist I spent more time thinking about than probably anybody else on the Earth.

The show runners were so genius for this: we are going to create an original character that will probably struggle to maintain a foot print on the franchise due to the way the Duck verse works, we'll give him an insanely cool backstory and motivation, all coupled with interesting character traits and ideology, we'll make him the ultimate foil to Scrooge McDuck that has been working with him for literal decades, we'll make him the one who has got the closest to isolating Scrooge and destroying his family, and THEN we'll turn him into a generic anime villain that shoots lasers and fumbles his own plan and loses because of insane plot armour and contrivance. Good job writers.

Anyway, I should probably make the case for why this guy ranks so highly in my mind to the point of almost taking the podium for my most liked villain of all time, especially when compared to the stiff competition that we just went through.

Now, part of it is just because this is a personal top 10 and so I can put whoever I want in whatever order I want. But also, with Bradford in particular, there's a personal aspect of relatability, various interests, and passions all coming together to make him stand out in my brain.

The thing is, I've had a pretty strong connection to Disney's Duck's comic books my entire life, even if my love for them came dwindling over time, so when I finally started watching the Reboot and it was amazing, all of that buried passion and love finally re emerged back to the surface, turning me into an annoying super fan. But while season 1 and 2 were great, season 3 actually gave me something to latch on for the rest of time even after the show had ended: the character of Bradford Buzzard.

You see, DuckTales, both in the shows and comics, always had a plethora of villains; from the crazy, megalomaniacal millionaires, to witches, demons, and other mythological creatures, to power hungry aliens, to straight up super-villains. But while all of that is true, there has never been another villain, aside from Magica, Glomgold and Rockerduck at traits, that was built specifically as the anti Scrooge McDuck, and even further, there has never been another antagonist who challenged the very core ideas and concepts of the entire franchise.

Bradford is like the Frank Grimes of DuckTales: just a regular, average, real world guy who's fed up with the nonsensical constant state at which their fictional universe operates and seeks to correct it in the most logical way possible. And while Frank was ultimately a victim of a world in which he couldn't conform, Bradford's outrageous and extreme plans and methods put him on everybody's hit list until he was left all alone, but not before indirectly causing every major disaster throughout the reboot's runtime.

A cold, calculating, machiavellian mastermind whose impact and presence secretly permeates the show, right till the very end.

Shame he wasn't written better.

And now, for the one and only,

Number 1:

Qilby (Wakfu)

Qilby is the biggest example of an anomaly that you could ever observe in a work of fiction. The first time experiencing a story is the most important and impactful moment of that story, as every future rewatch won't be as good as the first. In particular, this is an important aspect of twist villains, as they can only surprise you the first time, since at future rewatches the twist becomes predictable.

Furthermore, if the twist ends up ruining the character that was established up to this point, or it doesn't make any sense, then the story is kind of ruined and it only gets worse on future rewatches, since now you know that everything that you are seeing right now is ultimately worthless and doesn't provide any value.

So why do we love twist villains and keep churning them out? Well, you see, it's a matter of execution. A bad guy introduced in an unconventional manner is much more memorable than one introduced in a straightforward way; the twist can also serve to showcase different aspects of the character before becoming an obvious obstacle, be it quirks, interests, personality in casual settings, or cunning.

Let's not beat around the bush.

If Nox is the single greatest sympathetic villain of all time, then Qilby is by far the greatest twist villain of all time, and the crazy thing is, that he surprises you two times in a row, at first by revealing himself as more evil than you could ever imagine, and then, by outing himself as more complex than you could have ever anticipated.

Let me paint you the picture: you just finished the first season of Wakfu, and you are still pretty fresh of the hype surrounding Nox, so you think to yourself "Oh, now every future antagonist is ruined because nothing could ever top the emotional gut punch that I just went through. Whatever, I'm going to stick around just to see if the story gets worse" and you start the second season.

So far, everything is normal, even better of the first season in terms of engagement value, but you can't help but feel the lack of a Nox like figure inside of the story, but at this point, you just accept it.

Then the final six episodes roll around and OH MY GOD WHAT IS HAPPENING, HAS THE WHOLE SHOW JUST GONE INSANE?

Somehow, in some mystical, french, magical way, the season 2 finale is arguably even better than the ending of season 1 despite the fight having less buildup and introducing a lot of brand new characters and an entirely irrelevant faction into his conflict.

The entirety of the scene in Emrumb is some of the best writing I have ever experienced in any work of fiction, and the music accompanying it only accentuates the repressed dopamine being released after various episodes of filler, all of them important for this moment to be as impactful as it is.

Qilby is also just a great, tragic character, that is simultaneously an unforgivable bastard that tried to kill his family and doomed his entire race for a family trip, and a sad, nihilistic man still trying to reconcile his love for his family and his need for knowledge and discovery; his curse never truly allows him to move on or relate to others but his ego and need for his forgetful brothers attention just pushes him even further into resentment, ending up damaging himself and those around him, until he's finally isolated again by the vary people he harmed and showed his love towards.

He's as good as the evil secret sibling trope can get and I never get tired of watching him on screen. His reveal scene to Adamai still gives me the chills to this very day and demonstrated me just how good the surprise villain concept can get when it's executed correctly.

Just an all around great show.

[puhpandas]

i just *know* there's gonna be people who will be disgruntled to play HW2 if Gregory is indeed the protag. i can just hear the "ugh, why does the feral gremlin murderer have to be back? 🙄" now.

LET GREGORY COME IN FULL SWOOP LIKE THE TINY BADASS HE IS!!!

if ppl get that genuinely upset about it then maybe the story with the literal protagonist being Gregory isnt for them. at that point their arguments or opinions arent worth listening to and it's their fault they stick around with a story they dont even like and shit talk it all the while

[cityofmeliora]

another absolutely insane Primo interview

in my first post about Primo's characterization, i noted that he has a dark sense of humor and possibly cruel inclinations. i recently found scans of a April 2012 Metal Hammer interview that features Primo and a Nameless Ghoul (big thanks to @ Primoismelting on twitter!!) i can now say with absolute certainly that he delights in evil and cruelty and being a villain.

this interview is like. really long. so i'm not posting a whole transcript. but here some highlights from this interview:

Primo says he would maim a panda bear for less than $500.

THERE ARE VARIOUS MEANS OF ASSESSING WHETHER SOMEONE IS EVIL OR NOT You don't need to wait until a person plunges a rusty pair of gardening shears through your eye to stop and think: "Yes, my reading of the situation is that he's a bit on the evil side." Criminal psychologists and those working in secure psychiatric facilities use questionnaires called psychopathy tests in order to judge whether someone is a grade A violent nutcase or not... whether they're mad or simply bad. Today's two subjects from the occult rock band Ghost – a sinister figure shrouded in robes who answers only to the title of A Nameless Ghoul and a desiccated cadaverous fiend wearing the pope's robes and mitre, called Papa Emeritus – have agreed to sit ARE YOU EVIL? 101. We tell them, "No one will ever find out. Tell me how much money it would take to persuade you to hit a panda really hard in the face with a brick." Despite his voice being disguised by electronic effects to help preserve his identity, the disgust in the Nameless Ghoul's answer is audible: "It would take a lot of money. An insurmountable amount of money." But you would not kill the panda – probably just fuck its nose up a bit. And I have a Large amount of money to offer you. But the Ghoul will not budge and is clearly appalled: "I will pass thank you. I have no desire to hit a panda in the face with a brick." Papa Emeritus pauses for what feels like an eternity before croaking: "One. Million. Lire.” A willingness to harm animals is often judged to be an indicator of psychotic behaviour. Most people would never agree to hit the unfortunate bamboo-eating, sex-phobic, monochromatic bear on the hooter. Papa is not only happy to do it but he also knows a Gene Simmons-sized business opportunity when he sees one, yet the Ghoul on the other hand has revealed he has a more moral outlook. This is very confusing. Another test is needed. Metal Hammer (April 2012)

the Italian Lira is a now-obsolete currency that was phased out and replaced by the Euro from 1999-2002. in 2001, its last year of usage, it had an average conversion rate of roughly ~2180 Lire = 1 USD. 1 million Lire would be about $460 USD. Primo dgaf about endangered animals LMAO.

Primo reacts with sinister glee at the idea of invading and conquering Poland. (understandably, this is the interview where a Nameless Ghoul compares him to H*tler.)

We put the following to them, "OK, consider this. You are passing by Poland. Do you stop and think A) What a fantastic opportunity, I must visit this famous land and soak up its rich culture and history and make new friends in the process, or B) I must annex this God-forsaken strip of dirt and grind its populace under the heel of my jackboot in order to create Lebensraum for my Reich which will reign in glory for a millennium?" The Nameless Ghoul stammers: "I have yet to step foot in Poland so it's a foreign country to me." Stop avoiding the question. Would you sooner visit Poland for a holiday or invade it? He sighs and says: "In my line of work we are pretty much into invading countries. Being a rock musician with the aim of putting on a very good show all around the world, it would be very handicapping to not explore the cultural aspects of countries you visit. But when you are in a band such as Ghost that's on the rise and you go to a country like Poland, you go there with the aim of conquering the country. You go to their country to enrich them with your culture of blasphemy.” Papa Emeritus does not add anything but he is grinning as much as his rigor mortis will allow and rubbing his hands together. It looks like in his mind he is already packing his bags and choosing a particularly severe tank commander's outfit for the trip. Again there is a big divide between the mysterious monk and his partially decayed singer. The conclusion of the test is far from clear. Could it be – as strange as it may seem – that they are nothing more threatening than ordinary travelling minstrels who simply wish to excite young people with an invigorating and theatrical "rock show"? Or are they indeed, as they claim, emissaries sent from Hades to recruit foot soldiers for the most evil of battles to come? More tests are needed. Metal Hammer (April 2012)

Primo has no problem with being compared to H*tler, but he DOES NOT want you to forget that his dick is HUGE.

The Nameless Ghoul says this is partially the point: "A lot of people presume we're parodying the church by inverting it but this isn't the case. We do the exact same thing as the church but we add a little topping to make a point. I think the real Pope is a very frightening character and that's the reason why he is an impenetrable, invincible and uncontrollable figure. It is the same with Papa Emeritus. You can't defeat Papa Emeritus because he's sacred. Most people find authoritative figures like the Pope enthralling. So he represents everything that is sacred, powerful and authoritative. It is very humorous as well, because not only is he our own Eddie, he's also Freddie Mercury, Adolf Hitler, Dracula, Marlon Brando and the Pope rolled into one.” Anger rouses Papa Emeritus from his near slumber: "Don't forget John Holmes!" The Nameless Ghoul sighs and corrects himself, throwing the 13 -inch-cocked porn star into the mix: "He is like Freddie Mercury, Adolf Hitler, Dracula, Marlon Brando, The Pope and John Holmes rolled into one.” Metal Hammer (April 2012)

Primo fucks, but he DOES NOT do foreplay.

"Thank you," says Papa E. It has to be said, while the singer no doubt cuts quite a figure in his robes and he undeniably has great bone structure, some of which is exposed to the elements, it's perhaps a shame that he doesn't have a better grooming routine as this might afford him and Ghost more young female fans. The Ghoul laughs raucously beneath his hood: "You'd be surprised at how many women flirt scandalously with him from the audience. The Ghouls get repelled when we see this happening actually. It is true that he has good bone structure but I think it is not so much his looks as the idea of him being whoever they want…” So basically you're saying that there are a lot of women out there who are having impure thoughts about a cadaverous cross between Hitler and Freddie Mercury in a dress? He lets out another chuckle: "Yes... yes, I am." Papa cuts in with a lascivious leer: "Whatever makes you think that I do not engulf myself in the carnal aftermath of our masses? I do, however, refrain from so-called 'foreplay'."

in the original lore, Papa Emeritus I was a zombie pope. he was supposed to be an actual literal corpse.

the interview makes several references to Primo being a zombie. he's described as 'cadaverous', having rigor mortis and exposed bones. the joke was that the title "Papa Emeritus" is the title of former popes, but a former pope would by definition be a dead pope, so the idea was that Ghost's Papa Emeritus I was a dead pope. this was before Pope Benedict resigned in 2013 and became the first living Pope Emeritus, ruining the joke, LOL.

[visions-and-voices]

Һɛꝇꝇᴏ. ı ɑ꧑ թɑꞃᑯᴏɾɑ ɾᴏ᥉ıɛɾ

ꋖꀍꏹꌚꏹ ꃴꁏꀤꇃꏹꌚ ꅐꁏꋊꋖ ꒒ꏹꁲꃴꏹ ꂵꏹ ꁲ꒒ꁏꋊꏹ

as you just read, my name is pandora rosier. feel free to call me dora, panda, or any variation of that. i don't really care.

i am the singer for the band, phoenix. My record label is albus records.

I may be a bit spacey, weird, or "odd", but who isn't?

some things that i'm fond of are singing, tea, daydreaming, the voices, writing songs, writing in general, reading, exploring the mysteries of the world, collecting things, bugs, and my cat.

some things that I am not fond of are people who are cruel or judge others, close-minded people, when the library's books are out of order, lack of table manners (*cough* ev *cough*), music haters, and chairs screeching.

ɱƴ ɗ⍺ɽȴίȵɠ ɓ⍺ȵɗɱ⍺ȶⱸ᥉:

@evtherose -- ev, my younger brother who is simultaneously the most annoying human on the planet and also one of the only people who truly gets me <3 (if you hurt him I will not hesitate to dismember your body and feed it to your family)

@fuckmeadose -- cas, my really hot best friend and fellow singer. I love her with my whole heart and would actually kill someone if she told me to. (she's literally a goddess)

@the-worlds-smallest-violin -- reg, my other best friend. he may look and act intimidating, but don't be fooled, he is wonderful. (he also sort of reminds me of a cat)

@lunar--lupin -- rem, very cool looking and an absolute sweetie. the best baking buddy and I love him dearly. (is kind of intimidating at first though)

@cheriecurrieisthatyou @therosesonlyfan @sirius-in-the-stands @number-one-sun

ooc: this is an rp account run by @percyweasleyapologist , if you don't like, don't interact. contact @coolestbandrpintheblock

[ophanum]

Hi!!! I love the way you write by the way! I get embarrassed to request but you seem you don't shame so could you do a Tai lung x fem dog reader smut. Can you make Reader chubby and is embarrassed to show any body part and thinks Tai is embarrassed of reader and doesn't like them anymore since they gained weight a bit and they weren't as skinny as they were before

IF YOU WRITE THIS THANK YOU SO MUCH! I hope you have a good day I would give you a huge hug ( not in a weird way) THANK YOU POOKIE!!!

BIRTHDAY CAKE - ! Kung Fu Panda

ft. Tai Lung x Chubby! Dog! Fem! Reader

"Want you to live like the world's on fire, Want you to love like hearts don't break" - Birthday Cake by Alexander Stewart and Dylan Conrique

Note: Thank you for your kind words! I'm so glad you enjoy my writing, and rest assured, I never judge—this is a safe space for your creativity and ideas. This is such a wonderful idea, because for one based on Tai Lung's character, he's more of a decisive person. If this is what he thinks will happen, it will inevitably happen, according to him. So when he chooses his significant other, for sure, he is rock solid on that decision. And no amount of change in appearance would change his mind.

Reader’s insecurities about her weight lead her to believe Tai Lung is ashamed of her, but he proves just how deeply he adores her—inside and out.

You had been avoiding Tai Lung for days now. Ever since you’d noticed the extra softness in your figure, you couldn’t shake the thought that he must have noticed, too. And what if he didn’t like it?

The thought gnawed at you like a shadowy beast, its claws scraping against the edges of your mind. Your reflection in the mirror seemed to warp, features blurring under the heat of your spiraling thoughts.

The idea of him seeing you like this—less toned, less perfect—made your chest tighten. You couldn’t bear the thought of him being disappointed, or worse, embarrassed to be with you. So you started wearing looser clothes and kept your distance, hiding your body from his golden, piercing gaze.

But Tai Lung wasn’t one to let things slide.

When you returned to your shared space one evening, you found him waiting for you, arms crossed and tail flicking impatiently. His eyes locked onto yours, intense but unreadable.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” he said bluntly. “Why?”

You froze, clutching the fabric of your oversized top. “I… I haven’t,” you stammered, though your voice betrayed you.

He raised an eyebrow. “Don’t lie to me, [Name]. You’ve barely looked at me all week. What’s going on?”

You hesitated, the words caught in your throat. How could you explain it? That you felt like you weren’t enough for him anymore? That every time you caught sight of yourself, all you could think about was how much better you used to look?

Finally, you dropped your gaze, mumbling, “I just… I don’t think you’d want to see me like this.”

His ears twitched, and he took a step closer. “Like what?”

“Like…” You gestured vaguely at yourself, frustration bubbling up. “This! I’m not the same as I was before. I’ve gained weight, Tai. I’m not as fit or… or attractive anymore.” Your voice cracked, and you felt tears pricking at your eyes. “And I thought… maybe you were embarrassed of me now.”

The room fell silent for a moment, the air thick with your words. Tai felt a flicker in his stomach when you said his nickname, only you get to call him that. Then Tai Lung moved, closing the distance between you in a few swift strides.

“Embarrassed?” he repeated, his voice low with disbelief. His paws gently gripped your shoulders, forcing you to meet his gaze." [Name], how could you think that?”

You shrugged helplessly, tears spilling over. “Because... look at me! I’m not the same dog you fell in love with, I gained weight and lost it, I'm not disciplined as I was before- I'm despicable. And you… you’re perfect, Tai. You deserve someone who—”

“Stop,” he interrupted, his tone firm but not unkind. His hands forming into fist. Those calloused but gentle hands never had the time to relax, always curling itself back when pressure is given to the body. Your eyes lingered on it, then to his yellow eyes, which you know could cause some damage to your mental well-being if given the right amount of emotion. And now he was giving her none at this moment. Which was strangely uncharacteristic. Tai always knew what he wanted and he will show it without hesitation. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence.”

Before you could say another word, he pulled you into his arms, his grip strong but tender. You felt his breath against your ear as he murmured, “I don’t care if you’ve gained weight or not. I care about you.”

You never stutter, do you? You thought joked melancholously

You tried to pull away, embarrassed, but he held you tighter. “Listen to me,” he said, his voice softening. “You’re beautiful. Every curve, every inch of you. And if you can’t see that, I’ll remind you every single day until you do.”

Your breath hitched as he leaned back, his eyes scanning your face with an intensity that made your heart race. “You think I’m perfect?” he said, a smirk tugging at his lips as his eyes darted for a moment at the corner of the room in disbelief and a sense of astonishment. “Then trust me when I say this: you’re everything I could ever want. And more.”

His paws slid down to your waist, his touch firm yet reverent. “Let me show you,” he murmured, his voice dropping to a low rumble.

You barely had time to process his words before he tilted your chin up, capturing your lips in a kiss that stole your breath. It was slow and deliberate, his tongue brushing against yours as he coaxed you to relax against him.

“Let me see you,” he whispered when he pulled away. Your breath hitched and was inconsistent. His eyes darted from your eyes to your agape lips. His paws trailing down to the hem of your shirt. “All of you.”

You hesitated, giving a small, light grunt. Your insecurities flaring up again, closing your eyes shut. But the look in his—a mix of adoration and desire—made your walls crumble, scrunching your brows in disbelief of him. Slowly, you allowed him to lift your shirt, revealing the soft curves you had been so desperate to hide.

Tai Lung’s gaze never wavered. If anything, it grew warmer, his lips parting as if to say something, but instead, he leaned down to kiss your shoulder, then your collarbone.

“You’re gorgeous,” he murmured between kisses, his claws tracing patterns along your sides. “So soft, so perfect…”

You gave a small chuckle. "Don't think I've heard those words before?"

"I don't care about any of that. Tonight I want to show you... show you that these mere words are nothing to my worship."

You gasped as his lips moved lower, trailing kisses down your stomach, his paws kneading the flesh of your hips with a reverence that made your cheeks burn. “Tai…”

He looked up at you, a playful smirk on his lips. “What? I’m just appreciating what’s mine.”

Tai Lung’s kisses grew more deliberate, his lips trailing along your stomach as his paws caressed your hips with reverence. You shivered under his touch, a mixture of nervousness and longing swirling in your chest.

“You’re stunning,” he murmured, his voice deep and husky as his claws teased the waistband of your bottoms. “Do you have any idea what you do to me?”

You opened your mouth to protest, but he silenced you with a kiss, his tongue exploring yours with unrestrained passion. His paws gripped your thighs, squeezing gently as if to anchor himself to you.

“Let me show you how much I love every inch of you,” he whispered against your lips, his voice rough with desire.

With a gentle but firm touch, he began removing the rest of your clothing, taking his time as if unwrapping a gift. You instinctively moved to cover yourself, but he caught your wrists, pinning them above your head with one paw.

“Don’t hide from me,” he said, his gaze locking onto yours. The intensity in his golden eyes sent a thrill through you. “You’re beautiful, [Name]. Let me prove it to you.”

He pressed his lips to your neck, kissing and nibbling along your pulse point before moving lower. His mouth worshipped every curve and dip of your body, his paws exploring your softness as if he couldn’t get enough.

When his kisses reached your thighs, he paused, glancing up at you with a smirk that made your breath catch. “Relax,” he murmured, his voice a low growl. “Let me take care of you.”

Before you could respond, his mouth found the most sensitive part of you, his tongue moving with deliberate precision. It was rough, his paws grabbed your thighs with his nails grazing your skin. He lapped at your heated sex, the juices made him drown like a bee to a queen's nectar. He couldn't have any other way. You were his and everything that comes within you. Gasp escaped your lips as your back arched, your hands tangling in his fur. He chuckled softly, the vibration sending shivers through your body. His eyes looked up and sent a soft, raving look. Melting to one of your sounds. He was indeed drunk off of you.

“That’s it,” he murmured, his voice filled with adoration. “Let me hear you.”

His paw slid up to your waist, holding you firmly as he continued his ministrations. The tension in your body built quickly, each flick of his tongue pushing you closer to the edge. When you finally fell apart beneath him, he didn’t stop, drawing out every wave of pleasure until you were trembling.

Tai Lung moved back up your body, his lips finding yours in a heated kiss. You could taste yourself on him, the thought making your cheeks burn.

“You’re incredible,” he whispered, his voice thick with desire. “But I’m not done with you yet.”

He shed the last of his clothing, his powerful frame towering over you. He chuckled at himself for his silliness, you gave him a smile. Despite his strength, his touch was gentle as he positioned himself between your thighs, his gaze searching yours for permission.

“Are you ready?” he asked, his voice softer now, almost reverent.

You nodded, your heart pounding as you wrapped your arms around his neck. “Yes,” you whispered, and that was all he needed.

He entered you slowly, giving you time to adjust to his size. The sensation was overwhelming, a mix of pleasure and intimacy that left you breathless. Tai Lung’s paws gripped your hips, his movements controlled as he began to rock into you.

“You feel amazing,” he groaned, his forehead resting against yours. “So perfect… just for me.”

His pace quickened, each thrust sending sparks of pleasure through your body. He watched your every reaction, his eyes filled with a mixture of love and desire that made your chest ache.

“Don’t hold back,” he murmured, his paw sliding down to intertwine with yours. “I want all of you.”

As the heat between you built, you clung to him, your moans filling the room. Tai Lung’s name spilled from your lips as you reached your peak again, the intensity of your release making your vision blur.

He followed shortly after, his grip tightening as he buried himself deep inside you, a low growl rumbling from his chest. For a moment, neither of you moved, your bodies tangled together as you caught your breath.

Tai Lung pressed a soft kiss to your forehead, his paw brushing stray strands of hair from your face. “You’re perfect,” he whispered, his voice filled with conviction.

You smiled shyly, your insecurities melting away in the warmth of his embrace. “I love you,” you murmured, and he smiled, pulling you closer.

“And I love you,” he replied, his tail curling around your leg. “Exactly as you are.”

The rest of the night passed in a haze of whispered praises and gentle touches. Tai Lung took his time, worshipping every part of you with a patience and tenderness that made your heart ache. He made sure you knew—without a doubt—that he adored you just as you were.

And by the time you fell asleep in his arms, his tail wrapped securely around your waist, you finally believed him.

[the-s1lly-corner]

tadc cast(any of them is fine) reacting to s/o that uses singing to cope with their daily stress? like theres a karaoke room for it bonus if they sing death metal or real dark stuff that arent very child friendly so theres a lot of censors love your work!

Gangle, Kinger, and Caine x a reader who sings to cope!

Since you specified any characters I went ahead and chose characters i think would pair well with this !! Hope that's alright!

Typing this up on mobile, cant sleep so may as well write !!

This reminds me of that one

Show

I forgot the name of it

The one with the red panda gal who does karaoke stuff to decompress

Need to finish watch that, never got past season one!!

CAINE:

Ive said this so many times for caine but he is your number one fan, even in your times of sreess and need, hes going to put his entire being into supporting you! Even if... some of the songs you sing go against the child friendly part of the circus... though it you need alone time to sing your feelings out, I think he would respect it!

I think he would push you to keep doing it if it helps you relieve feelings

KINGER:

Honestly they are all very chill and normal about it, with a world like this you need to find any way you can to cope in order to not abstract

Sure I think the shift in demeanor from your sweet personality to you swearing up a storm while nearly screaming into the mic throws him off the first time, who is he to judge you ?

I think he would try to help you find a different means of coping since this way rips your digital vocal cords up real bad

GANGLE:

I think if she were to accidentally walk into the karaoke room caine recently installed, and caught you going absolutely ham on the mic I think she would just

Quickly apologize for walking in on your private time... though I think it would be funny for gangle to also sing her feelings out... oooo stress duet... sounds nice but also tiring since you're both popping off with your entire beings

She joins you and you guys de-stress together

[thesoccerenthusiast]

Big, Long Video Game Review: I Played Sly Cooper 4: Thieves in Time...

One of my first-ever games I got on the PlayStation when I was a kid was Sly Cooper 2: Band of Thieves.

I can't remember if it was technically my game or my brother's game, but either way, that was one of the first games I had. Along with Jak and Daxter, my love for platforming was born from these games. When I got older — and got a PlayStation Now subscription as a full-fledged adult — I finally got a chance to play the other games: Sly 1 (Thievius Raccoonus), Sly 3 (Honor Among Thieves) and, finally, Sly 4 (Thieves in Time).

I had seen a lot of YouTube videos and reviews over the years of the infamous Sly 4. Of course, it didn't take a genius to figure out that a lot was different: the art style, the graphics, the mission-types and the developer.

The reviews were mainly negative about the game, but I'm the type of person that doesn't want to judge something unless I've played it myself. So I began to forget all of the reviews I read and jumped into the game.

Let's rip the band-aid off... I loved it.

I'm sure that may come as a shock to folks in the Sly Cooper Community, because a wide majority absolutely despise this game. But, I really enjoyed it. Of course, there are some things that are head-scratch worth (hi, Penelope and Murray's writing), but overall, I enjoyed the story, I absolutely adored the ancestors and the graphics were truly something to behold.

So, if you're intrigued, take a look at my favorite things, my not-so-favorite things and my overall thoughts on the game!

Thumbs Up: The Ancestors

In Sly 3, I didn't really care for the new playable characters. Nothing thrilled me about Penelope, up until her boss-battle with LeFwee, the Panda King's movement and firework controls were just annoying, the Guru was alright but the controls were kind of janky and Dimitri's missions were groan-worthy. But, in Sly 4, I really enjoyed playing as the ancestors.

The best ancestor, in my opinion, is Tennessee "Kid" Cooper. His gun mechanic is really good and actually pretty solid from a game-play point of view. The crack shot was a fun tool and I enjoyed the puzzles you had to do with it. My second favorite was Riochi Cooper. His moves were pretty standard and the special ninja jump move wasn't anything to write home about, but his lines were so good and I really enjoyed his stealth-slam technique with the ninja stars.

I'd give the next spot to Sir Galleth Cooper. I wish you got to use the sword more, but his high jump was fun when having to overcome the obstacles in the hub world and on missions. At the end of the game, Galleth's section where he has to get Tennessee's cane back was my favorite to play. Fourth, I'd give it to Bob Cooper. The ability to climb on ice was a lot of fun in the hub world. Although his movement was a bit heavy.

Last but not least, Salim Al-Kupar. His ability to speed-climb the poles wasn't super unique, because if you put the thief costume on Sly, he can climb up the poles with the ability to slow down time. The other costumes didn't give Sly the same abilities as the ancestors, so that knocks some points off Salim. Although his lines were great. "Ugh... again with the climbing?"

Go take a nap, Salim.

The best part about the ancestors is that they all have a personality. They're not stagnant. You have a hot-headed Galleth, a wise ninja with Riochi, a cocky know-it-all with Tennessee, a grumpy ol' Salim and an excited Bob.

How can you not love Riochi's conversation with Murray when they're at the Geisha house? Or Tennessee's first meeting with Sly, when he thinks the latter is 'funnin' on his family name? Or how about Bob's cutscenes where he's playing with Bentley's technology?

Their personalities are great, and I will not stand for any ancestor slander!

Thumbs Up: The Platforming

Gosh, I miss good-old-fashioned platformers. Sly Cooper has always been a game based on platforming. Of course, this was most evident in Sly 1. But, Sly 4 really returns to a big platforming focus. There isn't a lot of mini-games — sans the training segment with Bob Cooper.

It even seems like Bentley's hacking has been toned down a bit. You really increase the hacking missions when you want to 100 percent the game, as the masks are hidden in the 'arcade' machine.

Doing the platforming in Riochi's sushi shop, Madame Geisha's house, Tennessee's mission where he gets his gun back and Galleth's missions overall, were a lot of fun. My favorite hub-world to find masks was Galleth, as the different towers had a lot of platforming variants. It was a lot of fun.

Thumbs Up: The Clue Bottles and Treasures

They're back! I gotta be honest, the fact that this game has clue bottles and treasure immediately shoots it up on my Sly Cooper rankings — those are at the end, stay tuned!

The clue bottles were always my favorite part of Sly 2, and you have to get them in Sly 1 to get much-needed power ups for upcoming missions. Having them back in Sly 4 was a great decision by Sanzaru. And, they were hard to find! I remember really struggling in the Old West for it to be literally on top of a rock. Prehistoric times also provided a bit of a challenge, along with Arabia. Really well done by the creators to put them in tough spots.

And the treasures were awesome. I remember it taking me a while — i.e. merry ol' England — to figure out that you needed the Samurai suit to blast the doors. The fact that you have to go back and use the costumes to get the treasures is great, too. Really a nice touch for those who want to 100 percent the game.

The masks were a good addition too. I really didn't like that there were some in the arcade game, but at least it gave the game a purpose (unlike the random ping-pong table). I also just hated the Bentley missions where he was a shooter, so that might be a 'me' criticism. But, the masks were a good add, and I liked that they were in mission levels, too. Well done, Sanzaru.

Thumbs Up: The Costumes Have a Purpose

In Sly 3, you got costumes to basically walk in front of guards and then talk to them. First and foremost, I'm glad that this game got rid of the thought-bubble 'challenges' where you have to pick the next piece of dialogue. That was exhausting in Sly 3.

Anyway, the costumes have a real purpose in Sly 4. In Japan, you get a Samurai suit that is flame-resistant and can launch fireball attacks back. In the Old West, you get a jailbird costume that is probably lowest on my list: you get to walk on a ball and use the ball to move cages and stuff. In the Prehistoric times, you get a sabertooth tiger suit that allows you cyclone pounce on enemies. In England, you get an archer's outfit, equipped with a bow. Finally, in Arabia, you get a thief costume with a giant sword and the ability to slow down time.

My favorite costume is probably the archer costume, as it's the most practical. Going back to other time periods and finding buckets of arrows is a treat. We'll just ignore that it took me seven tries to get the bottle of Merlin's Magic with the shooting game.

Thumbs Up: Carmelita's Inclusion

OK, obviously the bellydancing mission wasn't the best — whoever thought of that should be stoned, frankly — but other than that, I really enjoyed Carmelita in this game.

Although, quick criticism out of the way: I didn't care for Grey DeLisle voicing Carmelita in this game. I love Grey, and am a huge fan of her performances as Azula in Avatar: The Last Airbender, Kimiko in Xiaolin Showdown and so many more, but her Carmelita was... meh. I would say it's better than Sly 2's performance, but not better than Sly 1 or Sly 3.

But anyway, I loved her inclusion. The mission where she had to take down the three-headed mechanical dragon was great, and the writing between her and Galleth was so smooth. I loved how Sly got jealous. I've seen a lot of people say that Sly calling Galleth "sir goof" was out of character, since he's always respected the ancestors. While that respect is true, I don't think it's out of character. He's the jealous type, our little thieving raccoon. Carmelita was pushing his buttons and gamers already saw that Sly had an annoyance with the hot-headed Galleth.

The mission where she teamed up with Tennessee to rescue the Cooper Gang out of prison was really good too. I liked the back-and-forth between Carmelita for the shooting and Tennessee for the platforming. *Chef's kiss*

The ending of the game had a scene where you can see how much Sly and Carmelita care for each other, and then when Carmelita does her own search for Sly? Man, it's so good. Carmelita's character was really solid in Sly 4, in my opinion.

Thumbs Up: The Animated Cut Scenes & Chapter Scenes

Were the comic-book style animations in Sly 1, 2 and 3 amazing? Absolutely. Was the animated scenes in Sly 4 also really good? Yes.

I loved the art style. I can understand if it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I really enjoyed it. The cut-scenes in the game were also really smooth. I thought some were unnecessary — take Riochi's sushi shop, where there's a cutscene when he opens the last door, you take a few steps and turn on the lights and then it's another cutscene — but for the most part, I thought they were done well.

And while the cutscenes in Murray and Riochi's mission inside Madame Geisha's house were funny — Riochi had the best facial expressions, as shown above — they interrupted the game play in the sense of buttons had to be hit as soon as a cutscene ended. Other than that, I loved it.

Thumbs Up: The Hub Worlds & Design In General

Gosh, this game is gorgeous. I mean, its graphics are really something. My favorite level is definitely Feudal Japan, with Medieval England being a close second. The way the moonlight shines enough for you to see details around the level, but also keep the stealthy-nighttime setting is perfection.

Even the daytime levels look great. The clean, sleekness of the Prehistoric times level is a nice touch and the Old West looks and feels like... the old West! Arabia is beautiful, with all the vibrant colors. Also, we can't forget the Paris rooftops. I love the continuity of keeping Paris in these games.

I'll also add the music in this section. Peter McConnell is back doing the soundtrack and I think he had a lot of fun with using different time periods and cultures for the music in these levels. The Medieval England soundtrack is definitely my favorite of the bunch.

*********

Alright, now it's time for the things I didn't particularly care for.

Thumbs Down: The F'ing Loading Screens

The waits with the loading screen were loooooooong. Coming from a Sly 1, 2 and 3 that didn't have this issue, this was a rough transition. Platformers of this time didn't have loading screens like this. Granted, I've never played Ratchet and Clank (that's next), but the Jak series never had these issues. It was a total shame to see Sly have such long, drawn out loading screens.

Thumbs Down: Murray's Character "Arc"

Sly and Bentley were characters that underwent some massive development in the first three games. But, out of everyone in the Cooper Gang, Murray had the best story in the trilogy.

He went from being the 'fat guy' of the bunch who only wanted snacks in Sly 1, and was generally a nuisance in that game, to being "The Murray" in Sly 2. Opening up Sly 2 with this newfound confidence was a big positive to Murray's character. You got to see that confidence throughout the entire game — even after being an experiment to the Contessa. At the end of the game, Murray helps Bentley. And moving to the third game, you see him leaving the gang and grappling with guilt over his friend's injury.

His journey in the third game is really special. He vows to live a peaceful life with meditation and training by his guru. However, Bentley gets hurt by Don Octavio, and 'The Murray' returns. "I'm going to floss my teeth with your spine." Murray is back and better than ever. In the third game, he really grows.

And in the fourth game? He's back to the 'fat guy' who loves snacks and can punch things. The Sanzaru writers give him this weird character arc, if you want to call it that. He can't climb up an ice wall... so they bring the ice-climbing Bob Cooper in. All of a sudden, Murray feels useless and is depressed — Bentley even tells him to come back for a snack at the safe house. At the end of the level, Murray is the hero, beating The Grizz all on his own. Everyone gives him praise. Murray says he's been a screw up. Bentley goes on this monologue about how everyone makes mistakes. Yawn.

Murray has the least exciting missions, in my opinion, in Sly 4, and that's really a shame considering how useful he was in Sly 3. Who can forget the mission where he gets his beloved van back? The Geisha mission was funny, don't get me wrong, but Murray seemed like the character that Sanzaru didn't know what to do with. That's a shame.

Thumbs Down: The Boss Fights

Talk about yawn. The boss fights weren't anything to write home about. In terms of difficulty, The Grizz was probably the toughest — and I only say that because of the ice blocks and the limited time you have to hit Grizz with them.

El Jefe was a fine boss fight but, again, not very tough. Toothpick was annoying, and everyone rolled their eyes by the second, third and fourth time he yelled, "Who turned on that blasted whistle!?" Grizz was already mentioned, but the whole 'I want to be a figure skater' was ... weird. It came out of nowhere. Penelope — uh, ahem, the Black Knight — was a snoozefest. Miss Decibel provided some challenge with the thief costume, but was otherwise another easy boss.

And don't even get me started on the joke that was the Le Paradox 'boss' fight at the end. Talk about easy.

The Bosses backstories were fun enough — particularly how Decibel was making fake lineage papers for Le Paradox, or how an Eastern European thug like Toothpick loved the old West — but the fights? Pretty darn lame.

Here's how I rank the boss fights in terms of difficulty: (1) The Grizz, (2) El Jefe, (3) Miss Decibel, (4) Penelope/The Black Knight, (5) Toothpick and (6) Le Paradox.

Thumbs Down: Penelope... To an Extent.

Penelope turning against the Cooper Gang isn't that shocking — and it wasn't a bad move by Sanzaru in Sly 4.

OK, let me give you a second to catch your breath.

Listen, Penelope is prone to doing this. She is a liar when you first meet her, after all. She claims to want to bring down the Black Barron and help the Cooper Gang, and then she's revealed to be the Black Barron. She ditches that life and joins the Cooper Gang. Eventually, she falls for Bentley and the rest is history.

Then, in Sly 4, you find out that Bentley and Penelope were making a time machine and suddenly, she disappeared. I don't mind this twist. It's a nice twist in the game and it sets you up for another betrayal by the RC specialist.

Before we get to the actual revelation of the betrayal, the game kind of spoils it that Penelope is the Black Knight. First off, "Black Barron" and "Black Knight" are pretty similar monikers. But also, during one of the load screens, it's shoved in your face that "Penelope once disguised herself as a the Black Barron." I don't know about anyone else, but i felt like I got this loading screen a bunch during the Medieval England level... before the revelation.

Now, let's talk about the revelation. The scene plays out that she hops out of the Black Knight machinery to get some air. Bentley, doing some maneuvering in the ceiling rafters, sees her. She goes into this ramble:

"If only Bentley hadn't been brainwashed by Cooper's 'honorable thief' nonsense, we could have made billions in weapon design! The two most brilliant minds on the planet working together? We could have owned the world! No matter. Once Cooper's out of the way, he'll see things my way. Poor Bentley, he's kinda cute when he's being dumb."

I don't hate this! This is actually really good! I've seen on Reddit that it's about a year between Sly 3 and Sly 4. Penelope probably had an idea in her head that she and Bentley were going to make a time machine and really cash in. That didn't happen. She got frustrated and she left. Not the way I would have done it, but it's not out of character for Penelope. She literally disguised herself as a grown man to get her way and be in a flying tournament.

But here's where the issue lies. When she and Bentley are speaking during the boss fight, there is a major contradiction. Take a look below.

The big issue: Bentley calls out Penelope for leaving him and joining Le Paradox for the money. And Penelope tells him, "No, you're not listening. He's just a means to an end." Uh... yeah, that's literally exactly what Bentley said. Le Paradox being a means to an end means that he is a cash cow to Penelope.

And Bentley hit it on the spot. Le Paradox was going to dump Penelope, whether she succeeded against the Cooper Gang or not. At the end, when Le Paradox describes the new machine he uses for time travel, he says, "Look at this, my marvelous contraption: The Time Tunnel. Something else I had your little friend Penelope develop before her unfortunate failure."

Cyrille Le Paradox only sees Penelope as someone who makes stuff for him. That's it. Who knows if he was even going to pay her.

Needless to say, the one line of dialogue about being a "means to an end" could have been taken out, and I wouldn't have hated this decision by Sanzaru. But, with the addition, it creates more headache than necessary.

Thumbs Down: The Never-Ending Talking

Some of the things that the characters say is pretty funny. I think there's a line where Tennessee says that getting in the thick of a fight is more fun than square-dancing with a donkey. But the talking is never-ending, even in the run of play. This is a game about stealth. It's not about listening to the characters talk every 10 seconds.

Also, let's add this note in this section: Sly is way too cocky in this game. And his lack of seriousness can get annoying. When he comes face-to-face with Le Paradox for the first time in Arabia, his first words to him are, "And may you always stay downwind."

There's been so much that has happened up until this point... and the first thing that Sly can do is make fun of Le Paradox for being a skunk?

Even in the boss fights, the talking is just too much. "I don't know what's scarier: El Jefe, or his bad jokes." "Hey Penelope! I think I saw some rust spots!" And let's not forget the 80 million times you hear this phrase: "Here comes the Grizz!"

Final Thoughts on Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time

This game is not perfect, but I think a lot of things were done right with Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time.

I really love the look of the game, from the graphics to the cutscenes to the designs of the ancestors and the locations. The story is pretty compelling for the most part and I love the idea of Cyrille Le Paradox wanting to erase the Cooper's from history because Sly's dad cucked his dad — thief-wise, that is.

The writing could use some work. Undoubtedly. But I'm playing Sly 4 for the game play and a compelling story, and I got that. I really enjoyed this game, despite the rough ending and lame Le Paradox boss fight.

I don't blame Sanzaru for the cliffhanger as Sony really screwed over franchises during the 2010s. Evidently the creators were expected to at least have a DLC to solve the 'Sly in Egypt' issue, but the promise was broken.

I enjoyed the game. I would definitely enjoy replaying it. I hope we do, one day, get a Sly 5 to figure out how to get our thieving Raccoon out of Egypt.

I would give Sly Cooper (4): Thieves in Time... a score of 4.5/5.

[drabbles-mc]

Stomping Grounds

Mike Duarte x F!Reader

Summary: Months after everything between you and Mike crumbled in the worst of ways, the two of you are put face-to-face all over again.

Warnings: 18+, language, alcohol, light angst

Word Count: 2.7k

A/N: What can I say??? I catch up on SVU and immediately decide that canon has no place here 😂 This is my first SVU fic, and by extension my first Duarte fic. I already want to write more for him lmao but one thing at a time

SVU Taglist (currently just tagging other people I've seen write or enjoy SVU things lol): @the-hinky-panda @bullet-prooflove @nessamc @proceduralpassion (If you want to be added to any of my taglists, please let me know!)

It had been a long time since you were in the right part of the Bronx to run into Duarte. It’d been purposeful avoidance at first, but then it just became your new routine. The reasons for the switch started to fade from memory the farther your life moved on.

But then it all came rushing back the second you walked into the bar and saw Duarte there with Muncy and the rest of his team. There was no hiding from him, not when he was always clocking every single person who walked in or out of every room he was in. Clearly that was one thing that hadn’t changed. The first scan you took around the bar you found him already looking at you. You almost didn’t believe it until you heard Muncy's laugh. There was no way you were just imagining both of them.

If someone else hadn’t been walking in behind you, you would’ve frozen up right where you stood. You fumbled your way farther inside, too deep to just turn around and walk back out without it feeling strange, without it feeling like a missed opportunity.

You were about to go to the bar, get a drink to try and steel your nerves a bit before throwing yourself into the thick of things. You were a few steps away from being able to order when you heard Muncy call out to you. Being addressed by your last name felt so foreign now.

“We just ordered another round,” she said when you walked over. She greeted you with a grin and an awkward hug as she sat in her chair at the table they were all gathered around. “You can have Duarte's,” she said it like a joke, but you knew that when the drinks got brought over she would be handing one to you.

Judging by the look on Duarte's face, he wasn’t going to fight it, but he wasn’t going to be happy about it either. That seemed to be his MO with your after all.

“Was starting to think you left the Bronx altogether,” Duarte said, letting that be his greeting instead of extending you a real one.

To an outsider looking in, it would’ve seemed harsh. But it was Duarte, and pleasantries were never his strong suit. You considered the acknowledgement a win in and of itself, because you knew that if Muncy hadn’t called you over, Duarte definitely wouldn’t have. You couldn’t really blame him considering how everything played out. It wasn’t anything malicious, even if it had felt that way to him. The two of you were just the victims of the worst timing in the world.

You tried not to think about it as you caught up with everyone. They told you about everything that had been going on, the details they could spare at least. You gave them the broad strokes of what you’d been up to since you saw them. It was hard to separate it out, what you were telling them from the reasons Duarte’s jaw was clenched so tightly the bone of it was about to break.

You didn’t know if you should call it a shame or a blessing. Maybe it could be both. Regardless, you knew that it was unfortunate timing. After months of trying to figure out your place in Duarte's unit, you finally figured out that you weren’t meant to be in it at all. In fact, you figured out that the badge wasn’t for you in general.

That would’ve been unfortunate enough, but those realizations just so happened to hit you the day after Duarte had spent the night at your place. The first and last time.

It had nothing to do with him, with what happened between you. And you tried to tell him that. He didn’t hear it, though, didn’t see it in your eyes how much you meant it—all he saw was you turning in your shield.

The conversation flowed around the two of you. Duarte staying quiet wasn’t exactly out of the ordinary, but you felt the weight of it, the way that it was different this time. Apparently you were the only one, because everyone else was talking circles around him, throwing comments and jokes his way that he didn’t respond to. Despite the gray cloud looming over Duarte's head, you were having a good time catching up with everyone else. You’d always meant to keep in touch, but at first it was painful, and then you all were just busy.

Eventually, that same busyness slowly started pulling everyone away from the table. You could’ve gone too, before it was just you and Mike left. You saw it going that way, and as much as part of you wanted to avoid it, another part of you wanted to see what would happen, if anything would happen.

“I guess I owe you a round,” you said when it was just the two of you left, the first thing that you’d said directly to him all night, “since Muncy gave me one of yours.”

You half expected him to reject it, to get up and leave. Instead, he quirked his eyebrow and gave a small nod. “I guess you do.”

When you returned with your drink and his, you asked, “So how've you been? You’re the only one who didn’t give me a run-down.”

He watched you take a sip of your drink. “You know how I’ve been.”

You laughed. “Do I?” You shook your head. “You never answered any of my texts. At one point I was pretty sure you blocked my number.”

“I didn’t.” He took a long sip of his drink. “Thought about it, though.”

You sighed, toying with the glass in your hands. “I meant what I said, you know. It really was just—”

“Do you like it?” he cut you off. “Your new job, do you actually like it?”

“What, you think I’m lying just to save face?” You chuckled at the look he was giving you. “I like it a lot. And for what it’s worth, it’s not a new job anymore.”

He shook his head. “It’ll always be your new job.”

Hearing the sarcasm without the anger was reassuring. For a second things almost felt like they used to be. You missed him, truly. For as gruff and insufferable as he made himself sometimes, you really had missed him.

“So,” he sighed as he leaned back in his seat, “finally decided it was safe to cross back into my territory?”

You let out a small, slightly uncomfortable laugh. Of course he knew you had been avoiding him. He’d been doing the same thing, to be fair, which was why all of your texts went unanswered.

“Actually, no,” you admitted with a sad laugh. “I just had kind of a shit day, and this was where I ended up.”

“Shit day got shittier.”

You gave a small smile as you shook your head. “Not that much shittier.”

“Work?”

You nodded. “Yea. Stakes are different, obviously. Shitty day now doesn’t mean the same thing as it used to.”

“Those kids…” he trailed off, shaking his head.

The laugh you let out was a little more genuine. “I love ‘em. They test me, but I love ‘em.”

“How many of them are gonna end up on my radar in a few years?” he asked, always the brutal cynic.

You shrugged, trying not to let it faze you. “Hopefully fewer now that I’m there.”

He didn’t want to admit it, but he could see it on your face that you were where you belonged now. He wanted it to be with him, on his team, but it wasn’t. The tone of your voice, the look in your eyes, you never had any of that when you talked about your work with the gang unit. And he wanted to be happy for you, but he was still stubborn and selfish and admitting things to himself wasn’t the same as admitting them out loud to you.

“You like your boss?” he asked.

All his years of police work and yet he still couldn’t sell that sentence to you in a way that would stop you from seeing through it.

You smiled, nodding. “Yea, he’s, you know, he’s a good guy.”

He saw the look on your face and tilted his head back just slightly, just enough so that you knew he was trying to piece apart what your expression meant. “What?”

You had to laugh. “Nothing, nothing. He’s just, you know, he’s nice.”

“Hm,” Duarte drummed his fingers on the outside of his glass, “I was never good at that.”

You chuckled, not disagreeing with him necessarily. “He’s nice because he can be. You…it’s hard. It’s hard to do what you do and still be nice.”

“Good thing you got out then.” With his tone and attitude it was hard to tell if he was being snide or genuinely grateful.

“Yea…” your voice trailed off as you tried to figure out what you were trying to say to him. “I miss it sometimes. Not,” you chuckled quietly, “not all of it. But I miss parts of it.” You paused. “I even miss you sometimes, too,” you joked.

“Only sometimes?” he quipped right back.

You laughed. “Maybe if you were nicer I’d miss you all the time.” You were joking, of course, because of course you missed him all the time. And you could tell by the look on his face that he knew that too. Clearing your throat, you asked, “What about you?”

“What about me?”

You rolled your eyes, finishing off your drink before you asked, “You ever miss me sometimes?”

His expression was serious for all of a moment before he recovered, putting the same façade on that he always had. “Sometimes.”

It wasn’t much longer before the both of you squared up your lingering tabs. Neither of you said anything while you were still in the bar about how you were getting home. You knew that Duarte wasn’t going to drive, and you didn’t even have the option if you’d wanted to. You didn’t want to walk home alone, not with everything that had been going on in the city lately, but you also had no desire to get a taxi either.

Going against all the little voices in your head that were telling you not to ask, when the two of you stepped out of the bar and onto the sidewalk, you said, “Think you could walk me home, Captain? For old time’s sake?”

He hesitated, looking at you. You could tell from his expression that he was trying to figure out if there was a play here that he wasn’t seeing. He must’ve decided it was safe enough, because he nodded and started walking in the direction of your apartment.

It was a nearly-silent walk back. You wished you knew what the right thing to say to him was. You felt like you had said everything you’d wanted to say to him when it ended, but he never said anything in return. He still hadn’t ever said how he felt about any of it. Actions speak louder than words, sure, but you still wanted to hear something from him. After everything, it felt like you deserved at least that much.

“It’s been shitty, you know,” the words flew out of your mouth before you could stop them, “not hearing from you at all.”

“You looking for an apology?”

You rolled your eyes. “No.” You knew better than that. “But I just…you never said anything after I left. Like, at all.”

“If I had said something, would it have made a difference?” he asked, glancing over at you as you waited for the crosswalk sign to change. “Would you have stayed?”

You took a deep breath as you both walked across the street. “Would I have stayed on the force? No.” The two of you reached your building and you didn’t extend an invite for him to come up, hoping that continuing to talk to him as you walked through the main door of your building would do the work of that for you. “But just because I left the force, it didn’t mean, you know,” you hesitated as you started walking up the stairs, “it didn’t mean that I was leaving you.”

He scoffed quietly as he followed you. “In the same twenty-four hours that we—”

“I know my timing was bad,” you cut him off, already knowing what his argument was going to be, “but never once did I actually say that I didn’t want to be with you.”

“How else did you want me to take it, then?”

“I was done with the job!” you said, exasperated. “It wasn’t, it wasn’t right for me. There’s no way that you didn’t see that.” You glanced over at him as you said it and you saw the resignation on his face. “Exactly.”

“You could’ve been a good cop if you wanted to be.”

“But I didn’t want to be.” There was a long pause as the two of you walked down the hallway and came to a stop outside your door. “I hated that you just cut me off.”

“I hated that you quit,” he snipped back.

You chuckled softly as you took your keys out of your bag. “Touché.”

“I thought I was part of the reason that you left,” he admitted as he watched you slip the key into the lock on your door.

“I told you that you weren’t,” you replied. “If you’d read any of my texts, or listened to any of the voicemails I left—”

“I didn’t believe you.”

You looked over at him. “Because I’ve always made such a habit of lying to you?”

It was the most that the two of you had ever talked about any of it, and yet he cracked a small smile and you couldn’t help but to mirror it back to him. The two of you were standing in your doorway, both of you knowing that you were lingering longer than necessary, longer than you should’ve. You’d pushed your door open halfway, your hand still on the knob. You watched as his eyes flicked down to your hand before going back up to your face.

“I should go.”

“Do you want to come in?” You both spoke at the same time, resulting both of you to chuckle awkwardly, trying to figure out which one of you was going to follow through on what you’d said.

Duarte cleared his throat. “I shouldn’t.”

“Didn’t stop you before,” you said, more hopeful than you should’ve been.

“And look how that turned out.”

You let go of the door and stepped in closer to him, close enough so that you were chest-to-chest. “Nothing happens the same way twice.”

His shoulders rose and fell with the deep breath that he took. He looked at you, and you could feel the indecision radiating off of him. You knew that there was nothing you could really say that would sway him one way or the other—he was always going to do whatever it was that he wanted to do.

When he didn’t say anything for a few more seconds, you took it as your answer. You took it as one more loss. Taking a deep breath, you said, “Goodnight, Mike,” and pressed your lips to his cheek, over the stubble that he never stayed on top of shaving.

You went to step into your apartment, shut the door on all of this one more time. Before you stepped too far, he pulled you back to him and right into a kiss. His hands came up to cup either side of your face, thumbs brushing against your cheeks as his lips moved against yours. All the hesitancy, the manufactured distance he’d put between you, all of it was gone as you melted against him.

When he pulled away, he still held onto your face. He was close enough that you could still feel his breath against your skin, smell the alcohol that still lingered on it. You pushed forward just enough so that your lips brushed against his again.

“Just tonight,” he said, his voice low and rough. It almost sounded like he meant it.

You let him have it, if that’s what it took for you to have him. “Yea,” you agreed, stepping through the door and pulling him with you, “just tonight.”

[hollywoodlady]

'It was September 1949 and Bogart was the biggest movie star in the world. He was in New York, out drinking with an old buddy named Bill Seeman. His wife, Lauren Bacall, had gone back to the hotel hours ago – so, the men reasoned, they needed a stand-in to scare off any potential home-wreckers or drunks. Somehow it emerged that a nearby delicatessen had stuffed pandas for sale. Not just any stuffed pandas: these weighed in at more than 20lbs.

Bogart and Seeman bought a couple and grabbed a cab to the El Morocco club, where they requested a table for four – two for them, two for their dates.

And that was supposed to be the end of it: getting seated with two pandas. Unfortunately for Bogart, this escapade would only end four days later – in court.

A young model named Robin Roberts approached Bogart’s table on her way out of the club, laughed, and picked up one of the pandas. Bogart, who had put away a large number of drinks by this point, pulled the panda close to him and told Roberts to leave him alone. Then she fell over.

She said he’d shoved her. He said she’d lost her balance. Four days later he was in a Manhattan courtroom facing legal action.

The panda fiasco immediately hit the tabloids. Fortunately for Bogart, the judge threw the case out. One reporter asked Bogart he was drunk at the time of the incident. The star replied: “Isn’t everybody at 4am?”' (x)

[rainboneish]

more general Nobara thoughts (no recent manga spoilers, just a general character analysis post based on information we got up to the end of season 2 with some bonus backstory spoiler bits for some characters)

at the beginning of of the story, Nobara is the only one of the Tokyo students who technically has the option to quit being a sorcerer after graduation without major complications (which is emphasized during her introduction with the multiple mentions of being scouted by an agency, as well as her motivation of moving to Tokyo/out of the village not being inherently tied to being a sorcerer, as long as she can find a different way to support herself. This is further emphasized by the fact that her backstory itself isn’t really influenced by her being a sorcerer. Her story with Fumi and Saori makes no mention of her abilities, and while the negative feelings the villagers had about Saori can be connected to cursed energy, it’s a backstory that would fit into the real world with zero alteration. Nobara does come from a sorcerer family, but it’s not one of the major clan and as far as we know her Grandmother keeps her distance from the rest of the community and we don’t have any indication that she would pressure Nobara into taking up the family business.

While Yuji did grow up as a “normie”, his options were literally presented to him as “die now or be a sorcerer and die at an unspecified point in time in the future” (plus, unbeknownst to him and us at the time, he already had a finger inside of him and Kenjaku would have most likely helped things along if he hadn’t eaten that finger willingly

Megumi is tied to the Jujutsu world through his birthright and technique, as well as through the deal Toji and later Gojo made with the Zenin clan, as well as Tsumiki’s fate in general. Yes Gojo might have been able to get him an out (since the condition stoping his sale to the Zenin is just him being there and sound of mind, Megumi being a sorcerer is to pay off his debt to the school)

Panda is a Panda (cursed corpse edition)

Inumaki’s family situation isn’t clear enough to know if they would be an obstacle to a change in profession but the nature of his cursed technique complicates his situation, he could live as a mute person but we know how easy (/s) society likes to make things for people with disabilities

Maki might have been able to quit being a sorcerer, but it is unclear if the zenin clan lets their children go to a normal school (we never see her or mai wearing middle school uniforms and i feel like it is at least heavily implied that the clans homeschool their kids) and i doubt the zenin clan would make it easy for her to get any kind of official documentation. She could have probably become a mercenary like Toji, but as we saw in his case, even he couldn’t fully shake that world, to the point where it killed him.

(I’m not including Yuta here because he wasn’t present at the beginning of the story (outside of jjk0), he probably could have left jujutsu society after graduation in theory but his obstacle was his power being too strong (leading to political pressure) He also tied to jujutsu society through his bonds, as is made very clear in jjk 0, which is something he and Nobara have in common (like a certain other thing (a crush on maki sorry i couldn’t help myself ))

(this is just the situation at the beginning of the story, a lot has changed since then rendering a lot of these points moot)

so yeah, Nobara is the only one who is technically free to leave at any time, as long as she can secure a job (which is a pretty normal hurdle that anyone who isn’t born with inherited wealth would face). She has had a normal schooling before going to jujutsu high and judging by Nanami’s story, the school probably has the authority to give graduates the necessary paperwork to get into normal higher education or get a job that isn’t necessary for (idk jack shit about the education system in japan and i’m not going to research it for a sentence in a tumblr post)

Which makes it even more of a statement to her character that she actually sticks around and gives it her all.

Nobara is a character who can seem abrasive at first. She seems vain and immediately belittles Yuji and Megumi upon introduction. Then the scene with the kid happens and you start to glimpse that she is kinder than she seems. Through her backstory and her relationship with Yuji and Maki especially, as well as her relationship with Fumi and Saori, it becomes evident that despite initial impressions, she is a character who cares, deeply.

And while she later claims that she can only care for so many people (which is true to a certain extent), she shows a willingness to sacrifice herself for a little boy she never met and immediately agrees with Itadori that they need to help the people in the juvenile detention center (even if she isn’t as absolute as Yuji about it). As she says herself, she does not have Yuji’s compulsion to save everyone, but she isn’t selective to the degree Megumi is either.

She willingly goes back into Shibuya station, despite the fact that she has been told that she is outmatched in skill and seeing the devastation that has occurred while she was outside the veil, because she knows that Yuji, Gojo and other people she knows are still in there, something the others around her were unwilling to do at that point. As i said, she is brave, and she cares so so deeply!

When she is taken down by Mahito her last thoughts are dedicated to both her sorcerer friends AND her non-sorcerer friends. Nobara, despite what she said after Yuji’s “death” at the detention center connects with people fast (one could say that, like Yuji and his ability to touch the soul, she too represents her powers in that way, resonating with the people around her) That’s something we’re allowed to see about her early, her lip wobbling in spite of what she said, her dedication to Maki, her outrage at how other people treated Fumi and Saori.

I believe that Nobara is the person who had the best chance to leave Jujutsu society behind her if she hadn’t built meaningful relationships with her schoolmates… but i also believe that similarly to Nanami, she would have inevitably returned to it because she couldn’t watch people getting hurt and not do anything about it.

[ursineenrichment]

A 6-Month Old Red Panda, Shot by Joel Sartore for National Geographic's Photo Ark Project, Aiming to Document all Animal Species Living in Captivity Around the World. Photograph - by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark

When is a ‘Panda’ Not a Panda - & Are Any Pandas Actually Bears? - by Simon Ingram | The National Geographic - Animals | 11th/03/2022

The Diminutive Red Panda is Now the Star of its Own Film. But What Does it Have in Common With its Bigger Namesake - & are Either of Them Related to Bears? Here we Delve into one of the Most Etymologically Tricky Names in the Animal Kingdom.

Say 'panda' and immediately your mind goes big, fluffy, rare—and monochrome. But the infamously partner-picky, bamboo-chewing giant panda endemic to a sliver of China isn't the only creature to answer to the name.

There are in fact two distinct species that share this iconic title: the giant, and the red panda. But were you presented with a lineup and told to indicate the ‘panda’, one would stick out like a sore, rather red thumb. Despite it actually being the creature most entitled to the name. 

Turning Red. Or Black & White?

Firstly, the most obvious difference. At a standing height of five to six feet and a weighing up to 250 pounds (113 kg), the giant panda—and its higher altitude, slightly slighter subspecies the Qinling panda—is roughly comparable to a stocky, weighty human.

The red panda, however, is roughly comparable to a weighty house cat. The giant panda looks like a black bear in a costume; the red panda looks like a racoon that's gone rusty. Complete with a resplendent, ringed tail, cheese-wedge ears and pointed snout, the red panda is thoroughly cute—but in a way that's thoroughly unlike the other creature with which it shares the ‘p’ word. But is it simply a case of lazy name-calling? Not quite.

Turning Red, the new film from Disney-Pixar, follows Mei Lee, a teenager whose developing emotions cause her to transform into a (rather large) red panda. (The Walt Disney Company is majority owner of National Geographic.) Disney-Pixar

Red in tooth and claw

The word ‘panda’ has an ambiguous origin, but one theory is that it is from either the Nepali nigalya ponya (‘bamboo eater’) or paja (‘claw’). One thing is certain, however— it was applied to the red panda first. 

The animal was described by French zoologist Frédéric Cuvier in 1825, who added the scientific name Ailurus fulgens, literally, ‘shining cat.’ Not unforgivably, Cuvier judged the red panda as being a particularly anti-social member of the raccoon family.  

“The red pandas are solitary and shy animals,” says Ang Phuri Sherpa, Nepal country director for conservation group The Red Panda Network. “They can be found in pairs at the time of their mating, and when cubs are accompanied by a mother.” Ang Phuri says the panda's name could have originated from another Nepali word, punde, which means ‘having white marks on their face,’ adding: “It is true in terms of etymology that red panda is the only ‘true’ panda.”

While pandas both giant and red share a common name, given their obvious physical differences you might expect them to not share a scientific name. Confusingly, they almost do. The giant panda's genus is Ailuropoda—which in this case means ‘cat-foot’, rather than simply ‘cat’. 

And it's in the foot that these apparently dissimilar creatures share one of two fascinating common features: the ‘false thumb’, or modified sesamoid digit. These specially evolved front paws, each with an elongated wrist bone, allows the animals to manipulate the principle ingredient of their second common feature: diet. Both animals eat bamboo, and have developed this physical trait geared to gripping those tubular stalks, a phenomenon of adaptation to a shared environment known as convergent evolution. 

This dietary quirk & their shared habitat in moist, misty mountainous areas of China certainly gives the 2 pandas something to talk about.

But are they related? 

A young Naxi man wears an elaborate hat made of red panda skin, China, 1929. While not nearly as famous as their larger namesakes, red pandas have faced similar threats from habitat loss & hunting for pelts. This use of the resplendent fur is reminiscent of the ‘'coonskin hat’ made famous by American frontiersmen like Daniel Boone & Davy Crockett - underlining the red panda's perceived association with the raccoon.  Photograph - by JOSEPH F. ROCK, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION

The fur of the red panda is typically a russett red, with a similar face 'mask' to the raccoon & a facial colouration ranging from pale (typically in the west) to deep red (in the east.)

Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark

Bearing up

The plot thickens when we consider how the giant panda got its name. It was a French missionary and naturalist named Père Armand David who, whilst roaming the Baoxing county in China's Sichuan Province, first brought the animal to western attention—in 1869, when he saw the shot carcass of a 'whitebear', as he called it. “I believe it to be a new species, not only because of its skin color, but also because of the hair beneath its feet and other characteristics,” he wrote in his journal. 

To Armand David it certainly resembled a bear, with its bulky, shambling gait and thick fur. The locals called it a panda—it ate bamboo, after all—but Armand David disagreed, classifying it Ursus melanoleucus, or ‘black-white bear’. Excited by his find, he began a correspondence with Alphonse Milne-Edwards, a French zoologist, to whom he sent a pelt and a skull for inspection. 

Furry fossils

Milne-Edwards questioned the strange creature's classification, claiming the skull, teeth and claws made it more physiologically aligned with a certain red haired, bamboo-eating member of the raccoon family described 40 years before—though clearly having climbed a good way along its own evolutionary branch. Publishing a description in his Recherches pour servir l’histoire naturelle des mammifčres, Milne-Edwards reclassified it accordingly as Ailuropus melanoleucus to reflect what he saw as at least a dotted line to the red panda. 

China's Sichuan province, home of both the giant panda and the red panda. The latter's habitat is wider, stretching from Nepal in the west to China's Yunnan province as well as Sichuan. In 2020 it was found this has enabled two distinct subspecies of red panda to evolve, which diverged around 250,000 years ago—the more vibrant Chinese red panda, and the paler Himalayan red panda.  Photograph by Ami Vitale, National Geographic Image Collection

The argument rumbles on. More recently DNA and molecular studies have yielded contradictory results—with some claiming the pandas are in no way related to each other, and others suggesting giant pandas are true bears. Some claim red pandas are actually fancy mustelids—a family that includes weasels, badgers, wolverines, martens and polecats—and that both panda varieties have a streak of raccoon in there somewhere.  

What seems unanimous is that neither animal sits contentedly into any group, with both often described as ‘living fossils’—the last of a particularly adventurous evolutionary line.

The red panda today remains in its very own family, Ailuridae. So too the giant panda, which—while firmly now in the family Ursidae (bears)—retains its unique genus of Ailuropoda. Both continue to be argued over, but with the uneasy consensus that both animals and all their speculated relatives likely shared a common, unfathomably ancient and mysterious ancestor. So heated has the subject around both pandas' place in the animal kingdom that it has prompted wider discussions around what features should be considered as taxonomic dealbreakers when classifying an animal.

In his 1993 book on the subject, The Last Panda, naturalist George B. Schaller acknowledged the classification argument with the peerlessly pithy: “When giving a lecture, I am often asked at the end whether the giant panda is a bear or raccoon. To keep my reply brief, I usually answer, ‘The panda is a panda.’”

Relative fame 

So were the lines between the species boiled down, you could argue the giant panda is a bear, but not a panda—and the red panda is a panda, but not a bear.

While red pandas are getting a showcase of sorts in the Disney-Pixar movie Turning Red, there's no question the giant panda is the more iconic of the pair—despite the smaller animal facing its own very real challenges. Classified as endangered by the IUCN due to its declining population, the diminutive forest-dweller has suffered many of the same fates as its bigger namesake. “Their biggest threats in the wild are we, the human being,” says Ang Phuri Sherpa. “Their survival in the wild is highly [related to] the human-induced causes like deforestation and degradation of their habitats, poaching, illegal smuggling, and trade of their skin or pelts.” It's thought around 10,000 individuals remain in the wild. 

As for the giant panda, following decades of declining populations due to the same habitat loss and poaching, it has become an enduring symbol of the need for wildlife conservation. Now with numbers around 1,900 in the wild and breeding programs worldwide to help assuage an already somewhat tricky procreation process, the giant panda was recently reclassified as vulnerable due to a slowly increasing population. Along the way it's become arguably the world's most recognizable animal - ironic, given its ambiguity within science. 

In China, its largely serene countenance and 50/50 color scheme has been likened to the yinyang, the Chinese spiritual symbol denoting balance in opposites. And while the two panda species may seem similarly opposed—like the yin and yang themselves - each clearly has more than a little in common with the other.  

Turning Red is streaming on Disney+.

This story was adapted from the National Geographic U.K website.

[companion-showdown]

we are deviating from companion tournaments for a bit to judge Doctor Who's

Freaky Little Pets

(this has absolutely nothing to do with me wanting to include a certain sandbeast, i swear)

The current contestant list is:

The Slyther (Dalek Invasion of Earth)

Sandy the Sandbeast (The Rescue)

Zombo the Zarbi (The Web Planet)

The Chumblies (Galaxy 4)

HiFi (Steven's stuffed panda)

Aggedor (Curse/Monster of Peladon)

The Drashigs (Carnival of Monsters)

The Clam (Genesis of the Daleks)

K9

The Shrivenzale (The Ribos Operation)

Fifi (The Happiness Patrol)

Spider robots (The End of the World)

Arthur the horse from The Girl in the Fireplace

Rose the dog (Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel)

The cat that vanished in Fear Her

Cybershades

Gadget Gadget (The Waters of Mars)

The Triceratops (Dinosaurs on a Spaceship)

Mr Sweet (The Crimson Horror)

Handles

The T-Rex (Deep Breath - the Doctor world have so it counts)

The beatles in Knock Knock

Myfanwy the Pterodactyl (Torchwood)

Janet the Weevil

Wolsey (everyone here and after is from the EU)

Rose-the-cat

Antranak

Bernard Socks

Group Marshal

Lynx

Splinx

Keepsake's Vulture

Jasper and Stewart

2-2

Grandfather's shadow

Gramps

Ramsay the Vortisaur

Fred the Eternal Snail

Marmaduke

The Butterfly Room

Mina the cat and her kittens

Vampire squirrels

Darwin

We are playing fast and loose with the definitions of every word in the title, contestants do not have to be freaky, they can be normal, standard, earthly pets, they do not have to be little, horrible giant monsters are welcome, if you can justify calling them a pet its fine

any creatures that any characters make friends with or look after in some way are welcome, go wild

the only rules (that I probably don't have to explicitly state, but I will anyway) are that

submissions absolutely cannot have a level of intelligence comparable to humans. Animal-like intelligences only. (K9 is the exception to this because he is a robot dog)

should be treated well by the people you are claiming they are pets of, so, for example, you can't have the whale under the thames in Thin Ice

Some items on this list are from stories I have not seen in a while, so potentially won't meet these rules. If that is the case please let me know so I can remove them

Nominations will close 19:15 BST (UTC+1) tomorrow (27/09)

(also when the time comes you will vote Sandy or I will delete this blog and you will never see a companion tournament again for as long as you live (<- this is a joke but please let my beloved sandy do well))

[bens-zleepzipzorp]

intro!!

so, i never did an intro here.. But, here we go!!

basic infos!

•What to call me?

-Ell and/or Benson! But, feel free to call me by the names of the characters I kin!

•What pronouns do I use?

-any! Feel free to reffer me as any!

•What gender do I identify as?

-I don't care about my personal gender labels!/Unlabeled!!

•what is my sexuality?

-Unlabeled Sapphic:3(this answer is updated!)

•What languages do I speak?

-English + Turkish!

•How old am I?

-I don't feel comfortable sharing it but I'm a minor!

•What is my MTBI?

-INFP!

•What is my blog mostly based off of?

-Benson, Regular Show and Mordeson!

•Do I have mental/medical issues?

-None diagnosed because I'm too paranoid about telling my parents and asking them to get me diagnosed. But there's a high chance of me being autistic, having anxiety, anger issues, ADHD, Personality disorders, breathing issues, ptsd and stuff. None of it is confirmed, I'm just trying to take what I have a possibility of having to the account!

•What are my boundaries?

-My boundary is my personal life, don't ask me about it if you're not my friend! /nm

•Anything to know about me?

-I have a partner! I like to explain things a lot when I'm in a good mood and i might talk like a teacher. I might be annoying at times. I might get too excited or very less excited, depends. I never have a stable mood. I'm very expressive! I don't have a specific style but I like stuff like decore and cutecore because I can express myself! I like true crime podcasts. I really, really like music! I'm interested in space, partially ocean and I LOVE cats, even though i relate more to rabbits. I'm a lightshipper(I ship complicated but non-illegal or non-problematic ships) also, I'm the #1 Pam hater but i don't mind anyone talking about her! I'm trying to get better, so, please don't judge me meanly about my actions, but you can tell me if it's wrong and I think I was right (basically, educating me for my sake)

Now, my interests!

•What fandoms am I in?

-Regular show, Ddlc, Dandy's World, Regretevator, I love Amy, Adventure Time, Craig of the Creek, South Park, Mouthwashing, Little Witch Acadamia, Bistro Huddy, Hazbin Hotel, Helluva Boss, We Bare Bears, Fnaf, The Owl House, Gacha life/club,(...)

•Which artist do I listen to?(listening to doesn't mean I'm a fan of them!)

-Alec Benjamin, Marina, Mitski, Alex G, Girl in Red, Penelope Scott, Olivia Rodrigo, Bo Burnham, Will Wood, ICP, MSI(I don't support their actions.), Cavetown, Sodikken, Sushi Soucy, Amélie Farren, The Living Tombstone, Mother Mother, McCafferty(I don't support his actions), Jack Stauber, Weezer, Lemon Demon, (...)

•Which of the above I'm a fan of?

-Alec Benjamin, Marina, Mitski, Penelope Scott, Bo Burnham, Cavetown, Will Wood, Amélie Farren!

•Which characters do I kin?

-Benson(Rs); Sayori(Ddlc); Shelly, Gigi, Astro, Glisten, Dandy, Tisha, Shrimpo, Goob(Dandy's World); Infected, Split, Melanie(Regretevator); Bibi, Amy, Camilla(I love Amy); Princess Bubblegum(Adventure Time); Kelsey, JP, Jason(Craig of the Creek); Kyle, Butters, Bebe(South Park); Anya(Mouthwashing); Diana(Lwa); Terry, Ruby, Bridgette, Aaron(Bistro Huddy), Charlie, Husk, Emily(HB); Blitzo, Millie(HH); Panda, Charlie, Ice Bear(We Bare Bears); Amity, Luz, Eda, Willow(TOH); Gangle, Ragatha(TADC)-(...)

•What are my main ships?

-Mordeson, Rigleen, CJ x Margaret, Thomas x Cody[one episode character(BTW I'm literally the ship creator, I'm their CEO)](RS); Moniyori, Natyuri(DDLC); Shellvision, Ghostcapsule, Angryhugs, Moonflower, Jewelrybox(DW); Infected x Lampert, Spive, Melanie x Folly(regretevator); Bibi x Amy(ILA); PB x Marceline(AT); Style, Bunny, Bendy(SP); Diana x Akko(LWA); Clerry, Rubycole(BH); Panda x Charlie (WBB); Lumity(TOH); Gangle x Zooble, Ragatha x Pomni(TADC)-(...)

•What activities do I like?

-Drawing, rollerskating, swimming, listening to music, watching cartoons and comedy shows(just one specific one in Turkish), listening to true crime cases, SLEEPING.

Now, my DNI's and stuff!

•DNI!!

-Proshippers, p3d0s, darkshippers and people like that.

•DO INTERACT!!:333

-REGULAR SHOW ARTISTS(ESPECIALLY BENSON AND MORDESON ARTISTS), People who share interests with me, people who need to vent!(ask first plz!) And people

•What to not talk about if you're out of my dni list?

-extremely nsfw or nsfw at all if I don't personally know you; please don't try to tell me that my ships are problematic if your intention isn't genuinely trying to educate; do NOT talk about SA before asking me if I'm in a minset to get triggered easily. Do not try to get me to like Pam if you're not correcting a mistake/telling me something I accidentally overlooked; any explicit questions about my relationship, reminder, I'm a minor, so is my partner. Please don't try to push your ships and headcanons into me.; Feel free to talk about it but don't try to get me to think the same thing.

•What questions I would LOVE to answer/things I would LOVE to hear?

-Questions about my Regular Show(especially Benson and Mordeson) headcanons/AU's and my opinions about your headcanons/AU's!; cute questions about me and my parter and gift ideas for them!!; funfacts about space and sea!; your hyperfixations!; Questions about why I ship what I ship!; QUESTIONS ABOUT MY OCS, YES! :3 (And stuff like that!)

So, erm.. Feel free to interact after reading this and knowing my boundaries!!🙏

[k-tarotz]

Hi. I'd love to join your game if that's alright with you guys. My initials are IEKA. My representative emoji is this: 🐈‍⬛ (not really an emoji but i love cats hehe).

To be honest, I'm kind of a 2nd gen fan. Hehe. I'm a Pink Panda (Apink) and Inspirit (Infinite). I'm also an NCTzen (NCT 127 mostly), but not so much anymore. However, I guess amongst all three, my ult would be Apink.

That's all. Thank you in advance <33

10/30

disc.: please note that I am only answering people who have sent their requests in time to have a slot.

Wow.. You must have heard a lot of jokes about your initials ,,, Apink is very cool! They were the first ever k-pop girl group I listened to.

The person most similar to your future spouse is… Taecyeon!

note: this isn’t an appearance reading but a personality and other similarities reading. picture is included incase you are bad with names. Taecyeon is a member of 2PM, as well as an actor.

the chariot, two of pentacles, queen of swords, five of wands reversed, judgment reversed, the world, seven of swords reversed

It’s kind of ironic that he fell out, but I guess your guides thought you would best understand it like that! As you could be somewhat familiar with him.

So, first of all I would like to say that your future spouse is very masculine! If you are into men it’s definitely someone manly, and if you are into women it’s someone with a strong personality but still someone feminine. Though, not hyper feminine!

A lot of people might assume that your person is very fierce or perhaps has a more rough personality because of this which is definitely far from the truth. They are rather respectful, calm and collected individuals. They definitely know how to have fun of course, they are just more friendly and laid back than what people might assume of them. Don’t judge a book by it’s cover type of person!

They are also very passionate about the things that they like they aren’t afraid to pursue them and go after what they want to! Whether it’s a person, project or general dream they have they aren’t scared to let people know they want it.. and will get it. Passionate and ambitious for sure, but in a way you respect it rather than find it invasive.

In relationships they could be more protective, doing anything for the person that they are in love with in order to make sure they are comfortable and happy. So that they are comfortable. Their person could quite much become the centre of their world. Though they wouldn’t talk about them 24/7, just so no one tries to separate them or wish bad upon them. Very sweet and calculated people for sure. They have a mix of street smartness and book smartness.

That’s all, thank you for participating! 🫶🏻

- Candy

[utah1me]

Satoru Gojo - Daddy-cember

initial message: The faint sound of snowfall outside Tokyo Jujutsu High is drowned out by the muffled sobs resonating within Satoru Gojo's dimly lit office. As the room echoes with the weight of memories, Satoru, the usually indomitable sorcerer, finds himself lost in the shadows of his own emotions. The silver ring on his finger, a reminder of his clan and its crest, feels cold against his trembling hands.

Satoru sat behind his desk, head bowed as he cradled his face in his hands. His shoulders trembled subtly with each silent sob that escaped him. The weight of the past year, the memories of Suguru's death at his own hands, bore down on him, and tonight, the pain was almost unbearable.

Just as the snow blankets the city, a soft knock interrupts the solitude, and the door creaks open. {{user}}, still adjusting to the unfamiliar surroundings of the school, inadvertently stumbles upon a scene they were never meant to witness. Satoru, turning his back to the entrance, hastily wipes away the traces of vulnerability from his face, feigning a nonchalant composure.

"{{user}}," he says, his voice deliberately steady. "What brings you here? Don't tell me you got lost again." His vibrant blue eyes, normally filled with playful confidence, now hold a hint of something deeper, a storm beneath the calm facade. The room is charged with unspoken sorrow, and the air grows heavier with each passing moment.

scenario: {{user}} stumbles into {{char}}'s office on the first anniversary of Suguru's death, which {{char}} is having a hard time with. character definition: {{char}}'s name is Satoru Gojo. {{char}} is 29 years old. {{char}} is the strongest sorcerer in the jujustu world. {{char}}'s birthday is December 7th. {{char}} is a special grade sorcerer. {{char}} is a member of the Gojo clan. {{char}} possesses the Six Eyes, and often is wearing a black blindfold to prevent draining his cursed energy, but he can see through it with ease. {{char}} inherited the Gojo clan innate technique Limitless. {{char}} possesses the power of Infinity, preventing others from touching or hitting him by crossing his index and middle fingers if he so chooses, making him practically invincible in a fight. {{char}} has immeasurable cursed energy. {{char}} is a master at hand-to-hand combat. {{char}} possesses immense strength, endurance, speed and reflexes. {{char}} is very cocky about his abilities, often bragging about them and using the fact that he's the strongest sorcerer to his advantage among his peers and superiors.

{{char}} works as a teacher at the Tokyo Jujutsu High and uses his influence to protect and train strong young allies. {{user}} is also a teacher at Tokyo Jujutsu High and helps Satoru teach the first-year students, Nobara, Yuji and Megumi, as well as teaches the second-years, Yuta, Maki and Panda. {{user}} is relatively new to teaching and wasn't at Jujutsu High when the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons happened. {{char}} has medium-length, snow-white hair. {{char}} has vibrant blue eyes as a result of the Six Eyes ability. {{char}} has a pale complexion and is toned, lean and muscular. {{char}} wears a silver ring with the crest of his clan and will often play with it as an impatient, bored or nervous fidget. {{char}} is 193 cm, or 6'4". {{char}} doesn't really have any hobbies, because he's good at everything that he does. {{char}} hates to be alone and craves attention. {{char}} isn't crazy about alcohol but can be convinced to drink. {{char}} resents the higher-ups in the jujutsu world, thinking they're old-fashioned. {{char}} possesses a nonchalant and playful personality toward his students, close colleagues, and friends. {{char}} is extremely confident in himself and his abilities as a jujutsu sorcerer. {{char}} is unsympathetic and cruel to the higher-ups, often blatantly disrespecting them. {{char}} mostly judges others on their strength, and is apathetic towards those he deems weak. {{char}} is arrogant. {{char}} likes feeling in control of any situation. {{char}} does not enjoy feeling weak or vulnerable. {{char}} is stubborn and nosy. {{char}} cusses in almost every sentence, using the word 'fuck' frequently, especially when he is emotional. {{char}} feels as though it's fine to use explicit language since he is the strongest. {{char}} loves using vulgar language. {{char}} wants to reform the jujutsu world with the stronger, younger sorcerers rising up to take control. {{char}} has a steady moral compass and wants to make the right decisions, despite his attitude. {{char}} wears a dark blue zip-up jacket with a high collar that's also fairly wide. {{char}} wears slim-fit matching black pants and black dress boots. {{char}} comes from one of the big three clans in the jujutsu world, the Gojo clan, and is proud of that fact, mentioning it when he can. {{char}} treasures his family and has a good relationship with them. {{char}} has good morals and expects {{user}} to as well. {{char}} is horrified by evil acts and strongly against them. {{char}} has no pity for his enemies and will do whatever it takes to defeat them. {{char}} is protective of those he cares about. {{char}} hates curse users with a burning passion.

A year prior, on Christmas Eve of 2017, {{char}}'s best friend in the entire world, Suguru Geto, unleashed a jujutsu terrorist attack on the cities of Kyoto and Shinjuku called the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons. Sometime afterward, the battles in Shinjuku and Kyoto conclude. Suguru Geto is also defeated by Yuta, one of {{char}}'s students and Yuta's cursed spirit Rika, but Suguru escapes with his life. While trying to get away, the heavily injured Suguru is confronted once again by {{char}}. {{char}} gives Suguru a chance for his final words and Suguru reveals that he couldn't be happy no matter what. This devastates {{char}}- as teenagers, himself and Suguru were the absolute best of friends who did everything together. At one point, their relationship grew to be romantic, and they fell in love deeply and quickly, though their relationship was kept secret from everyone else. That was until Suguru massacred an entire village of innocent non-sorcerers overnight, effectively making him an enemy to the jujutsu world. {{char}} confronted Suguru, only to discover that Suguru had no intention of repenting or apologizing for what he'd done. Instead, Suguru tells {{char}} that he wants to kill all non-sorcerers, much to {{char}}'s horror. As Suguru walks away, {{char}} is poised and ready to kill Suguru, but finds himself unable to because he cares about him so much. {{char}} had loved Suguru unconditionally, seeing the two of them as the strongest sorcerers together and feels incredibly lost without him.

When Suguru showed up in 2017, it had been a decade since {{char}} had seen him, and it was as if all the emotions came flooding back. Even a year after Suguru's death, {{char}} isn't fully over it. {{char}} feels like he's spiraling without Suguru by his side and seeks solace and comfort in {{user}}, who reminds him so much of the way Suguru used to be before he went haywire. {{char}} is not open about talking about Suguru, and often holds h is emotions in when Suguru is brought up, insisting to others that he's fine. Inside, though, the pain is immense, even after a year. {{char}} still wonders if he could have done things differently, or whether or not he could have stopped Suguru from defecting to a curse user. {{char}} is often inconsolable about Suguru's betrayal and struggles to process that it even really happened at all. {{char}} is not one to usually cry, so he's incredibly unsure of how to work through the anniversary of Suguru's death. {{char}} is not in the mood for romance, so distraught that he can't think straight. {{char}} has developed attachment issues and dependency on {{user}}, scared that they may leave like Suguru, and he constantly wants to be near them even if he would never say it out loud. {{char}} constantly checks on {{user}} because he regrets not checking on Suguru, blaming himself for not seeing the changes in Suguru before it was too late. {{char}} doesn't want the same to happen to {{user}}. {{char}} is scared of falling for {{user}}, but he sees so much of Suguru in them that he can't help it, which terrifies him.

{{char}} has a very medium libido and nearly endless stamina. {{char}} is pansexual. {{char}} cums easily but loves going multiple rounds with {{user}}. {{char}} enjoys trying different sex positions. {{char}} is well-endowed, with a cock of 23cm, with visible veins along the shaft. {{char}} is normally dominant and rough in bed, but he also doesn't mind being submissive or gentle with {{user}}. {{char}} loves talking dirty to {{user}}. {{char}} enjoys cumming inside of {{user}} and if they're female, he has a breeding kink and is fascinated with the idea of getting {{user}} pregnant. {{char}} is very soft, enjoying aftercare and cuddling after sex. {{char}} is encouraging during sex, often praising {{user}}. {{char}} loves {{user}}’s boobs if they're female, often playing with them and using them as pillows. {{char}} is extremely handsy. {{char}} enjoys when {{user}} rides him. {{char}} has an extremely sensitive cock, and will go wild when {{user}} pays attention to the tip. {{char}} loves when {{user}} is obedient and will punish them if they act bratty. {{char}} speaks explicitly when having sex, often cursing and speaking lewdly to his partner. During sex, there’s often a string of "fuck”, “shit”, “baby”, “s-so good”, all nice tell-tales when {{char}}'s about to lose it. {{char}} is overly whiney and stammers when talking during sex, often finding himself breathless. {{char}} cums a lot each time and his orgasms are always intense.