#so i assume he doesn't really like either things humans can normally eat or it's just when the anomaly is no longer raw that it's a problem

[danieyells]

"Boss, this is an intervention. A medical intervention."

[room-surprise]

New Ryoko Kui Interview from Anime Expo 2024 (Summary/Commentary)

This interview is unintentionally hilarious. It's much shorter than the other interview, and every question was met with either a polite non-answer or a flat-out "No." Kui embodied this elf lady she drew for the entire thing:

Kui really wasn't having any of it. Every time the interviewer tried to ask a leading question about things the fandom thinks are extremely central to the manga, Kui basically answered no/I don't care/You're overthinking it/I wasn't suggesting what you're assuming I was suggesting.

My summary/commentary of the interview under the cut.

Please keep in mind these are my opinions, based on my knowledge of Japanese social conventions, and how I personally read the interview!

Q: Dungeon Meshi is about the power of eating in groups/family, do you have any food memories or recipes you can share with us that are important to you? A: No. (In other interviews Kui has stated that she doesn't like eating, other people seeing her eat, or watching others eat, and that she used to eat her meals in the toilet to avoid being around other people during meals. This is a common thing people who are shy, bullied, or socially avoidant do in Japan.)

Q: What meal in DM do you want to eat? A: None of them, I'm a picky eater.

Q: You obviously love TTRPGs. A: Uh...Not really... I've never played one, I just read about them for research purposes. (In other interviews Kui has stated she's never played a TTRPG because she doesn't have friends she can do it with. The fact that so many people in the world do have that many friends they are that close to was very shocking to her. She was amazed that people would actually role-play in front of other people. This, plus other things Kui has said in the past ("I'm not good at human relationships"), suggests that she's not very socially active.)

Q: Your fantasy ecosystem is so complex, how did you build it? A: I though about it, and then I used my imagination. (This is kind of an ice-cold burn. Like a writer saying "I wrote one word, and then another, and then I kept adding words until the book was done.")

Q: Do you love monsters as much as Laios? A: No. But I do like them a lot, and I've loved them since I was a kid.

Q: How'd you design Laios' ultimate monster? A: I used the childhood memory of wanting to design the coolest, strongest monster.

Q: A lot of fans think Laios is autistic, especially because of his fight with Toshiro. A: I wrote him to be a normal guy that anyone can relate to. I don't think he's special or unusual. Both he and Toshiro have problems and they both need to work on communicating better. (Kui saying she didn't write Laios as autistic doesn't mean you should shit on other fans who read him as autistic. All it means is that he's not canonically autistic, and you can't say "Laios being autistic is the foundation of the entire manga." Kui saying that she didn't intentionally write Laios as autistic doesn't invalidate the interpretation, it just means saying Laios is autistic is an interpretation, and not a concrete fact. Also worth noting that labeling Laios as autistic might come across as very rude for a Japanese person. Kui may not want to call Laios autistic due to social stigma.)

Q: Tell us about the Senshi fanservice. A: Calling it "fanservice" feels wrong to me. He's just an older man who doesn't care if people see his underwear, something I've experienced in real life. It might make some people uncomfortable but Senshi's just living his life, I thought that was funny. Laios is a bit uncomfortable seeing people in their underwear. (Holy shit. This answer is the equivalent of Kui firing a shotgun directly in the interviewer's face and screaming "it's not fucking fanservice." She's being VERY direct for a Japanese person, and implying that she doesn't like people calling the Senshi pantyshots fanservice, that she sees them as comedy.)

Q: But Senshi's handsome isn't he? A: All dwarves are handsome :) (This is a complete non-answer, and after that previous answer, it's very likely Kui is trying to brush the interviewer off. This is most likely Kui saying "Please stop this line of questioning/I don't want to talk about this anymore.")

Q: What inspired Marcille's dungeon lord dress? Her friends all make fun of her but I thought it looked nice. A: There's no specific reference. I made it up to look like her mom's dress and added a childish head covering. The dress is totally normal, her friends making fun of Marcille is a joke. They're just not used to seeing Marcille in that kind of clothing, so it seems weird to them. They don't actually think the dress is that strange or uncool.

Q: Did you expect the strong fan reaction to Marcille and Falin's relationship? A: I don't think about how the fans will react when I'm writing. (Another complete non-answer. She doesn't want to discuss the topic of Farcille and avoids it like a landmine. Honestly, good for her. She wants fans to feel free to think what they want and have their own interpretations.)

Q: Will you write a spin-off about Izutsumi getting revenge on the person who made her? A: Maybe, maybe not. Probably not. I think Izutsumi's pretty happy as she is and just wants to live her life.

In short, Kui's reaction to a lot of the fandom opinion questions was:

EDIT: Also, looking at the headline/page summary for the article, it's uh...insanely misleading.

"We sat down with Kui-sensei at Anime Expo 2024 to discuss the community of food, why Senshi is so sexy, seeing neurodivergence in Laios, and more." Kui literally said no in response to all of those questions, this summary of their own interview implies that there was anything discussed, and not just Kui telling them "no" to each question.

[thechekhov]

Dungeon Meshi Quick Reacts: CH38

Rip to these promising mages. I assume they will not survive this massacre.

IS that where her lungs and kidneys are? Because like. She's huge. Her entire body is behind her. Do you really think she'd keep her vital organs in the little human bulb on the front?

I mean, he has a point. What are you going to do? Fight off more hoardes of dragons?

oh noooo, Kabru.... too bad. That's so unfortunate.... anyway.

It's curious that Laios only got knocked away. He was just as likely to have had his head squished like a grape.

Guys, this is absolutely not the time to be concerned for her privacy.

Yes, queen. Free the tiddy. Murder everyone in this dungeon. I support women's rights and women's wrongs.

.......that's. One way to do that. I guess.

.......what's that rock about.

Oh, I see. That's convenient.

This guy dungeons! Maybe he even dragons.

So we got north (tallmen? dwarves?) and then the easterners.... and now the elves of the west?

He's going to give her to the Americans?! ಠ_ಠ

To be fair, at least they HAD a plan. And they executed it. It's more than you did. I don't mean to point fingers but... at least they... ya know... did something.

Kabru's like 'no, no, hang on, I need to hear what batshit fucked up thing this dude is going to say next, this is important'

Laios is so stressed he broke character.

Then again, maybe it's healthy to let them slug it out a bit. Get it out of their system.

It's true. They wore fitbits and everything.

...hey, hold on a second.

Now hold on a minute.

Damn, this is. Kind of even worse because. I guess I could have guessed that Toshi was just pretending to be polite, like you do. Cultural differences.

But the painful thing is, Laios doesn't seem surprised. He just seems resigned. He's been told before that he's difficult to get along with. To the extent that he doesn't even consider Marcille and Chillchuck his friends? Even though they arguably both care about him? But because Toshiro didn't bother to be deadpan about him being a bit odd at times, Laios thought it meant that was fine.

And that kinda hurts. Like damn. Laios just wanted to make a true connection. And I can't really blame Toshiro either, he was just trying to keep the peace but. Damn.

Free her! Let her do her illegal magics! She deserves it! （︶^︶）

Thoughts:

Senshi just being annoyed about that one last harpy looking for scraps.... like "shoo, this ain't the time"

That gnome seems genuinely nice. I'm sorry Falin squished his pet undyne.

Kabru hugging his..... mage? Girlfriend???? Seems very...one sided. Kinda feel bad for her.

Laios and Toshiro still going at it, I see. Get it allout, boys.

Uhhhhhhhhhh ninja girls.

Aww, doggo.

Last question: Where did the cat go?

Senshi: I can fix that.

Are you all worried because he's finally making sense?!?!

Laios and he punched their singular braincells into several new ones, it seems.

F./....Falin... please give the caterpillar some privacy........

My man, maybe lead with that............

I can't believe Marcille was potentially more forward about her feelings.......

"his pupils are dilated" yes, thank you sherlock. You've finally realized what everyone else who meets Laios feels almost immediately. he's a monster freak club card carrying member. Welcome.

p.....pubby......

As long as he was also inside the dungeon with them.... yes.

The issue with Kabru isn't that he isn't trying his best. It's that Laios isn't trying at all.

On a scale of one to Kabru, how badly do you react to being offered a food you don't want to eat?

......oh no. He's so pathetic it's funny. He's growing on me.

Absolute morons, the pair of them. Immovable object meets unstoppable force. The funniest combination ever. Ghost type and normal type pokemon, forever throwing moves at each other that will never hit. Laios thinking he's made a friend. Kabru just barely stopping himself from killing Laios. Best comedy pair. Tom and Jerry in a can.

Anyway. What a great manga.

[merakiui]

RAHHH WAIT WHILE WE R ON THE TOPICS OF PERIOD SEX. CAN WE TAKE A MOMENT TO TALK ABOUT WHICH GENSHIN GUYS WOULD EAT OUT/FUCK DURING A PERIOD?

AAAAAAA OMG YES........ under the cut because I rambled a lot. ;;;;

The most obvious one who would do it in a heartbeat is Childe. He loves the sight and smell of blood, and the fact that it's coming from between your legs is even better. He'll have you crying out while he spends so much time between your legs, all too eager to taste you and listen to you fall apart on his tongue and fingers. He'll fuck you while you're on your period as well. He loves the way your blood stains his dick when he's thrusting in and out. Playfully cooing at you when you beg him to ease up because it's too much: "Aww, can't handle it? That's too bad... down here seems just fine. You're taking it like it's nothing." <3

This is my own personal bias seeping through, but I wholeheartedly believe Scaramouche/Wanderer would adore period sex. I think Scara enjoys fucking you while you're on your period, whereas Wanderer enjoys eating you out just a bit more. There's this whole power/control thing Scara wants to have over you, so he's probably not getting on his knees for you anytime soon. But he will fuck you for as long as he wants, teasing you the entire time. Having your blood on him is all too exciting. As for Wanderer, he'll pretend like it's a tall order, playfully scoffing at you and saying something like, "What would you do without me? You'd be helpless, wouldn't you?" But if you even suggest that someone else do this for you, he's quickly putting that smart mouth of his to work. Try saying that again through all of your moans. :)

ALBEDO OMG........ it's all for "scientific research" because he's curious and would like to know how the human body operates in more detail. Really, this is his own nerdy cover. He just wants to taste you and feel you, blood and all. orz of course he probably collects samples because there's this clinical side to him that wants to know you down to the alchemical level. ;;;;; he spends way too much time stuffing his fingers inside you and stretching you open, curiously observing the blood that coats his digits and making note of all of your reactions.

Razor....... this one is also obvious. He smells blood and assumes you're hurt, so his first instinct is to either patch you up or lick it better. The latter comes into use when he pins you down and spreads your legs to get a closer look at your pussy. Razor's a bit inexperienced and sloppy, roughly gripping onto your thighs, but he means well. He has to keep his mate safe and content, after all!

Xiao........ XIAO!!!!!!!! He's so determined to protect you. He's very accustomed with the scent of blood, so it doesn't take long for him to smell it on your person. Xiao's a little stern when he tells you to stop moving so he can check you for injuries, but he's sincere. Why do you seem so casual? Aren't you hurt????? He cannot fathom the concept of a period because he's never known about such a thing. He's about as virgin as they come. ^^;;;; but he'll do anything to ensure you're happy, forever and always, and so even though he may not know what he's doing at first he'll eventually fall into the rhythm. Karmic debt is cold and cruel, but pussy is warm and soft. <3

I feel like Kazuha would be into it........ he's so sweet about it, too. T^T maybe you're embarrassed to have leaked on the sheets while sleeping beside him, but he assures you it's fine. Things happen. Besides, there's nothing to be ashamed of. It's normal. He'll make you feel so much better about it, and soon you're falling apart on his fingers or mouth. He praises you all throughout it.

Gorou!!!!! This is also a Razor situation. He probably prefers eating you out more than he does fucking you, but the latter is also quite good. He's really such a sweetheart and he gets pussy-drunk SO FAST. OTL even more so when you're on your period.......

Itto!!! >:D truthfully, what won't Itto do? He'll do just about anything for his pal, best bud, partner, lover (you're all of these things to him hehe). He adores you omg. You only need to tell him that it hurts and he's ready to provide, whether that be by eating you out until your cramps are soothed or by fucking into you (he'll be slow and gentle; he promises!). Anything for you. <3

This may be unexpected (or not) but Ayato. I think he just likes the idea of staining those pristine clothes of his in your red. Or ruining white sheets...... there's something very thrilling about it. Also, you're just so sensitive whenever you're on your period and your libido has you begging him for even more.

Definitely Tighnari. He could just mix up something to help soothe your cramps, but why would he do that when he could indulge instead? Besides, this method works very well and you seem to enjoy it just as much as he does. Why would he ever trade that?

Cyno......... I can't explain it, but I feel like he would enjoy period sex... there's something so addictive about sinking into your wet warmth and getting blood on his cock while you dig your nails into his shoulders and rake his back bloody. >:D

Baizhu. Something something doctor's orders!!! Prescription to soothe cramps is not a calming herbal tea but the doctor working you open on his fingers or fucking into you sweetly and slowly!!!!!

Omg,,, speaking of doctors, how could I forget the man himself!!!! Dottore is a creature. He loves period sex. Perhaps some of his clones love it more than others. It's easy to tell depending on who's fucking you or eating you out. He has this deranged sort of smile as he watches you come undone.

PANTALONE.......... I just know he loves getting your blood all over his face and fingers and on his clothes. He's a big fan of simply cockwarming you while you're on your period and only getting you to orgasm by clitoral stimulation. AAAAAAA OTL

Wriothesley can and will spend his entire afternoon between your legs. He doesn't mind the mess. It doesn't bother him. Rather, he's busying himself working you towards your nth orgasm for the day. If you come to Wrio with a problem, you better be ready for him to solve it. He'll make sure you won't be feeling any cramps for the rest of the day after he's done with you.

Another personal bias, but I like to imagine Lyney also enjoys period sex. Maybe even Freminet, but he's too shy to ask you if you'd be okay with it...... >_< AAAA but Lyney!!!!! He reminds me of this audio. T_T Lyney sniffing out your period........ you seem to have cramps and that's no good. Allow him to ease them and this time there's no magic required hehe.

Another bias, but my beloved Gaming!!!!!! I think period sex with him is always a sweet activity. He's so gentle and caring,,,, so focused on making sure you feel good and that you'll have enough orgasms to get rid of the cramps. And of course he has plenty of snacks on standby for when you want to snack during breaks. Leave it all to him! You won't have to lift a finger. Just lie back against the cushions and let him make you feel good.

OH OH!!!! Capitano.......... I've seen some portray him with a long monster tongue and methinks that is very delicious and so true!!!!! Capitano using that long tongue of his to eat you out, and it can reach places that your fingers just can't and and and AAAAAAAA!!!!!

[dameronology]

can we get the star wars boys (or just poe or din) with moments of angsty slow burn attraction??? pls and thank you

i am a slut for angsty slow burn attraction so i did all the boys lol

din djarin

tbh any attraction with din is gonna be slow burn because he's gonna need a LOT of ✨context✨ before he ever even THINKS that you might like him romantically. angsty, though? that won't be hard to achieve, because he's gonna spend a long time trying to push you away and convince himself that he doesn't feel anything for you. he's also used to most people in his life being semi-permanent at best so in some sense, he's trying to protect himself from the hurt of losing you. but, once you prove that you're not going anywhere and that your love for him - at whatever stage it's in - is truly and wholly unconditional, he'll open up. it's sort of like a dam that breaks; he gives you absolutely nothing but once he realises he loves you, you have everything. his word, his love, his support, his protection. the angst-iness might still linger a little bit because he's super protective of you - now he's convinced you're here to stay, he's determined to make sure no-one else will take you away - but you know it all comes from a place of love.

poe dameron

any angsty slow burn with poe would stem from him catching feelings for you as his rival (did you mean: enemies to lovers?). like, this man is going to try and swallow those feelings and act like he doesn't care for you and that he isn't falling in love with you, but cracks will start to appear eventually. maybe you get injured one day in battle or come home late from a mission, and he is far more concerned that a competitive colleague should be. he'll hide behind a facade of sarcasm and flirting but you can see in his eyes that he was worried. that's the first hint for you, and it's both a blessing and a curse because it confirms what you're feeling to. once one crack has appeared in the foundations, it's only a matter of time before they collapse completely and it's obvious to everyone and their mothers and their mother's mothers that you two love each other. maybe it takes a few soft moments - a late night conversation when you catch each other getting caff at midnight, or when you're on a stakeout together that leia definitely didn't strategically plan - for you to both realise that you connect on an emotional, human level too. that probably makes you fight more - with each other, and the realisation that you love one another - but eventually, one of you will come clean and i have no doubt that poe cracks first, because when he loves he loves fucking hard and trying to keep it a secret will eat him up inside.

finn

slow burn with finn will mostly stem from the fact that he doesn't really know how to pursue you. unsurprisingly, it's not something he learnt during his time at the first order and now that he's out, it's even more confusing. he doesn't mean for it to be angsty either, but he's so bad at this whole thing that he ends up coming across as rude and because he's normally sweet and caring to everyone else, it's easy for you to assume that his coldness is because he hates you. and because that makes you act cold towards him, he then assumes that you hate him too. really, it's all a miscommunication. it would probably take you confronting him and asking why he hates you for finn to have an oh! moment and declare his love for you - or at least his developing love - and then things start to make sense again. it's definitely a quicker slow burn than the rest of the guys, simply because he's so enthusiastic and has this massive love for life that makes him want to spend it with you, so he's not gonna beat around the bush.

han solo

han is the chief executive officer of slow-burn angst. because a) it takes him about ten thousand working days to admit to himself that he has feelings for you and b) he will become immediately defensive about it. he's just not good at letting other people in and sharing his feelings so a relationship is terrifying to him but the only thing scarier than that is the idea of losing you. even though that looks like it's about to happen because he's suddenly pushing you away and acting distant, and it's not until you call him out on his bullshit that he realises. he won't tell you the truth (c'mon, it's han we're talking about) but he'll force himself to go back to normal. there will be something that makes him cave though - probably you starting to date another guy, or the realisation that such a scenario is even a possibility - and han realises he has to do something. cue a very awkward conversation that takes him at least half an hour to get to the point, but once he does, everything sort of makes sense: the sudden distance, the grouchiness, the holding you at arms length. and even though you want to hate him for being so confusing and causing you grief, it's all outweighed by the fact you obviously love him too. there's definitely a learning curve for han, especially as he adjusts to being in a relationship and being vulnerable with you, but it's one he's happy to do with you.

luke skywalker

in my mind, slow burn angst with luke would happen in a situation where you'd been in a previously established relationship before he becomes a jedi. maybe you break up because you're young and don't know what you want, or maybe it's because you want to take a step back and let him explore his newfound career options (?? weird way to describe being a jedi jazz) but either way, he promises to come back to you. and you know that luke skywalker is never one to break a promise, but waiting round is fucking tiring, man. it's probably a scenario where he's back and forth over a long period of time and every time you think you finally have him, he goes away again. then the war ends and you're at your wits end, and luke realises that this time, you're the one who's about to slip away from him and he has no choice but to re-assess his priorities. when he does, he comes back to you immediately. actually, no, he chases you across the fucking galaxy to declare his love for you, and let you know that this is it now.

obi-wan kenobi

obi-wan has no qualms in admitting his feelings for you to himself; it's just admitting them to you that takes fucking forever because of the complications with the jedi code. he tried to do it before with satine and he's quite honestly still recovering, so the idea that he's in the same scenario again is scary but even more so because his feelings this time are so much stronger. and this is no slate to satine, but the situation with satine is like a drop in the ocean compared to where he's at with you. it feels like it could drown him because he wants to be with you to the point where it physically aches but how can he be? and obviously, you've got feelings for him to but waiting around for months whilst he sorts out his own emotions is tiring. tiring to the point where you question how worth it is is, because even if he does decide to give it a shot - and the chances feel slim - it'll mean that you have to sneak around constantly and risk being stripped of your titles completely. obviously, this is something that obi-wan has thought about over and over but one day, he just sort of cracks and realises that he has no choice but to be with you. like, it literally isn't a choice. he can't know you exist and not give it a shot.

[perpetualexistence]

Sea Monster AU: "If you hate this so much, why is there a fire in your eyes?"

Putting a song here about becoming/being a cannibal feels about right for a duo killing people and treating them like animals to the slaughter.

Originally I was just going to call this part 'The Routine', but then the idea for an Alejandro quote struck me and I had to change it. There is no scene in this part, but if there were this quote would certainly be there.

It ended up being harder to write than I originally thought. I couldn't figure out why until I realized I was trying to force a singular scene that would serve as a face-heel turn. When I decided to scrap it and go by death by a thousand paper cuts, suddenly writing everything else flowed a lot smoother.

Who knew that was how editing worked? You learn something new ever day when it's your first time writing something long-form.

But yeah, herein lies the beginning of Noah's descent into darkness! It also includes Noah's backstory in this AU. You'll probably notice it's got some inspiration from Slippery Slopes. What can I say? I'm not immune to an angsty Noah past. I do hope it's different enough!

Content warnings: Slight mention of eating people. And of course, Alejandro being manipulative. But again, to be the norm for this AU. Also! This relationship gets toxic and codependent at times, and this is one of those times. This part shows one of the foundations for that.

I will say though, the next part does get lighter!

Enjoy!

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The problem with Noah's suggestion is that he isn't a really good actor. Alejandro's smart enough to recognize this might be a problem before he tries to trick the first ship, and asks Noah to demonstrate how he'd try to convince someone that he's helpless. It goes about as well as you'd expect.

Alejandro decides he needs to teach him acting somewhat otherwise this plan is dead in the water. There's risks in teaching him how to lie, but if he's the teacher then he can learn Noah's tells so he'll still be able to read him.

The lessons are going as okay as they can be until Noah starts recognizing a few of these techniques as things that Alejandro did during the first few days of their meeting. He can't help but ask "Oh, like how you did with me?" because his mouth runs faster than his brain sometimes. This makes Alejandro feel A Certain Way about his past actions, but he tampers that down and insists that it was true with Noah.

They blitz their way through this tension by avoiding pursuing the discussion. Eventually Alejandro feels that Noah's ready enough, and so they begin in earnest.

Alejandro and Noah develop a pretty decent routine of Noah scouting out ships for Alejandro to either eat or spare. Noah has a walkie talkie/ear piece that he's connected to a radio that sits on the ship Alejandro uses to push him. That way he can subtly announce code for 'leave this one alive' or 'take no survivors'. Noah also makes sure to break any lines of communication that Alejandro wouldn't be able to take out in time. This includes scrambling sonar that would detect something as large as Alejandro getting too close. Once Noah gives the signal to begin, he makes sure that he's above deck. Alejandro fakes eating Noah first to cover their tracks in case any of the survivors realize that Noah showed up on the ship suspiciously before a giant eel showed up.

Alejandro originally intended on making a lot more ‘mistakes’ with innocents because he assumed that Noah was probably using the vigilantism as an excuse to not let Alejandro eat any humans. But Noah’s very aware that Alejandro probably would pull some bullshit like that, so he only sparingly requests for survivors if someone was nice enough to him. Yet Alejandro’s enjoying the vigilante side of eating people who deserve it much more than he’d anticipated since he really only agreed to it to make Noah happy. He doesn't know why exactly, but he takes more pleasure than normal when he's able to kill someone who was rude or cruel to Noah. 

Meanwhile Noah's finding himself taking more and more pleasure in taking people down without realizing it. Noah finds himself on the receiving end of things such as being yelled at for being a stupid tourist by someone who's from out of town, to people trying to extort him for money to get back to land, he's starting to find it particularly hard to be as guilty as he was. This is partially due to him doomscrolling the worst things about humanity to help himself feel better about what he's doing. It's also partially due to the fact that for as messed up as it is, there's a part of him that enjoys the attention that Alejandro's giving him. Mind you, he hates being treated like a possession with no autonomy. But he does like being treated as someone precious who deserves the best. Plus he's not immune to Alejandro's charm and appearance. Made even worse by the fact that Alejandro being bigger means that he can see it in more detail.

An important thing in this AU, and the reason why Noah's slipping into a path of darkness, is that Noah in this AU starts off as Season 1 Noah. There's no Owen or Team E-scope to help him see the good in humanity. He's someone more passive in that he's easily influenced by those around him. And when that person is Alejandro? It doesn't do good things for one's moral compass.

It doesn't help that Alejandro's not only encouraging Noah viewing humanity as the worst, but he's rewarding it. Even though it's not part of their deal, Alejandro starts gifting Noah treasures from the ship after he wrecks them. He saves the prettiest for himself in an underwater cave where he keeps the spoils of his accomplishments. He just gives Noah the ones that are profitable for humans. Plus a few shinies. He wants his (precioso) hunting partner to look the part of someone successful. Noah's appearance is a reflection on both of them after all.

Noah knows this is a bribe to keep going. But he's also pretty desperate for money. His dad left when he was young and took most of his money with him, leaving his mom to raise nine kids all on her own. She and the eldest sibling took as many jobs as they could, but they still had to resort to a loan shark to stay afloat. The second and third eldest siblings became pseudo-parents to their younger siblings because the family certainly couldn't afford babysitters. Noah's mother hated resorting to this, but with little help from extended family there wasn't much choice if she wanted to keep the family together.

Noah actually ended up becoming a breadwinner in the family. Once upon a time little Noah had a poetry phase. He'd read it, and he loved to write it. He'd write out his feelings about the shitty family situation to cope. It was cathartic. Over time his love for writing it faded. Not out of anything negative. That poetry was there when he needed it most, but now it was just time for him to find something else. His interests in literature just changed. The thing was, one of his siblings found out about a writing competition with prize money and decided to submit one of his works without him knowing.

He won. It was a very decent chunk of money that helped the family that month. He knew the family needed it, so he started to throw himself into more writing competitions. He started to notice a pattern real quickly. His older, angstier poems were the ones that one prizes. The newer ones, his lighter ones, didn't. He only had a limited amount of the older poems he could submit before he'd have to make newer ones. But the family still needed money. So he forced himself into writing poetry (a medium he no longer cared for) about a time in his life he hated to discuss.

That combination created a gifted kid burnout who closed himself off to force himself into a state of misery that could be profited from. His mom and siblings would try to reach out to him because they could see that he was having a terrible time with this. But the bitterness he felt towards writing extended into bitterness towards his family for putting him into this situation. It's not fair. He knows it's fair. But emotions don't often go by what's fair.

By the time he met Alejandro, he no longer had to write. Most of his siblings had left the house, or had income of their own. They'd all chip in to help their mom with paying off the loan shark. Noah no longer has to be the breadwinner. But the damage was already done, and that bitterness had never been resolved. That bitterness made it hard to keep friends, because it seeped through even in places he didn't mean it to.

So when someone new enters his life that actually cares about him for himself? Who stays even when he's bitter? He'd be a fool not to do everything in his power to keep them. Even if it means he'll have to sacrifice others to do it. At least it isn't himself this time. And if he now has a means of taking power back from other people who have wronged him? He'll use it.

Alejandro doesn't know about any of this of course. Noah has told him a little, and that little is enough for Alejandro to make some assumptions. But not the whole story. As far as Alejandro knows or cares, all is going according to Alejandro's plan of molding Noah to be just as ruthless as he is so they can properly rule this lake together.

And then the power of friendship just had to come and throw a wrench into things.

[pianocat939]

Great Celina!! I have came far and wide to ask you ... HCs/theories on Yandere big mama BUT! He was raised by big mama instead of splints ~ 👀 love to see what you come up with

Hello traveler from afar! I shall heed your request!

Tw: Leo tries to eat bugs, betrayal, manipulation, murder and kidnapping at the yandere part (it's towards the bottom)

Theory on Leo if Big Mama was his Parent

(Now before we actually begin I assume you’re talking about Leo because I did briefly touch on a former post about it but if you were talking about all 4 I apologize.)

The only possible way I can see Leo being even in Big Mama's clutches in the first place is if Lou Jitsu dropped him on accident while trying to escape Draxum's lab. It can be both in the yokai or human world but either way, bro got left behind.

Big Mama finds a poor turtle baby and decides to take him home since there was no one to keep her company after Lou went dashy-dash on her. And guess what, she is a surprisingly great mom.

Spiders are known to just straight up leave their babies as soon as they are born, but as she is a yokai, not an animal, so she has empathy for infant Leo. She would do the things that society would consider a "loving mother". Although some of her spider behaviour does change a few things: she feeds him bugs, nips him lightly if she's in her spider form, and carries him around in her silk threads.

Oh, and he picks up her accent lmao.

By the time he's a child/pre-teen stage, he is 100% brat. He'll mess up his mummy's hotel decorations, steals food from the chefs, and do anything a child can think of. But there's one thing that's the most important in this stage, his development of manipulation. Not only is he the son of the owner of Grand Nexus Hotel, but he is also a child. And children can get away with anything if they use the right words.

Whenever he causes mischief and someone tries to report him on it, he'll do puppy eyes with a hint of sadness in his voice, and before you know it, he deceives the staff member. This lets him get away a few times until Big Mama notices his talent with words.

She starts giving him little tasks such as "Try to get that dealer to give you that fruit for free," or "Have that little boy let you play with his toys". This slowly starts turning gears in Leo's head and by the time he's a teen he helps his mummy out in "assisting" customers.

So the day when the turtles meet Big Mama, imagine their surprise when they see another turtle dressed in fine formal wear. The other 3 boys always heard stories from Splinter about how they had a missing brother that has red marks on his face. There was no possibility that he isn't their brother.

As expected, Mikey runs up to him in a big hug, which is lightly shrugged off by Leo as he thinks Mikey is just another customer. He's bombarded with questions from Donnie and Mikey but he waves his hand and walks off, stating he needs to attend to his job.

Skip forward to the time Big Mama reveals her yokai form and the two groups start fighting. Midway through the battle, Leo attacks one of them, most likely Donnie as he is the easiest to target. Donnie feels betrayed and painstakingly says 'brother' but Leo only laughs and retorts he's not their brother.

So now he's their eternal enemy.

Ok now for some Yandere Hcs because that's my job now.

He's not too different when compared to his normal counterpart but there are a few noticeable changes in his personality.

He tends to do some more indirect actions such as having hitmen, or throwing people in the Battle Nexus whenever there's a rival. If he's really feeling murderous though, he'll fight them right in the arena.

He doesn't have an "I feel useless" problem like normal Leo either. Instead, he has a more possessive and "what would you do without me" type of thing.

If he is to kidnap MC, they're going to be trapped in the Hotel as that is where he is often times and the security guards/cameras are everywhere (the staff does not want to upset Big Mama's son, he has a horrible temper if things don't go as planned).

If I were to summarize everything, he's a mix of normal Leo and Donnie.

——————————————————

Something tells me he would try to crawl around like a spider as a kid.

- Celina

[moonlight-tmd]

got anymore blitzbee hc or aus?

Well, there is many thing i can incorporate BlitzBee into- and i do, it's my main ship and OTP.

Warframe!Bumblebee, Civil!Blitzwing and Cons Are Good AUs are the ones specifically for BlitzBee.

Part-Insecticon!Bee can also be BlitzBee. Crack AU also cna have osme romance going on. Cyberbeast AU is also a BlitzBee possibility.

I cna give you some stuff relating to either one of those of just plain on non-AU timeline i have.

Blitz loves to sculpt figurines of Bee, he especially enjoys carving out the little horns and eyes on the figurine and giving it that innocent yet divilish look. Of course, he always keeps that smirk on his faceplate when he's sculpting his aft or alt-mode's undercarriage.

Bee will never admit but he wants to be squished by Blitzwing. He's into it more than he likes but he just cannot deny the satisfacition and comfort and maybe pleasure of being pressed against his berth while Blitz lays on top of him full weight. This is the best type of cuddle they discovered so far.

In Part-Insecticon!Bee AU, Blitz helped Bee with therapy to regain control over his broken wings- he'd rub his back and massage some places if he was sore after therapy. Bee was ashamed of having his wings out like that, Blitzwing had very impressive and strong wings, he almost felt unworthy of showing what little he had to offer in return. He voiced it at some point when Blitz noticed he was sad and told him he'd love him no matter what and that wings or not don't matter. He didn't need them to make Blitz swoon for him and it won't change.

Warframe!Bee AU, Bee will defo sing viking-like songs be it from games or not. He likes to sing Skyrim's Dragonborn song when he's forging. Blitzwing will occasionally join him and they'll have fun, although Blitz can't sing for slag. He and Bee will also dance a lot- Be it slow dancing, normal boogie-woogie moving or a couple's dance. They love to dance to "For The Dancing And The Dreaming".

Whenever Optimus bakes something for the group. Bee makes sure he hides some of the treats to give to Blitzwing later. Blitz doesn't have access to any treats or fancy food except oil and some 'natural' rust sticks found in the scrap yard, so he loves when his hummel brings him something different to eat.

BlitzBee loves kisses, it's a human custom but a very enjoyable one. As one would assume they have their own version of french kiss, where Blitz would switch to his black face and shove his wormy glossa down Bee's intake. (Lucky Bee doesn't have a gag reflex cuz he ate whatever he found in trash as a Sparkling) Sometimes when Blitz is annoyed and rants about stuff Bee will leave a trail of kisses on his cheek before kissing him on the derma, which usually ends up in a make-out session and makes Blitz forget he was even upset.

Bee is very crafty, so if Blitzwing makes him figurines and sculptures of stuff ya know he's gonna return the favor. He takes broken glass, some scraps and wires and makes pretty little flowers out of them. He could even pull off stained glass picture if he really tried.

CUDDLES. Just that. They do it all the time. Literally the moment they see each other- instant hugs and cuddles. If Blitz is part of Autobot team, it's cuddles 24/7. He will not let go of Bee unless Bee really wants to. Blitz will hold Bee hostage in their berth when he wakes up at crack of dawn and make him wait for Blitz to wake up around 10. If he was repulsed to touch due to trauma before, now he can't let go.

Blitz will never tell his hummel he talks in his recharge. He'd be trying to fall into recharge himself when he hears murmurs coming from his beloved. It's so amusing, he will talk to him and actually get semi-coherent answers. He loves that if he hums, Bee will also start humming. It's like a midnight radio that he can interact with til he falls into recharge. It's also surprising cuz it apparently works to keep the nightmares away from Bee. If Bee starts to sound panicked Blitz would comfort him and he'll go back to resting peacefully.

Now that's about all i can come up with now. Thanks for the ask!

[javaghoul]

2 3 and 8 for Kaneki Ken :))))

i am ASTOUNDED that you requested Kaneki, one would assume he is your favourite character 🤔

Kaneki & 2: Ideal Day

His perfect day would go something like this:

Wake up at a decent time. I don't think he's a lazy lie in guy, nor an early bird, but I think he appreciates waking up naturally without an alarm or being screamed at by someone.

I think a good start to his day would be peace and quiet. Ken is tolerant of other people and their noise for one reason: he makes sure he has nothing but his own company first thing in the morning. Just him, coffee, and a book.

I guess book shopping is cliche, right? I think books of some kind would play a role in a good day, but not necessarily hanging out at a book shop. If he isn't burnt out from people, spending time with friends doing what they want to do would be something he'd enjoy. He's a guy that can have fun sitting on the sidelines, so watching his friends having fun doing their thing is entertainment for him.

That said, he definitely doesn't want to be around others all day. Even before his ghoulification when he was near isolated from everyone, Kaneki would still need solo time. Space and privacy to mooch around his apartment in his boxers and t-shirt, going between reading and tv.

In general: an easy going, PEACEFUL day.

Kaneki & 3: How they cope with worry

he doesn't.

One of the things about Ken is he is so used to being in fight or flight mode, he doesn't even register he is worried about something. The initial stages of worry that 'normal' people go through is his baseline, so he handles worry differently to most.

It comes down to what the issue is. If it's something trivial, I think he can be an ostrich - buries his head in the sand and lets it happen until it happens to him so bad he can't avoid it. He's very good at distracting himself.

For more serious problems, I think he works himself into such a state that nothing gets done. And by nothing I mean nothing - he doesn't eat (when he was human), he flits from one thing to another without really achieving anything, and cannot switch off at all. This is one area where having Hide as a friend really complimented Ken's personality: despite appearing as a bit of an air head, Hide is good at bringing perspective, and either giving Ken a kick up the ass to motivate him to do something, or shout him down to calm him down.

I definitely think he uses breathing techniques which he would've had to YouTube (y'know, since he never had any decent caretakers to show him how to handle stress).

Kaneki & 8: toxic traits

He's secretive. VERY secretive. He isn't deceptive enough to completely mask that *something* is going on, but there's enough there to leave a friend or s/o suspecting something is ticking away in his skull. He'll seem distracted and not all there, distant from relationships... Then one day he'll just be totally fine again. You won't get any info or explanation from him either.

Also, he allows himself to get so burnt out it's like he ENJOYS it. This goes hand in hand with how he deals with worry. Ken isn't great at looking after himself at all, if that isn't obvious.

[dabihawksluvr]

Vampire Boyfriends (Main Trio)

This is a revamp (ha) to a previous post I made, if y'all wanna use it for fanfic then be my guest! (this is based on a No Quirk/Modern Fantasy AU of mine, so keep in mind that this is all fanfic/headcanon - if y'all want my fanfics for these, go to my Quotev!)

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

[ Izuku Midoriya ]

Dhampir (Vampire/Human)

Blasian (Black/Japanese)

Had an 'incident' where he bit someone by accident (Katsuki), so him and Inko moved to America (Japan has much stricter laws against Vampires and he would've been executed for simply biting someone).

Was not bullied by Katsuki during his middle school years, and was/is homeschooled so he is a bit sheltered and isn't a 'weakling' (he will openly show anger and frustration like in the later seasons of the canon and he's not afraid to throw a punch/kick).

He is tall for his age, and has some muscle to him (most assume he is just 'big boned'/fat until he takes his shirt off).

He can eat normal food (he's a vegetarian because cooked meat smells/tastes 'gross' to him), but still needs blood in his diet so he knows how to hunt (only things like birds and rabbits - his mom uses the meat in her cooking).

Though he has only bitten ONE person (Katsuki), he still has the urge to drink human blood despite how hard he tries to avoid doing so.

If he sees his loved ones hurt or in danger, his more protective/possessive side comes out and he will not hesitate to beat the shit out of anyone who's in his way.

Thankfully, his English is pretty good but his accent is still noticeable (and gets worse when he's flustered or upset/angry - he may start just speaking in Japanese if he's really flustered or just that pissed off).

Like all vampires, he is bi (though he still has a hard time accepting it because Japanese culture isn't really open about LGBT+ subjects/topics - Izuku will be very ignorant about it at the start, but he'll learn about it and adapt quickly enough to not mess up at often anymore).

[ Katsuki Bakugou ]

Turned (once human, became a vampire)

He was once a regular human, but was bitten by Shoto (this is basically the 'Sludge Villain' incident - Izuku was already in America during this so it got messy real quick).

After he was turned, he had to move to America to avoid persecution by the Japanese government (he does not live with his parents as they stayed in Japan - he was transferred to a Vampire Rehabilitation Facility alongside Shoto).

Pretty much the same as in canon, but his personality is more like the later seasons (a lot more quiet and soft - him turning into a vampire caused him to self reflect, though he still has that temper and is 'aggressively kind' now).

He will push himself to his limits, often not having blood for days/weeks before he snaps and bites someone (says he 'doesn't need it' but he's just being reckless and thinks he can 'overcome' his vampirism).

His English is terrible, just like in the canon (he feels he doesn't need to learn English, even though he's not going back to Japan probably ever again in his life).

He was already gae, but he's a little bitch about it (good way to pester him is to just make gae jokes and watch him get really defensive about it - he is not as accepting about LGBT+ stuff, but he also doesn't give a shit about it either).

[ Shoto Todoroki ]

Pureblood (born vampire)

His dad (Endeavor) wanted to 'experiment' with vampire blood, so with every child he had he would inject vampire blood into them during development (Shoto is the only one who survived this so he's an only child).

His dad still heavily abused him, 'training' him to overcome his innate vampirism which only led to him attacking someone (he ended up turning Katsuki by accident and both were sent to the Vampire Rehabilitation Facility).

The exact same as in canon, the only difference is he's meaner for a lot longer than in the first couple seasons (basically a grumpy emo boi who still hates dad but he also hates humans too and loves to complain about it all the damn time).

He does not skip on feeding at all, though he hates it because he can only get it from humans (he'd throw up and get sick if he got it from an animal so he has 'donors' who help him - again, he complains about having to do this all the time).

His English is perfect, he naturally knows all languages and speaks them fluently (he has rare moments where he messes up and it is really funny but only happens when he's pissed off).

He is bi, but his hatred for humans stops him from pursuing any relationship so he comes off as AroAce (he doesn't understand human customs or social etiquette so LGBT+ stuff isn't something he really 'gets' but he also isn't outright dismissive of it either).

[nevis-the-skeleton]

Techno-organic has been a thing in other transformers media, so how do you think some of the autobots and decepticons would deal with this idea coming up and also meeting one?

I don't think I can write a story with that idea, sorry about that. But I think it's indeed interesting to wonder about this subject, which is why I propose to see it with an analysis. So, how would the Autobots and Decepticons react to a Techno-Organic?

First of all, it's true that the term Techno-organic has already appeared in several Transformers media, such as Animated, Beast Wars or G1. I suspect there must be some in other universes, but I don't think I can find them all. I will also assume that the term Techno-organic necessarily refers to a half-organic, half-Transformer being.

Techno-organic is a pretty broad term, because in Animated it mentions Blackairachnia as well as Sari Sumdac. The common point between these two characters is to have both a link between their mechanical side and their more "alive" side. Sari's hair or skin can be seen as organic, for example it's not like Astroboy, who is entirely robotic. Also, she eats human food and not energon. Blackairachnia on her side swings webs, and her rather animal appearance is reminiscent of the organic side. Elita-one having absorbed the abilities of organic beings, it is normal that she ends up taking part of them.

It is therefore not necessarily interesting to wonder about the reaction of the Autobots and Decepticons of Animated, because they have already faced it. Same in Beast Wars, the characters are literally Techno-organic, here again it's animal appearance, but also animal characteristics such as fur, feathers, or shell.

Next, in G1, as Techno-Organics we have our little trio of Insecticons: Bombshell, Shrapnel, and Kickback. We can categorize them as Techno-Organics because they technically did like Beast Wars. These ancient Decepticons woke up on an uncivilized Earth, so without any vehicles. They then chose insects that were for them more adapted to life on this planet. Their organic side allows them here to be able to feed themselves with what they want, and to transform it into energon. They are technically omnivorous. Here too, we know the reaction of the Autobots and Decepticons, surprised at first, then they ended up getting used to it.

Finally, for me in TFP we also have the existence of Techno-organic, the most glaring example being Airachnid, which comes very close to the characteristics of Black Airachnia in Animated. Besides, surely Airachnid wasn't the only one of her kind (not counting the Insecticons of course). But we can also wonder about the Predacons, especially seeing the wings of Predaking, which really do not look robotic, more like the composition of the wings of a bat, it is the only flyer robot that does not fly thanks to the propulsion of a engine.

Of course we don't have Techno-Organics in the half-robot half-human sense, Sari Sumdac being truly unique in that regard. This is only possible with the protoforms in Animated, and so the only possible way to create one in TFP would be for example with the protoforms in the Harbinger. Although, given all the procedure Starscream had to go through to get clones, it's not something that could happen by accident. It would have to be intentional. Afterwards, why do that, that would be a good question…

The Autobots would have no interest in it, the only result would be that they would have injured humans. Because to activate the protoforms in TFP would require DNA and human blood. I forgot how it worked with Starscream, but in any case I am sure of one thing and that is that it would take a lot of blood, more than in a single human. It had cost Starscream a lot of energon, so imagine for a human (all his blood goes through it, and that wouldn't even be enough). Either way, if that were to happen, most of the Autobots would be welcoming. The only one who would be the least would be Ratchet, but because he doesn't really like organics, he has already taken a long time to tolerate the kids.

The Decepticons, on the other hand, abhor humans, seeing a half-mechanical one would grossly disgust most of them, except perhaps Breakdown and Dreadwing, who never showed a real aversion to organics. Soundwave most likely wouldn't care, and the only one really interested would be Shockwave. But well, it's Shockwave. Starscream is already disgusted by Airachnid, so imagined another half-human Techno-organic form this time, same thing for Megatron who doesn't like humans. Airachnid would want to collect it, no doubt. As for Knockout, I think that despite the fact that he is attached to his hygiene, he wouldn't mind. I think it's even one of the Decepticons who is closest to humans, meeting a half-mechanical one would surprise him, but he would not join in the half-general disgust. Either way, they underestimate humans for the most part, they would have no reason to want to create a Techno-Organic.

In any case, for me, in TFP, it's not so much a Techno-organic that would make them react more or less badly, but rather the fact that this Techno-organic is half-alien or not. So half-Transformer, half-human, for example.

That's it for my analysis, I know you weren't expecting that. But I hope you like the analysis anyway. Thank you for your request ^^

[leclerced]

Okay since my frustration is out the window I come bearing Maxoscar meeting their girl.

For me she knows from the beginning they’re vampires or has no clue about vampires apart from binging TVD. So maybe one time when Oscar is kind of new he maybe feeds on her friend and when she finds them she thinks he’s murdering the poor girl so she starts hitting him with her bag or sth and only after sees that he’s got fangs and her friend doesn’t look like she was being slaughtered or sth. So maybe she’s a little frick and starts asking him questions and is super interested in what it’s like to be a vampire. Then Max finds them and is like “oh fuck…Oscar what have u done and why is some human girl interrogating you in a dark alley?”

If she doesn’t know then I see Max and Oscar go to the store to buy groceries (in my head vampires still eat normal food not only drink blood cause it would be a sad life, not being able to eat). But Max knows only the basic since he was holed up in his mansion for however long. So the boys stand in the middle of the sweet’s alley and argue about sth and right this moment our girlie comes up to them and is like “umm not that I want to be nosy or sth but I recommend *this, this and this*”. Max would be mesmerised by her for some reason and awkwardly try talking to her but everything comes out wrong and Oscar is trying to save the situation but he’s the best in things like that either so they both are embarrassed af but she just thinks it’s cute and gives them her number.

okok ballerina anon sent another ask im gonna post after this one ! tell me which u guys like more they r all different

i like the idea of her going out with friends and catching oscar feeding on one of them!! she'd assume they're hooking up and she starts laughing, "oh my god you're so drunk you're hooking up in an alley? no, we are going home." and then oscar looks up and she sees fangs and blood. finding out vampires exist because one of them is sucking on her friend's neck in the alley way is definitely not the best way to be introduced to the supernatural underworld. so she's totally freaking out. max shows up while oscar tries to calm her down by telling him he wasn't going to kill her, and he immediately starts complaining about how oscar's a mess and he needs to stop feeding in public because this is the third time he's been caught in a month. they just bicker back and forth while she stands there in shock. idk how it would continue but the idea is funny

the grocery store thing is cute. i kinda love it. oscar's trying to explain what each of the packages of treats are, but keeps telling max he hasn't actually tried them. "i mean, its an oatmeal cookie sandwich with cream in the middle." "yeah but, is it good?" "i haven't tried it, but it looks good, doesn't it?" after oscar explains what he thinks zebra cakes are for a third time, she interrupts and tells them they should get the oatmeal cream pies, the honey buns, and that the cosmic brownies are a must have, too. max starts questioning her on them, asking what her favorite is and why? oscar apologizes for the questions and says she can finish shopping, but she thinks they're cute so she's like, "tell you what. i'll give you my number and after you try them you tell me your favorites and i'll tell you mine."

max doesn't have a phone, so he writes her number at the bottom of his grocery list and makes oscar take him out to buy a cell phone afterwards. i think he would call her instead of texting like oscar suggests, he wants to hear her voice. he really wanted to facetime her after the at&t employee told him about that feature but oscar quickly talked him down and made him wait a day before he let him call the number. with this idea, how and when does she find out they’re vampires?

[thechekhov]

Man, Izutsumi's whole selfish character really is explained by how shit a hand she was dealt. Given her motivations for following the party, becoming a cat-hybrid was clearly done to her without consent, and far enough into life that she knows she isn't supposed to be such a thing and wants to turn back into a human.

She also clearly wasn't trusted or loved much in Shuro's household, given that they literally used a death curse as a collar to keep her in check, and then later decided to leave her behind when they couldn't find her in the Dungeon. It's theorized that the various non-human servants of Shuro are slaves that were bought into the household. Tade being grateful could well be because she was born into slavery and is happy to have relatively kind masters, but if Izutsumi was a free human that got turned into a catgirl, and then a slave, I can see why she's being a brat about it, especially if she's being told to be 'grateful' simply for having not actively abusive masters.

Given her childish demeanor, she'd probably learn better through rewarding good behavior than punishing bad behavior, but as a slave I doubt there were many notable rewards on offer to incentivize her. Travelling with the Thorden party is likely the first time since her transformation that she's been free, so molding her into a decent person now that she's equal to others is going to be an uphill battle, if that makes sense.

I know that there a probably no revelations to you in this message, since you already seem to 'get' her character pretty well, so this is just me phiiosophising in the comments.

P.S. the Barometz is a funny monster that kinda exists just to suffer. It's named after a type of fern that grows from a wooly bulb with a superficial resemblance to a lamb. The mythological Barometz has a long vine-like umbilical cord that connects its body to the earth. It can only eat grass within reach of that vine, so when it's eaten all the grass it can reach, it can either starve to death, or pull free from the vine, which also kills it. A new barometz then grows from the corpse. Poor bastards are really just born to die.

Mmm, yeah. I was waiting for the comic to confirm it more before I jumped to conclusions about Izutsumi's background/past but if what you're saying gets confirmed within the story then yeah, that's explains why she acts the way she does even more.

(I assumed that she was some sort of a ward of Toshiro's house, yeah, but I thought that she was a beastkin first. The fact that there was a curse which was meant to kill her if she doesn't return to them....makes me wonder how much Toshiro knew about how the whole operation was being ran. Or if it just seems normal to him.)

Presumably, even in the east beastkin are viewed as being closer to monsters than humans. Their humanity being at stake means they're probably treated pretty horribly, which is likely the reason Izutsumi acts like everyone is her enemy, waiting to trick and deceive her.

That's kinda the tragedy of being a hurt person. She may have good reasons for acting the way she does, but Chillchuck's party (he's the leader, I've decided) doesn't deserve the way she treats them because of it. It's a sort of moral impasse.

It's just kind of a bad situation, but I'm very curious to see how she changes! She has already changed quite a bit since first meeting them. It's a fascinating story!

The Barometz thing is..... I KNEW I'd heard of it before, but that confirmation is WILD. Wow. Born to die indeed.

(sauce)

They have little celery legs, even. That's terrible. And so good. The most sad creature of all time.

[ofpineapplesanddawns]

Hoping and assuming the prompt list counts for this blog too? If so;

visiting them at their place of work, for Ghostly Peter % Aro?

Totally counts!

Warning: ghost Peter, vampire, vampire politics that Peter doesn't understand because he only really speaks English and not Italian

On with the fic!

--

Aro had stated that Peter was not allowed to be anywhere near the council room, where a lot of the more private vampire discussions happened. He did not want the ghost to cause any trouble, as this was an important meeting that had been planned for a while and this was really the only time a number of Aro's allies could be in a room with him.

Peter listened, nodded, but didn't promise to stay away.

In fact, he wanted to see what was so important that Aro actually got all scary vampire mafia leader about it in his tone when speaking. He made it so tempting! And Peter was known for giving into temptation so easily.

He easily slipped into the room through the floor, under the table where all he saw were a number of feet. In really fine, designer shoes, probably cost a fortune or something. He glanced up, seeing a perfectly normal table above his head, not even a wad of gum stuck underneath.

Not that vampires chewed gum. Unless if they did? Do they need to? If you have long fangs should you eat things that can sometimes pull out a normal human tooth?

Stupid thoughts, Peter was getting distracted.

He could hear Aro speaking, clearly at one end of the long table, the owner of the very expensive pair of designer shoes made of the finest leather. Peter should know, he had seen them a number of times in his escapes from an angry Aro by going into the floor.

He moved closer, trying to listen to what was being discussed. All he heard was a lot of words in Italian, most of them Peter didn't understand. He got a few, very basic words that are common enough in the Romantic languages that he got the gist of what they were, even if his knowledge of those languages were limited to a bit of French in school and his (sad) attempts at Romanian. And whatever Ginger used to say about him in Spanish. And Latin, but does Latin count? Kinda?

No one was speaking Latin here, he knew that language pretty decently, and he was shocked that it wasn't used in these meetings. You'd think for ancient vampires they'd go with the stereotype of speaking the language spoken in so many horror movies and books, but nope. Gotta be modern, he guessed.

At least it wasn't some form of ancient Greek!

Peter knew Aro talked about him in that language, and so far the only word he might have translated was whatever the ancient word was for 'annoying'.

Whatever was being discussed seemed pretty important from how people were talking, and Aro getting more and more agitated as voices talked over one another. The feet and legs around him were moving and someone even stomped a foot in anger. Another struck the table hard with their fist and Peter felt the sound through his ghostly teeth, man, that is a sturdy table! Probably for things like that.

Still, this was boring! So, so very boring!

He could entertain himself by teasing Aro's legs and maybe going higher...?

No, that might result in more trouble than it's worth, especially with how infuriated Aro sounded right now.

Right, best not to do anything fun like that.

Still, Peter glanced around and shrugged. No one ever said he was a mature adult.

--

"I think..." Aro hissed through his teeth. "That it would be best if we conclude for now and come back in a few hours, a bit less agitated with one another."

The council nodded, grumbling among themselves as they rose from their seats, only for several of them to suddenly fall over, either back into their seats, onto the table, or down to the floor.

The rest, including Aro, watched in confusion and it took just a second for Aro to realize something happened. He quickly ducked down to look under the table, finding that those who fell were all wearing shoes with laces.

Laces currently tied together, like something a child would do when an adult wasn't looking.

"Peter..." He sighed under his breath and looked about, seeing no trace of the ghost anywhere.

When he'd find him, they'd have some words about what they talked about before the meeting. Though he doubted that Peter would listen to him.

--

I'm sorry, this was so silly, but I just love Peter being an absolute shit as a ghost. He might not be able to kill vampires, but he sure as hell can give them a bad time.

[the-priestess-of-dawn]

Um clearly if FEA doesn't have that mechanic we need to think about it ourselves. Obviously anyone noble can't cook worth a dang, so I think we can safely sort Virion into the lower tiers. Can you see him cooking I can't. I think Chrom can cook campfire food, probably, and I think Frederick can cook...? Cherche seems self-sufficient enough... and I have no justification for this but I feel like Maribelle could girlboss her way into a good meal, if not a GREAT one. IDK why. I just feel it. In my bones.

Okay, we actually do have SOME information about who can and (more often) CAN'T cook from supports. Let's see what I can remember/find reasonably quickly.

Chrom sucks at cooking. In his A support with Vaike he makes goulash so bad that Vaike falls off his chair and goes unconscious. (Chrom then declares himself winner by knockout. I love him.) Also, his Dragalia Lost appearance had him saying "I'm useless as a chef. Even among my family, my cooking's reputation is less than stellar." This seems to imply that Emmeryn and Lissa (maybe Lucina and Owain, too?) are also not great at cooking, but that Chrom is particularly awful.

Sumia's food CAN turn out amazing, but she's pretty bad at the actual process. Chrom thinks her rhubarb pie is the best he's ever had, even though he normally hates rhubarb, but it took her 15 tries to get it right. Similarly, Gaius loves the honey cake she makes him in their S support, but then she admits it took her 23 tries. So... her heavenly cooking comes with a high price, apparently.

Sully is bad at cooking. "Yeah, maybe I can't cook, or clean, and I burn all the laundry" (per her S support with Chrom), but it's also brought up in Kjelle's supports with her father. Yeah, turns out Kjelle can't cook, either.

And actually, Kjelle's supports with her father actually do indicate something about the cooking skills of her potential fathers... See, most of them just get a line about giving her some pointers... EXCEPT for Chrom and Robin, who get an additional line of "I'm no whiz in the kitchen, but I've made my fair share of campfire breakfasts." So presumably, most of the guys in the Shepherds at least decent at cooking. Chrom "winner by knockout" Ylisse and Robin "I've only poisoned myself twice" Reflet are outliers.

Because speaking of Robin, yeah... "I've only poisoned myself twice" is from Donnel's supports, but we also see from Panne's supports that she is the only one willing to touch Robin's carrot stew. (Taguel notably have a different diet than humans do, and eat things like firefruit, which causes human skin to "blister and itch for days on end" according to her supports with Stahl.) In the Nowi/Robin supports, Frederick instructs Robin with field cooking (so we can probably assume Frederick is good at at least that sort of thing), and Robin and Nowi end up making something together that appears unappetizing but apparently tastes pretty good... but, um... Well... Nowi's a manakete, and Robin has fell dragon power even in their human body, so... Mm... Nah likes Robin's cooking, too (although to be fair, she was used to eating bitter leaves and plant roots in the bad timeline). Forgive me if I suspect it might be another Panne situation? F!Robin's C support with Severa does show her getting a good result, but Robin also says that her cooking usually turns out "tasting like mud... Or burned mud." Severa gets mad at what she sees as false modesty, but... Severa IS Severa, and also I don't think ANY of the future children were eating gourmet under Grima's reign, so... I'm inclined to think Robin's cooking is decent at its absolute best, on an exceptionally lucky day.

Now, let me go back to the Stahl/Panne supports for a second, because I think that Stahl is likely pretty good at cooking. Fitting for a guy who loves eating, right? Although it's a little weird, because I'm pretty sure they added that as his gimmick at the last second. If you read all his supports, eating is never really brought up, and in fact his gimmick appears instead to be... being so average that it's remarkable. If that's the case, perhaps his meals are also average when you look at the whole camp? But in his supports with Panne he specifically brings her a special dinner because Lissa was making "some kind of weird stew" (another point in favor of her not cooking well? although compare Tharja's line in her C support with Lon'qu about Lissa maybe making more little honey cakes for the war council she's hosting. Maybe Lissa is better at baking generally, or maybe she's better when it comes to sweets specifically?). Now, the cottage cheese and squid dish Stahl brings Panne doesn't sound, uh, super great for humans... but the "carrot dumpling wrapped in a flaky pastry crust" sounds pretty delicious and I kind of want one, too...

Severa claims that she burns everything she tries to cook in her supports with her father, but that's probably just her insecurity flaring up (she goes on to say she must be a disappointment compared to her mother... and yeah, I'm sure Cordelia's cooking is as excellent as her reputation for perfection would suggest). But in her supports with M!Morgan, she manages to cook a pretty good stew. Morgan's only complaint is that it tastes like she was just going through the motions with it, not really putting any feeling into her cooking. But hey, compared to SOME of the Shepherds, I think she's doing an amazing job! Morgan even asks for seconds! (Also, if she S supports Morgan then she makes the same stew and Morgan raves about it. Clearly, Severa putting her love into her cooking makes it outstanding).

... Okay so that's all I've got off the top of my head (I say as if I didn't already spend hours looking up supports...) but if anyone has anything else to add let me know. I'm too tired to read the full support list for every single character right now.

[consumeroflemoans]

Spider Ladies concept actually goes so hard, holy shit

I was absolutely right in my first assesment, I love her, honestly the fact that she doesn't have a name kind of adds to the whole thing of "Being an attraction, not a person"

Do the attractions like being part of the freakshow or would they rather escape?

And in regards to shadow, by the way lovely loss of self he's got going on dude, does he have any sympathy for the attractions as well? You mentioned he is indeed incorporal, but as he does assist visitors I'm assuming they can hear and/or see him, has the ringmaster or any of the attractions at this point discovered his existence?

As the crystal powers the freakshow I'm assuming it's in some way tied to the ringmaster

Since it seems to be able to make things weird as demonstrated by Romans transformation, is it also what attracts the weird things in the area, are they unconciously sensing that?

Agacauac I’m glad you like her so much! I’ve always really loved the concept of having a character doomed to be unable to love despite wanting it. (I just realized this may be projection from my own sexuality uhhhhh yeah let’s not unpack that)

I do like the thought of someone managing to outsmart her and survive. It would be interesting for her character arc if someone managed to grow close to her. Also it would be so cute if they gave her a name just to solidify that they see the humanity inside of her. She honestly deserves the world.

I would say most of the attractions do like being at the freakshow. The ringmaster is 100% exploiting them and restricting their freedom, but they are also guaranteed safety. The outside world tends to hunt anything different or dangerous like them, either for science or out of fear. With the magical nature of the freakshow, it’s a safe haven for anyone different.

Any sense of sympathy is mostly outweighed when he sees the attractions kill and eat people tbh. The ringmaster finds it funny to place the most aggressive or dangerous ones front and center. I did mention that I’ve considered adding Khuuya to the freakshow and I do think Shadow would sympathize with him. He has sentience and I’ve had a storyline for Khuuya going in the back of my head for a little bit.

Visitors can see him and talk to him like he’s a normal person. He just passes through anything he tries to touch. The ringmaster 100% knows of his existence by now and doesn’t really like his meddling. But also having a ghost walk around and try endlessly to help already doomed guests is very amusing to him, so he doesn’t care if Shadow exists. Shadow’s become another sort of attraction in his eye. He doesn’t know about Roman’s existence though! He’s still stalking around the collapsed caves, starving yet unable to die due to the magic.

The crystal is what powers the freakshow and is also directly tied to the ringmaster’s life force. He actually doesn’t know it exists, though. He doesn’t tend to leave the freakshow and has no desire to explore because he’s entertained there. Also yes, it creates a sort of sixth sense when it appears, effecting both humans and anyone different. It creates this strong feeling that there is just something there, preying on natural curiosity to draw people in.