#sometimes you just need to make bad art for that collection of feelings you don't have the words to fully encompass

[rootspiral]

Agatha All Along deep dive: episode 1 part 3

(Wandavision entries: [1][2][3])

(AAA entries: ep1 [1][2][3][4])

so babe, hear me out. we could adopt him. just spitballing here (agatha, probably)

bwahhaha fantasy!billy and his death stare, meanwhile real billy is such a polite baby

if you look closely you can tell Joe Locke is fighting for his life holding down laughter in a lot of his scenes with Katrhyn. he has nerves of steel, couldn't be me

(also, billy telling her she has neither the respect of her peers NOR a fulfilling home life? harsh, but fair.) (at least her wife is trying to fix the home life part)

honey, don't go around kicking grumpy little twinks now! perfectly in character. despite her chaotic exterior, rio is a very lawful person. she is literally the laws of nature!

the Ballad plays faintly in the background when Billy mentions the Road

I love when good actors have to pretend to be bad actors. and I also find it interesting that Agatha cast herself as a good guy. does it make her feel better about herself? is she telling herself that all the atrocities were justified, that it was only survival instinct? (like rio said, she's only lying to herself)

I had to look up the painting, it's Macbeth meeting the three witches (thank you Reddit!) So Macbeth (Agatha) and Banquo (Billy) meeting Lilia, Jen and Alice?

how did I miss Billy sitting on the chair Rio was just on?! amazing lens choices here too

Wanda's death makes her cry again. I honestly, honestly believe she feels awful about what she did to her. but guilt will never be enough to redeem her - especially because she tends to run away from it.

Wanda's magic was so strong that it took at least four things to undo the spell: Wanda dying, Rio's intervention, Billy's counterspell, and Agatha's willpower. It was a group effort, Agatha could have never done it alone. And despite her scorched earth tactics, there are still two people in her life, rio and billy, willing to help out in her hour of need

it's naughty tiiiime

I still really love the curls

can I say iconique?

it's like someone's about to die at the end of this

bwahahahahaah and oh my GAWD all the case files and boxes, where did she GET that stuff, did she rob a precint, did she make them with the power of arts and crafts

you know what I think? being naked here is a power move. she is being very over the top because she's really uncomfortable, she just woke up and she's in those moments when you stop dreaming and have to relearn what's real and what isn't. she is someone used to calculate and scheme and micromanage every aspect of her life and she is not in control right now. what does Agatha do to reclaim control? she puts on a show. to her, being under the spell was way more like being naked, her insecurities and emotions and past were out in the open for everyone to see. being physically naked could never be nearly as distressing, and this is a nakedness she chose, because it tells people nothing about herself, nothing of what she wants to keep secret and protected. she's got the upper hand, not the other way round

you are all cowards and sheep for not saying Wanda's name, says the lady who would rather hide under a dozen magic layers than face her problems

that is so nice that they brought her groceries actually??? and lol those are the flowers in Agatha's crime scene pictures

that little girl is having a great time

FUCK CLOTHES BUT FUCK THESE CLOTHES SPECIFICALLY!!!!

(wait am I allowed to post butt cheeks? what are the rules right now?)

she turns quiet and emo as soon as she's alone

why doesn't she just - kiss the wiwwle bunny. bury her nose in that big fluffly head. even villains need a cuddle sometimes.

sure, bring señor scratchy. so menacing. that'll show them.

poor boy. trapped in a closet with ralph's bluray collection

aaand I really want to get to the next scene so I'll start on it right away, hopefully it'll be ready later tonight

go to part 4

[tea-time-terrier]

[tofixtheshadows]

You guys really need to stop and consider the ways you're talking about Kabru I am dead fucking serious. Like I know that flattening characters is just what fandom does to a certain extent, but Kabru's actual personality is getting lost to the fandom hivemind insisting that he's aggressive/cruel/sociopathic/hateful, and these are particularly concerning takes to see leveled at the only brown character in the main cast day after day. "My poor sweet golden child Laios needs to be protected from this scary brown man" is not a good look! Like, it's very telling that the bulk of the hate and bad faith readings are reserved for Toshiro and Kabru. Everyone else's flaws get to be discussed and validated and forgiven (or erased), meanwhile people are straight making up things to be mad about with Toshiro and Kabru but patting themselves on the back for being smart.

The worst part is how undeserved it all is. I'm trying to lay off anime-onlys because we're still kind of in the red herring stage of getting to know Kabru, but I would still like to gently suggest that even if you think Kabru is up to something, you don't gave to get in the tags of every fan creator's post and bring up how you hate him or You Can Tell he's totally evil. Sometimes I think Kabru's blue eyes give people license to say things about his appearance that they know would sound completely racist otherwise, but referring to his blue eyes acts as a get-out-of-racism free card. The jokes about the dog with brown contacts are getting old, by the way.

For people who have read the manga, it's disappointing. Kabru is one of the most complex and important characters in the story, and if you base your interpretation of him and all your fandom interactions on shallow first impressions you are completely missing out.

I know part of this is because Dungeon Meshi is a comedy, but the story also wants to be taken seriously. For example, it's admittedly really funny when Chilchuck calls Laios "sick in the head", but that doesn't change the fact that the way Chilchuck casually belittles Laios caused him to hide the fact that he was "hallucinating" from his friends for weeks. Those feelings matter.

Like, this

is funny.

But this?

Is not. This is just a very clear example of a brown boy with PTSD. As someone else with PTSD, just looking at this fucking sucks, man.

The only reason why Kabru thinks about killing Laios is because he is in the middle of a flashback. He's struggling through a panic attack. If he truly wanted to kill Laios because he's violent or because he finds Laios inherently annoying, he wouldn't otherwise talk with Laios normally. Notice how he doesn't act this way at any other point in the story- it's just because he's triggered by monsters. Even when he's thinking about his plans to "deal with" Laios later, he's reluctant to actually kill him and only considers it to prevent another tragedy. Despite his deadly skills, Kabru relies far more on "soft" power- insight, persuasion, diplomacy. He's a rare example of a character who absolutely is, or at least can be, manipulative, but seems to use his abilities for good. He's not a pathological liar, he isn't looking down on everyone behind a smile. He's someone who is extremely emotionally intelligent, and he's willing to put aside all his own basic wants and needs to stop the cycle of dungeons devouring humans.

I'm going to cut a potential thesis on his character short and just give some examples of things that fandom should consider about his personality more:

Racism in fandom isn't just about whitewashing in fan art, or using racial slurs. The insidiousness of bad faith readings, reductions to racist tropes, lack of fan content for characters of color, and dismissal of a character's complexity are far more common. You can believe yourself to be completely neutral or even positive about a character and still churn out low-grade bile about them into fandom's collective unconscious. Fandom reflects real life.

And I have been around fandom long enough to see how these behaviors (mostly from my fellow white fans) affect fans of color, how it makes a fandom feel hostile and unwelcome to them. It's fun to make jokes and memes, I'm absolutely not saying that everything needs to be a deeply nuanced take, but we need to be careful that it doesn't veer into toxicity. Please think about how our contributions to fandom come across, and what sort of vibes they cultivate in this communal space.

[verysium]

how bllk boys would react when u draw them, could either be rlly good or rlly SHIT u choose idk (plz include barou and the itoshi bros) 😊😊😊 i love you and ur works, and the way u write the boys and ur content makes me laugh fr, one of my fave bllk authors mwjahaja 😓 have a great day, ily:3 and the icks post made me smile like all of ur posts do!

thank you so much anon ♡ this ask had me contemplating very seriously, so apologies if it's a bit late:

sae is definitely awestruck in some way, even if he doesn't immediately show it. i think i talked about this in a previous headcanon, but he has a deep-seated admiration for artists who can grasp abstract concepts because he himself cannot. he would be somewhat flattered if you drew him since he's never considered his own appearance to be particularly inspiring. would be appalled if you considered him your muse. like....why? to him, his looks aren't anything of importance (clearly he is blind.) would probably say your drawing was inaccurate but then hang it up by his nightstand so he can look at it every night before he goes to sleep. if you're a full-time artist, he probably keeps a little stash of your gifts in a small box beneath his bed. sometimes if he's having a bad day or he lost a game, he goes back and flips through them just to make himself feel better. secretly loves the way you draw his bangs and the little swoop you do in your signature.

kaiser corrects every single detail in your drawing. stands behind you and gives you little pointers here and there. he should have an 8-pack, not a 6-pack. his jawline isn't sharp enough in your initial sketch. poses shirtless in front of you so that way you can encapsulate the full extent of his sexiness. shows off your drawing to every living creature in existence. "isn't he handsome?" like...🙄 yeah, michael we know. he's probably the hardest to draw because of his tattoo, so i think he genuinely appreciates it when you put in the effort to capture his intricacies. will never admit this but he's low-key proud of you and your talent (mostly just your ability to make him look good.)

rin is one of those people who doesn't understand hyperrealism. like why does he need a highly detailed sketch of his face when he can just take a photo and print it out? i don't think he understands art in general. probably despises modern art too. he'd take one look at a rothko painting and be like....i could draw this too...in my sleep. similar to sae, i feel like he's just numb to the sentimentality of gift-giving. doesn't understand why you would waste your time drawing a little picture of him, but it does make his heart feel strangely fuzzier, so maybe he'll keep it this one time. lo and behold, months later he now has a collection of your drawings he doesn't have the heart to throw away. refuses to let isagi or anyone see them because they're meant for his eyes only.

yukimiya has impeccable taste. in fact, he's probably an artist himself. i think it'd be cute if you both drew little sketches of each other throughout the course of your relationship. but neither of you ever knew until you gifted him your sketchbook for christmas, and he was like....guess what...i drew you too. thinks you're pretty even when you don't think so. sometimes when you're having a coffee shop date, he scribbles a portrait of you on his napkin because the sunlight hit your cheek just right in that moment, and the birds were chirping, and he fell in love all over again. i think it's also tragic that he's slowly losing his eyesight, so he won't be able to enjoy your drawings and the vibrant colors you infuse into them. that's why he treasures them even more. probably thumbs over the pages from time to time. memorizes every stroke and line.

isagi likes the way you always draw that little tuft of hair that sticks up on the top of his head. it looks like a cute little bean sprout. he pins your drawings up above his bed next to a polaroid of you two in germany. buys you a professional art set for your birthday. if you're a digital artist, he buys you a new tablet and stylus.

bachira adds his own doodles next to yours except he makes a chibi version of everything. always pesters you to include his little fangs. uses the boldest combination of colors. he would definitely be a messy artist. paint everywhere. fingernails perpetually stained a different color. you both draw during class, so when you two trade notebooks to actually study......there aren't any actual notes.

barou acts like he doesn't know what to do with your drawing of him but then the next day you visit his house, and he's already put your artwork in a fancy picture frame. refuses to let anyone else even stand within a ten meter radius next to it because he doesn't want their "nasty fingerprints" all over your beautiful masterpiece.

[calisources]

CHILDREN   OF   THE   NIGHT.   a   collection   of   quotes   and   scenarios   about   vampires.   change   pronouns/names   as   you   see   fit.   These   were   all   taken   from   different   sources   of   fiction,   both   in   literature   and   audiovisual   media.   all   known   triggers   for   vampire   media   apply   (blood,   death,   murder,   gothic   horror, obsessive love   and   more).

SENTENCES AND QUOTES. change pronouns and names, locations as you see fit.

"I took mythology a lot more seriously since I’d become a vampire."

“None of us really changes over time; we only become more fully what we are.”

"A vampire, like a lady, never reveals his true age."

"How do we seem to you? Do you find us beautiful and magical?”

"The strength of the vampire is that people will not believe in him."

"Listen to them, the children of the night. What music they make!"

"The blood is the life!"

"Loving the monsters always ends badly for the humans. It's a rule."

“When people see good, they expect good. I don't want to have to live up to anyone's expectations.”

“Love is a vampire’s greatest weakness. And we are not weak.”

“You know that old saying. Once you go dead, no one's better in bed.”

“For a hundred years I offered ugly death to everyone I met, and I did it with a song in my heart.”

"I'm not human. And I miss it. I miss it more than anything in the world. That is my secret."

“I'm in love with a woman I can never have. The point is I'm in love with her and it's driving me crazy. I'm not in control.”

"Your life is pathetic. Your after-life doesn't have to be."

"Life sucks either way, Jeremy. At least if you're a vampire, you don't have to feel bad about it if you don't want to."

"You want a love that consumes you. You want passion and adventure and even a little danger."

"Sometimes the world turns good people into bad people."

"People have been after me for a thousand years, but I'm always one step ahead."

"Mother made us vampires. She didn't make us monsters. We did that to ourselves."

"Perhaps one day, in a year or even in a century. You'll turn up at my door and let me show you what the world has to offer."

"Do you have any idea how rare love is? In a thousand years, I have found it but twice, and when I have, I have honored it."

"You're a vampire, sweetheart. I don't think you'll ever be okay again."

“When you feel the blood rush in, you tell yourself that you’re gonna get through it; that you’re strong enough.”

“You’d be surprised how easy it is to forget the past, Elena.”

“I wanna rip into your skin. And I wanna feed on your blood. Under your skin.”

“I just want one taste. That''s all I need. I just want one taste.”

“There’s the briefest of moments before we kill, where we literally hold their life in our hands and then rip it away, and we’re left with nothing.”

“Do you know the secret to immortality?”

“The vampire bond. There is no human equivalent.”

“He was my mentor, my murderer, my maker.”

“When was the last time you drank blood?”

“Left you with a bit of a craving, didn’t it? One day that craving is gonna grow.”

“That's cause you took my life! I got nothing. I lost everything. I lost my brother. I lost my family. About to lose the last fucking thing I care about.”

“And then I watched you pull over and drain a dog. And run down an alleyway for two more rats. This is not a life!”

“Hunting is an art. You have the power to subdue anyone you want, but sometimes restraint is your most powerful weapon.”

“What does this taste like to you?”

“There is one thing about being a vampire that I must fear above all else, and that is loneliness. You can't imagine the emptiness. The void.”

“Vampires are killers. Apex predators whose all-seeing eyes were meant to give them detachment. The ability to see a human life in its entirety.”

“Don’t underestimate the allure of the darkness. Even the purest hearts are drawn to it.”

“End of the day, human life is just a means to an end. Our means to our end.”

“A mutual law of nature is the strong always take from the weak.”

“It’s better to have a flawed life lived than wasted rotting away in clay.”

“Hatred, a pure and perfect hatred that’s greater now than the day I first took your life.”

“A thousand years of history isn’t going to write itself.”

“I can’t be killed.”

“I’m the monster lesser monsters fear.”

"I have crossed oceans of time to find you."

"You don't know what you are asking of me. To drink from you."

"You need blood, take it."

"To walk with me you must die to your breathing life, and be reborn to mine."

"I love you, Stefan. We will be together again. I promise."

"You loved me once, you will love me again."

"I made him. Did you know that?"

"I never compelled your love. It was real, and so was mine."

"What did you think was gonna happen? She would look at you, see your real face and give you a kiss?"

"I could swap this life of shame. Swap it out for a dark gift. You just have to ask me for it."

"Vampyrism is, by definition, an afterlife."

"I'm not the one who was sleeping with one vampire while half in love with another. Your morality is a moving target. Mine is not."

"A man damaged by his demons and those demons are not dormant, they are hell-bent on killing me and everything I find beautiful. And you, you are beautiful."

"You are stronger now. Meaner. Sexier."

"They are like vampire royalty. The oldest among us."

"He is the original hybrid. Half vampire, half werewolf."

"We both know I could snap your neck and do my nails at the same time."

 “Viktor. The oldest and strongest of us. That night, he made me a Vampire. "

"Stop fighting who you are."

"I'll tell you what I know about death, Camille. Death dances silently in everyone's shadow, and she doesn't give a damn."

"Turns out, I have complicated feelings for a monster."

ACTIONS AND SCENARIOS. Add a +reverse for the inverse action. Change names as you see fit.

[YOU ARE NOT HUMAN]: sender figured out receiver is a vampire and confronts them.

[FEEDING HOUR]: receiver finds sender feeding on someone's blood.

[WHEN IS A MONSTER NOT A MONSTER]: sender touches receiver's vampire face, showing they are not afraid.

[YOU NEED TO]: sender offers their blood to receiver.

[ECHOES OF THE PAST]: receiver is a doppelganger/looks like a person the sender knew in the past.

[DEATH AND THE MAIDEN]: receiver and sender can't be together as one is immortal and the other is a vampire.

[MY MAKER, MY LOVER]: sender is receiver's sire and they reunite after centuries after.

[BOND]: receiver is senders fledgling and sender can feel them.

[ELIXIR]: receiver is hurt and sender, a vampire, feeds them their blood.

[SHARING]: sender tempts receiver to share a meal of blood.

[HUNTING THE HUNTER]: sender is a vampire hunter, and they found receiver.

[THE INVITATION]: receiver receives an INVITATION to stay at sender's gothic/ancient manor.

[DRACULA'S BRIDE]: sender wants receiver to be one of their wives/lovers.

[BLOOD FAMILIAR]: sender is a vampire familiar, a human bloodbag under receiver protection. receiver finds out another vampire had bitten them.

[CRAVING]: sender tasted receiver once and craved them again.

[INVITED]: after bring invited inside, sender shows up at receiver's home.

[LICK]: sender licks receiver's blood remains from their mouth.

[LAST RESORT]: receiver has to turn sender into vampire because they are dying. sender wakes up in transition.

[ANCHOR]: sender calms receiver down after receiver went on a bloodlust spree. sender reminds them their humanity.

[RIVAL COVENS]: sender and receiver are from rival vampire covens and they talk in neutral ground.

[HUMANITY]: sender is human and because of them, receiver is starting to feel humanity again.

[I'LL BE YOUR GUIDE]: receiver is guiding sender through the early stages of vampirism.

[RIVAL SPECIES]: sender is a werewolf/witch and receiver is a vampire. they fall in love/ally with each other.

[DHAMPIR]: sender is a half human, half vampire who just had their first taste of human blood. receiver finds them.

[REFLECTION]: sender looks in the mirror and finds out that receiver has no reflection.

[artsekey]

A Spectacular, Spooky Spectacle!

I feel like I always preface these little game recommendations with, 'I'm not a gaming blog, but...', so I'll spare you this time.

(This post is not in any way sponsored-- I just like highlighting games that really knock it out of the park!)

Beacon Pines is a well-paced choose-your-own-adventure game with a compelling narrative that delivers at every turn. You step into the shoes of 12 year old Luka only a few months after his mother goes missing. Armed with nothing but the help of his good friend Rolo, the sly wit of his newest neighbor Beck, and the power of Charms, it's up to him to unearth the truth behind their quaint town... and save it from catastrophic ruin.

Without spoiling anything, Beacon Pines is gameplay light. Instead, it takes it's cues from the visual novel genre... with a twist. The story unfolds as a narrator guides you through the various chapters, and through your journey you'll encounter branches where one word makes all the difference. That's where you come in! Using the collection of terms you pick up by exploring the world, you can radically alter the course of fate. You'll rarely get everything right on your first try, but don't worry-- even failure is rewarded with new clues, new threads of the mystery, and new hooks that will draw you further into the story.

Sitting at a runtime of 5-7 hours, Beacon Pines is short but satisfying. The art is bright, fun, and well-rendered. The characters are all well written, and the music perfectly encapsulates whatever mood the story demands-- whether it's the comfort of a slow morning or a warning of danger in the dark.

However, the thing that really sets Beacon Pines apart from other visual novels is the writing! The mystery is a fun romp that keeps you guessing, the "multiple paths" mechanic is executed so well that you never really feel like you've made a bad choice, and best of all, the characters and their interactions feel sincere. I found myself smiling, laughing, sometimes stunned silent, sometimes teary-eyed... Though the game is short, the world is just deep enough for the story and it's characters to swim.

Beacon Pines is really just... sweet and genuine. I think that's the best way to describe it. If you need something to whittle away a few hours and get away from it all and like story-driven games, give Beacon Pines a go! It was recently on sale for $4.00, but it usually retails for $20.00.

For reference, other games I love that I'd put in a similar category (note, not the same-- I'm mostly looking at high-quality narrative games here! I'm providing this so you can decide if my taste aligns with yours!):

Firewatch

Oxenfree

Disco Elysium

TellTale Games (Tales of Monkey Island, Tales from the Borderlands, etc)

Inside

Night in the Woods

Slay the Princess

[lebenspurpur]

love languages

AN: i don't actually know if i ever did this, so i'm doing it now. sorry for the long hiatus, life is packed full of stuff, as usual. i hope you all had a peaceful christmas and an equally peaceful new year's eve.

summary: love languages of the slashers, both receiving and giving.

warnings: mentioned sex in Bo's, mentioned weed and alcohol in Otis', canon backstories of the slashers

slashers: Michael (RZ), Vincent, Bo and Lester, Brahms, Thomas, Otis and Baby, Jason, Josef and Amanda.

(𝕽𝖅) 𝕸𝖎𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖊𝖑 𝕸𝖞𝖊𝖗𝖘

Giving

Gift giving and acts of service describe Michael's style of loving you perfectly. He may not be the most talkative, physically affective partner, but he's protective and creative.

The protectiveness shows when he takes care of problems you have, no matter how small. The sink needs fixing? He's on it. You need help lifting something heavy? He's ready to flex those muscles. A person at work is annoying you? Just say the word and he'll take care of them.

The creativity becomes visible in the little gifts that get more individual the longer you know him. In the beginning, he gifted you nearly everything he could find: some candy, a dead mouse, sometimes pretty rocks. As time passes, he spends more time on them. Now you get carved bones, self-made masks, he even picks flowers now and then!

Receiving

Michael would never, ever ask for this, but I'm convinced he loves physical touch as a love language. It doesn't even have to be a big thing, Mikey already enjoys you stitching him up when he got hurt again. His personal heaven, though? You, laying on his chest while watching a hilariously bad horror movie and eating some take-out.

𝖁𝖎𝖓𝖈𝖊𝖓𝖙 𝕾𝖎𝖓𝖈𝖑𝖆𝖎𝖗

Giving

Totally quality time. It would be gifts, but Vincent's gifts are rarer than you'd expect. Most of the time, he gets too insecure and critical of the gift (mostly a drawing or a sculpture) which stops him from ever giving it to you.

Instead, he makes sure you're comfortable and safe in Ambrose. Whatever you want to do, Vincent will do it with you. Even if you just want to spend the day in bed and cuddle, he's absolutely down. Sometimes he organizes little dates for the two of you, where you can spend some time away from his brothers and the Sinclair residence. Especially after he was too focused on the museum for a while, cute dates are his way of apologizing.

Receiving

100% words of affirmation. While Vincent's childhood was filled with (mostly toxic) compliments, he hasn't heard them in a long, long time. And his little artist ego misses them dearly. It doesn't matter if you praise his art, or anything else, he loves it. He wants to hear how much you love him, that you'd never leave him. He can't relax without some reassuring words. The only compliments, he's sensitive about are the ones about his face.

𝕭𝖔 𝕾𝖎𝖓𝖈𝖑𝖆𝖎𝖗

Giving

With Bo, it's actually acts of service. Sure, he's physically expressive as well, always down to touch and caress you, but does he know how to show love through that? No.

He rather focuses on providing for you, mostly by earning a little money to get by. He also prides himself by being the go-to man for reparations around the house.

Receiving

Just like his twin, it's words of affirmation. Unlike Vincent, Bo never got any praise in his early years. He's never known the feeling of being complimented for anything else but his body or his ability to fuck someone. And he doesn't know how much he needs it until you show up. (Imagine him wanting nothing more than to make you proud, so he gets some praise. Shut up, I'm not crying.)

𝕷𝖊𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕾𝖎𝖓𝖈𝖑𝖆𝖎𝖗

Giving

Oh, Lester loves to give gifts. He's super into crafting and collecting stuff he finds to make something new out of it. Stuff like bone necklaces, animals carved out of wood or self-made jewelry. They're always so beautiful, and you're sure he spends hours making them.

Though, during busy times, he has to content with a small bouquet of wildflowers he got for you. You're always excited anyway, no matter the size of the gift.

Receiving

I strongly believe one of Lester's dreams is a wholesome, domestic lifestyle with a spouse he can come home to. So it's acts of service. He loves coming home to a warm and comfortable home with you waiting for him. And if you cook him a meal? He's in heaven.

However, he also adores physical touch. Nothing is more relaxing than laying on your lap with your fingers in his hair.

𝕭𝖗𝖆𝖍𝖒𝖘 𝕳𝖊𝖊𝖑𝖘𝖍𝖎𝖗𝖊

Giving

I think it's obvious that Brahms' love language is physical touch. He can not keep his hands off of you. And he doesn't care whether you're busy or not.

To cut him some slack, there's no slasher that knows how to be as comforting with touch as Brahms is. Plus, his hands are the softest.

Receiving

Who would've thought, it's still physical touch. In addition to that, words of affirmation. Brahms loves touching, and he loves being touched equally much. He also likes being praised, as we all know.

On a more serious note, Brahms needs your voice to ground himself pretty often. His entire life was filled with so many rules and restrictions, it's strange to be a free man suddenly. Praising him, complimenting him, reassuring him - it often saves him from spiraling into a melt-down when something goes wrong.

𝕿𝖍𝖔𝖒𝖆𝖘 𝕳𝖊𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖙

Giving

Tommy prides himself as the provider of his family (because he is). Therefor, his love language is acts of service. He sews for you, he fixes things for you, he threatens Hoyt when he once again crosses a line. Thomas would do anything for you, really. His biggest fear is to be without you, and so he works hard to eradicate any chance of that ever happening.

Receiving

Thomas is so touch starved, he adores physical touch. Ever since he was born, people were too afraid or too disgusted to touch him, to even get close to him. The only exception was Luda Mae. He used to think he would die without knowing any loving touch.

And then you came around, and you're so affective, so sweet to him. Tommy doesn't think he deserves you, but whenever you touch him, he melts anyway.

𝕺𝖙𝖎𝖘 𝕯𝖗𝖎𝖋𝖙𝖜𝖔𝖔𝖉

Giving

As surprising as it sounds, Otis' love language is giving gifts. Otis isn't good with words (don't get me wrong, he can hold speeches like a champ, but let's be honest, he'd rather bite his tongue off than say anything emotional), he's often rougher than he'd like, he's lazy and his past-time activities are... special. In his eyes, there's only one way to prove his adoration, and it's surprisingly well-chosen gifts.

Otis always seems to know what you're currently interested in or what you wanted for a while. When he hands you the gift, he brushes it off like it's nothing, even if you're getting super emotional, but you know he means well. (He steals them, by the way, I don't think he pays for anything ever.)

Receiving

Otis loves to spend time with you, so quality time. He's been alone for so long, it's refreshing to have someone beside him who actually enjoys his company. Sure, he has his family, but nothing compares to the presence of a significant other. He loves movie nights with the two of you, even better if they involve weed or alcohol.

𝕭𝖆𝖇𝖞 𝕱𝖎𝖗𝖊𝖋𝖑𝖞

Giving

Spending quality time with you is one of her favorite ways to show her affection. It's up to you what the two of you are doing. Baby's down for doing each other's makeup, she's also down for robbing a bank. You have a lot of options.

Receiving

Baby loooooves getting gifts. It doesn't matter how expensive or big they are. Anything you decide to give to her is being cherished. Be it a lipstick you bought or a drawing of her, Baby will never forget it. Gifts make her feel so wanted, so spoiled.

𝕵𝖔𝖘𝖊𝖋

Giving

Josef is very, very good with words, especially words of affirmation. It's kind of ironic, given how awkward he can be.

But really, he's praise as a person. Josef loves to compliment and worship you. No matter what you did, he has to make sure you know how much he adores and cherishes you and how wonderful you are.

Receiving

As seen in Creep 2, Josef needs someone to spend quality time with. Doesn't matter if you're going for a walk or just enjoying a bath together (we all know what scene I'm talking about), just being around you makes him happy.

Nevertheless, we also see him being extremely touch-starved. Josef is aching for some physical touch, and if you give it to him, he'll cherish the ground you walk on.

𝕵𝖆𝖘𝖔𝖓 𝖁𝖔𝖔𝖗𝖍𝖊𝖊𝖘

Giving

Jason is always proud to say he's a providing type of man. Acts of service are such an easy way for him to show his love. He hunts for the two of you, he cooks, he renovates, Jason is all about making your life as comfortable and easy-going as possible.

Receiving

Jason misses words of affirmation. Just tell him how strong and attractive he is, and the boy is blushing redder than anything you've ever seen before. Praise about his work (as in his cooking or certain fixes he made) make him swell with pride as well. He adores how tender your voice is when you talk with him.

𝕬𝖒𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖆 𝖄𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖌

Giving

In Amanda's eyes, making sure you're safe is her number one priority. She protects you, she gives you a comfortable life, free of any worries she could possibly get rid of. Her acts of service often contain getting rid of any evidence that traces you to her, but she loves the satisfaction of knowing that you're looked after.

Receiving

Amanda misses the simple sensation of having dinner with someone she loves, or watching a movie cuddled together. Spending quality time is very, very important to her, and she often neglects tasks she got from John, simply because she misses your company.

[vyl3tpwny]

wauitb what the fuck i have 5000 followers

this is insane hi guys

to celebrate 5000 followers on tublr here are some facts about myself: - my favourite food is fried chicken

- my favourite food is spicy fried chicken

most of my hyperfixations fluctuate in and out, but some that don't ever seem to let me go are my little pony, half life, skrillex, undertale/deltarune

recently i have developed an unfathomable obsession with bees i have a huge bee hyperfixation i play bee swarm simulator on roblox every day and i watch bee videos and i also just designed a beesona on pony town its name is beetrice the dragon bee:

my favourite movie is probably wolf children or mr. bean's holiday or elf

im basically lucario for girls

i am like a dragon and i collect things that i like.. you can see some here:

i play a lot of instruments, mostly piano, drums, singing, and guitar/bass/ukulele. my first instrument was the drums tho which i started playing when i was 2 or something. i no longer play drums because our house is too small for a drum set right now and i dont like electronic drum kits. one day!!!!

i have had zero music lessons which is why you should also make music bc you dont need to spend life savings on music education to make chunes

non-musicians who have influenced me the most are @sterfler and @astroeden who have changed my brain chemistry forever artistically (this is not an exaggeration)

i am not allergic to anything at all somehow

im the motherfucker who will drink an entire gallon of whole milk with nothing else yeah im just kind of awesome like that

i do not drink alcohol (anymore) or smoke or do drugs or anything like that just a personal pref

i am filipino but i am also chinese and scottish and italian and polish and maybe other things

i have been openly queer since 2011

i have been a furry since 2007 or something?

i have been making music since 2007 or something....?

my first true love as a musician was queen, which (because of their older albums) was my rabbit hole into the world of progressive rock. my passion for creating music was nurtured entirely by my discovery of genesis and the album 'the lamb lies down on broadway'. the next thing that shaped me as an artist? skrillex - 'scary monsters and nice sprites'

i have really bad verbal processing issues so you can probably speak directly to me and i will have no idea what youre saying sometimes

my feelings on art change a lot but i update my topster lists every now and again

i am mostly right [hoofed] but i'm technically ambidextrous

my first concert was bruce springsteen i think it was in 2009. i still love the the boss to this day.

i'm a kitty cat

i am also a dragon

i am also a possum

i am a formless void

my first song i wrote when i was 8 was titled after a jimmy neutron reference

the second song i wrote was a fan song about the flying dutchman

i played the original dota warcraft 3 mods long before dota 2 and league of legends existed because i've been a blizzard fangirl since like 2005 and now i hate blizzard so fuck you blizzard you're evil as shit but anyway i used to try and do map development for warcraft iii games but really my favourite thing to do was build maps where i could build the biggest possible army to fight npcs for fun. one of the first videos on my thecobalion channel is a warcraft iii map someone else made. i've just now turned it off private so you can see it if you want.

my favourite kind of humour is recursive

ok thanks what i can remember about myself right now. thanks for following me!!!!

[artist-issues]

this my sound silly, but do you have any advice on how you come up with something to say for a story?

I think you're right that good art has something to say and communicates it well. That's certainly true of every story I've ever loved.

But while I love inventing fantasy worlds, you've made me realize I've never actually planned to say anything with them.

I've got lots of opinions, lots of beliefs, lots of stuff to say, but now that I realize I need to, it's been hard to pick one of those to be the core point of a story.

the trouble is, the dominant writing advice I saw online was the opposite. that stories made for the purpose of communicating a message or promoting something just turn into preachy propaganda, so the best way to make a good story (that, dare I invoke the curse, appealed to a wider audience) was to muddy it so you could take away as many interpretations from it as possible. thus most of the material I've given myself to work with has been slightly poisoned.

I really like how you said all of that! I agree with your assessment of the advice most people give.

Here's how I do it:

A loose concept, like a disgraced knight falling in love with the King's head of staff who's come to live in the village he's hiding in, will pop into my brain. I'll like the concept. I'll imagine one or two interactions between them that I just like.

But when it comes time to write anything down, even just for my own notes—then it's time to find a message. And usually that's not hard, or at least, that's not disingenuous, because:

what I believe, my worldview, was already subliminally shaping the things that I liked.

So then as I go to write down the names, the histories, the plot points, of my fun little knight love story idea, I find that something kind of...readily fits them.

But now here's the catch; it really helps to know what you believe, and to feel strongly about it, for all of that to come as naturally as possible.

About Propaganda "versus" Stories:

It's a lie to say that something which is created to say something is always propaganda, and something which is created with no careful point thought out is always art. Silly thing to believe. It's like saying "all words are propaganda." No, all words are communication. It's not our fault they don't like that we know what we want to say, and we want them to understand it clearly.

I mean. All art is propaganda, if by "propaganda" or "preachy" you mean, "I tried to take what was going on in my head & heart and put it in your head & heart." All art, all storytelling, is that. Otherwise you'd just keep what you think and feel bouncing around in your own brain, instead of doing anything outward (writing, drawing, painting, singing, speaking, reacting with your body language) with it.

I think what people are getting at when they say "avoid being preachy" or "that's not art, it's propaganda" is "you weren't being genuine." And that can be true. Sometimes people can tack a meaning onto a movie or a story where it doesn't fit because they either a) don't believe that strongly in the thing themselves, but everyone around them was clamoring for it or b) they were lazy and didn't do the work to make the story fit, genuinely, with the message, in a way that enhances and makes the message winsome.

But as bad as those two mistakes are, neither of them prove that intending to say something with your story, very carefully and genuinely, that you don't want misinterpreted, is somehow a bad thing.

Look at the fairy tales that the Brothers' Grimm collected. Look at any stories from the time before commercialism: Our oldest stories combined genuine enjoyment with the virtues and meanings that made enjoyment possible/worthwhile.

Anyway. I have a feeling you agree with me already about this so I'll hop down off that soap box.

What Comes First: Having Fun Making What You Like, or Choosing Something to Say?

I don't think it is wrong to tell a story that...you didn't have an intended thesis written down for. I think people like J.R.R. Tolkien and Walter Elias Disney prove that. But the thing is, what they believed got infused into their storytelling, because of course it did. It can't help it. When you want the audience to like your lead character, you make her likeable—but the traits you think are likeable are informed by something.

Snow White is innocent and pure because Walt Disney naturally considered those things beautiful and good and worth liking. He probably didn't even think to write it down and revolve everything around it: it just came out that way.

Frodo is a little scholar, and willing to soldier on with what little he can do, despite his lack of experience, because those are character traits Tolkien felt were good and likeable. Why? Because deep down, in his worldview, he believes being book-smart and doing what you can with what you have is valuable. And that just...comes out, much like his valuing of history, in the thing he creates.

Now, if they didn't know what they believed--or if they were insecure people "blown about by every wind of false doctrine" that comes their way--or if they were focused more on satisfying what the largest number of people liked--they wouldn't have been able to infuse the story with any genuine meaning, planned-out or natural.

That's what I think.

I think it's all a matter of loving what's good and true. Training your affections, so that you care most about things that are worth caring about—the things you feel most strongly about in characters will be the things you feel most strongly about in life. I love Stitch because I love redemption. Not primarily because I love sci-fi characters, the color blue, or the blend of ugly-and-cute—even though I do like those things on a more minor scale. See?

But if you've trained your affections for junk food—you feel most strongly appreciative of characters that are hot, or spout off funny one-liners, or come onscreen to cool music—then that's what will naturally come up in your own storytelling.

There's also nothing wrong with doing it the other way; saying you want to teach a certain lesson, and then coming up with characters and settings to fit that lesson. Coming at it from that direction is just as valid—as long as you put in the work, and care more about that lesson you genuinely believe in than you do what other people think.

Anyway,

To Write Your Own Main Point/Thesis/Armature/Theme

When it’s time to start writing anything down, it’s time to figure out the main point, and that’s when I...typically think about what I'd want to teach the kids I'm around, to be honest.

With my disgraced-knight love story, I go "what is it he loves about the girl, in all those vague vibe-y scenes I’ve been picturing?" And I make the connection between her virtuous character traits to what I want him, the main character, to learn.

So for example, she used to live in the palace, working for the King, but she was humble enough to give all that up and live in a no-name town to take care of her stepfather. He's disgraced and doesn't want anyone to know who he is—well, that's a pride issue, totally the opposite of how humble his love interest is. And why’s she humble? Because she’s not focused on herself. She doesn’t care about her own reputation or status. So then I just reverse engineer that: the point of the story is "Live in the King's name, not your own." Now one of the two main characters embodies that—the other has to learn it, and the story is the obstacle course he’s pushed through to get there.

I wasn't consciously thinking about making her the king's former head of staff, or him disgraced, when I first came up with the vague concept of the story, see? I just liked the "vibe" of a hopeless dude suddenly seeing a ray of light in the "vibe" of a girl from poor circumstances who seems happy regardless of them. I liked that "vibe." Then I traced what I liked about the vibe back to something that is true and worth teaching or appreciating in real life.

I’m in a job I don’t love right now, and it could make me miserable, but if I just remember “in everything you do, whether in word or in deed, do for the glory of the Lord,” then my focus isn’t on myself and I have joy and hope. And that hope can be used to point others, around me, to hope, too. So I’m not “preaching” something disingenuous; I’m living it, because this is what I believe, so no wonder it’s also leaking it’s way into my story. I just happen to be creating a pipe so that the leak flows more smoothly, which can only help, in the long run.

But I’ve done it other ways, too. Once I watched kind of from afar as a friend’s family fell apart. I felt like, from the outside, I could see where one of my friends was hurting and what they needed to accept (from the Bible) to move forward, but I wasn’t in a position to say it to my friend directly. Then I figured, “if my one friend is going through this situation, others probably are too, and this lesson from the Bible is universal anyway” so I…made up an analogy for the way their family fell apart, then came up with an ending that taught the “family” in the analogy the lesson I got from the Bible. So for that, you can see how I first came up with the main point, then built up characters and a world and a story to fit around it.

Both ways work, the chicken or the egg first. But they only work if you are committed to working hard and serving others with your story, not committed to being popular or “only making what YOU like.”

Make sense? I hope so! Thank you for the question!

[nights-at-crystarium]

on authenticity

My mood in the recent months keeps going from bad to worse. Today I randomly fell into the rabbit hole of checking out other patreon artists, which always grounds me in reality and cheers me up, perhaps in a weird way. Essay incoming \o/

Authenticity is a blob of a word that sounds almost pretentious nowadays. It gets sneered at. You either sell your soul, or you don't earn with your art.

What's authentic, being true to yourself, will vary from person to person. It's like a sliding scale of suffering that you will tolerate in exchange for a coin, while convincing yourself that you have fun.

The harsh truth of modern world is that if your art pays for your living, you've already reached success, no matter how you may feel about the type of content you actually make for that money. Insert the meme furry nsfw art here. Or not furry. Or even sfw, but comms, lots of comms every month. Or merch. Anything that sells. Products first, art second.

Marrying passion and profession is virtually impossible, yet I'm doing it, only thanks to your support. I'm acutely aware that, even as I choose to be "real" and talk about an artist's money-making in a raw way, it's still patreon talk, and yes, I'll plug the link as well, so technically this entire post is an ad *fingerguns*

I just feel so privileged being able to create whatever the fuck I want, literally, I take no comms/requests/guidance on what and how should I draw/write, I post experimental, sometimes provocative stuff, and still make enough to survive. This sole fact should get me through the day, whatever other struggles I may be facing currently (I am. I don't wanna talk about it rn, instead I distract myself with this text), I should always remember the unique place in life I managed to carve for myself.

There are madmen (gender-neutral) who toss $10-20 at me every month. The majority "only" pledges $1, the notorious tier that gets treated as a tip jar with no rewards by many other creators. All of my rewards are the same at $1 and $20 (save for the one-time digital artbook download at $10, just to be perfectly clear), it's a conscious choice and a risk I continue taking because it's how I am. I used to split rewards between tiers in the past, before xiv, and it was a lot of busy work while it made me treat my art less as art and more as product. This pic goes into the cheap box, this pic goes into the expensive box. Every month. It's. Definitely not for every artist.

Logistic hell of splitting and delivering rewards, different posts with less comments per post, also my discord roles/channels would have to be split, nowadays it's just patron, whether you give me $1 or $20, there's no visual disparity, you're hanging out in the same cool kids' club, and collectively making happy noises on Fragments Fridays.

Could I be making more money if I got rid of the $1 tier? Yeah. But, mercifully, after 2 years I don't need to. I legit make enough currently, my only worry is to keep what I have. Patrons don't stay forever, 2-5 people would leave every month, about the same number would join (hence my patreon ads, I need to keep people reminded of it, even if it makes me feel guilty every damn time). I did Research (tm) in the past to find out that my "bleeding" numbers are below average, i.e. it's good, people generally tend to stick around.

I put a lot of emphasis on the $1 because I'm kinda proud of what I managed to accomplish while staying self-detrimentally humble. Literally doing an impossible thing in a world that keeps burning down. So yeah if you've been feeling bad for only giving me $1, what matters is that there's enough $1s to make a difference. Together you're creating a phenomenon, and you should be proud.

There are many stupid little principles, hills that I'll die on, that make up my authenticity. I chose to speak of it here and now in order to sorta sell myself, so it feels hypocritical x'D But if I don't shine a spotlight on this, who will. I'm old and jaded and increasingly terrified of how insincere the internet's becoming. Everything's fake, sugarcoated, polished for sale. My art's always been a scream of defiance against all that, now that I'm more or less established, I wanna scream louder. Thanks for hearing my screams. You can scream with me too if you want.

[purplehanfu]

Rating the Husbandos: The Story of Kunning Palace

notes: Spoilers! You really have your pick of men in this drama- but are any of them husband material?

Thoughtfully considered ratings behind the cut:

Xie Wei

A mysterious, tragic past is not a personality.

pros: Sexy as he looms over you in his fur collared capes. Exhibits very progressive thinking on women's issues. Which is strange considering all of his cons (see below).

cons: Explosive temper; violent; acts like he owns you; keeps trying to choke you (and not in a sexy consensual way); expects you to be grateful when he doesn't kill you in service to his grand revenge plan. Tough guy demeanor which he can only back up with the judicious application of his lackeys. Backstory so complicated you kind of lose interest. Looks like he has conjunctivitis a lot of the time.

hobbies: Making qins and tracking the wood shavings all over the house. Being afraid of snow except when the plot requires him not to be.

sexxin: Endless stamina and exquisite anatomy. Too bad he has no idea what he's doing. Cries after sex and gets mad when you laugh about it (why would you do that you monster).

Grade: C-

Zhang Zhe

Sometimes being hot is enough.

pros: HANDSOME

cons: His devotion to truth and justice will probably get him killed in the course of some courtly intrigues but the real tragedy is that he will never lie to spare your feelings. He will, however, compare your cooking unfavorably to his mother's.

hobbies: Restoring antiques; doing his own laundry

sexxin: Pathetic but you have to pretend it's great or he will become obsessed with improvement. At least the view is nice.

Grade: C

Yan Lin

A cheerful sweet ray of murderous sunshine.

pros: Smart, handsome, thoughtful, loyal, excellent martial arts, terrifying military skillset. You're his one and only, his ride-or-die, his day one.

cons: Related to Xie Wei

hobbies: Swordplay (see below)

sexxin: Complete freak in the sheets. Hope you have a strong bed and a soundproof bedroom, you're going to need both.

Grade: A+

Yan Lin's Dad

Reporting for duty.

pros: Has his own army but doesn't make a big thing about it (the Emperor and Xue family do, however).

cons: Frequently has the intensity dialed up to 11 when the situation clearly calls for a 6.

hobbies: Carving figurines for his 3-D map sandbox thing

sexxin: As expected of a military man he is good at taking orders and completing missions. His courage tongue should be awarded for its service to the nation you

grade: B+

Emperor

Heaven must have a sense of humor because it mandated this guy.

pros: Easily seduced by you.

cons: Easily seduced by people other than you. Married. Paranoid. Sickly but that might just be poison (if so add "unable to poison him" to the con list).

hobbies: Marveling at how good he is at seducing people.

sexxin: His game is as weak as his constitution.

grade: a solid F unless you want to murder your way to Empress, then he's a D

Fake Xie Wei

Ain't nothing like the real thing.

pros: social butterfly at parties, everyone knows him, can give you a wild night out on the town even if it's Tuesday and you're in some backwater village.

cons: is an actual con artist

hobbies: Collecting STDs

sexxin: so good you might be tempted to forgive him for his wandering eye. Don't. Just enjoy him if you must and move on.

Grade: D-

Gu Chun Fang

Hear me out.

You've been married more than 40 years. When your parents first arranged your marriage he snuck into your rooms that night to make sure you were ok with it. You fell in love at first sight. You never had children despite years of trying but he has never so much as looked at another woman. You come from a huge family and he has many young subordinates so your mansion is always very lively. Your New Year's parties are the stuff of legend.

pros: In all his years as an official he has never once made you get up early to help him get ready for court sessions.

cons: Would have no clothes if you did not buy them for him, would never eat if you did not arrange his meals, would fall asleep at his desk if you did not force him to come to bed.

hobbies: Collecting weird ugly giant rocks which he deposits in the various courtyard gardens of your mansion. Pretending to fish but really just taking a nap.

sexxin: After all these years you can still make him blush with a whispered invitation. Adorable.

Grade: A+ but he's not available and never will be

Dao Qin

It's always the quiet ones.

pros: Loyal; physique that was created as though by the gods themselves; surprisingly high EQ

cons: Kinda sad life made this guy an NPC when he has such strong main character energy.

hobbies: designing and crafting hidden weapons and/or cat toys

sexxin: You have seen the top of the mountain, and it is good.

Grade: B+

Master list of all show recaps etc.

[cagedcroww]

Hi hi hi! :D

m!LIs with an m!PC who likes being collared mayhaps?

ohohoh.

this is a fr comeback for me, i promise! again, please feel free to send prompts and art requests to my inbox so i have inspo to work with!!! (esp regarding my ocs hehe)

hcs below the cut, regular DOL tws apply:

LOW RAGE AVERY: He's more than pleased that you like being collared — after all, it's just another opportunity for him to claim ownership over you. Your collar would be delicate and beautiful, though surprisingly not as eye-catching as one would expect (there is no need to be gauche, after all). However, the fragility of the material doesn't actually stop him from choking you with it when things get down and dirty. If he needs to buy a replacement, he shall.

HIGH RAGE AVERY: You don't get the privilege of having a collar you can hide. You belong to Avery and he is going to make damn sure you remember this. The collar is welded shut around your neck and has his name proudly emblazoned across the front — that should teach you for your uppity behaviour (and if that doesn't help, the electrical shock built into the device certainly will). You've been a bad, bad boy, and Avery is not going to let you off the hook.

HIGH DOMINANCE ALEX: His farm is already filled with animals branded and leashed in one way or another, so he doesn't really raise an eyebrow at adding another to the collection. He makes sure your collar is hardy and leather, something capable of protecting your throat from the dangers of the moor and Remy's raids — it's nothing fancy, but it's practical and comfortable, which is what matters around the farm. He eventually starts picking up the habit of leading you around by the collar, using the thick iron ring of it to pull you in for a quick kiss, or tying you to a post to ensure that you don't wander off while he runs to do an errand. (Sometimes you wonder if he's just treating you like another farm dog, but if he is, there's no doubt that you're the favourite)

LOW DOM ALEX: He would never be the first one to bring it up, but he does seem more excited than you expected him to be when you first broach the topic. The transition to 24/7 wear would be slower with him, but he learns to justify it to himself in his head (and he always flushes a bright crimson when he catches sight of your collared neck in the middle of the workday). He adds a little bell to the front of your collar so he can always hear your approach, and when the two of you sneak behind a bale for some 'unwinding' during the middle of the day, that bell tinkles away, signaling to all within earshot exactly what it is that you two are doing.

BLACK WOLF: What is this? Packmate has the cruel restraints made by the humans around his neck? It doesn't matter how much you try to explain to him that you actually enjoy being collared — Black Wolf sees it as an insult to your freedom and dignity as a member of his pack. You are not one of those yipping little 'dogs' that the humans call pets, so he will be gnawing the collar off of you despite your protests (should you ever show up with one in front of him). Really, he will show you better ways the forest shows ownership and dominance.

EDEN: As a man of the woods, he recognizes the practical use of collars. It keeps the prey from running too far away when he's busy with his day, and he enjoys being able to pull them towards him should they be slightly resistant to the idea. The collars in his possession are obviously homemade, though they are surprisingly comfortable (if you ever go missing, you could rest easy knowing that the metal encasing your neck is tracking you wherever you go). But he would be rather happy to hear that you're still willing to wear the collar when he trusts you to go free — it becomes a declaration of loyalty and ownership between you two, and more often than not, you can find his hand reaching towards the crude metal contraption as though in awe that you continue to carry his gift around your neck.

GREAT HAWK: What is this x2? Spouse is pretty having something around neck!! The colours are bright and shiny and Great Hawk is certain that he chose the best and prettiest spouse to take home!!! Much like birds tagged in scientific surveys, it appears as though the collar makes you ten times more attractive to avians seeking a mate. Though the Great Hawk doesn't quite understand the purpose of wearing something around your neck, he seems fascinated and intrigued by its presence — always reaching out to preen around it as though maintaining its beauty. Maybe he would even attempt to build one of his own to present to you! But the loose loop of grasses and twigs woven together is best left unworn.

KYLAR: If he finds out you enjoy being collared, you may just wake up with a collar locked around your throat and no idea how it possibly could've gotten there (and how to get it off). He needs to know that you walk around the world under his ownership, he needs to know that everyone else in the world sees you and knows that you are his and his alone. If there are any suspicious stains on the fabric of the thing — please disregard them. The patches of dark red and off-white are best left not examine too closely. (You swear the thing seems to be getting dirtier every night? But surely you'd wake up if he was indeed sneaking into your room to 'decorate'..... right?)

SYDNEY THE FAITHFUL: He doesn't quite understand the purpose of wearing a collar (you aren't exactly a dog wandering the streets), but he sees some logic in locking away various parts of oneself for protection. Though he's intrigued by the way light catches on metal every time you crane your head and look around, something within him is too humiliated to actually speak to you about it, so he just spends his time stealing glances to your neck and the collar resting there. Sometimes, when his feverish mind thinks of you at night, all he wants to do is to tear it off of you the same way he wishes to tear off the cage locking away his own shame.

SYDNEY THE FALLEN: He finds a certain perverse joy in displaying your sinful lifestyle to the world. Be prepared to be flooded with different styles of collars to try out and flaunt (working at a sex shop has it's perks, after all). He enjoys adding little touches to each one, scrawling out a 'beloved <3' or 'Sydney's' in the inner band so that only you could see. Most of all, he enjoys teasing the sensitive skin of your neck around and underneath the collar, leaving behind hickeys that perfectly compliments the degeneracy of the collar itself.

ROBIN: Is a little nervous about the idea of collars. Ownership is not a foreign idea to him, and he knows that once people understand you could be owned, they will stop at nothing to make sure you are. But then again, he loves you and wants to make you happy, so he obliges when you ask him to click that padded leather ring around your neck. Eventually, he even grows to like it, tapping or pulling lightly at the fabric whenever he wants to get your attention. It's almost like a form of dress-up, he decides — and he certainly cannot fault someone for dressing up as something they very much are not.

WHITNEY: It doesn't matter if you like it or not, you're his bitch, so he's gonna make sure you know you're his bitch in whatever way he goddamn pleases. . . But on further consideration, a collar isn't a half-bad idea. Not that he'd actually consider a suggestion from the likes of you, of course. It only takes a visit to the sex shop and a few broken windows before he walks out with his bounty and clips it around your neck. It's way too tight and kind of hurts, but you know nothing is going to come of it if you complain. For the rest of the day, he ties a leash to it, randomly dragging you around and yanking the lead to watch you trip. But before he finally decides to leave, he beckons you closer to slightly loosen the pressure put on your neck. His touch is slightly more gentle now, the heat from his cigarette almost burning your skin as he peers at the collar from way too close a distance. This tenderness doesn't save you from him tying you to a stall in the boy's bathroom the next day, but it did exist for a mere moment nonetheless.

[farmerstarter]

hello ! i don't know if you take requests and if you do, i don't know if they're open but i'd love to read some of your leah headcanons. (feel free to delete this if i'm accidentally breaking the rules, etc etc, i completely understand !)

ʚ🌲ɞ ˚ · . Random Leah HCs :

Tags: Leah from SDV x gn! reader

Thank you so much for the request anon! I hope you enjoy these. I've been planning on romancing Leah in one (of many) saves of mine but I would always end up not doing it ^^; This was a delight to write! Have a great day/night 🤍🌷

🌲 You met Leah while you were foraging in Cindersnap Forest. She said she was trying to find some food by seeing what nature has to offer. And she enthusiastically showed you all the best areas for things such as spring onions and quality leeks. She also gave you a short lesson on what you can and cannot eat, not wanting her new neighbor to get a real bad stomach ache from a mushroom you found and decided to eat. You two made it a habit to forage together. Sometimes, she would put the better foragables in your backpack without you looking.

🌲 Leah likes to cook. The both of you would have picnics by the lake every other Sunday, showcasing whatever you two whipped up. Along with that, you and Leah would paint until the day ends. You would always draw her. And Leah would always keep your drawings in a little book. They may not be the best but she cherishes each one of them.

🌲 You're her personal source of hardwood. She appreciates all the things you give her that would help her in sculpting. You'd show her the weirdly shaped driftwood you would find while fishing and she would ask to keep it for her to use in one of her projects.

🌲 Sometimes (almost always, actually) Leah would accidentally make too much wild mushroom stir fry or fruit salad, and she'll go to your farm to give the extra to you.

🌲 Leah invites you over to her cabin for most of winter. The two of you would drink cider and you would be snuggled in her many quilts, watching her make a collage of dried leaves the two of you collected in fall.

🌲 Leah and Robin often hang out to discuss carpentry. When Robin mentions that she's building a chicken coop for your farm, Leah would pipe in with little ideas to make the coop look better. You especially love the drawing of a chicken that's engraved on the coop door. It was Leah's idea, even engraved it herself. She does that sometimes. Just get a chisel and chip on little designs on your fences and shipping bin. You enjoy finding them.

🌲 She's very adamant that you let her help you with farm work. She doesn't like to stay indoors when she has art block so she insists that she help you with anything you need. The two of you make a pretty good team. You'd hoe the dirt and Leah would plant the seeds. Afterwards, the two of you work together to water each crop, often starting at opposite ends of the field before meeting in the middle.

🌲 Leah helps Marnie take care of her animals sometimes. She is especially fond of rabbits and she was more than thrilled when you bought your first one from Marnie.

🌲 You definitely give Leah some of your harvested crops. You pile them in a little basket and place it in front of her door the first thing in the morning. She found out it was you after Elliott accidentally revealed it to her while they were hanging out in the Saloon. Elliott wouldn't stop apologizing to you for a solid week.

🌲 She makes you little bracelets out of flowers 🥺

[inspector-montoya-fox]

You know sometimes i like using my tumblr as like a brain rot bank? Like a time capsule for thoughts and opinion that cater to no one but everyone is welcome to enjoy and partake. And today i'll be doing just that because i have finally finished The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. If you've been following me for a while you know that this is lowkey monumental because (a) it means that i have officially played all Ace Attorney games, and (b) i have been struggling to finish these two games since their bundled release three years ago. So, i just wanted to share some general thoughts, some tier lists, and feel free to let me know what you think if you read what i have to say!

Ok so, my main takeaway from playing the two games is that... Dr Courtney Sithe is a bad bitch deserving of the same praise as Franziska, Lana Skye, Justine Courtney, Dee Vasquez and Calisto Yew. I genuinely love her so much. Miss Buttplug Hair got her PhD in being a girlboss and i'm so upset she was only in one case. For such a cool character with an amazing design, she was criminally underdeveloped. Same goes for my other fav, Rei Membani. Soon as it was mentioned that Professor Mikotoba and Judge Jigoku were on their way to the UK, i was one hundred percent sure she'd accompany them, and i was ultimately disappointed. To have her right next to Susato on the game's cover art and give her such an amazing takedown of Raiten Menimemo... and then just not have her be anywhere else was such a shame. I need more Dr Sithe and Rei !

The rest of the games' characters were a bit of a mixed bag with some obvious (and some unexpected) stand-outs. Here's my tier list:

Notes:

The biggest surprise that came when i was making this is how high i placed Herlock. I started off hating him so much and then he just suddenly grew on me so quickly, i hadn't even noticed. One of my favourites for sure.

I think we can all collectively agree that we have, at some point in our lives, embodied Pop Windibank... poor guy...

I don't know what Kazuma's deal is. He starts off as Ryunosuke's Mia Fey before um... just becoming a jerk? Why does he have beef with his best friend who was literally mourning him for almost a year? Can't lie though, the bitch looks hot in his white uniform.

Some of the jurors made a bigger impression than actual characters/ witnesses, just by having cool designs. Mainly the green lady, who rightfully earned her spot in the third tier after i found out she's supposed to be a reincarnation of the teacher from PLvsPW !

Eggert Benedict or whatever the fuck that rich breakdancing asshole is called, cannot be a final villain i'm sorry. Seriously, what were they thinking?

The two redheads are such a shameless rip-off of the Skulkins. Two ruffians taking the witness stand for the game's climax AGAIN !? And during the credits, they pose in their prison cell with "Gossip" in the middle the exact same way Eggert and the Skulkins did in the credits of Adventures, like no thank you.

I love how my overall bottom 3 are an annoying str*ight couple and a child.

If Stronghart wasn't in the second (very coveted) tier, he'd be in the bottom of 'like !' because he was ok. It's blatantly obvious he's the big bad from the second he's introduced but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Also, i need him and Damon Gant to have a fat titty bounce-off.

Moving on to criticisms, i can't help but feel like the fact that Shu Takumi decided to split his original script into two games only served to hurt the entire project. Because, for starters, each game has a different feel and the two don't match. Adventures is reminiscent of PLvsPW, Takumi's whimsical and eccentric love letter to the UK that hinges heavily on exposition. Resolve, on the other hand, is a bit of a mix between its predecessor and traditional Ace Attorney, its cases focusing more on driving the narrative to its conclusion rather than experimenting on the classic formula (as with the first game). It also echoes aspects of the first Investigations, bringing in diplomatic immunity, international relations, "tracking down and going against the head of the evil organisation" (the Reaper storyline is very similar to the Yatagarasu one). Personally the two vibes don't mesh, even when Resolve tries to latch onto Adventures with Memoirs of the Clouded Kokoro, for example.

Then, the pacing in both games is all over the place. Adventures is just so unreasonably and unashamedly long-winded and slow, it's the reason it took me literally three years to get into it. The game repeats the same lines of dialogue again and again until they're made painfully clear, subsequently making the player (or at least me) feel like an idiot who needs to read the same thing 13 times in order to get it. This, coupled with the fact that actual gameplay was almost nowhere to be seen and that progression in the courtroom almost always relied on not pointing out inconsistencies but pressing the witnesses adjacent to the one testifying, made the game such a slog to get through. And once the game started to pick up, it was over before i even knew it and in a very unceremonious fashion no less. In comparison, Resolve is very streamlined, albeit a bit too fast-paced. With the exception of Memoirs, which felt like shameless filler, it's clear that they wanted to waste zero time and crammed so much stuff into the episodes, to the point where it became difficult to keep track of everything going on. Because, keep in mind, the second game was tasked with tying up all the loose threads from the first one.

This leads to my final criticism regarding the split: inconsistencies and unresolved mysteries. I think it reads as careless writing when questions keep sprouting everywhere and their answers are reserved for the final two episodes of the second game. Even Unspeakable, a final case, introduces mysteries tied to the overarching narrative just for them to be shelved until Twisted Karma, leaving the player with a sense of dissatisfaction when the game ends. Not only is it frustrating to keep track of all the unsolved mysteries, a chore which good writing would not expect from the player, but it also has you questioning whether or not some of them will get answered at all. Why was the selection of jurors obviously rigged? Why did Van Zieks stop appearing in court five years prior? Where did he lose his gun in Twisted Karma? Why didn't Stronghart assassinate Madame Tusspells as well? Why is Kazuma fully exonerated after admitting to his involvement in the assassin exchange? I grouped the unresolved mysteries with inconsistencies as one problem because the latter is a result of the former. The majority of mysteries spills over from the first game to the second, giving way to different phrasing, details getting glossed over and the plot's consequences getting ignored. There's a very apparent shift in Gregson's character, for example, going from uncooperative and rigid in Adventures to more forgiving and helpful in Resolve, all the while his misconduct from Unspeakable is seemingly forgotten and met with zero ramifications. There's also the government's secret message about the assassin exchange Herlock deciphered at the end of the first game, which sets up the second game nicely but then doesn't get mentioned until the very last day in court. Like, come on now. It feels like Resolve continues Adventures' story without wanting to acknowledge it because, in the grand scheme of things, McGilded and Eggert Benedict seem to not matter at all. And then there's Memoirs, which... Inconsistency City, honestly. This episode's lack of impact on the overall story allowed it to be literally anything else. It's such a bizarre choice to have it be something which only achieves in taking away from the first Clouded Kokoro case! Like ok, i can get behind it being a case no one wanted to talk about so it didn't make the first game. I can turn a blind eye to the inconsistent character development and timeline, whatever. But it absolutely drives me nuts that, for an Ace Attorney game where the murders are explained in full detail, they couldn't stay consistent with the direction Olive Green was walking in. Hate. Loathe. Get it away from me.

That pretty much covers it in terms of complaints, because otherwise i enjoyed my playthrough quite a bit actually. I know i've just spent like 3 mega-sized paragraphs complaining but the games have great elements as well. The Deduction dances are easily the best thing about the gameplay, especially when you didn't see them coming. They were so much fun to play, very animated and cartoony with amazing banter, and effortlessly accelerated the investigation segments. Equally, i loved Judicial Findings. Undoubtedly my favourite part of the courtroom sections and a welcome change of pace. I tended to stall a lot because the jury's music fucks so hard. While on the topic of what i liked, Ryunosuke and Susato's chemistry rivals what Phoenix and Maya have going on. Susato leaving at the end of Adventures was a genuinely effective point in the plot, even though i knew she'd be back.

Now, let's take a closer look at the episodes. Here's my overall tier list of all Ace Attorney cases, the Great Ace Attorney ones being highlighted in yellow:

Notes:

Blossoming Attorney gobbled the rest of the girls right up (a court-only episode, no less). They gave us Susato gameplay, what more can you ask for? An amazing case. Gay Women in STEM !!

Return kinda strikes a nice balance between the different feels of the two games i mentioned before. You've got exposition and world-building with the whole Great Exhibition, turn of the century mad science thing, but also classic Ace Attorney with tracking down Drebber (very Matt Engarde's apartment) and Madame Tusspells as just some witness (very Lisa Basil). A very fun case right before the clusterfuck of mysteries ensues. Also, Dr Courtney Sithe !!!!! Girl you're such a star and you don't even know it spit in my mouth

Was tempted to put Unspeakable in the second tier but i think it's earned its high placement on its own merit and not because of personal bias. It's a great case. Maybe not for a final one, but it's still great. It tries its hardest to tie up some loose ends before the game ends and that's worth something.

Resolve of Ryunosuke is objectively better than Twisted because i could not give less of a fuck about the purple guy's headache and Espella Cantabella selling firecrackers, but they're both very much one single package. Extra points to Resolve of Ryunosuke though for having its villain sit at the judge's seat. That was neat.

The two Clouded Kokoros are giving stinky Bri ish culture with the whole apartment building background, like Ribena, bad teeth, rusty Union Jack, horseshit breath at the pub, you awrite luv? Slander, i'm sorry.

Slightly unrelated but when i was making this tier list it became so obvious that Investigations 2 is the crown jewel of the franchise. Like it has two cases in the top 5, how can you even argue against that?

Arriving to a conclusion, i'd say both games belong on the same level as Apollo Justice: a blend of good and bad. My experience playing the Ace Attorney franchise has followed this trend of attaching each game to a pivotal moment in my life. I finished the first game while i was still a soldier, Justice for All during my first year at university, Dual Destinies during Covid lockdown, Investigations while helping my parents set up their shop one summer. So i know i'll look back at playing The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles right after handing my dissertation very fondly. In other words, despite not quite sticking the landing, it's left a very pleasant aftertaste. Thank you for reading!

[gabessquishytum]

Okay, divorce lawyer Hob has been rattling in my brain since you posted the original prompt. Gotta say I think he would make the best family lawyer. He's fiercely protective, worldly and street smart, and definitely has done terrible things for money.

I'm thinking he met Dream in college after the other kinda laughed at him getting his juris doctor at a mixer. Which lead to a highly competitive relationship of anything you can do I can do better when it came to grades and extracurriculars. Dream even joined the rowing team when Hob joined the swim team.

They've remained friends since. Hob is used to girlfriends and wives come and go. It was his idea to protect the Endless family money, which is most of Dream's wealth, behind a prenup. He's the one who drafts letters and notarizes things that need notarizing. He was also the one who set up a trust for Orpheus when he was born.

He comes over every summer to the annual family barbeque and has definitely helped keep Desire out of legal trouble when they've screwed the pooch. He also helped Destruction change his name and keep his portion of the inheritance when he left the family. He's just a damn fine lawyer and friend.

But he's not just a friend. What people don't know is that himself and Dream keep a relatively low key affair going on. It started in college when Hob came home drunk and interrupted a date between Dream and a girl from his art class. He scared her away with his gross manners and then started fighting with Dream. Things escalated from screaming to making out. They fucked that night with Hob being the one bent over the coffee table.

Every month since then they make their excuses and spend an extended weekend together. They go far for their little weekend getaways, so nobody sees them or knows them. They fuck all weekend long and then head back to live their boring, everyday lives.

That's not the only secret. Hob is also the one behind every break-up and divorce. It used to be just running the girls out of the college dorm. Then he had to use more indirect methods. Planting fake evidence of cheating, hiring men to seduce his friend's wife, playing mind games with Dream and telling him that he doesn't really love his wife/girlfriend. After all, why does he need them when he's got Hob?

Dream will never see his best friend, his other half, the smartest man he knows as he truly is and that's fine with Hob. Just as long as Dream keeps coming to him with messes to clean up. After all, he just loves his favourite client!

- 🤜 anon

Oh, Hob. You bastard. I love EVERYTHING about this. Law is the perfect profession for Hob (especially when he's breaking it).

The thing is, you can't feel too bad for Dream. The red flags are RIGHT THERE. Hob covers his tracks well in front of other people but with Dream, he doesn't even bother! So Dream knows every slimy, underhanded, down right nasty thing that Hob has ever done to him/for him, and he just... he's blinded ok. By platonic affection for his friend, or by sexual desire for the most fulfilling lover he's ever had, or maybe just dirty ole romantic love. He simply chooses not to see.

Its a weird, almost sadistic little game at this point. Dream finds a new obsession, a woman who is FAR too good for him but is unfortunately charmed by his passion. But even though the obsession never lasts, Dream insists on following through. This time the marriage will work, he insists. Hob doesn't even bother to hide the smirk. Sometimes he shows up at the wedding (they have absolutely fucked on Dream’s wedding day, more than once), sometimes he waits for Dream to come to him after a few weeks of wedded bliss.

Then comes the inevitable collapse of Dream’s relationship and Hob’s favourite part, the divorce. He's had Dream sign the papers while Hob is balls deep inside him. And he always likes to take a picture. Another one for his collection. And so the cycle begins anew.

They're awful. The only hope for decent society is that they'll eventually marry each other. But that wont happen for a bit - not before they've had their fun...

[feathersandfoxtails]

questions tag game

@oonajaeadira tagged me and I love answering questions!

Do you make your own bed? NOPE. I think it's dumb. I also don't sleep with my sheets tucked in since I like to stick my feet out when I get hot. Plus I live alone. No one sees my bed and also no one cares.

Favorite number? I don't really have one, but when picking randomly I usually go for 3.

What’s your job? I work for my state's government! I run a department that does a certain thing for the entire state and it's a small office under a bigger entity. I love our little branch because everyone is really awesome here. And I LOVE my job.

If you could go back to school, would you? I enjoy taking classes here and there, but I have no desire to get another degree. I have a master's and that's enough.

Can you parallel park? Yes! I'm very good at it because when I was in college I could either parallel park in the neighborhood around campus or spend hundreds of dollars on a parking pass. So I learned real fast.

Do you think aliens are real? I think there are other forms of life out in the universe because it is vast and unending. Will we ever encounter one? Doubtful.

Can you drive a manual car? No, but I understand how in theory so I could probably lurch along if needed.

What’s your guilty pleasure? Online shopping. It's the only thing I sometimes feel guilty about, otherwise all things that bring me joy I love to share.

Any phobias? Sharks. I watched Jaws way too young. Still love that movie, though.

Favorite childhood sport? I come from a sports family and tried to fit in, so I collected baseball cards for a while and played a few sports. But I never liked them and I was bad at them. Discovering the arts made me feel whole.

Do you talk to yourself? All the time, whether out loud or just in my head. I also talk to my cats constantly at home, so much that when I'm talking on the phone they get really confused because they think I'm talking to them.

Tattoos? I have 3! But I want more! I know what my next one is going to be and will hopefully get it soon. I haven't gotten a new tattoo in.... 15 years? But I've always wanted more.

Favorite color? Purple, all shades.

Do you like puzzles? YES. Any kind of word puzzles, etc, I love, but I do really love physically putting pieces together puzzles. My friend texted me last night to ask if I wanted to be on a 4 person puzzle contest team in January!

No pressure tags: @nissaimmortal, @rosecentaur1916, @sunflowersturn, @serpentstyles, @trinikins