#sorry I have monster high opinions

[jmgangel]

I literally love G1 Toradeen so much and the fact that their comic wasn’t focused on their enemies to lovers arc so disappointing.

[bob-soup]

Monster High Hot Take: The only people who say G2 was better than G3 or say they actually like G2 but hate G3 are people who haven't thought about Monster High in 5 years

[one-winged-dreams]

Wakes up in the middle of the night absolutely fucked up on three different sleep aids to rant about how people can not fucking put together the Final Fantasy VII + spinoffs lore and EVEN STILL try to vomit these useless opinions and what x character is the WORST and why y character is blah blah blah

ENOOOOOUGH

putting these supersoldiers on top of the fridge until y'all learn what a narrative is

[bunnuyboy]

when will there be a popular doll line where the men arent ugly

[solongsuccours]

.

[toby-or-not-toby]

No one asked for my thoughts but someone I follow (hi rory) rb'd this so here I am crawling out of the woodwork like a little beetle

I think the problem with Gil and Lagoona is that they're victims of the writing. Progress could've been made, but it wasn't being made because of the writing. Their,,, what's the word? Tension? It was drama for the writers to use as plot, or at least plot fuel.

And there are a handful of indicators of an unhealthy relationship, which I don't think is a fault of either character themselves but instead their environment and the tension (see 13 wishes, and Lagoona's wish being to become a freshwater monster specifically for Gil's parents. That's... a little unhealthy.)

I think it's valid to criticize their relationship itself, but the problem comes with the nuances. I don't like g1 gil either, but it wasn't really him at fault for their relationship, he was basically just channeling his parents' shit behavior and the writers never got the development far enough for him to stand up to them and make real progress.

Personally I think a good plot for them would be a (mutual, on good terms) breakup, where they both have space to work on themselves and, in Lagoona's case, not deal with the pressure of not being enough for her boyfriend's parents. (She shouldn't care, but she's also like 15, so I think it's warranted.) Have some clear, distinct progress with Gil and his parents, and then have them revisit their relationship later on.

"we need more complex relationships in media" y'all couldnt even handle Gil and Lagoona 😭

[cup-o-stars]

Relativity Falls Lore Concept- The Oracle and Bill

The Oracle:

I was initially inspired by the Twitter user @SUwu159's depiction of the Oracle in their take on Relativity Falls, and made my own adaptation as I learned about her in canon.

(Assume she can change colors because I couldn't pick what I liked most)

This version of The Oracle isn't malicious per se, and does not desire the same conquest or chaos sought out by Bill. But she likes universes to be organized and quaint (or answers to another high power that demands it), and finds fulfillment in achieving these goals through any means necessary.

The Oracle and Dipper:

(Sorry if this dialogue tastes like a corndog in your mouth. I just needed to write a semi-resolution to Dipper's side of the relationship, ha.)

Getting into the real struggle with the Pines family. Dipper and Mabel don't fight and hold grudges like the Stans (that we've seen of), so my opinion is that they drifted apart in their late teens and twenties, both feeling pressured to be less attached at the hip. My current belief (though I'm very willing to rewrite this section) is that Mabel and Dipper both poured a lot of energy into pretty niche fields, and being very busy meant very short and rare windows to reach out. Both assumed the other was doing bigger and better things and felt self conscious / childish for wanting eachother's company.

I'm still considering Mabel's backstory, since I think she probably hit lower points than Dipper. You know. Starving artist, lol. But Dipper entered into paranormal investigation, pest control, etc. before his ghost + monster catching went far enough for his name to gain some notoriety. Hell, maybe Pacifica's family reached out to him to take care of "rats" that were actually ghosts, cementing his interest in Gravity Falls and giving him a window inter supernatural work.

Dipper was taken on as something of an apprentice to the Oracle 30ish years before canon as word of his good and dangerous deeds spread. However, what was at first a personal dream come true (saving lives with nerd magic) soon became a personal hell as the Oracle began to overwhelm Dipper with knowledge of various futures and universes where everything he cared about could be destroyed. He's always been over prepared and incredibly paranoid, and became obsessed with protecting the world by acting as a partner to the Oracle.

He ends up doing- or not doing- a lot of morally ambiguous things and gaining a lot of enemies. He is too ashamed to face his family- especially Mabel- with what he's done and burden them, giving the Oracle more to use against him to keep him working for her. Basically "you've already done all this and risked it all, there's nowhere to go if you stop now." Eventually this ends in her seeing him fit for her work and convincing him to hide out in and save other universes, which he gets trapped doing for the next three decades.

Little throw away idea: Pacifica could have been an investor or partner, but left as they uncovered secrets about the Northwest family. Maybe she wanted to undo something (debating making any of the Oracle's powers time related just because I hate time travel) or stop a current show of corruption, but Dipper had to stop her for the "greater good."

In the main universe, Mabel goes to Gravity Falls upon news of her brother's disappearance, searching for any loose end to trace back to him.

I love that in canon, Dipper is willing to do anything for Mabel, and Mabel gives it back. Dipper here spends all of his life keeping as many versions of her as safe as he can, and she spends all her life trying go seek him out- maybe even dropping a larger opportunity outside of Gravity Falls for her art and settling on business at the shack. Dipper wants Mabel alive, Mabel wants them both happy. I like the idea that it's Dipper and Mable vs. The Future but the future is a demon, alien thing.

Which leads me to...

Bill Cipher:

I'm actually gonna cover a couple versions of Bill I think are fitting for this AU, because I initially wasn't sure if I wanted him here at all.

Child Bill:

Pretty straight forward. Bill as a baby, child thing is tempting and this is the au where he'd exist. Personally though, I think Ford's friendship with Fidds would be more enriching to his growth, and Bill's personality is so close to Stan's they would likely be competing to fill very similiar roles. (If Bill behaves differenty as kid, I don't know about it.) Honestly, Bill is super similiar to Ford and Stan, and works better as a kind of foil or antagonist because of that (imo). I do find the mental image of Ford carrying Bill around funny. I do not enjoy human bill like, conceptually, so I'm probably never gonna design one as an adult or child, lol.

It would be cool to see a world where Bill didn't accidentally kill his parents though.

Bill - Reincarnated Original

Technically I guess they could all be reincarneted (especially baby Bill), but this version of Bill experienced and holds memories of the original canon events in GF. Beings like Bill and the Oracle can remember recent/soon approaching lives, and catch glimpses of more distant cycles as well.

What I like about Bill's recent role as an antagonist to Ford and Stan is that he constantly describes them in the terms of their worst traits, and sees them through the lens of the roles the world placed on them. In this AU, Bill is the epitome of the past (in this case a past life) coming back to bite the twins. He rattles their progress in communication as well as their sense of inner peace by bringing old Glass Shard Beach issues into Gravity Falls.

(Depicted here-> moments after Ford summons Bill using the same ritual as Gideon.)

The drawback to this is that it feels a lot like covering old ground.

Simply Bill:

This is pretty much just regular old Bill with the same fresh perspective as everyone else, and also the one I'm going with. He tried and failed to get Dipper's trust in the past and had to lay low at the arrival of the Oracle. Once they left, Bill targeted Mabel. I think it could be very interesting for Mabel and Bill to either have a fresh relationship wherein Bill is actively taking advantage of her desperation to find Dipper, or for Bill to be an old betrayal (not romantic, but not dissimilar to the opportunistic exes Stan and Ford have to be wary of and beat back under the rug regardless).

Either he shows himself to Mable early on, or decides that Gravity Falls is both Oracle-free and worth the time after either Ford or Mable summon him. Afterall, 30 years isn't much to him.

Maybe he exists in the background like he's always done, or the kids (being snoopy and disrespectful of Mabel's secrets) discover what Mabel's doing and run into him on their own.

Whether Bill is aware of the original series or not, I think he could be neat to stick in between Stan and Ford again for conflict. My favorite aspect about Relativity Falls is the prospects of the Stans having a larger support system and better tools to help themselves with. Beating Bill faster and better would be the ultimate testament to Mabel and Dipper's skills as functioning role models, even if Mabel is currently blinded by her focus on Dipper.

Stan and Ford will fight and they will make up, but this time maybe they can overcome it on their own.

I also think a good idea is having Ford and Stan's issues be completely Bill free (outside of like an episode or two's worth of relevance, unless he put them into a particularly stinging situation). It would feel fresher and also streamline the plot, lol.

Overview:

- Dipper is stuck travelling the multiverse with the Oracle and keeps himself sane by thinking of Mabel and protecting various versions of her.

- Mabel is investigating his disappearance in Gravity Falls and is working on a portal/portal equivalent with Bill to bring him back.

- The kids may or may not be aware of this.

Looking at the main series of events, I think it'd be neat go back to the apprenticeship conflict, where Ford could be approached by the Oracle (or something else that makes sense) with the promise of being a "hero," but knows better now because of Dipper and his experiences with Bill. It's kind of a more convoluted version of Ford's proposal to Dipper in canon, and they basically learn the same thing, lol. You can hang out with ghosts if you want, but demons are gonna get you. Maybe being a child with siblings is all you need.

(Stan could also be offered this, given the Oracle already knew he- or at least someone with his face- would beat Bill, but I think it's well established he isn't very interested in doing anything without family.)

All in all, things might be a bit crowded with two antagonists. But I do like the concept of Bill's arrival and subsequent chaos triggering Dipper and the Oracle's return to Mabel's dimension. I also love the idea of Bill, the Oracle, and some secret third thing all trying to pull the Pines family apart, and it's like a Man vs. God turned into a Family vs. Destiny thing, idk. Just trying to make it feel bigger.

Thank you for reading all this. It was a lot to draw. Next time I do anything for Relativity Falls, I'm gonna go back to the smaller things like Mabel bonding with the kids and stuff like that.

[markrosewater]

Hi mark. It’s me, the guy that was complaining about orphans of the wheat. I wanted to start by apologizing for using the word lazy. I wasn’t trying to say that the people who make this game don’t put a ton of thought and effort and care into it, but I totally get how my wording made it sound like I was trying to say that. I’m genuinely sorry I came off like I was belittling the immense work you all do.

I also want to clarify that I wasn’t trying to say “I don’t like this thing therefore it is bad”. Millions of people play magic, all with very different tastes, and I’m just one weirdo. Everybody is going to have aspects of the game they like and aspects they dislike, my opinion is not objectively correct.

What I was originally trying to get at was that it feels as though a lot of designs that are “based on” something feel like they are getting more overt. Bonny Pall is the example my brain always goes back to because the name is almost the exact same thing as what it’s flavored after, Paul Bunyan. Orphans of the wheat is just a more recent example of this and what sparked me sending my initial message.

A few years ago, I saw a video on YouTube of a speech you made, I think it was your 30 years 30 lessons one. In it you talk about how akroan horse was originally Akroan Lion, and players didn’t get it, but when you changed it to akroan horse, suddenly people loved it and it felt so flavorful. I get that it’s important to make sure that people get the reference when you’re making one. And I get that it’s a delicate balance. Too subtle, and people don’t get it; but too overt, and bozos like me send giant messages complaining.

My qualm with Children of the wheat is that it is an example of a pattern I feel like I’m seeing where you are erring on the side of “gotta make sure they get it”, to the point that sometimes it feels like the reference is being beaten over our head. But I do recognize how that’s just my perspective and other people have different opinions on where the line is for “too obvious”. For example, I think Altanak and say its name are awesome. I like how the art is someone looking in a mirror and if you say its name three times then you summon the big bad monster. But I totally get how someone else might see that and say “well all they did was make Bloody Mary a bug”. And I also totally get how there might be another person who didn’t even get the reference and would’ve needed a card called “mutilated Miranda” to realize it.

This whole *thing* is just my way of saying that designs that are references to something feel like they are more and more often mutilated Miranda or Bonny Pall or orphans of the wheat, and that fewer and fewer of them are getting even one step removed from what they are referencing.

Thanks for taking the time to write back. It means a lot to me. How close we get to references is something we’re constantly reevaluating. We’ve definitely got the note that this year indexes too high on the obvious references.

[hedwig221b]

Heey, was wondering if you could recommend some magical stiles fics, preferably sterek.

Thank you 😊

Magical Stiles, my beloved!!! 💖

My Mother Told Me by Renmackree

Stiles joined the Emissary program to help Alpha wolves settle into their new roles and to follow in his mother’s footsteps. She had always told him he was destined to run with the wolves, but he thought she meant Scott and his pack.

Instead, Stiles finds himself sent to Thingvallavatn, Iceland, with Alpha Derek Hale. It's clear the Alpha is hiding a part of him that Stiles can’t reach, but when a monster comes to threaten the pack, it’s always great to have someone in your corner with a little mischief up their sleeve

My, What Big Shoulders You Have (The Better to Help You Carry the Weight) by isthatbloodonhisshirt (wasterella)

“Talia was just telling me an interesting story,” his dad informed him. Stiles didn’t have the nerve to glance over at him, because he knew no matter how much he argued, the proof was all there. The wolves had found him, Parrish had picked him up on the side of the road, he had a fucking picture on his phone. He was screwed. No point in arguing, all it’d do is piss his father off even more.

“You don’t say,” Stiles offered slowly. “What uh—you know, I like stories. Is it a uh, good one?”

“It seems to be a matter of opinion,” Talia said with another kind smile. “I hear you had quite the night last night.”

Okay, time to cut his losses. He was already fucked, all he could do was apologize and hope she didn’t press for him to get fined and arrested. Given he was her husband’s friend’s son, he had high hopes.

“I’m really sorry,” Stiles blurted out. “It was stupid and-and irresponsible and just—I am so sorry. I shouldn’t have crossed into your territory. I should’ve known better, I do know better! It was a complete lapse in judgement and I am just—I am so sorry.”

Came For The Spark, Stayed For The Flame

Derek felt the panic build up in his chest as Jezebel held out a hand. He smelled it before he saw it, because who could forget the scent of what destroyed your life? Fire and spark and smoke curled from Jezebel's hands, and the wood stacked at Stiles' feet flared up.

When Stiles and Derek get bonded as Emissary-and-Alpha, hidden attractions become a lot harder to hide, secrets are kept and secrets are surfaced, and an evil teenage girl is planning even more ritualistic sacrifice. Canon divergence from the end of 3a.

A Letter From Mom by StilesIsMySpiritAnimal

After waking up at the age of 11 without any memories of his past Stiles spends eight years with his father in the tiny town of Shelter Cove, California. After his father's death he receives a notice from a storage facility in some town called Beacon Hills. Stiles is confused and thinks the manager made a mistake until he finds a letter that should have been for his 18th birthday that his dad never gave him. It's from his mother, who he has no memory of. Weirdly enough, her letter mentions Beacon Hills and some woman named Talia, who he's supposed to trust. Confused and angry at his father, Stiles sets out for Beacon Hills anxious and determined to find out what his dad had been hiding from him all these years.

Truth in Pretense by wanderingeyre

Stiles took the straw from his drink and started chewing on it. He pulled it from his mouth and stood. He grinned at Derek. “Stop frowning, Sourwolf. I have a solution that will solve all our problems.”

“And that would be?” Derek didn’t move as Stiles moved closer to him.

Stiles winked at Derek. “We get married.” --- The one where Derek and Stiles pretend to be mates to help out a neighboring Pack and find there is some truth in pretense.

Actions Speak Louder than Words by isthatbloodonhisshirt (wasterella)

“I apologize.” The cop finally looked back up at his face, seeming thrilled. “It’s just—it’s been so long. And we finally have you.”

That was a bad word. Not found.

Have.

Stiles wrenched his hand free and took a step back, but before he could even think up a gameplan, he felt a prick in his neck and jerked away, reaching up to slap one hand against it and twisting in the same moment.

One of the others had come up behind him while he hadn’t been paying attention, and his vision began to swim even as his eyes caught sight of the half-empty syringe the guy was holding.

If You’re Going Through Hell (Keep Going)

Stiles thought everything leading up to Allison’s death was hell, but he was wrong. Spending senior year dealing with the pack’s dismissal of him while secretly training to be Deaton’s replacement was hell. Feeling guilty and hating himself for what the Nogitsune did was hell. Being in love with someone who would never love him back was hell. Well, if you’re going through hell, keep going.

Striking Matches by eeyore9990

Stiles has only ever wanted to protect his family and his pack. That’s not easy to do when you're human and sarcasm is your only defense. Now Deaton is telling Stiles he’s a spark, and if that’s a weapon in his arsenal, he’s sure as hell going to learn to use it.

All Stiles needs now, to complete his transformation into a true badass, is a training montage and a decent soundtrack...

A Similar String by snarkatthemoon

Strong bonds made for a strong pack, and he needed a strong pack.

They spent a long time in silence, Derek thinking hard about how he was going to cement the bonds. It needed to be done, and not just because they had the threat of the witch hanging over them, but for the good of the pack.

It felt like hours had passed by the time he came around; he had been so deep in his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed Stiles moving around on the couch so that his head was resting on Derek’s thigh, his long legs hanging over the arm on the far end.

He wasn’t sleeping, but his eyes were closed and his heartbeat wasn’t as fast as it usually was, as if he was just on the edge of sleep. It should have felt weird, having Stiles in such close contact, but Derek found that it really didn’t feel weird at all. His head was a comforting weight in Derek’s lap, another anchor tethering him and keeping him calm and in control. . Or, the one where Derek meets a witch, gets his betas back, and seemingly develops a sense of humour. Also, Stiles is totally magic, manages to accidentally join a werewolf pack, and asks too many goddamn questions. What could possibly go wrong?

here in the heart (of my sanctuary) by crazyassmurdererwall (smartalli)

Talia accelerates through the tunnel, and Derek looks up, watches the light that makes it through the bramble dance and shift over the hood of the car as they drive, fingers gripping the sides of the tank. It’s beautiful, like a gateway to another world. He’s lived in the preserve his whole life, and he didn’t know this was here.

She eyes him. “You should know this man is very important to me. I take the responsibility of his care and counsel very seriously. Handing him over to you…it’s not a small thing. Please keep that in mind.”

No pressure, then.

A Teenage Love Song by HaleHathNoFury (My_Trex_has_fleas)

Stiles is sick and tired of how much he fucks up. His dad is disappointed, his step-mom judges and his step-brother can do no wrong. It's not that he doesn't love them, he just gets so tired of being different. Now he's being moved lock, stock and barrel to Beacon Hills aka the town his mom grew up in so they can go live in his grandma's house and his father can get him back on the straight and narrow.

It's going to suck.

Other fic recs: pack mom!Stiles | angsty fics | historical AU | baby/mpreg | outsider POV | possessive Derek | smut | hurt/comfort | Stiles gets kicked out of the pack | mafia | BAMF!Stiles | omegaverse | bad friend Scott | witch!Stiles | creature!Stiles | unrequited love

[kastheory]

steve did not bully eddie in "the past" steve was a grade below him for 3 out of 4 years of his high school career freshman steve heard this weird loudass sophomore talking w his friends at 100 decibels in the hallway about fighting elves in the woods or something (steve did not know what larping was nor care to find out) and then he went to class bc are you insane hes not fucking w a sophomore you dont normally fuck w people ahead of your grade especially if they yell at people and wear chains and get into fights in the woods (with elves?) and you dont even have classes w them. you dont even care much about them in the first place beyond passing gossip like HAVE YOU GUYS EVER BEEN IN HIGH SCHOOL. sorry. anyway.

then steve keeps catching this guy in his periphery over the next two years shouting about board games and controversial food opinions and metal bands that steve likes a few songs from but could not ever imagine giving that much of a shit about. like at all. and by (steve's) year 3 the motherfucker is bouncing off the walls giving speeches about what the hell ever and saying he cant fucking WAIT to get out of this FUCKED UP PLACE!!!! YEP ITS TRUE IN LESS THAN ONE MEASLY YEAR ILL BE SAYING MY SWEET SWEET GOODBYES TO THIS BRAINLESS CONFORMIST PRISON!!!! and hardly anyone reacts beyond rolling their eyes or snickering to their friends about it and this includes steve because who cares literally who cares. this guys been causing a ruckus since the beginning of time and hes weird and unpredictable and not worth trying to shove in a locker he would probably evade the attack anyway like a nimble mouse or squirrel he might even try to bite you. and steve didnt shove anybody in lockers in the first place so who cares and yeah he has pretty eyes and a funny way of talking and moving around but WHO CARES

and then steve goes through the first round of nightmarish shit that would become a yearly ordeal and then wraps up junior year in a perfectly normal not haunted whatsoever fashion. and then hes a senior and in his subtly cringefail era (ongoing) and that freak guy is STILL HERE for some reason and kinda pissed off and possibly a bit devastated about it so okay great now steve has a few classes with this angry weirdo loudguy but. crucially. he has had a lot of OTHER SHIT to deal with lately (MONSTERS ARE REAL) (GIRL DIED IN HIS POOL) (GF RESENTS HIM) (HAS NO FRIENDS) (COLLEGE APPS) so the only effect eddie's constantly loudmouthed & often unwarranted input during class ever has is that it adds a little flavor to the constant metaphorical and literal headache of steves life.

and then he goes through round 2 of shit and finishes his senior year with little hope for a satisfying future ahead of him and never once thinks about that guy again except when his fellow grads whisper about oh my godd did you hear that the freak flunked out again hahaha and yep sure enough eddie's not there at the graduation ceremony. and he thinks huh i wonder what his fucking problem is and then he MOVES ON. the end. thats the extent of """their past""" at least in terms of any actual interactions btwn the two of them i promise okay listen to me. i was there

[yuurei20]

Idia Info Compilation part 13: Self Depreciation (pt1)

Idia is often combining pride and confidence in his abilities with self depreciation: he thanks Ace and the others who save him from Eliza with “I couldn’t hold a candle to that…I’m like the monster in some tragic tale! A hidden boss just minding my own business, chilling in my cave, until I get driven out and flee into town, where all the people fear me…”

Feeling sorry for him, the other characters begin to compliment how nice he looks in his suit and Idia shifts gears, saying, “I’m not that special. But you all keep taking about me like I’m the best, so what does that say about you? Maybe I’m just the best option in THIS group…People did call me a ‘promising prodigy’ when I was a kid. And I’ve only gotten better, so I guess it’s no surprise.”

Riddle says, “For all his self-depreciation, he thinks rather highly of himself,” which is a running theme.

When Idia says, “There’s no one in Ignihyde who’s smarter or more competent than I am” Azul makes a similar observation to Riddle, saying, “For all your vociferous protestations, you seem to have quite a high opinion of your own abilities,” while Ruggie points out that Idia isn’t “even trying to modesty” during Glorious Masquerade.

Despite calling himself a “hot mess,” saying he can barely deliver research reports in class, no one wants to listen to “a geek like (him) mumbling into a microphone" he will never live up to the King of the Underworld and he respect the prefect for being able to “greet a loner line (him),” Idia also teases the prefect for having trouble with textbook questions (“That’s, like, baby mode stuff”).

[milaisreading]

🌱🩷: pt5 of Crossdresser!Yn x Blue Lock! Sorry for the angst in the last part...

Masterlist to this series

Warnings: Reader uses she/her. In the story the boys will be using he/him when addressing Yn. Requests for this series are open.

⚽️Blue Lock belongs to Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura⚽️

"What are you picking your food for?" Barou questioned as (Y/n) picked on the tofu that was served for her to eat. She shook her head and looked ar Barou for a few moments, then at her food.

"Oh... sorry." She said silently and took a small piece of tofu and rice, silently eating it while looking off to the side. Barou raised an eyebrow as he watched the girl silently.

'What is wrong with her now? Just today she was over the moon because she can play with that Isagi guy, and now she looks like someone kicked her dog.' Barou squinted his eyes as he observed her a little more.

'I just don't know what I did to them... but the more I think about either Reo or Nagi, the more I will be distracted from my goal... which is staying in Blue Lock as long as possible.'

Barou watched worry as she started eating her food faster and faster, until she started coughing.

"Idiot! What is your issue even?" Barou scolded her as he reached over the table to pat her back.

"I...I am fine... sorry..." She coughed between her words as she reached for her glass of water.

"Why are you even apologizing? Are you sure you are fit for practice later?" He asked, trying to mask his worry as (Y/n) slowly nodded her head, finishing off her water.

"I am! I am! I guess, I still have jitters from the game earlier. Let's just finish our food and prepare the practice room."

She resumed eating her food calmly this time.

"Whatever you say."

"For a king, you sure listen to all my words." (Y/n) commented as Barou blushed in embarrassment and glared at her.

"Shut it!"

"Isagi! You really did come!" (Y/n) said excitedly as the boy walked into the practice room with Bachira following close behind.

"Oh, Bachira, you are here, too!" She greeted the boy, surprised that he was there too, but she didn't complain much. After all, Bachira's dribbling was impressive to her, so might as well train with him.

"Yep!" Bachira said excitedly as Isagi looked back at (Y/n) nervously.

"Sorry about him. He wanted to practice with us." Isagi explained as he noted Barou's glare.

"It's alright! Should we start then? We can team up Barou and I, and Bachira and you!" (Y/n) suggested as the two just nodded their heads.

"Let's start then." Barou said, grabbing (Y/n)'s shoulder and pulling her away from the duo.

"Hey!"

The night went on with the 4 of them training for a few hours. They switched teams a few times, and as much as Barou didn't enjoy this arrangement, he wasn't leaving her alone with these 2.

"Great job, Bachira! The dribbling was amazing!" (Y/n) cheered on her current partner as she raised her arm for a high five.

"You think? Thanks! Yours isn't bad either, tho your precision always catches me off guard." Bachira said back as they high-fived each other. The two turned to look at Isagi and Barou, watching as the duo exchanged a few words and then Barou surpringly left the room.

"Barou!" (Y/n) scolded the taller, but Isagi just shook it off.

"We just had a small dispute. By the way, thanks for letting us play with you two. It was a great experience." Isagi said.

"Nothing to thank me for, it was nice training with you both! We should do it tomorrow too." (Y/n) suggested, as the two boys look at each other, and then nodded their heads.

"Good idea!"

"Yes!"

"So, what is your opinion on that guy? (Y/n) seems very nice in my opinion." Isagi said as both him and Bachira were walking back to their room.

"He sure is! He also wasn't freaked out when I told him about my monster! He even said it was cool." Bachira grinned widely as Isagi nodded his head slowly.

"It's cool that he wasn't weirded out... aside from you and my mom, everyone always called me a freak for it." Bachira commented again.

"I like him. I expected (Y/n) to be this rude and obnoxious player, but he is very down to earth."

"True. And he seems eager to practice with anyone. He also helped me with my shots while we were paired up."

"He is pretty cool."

"And cute."

"Bachira!" Isagi scolded the boy with a flustered face.

"He is! You can't deny that~"

Isagi stayed quiet for the rest of the walk.

'Nagi... Reo...why can't I get their words out of my head? I never had issues like that before.' (Y/n) sighed while finishing washing her hair, the same wave of pain hitting her as she looked at the door where Barou was standing behind.

"Hey, Barou!"

"What?" He called out from the hallway, looking around to make sure nobody was close by.

"Who are we playing against tomorrow?"

"Hm... Team W, I believe. After that, we just have Team V and Team Y left."

'Team V... Nagi and Reo's team!' (Y/n)'s eyes widened for a moment.

"Ok. I will be out in a minute. Sorry for all of this, again."

"No need to apologize." He said back, yawning a little.

'I will have to treat him for some lunch if we ever get out of here.' (Y/n) smiled as she put her shirt back on.

'As for Team V... we will win against them. We have to.' She gulped and then nodded to herself.

[seriousbrat]

I'm extremely unfair to Remus on this blog, the truth is fanon remus is personally offensive to me on many levels so I'm loath to give him protagonism of any kind lol. But that's not fair at all to a character that actually, when all's said and done, I do love. perhaps the marauder I'm least interested in (lol) but he still rates high on my list of fave hp characters and I honestly find him a very pleasant perspective to write from. he's just like some guy. his big crime is negligence/avoidance and I love that for him. to be honest I think his position is a difficult one to fully understand, he is a character that I'm able to muster up a lot of empathy for because of that. like can any of us irl understand what it's like to turn into a literal monster every month since childhood, the point-blank rejection and hatred from society, and what effect that might have on someone's psyche? it's interesting!!!

moony's worst hits, lets go:

remus tolerating the marauders' bullying: obv this was wrong. he was the only one who recognised it was wrong, and he tolerated it. he 'made them feel ashamed of themselves' sometimes per sirius, but honestly I can understand why he never spoke up. I don't think we should underestimate how rare the marauders' tolerance, not only tolerance but the lengths they went to to help remus with his condition was. for a teenager? I can only imagine how that must have felt tbh. he likely thought that he barely deserved their friendship and loyalty and that he was lucky to have it so why would he do anything to ruin that

remus not telling anyone about sirius being an animagus: bad lol, his worst moment probably. again, though, I can understand it even though I don't justify it. the trust dumbledore had placed in him, first to accept him at hogwarts and then again as a professor (we know how difficult it is for werewolves to find employment of any kind) and he just couldn't face betraying that trust. Luckily for Remus it turned out ok but it is kind of insane that he didn't tell dumbledore tbh.

remus not writing to harry: idc about this personally lol but to me it ties into remus's inferiority complex. he doesnt, and will never, see himself as anything like a father figure to harry the way sirius does. he barely sees himself as a worthy father to his own kid let alone the complex case that is harry. is that unfair to harry and unempathetic? yeah probs but also it makes sense to me even beyond the reason Remus gives in canon for not writing. He put Harry in terrible danger in PoA and given Remus's self-hatred he probably feels guilty about that lol.

walking out on Tonks: his other worst hit. But I can understand him, even though I think Harry was 100% right to tell him off. Again we've got this man's crippling inferiority complex, from what he says he thinks he's a burden and a curse to both Tonks and Teddy-- and you know what, society isn't exactly contradicting this belief. Obviously Tonks doesn't agree and that should be all that matters, but sometimes it doesn't seem that way. There's avoidance here (Remus's big flaw) and I legit think he thought he was doing Tonks a favour by disappearing on some quest with Harry and likely dying in the process. Interesting stuff but also very sad.

all this to say, I don't believe in "defending" characters, just understanding them, and even though I barely post about him I do find Remus very interesting, worthy of empathy in many ways. I'll admit the werewolf thing leads me to give him more of a pass than other characters just because I find that so horrible lol and feel so sorry for him but anyway. a good character in my opinion.

[warrior-cats-rewritten]

Honestly, I feel sorry for firestar… if he still trained brambleclaw, he had such high hopes of him, tried his best and everything and bramble still turn out like that?

It gets to a point where "I'm not mad, just disappointed" stops describing it.

"Actually... I am mad. I'm glad you're not a serial killer, but that's a really low bar, and you still acted like this."

He already has so much on his plate with Starclan, having to work to reform everything. He missed his own sister's death just because he was busy speaking to older Starclan cats who wanted to damn his daughters.

Then to look down and see his former apprentice, his ex-deputy who he finally put trust in after everything, having put him into the Deputy position specifically to keep an eye on him, and he goes and mistreats his grandchildren like THIS?

"Juniperkit, buddy, why don't you go ask Nanny (Sandstorm) to play hide and seek with you? Papa needs to do something..."

He sits by the Starpool, watching as Bramblestar snarls at his beloved granddaughter, a cat he raised until he tossed her aside like rotten meat when she didn't have enough of his blood for his liking. He insults his own child, Dandeliontuft, the molly who only ever wanted the love of her father who couldn't bear looking at her.

Firestar watches, embers burning at his paws, flickering through the air as a dark cloud gathers within Starclan. His body is rigid, muscles tensed, tail lashing back and forth as he watches the leader of Thunderclan greedily cling to his remaining lives, refusing to give them up to his rightfully ascending deputy. Firestar's body shakes with rage, and his breath comes in heavy shudders as Bramblestar snaps at Sparkpelt and Jayfeather, making himself bigger as he curses at his daughter and his former son, blaming his long faded father for their doubt in him. Blaming them for his behavior.

But Tigerstar was a murderer. He never hurt his children. Firestar remembers Tigerclaw standing outside of the nursery, looking exhausted as he waited for Spottedleaf to finish giving his tiny daughter Lynxkit her medicine. Cuddling with Goldenflower afterwards in the cramped den...

Tigerclaw was a monster, but not that kind. There are many kinds.

Bramblestar lift a massive paw, claws extended, towards Squirrelflight, who backs away in fear from the threat that, while never meant to be followed through, spoke enough volumes. His eyes flash amber in the bright autumn sun. Fire blazes in Firestar's body. Bramblestar will not hurt his daughter, not ever again.

The next flash is blinding, and suddenly, Firestar feels drained. He looks back over the Starpool... What was that? Was that him? He wanted to send a sign, what happened?

He looks at Brambleclaw's body, cats around him stood still in shock, most of their fur now on end.

"Starclan has spoken..." Hollyleaf remarks in a voice that only barely shakes, steeling herself. "They've made their opinion clear."

The Starpool goes gray again, blocking out the sight of them once more. It's been doing that a lot lately...

Suddenly, Juniperkit bumps into Firestar's back leg, snapping him out of his thoughts. He hadn't realized he'd jumped up in anger.

"Papaaa! I can't find Nanny anywhere! She hid too good."

Firestar's fur settles. "Oh no, silly Nanny." He purrs softly. "Let's go find her together."

He walks off with his little grandson into the beautiful forest. He has a meeting with Thunderstar and Lightning Tail tomorrow, and Juniperkit will go play with his uncle Swiftpaw, or perhaps his cousin Flametail will show him around a new place in Star-Shadowclan's land...

Around the Starpool, the ground is scorched black. The grass smolders where Firestar stood, the embers slowly fading off and drifting into nothing.

A lone spirit lingers, and fades off, unwelcome.

[pareidolla]

For the bingo game!! I'll let someone else ask you about Broken, what are your thoughts on Smitten?

polite dearest i am so sorry for taking forever to answer! here's scarlet hollow smitten - i ruminated on it a bit and decided smitten talking to animals is very, very funny ♡ vv excited to finish up his stp design i think he's coming along very cute

and oh right my opinion of...! smitten...! wowie, isn't he just... a character... who exists...

yeah, i'm sorry, i have to confess that i've never loved smitten the way everyone else does, and i feel terrible about it. he's cute! he's funny! his little "narrator!" towards the end of razor makes me stim. everyone has turned on him after the epilogue, and i'm like now you're thinking he's creepy? the "in a way, we still got a romantic end" comment after we tried stabbing thorn didn't hint to the fact that maybe he's kinda a major freak?

and its the combination of his uncomfortable lines mixed with the fanbase's reception to him that really sours the character for me. i adore characters who are toxic and weird about love (milgram mahiru shiina >>>) but everywhere i look, i see supporters defending his behavior or high-fiving him for being the haha funny simp guy, which drives me crazy. esp smitten fans who hated broken for having an unhealthy love for the princess, but hail smitten as a chad for it. actually makes me gag.

but despite being my least favorite voice, i think it's a shame we don't have more of him. in particular, i was truly rooting for him to be an extra voice in fury-adversary. the devs have explained we get cold because we're telling vera we love her while denying what makes her happy, but she should have been able to say it to our faces! i want him to properly adore a big monster princess without it functionally being a joke, to deal with not wanting to harm her but wanting her to be happy, and to have his shit repeatedly demolished by her. justice for smitten honestly

[strange-guy-in-the-forest]

harper appreciation/analysis rant

i think harper would hate anything that would make them feel weak or vulnerable BUT they would get turned on by it. they'd be mortified but also grateful for the unique experience then go jerk off about it or maybe make their patients re-enact it for them.

i also don't think they mind appearing weak. they are after all just a humble doctor who takes on tough cases like traumatized orphans, not a mayor or high elk or whatever, despite being a skilled hypnotist. as long as they feel in control in a situation, it doesn't bother them. probably because they think they're the smartest person in the room and out-scheming everyone else.

they're also just, so, so, so. all of the harper love points are gotten through being sexually receptive to harper, in situations where harper is in complete control. harper is vulnerable when they're overtaken by lust! they're stuttering and no longer the logical doctor so it makes sense that they'd much rather enact their lust through voyeurism + masturbation where they don't have to look like a fool. or they only enact it on people (cough cough orphans, the insane) whose opinions don't really matter. harper feeling affection for a pc who sees them in this maximally-controlled vulnerability and is responsive to it, is just, cute.

im sorry-not-sorry but harper is an evil monster but an adorable pathetic evil monster.

but like the patheticness doesn't detract from the scariness and that's like the best part! harper is deeply bitchless BUT you're going to be their bitch whether you like it or not. and, you will like it soon enough.

i just love the combo of them being this evil pervert with a need for control. they are so excessive in their lust and it's just boiling under this professional persona. like you can guilt Harper over the fact that they're a doctor into not abducting PC! they do seem to take actual pride in their work, it's not a complete farce. they're very against even letting other people directly force PC to do things. the elk cult seems like it's existed in some form for a long time, i wouldn't be surprised if harper's thought the cult was inevitable and that they were being a good person by hypnotizing sex slaves into enjoying it, so everyone's happy.

harper actually considering morals in their actions is just the cherry on top. im trying to avoid referencing the q&as as those aren't canon, but vrel has said that harper has a code of ethics and that harper's greatest flaw is that they don't do the right thing when no one's watching. like you're telling me harper feels GUILT when they're being a shameless rapist. that's fucking delicious. like their giving into their lust not only overpowers the ability to appear professional and intelligent it also causes them to loose their actual morals. like the guy who is trying to get people to give up their minds to lust is actually also giving up their mind to lust too! that's like the one morally consistent thing harper does actually!

and i dont think sexual abuse occurs because people "give into lust" or whatever, you can just get a dildo (at sirris' shop! but this isnt going to turn into a sirris post). harper's abusing their institutional power because they can get away with it. but this analysis is in the context of a game where there is evil magical horny corruption. though, i will say institutional violence is a big theme in dol, especially in relation to harper.

i just love the tension between harper's intelligent kind professional persona and their animal lust. the lust threatens to overwhelm this doctor who i think actually thinks of themselves as kind and intelligent. it's just we see pc's POV where they are cruel to the "lessers" of society. they are in a situation where they can abuse anyone and in a way their freedom to give into their lust, controls them! honestly, it probably scares them, going back to them feeling out of control from their lust. it's why they're a voyeur and why they prefer their sexual partners hypnotized or drugged.

harper isn't trying to fuck pc, they have these ethics where they think turning PC into a happy brainless slut is the right thing to do but they understand its wrong to take advantage of their patients, but they just can't help themselves to have some of pc too. and so them abusing their power to have sex with pc is also, a vulnerability and corruption of their self.

anyway i feel like im reaching and/or repeating myself now so this is all to say:

Harper is both very powerful and very vulnerable when they're lusting over PC and so PC should fuck them in the ass and take their virginity. 😋😋😋