#that is a very consistent thing which I feel like is sometimes forgotten

[perelka-l]

I feel bad for Archer. He strikes me as such a young and intelligent person. I get the impression that he experiences his emotions intensely and, for the most part, he hides it well. It’s just that when it comes to Giovanni and Nanu… they’re so much older and experienced by comparison. It’s like a child trying to lie to a parent. Archer simply cannot do it as well as he thinks. The only reason Giovanni and Nanu pretend not to notice is because they want to save him some grace. (1)

They’re also probably talking shit about him for it when he’s not there. Archer just wants to be loved by the only person he feels comfortable accepting that love from. Which for some reason is an old, fucked up mafia boss. Poor guy.

I'm gonna.... Politely disagree in most points xD I'll elaborate. As usual wwww

For starters I don't see Archer as very young. I see him as more early 30s-mid 30s category myself (I'd imagine he joined TR maybe mid-teens, btw, already when it was under Giovanni's reign).

Admittedly, Pokemas surprised me a bit with how young he sounds but also I recently got hit by a headcanon that Archer deliberately takes great care to groom himself and, in effect, looks younger than he really is, because it makes it easier to misjudge him, and that's a hc that I immediately implanted into my head. Plus, tbh, I feel like with every portrayal he looks younger and younger tho (I am unsure if I like it ngl).

With Archer's emotions I am usually struck how sentimental he can be. He emotes in LGPE quite nicely (mostly his anger lol) and his tendency to write letters to express himself is a neat little quirk that I feel like is pretty overlooked. I am 100% sure he did write at least one more letter aside from LGPE one and I... can't find it? At all?? Anywhere? I' sure I didn't imagine that, right???? wtfffff anyway he's a sentimental bitch MOVING ON Anyway, I feel like he could be a type that hides his emotions well (he does look a bity icy imho ...which is hilarious when you consider what Pokemon is his signature) and will express himself when he wants you to know what he feels. Like, for example, that he is fed up with your shit. If he wants you to know, you will know, but if he is more blank, it's hard to say. Though I really like how he hides smirk behind his hand, like he can't quite resist but still tries to be professional :)c

With comparisons to Giovanni and Nanu, I would say he does have some advantages over them as well. Archer is very idealistic and thus, driven and energetic when it comes to his goals. He is not only dedicated to Giovanni, but to Team Rocket as well - he simply believes that what is best for Team Rocket is to be led by Giovanni, and not himself. But all in all he believes firmly in an ideal, which is not something Nanu can say. Just yet another way they contrast with each other (which is something I wrote about in another anon answer).

I also can't help but perceive Archer as a determined perfectionist. That can be seen as contrast to... Giovanni, actually. Gio has more of an approach of well, I failed, I can try again later and differently, no rush tbh. Archer is different, trying to achieve something with nothing but a clear goal in mind, all tunnel vision, and he won't stop until he's clearly proven he can't get there. One could even argue Archer's failure in GSC stems from him trying to force Giovanni's hand from the way Gio approaches things. But that's an interpretation.

To continue a previous thought, I think Archer would even... appreciate being underestimated. He is a bit of a gray eminence, I feel. He has no need to be on the top, although number two fits him very nicely, as it gives him a degree of control, but he still responds to Giovanni, and Giovanni only, a sure wall behind his back (so losing that wall later on was a shock). At that, he is a number two in TR. I really don't think he got there by sheer luck alone, I do think he got this far through proper hard work and maybe on some corpses. Pokemas supplying us that Ariana actively desires to topple him and can't only speaks of his efficiency and reliability (in FRLG (presumably) she even warns player that (presumably) Archer is more powerful than she is, so make with that what you will).

That number two is a sign he's being appreciated for what he is doing. He does what is needed for TR, and this is Giovanni's reward. I don't think he cares about anything but this.

At the same time, I think Nanu wouldn't be foolish enough to underestimate him, for precisely same reasons. Anyone that got far in TR is a potential threat, and I'm gonna throw my hc here but Nanu remembers the time when Giovanni wasn't even in top 2. He is a cop and he is a traumatized man and that is enough for me to believe he wouldn't turn his guard down.

And Giovanni, well. For Archer, Giovanni is literally everything. I would say it goes deeply beyond just a crush - Giovanni is something that he can rely on as a concept, a goal to achieve and something that you can devout yourself to (and that's even how Archer describes him). Which is why I compared him to a wall, a comfortable concept on which you can lean. One could wonder if Archer perceives Giovanni as a man at all, but I like to think the answer is yes. I like a thought that Archer saw Giovanni at his lower (not lowest, that is something not even Nanu witnessed but he knows of) and is aware of some things about him that others never will. And Giovanni is both aware of this and ignores that, because Archer is equally reliable for him as well. There is this one follower that will always be devout, that you can nod at and he will come, eager to do anything you wish, and one that at that proved himself time and time again.

(and yet you left, because you found yourself not enough to lead even him. How the tables turn.)

[dumbassunderthemountain]

Terrible Braiding (Revamped) Thorin x Reader

The First fic in My Dumbass Revamp Event, revamping the first fic I ever wrote! 

Summary: Every morning you and Thorin braid each other’s hair, the only problem? You’re absolutely terrible at hair braiding  (Original)

Word Count: 905 

Warnings: none 

Since you and Thorin were married eight months ago the two of you had fallen into a sweet morning routine. The two of you would wake up earlier than any living creature should wake (in your person opinion, Thorin, the traitor, seemed perfectly content with the early hour). Luckily a very large hot cup of coffee and a cup of black tea were delivered by the kitchen and always waited outside the bedroom door. After wiggling out of your arms Thorin would grab the tea and coffee before bringing it to bed. There he set his tea down on his marble nightstand before waving the coffee in front of you, allowing its scent to waft into your nose and eventually bribe your still half-asleep mind into a sitting position. You’d drink your coffee and tea while discussing a bit about the coming day, not so much all the meetings and royal duties, but the enjoyable things. Today for example, you scheduled a meeting with Ori and Balin for some more Dwarvish history lessons, which Ori always made both informative and fun. Thorin on the other hand was simply glad that you would also be attending his first meeting of the day.  

After the much-needed caffeine, you would be barely willing to get out of your warm bed and get dressed. The two of you had decided to forgo dressing servants and instead opted to help each other each day. Considering his comparatively simple outfits this mostly consisted of him helping you with all the laces on your dresses and corsets. Next came the hair. For the dwarves doing each other's hair every morning was traditional amongst married couples, as hair was sacred to them and their identities. Thorin always put in your marriage braid first, then continued to style the rest of your long (h/c) into some elaborate style, that you swore was different every single day. You on the other hand could do a simple three strand braid, and even that sometimes cause you difficulties. Therefore, the complicated Dwarvish marriage braid was a struggle… every morning.  

Keeping each chunk of hair separate always seemed impossible, it would tangle together repeatedly, and once it was untangled, you had completely forgotten which piece crossed over the next. Thorin did his best to help and give you directions as he intently watched your clumsy hands in the mirror, but there was only so much he could do. According to dwarven tradition it was important that each spouse braided the others hair on their own. You were getting better. Thorin’s hair no longer looked like nothing more than a tangled mess, but your skills had not improved enough to be even close to ‘appropriate’ by high dwarven society. Thorin always patted your hands telling you not to worry, but that was impossible when you could see the snide looks of many of the nobles. Nevertheless, every day Thorin went out into the kingdom proudly dawning your terrible marriage braid.  

You pulled back your hands from his hair, “Another day, another terrible braid,” you attempted to laugh, running your hand along the rough braid. 

“I love your braids, ghivashel. The whole kingdom can see that I am clearly yours”, Thorin leaning forward to kiss you. 

“Yes, all the dwarrowdams in the kingdom can clearly see that you ‘married an inept human who cannot even figure out a simple marriage braid.’” Thorin raised his brow, questioning your statement. Looking down you explained, “I’m only quoting what the dwarrowdams tell me.” Putting your hands up in defense. Without looking you could feel the sadness and disappointment in his expression. It was one of the things you fell in love with, the fact that he understood just how different dwarvish and human culture could be and was incredibly patient as you learned. 

Thorin placed his finger under your chin, gently guiding you to meet his eyes. “Well, you should not listen to them. I think your braiding is beautiful, even if it’s not a ‘well done’ marriage braid according to all my people’s technical standards. It is unique to the two of us, making it a great treasure.” He leaned closer, lowering his voice, “And, luckily for you, my dearest, my opinion as the king and your husband is the only one that matters.” Thorin says, smugly smiling and pulling you close. 

“Okay, you just keep telling yourself that Your Majesty,” lightly kissing his nose and slipping away, jokingly scoffing at his loving yet playful smugness as you leave your warm bedroom for the cold vaulted halls of Erebor. 

As two of you walk into the first meeting of the day internally dreading a long boring discussion about grain storage and distribution for the coming winter, you were loudly to be greeted by Dwalin’s exclamation, “Mahal’s balls! Thorin, what is that hideous thing hanging from your face?!”   

“Oh, hush” you tell Dwalin trying to still seem queenly in the midst of this embarrassment, your face turning as red as a ruby. You knew Dwalin was joking but there were so many respectable dwarrow in the room you could not help it.  

“There is nothing ‘hideous’ hanging from my face. There is only my family braid and my beautiful marriage braid that was put in by my wonderful wife and Queen, Master Dwalin.” Thorin responded with a proud smile, giving a majestic hair flip to the counsel and pulling you closer to him. 

💚💚💚💚💚

If you would like to be on the taglist for this short little writing event please let me know, as for now I'll just tag the three people I tagged in my last Thorin fic.

Taglist: @fizzyxcustard @shiinata-library @lathalea

[stinkysam]

Trafalgar Law - S/O with a chronic illness.

Warning : none

Genre : fluff

Synopsis : “Ooh, may I request Trafalgar Law fluff with an s/o with chronic illnesses that result in a lot of disassociation and memory problems? If it's not too tricky or out of your comfort range? Things like. They forget dates and details, both important and unimportant, but they do *try* to remember. They just... can't. Their memory's like a wet sieve. And they tend to run into items that have never moved because they've forgotten that it's there. Or they've disassociated halfway through walking through a space and have completely forgotten that they have a body, and need to dodge items that they know are there.” - anon

Reader : gender neutral (you/yours)

Law, even though it's not in his medical range, has studied the field of chronic illness and knew what to expect when you told him about it.

He's also a very patient man, despite Luffy wearing it thin. But lucky for him you're not Luffy, completely naive and unpredictable.

He doesn't mind you forgetting dates, he knows you're not doing it on purpose. Even if they're important. He'll remind you of the important ones without judging you. Same thing if you forget names, faces, places.

He's not big on dates either. Except for Cora's death and the first time he met each member of his crew. And if he doesn't remember the date exactly he remembers how the day went.

So you won't have to worry about the 1st week & month anniversary of your relationship. But he'll remind you for the first year anniversary and the following ones but that's all.

He doesn't care if you forget which one of you asked the other on a date, or other details. He'll remember it and will remind you if you want to.

He's a bit amused by you walking into things though. As long as you don't get hurt. Sometimes, when you go too fast he will make you move with his devil fruit so you don't hit anything too hard. It makes him think of cats that are almost blind and hit things.

He has tried moving things around in the Polar Tang so they would be less in the way but it didn't change anything. You still walked into walls and doors, it just made it worse for a short period of time.

With your consent, he talked about it to the members of the crew so they wouldn't get hurt if you forgot their birthday or even their name.

They're all very patient and understanding and it even relaxed them a little bit. Not that it wasn't okay to forget someone's birthday, but now it felt less stressful.

He'll never make you feel insecure about it because he knows illnesses are hard to live with. Even if they're not physical.

He's a bit worried about your dissociation, though, and tries to find ways to help you with it. Like keeping a consistent sleep schedule despite his horrible one. Making you eat nutritious food -but he does that with everyone-, making you exercise. Or pet Bepo while smelling different essential oils.

He even makes you write a journal so you can help yourself remember what you did and keep track of things.

He always makes you sit when you start dissociating, not wanting you to walk overboard accidentally or open the main doors while the Polar Tang is in the depth of the sea.

You were sitting on the floor calmly, Bepo placed between your legs as you caressed his head. He's more relaxed than you, taking it as a massage while you try to identify what you're smelling but your stare is almost empty, feeling it hard to connect with your thoughts.

Law is here too, sitting next to you, reading and talking with Bepo. He doesn't care how long it takes for you to come back. Once again, he's patient and aware it's harder for you than for him.

[happysparklingshadows]

𝚅𝚊𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚊 𝙿𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚎𝚛 𝙷𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚗𝚜 ('𝟿𝟼)

Warnings: little toxic parts, a little bit of 90s internalized homophobia, talk about religious trauma, talk about abusive households, and abuse of alcohol and drugs.

Notes: This is just something for everyone to snack on while I write the 5th chapter of Certain Hunger. Van is so underrated and is so hot!

General headcanons

♡ Van is a Taurus Sun and a Cancer Rising (just a big old teddy bear)

♡ Her favorite color is burnt orange, like a sunset.

♡  Van is a huge dog person. I can see her having a Doberman Pinscher or Rottweiler and also having a small dog. She has trained the big dog to be gentle with the little one but is still a very protective dog to walk around with. She likes to scare men away from her with her big dog and make sure that she and her girlfriend are well-protected. She seems like someone who loves to come home and see her dogs excited to see her home.

Vanessa's Spirit Animal Is a Fox

♡ Van is an Extrovert with no shame. She can talk to almost anyone, even if she doesn't like them at all. She can go to any party and make friends without trying, and sometimes she hates that about herself. People tend to just come to her with problems or things they can't help her for support, even if they just met.

♡  Van's favorite food is Pizza and Cheese bread. She is relatively easy to cook for because she doesn't fuss over anything after being used to eating her mother's burnt food all her childhood. She loves Italian food in particular, as well as easy takeout pizza and bread.

♡ Her Childhood was very rough. Her mom and Dad had an intensely toxic relationship that was filled with booze and generation trauma, which consisted of 5 children, with Van being the third. Screaming fights and breaking glass were an early childhood regular for her, and her being hit for punishments was to be expected. Van always thought this was normal, not all the drinking but the hitting and the shame was just a part of being in a family, but when she grows up, she realizes how fucked up her childhood was. Van was the forgotten middle child who didn't make a fuss at the house but was a class clown at school. She doesn't have a very close relationship with either of her parents or even her siblings because of the age gaps between them. Van is from an Irish Catholic family, and her family went to every mass like a typical family. She knew she was gay early on, but she didn't realize being gay was such a massive sin until she was a teenager, which made her have a lot of religious conflict within her, but she has come to her own sense of religion with her sexuality and view of the world. She believes God still loves her even though she is gay because he made her that way, and she believes the bible has been edited to benefit the people in power.

♡ Van's best friend is Lottie Matthews, and she is very close to Taissa, Natalie, and Laura Lee. She loves to sneak out of her house to hang out with her friends at the mall with the little money she gets from her part-time job. She spends more time with her friends than her family and is closer to them than her family as well. She will sooner tell Lottie a problem than her own mother.

♡ Van has an extremely high sex drive and is always looking for an out to go sneak away to fuck. She doesn't mind being top or bottom, but she really likes to be on top of you, her hands always sneaking into your pants.

♡ Van's main vice will be alcohol her whole life. She would sneak around small sips of her dad's beer as a child, and when she was a pre-teen, she would steal gulps of vodka hidden in the fridge. She is constantly fighting with herself to not drink crazy like her parents, but she can't help herself from the urges she gets to have when times get tough.

♡ ⚠️Unpopular opinion⚠️ Van does have some toxic masc! Lesbian tendencies. She is the masc, so why does she have to clean? Why does she have to talk so much about her feelings when she can just hold you until the feelings go away? Why does she have to be tender when she can be mean?

♡ ⚠️Unpopular opinion 2⚠️I think young Van is very idealistic in relationships and wants to be with the same person for the rest of her life. She is loyal to the core, especially when it comes to the person to show her tender love for the first time. She will say I love you very quickly, talk about the future without hesitation, and talk about getting married one day. She has the mindset of an average Midwest mascline person about how she wants her life to go. She wants the whole white picket fence with you.

♡ ⚠️Unpopular opinion 3⚠️She has a breeding kink!!

Different AU/Universe

♡ Royalty AU! Spinster Noble is from a very wealthy family who just never got married. She doesn't have any position of power in court, but she has capital power in general. She is the noble who is always with you when you attend court and becomes your mistress.

♡ Delinquent AU! Streetfighter. Van gives me a very aggressive bottled up-angry fighter who picks on people who remind her of her mother or are just dicks. In my mind, she gives off Vi from Arcane season two, a pit fighter who wins every fight they're in. Imagine the cuts and scars on Van's face coming from fighting.

♡ Supernatural AU! Hellhound. I don't know why, but she would be a werewolf. The idea that it's a werewolf on fire is just so Van. Van would be a very cool beast that can set things on fire and claw something in half. She would be a very cool villain on an episode of Supernatural.

♡ Superhero/Marvel AU! Ironman. The snarky, sarcastic humor, the tough guy persona with a soft heart, and the problem with vulnerability. They are the same character. I think Van would 100% use her skills to save herself from a bad situation like Tony Stark did, and I think her being so independent makes her just like Tony.

♡ College AU! Dropped out of college with a business major but returned to college a few years later to wield. She really did try to go to college and apply for the FAFSA and everything, but it just wasn't for her. She went to a few frat parties and applied to too many classes, which made her disillusioned with the whole concept of college. So, she dropped out of school without protest from her family. However, Van reapplied to a community college in her mid-twenties to start a welding program, which she loves very much and thinks she has found her calling.

Pre-crash headcanons

♡ Van was on you since the day she met you. She has known of you for a long time in school but does not know much about you because she was from a different class. She finally met you and got to know you when you both were in detention together, and slowly, you two got into classes together. You became her friend over the years; you became very close in high school. One night, she confesses she has feelings for girls, and you confess you did, too. You both started dating as soon as you said that, and it was sealed with a passionate kiss.

♡  Van fucking loves movie dates and walking around the mall. It's a cheap date when you go to the movies in the early afternoon and then go to the Olive Garden that was in the mall, then she can spend the little money she makes at her fast food job on you. Every week, you watch the movies on Friday after school or work. Van is a huge horror movie fan, but she is a sucker for a good rom-com. You two are fucking killers in a game of Trivia or Charades. The two of you are shameless waters of celebrity drama and talk about it together throughout the week like they were real people in your lives.

♡  Van has her mom's old, beaten-up car, and she uses every excuse to leave the house. She leaves to go to your home all the time, to the point that she is like a roommate. She takes you to State Lines and Makeout Creek. She treats you with princess treatment and Lottie with backseat jester privileges.

♡  Although Van is very clearly out of the closet, she is still hidden in the closet because of the generation she is in. There is too much shame to be out to her family that she isn't even close with, but she talks a lot about having a family with you and getting married even though it's not legal. She says the plan is to graduate and go to college, get an apartment, and become roommates, but in reality, you two will be married. You couldn't be legally married, but you could be married in the eyes of god and your eyes, which really matters.

♡  Van is an Anxious Partner. She isn't worried every time you disagree but has moments of insecurity that you will leave her because of a fight. All she wants is to always be with you, but it becomes a problem at points because she can be smothering or she doesn't get anything done because she thinks about only you when she is away from you.

Wilderness headcanons

♡ Similar to Taissa, over time in the wilderness, Van becomes more open about the fact that you are together. Hers comes somewhat from a place of possessiveness toward you and letting the other know not to mess with you. Van will grow so open to kissing you in public that she doesn't even realize others are around. Van swears to God It that if you two survive, she will tell everyone that you are her wife.

♡ Undoubtedly, there will be a wedding in the woods, with the team members witnessing the union. You would hold wildflowers in both of your hands and wear dresses, as Lottie was the one to officiate the wedding.

♡  Van is fucking you every time you move when you are out in the wilderness. Van's stomach aches from eating nothing but your pussy for months. She often thinks about you two having sex and how she can sneak you away to get her mouth on your mound again. She is obsessed with your musk.

♡  She would imagine having a child with you a lot. Even if she couldn't physically put a child in you, she tried. She knew it was crazy to think about having children at this time, but she couldn't help her human urge to yearn for children in times of fear.

♡  She becomes exceptionally smothering in the woods at times, but it feels protective and safe. You two feel safe as long as you two were in eye shot of each other ever since the near death experiences, as soon as your separated the both of you have panic attacks. You know its toxic when she tells you that you aren't safe without her or that you can't ever leave her side.

[demphix]

hhi please talk about this ... you get me i think

Hi sorry this took so long I got my brain rewired and hijacked by Ceroba again. Anyways. Ralsei. That fuckin freak goat

Where do I even start? I could go the route of his design and how inconsistently he (and uniquely him as opposed to a more wide-spread lack of consistency) is portrayed both in and out of game and why I find that interesting, but I should probably do that separately.

Because I'm really here to ramble about him as a character, and what sides of him tend to be forgotten and ignored.

Most of the fandom that I've seen sorta reduces Ralsei down to what he is on the surface, a walking plushie who wants to make everyone happy, and while I understand WHY it's so common, it leaves me really unsatisfied with how he's presented in the fandom. He's more than that, he's not just the toy he tries to act as.

And I emphasize the "act as" there, because it's important to note how often he does this. He (and the game) gives you a million offers to hug him, if not that he'll talk about baking a cake for you, or you'll get to call him cute, ect.. Little acts of comfort he'll lean on a lot. On top of that, he'll always encourage you and Susie to be pacifists in Chapter 1 no matter what you do. Keep this in mind.

The next thing I wanna mention is his whole deal with "purpose." He's introduced by reading off a prophecy to you, and his whole conflict with Susie in Chapter 1 is trying to get her to be a hero with him and Kris for the sake of said prophecy. Later on he states that Darkners exist to serve Lightners and make them happy, and adds that it's supposedly the only way they can feel fulfilled. In Chapter 2, he objects to learning S-ACT and R-ACT because that's supposed to be Kris's special talent. There's probably more examples I'm blanking on at the moment, but those stick out to me the most here.

On top of all that, he really lets you walk all over him (sometimes literally). You mentioned before how he goes "If you want to hit me, that's okay, too!" and like. Yeah that's kind of the perfect summary of it he really did just Say That. What's wrong with you goatboy why are you like that???

Expanding on that more, despite encouraging pacifism he's perfectly compliant in letting you attack everyone and making him do it too; yet he still snaps (or as close as he can get to snapping right now) at Susie for doing the exact same thing. It's weird. He's fine when Kris does it, but when Susie does it's a problem? Why? He even suggests fighting as a way to get stronger in Chapter 2 (though I suppose that is at least after him being nice to King backfired on everyone).

It all fascinates me. It feels like he's trying to stick to a script while also letting you completely disregard it. He wants to be cute and lovable and wants to bring people comfort, but the only way he ever tries to comfort others is through hugs and baking or giving them a nice spot in his castle. Ironically for his thing with ACTing, he doesn't really "talk" about issues often.

Which leads me to his identity, Kris, the Player, and the way those may intersect.

Let's start off with Kris and the Player. A lot of what Ralsei gives you leeway on really feels like stuff for the player's enjoyment. He'll let you do things he doesn't want Susie to (fighting in Chapter 1, choosing who goes with who, ACTing, ect..) and use him for it when needed. He's famously VERY quick to disregard any meaning Spamton NEO's fight could have had and (again) relies on using himself as a plushie or making some cake or whatever to comfort Kris instead (which doesn't even work). I also like to note how he responds to any negative or silent choices from you in the Acid Tunnel of Love scene. He turns away from the camera (away from the player before turning opposite to Kris) in the first choice before going "ahahaha just kidding!! sarcasm!!! haaahhahahahaha!!!!, and in the second he fumbles on his words and tries to pass it off as "you-like" to be silent.

He also pans us over to Susie's POV in both chapters, and with the "So that's why..." at the end of both, it feels like he was trying to explain something to Kris during it??? Additionally: Weird Route. Do you remember the 1 in 20 chance he stares at the camera during the scene where he should be panning us over to Susie's POV? He just looks right at us. It has a unique sprite but it's disguised in name and appearance to look like an in-between frame from his dance animation at the start of Chapter 2. What the fuck does that mean. Huh. Why.

Oh also the him blushing easter-egg only happens when he and Kris's sprites overlap to a point where he'd be touching the sprite of the soul when made visible. Which sure is something I think

So like. Bro knows about us right . Am I crazy I think he knows. I feel like he's too focused on following the prophecy and being liked by us to not right?? Bro wants to play the role he was given in his script even if its uncomfortable or painful and panics when it doesn't go how it should too often right am I stupid or am I on to something please help me

Ok fuckin. Last bit. I'm gonna try to be quick I am tired.

Why He Goat

He resembles Kris's family, his name is an anagram of Asriel, you know the drill. I'm not so concerned with the "why" of that (I think he's the horned headband Kris wore as a kid, and his resemblance to the Boss Monsters is reflective of how that item represents Kris wanting to resemble their family), I wanna see how that ties into his identity. He states he doesn't know what being "ralsei-like" even means, and. Yeah that's probably adding a lot to it. It's also probably making how affectionate he tries to be very uncomfortable for Kris (almost like he's going despite that because they weren't originally who he was being this way towards Ooo Vessel Allusion Ooo).

I don't know how to wrap this up uhhh

I think Ralsei is more than the uwu babygirl fluffball this fandom makes him, he's a character with depth. He puts on a persona to be perfect for the player because that's his "purpose." It's his role in the story to teach you and do whatever you want while keeping the plot moving as it should. He cares, but he doesn't know how to comfort because he doesn't know how any of this works (like how he talks about friendship in the Acid Tunnel).

He tries to be perfect, but deep down he's still just. The lonely prince the prophecy needs.

[perfidious-prophet]

The fucking things they dont tell you when you fucking start Testosterone.

Yeah, everybody knows about the deeper voice and the dreaded asshair, but these were my unfunny little surprises after 3 months on T. Reminder that shit will always vary from person to person because we're not all clones of each other, whatever.

1. Bottom growth fucking hurts. Sometimes I don't want to wear pants. I knew it would happen, didn't know it'd be so uncomfortable. And it starts fast. Like first dose fast.

2. The irritability goes fucking CRAZY it's like I'm constantly PMSing. I get why dudes punch walls. Oh my god. I know how to keep my anger wraps, but holy shit.

3. On the topic of PMSing. I had temporary worsening of menstrual cramps. Jesus fuck. I was having pain before menstruation started for days, and sometimes just randomly. I hope it doesn't flare up, but it seems to be calming down now. I think my body is freaking out over weird hormone levels.

4. Vocal fatigue. Talking hurts. I expected voice cracks, obviously, but why the fuck does this shit hurt? I don't even want to talk that much anymore. My voice just gives out. It's still deepening, so a win is a win, I guess.

5. Apathy, emptiness, anhedonia, and numbness. My motivation has tanked. I don't fucking care anymore. I just want people to leave me alone so I can take a nap. I already had mental issues before starting T, and I don't think T gave this to me, but it's definitely changed how I feel my mental illnesses. I have to like relearn how to cope and shit. I don't recommend starting hormones if you're an emotionally unstable dumbass like myself. This is literally second puberty, mood swings and teen angst included. I am a volatile, angry little man.

6. Anxiety. Like I said, teen angst. My panic attacks now include intense nausea, which is New and Uncool. Dunno why that happened. But I'm just nervous. There's nothing to be nervous about. I consistently feel like I've forgotten to do homework. I am not even in school anymore. Rad!

7. Psychosis? I had my first intense psychotic break at 14. It lasted 6 months, give or take. I've had shorter episodes on and off since then. My symptoms are stress based. The emotional strain is, naturally, pushing me towards the edge again. I am sure I will explode brilliantly and violently within the weeks to come.

8. Male loneliness is real dudes. Have friends.

9. It's harder to mask. I've been periodically going mute again. I'd never really stopped, but it's more frequent now.

Anyway that's my rant I think.

I'm not telling you not to do hormones. I'm not your dad. But it's not fucking easy. Anyway I have no intention of stopping. I am thuggin that shit out. I had a really really tough time during first puberty, and I suspect I'm going to have issues the second time around.

I am happy with the changes I am experiencing physically. I still feel confident and sure of my identity as a trans man. I am just not very happy about losing control over my mental state again. We'll see how it goes. If I'm lucky, I'll get medicated. I can't afford a therapist right now.

Good luck out there, whoever you are.

[agent-love-101]

Could I ask for Yandere Pre collider Johnathan with a reader who’s Sweet and completely enables his behaviour, fawns over him, dotes ok him, acts naive to ignore any weird things he does, etc,, -?

Yandere!Johnathon x Enabling!Reader

an: this is such a cute concept!! hopefully i can do it justice!!! i had a lot of fun!! <3

enabling his behaviors? my goodness you're gonna get yourself in a lot of trouble. but hey, could be fun!

when you ignore his thieving of your clothes, he starts to steal your favorites because he knows he can get away with it.

he loves holding you. he tries his best to convince you to share a bed so he can constantly know you're there.

he's sometimes a heavy sleeper, but sometimes you'll wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom or retrieve a glass of water, or some other kind of task, and he'll be sitting up. staring at you with a stoic expression.

"where were you?" and the way he says it...it sounds kind of scary.

but you don't mind it. you answer honestly, telling him exactly what you were doing.

he'll continue to stare, his tired but attentive gaze watching your facial expressions to make sure you aren't deceiving him.

then he laughs. "oh!! okay! sorry! I was just worried!" he says in response. then you two go back to bed.

you would have forgotten that encounter if it only happened one, maybe. but it happens everytime you need to do something at night.

or anytime you need to do ANYTHING.

you need to communicate it to him directly and honestly. because he'll find out if you're lying.

i feel like the easiest way to have a horrible day is going late night grocery shopping without telling him. maybe you felt bad to wake him this one time he slept through your movement. maybe you wanted to see what would happen.

either way he is devastated, he feels betrayed...and angry.

he'll be making special locks to go on the doors and windows while you're out. you'll be let in easily...

but you won't be able to get back out until he lets you. which means he needs a lot of convincing. you have to earn his trust back.

nsfw below!!

petting and twirling his hair does things to him. it's excellent foreplay.

just do it with discretion. because he can and will finish just from your touch and voice.

it takes a lot of consistent touching for him to have a higher tolerance for you so he can last longer.

he is so determined to make you orgasm everytime you guys engage in sex because not only does he love the noises you make and they help him get off, but he worries that if he can't please you then you might leave him.

if you only want to be ravaged between the legs? he will gladly do so.

if you have a dick, he'll suppress his gag reflex as much as he can so that you like it. he's not very used to giving blow jobs.

or receiving them. if you ever offer one to him, he's on the verge of tears, whining and gasping as he grips onto the fabric touching your shoulders or the fabric underneath him.

[youremyheaven]

Omg rahu-ketu post😳

I was actually discussing my struggles around having prominent swati in my chart and staying grounded in my own reality on a forum fairly recently.

I have a very rich inner world which I essentially live in most of the time, and sometimes I feel like I miss out of my own life because I’m so detached. Limerence is also a big struggle for me, I find it much easier to centre myself in the energy of someone else than to be responsible for my own reality, which I guess comes from the things you talked about like rahu being a shadow planet and the mythology of rahu and obsession.

I also spend a large amount of time on social media and playing games 😶‍🌫️ I’ve tried to make uses of the positives by channeling my imagination into something tangible like art, but I have a hard time actually putting in the work to develop skills since I’m so distracted all the time. I think I’ve spent too much time in my head and now I’ve forgotten how to be in my body lol (my ADHD isn’t helping either����)

Swati I think is especially a difficult nak because the libra/venus influence is only enabling rahu’s indulgence, unlike saturn or to a lesser extent mercury.

Aside from my personal whinings- the thing you said about occult/astro kind of intrigued me. All of my close family (incl. grandparents, uncles, etc) have atleast one rahu or ketu nak in their big 3, usually being ardra, mula or swati.

My mother’s side has lots of psychics and we have a dream interpretation system that gets passed down the family, whilst my father’s side has many tarot readers. My dad himself is an occultist who is interested in Thelema, astral projection, etc. There’s some interest in astrology on both sides but not particularly in depth and my parents usually end asking me about the transits. Oh yeah and I guess I had that one psychic dream last November that came true the morning after.

In general, my family has a history of very eccentric characters who occasionally got exiled or imprisoned or some crazy shit 😭 I feel like that’s just average Eastern European family lore though. Do you think such isolation is nodal? I think it is but there might be other planetary influence.

That’s enough yapping for today though. Interested to see your post on the positives❤️

Your observation about Swati is spot on

I do think Nodal influence+ well placed/strong Rahu & Ketu are necessary for learning and immersing yourself in the occult. Someone who cannot channel it well will remain ignorant of it no matter how much they read or study it. In some ways the Nodes can be understood as layers of the subconscious and the unconscious. The nodes represent karma (Ketu does) and our unconscious mind is our accumulated karma, if we remain ignorant of it, we will let it guide all our actions and lead us to self destruction. Therefore to have strong/well placed Nodes means you're aware of the different layers of your mind as a result of which you can understand the different layers of reality. Nodal influence creates a fog/veil that cannot be lifted until we gain true gnosis. This is why Nodal people get lost in addictive substances/pass times/people/ interests because their own reality feels foggy/veiled to them so they can only access it from other things. Obviously this is another form of Maya or illusion and that's why even these natives struggle with it. You hate the thing even as you indulge in it because on some level you realise that you're losing yourself to it.

Immersing yourself in the occult requires a certain discipline and consistency that can be hard for Nodal natives (malefic influenced, badly placed etc) to master unless it's well aspected but those who do master it are able to perceive reality and understand the esoteric realm in a truly sublime way. It's rare and magnetic.

I do think Nodal influence can contribute to being exiled/imprisoned/being isolated. There is a reason why 5/6 Nodal nakshatras all belong to the Shudra caste which is the lowest. These natives live lives that are "unusual" or different from the norm. They are "detached" because their life experiences already set them apart from others. They don't belong to the mainstream because they've been put in circumstances where they've been deprived of what is "normal".

Like I said in my post, what is "unusual" can vary a lot and can mean sooo many different things. Majority of the "child star gone wild" type celebrities have heavy Nodal influence. Why? because it's "unusual" for a child to be working or attaining fame and wealth or for their family to use them for the same. When you're deprived of anything ordinary or real, you depend on substances/unhealthy relationships/habits etc to feel centred. This is why after a point these stars "go rogue or wild". They amass a lot of wealth/fame but ultimately they're unable to benefit from it or enjoy it. This is also unusual as these are things typically understood as blessings. Being in a position where you can't connect to or relate to others is a very Nodal experience. That's why a lot of people with these placements are so introverted and withdrawn. If you're a famous child actor, you can't quite go to school and connect to the experiences of other people your age so you feel "isolated". Being imprisoned/exiled is another such experience. It permanently alters you and you don't know how to connect to others who haven't been through it.

I do think isolation is a big theme in the lives of Nodal people. It can be literal or emotional. But it's also obviously influenced by the rest of the chart. Heavy 12h placements also make a native experience the same themes to some extent.

[anzuhan]

Meet the almost all-innovade idol group, INN◯ヴェイダ! We promise to form a smile on your faces through elegant, yet cute performances full of life.

{ more info & transparents under cut }

The unit is formed by 3 groups, F◯SIDE, M◯SIDE & X ⦁ Y ⦁ Z —

— F◯SIDE [ unit formed by the 3 female members of INNOVATOR that is sure to steal your heart by their dashingly adorable stage acts♡ ] ;

— M◯SIDE [ unit formed by 3 of the male members of INNOVATOR, their exquisite and unique performances will be catching your eye! ] ;

— X ⦁ Y ⦁ Z [ unit for the last remaining INNOVATOR members as well as the single unit for one of the duos - though sometimes they may be more than 2! XYZ's refined air and focus on their fans is breathtaking. ]

————————————————————————

EXTRA

+ more words

after ... several days and a total of 10h of work (if taken in total of just literal drawing and editing -otherwise itd be far more (´ω｀*)) it's finally done!!!! wow!!! i will be playing with these pngs for a while now. and maybe you'll do that too by having the transparents. there were a bunch of 'hardships' to overcome but i think it all ended up great in the end! I will be talking about some of the work behind the stages too now, as well as ideas and more of the. technical? work. you can stop reading now if you're not interested in what led to this and the inspirations behind it — in which case i hope you adored this at least 5% as much as i do (っ´ω｀)っ

i think it goes without saying i love idols, especially very idol-y music. i'll never go on without it. i love playing dressup with characters and myself all too much as well ; with ribbons ideals of ruling over the earth, im sure he would be happy to find there is another way of doing that without losing your forces either! wow. howd no one tell him of this before? if violence need be at any point, he'd have the whole squad ready as well. Initially i wanted to make the main outfits more uniform for everyone, though because there will be a lot of focus on duos in the end i went with color-coded ones (much like LiPPS from im@s ! though theyre not made of duos for each color - imagine that were the case and youd get this unit). The duo part was also a problem, because regene would've been left out, which is why i decided to take on the indigo suit too. we do look a little odd compared to the other duos though but oh well ♡

Onto the naming, INN◯ヴェイダ has a lot of meaning within it - ◯ is generally a censor for words, though the circle plays a general theme for the naming in all of the main units. in the name for the main group, it simply replaces the O in innovator ; ヴェイダ (lit. veida) was the closest thing i could get to that'd sound both like Veda & innovator (together with the beginning inno). With the maru (◯) being consistent within all other names, the male - female units can be read as both F SIDE/M SIDE or F MARU/M MARU, whichever is more to your liking. XYZ is named the way it is due to - if needed - more of the gaga forces would join in for their performances. initially i wanted to name it ETC but that seemed a bit rude towards bring and divine, i did not want them to feel as simply just 'what's left' of the group, and theyre also generally forgotten alongside the gaga forces ＿|￣|○ i did want them to have their spot too. So i ended up going with XYZ, similar enough to ETC by being the end of the alphabet but it also implies more mystery - besides it sounds cooler too. i think. The tagline is also "Towards a future of YOU & I" (mentioning you in caps first to capture the attention of the reader & to feel inclusive of fans and caring) is that due to.. well. ribbon's wishes of world domination (though idol activities now!) though i think this may be obvious enough.

Though i didnt spend time on them nearly as much, i hope the (very fastly done) logos look good too - main INNOVATOR logo is made fully custom from scratch ; kinda ran out of ideas for the rest and just made them with various premade fonts </3

Ending words - if you got here, first of all thank you for reading all this and being interested in the idea as well 😭 is it clear by now that the innovators specifically mean a lot to me.. probably! i hope they mean something to you too, or that i will at least get to spread a bit more positivity for them through my art (人´∀`)♪

[ladysomething]

Hello there lovely human 💛

I’m kind of going around my favorite writers and ask them for advice and insights about their process (so I can collect it all like a hoarder). I hope you mind sharing some wisdom with us 🥺

So what I just don't understand is how you can post as you write while maintaining this level of awesomeness in your writing. Without writing yourself into a corner and keeping consistency. And it is awesome, the first time I read "You and me, we got a big reputation" I stayed up till 4 in the morning to finish it and it left me full of emotion and hollow at the same time (the same way as when you finish a great TV show or a good book or an awesome video game leaves you feeling, like something beautiful just ended and you can never experience it again. The kind of hollow that leaves you wondering what to do with your life now, that your world has changed, where your chest is empty and full at same time).

Anyway, how do you approach your ideas? Do you have the whole fic plotted out before sitting down for the first chapter? Do you write in order? Does it always go the way you plotted it in the beginning? How long did it take you to plot out "Where you go I go"? Or "You and me, we got a big reputation"?

Anything you want to share about your process would be appreciated 💛

I'm trying to put into words my first actually long fic ever and I know it will be better if I post it after it is all finished, but it is also easier to keep up the momentum if you have readers on your side.

hi!!!

firstly, thank you for the love on big reputations. I'm coming up on a year since I posted the first one shot in the don't blame me series, and I'm feeling some type of way about that.

secondly ... man oh man. I'm gonna go question by question here, but I'm gonna put it below the cut because I know I'm gonna ramble.

well the first thing is that I'm not posting as a write, not really. I'm three chapters ahead, which for me is what I need to make sure I don't write myself into a corner. I'm far enough ahead that I can keep control of the narrative. some people like be further ahead, others don't need to be ahead at all, but that's about the appropriate distance for me, I've found.

it depends on the fic! wygig is pretty much entirely plotted out, yeah. big reputations was not. I had a general idea about where it started, how it was ending, and what I wanted to happen in the middle, but specific scenes weren't planned - not like wygig. GMTF I had specific scenes in my head that I wanted to write, but more I had specific emotions I was trying to capture, and I built the plot around that. in my original manuscript, I had the three acts planned out, the main plot points per act, and then felt it out as I went (which ended up meaning I had a serious pacing problem that is still unresolved, hence why it's still sitting in my drafts lmao). so yeah, it depends on the story.

I write in order these days, but I didn't used to. I've just found that, for me, writing in order means that it forces me to keep writing, because I HAVE to go through all the boring scenes to get to the fun scenes. I use it as motivation, but that doesn't work for everyone! it certainly means that sometimes, by the time I get to the fun scene, I've forgotten what I had planned for it, so I have to build it all up again lmao.

no it doesn't always go the way I plotted! characters often do things I hadn't planned for them to do - sometimes good, sometimes bad. I've been going very rogue recently with wygig, as @saiyanwitcher can attest to. she's had to reel me back in quite a lot recently haha.

oh god, it took @saiyanwitcher and I probably .. I'd say we worked on plotting wygig for a solid month before I started writing - BUT the major caveat here is that I was writing the brocedes fic while we were plotting it out. so I refused to start writing wygig until I finished that, which meant we spent more time on plotting than I usually would. and then we revisit plot points as I get closer to writing them - see what can be kept, what needs to be deleted, what needs to be changed to fit the rogue elements I've inevitably introduced lmao

as I said, I didn't really plot big reputations out like I did with wygig, so that didn't really take any time at all! haha

as advice for putting together your first long fic ... what I'll say is this. I've been writing for almost 15 years at this point. I didn't even realise that I was coming up with a way to write that works best for me until I'd already done it.

I realised I needed people to give feedback as I go. I need to have written a lot in advance, before I start posting anything, so that I know I can finish it under my own steam and that my interest will continue. I need to listen to my mind when I get bored, and take a few days break from writing - but I can't go more than a week without touching a fic, otherwise I won't go back.

they're all things you'll learn along the way!

I also think you should try not to compare yourself to others. if you try to match what other people are doing, you'll never finish, because you'll end up disappointed in one way or another. it's easier said than done, for sure, but if it's your first, give yourself some slack and take everything as a learning experience!

and remember, above all else, to write for yourself. if your always writing for yourself, writing what YOU want to see, the motivation is easier to find.

[rallamajoop]

Public Service Announcement: You can SUMMON STURM in RE8's Mercenaries mode

It is VERY IMPORTANT you know this, because:

Summoning Sturm is some of the best fun you can have

The game will not tell you about it

I mean that: Sturm's not mentioned in any of Heisenberg's in-game tutorials. If you don't know to look for it, you won't find it on youtube either. At time of writing, googling "Heisenberg" and "summon Sturm" produces all of 6 results, none of which will give you a fraction of the in-depth Sturm-appreciation material he deserves.

This is where I come in.

In brief, Sturm is Heisenberg's Soldat Jet summon (which the game will tell you about) in an alternate mode. Hit the Alt key to switch to him on keyboard, or rotate the left analog stick through 360 degrees on PS or XBOX (I think ‒ more on this to come). Then hit 'fire', and BOOM! But Sturm is so much more than a new skin for an existing attack, because while the Soldat will just charge forward and explode...

...Sturm? Sturm will stick around. He'll charge forward. He'll keep charging until he vanishes off into the distance. And then just when you've forgotten about him...

...a whole new wave of enemies that weren't even on the map when you summoned him will suddenly have an assfull of chainsaw propeller to deal with.

And then he'll explode, doing stupid amounts of damage to anything left, just for good measure.

While the Soldat is functionally just a big grenade with a little more personality, Sturm is like summoning a partner. You can even leap back into the fray yourself while he waddles around cleaning up anything he gets close to (he can't actually damage you, fortunately).

Now, don't get me wrong here: Sturm is dumb. He'll keep going in one direction until he hits a wall, and sometimes, that wall is where he stays until his timer runs out and he vanishes in a puff of explosives.

He's not great with narrow doorways either. Summon him in front of one, and he'll get stuck there like an angry environmental hazard for any fool brave enough to try and shove their way past. While enemy!Sturms can bust through thin walls and gratings, summon!Sturm cannot. If he charges off in the wrong direction, you may never see him again. Look, he's a big, dumb lump with a propeller for a face: it's a wonder he can see where he's going at all.

That said, if I've learned just one thing from my (many) attempts to beat Sturm's boss fight at harder difficulty levels, it's that this bastard can somehow hone in and target you even through a wall. And though summon!Sturm isn't so great with walls, he still has the targeting part down.

You know, mostly.

Past Evils Resident have been sometimes infamous for partner AI so bad it can make you wish you were flying solo. But Sturm? Sturm takes that slightly-shitty AI, and makes it into a feature. You can't expect consistent performance from this guy, but the low expectations mean that, on the rare occasion when he manages to get it just right, you'll find yourself sitting there with a hand on your heart and a tear in your eye, feeling just so proud.

He's not bad for comedic timing either. Like, you'll be sitting there, watching him barrel down a staircase and off to the left, thinking okay, good, just the one Soldat left for me to deal with, and then zoom...

...awww, Sturm! Nice work, buddy! Best boy! :3

Look, I got stuck on Sturm for a while when I played this game on Hardcore ‒ and he shows up as a miniboss in Mercenaries too. I have died under those horrible propeller blades more than a dozen times, and it is not a pretty way to go. I never had the least affection for this guy before I discovered you could summon him in Mercenaries.

Now? Me and Sturm are buds. I do not care that he's an undead abomination with a propeller made of chainsaws for a face. I do not care that he was the last thing poor Ethan saw before it all went dark on numerous occasions. Sturm is like the big, ugly, mildly-brain-damaged rescue mutt you brought home from the pound despite all the warnings about 'possible aggression issues' ‒ the one that gets so excited whenever you throw the ball that he loses track of it, barrels the whole way across the park, and comes back without it ten minutes later, and you'll still tell him what a good boy he is. You don't even care that he's mauled three postmen and smells like something died in your garage: he is the best boy and you love him to bits.

Now, I did mean to go on here with some how-to and advanced strategy stuff, but I think that can wait for another time. This is Sturm Appreciation Hour, and so ends this post.

[ghostoffuturespast]

22 March 2024 - Friday Field Notes

Rabbitbrush (top), Spring Mountain Parsley (bottom left), Fringed Sage (bottom right)

The Spring Equinox was earlier this week and while the calendars might say it's spring, some days it doesn't necessarily feel like it. The prairie is beautiful, but it's a harsh place to live sometimes. There is limited water and the climate alternates frequently between extremes. So even though the calendars say spring, the prairie is slow to wake up. The patient sort, the prairie knows to wait.

Most people might think it's too early to start even thinking about gardening, but that depends on the types of plants you're planting. Many domesticated garden varieties of plants and agricultural crops have been selectively breed to reduce seed dormancy for human benefit. The seeds from domesticated plants germinate more readily and more consistently than their wild cousins. Which makes them easier to grow, harvest, and eat, but because of that they require a lot more babying and care. Wild plants are much tougher.

Seeds are living organisms, the offspring of plants, and they contain everything a seedling needs so it can germinate and grow. Wild seeds are incredibly patient, they will wait months, sometimes years, before they will even consider growing. Some have armor so thick that it has to be chipped away at by rocks and ice, freeze and thaw cycles, before water and air can even get to the seed. Others contain acids and hormones that have to be used up between specific temperature ranges before they'll even think about sprouting. While others, not fully developed, are knocked off the fronds and petals of their parents, children that brave the elements and just prefer to wait and see. Wild seeds do not rely on a calendar, because they know and can feel when it is truly spring. When it is safe for them to finally venture out into the world and grow.

I have no idea if this Rocky Mountain Bee Plant that I planted will grow this season. It's suggested to do fall plantings so it'll overwinter. It has a very thick and tough seed coat. I'm hoping the abrading I did and the snow might help it along a little. If not, it'll be a surprise for next year.

A couple of Pronghorn lads enjoying the trail.

CW: dead animal, road kill below cut

This Beaver was hit by a car trying to cross the road. Underneath the road there is a storm drain that connects a retention pond and feeds into the creek at the site that I work at. The storm drain is grated off, to help improve the flow of water and to make sure detritus doesn't get stuck in the channel, which increases the chances of flooding. Because this Beaver was trying to follow the water and because the drain was grated off, they had no choice but to cross the heavily trafficked road. It's unfortunate that urban infrastructure often does not consider the needs of all living things. Grating off that storm drain means no wildlife can use it as safe passage.

I salvaged the tail from this Beaver for educational purposes for work, the rest them was too far gone to keep, so my coworker and I moved them off the road and onto the shoulder a safe distance away from any cars.

Most likely this Beaver will first become food for scavengers, Coyotes and Corvids, before it starts to decompose. Insects will lay their eggs on its rotting flesh so their larvae will have something to eat, perhaps the fur will become a part of someones nest, and then the bones will bleach. Crumble to dust and return to the soil to feed the billions of microorganisms beneath. It will help the plants grow. Maybe some day, it might even help another Beaver live.

It's sad this Beaver died, but in nature nothing is wasted and nothing is forgotten. Life and death are so inextricably linked and one does not exist without the other.

And heck, maybe that Beaver tail I kept might inspire a future engineer. Help them build a better and more compassionate storm drain.

[ilovedthestars]

Murderbot Fic Rec List: Ghosts

October is approaching, and it seems like a good time of year for some ghost stories!! (These are not all horror, and some aren’t even scary—if you’re looking for actual chills I’m not the person to go to, lol. These are just stories with ghosts.)

Mayday, Mayday, Mayday by TheSteelChimera 638 words, Teen And Up, Creator Chose Not To Warn

Ghosts aren't real, all evidence points to the fact that human superstition is just that, superstition.But wormholes are strange places, and the MNTS Perihelion knows that ghost ships are very real.

A ghost story featuring ART, and the last echoes of lost ships. The mysteries of wormhole physics are a perfect explanation for hearing voices in the void. I also highly, highly recommend the podfic by DevilWithABirdDress, which has some echoes and effects that absolutely enhance the spooky atmosphere.

Ill Omen by avg 5,511 words, General Audiences, Creator Chose Not To Warn & No Archive Warnings Apply

Despite the positive attributes of a ship ghost, there is one omen associated with its presence: no member of a ship blessed by its presence shall ever set eyes on it. It only ever becomes visible to the crew of a doomed ship.

An alternate universe ASR where Murderbot is a ghost!! Binding souls to survey habitats as a security service is absolutely something the company would do if it had that capability. Supernatural suspense and haunting as protection—the fantasy/sci-fi flavor of this one is very cool.

The Stowaway by Masu_Trout 2,712 words, Teen And Up, No Archive Warnings Apply

I wasn't even worried. That, I think, was my first mistake. Far outside of Corporation Rim, Murderbot meets a cargo bot with a strange story to tell.

A gem from wayyy back in the archive, published in 2017 when only ASR was out, but still impressively consistent with the tone of where the series has gone! Murderbot hears a ghost story that it doesn’t really believe, but then again…. This one also has a podfic available. the past is no forgotten promise by lunaTactics 1,942 words, General Audience, No Archive Warnings Apply

"It should have been creepy. I had been in places like this that were really creepy. But this wasn't. Maybe because I knew where the humans and augmented humans who had last used this ship had gone, that their descendants were running around all over this system." How can the ghosts of the past be frightening when they love, and are loved?     Remember us. We are a promise to you that there will always be hope.     You are home. The ghosts of the Pressy speak to their successors. Or, Murderbot is empowered to pursue the ideal SecUnit's rescue because Preservation's ideals support it.

A heartwarming ghost story, to finish off the list. Sometimes ghosts aren’t trying to scare you or keep you away—they want to welcome you home. This one gives me emotions (enough that I made art about it) and also has a podfic available.

If you have any favorite ghost stories from the Murderbot fandom, or otherwise spooky/seasonally-appropriate ones, please feel free to add on other recommendations! There’s several that I haven’t read myself but have heard many good things about.

[thenearsightedmicroraptor]

AtLA's writing has many, many issues, a lot of them being way more serious offenses (sexism, racism, being painfully centrist, favoritism within the narrative, etc etc etc) that I think smarter people can and will and have put into words. Those are uhhh much more important pieces of critique. I'm gonna touch on something much more mundane, because I haven't seen anyone else talk about it.

I did enjoy certain aspects of AtLA, but the whole thing was still a weirdly frustrating experience.

Now, my wife has been giving me some running commentary on the production behind AtLA, and I've learned that many things were not set in stone while they were producing the show. They were keeping their options open. And I think that's one of the fundamental things that makes this story feel so clumsy to me. They don't know where the hell they're going with all this. They want to be a serialized epic, but they're tossing around ideas and concepts like 14-year-old me trying to write my first fantasy story. Each episode is floating around in its own slurry, sometimes connected to previous events by some kind of tether, but rarely by more than that. At the same time, each episode only very rarely displays the tight focus that a more episodic show requires, which means the whole thing is an inconsistent mess.

Character arcs start and stop and hesitate and stumble. Themes are picked up and dropped again. Character relationships don't get the time they need to feel realistic, because the writers don't know what they want to commit to. Plot points get invented and removed and forgotten, as needed. Character traits and roles are set in place without the viewer ever getting to see how we got here, and it happens with enough confidence that it really feels like the writers think they established it, but it's in some cut draft that they never actually put in the show.

A good story is consistent in its goals. If you have a story about certain themes, and about certain characters, and where life takes them, you need to have some sort of feeling of where you want them to go, and how they get there. They don't have to be set in stone, but whatever changes you decide to make will affect the story you want to tell. Changing things up, steering a story in a different direction, can definitely be done, and be done well, and be better than your original plans, but AtLA does not feel like it has a plan at all. The writers put down new elements like they're unaware that it will change the fabric of the whole. The result is that each episode does not feel like it is part of the same story. The result is when you try to mend a shirt using the wrong kind of patch; the seams will not hold. You're gonna ruin the fabric further. The result is a story that feels ruled by the whims of the authors, rather than any kind of internal logic. The result is a puppet show where you can very clearly see the hands moving the dolls around. A story where things do not feel significant, because you know that half of the threads they add will not being woven into the story proper, no matter how significant they seem in the moment.

And on TOP of all of that, they decide to tackle themes that they are wayyyyyy too dumb for.

In other, plainer words: Shit's badly written, man.

[icyonice]

Soooo what about the characters from Chapter 0 of Rain Code? In this Medieval AU? #4

-Zilch is the prince to the Fauna Kingdom

-Zange is the old, wise, and sometimes sassy general of their knight squad (I would say Captain to stay consistent with Yakou because they hold the same power in their respective kingdom but general sounds better for Zange)

-Melami makes clothing and her family is well known for the clothing they create (often pairs up with the Thunderbolt Family to trade their clothing)

-Pucci is part of a traveling band of Bards (she plays the flute)

-Aphex is the leader of a rag tag mercenary band who used to be just a bunch of bandits

Now some more info on each character!

Pucci plays the flute and has very innate auditory abilities which is why she likes music! Specifically the flute due to “how nice and smooth they sound” according to her. She doesn’t like to talk much and didn’t like other people talking as “people are loud and don’t sound pleasant to her ears”. She rather talks through music.

Melami’s family is very well known for their designer clothing they make. Melami herself is quite skilled at the craft too. However her style was quite different from the conventional. Her family looked down on her for it but her style was also well liked and is starting to spread its popularity as she started to share her clothing in the Chronos Kingdom (and other kingdoms with the help the Thunderbolt Family specifically Desuhiko)

Aphex was born into a noble house, but lost in all when he was very young due to a scandal revolving his family which made his family lose their status as a noble house. His family was now reduced to a disgraced family and it didn’t take long before his family was basically forgotten. Aphex left his family behind and turned to banditry, trying to make a name for himself. He’s torn on whether or not he should restore his house, but survival was more important. Part of him hoped he would come to be known as Karma for the downfall of his house.

Back when Aphex was a leader of a small bandit group, he would cause trouble and loot villages until Zange was dispatched to the village he was terrorizing recently. Zange easily beat them all despite being quite outnumbered and tried to get Aphex to become a knight and quit the bandit life. Aphex didn’t like that though. The stuffy, stuck up life was not for him and declined. But Zange didn’t want to waste this potential so he proposed that Aphex became a mercenary instead, training him to be even better in exchange. Life turns around for Aphex and he owes it to Zange. So now Aphex is the leader of a well known mercenary band and tries to do what Zange did for him and make others quit banditry.

Zange is loyal to Zilch and basically like raised him like a second son. Zilch sees him not much of a father but really respects him and will listen to his advice and such. Zilch has somewhat of a big ego as prince saying stuff like “I’ll allow it.” Zange has been trying to make sure he isn’t in over his head. But other than that he is a good prince and really cares for the harmony and balance of things in his Kingdom.

Chapter 0 spoilers underneath

So we all know they die right? Not in this AU!

Kanai Kingdom, hungry for power and territory, invaded the Fauna Kingdom and they were forced to surrender. However many people were able to escape before Fauna Kingdom was closed off and isolated as well. Of them was Pucchi and her bard band, Melanie, Aphex and half of his crew, and Zilch. Zilch was only able to escape because of the help of General Zange who helped fake his death. Zange decided to stay behind to look after the kingdom and Aphex asked some of his men to stay behind to help out Zange. It’s the least he could do after he helped Aphex. Those who escaped Fauna Kingdom fled to other Kingdoms. And these guys happened to stubble into Chronos Kingdom :)

Anyways that is all for now! Do feel free to ask or share your thoughts on this AU!

To see my other Rain Code Medieval/Knight AU posts look here 👇

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9

[danses-with-dogmeat]

I'm so happy to see that you got 1.5 k can you do a alphabet for Charon

Oh yes I can!

We love Charon 🥺

Enjoy!

C) Cuddle. Do they like to cuddle and show affection? How?

The short answer? No. The long answer? Also no, unfortunately...

Charon isn't huge on a lot of physical contact, especially at first, but as he warms up to his partner, it actually becomes a good way to communicate with you. It's easy to tell by his physical reaction whether or not he's into whatever you're doing with him. One day, he may lean into the feel of your head resting on his shoulder, while other days, his hand will yank away from yours as your fingers brush over his skin. It's a simple way to see what kind of mood Charon is in, and when the day comes that he's the one to reach for you, that's when you know you've made it. He just plain doesn't do that with people that he doesn't genuinely care for, which consists of... nobody. Plus you.

H) Honesty. Are they honest with their s/o? How important is it to them in a relationship?

Charon is always honest. It's sometimes a little too blatant, honestly. But he expects you to be upfront with him as well. The ghoul's got thick skin, if you've got something to say, he doesn't want to play games, he just wants out with it. If you're more wishy washy, he'll make it plain to you that he'd rather just hear whatever it is you're harboring and go from there.

A) Attention. How much attention do they want in the relationship?

He's used to having next to no attention on him from anyone, and he's always been... fine with that? Being nearly invisible has its perks, and he'd rather be left alone and unbothered. However, if you were to do the opposite, to make a point to find out more about him, his wants, his likes, things he doesn't even make the effort to discover about himself, well, he'll be taken off guard, but he will be appreciative. Don't over spoil him, Charon won't thank you for treating him like a child, but the occasional break, compliment, helping him with cleaning his armor or modding and maintaining his weapons, it goes a long way with the otherwise stoic ghoul. His not used to having anyone's affection, let alone a partner's, but that doesn't mean he can't become more accustomed to it over time.

As for you, it's similar. He won't baby you by any means, but Charon will always be there for you. And as much as it's an... occupational boon, he's keeping tabs on you whenever he is near.

R) Reunion. How do they react after being apart from their s/o? How do they cope when they’re away?

Charon is... well, he's very unused to being on his own nowadays. Not being by your side, especially when you become more than simple companions, is nerve-wracking for him. What the hell is he supposed to do? He's been a slave for so long, been subject to other people's whims and schedules, and as horrible, demeaning, and sadistic as his tasks may have been in the past, he never didn't have something to do.

When you're reunited, it's like a sigh of relief. He gets up from whatever menial task he was busying himself with, and saunters straight over to you, prepared to stick to your side for as long as you'll allow. Everything's different when you're together. He wants to protect you, and he hates the way his mind envisions what could be happening when he's not beside you. He's seen some of the most barbaric shit in the wasteland with his own eyes, and it doesn't take much for his imagination to wander.

When you come home, the large ghoul will cling to you like he's forgotten he ever had an issue with physical affection. Charon won't say much, but those times that I talked about, where he's the one to initiate touches? That's exactly what this will be. Prepare to be smothered, just for a little bit, anyway.

O) Open. How long does it take for them to open up to their s/o?

He won't do it on his own, but if you prod, it doesn't take too much to get him to divulge. The more gory details of his past, and anything that came before he was turned into what he is, before he became a ghoul, what he can remember about it, anyway, that is harder to get out of him. Some of it will come with time and familiarity, but... some of it stays in his head, buried in his overcrowded mind where it belongs, not out in the air where it can pain you more than you deserve.

N) Nickname. What are the nicknames they have for their s/o? Do they like when their s/o uses nicknames?

When he's under contract, you can call him whatever you damn well please, but when you're in a relationship... he's not huge on pet names. Anything simple, that just manages to showcase the nature of your relationship with him is acceptable, and for you, well, he is partial to just saying your name, but if he had to choose a pet name, 'love', or 'my love', is really the only one he's partial to.

As for me, I'm partial to Char-Bear (pronounced chair-bear) But I've a feeling that wouldn't be his first pick...