#the side characters are the gang tm

[cole-is-a-dragon]

Absolutely in love with the Good Omens Human AU fanon that's near consistent in every fic

not to forget the fact that our ineffable buerocracy is both as canon-based (barely) and widespread (second biggest ship in the Fandom) as Mystrade

[gallusrostromegalus]

Are there any bankais in AEIWAM that you are going to change, and if it doesn't spoil anything, what are they?

Short answering this right now so I can Elaborate in the morning:

Ichigo: Bankai Now 300% Stupider (this is good)

(While not strictly Zanpakutou abilities, most of the Karakura Gang has new or more thoroughly explained abilities, Like What's Going On With Chad's Arms and Mizuiro's "Gun" ability)

Gin: The effect does not change, but WHY does.

Unohana: Effects do not change but it's important that she does not have individual Bankai and Shikai- they're two sides of the same thing.

Hanataro: Just because it's funny

Aizen: Technique and Reasoning do not actually change, but Suigetsu does get elaborated on more clearly

Byakuya: Shikai is the same, Bankai is MUCH WORSE

Komamura: Tenken is Komamura's Zanpakutou in the sense that Tenken is a spirit bonded to a spiritually attuned tool that fights with him. In another sense, it's not a Zanpakutou at all. It is also about seven.

Tousen: Watch How Much Tragic Backstory I Can Fit Into One Sword. Now Watch How Much Character Development I Can Fit Into a Second Theing That Is Not A Sword! Matsumoto: Now a Captain, Now with Bankai! Haineko Asama!

Zaraki: The Bankai, shikai and the entire premise by which "His" "Sword" operates is new. the Shikai reveal is one of my favorite scenes so far, but an excerpt won't do without the build.

Ikkaku: it needed help :/

Mayuri: It doesn't *actually* change but gets *elaborated on* and then backfires on him

Ukitake: Also doesn't technically change in terms of effects, but WHY the twins are Like That gets elaborated on :) (

Also, the Entire Royal Guard is getting revamped:

Oetsu: Abilities do not change but WHY his sword is Like That does, and he learns an important lesson about self-respect (TM).

Ichibei: It's changing because I legit could not make sense of half that shit so I'm just starting over.

Shutara: As much ass as she kicks now, I know too much about fibercraft, and She needs to be an even badder baddie.

Hikifune: What if Hannbal Lecter was a Chaotic Neutral-but-trying MILF?

Kirinji: *shrek meme voice*: He doesn't even have canon abilities.

While also not technically Zanpakutou abilities, some of the Arrancar are getting change-ups as well

Coyote Starrk: Now With Backstory!

Hallibel: now with a much, much, MUCH older backstory!

Nel Tu: Not that much changes, but I have Opinions About Ungulates that you all get to hear

Wonderweiss: Sometimes you look at a fucked up little man and go: You know what? That could be an Angel. Eventually gets the COOLEST Release Command of all time :)

Charlotte: no change, but I want to state she gets a fair shake/to live this time around.

[twstyuna]

Me looking at my Blood and Bone and Heart of Stone wip after a month of Skully brainrot that bled into a new longfics and numerous oneshots

The chain of events or How Skully J. Graves is to Blame for all this

I learn about Skully. Ooh cool character. JJK Memes. Idk jjk but he looks neat.

Funky, funny gentlemanly guy who kisses a lot of people. He kidnaps Yuu and Grim? The fanart sure is fanarting. (It is planting the seeds of brainrot)

He's dead all along. Oh. Oh no. (The seeds are sprouting.)

The Tragedy TM gets to me. He was so nice to Yuu and Grim too this is so sad.

A traitorous thought: What if he were alive?

More traitorous thoughts: what if he reincarnated what if neither of them remember because I am a sucker for Memory Shenanigans.

I write it (In a ribcage). On anon. To have a fun quick side fic as I bleed a little because nobody else is making the specific flavor of copium I seek.

I make art. I give up on anon. I am doomed.

I make a ghost!Skully fic because I am a sucker for human/ghostie media. In the process I have made a Yuu who is kinda messed up because no magic= no healing. This Yuu template will be reused much in the future.

I end up writing the first year gang for the first time because of In a Ribcage. I end up doing a side story of the ghost!Skully possession fic.

Meanwhile I begin the tour chapter of In a Ribcage and made Floyd be friendly to Yuu. I start wondering why he'd be so friendly and make Podophagia.

Meanwhile I have been exposed to the AU where Yuu gets isekai-ed with her Dad and think about how it would work if Yuu had a brother who got isekaied into Twisted wonderland. What if he got into RSA? What if he had magic? Wait what why is there angst in this now WHAT-

The answer is that I am using the no magic = no healing Yuu template from the ghost!Skully fic

I begin to think I am Cursed

I think of plot points beyond what is there. I think about Crewel and what he'd think in the no magic = no healing Yuu scenario, and end up with Stray.

I remember a throwaway line from Podophagia and decide Crewel could have helped with that.

I think about that longer and make The Comic.

I finish the In a Ribcage cage Tour chapter and think about Idia too much.

Contemplating Ghost Engagement because ghost!Skully and reluctant parent!Crewel would be funny

I now have multiple wips beyond Blood and Bone. There is a garden in the brain where I was once just tending to the slow corpse flower that is Blood and Bone.

I blame Skully.

[2demondogs]

I just saw your self-insert art on Instagram, and I am SOO intrigued. I'd love it if you went on a little rant about them because I wanna know MOREE!!

WAAA thank you :3 you sly dog you got me monologuing.. Eugene's a little feral freak. He's kind of a vent character in a way, just for fun in others. He's giving Dutch a run for his bipolar money.

CW: Assault, addiction, transphobia, starvation.

The only solid lore I have for him is:

Ran away from an abusive home when he was in his teens after being outed as trans. Drifted around the country starving and stealing to keep himself alive. Developed a drug addiction shortly before being found by Dutch.

Eventually is assaulted and left in a ditch with severe injuries while high as fuck, I call it his back alley top surgery. Is this realistic? No. Is it the first time he's been dying in a ditch? No. Is it the last? Also no.

Bled to the point Dutch tried to mug Eugene's body thinking he was dead. What kind of fucking UNIT survives that and still has the spirit to be annoying as fuck? Join the gang boy!!

Chest is covered in scars, he has many cigarette burn scars (he puts them out on himself for no reason except to be weird.), scars on his face (lol on the side I never draw) where he was attacked by stray dogs as a kid.

He has chronic pain and uses a cane about half the time. Some of the gang would like to kick him out (and sometimes he'd agree with them), but he brings in way too much money robbing and pickpocketing for Dutch to consider it.

Close with Hosea, they got a little book club going, he does the same with Mary-Beth. Eugene also talks with Dutch about his books but not as often.

Eugene takes the girls shopping and he is kinda their Pet Man(TM). If no one else will do it or listen to them, he's there.

He struggles to make friendships with the men and hides it by acting jokingly gay with them. As long it's insane and overzealous enough it'll make someone laugh which is better than them hating him.

Stuff that's up in the air/mostly joked about w my friends:

Eugene homewrecking Dutch and Molly because he would be a third but he prefers to be evil

Alternatively Eugene and Molly forming a queerplatonic relationship bc there is no greater bond than that of a gay man and a bisexual woman who want the same washed up middle aged loser

Need to ponder more his relationship with Swanson because there'd likely be one over drug addiction but they would butt heads over religion

Eugene homewrecking mostly any relationship in camp for the sole reason that he was lowkey bored

IDK if other people do this but I like to yumeship(?) him with multiple characters and each is like its own little AU. hosea, dutch, molly, javier are my usuals that bring me comfort or joy and i got a little story in my head for each of them bc I'm so cringe but I'm SO FREEEEE!!!

[crescentrivers]

Remembered I still like Sanders Sides (seriously though it’s a great webseries) but the Hatchetfeild brainworms are consuming anything else (downside of a special interest) so here’s which lord in black each side would be associated with/which lord in black would mess with them/maybe even which lord in black they’d follow in a crossover au + overly detailed explanations

Under the cut cause this got long

Roman- funny how both my previous and my current special interest have a Roman in them. Roman Sanders is a much better person though fuck you Roman Murray /hj. Anyway I think this Roman would be associated with Pokotho. More in a “Roman would get tricked into following him way” than in a “Pokey would want to mess with him” way. In terms of punching bags Pokers seems to go for the people who hate his deal the most and Roman is a theatre kid so. Already not one of the people who hate his deal the most. Okay but actual reason Pokotho has a big thing with conformity, mind control, giving up your real indentity to one singular voice and Roman is known to conform. Trying to be the perfect “good” creativity and turning against Janus mostly because his friends didn’t trust him. Also again, theater kid. So yeah in this hypothetical crossover au there’s probably a timeline where Roman becomes a Pokotho prophet. I can also see him swinging Wiggly though, wanting to be adored kinda like Linda in Black Friday. But I think he’s closer to Pokey in most ways.

Logan- Bliklotep or Pokotho. Okay so most obvious thing for Blinky is eyes, Blinky has a lot of them and Logan either is the orange side or is dealing with the orange side, the mysterious unrevealed character that made his eyes go orange that one time. But on a deeper level in Watcher World Blinky uses Alice and Bills’ conflict against them, trying to make them angrier so he can watch them fight. I can see a similar situation with Logan playing out in this au where the gang goes to Watcher World and Logan’s anger over being ignored is used against him. And if Orange and Logan end up not being the same person (which I stand by that theory) Orange using Logan’s anger against him to cause conflict within the light sides is actually just something I can see happening in the show.

For Pokotho it’s well, if you asked me to make a TGWDLM SaSi crossover Logan would be Paul. He’s the side with the least interest in theatre (I’m not sure if it’s really a dislike though) and while he lacks the panic Paul has for most of TGWDLM and isn’t as much of a normal guy tm I think he fits very well. Let It Out is SUCH a Logan song you don’t even get it like imagine that song but with him and Orange hshshgshshshshshsh I NEED TO MAKE AN ANIMATIC OF IT. Also like back to the ignoring thing can you imagine like “Aren’t you tired of being ignored Logan? Don’t you want to be the star of the show?” I’m going insane. If we’re just putting Logan in the Hatchetfeild universe I think he’s still more Blinky leaning but a SaSi x TGWDLM au with him as Paul would go very hard.

Patton- probably the one in the least sure on so luckily he doesn’t need as long of a paragraph. He’s just so nice I can’t really see him being singled out by any of them but he also isn’t nice in a way where he has Webby vibes so I’m just lost with him. I think either Blinky cause I can see him in a similar situation to Bill in Watcher World or Tinky cause I feel like out of all the sides Patton is the most likely to try to time travel to change or revisit the past and than get boxed because of it.

Virgil- none of them!!! Well at least none of them in particular. Why you ask? Well I think he’d be associated with Webby. Okay listen, if I had a nickel for every time my special interest involved a character associated with spiders that either left or was abandoned by the main antagonist group depending on your theories and became a good guy, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice. Do I need to explain further than that? Obviously Virgil’s situation isn’t nearly as severe as Webby’s and the dark sides are much more redeemable sympathetic villains compared to the lords in bright ass neons black, but my point still stands. Virgil works with Webby which means various horrors have it out for him instead of any specific one!!! Yayyyyyy

Janus- another hard one to place. I’d say he’d work with Wiggly most likely. Basically capitalism/greed (though the greed thing could also have him going more on the Nibbly route with like selfishness desire stuff or even like unrelated he could work for Pokey cause like mind control/manipulation isn’t that much of a stretch from his character, it is a stretch I’m lying to myself) and idk he has the vibes where I feel like he’d work with the lord in black himself and not just one of his brothers. Idk he has Wilbur Cross vibes kind of not really? (it’s the green apples) The thing is Janus still doesn’t hit quite the same level of evil as most antagonistic Hatchetfeild characters do but there’s no way this guy wouldn’t be caught up in something in a crossover au, so maybe he made a deal with them but doesn’t fully worship them. Idek what this post is anymore.

Remus- Hard to place because he’s just such a freak (derogatory) that he kind of just has general cultist vibes (I know there are plenty of freaks in Hatchetfeild completely unconnected to the lords but Remus would be the kind of freak that is connected imo) but if I had to pick I’d say either Wiggly or Nibbly. Wiggly doesn’t have much reason, they just both insane people associated with the color green, royalty, and tentacles. Nibbly does have an explanation kind of. He’s like the god of desire kind of and I think in analysis of how he’s connected to stuff (think Grace in NPMD) that kind of leads to lust associations? Which yeah fits Remus. I can see him working for Nibbly or going insane cause of him (does Nibbly even do that? Does he do things that don’t involve eating people? What even is this post) honestly I don’t really know for him I’m just saying words, would really depend on his role in this hypothetical au

Bonus: c!Thomas- honestly I don’t know for him but dare I say Pokotho. Cause A. Him and Paul don’t really act alike but they both have that panicking normal guy tm energy as protagonists. B. He’s a theatre kid. C. Idk I think it would be screwed up if the guy who the entire show centers around the mind of lost control of his mind and had his entire being warped (infection) 👍

[astralcities]

I think the whole op post is really in response to this Side Discourse TM about how trans masc headcanons of men are seen as stupid and shallow, and conversely trans masc headcanons of women are seen as anti feminist or misogynistic, both I've seen in fandom.

I actually follow the person whose tags you screenshoted, I thought the tags were poorly worded at the time tbh but their blog generally talks about a rarely seen perspective on trans masc issues so I brushed it off as just that, poorly worded.

But I don't understand your idea/belief/concept (?) that someone would hate women in fiction so much that they would turn them into trans men. Do you think people Actually do that? Like there's some secret group of misogynistic trans men who hates women so much they make them men so they'll like them better (???) I don't mean this accusatorially- it just seems like you think of trans-masculinity as inherently less feminist or anti-patriarchal than cis-feminity

(sorry for clogging your asks - I'm a trans guy who actually wants rational discussions and I can rarely find them. Also, that wasn't my ask, but Mulan is totally a trans guy.)

you're fine; i appreciate you being mostly polite about this because i've gotten some evil ass anons in the past and am nawwwt in the mood to be psychoanalyzed tee bee aich. anyway i don't think either cis femininity or trans masculinity are inherently feminist or anti patriarchal because they are gender identities not ideological stances. i think women are also like. the primary targets of misogyny, though, which is why the majority of what i talk about feminism wise revolves around cis & trans women. i'm not really sure where you got the idea that i believe otherwise i also am not super sure how you arrived at the conclusion that i believe there's a secret shadow gang of trans men who hate women and are acting on this by Evilly Transitioning Characters. i think there are a lot of deeply misogynistic trans men who are pretty open about how much they dislike femininity though and how little they care for women in fiction and in other areas. i think where we're missing each other is that i'm talking about this happening in a largely subtle unconscious way. actions have implications and your subconscious feelings can bleed into what you do. that was the point of that giant ass essay i posted! like. not that the people who make trans masc headcanons for fictional women are going "god i fucking hate women i need to trans them all rn so i can breathe easy" but that That Specific Post was pretty obviously to provoke people, it mentioned female characters for a Reason, the tags were-at the very very very least–poorly worded, people are calling me a terf for disliking it, and it has a notes section full of people acting like women have too much representation and it's a robin-hood style act of Good Will to take from the rich (women) and give to the poor (trans mascs). what doesn't disprove this at all is that i had multiple people show up in my notes–and i'm sincerely hoping this wasn't you–deliberately try to upset me by going "all your fave girls are men now ehehehe". what was the purpose of that? what's the implication of mocking a trans lesbian like that? again, why the emphasis on Girls and not Characters? why not even Cis Girls? was the implication of Turning A Trans Woman Into A Man not thought of? was it thought of and discarded? do people genuinely think women are represented well in fiction? even if it wasn't a conscious thing i think there's pretty clear misogyny in doing all that. like. even if it seems silly and #notthatdeep actions don't exist in a vacuum also. a little gauche and odd to see a post where i was like "i really don't like taking a story about a woman who masqueraded as a man in a deeply sexist environment just to save her father's life & then return to being feminine afterward and making it a transmasculine narrative" and feel the need to tack that onto your msg. by literally all measures you and the other anons tn have been the nicest thus far and i'm a little frustrated to get disappointed @ da end like that lol

[cmyk-anaglyph-honeycomb]

Hazbin Hotel Episode 3 & 4 Opinions and Story logic (mostly)

(ignore any typos, it's 3 min til midnight and I have a con in the morning and was at one all day, i'm not reading through this)

(Episode 3: Scrambled Eggs)

It’s weird to me that Vaggie wants to get rid of the egg bois cuz like??? Are they not also sinners that need redemption? Don’t they need to be saved too? The problem was that they kept building weapons that Sir Pen told them to make. They just needed something else to do, like idk, act as staff for the hotel. They can build, so maybe they can fix the hotel up a bit more.

I get it was just so one of them could spy for Alastor, but like, just have one follow him randomly. That isn’t out of character considering the eggs don’t have one.

It doesn’t make sense to me that Vaggie is so broken up by not getting the hotel guess to bond with each other. I get that she feel like she’s failing Charlie, but like, Charlie has accomplished literally nothing up at this point.

Yeah, so far there’s only 4 episodes, and the most Charlies done in all of them is get the exterminations moved up to every six mouths and fuck over Angel majorly ( I'm soft-balling that right now).

Like she signs a random paper without reading it, which, like girl, you are the daughter of the devil, there is now way she doesn’t know about the importance of contracts. Not only that it absolute FUCKS OVER everyone in hell. And it’s just brushed off??? Like no?

The exterminations is a big deal to all sinners, no matter the rank. Even if no one else knows what she did, Charlie should be more effected by this. The contract thing should have happened mid season or at the end, with her becoming more frantic to prove that her idea work so she can save sinners. But instead its treated like an oopies and she does trust falls and bond activities as if that’s going to make anyone a better person. Them liking each other doesn’t redeem them of anything.

*episode 3…im talking about that…*

Its my favorite so far. I like Zestail, Carmillia, Velvette and that dino lady are my favorite characters. Genuinely surprised I haven’t heard more about Respectless because it is my favorite song. (But it did come out next of ep 4, so it make sense.)

I hope Carmillia’s daughters are adopted or where her kids in life cuz the idea that the sinners can have kids are stuck in hell like the imps is messed up.

I’m glad Velvette gets development in this episode. I was worried that she’d just be the woman (tm) character of the Vees and be pushed to the side, so I was happy to see her upfront so soon. She’s now my favorite of the three, sorry Vox. I also like that her hair style keeps changing, that’s a nice touch for the fashion oriented one of the Vees.

The hotel gang going to the bondage…idk what to call it..Club felt like a waste of time. It was there for a joke and that’s it. Then Vaggie takes them to a city war zone and throws Pen and Angel off the building while Husk sneaks away.

Admittedly Husk sneaking off was funny to me, but like why would Vaggie think this would make them trust each other. Angel has a mafia background and family. Best bet he’s had to get into a few fights with them, and if I’m remembering lore correctly, he hates most to all of his family but okay.

At this point I’m genuinely curious how this show is going to develop Charlie’s redemption plan, because everything we’ve shown them try has failed and been show to clearly leading to fail. I have a feeling that he show isn’t going to have an ending, its just going to end. Like, nothing regarding the redemption plot line had made a single step forward. There’s just one more of them not, that’s it.

The second song doesn’t feel earned from Vaggie’s side.

Conclusion: This one is the best so far. It being mostly away from the main cast is not a good sign but it’s only number 3.

(Episode 4: Masquerade)

*gestures to that hot fucking mess* I’m not touching most of it. If you’re reading this them you’ve probably seen better points than I can provide. So I’m just going working on the logic within the story.

Personally, I think the visuals are a little too much, and I can understand where it goes way to far for a lot of people. I’d like to note that while Helluva Boss has a working screen on every single episode this has jack shit which was a huge fuck up in my opinion. I don’t care what the shows rating is, adult content and sensitive content are two different things and need to be treated as such.

Any media that handles SA, SH or abuse needs a huge label like those FBI no pirating screens from back in the day. I am not joking.

*shit I toughed it moving back a bit*

Okay, so why did Charlie goes to Angel’s job KNOWING he was in the middle of working. Like she knows he makes porn. The episode starts with the hotel gang watching one and her being visible uncomfortable. Why would she go there? And not like, wait outside or something? (she was uncomfortable at the bondage place why wouldn’t that be any different here?)

Charlie not picking up how upset Angel was that she showed up to his job THE FIRST time is child levels of ignorance. Even without the seriousness of what was really happening, that was infuriating to watch. I get that she’s supposed to have rose tinted glasses but those things are opaque. By this point all of her ‘accomplishments’ have been fucking people over majorly. She is a hindrance to those around her and it is hard to watch.

*skirting around the trash fire a little bit more.*

( I’m not trying to make a joke about this but like, I don’t know how to express how fucking yikes this episode is. Like it’s such an uncomfortable topic and it’s fumbled so hard. And then for Viz to turn around and argue about it on twitter and shit, like come on.)

Husk and Angel arguing doesn’t make sense to me. Husk says doesn’t like Angel cuz he’s fake, ignoring that it’ coping, shouldn’t Husk’s reasoning that Angel makes him uncomfortable. He is clearly shown being bothered by Angel’s aggressive flirty and sex talk. Him being ‘fake’ comes out of nowhere. As does them fighting.

Three minutes in, Angel gets pissed at Husk dismissing his porno. Flirts with him when Husk reveals he knows about the other hotel gangs’ insecurities and secrets. Then gets pissy again when Husk does the same to him. If Angel is short with Husk this episode because of Val, then let that be that, but the back and forth is jarring.

Charlie being the one to go after Angel an comfort him would have been the one good thing she could have done in the show cuz to be honest she as done nothing but ruin things for everyone at this point.

The loser song happening IMMEDIATELY after Angel’s emotional moment is a gut punch. Like WTF. I could not imagine being on the production team, seeing this shit and not saying something. Like there’s not scene cut to Charlie writing those (pointless) letters, her talking to Vaggie about how she messed up, nothing.

Angel has his break down and Husk seconds later is singing about how shit sucks and he’s a loser. Without the context, that’s bad. With the context, it’s horrific.

Husk had/has a gambling addiction. Not to downplay that or invalidate anyone who has/is going through that but it is not the same as SA. Especially as Husk isn’t going through his problems right now while Angel had to go through it…what an hour before, two maybe. For a prolong period of time and has to go back to that.

Husk is talking about his problem in the past tense. Besides the Alastor thing, it’s behind him. Angel’s problem is in the present and future. And that’s not taking into account the guy at the bar who was going to drug him. Who Angel was going to let drug him.

I could not imagine being on the production team, seeing the script for this and not immediately being like, no. This show is making miss Helluva Boss I am not joking.

Positives: The song Poison is good. Just listen to the audio and nothing else and its great. Val’s coat being moth wings was neat to see (especially if you ignore everything that happiness before and after that one still shot). I like Valentino’s design. I’ve no people have a problem with his voice, but personally I don’t mind it.

Conclusion: I have mixed feeling on the aftermath of the episode. Acting like the problem is solved and not addressing it won’t treat the SA plot-line with the seriousness it deserves. On the other hand, I do not want to the show to touch anything like this again. If it just leaves it here, then at least its only the one episode instead of more.

Ignoring Viz’s response to criticism over this, the executives and people with money have likely seen this shit blow up, and if anything, might not be willing to let the show go near something like this again. Which, in my opinion, is the best option. I do not trust this show to do it well, so it might as well not do it at all.

I am going to keep watching, cuz, like Helluva Boss, I want to see how this turns out. I don’t have hope for the show, but I am curious.

Overall, I hope ep 4 will be a good example of what not to do for any media hoping to cover SA in one way or another.

If anyone want to talk with me about the show send me a message and tumblr mobile and social anxiety willing, I'll be able to get back to you.

[kolbietheaggrievedwriter]

I forgot to turn on anon earlier oh well, I've already outed myself. So I was rereading earlier and, um, well a few questions popped in my head.

1) Since White Tiger fights Ian the most, does he have the largest number of bite marks in his history? Does he go out of his way to avoid being bitten like the other gang leaders? Or does he just not bother. You compared his group of followers to the Mad Pack earlier, does this mean White Tiger has his own strange attraction going for him/wierd not-bite thing? (Or is he just as bitey as Ian?)

2) Ian and Ezra are just walking down the street when a wild White Tiger pops up. How ecstatic are each of the individual participants, and how long would the fight last? Would Ian and Ezra team up against White Tiger? Or would it turn into a three way brawl too quickly to process? Would Ezra find a way to stand to the side, out of the way or would White Tiger(and Ian) successfully draw Ezra into the fight?

3) I'm thinking back on what you said about Luke having his own ability going for him, how he would put up a better (romantic) fight once he gets going, and how you once said something to the effect of 'the world tends to move itself around for Luke's convenience'. Is that Luke's thing? The world just shifts to Luke's direction? That would be ridiculously op if he weren't a Main Character tm, and also the original protagonist in a romance. It kind of is even now.

4) Does the Mad Pack hideout have a popcorn maker machine? I imagine that once Luke and Ezra start trying actively seduce Ian, it's only going to be the most entertaining of activities for anyone not directly in the line of fire like Ian will be. (I just can't imagine Ian going out of his way to try to "romance" someone, no matter his feelings for the personpeople involved. Boi too shy for that! Boi too in denial for that!)

I think that's all the thoughts. Wow that was more than I figured, but then I really do love this story. I wanna know where it's going! Highest of compliments to the author(you) really.

😅😅

1) Ian has to literally knock him unconcious every time bc otherwise White Tiger Will Not Stop. He refuses to go limp, to stop struggling, so yes, White Tiger has been bitten more than anyone - more times in a single fight, too. He doesn't go out of his way to avoid it - not anymore than he would a normal attack anyway - and they're not an indicator of the impending end of the fight the way they are for everyone else.

White Tiger first came after Ian when he was 14, and Ian was 18. He had to knock him unconscious then too, but he didn't start the biting until this last year when White Tiger became strong enough to tank most of his usual finishers. Ian just got irritated enough to try it even though he can hardly pin White Tiger down long enough for it to matter. It's like a dog chewing on a bone in frustration.

He's the first and only person White Tiger has ever lost to, which is the root of his obsession. Not that he's resentful. My man is having a great time.

2) Ian and White Tiger always fight on sight, and it usually takes a while. Ezra wouldn't step in. He doesn't usually jump straight to violence anyway, but he could tell it wouldn't be necessary and that neither fighter would appreciate it, the way they zero in on each other like they're the only two people who exist. White Tiger would probably be interested in fighting Ezra as one of the only people able to sense his strength but only after he defeats Ian. He has one (1) rival. He puts no one else in his eyes.

3) Luke's special ability isn't super crazy. It just gives him a leg up, the way both Vanessa's and Ezra's do. I don't want to explain what it is specifically until it's revealed explicitly in the plot, though. Just be assured it's not as overpowered as you might be thinking!

4) 😭😭 If there wasn't before, there would be once things get going. Ian trying to seduce anyone on purpose is a hilarious image. Him being pursued is, as you surmised, going to be just as entertaining. He's not dense, but he is uninterested. I'm looking forward to writing the attempts to change that.

Thank you!! 💖💖

[juliamex3]

headcanons of what I think the anipoke cast is up to in the future

Ash - Still traveling the world, on a journey to become a Pokemon Master, cuz ofc he is. He's changed his approach and focuses more on learning about Pokemon, but will still never say no to a good battle. Fights hard to stay World Champion. Occasionally still works for Cerise

Misty - She's still the leader of the Cerulean City Gym but she's slowly working up her way to becoming a Kanto Elite Four Member

Brock - Pokemon Doctor! Has been all over the place helping out at different Pokemon Centers over the years

Gary - He's a Pokemon Professor! Well known for all kinds of insane discoveries. He works under his Grandpa and eventually takes over the Lab. Still has a rivalry with Goh.

Tracey - He's Garys assistant now, make sthe lab very chaotic. Started taking art commissions on the side

May - Well known Top Coordinator who has won multiple Grand Festivals! But she still comepetes in contests and travels with the hoen coordinator gang

Max - Gymleader, he's taken over the Petalburg City gym! Dunno what his type though is, he can mix em if he wants to

Dawn - Also a well known Top Coordinator with multiple wins, and she still occasionally competes in contests. I like the idea of her getting into fashion and designing.

Paul - Either a Gym Leader or an Elite Four member, maybe even Sinnoh Champion, but definitely still battles

Iris - Contiunes to be Unovas champion, trying to snatch Ashs world champ title and learning about dragon types on the way

Cilan - S class connoisseur! Still likes traveling but also stays in Striaton a lot to help out in the café, though he doesn't act as gym leader anymore

Serena - Reining Kalos Queen and Pokevision influencer! Also her and Lisia are a pop star duo

Clemont - Not a gym leader anymore either, he's focused more on his inventions and becomes pretty well known for it

Bonnie - New Lumiose Gym Leader! I like to think she tried out both gym battles and showcases when she was old enough to go on her own journey, but ended up being drawn towards batrling a lot more. I also like the idea of her beconing Kalos champion eventually

Mallow - Pretty much took over Ainas Kitchen and started branding out their name to other Alola Islands

Lana - I kinda like the idea of her getting interested in acting after the gig she and the other sm girls had, still fishes with her dad for fun

Kiawe - Akala Islands newest Kahuna! Contributes to keeping the Alola league tournament alive as well. He doesn't have much time to help with the farm anymore but still delivers milk every morning

Sophocles - Works at Pokemon NASA, far off from going to space but he'll get there

Lillie - I am very attached to Lillie being a teacher at the Pokemon school, but I also like the idea of her writing books. Either way she does something booksmart tm

Gladion - Works at the AF, got sucked into the family buisness and researching UBs after Lillie the Nihilego

Goh - Cerises assistant still working for his own Professor title and more than mildly upset at the fact Gary managed to get there before him, he specialices researching species that were discovered more recently and has an always increasing of his own Pokemon to look after

Koharu - Since she doesn't have a canon long term goal, her story line was moreso about figuring out what she wants to do, that kind of makes her a catch all character. I can see her do anything really she works with whatever. Ik she helps out her dad as a research fellow at the end of the series and I also like her getting more into contests but I don't really think she does either of those forever? I like the idea of her doing photography, it's artistic in the opposite direction of what her mom does

[ask-the-shiny-pokemons]

Star Sending with the Virbank Baddies

The preparations

Calling the gang

Rimi explains about the Star Sending event and gives the list of characters’ wishes. They all need to focus on the Bisharp trio: Clarent, Gladius, and Sabre.

They all need to go to different places. Rimi needs to go to Shopping Mall Nine, Noelle to check the southwestern Unova, and Edin to check all of it.

Rimi’s side

Rimi arrives at Shopping Mall Nine. It is bigger and modern compared to what humans had. There’s more shops, and not only that: there’s a food court and some sort of entertainment like cinema and arcade.

Rimi arrives at the store that has some battle items. The things she needs for Sabre are: some experience candies, Eviolite, and Covert Cloak. Sure those are expensive, but she has enough money to buy them.  She bought some EXP Candy L, an Eviolite, and a Covert Cloak.

The next store is called “TM Galore'' where it sells Technical Machines. It has a big variety of TMs and they are sorted by type. So, Rimi needs two TMs for those Bisharp. She needs to buy something for Clarent and Sabre. She bought TM058 Brick Break for the former and TM088 Swords Dance for the latter.

For Eviolite, she needs to make it like Sabre’s “foe” Vel. So, she put it on a green necklace that bought at the jewelry store and somehow coincidentally looks like this.

Noelle’s side

Noelle has no big tasks other than checking the southwestern Unova (from Aspertia to Virbank). The first thing she does is go to a nearby grocery store in Floccesy, her hometown. She bought 100% dark chocolate for Clarent. Noelle loved it when she was a little, though her parents hated it.

And then she goes to Virbank to visit a malasada shop where Rimi’s mother Leia works. Noelle greets her with a kind smile and asks if this shop has something sweet. And of course Leia gives her a sweetest malasada made with the sweetest. Rumor that it contains Watmel Berry but it has other sweet berries as well.

She visits her house for a sharpening stone. And she has an old whetstone that she doesn't need anymore and took it.

And it’s time to convince the people living in Aspertia. Noelle visited Diego’s house first to convince them to get a souvenir from Paldea. They both didn’t get along well, but in the end Diego gives something. It’s a small replica of Artazon’s windmill that has a painting of Sunflora. Soon after she visited Cheren High and said that someone wants to talk to him.

And what’s about the mother and son that want gifts for each other. Well, Noelle has a little Pawniard figurine that she doesn't need and of course the Dark Gem. She hopes they both like those.

Edin’s side

For Edin, he travels all across Unova, but he doesn’t need to do much, so he arrives at Undella Town to see an ocean with his eyes. He sat until sunset. It was of course very gorgeous.

The gifts

Clarent

Rimi calls Clarent to Aspertia and gives the items she wants: a dark chocolate, TM058, a windmill, and a Pawniard figurine for Gladius. 

“Here they are. I hope you enjoy it.” she says it with a very kind smile “Oh, I wanna show someone. Follow me!”

They both go to Cheren High to meet with someone.

An adult Eevee? That was unexpected because all the adult Eevees are mostly evolved, while one is still unevolved. That’s why Clarent might look surprised.

Sabre

Noelle arrives at Route 20 to wait for Sabre. Soon, a small looking Bisharp arrives. Noelle gives very good smile, while she has something on her back.

She wrapped everything in a Covert Cloak. Three EXP Candies L, an TM088, and a Eviolite (she says that she took it from Vel), although she has no idea who Vel was. But somehow, it was a miracle that it the exact replica of a necklace with real Eviolite on it.

Gladius

Edin calls Gladius to the beach at Undella Town.

“Oh, hi! I hope you’re doing well as I do. Here, I got ya.” he smiles and handles some malasadas, a whetstone, and a Dark Gem. The only thing missing is training lessons because everyone in the band doesn't know any tutor. But that’s not the main reason, the reason he calls the Bisharp is this:

They both see a beautiful sunset together, until the gang arrives.

The gathering

Rimi, Noelle, and two Bisharps arrive here in Undella Town to gather everyone here together.

The band stands together and smiles.

They both say with a delightful joy: “I hope you have a great holiday this year!”

[ A @pokeask-star-sending submission for @askleaderscrest ]

MOD NOTE BELOW

This is longest post I made here. It probably beats the long interaction post with Fern, although it was text only.

It took me month to do and half of the text is the last minute preparation. I started drawing like week or two ago. I think I'm satisfied with the result so far.

Of course feel free to reply if you want since I have some items that involves Clarent and Gladius. And also if you want, you can do replies during the gifting process.

[gcldfanged]

💕 why not

Send a “💕” and I will tell you something I admire about you! [ACCEPTING]

Ayo *finger guns* I have a very HAZY memory at the best of times and a useless hunk of moldy swiss cheese where my brain SHOULD be at the worst- So I really don't recall how we were when we first became mutuals??? Other than like, polite and also VERY pissy about the Kings.glaive movie's oodles of potential, yet HORRIFIC execution.

I really liked Luche and Pelna and even fucking Drautos' POTENTIAL. But that's all there was. You managed to take all of the plot holes and loose threads and shit-ass characterization and spun literal fucking gold out of it with your Luche portrayal? You performed like, some ACTUAL EMPLOYEE'S JOB who's currently on Square-Enix's payroll. That's lit as fuck.

And I hate to bring up my own damn FF.XV OC, but we managed to plot out and write such interesting dynamics between Xiaowen and Luche, wtf. Also Ravus and Adrienne, the vitriolic not-best-friends... I vividly recall so many drabbles and threads we were working on and massive meta & headcanon posts and this stupidly LUSH timeline of events and emotional growth and hardship and betrayal and OUUUGH-

You craft amazing characters from basically nothing or little underappreciated details from the source material, then you inject so much life and realism and they're not just "ooh, relatable cuz 'not problematic' finally"- You allow them to have flaws that make sense and draw attention to how said flaws drastically impair their day to day living like they should- realistically speaking.

I have so many fond memories from FF.XV and M.HA thanks to you (despite not being in either fandom spaces anymore), and I still kinda feel bad I deleted everything and didn't at least save some of our works due to negative associations that were still causing me a lot of pointless emotional pain and distancing myself from one of my favorite hobbies. Still- Glad that we both have memories of that due to compulsive re-reading, LMAO.

[More personal crapola under the cut]

And because we've been close in the past and felt comfortable enough to support each other through the ADULTING(tm) sides too, I feel that we have similar yet also VASTLY different experiences and are still like "aha, same hat! *waves*". I feel like even if we fundamentally disagree on whatever topic, it's not going to be a 'make or break' incident and we both can just be "Yeah, I gotcha- That's Cool :)" and not get instantly defensive or overly personal about our reactions. That's the kind of bond I've really wanted to have with other people for most of my life, but never really seemed to get the opportunity to foster.

I don't wanna say that 'you make me want to be a better person' because that's fucking weird and unfairly imposing shit, but I also feel... not that I'm a 'different' person, I'm obviously still me, but also relaxed, at peace, and open-minded about what's coming or could potentially be dawning on the horizon. And that surety is such a marked difference than my usual tendency to massively overthink literally EVERYTHING that I suffer from, or the pressing need to have to make a contingency plan for a contingency plan, or brick up every 'weak wall' and 'shoot first'.

Anyway- TL;DR, you word real good, *thumbs up*, you're a real one- Bepeu.

I'd beat up an entire gang with my super tough and macho bare fists, dive in front of a hail of bullets meant for you, then also be prepared to die right then and there (with the manliest tears in my eyes) so you don't have to 'be lonely where you're going' because the bond between us as people= Stronger than bonds between friends or family related by blood who haven't been though stuff we have.

[blue-unifox]

Second character, if you don't mind opining on one of my faves, Peppermint Vandelay? :3

Ohoho a new fandom 👀

First impression

I did like her, but also was worried they'd make her to be like... this nagging smart girl type, you know, the one that was popular a lot back in the day? Or, I guess just don't give her a personality besides being smart tm and also rude to everyone

Impression now

Glad it didn't turn out that way! Pep is very cool, I like her a lot! Also 👏more👏people👏should👏appreciate👏her! Turned out she's more of a spunky smart girl type that also has issues tm hehe

Favorite moment

Thinks... probably the moment where the gang learns that Kale is her brother. LIKE SHE'S SO WORRIED THEY WILL KICK HER OUT?? Who hurt you girl, ALSO CHAI IS SO NICE TO HER, like he knew this is the time to tone down the clowning a bit and actually be supportive, they're a great team 🥹

And this is like, the moment that gives her a lot more depth, so ofc it's good

Idea for a story

No ideas really... Tho I do enjoy reading what other people have to write about her 👀 not biased towards Tobu's writing in the slightest cough cough

Unpopular opinion

Uhhhh well... hope it won't get me in trouble, but I wasn't a fan of how her crush on Korsica was implemented, like you could've done so much more with their relationship if you've decided to commit to it c'mon ;/ It feels very underdone at best and one-sided at worst, so idk... not the best rep either

Favorite relationship

I mean her and Chai is an obvious choice, they have so many good interactions, and also that scene above 👆 Evidently they care about each other a lot, and it's cool to see! It easily could've devolved into something else (like she'd be all very tsundere and the like... it's not the worst trope but so overdone these days), so all the more kudos to the writers

Favorite headcanon

Uhmmmmmmmmmmmm.... I don't really have many headcanons about her, though I like your idea that she was in a band in her teens 👀

[myuphrid]

A Needlessly Long Essay About Fallout 3: The Pitt

I just finished playing through The Pitt, Fallout 3's second DLC, for my YouTube gameplay channel, and I have thoughts I'd like to talk about for a few paragraphs. I doubt I'll be contributing much insight to the discussion, but it's my blog and I can post whatever I like. So there.

Anyhoo, the plot of the DLC: the Lone Wanderer, protagonist of FO3, meets a shifty, shady guy named Wernher who tells them about a city of slaves living under the oppression of a warlord named Ashur and his gang of raiders. This city, the remains of Pittsburgh (hence the name), is not only the site of perhaps the only working steel mill left in the Wasteland, which the slaves are forced to keep running, but is also a breeding ground for a degenerative mutational plague that turns many of its victims into feral monsters called Trogs. But there's good news on that front: Ashur has recently discovered a potential cure for the disease, and some of the slaves have formulated a plan: steal this cure from under Ashur's nose and free the slaves. So that's where the player comes in: you disguise yourself as a slave to smuggle yourself into the Pitt, do a fetch quest, then indulge in a spot of gladiatorial combat to prove yourself worthy of an audience with Ashur. But when you do meet him, a few things become clear: 1: Ashur isn't just some moustache-twirling slavelord arsehole, but an intelligent man with grand visions of rebuilding the city as a bastion of civilisation and industry, 2: Wernher had previously attempted a coup against Ashur and failed, implying that his allegiance with the slaves is nothing more than an attempt to get back at Ashur, and 3: The "cure" is in fact Ashur's baby daughter Marie, born with a unique immunity to mutation that, properly researched, could lead to the hoped-for cure.

So here's where the plot's Big Moral Choice(TM) comes in: do you follow Wernher's plan to abduct a child and kill her parents in order to liberate the slaves, or do you accept Ashur's offer to kill Wernher instead and leave both Marie and the slaves where they are? If you're anything like me, you're probably raising an eyebrow at this "moral quandary". Given the choice between freeing slaves and not freeing slaves, I would hope the right choice would be obvious. This is, I suspect, why Bethesda threw in the whole "abduct a child" part. After all, you can't really have a shades-of-grey morality decision when the choices are as black and white as a zebra crossing. And yes, orphaning a child is bad, don't get me wrong. But there's nothing in the game to indicate that Marie will be treated any worse by the freed slaves than she will by her mother, and also… well, slavery. The needs of the many 'n' all that. About the only thing I can conceive of that might cast the "side with Ashur" option in a more positive option is the character of Ashur himself. As mentioned above, he's not the typical violent thug that most raiders in Fallout tend to be. He's an ex-Brotherhood of Steel Paladin who was left for dead when the BoS stormed through the Pitt a few decades earlier, slaughtering mutants and recovering technological goodies as they are wont to do. When he awoke and got his bearings, he recognised the potential of an operational steel mill and set to work building up his army of raiders and slavers so he could make use of it. When you talk to him, he expresses regret for all this, but believes it necessary for the sake of the greater good. He also insists on referring to the slaves as "workers" and claims that they can eventually earn their freedom.

However, the observable facts of Ashur's regime don't really match his noble ethos. None of his raider underlings seem to regard the slaves with any degree of sympathy, even the ones who are themselves former slaves, and only treat the player with any real respect once they prove themselves a useful worker or a capable fighter. All of them seem perfectly happy lording it over the slaves from their restored apartments and catwalks suspended over the filth and squalor the slaves live in. Ashur claims that he maintains discipline over his troops to keep them from abusing the slaves, but if this is the case, then it doesn't seem to be working: no-one other than him ever mentions it and the raiders still treat the slaves like dirt.. Ashur himself seems to have no actual engagement with things other than handing out orders and standing on a balcony to deliver grand speeches from time to time. He refers to himself once or twice as "Lord of the Pitt" without a hint of irony, and all in all seems perfectly content to lean into his image as a god-king.

As for the raiders themselves… well, there's not much to say. They seem to be the same violent thugs that they are in the main game, differentiated only by the fact that they're under orders not to shoot you. None of them express any doubt or regret over their literally elevated position, and don't even make the effort to draw the veil of euphemism over the whole business as Ashur does with his insistence on the term "workers". Even the fact that a handful of them were once slaves themselves doesn't seem to elicit any sympathy or solidarity from them. Having earned their freedom, they seem quite content to kick back and enjoy their new role, and everyone they left behind is just shit outta luck.

The "earned the freedom" part also deserves elaboration here, I think. Ashur touts this repeatedly in his dialogue, making quite a big deal about how "workers" can one day prove themselves worthy of a better life. Judging by the events of the DLC, the only way a slave can earn their freedom is by fighting for it in gladiatorial combat: shoved into a smallish pit with whatever weapons they happen to have on them with a handful of other hopefuls and several barrels of radioactive gunk to fight to the death. The winner gets a shot of anti-radiation drugs and a chance to fight a couple more rounds against nastier opponents, and the losers probably just get dumped in the river. In the end though, one thing is clear: a slave can only become free by proving themselves to be an effective killer. This is, by all indications, the only way a slave can become free, and suggests a distinct hierarchy at play in Ashur's realm: you're either a slave, a raider, a target, or dead.

But enough about the raiders, eh? What's there to say to say about the slaves? Well, they're unpaid labourers forced to work by their oppressive masters, and needless to say they're not exactly happy about it. They have slightly more dimension than the raiders, with the addition of characters such as a snitch who benefits from tattling on other slaves' resistance efforts and one slave who has accepted their lot in life thanks to an old philosophy book he found and had read to him, but other than the major players in the story the slaves aren't much more developed than the raiders. They're forced to work, live in abject squalor, and don't want to do either anymore.

Wernher himself is the main driving force behind the slave revolt, but from the start it's shown that he's not exactly invested in the cause of freedom. Part one of his plan involves getting you a slave disguise so you'll blend in, so he directs you to a nearby slaver camp to find one. If you bring up the possibility of freeing the slaves while you're at it, Wernher's response is an impatient "Whatever!" and an insistence that you keep your objective in mind. It eventually becomes apparent that Wernher only became a slave after trying to overthrow Ashur and usurp his rule, and the plan to kidnap Ashur's daughter and thus liberate the slaves was his idea from the start. He regards this more questionable act without remorse; in his own words: "If you aren't getting your hands dirty, you aren't making a difference". But by all indications that I can see, the primary difference that he wants to make is for Ashur to be brought down, and freeing his slaves is ultimately just a means to that end. So that's the moral battlefield as the story presents it: do you side with an intelligent visionary who uses brutal methods in the pursuit of order, or a shifty, under-handed mercenary who foments revolution for the sake of revenge?

Once you complete the mission, nothing much changes either way. Even if you take down Ashur and his raiders, the slaves keep slaving away. If they have any long-term plans other than just carrying as before without having an army of raiders breathing down their necks, there's no real indication of them. If you don't declare yourself the new Lord of the Pitt when talking to him, then Wernher implies that he's planning to take charge of things, but there's nothing to suggest what his reign might be like. In the end, what happens next seems to be up to player interpretation.

In my mind though, despite Bethesda's attempts to paint the morality of the situation in shades of grey, it's a straightforward black-and-white choice. Ashur may be perfectly polite and civil in conversation and he talks a big game about what he's trying to accomplish, but th fact of the matter is that he's built an oppressive slave city with his law enforced by brutal thugs. He and his cronies live in relative luxury in partly restored towers with all the booze, drugs, and scavenged food they can eat, while the people doing most of the actual work live in filthy conditions, subsisting on food that the game literally calls "slop", with no access to medicine or any kind of comfort, and the only ways out for them are either to kill, to die, or to succumb to the plague and mutate into a trog. He can talk all he likes about "earning freedom" and building a new city, but there's none of that vision or nobility in the world he has actually built.

As for Wernher, he's a self-serving weasel who will gladly resort to questionable actions to get what he wants, but he does lead the slaves to freedom. Doing the right things for the wrong reasons is, in my view, a damn sight better than doing the wrong things for the right reason. And even if he intends to become just as much an autocrat as Ashur, will he even be able to manage it? By the end of the story he's surrounded by a city of former slaves who have just cast off the shackles of one man's oppression… what would make Wernher's shackles any less cast-off-able? Without Ashur's army at his back, any powerplay by Wernher, should he choose to make any, could be stopped with one judiciously applied Auto-Axe.

Anyway, that's what I think of Fallout 3's second DLC. I guess this 14-year-old bit of Bethesda's lacklustre writing just got up my nose a bit. Thanks for reading!

[theancientdarkbeauty]

Payday 3 theory for New Character Designs

This is hella long, so the rest of it is under the cut, but if you want to see why that "Collar" is on Wolf and Dallas, from a lore and character design perspective, please click the "Read More"

Alright, you clicked, so you wanna know, what do I think the metal collars on Wolf and Dallas's necks are. For Wolf, you might think he was committing to the Dog Bit TM, but then you see an identical one on Dallas's neck, and he has no associations with canines of any sort in all of his years of being The Face of the Payday Gang (except for, of course, liking dogs on a casual level, he was on a team with John Wick after all, which could be counterargumented (Not a real word I know) by "but Jacket was on that team as well, and in his games, he is known for killing a good score of Doberman Pinschers" which is a bit of a theory for a different time) So the next thing you can assume, as you dirty minded Tumblr users, and as I've seen some other people say, is that they're just kinky bitches, to which I say BEGONE THOT! But in all seriousness I don't think Starbreeze would intentionally add something so noticeable to two of their most beloved characters and their only reason being "The tumblr and 34 community can logically go ApeShit now) Oh no no no my friends, if I can entertain your eyes for perhaps a paragraph longer, I'll tell you why that kinky shit in that google doc for Payday 3 with WolfHox using that collar thing would quickly devolve into more of a bloody angst story, logically.

You see, in short, these collars are helping them breath. Weird, right? But let me explain! Because, when you think about it anatomically, it will actually make a lot of sense. Lets take a look at our heisters in question real quick:

Wolf and Dallas respectively. Now, do you notice anything? (Besides, Dallas being bugged, this game works as intended) The collar is on the same place on both of their necks, right in their jugulars (yes you have 2, one for each side) Right on the Interior Jugulars/ Internal carotid arteries, though, considering the circumstances, probably the carotid arteries. This is common place knowledge, but for those who don't know, Wolf is very close to Hoxton, shown in game through various nicknames they give each other, and Dallas is the oldest of the OG four, being 44 at the time of Payday 2 (since I don't know the exact gap in time from 2 to 3, but if it is 10 years, like rumored, that means he is 54 as of "today") For reference, the other oldest character, Chains, was 37 at the time of Payday 2, Wolf 34, and Hoxton being a fucking child at 32. So, Dallas is an old man, and he's been smoking since... well the first game (that is 100% confirmed.) so his lungs are fucking WRECKED. But, why is this related? If Dallas's lungs are heavily damaged, running, vaulting, sneaking around, and doing normal heistery stuff, his lungs wouldn't be able to keep up with the oxygen needed to run his brain/other body functions. So, Dallas's lungs are wrecked, yeah, duh, but why would Wolf, the second youngest little man, need this "collar"? Also simple, he's a heartsick bastard.

Wolf lost his best friend, Hoxton, for 2 whole years, do you really think that this man, who basically lost everything, his company, his wife, his kids, his sanity, and now his best friend, wouldn't take to some pretty destructive habits? 2 years of chain-smoking and drinking and doing whatever he could to get his mind off it (be it committing violences or building machines) wouldn't take a toll on him? His lungs would be 100% destroyed, even after only 2 years, because, if I had to take a guess, he started those bad habits when he initially lost his job and went on a rampage. That man has probably been smoking for at least 2 years casually (with periods of mental breakdown chain-smoking) and then 2 more years of hard chain-smoking, non stop, destroying his body. Though, statistically, it takes 15-20 years to fuck up your lungs as bad as maybe Dallas's would be, so whatever Wolf was doing to get himself on that collar device thing must have been pretty hard core.

BUT I'M GETTING OFF TRACK!!! You clicked read more because you wanted to know what I thought the collars did! My thoughts? They artificially pump oxygen into our beloved heisters blood streams, to give them the stamina and brain function they used to have, but still probably being cheaper than a lung transplant. (A quick google search will show you that, for both your lungs transplanted, it would be $1,295,900 in America. Crazy shit, especially for 2 people. Also, if the lungs and heart were damaged, the collar things would be basically a necessity if the guys wanna run around as much as they do in game (don't ask me why you can sprint for like a minute in a half straight in a light ballistics vest when they are all old men, I couldn't tell you). Why doesn't Hoxton have one? Probably because he's a stubborn bastard. Why doesn't Chains have one? He's just built different. The fact that these things are adding extra oxygen to people's blood would mean that the collars are imbedded in their necks, which means if some pulls on them, major ouchies (plus theirs a lot of nerves there and it's really just a whole mess of a time)

THERE YOU GO! This took me 4 days to write, off and on, so for the love of god I hope I got everything right. My area of expertise is reptiles, not humans, but story writing and character development were my first things studied. But this is all head cannons, nothing concrete yet! Anyways, thank you for sticking with the ramblings of a mad lad, and have a wonderful day/night!

[justatalkingface]

You seem to have a really good grasp of Bakugo's character, and his character flaws in the story. Although it's more of a theory than a criticism, I was wondering if I could run something by you, a thought I had that would make Bakugo's character make a little more sense.

What if all of the inconsistency in bakugo is intentional? Like what if the truth of Bakugo's goals and arc, and his decisions was all to get one thing? One For All

Because Bakugo knows OFA can be given, he partially knew because izuku told him, then (for some reason!) All might told him everything else confirming that. Though the second bnha movie is only kind of canonical, I always found it weird how bakugo didn't remember anything about getting OFA, and judging by the dialogue had no intention of even attempting to give it back to izuku.

Bakugo seems to learn these valuable lessons and then goes back to doing the exact same thing, like you said in your post, which makes it not feel genuine. So like, what if it isn't genuine? And he was only acting like he needed to so he could get things the way he wanted them to be?

Bakugo isn't stupid, he's actually very perspective, not overly intelligent but it seems like he's always been pretty good at strategy. So at least to me it doesn't seem like it'd be that big of a stretch to think that bakugo would be smart enough to tell people what they want to hear when it matters, with the kid at the gang orca test, then to all might and midoriya.

And while it might seem his 'sacrifice' for izuku might debunk this theory, it's also true that bakugo has always been willing to sacrifice his body to win, like he himself said in the fight with izuku against all might. What if that sacrifice wasn't for izuku in the first place, but One For All?

I can't account for how all the other characters constantly cover for/praise him but the hero's side has never been good at not doing that, when it's someone that the heroes need, endeavor is proof of that. Maybe that's intentional too?

I'd really like to know what you think about this theory, if you think it's just too crazy or if it might have some merit. Thanks!

...You know, I kind of hate that I can't dismiss this instantly. Like, part of me started nodding before I even finished reading.

Let's separate 'What Hori Is Showing Us' Bakugou from 'what the hell a realistic person could be like' Bakugou for the purposes of this, because barring some truly unexpected, mind screwing levels of a turns table move, I honestly doubt that Hori is going to make the fan favorite, *gasp*, look bad, but that actually... makes a lot of sense?

...If we ignore how literally everyone else falls over themselves to praise him, like you said.

So, on the face of it, the obvious problem is that Bakugou's sin is Pride as much as Wraith, and he's canonly so damn stubborn he's willing to accept an obvious loss just so he doesn't look bad... ignoring that losing because you're too proud makes you look bad, but whatever, Bakugou logic. So not only would he be too proud to 'demean' himself to even get the Quirk, he's also too proud to even want that outside assistance of someone else's Quirk, because, Ra Ra, Bakugou is the best, he'll do everything himself, what the fuck ever.

The thing is, with that very incident, and with others, Bakugou did learn things, he did get it forced through his thick skull that he's not the top dog (granted, he now thinks he's second, and deep down part of him might even admit he's third or fourth, depending on the status of AFO and/or Shigaraki, but, again, Bakugou Logic(TM)). Moreover, it's been pounded into his head that Deku, the helpless, worthless nerd who could never be his equal, never even hope to reach the bottom of his shoes, has gone zero to hero just with the power of this Quirk, and through that alone he's close to equalling him, if not surpassing him, something he'd only admit in the darkest corner of his heart (again, we're ignoring: all the work Izuku has done on and off screen to improve himself, his actual fucking name, and that later on Izuku's power levels just... go fucking nuts, because this is from Bakugou's limited, prejudiced perspective, and this would have to happened before the power ups started, back when Izuku with a Quirk for less than a year was just rivaling Bakugou, who had his most his life).

Beyond that, there's also the fact that he's been an enormous All Might fanboy right until he started talking to him about OFA (and presumably learning he's a Mere Mortal, not worth Bakugou's precious time/respect, and also I'm still convinced Hori hates All Might's guts and so loves to make him seem pathetic at every possible opportunity), and as one fic put it, getting All Might's Quirk, even more than its absurd raw power, is in fact the ultimate piece of All Might merch. Even if it wasn't something he could tell the public (and we all know he'd tell the public at some point), the sheer status of having One For All, All Might's Quirk, has to be heady for someone in MHA's society, where All Might is the closest thing to a living god.

So, even in the face of his overwhelming pride, this, for the power and/or the prestige of it, is something I could see him lower himself to act humbled for, for a time. And that's the only major objection, from a character perspective, I could see to this kind of theory.

In the actual execution of it there are, of course, problems, as you've pointed out, but let's put that aside for the moment to think about how it'd go:

Bakugou, at this point in time, would have been getting more and more uneasy that a stupid 'Deku' is actually being real competition, and fast growing one at that. He also probably noticed that All Might was spending extra time with Izuku, which would piss him off... and then Kamino happened.

In the midst of all that emotional turmoil he realizes that Izuku was chosen over him, and, through that, the implication that that Quirk can be given. And it bugs him, that someone this unworthy can have something so great, so beyond him, when there are others more deserving.

And maybe that's not the exact time he comes up with this plan, but the seed of it is born from his discontent and that knowledge, and at some point between then and the exam, the first major time since then he has a big heroic moment, or even as he takes the make up, he comes up with an idea, as audacious as it is 'brilliant': what if he makes Izuku give him the Quirk?

Because Bakugou is smart (high Int, anyways, even if Wis is clearly his dump stat), and he's got to be aware that Izuku is only a few steps above suicidal, between his non-existent self worth and how he treats his body. As is, one day he'll get himself killed, or crippled to a point where heroic work is no longer feasible. And if that happens?

One For All would have to go to someone else, or else it would die with him, and Izuku would never let that happen, never let that heroic legacy die with him, let down his beloved mentor, as long as there was another option. And who better than his childhood friend?

Of course, even if he's truly refusing to admit fault, he's aware that All Might chose Izuku over him (indirectly, since All Might barely knew he existed before UA, and there's no reason for him to be considered as a candidate, but Bakugou Logic(TM)), for some reason. He also knows that driving Izuku away means he's less likely to be there when Izuku inevitably falls in battle, and that probably he's going to have be around Izuku more, and that he'll probably be a better candidate, when that time comes, if he behaves like Izuku, the kid who got All Might's Quirk.... for some reason.

Because, yeah, even if, intellectually, he gets that Izuku has traits All Might sees as desirable, as heroic, if he actually got it, understood it on a deeper, more emotional level that this is what it means to be a hero, he'd change his behavior in real ways, not performative ones. This theory revolves around, among other things, Bakugou understanding heroism at a similar level to AFO, who can predict it, generally, understands that 'this is what a hero would do in that situation', but doesn't understand why they would do that, and instead thinks they're all morons who refuse to work for their own best interests.

It says a lot that I don't think it's a big reach that Bakugou's moral understanding of heroism isn't that far from AFO's.

And so he starts to act.... and that's the point where the plan falls apart.

Because Bakugou maybe be smart (or 'smart'), but for all his many, many flaws, he's generally brutally honest about what he's feeling, and so I don't think he'd be good at deception. Sure, he gets the dramatic moments where he's like, 'Yeah, I'm being so heroic saving Deku!' or something, but he can't contain his constant, festering disdain for everyone around him, Izuku especially.

And that leads to the flaws of this theory: first, like you're aware of, that people should notice this, how he's acting, his utterly transparent contempt, even though they never, ever do, and thus ruin everything for him. The second is I honestly don't think he's patient enough to not blow it, to not just angrily shout, 'Damn it, Deku, give me All Might's Quirk already!' at some point when he inevitably loses his shit over someone breathing in his general vicinity or something.

So, do I think this is going to be canon? Never. Like I said, this would make Bakugou look absolutely awful, and we all know Hori will never allow that.

At the same time, though, I think this theory (which I'm calling 'One For Bakugou' in my mind, because it sounds entirely selfish and thus fits this perfectly) is the best, and only, explanation I've ever heard (beyond being tsundere), to explain how he acts in the later half of the story.

[somewhere-in-a-microwave]

It's STEREOTYPICAL SHOUNEN ANIME STARTERPACK LORE TIME!!!

[WARNING: Nyan Neko Sugar Girls art style reference - side effects are *Kawaii-Desu*, accidental nostalgia and most importantly... LAFFS]

Yogurt (yes I am forever calling you that) - boyfailure.

Their dream job isn't becoming a substitute Demon Wizard Hokage but to become a fashion model.

It's unknown where they live.

Hair is actually dyed yellow, original colour is black.

Favourite food is caramel pudding (also known as flan).

Secretly depressed. Most of the times rather melancholic.

Parents are workaholics, Yogurt wants to become a (subsitute) Demon Wizard Hokage so that they wouldn't be tired.

"Edgelord" - Real name unknown

Sometimes works for the main villain cuz they broke.

Certified Minecraft pro(tm).

Usually works in the mines.

Injured their eye in a scam.

Usually is the one who makes jokes.

Thinks clips r cool (he's right).

Birthday on 25th December.

Berri/"Waifu"- No.1 Douyin influencer

Mafia boss.

Likes shopping

Least sane SASS Gang member (the SASS Gang is the name of "Yogurt's" team).

Could one-punch a person if they wanted to.

Likes dessert waffles.

Has a really weird blog but at least it's very cute.

Famous on Douyin

Citrus - [MISSING]

Once wore their shirt backwards.

Shortest character.

A hairstyle so ridiculous it's plausibly recognisable worldwide.

Said they were meant to be in the 2018 Japan Olympics but couldn't arrive, this is actually a lie.

Everyone's worried about you. Your friends are worried about you.

LAST SEEN: 2022 4th March Saturday (5 seasons ago), some random ahh garden centre. They said she was in a coma but they were nowhere found in the hospital. We know for a fact she's alive. If you have any information, please contact [BERRI'S PHONE NUMBER].