#theres no way i can handle another one of these for at least a few weeks

[redyarns]

snippet (undertow, ch. 6)

IM TIRED OF THIS GRANDPA

[autistic-katara]

ok i might get blocked by a couple ppl for saying this but the Jackson’s Diary fandom is seriously making me wanna become a proshipper out of spite (read the post before blocking me or whatever please)

like idk if u guys have checked the fandom tag on ao3 recently but theres been a bit of drama surrounding the fact that someone posted a smut-fic of Exer (an 18yo) and David (an almost 18yo, who was aged up A FEW MONTHS for the fic) and they were harassed into taking it down and making a fucking apology post ON AO3, THE PROBLEMATIC FANWORKS WEBSITE.

and this fic was tagged 100% correctly like it was very explicitly tagged as smut n stuff yet there were still a bunch of comments being like “uhm what did i just read 🤨” and when i made a comment defending the authors right to yk, not be harassed for making not even rlly problematic content someone who clearly would suffer withdrawal symptoms if they turned twitter off for too long started arguing with me abt how “erm ackhtually we should be allowed to comment harassment under ppls harmless and explicitly tagged fics cause theres no smut in this fandom and it shocked us” and u could just rlly tell they felt they were more righteous than God in their opinions and yeah so cut to tonight when i’m scrolling through the tag and i see a post titled “i’m so sorry” in which the author made a post basically being like “i’m so sorry for posting that ik it was disgusting it has been permanently deleted” which in the comments a few ppl were telling them that what happened sucked n stuff (myself included // judging by their reply they only did this to stop the harassment which yk, completely fair) and i went back to scrolling since i wanted an actual fic not fandom drama but like 2 posts down there was another post titled “please stop” or smthn like that where someone else made a post basically being like “guyssss can we please not write smut of these characters this fandom is so wholesome i dont wanna ruin it 🥺 anyways sorry this isnt a fic this just needed to be said lol” and like dude, my guy, WHAT THE FUCK?!

this is AO3, this is a fanwork archive that as far as i know was created (at least partially) due to the fact that ppl kept getting their “problematic” works taken down from other sites and the creators wanted to yk archive all fanworks. this is NOT a social media site where u can make callout posts abt how what someone else posted disturbed ur pure wholesome chaste scrolling by daring to uploaded something with *gasp* consensual sex between 2 consenting adults?! (or canonically 1 consenting adult and 1 consenting gonna-be-an-adult-in-a-few-months-but-isnt-much-younger-than-the-first-guy but u get the idea)

like guys, ao3 is not twitter. it is not tiktok, it is not tumblr, its not youtube, its not even wattpad. it is not a social media platform, it is a fanwork archive, specifically one that lets u post whatever kinda content u want (yes, even smthn depicting 2 consenting adult/almost adult participates that are in no way related having sex, ik its crazy what they allow online these days).

and look honestly the callout post wouldn’tve annoyed me this much if it was posted on yk an actual social media. like if it was posted on twitter or tiktok or on youtube as a video essay or even on here, like sure if i saw it id be annoyed that this fandom cant handle the tiniest bit of non-puritanicalism and fuck, maybe if it was on here id even drag myself into a pointless days-long argument that causes me suicidal levels of stress but on archive of our fucking own itself?! for the millionth time, IT IS NOT A SOCIAL MEDIA! u dont make posts like that that u want the rest of the fandom to read or whatever on there because its not that kinda website!

anyways yeah i hope i explained the situation ok, u might be able to check it out urself if u feel like it and yeah idk this whole thing just kinda felt like a wake-up call for me like yes i find incest and pedophilia disgusting OBVIOUSLY and i dont like ppl romanticising it in fiction but idk i’ve seen ppl talk abt toxic antis before and show screenshots of conversations where theyve acted super shitty but idk seeing this all unfold in person and having to argue with these hardcore antis just- i dont wanna be associated with these ppl, if these are what alotta antis r like i dont want anyone to assume i agree with them like at all, whether its other antis, proshippers, or ppl like me who have a super complicated opinion on it. like they harassed a person into taking down their smut and made call-out posts on ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN abt how they dont want their wholesome pure fandom corrupted by gross dirty irredeemable sex. and just yeah hope no mutuals i seriously care abt unmoot or even block me over this since ik a few of u r antis but yeah srry for this i just kinda seriously hate this fandom right now :)

also incase anyone is typing out a “kill yourself pedo” reply/rb rn; i turn 15 on Friday, i am 2+ years younger than ur innocent bb minor boy David and his definitely not already a legal adult boyfriend Exer so yk

[sillyyuserr]

i am no hater or at least i don’t like to be, but do you (aoikane/aoiaoi shippers) actually know peace? Do i just happen to stumble upon the mean ones everytime or are ygs genuinely just so hateful? Please i don’t mean to be mean but like do you genuinely exist? No joke every time i have interacted with an aoikane/aoiaoi shipper they have been so mean and aggressive towards terukane or any other alternative ship including either aoi or akane. Not even just interactions but viewing you like in action and YOU interacting with OTHER aoikane/aoiaoi shipping people has made me like lose hope in the world. The main reason i come to hate ships is not because of the characters (sometimes) but mostly because of the people who ship them themselves. I mean for example I would die to see Nene and Hanako get together hell yeah but that’s mostly because theres no homophobia lingering around them?? Not only is there no queer subjects or matters involving either characters but the main crowd of tbhk fans just enjoy it above all else don’t get mad at anyone for shipping any one of them with anyone else because they know damn well its so clearly established and loved by everyone they don’t need to worry about it ever becoming something it’s not.

i would be so down to say like ‘oh thats so cute akane loves aoi’ if you didn’t harbor so much unwarranted anger towards us?? What happened to being respectful?? (And it might just be the homophobic ones i’m not sure.)

Like touching back on what i said about Hananene was that for example there is no queer subjects/matter involving either of them, however there is with aoikane (debatably). For example (again damn) there is arguable evidence suggesting another male character has romantic interest in him. Which of course does not make him HIMSELF queer, but it does involve him in such an agenda (?).

there is a difference between a good way to handle this, and a bad way to. For example, you are a good/unproblematic Aoikane supporter if you:

Acknowledge that either one character is associated with homosexuality and that one character is the sole supporter of the idea, and realize that homosexuality can infact coexist with your favorite ship

Acknowledge that aoiaoi has a few elements to it that make some uncomfortable, and allow others to respectfully disagree with you

You are a bad/problematic Aoikane supporter if you:

Deny the possible idea of either one character being associated with homosexuality and openly deny/act on aggression towards it

Deny aoiaoi’s initial or ‘current’(?) toxicity

And someone who will straight up deny that aoiaoi had something wrong with it in the first place is someone you do not wanna be. It is important to understand that aoiaoi is a semi problematic ship, and i’m not saying this ‘because I’m biased’ i’m saying this because (i think) it’s true. At the beginning and even some aspects of now, aoiaoi was a very unhealthy + toxic relationship/ship, hence why a lot of people hated it, and it’s okay to say things like ‘omg i love how aoiaoi’s coming back yess!!’ But to say things that make it sound like aoiaoi was perfect all along and people who disliked it were ignorant or ‘straightphobic’ is just stupid.

Please just be nice guys cmon😭 i have never in my life seen aoiaoi/aoikane shippers JUST TALK about said ship always finding way to bond ab their hatred for terukane (subconscious homophobia or purposeful, we’ll never know)

anyway guys stay positive!!!! xxxx

[captain-sharkie]

Alright everyone, it's time, hope you guys enjoy a little introduction to this AU! if theres any questions the ask box is open!

Reblogs are appreciated <3

Story under the cut!

Chapter One

Warnings, Blood mentions,

Word count : 1321

A whirring noise hummed through the trees at the lamb rushed past, running through Silk Cradle from a large spider, clutching their arm as they heaved, their legs aching as they ran

Normally the lamb could easily vanquish such a foe, but now? Absolutely not

the spider sprayed acid around the ground in front of the smaller lamb, stopping them in their tracks as the creature cornered them, others following suit

The lamb took a deep breath, closing their eyes as leaves rustled, the wind howling through the area as footsteps approached,

louder, and louder they got before screams rang out amongst the arachnids,

the lamb slowly opened their eyes, wincing before letting out a sigh,

“You always show up at the perfect time…” The lamb sighed, a chuckle rumbling ahead of them, as an ax wielding goat stood before them, wearing a light blue poncho in contrast to the lamb’s red one,

“At least yaint dead Lambert.” The voice spoke, a slight accent to it with a smile.

“What can I say? Wouldn't be the first time.” Lambert hummed, wiping the dirt and blood off,

The two were silent for a few moments before giggles rang out of their mouths,

“What’re you even doing out here?” The goat hummed, the ax slowly fading back into a small crown on top of their head,

“Gathering silk, we’re all out back at the cult.” Lambert spoke bluntly, summoning a large back, “I was just on my way back home actually… before all that.” Lambert huffed,

“Mind if I come along?” The goat asked, the small teal eye of the crown atop his head stared down at the lamb

“Uh… sure!” Lambert shrugged, holding out their right hand,

The two of them closed their eyes as Lambert chanted softly, the dead, gray grass around the duo lit a flame in a white light, consuming the two of them before it burned away, leaving a black ring in the ground beneath where they once stood.

Now stone laid beneath them, a pentagram drawn in dried blood beneath their feet as lush green grass ran through the area

The goat took in the sights, as Lambert took a breath, “Feels good to be home.” dragging the goat forward as worships greeted their leader,

“Oh by the way… goat?” Lambert hummed, The goat just tilted his head, “What's up?”

“Actually… What do I call you? you never told me your name exactly.”

“You never asked.” The goat sighed

“Oh, well…”

“She normally calls me Kidd, if that helps at all.”

“Who?” Lambert raised a brow,

Kidd just groaned, pointing at the crown upon his head as Lambert just scratched their head, mumbling an apology,

“Uh… Leader?” a small dog follower walked up to the two,

“Yeah? What's wrong Thorm?” Lambert asked, concerned.

“Leshy threw poop at Hans while you were gone.”

“Again? Seriously?!” Lambert groaned, Kidd just put a hand over his mouth, holding back a laugh as best as he could.

“Go ahead and wait for me in the temple. I gotta go put Leshy in jail… again.” Lambert groaned, running off

“Oooh-kay.” Kidd hummed, walking towards the temple, watching the grass beneath his feet move as he walked, the sun beamed down, bright and shining amongst the land.

The door to the temple swung open before Kidd could grab the door’s handle, two small kids running out cackling like witches, one chasing another with a wooden stick, dressed as the Lamb.

“Well that sure says something about this place.” Kidd chuckled, walking into the temple and sitting down on the ledge by the podium.

“Hmph… you would think his chosen vessel would be… better at this whole cult thing.” spoke as the crown flew off of Kidd’s head, judging the temple they stood him,

“Madame, give them a break.” Kidd sighed, watching the crown closely inspect the place, “Lambert is new at this whole cult thing.”

The crown huffed, “Suppose so.” floating back, resting in Kidd’s hands,

“Still, glad to know I’m better than him at raising a leader.” The crown chuckled,

“Madame, what happened to being nice? I thought you were kind to mortals and gods alike?” Kidd teased, chuckling as the crown scoffed,

“Child, if you ever catch me being kind to anyone from The Land of The Old Faith, Behead me.” The crown’s eye closed, the ethereal voice from it huffing,

“Who are you talking to?” a scratchy, deep voice spoke from a dark corner, The crown was quick to shut up as Kidd let out a soft bleat,

A figure in white and red robes stood, face veiled with a dark silky fabric,

“No one of importance to you, Death.” Kidd huffed, placing the crown on their head once more,

“Oh, but I believe it is.” Narinder spoke, crouching down as he stood next to Kidd, “Who is brave enough to bad mouth me, as well as Lambert?”

“Curiosity killed the cat y’know.” Kidd spoke, grinning as they looked at Narinder.

Kidd rolled his eyes as the door to the temple swung open, Lambert groaned, walking in, itching their head,

“Oh, Good to finally see you two getting along!” Lambert smiled, as Narinder stood,

“Guess you could say such, Lamb.” Narinder walked off, leaving the temple.

The Lamb sat in the middle of the floor, tossing the bag of silk on the floor, as well as four needles,

“Why are there so many?” Kidd pointed at the knitting needles on the floor,

“Thought you’d wanna help!” Lambert smiled as Kidd shuffled onto the floor, sitting across from Lambert, picking up two needles.

The two of them sat on the creaky wooden floor, turning silk to fabric, and fabric to carefully woven shirts and robes.

“Sooo…. Kidd, why did you wanna come back here with me?” Lambert hummed, raising a curious brow,

“Well…” Kidd sighed, setting the needles down, taking off his crown and gently placing a few shirts on top of it.

“I… I need to speak with you, Narinder and the Bishops.” Kidd sighed,

“Oh! I could go get them-” Lamb quickly got up as their hand was grabbed by Kidd,

“Later, now is not the best of times.” Kidd spoke, motioning to the crown next to them shaking around under the shirt.

“Oh?” Lambert furrowed their brows sitting back down, “I will be here all night.” Kidd huffed

“I do not want any prying eyes watching.” Kidd huffed, removing the shirt from on top of the crown as it flew back on his head.

“Oh! wait let me go check something.” Lambert hummed, standing up as they ran outside before Goat could ask what.

As the door closed an ethereal voice cracked from the crown once more,

“What was that?” spoke the crown,

“What?” Kidd asked, sewing a shirt together.

“What you did!” The voice cried, “Communication was put on pause and I wish to know why Kidd!”

“Oh bah! I only set the crown down briefly!” Kidd groaned, “Must of been interference again, I am rather far from home, aren't I?”

“...You are correct about that…” The voice mumbled, the crown’s teal eye squinting at the goat, circling around their head, yet Kidd held a carefree expression.

“...The eye of this crown makes you look so much larger than you are.”

“What-?”

“You are so small you could fit in my palms! yet you look grown in the eye of this crown.”

“Madame. I’m not a baby.”

“Yet you still are my little Kidd, are you not?”

Just then, the door to the temple swung open, Lamb stood in the light once more,

“Five!” They chuckled,

“What?”

“Five hours until my disciples and I have dinner, you wanna join us?” Lambert spoke,

The crown’s pupil went up and down in a nodding motion,

“Yeah, sure thing Lambert.” Kidd huffed,

“Good! I’ll make extra food then, for now…” Lambert spoke, sitting back down,

“Let’s finish these clothes.” Lambert smiled.

[beesmygod]

one of the playable characters in nightreign is apparently basically just sekiro (with deflect) but a girl, so which sekiro bosses should they put in nightreign? also the problem with infinity nikki is indeed that the dress-up is great but the actual gameplay is sadly pretty boring & slow

heres the problem(s) with sekiro: those bosses are designed specifically to counter the unique deflect mechanic/hookshot and should not be fought like soulsborne bosses. BELIEVE ME I TRIED my first time. i fought burning bull exactly the same way i fought the stupid watchdog of the old lords. if you don't have sekiro style deflect on all characters, then most characters are going to have a really bad time.

the other problem: sekiro is a single player game. these bosses were not designed for crowd control like games with summon mechanics in them. most could be easily overwhelmed unless given AOE attacks to force people to back off.

AND ANOTHER PROBLEM: we dont have enough info on nightreign yet to know if theres a "lightning reversal"-type mechanic on the sekiro inspo character. this was essential to sekiro fights and created some of the most white knuckle situations ive ever experienced in a videogame. if you can reflect, it changes some of these.

there are some you can MAYBE get away with. lets go over the list of bosses and think about it with me.

elden ring is full of gyobu clones so he's a natural shoe-in.

lady butterfly is too mechanically complex and tailored specifically to drive you to experiment with items/tools/learning to stomp. no dice.

genichiro would be... possible?? for the human sword wielders we can look at how they handed malenia's rapid-fire flury katana attacks, i guess, but i thought they were the worst part of her already difficult fight and fucking impossible to dodge or counter. you just have to hope to god she doesnt do them. so i would not be thrilled to deal with genichiro tbh. the second phase might actually fit better and comes with his aoe electric attacks to handle multiple players.

folding screen monkeys dont count. with 3 ppl it would be over stupid fast. split up, gang!!

guardian ape is very much like a souls boss and i think would fit fine. phase 2 i think would be really fun with soulsborne mechanics. turn the scream from fear build-up to deathblight and youve got a serious challenge that FORCES you to back-off.

the corrupted monk would be fun i think. just skip the phase 2 since its gimmicky anyway.

emma and old isshin: hard hard hard hard. but a better fit than genichiro? a few ashina style sword techniques show up as skills in elden ring, so theyre already kind of codified into the playstyle. in theory, they could be countered/dodged. but with no real crowd control measures, emma is kind of SOL against 3 people. isshin at least has fire

great shinobi owl: honestly, might be fun. a boss that uses a ton of annoying items is a unique and interesting gimmick and his stupid poison bombs are great for making people go away. hes like a really juiced up pvp battle. give him the spectral owl from his other fight too.

father owl: might as well talk about this one. i think its too specifically tailored to be challenging for sekiro only. i dont know about the rest of you but for me it was an incredibly sweaty exchange of deflections, stomps, and shinobi tool use where i couldn't get off his nuts for even one second. cant imagine it any other way.

divine dragon: really fun in sekiro but its a fight revolving around sekiro specific mechanics. doesnt work!

demon of hatred: sure, who cares. hes like a bloodborne boss already anyways. actually fuck it, hes probably in it.

isshin, sword saint: i would love to have this fight at my fingertips again. this fight might actually be too challenging. its one of the most adrenaline-pumping fights ive ever experienced in any video game. i dont know if he works with 3 people; when its just you and him, he is fucking relentless. maybe it would force people to draw aggro to save each other from isshin's wrath. mite be cool. its such a good fight.

mini-bosses of note:

chained-ogre: dont the trolls use some of this guys animations already? skip. boring imo.

juzou the drinkard: not that great. skip.

blazing bull: fallingstar beast is already in the game. skip.

ashina spears/ashina elite/lone shadows: unremarkable humanoids whose fights are only made interesting because you use the deflect mechanic. skip.

headless: please god no. no more.

long-arm centipedes: fun in sekiro, but seem like theyd be really easy to overwhelm with 3 people? even if you have 3 of them to fight 3 people, i think its too easy. skip.

mist noble: isnt the game hard enough already? PLEASE dont add this guy. actually wait jokes aside, that might be a really REALLY good gimmick for nightreign's shrinking map thing. find the mist noble while dodging his ghosts.

o'rin of the water: i love this fight so much but its very much designed around sekiro swordplay. and with 3 people....

shichimen warrior: yeah, why not. he can teleport out of getting ganked, uses projectiles and beams. i GUESS they could also change this one to deathblight build-up but i would strongly prefer not that. sekiro gives you an item you can use to negate the fear build-up entirely but elden ring doesnt have that. it would make the beam attack very impossible lol.

armored warrior: lol. no, hes too specific to everything about his appearance in sekiro. but he is very funny.

snake eyes: the solo one in the mountains is too easy for a group. i hate fighting the one in the swamp so much that i wont do it. i let the poison eat her because im not getting shot to pieces from 80 miles away by 40 women wielding sniper rifles while trying to avoid their boss' shot gun blasts by running into the poison kill water. but with 3 people.......

the end. thanks for reading

[pyrosomatic-metamorphosis]

Shape do you ever think about soulfire and layers and the cold. I do... I do...

I didnt before but i sure am now!!

I was talking to someone irl a few days ago and they mentioned a headcanon where soulfire didn't have any winter clothes when they spawned in, but. they did have a lot of corpses with old, stained clothes. can you imagine? stripping the corpse of yourself to add just a few more seconds between yourself and the next respawn? caught in another death loop at that godforsaken spawn, and grateful for the fact that at least it means you'll be warmer, just a little. Imagine them all wrapped up in parts of bad's cloak- theyre hunted for the ferocity of their guard dog, but even his failures keep them warm. and now bad wears his snowgear as a cosmetic, marking him as one of theirs just as much as they are his.

and the armour... ohh, their armour. layers for warmth and layers for protection are different- I think at a certain point they dont need the warm layers, not the way they used to. but there is something in them that still equates warmth with protection. theres something about them building all of their armour sets underneath a lake of lava. willing to enchant their sets in safety, while molten rock drips slowly onto them from the ceiling above. they dont need their armour to stay warm, because their home will keep them warm for them.

and then the agreement to use no enchantments. their protection, their warmth- thrown away so quickly, almost eagerly. after all, soulfire knows how to handle the cold- and maybe some of them even miss it

[the-s1lly-corner]

I love your work so much aaaaaAAAAA!!!

Ok so imma be straightforward, this is straight up me coping with irl stuff and reading your work makes me forget the cruel outside world so HERE WE GO!

Caine and Kinger x S/O who hides who they are out of fear of negative responses. Bottles it all up until they can't handle it anymore. Like, the reader is very much used to being the therapist/caretaker and is often very happy and doesn't hesitate to help others but silently they think rudely of others, holding their tounge constantly and even mutter under their breath about others being annoying. Ofc they don't want others to see who they truly are, in fear of rejection or their worst fear, isolation. They hate this part of themselves, like why do they have these horrible thoughts about others? It even borders on abstraction.

They can only feel comfortable around their partner and try their best not to vent too much but Caine/Kinger can sense something is wrong and even see their S/O glitching a bit and ask what's wrong and say its ok (in their own special ways!) and the reader just finally cracks, and in their glitching voice is sobbing on how much of a terrible person they are and how they deserve to be in this digital hell for being so horrible.

Im so normal about this. And just so it's not so hard to think of a title, I recommend "Caine and Kinger x reader who pretends!" you don't have to use it but it's there!

Unsavory thoughts (Caine and kinger x reader)!

UEAAA THIS GOT BURIED IM SO SO SO SORRY ANON!! I truly did not mean to take this long to get to your request :(

That said I'm so happy to hear that my silly writing has a positive impact on people.. please remember to drink water and get plenty of rest, remember that there are people that care about you

Hands you a glass of juice

I got silly with Caines piece

CAINE:

KINGER:

Between the two it takes him a little while longer to realize that something is wrong with you. I mean hes still trying to learn all these emotions that make people.. human

Absolutely panics when he sees you glitch out. I'm talking his eyes fly out of his jaws as they hang open panic. Rushes to you to see if you're okay... god forbid youre abstracting... maybe he can help ground you, or something?

Listens to you talk, for once the ringmaster is quiet. Rubs your back

You... have mean thoughts about people...?

Is it not okay to dislike people? Is it not reasonable to be irritable in a new environment? Is it not normal to have at least a few terrible thoughts about others? Are you any less worthy of support or love because you're not a ray of sunshine?

Is this not what being human is about?

Of course he wouldnt say it exactly like that, but he would carry the same message, I think. Is what you're experiencing not a natural part of the human experience?

Yes, you can argue that caine is an AI and he has no place to speak on matters like these, but as your partner he wont let you go without comfort and reassurance

He let's you talk and let it all out. I think going forward he makes it a point to make sure you get time alone, and time with him... makes IHAs more "non intrusive" so you can opt out if you dont want to interact with the others

Very accommodating, I think

Unlike caine he catches on really fast that theres something wrong, something even larger than you're letting on. But still, he let's you do your small but rare vents... until he returns to you after briefly taking some time away from you for one reason or another to find you having a melt down. He thinks you're abstracting, and you probably are. Honestly I can see kinger doing the grounding technique (the 5 sense thing) and he tries to guide you through it to help calm you down enough to pull yourself together just enough to stabilize. Listens to your word vomit as you spill your guts out to him. While I domt think he would be as.. profound as caine... he carries a comfort only sweet old people can possess. And it calms you down. It's not an immediate solution, but its comforting nonetheless. He let's you sleep in his arms. He goes on to stand between you and others to try to keep you from getting too irritated or overwhelmed by the others; however he will stand to the side if you ask him to

Very protective of you but even more so after this

[amoeganism]

TALKING TO MY GHOST AT NIGHT reo

theres a ghost in the blue lock facility, reo and bachira are sure of it. they also aren't the most reliable sources out there but it was funny, nagi can humor them for a little longer if it means reo will finally get a partner and set him free ( wc : 2.1k+ )

warnings : crack, angst if u blink slowly, reader is a slut for money and so am i, reo is into some weird shit but it's ok they're into each other i promise

“Yo! Yo! Sei-shi-ro!” Bachira called out, once again with glittering stars in his eyes as Reo’s face pales every passing second. “You will never guess what Reo and I found!”

“Nagi, there’s a ghost,” Bachira’s accomplice muttered. “We saw them when we went to eat dinner.”

“You guys are delusional,” the white-haired boy sweatdropped, were they getting enough sleep? Probably not. Ego was absolutely insane and for the first few days Nagi was in the Blue Lock facility, he swore he was losing his five senses ( he was better when he got his phone back but that’s not important ^ _ – ). “Are you guys sure it wasn’t a janitor or cook?”

“We swear!” The dumbass duo retaliated, each one taking hold of one of Nagi’s arms. “They looked like they were our age and they even had the same really ugly dark circles and eyebags as you! There’s no other explanation.”

Nagi was too tired for this shit he just wanted to lie in bed and play mobile games like an elementary school kid. “Well, leave me out of this you guys can get haunted for all I care.”

“What the fuck, Nagi?! Even after all we’ve been through? I’m like the second coming of Jesus to you! I introduced you to the art of playing with balls!” Maybe he could have worded that better but Reo was too deep in the blistering sorrow of betrayal to care about his relationship with the Japanese language.

“Yeah! Listen to Reo! You’re one of us and plus, you and the ghost look equally exhausted so that means you should be the one to talk to them!” Bachira innocently giggled as if he didn’t just set Nagi up for a demonic ritual or whatever the fuck they were planning.

“Can we at least wait until tomorrow?” Nagi whined, his eyelids felt heavy and there was too much stupidity in the room for his brain to handle in a day. His brain was swelling and any more that came out of Bachira or Reo’s mouth would cause it to explode and somehow, his batshit insane rivals teammates will find a way to bring him back to life ( maybe even with the ghost ) and beat the shit out of him for abandoning them ( Reo ).

—

It was getting late and most of the Egoists had gone to their rooms to do whatever was on their schedule next. The reasonable ones went to rest, the weird ones went to train, and then there was the demon named Rin Itoshi who went to follow his yoga routine. Ew, that name sent shivers down Nagi’s spine. He wants to see that guy trip and fall on his ass sometime, that’d be pretty funny, he thinks. It would be even better if his brother did the same. But for Nagi, instead of playing his first-person shooters like how he would like to, the boy was being shushed by Meguru Bachira who was accompanied by an oddly serious looking Reo Mikage.

“Ghost… ghost…” Reo began making different “oOOOoO” noises to mimic ghost sounds from a badly produced Halloween movie. “We come in peace. We don’t plan to hurt you.”

“Yeah! We’re totally cool, you should hang out with us! Look! We even have some random dude who’s like the same breed of human as you! Er… as you were.”

“Bachira I didn’t agree on being a human sacrifice,” Nagi tried saying, but was quickly cut off.

“Shhh! You’re gonna scare it away! No one cares~!”

“Are you mentally well?”

Bachira and Reo let out loud ear-shattering screams, each going straight into Nagi’s head and giving him the most painful migraine he’s ever experienced, so painful that he almost did not realize it was an unfamiliar voice talking to Bachira instead of one of their own. Looking up at whoever it was, it happened to be another teenager who looked relatively normal with no seemingly ghostly features at all.

“Aren’t you guys soccer players? What the fuck are you doing out here ghost hunting?”

“Wait so you aren’t a ghost?” Bachira tilted his head and asked, his eyes blank in confusion while Reo looked like he was short-circuiting.

“No…?” You replied, pinching your skin. “I’m like ninety-nine percent sure I’m alive and well. You guys are hallucinating or something if you think I’m a ghost.”

“T-then why are you here?!” Reo pointed at you and demanded, suddenly thinking you were some intruder or hitman that was hired by one of his family’s rival companies, out to kill him while he happens to be away from home.

“‘Cause I’m that freak Jinpachi’s cousin. I need volunteer hours to graduate so I came here and honestly, I regret it. Nepotism sucks—well, at least this kind. I should’ve been born as some major actor’s kid.”

“Woah! So you aren’t here to kill me, that’s great!” Reo beamed, suddenly very giddy that a cute intern the same age as him would not be an absolute danger to his well-being. It had been years since he felt this electricity in his chest, the last time being when he met Nagi, who had been stuck with him ever since that day on. The purple-haired boy was unsure of whether the pleasure he felt from meeting you was due to a new challenge, or the fact he was genuinely interested in you. After all, he thought you were a ghost the first time he saw you.

“What—huh?! Why would I kill you? What kind of unresolved trauma do you have? Was this Jinpachi’s fault? That man is fucked in the head but he has money so don’t tell anyone about it until he dies and I get all his inheritance, ‘kay?”

Nagi did not know if you morbid words went one of Reo’s ears and out the other or if Reo was weirdly into whatever fantasies you had. Rich people. Bachira, though, was giggling like a devious troll, making squelching kissy noises in Reo’s ear as you went on and on about your plan to save yourself from the world of middle-class living and kick your cousin out of the economic elites so that you could replace him, knowing damn well that Ego could hear you.

And, he did.

A large television screen mounted to the front wall of the Blue Lock Facility cafeteria turned on almost immediately after you stopped talking, displaying a far from happy Jinpachi Ego in all of his bowl-cut glory. The man’s permanent frown was even more of a frown than what Nagi thought was humanly possible, another ew in his book. Man, his coach was depressingly ugly.

Jinpachi Ego was a tired man whose tiredness plummeted into exhaustion every time he had to interact with his hellspawn of a cousin, you. “[name], cut it out and get to cleaning. You aren’t going to get any credits or paychecks if you continue standing there wasting all our time telling people your empty plans of ‘plotting my downfall’,” Ego spoke with his monotone voice, making faux quotes with his hands.

“Oh, shut up old man. You’re literally decaying compared to me. Get to bed, grandpa,” You restored, visibly pissed off but immediately switching your facial expression to a cheery one like a lightswitch as you bid goodbye to the three teenage boys before you and running off to “beat that bowl-cut’s ass”, as you put it.

“Dude, you look like you just met an angel and fell in love!” Bachira laughed in Reo’s face, doubling over and rolling on the floor.

“I think… that’s because I just did,” Reo mumbled, awe still on his face as he blankly stared at the television screen Ego was just on.

—

Once again, Nagi just wanted to go to bed but had his plans interrupted by a very desperate Reo Mikage.

“Come on! Nagi, you just don’t get it. They’re my soulmate, I’m sure of it!”

“Why can't you go alone? Why do you have to drag me into you trying to ask them out? Aren't I just gonna be in the way?”

“Nagi,” Reo whined, pathetically dragging out his name. “I need you there for moral support. I'll piss myself otherwise, you know that.”

“Yeah, and I’ll be sure to laugh at you too when they reject you.”

“I'm gonna punch you.”

“Whatever, just this once, you hear me?”

“Aye, aye, captain!” Reo saluted his closest friend, skipping to the cafeteria to find you. To be honest, he was unsure of whether or not you’d be there but considering the fact you’ve been cleaning the cafeteria at the same times for two days in a row, Reo thought he had a pretty good chance. But of course, luck wouldn't always be on the side of the rich and famous.

Nagi and Reo walked into the large, open room only to find the lights completely out, without a single sound echoing throughout the cold. An eerie feeling took over the previous excitement that Reo felt that evening, accompanying it with a chill down both of their spines.

“They aren't here, let's go back,” Nagi urged. He would never admit it to anyone's face, but the cafeteria was starting to give him the creeps. “Bring Bachira with you next time, he’d be over the moon to help you.”

“No! Wait! This place is creepy as fuck but we haven't even looked yet! Let me just turn on the lights—”

“See? You should be more like your friend here. Why are you in such a hurry to leave? I don't bite!” A voice popped out from right behind Nagi, causing him to physically jump into the air and trip over and onto his knees before violently whipping around, coming face to face with you manically cackling at his reaction. “Man, you're easy to scare!”

“Hi! You're er— [name], right? That's what Ego called you last night,” Reo greeted, “I'm Reo Mikage.”

“Yeah,” Nagi chimed in from on the floor. “He's Reo Mikage.” Reo really wished he followed through with punching Nagi in the face. “He's the heir of the Mikage Corp.”

“Mikage… Mikage… Mikage…” You muttered, trying to remember why that name sounded so oddly familiar to you. Is it the name of a restaurant you went to? No, he said ‘Corp’, that wouldn't make any sense.

“That means he's super rich by the way,” Nagi added one last time before ditching his awestruck friend in the otherwise empty cafeteria that he doubted anyone would go to anytime soon; it was almost nine in the evening.

“Oh my God, you're rich?” You gushed, suddenly very interested in what Reo had to say for himself—well, even more interested. It was like a dream for you; some really pretty dude coming in looking for you specifically, ignoring the part where he thought you were a ghost, of course. But having this same pretty boy turn out to be a super mega rich heir and also be super mega athletic? Jackpot. You won in life. It's God’s apology for making you be related to that bastard Jinpachi Ego. This is your main character moment and you will make sure that boy will be yours before any other trashy gold digger other than you picks him up and takes him away. “That's like, the hottest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“That's not the only thing you're after, right?” Reo cautiously asked. It slightly hurt knowing that you might not actually be interested in him, but only after his wallet instead. It wouldn't be the first time that's happened, but it would be the first time it's happened with someone he was genuinely interested in.

“No, no! Of course not! You're pretty funny and well uh, really cute so even if you were broke I’d shoot my shot.”

If you spoke any more, Reo thought that his cheeks would fucking burst from how hot they felt and he was more than sure his face was a burning crimson red. It was suddenly as hot as a midsummer's day with the sun shining right above his brushed, violet hair, causing his entire body to sweat. “Holy shit I could marry you right now.”

“Hell yeah, let's get married, Reo!” You exclaimed with the same ecstatic eagerness as the boy whose hands you were grabbing onto while jumping up and down.

“[name], get to cleaning. You are not getting married anytime soon.” Before you could start making up your vows on the spot, a shart voice cut through the moment with the click of a button as the television in the cafeteria turned on once again, displaying a displeased, disturbed, and beyond annoyed Jinpachi Ego who was most definitely not pissed off because he can't get himself a partner like how his cousin can.

[oraclemoontarot]

interesting is it possible to do marks view of being an idol so far? i do find it hard to believe that idols csn be humble and appreciative because people put idols on a pedestal and im guessing some of them do have big egos at times but in readings theres definitely a few that surprise me. so i wonder with mark being a foreigner how he felt having to adjust from being a normal canadian to being an idol thats known and how does he feel about not having too much privacy in general? hes defo one of the ones i like out of nct but im not fully crazy about that group for obvious reasons.

can I just say, this is probably one of the most interesting questions/reading requests I have received as of yet. Thank you so much for requesting this ! here's your reading

mark lee's view on being an idol so far ⭑.ᐟ tarot reading

cards pulled: king of wands, lovers, star, nine of cups, judgment, six of pentacles, ace of pentacles, three of cups, fool, seven of cups, sun

Mark definitely has a lot of love for his career, it's like his calling for him. There's a strong sense of destiny here, as though this was the path carved for him already - yet somehow partly a wish come true. The love here is quite strong that I can't quite put into words, there's this deep sense of gratitude; my heart feels full just thinking about it. The love here turns into passion that he expresses through his craft and the work he puts in, which doesn't always feel like work, more like indulging in his hobbies and interests.

There's a sense here that, the older he gets, the more of an appreciation he holds for it and, because of this gratitude and the love he received from fans etc., the best way for him to return it is by releasing music and putting in that effort. He seems quite big on giving and receiving and expressing gratitude, at least in both this and the previous reading I've done of Mark. He seems to hold a lot of appreciation for all of the small victories and achievements, all the small interactions, moments, and goals of his and his team. He feels that, through following down this path, many opportunities have been given to him or, at the very least, been made possible. Especially in terms of networking and friendships.

Mark seems to understand his place in the world, the industry, and within who he is as a person and idol. There's quite a lot of depth within him and, through being an idol, he seems to have come to a strong understanding of himself - in terms of self-discovery. He started to have quite a lot of confidence in who he is, who he wants to be, and what he wants to put out to the world. There's a lot of thought here and I find myself just typing a lot really quickly. It may have been that he struggled with his identity for quite some time and only recently came to discover who Mark really is.

Again, the fool card came out. Mark is never beating the 'represented by the fool' allegations 😭 In this case, he still feels there's a lot to discover within this career - could also be solely within music and his identity. And, paired with the seven of cups, he feels like there's so much he wants to do, so many concepts he wants to try, people to meet, music to make. I think he genuinely gets excited just thinking about it and he may have moments of inspiration at night where he starts writing lyrics or discussing ideas with members or staff etc.

Mark genuinely does only think of the positives, at least here within this reading. There are moments where he may be overwhelmed; feeling a lot of eyes on him. But, he seems to have mostly come to terms with it now, it doesn't seem to bother him as much as it used to. For him, he understands both the good and the bad within the industry, and the pros and the cons of being a celebrity himself. However, music seems to be a strong passion for him and he wouldn't have it any other way. Another reason as to why he can handle certain pressures is the support he has from his members - it seems like he has some pretty strong relationships here, at least two or more, who help relieve some of the heavy weight on his shoulders.

The overall energy here being the sun is such a lovely way to close the reading. He is incredibly happy about being an idol - there's a sense of warmth here, and it emphasises how much it feels like destiny played a role and he couldn't really imagine what else he would have been doing in life if not for this.

[meetthegofer]

🦀🦅💕😑💀 (esp interested in the last one considering game mechanics)

THANK YOU TORRANCE MY GOAT.. once again since this will be a little long its going under a readmore 🔥 thank you though this is a very fun selection

🦀- How did they handle realizing they were in love? Embarrassed? Nervous? Mad?

fossey was absolutely the more accepting of his feelings of the two in this regard; though they were definitely pretty nervous they tended to downplay it a lot, like "welllll... people get crushes on coworkers with all the time!! plus its not like anything's gonna come of it, so its fine for me to like him.. im sure ill get over it soon" <- that. generally just didnt register that they might have a chance At All and as a result didnt really catch themself reading too much into his words/actions because "well its not like he'd like me anyways! that would be wasting my time. i have a job to do, after all".

sniper on the other hand...

for him, the realization was like being hit in the face with a brick. not because he thought fossey was particularly undesirable in any way that would make him go "i cant believe i like THEM", but rather because he was still operating under the expectation of not really getting to know them or really form any relationship/attachment past just. general coworker amiability. it honestly made him panic a bit, because he wasnt sure if this would affect his performance in battle ["if i get hung up on something like that, itll be easier for me to get distracted and hurt more easily. or worse, ill underperform" <- that sorta thing] and again, he tries to consider himself as being somewhat divorced from feelings, at least on a professional level. of course, we know this to not be true [calls his parents regularly, shows genuine care to his teammates, etc etc] but well. hes stupid. <3.

🦅- How good are their friends at being wingmen? Do they even help at all or just sit back watching the pining with a bag of popcorn?

...you could not possibly have a worse ensemble of wingmen than the options laid out for these two. at the absolute least, fossey has the support of miss pauling, who reassures them about things when they feel down. however shes not really an active wingman? like she encourages fossey but doesnt ever actively try to vouch for fossey as a potential partner for sniper, mostly because fossey has asked her Not to [going back to the whole lack of perceived desirability they feel and all]. other than that, they havent really confided in their feelings to anyone else, mostly because they know theres literally no circumstance under which it would end without great humiliation.

sniper, on the other hand, tries to be discreet when asking for advice, but everyone kind of Knows who hes got his eyes set on. so when he tries to ask for help and is immediately met with a chorus of "ooooh so youre finally gonna ask out fossey?" hes like FUCK YOU and also how did you know [fake idgafer they saw you saying good morning!! when you dont do that for anyone else!!!!]. so i think he would get frustrated and then not ask for help again

that said i can definitely see a few of the mercs trying to take things into their own hands. scout makes stupid jokes to fossey about sniper ["yknow hes got a picture of ya in his camper, right?" "HE WANTS TO SHOOT ME?" "NO"], soldier probably tries giving him unsolicited advice that literally only worked because zhanna matches his freak so well, and medic breaks HIPAA in a strange way to try and bring them closer together. none of it ever works but theyre all quite content to watch the two of them very awkwardly dance around their feelings for one another and tease them about it [though mostly sniper. since fossey does a shockingly good job at hiding her side of things + they havent known her nearly as long]

💕- Who confessed first and how? Did it go as planned or did shenanigans ensue?

oh this ones fun. they both kinda confessed at different times, but the first one just... didnt work? going back to this question set, after fossey apologizes/confronts sniper about his avoidance, he Does confess his feelings, but does so in a more vague way that fossey absolutely Did Not Clock as romantic. unfortunately this ended with the most brutally unintentional friendzone known to man

its not as though All hope is lost, though. like i said, there were multiple "confessions", albeit fossey's was admittedly much more thought out in terms of like. the specifics.

see, they have a really bad habit of overworking [mostly because they lose track of time very easily, and their work is so repetitive its easy to get lost in the sauce. they arent a very intentional overachiever], and a lot of sleep problems. as such, it was bound to happen that they would one day fall asleep at their desk, having worked themself to exhaustion and not really noticing it until they'd woken up...

sniper notices fossey sleeping at their desk, hours after they were supposed to leave for the day [being a bit of an insomniac himself, he would sometimes just. walk around. everyone on the team is kind of a freak it makes sense to me. you know]. so he goes and wakes them up like "hey dude you were supposed to leave hours ago" and theyre like FUCK right ill be out of here in a second. however, before they can leave, sniper remembers that fossey usually Walks home. so he offers them a ride, because the idea of them walking home alone at like 2am greatly unsettles him. they agree, and since its only a 15/20 minute walk it ends up being a very short drive, spent in an admittedly comfortable silence between the two. maybe a longing glance or two is passed without the other noticing.

and just before fossey steps out of the van to go fuck off to their apartment building, without even thinking they lean over and give him a kiss on the cheek, then step out and wave goodbye like nothing happened. [its not until theyre actively closing the door to the apartment building behind them that they realize what theyve done. and by then theyre like FUCK]

sniper is obviously speechless, because just a couple months ago he got friendzoned and he was still wrestling with the fact that his feelings were only getting stronger with time. he just kind of sits there for a second before he realizes he probably looks crazy just sitting there in a van outside an apartment complex that is primarily home to like. old ladies. and on the drive back to his usual parking space for the camper hes just like Fuuuck work is gonna be so awkward tomorrow.

and the next day they do talk it out.. fossey stops by his camper and is like Heyyy so can we um 😅 talk about last night haha... and they give a verbal confession but end it with like "im not really expecting you to feel the same way but since you basically already know i figured id tell you..." and snipers just there like It is unbelievable how much i feel the same way. i imagine the conversation itself would be quite awkard/seemingly "anticlimactic" for the start of a relationship, sort of like [incoming maine moment] shimamitsu's first little stint as a couple in skip to loafer where they just very awkwardly are like "do you... wanna try going out?" after a rather embarrassingly sudden confession. but both of them are autistic and awkward so <3 love is love <3

😑- How easily do they get jealous and how do they handle it?

fossey is admittedly not very jealous at all LOL though this mostly comes from the fact that they dont place very high value in themself. so theyre like "? if he ever found someone else he'd just go for it man i dont think it'd be worthwhile to keep me around just to cheat". they also just arent really the possessive type, since they do actually trust him quite a bit in this regard and are very much of the "if you love something let it go" mindset. however in the context where i ship sniper with the other mercs theyre very chill with it. because fossey has the fujoshi spirit 👍

if they ever Would get jealous i think they would handle it well enough on their own, though. they tried exactly one [1] time to make a joke about sniper leaving for someone else and he was MORTIFIED so they were like Damn i probably shouldnt do that again that was a little mean.

sniper i think would probably be a little bit more jealous? it doesnt come up very much, but every once in a while someone gets just a liiittle too close or looks a liiittle too long and hes like ? You could back up a little bit!

he mostly keeps it to himself since fossey isn't and has never been the type to pursue or flirt with others even in a playful context, so when he Does get jealous its usually directed at the other party. i think early on he mightve gone to fossey about it first and when they got confused [because they didnt think the other person saw them that way + were absolutely NOT trying to go for them] he realized it didnt make much sense and didnt really bring it up like that again. not much reason to blame fossey for how others feel when they arent the one Inviting those feelings, yknow? at most he might be like "damn that guy would Not leave you alone" but even then it happens quite rarely, so its not something they really have to address more than like. once or twice a year. that said i Do think he might get a little more clingy without really noticing it... hugging a little more tightly or casually throwing an arm around their shoulders a little longer than usual.

💀- If the canon character is canonically dead, how did your OC handle their death? (Or did you completely omit their death cause fuck canon?)

this one is interesting, not just because of the game mechanics but also because of his canon [albeit temporary] comic death. when considering respawn compatibility + mechanics and the nature of the game, i think fossey is desensitized enough to how much violence occurs around these guys on a daily basis that the concept of sniper being hurt in this way doesnt really faze him any more than it does miss pauling or any other merc. like he knows he'll be back. its fine. though i do think in the back of his mind he sometimes worries that one day sniper might come back and not remember/not love/not care for him anymore, although this has yet to happen, and if scout's persistence with trying to court miss pauling is any proof, it likely never will.

his comic death, however, is a different story, primarily because it left him with some pretty permanent scars. fossey freaked out so fucking bad when they found out what happened [since they werent present for it] and they just like. almost couldnt really believe it? the desensitization to his death in the context of the gravel war + respawn machine and how it functions made them less cognizant of the idea that Hey he could still die for real one day. and that realization shook them pretty badly... if they were actually present for it i think they would genuinely be inconsolable for a while. but LUCKILY hes back 👍 insert i cant help myself "all clean!" image here

[sonicasura]

I full agree with you on all you've mentioned. And like I mentioned earlier that while I've not yet figured out what exactly happened with Kafka while was in those labs of the organization, it was far from a good time to put it simply.

Brain scans is a certainty, though they still call in experts just to be sure, better safe than sorry afterall. Not to mention they may even have ideas and solutions to how to help Kafka's mental recovery.

Blankets, pillows, bedsheets, mattresses you name it and its there somewhere in the nest Kafka's made. Ocassionally you'd even find Mina, Soshiro, Okonogi and other officers that Kafka has become close too sleeping with him, especially if it is one of those rough nights. Bakko too can be seen sleeping with the big himbo from time to time. The tiger as been spending a lot of time with the himbo since he follows Mina everywhere and has some to like Kafka over time.

It was quite the sigth when Mina got a message to come to Kafka's room and saw Kafka have Bakko in his lab and petting the tiger who was purring up stroms. Which cause Kafka to purr on instinct as well. She could not help but take a picture.

They even installs some speakers in the room that solely play music for Kafka. Or broadcast news and such from a raido so Kafka has some more entertainment and normalcy too. Getting him something to watch tv on though is going to take a while. Especially since the higher ups aren't too keen yet to allow such at thing to begin with.

And thanks to the various tests he goes through, everyone learn earily on about Kafka fortitude level, along with the other canon powers he has. And gets the traning to control them when they get the news Kafka is allowed to live and becomes part of the Defense Force.

But while all this is going on, a certain mushroom kaiju gets to know about the organization. And while quite late in gather much thanks to Defense Force being quite thorough in their raids and taking everything the can. The mushroom nonetheless gets enough to become quite curious about it all. Which is never good for anyone really.

Here I have also not planned much at all either. How No 9 is going to react or what his going to do once he finds out about Kafka. Neither am I sure how to handle No 10 for that matter either, but he is a lot easier to predict than No 9 is.

And then theres the matter of the public as well. One way or another, something is going to happen that forces the Defense Force to let Kafka help out in the public. And its going to be a huge pain in the ass when it happens. Not to mention chaotic given not everyone is very happy to know there a 9.8 fortitude kaiju thats allowed to live and thinks the Defense Force has lost their damned minds.

But hey, at least he know has his No 8 title. Along with a few others that the public will give him over time.

The more normalcy and comfort Kafka can have, the better. His situation is essentially a quote from Duncan Rossnblatt in the Firebreather movie. 'Am I human? Or am I kaiju?'

No.9 will definitely make his situation a whole lot worse. A human being turned into a kaiju is very interesting as he doesn't know Tiny, the larval kaiju, is involved. Only experiments done with gene splicing since the anime does show No.9 can hack into the Defense Force's systems to an extent. I won't be surprised if the mushroom man wants to recreate it.

No.10 rather test his strength against Kafka obviously. Although he probably goes through his own character arc once in Defense Force custody as Soshiro ain't gonna take his shit. The himbo here is quite different from his canon counterpart.

Kafka's behavior in public will be very important. There is obviously a media shitstorm coming so it's best he doesn't paint himself a threat. Plus the Defense Force can keep his existence hidden forever as it will come out eventually. Taking steps to handle the scenario early is the best thing to do.

[rigelmejo]

7/13/2024, some thoughts from this week.

The word 方 in japanese confuses me so much. I know its pronounced hou. It seems to be similar to koto こと/事. It seems to mean something different depending on the sentence. I'm guessing its like "this way, in this way, that thing, a person LIKE that, something" or some kind of meaning like that. But I see it all the time and just do Not clearly understand 方 when I see it and it is frsutrating.

I've seen some results this month of all the listening practice I've been doing! So I guess, at least for getting results for myself, I would say the strategy of listen to audio of stuff you could read, re-listen, and just do that a LOT does result in better listening comprehension (better at parsing word/phrase/sentence meanings quickly), learning some new words, and getting better at understanding Easier audio (audio with less unique words, more common words) as a side benefit.

Results of all the chinese audiobooks and audio dramas I've been listening to since June: I can follow 默读 chapter actions, dialogues, and some descriptives of new chapters I haven't recently read in chinese or english (but I have read them before). I can follow the main overall idea of most scenes in 魔道祖师 audiobook (which is an accomplishment since at the beginning of June it took a few listens to even parse what scene is vaguely what and re-learn a lot of chinese words I knew, whereas now I'm catching a lot of action clauses with verbs and some dialogue words and some key descriptive words so I am getting a vague picture of scenes). I can follow nearly every line of 默读 audio drama episode 1, there were only maybe 4-8 sentences with words I didn't know or couldn't immediately guess on the first listen. I can follow the main idea of scenes in the Cherry Magic chinese audio drama, despite not listening to that gersion before and noticing the therapist they added (???). However: I did notice less quick comprehension of business and job words, and I'd probably need more relistening to pick up better comprehension (the way multiple Modu chapter listens helped with words like 证据 证词). I also watched Hikaru No Go Qi Hun cdrama, first episode, and understood everything fully except for a few sentence explanations about how to play go and a few sayings Chu Ying said. Shi Guang's casual talking was a bit hard to get used to in the first few scenes.

And then, since grasping the main idea is great! It means I can just keep re-listening to learn more from that point on! But I did know at least the rough plot of the things listed above, so I had a crutch in understanding somewhat.

A big result for me was the improvement in understanding SCI audiobook, since I've never read it before and haven't seen the drama (I just know its murder investigation team with some bl - and I do plan to watch and read one day). I tried listening to it in June, on a drive for like 3 hours. I could catch some bits: theres a team talking, a boss/chief, some words about a case. At that point I was mostly just re-remembering a lot of words I used to know. Then I listened again to maybe 30 minutes, and caught something about an elevator and a fight, caught the main guys names better, caught that their chief told them to go handle a case and then one main person picked another guy up from their apartment (maybe?). I listened again a few days ago, just to the first chapter of the audiobook again. It was kind of cool and kind of disorienting? In that this time around I recognized a LOT of words, but ny brain was slow to piece them together into "so the sentence means X".

So Id grasp the meaning of a full phrase, or an action taken, or dialogue (which is probably the easiest to quickly comprehend since people talk in a more similar way, versus the broad differences in how different authors handle the rest of the text sentences), or bits of descriptives in small phrase chunks, and I was recognizing ALL character names this time around and some key details like how the office reacted to the elevator fight noises. But overall Id say, it was like I could follow the main idea in each scene but there'd be random chunks all over the place I didn't grasp either at all or fast enough. A huge improvement over when I listened a month ago, and probably the most difficult thing Ive managed to grasp the main idea of that I have not read before to help. Still a long ways away from full comprehension. Its really interesting to see the improvement though in just a month! If i keep this up, i might really be able to listen to new audiobooks for plot by the end of the year.

That's my goal: to follow the main idea, nearly all actions and dialogue, and at least key descriptives (so like where I am when listening to 默读 now) when I listen to NEW audiobooks or dramas. Since thats enough to enjoy the plot and feel i understood the important parts of the plot, while also still learning more if im listening to something i still need to learn more words from (which is most audio lets be real lol).

In terms of comprehension now, although this will be a really rough guess (since I'm not counting actual unknown words): modu audiobook 90-95% comprehension depending on which sentence (i understand the audio a BIT less well than the book, and i can read the book extensively mostly so book comprehension is like 92-98% depending on the chapter), modu audio drama is 95% or higher (i really did understand almost everything), modaozushi comprehension was like 80-85% maybe in that I think I can understand a lot of phrase chunks but theres also a lot of unknown words and guess work I have to do until I get more familiar with the writing style and specific vocabulary in it, Cherry Magic audiodrama is like 88-92% in that I am struggling to catch specific details but I know if I relistened 3 times I's know almost every word and it would be more like 95% or higher comprehension - but because i need to practice hearing the business words more, comprehension is low enough (like 88%) to feel i need to focus more intensely to catch more details. Hikaru No Go Qi Hun is easily 95-100% comprehension, im a little baffled its actually so easy, maybe i could watch The Bad Kids with no subs now... i assume maybe Shi Guang and kids/teenagers being the leads and the daily life setting helps keep the vocahulary mostly in the realm of more common words ive definitely already learned... hence why the go specific words and sayings from Chu Ying were the only unknown words (being more specific words and less common). SCI audiobook is like 85% comprehension in that... its easier to follow than modaozushi, and i think i could probably comprehend 90% if i relistened a few more times, but at present its just i am NOT adjusted to the author's word choices and preferred way of describing things so the non dialogue non action parts are just Hard for me to comprehend quickly as i listen.

So that's how chinese listening progress is going. I guess I proved to myself that I really am at a point where I just need to LISTEN TO STUFF A LOT, A LOT, AND LISTENING WILL SIMPLY IMPROVE. So yeah, lets see how listening comprehension progress is in another month.

If anyone's curious, while listening I would open google translate app up and type in a word here or there that I wanted to know the meaning of. Some words were words I actually knew in reading and didnt recognize in listening, some were brand new words. I probably would have been fine looking no words up, but it kept irritating me every time i heard a word like 证据 市局 事故 局 负责 否则 that I KNOW ive read before, that would clarify the whole phrase meaning of what I just heard, but i couldnt remember the meaning from just listening when im used to the word's visual appearance reminding me of word meanings.

So how has japanese been going?

Also interesting improvements. Honestly. A bit surprised at how much improvement. Because in glossika japanese app im only on sentence like 1700, and there isnt a new word every sentence so ive probably only reviewed 1200 common words so far (i used to know 2000+ japanese words last time i was properly into studying). Maybe theres a vague memory of the other words i knew once, in my head helping me comprehend stuff? But as far as like glossika materials, i didnt expect to Improve my japanese comprehension until id studied 3000 sentences (and was finally learning some truly NEW japanese words). Now... the glossika course has given me a few new words, and not some of the common words i expected it to already cover, but its just not enough new words to make a big impact yet in my opinion (maybe 200 brand new words for me tops).

I think the main thing driving the improvement in japanese comprehension ive seen this month is:

1. Exposure, so much japanese exposure to refresh my memory and what i used to know, and to practice comprehending what i knew FASTER since im hearing japanese a Lot. 2. A lot of exposure in a short amount of time probably helped refresh my memory lol. 37 hours Ive listened to japanese this past month. 3. I do think one benefit of using glossika (although I think its overpriced for how many errors it has, and Clozemaster's radio mode or free anki sentence decks or watching shows/condensed audio/a lot of media exposure would have the SAME benefit) is that I'm getting a lot of exposure to japanese verbs and adjectives in MANY conjugations, particularly in conjugations that are very common in real life but in learning materials tend to be focused on later in learning and less for beginners. Ive run into a ton of verbs in glossika that are a. Compound verbs being used together b. Sareta form. C. Rareru form d. Te-imasu and te-iru form (and the negatives, past tense, etc versions of those verb forms). E. The ways of saying "must". F. The way soke japanese statements love using double negatives or negatives to express a positive (such as "would you like to go" being きみはいきませんか negative ikimasen). The wide variation in how I'm seeing verbs is helping me recognize verbs I know MUCH faster, regardless of the form they're showing up in.

I think it depends on personal opinion, or experts smarter than me, but theres an idea that each word you learn is really each form of a word. So for example, in chinese you just learn run once as 跑 and youre good! 跑 will always be that pronunciation, that hanzi, in any sentence. But learn run in english, and you actually need to learn multiple words to fully understand the word in Any sentence you see it in: run, running, ran. So with languages with a lot of conjugations, my thought is maybe you need to learn more forms of words to truly learn them to the level of recognizing them in multiple forms. So with a language like japanese, you want to get familiar with ALL the verb forms of each word youre learning, eventually. I feel that exposure to such a massive amount of varied verb forms is helping me fill in those gaps of "i know 来る 来ます 来ません well but i dont recognize these if i hear them fast 来られます 来られないんです etc". So the frequent exposure to lots of different verb forms helps to comprehend faster what verb im hearing and what that form of the verb is Communicating specifically.

Also though I just struggle a lot with japanese grammar so. For me I guess more exposure to varied grammar is always going to help me, over not doing it.

As my own test on myself lol, I did a lot of this glossika japanese app course just pressing play and letting lessons play in the background. I read a sentence when im curious? And ive played the review audio around 35% of the time (more than i usually would lol). But for the most part i just press play on the sentences audio, and work or read tumblr or whatever i was planning to do. I dont pay full attention. And im still seeing improvements so. The lesson for me i guess: better to do something imperfectly and with only some effort, rather than not doing anything at all. Even imperfect with inconsistent effort causes improvement and learning.

So now the fun part: progress I've seen in a month.

I found a link to some japanese condensed audio, so thats what I used. I listened to Final Fantasy X audio from the opening to about when Yuna and company leave Besaid. I've listened to that part of the game before in japanese, like watching lets plays. Listening to the audio this time around was wild: i could guess the word for high summoner (based on the braska conversation in the temple), i could understand Tidus saying he didnt know the prayer to wakka, wakka telling tidus he reminds him of Chappu, the crusaders explaining sin (roughly) to tidus, tidus dreaming underwater of his dad and in the cold temple wishing to not be lonely anymore, rikku introducing herself and saying she's al-bhed and asking tidus if hes prejudiced and tidus saying he plays in the zanarkand abes, her telling him zanarkand is gone but maybe he could find someone in luca and he got too close to sin, wakka saying you play blitzball, the villager who says stay away from the summoner, yuna saying thank you! I understood a LOT of the audio!

It was weird. In the past, id guess a lot of the japanese by the kanji in the cutscenes (and rough similarity to chinese meaning) and some japanese i knew. This time i Only listens to audio so no kanji to help me guess. And this time i didnt have to guess a lot, i just Understood. I had to guess wjen tidus dreamt of yuna and rikku since i didnt understand the lines but remembered the dream sound effects, and guess the part where tidus walked in on yuna finishing the temple, but the parts i described above? I just was able to follow because of the audio. Wild. Wild to me. It felt like listening to SCI in chinese: lots of individual words and phrases i understood, mostly action words or common noun objects, and dialogue is easier to follow (and since a game is all dialogue in its audio of course FFX had less descriptions id struggle with compared to SCI audiobook). Ive never understood the main idea of japanese audio, without japanese subtitles to help me (with guessing from hanzi knowledge) and without visual context (like watching a lets play i can guess based on lets players expression and the game cutscene and actions happening).

So yeah. That was a wild fucking success. Still a lot to learn and get better at, obviously. But i think i could learn new words (and re-remember some words i once knew) by listening to japanese more. With visuals too, like a lets play or show, i could probably grasp some additional details beyond just the main ideas. And have an easier time of it than i did a year ago. I feel very excited, and intimidated. But learned: okay listening to random sentences of japanese and english does seem to help me lol.

The other test was i listened to condensed audio of death note episode 1 and 2. Again, no visuals to help me. But also, again like with FFX, the benefit of me knowing the plot and that helping me place what scene i hear and guess at some of the words im hearing. It went? Bafflingly well? Not easy by any means. But not impossible. I followed the main idea of most scenes (the scenes of the shinigami in shinigami realm i couldnt get most of the dialogue, and the police ICP meeting i caught 警察 keisatsu and L and L mentioning Kira is probably japanese but a lot of the back and forth chatter i couldnt guess much of). I followed what was going on mainly with key words i know, phrase chunks i understood, and then using my prior plot knowledge to guess. Im frankly just surprised that doing this was possible - i expected almost no comprehension. Comprehension wasnt high, of course, but it was enough to learn new stuff by continuing to listen (thanks in part to plot familiarity), which i could not do with Death Note a year ago unless i watched it visually and used visuals to help/kanji to help guess/intense focus and pausing the screen a lot to look at japanese subtitles/and paused a lot (i did not have good listening skills AT ALL).

So i guess the biggest takeaway is that listening to japanese is doing what I hoped it would: improve my comprehension of Spoken Japanese (without using kanji for a crutch as much as i normally do), and improve my speed of comprehension of listening to japanese.

I still need to learn a LOT more words. But im happy that this study method does seem to be helping to fix the weak spots i knew i had.

[pybun]

for a long time ive been considering making a discord server. but my experience being a mod for one in the past 4 years just sours the idea. i dont wanna deal with all the stuff i dealt with over again. like sure i can ask some peeps to be mods but i dont want them to go through that either

it took me a long time to make a server somewhat comfortable enough where mods barely do anything as opposed to dealing with issues every other week. even if i can handle these problems in the least dramatic way i know, its too much for me. imagine asking the people pleasing, least confrontational person you know to be a moderator.......

...........but i guess that is the price for building a "good" discord server. or at least good enough where i dont wish i get paid for the work ive done. ive done ridiculous things and dealt with ridiculous ppl in the current server i mod...and even now, i cant say its the ideal server for me. its mostly ideal as in it has the right balance of the kind of people i like to talk to but theres still a few peeps that makes me worried. plus theres still things id rather not talk abt in said server so i end up taking that topic in another. obv theres no perfect server but i was hoping that i could make one thats a little bit better, specially a place where i can talk abt my ocs beyond references/memes

[arundolyn]

do you mind if i ask how you rip guilty gear animations? ive been wanting to get into ripping however there are very limited resources and few accounts are active that still rip. advice is very appreciated, thank you:)

just realized how stupid long this got right before posting so . cut

the way i do it for strive is, via unverum just for ease of use bc you can flip mod on/off at will before opening the game, get the mods that change the background of ajatar hunting ground to black/green/blue (i think it's by ultima?) and use the color of your choice (usually i use blue because black can screw with the outlines and green can cause weird lighting issues. blue can as well but it seems the least invasive of all of them to me, you can only really notice on stuff like zato bc eddie comes out sorta bluish bc he's translucent. there may be mods to help with that kind of thing but i havent looked)

pick whatever characters you want and go to training mode (unless you need something specific, like win/lose poses, of course. if it has to be during a fight you can just go to local vs with a controller and make the other character your keyboard so you dont actually have to fight) and record with OBS. pick whatever settings you think look best graphically both in strive and on OBS, idk if i can advise with those choices too well bc my hardware is beefy enough to handle max settings for stuff, ymmv

after recording, go to photoshop (doesnt matter what version, mine is ancient and ill gotten gains ive had for years. find your means. use something similar. idk) just drag the video in (no need to import it any special way) and literally just. go frame by frame copying the stuff from the animation you want into a new file and after you have all the frames go and erase it by hand. i usually use the magic eraser thing on around 50 tolerance (may need to be adjusted at times) and with anti aliasing (just cause i like the outlines not to be smooth, that also can make the "sprites" transparent and have an ugly white outline around it in gifs, do whatever you think looks good) and contiguous unchecked (contiguous just so that you dont have to go around clicking every blue/green/black spot individually, as that takes much longer. sometimes this cant be avoided, like if your character has colors too close to the background or an effect you want to keep is too close to the background color youre erasing)

additional mods i use at times are ones that turn certain characters im not focusing on invisible (like chipp or i-no, cant remember who made that one) just so i dont have to worry about cropping around another character if they do an idle animation or something, and theres one that disables lighting effects (like gio's glowies when she has full meter, or certain moves like baiken's dust or tsurane sanzu watashi) so that the gifs look nicer devoid of the like... engine based context. of that makes sense

as for XRD, i used to use a cheat table camera mod for rev that was kinda adapted from the one for sign, but since the rollback update it looks like its broken and i dont think anyone has cared much to fix it, but also havent had the time to mess around with it myself. the sign one might still work? theres a reddit thread with it out there somewhere still i think. be warned re: sign tho bc the models are kinda janky and lower quality, which probably isnt noticeable to most people but its definitely glaring to me when i moved from sign to rev. they did some major improvements on like everyone in rev

last but not least, a word of caution regarding certain things. i'd warn against trying to do any overdrives or anything that has a superflash (when the camera focuses on the character using a move, usually, like jack-o's forever elysion driver) or the strive pre move cutscene things (like baiken's tsurane sanzu watashi) as well as intro/outro cutscenes, since making them transparent not only will be a pain in the ass but probably would look weird due to the camera movement + lack of background. same goes for stuff like bursts or walk/run cycles where the character moves significantly and the camera angle might change, since not only will it be a bitch to line up correctly so it loops properly, but if the character's location or the camera angle changes it might end up looking off because the model is being viewed from a slightly different angle. not sure how obvious that would be to someone who didnt Do it but ive learned that through trial and error. might also just be perfectionism on my part. id usually get around this on xrd with the cheat table bc you could lock the model in place (but it would still move technically, which was nice if you didnt want effects like the little dust clouds when you dash getting in the way) but ive never seen anything similar for strive. from what i know it should be possible for sure, just slightly tricky to some extent and i dont really know how one would go about doing that or have the time to learn. the console for UE is locked in strive and idk if theres a way to unlock it, but that would potentially be a way to freeze models in place quick and dirty if necessary. there ARE a few camera mods out there for strive, but any model freezing aspects are just like.. full game pause, not frozen in place.

hope this is comprehensive enough to help somewhat. have a slayer

[amber-michaelson]

I Choose You

Jake Sully x Experimented reader

Summary: Jake loving you since the moment he saw you

Warning: avatar way of the water spoilers

nn = nick name,

You were one of the experimental avatar one of the first along with grace and you were the first to speak to the navi and get some of their knowledge.

yn pov

i was with neytiri when i was informed of the new field agent Jake Sully “ill see you later Neytiri” i said before running back to the campsite “grace” i smiled as she got out the helicopter in her human form followed by norm and  trudy "sup truds" I fist bumped her as she walked past and laughed as the new guy wheeled up staring at me "so your the trouble maker I've heard about I'm yn" I introduced myself smirking "yn transform back" grace called before entering the base "see ya in a bit" I said and put my avatar into a safe space before waking up "raise and shine yn" norm opened the lid helping me out "oh god you need a show" he said his nose crinkleing "hey at least I'm actually doing something grace I've done some blogs if you wanna check them out" I nodded towards my computer "im go shower" I said and waved as I walked past jake.

Jake pov

I turned to look at her ass as she walked towards the showers but got smacked in the head by norm "what the hell" I said glaring at him “don’t even try man she only cares about the job” he murmured sitting on the table infront of me "maybe she just doesn't like you" I laughed before moving away towards grace "so when is my first mission" I ask "your first mission is to listen to yn she's now your commander or what not she handles the Navi interactions I handle the sampling" she said and took some food out "give this to yn" I nodded taking the food and went to yns space where photos and maps littered the walls "yn" I called but got no answer I rolled over to one of the framed photos which were of her and neytiri "can I help you" I gasped as looked at her she was still wet and in a towel from her shower "ah sorry grace told me to give you this" I murmured and put the plate of food on the table still staring at her she had the best body I've seen "you can go now sully" she laughed grabbing another towel to dry her hair "oh yea" I smiled and went out "we'll leave in 20" she called

Yn pov

I got dressed and ate my food "leave in 5 if wanna join" I said passing by to put my plate away "can I join" norm shouted jumping up from his seat "ok newbie your coming to" I said going to my machine and got ready "see ya guys in a bit" I said before transforming, I waved norm and jake over "ok today we'll be going to pandoras beautiful waterfall to gather some samples for grace before moving onto some training for your avatar" I said and started walking towards the waterfall "but I thought you handle Navi stuff" jake said walking beside me "I do but you guys are new and if I just walz you guys right in there I'll lose my reputation" I murmured moving farther I didn’t want to speak more it wasn't a long walk we got there in like 12 minutes “the plants grace need are there” i murmured pointing out the blue and purple plants just a few meters away “jake follow me” i said and walk up to the waterfalls where a cave settled just behind “how much do you know about the navi” i asked sitting down at a nearby rock “not much”

▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎(after lots of lessons and convincing neytiri to help)▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎

me and jake were fooling around on our ikran before landing at the soul tree “now for your final task sully” i smiled lightly hitting his shoulder before making my way to the tree “and what would that be nn” he laughed “you must connect with ewya and then your apart of the navi and that means--” i paused “you can pick a mate” i can’t deny i court feelings for him but who wouldn’t “the navi have fine women” i murmured and gently played with one of the vines not looking at him “theres ninat  whos the best singer” i said “i don’t want ninat” “then neytiri she seems to taken a liking to you” i whispered turning to him i can’t compete with neytiri shes the whole package “yn i’ve already chosen” he chuckled coming closer to me “i’ve chosen you if you accept me” tears brimmed my eyes “yes yes i chose you” i laughed before crashing my lips to his “i chose you too”.

▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎(spoiler now)▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎

“neteyam please get lo’ak and kiri for dinner” i murmured as i layed down my youngest for a nap “goodnight tuktirey” jake said wrapping around my waste with his head on my shoulder “our family is complete”.

My Other Avatar Works

Check Out My Other Works 

[daily-cheryl]

Hey cheryl, whos your least favourite Killer to face

“Other than the very obvious lockjaw infection waiting to happen, I got a few others. I dont like legion. Susie and Joey I can handle, they’re surprisingly easy to throw off. Piss them off enough and they make mistakes I can capitalize on. Its Frank and Julie that are the main issues. They’re a lot harder to throw off. They’re both dead set on hunting me for… To put it in the cleanest way I can, fucking around with Frank when I first came here. He didn’t tell me he had a main squeeze already and I wouldn’t have done shit with him if I knew. Now I have to deal with a guy who’s acting like a crazy ex and his equally as fucked girlfriend who thinks I knew. Frank likes to fuck with me, he leaves anyone close to me for dead so I can find them. There was… A really nasty time. Frank took out Steve and left pieces of his body for me to find. At first it didn’t register as him but the more I found the more I realized what I was looking at and the more I wanted to puke. Im scared for Min if this is what he did to someone who’s just a friend… Julie doesn’t do the theatrics or flashy horror movie type deaths. She just wants me gone and shes dead set on it. She zeroes in and is willing to throw trials if it means killing me.”

“Freddys another one. Hes… Hes gross with me. Quentin said he could have probed my dreams for ammo to use in trials… He likes to do this thing where he pretends to be Dad or Claudia or Vincent to get me to slip up. It… Really throws me off whenever this happens. Worst part is that I always give him a reaction. The fogs a weird place… Some of these people died before they came here so… Theres that chance. That thin chance that the entity can bring them in. I think he knows that which is why he keeps doing it. I cant stop myself from giving him a reaction and he uses that to his advantage. Wether its just a breakdown from seeing dad and hearing those vile words in his voice or me going in for a swing with that bitch. He does it before going in for the kill…”

“I guess the only other one I hate dealing with is twins. Its literally just because of the crotch spawn. I fucking HATE that thing.”