#this is way longer than I intended lmao

[bubble-popping]

👀👀 dnb stockholm syndrome au?

i would love to hear anything else you have (/nf. you you don't want to answer its ok)

all ur other aus r rly cool too!

Okay, first, thank you! I'm glad u enjoy my thoughts on the silly lil guys :) I'm just somewhat embarrassed/scared to share is all but if ppl wanna hear then I'll talk abt it :D

I'm gonna put it under the cut for anyone that isn't comfortable with all the stuff a stockholm syndrome au would entail :)

The main concept is that c!Techno is known for being like the richest guy on the server. He's more distant in this au, not really that welcoming to people and only truly cares about c!Phil. He's also somewhat of a hoarder of valuable items, but he's kinda grown bored of looking at the same things all the time. He wonders what could truly make him the richest man with the most resources.

Then, he hears that c!Dream's been imprisoned, and, even more interestingly, can revive people. He doesn't rly believe it for a while, until c!Tommy is resurrected. Now, he's very interested seeing as he and Phil only have one life each. But he has to wait for the right opportunity, he can't seem too eager.

So, he waits. While he waits, he creates a secret hidden base underground far from the rest of the smp where his next 'trophy' will stay. The day arrives where he receives the letter, the day he visits Dream and finds, well... something he didn't expect. He's imprisoned as well, he fully expected this. But he didn't expect how Dream seemed to care about him so much, how frantic he became at the thought that his only way out was now trapped with him, how small he looked when he curled into a ball nonsensically rambling and spiraling into paranoia.

Techno also didn't expect the strange feelings that grow as he lives in that little box with the man. Dream initially flinches whenever Techno sits too close to him, but eventually he relaxes, until soon it's clear he craves the physical contact and makes any excuse to touch and get touched.

When Phil finally pops the ender pearl stasis chamber, Techno begins working on plans to break him out immediately.

Once he does, he convinces Dream to stay with him, that nowhere else is safe and Sam and Quackity will find him if he leaves. In fact, he's banking on it, so he'll have the perfect excuse to take Dream to the secret base. It works out exactly as he hopes, only a few days pass before the two are at his door and Dream has a panic attack just at the sight of them. He has a full blown panic attack, clinging to Techno and begging him to not reveal his location. And Techno thinks how this was all too easy.

Of course Techno doesn't say anything to them, and makes sure they know better than to try and force their way in. After they leave, Techno waits until night fall to transport Dream to his 'trophy room'. Dream's hesitant about the cramped space, but he trusts Techno, so he stays. From there, Techno teaches him to listen to everything he says :)

[stevenrogered]

ONE DAY ↳book > screen

Imagine one selected day struck out of your life and think how different its course would have been. Think for a moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on that memorable day. - Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

[squuote]

16 /j https://www.tumblr.com/squuote/722231167405998080/alexanderpearce-ship-ask-game-1-who-would-be?source=share

16 and if the dog bit back?

sorry i took this actual serious, it was too tempting.. yall already know who's on my mind for this

[fatedroses]

So I’m a new follower and I’ve been going through your adventurer zenos tag because I’m loving the idea a lot! But I don’t really know the history behind it. I’d love to know how you started thinking about it and would love to know how Xenia’s relationships with the WOL and the scions developed if you don’t mind me asking? Again im loving your art a lot!!!

First of all thank you for the follow and the ask, anon, and I'm always so happy to hear people are enjoying my art, and my goofy bits of theorycrafting, headcanoning and/or story writing- how ever people want to see it as. BUT- this has also unironically been stuck in my brain since the end of EW:6.0 (I was stuck with the zenos brainrot the moment I saw him at the end of heavensward v-v), and also because among my friend group Zenos is adored, so we end up chatting about this kind of stuff a lot. So, it is time for me to now yap here, beware some spoilers for both Endwalker and DT, and a very long post:

To be honest, the reason I ever even started thinking about it was just seeing Zenos' capacity to change as a character and him unintentionally helping people by just existing in some cases (the scene with Alisaie in Garlemald and the fact that he went to Krile for help so he could help us- reason aside- comes to mind mainly in regards to him changing, even if there are tidbits a bit earlier as well). And, that him imposing his help upon the WoL and the Scions is what I personally consider the most likely course (and I simply sit here and cope lmao I also just really want a minion of him eventually) if he was to return from the Ultimatum. 6.2-6.5 also added to it with both the mentions of him from Zero, the flashback of him over the handshake, and that I personally also saw Durante and Golbez's relationship as an analogy to Zenos and WoL (not helped by the fact that in EN Durante/the knight in black speaks in Zenos' cadence and uses the same armored talking animations but that's more on the meta side of it). I spent a lot of the time I put aside for character research being fascinated by his psychology and how he could grow, even if I will admit by now that what I have as his baseline is a bit of a house of cards, especially in things like his interests, or later potential interests. I base a lot of them off of the concept that he takes after Solus/Emet-Selch far more than is actually narratively stated or even implied, or from filling in the gaps of information with the possibility that implied information was not intentional/meant to be used in the way I use it. For example Varis exiling the theater ship was to get rid of something Emet cherished and for the sake of his own narrative, but something Zenos may have showed interest in too, only based off of how similar the theatrics Emet and Zenos use.

-

Now, as for his relationships, especially with the WoL (Meteor, default man in my case, its mainly because I ADORE the challenge and the experience of what we have as WoL's baseline due to, you know, the constraint of this being a linear narrative mmo lmao, as well as trying my best to stay canon compliant as possible when it comes to the scions' interactions) I write as starting off being exceptionally one sided. It comes from the idea that Zenos either gets himself out of the bubble (because it seems to be implied that this man cant actually return to the lifestream, and therefore can't perma-die, ironic to his character motivations) or with DT, shit goes so far south that we have to use the interdimensional chalice for his help, and that either way they're just kind of stuck with him thereafter. But I'll break it down because it's something that I've worked on writing, but haven't had the chance to draw out quite yet for some of what I'll talk about.

Meteor: It is no surprise that after the Telopheroi towers and Garlemald, on top of what happens during In From the Cold and the moon- that WoL goes from their more neutral, rivalry-leaning stance on Zenos, to pure anger and/or hatred. And this lets me write the dynamic between the two that is Meteor trying to move forward, trying to accept this change seeing Zenos try to help, and Zenos trying to pull away knowing at his core that he boned himself over ruining whatever unspoken trust they had, and given his position, not knowing if something like that could ever be mended, (and not quite knowing how to cope with even the idea that the man he cares so deeply about and kinda looks up to, might detest him just like how Varis did.) Overall it also just comes from the idea that these two overcoming any of their hurdles with each other suddenly makes them into the most terrifying duo, especially since I write Adventurer Zenos as a tank that will just eat all the damage so Meteor can be a stupid little shit with all the sharp objects he has at his disposal.

The Scions: So, imagine this giant super soldier is suddenly alive and in front of you again, offering to help/to learn to adventure for the plan of trying to see joy in this world. And you, knowing that he is right now the world's enemy, the one pinned with everything that happened during the final days, understand that it is highly unlikely that you or the others could reasonably kill him or imprison him for any meaningful amount of time. BUT, you can try to guide him on a better path. Begrudgingly, so that all that shit never happens again. That is what I have the scions stuck with, starting with the twins, then estinien and the students, and finally the wine trio. He doesn't apologize for anything, but he does also do whatever you ask, and overtime he starts (oh no) taking the same liking to the others that started with Meteor. The Scions are who I primarily use to explore the facets we've seen of his character, his protectiveness and the "rivalry" I write between him and Thancred, his curiosity and working alongside the Students and Urianger and Y'shtola, exploration and trying to understand the world better with Estinien, and him learning to connect with others through the twins, especially Alisaie who I imagine him kind of latching on to after she "helped" him, in his eyes.

All and all, adventurer zenos at its core is just what I personally see as his natural character progression going forward, spawned purely from my own curiosity of seeing his archetype of character in the position of having one last chance, and based off very extensive character research that started, honest to god, from me trying to just figure out the scenarios I wanted to draw him in that spiraled very very out of control lmao.

[camels-pen]

warning: eating disorders/food issues

-

"Something wrong with it?"

Usopp startled and snapped his head to the side. His nose jabbed Sanji's eye and they both hissed. Usopp jerked away to rub the tip of his nose.

"Fuck, I forgot about that," Sanji grumbled. There was a contrasting, fond smile on his face as rubbed his eye. "Anyway, the food?"

"What about it?"

"What's wrong with it?"

Usopp turned his gaze back to his plate. Plenty of pork chops piled high- at Luffy's request for a meat-filled dinner- and mashed potatoes with green beans on the side. His mouth salivated again just staring at it.

"Nothing," he said. "Just taking my time."

He could feel Sanji's unimpressed stare. "You've been 'taking your time' through the whole dinner. Everyone's already finished and left. The moss ball even finished the dishes, and we both know how he likes to dawdle."

Despite himself, Usopp giggled quietly. When it was his turn to do dishes, Zoro always took his time, waiting for Sanji to get frustrated with his speed and leave him to finish it alone. It was the perfect strategy to steal booze when Sanji wasn't looking, but it seemed Usopp had unknowingly thwarted his first sake stealing attempt after their reunion.

As if reading his mind, Sanji said, "I let him steal that alcohol, you know. I'm not that stupid." He huffed, voice sounding like he was pouting as he added, "It's the only damn way I can keep an eye on his shitty drinking habits. He'd constantly drink us dry otherwise, that damn mossheaded bastard."

Usopp giggled again and made the mistake of glancing up at him. Sanji was staring across the room at the kitchen, probably the place he'd put all the good booze. He'd confided in Usopp, once, that he had two hiding places for drinking alcohol: one, more obvious place, by the fridge for the cheap stuff, and another, hidden somewhere he wouldn't say, for all the more expensive and high quality stuff. He'd confidently crowed, on more than one occasion, that despite the cheap stuff always going missing, he'd never lost a drop of anything else. He always looked so smug saying that, and well, Usopp now knew why.

But then his eye- the left one now, and despite looking right at it, the change had still caught him off guard more than once- turned to Usopp and Usopp clammed up. Sanji stared at him, his eyebrow- this one curled on the opposite side, closer to his nose bridge than his ear- raised high on his forehead. "If you're well enough to laugh at Zoro, it can't be that bad."

Usopp gulped. Looked away. "I'm not sick," he said quietly. "The food looks great, Sanji, really. Eating is just..." He trailed off. Neither of them spoke for a long moment, only the sounds of their distant crewmates enjoying the sight of their descent to the ocean's floor filling the galley.

Sanji's arm slowly, hesitantly, laid on the back of his chair- Sanji didn't used to hesitate, but, he supposed, things had changed. He settled himself in the chair next to Usopp, rather than continue to lean over him, and said softly, "Eating is just...?"

Usopp stared at the grain on the table, studying the lines and deviations with an intense and sudden fascination.

"Usopp."

"It's hard," he mumbled.

Another silence, this one less expecting and more confused. Awkward.

"You ate fine at breakfast...?" Sanji said, voice lilting up at the end, almost in question.

Usopp snorted. 'Ate fine' was a kinder way of putting it. Usopp had demolished breakfast, nearly rivaling Luffy with how much and how quickly he ate. The usual sense of desperation had dimmed slightly, now that he was with his crew, but it was still there, dictating his eating habits. He would've felt more ashamed if he hadn't seen Luffy, Franky, and Brook eating in the exact same disgusting manner. Instead, he felt right at home.

He had wondered, privately, if something similar had happened to them. Had tossed around the idea of asking them about it. Then he would think back to how they used to eat, before. How it was exactly the same. How they had all basically cried that they'd so dearly missed Sanji's cooking. He couldn't blame them, he nearly sobbed over Sanji's pancakes- and then did sob over his hashbrowns.

"The island got hungry at dawn," he started. Stopped. Stared at the little vase of daisies at the centre of the table that Robin had gathered from her garden- now shared with Usopp. "It would close up. Then open. After, everything was... safe. For a little while."

He gulped again, cringing at his dry throat. He stared at the glass of water, a little wet stain under it. Luffy had bumped his glass earlier when he stole a few chops off of Usopp's pile.

Usopp didn't reach for it.

"You know, I was expecting grand stories of your heroics when you finally talked about where you were." Usopp shrunk in his seat. "No- no, come on I didn't mean it like that. I was just trying to make a joke."

"You should leave the jokes to the experts." Usopp's lip quirked. "Even Brook's better than you."

Out of the corner of his eye, Sanji scowled. "Brook wouldn't know a good joke if it kicked him upside the head."

Usopp giggled again, relaxing. "Admit it, you missed his skull jokes."

Sanji huffed. "...Maybe a little."

In the background, they could hear Zoro talking about taking a swim followed by a familiar thud and Nami yelling at him. They both giggled this time, leaning into each other.

"God, I missed everyone. I missed-" Sanji cut himself off and Usopp turned to look at him. There was a wobble to his lips and his visible eye stared intently at him. Usopp would almost say Sanji looked longing- yearning, even- if he didn't know better.

"I know," he said. "I missed everyone too." Sanji's eyes pinched a little at the corners, but Usopp didn't know why. He didn't linger on it long though, what with Sanji's smile as he pressed his temple to Usopp's for a moment. Usopp's heart would've beat wildly two years ago, but now all he felt was warm and content.

Sanji hummed in agreement and pulled away. Patting his pockets, likely for a cigarette. Usopp pulled the one tucked behind his ear, admiring the feel of soft blond hair a moment too long before handing it to him. Sanji chuckled and accepted it with a quiet thanks.

He lit it and sat back in his chair, relaxing with the first inhale. "Back to the important stuff." Usopp would argue all of that was important stuff. "You only felt safe to eat breakfast?"

Usopp shook his head. Then tilted it side to side. "No- well, sort of. It was never really safe, but..." He rolled the words around his mouth, feeling out the right ones while discarding others. "It was... easier. To eat a lot in the morning. Gather food later in the day. Then sleep when I got hungry closer to sunset."

Sanji blew out a puff of smoke. "You didn't have anyone to watch your back while you were eating?"

"I did." Usopp nodded, a sense of pride filling him as he puffed out his chest. "Heracles'n was a great friend and teacher! We took turns watching out for each other and, well, he's the reason I survived that island in the first place." He flexed one of his biceps. "He also helped me get a whole lot stronger!"

Sanji pursed his lips around his cigarette. "But you didn't eat dinner. Or lunch." Today nor in nearly two years, though Sanji likely meant the latter.

Usopp deflated, arm settling back down in his lap. "We couldn't stop moving until sunset. By then it was better to sleep and eat heap loads in the morning rather than risk dinner and not getting enough rest." He sighed. "Heracles'n was always telling me to eat more berries and fruit throughout the day, but..."

Sanji stared at him. "You had this-island-is-too-scary-so-I-can't-eat-anything-itis?"

Usopp scowled. "I'd like to see you keep up an appetite when you're constantly running and hiding from giant-"

Sanji used his arm to tug Usopp closer, so their sides were pressed together. He pressed his nose to Usopp's hair. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"What for?" Usopp whispered back.

Sanji didn't answer, his breaths warming Usopp's head. The galley had grown silent when he finally spoke, the others having found quieter activities or retired to their rooms.

"If I was stronger then- or quicker-"

"Sanji," Usopp said. "There's no way you would've been able to beat Kuma, back then."

Sanji shook his head. "I know, but maybe we could've been sent somewhere together."

There was a bittersweet, choking feeling in the back of Usopp's throat. A burning in his eyes. "You wouldn't have liked it there," he said, laying his head on Sanji's shoulder. "You would've hated it, actually."

"But I would've been with you."

Usopp laughed, the sound wet and brittle. "I wouldn't wish that island on anyone, Sanji, but least of all you. I'm not worth-"

A hand cupped his face, cutting him off as he was turned to face Sanji. His nose was bent, pressing against Sanji's cheek. "You worth a lot, Usopp. You're worth it to-" Sanji's cheeks dusted pink all of a sudden and he looked away. "You're worth a lot. And it would've been nice if I could have watched your back. Made sure you were eating well."

At a loss for words, Usopp turned back to the table, staring at his plate. The mashed potatoes were surely cold and hard by now and he was fairly certain a thick pork chop wouldn't stay down.

The green beans, maybe. Those could work.

He picked one up. His stomach rumbled. He lifted it to his mouth.

His hands shook.

He gulped again. Stared at his hand intensely.

Sanji's hand covered his own. A sudden, terrible spike of anxiety overwhelmed him and he held his breath, hoping Sanji wasn't going to just force him to eat it. He hated wasting food after all and it was already in Usopp's hand and Usopp himself just needed to quit cowering and just eat it already-

Sanji pulled his hand away from his mouth. The tension left Usopp in a rush. Shame took up where anxiety had left, but he forced himself to meet Sanji's eye. He knew what came next.

Before Sanji could say anything, Usopp blurted, "There was food. On the island. Not just fruits and berries and whatever game we could hunt. Pre-cooked food, I mean." Sanji's brow furrowed, but Usopp continued on. "There were these plants- and rivers- that had cake and burgers and ramen and- well, you get the idea. And the closer you got to the centre of the island, the more tasty the food got." He gulped. Coughed a little. Sanji reached for his glass, but Usopp grabbed his wrist in a tight hold. If he didn't get it all out now, he never would.

"I didn't meet Heracles'n immediately. I was on my own at first and- and I didn't completely trust him at first either." He laughed, the sound as self-deprecating as it felt. "The centre of the island, that's where its mouth is."

Sanji's eyebrow furrowed further. "So when you said the island 'got hungry'..."

Usopp nodded. "It was a trap to lure in prey." Quietly, he added, "Like me."

Sanji gasped, his eyes darting down, and wow, Usopp really should've re-thought the whole 'show off his new muscles by going shirtless' plan. He pulled away from Sanji, and pulled up the waist of his pants. "Staring at my stretch marks isn't going to change anything, y'know."

Sheepishly, Sanji said, "Sorry- sorry, I should know better." He held out his arms, with a sad little pout. "Come back?"

Usopp held out for a few moments, glaring at him, but he sighed and eventually gave in. "I hate you," he mumbled into Sanji's shoulder. Sanji patted his back in response.

The two of them sat there in silence once more. Usopp savoured the contact between them, like he had always dreamed of on Boin.

"You had to train yourself to avoid delicious looking foods, then," Sanji said quietly. Usopp nodded. "That makes sense. But then, breakfast?"

A new wave of shame, far heavier than the last. He dug his forehead into Sanji's shoulder. "I don't want to talk about it."

He didn't know how to explain how he had become some kind of wild animal during meals and he didn't want to explain. Heracles'n was already one person too many and earlier, the entire crew had seen him. His heart beat hard and fast in his chest at the reminder, a belated rush of fear to make up for his single minded focus at breakfast.

"Then I won't ask," Sanji said. "You should tell Chopper though-"

Usopp grimaced. "Eventually, but..."

Sanji sighed, pressing his cheek to Usopp's hair. "Okay, but can I make you something? Just a snack or tea or...?"

Usopp huffed. "Sanji-"

"I know, I know! But letting you go to bed hungry is..."

"Hard," Usopp finished for him, pulling away. "I know."

He wasn't going anywhere before Sanji fed him, of that he was sure, but it made Usopp's stomach queasy just thinking about all the snacks Sanji used to make before they were separated.

Some of it must have shown on his face too, since Sanji was already holding up his hands and starting to look even more concerned. "It doesn't have to be anything special. I could just peel a tangerine for you or slice up some apples or juice some pears- I mean oranges! Why would anyone juice pears- oh, hm, I should check that sometime; remind me to write it down. Oh and maybe I could steep a really bitter tea, so you don't have to worry about drinking too much because I know you hate bitter things-"

And Usopp couldn't help himself. He laughed.

Sanji deflated, his brow furrowed in confusion, or maybe it was concern. Usopp didn't know, he was too busy laughing at the absurdity of Sanji being so anxious and speaking every rambling thought. It was adorable and Usopp couldn't help but reach up and squish Sanji's cheeks.

"I lo-" Sanji's eye widened and suddenly, Usopp didn't feel brave enough. "Lost my notebook. We'll have to use one of yours."

"O-Oh, yeah, sure." Sanji nodded, voice slightly muffled by his squished cheeks. He stared at Usopp, his eye asking another question.

Usopp looked away, his eyes landing on the fruit bowl on the bar counter. There were apples, bananas, and pears. He pulled his hands away. "...Nami will be mad at you." he said quietly, weakly.

Sanji sighed, a shaky, relieved little thing. He wrapped his arms around Usopp's middle, crushing him to his chest. "I think she'll forgive me," he said.

Boldly, Usopp added, "What if you made coffee?" The only coffee in the pantry was a fancy jar brought along from a Revolutionary base near a village that prided themselves on their harvest.

Sanji chuckled. "Robin would forgive me too."

Usopp hummed. "You seem awfully confident."

"I am," he said, pulling away completely, his chair squeaking against the floorboards as he stood. Sanji held out a hand, a smile on his lips. "If you don't believe me, let me show you."

And right here, Usopp could've chosen to laugh it off. Said something about not wanting to face Nami's wrath, much less Robin's. Fled the galley completely with an excuse or three and sleep in his workshop while ignoring any and all feelings of guilt. It would've been easy.

But he'd already accepted it. Acknowledged the inevitable consequences instead of turning down those anxious suggestions. How could he do anything else, in the face of such genuine care and concern? To leave now would just hurt them both and the last thing Usopp wanted to do was hurt Sanji.

And, well, he trusted Sanji, to do what he couldn't. Planned to trust him with his heart, at some point.

Trusting him with his stomach, in comparison, was as easy as breathing.

So, Usopp placed a steady hand in Sanji's own, a small, teasing smile on his face, and said, "Lead the way."

[pinkbarbiebandaids]

another dc x dp prompt

We've all joked about Danny's magical girl transformation at least once, but what if he genuinely was a "magical girl"? like the portal was powered purely by magic and when it turned on with Danny inside it just gave him ghost like abilities, maybe even with a magical artifact (like the miraculous). he gets a cute little outfit and everything and is extremely embarrassed by it at first but it grows on him eventually.

I'm thinking Pariah is the big bad here, just really channeling that hawkmoth energy, and I realize I'm making more miraculous ladybug references then dc ones lol- ANYWAY, the dc aspect comes in when Constantine lands himself in Walker's prison for, idk his soul tax evasion, around the same time Danny is staging a prison break to hang with Wulf. this could also work with Jason, who probably got sucked into the GZ by complete accident and immediately started causing problems on purpose and got arrested by a ghost cop 💀. Danny, not recognizing them and getting very off Vibes, takes them with.

when the dust has settled and the two become friends, Danny asks where they need to be at that moment, which is when they (Jason or Constantine) remember they had been fighting with the JL and they should probably head back lol. so Danny opens a portal, preferably in the middle of the watchtower in clear view of all heroes present, probably with his magic artifact that I'm unironically imagining as a Star Butterfly like wand, and personally escorts whoever you choose, back to ensure their safety, unintentionally putting himself on the JL's radar.

[roadkillracoon]

I'm fairly new to the jojo fandom, so this might be a generalization, but I've seen one too many people disregard Jotaro's ex-wife. Like those guys are completely missing the angst potential of him still being SO in love with her, but having to leave her AND his beloved daughter behind to keep them safe. He's a very stoic and scary looking guy, and the idea that she's one of the only people who looked past that and just GETS him, only for him to give it up hurrrts man. Idk I just imagine him coming home after being attacked by some loser stand user like way too close to his house, and seeing his little family, and realizing that he has a very difficult decision to make. Both decisions being some form of selfish in their own way, but one destroying him more. Him handing divorce papers to the love of his life tight lipped. Feeding her lies that he no longer has any love for her, each one paining him to say. Her demanding a proper explanation and begging to talk it out, apologizing for something that isn't her fault, and him shrugging it off as if it didn't mean anything to him. As if it wouldn't keep him up at night for YEARS after it happened.

[impbites]

OCtober day 31 - costume 🐶🤕🧟🧛

i've drawn my hellebores a lot this event so i figured i'd end on them too‼️around halloween time tip and jerza don't even need to disguise themselves, but i made them dress up anyway c:

3 days late but i did it!!! i've completed all the mandatory days and now halloween can officially end 😈🎃 ty for the fun event everyone, i've rlly enjoyed seeing everyone's characters 🫶

[myaoiboy]

what are ur hcs for the boscelhira dynamic?

These bitches are so deeply unhealthy on every level lmaoooo

I'm super torn on whether Ocelot ever actually directly tells Big Boss that he's attracted to him, purely out of such a fucked up yandere level of hero worship. Especially before the Ground Zeroes incident I think he assumes a) that his feelings go without saying and b) that bibo is indestructible, and GZ is a huge wake up call for him. I have a fic in my wip folder about this exact thing because I'm obsessed with ocelot I am genuinely rotating him in my brain at all times. :3

Meanwhile Kaz is extremely straightforward. I feel like he has some fucked up ideas about masculinity and sexuality early on, but hey, gay people tend to congregate around all the snakes in large numbers, so any internalized homo/biphobia that he might have had has to evaporate pretty quickly. He definitely makes the first move on Bibo, he tries the moves that he uses on (many, many) women, and ends up getting absolutely plowed.

Big Boss, to me, is an autistic aroace king who doesn't really *get* sex and/or romance, but is down to fuck if only because he knows it's something other people put a lot of value on and it feels good, and as an extension of hand-to-hand combat. Because of that sex-as-an-extension-of-combat mindset I feel like he doesn't bottom much if ever (maybe, *MAYBE* if the Boss were into pegging, but lbr she's probably a lil too homophobic for that).

Kaz is cool with that, especially in the early MSF days. It's like having a tiger on a leash. He basically has a supersoldier to fuck him senseless.

I think maybe BB and Ocelot meet quietly on occasion through the MSF days, but if they fuck at all in this time it's mostly just what BB kind of assumes he's supposed to do, from interacting with Kaz. tbh Ocelot gets off from the weirdest shit so anything *real* is just a bonus.

Ocelot is *extremely* jealous of Kaz, not just for the sex, but for even getting to see Bibo on a regular basis. This fic is basically to me what I think their first meeting would/should be like (actually this whole series of fics is so good i recommend it): https://archiveofourown.org/works/37886539

(There's another fic that I looked for very quickly but couldn't find that includes Ocelot saying a line like "I just wanted to see what all the buzz was about" after they fuck, it may also be a part of that series, but I'm struggling rn lol)

Ocelot pretends it's not jealousy and is instead a totally justified dislike. Definitely thinks of him as Zero's slutty lapdog. He spends the time between MGS3/PO (take your pick on canonicity) and GZ keeping tabs on Snake for what he pretends are totally professional, impersonal, non-obsessive reasons. This is not true, obviously. Definitely hopes that Kaz is dead in the devastation.

Goes on an enormous bender between the attack and finding out that Bibo is alive, maybe the only time that he really, truly lets himself completely lose control. Definitely think at least once he gets REAL fucking close to ODing and gets to talk to the Sorrow for a lil bit. Might be how he finds out Snake isn't dead/won't die.

If they haven't at least hooked up anonymously before, Kaz and Ocelot definitely start to in this 9 year gap. Ocelot knows a lot about the human body and does some fancy acupunctury/knife-y stuff to help with the pain from his injuries because, y'know, they're stuck together for now.

Ocelot totally fucks Kaz because he's the person closest to Big Boss left in the world. Ocelot isn't much of a top himself, but he tops Kaz just to figure out what he's used to, using Kaz to build up this mental model of how Big Boss must fuck using the negative space he's left behind.

I genuinely think that up to this point they REALLY could have saved one another. They're one another's perfect foil, they cover one another's weaknesses, Kaz is all rage on his own behalf but doesn't know when to cut ties, Ocelot refuses to grow a single vertebra if it might inconvenience Big Boss.

I do think that Ocelot spent a lot of time at Zanzibarland, and that Kaz intentionally helped time Intrude F014 for a time that Ocelot wouldn't be there, from some lack of desire to kill his...complicated ex lover.

I think Ocelot would absolutely be furious that he wasn't let die with his boss, and intentionally lets Kaz live in 2005 as punishment (I like biblical allusion and so the idea of Kaz living the story of Cain/Pontius Pilate's doorman, cursed to live a wandering life until the second coming of jesus, or in Kaz's situation, the third(?) coming of Big Boss makes me kick my feet and giggle)

Gonna stop for now cause this is getting like. Comedically long for what you asked lol. But I am more than willing to talk about this forever i love them they're my favorite toxic barbies

but genuinely yall thank you, you're making me think about this which means that I can add a little more to the bunch of fics I have half written and scared to finish lmaoooo

[coconutmilkyway]

The Kimba thing is always funny, isnt there like dinosaurs and people in that franchise??? They play socar at one point I think?

yeah there's 9 million ways lion king and kimba aren't carbon copies of each other but people insisting lion king ripped off kimba don't do actual research. they just see 'two stories about a lion cub and his dad, the one that came out later MUST have ripped off the other one'

im not even passionate abt kimba (Ive never watched it LOL) but from a media standpoint this stuff annoys me. It IS possible for multiple people to come up with similar ideas independently of each other, especially if those ideas stem from a common ground (ie, a story about anthro animals set in africa. chances are, both stories will involve a lion at some point, not because of ripping off the other's idea, but because the lion is a well known animal in africa).

Seen this in the art/furry fandom too when someone gets mad about another artist stealing their character. Like 9 times out of 10 it's a case of 'two people independently thought to put blue stripes on their white dog' situation and nothing malicious.

[voiceofthebroken]

impulsively made designs for the voices! they're kind of more like concepts so they're likely to change if I get better ideas for them. I didn't want to make them too complex and give them pinterest outfits lol (I might do that another time though). notes for each voice under the cut!

Hero: I was kind of inspired when a friend said they'd picture that Hero would have similar armor to Artorias from Dark Souls, partially the reason I started drawing the voices

Contrarian: the first thought was to make him a jester, but I thought that's what people would usually imagine him as. so I gave him something more modern to stand apart from the rest of the voices where they're all medieval-ish. also the only voice with a completely round head and the only one without a lower eyelid. he looks silly too so bonus points for that. Contrarian can open his other eye, the diamond on his face is like a tattoo of sorts lol. The X on his chest is a reference to the Razor when he skewers himself (or ourself but same difference)

Stubborn: the first one I actually tried to design. I had the idea of giving a sharper, more prominent chin to the voices who seem more likely to resort to violence. the only idea I had for him was his arms so I had to google and this is the best I could come up with

Hunted: my first roadblock. I was clueless and even considered leaving him as just the base form, but a friend suggested giving him a bandana on his neck, so I did that. a little later I decided to make him fluffy instead of giving him clothes and it took a bit to figure out how to do that

Cold: I found an outfit while I was looking for ideas for Stubborn and I thought it was perfect for Cold. my original idea was just a scarf, but I really liked what I found. don't mind the bad posing by the way lmao, I had an idea for a separate art piece but executed that very poorly so now it's part of the design drawings

Smitten: I got some inspiration from Reverse 1999 for this one actually, but the idea was a little too similar to Hero so I mixed that in with something a bard might wear and gave him a funny feathery hat

Paranoid: I drew him before this post and nothing changed from there. the eye on his hood is one sided and there's nothing else underneath. I don't know how to fit all the details in a pose that would make sense so I'll make another post later lol

Broken: in the Tower route pledging yourself kind of was like becoming a priest for her or something so I gave him the first thing I saw on pinterest when I was looking for priest like clothes. there's a shard of glass connecting the cloak together. he also has stab wounds on his torso from the Tower route

Skeptic: so the last three I struggled to think of designs for so much. he has a scar on his neck from just before the Drowned Grey route where giving him the knife would get him to slit the player's throat. the outfit was inspired by something I found on pinterest and thought the chain going across could somewhat be like the chain going around the player's neck

Cheated: this took the longest to figure out and I gave up on thinking of something. I just gave him whatever outfit I could find on pinterest I thought that would fit him lmao. the only thing I managed to think of was putting bandages around his wrist. he has a scar under the bandages from the Razor

Opportunist: I don't know what I was thinking when I designed him or his clothes. I think he just kind of gave me merchant vibes so I tried going for that and gave him a silly hat. he's definitely not hiding a blade behind his back. the coin was just an extra thing I thought of adding. I ran out of paper space on the page and didn't want to put Opportunist on a different page all by himself so he's the only one without a full body drawing, but it wouldn't make much of a difference if it was a full body

[manofthepipis]

AAAAAA HAPPY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY TO THE BEST FANFIC EVER RAHHHH 💖💖💖

I found this fic back in December (By the way, thanks for upholding my so far 7 month Deltarune hyper fixation) so I wasn’t around in real time for the finale chapter, but oh my god. What an experience. I finished it in like two days but I remember having that thought of “Oh my god this is what I’ve been waiting for!” during those climax chapters.

Roughly 100k words later and here we are lol. (Writing that much is such an accomplishment btw I feel like that deserves it’s OWN congratulations.) Anyway, excited as always to see the next chapter!!

AAAA tyyyy have a lil dood!! :'D

no but seriously continued support makes me so happy to receive, and thanks for sticking around and reading! Im working on the next couple chapters and this fic by far has been the most fun ive ever had in a fandom. super duper glad u enjoy it means like sm ;v;!!!

[immobiliter]

some miscellaneous birthday thoughts for everyone's favourite pretend archon~

i was hoping hoyo would elaborate on this but they did not, so i will: we learned last year from neuvillette's birthday message that furina's birthday is a public holiday in fontaine, and remains so to this day, presumably meaning that things weren't changed after the events of the archon quest.

this implies to me two things, one, that no matter fontaine's collective feelings about their archon after the flood, furina's birthday is actually less about furina herself and reflects more on fontaine as a whole. a public holiday that has been in existence in this nation for anywhere up to 500 years has likely taken on a life of its own, with its own traditions and rituals, and can probably exist without her, in all honesty. it's like how christmas is as much a cultural holiday as it is a religious one, and can be enjoyed even by those who aren't religious. and two, that someone ( probably neuvillette considering he brings it up lmao ) insisted that the tradition continue even after furina's retirement

going back to the theme of christmas, there are a lot of parallels with various elements of christianity within the fontaine archon quest. i don't consider myself enough of an expert to go into them all, but furina, as the human representation of the divine who is sent to her nation to "save" her people from their original sin, and then is subsequently turned on by those people but is still willing to die in order to save them, and is someone who can literally walk on water gameplay wise, has a lot of parallels to jesus. i do think that her birthday in many ways functions in fontainian society similarly to how christmas works in the western world. yes, it's about celebrating the birthday of their archon, but to many it's actually less about that than it is a celebration of fontaine as a whole. i also think it's fitting for furina that even her birthday isn't really about her, although during her time as archon i am sure that she insisted on certain things because it's a way to reinforce the idea that she is their god, after all

pre-AQ, i imagine there is a lot of ceremony involved. for those who know what trooping the colour involves here in the uk, i am thinking along the same lines — chevreuse's voice line about furina talks about her once insisting on some kind of ceremonial musketeer performance and i think there would be some kind of similar officialdom from the various sections of the maison gardiennage to show fealty to their archon, with a lot of pomp and ceremony. i suspect that sort of stuff is inevitably dropped from furina's birthday celebrations after the AQ, but any other traditions that have been adopted by the fontainian people ( and the nature of it being a public holiday where the fontainian people can be at home with their families ) remain.

this also means that this birthday, timeline wise, is not only the first birthday that furina gets to celebrate as an ordinary human being, but also the first birthday she gets to celebrate where she has actually aged. of course, her age always increased every birthday, but she was cursed by focalors to forever remain the way she is, and to never visibly look any older or show any signs of aging. the fact that she can now say that she is a whole year older, both mentally and physically, is a big, big deal to her.

[evtoine]

6, 23, and 64 for the tav asks!!

Tav Asks

6. What is your Tav's origin story?

Galinndan and Shandri met in their adventuring years, eventually building their own home in the middle of the woods, starting a family short after. The first of the children ended up being triplets, much to the surprise of both their parents. Alyona, Leyla, and Stella were thick as thieves growing up, caring after their younger sister Aisling and as well as the youngest, their brother Naeris.

All of Leyla's siblings seemed to have a knack for defending themselves—Alyona and Stella both became rangers like their mother, Aisling found joy and power in music, and Naeris was a dedicated follower of Mielikki. But Leyla? Leyla struggled. She was a terrible shot, her music didn't carry the same weight as Aisling's, and while she had an academic interest in the gods, she could never figure out one to devote herself to. Her father Galinndan tried his best to teach her the ways of the druids, and while she understood them, it never manifested as druidic magic like she was hoping.

Until she started receiving visits from someone in her dreams.

This friendly visitor never wore the same face, always appearing as different forest animals, though Leyla always knew it was them. This visitor eventually helped her connect with the druidic magic she'd been trying to find for so long. Though her father knew immediately that the source of her power was different from his own. (Mechanically speaking, Galinndan is a Land druid and Leyla was a Dreams druid, which is a 5e subclass!)

Leyla's new magic became a sore spot between her and her father. While they were pleased she had finally starting showing signs of magic, Galinndan didn't trust the source of it. While Leyla insisted she had learned it on her own, she and her father were often at odds with each other as a result of his distrust. And when Leyla received a vision warning her of danger if they were to remain in their secluded area of the woods, her family was forced to make a choice. They stayed, Leyla left.

She travelled for weeks, studying the stars along the way. Leyla only stopped into towns briefly when she needed supplies or desired a real bed to sleep in. She grew closer with her dream visitor during her travels, bringing joy to every town she stopped in, healing wounds when she could. She started to read more now that she had unlimited access to books, something she'd never experienced before but something she found she really enjoyed.

Eventually Leyla found herself in Silverymoon. She hadn't intended to stay long, but fate had other ideas for her. While attending a ball, she met Traven, a cleric of Ioun that captured her heart. She eventually decided to stay in the city, both to be with him and to study everything Silverymoon had to offer. It was here Leyla was captured into the Nautiloid. She still isn't sure if Traven survived. After her capture, Leyla lost her connection with her dream visitor, instead having to rely on the magic she had learned through books.

23. What is your Tav’s favorite moment they’ve had with their lover?

It's hard to pick, honestly. (Especially not being 100% certain on Leyla's romances lol.) But her intended romances are Gale and Halsin, so I'll pick one for each!

Her moment with Gale is an easy one. Even though the romance bugged in my first playthrough of the game when I'd intended to romance him, the scene where he creates the starry scene is so sweet, especially for Leyla. She had always loved the stars, and after travelling through the Underdark into the Shadow Curse, she was really starting to miss them. To have him create that scene for her... She almost cried, honestly. It was such a thoughtful gesture from him.

For Halsin, I imagine the two of them spend a lot of time talking about druid things together. Leyla missed her druidic magic, even though being a wizard might have suited her more. Eventually the subject of her dream visitor came up, and he was able to help her identify who it might be! She won't know until the tadpole stops interfering, probably, but it was nice to have some answers on who they might be after all this time.

64. What Tarot Card best represents your Tav?

Hmmmm a difficult one. She's gone through a lot of growth in her journey, so her original card is much different than the current... but overall? And this is a little on the nose, but probably The Star! It's a card that's deeply connected with hope, which Leyla had often clung to in her darkest moments. It's a reminder for herself that she's going to be okay. I love that the reversed Star also represents how Leyla acts when struggling, as well. She often feels like the entire world is against her, and just really... unsure. No hope or faith that everything will be okay.

The High Priestess is probably the runner up though! It signifies intuition/inner voice, which also feels very Leyla. Actually the more I read on this, the more I consider it? This question is way harder than I was anticipating...

If you've made it this far, thank you! I have so many thoughts about Leyla, so this was a joy. I probably wrote way too much about her backstory, but I'd been itching to do it anyways....

[ruhua-langblr]

To atone for my complaining, I’ll post something actually relevant next but,

There’s a video going around of some a girl talking about how “English is actually really basic and monolingual English speakers don’t have a developed brain” and 😐

A lot to unpack. Even if we’re just talking about vernacular English, vernacular of any language is usually “dumbed down” because it’s meant for ease of communication. The reason English speakers have “undeveloped” language centers isn’t a fault of the language, but of how English dominant countries do not emphasize learning a second language because “English is the dominant language! It’s on other countries/people to learn OUR language” (aka imperialism/white supremacy/etc). This is separate from how difficult the syntax and grammar of the English language is.

Already made a post about “easy” languages, but it is. Funny. That the person making the video’s first language is French. Get outta here with your abundance of English cognates.

Finally, intentional or not, it feels insulting to ESL people who struggle with learning English. It’s very easy to say how ~easy~ English is when you probably learned in throughout your schooling, had opportunities to travel to English speaking countries, etc.

[undead-potatoes]

Finally got to that Act 2 Durge camp scene if you refuse to kill Isobel last night, and while I've seen that scene like a billion times other places, going through it with both Astarion and Shadowheart as Aurora gave me some thoughts whirring in my head

Aurora's mental state for most of the game is in the gutter. Like the level of self-loathing she carries with her at all times is honestly a bit much, leading her to be very self sacrificing and borderline suicidal. She's kept it together thus far, even finding some renewed hope and purpose after discovering her connection to Lathander at the monastery, but when she's forced to almost kill a loved one in camp she just falls apart completely.

When she's finally back to her self again, all she has left in her is tears. She's just so tired. Between the sleepless nights, the chronic headaches and pains, the constant battles both within and without her cup is already full, and now it's spilling over.

She genuinely contemplates just leaving, putting as much distance between herself and the others as she can before turning, maybe taking down some shadowy abominations with her as she goes. And if push came to shove, a dagger to the heart always does the trick.

She's kept her Urge mostly secret until now, afraid of what the others would think, and is very pleasantly surprised to discover she's met with compassion of all things. The others are wary of her, sure, but none of them seem to blame her for her affliction, and seem mostly preoccupied with how to avoid any possible incidents in the future.

And then there's Astarion, who almost got killed by her uncontrollable bloodlust, and Shadowheart, who could just as easily have become the victim had the dice of fate rolled slightly differently. The way both of them are so supportive of her, seemingly unfazed by the moral aspects of the Urge. How Astarion is being a little cheeky about the whole thing, joking about it in all the right ways to ease the tension, while Shadowheart's more earnest and serious approach still makes her feel seen and taken seriously.

To be met with such understanding and love when she has none for herself is so important to her I think, to have something more to live for than just a sense of duty and spite. Someone to keep the candle of hope lit, even when the Urge tries to snuff it out.