#this post turned out a lot longer then i thought it'd be lol

[desperatepleasures]

canon dubcon thots

it's left ambiguous (as of vol09 at least) how consensual the relationship was between haruka rin and fuji but honestly as far as I'm concerned like. when she named him and then immediately kissed him without even checking the vibe first, that kinda set the tone!! it doesn't really matter how much he consented bc I don't think she even considered the possibility of him refusing her

idk yet my thoughts on whether him being all "nooo I can't fall for you you're a human and I'm a tengu it's Doomed" was due to him actually developing feelings for her or him just trying to let her down easy (which failed if so lmao) but I kind of think he didn't really process how unhealthy the situation is while he was in it. and I think that's part of why he was so angry when he got his memories back, it wasn't just about the final betrayal of her sealing him in that boulder, it was the ongoing betrayal of his autonomy!! and he would never have questioned their relationship but now he has something to compare it to!!

I also think getting those memories back gave him some fears about his relationship with kantarou at first- and kantarou unknowingly dispelling those fears made such a big change in haruka and that's when he started acting differently (actually expressing affection towards kan, which was great, and then acting more obedient toward him, which set off kan's guilt and led to That Fight)

but like honestly I talk mad shit about how unhealthy harukan is (it is) (that's why it's a fun and cool ship) but fuji set the bar pretty low tbh... like at least kan actually cared about having haruka's friendship!!! even if he very clearly wants more he doesn't just Take what he wants from haruka (in that regard, he's a dick in other ways lol) and I think that's honestly a huge deal for haruka and a big part of why he's able to let himself fall for kan despite having #trauma

(on that note...the scene where kan asks why haruka always protects him or whatever and haruka says "because we're friends right?" and kan looks disappointed...hooo boy. you finally got what you said you wanted!!! but you can't even let yourself be happy about it because you know you want more!!)

(ALSO ALSO FUCK. the fact that fuji sealed him without cancelling his name contract. and kantarou names him without having any knowledge of his existing name contract or the damaging effect that overlapping name contracts would have on haruka. there's something really poetic there about baggage and trauma that I don't have the ability to articulate right now!!)

[natailiatulls07]

New wag in the paddock

Summary - Being the newest wag in the paddock can be quite daunting but with the right people around you, it's all okay

Warning - None <3

A/n - Slowly easing back into writing?? We'll see lol

-

Walking into the paddock with beyond nerve racking, with photographers just inside of the entrance and fans just outside of the entrance - I had no where to hide or breathe.

Luckily walking alongside me with Rebecca Donaldson, Carlos' partner. Because of our partners friendship, we were close friends. She had become someone who'd help me and become like a sister to me in the paddock and even beyond.

This morning particularly she had come over to mine and Landos suite to help me get ready for my first paddock day just after him and Carlos had left. Helping with picking out a gorgeous dress, helping with my makeup and also my hair. Like my own fairy godmother in a way.

'Wow there's a lot of people here...' I whisper in her direction, my eyes took in the busyness of a Sunday morning race day paddock. Next to me, I feel her laugh - She's used to this.

With a soft nod and a slip of an arm round my back, Rebecca is quick to reply. 'Yep it's a race day in Miami, you'll get used to it...' I feel her gently pushing me along, prompiting me not to run back out and go back to the safety of the hotel.

-

It wasn't long before she dropped me off at the McLaren hospitality. Wishing me good luck with a hug and a warm smile before I stand pathically watching her leave me to defend for myself - Almost like a child would whilst being dropped off for their first day of school. In a sense, it was exactly that; I had been dropped off and know expected to make friends until someone I knew would come and safe me.

I breathe in, turn on my heel and walk quietly into the McLaren hospitality. Inside it's modern and high tech, obviously very well thought out. There are multiple seating areas, some small groups accompanying a couple. I can smell fresh coffee as I walk over to a small sofa, sitting there anxiously.

Opening my phone, I can already see multiple notification from various social platforms. I hazard a guess that they are mostly all gossip sites tagging me in their posts.

But one notification stands out to me.

It's on instagram, informing me that I've been added to a groupchat. More specifically a groupchat for the f1 wags. My heart warms at their consideration and kindness, so this is what it feels like to be in a big friendship group of girls.

Soon a few messages start to load into the chat;

lilymhe - Heyyy Y/n! Welcome to the group, this is a safe space for you always xx

francisca.cgomes - Yeah all the girls are in this group so we all gossip, vent and help out in here! Girls support girls obv <3

carmenmmundt - Hi sweetheart!

kellypiquet - Literally if you need anything, send a quick message here and we'll help always x

alexandrasaintmleux - Babes I just saw the photos, you look STUNNING!!! <333

I don't even the big smile that forms on my lips, the feeling of acceptance heavy on my mind. Accidently I don't notice the person in front of me until I hear a soft cough. Looking up I recogise Lando trainer, Jon, stood waiting patiently with a small smile. I gasp at my oblivion. 'Oh my gosh, I'm sorry! You haven't been stood there long, gosh how oblivious can I get?' I nervously ramble.

I've only met him a hand full of times and to keep him waiting felt very rude of me. A soft chuckle escapes his lips as he shakes his head, prompting me to breathe out a sigh of relief.

'No don't worry, I came to get you cause you're boyfriend wants to see you before the race starts...' He explains, watching as I quickly gather my things - I don't want to keep him waiting any longer. 'Hey, no need to rush...' He chuckles, sensing my nerves. It'd be hard not to.

Notable I slow down, no longer rushing to collect myself. I let out a soft sigh, a smile screwing itself onto my lips. And once I have everything, I let Jon lead the way through to Landos garage.

As soon as we walk into the garage, my eyes are immediately drawn to Lando who is stood talking to a few engineers. With his classic smile on his face, something I really do adore is watching as he talks about his job - He really does love it, possible more than me.

I stand there for a few seconds, not wanting to intrude on his conversation. Around me the team work around the garage, clearly buzzing with pre race excitement, nerves and preparation - Something Jon went along with when we arrived.

Then suddenly, I feel eyes on me and I notice Lando walking towards me enthusiastically. As soon as I am in arms reach, I feel his arms slip comfortably around my waist. 'Hi...' I smile, slipping my own arms around his neck. 'How are you doing?'

Lando takes a few seconds, just staring lovingly at me before smirking. 'Good, better now that you're here. How did this morning go? You and Rebecca get here alright?' He questioned, very grateful that I had someone to join this morning.

I nod keenly, moving on to explain about my morning as my hand start to play with some of his mullet. 'Oh I was added to the wag groupchat, they're all really nice people. They said that I can talk to them about anything and ask for advice you know. I've only really met Rebecca so they don't they even know me but they still like accept me, I thought that was the sweet thing ever...' Unintentionally I go onto ramble about the other wags befriending me, only really stopping when I notice his gaze and gentle warm smile. 'Sorry I'm rambling...'

Looking around us, I can see some engineers watching curiously. A mix of his gaze on me, my realization and the engineers watching all make me blush deeply. 'No it's okay...'

His british cuts through my thoughts, reassuring me. 'I'm really happy that you got them beside you, they know what you're going through a lot more than I will ever so that's great!' One of his hands moves up to caress my cheek lovingly.

A comfortable silence falls on us for a few seconds, before I speak up once again. 'So are you ready for the race today? Is the car good?' I ask, despite not really understanding the sport I'm desperate to learn through Lando.

He turns, watching as the engineers do their final preperations and work and nodding confidently. 'Yeah all good! I've got my good luck charm with me and the car is set to do magic today!' Even the way he explains everything, there is a lot of excitement in his voice. I nod, careful to take in all the information he's telling me.

Our conversation continues for a few more minutes before he's notified that he has to make a move to get the car out onto the track. Quick Lando turns back towards me, smiling and pulling me into a tender kiss. 'I love you! Wish me luck!'

I return the same energy and excitement. 'Good luck Lan! You've got this! I love you too!'

-

1.2K

[arcane-vagabond]

Hmm yes hello. Can we get an insight from Jake’s POV for when he first met Scout?

Cannot BELIEVE this is the first time this has been requested....

Anyway, this was a little longer than I thought it'd be lol One use of "y/n," but y'all already know it's Scout.

Sweat dripped from Jake's brow despite the coolness offered by the shade of the Hard Deck. He leaned back in his chair, feet propped up on the table as he let his head drop back against his shoulders with a tired sigh. Bradley had been a menace the last couple of weeks, something typical for him this time of year. The gang had hardly had a moment's rest between the different robberies they'd committed, and now they had Isaac and his gang after them.

How was Jake supposed to know that girl had been Isaac's? She seemed receptive enough, especially when her hand slid down to his-

Jake jerked, catching himself just in time as his chair nearly fell out from under him. He glanced around, eyes landing on Penny as she glared down at him.

"Keep your feet off my tables, Jacob," she hissed. Jake shot her a scowl, but acquiesced, planting his feet on the hardwood and sucking on his teeth in thought.

"What's got you lookin' so sour?" She asked, wiping down the table where his feet just sat. "You're lookin' so dark, the chickens have come home to roost."

Jake let out a snort, rolling his eyes as he grimaced.

"Bradley's got us in in a mess again," he muttered. Penny hummed, raising an eyebrow.

"From what I've heard, you've got just as much to do with the bind you're in now as he does."

"Wouldn't be in this mess if he'd give it a rest once in a while," he countered.

"Wouldn't be in this mess if you'd keep it in your pants for a change," she fired back. "When are the lot of you going to find some nice girls and settle down, hm? You're not getting any younger."

Jake clicked his tongue, but didn't respond. Instead, he pushed away from the table, dropping a few bills in his place.

"I'll see you later, Penny," he waved, not looking back as he walzed out of the saloon. He let out a huff as the sun beat down, pondering his options on what to do for the rest of the day. He supposed he could go and bother Maverick, but the old man seemed busier than usual these days. He could always go to the brothel, the girls love him there. Of course, he could always go and find Javy and the others.

He turned towards the post where he had secured Whiskey, stopping at the sight before him.

Whiskey was a grumpy, old horse. Really, the only people he ever let near him were Tom, Maverick, and himself, usually offering a nip or a stomp at anyone who ventured too close for the horse's liking. But there you stood, practically cradling Whiskey's large head in your arms as you stroked a hand up the length of his face, murmuring softly to him with a gentle smile.

Jake's heart lurched in his chest, heat gathering at his cheeks as he blinked at the sight of you. He swore he had never seen anything more beautiful in his life.

Whiskey nudged his nose at you, drawing out a sweet sounding giggle from your lips, and butterflies swooped in Jake's stomach at the sound. He couldn't think of any time where he'd felt like this towards someone, and he was finding that he wasn't opposed to it. Quite the opposite actually.

He studied you for a moment. You were dressed nicely, perhaps a little too many layers for the current heat, but not a hair was out of place on your head as you continued your one sided conversation.

Must be a new girl they took on over at the brothel, he thought to himself. The madame there, Greta, only dressed her girls up that fine when they were making their debut, and none of the other ladies would dress that fine in this heat. Yes, you must be out here advertising.

Jake knew he had to have you. He'd pay for every night that he could, just so long as no one else would have you.

Before he could stop himself, his feet began moving on their own and next thing he knew, he had come up to stand right behind you.

"Well, darlin’. There must be something special about you, huh?" He grinned. You jumped at the sound of his voice, eyes wide in surprise as you realized that you had an audience. You didn't answer right away, taking a moment to study him, and Jake discovered that he quite liked the way your gaze felt on him.

“I’m sorry?” you questioned.

“Whiskey here doesn’t warm up to just anyone,” he grinned, resting a hand next to yours. “In fact, he doesn’t like much of anyone accept me.”

You averted your gaze shyly, letting out another giggle as Whiskey nibbled on the strands of your hair. Jake's heart swelled in his chest, and he leaned closer towards you, taking in the scent of your lavender perfume.

"I haven’t seen you ‘round these parts before," he said. "You new in town?”

“Yes,” you answered politely, lashes batting against your cheek. “I just arrived here.”

“Figured,” he chuckled. “I would have remembered seeing someone as pretty as you walkin’ around.”

A hint of a smile tugged on your lips, and Jake wasn't even sure you realized it as you averted your gaze once more. He took that moment to put his bid in.

“So, sugar,” he started, “how much for your debut?”

The smile dropped from your lips as you looked at him with eyebrows furrowed. “What?”

Jake already missed the shy smile you gave him, but he continued on with a chuckle.

“How much is it going to cost me to have you in my bed for the hour?”

Your brow furrowed even more as you cocked your head to one side. "I beg your pardon?"

“C’mon, honey. It’ll be worth your while,” he smirked, running his eyes up and down your form. God, he couldn't wait to hear the noises you'd make for him, the shy sighs and quiet moans as he took you apart piece by piece. “Promise it’ll be good for you too. Hell, I’ll even pay for the night.”

All trace of shyness and mirth had disappeared from your face as you looked at him with a stony expression, rage flickering behind your pretty eyes.

“How dare you!”

Jake felt uncertainty creep up his spine as his smirk faltered. This was certainly new.

“What’s the matter, darlin’?” He asked.

“The matter,” you seethed, “is that you have just assumed that I am some woman of ill repute, sir.”

He paused, studying you. God, you looked cute like this. “Well, I just figured since you were dressed up so pretty, it must have been to draw in customers.”

That was apparently the wrong thing to say.

“I’m not a whore!” you shouted, drawing looks from passersby. Jake held his hands up in a placating manner, a mixture of fear and arousal coursing through him. Oh, he was certainly going to have fun with you, and there was no way he'd be able to stay away. He was certain of it.

“My sincerest apologies, miss,” he offered, trying to hold back a grin. Usually the girls in town fawned all over him, and while it was convenient, it certainly got old after a while. But you? He liked that fire in you, and he wanted to see what else lay beneath that pretty exterior of yours.

You turned to walk away, huffing out a snort as you stopped after a few feet, looking over your shoulder to fix him with an icy look.

“I would advise you, Mr…?”

"Seresin," he grinned. "Jake Seresin."

“Mr. Seresin,” you breathed, pursing your lips. “I would advise you to not make such horrible assumptions next time you come across a woman you don’t know.”

You didn’t wait for his response as you continued walking. Jake's grin grew wider as he trotted after you, falling into step beside you as you continued on down the street. He could feel the irritation rolling off of you in waves.

"What are you doing, Mr. Seresin?" You asked, not even trying to contain your annoyance.

"Call me Jake."

You stopped in your tracks, scowling up at him.

“I most certainly will not,” you huffed. “Now answer my question.”

Jake stared at you. What was he doing? What was he doing? He'd never chased after a girl like this, certainly not one who yelled at him the way you had. No, he much prefered the convenience that came with girls chomping at the bit for his attention. Right?

So why did he want your attention so badly? There were girls who'd line up for even a moment to simply chat with him, and yet here he was chasing after a girl who clearly wanted nothing to do with him. Still, he thought back to the way you had cooed at Whiskey, the gentle smile on your face as you whispered to the beast.

He never thought he'd be jealous of a horse.

Jake's mind was drawn back as you started to squirm under his gaze, and he realized how long the two of you had been standing there in silence, your glare growing more prominant the more uncomfortable you became.

“Well, since I accidentally insulted you,” he cocked his head at your glare, “I figured the least I could do is walk you to wherever it is you’re going.”

“While I appreciate the gesture,” you said with gritted teeth a polite smile, “but that is entirely unnecessary.”

“Nonsense,” Jake chirped, “what kind of gentleman would I be if I allowed a beautiful young lady to walk around unescorted through town?”

The look you gave him had the grin on his face expanding as you huffed once again, continuing on the path down the street. Jake caught up to you once again, offering you his arm and arching a brow at the scoff you threw his way. You scowled, but took his arm, pointedly facing foward as a triumphant smirk made its way onto Jake's face. The two of you walked in silence only a few moments more until you stopped just in front of the newest building in the town of Maverick.

Jake looked up at the fancy looking building, fighting back the irritation that suddenly coursed through him.

"The lawyer?" He asked, trying to maintain his best poker face.

"Yes," you answered simply, letting go of his arm to put some distance between the two of you. Jake folded his arms across his chest and did his best to look like he wasn't glaring up at the offending structure.

“You come here to join your fiance?” he asked, tone even and face still unreadable.

“Are you jealous, Mr. Seresin?”

Jake looked at you then, jaw set and green eyes ablaze. Your face was filled with amusement as you looked at him.

“Answer the question, darlin’.”

You shook your head, closing your eyes for a brief moment. “No. I’m not even engaged. Benjamin is my brother.”

Relief washed through him, and were he a more introspective person, he'd analyze why he felt that way. But, Jake could only be thankful that he didn't appear to have any immediate competition for your affection and attention, already plotting how to run into you again as a smirk crept onto his face.

"I don’t think I got the pleasure of your name, sugar.”

“I highly doubt you’ll need it,” you stated simply. He arched an eyebrow at you.

“And why is that?”

“Because I don’t believe our paths will cross again, Jake,” you said, lips curling in a small, victorious smile.

“Ah, that’s no fair, darlin’. All I want to know is your name,” he grinned, leaning in closer, once again catching a whiff of your lavender perfume. He could hear the way your breath caught in your throat, feeling at least a little satisfied that he seemed to have a similar effect on you that you did for him.

“Just my name?” you whispered.

“Just your name," he assured you with a nod.

The door to the building opened and your attention was drawn to the two figures who appeared.

"Scout?" The lawyer called to you at the same time Natasha spoke, and Jake smirked in triumph at the revelation of your name.

"Y/n, huh?" He chuckled, pulling back. The tension in your shoulders eased as he did. "Or is it Scout?"

"It's neither to you," you scowled, and a laugh ripped through Jake before he could stop it.

Benjamin walked quickly down the steps and down to your side where he leveled Jake with a stare. Jake was aware that he had a reputation, and he was sure the lawyer wasn't too keen on his baby sister being anywhere near the likes of someone like him.

“How can we be of service, Hangman?” Benjamin asked tensely, and Jake felt a brief tinge of irritation at the use of that damned nickname. Your head whipped around to look at him, shock and worry coloring your features as you, Jake assumed, put the puzzle pieces together. Jake let an easy, mocking grin take over his face as he looked at Benjamin before shooting a wink in your direction.

“Just escorting your sister back to your door, Benjamin. Wouldn’t want anyone getting the wrong idea, would we?” He grins, not taking his eyes off of you. Benjamin stiffened beside you, shooting him a warning look. Jake had to admit, the man had some balls looking at him like that. Not many men would dare to.

“Yes, well,” Benjamin began, “thank you, Hangman. It’s greatly appreciated.”

“Anytime,” replied Jake, already turning to walk back. He gave you another wink, smirking at the way you gaped at him. “I’ll be seeing you around then, Scout.”

The dirt crunched beneath his boot as he set off back down the road. If he had anything to say about it, this most certainly wouldn't be the last time you saw him around.

[mad-hunts]

okay, so i know this is a million years late, BUT we're just going to act like i just posted that post about how i believe barton would actually come to peace with death rather quickly in the event that he was dying okok / j [ahahhh, i'm just messing around with you all (': but anyways, allow me to get back into talking about it; like i'm sure you all are reading this for LOL]

nahhh, but i honestly was working on this for a little bit longer than i thought because i wanted time to really try to explain my thought process the best i could, you know? because that is not the kind of thing that people would probably expect from a villain character... though, with good reason, of course. and the fact that barton is actually afraid of dying does make it a little more unexpected, in my humble opinion. however, i promise that everything about this will make sense by the time i'm done explaining it.

so, no matter the scenario, i've always seen barton as a character who's very stubborn and who's resolve and/or goal to 'fix' as many people as he can is the right one most if not all the time. this is, of course, due to a variety of factors: one being that this sort of ideology was introduced to barton at a young age, and he never learned how to 'break out of it' so-to-speak (though he knew it was harmful). another one is that he's been exposed to a lot of terrible sights over the years and believes that humanity isn't inherently good, like batman, for example.

no. i'd say that barton is much more pessimistic and tends to expect the worst out of people automatically. as a result, this has kind of implemented the delusion upon him that 'well, if everyone's already bad anyways, then who's to say that these people don't in some way maybe deserve it?' so yeah. that second thing is a lot to unpack there on its own, i believe, but that is the general basis of what kind of character he is.

but here comes the double-layered part of it: barton had never wanted for his life to turn out this way, with him self-sabotaging and hurting people all throughout it. he sees 'normal' people after all, especially those who are happy and often becomes jealous of what they have, in fact. barton had fallen into the unfortunate trap of growing up in a household that praised him for hurting people... and when he was introduced to winslow, it felt like he'd gotten whiplash because he was nothing like wesley.

he couldn't break out of that terrible way of thinking, but of course, one can't blame everything on their past and must take responsibility for what they're doing. barton in this scenario of dying chose to go down a path of becoming a god damn serial killer just like his father; effectively becoming similar to him in some ways even though he didn't want to. and at his time of dying, i think that barton would have this moment of clarity that is a bit complex, but that i'll try to explain the best i can here.

this would be that he hasn't done any 'good' in his life much, if at all, but in the event that barton had time to spend before he died and was aware he would... he could do one good thing, and that would be to — although this wouldn't even begin to make up for everything he put them through, barton wouldn't be expecting that or their forgiveness — make his kids promise to break that cycle of violence in their family because they could still make something good of themselves.

they'd still have their whole life ahead of themselves, after all. barton wouldn't be claiming that it'd be easy or anything like that, but he'd want for them to be able to live a simple life like he secretly wanted to. and it'd be alright if they only thought of barton once in a while, or even never again because he knows that what he's done to them can't be undone. but the thing about death is that it makes you realize stuff like what you put out into the world is what you'll get back; and you have to do this life right, because you only get to live it once.

so, yeah, he wouldn't have any unreasonable expectations that he'd be making up with them or act like he's a saint now because he's doing this. but he could at least do this one thing for them after an adjustment period because facing your own mortality is probably scary, as i can imagine.

and it'd make anyone really think about what they want their legacy to be. and does barton want his to be his kids continuing the family business by killing people + thus condemning themselves to a life of staying awake late at night, just like him, thinking about what could've been? no, though it might take him some time to realize that, too.

now, if barton was dying suddenly and didn't have much time to do anything, then things would be very different. if any of his kids were present for it, then he'd tell them not to cry and that they'll be okay without him. probably better, actually, because barton believes he's never been the 'nurturing' type. but he'd ask them to grant a request for him and that would be to live the rest of their life/lives in a way that they could be proud of. with anyone else, i think that barton would come to peace with it by saying that he's done a lot of things he regrets (again, a moment of clarity) but one of the best things he ever did was have his kids.

so, telling them to pass on a message for him that he loves them and accepting it because he's just caused suffering + as well felt like he'd been suffering for a good portion of his life, so maybe it was just... time for him to move on? that'd be the way he'd react to that. which is... yeahhh, it's got a little bit of a kick to it, but once again; complexity is basically barton's middle name and he's not going to expect anyone to treat him any differently for doing this.

even in death, i don't think barton would want pity and would likely laugh at himself for thinking this would 'never happen to him,' as a matter of fact. but he would be genuinely calm and sentimental in a way that's very rare for him. so, yeah.

this was one long ass analysis, but if you made it to the bottom, i want to say that i appreciate you and love you to the bottom of my heart MUAHHH!! y'all are amazing and i just want to say RPing with my moots on here is always a blast for me 🩷 plus, i'm so honored that you're interested in my probably overcomplicated (LOL i kiddd, but IDK. he might be) OC that i made based off of a comic book batman villain that's appeared in like... two batman comics, haha. it really makes my heart happy.

[amaliabalash]

Legally Blonde at the Oregon Cabaret Theatre

Just got back from seeing the Cabaret's Legally Blonde and so naturally I have to make a text post with every thought and feeling. Bullet pointed stream of consciousness ahead! And I'll be seeing this uh like six more times so I will likely add on to mention other little things I notice and like over time. 😂

This Bruiser was a miniature poodle and very cute.

When Margot is talking to Bruiser, she just held his head and looked into his eyes like she was doing a mind meld and I loved that.

Also, like seven years ago or something, the actress playing Margot played Elle in a youth production of LB that I saw, and it was fun to see her back in the show. She understudies Elle and I hope she goes on one of the times I've there, it'd be a fun full circle thing.

During Blood in the Water, when the students start echoing the phrase, Emmett started and like tried to cue them to do the same? I don't know how to word it lol but it worked for me.

When Elle asks, "who assigns reading on the first day of class?" Emmett across the room starts like reaching out towards her and mouthing "no no no" before grimacing.

Enid throws a beer on Vivienne at the party, which I haven't seen before and was fun as Vivienne runs off stage going "I'm all sticky!"

OG IRELAND LYRICS FTW

During the Christmas part of Chip, Emmett comes in with a reindeer horn headband and I just thought that was very cute.

This Emmett did a lot of like, voices when saying certain lines and it worked for me? I know the actor from many local productions and always enjoy him but he's usually playing character roles, and I enjoyed seeing little bits of that goofiness brought into Emmett.

Major height difference between Elle and Emmett. Most of the time I'm like "yeah height differences are fine" but it made it so if they hugged she's like buried in this chest and yes good I approve.

At the end of Chip right after Elle has her classroom success, Elle and Emmett like lock eyes and walk towards each other and it just felt like a magnetic pull thing until Callahan walks between them, I dug it.

And then when Paulette goes to get Rufus (she goes offstage, because they did not have a dog to play Rufus), again, Elle and Emmett just fucking gaze at each other for a moment before she goes into "is this law?" and I am so here for it.

Holy SHIT Whipped Into Shape. Always impressive to see people hold their own with singing while jump roping, but the first freeze? Forgive the random cheerleader picture for illustration, but the actress playing Brooke held this pose (without the other arm out) for the entire pause on "meet our brand new client Brooke..." through until the hit play again. I've never seen people burst into applause mid-Whipped, but like, you could feel the shock and awe just ripple through the room the longer she held it.

Take It Like a Man: okay first of all they actually put him in a good suit thank the lord, so often it's like "and he looks the same, just in black" but this was a well fitted suit so, A+ costuming, you actually did the job. And Emmett did a clear sort of lean in before Elle hugs him, which isn't anything new, but always great in my book. And when she hugs him, she just buries her face in his chest, I love it.

When Callahan makes the move on Elle, and audience member loudly hissed. 😂

Sadly. There was no Door. However, they DID make it clear that "what about love?" was an aside and not directly to Elle. There was a line change, I don't remember exactly what, so it's not "if you can hear" but something else. But when he's singing about wanting her to stay TO her, she's carrying a bag she's packed and they both reach for the handles and just kind of clasp hands for a moment. ALSO she packs the 2-in-1 shampoo after like hesitating for a moment over it, and that got me right in the heart. Well done.

During the reprise when Elle walks into the supply closet, Vivienne turned to Enid and said "she still hates me, doesn't she?" or something like that and god any little extra bit of Vivienne insight we get I looooove.

After Elle proposes and puts the ring on Emmett's finger, she jumps into his arms and just WRAPS her legs around him, full on star fish cling, I love it. No real end kiss though, which seemed weird? Like they were about to and then went into more singing. I'm not as much bothered by it as confused by the choice but oh well.

Emmett comes out in a hot pink suit for bows.

Okay that's all I got for now. I fucking love Legally Blonde.

[minevn]

Hallo! Regarding the LIs/characters, what would they do if they're feeling really angry/violent/about to go batshit yandere crazy and MC just kinda, gives them a cooldown hug and a gentle kiss on their lips? Like, who just freezes up and blushes, continues the kiss/makes it longer, etc.

I decided to add Aki, not that she would get as angry as the others but I just thought it'd be fun to write angry Aki :3 Also this was hard just cause I think it would take a bit to get certain characters to that level of anger, which would definitely be possible with this scenario, but a lot of them wouldn't even let you two stick around whatever/whoever is getting them angry. A few are also REALLY good at hiding their emotions(Mainly Kei lol)

TW: Creeps, harassment(Not like extreme harassment but there's forceful wrist grabbing and mentions of gross lewd things said to you. I try not to be super descriptive, but just in case it still may be triggering, skip over this post if these topics trigger you) The keep reading is under the scenario for these trigger warnings :3

Scenario: You were out on a date with your s/o, having a blast as you typically do with them. But of course, creeps have to ruin all the fun. They ignore your s/o, and if they acknowledge them then they d it to put them down. You could tell your s/o was getting annoyed with the creeps words, but it got worse when the creep decided it would be a good idea to grab your wrist and try pulling you away from your lover.

Minato: He's pissed, like the most angry you've ever seen him. Normally your giant of a boyfriend is very calm and gentle and can maintain that image even if he's feeling protective. It was scaring you a bit if you were honest. Despite your nerves, you hugged Minato. You knew he would calm down if you showed that you were fine. Feeling his body tense in your arms was something you were used to feeling, it never failed to amuse you though. Minato turned around slightly to face you, calming down significantly just from seeing you okay. Still, you pulled him down and planted a soft and gentle kiss on his lips. Minato bluescreens and makes no effort of pulling away. After calming down slightly, he forgets about the person who pissed him off, now all he wants is to go home with you.

Haruto: Haruto instantly has the creeps wrist in a death grip, looking at them with an expression you've never seen on Haruto before. You knew he could be protective and clingy, he'd get jealous if you even looked at a person, but you've never seen this expression. Maybe he had been holding back his jealousy for your sake and so he finally snapped. You hugged him, trying to pull him away from the creep, and thankfully it worked! You made Haruto face you so he wouldn't have to see the person any longer and he would calm down. Still, he tried glaring at the person, so you pulled him down and pressed a kiss to his lips. His eyes widened as his eyes looked at you own closed ones, he ended up melting into the kiss. Almost forgetting the creep, but when he remembered he smirked into the kiss as the creep walked away.

Jun: Jun pulls you away from the creep and holds you in her arms. "Y/n is mine! Stay away you creep, don't ruin our date." Jun starts off all pouty and clingy like usual. "Why are you still with this shorty? I could absolutely treat you better." The rando said, grabbing your wrist again. "Hey, let go!" You try pulling your hand out of the grip the creep has on you. Jun's grip around your waist tightens slightly, not enough to hurt you though. Jun covered your eyes before digging her long nails into the creeps wrist, drawing blood. "Don't EVER touch Y/n again." Jun's voice was low and the grip around your wrist disappeared. "Jun, let's just leave..." You grabbed Jun's cardigan, hoping to stop her, but it didn't work, she was still pissed. You just wanted to get away from that creep so you continued to grab Jun's cardigan and try pulling her away. Thankfully, it wasn't too difficult to drag Jun away but she was still extremely pissed, clenching her fist and glaring in the direction that you two just came. You tried calming Jun down by talking but no words seemed to soothe him. You weren't sure what to really do, so as a last resort you pressed a kiss to her lips. You smiled feeling Jun relax on your lips, pressing a kiss back on your lips. After pulling away, Jun looked down in embarrassment and shame. "Sorry Y/n...I lost my cool and looked unflattering." When she looked at you she felt her worries wash away seeing your comforting smile.

Hoshi: "Hah? Let go of them ya fuckin' creep." Hoshi looks at the creep with disgust, slapping the rando's off your hand. The creep's brows furrow as he starts defending himself. "Do you hear yourself, you sound so stupid?? Don't touch my fucking partner you disgusting pervert." Hoshi stepped in front of you, shielding you. "Uhhh Hoshi lets just go?" You gripped the side of his shirt, trying to get his attention and pull him back. "Go follow your owner, mutt." The creep laughed and shoved Hoshi back. Hoshi was quick to recover and instantly landed a punch of the creep's face, causing the rando to stumble back. Hoshi Started kicking the creep, laughing at them and taunting them. Despite wanting to stop Hoshi, you also didn't want to get caught in the crossfire or risk Hoshi taking his anger out on you, not that you think he'd hurt you physically on purpose, but maybe you'd catch him at the wrong time and he wouldn't be able to stop the momentum of his fist and therefore hit you. You waited until he was gasping for breath, standing over the creep with his fists clenched. You walked over to him and pulled him away from the creep, pulling his face towards yours to try and ground him, you ended up pulling a bit harder then you meant though because your lips ended up on Hoshi's, still you made no plans of moving, it was meant to be. You smiled into the kiss seeing Hoshi come to his senses as his face turned red with realization of what was happening. After pulling away Hoshi's eyes remained wide and he looked down shyly. "Let's go home." You said quietly, Hoshi just nodded and grabbed your hand, dragging you away from that scene.

Habiki: Habiki glares down at the hand holding your wrist with disgust before slapping it away and pulling you closer to him, continuing on your date. The creep doesn't stop pursuing though and Habiki is getting more and more fed up, with the creep, with himself, with seeing you uncomfortable, with seeing how you telling the creep "no" and "stop" gets ignored. He's done. Quickly and without hesitation he punches the person bothering you before running off with you, trying to lose them. Thankfully it works. "Should've done that from the get-go, I'm sorry. I thought they'd take the fucking hint." Habiki sighs, holding your hand and rubbing it in a comforting manner, though he'd understand if after that situation you didn't want to be touched and he wouldn't push it at all. "It's fine...well it's not, I'm upset that happened, but you're okay, no need to blame yourself. Let's just go home." Habiki gives you a smile and nods, heading home for a nice at home movie date. However night time rolls around and Habiki can't stop thinking about the situation that happened earlier, and the more he thinks about it the more pissed they're getting. Habiki ends up not sleeping that night. The next day he goes out to get some coffee and whatever you want to drink or eat. He see's the creep while he's out though and his brows furrow again and he's awake 100%. Before he even knows what's happening, his body moves on it's own as he goes up to the guy and punches him. He continues to beat the guy up until he hears your voice. Without meaning to, he turns around and glares at you, still you don't back down, you've gotten used to those glares. You pull him down and kiss him, his glare disappearing as he finally relaxes, the anger dissipates. After you pull away, you bonk him on the head gently. "You forgot your wallet." You hand him his wallet and he thanks you. "Wanna continue our date from yesterday? I don't think anyone will bother us anymore." Habiki smirks as you nod. Safe to say, the situation blew up online and people knew not to mess with you.

Kage: Kage stares at the hand grabbing your wrist and tensing up. Now would be a time to protect you, try to land some sort of hit on this person...but they're frozen. Kage has 50+ ways to protect you running through their mind and they aren't sure which one to do. He can't think straight on the methods of protecting you because he's also hyperaware of what the creep is saying, about him, and about you. With each disgusting word the creep says to you, Kage feels himself getting more and more pissed. Kage had enough when the creep leans closer to you trying to whisper some more disgusting shit in your ear. The punch wasn't super strong, but a lot of Kage's anger went into that punch so it was better then any other punch Kage had thrown. Still, it wasn't enough to get the creep to stop grabbing your wrist. "F-FUCK OFF! I'm already dating Y/n!" Kage grabbed the creeps wrist, trying to pry it off of yours. Kage couldn't think straight, this was too much for him! His mind was blank, his legs were shaking horribly, but his arms still worked in a fit of adrenaline. Things didn't end up going as planned. Kage got his concaved ass(sorry) handed to him, but at least you were safe. Kage smiled to themselves, there might have been some bruising from the grip the rando had on you earlier, but other then that, you were well physically, and Kage could be there for you mentally as well. Still, Kage didn't really want to leave it there, the creep was hardly injured and Kage was pissed about that. Mustering all of their remaining strength to get up, Kage started walking towards the rando, thankfully you pull them back. "Kage, don't. Lets just go home okay?" Honestly it was amazing that Kage didn't snap out of this adrenaline rush at the contact, that's what made you realize how serious this was. Positioning yourself in front of Kage to try and snap him back to reality you notice his eyes were completely set on the creep and he had a little smirk on his face. You weren't sure what to do, so you leaned in and kissed Kage. Kage didn't process what was happening until they realized they needed air. Their face completely flushed and they pulled away, panicked. You sighed in relief, happy to have your Kage back. "Come on, lets get you patched up my hero." Yep that's it, Kage's completely overheated, practically melting. Your HERO??? oh gosh, Kage loves you so so much, they're so sorry for passing out.

Kei: Kei looks at the creep and then down at your wrist, then back at the creep and you wrist again. "Excuse me...do let go of my significant others wrist. I don't believe we know you, and I'm very certain I didn't hear my lovely partner say it was okay for you to lay your disgusting hands on them." Kei tries remaining calm, inside he's fuming, but you wouldn't be able to tell from an outsiders perspective. The creep doesn't let go though and Kei can feel his patience draining. Fast. Kei sighs and grips the things wrist tightly, glaring daggers at him, causing the thing to let go and recoil in slight pain. "I tried being nice." Kei says matter-of-factly, shrugging and he holds your hand and you two continue on with your date if you feel up to it, if not you two go home and watch movies and Kei will make you dinner. After he's sure you're asleep, he goes on his computer. He would LOVE to hold you in his arms and sleep with you, but he has business he needs to take care of. That thing from earlier, yeah he gets all the info on it. He heads out towards the address and kidnaps the thing, bringing it to an abandoned storage complex where dozens of skeletons remain, some bones moved and chewed up due to the wild animals he lets in. There Kei will make sure that the creep really learned it's lesson, making it feel stupid for not just accepting Kei's kindness the first time. Kei goes on for hours, finishing up with cutting the arms and legs off this thing and performing medical care so it won't die. He still wants to torture it. This continues for a few days, him making sure you're sleeping and then heading out to punish this thing. But he didn't account for you being awake when he got home after the 6th day. "Kei, where have you been going for the past 6 days?" Your arms are crossed and your brows are furrowed in anger, sadness, worry. You trust Kei mostly, but this just felt too weird. Leaving the house after he was sure you were sleeping? What was he being so secretive about? You finally caught notice of the blood covering his glasses and caught in his hair, then how his black clothing actually seemed kind of wet, ad gosh he reeked of blood. Kei chuckled, "I was just teaching a creepy little thing some manners, no need to worry my love." Kei doesn't go into detail, and honestly, you don't NEED to hear any details, you can already guess. After helping Kei clean up the blood on him you kissed him. "I can't go back in time and stop you from doing what you already did, just...tomorrow actually finish that person off. And stop hurting others Kei." You pout and Kei just chuckles. "I will finish it off tomorrow, love. I haven't done anything like that in a while, but that thing was touching you like it knew you and making you uncomfortable. As far as I'm concerned it deserved what it had coming for it." Kei doesn't have any plans to stop completely, but Kei will stop letting them live so long and will stop bringing in every person that touches you casually. Kei needs you, and most importantly, you need Kei.

Yani: Yani stares at the hand on your wrist with wide eyes. Maybe before Yani got with you she would've tried holding back some to not scare you away, but now she's dating you and you pretty much know everything about her. Yeah you want her to change and she has really been trying...but who the hell is this creep putting their hands on you without your consent??? Yani's pulling out the knife and stabbing the guys wrist, positioning itself in front of you. "Don't touch Y/n without their consent..." Yani is glaring daggers at the creep before turning around and looking at you with a smile. "Sorry Y/n but they touched you so suddenly on our date, I was just protecting you!" Yani leans in to kiss you but stops right before your lips, "Besides, they're alive so it's alright, right?" Yani smiles before pressing the kiss to your lips. Everything happened so quickly that you didn't even get to calm Yani down, she calmed herself down with your lips :)

Aki: Aki glares at the guy before slapping his wrist away. "Hey, dude, ever heard of 'consent'?" She pulls you behind her in a protective manner. "Don't touch my partner again, they don't know you and are clearly uncomfortable." Without giving the guy a chance to respond or even think about touching you again, Aki pulls you away, clearly pissed. Once you two get somewhere away from that creep, she faces you, eyes furrowed in worry. "Are you okay? Like he didn't hurt you or anything, right?" Aki is checking your wrist for any bruising. Even if you say you're alright, Aki still kisses your wrists. "I kind of just want to go home. That was a nerve-racking experience." You give an apologetic smile to Aki, feeling bad about wanting to cancel your date early. "Hey, no worries! It's probably for the best and we don't HAVE to cancel our date, there's plenty of fun things to do a home!" Aki smiles as she interlocks her fingers with yours and starts heading home, however it's clear that the incident is still weighing heavily on her. "Aki, wanna talk about it?" Aki sighs before speaking. "I cannot believe that some people are like that! Like c'mon now, it's 2023, learn consent. Sorry for getting so mad, it's just frustrating that people still don't know decency and common knowledge." You giggle and press a kiss to Aki's lips, catching her off-guard and making her completely forget about her anger for now.

[gwydionae]

King's Quest Fan Remakes

After talking about them a bit recently, I felt compelled to play through the old KQ fan remakes (1-3 from AGDI and 3 from IA), and I wanted to share my more in depth thoughts for anyone interested in these love letters to the original games.

King's Quest I: Quest for the Crown Remake from AGD Interactive

A lovely update to the original! While clearly the least polished of AGDI's offerings, it's nice to be able to play KQ1 with KQ5-style graphics and voice acting (the original voice of Graham, Josh Mandel, voices him in all four of the games in this post, ftr). There is an option to turn off any chance of softlocking yourself before you even start the game, which is a welcome feature. Puzzle-wise, this one stays the most faithful to the original out of the three from AGDI with a few updates here and there (like that stupid name puzzle! lol). The vocal performances and sound effects can be a bit fuzzy, but I found them enjoyable nonetheless.

Overall a solid fan remake with limited extra bells and whistles!

King's Quest II: Romancing the Stones from AGDI

Easily the most ambitious of the three from AGDI. Pretty much all of the core elements from KQ1 are further polished here - artwork, acting, music, and sound effects. The story and puzzles, however, have been changed enough that the end product is sizably different from the original. In some cases, this is fun and interesting (more lore and character interactions! new and unique puzzles!), but not everyone will enjoy all the changes. I, for example, find the underwater section kind of fun, but the new content around the count... not so much (for reasons I'll avoid due to spoilers, but know they're more mechanical than anything). There's less freedom in when you can do things, the added story making the game far more linear than it originally was. But then I'm sure many would agree that if any KQ game could do with extra content, it'd be 2, so I can't fault them swinging for the fences, even if not every hit was a home run.

All in all, this version of KQ2 doesn't really work if you're simply looking to experience the original game with updated graphics, but it's a fun playthrough nonetheless, and newcomers might enjoy the added lore/story bits. Just be aware that I could probably sum up the original game's story in about two sentences while this one would take far longer. XD

King's Quest III: To Heir is Human Redux from AGDI

If KQ1 wasn't fully polished and KQ2 was a little overworked, then KQ3 is juuuuuust right! (For anyone who knows the game, yes, this is a purposeful pun. XD) The graphics, sounds, music, vocal performances - all are the best yet (though still with some minor hiccups as any fan game is wont to have - the music was sadly cutting out during the climactic sequence for me). It even has a neat little feature where the timer changes color depending on how close you are to being zapped into oblivion that is not only useful but adds a sense of urgency in it's own way (especially if you forgot the item that makes travel a lot easier for like 2 meals I mean what lol). While it does carry over some of the story threads from AGDI's second entry, this game still works well enough on it's own, with the majority of the new content being added in naturally rather than supplanting whole sections of the original. In fact, personally speaking, I think the added content only enhances the game, your encounters with Medusa and the yeti especially getting a nice boost. And the extra lore only helps you feel for the protagonists plight all the more. The ending is a bit drawn out, perhaps, and I may not agree with the order you're supposed to choose the four items in to get the treasure (insert rant here XD), but those are minor nitpicks at best.

This is easily the best of the three, AGDI having perfected their KQ formula at this point. It works as a remake of the original while still adding in a bit of new content that doesn't feel unwelcome. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in giving the King's Quest series a try.

King's Quest III: To Heir is Human Remake from Infamous Adventures

Look. I know that it's not as impressive as AGDI's version. The time limit is laughably long, the spells are impossible to mess up, and some of the clickable areas can be a bit wonky. But I really like this version, ok?? I like the design and voice of Gwydion, I like the storybook quality that the cutscene art has, I like that it feels lonely when it should. And as much as some of the changes in AGDI's version were really nice, I like that it's basically just the original game without extra stuff added in.

This is like AGDI's KQ1 - a really solid remake of a game that gives you the feel of the original but with an updated interface and graphics. It's not as impressive as the one above, but it doesn't have to be. The original KQ3 is an awesome game, so an update of just that can't be bad. It can easily be played as a standalone game, and I will continue recommending this version 'til I die, lol.

[starlightkun]

genuine question, how do you write so fast? 😭 i feel like you’re so quick with your works, both writing and putting them out!!

also i found your tumblr on ao3 and i have to say that you are carrying nct fics on ao3. i hope you never stop writing cause i could be 40 and i would still read your stuff 🫶

i think a big thing has been getting out of my head abt writing! like i only write when i want to, i don't stick to word counts (minimums or maximums), and i dont compare myself to other writers (not that i read a whole lot of fic anymore, but there's a few that i still keep up with and one of them churns out fics way faster than i do, and another who posts like maybe two or three times a year but i still love them!) like i've def said this before, but for me, writing fic is fun, it's something i do bc i want to and if i open a word doc and i'm genuinely dreading it, i'm not gonna do it (my adhd brain simply will not make me lol--tho that is a double edged sword bc i do have to chase myself into doing something i like sometimes, but the ritalin has helped a lot xx)

i also dont go into my fics completely clueless anymore. like, i for sure don't know everything, i learn a lot along the way, and tend to change stuff (and get surprised by my own fics, which is always fun!), but i definitely have more of an outline and general sort of sketch of the fic in my brain and in my word doc before i start actually writing real scenes of any sort, which has definitely helped. like, starting with one little idea isn't bad at all (strawberry sunday literally just started w the fact that i liked the title of a song that i hadn't even heard yet and it turned into like 10 fics??), but i dont just start writing head empty anymore (i used to get a tiny spark of inspiration and try to write everything start to finish immediately because i thought i'd lose it if i didn't, and it'd burn really short. now i sort of just sit with it and slowly tend to it like fire instead and it lasts a lot longer and gets a lot bigger). i ruminate a lot before anything that looks remotely like a story leaves my ideas doc and gets its own doc

idk if this necessarily makes me write faster, but i also edit as i write? like, sometimes i open a fic and i don't have anything in me to write, but i'll reread what's in the draft so far and edit, make little changes, fix continuity errors, etc. not only does it keep the whole plot so far fresh in my mind as i continue writing, but then i have a lot less to proof myself when i finally finish the whole thing because i've already caught a lot of spelling, grammatical, and plot errors! i used to find editing a slog to do bc when i finished my first draft i would be so excited and wanted to just post it! and didn't want to reread all this stuff i just wrote several times to try to find typos, and now it's usually a breeze bc my first draft isn't really my first draft, it's been continually revised as it was drafted. and sometimes i open a doc, won't feel like writing, tinker around with some editing, then suddenly have a lightbulb moment while i'm editing and jump into writing

[taffywabbit]

some people were concerned about my joke in this earlier post regarding "putting tape on the fan", so let me just clarify what happened there lol

(this is kind of another computer storytime post, but it's longer and not really a joke like the other one, so i will put it behind a Read More for those who are curious)

ok so basically my computer started making this HORRIBLE screeching squealing noise intermittently back in October. it scared the hell out of me so badly that i just IMMEDIATELY turned off my computer because i thought that shit was about to catch fire. this happened multiple times and i couldn't figure out what was causing it and i just decided to leave my computer off for the rest of the night and open it up in the morning when i could get a second opinion from one of my techy roommates. but then it was just... fine? for a couple days? and i was like oh phew everything's ok i guess! that was really weird!

of course the noise started again, and i determined that it was coming from back end of my liquid CPU cooler, so for the first time ever, i figured out how to open up the side panel of my case and made sure everything was free of dust (it was fine) and there were no loose wires or components brushing up against the fans (also fine). then i took the top off to see if there were any loose screws where the cooler attached to it, and there weren't, but there WAS an inexplicably bent filament in the heatsink

and i was like oh shit! i wonder if that's causing some kind of air resistance sound or something and that's what i've been hearing! so i very very carefully bent it back into shape with a small screwdriver and then closed everything back up and tested it. it did not help. in hindsight it was kinda dumb of me to assume that would have anything to do with the issue, but oh well, i learned lots of things about computers throughout this process

anyways i looked inside the case with a flashlight WHILE it was running and pretty much immediately realized that the problem was very obviously one of the 3 fans on the CPU cooler that was stalling. it only started screeching when it tried to get up to higher speeds, but it was still slowing down/stopping every few seconds and creating a lot of vibration, which was something i COULD deal with while trying to get my work done, but it was distracting and made me really really anxious.

my phone's mic is always really quiet for some reason but you can still see/hear what was going on in there:

i think this was around the point in the process where i looked into fan control software, because i realized they didn't seem to be dynamically adjusting to my PC's resource usage or temperature and were instead just running full blast all the time. (it got SO much quieter after i did that. i can't believe i just dealt with hurricane winds under my desk for a year without questioning it lmao). it was AFTER i slowed their default running speed down a bit that i was able to see the problem more clearly and took this video.

i installed FanControl in the hopes that it would give me some kind of option to JUST turn off that one fan and leave the other two running, because obviously that fan isn't contributing anything to keeping things cool anyways so i may as well just shut it off and avoid further damage to the motors (and further squealing), right? well unfortunately the whole CPU cooler is treated as a single fan on the software end of things, so whatever i do to one fan, i do to all of them. it was still worthwhile to set up FanControl but it didn't solve my issue.

so THEN i did some digging, and according to some forums online it sounded like these 3 fans might at least be wired separately? or daisy-chained off of one set of wires via metal contacts on their sides? either way, it sounded like it'd be possible to just detach and remove the faulty fan until i could replace it, temporarily solving the issue. i figured out how to open up my PC even MORE than before and accessed the rear side where all the cables are kept. this is where i ran into a wall again re: my lack of expertise and confidence with this stuff.

looking at the back of the motherboard, this is what i was greeted with:

the part that's circled at the top is where the cables from all 3 fans (turned out they DID each have their own separate cables) were bundled together into two groups and fed into the back, behind the motherboard. the ones that run across the top to the left are bundled up back here and then feed back through to the front and connect o the motherboard, and the ones running down the right side go to the power supply in the bottom of the case (which i quickly found to be inaccessible because it was protected on both sides by solid metal plates that i couldn't figure out how to remove without breaking anything). in both cases, regardless of whether i could access the actual ports to disconnect them, it was nearly impossible to figure out which cables corresponded to which fan from this vantage point.

after spending a few minutes quietly coming to terms with the fact that i was WAY over my head and not equipped to carry out this particular solution, i closed the computer back up and went online to look for more possible solutions. i didn't find anything, but a piece of info i DID consistently come across throughout this whole process is that computer fans are typically very low-torque (so that they stop easily if anything obstructs them, to prevent damage to wires or anything like that). talking to a few friends about it, i decided i might have the temporary solution i needed.

this is where the tape finally comes in! i used scotch tape and just kinda... folded it around one of the fan blades and attached it to the outside of the fan casing, like a leash.

then, very very fearfully, i turned the PC back on and watched to see what happened, ready to cut the power if needed. but it worked, more or less! it would pull, meet resistance, immediately stop, and wait a moment before trying again. the important thing is that it couldn't get up to speed and it wasn't making noise. so i turned it off again, redid the tape (i don't have a pic of it but i did a much better job of securing it from multiple angles so it was 100% immobile), and it was good to go!

not a pretty or ideal solution, but my computer doesn't make funny noises anymore and still isn't having any temperature issues. if there was anything to actually attach it to then i might use a zip-tie or something instead, but this has been working fine for 2 months and will continue to work for the foreseeable future, or at least until i move and have computer-savvy friends living nearby who can help me remove and replace the fan/cooler.

anyways yeah after going through all of this chronologically, this is DEFINITELY why my computer sometimes turns red and evil and wants to kill me lmao

[togalnu]

Do you have any specific hcs for fem togainu or just fem nitrochi as a whole? I'd love to hear them! ^^

Oops I meant to answer this earlier. Anyways yes! I will be putting this under a read more because. Lol. Enjoy!

You wanna know a secret? Earlier this year I was researching parodies and the legalities of them because I had the grand idea to make a togainu remake but yuri and with some story changes. A whole ass visual novel. I was seriously planning on making it. Suffice to say I have put in some thought in turning these yaoi boys into yuri girls.

We will be here all day if I list every little thought and headcanon I have! I'll def make more posts about my visions in the future, but for right now I need to talk about Shiki. I NEED TO TALK ABOUT SHIKI.

First and foremost, my overall thoughts about Shiki: wasted potential. His route was a huge disappointment when I finally got to it. It was fumbled so fucking badly and it pains my soul because Shiki is hot and I love the concept of his character but.. man. What a let down. I ended up thinking about him a lot because of this. What I would do if I were in charge of writing his route, parts of his characterization that I'd rid of or ameliorate, and maybe even giving him some new quirks to not make him so one-dimensional-evil-villain type. And then along with this, I started thinking about what if he was a woman. because I am attractdd to women. Typical thought process.

First, his design. I am a sucker for black haired red eyes bitches. I love black and red. I'm dying my hair black and red at the end of the year. The majority of my wardrobe is black and red. I do not play around #EMO. I love the almost leather gothic look he has but unfortunately it is not enough for me. I felt that he needed more unnecessary accessories and belts and other clothing items, as any goth should have. I've had a few ideas in mind for Shiki girl outfit and they all lean into these more, like giving her extra bracelets, belts, necklaces, crosses, whatever. I want her DECKED OUT!!! But I also struggle coming up with outfits so I can't really decide what looks good LMAO

Things I love about Shiki's outfit:

- The gloves. UGHHH gloves are so fun. The longer the gloves are the better.

- His stupid coat

- The spikes and crosses. The silver adds a lot to his appearance

- Turtleneck<3

Things I don't like about Shiki's outfit:

- those stupid ass notches on his pants. I can't tell if he has insane thigh-high boots or strange pants, and neither can a lot of artists it seems like? Though it seems pants are the consensus. SAD!

- Turtleneck should have long sleeves

- Or his coat should have long sleeves. One of those two

- What the hell is going on with his belt. It'd look fine if it didn't have those strange hanging.. circle... things

NOW MY IDEAS

I like the idea of her having a corset and fishnets, so I've been including that in whatever iteration of her design I'm working on. I gotta keep the coat too as it's like, a Shiki classic. I've also been trying to decide how a skirt for her might look (I love the idea of it having a slit so you can see her fishnets and thigh high boots).

But I'm torn on including the turtleneck as much as I love it.... I feel like it kinda clashes. Idk maybe i should just move her skirt up so it's not hanging off her ass but also it's fun to draw it that way.

Although adding another belt with the skirt could work too, and have the fishnets peaking out from the skirt slit... not gonna draw that rn though im just brainstorming here

Like I said earlier I'd love to give her way more accessories than base Shiki has but I need to definitely play around with outfit ideas more bc I don't want her to look too cluttered either. Also sorry all the pics are torso only because for some reason I struggle HARD with drawing calves and feet

I don't have much to say for hair ideas.. I just like the idea of it flairing out + two long.. idk what to call them... strands of hair? Down her cheeks?? Okay well u see what I mean in the pic. Bangs pretty much stay the same

And ohhh my god I know togainu is set in the post-apocalyptic future, but considering it came out in 2005 I feel obligated to rework some of the designs to be a little more y2k.. Akira with low waisted flared jeans... making Shiki even more gothic... it's so fucking fun HOW CAN I NOT!!

Also the other day I saw this one corset that I LOVED and wanted to see if I can Shiki-fy it but hmm... idk... I definitely need to play around with the idea more but here's a quick sketch i did just for funsies so you get the idea

Okay moving on

Second, his characterization. I love the idea of what they were going for in terms of his relation to Nano. I wish so badly they had expanded on this past Shiki just hating line users and killing them because he's unable to kill Nano (although I do think this is a pretty good bit of characterization). I'm pretty sure the Chayamachi manga goes more into this but idc we are talking about the game so I'm gonna pretend it doesn't exist.

Shiki is smug and cocky. Incredibly so. But a big part of his character is how hateful he is, so much so that it's this hate that motivates everything he does.

I love it. I love his hatred. I wish the game went more into it sooo badly and like if he found out Akira had anti-line blood before the end of the game and there was time given to show his reaction? Would he hate Akira for it??? Would he feel any kind of resentment?? If I was Shiki I'd definitely feel complicated as fuck over it!!!

Anyways I'm still working out how fem Shiki could be improved upon in terms of this, and I LOVEEE LOVE LOVE LOVE writing personality and backstories and relationships with other characters and how they all interact with each other. I have very deep oc lore because of this but i will not get into my ocs rn because they have nothing to do with togainu.

This post is already long enough however and if I were to talk about all the ideas I had for Shiki characterization upgrade... well it'd take even longer. To say the least. One day I'll talk about it though! In a more comprehensive post including other characters and whatnot. It's something I definitely also need to work out in my head more tho

It's been a pretty fun project so far that I hope to do more with in the future. Side note that doesn't really matter but there's this song that I always imagine fem Shiki amvs too oops.. RIDE IT by LustSickPuppy... this part especially.......

(the part is around 1:17 if you don't feel like listening to the entire thing. But u should)

Urggghhhh I love lsp ugh ughhhhhfuhrhhcuuhfhuufghh sorry for posting lyrics and a spotify link. It will happen again

OKAY. AMYWAYS

I do not give a fuck if all of this seems too self indulgent. If anything it's supposed to be!!! It's a labor of love!!!

Thank u to anyone who read this far. I appateciate it

[distortedclouds]

Clouds, hello!

For a 2023 year in review writer ask :3

1, 3, 9, 15, 19, 21, 22, 29, 30

Thank you for blessing us the past year with your wonderful stories, and once again - congratulations on finishing your magnum opus (for now; I'm sure you'll write another outstanding story if you were planning to write a long fic!) Black Water.

I said it already (many times but anyway) but I admire you a lot as a writer and I really look up to you a lot.

Heyyy Anna!!

I'm always happy to be a part of this fandom with people as talented as you! Also, the best part about writing BW was being able to share it you and everyone here ❤️

Let's get to the questions!

What’s something new that you tried in a fic this year? How did it turn out and would you do it again?

While this past year has been a wonderful and unique experience all on its own, it's gotta be writing "out of order"

Slow and Steady all happens in the same universe and the same timeline, but I wanted to try and let smaller stories flow together into one without having to worry about writing them all at that way

3. What’s something you learned about yourself as a writer?

That I get too much into a single "universe" and refuse to leave it. Im glad that this allows me to delve deeper into the characters emotions in a particular situation, but it also hinders my creativity that it becomes harder to write anything different or anything too different

Leaving is possible, but not as easy

9. What fic meant the most to you to write?

.... I tried to find a different answer, but It'd be a gross lie to say 2023 wasn't the year I posted some of the heaviest and hardest to go through chapters of BW

Thanks to BW I was able to allow myself to explore a lot of feelings and thought-patterns that I usually gloss over in my head because they're either too painful or too overwhelming to consider on my own, but in fiction, if felt more doable

15. Rec a fic you wrote or posted in 2023

It's only appropriate that I rec Slow and Steady, considering it started as a 2023 challenge (but will live on for much longer lol)

Kind of a way for me to hop between different points of their relationship without being stuck with a plot or particular narrative

19. Share your favorite opening line

The second chapter of Slow and Steady

"It’s the eighteenth day when Armin finally picks one up. It’s slim and long and surprisingly weightless where it fits effortlessly between his index and middle fingers. He wonders how much thought went into ensuring it’s as easy as possible to hold."

I love writing sad Armin who's trying to keep it together you know?

21. Share your favorite piece of dialogue

...... Anna do you know how much I wrote this year!?

on top of 8 chapters of BW ALONE

ffs

Black Water, Ch 20. Not The "pillow talk" but the part just before it. Annie isn't used to comforting and supporting Armin with words rather than actions, but this is the first time since the beginning of the timeline she does it and it'll always has a place in my heart

22. Share an excerpt from your favorite scene

Black Water, ch 17:

It was just this morning that Armin woke up alone. This same bed felt too big and too empty, with one of the pillows remaining squarely by the headboard, untouched and smoothed over. Now, it’s a mess; utter chaos. Annie has her hands in her hair, working out loose knots while leaning back on her pillow—which she’ll probably have to spend upwards of fifteen minutes working back into proper shape when they try to sleep again. The blanket resembles the peaks of high waves on a stormy day where it rests atop her knees, cascading in all sorts of ripples and wrinkles. Both towels she used are still on the floor, damp and in need of good airing so they remain smelling fresh. He tells himself that it does not matter that Annie wasn’t here this morning, or the night before, or the one to precede, but that she’s here now. That she came back and he’ll make sure to hold on to her properly this time around.

2022 was the year of making Annie suffer. 2023 was the year of making Armin suffer

29. If this were an awards show, who would you thank?

To my friend from 6th(ish) grade whom I exchanged a lot of my writing with

30. What’s something that you want to write in 2024?

Something Armin-focused for sure! I've been wanting to do that for months now with no luck. Maybe this year will be it!

[tiredassmage]

it is exactly this kind of thought process that makes me subject even my blorbos who i never intended to be in the main character hotseat, let alone alliance commander kind of main character syndrome, to the kotxx electric boogaloo. there's a post or smth that lives rent free in my mind about something to the effect that "not so much blatantly out of character, but what circumstances would lead the character to do x or act in x manner" and smth about if you can find that you can make almost anything believable but it's that first part of the ~wisdom that's really given me a lot to chew on.

i think the only tech class i haven't super spent a lot of time plugging into the commander seat is bounty hunter, but len did make it that far at least once and i'll do it to him again now that i have a better grasp of who he is.

[i have too many blorbos so in the thought of sparing dashboards, let me put a cut]

if i get to die on the hill convincing muts and fellow swtor-ers that agent is actually an epic kind of character to put through the expansions then i'd die happy. it... makes sense to me in a way that idk if i can generally explain it very well and it's... incredibly individualized to what happens to the agent in their class story. tyr fits the role of commander in a way that i think some would still call surprisingly well, but there's the argument that what is 'commander' but another role or mask to play, and especially for someone like tyr who is invested in building his team because the better his team, the better he was able to do his own job, he's... a natural at it, really. and tyr has been the type that's been looking for a kind of change (in his life, in his own circumstances, maybe in the whole galaxy) for so long that regardless of being thrust into the commander's seat or not, he would've found himself in the alliance. a man so driven by his ideals finally getting an escape out of being a ghost in the rather binary system of the galaxy is almost a relief - sans, y'know, the ancient sith emperor bouncing around in his head, but he's dealt with migraines before, so it's another day that ends in y for cipher nine.

his trooper au edition handles it all with... a significantly less amount of grace, to put it nicely, lol. troopertyr was kinda unsteady by everything he endured in the class story era and the early expansions to begin with, and his anchor was his team, to keep things short. being shorn of that support network that helped build so much of his identity and sense of purpose brings out the worse edges of him. he unravels a lot under the pressure, but being in that kind of position, nobody else can afford to stop him and ask if he's okay, which lets him spiral pretty far and get into a series of behaviors that he'll loathe himself for and have to spend several years after the alliance is no longer in his hands (he doesn't want the pressure, and he'll turn down reinstatement to republic special forces even as he hands what remains of the alliance freely over to the republic and sets whoever doesn't want to go loose) trying to unlearn and recover from. arguably, the ex-co of havoc squad should be relatively well-prepared for a role like alliance commander, and that spin through the story really improved my thoughts on trooper and my love for it, but troopertyr i built a very... special kind of cocktail about how he came into special forces and havoc squad where it... wasn't really the best fit for him to be there to begin with, but it was the circumstances he was dealt, so the further pressures found the cracks that had already formed and just drove them deeper.

i have toyed around a little about what it'd do to leo, one of my smugglers - arguably one of the least qualified people to ever have to handle the situation based on his credentials and disposition for handling pressure and decisions, which.... naturally meant i just had to figure out sooner or later what it'd do to him, right? so, for leo, ending up with the whole valkorian problem and trying to wrangle the alliance starts with being in the wrong place at a really bad time, and it preys on his fears about loss. leo's not nearly as good an actor as my agents are - they're trained for those kind of scenarios so they come by it quite naturally in comparison, but at the end of the day, leo finds himself in situations often where he puts on some kind of mask to get through the situation. and he's desperate to protect the few people he cares about. he's a much smaller picture kind of person, rather than the grand overarching picture of the galaxy and its interwoven problems that most of my other characters have. leo making a deal with valkorian is less, initially, about personal power or ruling an empire as it is a don't hurt them. which is easy enough for valkorian - it's not really a lie to say they won't come to harm by his hand when they're barely significant enough for valkorian to notice, right? and not that leo is.... gullible, exactly, but he's... scared in that kind of scenario. scared enough to lose the few people he loved, and astronomically stressed and overwhelmed by the impossible nature of the task set before them, and not particularly a good leader. i think valkorian can manipulate him into spinning taking over zakuul as the kind of... become more powerful so they can't touch you kind of narrative. a bit similarly to what leo thinks of his reputation in the wake of nok drayen's treasure and taking down the voidwolf. no reason to not take advantage of the power and the fame in the ways he can, and double down on keeping the claws at hand gripping desperately to the precarious position it puts him in to have that kind of notoriety, right? it's.... incredibly unideal for him in a lot of ways, and something that could arguably make him worse without a counter from one of his old gang of friends and beloveds to steady his perspective on things. he doesn't become malicious out of ill-intent, exactly, but he... can be driven to lock down and lash out in the interest of self-preservation and protecting the few people he cares for. if he's going to be forced to run this shitshow, he'll.... make it work for them. it has to work... this is what they want, right? right?

and len is... on a superficial, baseline thought it's... it can be as simple as the fact that the man doesn't know how to turn down a challenge. he's bullheaded. and while he's "smart" enough to know in the throne room he can't simply put a blaster bolt through the immortal ex-sith emperor and solve everything so simply, so take his deal, he is also incredibly, belligerently independent and stubborn in a 'this is good advice, but don't tell me what to do' fashion that ends up making him mouthy with valkorian, anyway. and len, thankfully(?), has a background in imperial black ops prior to his career as a bounty hunter that gives him some military training in addition to his several years as a hunter and experience in the great hunt that make him a prepared fighter and, admittedly, a surprisingly decent leader as far as assigning forces. he's not the most emotionally available man there ever was, and as mouthy and belligerent as he's known to be, he also knows tossing his head too much and trying to fight being given the reins on the alliance won't actually achieve any of their goals for anyone. he'll still make comments about it, sure, he's got a reputation to maintain, after all. can't have all these whelps thinking he's gone soft or somethin' on 'em. but he's also nothing if not a man about getting his jobs done, and this is another job. and he fucking hates losing. xD

smushing every class into the Commander role isn't the best decision storywise but asking how your particular character adapts to the role - whether they're unfitting or not - is always very good for the creative cogs

[prismit]

alright, here's my thoughts on the current state of online tera raids and how i think they could be improved. excluding glitches in this post, since while yeah there's quite a few that should be addressed, i think the biggest flaws in this system are all just poorly designed mechanics.

under a cut because this got kind of long lol

problem 1: right now it's pretty much impossible to get into one of the 8 displayed raids on the front page unless you click on it within the first few seconds of the page loading (and even then it's pretty much a 50/50 shot). and instead of immediately telling you the raid is too full to join, it makes you wait a full 40 seconds for no reason.

two easy solutions to this: either decrease the time it tries to let the player in to ~10-15 seconds, or ideally just make it so pressing B while trying to join lets you cancel. also, since the front page raids fill up so fast, the refresh button should have a MUCH shorter cooldown; maybe 30-45 seconds at most.

problem 2: the random button is really the only way to consistently get into online raids. because of this, i feel like the time penalty for leaving a raid before it starts is too harsh (especially when you still get penalized even if the host cancels the raid, which is entirely unfair). i understand that the penalty is probably there to "encourage" people to help out lower level players. but on the opposite hand, i had a lot of times earlier in the postgame where i just didn't have anything to counter a difficult raid boss, so i had to choose between being a hindrance to the rest of the team - likely costing them the win - or backing out and taking a penalty for being courteous.

so i have a couple ideas for this: first of all, i don't think there should be a penalty at all for backing out before a raid starts. instead, give players who have beaten the game bonus rewards for participating in lower level raids. nothing too crazy, maybe just some extra exp candies and money items. don't punish players on the assumption that they're being selfish - instead, reward them on the assumption that they're being helpful.

on top of that, it could also be a good idea to have the random button take you to a second page where you can choose what tier of raids you want to join. this would also be a good place to show that lower tier raids can give higher tier players bonus rewards, which can encourage people to join those lower tier raids by choice. this is less necessary than the previous idea, but it'd be some nice quality of life.

problem 3: the raids themselves are way too slow with all the animations. the most noticeable example of this that i can think of is a rock type garganacl raid. every single turn, you have the player's animation (which is even longer if you're using a tera-boosted attack), then garganacl's tera-boosted animation, followed by its actual attack animation, and then the animation for being hurt by sandstorm, and finally the animation for being salt cured. sometimes also leftovers/shell bell and/or grassy terrain heals. every single turn. also, whenever you do something that heals your whole team, you're unable to do anything while you watch every pokemon do its healing animation. and that's not even mentioning how laggy it is online.

they already had a solution to this in sword and shield! abridge the move animations during raids. particles out of the attacker, particles into the target. don't make me watch shadow ball slowly creep towards the boss while a timer ticks down; that lost time really stacks. also this one should just be for every battle, but mention every stat boost/decrease at once instead of having a new text box for every stat. and of course when doing something that affects the whole team, do it all at once. there's a timer, i can't be sitting still for 10 seconds while every teammate is healed individually. the online lag is something i can't give any suggestions on really. that's on nintendo to improve their servers and it's on gamefreak to optimize their game.

problem 4: my final complaint might be more of a nitpick, but i really think the health cheer is way too rng-reliant. it feels like it only heals 1/5 of everyone's max hp most of the time. sure it also heals status conditions, but that doesn't really matter when you're knocked out this turn thanks to a tiny heal anyways. the other two cheers are always a net positive (unless you time them poorly and get your stats wiped immediately, but that's avoidable), but the health cheer way too often ends up doing more harm than good.

i can see that it might be hard to balance this one, but i just think it should never heal any less than 1/3 of everyone's max hp. maybe it heals 1/2 max hp 50% of the time, 1/3 40% of the time, and a full recovery 10% of the time. it doesn't have to be those numbers specifically, but the important part is that the minimum heal needs to be actually kind of decent, at least. otherwise its too much of a risk for something that's supposed to be a benefit.

there might be some other things that could be improved, but i think these are the worst of them. i also doubt they're actually going to fix raids in any way, but one can still hope! at the very least, i hope they learn and improve on these co-op game modes in future games.

[buckybeardreams]

omg that starker identity porn sexting you posted was sooo good 😳

In reference to this post

Aw thx! I actually have been working on this verse! It's turning out different from what I originally thought it would, so it's not really identity porn anymore?? Like Tony knows Peter is Spiderman, it's just that Peter doesn't know Tony knows lol

But yeah, I'll share what I've got so far 😉

This is like directly following Tony asking if that means he's gonna get a pic

--

Peter bit his lip, considering it.

He'd never done anything like that before. Hell, he was only fourteen, so he'd never really had the opportunity to before, never dated or sexted or nothing. But he'd definitely gotten off to pictures of Tony before.

Of course, he wanted to be good for Tony, so he pulled his cock out of his sweats, trying to get a good angle.

It was trickier than he'd thought it'd be, and he huffed, cheeks red with a mix of frustration and embarrassment.

He stopped and stroked himself a few times, teeth sinking into his lip as he thought about Tony getting off to a picture of him, of his cock hard and red and leaking.

Peter whined, squeezing at his cock, a bead of precum dribbling out the slit.

Fuck, that was it, that was what he needed.

Peter was blushing bright red as he took the picture but he was proud of himself.

It wasn't much, just a picture of his cock, his hand wrapped around the base and his tip glistening with precum. He really hoped Tony would like it, though.

Peter sent the photo quickly, not giving himself anytime to chicken out and not wanting to keep Tony waiting any longer.

Oh fuck, baby, I thought I'd scared you off, had me worried there for a minute, but fuck, that was well worth the wait

Peter chewed on his lip.

You like it then?

Baby, I love it! You did so good! Such a good boy for Daddy!

Peter whimpered, squirming on his bed.

Need to come, Peter sent, pleading because he was desperate but wanting to be good, wanting to get permission.

You earned it, baby boy. Go ahead and come for me.

Peter started to stroke himself, knowing he was so close.

He was young, not exactly great at lasting long, and his spidey senses made it so much more intense. There had been times where his cock rubbing against his jeans made him come in his pants, in class!

That had been so embarrassing, but he really just couldn't help it! A strong breeze was enough to get him hard, and now he was talking to his idol and crush, and he just knew he would have come already if he wasn't trying so hard not to.

You wanna do Daddy a favor, baby?

Peter paused, gripping his cock and sobbing when it throbbed in protest.

What?

Take a video for me. Daddy wants to see you get off.

Peter groaned, his head falling back to his pillow.

He was gonna fucking die. This was it. He had survived jumping off a building and praying his fucking webs would work and fighting crime in the streets as a fucking untrained Freshman, but this was gonna be the death of him. Sexting with Tony was gonna kill him.

I'm so close, sir

I know, baby, it's a lot, huh? You just gotta come, don't you?

Peter sobbed, squeezing his eyes shut but snapping them open when another message came through.

It's okay, baby, Daddy wants it all. Give it to me, Petey.

"Oh fuck," Peter whined, fumbling with his phone and quickly starting a recording and trying to keep his dick in the frame as he furiously jerked off.

"Holy shit, holy shit," Peter whined, his vision whiting out for a moment when he came. "Fuck, oh fuck, Daddy."

Peter's chest was heaving, his hand shaking as he stopped the video.

He tossed his phone next to him, needing a minute to settle.

[zarla-s]

Hi zar! I have a question, I was wondering if you have something similar to that post you did about the general outline of a Handplates ending and where we are now but with Vargas? Im just curious if you already have an ending in mind and/or how close are we to it story wise

Haha Vargas is extremely old and has been going for such a long time, it's not as planned out as Handplates was and it probably shows. |D I can roughly remember some of the genesis for it though...

Chapters 1-3 were when I still thought it'd be a fairly short fic and I was just sort of seeing where the basic idea took me. Some stuff is set up in them that I expected to pay off way sooner than it did when I thought it'd be a much shorter story.

Chapter 4 is when things started to solidify more in general and I think where I was like no this is probably going to be long, I should figure some stuff out.

Chapter 5-12 used the comic plot as a jumping point, so some of them still feel a bit disconnected but on the whole things were building right. I actually hadn’t decided on what exactly Scriabin’s deal was at this point so he feels a bit inconsistent to me at points, but he’s basically doing what he’s supposed to anyway.

I didn't plan on 13 at all, I originally thought it'd go from 12 to 14, but then I sketched out the basics of the conversation in it in comic form and I liked it so much I decided to make it a real chapter. During 13 I spent a lot of time figuring out the basic structure of the next phase of the fic, where Edgar is chosen is a lock and how that'd end, as well as the basic idea for the phase after that and exactly what Scriabin was.

14-18 all flowed one from the other, so that wasn't too hard to keep track of. Some bits of them came to me unexpectedly though, with some scenes getting longer than I anticipated, or there being sudden turns in conversations that led in different directions that I rolled with.

19 wasn't intended to be that long but it just kept spiraling out and got weirder and weirder and I decided to keep it lol.

20-21 were originally going to be a sidefic but it got a lot longer than I thought, and when I showed it to a few people they really thought it should be part of the main fic, so in they went, which is amusing to me since they are so massively important to the rest of it.

22-23 were planned for a long time, so they went about the way I expected.

24-26 I got hit with some writer's block, I remember working on them in a lot of stops and starts. I just had a lot of trouble with the aftermath of 23 for some reason.

27 I had planned for ages and it came out pretty much just how I envisioned it and I still enjoy it a lot, haha.

28 I struggled with as well since it explains so much of what had happened before and the scene was just really difficult to write for some reason. I had to fight it to get it down.

29 was originally supposed to cover a longer period of time (like the first few days), but it ballooned up in length enormously so I ended up cutting it early. The first conversation in the kitchen gave me a lot of trouble just because there was so much to deal with and it was hard to try and figure out what to tackle and how, and sometimes it’d go down paths that were too big of a diversion so I’d have to go back and rewrite the conversation.

30-32 were when I got hit with a massive shot of inspiration so I banged them out extremely quickly, haha. They're really meant to just be one chapter but it was absurdly long so I split it in three. There were still some bits in it that gave me some trouble, mostly when Edgar comes home from work the first time, but nothing like some of the older ones.

33-34 were similar, I banged them out really fast, I was very inspired, haha. Still, I did have to do a lot of edit work to try and cover everything I wanted in the initial confrontation and the last conversation on the bed. There was just so much that happened!

I came up with a general idea of how the fic would end around 22-26, it’s hard for me to remember now. I knew about the third phase of the fic but I wasn’t entirely sure how it’d play out, but I had an end image in mind that I wanted to work towards. That was many many years ago though, and now that I’ve given it more thought and the fic has progressed so far, I don’t think that ending is actually realistic or satisfying. I spent a lot of time during 30-34 brainstorming some better ideas, and I’ve worked out a huge chunk of fic ahead (which will be very cool), but still not the EXACT ending. I’m hoping it’ll get clearer the further I work on it. We are definitely in the last phase of it though, if I had to estimate... I’d say there are roughly five more major plotpoints worked out up ahead, which given how tl;dr I get, I’m not sure how many chapters that’ll be, haha. The sixth one should be the last one, I’m just still not entirely sure how I want it to play out.

I’ve had a lot of projects in the past where I just started an idea without any idea about an ending. I’d say it’s actually most of them, haha. Handplates is unusual actually in how long I’ve known how it’ll end and how little it’s deviated from that path. It definitely feels better to know the ending, but it’s also kind of fun to just explore around and see where things take you. I dunno! Sometimes letting things play out for a bit can help you see what themes are building and give you ideas about how to resolve them. Glimpses behind the writing curtain are messier than people think, haha.

[nyxokal]

So I finished Stardust Crusaders

Geez I wish I'd typed one of these for PB and BT but wellp that's the privilege SC gets for giving me a lot to talk about anyways here we go long post ahead

So okay I dunno who knows this from Twitter but I've been livetweeting all of JJBA in this thread, or specifically from this tweet onwards if you wanna see the SC stuff. That outta the way I do have some Onions on this part

First of all I loved BT and I cradle it in my arms every time I think about it if that provides context but ANYWAY ON WITH THE SHOW HERE

What I liked

I loved!! The characters themselves!!! I loved the dynamics that the Crewsaders (I saw Sage use that term and I stole it lol) had together. In particular I've found myself to be really weak for the friendship between Polnareff and Kakyoin lmfao like. LIKE:

These two have a very very stupid relationship together that hooked me in the second I saw them do that stupid fucking handshake in the submarine. And tbh while the handling of Joseph could've done some work I looooooved getting to see him be stupid again even in his fuckin' what fifties? I love him

Kakyoin isn't really there all that much and is mostly The Smart Guy but he's earned my blorbofication also. Kakyoin is just fantastic. I like him a lot, and I think he had a lot of potential if he were explored more, but even as he stands in canon he's like [bathes him in slime] :) he's in his natural habitat

(Because you will subscribe to my headcanon that Kakyoin likes slime. He has slime bottles. What the fuck is Emerald Splash but some fucked up slime)

That said I don't quite understand jotakak tbh but I like it and I'm all for it

Jotaro's MO being gaslighting also made me die laughing when I realized that was exactly what he was doing. He really is Joseph's grandson

I also liked a lot of the villains. Hol Horse, obviously. Vanilla Ice was also kind of a "holy shit girl help" kind of deal and fun to watch, though I wish he'd been around for longer. I liked Pet Shop and N'Doul too. I also liked the concept of the killer baby lmao. And oh oh even though I didn't really like her I think Enyaba's arc was extremely fun and had potential to be really fucked up

I also liked the showdown against Dio a LOT. I thought it was real menacing and while it kind of fell apart at the end I think that was satisfying to watch, and I was DELIGHTED to see my babygirl return and eat an entire ham on stage. Also Kakyoin and Avdol are both totally alive and well :) I accept my downfall and join the copium gangs

(Iggy is on trial)

Also I had a running gag about the Crewsaders not getting to eat a meal for the entire show without it getting ruined or interrupted (this post kind of summarizes it) and I really do miss that little bit of stupid humour already

What I didn't like

Why the FUCK did Araki think it'd be a great idea to pad out the story with the ENTIRE arcana as villains showing up within the first half of the story. So many enemies got reduced to jokes, and then he brings in EVEN MORE enemies as Egyptian gods and it's like... see THOSE had interesting abilities, but I was so burnt out on wanting to get the plot moving already, damn it, that I didn't have that much fun. N'Doul and Pet Shop were fine. I liked what Anubis did, and then he got turned into a joke. The rest? Mostly also turned into jokes too. Whatever

I already detailed a lot of my issues here but to summarize that post Part 3 genuinely disappointed me with how much of a slog it was to get through. That combined with its tone being stuck between serious and funny until Araki comes in and goes like "Oh fuck the ending is here and I wasted all this time fucking around?? Uhhhh ok wait" then he kills Avdol and goes "haha TIME TO CRYYYY" as if that were gonna work. At least Kakyoin's death felt more gut-wrenching (haha ow) because the tone was already serious, but that's still a cop-out to me

Like Araki's writing at the end of SC literally feels like this image

Anyway.

And I bring up the tone issue because Hol Horse had this too. I mention it in the post but Hol Horse going from a serious scene with Dio like this

To shooting himself in the fucking head for a cheap joke

What, and pardon my Spanish, the absolute fuck was that. This extends to Dio too because--oh we beat him with a kick? Ok. He already did such a big deal out of sucking grandpa silly so now he's so powerful he literally turned Joker moment digging his own nails into his skull and he's a MADMAN and THREATENING and whoop we kick him and he goes poof like a piñata. Your huge villain, killed like a fly within seconds. Bro.

God. Anyway.

Unfortunately I also find that Polnareff is both a character I love and a character I hate. I loved the way he developed, his struggles, his friendships. Polnareff was for better or for worse the heart of the crew. I feel like he's the type of guy to genuinely ask everyone how they're doing and check in on their feelings whenever he's stopped being a piece of shit diva going woe is me and getting mad for being bullied by everyone. I like him for that

But Polnareff also takes up so much screentime... screentime that should've been devoted to other members of the cast. Kakyoin pulled a Caesar and got his shit explained the episode he DIED. Joseph got reduced to an old man joke and Hamon to a sidenote. Avdol got put on a bus for most of the show and died twice to save fucking Polnareff. And Iggy would've been interesting if he hadn't been a literal fart joke from the start of his stay

And Jotaro... bro Jotaro. I found him extremely compelling in the fight with Dio and the last few episodes where he revealed that gaslight gatekeep girlboss is his MO. I love that about him. I think he's fascinating for that. Nerves of steel but realizing he needs others to break before he does so he can do anything substantial. Cool as fuck. Ok now why did he get all this screentime and development in the second half while Polnareff was having an existential crisis about sacrifice and death and several episodes to himself

It's complicated. I love Polnareff. I hate Polnareff. Just.

Final thoughts

Part 3 is flawed. I can see where Araki improved as a writer and where he still needs polish, and I hope these issues get addressed in Part 4. But Part 3 is absolutely overhyped and I'm not that happy w it overall, and since I hear Part 5 absolutely fucks, I hope it lives up to that and I don't get swindled by the popularity hiding some glaring problems nobody seems to talk about when I mention it beforehand

Although to be fair, most of my issues with the show boil down to "why did we waste so much time" tbh. We spent so damn long frolicking in the sand making fart dick and bullying jokes I eventually stopped watching for a week just to calm down and prepare myself to waste more time. That hadn't happened to me, even with PB. It was a shock

I will eventually revisit Part 3 as I get a friend through this w me though, and we'll see if my thoughts change at all with the rewatch. For now though... thank fuck it's over (affectionate)