#where the fun little bits aren't even alluded to

[seedofjoseph]

Hi! Would you be willing to take a request for a male reader?

I'd be willing to take any request because I'm intrigued.

[milaisreading]

hi! Ok, what about fic where manager have to wear something like mascot costume (like ears and tail) or something like maid dress (you can choose anything you want) all day because of JFU and fan service for BLLK TV during the NEO egoists league arc. And when boy see her in this costume, they are frustrated, freaks out and try their best to cover her and get away from the cameras.

Author: I hope you like this and thank you sm for the request🩷 stay safe and healthy.

PS: I really hope people feel included in these stories, that's why I mostly avoid giving any physical descriptions of the reader. Also, English is like my 3rd language and I hope you all aren't too annoyed if I am repetitive with some words. Mostly when I use the words blush or turn red I don't want to allude to the skin tone, but I try to describe the situation in a way that would make sense to me as well. Sorry for that and I will try to work on my vocabulary a little bit more. I am so sorry if smn felt left out bcs of my wording 🙇🏻‍♀️🩷

Warnings ⚠️ : Reader uses she/her. Requests are open

⚽️Blue Lock belongs:Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura⚽️

When (Y/n) signed up for the Blue Lock project to help out, she knew there would be hard and easy times. She knew she will be a lot bussier with taking care of not just the team, but also running errands for Anri and Ego from time to time. But with all the exhausting and draining tasks she had, she was greatful for the friends she made at the project, all the connections and fun times that came with it. But and a big but, (Y/n) didn't know that Blue Lock would turn into a reality show with... certain demands from the JFU.

"Respectfully, no way in hell am I wearing that!" (Y/n) shrieked at the clothing item Anri was holding. Ego kept quiet, pitying the girl a little.

"Come on (Y/n)! The JFU did that fanservice polls and the fans really want to see you in this dress... it's not even revealing." Anri tried to argue. And true, the maid dress wasn't anything too extreme. A normal maid dress that went to her knees, nothing revealing and a simple black color, with a white apron and some head decoration.

"Still! I never agreed to this! I don't want anyone to see me in that! And why aren't the boys wearing it as well, seems unfair!" (Y/n) said, feeling embarrassed to be wearing such a dress. Anri shook her head and walked closer to the girl, pressing the item into her hands.

"You came in first place when asked who should wear it. Rin was second by like a 400 votes difference."

"400?!" (Y/n) cried out, feeling betrayed by the audience.

"Just wear it for half a day. I tried to negotiate with the JFU and we came to a agreement for just half a day." Ego said.

'I hate it here!! The others will just make fun of me!' (Y/n) thought, wanting to cry.

"It looks adorable!!" Anri cheered as she finally got the dress on the girl.

"Can't we just get Rin to wear this?" (Y/n) asked for the 10th time as Anri pulled her out of the changing room.

"No, no we can't." The woman said back.

"Get Rin to do what?!" Isagi asked as he walked out of a room. The boy looked at (Y/n) for a few moments, blinking as he finally started realizing what she was wearing.

"(Y/n), why are you wearing that?!" Isagi exclaimed as his face turned a bright red, catching Bachira and Baro's attention.

"I-I didn't want to, I was forced!" (Y/n) said back, causing Anri to roll her eyes.

"Don't you love the fans?"

"Not this much!"

'She looks so adorable in that! What a great day to be alive and witness this!' Isagi thought as he covered up his cheeks.

"What happened with (Y/n)?! Do I have to beat someone up-" Bachira's grin soon faded and his jaw dropped a little when he saw the girl, face flushing to match Isagi's.

'So... so adorable!'

Baro peeked outside too only to freeze up at the sight of the manager.

'I... this is a dream? Or maybe not?' Baro pinched his cheeks to make sure everything was real.

"Wh-what?! I told you this was rediculous!" (Y/n) yelled, expecting them to tease her.

'Adorable!' Baro thought, suddenly getting shy as Bachira ran to hug her.

"You look so cute, (Y/n)! I could just eat you!"

"Bachira, you are making it worse!" (Y/n) yelled, startled by his sudden hug as Nari cheered.

"Told you it looks fine."

"Bachir, let her go!"

"You little piece of shit!" Isagi and Baro yelled as they went in to grab to separate the two.

'I want a hug too...' The two thought, jealous that Bachira got it first.

Otoya fell to the ground and covered up his nosebleed.

'Thank you God. Thank you for making me witness this!' The green/white-haired boy thought, feeling tears of joy cloud his eyes.

"Otoya! Are you alright?!" (Y/n) panicked as she tried to walk to him, but was stopped by Yukimiya standing in the way.

"He is just being weird, don't worry. So when will you be wearing this again?" The brown-haired boy asked as (Y/n) shook her head at that thought.

"Hopefully never. Also can you stop touching my hair, Karasu?" The girl wondered as the said boy kept patting her head.

"But you look so adorable! We need to give you headpats." The boy declared as Yukimiya nodded his head.

"Wait, I want to do it too!" Otoya added as he finally composed himself. Meanwhile Kurona and Hiori were standing off to the side, faces red as they admired the girl's costume.

'So adorable! She looks better than any model!' Kurona thought.

'Ahh~ I live being in Blue Lock~' Hiori sighed dreamily.

She was just doing some pick ups for the medic room when Gagamaru, Niko and Rin walked by, and seeing her in the costume really flustered them.

"I-I... you look pretty (Y/n). Like a princess!" Gagamaru had exclaimed nervously as (Y/n) thanked him, clearly just as flustered as he was.

"You look..." Rin started and then looked away, clearly unsure how to say it in a smooth way.

'She is so adorable! Just like she always is, but now she is even cuter! Thank you God for not sending me off to Spain too.' Rin thought, too shy to look her back in the eyes. And in that moment Niko started stuttering something out, but the more he looked at (Y/n), the blurrier her form was getting.

'So cute!'

"Niko! Gagamaru, can you bring me some water?!" (Y/n) exclaimed as she caught the black-haired boy before he could fall to the ground. The boy quickly nodded his head, forcing himself to look away and get the water.

'Lucky bastard!' Rin tsked as (Y/n) held the boy's figure.

"So.... how long do you have to wear that?" Kunigami asked, covering up his cheeks.

"For like an hour more... then I am free." (Y/n) explained as she fixed up Chigiri's hair, the said boy enjoying the attention he was getting from her.

'My manager taking care of me while dressed in a cute costume... I won at life!' The redhead sighed as Reo kept staring at her intensely.

'Ahh~~ what a day to be alive! Blue Lock is the best place on earth!' Reo thought with a silly grin as Nagi stood to the side with his phone.

'Sorry (Y/n), but God knows when I will see you like this again.' Nagi thought as he snapped some pics of the girl.

"Why are you even taking pictures?" The girl asked as she turned to the albino.

"Blackmail." He blinked and nervously answered.

'Idiot!' Reo and Kunigami thought.

"Blackmail? Literally anyone who follows Blue Lock will see me like this! What's the use of the Blackmail?"

"Hold up! Rewind that, what do you mean everyone will see you?!" Aryu spoke up, deciding to finally stop staring.

"It's like fanservice for the next episode or something." The girl explained, causing them to go into panic mode.

"So... so other dudes will see you like that?!" Chigiri questioned, turning around to face her.

"Yeah..."

"Absolutely not! Take this!" Kunigami said as he handed her his jacket.

"Take mine too." Aryu added, dropping it over her.

"I will just be the wall then." Nagi said in annoyance as he stood in front of (Y/n), shielding her from the camera Ego had put up.

"Reo, can you somehow buy this episode out or something?" Chigiri whispered to the purple-haired boy.

"I could try. Nobody outside of Blue Lock should see our manager like this."

[frostyhelltime]

I See You

(ft. HuskerDust)

Warnings: Little bit of angst on Angel's part, but this is mostly just hurt/comfort.

Prompt: "I see you. I see you, I always have and I always will." Prompt from @unfriendlywriter

Set before they're dating, but sometime after 'Loser, Baby'. I had a lot of fun making their graphics for this as well. Hope everyone likes it!

There's a blissful silence in the air as Husk polishes glasses behind the bar. No static that would allude to Alastor being near, no Nifty obsessively cleaning, no Charlie planning new group activities. Just. Peace.

Until a certain tall spider comes lumbering in, shoulders slumped low, and head pointed towards the ground. Husk doesn't even think Angel Dust is even aware of the weary sigh that leaves them as they trudge in, barely having the energy to even shut the front door behind him.

Husk is already grabbing a bottle and a glass for him but as soon as he pops the top off he hears Angel speak.

"I'm good Whiskers. I just...I just wanna go to bed. Maybe tomorrow." Angel waves him off sluggishly with two arms, which only makes Husk furrows his brows as if trying to analyze him.

"That bad huh?" He offers as he puts the lid back on the bottle, hesitating only a moment to see if Angel changes his mind and wants a drink after all. When Angel just sighs and keeps walking, Husk does finally put the bottle away.

"Wanna talk about it? People don't have to buy a drink to sit at my bar." He says before giving Angel a toothed grin.

"Least you don't anyway."

He's speaking genuinely, but also hopes the remark might make Angel chuckle even just a little. He doesn't, but he does let out a huff of air that Husk thinks could be close enough to a laugh that he thinks he's successful.

He does manage to get Angel to crack a smile with that one, though it is weak. But still, a smile is a smile.

"Maybe...I dunno. I don't wanna take up ya time and space if someone else comes in." Angel shrugs, looking for excuses for Husk to not comfort him. It's something foreign, having someone care about how he's doing. He's used to people only pretending to care to get what they want, usually his body or whatever it is they need. So his instinct is to try and dodge those attempts at care because it's hard to handle when they aren't genuine. He certainly wouldn't be able to handle it if Husk's care wasn't genuine. But that's a whole other issue to dig deep into as he's falling asleep.

But Husk doesn't hear any of Angel's thoughts, only what Angel says, so this time he waves Angel off with a lazy wave of his wrist.

"Most everyone is out as far as I know. And if someone does come in I can always take a break." He assured the taller one, who shifts nervously from foot to foot as he considers maybe...it would be okay to show that vulnerability to Husk again? Just this once of course. Husk busies himself with cleaning more glasses to not make Angel feel pressured into a decision one way or another.

"...Maybe but...I dunno. I just...talkin' out here in the open where someone can walk in...Maybe another time but thanks." Angel stumbles over his words until eventually he talks himself out of it and even Angel winces at how lame it sounds. Husk eyes him a moment, as if analyzing him like a math problem. He's trying to figure out how far is too far to push, but he doesn't feel good at all about letting Angel go in this state.

"...Break time it is."

"W...Wha?"

"I've decided it's time for a break. Let's head somewhere quieter to talk. Problem solved."

Husk says it so casually with a shrug of his shoulders that it just confuses Angel even more, as if it was natural to stop what he was doing to help him. By the time he processes what his feline companion has said, Husk has already put things away and is standing next to Angel, waiting only a little impatiently.

For the first time tonight Husk looks a little anxious standing next to him, hands in his pockets and waiting to be directed on where they're going to go.

When Angel comes back down to earth, he blinks a few times, standing up a bit straighter.

"Right. Yeah. Uh. We can talk in my room I guess?" Angel says, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Husk only nods and gestures for him to start walking.

Neither Angel nor Husk can tell if the silence between them as they walk is peaceful or awkward, but either way they're happy to reach the door once they get there.

Angel goes in first, plopping down to sit on his bed as Fat Nuggets immediately crawls onto his lap, nuzzling into Angel eagerly to try and cheer him up.

Husk lets out a small chuckle at the admittedly adorable display and he shuts the door behind him, taking a seat right next to Angel Dust.

"Alright. So what's bothering you?"

"...The Big V. Who else?" He scoffs venomously, looking away.

"And Charlie enjoys singing. I figured that much. What did he do this time?" Husk relaxes as they begin talking im earnest, leaning back a little bit and getting comfortable.

"I just...I don't even know how to describe it. He makes....he makes me feel so worthless. Like all I'm good at and good for is his stupid fuckin' shoots." Angel grits out, hands pausing on Fat Nuggets a second.

"And when I can't even do that right..." He trails off, letting the end of his sentence go unspoken.

"I just feel...so damn invisible there. Even when all eyes are on me it feels like no one is really looking at me."

Angel hates that his voice takes on a choked sounding quality the further he talks, the tears welling up in the corner of his eyes. He turns away from Husk as if that would actually keep him from finding out.

It takes a moment for Husk to figure out what to say and then he reaches out to place his hand on top of one of Angel's, hesitating halfway there eventually deciding, fuck it, and placing his hand on top of his and giving a small squeeze.

"I see you."

It's the softest Angel Dust had ever heard Husk speak and it's so jarring he snaps his head back to look at Husk, forgetting he was trying to hide his tears moments ago.

"...What?"

Husk clears his throat, giving him his best comforting smile.

"I see you. I always have and I always will." Husk speaks with a little more confidence.

The tears that were only beginning to gather begin to flood now and Angel doubles over as his body is wracked with sobs, unable to stop himself, especially after the day he's had. Somehow it was both exactly what he needed to hear and also what pushes him past the tipping point. He doesn't know why it makes him snap, he just knows it does.

Maybe it's because he really is starting to believe Husk could be genuine, and somehow placing that vulnerability in another person's hands is terrifying and overwhelming.

But Husk doesn't judge him, just sneaks his free hand around to rub soothing circles on Angel's back as he lets him get it all out. Neither of them says anything for the duration of it, Husk out of respect and Angel out of shame.

But eventually Angel's cries do settle down into sniffles and he sits back up again, wiping what's left of the tears off his face before looking at Husk again.

"Yeah. Sorry. I...I don't know what came over me." He mumbles apologetically but Husk just shrugs. Angel only barely sees it in his peripheral because he's looking anywhere but at Husk.

"Nothing to be sorry about." He assured him, his voice soothing and neutral.

Husk's words just keep ringing in Angel's head over and over again though.

'I see you. I always have and I always will.'

Angel can't help but snort out a laugh now.

"Fuckin' liar. You didn't always see me. You hated me when I first showed up here." Angel laughs, although he still appreciates the sentiment.

But Husk just smiles like he knows something Angel doesn't.

"... Technically I didn't lie. Back then I saw you were hiding your real self. I didn't know why but I knew the you that you were presenting wasn't real...and I was right." Husk is appropriately wearing a mischievous Cheshire grin as he leans over to playfully poke Angel in the chest.

"So I still saw you, even if I was annoyed you weren't being honest." Husk's grin only grows wider when he sees the flush of red that finds itself on Angel's cheeks.

Angel opens and closes his mouth a few times as he struggles to think of words to say. But he comes up empty.

"...I...I...Thank you." Angel eventually whispers, smiling at Husk, genuinely smiling. It's a tired and exhausted smile, but it's genuine and it makes Husk relax, smiling back.

"Anytime. I'm going to head back to the bar and let you sleep." Husk pats his back as he stands up and Angel realizes how cold the top of his hand feels without Husk touching it and he's immediately standing too, Fat Nuggets letting out a small squeak of surprise before he lands on his feet on the ground. He only lets out one small huff before he seems happy again, his tail wagging, so Angel isn't too worried.

"Well since I feel better...maybe...a nice drink to relax after work doesn't sound so bad?" Angel isn't even sure what he's saying, he just knows he wants to follow him.

He thinks Husk knows it too because he flashes Angel the smile of a gambler on a winning streak and it makes his heart race.

"I'll make something extra good for you when you come down. See you in a few minutes?" He offers, wanting to allow Angel time alone to collect himself before going if he needed it.

"See you in a few." Angel nods, confirming their plans as he sits back down on his bed a moment, watching Husk wave goodbye as he leaves, shutting the door behind him to give Angel some privacy.

He can't help the goofy smile on his face as he fixes himself back up to look presentable before he heads back down to meet Husk at the bar, who is already standing there, waiting with a knowing grin and some bright pink concoction that suits Angel Dust perfectly already sitting in a glass on a napkin, waiting for it's owner to take a seat.

[all-pacas]

Can you talk more about the whole "Chase and 13 as siblings" deal? I've seen it everywhere,but they seemed more like ordinary friends to me. Neither of them gave me the "found family" vibes.

To be clear, it's totally fanon. They are not found family in canon, they aren't even super good friends. I'm pretty sure it comes from the common perception in fandom that they're House's favorites/the ones who view him and/or are viewed by him as his children. Which I guess makes them siblings? (I don't even think, technically speaking, that's true — House doesn't think of either of them as his kids tbh.) I am a huge enjoyer of it, though, so I can only give my reasoning; the short version is I think they have a lot of potential in this direction.

So first of all, the two of them are like. Lowkey so alike. Like the venn diagram of them is sort of just a circle. They both had traumatic family histories involving mothers who died young and who they resented/'hated.' They're both intensely private people, 13 going ahead and making that a meme but Chase just as good at it as she is. They both have histories on the show of sleeping around and engaging in reckless behaviors as a reaction to depression/trauma; they do both have close relationships with House, I think it's overstated a little in fandom but it's also true; House and 13 are obviously very close but Chase has a whole pair of S8 episodes highlighting the same; he's also the fellow House has known the longest, who stayed the longest. They're both perceptive and bright and have similar senses of humor.

As you said, they are friends. They enjoy one another's company, we see they have fun hanging out. 13 alludes to going drinking with Chase sometimes in Last Temptation. After Hours proves that Chase knows where 13 lives, that she can call him past midnight and he'll show up no questions asked. Despite both being super private and secretive, they know one another's darkest secrets: Chase is the only person besides House 13 has told about killing her brother and going to prison. 13 is the only person besides Cameron Chase has told about Dibala. (House and Foreman figured that one out on their own. Also, last time he told someone it ended his marriage, so it's kind of Insane he tells 13. Like. Wow.) 13 went a year not telling anyone her name, Chase wouldn't even confirm he was catholic when House guessed it, and yet these two tell one another things. Even in Private Lives, before they really knew one another, Chase and 13 were having serious heart-to-hearts about the divorce and whether or not Chase was pretty; these just… aren't conversations he, at least, has with other people.

Also, let's be frank. The show was setting them up to fuck. I think some of this is meant to be ship tease, in all honesty. Chase outright propositions her. One of their earliest bonding episodes is Private Lives, which has a sort of flirty bit at the end and is all about their failed romances. But thankfully — because we all know how much the show sucks at romance — it never happened. So what we're left with is two characters who are weirdly close, have a weird amount of heart to heart moments and bonding (like… compare Foreman and Chase, who have known one another forever but never have these sort of sincere 'moments'), and are incredibly similar. And who also are often framed specifically as 'House's children,' if not as as unit: Chase is the prodigal son, 13 calls herself the prodigal daughter. 'siblings' make sense. People also don't really like to ship them, myself included, although tbh they make a good amount of sense on paper. Maybe because of the built in messiness (she's Foreman's ex, technically; she leaves the show for long stretches; the show sucks at romance), maybe because people love found family, maybe because folks definitely prefer to lean into 13 dating women. And because people don't want to think of them as romantic options for one another, how do you define a relationship between a pair of very attractive people without letting that be a factor? Make them siblings!

For what it's worth, I don't actually think they're siblings, or that they think of one another as that. I think they're good friends. But they're also so alike, and open up to one another in pretty unique ways (especially for Chase), and get along well. In a weird way, I think the fact that they probably were attracted to one another and could have slept together but didn't makes them closer in my eyes: they both sleep around at the first chance, so that they didn't (by chance or choice) means they got to build an entirely different relationship. They're both lonely, they've both outlived family, they're both lowkey sort of depressed. And the idea that they could have a family in one another (Chase, for one, admits in S8 he pretty badly would like one) just really appeals to me. (With the added tragedy, of course, that it could only last a decade or so) I think they're good for one another, in that they have a "no questions asked" friendship, they know one another's worst secrets, and those secrets run parallel enough that they get it. And so even though they aren't siblings… I kinda want them to be, you know? :)

[murdrdocs]

can u write nsfw headcannons for peter quill please (possibly with size kink because with how big he is, it would be a crime for him not to have one)

is so fucking horny like almost all of the time and loves to fuck any and everywhere. not just because he's quill and horny, but also because he's quill and horny specifically for you. cannot get enough of you. truly.

declares spring/summer as his favorite season because that's when you show more skin and spend more time outside. which gives him more of a chance to fuck you in skirts and dresses and in fields of flowers.

a hand on u at all times, leading to his hands sliding between your thighs. sometimes he just cups your mound, sometimes he just rubs his palm along, and sometimes his fingers are working you open and up to an orgasm.

has sex to music as we all know. doesn't rlly sing/hum the lyrics unless it's a slower night, and he's thrusting into you at a steady, slow pace and he'll just slightly hum the lyrics but pretends he didn't do such a thing if you mention it. ("did you just start singing?" "...no")

possibly into documenting sex with you. there's a day when he's feeling extra filthy, brought upon by the alcohol in his system and yours, and he just sits his cock along your mound, getting an image of how how deep he will be in you in hopefully a few seconds. and he's teasing, making fun of the size difference, alluding to the possibility of not fitting when you both know that he always does. but instead of grabbing himself by the base and pushing in, he leans over just a bit to grab the discarded polaroid from earlier (whenever he claimed you looked beautiful and he demanded to snap a few pictures of you) and it's held above your body. you can barely ward him off (pitiful little words of "peter, are you sure?" "maybe you shouldn't") but you aren't fighting that much because your legs open a little more even though your hands cover your face just before the snap! of the camera sounds over the soft music playing in the background.

there's also a time when you're both on vacation, housed up in a beautiful hotel room, and your phone is propped up on the bed frame, facing you and peter while you ride him. he has the device held in his hand soon enough, free hand roaming your body while the camera tilts slightly off frame as he loses himself in it.

loves when you wear his shirts around and barely even complains if you cut the neckline off (barely complains) because you look so good, to the point where he's pulling you down into his lap when you try to walk across him while he's watching tv, in nothing but one of his shirts that touches the top of your thighs.

also loves when you ride him. his hands on your hips, eyes watching your everything since the positions gives him such a good view. especially loves to watch your tits bounce while you ride him, and he likes to watch your face scrunch up when he grips your hips, forcibly holding you down until you squirm and fight back and borderline cry for what you want.

he can be cruel in that way, but he has the biggest soft spot for you and he can barely see you not get what you want. even if he makes you beg for it, he'll eventually give you what you want. which, sometimes is a little too much because he likes the way your nails scratch at his biceps and back when you're overstimulated.

[heartlurch]

hai heart !! its me again , anon :3 have you got any so called au ideas of mystery n8 nene ?? nene’s name involves the number “8” , so of course people are theorising that she’ll become the 8th mystery. if so, the mystery of what ? 🤍

Hi again :0

I'm certainly aware of how Nene's name alludes to the number 8, since other characters have numbers correlating to their seat #. A maddening detail honestly... I will admit, it's not the sort of thing I can think of as an 'AU' so much as... 'There's this thing being foreshadowed that I have to brace myself for.' I've more or less just stared at this detail and felt helpless and confused lol. What is sensei trying to tell me!? <- I'm too busy thinking this and crying...

Beyond that, I can't really think of an 8th mystery the same as I would the others, too strugglesome. I mean, if we try and imagine it like 'we tack on No. 8 with the others' it would mean that a new seat could be created that doesn't previously exist. How... do you do that... But like, we don't know how the previous mysteries were made... Were there always 7?? If not, how do you add more, who decides(or decided) that? Would a rumor have to be made to make way for this mystery Nene-? Or could she manifest before having a rumor-?? Is being appointed just a matter of someone saying so, or is there more to it? (More prerequisites?) We don't even know what Sakura does when she appoints someone, and Tsukasa seems to exist outside of the system's typical conventions so I can't base too much on what he does with Mitsuba...

Each mystery seems to have jurisdiction over some, element, aspect of the world. But these concepts are as broad as 'time', 'life/death' and 'records'... While I like the story of JSHK and analyzing it is lots of fun, I feel like I cannot really simulate Iro-sensei's thought process— not enough to conceive of what an '8th Mystery' would dictate...

So... that's me being pedantic about a bunch of things. BUT... What I can tell you, that I've thought of on my own: I don't actually think Nene will 'become a mystery' in the manner we've seen... I think being "8" actually means she's something new, errr... rule-breaking? That's the vibe I get from her... I think Nene's existence is a bit of an anomaly. There are various things about her yet to be explained.

(MY SMALL ADDENDUM TO THIS is the fact that No. 7 already seems to operate differently than 1-6, so we already don't know enough about THAT guy... arghh.)

Why is Nene a kannagi? Aoi's family history explains her position, but somehow I doubt this is the case for Nene as well? So... where is her blessed nature coming from? And it's eerie, you know... how she meets Hanako just in time to be there to commence yorishiro, as the broadcast club orchestrates rumors. Why is that? What were they going to do if Hanako never got his hands on a kannagi...? Their goals are quite exact, with little room for error, aren't they... hm.

Nene has technically, from the twins' chronological perception, been interacting with them multiple times throughout their life. So her fate has been tied to the Yugi 'since the beginning' of this story... The cherry on top is the fact that her lifespan is inextricable from the existence of the mysterys' yorishiro. For whatever reason, if you get rid of all the mysteries, Nene will die. All I can infer from this is Nene's very existence is tied to that of the mysteries, so — I don't think she will become a part of the system, as much as she is already deeply involved in it? ...?? Perhaps she is already... No. 8? In SOME manner? You feel me??

My wife's even pointed out, it's troublesome Nene is already an isolated weird girl who gets whispered about in the halls... what 'rumors' exist of her already, we don't know. I wonder how blurred this line between human/kaii/mystery can be. There's no way to know, but... something to chew over. (The recent ASHK chapter showing an ominous dream that calls to question Nene's authenticity was designed to make me insane btw.)

Last thing I will say, prolly will seem out of nowhere but, my gut tells me Nene's existence... is tied to the well god, and Tsukasa. If the god inside Tsukasa / is the same god the mysteries are deriving power from / then Nene's lifespan is directly correlated to that god's power being unleashed (as the yorishiro/mysteries are simply a means of divying out these powers, controlling things like time, life, death, wishes, etc.)

It's my delusion but I'm holding out that all this information will kiss passionately someday. And-!!!!!!!!! Then I'll explode.

[sonic7ischaos]

Y'know, talking about 'physics' in Sonic games, Momentum, inertia, pinball physics, slope physics, has become something of a meme in the Sonic community. A little bit an object of ridicule.

And y'know? I get it. We beg for it and criticize Sonic games for lacking it so much that I can imagine that for those of us who aren't even here for that, who picked up Unleashed or Generations or Colors and found their favorite game that hearing "It's missing momentum so it's bad" all the time is really frustrating. Like "NO! This game is amazing and you're just picking it apart because it's not exactly what YOU want!", which admittedly has SOME truth to it.

But I want you to imagine that Mario abandoned its jumping mechanics. Jumping into blocks does nothing but stop Mario's jump. Jumping onto enemies or into Koopa shells damages Mario now, and you're forced to use power ups to deal with foes, which are now just scattered across levels.

From the perspective of someone who grew up with Mario, hell, the average person with a passing awareness of what Mario IS, maybe they enjoy it for a game or 2. "Hey cool, this Mario game really zeroed in on using powerups and combat with enemies! New type of Mario game!" Then 5, 10, 15, 20 years pass and they're STILL doing it, They've alluded to some of the old mechanics here and there. "Hey, jumping on enemies doesn't hurt you now, you can bounce off of them like the old games" But still, the focus is on using powerups to defeat enemies. It doesn't feel like they've "changed things up" anymore, that they've "iterated on the old", it feels like they've abandoned Mario's core design, because they HAVE.

And before Mania, and now Superstars, that's what happened to Sonic. The core idea of Sonic was thrown completely to the wayside like it didn't matter. Imagine growing up with Mario, connecting with it enough that it's a part of your identity, not because you failed to find your own, but in the way that anything you love with your whole heart becomes a part of you, and then having the thing you fell in love with cast aside like garbage, just waiting for it to come back.

You break down Sonic to its very core, remove the imagery, the animation, the character design, attach the character controller to grey squares on grey platforms with grey backgrounds, and you still have what makes Sonic fun. It's in the programming, the design and functionality of mechanics, in the shape and functionality of the environment. Sonic the Hedgehog is merely the name and identity we attached to a game about building inertia and rolling on sloped terrain. And for decades it's been missing.

And listen, I LOVE Sonic Frontiers. It isn't perfect even in the areas where I love it, but it has the rest of the things that make me love Sonic. The stuff that you add on top of the grey squares, the visuals, characters, music, stories, even parts of the gameplay. Still, the game about building inertia and rolling on sloped terrain isn't in there. The last 3D game we got about building inertia and rolling on sloped terrain released in 2001.

There's a part of me that's terrified. That I'll die before I see another one. A modern 3D Sonic game built on that same idea. The grey squares becoming cubes. That I'll die waiting to see what could've been done.

[starliteradio]

20 questions for fic writers

Thank you for the tag @mylittleredgirl - this was fun!

1. How many works do you have on ao3? 19 (now I'm so curious what'll be the 20th!)

2. What’s your total ao3 word count? 61,615

3. What fandoms do you write for? Stargate Atlantis leads by a long shot though I've written a couple miniscule things for SG-1/X-Files and Better Call Saul. I'm really interested in branching out into the X-Files in particular, and kind of have the itch to write something Dale Cooper/Harry Truman (Twin Peaks) related even if it's just some fluffy little thing where they're hanging out in a cabin or fishing. Maybe some bittersweet sort of thing reflecting on the darkness in this superficially idyllic town but finding the light in each other's company or something. Idk.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Strangers in the Night

Wildfire

An Unquiet Night

Solitaire

Something Beautiful

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? Yes definitely! I don't think I'll ever get over the (good) surprise that people like what I write enough to comment, and I'm always so grateful for it. Plus, I like if it leads to discussion or if I get to include some ‘behind the scenes’ details of my thought process while writing it. I often get a weird (good) kind of anxiety though with positive feedback so it sometimes takes me a while to reply.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? All That Could've Been…this was a Sparky fic originally inspired by There All Memory Lies by Dr_Fumbles. It did step outside my comfort zone a bit as it involves Elizabeth/John handling a miscarriage caused by the nanite infection…pregnancy related topics aren't something I'm generally comfortable with writing but the original story was so compelling to me that it wouldn't leave my mind, and I asked the author if I could write the past scenes they alluded to in their story. I like my story for the emotional punch particularly in the final line, but would probably never write something that ends on such a depressing note again (especially not for those characters, they've been through enough!)

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Hmm that's hard to say, I'm realizing that none of them end *really* happily (feel like I always end up with "hopefully ever afters")…but I'd say Hot Rod Angels, through the final installment of that story, Sunset Strip (John/Elizabeth). Everything's definitely not perfect, but they're taking steps towards healing and finally just get to have a moment to let loose, forget their burdens and lose themselves in each other while finally feeling free (and reveling) in letting the world know.

8. Do you get hate on fic? No, thankfully

9. Do you write smut? Yes, if I feel like it's a natural progression in the story, but I don't go out of my way to do so. It also tends to not be super detailed and I try to have more of a focus on the emotional aspect (I'm asexual, and while writing smut scenes doesn't make me uncomfortable, I fear getting any physicality wrong and therefore don't want to risk it by writing in graphic detail).

10. Do you write crossovers? Once, but it was literally just a short walk into a bar scene between Sam/Jack (Sg-1) and Mulder/Scully outside of area 51 (Strangers in the Night). Short, but pure fun to write and I wish I was good at coming up with plot so I could continue (ironically, this was the first thing I wrote after forcing myself out of fanfic for several months due to creative anxiety and I just randomly threw it onto ao3 without a care of how it would do stats-wise - and it ended up being my most popular story 😆)

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Probably not

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Not that I'm aware of

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Kind of! My irl friend Quibilah is the one who got me into fanfic, and we beta read for each other when we were both much more active with writing during covid…stories such as Solitaire and Dreamland were largely engineered by her (she's the one who's good with plot/also had many ideas from watching Atlantis when it originally aired, and gave me prompts). I've done all the writing for those stories, but they literally wouldn't exist without her input.

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship? Mulder x Scully

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but probably won’t? I feel like I've mentioned this one so many times but…my one long fic, Dreamland. I'd at least like to get the rest of what I've written up onto ao3 and have an idea of how to tie an ending together in the event I never continue (it would basically end up as a very long The Real World episode tag/au) but there are a few sections I need to overhaul and I haven't had the motivation lately. I'm determined to return to it someday though.

16. What are your writing strengths? I think I tend to do well with description and world building, I love immersing myself in a setting and am very visually oriented so it makes sense that it's the thing I'm most comfortable with.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I'd like to do better with getting into more complex emotional/relationship dynamics, and figuring out more artful ways to describe it. I see improvement from when I first started but feel I have a long way to go.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I'm not proficient in anything outside of English (unfortunately) but would have a lot of fun including any short phrases in language I have some knowledge of! (basically just French)

19. First fandom you wrote for? Officially, Stargate Atlantis. Unofficially, The X-Files (through thinly veiled ‘original characters’ who were obviously Mulder and Scully who I wrote about in high school)

20. Favourite fic you’ve written? Definitely Hot Rod Angels (John/Elizabeth), which took inspiration from future fics by mylittleredgirl. I was semi terrified the entire time that I was getting everything wrong and that the whole thing was a mess (and felt too self conscious to even ask anyone to beta read), but am so glad I've been able to take pride in the story based on the responses since I loved immersing myself in that world and it felt cathartic for those characters (and having the whole series be influenced by songs I love really added to the fun). It really felt like a breakthrough for me in how I want to write the characters going forward.

I'll tag: @winternightjewels @colonelshepparrrrd and @krisrussel

[ohgodmyeyes]

i saw that you said it’s canon that Anakin has a fat kink and i need to know where it says this cause as someone who’s fat it makes my brain go brrrrr in all the right ways and lowkey is a bit of a confidence booster…

ooh i think i remember tagging it about padmé, too!

unfortunately, i was sticking my tongue in my cheek when i did... however, that doesn't mean i think my supposition is necessarily baseless.

anakin is raised a slave on a planet where security and dominance mean being able to feed yourself, and feed yourself well. his general disdain for the hutts notwithstanding (they aren't even humanoid), it isn't really difficult to imagine anakin viewing fat bodies as attractive or aspirational.

it's a little kernel of an idea that i think it would be fun and realistic to play with. fwiw, i don't think anakin is so innately attracted to padmé because she's 'conventionally pretty', whatever that means... 'conventionally pretty' in star wars being heavily subjective/influenced by culture. it's easy to forget that anakin isn't necessarily seeing his world through our eyes; i actually think she stands out to him because she's so very unlike anything he's ever seen before: a well-hydrated, adequately-fed, smooth-skinned young humanoid woman wearing clean clothes and not toting something heavy on her shoulders would be a pretty rare sight in mos espa, all things considered. if he's ever seen anyone remotely like her before, they were (like it or not) probably dancing in a chain bikini for some rich asshole.

another thing i think is that part of his continued infatuation with her has to do with the perceived extravagance of her lifestyle, and the power and respect it affords her. part of him might resent those things, sure, but sometimes i believe even more of him craves/idolizes them... and, coming from a place where food is such an important part of the social hierarchy, i don't think it's too much of a reach to consider that he might (even if subconsciously) come to the conclusion that big = desirable... either on himself, or on a partner.

for as dysfunctional as i think they'd be in practice, i love imagining anakin and padmé into the future: being comfortable; being happy; maybe even having more kids. i think anakin would be fascinated by the kinds of changes a person's body undergoes while they give birth/recover from pregnancy/breastfeed. (*something that makes their relationship feel a little extra tragic to me is the thought of their closeness & affection actually having the potential to be bolstered by padmé's postpartum period: she would be vulnerable in a way she's not used to; he would be able to take on a caregiver role without feeling as though he's being pandered to.)

i don't think it's unreasonable to presume that anakin would be attracted to people he perceives as independent or exotic or successful; fat, to him, could easily represent any/all of these things. i think he'd be proud to show off a bigger-than-average partner, if he had one; at the same time, i also think he'd be awfully pleased to be with someone capable of keeping him well-fed... because where he comes from, that's not exactly a bad thing.

definitely not disregarding the notion that he'd have trouble adjusting to the privilege, but i think he has trouble adjusting to privilege when he starts to grow into his role as a jedi & when he starts to claim his power and authority as vader, too. for a romantic partner especially, it's a process i think he might even take pleasure in.

so yeah... not legitimately canon, no, but close enough as far as i'm concerned. (also his love is unconditional... but that's another post for another time lol.)

and if anyone reading this ever gets hired by diznee to write an official novel... well, maybe they'll be nice and allude to it for me. :'))

[townofcadence]

18. Shipping

Topic Meme

Shipping is an interesting one!

So firstly, I personally think people can ship whatever they want, have fun with it, and do it however works for them. Writing is for fun as a hobby and the muses aren't real, and I'm not here to police or judge how people have fun or write their things! Someone having a self indulgent ship or whatever has no bearing on me, unless I'm personally involved. So even if it makes no sense--- as long as both writing partners are into it and having a good time, then have fun!

Butttttt, I personally have had experiences that make me averse to jumping into any relationships with my muses off the bat. I tend to work by chemistry, if you're interested in one of my muses and a connection to them. I don't mind how fast or slow a ship happens, so long as it's-- kind of at the characters' discretion and feels natural.

Specifically, I'm fine with us saying the muses might know each other in some manner! I don't mind 'x is y's mailman' or 'x buys food from y's food truck during work' or 'x and y worked a case together involving z' or something, where they're aware of each other but might only be acquaintances, to give them an 'in' to talk more. But 'close friends' type relationships are a no go unless we discuss it enough to make it work. Because like. if we don't talk, it puts it in a weird spot. If x is supposed to be my muse's BFF, but he doesn't even know anything about him, then it just doesn't really make sense.

I'm especially stringent on characters jumping to romantic shippy stuff, especially since there's a level of commitment between muses. Sometimes the personality blurbs on an about (mine included) do not cut it for understanding how a character operates. It doesn't matter how detailed you get; the person reading it will be reading it through their own personal lens of interpretation, which might not be accurate to what you meant, or a key piece of info might not be present. The nuances of actual writing will bring out the kind of relationship you'll end up with far better, and let it develop as it will, based on chemistry and how the characters interface in each interaction.

Having seen a friend a decade ago jump to a romantic ship with someone after little written interaction, i learned to be cautious. The other person's muse started acting insecure and angry and guilt-tripped their muse; my friend's muse fixed distortions in timelines, so they'd leave for stints for their job. they had showcased this and talked about it prior to the ship, and it was something the muse had no choice in. The other muse treated any of these trips as being abandoned and would be hurt and angry when they returned. it was a lot of stress for my friend, because they didn't know what they were getting into and had expected romantic fluffy cute things, not what they got. Another had a similar experience in writing ship stuff and then the personality of the other character came out in rp things, and they quickly realized that their muses weren't compatible. But in both cases it was difficult for them to leave since they didn't want to hurt mun feelings. And in one case, when they did say something, there was a blow up that resulted in a lot of hurt feelings. So I just kinda took away from it to be cautious and not skip the bit where you figure out who a muse is.

Plus, I think it's way more fun to build the relationship out, because then you have all these little moments that like--- your characters can allude to. Inside jokes and reminders of things said or done. And that really adds life and realism to the connection they might have! And honestly that kind of relationship history is by far my favorite! I'm a sucker for seeing how a muse's feelings change and grow and shift over time. That's good stuff!

[therubyreader]

My Review of Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz

See a full list of my book reviews here

*Disclaimer: there will be spoilers later on in the review*

Review Word Count, non-spoiler: 759 Review Word Count Total: 1,755

Trigger warning for the contents of this book: mentions of death, dismemberment, graphic depictions of surgery

If you've been on my blog before you'll notice a bit of a theme with the books I've been reading a lot of recently: historical fiction. Extra points if you've ever read any of my other reviews and noticed I'm a nerd who loves history, so this book was immediately right up my alley.

I will preface this with saying I'm not an expert on Scottish history, I knew very little about the time period going into this read, but I am always a sucker for learning about new time periods in countries that aren't studied (for the most part) in the good ol' USA.

This book is about a rich girl from the Scottish nobility, Hazel, who wants to be a surgeon which is not allowed because she's a woman but also at the time (1817 Scotland) surgery wasn't seen as a respectable career for anyone ever. When Hazel is kicked out of an anatomy (roll credits) class at the local university despite giving them her money, she needs to essentially teach herself surgery in order to be able to pass the doctor's exam at the end of the semester. Conveniently for her she meets our resident impoverished corpse boy, who, as the name I gave him alludes to, digs up corpses and sells them usually to medical schools (technically he's called a "resurrection man" but that's not as fun as corpse boy) named Jack. Hazel uses her rich people money (if you think about it she's kind of stealing from her parents) to pay Jack to get her bodies for her to practice on. Romantic.

And, like any good fiction novel, they of course fall in love despite them being in different social classes and also Hazel is betrothed to her cousin. Also, side note, is no one going to talk about how Hazel is betrothed to her literal blood cousin who she grew up with. I get that cousin marriages were more tolerated back then but like no one is even a little weirded out by this. I had a moment where I had to think about putting myself in Hazel's shoes and honestly I would literally vomit and die.

Graphic depictions of medical procedures aside, this story was cute. I'll give it a female empowerment out of ten. Hazel decides she's going to take her life into her own hands and become a doctor, and does everything in her power to achieve her dreams despite quite literally the entire world being against her. Contrary to popular belief the "love story" mentioned in the title is more about Hazel falling in love with medicine and learning to love herself as she is despite society wanting to put her in a box. Of course there is romantic love, what novel would not give the protagonist a love interest, but it comes second to Hazel's own personal love.

Overall the book is pretty good, there's a sequel coming out a little less than a month from now which I'm considering reading because in my opinion Hazel's story could've wrapped up after one book but I guess the author has bigger plans for her. My main complaint, which I've noticed is also the complaint of most other people who read the book, is how the ending was kind of bad. Now it wasn't bad writing-wise, but (trying to avoid spoilers as much as possible) there are elements of magical realism thrown in out of no where, and up until that point the book had stayed pretty grounded in reality. Sure, all of the events, even the disease that's impacting the city, are fictional but they're realistic, based in science and history. Then right at the end when we see the resolution to the climax we find out that this whole time there was an almost magical element to the conflict. Sure the magic thing is more or less grounded in science to fit the theme of the story but it is also way beyond the capabilities of medicine at the time, and also medicine in our time. I would've enjoyed those fantastical elements having been better established so it wasn't like a slap in the face when they happened but I'm a fan of magical realism so honestly I wasn't mad at it.

If you don't mind the trigger warnings listed at the top then I recommend this book to you, I will warn you though there is a good chance you will be disappointed with the ending so don't come back here crying when you are.

Spoilers Below!!!

Hello. Welcome.

As is common place here in my book reviews your resident "grossed out by romance" and "thinks romance is cringe" book reviewer (hint: its me) is once again giggling like a teen girl despite being a manly man (adult cis woman) over the relationship between Jack and Hazel. I love the "rich person falls in love with poor person" trope in media because I fancy myself a poor person capable of bagging a rich man. So I say to Jack, get that bag my guy.

In all honesty their love story is cute. Hazel is essentially being told no by the whole universe and here comes a boy who is the first person to tell her yes, and also be an extra pair of hands when she needs help being a doctor despite having no medical knowledge. And on top of that he's the only person who cares for her, outside of Hazel's staff who get paid to do that but I'm sure they care about her as a person too. I mean Jack is the first person to call her beautiful, he takes her seriously, and gives her the affection she isn't receiving from her family. Of course this is a two way street but we honestly don't get a look at the root of Jack's emotions about Hazel's emotions for him, if that makes sense. Either way, having their first kiss in a grave next to a corpse is among the most unique first kiss spots and gives "Mary Shelly losing her virginity on her mother's grave" vibes.

Another complaint I had aside from the weird ending is how Hazel is able to open up a hospital for the poor in her castle and word about it doesn't get out to upper society. Sure she asks the poor people she treats to just not tell anyone about it but like she has so many patients at one point that someone should've gotten suspicious. I mean her mom not knowing about it because she's (conveniently) in England is passable, but her uncle? It doesn't occur to him to go visit her or at least send Bernard to check up on her while she's alone to, at the very least, put on the guise of a concerned uncle/future father in law. Another point, in high society, which to my understanding, is fueled by rumor shouldn't rumor have spread to the upper class that a female doctor is working out of Hazel's castle? Even if Hazel isn't the main suspect at first, the fact that her castle is being used as a hospital means, to a certain extent, that she's allowing it, and someone would've gone to investigate.

There are too many happy accidents that occur in Hazel's life that conveniently allow her to slide on by undetected. The only realistic part of the whole ordeal is Jack being charged for murdering all of those people and then getting hanged for it, despite the magical immortality potion that I've already discussed my annoyance about. But honestly, if the book was even slightly realistic, Hazel would've probably been found out almost immediately and arrested. She wouldn't have been put to death because she's the niece of a viscount but she for sure would've done prison time for being a woman practicing medicine without a license.

Adding onto that, why are all of her patients super chill with the fact that they're being treated by a woman? Sure her castle is better than a poor hospital but they are all very much products of their time, in the early 19th century people still very much believed women were stupid and incapable of complex thought. If I were a grown adult man and I was told that I could either go to the hospital or get treated by a woman who I believe has the intellectual capacity of a shrimp I don't think I would be super keen on going to see her. But I get the desperation of the situation, some people really said "well how bad could a woman be compared to the hospital?", and I get it, but I don't think we realistically see enough backlash or sexism from Hazel's own patients about her capability to be a doctor.

Now I will say that none of these things take you out of the story itself, they're easy to overlook in the moment but once you stop reading and take a second to really think about it there are too many elements in the story that can be attributed to sheer luck that make it seem incredibly unrealistic.

I am not even going to touch on the immortality potion because I stated what I had to above. Genuinely I didn't like the inclusion of it in a story that was, up until the very end, pretty scientifically accurate to the time. I am mildly annoyed by the whole ordeal of it, but in all honestly the self-frankensteining of Dr. Beecham was pretty cool. I will accept that piece of it since it's not super far fetched in the sphere of the story if we're gonna add some aspect of magical realism. I am still very very annoyed by the immortality potion but I am going to shut up about it because everyone and their mom has already stated my opinion of it in much nicer language than I am able to muster at the moment.

I will say I am interested to read the sequel because I genuinely enjoyed Hazel's character and her storyline of becoming a woman doctor but I am also intrigued about how the author is going to address the element of including actual historical figures in an extremely fictional universe. I will let you know if I do read the sequel, because as stated above I am pretty content with how Hazel's story ended with just this book but trust if I do read the book you will get a review.

[stormblessed95]

I wanted to ask you something:

How do you approach rumors? Is there a responsible way to research rumors? Or is there no such thing as „responsible“ and „rumor“ in the first place?

On Tumblr people sometimes allude to rumors or sources they have and know about and it kinda makes me feel itchy in a way that I want to scratch that itch. It makes me curious. I want to research those rumors myself, check for sources to form my own opinion. The best answer would probably be to not indulge myself in those rumors in the first place. But to be honest: I sometimes can't resist. If I want to research, I want to find out whether the rumor is self perpetuating and based on nothing or if there are actually more credible sources (if there even is something like a credible source with things like that).

And then there's the slippery slope. At which point do my actions endanger Jikook themselve? Where do I cross the line? This has been on my mind lately and I know I'm treading dangerous water. And talking to someone with a lot of common sense always helps.

Hi, thank you for the ask. Just going to start by saying that if some of my frustration over the past few days over the rumor mill comes out in this ask, its not directed at you.

I think in part, you've answered your own question. Is there TRULY a respectful and responsible way to handle unsubstantiated rumors? Especially rumors that stem from.... nothing... With zero proof anywhere. Other than shutting them down unless it's provable. And if it comes with evidence, it's not really a rumor at that point. No evidence, it's just hearsay and shouldn't be talked about or even really hinted at. Otherwise it just spreads confusion and misinformation.

Over the past few days I've seen multiple people here on tumblr (even those with large followings) and a few people on Twitter talking about and alluding to rumors surrounding jikook. Rumors that frankly don't sound possible because jikook aren't dumb, so then they shouldn't be talked about because that's then misinformation. And rumors that if they WERE true, would be horrible things to hint about considering some of these are rumors that would OUT them explicitly in a homophobic conservative country where everyone also knows their name and face. This is the line.

So here is where I'm going to get a bit ranty. Sorry. I agree, it's fun to have fun. It's fun to indulge in overthinking and just enjoying the bond we know they have and how that probably goes for them otherwise. It's fun. I'm all for it. Wear our tin hats and have fun. But do not spread misinformation. That's no longer fun. Don't allude to rumors that could out jikook if a photo or video of that moment were to get out. Don't make fun silly posts making vague hints about what you've heard. Unless you have evidence proving said rumor true. Unless again, that evidence should be buried so deep that it never sees the light of day because if it gets out, it could harm Jimin or JK. Because then you shouldn't make hints about it either in an effort to protect them. We shouldn't even then talk about it in DMs. Because our love for them as people should be greater than the idea of proving our thoughts about a ship and their relationship together. And we wouldn't want things that could hurt them in the end to spread further.

And let's be real too. How FAST are jikookers to make fun of taekookers when they spread an insane rumor around that just using a little bit of critical thought can prove that it's simply not true and/or doesn't make sense. Please let's all of remember, we aren't like them in anyway. Let's make sure we don't mess around with this at all. We protect them first and foremost, and we don't spread misinformation. So if it's not a rumor because it's been proven, and it's not a danger to them nor a severe invasion of their privacy, feel free to talk about it. If it's got no proof, or if it does have proof, but it's a danger to them personally or it would out them as queer explicitly if proof got out, just shut it down. Completely. They give us EVERYTHING already. We don't need baseless rumors honestly. We just don't. Lol

If you hear a rumor (that wouldn't endanger them as you put it if it spread or got out) looking into it to see if it's got any source or claim or backing, then feel free to do some searching and see WHY people are saying it. Aka such as when rumors hit the timeline in 2020 about vmin being spotted out shopping. Look into that one and you'll find the account of the shop owners daughter talking about ringing them up and how sweet they were and that Jimin paid. No immediate locations given out, nothing that would OUT them, nothing that generally needs to be hidden, no one invading privacy and overall, no reason to disbelieve it. Same thing for when there were rumors of jikook being spotted out at a convenience store together too. Same sort of stuff. Or like when they were spotted out ice skating together. Just think it through a little is all. Lol

Hopefully this makes sense. Please let me know if you want to talk about it more or if you have more questions over this too. Hopefully I explained my thoughts over this well. Thanks again for the ask!

[mostly-mundane-atla]

@paragonrobits @veryever alright, here we go. Technically-not-swears to give your writing a punch that "oh spirits" does not.

@terulakimban, @mikaslilworld, and @589ish were asking for this too so I'll mention them so that they're sure to see it.

Adjectives:

Misbegotten. Implying that someone is of questionable parentage is generally seen as in poor taste at best or incredibly insulting, vulgar "fighting words" at worst.

Cursed. Implying something or someone has done something deserving of a curse and have all the bad luck and unpleasantness that comes with it. Probably the most mild example here.

Damned. Considered more severe and material than "cursed" and often refers to a spiritual sentence or a fated misfortune. Whether or not this is an actual swear can depend on the person and the circumstance.

Poxy. This one is a little spicy because while on the surface it's just referring to illnesses like smallpox, cow pox, or chicken pox, historically, it referred to what English speakers euphemistically referred to as "the French pox" aka syphilis.

Nouns:

Animals. Referring to someone as an animal, especially one associated with unsavory personality traits (snakes and rats come to mind as a prime example), is often considered insulting and even dehumanizing. Note that asses and jackasses are actual animals and how off-limits those words are entirely depends on context

Witch. Often used in place of "bitch" becsuse it rhymes and can be used just as insultingly.

Scum. Refers to just about any icky substance that won't go away

Son of a ____. Insulting one's parentage is again in poor taste or straight up fighting words. The blank can be filled by anything: animals, unpleasant or unwanted things, people of any profession considered disgusting or demeaning. Have fun with it.

Inupiat words:

Honestly, if a fantasy version of Inupiat live in this world (and given two characters from this fantasy culture are named after Inupiat villages in Alaska, specifically, I'm going to specify Inupiat and will appreciate it if folks don't generalize it as Inuit) it only makes sense for Inupiat words to be used in other parts of the world. Influence and cultural exchange doesn't have to be a one way street where the "more advanced" only affect the "less advanced" and indigenous languages have always left traces behind.

Inupiat culture, and therefore language, is very matter of fact. Euphemisms aren't really used because no topic is really considered "too dirty" to talk about with any particular group. Insults are a way of showing love and familiarity. Offense is mainly conveyed through tone and context.

The phrase "anak niģiiñ" (anak meaning "poop," niģi meaning "eat," and -iñ being a suffix which in this case makes a verb a command aimed at one person) has been suggested as an Inupiat translation for the English phrase "eat shit." The words themselves are not bad words as you may think of them; the insult comes instead from how they're used to express anger at and disdain toward the person. Lots of words can be used this way, including any of the words for hell or for things I've alluded to on this post already.

If you're worried about this coming off as appropriative or insensitive, you may be lacking some cultural context for this to feel at home. Feel free to read through my "eskimo on main" tag for inspo on that. I'm willing to answer any other questions you may have as well, though be warned, I'm not exactly the quickest at responding.

Getting Creative - Basic Mode - Curses and Oaths:

We call bad words curses because at one point, they were exactly that. You were cursing someone and that was the greatest offense of it. Common curses include wishing death, illness, or injury on someone, sometimes milder but still unpleasant or uncomfortable experiences to befall them, and more rarely things like natural disasters. In a fantasy universe with fantastical abilities and animals, there are plenty of opportunities to customize this format into something exclusive to the Avatar verse.

An oath, in this sense, is a literal swear. English speakers may be familiar with "I swear on my mother's grave" or the more serious "for the love of god" being said when one is confronted. Here the offense comes from something sacred being invoked so flippantly. I think this is what people are trying to go for with "oh spirits" but it falls short for a few reasons. It doesn't invoke any one thing specifically. Anything can be a spirit and a spirit can take the form of anything. Are you invoking spirits of gentle breezes or torrential downpours? Of tadpoles or lions? Saying something like "by Koh's stolen faces!" or "lightning strike me down!" will make more of an impact than "Oh spirits" ever will.

Getting Creative - Advanced Mode - In-Universe Reference as Self-Censoring:

This one can be a little difficult to figure out, but it's probably my favorite one. Basically, you come up with, say, a historical incident or a bit of media that the people in-universe would know about because of its vulgarity. You don't have to explain it, because the whole point is that the audience doesn't know, just the characters. And you have the character's reference it to suggest vulgarity without having to spell any of it out. Allow me to provide an example:

"And then, well, let's just say I recited the last verse of The Earth Kingdom's Ode to the Firelord, almost word for word."

"The Kyoshi version?"

"The Omashu version!"

"And you got away with it?!?!"

Like most of them, this relies on the other character's reaction to sell it. It's loads of fun once you get it figured out because it feels like you got away with a lot when it's functionally just gibberish.

[mercurytail]

Ashe

I just wanted to make a post talking about Ashe, her character, and her lore. 

A lot of this is culminated from my own personal context and views. So, if you disagree with anything, that's perfectly valid and you are 100% allowed to have your own opinions. I'm not sharing this to try and change anyone's mind. Just putting it out there for the sake of discussion and to share my own thoughts. (this is all very personal, please keep that in mind)

(I won't be commenting on race, sexuality, or relationships in this post.)

Ashe is a beautiful (tho sexualized and de-aged) portrayal of the classic 'Southern' femme fatale and a good counterpart to McCree in that aspect. She's got the attitude, the look, and the talk to match up to McCree in image in almost every way. I like the 'headstrong' female type. (McCree is also a stereotype; the sweet Southern cowboy with a heart of gold, a crooked past, and the charm to get out of anything.) 

As a person raised in the southwest of the usa, I am quite fond of my southern heritage. ( :I barring the fucked up moral stereotypes and other negative images that come along when thinking about 'southern' culture.) To see such a 'classic' portrayal in a game I love made my heart sing! I thought: "fuck yeah! I can relate to this character!"

Its personally a heart warming quality because it reminds me of my mother, grandmother, aunts and even adoptive family that were raised as fine southern ladies that don’t take no shit.

That said, my experience in being raised in the southern usa is my own.

Here in the 'South' at least in my experience ( I understand that this can also be seen as an over-generalization.) you are raised to believe family is important. Family is EVERYTHING.

Yes, you are your own person. You can choose what you want to do with your life. However, you are raised with a DEEP respect for your elders and family. (even if that family isn't blood). You don't talk about someone's momma, sister, brother, or whatever in front of them and get away with it.

Also, you do not disrespect your momma or grandmomma period. It's a common trope to 'stick to your family' or 'your roots' in southern culture media.

"Everybody needs a family - I don't care how tough you think you are. they should always be there for support. no matter what." This is a SOLID line. I was raised with the mindset of love and care for my family, loved ones, and friends wholeheartedly, no matter how 'bad' it gets or how bad they act. Dedication, if you will.

And these ideals are VERY visible and vocalized is southern society even if you aren't a part of any specific family. A good example is 'Southern Hospitality'. That old lady/grandmother that won’t let you go hungry or being raised with the mindset of helping each other out through thick and thin, even if its out of the way or giving a little more when you trade crops/goods with someone your close to.

So, Ashe KNOWS her family isn't Ideal (in the setting she's in) "Some people at lucky enough to be born into the perfect family."

Her parents are cast as nonexistent. Not there at any point. She is utterly alone with only her 'mute' butler as a companion. (fucking love B.O.B.) It also seems she had trouble in school. In the principal's office she is between two beat up boys where she seems fine herself. Also, she is alone, all the adults are pointing at her. No one is on her side.   

Now, Idk why because there is not REAL context to it but, I can make a couple of assumptions. Either she got into fights for attention or the boys picked on her and she stood up for herself - which also shows her "tough”ness. (if they picked on her there is a long list of reasons why but, the most prominent in my mind is the lack of 'family' she has. like: "where's your momma? ya ain't got one?" - this is all assumptions tho.)

Now, I want to ask "what does loneliness do to a person?" Well, you tend to do things to better your situation. Like act out for attention or find other ways to get that 'Family' bond.

I feel like this is a good spot to mention yes, she's rich as fuck. Yes, she had monetarily everything she could want but, is that really all she wants? As many can tell you, money doesn't buy happiness. It can't buy genuine love, connection, trust from someone...a lot of things that are essential for a healthy happy human being. I understand some would argue that money can buy a lot of other things but, given the context of 'classic southern' setting and all this family talk from Ashe herself, I'm leaning on the fact the money wasn't what she wanted or the issue.

(this is very opinion based) I don’t think it’s that she was ‘bored’, I think Ashe committed some small criminal acts in an effort to catch her family's attention. She finds she ENJOYS doing it. It fills all her tick boxes. This is how McCree comes to meet her. "a chance meeting with a local ruffian, named Jesse McCree, and an impromptu string of crimes committed together opened her eyes to her true calling." (there is no explanation for 'chance meeting' so, i chose to assume since shes shown alone at the police station in her origin story, she at least committed some small crimes on her own to begin with and this is how the 'chance meeting' happened.)

Crime gives her an avenue to what she wants; a purpose "Calling", friends AND with McCree it gives her a 'bond'. The first piece of her 'Family'.

McCree likes her intelligence and attitude. So, he takes the chance to get this well-off young lady on his side and they become partners, and gain a sense of sister-brother bond along the way. They meet others that join the 'Family' and then She, McCree, and her ‘Family’ founded The Deadlock Gang. Giving Ashe in a way what she's always wanted.

To me, If McCree was her first real 'Family' that she found. It explains really well why she would keep a picture of him around EVEN after twenty years. It hurt her deeply after he left/taken from her 'Family'. I could see her holding quite a bit of rage and resentment towards him (at least in the beginning). Somewhat reflected in their interactions in the short: "Doesn't always have to be this way Ashe." - McCree, "Apparently...It does." - Ashe. 

This alludes to a strained or rocky relationship. Idk if it is meaning always as in since they met or since McCree left or some weird in between. (If it were an in between woah... that opens a whole nother can of worms i'm not gonna get into in this post. 'possibly leaving him short on deals once they got big or without help when a certain sting happened')

Also, Even though she loses to the ‘Hero’ in the short because she is the ‘villain’ (I mean, who wouldn’t be upset if McCree lost in the short???), that doesn't make her weak. She is super intelligent and capable. Shown by her past. She’s smart and knows how to use her connections AND Shes the BOSS of the gang!

Anyway, that sums up most of my thoughts on Ashe. ^u^ I'd love to discuss more on it. If you disagree that's valid and as I said i'm not here to change your mind. I just ask you respect my view on it. I don't mind if you come along and discuss it with me, maybe show me stuff I didn't see or your views on it. It'll be fun!