#which woulda been kinda cool

[schrodingerseurydice]

the reason merlin and arthur don't kiss in the series finale is because that would be true love's kiss and arthur would be healed and they wouldn't get their tragic ending or arthur's reincarnation as once and future king. in this essay i will -

[jrueships]

guess whos not going in at all this week, actually

[anothermonikan]

>opens tiktok

>immediately gets called transgender

>see's a popular objectum post on here gutted for a laincore slideshow post

>closes tiktok

[suzukiblu]

Day eighteen of “Kon meets pink kryptonite and decides to fuck Tim and his boyfriend about it” behind the cut. (( chrono || non-chrono ))

“Oh, well, I guess partially? Though I think technically just Impulse and your boy here did, but yeah,” Bernard replies with a shrug. Kon . . . maybe also tilts his head. Okay. Yeah. He remembers Nina Dowd. Like, goddamn, does he ever. Fondly, one might even say. 

Specifically, like, he fondly remembers Mighty Endowed and her . . . “tracts of land”, was that how Tim had put it, as the ridiculous nerd he’d been and still is to this day? 

Dork. 

“God I’m still sad we didn’t actually get to fight her,” Kon mutters, shaking his head a little wistfully. “Worst missed opportunity that sixteen year-old me ever suffered, and I was sixteen for a minute.” 

“I–you–Bernard!” Tim sputters. “How did you never mention that before?!” 

“I dunno, babe, maybe ‘cause I’ve been pretending very, very hard to not know you were Robin?” Bernard reminds him with an amused grin, leaning in to lightly flick Tim’s nose. “And I felt like ‘oh hey did you know your buddies sent my one cousin to jail back when we were in high school?’ would maybe not be helpful with that?” 

“Technically Rob was also there,” Kon says. “And we didn’t really do much anyway, mostly we were busy dealing with the Super-Cycle and its shitty ex-boss. Actually, did literally anyone ever figure out why good ol’ Nina got the whole hottie-with-a-body New-God-meets-anime-catgirl treatment and none of us did? Like, did we ever get the Cycle to explain that one to us?” 

“I mean, are you sure you didn’t?” Bernard asks, looking him over meaningfully. Kon is not above preening for that. Very much so is he not above preening for that. 

“. . . were you actually concerned about that at the time, Kon?” Tim asks. “Did that occur to you at the time and you just decided . . . what, not to worry about it?” 

“Worst case scenario I coulda gone back to the Wild Lands, the beast-men probably woulda let me crash with ‘em,” Kon replies with a shrug, then takes another swallow of hot chocolate. God, it really is unfairly good. “Endowed got tiger stripes, right? I could rock me some tiger stripes.” 

“I mean I dunno, would your buddy the prince be into tiger stripes?” Bernard asks in amusement. 

“Technically he’s king now, actually,” Kon says. “Also he is a tiger, so I don’t see why not? Like, you’d think he'da been cool with that, right?” 

Tim says nothing. Somehow his total silence comes out very feeling all the same, though. Kon spares him another nice sharp grin and licks some of the melted whipped cream and caramel off the rim of his mug. Tim puts a hand over his own face and very feelingly continues to say nothing. 

“Probably wouldn’t need the collar anymore, right?” Kon muses “innocently” into his delicious chocolatey caramel-y goodness. “But maybe he'd lemme wear it for old times’ sake.” 

“I changed my mind, you should’ve just asked Nightwing and Starfire what they get up to,” Tim says dubiously, giving him a deadpan look as he does, and Kon actually fucking giggles over that one, which is maybe slightly embarrassing but oh well, he’s done weirder. Like, literally fifteen minutes ago he was doing way weirder, in fact. 

He kinda wishes Bernard’d get in the bed again, though. Dude’s kinda just been standing there, it makes him feel sorta rude or whatever. Admittedly Bernard getting back in this bed comfortably would necessitate some sacrifice of personal space and possibly someone ending up in someone else’s lap or at least real intimately pressed together, but . . . 

Kon, very briefly, tries to imagine what it might feel like if Tim and Bernard pinned him between them the same way they’d fucked him together just to, like . . . cuddle, or sleep, or like . . . whatever. 

. . . . . . . . . Kon needs to not imagine that right now, or his dick is going to have its own personal Mighty Endowed arc. Chances of accompanying maniacal catboy laughter pretty low, but still nonzero. 

God, though, he really would like to–no, nope, that is weird shit, self. Very weird shit. “Time for a new train of thought” levels of weird shit, in fact. Maybe a couple new trains of thought, if need be. 

“Jesus, you’re cute,” Bernard says, giving Kon a grin and reaching over to pinch his cheek, which should maybe feel ridiculous or demeaning but actually kinda just makes him wanna melt all over the dude. 

. . . need might be, yeah. Kon swears to absolute fuck, if he gets Pavlov-ed into getting horny over getting called “cute”, he will have to go supervillain for at least the next six to eight months. Like, he will go out and get himself a black bodysuit and smack on some gold armor and/or accessories and just finally have his Black Zero era. He has literally never actually wanted to have a Black Zero era, but over that cheek pinch thing, he genuinely just might. 

“I think you’re just projecting, man,” he says with a smirk, deciding to just hope he’s at least not blushing as hard as it feels like he’s blushing. Bernard grins wider at him and pinches both his cheeks this time, then flattens his hands against them and squishes them instead. Kon, unfortunately, has apparently gotten dicked down good enough that he just kinda lets the dude do it. 

Jesus, he is way too easy, isn’t he.

[schrodingers-romy]

Heaven Works on Borrowed Time [Karasu Tabito x Reader]

Pairings: Karasu Tabito x GN!Reader Word Count: ~1200 [Ao3 Link]

Summary: Two people escaping an office party have a first meeting under the stars

Warnings: no gendered pronouns/language used for reader, reader doesn't like their job and is kinda bitter about it, discussion of the fermi paradox, karasu-typical tacky nickname, pre-relationship

Notes: very pointless little convo between crow boy and reader but I thought it was fun. title from fermi paradox by avenged sevenfold bc i think i'm funny

You sighed into the night air, relaxing as the late breeze cooled your heated face. Office parties sucked. You were glad you were able to sneak away from you drunk, overly friendly coworkers, and find yourself some peace.

Your jaw had just finished unclenching when the door behind you clicked open, bringing with it a rush of sound from the party inside before it swung back shut.

So much for your peace.

“Didn’ know anyone else was out here. Hope ya don’t mind me intrudin’,” said the newcomer.

“’S fine,” you said, even if you wanted to scream a little.

You recognized the voice; Karasu Tabito, who worked on the floor above you as part of the company’s legal department. You never really interacted with him, aside from including him in a few email chains; if you didn’t know he was friends with Otoya Eita, you wouldn’t have an opinion on the man at all. However, considering you did know Otoya (both by his reputation for dating or hooking up with half of the office and cheating on at least an unlucky third of them, and because he tried to hit on you during your first joint meeting), your opinion on Karasu leaned towards the negative. Still, you didn’t need any more rumors of your snappishness circulating, so you didn’t kick up a fuss at sharing the balcony with him. You would be making your excuses to leave soon anyways; you had been there for over an hour, which was enough to say you had socialized.

Ignoring the man who had sidled up beside you, you blinked up at the sky. The city didn’t have the greatest clarity, but letting your eyes adjust for a moment revealed a splattering of the brightest stars, visible against the deep purple of the heavens. You wished you were in the countryside, where it was so pitch-dark that you could see all the constellations, and the pale, cloudy arm of the milky way as it stretched above you. Where the air was clear, and you were away from the nagging voices of your coworkers and the ambient, unsleeping, anxious hum of the city. But instead, you were stuck at a shit job you were overqualified for, with officemates you barely tolerated most days, just because you were too apathetic to try for anything better.

You slumped against the railing. You should’ve stayed home.

“Hey,” came the deep voice once more. “Ya okay over there?”

You turned to look at him, your cheek pillowed in the crook of your arm as you squinted up at him. His expression was fairly flat, but his eyes seemed honest enough, so you replied. Albeit sarcastically. “I’m doing awesome, man. I love it here.”

He snorted, lip twitching up into a small smirk. “I can see that. Yer jus’ the life of the party, huh?”

“Yup.” You turned away from him, your gaze returning to the stars.

“I woulda thought otherwise, what with how ya were staring up at the sky like ya were prayin’ for aliens ta come and abduct you.”

A sharp bark of laughter escaped you. “Where did you pull that from? Big alien believer yourself?”

“Not any more than’s logical.”

You raised an eyebrow at him, intrigued. “And how much is logical?”

He moved closer, leaning against the railing so he could more easily catch your eyes. The indigo of his irises caught the light, and, for a second, you thought he was rather pretty. “I mean, it stands ta reason, statistically, that we’re not alone out there.”

“Don’t you think we would have some evidence of alien life, if there was any?” you asked, sardonically. “Statistics aren’t always accurate, or comprehensive.”

Karasu doesn’t seem off put by your tone, smirking right back at you without a flicker of annoyance in his eyes. “Have ya ever heard of the Fermi Paradox?”

“Of course. I’m quite partial to the great filter theory, myself.”

“Do ya think the filter is behind us or ahead of us?”

You stared up at the sky with a frown on your face. “Ahead. I hope civilization hits a wall soon. I’m tired.”

He let out a laugh like a raven’s cackle. “Well aren’tcha a bright spot of sunshine? Personally, I think they’re out there, jus’ watchin’ us.”

“Why?”

“’T’s what I woulda done.”

“Ooh, alien civilization observer Karasu. You’d need a better title than that though, right now it sounds a bit voyeuristic.”

“Tabito.”

You turned back to look at him. “Huh?”

“Ya can call me Tabito.”

You studied him for a moment. The strangely gelled shape of his hair reflected the starshine like an oil slick, and the light seemed to drip down his face and settle into the amused wrinkles at the corners of his bright eyes. He was overly familiar with you, accent and tone breaking down any sort of professional distance, but you found that you, oddly enough, didn’t mind. It was refreshing to talk to someone so frank, who didn’t take your bluntness for an attack. Instead, he seemed…amused by you. (Charmed, even, if you were being wistful.)

“Sure. Tabito,” you said, before offering up your own name in return. You ignored the little flicker of something in your chest at hearing it repeated back at you in his deep voice.

“So, what was that about voyeurism?...”

You glanced away, a little flustered but unwilling to surrender. “I stand by it. Secretly observing a different intelligent species sounds weird as fuck, actually. I don’t want to think about it.”

“Aw, wouldn’t ya want ta observe me if I was ‘n intelligent species? No? ‘M hurt, truly.”

It’s on the tip of your tongue to say, ‘Maybe I would if you were an intelligent species.’ But something in you held back from using one of your typical snappish replies. Instead, you said, “Well. Perhaps I would make an exception. For you. Maybe.”

His smile was so big that it caused his eyes to form crescents. “Aw, that’s so sweet of ya, little storm cloud.”

Your nose crinkled. “Storm cloud? I thought I just gave you name privileges.”

“Ya just reminded me of one, tha’s all. Gloomy. And fluffy.”

“Fluffy?”

“On the inside.”

“Sure, Tabito.”

The two of you are silent for a moment, soaking in the relative peace of the little balcony you’ve found yourselves on. The stars continued to glitter overhead, with more and more peeking through the gloom of the night sky as time ticked past.

“Do ya need someone ta walk ya home?” he asked.

You didn’t. “Sure.”

-

Unlike his friend, Tabito was the perfect gentleman when he brought you home, leaving with nothing more than a good night and a cheeky salute. You wouldn’t have invited him in, not on a first meeting. But. You had a feeling that you might not be so unwilling after getting to know him better.

The next morning, there was a book sitting on your desk. With it, a note: “For my little storm cloud, to borrow. Tell me your opinion on it, I’m sure it’ll be interesting ;)” Hell. Maybe you didn’t want to believe the great filter was ahead; maybe life should continue on. It wasn’t all bad.

[spookberry]

Hi! What do you mean you saw a sea monster that size once? I feel like there is a cool story there

Yeah one time when i was a kid, age 5 or 6, me and my fam were out on the oregon coast. Dont remember which specific beach but we went camping a lot over there in the summers. And one time we were looking out at the ocean and i remember seeing this giant moving shape peaking out of the waves in the distance. Not unlike the kind of sea serpents you see illustrated on pirate maps tbh.

I remember not being particularly scared cuz i was the type of kid who believed in that sorta thing and well, if i shoulda been scared then my parents woulda been scared. So i just assumed it was natural and normal. As ya do as a kid.

At one point I pointed it out to my older brother, in a smartass kinda way was like "whats that?" My brother, who would've been 15 or so, was a moody teenager and I remember the exact sarcastic cadence he had when he responded "uh, thats the ocean." With an eye roll and everything.

The thing wasnt particularly hard to see, though it was far away. The fact that I was the only one who seemed to notice it does kinda haunt me

[your-unfriendlyghost]

love the ‘P.M. Curtis’, I think author Pony au’s are fun

Thanks, me too lol

Speaking of which, I like to h/c that he gave everyone fake names w/ like a similar vibe, since everyone in the book is still alive and around Tulsa and Pony doesn’t want all that info to be totally public. (Like how in the semi-memoir “On the Road”, Jack Kerouac called himself “Sal Paradise”, Neal Cassady became “Dean Moriarty”, LuAnne became “MaryLou” and Carolyn became “Camille” etc… )

Darrel “Darry” Curtis -> Ronald “Ronny” Connor

Sodapop Curtis -> Coca-Cola Connor

Ponyboy Curtis -> Ponyboy Connor (I’m sorry it’s too distinctive I can’t think of any alternative other than “Cowboy”, but that’s got a totally different vibe yk)

Steve Randle -> Mike Abel

Keith “Two-Bit” Mathews -> Lance “Two-Cents” Wiliams

Dallas Winston -> Dean Marlboro

Johnny Cade -> Tommy Hale

Pony meant well with the whole privacy thing, but everyone who knows of any of them and has read Pony’s “The Outsiders” can very clearly tell who’s who. Dally thinks his fake name is kinda cool, Steve hates his, Sodapop thinks his is too boring and “Cherry-Cola” woulda been cooler (It would’ve, but he’d get mixed up with Cherry), Two-Bit forced Pony to leave in a version of his nickname and also do just one “L” in “Wiliams” to mimic the one “T” in “Mathews”, and Darry thinks his makes him sound like Ronald McDonald and doesn’t like it. Johnny’s the only one without a complaint.

I also like to h/c Steve and Dally weren’t allowed to read it. Dally because Pony didn’t want him to know he killed him off in the book, and also sorta because he knew it was vulnerable stuff in there and Pony didn’t want Dally to know he’d been…yk psychoanalyzing him basically. And then on the other hand, Steve can’t read it mostly because Pony likes to annoy him

[spoopydeboop]

Hello, and welcome to…

Pointless Palia Head-Cannons!

This is a segment where my hyper-focused and obsessive brain will shower you all with all of the pointless very important head-cannons I have about the MMO Palia and its many NPCs!

Today’s topic is:

Which Palia NPCs can sing well and which ones simply cannot carry a tune?

Now, in the words of the famous Italian plumber, “Here we go!” (List below the cut!)

NPCs are listed in alphabetical order.

• Ashura - Absolutely yes, but in a very deep, sea-shanty / Gaelic tune way. He’s not the most technically sound, but his voice is very gruff and soothing. Absolutely sang his son lullabies every night.

• Auni - No, I’m sorry. Convinced that he cannot carry a tune AT ALL but thinks he can. Sings loudly with zero inhibition whatsoever. Gotta give him credit there!

• Badruu - We know this man was in a traveling Bard group, so he’s musically inclined for sure. I feel like he would have been killer backup and filler vocals and he can harmonize beautifully.

• Caleri - Doesn’t believe in fun, jovial activities like singing. (Elouisa informs you later that her sister can in fact not carry a tune at all.)

• Chayne - Absolutely. He’s naturally musically inclined, but part of his spiritual training involved learning to lead chants and hymns. Bass level vocals, v soothing.

• Delaila - Not at all. Where do you think Auni gets it? Part of what entranced her about Badruu in the beginning was his musical abilities. She’ll still sing along with a group and put her all into it though!

• Einar - The concept of producing a vocal stimulation to create a pleasing melodic sound is lost to the robot. But if it’s your Oneness, he respects it.

• Elouisa - Cannot sing, but definitely played clarinet in high school and was first chair!

• Eshe - No way. Cruella de Vil type vibes. She definitely was classically trained on the piano, but doesn’t often exercise the skill.

• Hassain - Can absolutely carry a tune and harmonize well! Definitely low baritone or higher bass in range. Can harmonize with higher ranges very well!

• Hekla - Her Jina often sings to herself as she works, but the ability and desire to produce a series of melodies is not within her rune programming.

• Hodari - Not the biggest fan of singing, but has a decent voice that comes off pleasantly gruff and southern. I imagine if Pedro Pascal’s ‘Joel’ from The Last of Us sang a slower, more reserved tune. (My other example was the dad cow from Back at the Barnyard that sings “I Won’t Back Down”… Let me know if that woulda been better or worse.)

• Jel - Definitely took vocal lessons with his sisters. Has a very pleasant and airy singing voice that is very technically sound.

• Jina - Doesn’t really sing much except for to herself. Massive stage fright on this one! Hekla says that her Jina seems happy when she sings, and that’s what matters.

• Kenji - Honestly? 100%, yes. Maybe like a broadway or an operatic voice. Doesn’t sing much but I imagine it would sound really jolly if he was a jollier guy.

• Kenyatta - YES! Doesn’t sing because she thinks it’s ‘lame’ (she gives me massive ‘too cool for school’ vibes) but has a delightful and powerful singing voice (kinda like the wolf Porsha Crystal played by Halsey in Sing 2.)

• Nai’O - Yes absolutely. Got his talent from his dad! He’s very shy when put on the spot though, so he doesn’t sing in front of people often — mostly when he works in the field with his animals by himself.

• Najuma - Not at all! But it’s okay because Najuma has zero desire to, haha. Kid is happy to be tinkering!

• Reth - On god, YES. Man has a beautiful and casual singing voice with a little rasp around the edges. Sings to himself while he cooks or gets really focused on something. I’m thinking “Feelin’ Good” by Michael Bublé, but maybe bit more rough around the edges.

• Sifuu - Not much of a singer, but I know our Muscle Mommy definitely has a few war chants or something up her sleeve! Lady can keep a beat for sure.

• Tamala - Thinks she can, but makes it way too sultry. You heard me. There’s such a thing as too much!

• Tish - Yes! Absolutely. She seems like she would 100% have like a Mandy Moore or Kristen Bell vibe. Very Disney Princess-esque!

• Zeki - Okay, honestly I think yes — but not in a conventional way. Kind of like Ashura; I think he would be great at singing like traditional Grimalkin shanties or folk-songs. Not very practiced, but he’s got spirit!

OKAY FINALLY DONE! I plan to do a lot more of these! Let me know if you have any suggestions!

[fingerprint-insurance]

what if like minds had creepy british 80s synth-pop playing in the background. like a lot of you have been saying depeche mode which is like YESSS but also like duran duran's got some that kinda fit the vibe like ''the chauffeur'' and stuff. but anyway yeah it would have been hella cool if it had that kind of music it woulda fucked with my brain in like a cool way

[lodien]

DD:BA EP8 LIVEBLOG!!! SPOILERS BELOW CUT!!

DEX DEX DEX DEX DEX YEAHHHHHH WOOOOHOOOOO I lowkey wish they kept him paralyzed

Putting him general population is just inviting death oh my god??

Matt and Heather need to break up they do not work together at ALL 😭 Also I feel like they’re trying to make Heather hateable bc “they’re the same animal” shit is just kinda annoying? I wish they would develop her perspective a little more or SOMETHING, because right now it makes no sense for her to be saying that? Like… objectively, she was dead without Daredevil. There is no world in which she wasn’t. It doesn’t make sense for her to be against vigilantes, especially from the angle she currently has.

I wish we had Wesley back he made everything better 💔💔 Also why does EVERYBODY have amnesia regarding Fisk’s crimes? If he were a felon that turned “good” (or a Trump-like figure) it would work alright, but there’s nothing like that anywhere. I wish they would just address it at least a LITTLE bit.

Heather ignoring why Matt might be anxious about an EX MOB MAN knowing where they live, especially after the Ayala case, just makes her even more annoying? Do they hate this woman?? Also what does she have against vigilantes after Daredevil objectively saved her? I feel like Heather exists solely as a plot device, which sucks, because she’s like THE female character with the most screen time (maybe after Vanessa).

VANESSA KILLS SOMEONE 🥳🥳🥳🥳 God she’s beautiful

Matt’s eye rolls are so silly to me. Also him and Kirsten having a moment where they seem like friends! yay!!

Dex is so evil lmfao why would he do that 😭😭😭 Matt don’t do this. Matt don’t make the dumbest choices imaginable please 😭😭

“Is that on our schedule?” Daniel is growing on me. Can’t wait to see him die next season (I don’t think they’re killing him in ep9?)

Am I tweaking out or have they used a somewhat fisheye lens like twice this episode. I swear to god I’m losing my mind

Why are Kirsten and Matt finally getting to be friends on like… the episodes where he’s falling apart? Anyway I love her and he needs to stop abandoning his legal partners in the middle of cases

Matt’s umbrella is so stupidly large why is it like that

The way they made me actually kinda like Cherry more in a single scene than in the entire show so far is CRAZY. Him and Josie gained like +20 emotional investment points

Ooooohhhhh Matt’s losing his mind 😭 visiting Dex is objectively bad for you baby don’t do this… taunting him is crazy by the way

Matt is about to make a decision that everybody is going to hate him for!! Good for him. Also beating Dex up is crazy work

Why are Artemis/Arthur not the Stromwyns? Just functionally they work in the same way and it woulda been a cool nod to the comics

Vanessa in the blood red OOOOOOOOOO got me monkey brain

DEX DID THE TOOTH THING oh my god ew

Fisheye lens again I swear to God I’m not crazy they just did it again (also Bullseye color!! yay!!! I’m manifesting the forehead scar)

Matt is making so many poor decisions in a row I love this for him. Yes king implode yourself!!

“Matt you have been checking out on me…” immediately checks out. That is so funny. He is the Worst

Swordsman 😭 who is that. I’m losing my comic reader aura rn I have no clue who bro is

Shoulda made Powell say “Dere-lick my ass.” It would’ve been so very Disney of them and I would’ve loved it so deeply

I like BB and the commissioner…. I’m a fan

Matt Murdock conspiracy theorist is so fun he is so broken

Oh! OH!!! OH MY GOD??? LMFAO???? Matt bro it’s gonna be okay just walk it off you’ll be fine bro

—

Why are they developing all the things I like at the very end? I actually have an understanding of half the cast that I didn’t have before, except it’s like… about to be over? Which sucks. But also, this episode was really good! Like, really, REALLY good.

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Ace Trappola - Platinum Jacket Vignette

"Happy 100th Anniversary"

[Land of Dawning – National  Museum of Art]

Ace: Huuuh, so this museum's been open for 100 years, huh. It's got some pretty cool exhibits.

Ace: Tryin' to appreciate art just seems boring, and I totally thought bein' a supporter was not my bag, but I might be able to enjoy myself here after all.

Ace: ―Ooh, found me the painting of some card soldiers! Look at 'em, all cool the way they're standing at attention like that.

???: Mhm, their perfectly aligned call to attention is quite the spectacle.

Ace: Ah, hey, Lilia-senpai. You must have great taste to see the true quality of this painting here! Haha.

Ace: If the rank and file are in disarray, then it doesn't look good at all. They gotta be in perfect formation, especially when marching.

Lilia: That's correct. So, you understand what it means to march as they do… Not bad, kid.

Ace: Not that much. I mean, back in my dorm, we just have certain days that all the students are required to march in formation.

Lilia: Kufufu, I heard that practice for that begins as soon as you enter. I've heard many a classmate complaining about it here and there.

Ace: Yeaaaaah, I can see why they'd want to complain. It's not just the Housewarden; even our usually nice upperclassmen come down on us hard during the training.

Ace: The first time I had to march after joining the dorm was the worst. We definitely looked nothing like the card soldiers in this art piece.

Ace: When we looked at the video that Cater-senpai took for us, we could see that the first years' walking was ALL OVER THE PLACE.

Ace: Every one of 'em couldn't get their arms and legs up and moving properly, and they were all looking down. It was sooo lame. I couldn't even laugh at how bad it was.

Ace: By the by, I got praised pretty much right out the gate ♪ They all said that my spirit fully embodied the heart suit card soldiers.

Ace: It's easy for me to just copy what I see the upperclassmen are doing, or what the video's showing. I don't get why all the rest of them were havin' a bad time.

Lilia: OHO～～～?

Ace: Eh? What's with that grin? You're kinda giving me the creeps all of a sudden.

Lilia: How rude of you to call someone as cute as me creepy! But aren't you actually quite the diligent one.

Ace: DILIGENT!? I don't think that word suits me at all!?

Lilia: Not only did you follow the examples set by your upperclassmen, you also watched went further and watched the videos and practiced on your own… I'm seeing you in a whole new light, Ace.

Ace: Ahh, c'mon. Stop patting my head like that. It's not like I was trying to study for it or anything.

Ace: It woulda been a pain and pretty lame if I had to stay behind to practice. That's why I just wanted to get it done ASAP. That's all!

Lilia: It's nothing worth getting all worked up to deny.

Lilia: I think it's rather commendable that you put in the extra effort in order to seek what you think is "cool."

Ace: I'm not getting worked up…! Wait, I got a feeling that if I keep responding, he'll just keep stringing me along to tease me.

Ace: Uh, I'm gonna go to check out the cool-lookin' painting over there!

Lilia: Hey now, don't leave me behind. Kufufu, this must be that adolescence I've heard much about.

[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]

Lilia: Let me see, what cool painting were you talking about… Oho, it's of the King of Beasts. He looks oh so dignified, I can't help but find it charming.

Ace: Aaand he followed me… But yeah, I definitely agree that's he's pretty dignified.

Lilia: There are many legends swirling around the King of Beasts. Just from looking at this painting, I can't think of which scene they're trying to depict here.

Ace: Uhhh, based on this info they got plastered next to it…

Ace: Looks like… Oh, it's where he was talking about his vision for the country's future with his hyena retainers.

Ace: I actually really like the story of how the King of Beasts would always trust in his hyenas.

Ace: Oh yeah, and that one where he performed songs for his people!

Lilia: Mhm, that's a good one. He is a sophisticated king indeed to utilize singing to vow to improve his country.

Ace: Riiiiight～? Totally get why the hyenas were so excited that they were singing and dancing all through the night.

Ace: The King of Beasts looks pretty unapproachable from just a glance, but he must have had a ton of charisma.

Lilia: Well, he did have the power to move his people's hearts through song. If he had his due, perhaps he would have been able to sway the whole world with his song.

Ace: Totally. If I had lived during the same era, I would have loved to go and karaoke with him.

Lilia: Speaking of karaoke… I heard you and Sebek went for that.

Ace: Ah, did you hear that from Sebek? We went with Deuce and the two from Ramshackle…

Ace: Jack and Epel also tagged along. But maan, it was pretty insane.

Ace: So many of them were new to it, so I had to teach them everything, from how to choose a new song, to ordering food. You'd think they'd have common sense to figure out, but c'mon.

Ace: We literally couldn't sing a single song for the first 30 min or so, I was like, what did we even come here for!?

Lilia: Kufufu, now, now, you can't say that. I'm sure there's things you're not familiar with, too.

Ace: But c'mon～ …Well, I guess it was kinda fun to have a small competition using the karaoke's scoring system.

Lilia: So, you had a karaoke competition! I would love to tag along next time. So, who won?

Ace: Well, that's obvious… IT WAS YA BOY ACE-KUN HERE!

Ace: When I hit 100 points, everyone was lookin' up at me like idiots, all like, "you gotta be kidding!"

Ace: As a bit of a handicap, I chose of the recent viral songs and did the dance that went along with it, too～

Lilia: Oho, that's amazing that you can sing while moving your body without missing a beat.

Ace: I mean, unlike those guys, back in middle school I would go karaoke a lot.

Ace: And all those guys kept shouting that they'd practice singing so they could sing next time, but y'know…

Ace: There's actually a trick to getting the high score on that machine's scoring function. It's not enough to just be a good singer.

Ace: At this rate, I think I'll be taking home the win next time too ♪

Lilia: Kufufu, looks like even the ones who don't get to spend that much time together with you all had some fun, eh?

Ace: Well, I guess it wasn't too bad.

Ace: They'd choose stuff like old songs that were popular during my parent's heyday, or minor folk songs…

Ace: It was kinda neat that I heard a ton of songs that I normally wouldn't listen to. It was completely different to how it'd be if I was with my friends back home.

[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]

Ace: This painting is of those eels that served the Sea Witch…

Lilia: Mhm. It's said that whenever they found merfolk in distress, they would encourage them to seek the guidance of the benevolent Sea Witch.

Ace: Huuh, they look kinda scary, but… Guess you can't judge a book by its cover.

Lilia: Speaking of… Ace, I heard you went a little viral on Magicam the other day.

Ace: Geh! So, you saw that post too…

Lilia: Kufufu, I took it all in.

Lilia: "This scary-looking young man in a flashy shirt was kind to a kid in this burger shop," it said.

Lilia: You did a good thing, Mister "Scary-Looking Young Man in a Flashy Shirt."

Ace: C'mon, can you not tease me!?

Ace: The comments section was going wild with stuff like, "I love that personality gap～" and "The scarier the person looks, the softer their heart is."

Ace: I definitely don't like people just deciding that I'm scary just from how I look, or just assuming that I'm nice.

Ace: More like, I think it was 'cause I was with all my basketball teammates that I ended up looking scary too.

Ace: And 'sides, that patterned shirt I was wearing wasn't even something I'd pick out on my own.

Ace: Floyd-senpai made me buy it sometime back, so I thought it'd be bad if I didn't wear it, that's all…

Lilia: Hm, guess it was a mistake of them to comment on your appearance, then. But it was true that you were nice to the kid, right?

Ace: Nope. I just was throwing something I didn't want at 'em!

Lilia: You gave them something you didn't want…? So how does that turn into being "kind" to the kind?

Ace: So, when my clubmates and me went to the burger shop down in town, we got a free card with our orders.

Ace: Something about how they were doing a collaboration campaign with a movie that was recently released.

Ace: I at least knew what the movie was, so I opened it up, but just as I was thinking to myself that I didn't really need a card, or anything…

Ace: This kid who was nearby just randomly started crying. Apparently they wanted a hero card, not a villain card.

Ace: That's why I just gave him the card I had. It just happened to be the one he wanted.

Ace: I was able to get rid of something I didn't want, and I didn't have to listen to the sound of crying in the background. Win-win, right?

Lilia: Well, when you explain it like that, it definitely no longer feels like a heartwarming story.

Ace: Riiight? But then all the folks on Magicam had to go and try to treat me like a nice guy. Everyone's been teasing me about that too…

Ace: In the end, even the Headmage got wind of the video and just wouldn't stop praising me, saying "This is a fantastic thing you've done!"

Ace: Maan, preconception can be a crazy thing. I bet if I was wearing my school uniform, it definitely wouldn't have taken off.

Ace: They say that it's not all about appearance, but I guess that first impression you get is still important.

Lilia: Kufufu, I bet if the parents of that child were to hear your true feelings about it, they'd be shocked.

Lilia: Well then, I think I'll go on to check out the other exhibits. Bye then, Ace.

Ace: Whew, Lilia-senpai just couldn't stop teasing, huh. Wellll, what should I go and look at next…? Hm?

Ace: Woah, it's a painting of a walrus and the oysters. Lookin' at it here, the walrus really looks like a proper gentleman.

Ace: I bet those oysters were also tricked by how the walrus looked. Can't help but feel sorry for them… Heh.

Requested by Anonymous.

[baffycontent]

Just watched "Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)" for the first time yesterday and oh my god-

Let's start off first by saying- I've only ever heard good reviews about this movie. Some even going as far as to say that it is the best major looney tunes flim made. So of course I was a bit skeptical. Not only is it the oldest movie from the bunch but also the one where it brought in completely new toons as the mcs whereas Bugs Bunny and the others show up for mere minutes at most. I'm guessing this mightve been a collective choice since this was a movie starring both disney's toons and warner's tunes. So to choose which one from what side would be the mc woulda been heavily fought over tho im not sure.

I do want to point out that this movie has had the best plot from every other toons movie ive watched. And I actually was swept in to care about the human's conflict for once becus of the captivating inner story told. Not to mention the villian in this movie was the only one that actually kinda frightened me like a good villian should. Other villians have been seriously downplayed to either not be taken seriously, or just straight mediocore to watch. I also really enjoyed the concepts and felt like there was true high stakes on the line. Toons that are seemingly shown as indestructible from the first few minutes of the movies could be killed through a tub of acid. Two humans are murdered as well showing that Valiant actually has to watch out as well. There are other things to note as well but I can really see why people enjoyed this flim so much. I only watched it to see Bugs and Daffy but was even more entertained throughout by the plot than i was watching LTBIA which kinda sadly says it all 😭 idk what formula they used to make this movie but i really do hope they use it again for further flims. This flim is high on my list of LT stuff to watch but i will say I def did not fall in love with the characters. Maybe its cus i didnt grow up on it but Roger frustrated me at times (sorry to any roger fans) nor did i care for the elmer baby ripoff or even jessica much- though her character surprised me becus no one talks abt the fact she has a cool personality. Every post on jessica ive seen only talked abt one quality from her and so i assumed that was all there was to her. So i was pleased to find out that wasnt the case.

I did like some of the little niche facts they added abt toons to the movie tho and will be incorporating some of it into my fic now! That's all for this rant <3

[thatonefatgumsimp]

alr ykw

liveblogging my reaction to tadc episode 3, let's

Goooooooooo!!

So ready to get autistic over my blorbos /sillyyyy

under the cut for ease of scrolling past :p

"and Zooble turns straight" I CAN'T, I'M- 💀 NAHHHH BRO HAD TO HAVE KNOWN WTH HE WAS DOING WITH THAT ONE

"What do you, the viewers, think it is?" You scrunch into a tiny bunny ball and get short. Final answer.

THE WAY CAINE'S FREAKING EYES NO CLIP THROUGH HIS TEETH, I'M- 😭 CAINE WHY /lhsilly

AWEHHHH GHOSTLY 🥺

✨z o o b l e g o e s t o t h e r a p y✨ /sillyyyyyy

That's a cool bee, you're doing great sweetie (probably still listen to Zoob tho)

Pomni really said let me innnn LET ME INNNNNN!! /sillyyyyy

"I love that it's locked ):<" me-core

"Do not let the head out of your sight" OH SHI-

THE 2D ANIMATED EYES!!!!! /POS I'M GOIMG TO EXPLODE

AUGH THE EYES!! THE CREEPY EYES BEHIND THEM! POMNI! POMNI TURN AROUND!!! POMNI IT'S RIGHT BEHIND YPU POBNI!!!!!

"Any torment I inflict is 100% accidental!! Just like any good war criminal." LMAOOOOOOO, CAINE- I'M- YOU'RE KILLIBG ME HERE, BUDDY- literally iconic line frrr, he acknowledges his warcrimes. We love a self-aware king /sillyyy

"I'm trying my best to remember what you and my brain won't tell me!!" He's so real for that tho...ADHD gang rISE UP! /sillyyyyyy

"What…what you're saying is that…I could be bad at the only thing I'm good at…and…that'd be…" It's OK to have a mental breakdown, bud, let it all out. There there...

Caine existential crisis arc while Kinger and Pomni are going through the horrors™ smh…/sillyyy

"How's about we take his gun?" KINGER GUN ARC POG?????

"Looks like we've got two shots…let's make it count" What if Kinger with a gun kinda scares me a bit /lhsilly ...like, he sounds so calm and composed, it's...unnatural for him...kinda unsettling...fits with the spooky vibes of the ep tho

"Which is what I would be saying if it wasn't one of God's angels" WHAT. WHAT. WHAT???!! BI- WHAT?!????? THE FREAKING PLOT TWIST- I'M- My brain is melting

"And your bodies will be my only means of doing so" HOLD UP. WAIT A MINUTE! SOMETHIN AIN'T RIGHT-

"I HATE THIS STUPID ADVENTURE!!" real…✊😔 Honestly a fair reaction given the current situation...although mine woulda been worse I think-

Awehhhhh 🥺 girl's tea party ✨, so real for that actually

"You know how men are…always having the silliest priorities" "don't I know it" *turns to Jax tied up* I WOULD say 'free my boy, he's done nothing wrong', but we all know that's a lie, he's a war criminal just like his dad Caine /SILLYYYYYYYY

"I wonder how long that'll be" probably a while, Gangle…

"How could I not be in literal hell right now???!?" First digital hell, now this smh…/sillyyyyyy

FRICK! NOOOOO MY GIRL'S BEING POSSESSED!! NOOOOOOOOOO- POMNI-! 😭

"YOU GET OUT OF HER, YOU DAMN EVIL SOULS!" 🗣️🔥🔥 YOOOO HE SAID DAMN, THAT'S ALLOWED HERE??? LET MY BOY COOK!! 🔥🔥🔥

"HOW'S YOUR WIFE, KINGER?" THAT'S EEEEEEVIL D: WTH, BRO HE'S ALREADY DEALING WITH THAT BUZZ OFF-

O.O wait...the breath holding from the beginning of the ep…QUICK, POMNI, BECOME RGB KEYBOARD!! KINGER, BECOME FLASHLIGHT!

"Why have you been acting so different lately?" NO, CUZ THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN SAYINGGGGGG /lh

NOOOOOO- CHECKMATES (idk their ship name, shhhhhhh edit: it previously said chessboard, changed BC of the socks iykyk) ANGST NOOOOOOO- GOOSE. GOOSE HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME- I'M- 😭

"She was funny, creative, really into entomology" STOPPPPP I'M CRYING, THE WAY HE TALKS SO LOVINGLY ABOUT HER, I'M- HOLD ON, I NEED A MOMENT…WAITWAOTWAITWAITWAIT- I'M-

…CHAT I NEED TO WRITE AND OR DRAW AND OR READ SOME CHECKMATES FLUFF, THIS IS KILLING ME /lhsilly

"I used to hate bugs, but…she somehow got me to like them" AWEHHHHHHH-! 🥺 GOOSE. GOOSE WHAT THE HECK, YOU'RE GONNA MAKE ME CRY- /pos Chat, I'm melting into a puddle, help-

"But it's not. Not if you have people who care about you." I'M- GOOSE STOP 😭 SOBBING- I WAS PROMISED PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR, NOT THERAPY /sillyyyyyyyy

"In this world, the worst thing you can do is make people feel like they're not wanted or loved" OMG REAL!! 🗣️🔥🔥 ...and on that note, ily, moots and followers 🫶💖

"Maybe we can get through if we don't breathe!" CHAT. CHAT THEY FIGURED IT OUT!! KINGER, MY BOY!!!! YOU'RE SO SMART!!!!!!

AUGH KINGER GIVES SUCH DAD VIBES /POS I NEED A DAD-FRIEND LIKE THAT IN MY LIFE FRR-

OMG WAIT- KINGER HOLDING HIS BREATH IS THAT ONE MEME

THIS ONE-! QUICK, SOMEONE GO EDIT THAT!! /SILLYYYYY /NF

"Hey, Ragatha…I just wanna say…thanks for always being concerned about me" EXPLODING RN, CHAT- CERTIFIED BUTTONBLOSSOM MOMENT????? /SILLYYYY

"Did you remember to get my comedy mask?" "…F**K-!" KINGER SWORE??????? OMG???? REAL, LET HIM COOK- LET HIM COOOOOOOK!!

CAINE IN THERAPY LMAOOOOOOO REAL

"quick, pretend we weren't having a therapy session!" LMAOOOO?? CAINE IS SO SILLAYY-

"Wwwwwelcome back, my meowing milkmaids!!" "…don't ever call us that again." Lmaooooo Jax-

...

Screaming

Crying

Clawing at my cage

That was so good- I'm-

Hold on, chat, I'm going feral rn /sillyy

[spicybylerpolls]

Here me out, I am not against a byler sex scene cause I don’t think it would be anything remotely explicit anyways so discussing it in depth for me feels pointless, but I have issues with tying a sex scene into the character arcs of mike and will as if it’s the only logical way to wrap up their story, only because had there not been a pandemic and multiple delays, byler would have happened while at least one of them was still a MINOR (maybe both I would have to do the math) and there’s no way the show woulda had a sex scene in those circumstances so it’s more likely to me that having a sex scene—while it would be interesting to go there now that the actors are older—it is not the end all be all for their character arcs and not something that *has* to happen for their end narrative to make sense, since it probably was not going to happen in the first place. So maybe let’s reframe the discussion away from “they have to bone or else all the build up and such makes no sense it’s the only way to end things because blah blah blah” and more as it would be fun/cool/hot to see something more adult now that they ARE actual adults, and it would feel satisfying to their story, but that’s it. cause some people are starting to feel so passionate about the idea that i am concerned they are going to make themselves very angry if there isn’t one …

Hmm, I kinda see your point, but I also feel like there's no real point in speculating about what might have happened in the hypothetical past where the pandemic and the strikes didn't happen because A) we don't live in that timeline lol, and B) the Duffers have always had the ending in the show in mind from the jump and many/most of the beats they knew they needed to hit along the way, BUT I personally don't think they've planned out literally every single detail from the start with no wiggle room.

The writers have said as much, like for example when they tweeted all the crazy things that were supposed to happen in season 2 like possessed Will killing Bob or El mercy killing her mom. They've definitely added and subtracted some things along the way.

Beyond that, regardless of the ages of Finn and Noah, it's not outlandish to argue that sex is still thematically connected to the characters and their arcs. Byler is a story about sexuality, of which sexual attraction and, well, sex play a huge role.

And ST is a coming-of-age show, of which sex often plays a huge role regardless of the age of the actors. During S3, the writers didn't shy away from including sexual themes such as Max's happy screams comment, and the actors were still minors then. Every season has progressed these themes further. The writers and filmmakers are the ones putting the sexual symbolism and jokes into the story, and we're just picking up what they're putting down, right?

Like, I don't think Murray using the phrase "experiment sexually" was accidental, nor was hosegate, nor was Mike checking out Will's ass lol. It's all fair game when you're telling this kind of story (as long as you're creating a safe and comfortable set, of course). Because of this, IMO, there's a high chance the ST writers would've still at least implied that Byler had sex even in your hypothetical scenario. There actually isn't a hard-and-fast rule that prevents actors who aren't legal adults yet from acting out light, non-explicit sex scenes.

You say that, "byler would have happened while at least one of them was still a MINOR (maybe both I would have to do the math) and there’s no way the show woulda had a sex scene in those circumstances," and I understand why you'd say this, but if you look closer at films and shows in media history, that's not always true. I can name several shows and films that call this theory into question.

While it's true that most modern shows with teen sex scenes do tend to also have adults already playing teenagers- there's a whole page on TV Tropes about this phenomenon called Dawson Casting- (and these tend to show a lot of skin, i.e. Euphoria), which makes it easier to explore sexual storylines, that's not the case across the board.

In your hypothetical scenario, the Byler sex scene obviously wouldn't have been an explicit one (and no one's saying it will absolutely be that way now either), but that doesn't really mean it wouldn't have existed in some form. There are many examples of coming-of-age shows/movies where the actors were technically still underage at the time of filming, and it showed them making out intensely before cutting out (and sex was implied) or it showed something slightly more (closer to Stancy) but still not anywhere near HBO-level.

McLovin's sex scene in Superbad comes to mind (his actor was still 17 at the time, and his mother had to watch while it was being filmed). Thora Birch was 16 when American Beauty was filmed. More recently, there was the Jevon sex scene in Chucky this season. Devon's actor recently turned 18, but Jake's actor is still 17. And yet the season was non-subtly building up to the scene, it was 100% tastefully done, and it cut away before anything super specific happened.

Now that both Finn and Noah ARE adults, and we know there will definitely be a time jump, this hypothetical is extra meaningless. And if the Duffers want to go further and bolder with a Byler sex scene, they can, even if this wasn't the original plan. And there's lots of brilliant analysis that argues the Duffers have been planting the seeds for a while for at least some kind of sexual resolution.

But your assertion that, "some people are starting to feel so passionate about the idea that i am concerned they are going to make themselves very angry if there isn’t one" doesn't seem based in reality either. Spicy bylers might want a sex scene, and many might believe there at least will be something implied like Jancy, but I don't think anyone will actually be angry if there isn't one. Correct me if I'm wrong? I think most people are just happy there's a space to talk about Byler in unfiltered ways, to analyze the mature themes of the show, and also to have fun while doing so, especially since the season is still a ways away. It's not like people will actually fist fight the Duffers if Mike isn't moaning and giving Will backshots in S5 💀.

What do y'all think?

[louiesselfshipramblings]

Secret Level mini-review!!! Because!!!

Not gonna go over EVERY episodes, just the ones I wanted to see.

Dungeons & Dragons: The Queen's Cradle—This was a good start! It was short, maybe a lil TOO short, but it was a nice lil glimpse into the classic fantasy world with fun characters both in design and personality. Hope we see more of them somewhere! Weird a non-video game got in but eh I don't mind.

Unreal Tournament: Xan—This episode led me down a rabbit hole of finding out the Unreal Engine was based on an old game made by pre-Fortnite Epic Games, and it's apparently delisted everywhere? Sucks, but cool it got an episode! I love robot uprisings.

Warhammer 40,000: And They Shall Know No Fear—I know nothing about Warhammer except everything kinda sucks and the giant church mechs. This was a fun episode! There's a simple pleasure in watching a group of guys effortlessly tear through mooks. I suppose I'd get more if I specifically played the Space Marine games, but hey as is I liked it.

PAC-MAN: Circle—Dares to ask the question, what if "Pac" and "Man" were two separate guys? But for real though...I actually liked this one? It's horror, but not over the top, gorey but not for the sake of it. Does it use next to none of the Pac-Man iconography? Yeah. But it kinda works as its own, messed up sorta thing. I wonder if that Shadow Labyrinth game came first, or if the short did. Also, the robot is named Puck! Cause Pac-Man's original name in Japan was Puck-Man but in American they could scratch at the P and make it...ya know...Scott Pilgrim reference.

The Outer Worlds: The Company We Keep—I kept forgetting The Outer Worlds had an episode here...or that the game existed at all. Which is a shame! Sure, I heard mixed things about it, but nice to see Obsidian still making original stuff! Plus that sequel, could be better! For this episode...it was fine. A solid example of tragedy. The ending puzzled me, but in a good way. Coulda felt more connected to the vibes of the game, but def has that humor style in place!

Mega Man: Start—It was alright. Rock and Dr. Light had good VAs. Bomb Man had a cool design. Nice lil easter eggs like the "Dr. W" emblem or the DLN serial numbers, and Rock defeating Bomb Man with an ice power was clever. But MAN...this coulda been so much better if it was longer! It's only like, five minutes! I suppose its good they gave each short a variable time so they had space to tell their story, but I would have loved to see more of this world! The other Robot Masters, Roll, WILY, for god's sake! But that MM2 Wily Castle theme for the credits...oh MAN that's good! Please, make another Mega Man short for season two! Or an animated series in THIS style! Mega Man needs more good animated adaptations after Fully Charged and Ruby-Spears.

Spelunky: Tally—Very cool to see an indie game here, and for one of the OGs! Even if this one takes after the sequel...but still! This one was fun, especially since it seemed to really embrace the idea of being a video game. I'm not super familiar on the Spelunky lore, but the interpretation of the randomly generated caves and the curse that revives them were neat tidbits, and the overall message was very nice! One of the shorter ones, around the same length of the Mega Man and Pac-Man ones, but it's to its benefit. Any longer and it woulda felt dragged out. Honestly, the best way to adapt a rougelike imo.

Concord: Tale of the Implacable—Okay, ya gotta understand I HAD to see this one after Sony's blunder! And, to be honest...this may be the best one between all I've seen??? Like, genuinely!! It's one of the longer ones at around fifteen minutes, and is paced pretty well. Idk if any of these characters show back up in the game, but they were all pretty good for the brief time I saw them? The framing of this being a retold story passed as legend, with an ambiguous fate for the crew was neat and I liked the ending??? I was joking about this episode being so good it might redeem the game, but...well I wouldn't go that far, but damn, this might be my favorite behind the Mega Man and Pac-Man ones??

Playtime: Fulfillment—The last episode, and the only one not based on a specific game, instead being based on PlayStation as a whole. This was a nice closer, tbh! The ending left me a touch confused on what exactly happened, but it was a fun ride, all things considered! Seeing the Helldivers run around and shout about democracy, one of the Colossi from Shadow of the Colossus, Kratos smashing down, and SACKBOY!! I honestly just wish there was more of it! (Or that God of War got its own dedicated episode but that's besides the point). Kinda hope they do this "company" based episode as a season closer for season two, maybe for SEGA or Capcom! That'd be fun!

Overall, a pretty good series! I'd say it's worth my while, plus most of the episodes are under twenty minutes if that, so you could binge it reasonably in a day. Looking forward to that second season. Some sequels would be cool (mainly for Mega Man), but if it has to be only new games...mmmm. God of War, for sure. Mass Effect. Destiny? Donkey Kong, but that's a pipe dream. Nintendo never does cool stuff like that.

[milliemuus]

Holy shit...2 years of SV already?

A bit of a vent below, so I'll put it under the cut ��

God...I remember dreaming about it, watching streams about it, avoiding just enough to not see any leaks of the new pokémon. It keot me going through some rough times, as my dad had died I believe beginning of 2022, so it gave me something to look forward to so I wouldn't spiral.

As a whole, Pokémon in general has been a huge part of my childhood, let alone a HUGE factor of my life. As a kid, I always thought the designs were cool, and immediately attached to them. Even when people in the fanbase hurt me, I just got back up and tried, tried again.

But enough of that. Two whole years. And there is so much more to come. I don't believe the series has quite wrapped up yet, and there's still merchandise and other content Game Freak has to pump out of it!

Before Kieran, Arven was a character I related to heavily. As I had mentioned before, my father had passed that year, and I was a Violet player. Sure, Pokémon cannot go too deeply into the message of grief and loss, but the way Turo and Arven's relationship was already on the rocks...it had reminded me so much of how my dad wasn't really there and didn't really see me until the end of his life. I watched my dad die, I watched my dad say I love me, and so did Arven. And it just...broke me, I guess.

I had gotten deeply attached to him for a while, as he had been a big focal point I could project on, and that I could love at the same time. Forward to two years later, or a year and a half, Kieran comes out. In all honesty, I didn't really give a fuck about he or his sister at first. Like most, I genuinely thought his sister was too pushy, too bitchy, and I thought he was too clingy, too annoying. I didn't like his design at all.

But looking deeper, I had been playing the teal mask with my sibling at the time, and we had made some analysis on how they kinda mirrored us... (I mirrored behavior Kieran shown at that exact age) and we were like "Oh god....how did Gamefreak capture us so perfectly?"

Alongside Tyranitartube helping me get excited for Indigo Disk's Hype Season, and inspiring me to go along and create Project Venus and make my little shitlet son (PV!Kieran)

I just... wowzers. And now Arven and Kieran are comfort characters, and SV are my favorite games. Who woulda thunk it. I don't know where I really would have been if I didn't have the game to look forward to, even if everyone else in my peer group surrounding me whined, bitched and moaned about "another glitchy game" (which, they have every right to be upset)

But enough about that. This game has given me so much joy and comfort that I don't know how to express properly, and I don't know what I'd do without it.

Thank you, Game Freak. Genuinely.