#because he's been trying to improve his Making Jokes ability

[lilac-hecox]

Comedy Club AU:

Ian and Anthony are co-owners of The Giggle Hut and have a regular stable of stand up comics that come to perform. The au centers around the group of comedians.

Shayne: Has been in the scene for a long time, struggling for his big break. He lets himself get anxious about performing and it at times affects his ability to pull off a joke in his set, but he's charismatic enough that he's popular and people like when he does costumed character impressions such as The Chosen.

Trevor: A new comedian on the scene and instantly a lot of comparisons to Shayne for no real reason except they are both blonde men. Trevor is a hit right away and it sets up a rivalry of sorts between them. Shayne feels insecure because Trevor is younger and popular and isn't having to work as hard to gain an audience. Trevor really looks up to and admires Shayne but feels intimidated to say anything because he feels frostiness from Shayne.

Amanda: Always doing sets as different characters, very popular because you never know exactly what character you're getting. She also does a lot of audience interactions and friendly heckling while in character. She is best friends with Shayne and the two often work together and pair well on nights at the club. Amanda is extremely fond of the absurdist comedian Angela.

Angela: Very off the wall absurdist comedy. She's extremely relatable and audiences eat her up. She makes jokes that appeal to almost everyone and always references fellow comedians in her jokes which often kills because she riffs on what the audience is familiar with. She has a big honking crush on Amanda but feels she is out of her league both comedy wise and romantically.

Chanse: MC at the club and often performs mini-sets as musical improv is more his thing, but he does often do some musical comedy at the club, but is also happy to be hosting. Besties with Angela. He also heckles the crowd in a fond but real way. He also uses his sets to throw mini flirtatious jokes at Shayne and Trevor. He has a crush on both of them.

Spencer: Is not at the Hut as much as the other comics, but he performs and kills on the regular. He does a lot of character work and he references the other comedians. Makes an absurd amount of jokes about being gay when he doesn't say one way or another and gives Chanse a shit ton of material to work with in a set devoted to the reasons why Spencer is probably gay.

Tommy: Bartender at the Giggle Hut. He is insanely funny but doesn't think he could perform on stage and Spencer is begging him to try it out. It gets the point where Spencer gets them to set up a mic for Tommy and they banter during one of Spencer's performances and Tommy has the audience crying in laughter.

Pairings/Dynamics:

Shayne/Trevor?? Rivals to lovers type deal?

Shayne/Chanse? Exploration on Shayne's side, maybe happened before he got with Trevor? After? Same time?

Amangela! Two fools who are certain the other doesn't feel the same even though they are obviously crushing on one another.

Spommy: Supportive Spencer and nervous Tommy and mutual respect and flirtation that turns into an actual relationship

Ianthony: BACKGROUND MARRIED CO-OWNER BOSSES OF THE GIGGLE HUT!!!! "our comedian kids are idiots but i love them."

#ianthony #shrevor #shaynse #spommy #amangela #comedy club au #fan fic au #the giggle hut au #rivals to lovers #oblivious crushes #AU #what am i doing #who knows

[glorified-red]

Hi! I read that your requests were open, I hope that's still the case! Would you mind writing some headcanons about the batboys with a firefighter reader? I was hoping that you could write about Damian or Jason but I know that you only write fics about Tim at the moment, so do as you feel more comfortable 🤗 Thanks!

Thank you so much for the request, my love! Sorry it took so long to complete it, hope you enjoy <3

Batboys with a Firefighter S/O

word count: 1,660~

warnings: reference of bombs & fire

I've been watching Station 19 and it is very good, made me very happy to do this request and gave me a lot of inspiration for it.

Dick Grayson

Given Dicks job at the police department, it is incredibly likely that you two met on duty

He works close with the fire department, so when he meets you, he doesn't hesitate to reach out

Expect police versus fire department banter, comparing jobs and trading jokes on the other departments expense

"The yellow on your new suit washes your skin tone out"

"At least I don't stand around giving parking tickets."

Learning from each other constantly

Dick teaching you how to regulate your breathing while running and you teaching him how to combat blue fire

Your favorite days are the days when the police and fire department team up for a medical field day, training each other on things like CPR and learning from the other departments to improve teamwork

Basically its more of an opportunity for teasing

"Oh come on, Dickface, your CPR is pathetic"

"You're supposed to kick down the door, not tickle it."

Sometimes though, Dick gets assigned to do calls with the fire department so you get to spend a full day with him on duty

These are the days that are either incredibly fun or terrifying

Every firefighter has a pager on them that triggers an alarm if the firefighter hasn't moved in awhile so that others can find them

The second Dick hears the alarm his heart drops

Because he's a police officer he doesn't have the ability to investigate alarms, he just has to wait outside the building an prey you make it out alive

But being a firefighter means you can't be involved in his cases either

Lengthy shoot outs and hostage situations are tense calls you just have to sit by and listen to the radio

Every time Dick's voice comes through the radio system a spark of relief and anxiety washes through you

Insane hours

Like, insane hours

It get really difficult to balance everything since the calls for work are so random and last minute

It becomes normal to visit each other at work whenever you can

Random surprise visits with food to keep each other going or leaving notes on each others desks

You have given him donuts before...he still ate them

Coffee dates on call, cursing out pagers and late nights together

Dick understands the dangers of this job more than anyone else, he's still guilty of safety lectures but he trusts you as much as he can

Just being each others biggest support and motivators through tough calls and long days

Nothing beats finally coming home to Dick's arms safe and sound

Jason Todd

Firefighters tend to be an annoyance to Jason

The second he hears sirens he just sighs and leaves the scene so he doesn't get caught with legal bullshit or police reports

Unfortunately for him, vigilantes aren't fireproof, even more unfortunate, this specific vigilante isn't the biggest fan of bombs and fires

Gotham PD and it's fire department always work closely with the Bats, its a right of passage to be saved by a Bat or to save one

So when the infamous Red Hood gets trapped in a burning building, blind sighted by his own fears, it was fate that you were able to get close to him

Fighting side by side to find an exit

Offering him your spare rebreather because he's burning through his oxygen trying to contain his resolve

Protecting him with your fire resistant jacket as a fire bursts, him protecting you when he has better visibility through his helmet

When you two make it out you insist he gets checked for smoke inhalation and how could he say no to you?

Finding a secluded spot so you can check him for burns

Its the one time he doesn't mind getting caught in legal shit

Whenever anymore fires break out he gets a little curious, Jason keeps his distance but will tune into the radio and watch from afar

For some reason you keep running into the Red Hood after calls, he's always hidden and no one else seems to spot him

The more fond of you Jason gets, the more you two meet up after calls

He does get incredibly nervous whenever you're on duty, he'll be damned if someone else dies like he did

Curiosity turns into worry, he'll always be nearby when you're on duty to give him some semblance of control over the situation

Tough calls happen, all it takes is one call for Jason to meet you at a mom & pop shop to decompress

He likes to see you in his jacket and will always drape it over your shoulders and use you as an arm rest

The amount of Fahrenheit 451 jokes

omfg he will consistently bring up Fahrenheit 451

When he first invites you over to the Manor he pretends to avoid the library

"Wouldn't want this 'firefighter' to burn my babies."

"Oh please, I'm surprised you haven't shot a bullet through one of them yet."

Working out together!

Jason would love to get you into weight lifting

Always being each others spotting partner and encouragement to get through the set, sweaty kisses as a reward

Tim Drake

Red Robin works a lot with the GPD for detective work and cases, its not often at all that he interacts with the Fire Department

But when you enter the scene, he suddenly has an interest in learning all about fires and how to combat them

"It'll help for when I have bomb cases!"

He does hang around for a little bit after cases get resolved to make sure the police get all the correct details and the information they need to close the case so he starts doing the same with the Fire Department

Sometimes he'll help clean up after the scene while he chats with you, which means he's around for some pretty whacky last minute calls

He claims its the best way to be close to the crimes instead of hijacking police coms

It is entertaining to watch people ax open a concrete roof to vent a condo, he's probably standing next to you taking notes on why since you're the captain on call

It becomes routine for any late night calls to be accompanied by a bored Bat who just wants to learn more to protect his city

Slow nights and Tim swings by the station to check in on you since he was in the area, you eventually invite him to have breakfast since he must be hungry after such a long night

Your weird hours paired with his make for some creative compromises

Finding him knocked out in the station living room in his Red Robin uniform is always worthy of a photo

Showing him how to use the fire pole and his cape getting caught

He bought the station a coffee machine because he ends up near the station late at night anyway

Around the station you guys are heroes, but at home you two get to be yourselves

No capes, no fire jackets, or masks, just comfy sweaters and soft caresses

Your time off together is nothing but safe moments and security within each other

Wayne Enterprises does end up becoming a proud sponsor for your fire department, so all your equipment is as safe as possible

Damian Wayne

Damian never gives the GPD or Fire Department the time of day when he works cases, he's pretty short with the officers because he just wants to move on to the next call

He ends up meeting you through Dick's workplace

Department bonding days near the pier playing corn hole and barbecuing

Dick invited him to practice his social skills and hopefully make friends

Damian meets you and you tell him about all the pets you've had to rescue from trees, he sympathizes when you joke about the cat scratches on your uniform

Suddenly Damian starts asking Dick when the next bonding day is so he can see you again

It happens monthly so Damian gets roped into cooking for these things, and as captain, you get in on it too

Cooking together feels natural, Damian helping you put on pesky rubber gloves that don't want to cooperate, accidentally swiping sauce on his nose to watch him go cross eyed, and learning how to make vegan barbecue as Damian starts making the departments invest in Tofu

Just wait till you introduce Damian to the station dog

Walking Ace and the station dog together in the mornings

Eventually being his morning jog partner because he thinks getting a little fresh air every morning is important, plus running with the dogs is always a serotonin booster

He always runs on the part of the sidewalk that's closest to the road, frequently pausing for water breaks

Since the departments bonded with Dick Grayson's infamous little brother, Damian gets dragged into doing any fundraiser

He hates it, but he finds joy in doing it by your side

You eventually get to do a pet shelter fundraiser and Damian has never been so touched

You will never show him, but you have a photo of him petting a newly adopted dog with the softest smile you've ever seen

After a particularly tough call, he'll help you wash the soot and ash off your face with the same gentle hands that you use when you wash the blood out of his hair after a long patrol

I love the idea that Damian will always gift you a watch as the relationship gets more serious

On the outside its a chic, slim watch with beautiful engravings on it

But it functions as a pulse monitor and tracks your vitals so Damian doesn't have to worry so heavily, it would interfere with his line of work too much

He does toy with the idea of being able to sync up your watch to his so he can send you little vibrations whenever he touches his

Taglist ♡

@anothertimdrakestan

@sunhats-and-candycorn

@missredrobin

#red robin #tim drake #dc comics #robin #dc #red robin x you #red robin x reader #timothy drake #dc robin #batfamily #Tim Drake x you #Tim Drake x reader #headcanons #headcanon #Tim Drake headcanons #dick grayson #Jason todd #Damian wayne #Dick Grayson x you #Dick Grayson x reader #Jason Todd x you #Jason Todd x reader #Damian Wayne x you #Damian Wayne x reader #red hood #batboys #batboy headcanons

[icedragonlizard]

The one Kirby game that really deserves a remake, in my opinion.

When Return to Dreamland Deluxe came out, I've then noticed people wanting remakes for Triple Deluxe and Planet Robobot. And if I'm going to be honest? I don't think it's necessary to remake those two games. At least not around this time. They're still deep in the newer half of the spectrum for Kirby games, they're still literally from one console ago, and thus I believe it's too soon to remake them.

Remakes don't happen very often in the Kirby series anyways. But if I think there's one game in the series that absolutely deserves a remake more than the others, I think it's Dreamland 2.

This is another long rant so I'll add a "keep reading" tag to this if you're curious to hear more of my thoughts as to why I think this.

Dreamland 2 is the most outdated mainline Kirby game, as the original Kirby's Dreamland has been used for Super Star's Spring Breeze gamemode, and Kirby's Adventure has been remade into Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland for the GBA.

Dreamland 2 is the only mainline game in the series that you can't play in graphics better than Gameboy Color.

And the game has a lot of flaws. Due to being on the Gameboy, it's got a small screen. Kirby can't even run in this game because of how small the screen is. Kirby also loses his copy ability EVERY time he takes damage in this game, compared to other games where it usually takes more than one hit for him to lose his ability.

Rick and Kine both suck to use in this game, but thankfully they've been heavily improved in Dreamland 3 when they gave Rick all sorts of perks like climbing walls and being unphased by slippery terrain, and allowed Kine to be faster on land. But in Dreamland 2? Coo is the only one out of the three animal friends that's actually good here.

Planet Robobot is still pretty fresh and fine, as is Triple Deluxe. They can stand pretty well on their own and don't need remakes for a while. Dreamland 2, however, really shows its age. It's good for a Gameboy game, but it's so archaic and lackluster compared to all the newer Kirby titles, and like I said above, it's the most outdated since even the Kirby games older than it got remade one way or another.

Remaking Dreamland 2 into the modern era could easily go a long way to do it much needed justice. It could address all or at least the majority of its problems. It could provide a bigger screen to let Kirby actually run like he does in the newer games. Rick and Kine could be given all the same buffs that they were given in Dreamland 3. Heck, we could probably even add a few more copy abilities to provide combinations for, as after all we're still only dealing with three animal buddies here, so it should be okay to add a couple more abilities into the mix! They added some abilities in RTDL's remake that weren't there in the original game, so the same can apply here.

I think a Kirby adventure where Rick, Kine and Coo are the companions could be great. I love those three characters anyways. But Dreamland 2 as we know it is really outdated, barebones and tbh I'd be hard-pressed to call it fun at this point. For a Gameboy game, yes, but it's kind of a joke compared to all the newer Kirby titles. Looking at this game, it seems absolutely ripe for a remake imo.

Dreamland 2 is a short game, but in a remake they could easily just add more gamemodes to make it a larger game compared the original. I'm aware that a remake doesn't typically do any real notable expansions on the gamemodes that existed in the original, but I mean.. they could add a few things in the original mode. Like I said, they could maybe add a few more copy abilities.

Extra gamemodes.. I dunno, they could be stuff similar to Merry Magoland. I'll admit, I'm not that creative when trying to think about gamemodes, I guess they'd come up with stuff fine if they ever choose to remake this game into the modern era.

Also, maybe GOOEY could be a little bit something more in a hypothetical Dreamland 2 remake compared to how he was just in the bags in the original to serve as a heal item if you already were riding around with Rick, Kine or Coo. Who knows? Maybe a Gooey "epilogue" that happens between Dreamland 2 and Dreamland 3 to show his growth and to how he got to his position in Dreamland 3! Although I'll be honest, I'm not exactly advocating for all sorts of characters to have prologue/epilogue-style gamemodes similar to what Magolor got, as that could get old and repetitive pretty fast. But hey.. I think Gooey would be a sensible candidate if they actually do decide to go that route again for whatever reason.

Given Dreamland 2's shortness, even with extra gamemodes included I would agree that a remake for the game definitely wouldn't be worth $60 like most switch games are. I guess... $15-30 would be better? HOWEVER, I wouldn't be opposed to a "Dreamland Trilogy" that contains all of Dreamland 1, Dreamland 2 and Dreamland 3.

Dreamland 3 is also rather old for the series, although the idea of remaking that game sounds a bit weirder in comparison because I think it should keep its crayon aesthetic to allow it to stay unique. I also think it's generally more fleshed out than Dreamland 2. So in my opinion, Dreamland 3 isn't as needing of a remake as its predecessor is. I wouldn't be too opposed to it, though, since it's also old.

Anyways, those are my thoughts. I can understand why people would want Triple Deluxe and Planet Robobot to be remade, but they're still new for Kirby games, and I think it'd be weird to just remake all the Kumazaki games and ignore all the older titles that arguably need remakes so much more. I mean, remakes are rare in the series like I said earlier, but if we're gonna choose another one to remake, I think it's pretty obvious who could ACTUALLY use it. Dreamland 2 is the one Kirby game in most dire need of a remake, in my opinion.

What do you think?

#kirby #kirby's dreamland 2 #rick kine coo #rick kirby #kine kirby #coo kirby #animal friends kirby #gooey kirby #dark matter #dark matter swordsman #king dedede #return to dreamland deluxe #kirby remakes #rick kine and coo

[wafflesinthe504]

The Rookie 5x13 Thoughts

Spoilers for The Rookie 5x13 below. If you've watched the episode or don't care about spoilers, please enjoy!

The cold opening for the episode was alright, but I have to agree with Celina the song was pretty catchy. Celina singing it later on while she was packing the shop with Grey approaching was pretty funny though.

I was really happy to see Celina sort be forced to take a moment to analyze what she was seeing that made her have a bad 'aura' about a situation rather than just her saying she has a bad feeling and jumping into action. I wish that we saw this side of Celina a little more consistently throughout the show instead John just immediately going on her gut instinct whenever she has a bad feeling about something. Grey putting Celina and charge and us getting to see her take a step out of her comfort zone by analyzing the situation (and her trying to deflect the responsibility back to Grey) was really interesting to watch.

Sometimes I wish we could see how Celina would do with Angela being her T.O because Angela is also superstitious and shares some beliefs with Celina so I think that would have been an excellent matchup between rookie and T.O. since Angela would have really been able to guide her and teach her how to break down what she's feeling and sensing into more tangible thoughts and reasons.

I've got to admit John felt a little out of character for this episode. I get that it was supposed to be played for a joke with him pretty much saying that Celina doing a good job means that he's doing a good job, but it didn't feel like him. I mean this is the same guy who constantly offers his help with construction projects with little preamble from others and who opened his house up to Celina when she was having sleeping problems and as we saw this episode to many of his friends due to the blackout/heatwave. I just don't find it true to his character to try to figure out anyway to gain something from his rookie. It just felt weird.

(This is what I imagine the heatwave being like in The Rookie also what is a timeline? I thought we were in the fall or winter apparently not.)

I do wish we got a morning after scene with Chenford, but alas this episode picks up a week after last episode. That does bring up another question though, how many nights did they sleepover at each other's place since then, especially since Tamara knows and it's not an issue for them to be dating anymore since Tim's no longer her direct supervisor.

______________________________________________________________

I really enjoyed seeing Celina being paired with Grey and Nolan's ability of being a T.O. being brought into question. It's just a bit more realistic for him to continue to make mistakes during the first year as T.O. and to see a contrast between his style of being a T.O and Tim's and Grey's. Since Grey and Tim were both more experienced at being a T.O., particularly Grey, they were both able to see what Celina's true weaknesses were and help her realize them and help her make the necessary changes to become a better cop. In highlighting the issues that Celina was still having we can also see where Nolan's weaknesses as a T.O. are.

I know we didn't see it on screen, but I really hope that Grey had a talk with Nolan and we see a true improvement in his T.O. style that can help Celina become better. I really hope we get to see Celina have a Plain Clothes Day to see how she's changed from the first time we met her to now.

The Nolan and Aaron team up was alright. I did enjoy seeing them take down the two fake cops.

I also just found it hilarious that right as him and Bailey were about to have a romantic dinner everyone just comes on in since he's the only one they know who has power and A/C.

Lucy and Nyla working the case of the dead guy in the freezer was great to see. I would like to see Lucy, Nyla, and Angela work together more as a trio. I just really love the chemistry that they have together. Also, the fact that it turned out that the old lady was the one behind the murder was crazy. And then to find out that she was actually a serial killer. I think this was definitely one of the more interesting 'side' cases that we've seen.

Lucy murder boarding Tim a new job with the rest of the team was so funny and cute to see. Everyone just knowing Tim is absolutely miserable while being the court liaison and helping Lucy find him a new job was great. (Also, them all rushing to take down the sticky notes when Tim arrived and trying to act normal had cackling.) It truly is in Tim's character to just go over to Nolan's house to watch the game. Like I don't even think he mentioned the heat. He's like sure 100-degree weather is unfortunate, but missing a Ram's game is simply not acceptable.

Her and Tim at the end when Tim tells her he got the job at metro was just so freaking cute. I haven't stopped smiling about it. I love them your honor.

I'm guessing that we're going to see Tim have more scenes with Nyla and Angela while at the station possibly since the metro team helps with busts and things like that. Any scenes with him and Lucy will probably be them on dates and at each other's houses. I'm also thinking that he'll probably be in a key role when it comes to taking down Elijah Stone with a possibility of injury during the takedown.

Bonus: Angela and Wesley working together to deal with the bad guys was great to see again. I just enjoy seeing them work together. Also I did not expect to see Drew Powell (the guy who recognized Angela while she was undercover) this episode. That was a real treat. I know him from Leverage and Gotham. When I saw him I just like HURLEY!? (his character from Leverage). Lastly, Lucy in that freakin' hazmat suit at the end actually made me laugh out loud.

_____________________________________________________________

Hope you enjoyed. If you want come chat with me in the comments about anything The Rookie related. Did Nolan feel OOC to y'all?

Until next time have a good day or night!

#the rookie #lucy chen #lucy x tim #chenford #tim bradford #wade grey #angela lopez #nyla harper #aaron thorsen #celina juarez #wesley evers

[grineerios]

Alright, Elder Tenno, tell me what I'm doing wrong here.

I've been trying to figure out how to mod my gear properly for Steel Path, and I'm more than a little lost- especially with Volt.

I've cleared, what, two nodes of SP? Both of them were with a Kullervo, and both times I barely managed to complete the mission.

Also, nine times out of ten, I do Steel Path alone- which probably isn't helping my situation very much.

I really don't know how to progress with SP without leeching off of another player doing it for me, and I want to try to be self-sufficient. I'd love any kind of guidance you can offer.

Mods, goals, and current strategies under the cut.

Set A: Stunner Volt (Nataruk, Despair, Sun & Moon)

I would love to take Volt on SP- but it feels like the more I tinker with his mods, the more fragile he becomes. Hell, recently I've entered bleedout from level 30-40 enemies.

I primarily use his 1 to soften enemies up, while I close the gap and finish them off with melee. It's probably the ability I use most on him. 2 and 4 are my desperation abilities- either for when I need to get out of a situation quickly, or for stunning a large amount of enemies for an extended period of time.

Criminally, I forget his 3 exists a lot, outside of picking off Teralysts. It feels like outside of the free roam areas, it takes too long to make the shield and pick it up.

Ideally, I'd like to focus on enhancing his 1, maybe his 4. I haven't seen a ton of guidance on how to mod a Volt for anything but Eidolon Hunting, so I tried to focus on critical chance, always having energy, and armor, forgoing shields.

With him and Sun & Moon, I tend to try to lean towards attack speed. I like the feel and speed of dual nikanas. On SP, I feel like he'd be a "Kill them before they kill you" sort of frame in my hands.

Set B: Critical Chance Kullervo (Nataruk, Despair, Paracesis)

Kullervo has been my lifeline through the star chart. I often joke that if Volt is "Please", Kullervo is my "I'm not asking". He's the only frame I've cleared a Steel Path node with. I can typically handle level 80-90 enemies with him. Some 90-100 Veil Proxima nodes are tricky, but doable.

His 1 and 2 are what I mostly use- dancing between dealing as much damage as possible, then healing with Recompense. If I need breathing room, I can throw his 4 up pretty easily to pick off enemies while I heal.

Much like Volt, I do tend to forget to use his 3- although that's changing with practice. The large number of enemies in Steel Path that I've seen makes me think that mastering his 3 will be critical to being able to clear nodes with him.

I pair him up with Paracesis typically, considering that it's my best heavy blade- and with his passive, he's practically made for heavy blades.

Of course, critical chance and damage are at the forefront of my mind when thinking about how to improve Kullervo. Being able to use Wrathful Advance as much as possible, alongside Collective Curse is what I'm guessing will be the strategy for Steel Path Kullervo.

that being said i still don't know how the melee combo counter works and i've heard it's important, especially with this frame

Maybe swapping Nataruk out for Rauta is a good idea?

Also, I should probably get an Aura Forma so I can give him Steel Charge instead of Energy Siphon.

Weapon Mods

(Please note that I haven't modded any of these for a specific faction. I do have Primed Bane of Corpus, but no other prime anti-faction mods. I understand that anti-faction mods and modding for factions is practically required for SP, I'm just either waiting on Baro for mods, or have accidentally overriden faction-specific loadouts and just never bothered to fix them.)

Volt's Sun & Moon

Kullervo's Paracesis

Despair

(I haven't even put a reactor on it yet. I very, very rarely use my secondary.)

Nataruk

The Panzer Vulpaphyla is my companion of choice for difficult levels, mostly because it's immortal and I don't have to worry about reviving it every other minute. I have no idea how to make it useful, but here's its' mods anyways.

In Closing:

Overall, I'd like to focus on what mods could improve, and what subsumed abilities, or archon shards I could add to make these two stronger. (Although I'm heavily biased towards keeping their abilities as stock standard. What can I say, I like their kits!)

I know I'm doing some things wrong- like my anti-faction mods. I feel like I'm doing some things right, like using Kullvero's 1 and 3 together to clear large groups of enemies. But, mostly, I'm just confused about what I should be focusing on to make these two stronger and more hardy. Steel Path seems to be about bringing the right frames and the right weapons to the right job- a lot of specialization.

I'm raring to sink my teeth into Arbitrations, Steel Path, and Archon Hunts, I think my mods just need a little help before I can do that. X'D

Congratulations to anyone who got this far, and thank you in advance!

#warframe #warframe technical question #warframe mechanical question #steel path #long post

[u-ntitled-s-eries]

Subway Bosses with a Ditto-Hybrid HCs

Emmet

He is constantly asking for your help with pranks and jokes around the Gear Station. These range from harmless tricks against the Depot Agents during their breaks, to spreading confusion among the commuters as they watch three Subway Bosses board the train. You have to be the one to draw the line and stop Emmet from going off the rails, otherwise you’ll both get a stern talking-to from Ingo and quite possibly the police.

When not abusing your powers for evil, Emmet is curious to see the extent of your abilities. What are you consistently good at, compared to what do you struggle with? If you let him, he’d be more than happy to help hone your skills. He’ll give honest critique of your transformations and point out what needs to improve. But don’t be afraid to let him know if he’s being too brash; he’ll immediately apologize and be more mindful of his words.

Maybe it’s because Emmet’s so quick to notice the inaccuracies, but he’s never once been fooled by even your most flawless disguise. The closest you’ve ever gotten was a ten second long silence as he scanned you up and down before he pinched your cheek and told you to transform back into your original self.

He doesn’t mind if you prefer to stay transformed for long periods of time, but he’s gotten very good at noticing when you’re doing it to hide your true form. And every time he will make it crystal clear that he loves your true self and doesn’t want you to feel the need to hide it away. He’ll try to ease you back into reverting, but even if you refuse to, he will stay by your side.

Emmet won’t say it out loud, but there are moments where he wants nothing more than to be held in big strong arms or feels the need to curl around a smaller, softer embrace. Transform for him in these moments and you will have a grown man clinging to you for the rest of the day. Shapeshifting is second nature for Ditto hybrids, but the fact that you would physically change yourself for him has his heart full to the point of bursting.

Ingo

While he’s not opposed to a harmless trick here and there, he’d prefer if you keep them confined to people you know won’t be upset or as likely to fall for it. Being a Subway Boss is stressful enough; the last thing he needs is rumors and hordes of mass delusion. However, he’s not opposed to you showing off your abilities to people as a form of entertainment. The Gear Station gets the occasional musicians and performers panhandling, so he sees it as a similar thing.

Even though your intentions might make Ingo wary, he’s always amazed when you transform and applauds your efforts even if you can't get it quite right. Because you can shapeshift your anatomy, this also includes changing your voice as well. Ingo’s unsurprisingly quite good at picking up on how people speak, so he’ll help you get the inflections just right. It’s only when he sees you doing a spot-on impression of Depot Agent Furze in the bathroom that he realizes he may have created a monster.

Ingo hates to admit it, but there have been several times where he’s fallen for your disguises. He’ll be talking to someone and then a few minutes later they have no recollection of the conversation. Or he’ll do a double-take when he sees someone walk by even though he just saw them wave hello earlier. Please come back and let him know it was you, otherwise it’s going to be on his mind all day.

Like Emmet, Ingo has made it abundantly clear how much he loves your true self and will remind you as many times as he needs to. If you feel like experimenting with your looks, he will support you without hesitation. But when it feels like you’ve been hiding for too long, he will sit you down, coax you into dropping the disguise, and tell you how much he loves you just as you are.

Whenever you use your shapeshifting abilities to make your body more comforting for Ingo, he can’t help but feel a little guilty. You shouldn’t have to change yourself just to make him feel better, and he shouldn’t ask you to in the first place. Even when you assure him that you enjoy indulging him and that he deserves to be spoiled, he just pouts and nuzzles further into you.

Bonus

Elesa absolutely ADORES your shapeshifting abilities, both from an artistic and practical point of view. She’s come to you several times with modeling gigs and offers to collaborate on a new line of clothing. As a model, she’s offered you helpful advice and techniques for psyching yourself up before transforming and how to keep a cool head while staying transformed for extended periods of time.

She is endlessly amused by your impressions of other people, but especially loves it when you shift just your voice. Seeing people’s reaction to hearing the voice of a 50 year old smoker coming out of your body never fails to get a laugh from her.

#Pokemon #SubMas #Subway Boss Emmet #Subway Boss Ingo #Subway Boss Emmet x Reader #Subway Boss Ingo x Reader #Elesa

[robinofgothamcity]

"I want a picture with a baseball bat, hoes don't like when I talk like that please, don't bark, 'cause Milli bite back."

♡ character: jason grace

♡ pronouns used: she / her

♡ note: not checked for grammar or spelling mistakes / a bit of an au! but i digress, here's some jason food

you looked to reyna, your eyes blinking rapidly as she had mentioned that your ex boyfriend, yes, ex boyfriend was making a stop to camp jupiter from the east coast. you hadn't seen him since he moved over camps and a part of you was not ready to see him again. you left on a semi-sour note and she knew that.

"oh come on, it's been two years and you still can't confront him? kind of sad isn't it? i know it's because you still love him," she replied. you gave her an unenthusiastic look but continued to kick the rock that was near you, "shut up, i have kids to train and if you better not try to get me to talk to him,"

you gave her one final look and walked away to grab your armor. being the child of mars really benefitted you in combat or training scenarios but it was almost always your downfall. more often than not, it was not in your benefit unless you were on the front lines of a war or a quest. because of this, reyna had made you head trainer to train any new romans that arrived at camp jupiter.

reyna tended to joke that because of your hot-headedness and anger like attitude, you represented more of the greek god ares which usually earned her a hard smack on the head by you.

"come on kids, you won't get any better by just standing there," you told the few seven and eight year olds. reyna smiled as you grabbed all the kids and gave them small pep talks to encourage them to do their best. it was like a flip of a switch. whenever you had to work with those younger than you but necessarily kids, you had this soft side that she wished you had with the older kids. the way you trained with those a few years younger had her sympathizing with the way they walked to their cohorts.

you started to train with the kids, helping them with their posture and defense attacks. you had been told several times that you couldn't start training them in actual forceful combat until they reached age eleven. they knew the downfall of not having them fully prepared for war but in a case where a major war with a god came down, you'd have to use yourself as a shield until they were safe.

"listen, you have to block someone's sword like this," you said summoning a sword quickly. you grabbed the nearest camper, the unfortunate luck going to a son of bacchus. he went on the defense but you quickly attacked him, landing a near blown to his chest, "you see how he wasn't prepared? that could happen to any of you if you aren't quick with your reflexes."

reyna who was now joined by jason, piper, and percy all saw the way you were showing off your abilities with ease. given that you were training a bunch of children, you knew for perfect examples you had to use someone your age. you had kept the son of bacchus as an example and jason could tell you weren't trying your hardest given that the poor boy was not strong enough to be a great example.

it was around the thirty minute mark when you decided that you should give the kids a break. you were talking to the boy, chattering almost smugly about how he could improve. jason chuckled, even after years of not seeing you, you were still that same cocky daughter of mars.

"you can talk like this when you're really that bitch and guess what? i am," you told him, ruffling his hair to get angry. you succeeded in that he charged you with full force, "see! that's what i'm talking about, where was that ten minutes ago?" you asked now kneeling on the ground.

he rolled his eyes, walking away as you dusted yourself off. you soon noticed who you were in front off and lifted your eyebrow, "i'll be in bunk if you need me," you told reyna as she shook her head no, quickly grabbing your wrist, "as second in command practically, you should welcome back old and new members."

your eyes widened, quietly screaming that you would have her head if she made you be around jason anymore than you needed to be, "i think i'm okay, two of the three know their way around, don't they?"

after avoiding jason's stare, you stared at him, your eyes immediately wanting to water from the memories that flooded you as soon as you locked eyes with him. you turned to percy, giving him a head nod before walking away.

if reyna wanted to berate you for not listening to her, you'd take her million lectures rather than sitting with your ex boyfriend and his now ex girlfriend. not that you cared for rumors on their relationship but you heard from a bird in the sky that jason and piper were now broken up and had been for months. you didn't want to get your hopes up but you weren't upset that he was newly single.

"they came to see you, maybe you should stay," reyna screamed. you waved her off not caring for their reasoning to stay before entering the diner for a snack. reyna shook her head in disbelief, "still as unhinged as she was when you left," reyna murmured to jason as they all sat down on a bench.

what reyna had said earlier wasn't a unnecessary lie. the three had traveled to see if you'd join them back at camp half-blood. being the daughter of mars and similar to ares, they needed someone as strong as you to help their cabin. clarisse was planning to move to new rome for a better education and jason had brought up the idea to move you over to the east to be head leader of their cabin.

and although the conversation was a touchy one to him, jason knew it would benefit camp half-blood to have you there. he always admired your fight to be the best, your wisdom towards the younger kids, and the way you fought like hell on quests.

it was part of the reason why he fell for you the way he did. you were gorgeous, no doubt, but the way your carried yourself as if you thought of that you were the best made him fall in love and quick. that was why the breakup that preceded him leaving for new york was so sour and why he was the first to suggest to bring you over to long island.

+

percy gave his friend a weirded out look as he brought up your name. he had heard of you from jason various times before but he never met you.

"she's the daughter of mars. second in command to reyna and is one hell of a fighter. she could really help us here," jason explained to mr.d and chiron, "she had been my savior several times on the field before and her demigod abilities match that of clarisse if not better," he added on.

piper heard the way jason was speaking about you and smiled. jason had mentioned you in passing to her when something that reminded him of you was brought up. she wasn't jealous or overly protective but she could see the sliver of love still in his eyes whenever he brought you up. being the daughter of aphrodite really had its downfalls when she could sense that jason still mourned the end of his previous relationship.

"what do you think of that percy?" chiron asked. percy shrugged, "if she's as good as jason is making her seem, i don't see why she wouldn't fit in," he replied. piper agreed, not wanting to reply to the question out of trying to avoid awkwardness with jason.

mr.d clapped his hands as chiron looked at the three, "great. go get her from camp jupiter," chiron said before dismissing the three. jason clapped happily as percy walked away to find annabeth meanwhile piper stayed by the side of jason, hearing his coherent mumbles about you.

jason soon stared at piper, quieting down a bit, "excited?" she asked. jason didn't respond, not knowing how to take that now his two ex girlfriends were going to be at the same camp full time, "a bit, she'll be a great addition to camp half-blood-," he replied as piper cut him off.

piper shook her head no, shutting him down mid sentence.

"you still love her, i can tell. you don't have to lie about it jason. she sounds like a great girl. if she makes you happy then i'm happy," piper said as she wrapped her arm around him, "she was a huge part of your life back in new rome and if she's destined by the gods to be the one you marry, so be it."

jason was stunned in silence. he knew piper was not the overly jealous type. it was unusual given all her half-siblings were very quick to get consumed by jealousy and rage over their partners but he knew piper was being truthful. he could sense that she meant no ill-will about you coming to camp half-blood.

"thanks piper, she really was a great girl. you'd get along great."

"well, what are you waiting for? we need to be at camp jupiter in a few days so prepare for it."

+

piper now saw you in all your glory. you were as gorgeous as she imagined. you were talking to a few of your siblings very animatedly. your hands were raised in the air as you were trying to make a point but she could tell you were getting a bit agitated at the subject. the confidence you exuded was truthful to what jason had told them earlier.

"i don't know how we'll convince her if she won't even speak to me let alone look at me, jason muttered defeatedly. percy stared at him in shock, "no way are you giving up this quickly. you traveled across the country to not even try? embarrassing."

jason stared at percy to get him to shut up but he continued, "she's a great fit for camp half-blood and if you want a second chance, no way you'll get it by giving up like that," he stated. reyna stared at jason in surprise, a smile appearing on her face in an instant.

"you want a second chance? holy shit, this is the best thing that could happen to her because she still has feelings for you!" she muttered the last part. jason whipped his head back to look at reyna for what she confessed, "she what now?" he asked.

reyna smiled at him sheepishly.

"she might have insinuated the reason why she won't talk to you is because she still might like you. she perked up hearing that you were coming over today but she shot her feelings down almost immediately when she thought that you didn't like her in that way anymore."

piper shook him in excitement, "see! now go in there, ask her to come back to camp half-blood and get your girlfriend back you big idiot!" she stated. jason knew that he didn't have long to convince to you come back with him and if he had to do it, it would have to be tonight.

+

the night was coming to an end and you were now sitting on the fields of mars in silence. it gave you a sense of peace and comfort when you were surrounded by the things that attached you to your dad.

"sitting here when you're sad? not much as changed, has it?" you heard jason ask. you immediately grabbed a sword, pointing it at him, "not a step closer grace," you stated as you shook the sword weakly. jason smacked the sword onto the ground, you making no effort to argue or pick it back up.

"still mad at me?" you didn't respond once again as he sat in front of you, pushing up his glasses, "i know you're still upset at how we ended and how i left but i came here to ask you something. we want you at camp half-blood."

your eyes widened, not expecting to hear that, "you came here as recruitment? you're sick jason. i guess you really are the bastard son of jupiter after all. the first time we meet and it's for that?" you replied, getting up to leave, "hey, listen! i wasn't done talking!" he said standing in front of you.

jason sighed.

"it wasn't necessarily just that," he exclaimed, "a part of me wanted to see you too. a near four year relationship is hard to get over," he whispered. you laughed in disbelief, "you've dated after we broke up. don't think i didn't hear about you and piper."

"i heard of you and octavian so it's equal," had you rolled your eyes any harder, they would have rolled into another dimension, "it was a few weeks and it meant nothing. we went back to being friends not even a month later. you were in that relationship for what? six month to nearly a year and a half? don't mark me up as stupid, jason. word gets around rather quickly in new rome."

jason growled. one thing he didn't miss about all of this was your stubbornness and the way you would argue for hours until you proved yourself right.

"and it ended. she wanted me to see you the most. they all want you over at camp half-blood and you know that what i feel personally about you is exactly how you feel about me. don't forget that in the four years we were together i learned how to read you like a book."

stupid jason and demigod abilities made rain come over camp jupiter as your dress was now starting to weigh down on you. your casual attire was similar to reyna's purple dress but you made yours silver to make it a difference.

you stared at the sky, tears coming over your eyes as you cursed at venus for making you cry over this dumb relationship. jason knew he was breaking down that wall you built up because of him.

"you're an idiot, jason. you leave me to go to some dumb camp in the east coast, get into a relationship for almost two years, and expect me to follow you back that quick? you're insane!"

jason knew that he had you where he wanted you. you were debating the idea of going back to new york and most importantly, back to him. you were refusing to look at him so he wouldn't see you crying. it was a quirk he noticed you had when the two of you would have arguments. it made you look weak as the daughter of mars but to him, you were the strongest girl he had ever met and he made sure to tell you that all the time.

"darling, look at me," he stated firmly. you were quick with the response as you finally looked at him again, your eyes were bloodshot red and your hair was sticking to your face as the rain poured down, "you're making it rain and in the state of california no less. i think that should make you realize that what we had prior to me leaving was a challenge from the gods to see if we could overcome hurdles in a relationship."

"bullshit jason," you screamed as he brought you in for a hug. you didn't want to return it, you really didn't, but his warm embrace made it hard not too. you shoved your head in his neck, still crying as he patted your wet hair, "it's not and you know it. i'm not saying we have to jump into a relationship right away but what we had is still there," he whispered.

you stared at him, your chest still rising quickly but jason soon placed his lips on yours, bringing you in for that long awaited kiss. you returned it just as fast and the two of you remained that way for a while. the fields of mars happened to be where you had your first kiss with jason as kids and it couldn't have been a coincidence that you were having your first kiss with him after two years separated from each other in the same place.

"what do you say? come to the east coast. i think you'd love the snow," he asked. you laughed a bit, "i'll have to think about it overnight but if you guys really need me, i don't see the issue in moving temporarily."

jason shook his head no.

"temporarily? no baby, you're staying by my side permanently," your face warmed up at jason's statement as he wrapped his arm around your shoulder, "the praetor dress looks amazing on you. you should bring it to camp half-blood," he said.

farther into the camp, piper and reyna slapped hands with each other in success.

reyna hated to see you leave but as head of camp jupiter, she knew you were destined for more than what california had to offer. the two of you were meant to be by each others side forever and even in the after life.

#pjo x reader #pjo imagine #hoo imagine #hoo x reader #percy jackson and the olympians #jason grace x you #jason grace imagine #jason grace

[ode2rin]

ISAGI DEBUT, ISAGI DEBUT ON ODE2RIN! THIS IS NOT A DRILL. THIS ONES FOR THE ISAGI KISSERS (me).

isagi is the cutest in my opinion, he remains my lover no matter what other characters are introduced. everyone else is my side chick. but isagi definitely gives sun after the rain energy. you’ll fall on your face a few times and he’ll be there to help put you back. which is why him hanging out with people who’ve been stood up sounds like a canonical event in my mind. the small conversation about coffee, yeah he gonna do his best to engage someone. this plays well with his soft personality to the other boys of blue lock when he’s off field. that episode of additional time where barou, nagi, and chigiri realized how much they rely on isagi for help on basic tasks. yeah he’s got a good heart in my mind and is just a helpful guy who wants everyone to feel good.

MOVING ON, the descriptions in this piece? yeah mimi, i might need to live in your brain for a minute.

your descriptions of readers bad experiences with love hits home to all hopeless romantics who just get met with a wall of disappointment.

“and coming from someone who has been gravely hurt in the name of so-called love, it’s impossible not to wonder if such love even exists in this world or if it's merely a figment of your imagination born from those contemporary romance books you read on your lonely nights.”

yeah i’m in this, and i don’t know if i like it or i feel seen.

ALSO, how you describe isagi? im in your walls??

“it's an understatement, as a matter of fact. the guy before you is downright mesmerizing. if you could gaze at his face for more than two seconds without being called weird, you could map the entirety of how blessed this man’s face is — the way his eyes crinkle at the corners when he speaks, the subtle strength in his jawline, and the way his hair falls in a perfectly disheveled manner”

AND

“amidst the lively exchange, you catch glimpses of isagi's gentle nature, his ability to make you feel at ease, and his genuine curiosity about your thoughts and experiences. it's a refreshing change from the superficial interactions you've had in the past, and you're left wondering if the man in front of you is even real.”

delicious, delectable, i love him desperately. i don’t know if anyone has mentioned this but your writing has definitely made large amounts of improvement in the short time you’ve been active. it’s honestly fun to see you become more detailed in descriptions and conveying deep insights about the reader through words. in a post you mentioned that in something you were writing that the reader was feeling to similar to you and i’m going to guess that this one might be the one in particular due to how vivid you describe their feelings and thoughts. i’ve been reading your posts since sometime in may and i absolutely adore anything you write or post. so i will fight all your mean and nasty anons for you! we will box them deadass!

have a great day mimi! xoxoxoxoxoxo (extra today)

(🏹 anon)

sorry for the extra long wall of text, i hope this reaches you well! i gave myself an emoji i hope it’s not taken yet. love you mimi, mwah!

[sorry this took a while i was really like this 🥺 the whole time i was reading thru it ]

you don't know how much this means to me. i often joke about not needing any attention for my writing because i write for myself and for my silly pookies. but at the end of the day, i am still a human sitting through hours of pouring my heart out and translating my thoughts into words. and as much as one might try to deny it, knowing that someone enjoyed the piece of writing i put out here can really make a difference, especially when you're someone who receives 'flop' in your asks like me lmao (enough negativity, shoo shoo shoo!). i love hearing your thoughts, 🏹 anon (ps. i actually call you paragraph anon in my mind XD). 

no, but you're so right about isagi giving off 'sun after the rain' energy. if you haven't seen it, i actually mentioned in a previous ask how isagi is the guy who comes after heartbreaks (if you want to read it, here!). i wanted to portray him as someone who naturally exudes comfort in his presence, to the point where you can't help but lower your guard and let him in, if that makes any sense. that's just the vibe i got from him, especially in the first few episodes when chigiri was struggling to free himself.

you wouldn't want to live in my mind, even for a minute, i assure you 😭 and not at you pulling out these sentences jsaksklajs

i'm glad to know that my intention in writing the reader's background has reached the right audience. i was contemplating the direction i took with how i wrote the reader's experiences. i wondered if it would still be relatable or if i made them a bit too sappy (which i did, but it was for the plot T^T). and yes, you're right!! i was referring to this fic when i said that the reader is a little bit too 'me' XD. and now, reading your thoughts, i guess it's you and me hehe. don't worry, if you feel seen by the reader, i'm happy to let you know that i was attacked (and it kind of felt like i was oversharing as a writer, by the way T^T).

“i don't know if anyone has mentioned this, but your writing has definitely shown significant improvement in the short time you've been active” stop ✋🏻 you're making me cry ✋🏻 as someone who goes into hiding after posting because she doesn't have a good relationship with her works, this means so much to me, you don't understand :( i'm actually trying to focus more on writing the reader better. my past works were heavy on the characters' thoughts because i wanted to characterize them properly (i hope i did, oh my god), but in “just maybe”, i wanted to try writing solely from the reader's point of view.

thank you so much, anon! i'll be printing this out, and it will replace my awards on our walls.

i hope you're well and having the time of your life! love you lots <3

(don't worry, the emoji is not taken hehe. i'll go and search for your other asks to tag them properly so i can come back to it 🫵🏻)

#you made my day and maybe my whole week actually #letters to mimi ✿ #letters from: dearest 🏹

[heliosrisingheroesimagines]

hi, like your Helios imagines blog ;) , i wondering if i can get pink camellia, yellow tulips and honeysuckle for JAY KIDMAN? :3 (i need to spread love for this old man eheehhe)

Jay Kidman:

🌻honeysuckle: if their s/o was hurt, what would they do?

In many cases, Jay held back his emotions, trying to keep the professional mask on and do the job he’d excelled in for years. Seeing you hurt brings a bitter taste in his mouth but he knew, in the moment, that he was better suited to fighting to protect you rather than rushing to your side with no healing ability. He kept your safety at the forefront of your mind and he hid the worry eating away at him when he finally had the chance to visit you while you were recovering, but there was a part of him that continued feeling like a failure for not protecting you to begin with.

🌻pink camellia: how do they react when their s/o is gone for a week? a month?

Jay won’t say he doesn’t notice you’re missing, or that it doesn’t affect him in some negative manner, but your jobs tended to keep you apart regardless. There was a reason he had a failed marriage and an average ‘dad’ rating, but you had come into the relationship understanding that. He made time for you every moment that he could and there were times where retirement was tempting purely because it meant he would have more time with you… After a month he’s relieved that you’re finally reunited, joking that he couldn’t blame you if you never wanted to see him again after that. There’s a part of him that wondered if you’d get so used to not having him around that, in the case of a break up, you’d be able to move on like nothing had changed at all.

🌻yellow tulips: if their s/o is sad, what would they do to make them smile again?

Jay hated seeing you look concerned, especially over him, and he hated it even more when your frown was because of some action he took. He did his best to keep your relationship a balanced and healthy one but it was something that required a decent amount of effort on his part. He had always thought you were worth that effort, that he had to learn to focus on other parts of his life that brought him happiness, and that meant doing anything he could to make you smile again. If he had been the reason for your sadness then he had to take responsibility for it, and hopefully improve your mood in a way that proved how much you meant to him.

#Helios Rising Heroes #Helios Rising Heroes Imagines #Helios Rising #Helios Rising Imagines #Helios Rising x Reader #helios r #jay kidman #jay kidman x reader #plant meme

[bugzzzzx]

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ 

~❁An❁~ (Spinner fic p.1)

๑ Hiii^^ This is the second fic I've ever written my other one is a joke fic I did w/ my friend so I thought maybe it was time I wrote a real one :D and I chose my fav mha boy Spinner.

๑ Why Spinner: Bc there are not a lot of Spinner fic's mostly just one shots of mha boy's rarely including him

๑ Things to know! : Everyone is the appropriate age in this Spinner's 21 which is his canon age currently and the reader is 20. (Reader's Gender up to you! Ill try and keep it as androgynous as I can^^)

๑ This will most likely include: Fluff, Maybe some smutt, Character backstory, Comfort, & Slice of life? (the league doing everyday things together), ect I haven't quite decided 

๑ Am I open to requests or suggestions? : Yes!! it would be helpful to lmk if I made wording mistakes or just any type of suggestions, or any requests you'd like of mha characters

(I like to write abt the underrated ones ^_^)

Thats all^^ I'll always put a warning abt sensitive content!! 💗 Enjoy

⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁☆⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂☆⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄

φ Deciding φ

You had been in the league for quite some time now and had an ok bond with everyone. Shigaraki was not very fond of anyone in the league, Toga mostly hung out with Twice, Mr. Compress liked performing magic to Kurogiri at the bar, and Dabi kept to himself. Although Spinner particularly didn't talk to you or anyone for that matter, you could always feel his eyes gazing on you.. Not that it bothered you though, you always took quite an interest in learning the quirks of others before actually getting to know them as a person.

You yourself had a normal quirk not much of a specialty, your quirk being a mutation quirk it allowed you to have retractable nails and a slightly improved sense of hearing it may not provide much but you always made up for that with body training.

You happen to notice going through the things you wrote down that Spinner also had a mutation quirk this initially sparked your interest because of the lack of mutation quirks in your area.

It was hard to decipher anything about his quirk other than what the eye can see, which is different in a case like Toga who tends to overshare with the league about her abilities as well as Twice.

From what you gathered he mostly chooses a close combat style using his make shifty katanas or just using basic knowledge to fight, his quirk allows his skin to be a little tougher due to the scales one other thing you caught during a mission was his ability to stick to walls at a certain degree like a gecko. You were very fond of him not fully relying on his quirk for safety as that's a mistake that many villain's make and end up dying to the cause.

Since you take an interest on him, today you decide that a conversation could help..

Where to start the conversation was the problem though, you knew he liked stain but it would be a bit odd to just randomly start a sentence like that so you ponder for a while of what to say. Eventually you take to long and its dinner time which Kurogiri insists on preparing for us since we're helping Shigaraki anyways.

*You walk out of your room*

*Toga's sitting patiently at the bar for her food*

"Is it done yet Mr.Kurogiri"

*she proceeds to give him a warm smile*

"Not yet im afraid"

*Kurogiri says in a melo tone*

"Aww ok"

*she pouts a little, and swings her feet sitting on one of the tall bar stools*

You continue walking up to the bar and have a seat on one of the stools at the end. As you look around the room you notice Mr. Compress playing cards with Twice and one of his doubles, Dabi's smoking a cigarette in the corner of the room on a chair, and Spinner is cleaning his favorite wooden handle knife.

You enjoyed watching him do so as he was very good at blade cleaning and worked precisely grabbing the back of the knife with his pinky to make sure it didn't slip..

*Toga noticed you staring intensely at Spinner*

"Whatcha looking at"

*She called out at you from a few bar stools over, giggling to herself*

*You quickly snap your head to look over at her giving her a stern look*

"Someone's upset~"

*she swung her feet once again in the chair and began laughing to herself*

Toga was not one to be phased by harsh looks as she was used to them but you still didn't like her commenting on your behavior.

"That's enough, dinners prepared"

*Kurogiri attempting to distract the conflict announced*

"Finally! Thank you Mr. Kurogiri"

*toga spits out a quick thank you and beings eating her food*

Kurogiri slides my food acrossed the table not spilling any, and then slides me 4 more bowls..

"Hand them out please"

*he says to me, as he's walking away to another room to give shigaraki his*

"Yes sir.. "

*you get up from your seat with all four bowls*

It was no bother to hold all of them because your previous job was being a waiter, you walk up to Mr. Compress and twice and set down there bowls.

"Thank you, 𝐞𝐰𝐰𝐰!?"

*twice spoke out.. Both sides of him*

"Thank you"

*Mr.compress says with a smile*

"Your welcome"

*You walk away from there table and turn around to go where Dabi was sitting*

"Where would you like me to set it"

*You ask him not expecting much of an answer*

"On the bar.. Thanks"

*He mutters out flicking his cigarette in an ash tray*

*you just give him a silent nod not wanting to piss him off in any way, as you set it on the bar you walk over to Spinner*

"Nice knife, I love the handle"

*You comment on Spinners knife as you set down his food, Although you prefer fighting without a weapon you admired his dedication to make sure they were well taken care of*

"Thanks, Its my favorite knife it has a nice grip"

*He says to you in a low tone still polishing it*

As you begin to walk away Spinner asks you a question..

"You have a particular take on weapons?"

*He asks seeming to be actually interested in your answer*

You stop walking and turn back to him

"No, Not as far as I'm concerned I dont use weapons in battle so anything will do if it comes down to it"

*You answer honestly despite not wanting to disappoint*

"oh I see, well I'm always free if you wanna learn a little more"

*He gives you a light smile and proceeds to eat his food*

"That sounds nice, enjoy your food"

*You smile at him lightly and quickly walk away*

That's the first time in a while you'd seen him directly smile at a person let alone you since you both didn't talk much. His face was quite charming to you even without his mask on people really just hadn't seen that side of him.

As your walking back to the bar you notice Toga throw a quick smile your way...Which wasn't unusual but you knew what she was doing, trying to get in your head with her crazy boy antics.

As you sit and blow on your food cooling it off you remind everyone to thank you Kurogiri when he comes back into the room.

"Remember to thank Kurogiri he's the one who prepared the food"

You announce to the room

Everyone gives a nod and continues to eat there food... 

The first person to finish was Toga as normal she was always in a rush for some reason, she scurried back to her room giving you a nudge on her way there trying to bug you. Twice and          

Mr. Compress finished next and played a few more games of cards then headed off to their rooms.

Dabi and Spinner were the last to finish including you, you had always been a slow eater this was to balance out what you eat so you didn't feel like shit after eating food to fast,

your quirk also had a play in this aswell it made you feel terrible after eating large portions or consuming food to fast which you had to learn the hard way as a kid..Throwing up food was a common thing that resulted in eating to fast for you.

*Dabi got up from his chair putting out his 2nd cigarette of the night and headed outside*

By this time it was pitch black outside and the moon was the only light source around the bar. You finish your food and look over to Spinner whos also finished his food putting his knife away in a special case that hooked to his belt. He was wearing his light blue hoodie that he usually wore when he went out casually instead of missions and a black pair of loose shorts. 

*He put the knife case in his pocket and began to get up from his seat*

"Need help with the dishes?"

*He asked You from acrossed the room willing to help you out since everyone had already gone*

"That would be nice, thank you"

*You smile at him and pick up your dish along with Dabi's and Toga's*

Spinner picks up his dish along with Mr. Compress and Twices dish, He carries them to the bar and you both meet in the middle of the bar as Kurogiri walks in to collect them.

"Thank you both for helping out, I appreciate it very much"

*Kurogiri says as he picks up the dishes and walks them over to a sink*

"Its no problem sir, Thank you for the food"

*You say giving a warm smile*

 

Spinner nods his head and thanks Kurogiri for the warm food, as he walks off we both head to our rooms.Our rooms were down the same hallway as was the rest of the league except Shigaraki's. Spinners room was right acrossed from yours, as your both walking down the seemingly small hallway he stops for a moment.

"So uh.. You up for some training practice tomorrow? 

*He asks quietly making sure not to wake anyone if they were asleep*

You stop at your doorway a tad shocked at the words he spoke as it took you a few seconds to respond..

"That would be nice..I look forward to it"

*You smile deeply to yourself  feeling accomplished for talking to him today*

"Alright see you there then"

*He says softly twisting his doorknob and walking into his room*

After that you go into your room and think about what all just happened worrying about how well you were gonna sleep after this...

☆゜・。。・゜゜・。。・゜★☆゜・。。・゜゜・。。・゜★

An!: This was fun to write :3 lmk if you have any concerns  

Word Count: 1.5k 

#fanfiction #mha fanfic #my fic #fiction #fanfic #my hero academia #my hero #spinner mha #mha #mha fic #spinner #fluff #maybe smut #cute #spinner my hero #part 1

[farlynthordens]

criticism of the writing of bisco & pawoo’s relationship and ways it could have been improved. CONTAINS MAJOR PLOT SPOILERS UP TO VOL 7

this is not “boo straight people 🤢” or anything like that because i legitimately believe it COULD be good, but it’s done so bad in canon that it makes it difficult to enjoy their relationship. especially the writing of pawoo’s character in particular

Pawoo’s age is never revealed

we never learn how old pawoo is and this irked me from the very beginning. all we know is that she’s older than milo. I got weirded out by pawoo coming on to bisco in volume 1 because.... my guy was only 17. if pawoo was older than like 20 (which I personally believe she was) it would make things really weird/creepy and I’d rather their relationship just have never happened in this case (or not happen til much later). BUT assuming the age gap isn’t weird...

Pawoo & Bisco’s marriage happens against his will

Bisco is blindfolded and led into a room under the assumption that something different is happening. he doesn’t know he’s getting married until the vows are already said. also, the wedding happened at pawoo’s request because it was essentially her “final wish” before she planned to die in battle.

it’s a SUPER contrived way to put them together, especially because bisco barely even likes pawoo as a person yet. it only works out because bisco starts liking her a couple years later.

the marriage was half for comedic effect and half a bizarre plot to trick apollo.... but then they just decided to keep being married? tho honestly, this scene could have added a lot more comedy for later on if at the end of vol 3 when pawoo doesn’t die, she doubled back on her request like “oh... well. haha, sorry for making you do all that for me, let’s get divorced/pretend that never happened.” i think that would VASTLY improve the situation and be way funnier. ESPECIALLY when bisco starts liking her romantically, there could have been some jokes about re-falling for your ex or something. this would also have solved the issues stemming from...

Bisco stays married to her out of an arbitrary sense of duty

there’s nothing wrong with loving your wife. the problem is bisco DOESN’T love his wife for first like 2 or 3 years they’re together. he never considers leaving her, because the logic presented is that he’s now her legal husband, so he has a moral obligation to be nice and protect her forever because that’s his duty whether he signed up for it or not. this isn’t completely out of line with bisco’s character, but the author keeps bringing this up over and over unnecessarily and, once again, it feels very contrived. it’s like bisco is forcing himself to like her.

despite his supposed moral obligations, bisco and pawoo barely interact for the majority of vol 4 thru 6 (over a year!!!). the one time pawoo tags along on a trip (beginning of vol 4), bisco treats her like a nuisance for most of it. in vol 7 we learn that bisco has purposely tried to keep her at a distance in order to not interfere with her life/put her in needless danger, but that just feels like another reason they shouldn’t have been together yet?

Them being married adds nothing story-wise for multiple volumes

considering that pawoo is irrelevant to the plot of 4+5 and is brainwashed for all of 6, them being married adds nothing to the story there. had they NOT been married, it would’ve made the ending of 6 much more impactful when pawoo says she loves him and bisco admits he likes her too - they could’ve had a true reconciliation of their relationship and try to start rebuilding up to what they had accidentally forced themselves into in vol 3, rather than it feeling like “oh fucking finally, they like each other so now their marriage isn’t weird.”

i don’t think that removing the marriage would completely remove their ability to care about each other. if nothing else, pawoo is milo’s precious older sister and bisco is milo’s beloved partner. pawoo keeps imihama safe and bisco is trying to save the country from rust. plus they’ve fought together and helped each other out a lot in the past. they still have many reasons to want to jump in when the other is in danger.

Pawoo’s “character development”

put in quotes because she doesn’t get a lot beyond what we see of her in volume 1. pawoo is talked about A LOT in vol 7, but almost solely thru the perspective of what bisco is thinking about her - how he’s assumed what’s good for her life, etc - we’re not actually seeing pawoo herself.

her whole thing is that she’s ridiculously strong and hardheaded, but then she falls for bisco. in addition to the (potential) age gap problem, pawoo is also a bit... creepy? in how she approaches him sometimes. like she kisses him against his will (a problem with multiple other female characters as well), when bisco is turned into a literal child (vol 5) she comments that she’ll love him regardless of age.......??

the only development pawoo gets is THROUGH her relationship with him - discussed in some more detail in a previous post here. TLDR, we learn that pawoo does have a soft/caring side and she wants to become a good wife. there’s very little to learn about her outside of that. there are villains and minor characters who have far more depth or canonically noted personality traits than she does.

I honestly would love if more time was spent on pawoo as an individual. we get less backstory for the nekoyanagis than pretty much anyone else, but at least milo has a lot of personality and a huge character arc over the entire series. i really want to know about her and milo’s childhood especially - what was it like for her to lose her parents at a young age and have to take care of an infant brother? is that why she was so overprotective of him, because she knows what the loss of immediate family feels like? how/why did she come to be the leader of the imihama watch? did she have to make sacrifices to send milo to school and give him a better life than what she could afford for herself? what sort of things does she like to do? it’s hinted that she likes fashion and makeup, so is that something she’d pursue more if she had the time? how does she feel now that she’s separated from milo most of the time? does she trust in him a lot more than she used to?

pawoo COULD have so much to her if questions like the above were ever addressed, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

i don’t even really mind that pawoo was absent from the main adventures in vols 2/4/5 since i’m not sure what she could’ve added. but it would’ve been cool to see more of her doing her own thing, especially if we saw more of her fighting, or moments building out her relationships with tirol and jabi, since they’re together in imihama a lot but we barely see their interactions. it’s not like the series is alien to the concept of throwing in chapters that interrupt the main plot progression.

HOW TO FIX THIS

I listed some of my ideas above, but to summarize things:

Vol 1: bisco/milo are made older, or pawoo is given an age that wouldn’t make things creepy

Pawoo doesn’t forcefully kiss bisco in front of milo’s damn face when she already knows he likes him. but there’s some signs that she’s into bisco too

More hints are given when she’s present in vol 2-beginning of 3

Vol 2: probably a good place to put the nekoyanagis backstory? since in this vol pawoo is still pretty protective of milo, so that could lead to a conversation where bisco asks him why she’s like that and then we get ~sad lore dump~. it would also help bisco come to respect/understand her more as a person.

Vol 3: bisco and pawoo get married to fulfill pawoo’s final wish. after the battle, when everyone is alive and well, she decides to annul the marriage and pretend it didn’t happen. she was supposed to take this fantasy to her grave, but now it’s a huge awkward point she has to remember every time she looks at her crush

Post-divorce, there’s plenty of jokes from milo or others about “getting back with your ex” etc anytime bisco and pawoo have a civil moment or one of them talks positively about the other.

Vol 4-5: character building moments where we see what pawoo and tirol are up to in imihama

Vol 5: remove the “i’ll love you regardless of age” comment please that’s literally it

Vol 6: the whole thing with pawoo being brainwashed, but still being able to break through the brainwashing due to her love for bisco, could stay exactly the same and still work. it would show how her feelings for him never went away and have really only intensified. when bisco saves her and they admit they like/love each other, they’re able to reevaluate their relationship. maybe they can try being a couple for real...?

Vol 7: we get to learn pawoo’s feelings of isolation FROM HER DIRECTLY and not through bisco’s interpretation of her thoughts. i want her to show that she is craving adventure and desperate to leave imihama.

it might even be good if at the beginning, pawoo and bisco have an argument that mirrors youkan/geppei where she gets angry at him for assuming what she wants.

End of vol 7: the trio runs away to live their best lives. both pawoo AND milo get married (unofficially because they all pissed off the government) to bisco? 😳😳

#sabikui bisco #sbkb summary series #<- for good measure ig since i keep putting all my meta there anyway

[cosmicjoke]

Short Stories Vol. 18 “Levi’s Signature”

This was a really fascinating and insightful little story!

There goes my headcanon about Levi having trouble with reading and writing, haha!  But I loved this, as it tells us a lot about Levi’s perfectionism when it comes to performance, whether that be at his job, or his personal habits like grooming, posture, speech, etc... 

Levi insists to Erwin and Hange that since they made him a Captain, and thus in charge of his own subordinates, he has to now perfect his presentation in order to facilitate the chain of command.  He says “Soldiers work as a group, right?  Won’t they not work if something seems unreliable about the people at the top, even something small?”  So we, along with Petra, find out that Levi thinks that in order to really gain people’s trust enough to have them listen to you, you have to present them with an image of reliability, and show that you take care in everything you do, down to the smallest habits, like handwriting.  Hange by contrast tells Levi that he shouldn’t worry about it, that he’ll have an aide to take care of all his paperwork for him anyway, but Levi insists on improving himself.

It shows that Levi doesn’t just expect his comrades respect, but feels like he has to earn it.  He also says to Hange that he “can’t underestimate anyone who’s been a soldier since they were a kid...”, which I interpret to mean that Levi feels like, since he came from an unconventional background, and didn’t receive the same training that everyone else had, he feels it’s doubly important for him to prove that they can rely on and trust him, that he might even fear that they’ll think of him as untrustworthy because of where he comes from, and worries how that could lead to things going wrong in the field.  I think this can also be seen by how he sort of snaps at Petra when she comments on how beautiful his handwriting is, and Levi says to her “Think I was illiterate because I came from the underground city?”  It’s always interesting to see these small insecurities in Levi, precisely because he’s so reliable and always goes above and beyond in his performance, always takes on the most responsibility and doesn’t let any doubt hinder his actions.  No doubt a lot of that can be traced back to Kenny and how he abandoned Levi, after Levi did all he could to prove himself worthy to him. 

We learn in this story that Levi works to improve himself constantly, hoping it helps his fellow soldiers to trust him.  And of course there’s tragedy in that; that Levi maybe feels deep down that, just as he is, he isn’t really worthy of anyone’s respect or trust.  This feeling in him is probably horribly compounded every time a soldier under his command dies.  I can’t imagine how deeply that must hurt him, and how he no doubt blames himself.   He wants his comrades to feel like they can rely on him, so every time one of them gets hurt or killed, I can imagine Levi too feels somehow like a fraud, like he’s fooled them into trusting him with their lives, when they shouldn’t have.  This is the curse of Levi’s great strength too.  He keeps living, while all those he cares about seem to die, despite him trying so hard to keep them alive.  It probably makes him feel like a failure, once again wondering why he has all this strength and still can’t seem to save anyone.  A cruel joke that he’s so strong, that he can’t seem to die, while all the soldiers around him get killed, his strength seeming to fail them.

I also really loved what Erwin said in this story about Levi “understanding the true nature of us such creatures” and “It’s true that Levi didn’t get the level of education of someone born in a regular town.  When it comes to street smarts like how to judge others, though, he’s far more knowledgeable than any of us.”  That speaks again to Levi’s emotional intelligence, and to his superior abilities to see into the hearts of people and what makes them tick.  We see Levi accurately judge Eren and Zeke early on, for example.  And it ties back into his perfectionism.  As Erwin states, Levi knows others will judge you based on your outward appearance.  I suppose there’s another heartbreaking aspect of that then, since Levi knows this, but remains socially incredibly awkward and unable to easily express himself because of how he grew up, and that no doubt also feeds into his feelings of inadequacy. 

#Levi Ackerman #attack on titan short stories #shingeki no kyojin

[fyodorloveclub]

Hewwo! Imma snag a match up if you don't mind. I am ok with my name (Quinn) being used. I'm 21 and I'm not in school however I do have a full time job. I work at an improvement store/ warehouse like job with forklifts and heavy objects. I work with power tools and outdoor stuff so I'm pretty knowledgeable in basic hardware and outdoorsy stuff. Im a rather tall gal with a bit of muscle especially in my thighs, arms and abs (I lift a lot of heavy stuff at my job.) I've got brown eyes and about shoulder length hair that's naturally brown but I have my ends bleached. I wear glasses and I have tattoos which I love showing off. My style is a mix of both boyish and girly; I can wear sweat pants, t shirts and my big ugly work boots one day and a skirt and cute heels and makeup the next. I'm very goofy and joke around all the time. Sarcasm is my language and I don't take anything seriously. I'm very sociable so i love talking to people and being around friends and such. I'm kinda a people pleaser which is both a good characteristic and a flaw. Even though I joke around and may not act serious sometimes, I treat everyone I can with respect and genuinely try to show I care for them. I'm also pretty adventurous. Its also kinda safe to say im pretty nerdy as well lol. I love to draw, write, read, and play video games. I love plants, anime, reptiles, and cats 🐈. I LOVE slasher/ scary movies, any of them are great to me. Not a whole lot I dislike tbh. Personally. I don't care if this is nsfw or sfw. I guess whatever you feel! I'm pretty ok with either. I'm not picky with any character whatsoever I love all bsd characters. Thank you if you do mine I will greatly appreciate it and cherish it forever 💗🥺

Quinn x Odasaku

✧ your perfect man is the one and only odasaku, congrats im not jealous at all

✧ you give off very laid back, go with the flow type vibes and i think you and oda would coexist so well

✧ he would SO be into your handiwork abilities and outdoorsiness, it definitely would be something the two of you could bond over

✧ a woman that can change a flat tire and fix a clogged sink? sexy as fuck.

✧ AND SHES TALL AND MUSCLY??? EVEN SEXIER

✧ even visually the two of you would fit so well

✧ he loves your sociable and goofy personality, and you often help him to come out of his shell since he tends to be a bit drawn back. he sometimes finds it a little intimidating to meet and talk to new people, but if you're there, he's laughing and joking with them like they've been friends for years

✧ he can also be pretty sarcastic and dry though, so your humors would mesh well

✧ oda would find you just as sexy in sweatpants and work boots as he would in a mini skirt or even lingerie

✧ this is potentially just me making this up but i see oda as a huge animal lover, and the two of you accidentally accumulating a small zoo over time. like it started out as just one cat and then another, and then you brought home a leopard gecko and when you asked for that bearded dragon he just couldn't say no. maybe throw some ball pythons in there too. except you'd have to be the one to feed the mice to the snakes, it would make him too sad

✧ oda is such a sweetheart and literally no matter what your hobbies or interests are, he so would entertain your every thought and listen to everything you had to say. whatever new anime or video game you wanted to rant about, he was right next to you with just the kindest, softest smile and genuine interest in his eyes.

✧ and he'd LOVE your art. like the meme drawings you post like the one of you trying to find the pool at the hotel he'd find that so fucking funny

✧ nsfw: oda just so seems the type to love body worship. sex that takes hours just because he loves every single part of you and your body and wants to take all the time in the world to kiss every inch of your skin and tell you you’re so fucking beautiful so many times the words start to lose meaning. he loves missionary with you just because he needs to see all of you laid out underneath him for him to stare at, needs to see your beautiful face contort and the way your body reacts to every thrust. and mf is really fucking good at giving head bc he wants to pull as many whines and whimpers of his name. he truly just WORSHIPS u goddamn!

✧ power couple. bc i said so

#matchups #queenquixotic #odasaku x reader #matchmaking

[doingproblematicmedia]

Velma Wrapup: On Adult Comedy

Hey fam. I know this is mad late, but let’s be honest, trying to write a wrapup on Velma was about as painful as watching it. Enjoy!

---

So speaking of HBO, I just watched Marc Maron’s From Bleak to Dark, which is one of the funniest standup routines I’ve seen in a long time.

It was also deeply dark and pretty disturbing in places.

I mean, he didn’t hold back. COVID? Auschwitz? Terminal illness? Abortion? Disinformation? Antisemitism? Suicide?

All there.

And it was funny as fuck.

-

I’m gonna keep coming back to Kurt Vonnegut here, because I think he got to the root of comedy: that all humor is based on fear. “Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning do to do afterward.”

From Bleak to Dark worked because of this fear. We’re exhausted. The state of the world doesn’t seem to be getting any better, and it’s just hard to navigate being human right now. How on earth can you make this material funny?

And the answer is: by reaching deep into the dark places of the soul, plucking the strings of our agonies and worst fears, and dragging them into the light. Saying: Hey, I’m human, you’re human, and here we are trapped in the mess of our humanity. I see you. Hi.

And we laugh.

Because what else are we gonna do about it?

As both Maron and Vonnegut remarked, the jokes in Auschwitz must’ve been amazing.

-

I stumbled on this essay by Matthew Morgan on the state of modern irony, and it stuck a chord:

One feature of the free mind is an ability to entertain contradictory ideas simultaneously; at its most refined, this is an appreciation of the ironic, which Schlegel showed is borne of contradiction. Albert Camus talked about the Absurd as the search for value in a valueless universe. Humans are both the only known creatures who comprehend the meaninglessness of the cosmos and the animals most insistent on discovering meaning, demonstrating that irony is at the heart of the human condition. To embrace irony is, therefore, to embrace life.

Irony, the essay points out, strikes at the contradictions of our messy lives. Vonnegut was a master of irony, using it in such a subtle way that it sailed over many peoples’ heads. In an interview with Playboy in 1973, he famously stated: 

You understand, of course, that everything I say is horseshit...But it’s a useful, comforting sort of horseshit, you see? That’s what I object to about preachers. They don’t say anything to make anybody any happier, when there are all these neat lies you can tell. And everything is a lie, because our brains are two-bit computers, and we can’t get very high-grade truths out of them. But as far as improving the human condition goes, our minds are certainly up to that. That’s what they were designed to do.

Vonnegut’s comforting lies contradict the inherent meaninglessness of life; they give us something to hold onto. Something to reach out with, to show us that we understand each other. That we all want and fear. That we can form community with this shared understanding. An understanding based in irony. In the contradictions of life.

What does all this have to do with Velma? Bear with me. I’m getting there.

- 

Morgan’s essay also gets at what I think is an issue with a lot of current comedy:

...social commentary has been lost amid the exponential growth of shock-value comedy, the inanity of which is exposed by its label: rather than using shock to change values, the vacuous comedy of something like Family Guy values only the shock. This kind of humour merely consolidates one’s place within the in-group of cynical cool kids by sniggering at increasingly “offensive” jokes, a sort of lack-of-virtue signalling.

...The reason that shows like Family Guy are so empty is that they want to mock everything (because that’s detached and cool) while refusing to show us anything (because that would be old-fashioned and ridiculous).

And here’s where we get to Velma.

-

High school is a weird time. Lots of teenage media would have us believe that high school is when we come into our own: amongst the parties and rebellion and teenage love and heartbreak, we are tested, and emerge from this crucible as a fully-formed person. Nothing could be further from the truth. High school is messy, ugly, and painful. It doesn’t look like what it does on the screen. The idea that ‘high school is the best years of your life’ is oft repeated, which in hindsight is horseshit. But maybe we believed that deep down, back when we were in high school, and were terrified that we were doing it wrong. 

And so many of us emerge from this with scars. 

There is a lot of adult media about high school kids! Because on some level, we’re all still trying to process this time of our lives. Putting it into art, stylizing it or flaying it open, helps us to do so. And for teens watching this media, hopefully we’re saying: it’s ok. This is messy ugly and painful, but you’re not alone.

I think Velma is trying to do this. Velma goes to some serious lengths to dig into this messy high school experience. It also pokes at how the media treats the high school experience, which is awesome in theory.

The problem is, it falls into a very high school sort of trap. The kind of trap that we were supposed to mature past. The kind of trap that a lot of shock comedy hasn’t matured past.

As Morgan says, it’s that Velma wants to mock high school media - because it’s detached and cool. I remember this being a thing in high school. In order to be cool, you had to be detached. You could never show real emotion or real hurt. Everything had to roll off like water on a duck’s back.

Because showing real vulnerability wasn’t cool. Cool was not caring. Cool was being able to hurt others, without showing any hurt yourself. Velma wants to skewer the idealized version of high school we see in media - but instead, it just becomes another high school bully.

And all the criticism that has been levelled at Velma? It’s rolled off. Like water on a duck’s back. HBO has renewed it for a second season. 

It’s like watching your high school bully get elected class president.

-

I’m not gonna dissect the content of Velma, because enough people have done that already. The piles of shitty jokes, the weird meta commentary, the moments that don’t work, the moments that hurt - it’s all been compiled, and I don’t want to beat a dead horse (I’m the horse in this metaphor. Because dealing with Velma is painful). 

But I do want to say, it’s an exquisite study on how comedy fails. Fails to reach out, fails to plunge deep into its audience and pull on its worst fears. Fails to make us seen, fails to find a shared humanity.

Doug Walker, who of all people is qualified to comment on bad comedy, probably said it best: 

[Velma has] this wall of protective bullshit that's stopping it from being really funny or really clever.

And that’s that. There’s a wall. Velma is not reaching an audience, because it physically cannot. 

Is it the writers’ own fears that built this wall? Fears of being mocked? Wanting to be detached and cool? 

Because to make real connections, we run the risk of being hurt. Being hurt is a part of life. And the best comedy overcomes this. Says ‘Hi. I know you’re hurting. So am I. Can we make this less painful together?’ 

If Velma is to be believed, we cannot. All we can do is carry on hurting each other, with no connection or relief in sight. 

But as good comics have shown, we can ease the pain with shared laughter.

#doing velma #velma wrapup #legit I am so sorry this is mad late #I never wanna think about this show again tbh

[jeanjauthor]

My favorite line from an anime...

“Ideals without power is just a joke.  And power without ideals is empty!”

~Rimuru Tempest, That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime, season 2, part 2, episode 3.

Been rewatching this series (or at least parts of season 2), and this is still to this date my favorite line ever from an anime.

Rimuru does come across as a bit idealistic, yes, but he’s also consistently realistic at the same time.  He sets goals, and looks for ways to achieve them.  If it’s not possible, he shifts his goals a little bit, and gets close to what he wants to achieve.  He lays plans not just for the moment or the near future, but for a far-distant point in time.  And he shapes those plans with the idealistic view of what kind of life he wants.

In this particular scene, he has become a demon lord for reasons, and is being challenged by an envoy from an outside major power.  Rimuru is asked, “What do you intend to do with your powers as a demon lord?”

(For context, in this world, demon lords are WAAAAY powerful and are feared because of this. They can easily rule over nations, or even obliterate nations, all depending upon a whim.  However, Rimuru is an isekai’d Japanese salaryman who died while trying to save a coworker from a random attacker and gets reincarnated as a slime in a world full of magic (hence the series title, duh). So asking this question of the newly elevated Rimuru, who is in charge of a nation of very powerful monsters (non-humans) is a very pertinent question.)

Rimuru’s full reply is based upon his own personal beliefs, which have been consistent throughout the series:

“The answer is pretty simple:  I want to create a world that’s comfortable to live in, one that I can enjoy being a part of.  A prosperous world, where as many people as possible can always be smiling.”

The envoy then says (scoffingly), “And you believe you can create a world like that? Can you really bring such a thing to fruition?”

At that point, Rimuru shrugs and smiles and replies,  “That’s what it means to have power.  Ideals without power are just a joke. And power without ideals is empty!”

...This, writers, is where you can elevate your protagonists beyond just being “smash the bad guys” or whatever the heroic premise of your story might be.  Lawful Good isn’t Lawful (Idealistically) Stupid.  Your characters can be realists while still holding onto ideals.  (Slight side note, the anime How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom is equally fantastic for its own reasons.  Even if its protagonist is far more pragmatic than Rimuru is in this series, he is still trying to seek out ways to improve the lives of that kingdom’s citizens, aka being realistic while still aiming for ideals.)

The Power Of Friendship™ is great and all, but if you don’t have plans, and the ability to carry them out, the odds of reaching your idealistic goals aren’t ever going to be all tht good.  That’s the power that Rimuru is talking about.  Not just the personal destructive power of a demon lord in this particular world, but the power of statesmanship, as the ruler of a nation of people (monsters, but still people), who are fully willing to back his efforts as they follow him to his goals.

Power without ideals is empty, because it basically just has you rampaging in chaotic ways that accomplish nothing but destruction.  (Even if destruction is your goal, it’s not a very efficient way to go about it!  Thankfully, we’re talking about an heroic protagonist, so Rimuru’s not going to do destruction stuff unless it’s a part of their path toward achieving their much more idealistic goals.)

Ideals without power are a joke, because if you cannot reach them, then they’ll never come into existence.  (They’re about as useful as “thoughts & prayers” are...except in this case, lawmakers could use their power to change things here in America, but won’t.  Bastards.)

Anyway, those two statements are an awesome point that the series creator makes.  Writers, if you give your characters power (political, magical, whatever-al), make sure they have good ideals and reasonably ways to achieve them.  We have enough real-world horror stories of power wielded utterly without any concerns for certain segments of our populations.

Try to build a world for your readers where as many people as possible can smile and live in comfortable surroundings, even if you have to start from a situation that doesn’t have that, and show some of the painstaking, long-term-goal steps that are required to get from a world of awfulness to a world of awesomeness.

You have that power, as a writer.  Try to have some ideals as your & your characters’ goals & guiding lights.

#If you don't want spoilers for That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime #mild spoilers #The series has been available for some time now anyway

[stigmatvm]

THE WHOLE HORROR ASK THING FOR IBARA PLS AND THANKS, GO NUTS

Dracula: 

has your muse ever felt tied to something, unable to get away? ( a person / relationship, a fate, a place, ect. )  how did they break that tie, or do they still feel tied to it? 

Ibara Shiozaki was born with a silver line connecting her to every peculiar and gruesome event in his life and he marches along that line like a soldier going to fucking war (joke)

In all seriousness, though, there's a lot that Ibara would be hesitant to admit feeling trapped by, even if it's been a large impact on his life. For starters, having compulsions makes life pretty difficult to navigate sometimes. They bring relief to do, but she's aware of how odd they appear to other people (and trying to explain that he just has to do them to prevent consequences no one else believes in), or how they can make her late, or cause him to avoid doing things that need to be done or even that she just wants to do.

Another thing Ibara hasn't let go of is her time at middle school. He refuses to acknowledge or think about what happened in those years, so she can't fully accept it and start to move on. Feeling resentment and anger feels like a personal failing to her, so he avoids it altogether, which just makes those things worse in the long run. Eventually those things build up, her fuse gets shorter, and something happens-- and the cycle starts all over again.

Fate isn't so much a big deal to Ibara-- she believes in some sort of predestination, but moreso that god has accounted for the choices people make, and if he didn't intervene, it was meant to happen. Life and death are two sides of the same coin, so she's not really all that scared of it, and is willing to try and power through most things with the confidence of someone who believes he is in the right and is destined to win.

The Mummy:

what is something your muse has lost and desperately wants to get back? what would they be willing to do to achieve this? 

I think, subconsciously, Ibara knows that a lot of her confidence from when he was a kid isn't really there anymore, and that it's been replaced with clinging to "it's how it is" or carrogance. When he's good at something, it's unwavering, perfect, and absolute in its correctness regardless of what people say, because she thinks she's good at it and doesn't want to lose that sense of pride. But when he's bad at something, she doesn't really see the ability to improve, and so just tries to say that's how it is and how he is, even if it's a simple skill that needs to be honed. Being able to listen when people say she's wrong or have faith he isn't doomed to fail something is a matter of confidence, and no amount of pride or ignoring it will make that go away.

Frankenstein:

if your muse had to choose, what three traits describe them the most? who taught them these traits, and who do they think had the most influence in making them who they are? 

Honest, pious, and strong. Ibara attributes to learning these things from her father, and it's true. Kanabo's a good man, and while Ibara may have blown some of the ethical lessons out of proportion due to her perception of things, fundamentally he's trying to live up to the example of her father, even if he knows that his love is unconditional. A lot of the family traditions mean a lot to her, and he misses him a lot while at U.A.

The Wolf Man:

has your muse ever made a mistake that had lasting repercussions? what was it / were they? do they still regret their actions, or have they moved on? 

Ibara has been involved in one fist fight in his entire life.

Private school did offer one friend in the grand scheme of things; one Shishida Jurota, who was rather shy and withdrawn in their younger years. This opened him up to teasing, and...well, Ibara can't stand a bully.

Chairs were thrown. Parents were called. She's ashamed of the outburst, even if it was for a good reason. The consequences weren't huge, but still... you remember when you bust up another kid's face and you're really not that type of person.

The Invisible Man:

does your muse feel unseen by the people around them? do they find it difficult to make others take notice of them? how does being ignored / unnoticed make them feel?

Ibara, actually, doesn't really have this issue. He's kind of a space cadet in day-to-day life, and so doesn't really clock the reactions of people around her. Whether or not someone is talking directly to him is irrelevant: if Ibara has something to say, she'll say it, even if it makes no fucking sense.

He doesn't really clock being ignored on purpose either, because Ibara goes into everything hoping to give other people the best reading possible. If someone doesn't say they're ignoring him, she'll just assume they're shy. The dots aren't really connected.

The Phantom of the Opera:

what aspect of your muse do they think is hardest for people to accept? do they try to keep it secret / are they afraid of being ostracized if it’s found out?

She has a lot of feelings about his quirk. It's hard to put into words, but she thinks that on some fundamental level, the thorns represent who he is, and, ergo, that other people are right in keeping an arm's length. Ibara doesn't really keep secrets-- but has a deep fear that somehow, some way, she's been lying to people without realizing it, a paranoia that pushes a lot of his more intense reactions to things.

Creature from the Black Lagoon:

has your muse ever discovered / seen something unusual? did they try to tell anyone about it? how did others respond? 

Ibara's sensory perception is in a league beyond that of a normal person's, and the way it's interpreted is odd, because it's put through the input-output machine that appears to turn everything Ibara sees into some kind of religious metaphor. With his father and Class 1-B, Ibara is pretty open about saying what's going on, although a lot of people assume it's just her being quirky because she always talks like that. This has been somewhat of a barrier to getting help for emotional and/or psychiatric issues, because he really does just talk like that.

If Ibara says angels have spoken of rain, you should pick up an umbrella. Plants can detect changes in the air pressure, you know.

#A LOST LAMB DESCENDS FROM ABOVE++ ;IBARA HC