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tossawary · 10 months

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Needing something to play in the background during the day, I have started watching Transformers G1 and have now finished the first season. It is very funny to visit the original after getting most of my information through Fandom Osmosis and passing acquaintanceship with more recent Transformers media. I decided to start at the beginning (terrible decision, I know, I will not be changing it) because I have like 40+ hours per week that need background sound and I like studying adaptational choices over time, so I intend to progress through a bunch of Transformers shows in chronological order.

It's kind of like Star Trek: TOS (Star Trek is better) in that I find parts of it very charming, there are plenty of aspects that are even compelling in their potential, but it's also... bad. A lot of it is Very Bad, sometimes in a very funny way and sometimes in a way that is just Not Good and even Problematic. I cannot possibly recommend it.

The animation quality is understandably very low due to the context of its creation (television show from the 80s made to sell toys). I like a few of the Cybertron background paintings, but it still takes me a second to tell a lot of the characters apart, partially because there is a revolving door for supporting characters. The writing quality is even worse. The physics is all over the place. The powers and abilities are completely arbitrary. None of the science works. No one can decide what body parts the Cybertronians actually have. There is way more mind control in this show than I ever expected there to be. This is apparently an alternate universe where the Earth has various types of energy crystals. The Idiot Ball trope is flying all over the place like dodgeballs and the characters are repeatedly hitting themselves with it constantly. Some of the accents are quite silly, yeah, but it still doesn't justify how some people type them out in fanfiction.

And yet I am still mildly entertained, probably because I am already partial to both animation and space opera with robots. And I recognize enough of the characters to find these early versions of them very funny. And some parts of this extended toy commercial were very clearly Done With Love.

Megatron and Starscream are like two halves of a whole idiot. The Decepticons are incapable of not betraying each other for more than a few episodes. Except for Soundwave, who is the MVP of the Decepticons, and yet also does nothing to stop any of the drama. Both sides can just Make New Guys at any time apparently and the Dinobots should unionize. I think Optimus Prime essentially "ok boomer"ed Megatron in the second episode and it was justified. I can't believe that Shockwave didn't just straight up stage a coup or otherwise move on in 4 million years, like, man, DUMP HIS ASS already. Bumblebee has apparently always been Very Smol and Just A Little Guy. Because this is a kids show, all these giant robots are constantly calling the Mortal Enemies They Want Dead "dweebs" and "nerds" and "twerps" and it's Very Funny. And I'm just going to assume that Sparkplug is a nickname and not an adult human man's legal name.

Also, I know the reason that the human kids are in the show is so that the show can go, "Look! This could be you! Being friends with all your favorite giant robots!" But it very much comes off as the Autobots having no real context for Spike's age or squishiness, probably because their own newborns are already able to fight. And Carly's introduction involving renting scuba gear and breaking into the Decepticon base makes her look (and I mean this with bewildered affection) fucking nuts, girl.

#tossawary transformers #tf g1 #optimus prime #megatron #starscream #soundwave #bumblebee #carly witwicky #shockwave #grimlock #spike witwicky

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this-is-krikkit · 4 months

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Hey Sunshine 💕

You can't imagine how sorry I am that you lost all these gems you wrote 😭 Fate as deprived us of so many amazing Levihan fics & kisses 🥺 I really hope there's a way to get them back 🤞🍀

Seeing the last prompt list you reblogged (soft fic) I couldn't resist requesting 26 Pyjamas for Levihan or Erurihan because of the headcanons we talked about the other day based on this beautiful fanart 😉

I hope writing something new will cheer you up a bit!

Sending love & hugs 💕🫂

hey Val ♥️ as you know, i did get my wips back!! your good luck wishes seem to have worked haha

thank you for sending me one of these soft prompts. inspiration took a while to come for this one, but then i stumbled upon this post:

and i knew i had your fic. hope you enjoy! ♥️

The Momentum Principle (read on ao3)

Words: 2566 Fandom: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Levi Ackerman & Hange Zoë, Levi Ackerman/Hange Zoë, Levi Ackerman & Nanaba & Erwin Smith & Mike Zacharias & Hange Zoë Characters: Hange Zoë, Levi Ackerman, Erwin Smith, Mike Zacharias, Nanaba (Shingeki no Kyojin) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - College/University, Best Friends, Unrequited Crush, Canon Non-Binary Character, They/Them Pronouns for Hange Zoë, SNK Veterans - Freeform, and they were ROOMMATES, (oh my god they were roommates), no beta we die like that vine ref SIKE IT'LL NEVER DIE, pretentious titling because that's how i roll

Summary: Studies show that staying awake for over twenty-four hours has similar effects on the human brain as having a bloodstream concentration of alcohol way over legal limits. Biology major Hange Zoë is aware of that fact. Sadly, they’re also aware that there are finals to pass, and not enough hours in a day to study for them.

Hange frowned at the page before their eyes and clicked the table lamp off and back on, ignoring the annoyed stares the repeated and ineffective gesture got them from the students around –served them all right anyway, they mused, when they’d all been regularly stealing Hange glances they didn’t even bother to try and make discreet all morning. But something other than being ogled at like a circus freak was making it hard to decipher the words in front of them, though they couldn’t put their finger on what exactly. The world around them had been seeming especially bleak lately and even more so today, which wasn’t unusual during the intense studying marathons they famously put themself through with finals drawing near, but they couldn’t recall a time where it had actually impacted their already damaged eyesight; and the persistent, pulsing ache tracing along their temples sure wasn’t helping.

The most rational part of their brain offered stress and weariness as culprits, and Hange had to admit they couldn’t easily dismiss either of those. The cramming schedule they’d been imposing on themself may have gotten a little out of hand in the last couple of weeks, so much so Hange couldn’t even remember the last time they’d set foot in the living room to share homemade dinners or play board games with their four roommates like they usually would during cold winter evenings. They hadn’t even partook in early morning idle chitchat or occasional evening drinks on their way home from the campus library, not when they’d been consistently arriving right on opening time –they’d been pulling all nighters more often than not, anyway, and felt too restless to stay home and wait for the others to get ready– and had become the last student to leave it at night.

Hange closed their eyes for a minute as they let their head fall forward, rolling their neck and shoulders and relishing in the satisfying crack their muscles and tendons sighed out at the stretch. If only their brain could gain knowledge through osmosis via that simple contact between their forehead and over-highlighted textbook; if information were to be solutes, then, considering how little they’d efficiently memorized lately, it would flow right inside their lowly concentrated head without a doubt. They smiled at that absurd reflection, giddy with the realization that hey, they’d apparently managed to remember some things from those hellish Introduction to Fluid Mechanics lectures.

That unexpected sense of comfort was short lived, however, when they were hit with a wave of the increasingly familiar nausea their self inflicted sleep deprivation never failed to bring. Hange opened their eyes to fight the dizziness and took deep breathes in and out, silently counting up the right inhale to exhale ratio –simultaneously urging their body to hold up for a little while longer.

Two weeks, they pleaded. Just two more weeks and I can take a break.

Seven long sleepless days and nights of tensed cramming, followed by a week of nerve-wracking and hopefully mostly accurate square ticking in reply to more often than not purposefully confusingly phrased questions, and then they’d be free to hang out with their friends and be a, well, not exactly normal, but close to normal young adult again.

But the thought saddened more than it motivated them, and they had to consciously stop themself from looking around to see if they could spot any of the three blondes they’d come to think of as family. Erwin, Nanaba and Mike all had similar exams to take soon and the spacious library had filled in by whatever time it was now, so they would no doubt be within these four walls. Sundays usually involved morning revising, followed by strictlynon-academic plans everyone would have previously agreed onfor their common weekly afternoon off.

Hange winced at the pang of loneliness they felt when they realized they actually had no idea what their closest friends would be up to later. It only got worse when they remembered that Levi, who they’d been trying not to focus any thoughts on as those were proving more and more distracting these past few months, hadn’t tried to coax them into coming along this weekend like he’d done since they’d started studying more intensely. Hange had noticed Erwin’s surprised glances and Mike and Nanaba’s barely disguised teasing laughs when he’d started doing it, and they couldn’t really blame any of them –after all, that initiative from Levi had been a drastic switch from their previously established social roles.

Lost in memories of Levi’s techniques to get them to go out, which had mostly consisted of an association of almost threats and intense glaring until they would caved –which they hadn’t, amazingly– it took them a minute to notice the hand upon their right shoulder.

“Get up,” a familiar voice whispered up close, startling them.

Shit. Think of the devil.

Levi had also been pestering them about taking an actual break, on top of the Sunday festivities they’d been avoiding, but up until now their shared roommates had acted as enough of a buffer that Hange had been able to pretend they hadn’t noticed his nagging messages in the groupchat or pointed stares near the laundry machine.

“I’m fine right here,” they said cheerfully, pretending to focus on their textbook again and turning the page they’d been staring for a while without managing to actually read a word of it.

They weren’t sure they could get up, really, not without betraying their exhausted state to their closest friend and having to admit just how shitty they’d been at taking care of themself lately.

They swallowed back a shocked yelp as hands seized them up and pulled them to their feet anyway, and they caught themself on the table at the last moment to prevent the inevitable fall that would await them if they really were to put all their weight on their knees right now.

“What are you doing?” they asked through gritted teeth, unable to glare back at him as the head rush made dark spots dance in front of their eyes. “Let me go, I need to study.”

Levi wordlessly –and annoyingly easily– tore them away from their spot, half carrying them until they were both standing in front of one of the nearby arch windows. Hange muffled their protesting squeals out of some remnant of respect for the nosy judgmental students around, even though they knew Levi’s powerful glaring would probably prevent any of them from protesting at the noise of their struggling in the otherwise religiously quiet space.

And then they looked up and caught sight of their reflection.

And shamefully realized they could have given their curious peers the benefit of the doubt and hypothesized there might have been a valid reason behind all the curious looks they’d been getting all morning.

Hange was wearing their long sleeved purple octopus pajama top, the buttons ridiculously mismatched, with unmatched green cat-patterned pajamas bottoms –that they realized with a quiet gasp were probably Levi’s and not theirs, now that they were noticing the pants ended well above their ankles. There wasn’t one but two hair ties failing to hold their greasy matted hair up and away from their face, and their goggle-shaped sunglasses were hanging crooked on their nose with the rubber band twisted on both their temples –which finally explained part of their lingering headache, and why it was so challenging to read.

“What you need is to go home, Four Eyes.”

Tears sprung to their eyes before they could stop them, and for a minute they only stared at their shiny mirror image in quiet puzzlement. These weren’t tears of shame even if, as used as they were to being unconventional and to other people’s reaction to their self expression, this accidental pajama-in-public incident was definitely an all time new low for them. Exhaustion could have played a role, and the dark circles under their eyes as well as their paler than ever complexion easily spelled it out for them.

But mostly, Hange felt guilty. Levi had tried to mask it, but his voice had wavered over his own nickname for them, like he felt pained at seeing them in this state, and he couldn’t quite meet their eyes when that was his main tool to get anyone to comply to his requests.

“I don’t think I can,” they replied honestly.

His now openly worried gaze finally met theirs in the glass in front of them and he frowned, opening his mouth to object.

But Hange shook their head slowly in defeat.

They weren’t arguing with him, they were simply stating a truth.

They knew they must have taken the bus to get here, but they honestly couldn’t remember any part of the journey –hell, they couldn’t even remember putting shoes on, although they were glad they’d thought of that at least. They didn’t think they had a key to the apartment on them, as they usually resided in the deep pocket of the wool coat they’d forgotten to put on even before going out in this freezing winter weather. And practical issues asides, they didn’t actually trust themself to actually make it home in one piece right now, not even in the middle of a bright busy morning in the city and to their place that really wasn’t that far off campus.

Levi narrowed his eyes at them before nodding once, sharp.

“Wait outside. I’ll meet you in five.”

But Hange stood there, equally confused and chagrined at his statement. Was he going to go home with them? No, that wouldn’t do.

Levi had his own finals to study for, Hange couldn’t impose on him like that because they’d been stupid enough to push themself past their limit. They would simply have to endure a couple more hours of trying not to pass out at their seat until noon came around and all of their roommates went home anyway, to tag along without disrupting anyone’s schedule in the process.

Levi’s hands squeezed at their shoulders firmly, and his stare hardened in the window as if he could hear them reaching that conclusion.

Then he let go but didn’t move too far, seemingly unsure if Hange could actually stand by themself.

They rolled their eyes fondly, and –precociously– turned around, sporting what they hoped looked like a gentle smile and not a maniac grin –Levi’s expression remained stubbornly set, so they couldn’t tell either way– before moving carefully towards the door. They tried their hardest not to stumble on the way, and coughed to mask their giggling when they failed and almost tripped on their own feet.

Levi met them at the back exit of the building with their backpack and his own stuff shortly, and Hange didn’t bother trying to hide that they’d nearly fallen asleep on the stairs in the few minutes they’d been apart.

He frowned as they yawned without putting their hands to their mouth, but uncharacteristically didn’t comment on it as he grabbed their elbow to direct them towards an unknown car a few feet away.

They dug their heels in the sidewalk when they realized he’d ordered a paying ride for them.

“Wait, Levi, there’s no need for that. The bus–

“Won’t be here for another twenty minutes,” he interrupted. “You’re not passing out in the streets again, not under my watch.”

They recognized his clipped tone as the one that didn’t suffer any kind of discussion, even as he mentioned that party a month ago. Hange sighed inwardly, but followed his steps –they were way too tired to fight him anymore.

“What, like you’d get worried?” they still teased –they were exhausted, not dead. No way in hell would they miss an occasion to needle their favorite neat freak.

Levi snorted, and had Hange been less asleep on their feet, they’d have felt proud that they’d managed to get that sound out of him.

“I’d worry about my back, for one. I don’t want to know what carrying your unconscious ass home twice would do to it.”

“Hey, not fair!” They whined in protest, missing their target completely when they tried to playfully slap his arm. “I was at least ten pounds heavier then! And besides, Mike did most of the carrying, didn’t he?”

Hange couldn’t remember much from that night, but the rumor –in the form of Erwin and Nanaba’s recollection of the evening as they’d told it to them the following day, anyway– had Levi so worried about them passing out drunk he’d been too restlessly anxious to carry them himself, and had instead covered them in all of their friends’ coats, shoving their unconscious body in Mike’s strong arms, and then proceeding to walk beside him to closely monitor their breathing and that they wouldn’t choke on their own tongue or surprise vomit.

Hange only recalled waking up propped against multiple pillows with a pounding head and a grumpy –well, grumpier than usual– and sleep-deprived Levi who had shoved a glass of water in their shaky hand and scolded them about their alcohol consumption for the next half hour or so. It had then taken them drinking and keeping down a whole liter of diverse hydrating fluids before he’d finally left them alone to go and nurse his own hangover, and it was only after he’d left that Hange had noticed the newfound tidiness of their room and how the purple fatboy that would normally lay forgotten in a corner of the room –and under a pile of questioningly clean clothes and textbooks– had been pushed right next to their bed with a possibly Levi-shaped indentation in it.

Levi didn’t answer their rhetorical question, instead stopping in his tracks and giving them a clinical once over.

“What?” they prompted, barely resisting the urge to cross their arms to hide themself from his examination.

“Nothing,” he replied quickly, averting his eyes and opening the car door for them.

He muttered something under his breath still, and Hange’s ears caught a few words that sounded suspiciously like end up disappearing if you keep this up.

He greeted the driver and confirmed his identity as Hange plopped down with a relieved groan, and didn’t miss the concerned look Levi shot them as he sat next to them. His hand slid down from where it was still gripping their elbow to rest gently on their forearm as the car started, and they could swear he gave it a small, awkward but infinitely soft couple of comforting pats.

Hange boldly took advantage of this atypically lengthy physical contact, and moved so they could slide their hands together almost nonchalantly –almost, because they nearly faltered when Levi’s neck snapped to stare at their fingers in awe.

Hange smiled as naturally as they could to try and ease the shock from his features.

“I’ll pay you back for the ride,” they promised, squeezing his hand once.

They let him go after that. It wouldn’t do for their most introverted friend who was making sure they were getting safely home to get a brain aneurysm from their unexpected and possibly unwanted touches, after all.

“Tch. You better,” he grunted, moving his hand back to his lap immediately.

They couldn’t help but smile again when they took note that his tone wasn’t nearly as biting as they knew it could be.

#levihan fanfiction #levihan #shingeki no kyojin #attack on titan #aot fanfiction #snk fanfiction #aot #hange zoë #snk #levi ackerman #snk veterans #my stuff #asks #mutuals #mutuals asks #youre ackermine #don't steal the stupid divider i made it mmkay pls and thx #this will probs have a 2nd chapter bc i'm.. in love with them.#a title that's NOT lyrics!!!! omg who even am i??

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selenedistress · 6 months

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I'm not a My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fan. Which is to say, I never bothered with it and never cared for it one way or the other.

But half of my friend group are horse show fans and I have absorbed so much about the show through osmosis, fanfic readings and select watch-togethers, that I have this weird, warped, allegory-of-the-cave-esque view of the show that I honestly really vibe with.

The Pinkie Pie I know has been reflected through so many mirrors and passed through so many filters that she has transformed into something completely new, yet recognisably Pinkie.

I know not what Applejack struggles with in the day-to-day, because none of the scarce material I have consumed, canon and not, talk of her inner world.

Rainbow Dash's voice is both the excitable, bold and throaty voice of her show voice actor, and the equally excitable but simple-minded affectation of her Rainbow Dash Presents version.

I love Rarity with all my heart, but is she the real Rarity? Or simply her idea? An equine Dulcinea? Nevertheless, I've been trying to train my Rarity impression. It's like posh, but also fun?

I don't have much to say about Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy, but I am certain I will as time goes by. I will consume fragments of many different Twilights Sparkle and Flutters Shy until I have a complete image of them in my head. Not unlike that scene in The Truman Show (1998) where Truman collects magazines to create a collage of the portrait of the woman who changed his life.

So am I a fan of the horse show after all? I can't in good conscience claim that. That would be stealing valour from the people who care beyond the superficial aspects and engaged deeply with the material. But I'm happy to cheer along, like the kid being brought to a football match by their parents. Except I care a vast amount less about football than I care about MLP. I could get through the MLP movie (it has neat songs). I could never get through a football match. Alas.

I do unironically love Vylet Pony though, like, oh my god have you listened to Carousel? that shit is fucking tight. It slaps, it slaps me wholly and utterly. I've been listening and relistening to it for three days now. The album is a journey, you HAVE to listen to it.

#mlp fim #horse show #stray thoughts #ponies #pinkie pie #applejack #rainbow dash #rarity #twilight sparkle #fluttershy #my little pony #alas #music taste #vylet pony #carousel

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juminies · 3 months

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Jumin with autistic mc. Thats all.

I agree. not that I am at all biased 🩷 I have talked about it some before but it could be really lovely for both parties.

I think it would be strangely good for Jumin in terms of self discovery. he would do lots of research. ask lots of questions. find out more about himself in the process.

when he learns more about your specific needs he'd be very accommodating, making sure to check in when he senses things might be getting too overwhelming for you. he knows what it's like. then when he realises how comfortable he can feel around you when you accommodate for him in return without judgement or confusion? when you not only accept but know the way that he thinks and don't look down on him because of it? when he discovers that the two of you understand and navigate the world in a very similar way? it could really be a big thing for him. from childhood Jumin was made to feel like there was something fundamentally wrong with him, even by his own mother, and I think in being with someone autistic he would learn to be more attentive to his own needs too. it's not that he can't cope otherwise, but when you're there with him—for him—he feels more as though it's okay to escape for a while.

he would also absolutely indulge you in things related to your special interest(s) often. trips, gifts, even just being genuinely curious and wanting to find out about it from you. he loves knowledge and learning so he would adore having you teach him about something you're passionate about, even in passing. you'd learn about his special interests in return too, of course. after being with him for a while you end up surprisingly well versed in wines purely through osmosis of listening to him talk about them.

I also think you would be likely to naturally mesh well in terms of communication style (and humour) longer term. it would be beneficial for both of you to have each other favour directness and specifics, and allow space to discuss and negotiate openly from the beginning. Jumin would be very appreciative of that. he'd also definitely appreciate having someone around who is meticulous and cares for rules, structure, and planning in a similar way that he does. it means less unexpected changes that throw off his schedule and subsequently his mood. settling into a steady routine that both him and the person he loves most in the world value would bring him a lot of peace of mind.

of course not everything would be perfect all the time, but I find that there is often a level of understanding and straightforwardness between autistic people that can make things a lot easier to navigate, and it would be very sweet for Jumin to have that for the first time, especially in the person dearest to him :-)

#anon said that's all and I said well actually #let me project and be idealistic for a sec #that's what juminies.tumblr.com is all about 😌#mystic messenger #jumin han

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fragmentofmemories · 18 days

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how did you get into touhou/how much of the series have you played ? i haven't played any but ive looked at the wikipedia page for it and know its a Whole Thing; just wondering since you post about it too !

Oh, there is a bit more history to this one.

Now Touhou I've known since like, 2009 or so and purely through osmosis (and memes, and walfas. I could talk about how walfas broke the Hispanic Youtube community at some point).

I knew people who were into it, and I remember myself attempting to play EoSD/TH6 back then. Although I didn't get very far (if at all, I think the game crashed at some point. Being 8-9 years old and not knowing how to patch the games didn't help either).

I kept hearing about Touhou as the years went by, but it really wasn't until 2022 that I got around actually playing the games.

Can't say I remember exactly why I revisited the series, only that it most likely was somewhere in the lines of "I want to get into Danmaku games/I need something short to pass the time in college/Yuuka".

I did start with the PC-98 games first. And despite their simplicity in both gameplay and story, there's still a lot I like about them. Lotus Land Story/TH4 is currently my favorite, with Subterranean Animism/TH11 following after.

As for how many games I've played, I'd say up until Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom/TH15. This includes most spinoffs up to that point (except Impossible Spell Card/TH14.3 which I haven't beat yet).

Although, for writing reasons I did read the Forbidden Scrollery manga + part of TH18's script.

You could argue Touhou is my "main" community rn. It's what I'm focusing the most at the moment, both drawing and writing-wise. And I think it'll remain like that for a while. This side of the community is pretty nice.

#funny how touhou and eo overlap huh.#honestly i'm shocked i didn't see the FOE video first #touhou #thanks for the ask!

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thefreakandthehair · 2 years

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lex. 💫 she/her. bisexual disaster. new englander. fanfic writer. please ask me about sports au's.

nav. ⚡️ ao3. / wips / blurbs / podfics / writing ramblings / writing inspo tag / lex lore etc. / eddie month prompts / so much (for) stardust series

seasonal challenges admin✨ lex's seasonal fanworks challenge masterposts

if you enjoy something, please consider reblogging to support writers and share their work!

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Steve dreams of the Upside Down long after it's been closed-- particularly as it relates to Eddie. (Perhaps it's not so closed after all.)

Simple Twist of Fate. 3.3k. (oneshot)

“Please remind me, who thought this was a good fucking idea again?” Eddie’s voice rings out into the kitchen where he, Steve, Robin, and Nancy are barricaded, barely audible over the chaos in Steve’s living room. Steve runs a hand down his face before returning it to match his other hand on his hips. The Mom Pose, as it’s been coined.

“To be fair, I never said it was a good idea. I was manipulated and tricked, okay? Have you met Dustin?”

And If I Get Burned, At Least We Were Electrified. 9.2k. (oneshot)

“Aha! This’ll sell it a little better. A staple in your wardrobe, right?” Eddie blinks and Steve is holding Eddie’s black bandana.

Yep, gonna die tonight. This is how I’m gonna die. Way better than the bats, I’ll give you that, God, he thinks. Aloud, he just swallows thickly and laughs. “You pay attention, Harrington!”

or, Eddie Munson convinces Steve Harrington to dress as each other for his Halloween party.

Counting Stars (When I Look In Your Eyes). 6.3k. (oneshot)

Steve’s shivering. Or maybe he’s trembling, he truthfully isn’t entirely sure himself, but the bag in his hands as they sit on the hood of Eddie’s van for a better view is rustling from the movement. He tries not to consider Eddie reacting poorly, thinking that he’s trying to take this memory he’d shared with him weeks ago and make it their own because he’s not. He wants Eddie to have something tangible of a memory he otherwise can’t hold, that’s all.

He’s also in love with Eddie, but that’s a separate thought.

It’s A Battlecry, It’s A Symphony: 2.2k. (oneshot)

A modern college!AU in which— oh my God, they're roommates!

Over The Hills And Far Away. 84.2k (17/17chapters)

Shortly after defeating Vecna, Eddie Munson and Steve Harrington have come together only to fall apart. Eddie, chasing freedom and fleeing a broken heart, follows the winds to a tattoo apprenticeship in Chicago and later opens his own shop in Indianapolis. Steve, on the other hand, stays put in Hawkins where he can feel his bones creaking under the weight of his regrets and the life he isn’t living. At the turn of the ‘90s, Robin and Steve take a trip down to Indianapolis where a spontaneous decision turns things upside down for both men, forcing them to confront some old demons. Steve and Eddie are then faced with the idea that maybe, just maybe, there’s a place for them in each other’s lives after all.

-> outtake: why are you tattooing an orange? (2.2k, oneshot) And I'd Drive All Night Just To Get Back Home, 4.1k (oneshot)

It’s surprising, Eddie thinks as he silently drops his hands into Steve’s, just how easy this is— how simple it could be if he wasn’t so terrified of his decidedly Not Platonic feelings for the man kneeling in front of him, holding his hands and gently rubbing his thumbs across Eddie’s knuckles. Steve’s hands are warm if just a little calloused where scar tissue has developed, and they stabilize Eddie enough to open his eyes. Christ, he’s so pretty.

Meeting You Was Coming Home. 7.8k (oneshot)

The one in which Steve finds, loses, and somehow finds again the love of his life.

Stars And Satellites (Will Always Bring Me Home). 1.5k. (oneshot)

Eddie hates his birthday and Steve gives him a reason not to.

what you feel is what you are (and what you are is beautiful). 5.3k. (oneshot)

Steve Harrington finally enjoys a birthday and hopes for a little more than a fun night of drinking games with his friends.

Gilded Tombs Do Enfold. 1.3k. (oneshot)

Eddie realizes life is precious, all the way down to the lives of worms.

One Ring To Rule Them All. 2.5k. (oneshot)

Steve wears Eddie's rings while he recovers and has some realizations.

Scar-Crossed Lovers. 3.5k (oneshot)

Eddie's van is left to rot in the woods and Eddie finds himself bound to it. As years pass, Steve never stops visiting.

Make No Plans And None Can Be Broken. 6.8k. (oneshot)

5 Times Steve Harrington Makes No Plans + One Time He Does.

the answers are all inside of this. (15.2k. 3/3 chapters)

Eddie Munson shirks convention to become a wildlife rehabilitation expert. When Steve Harrington takes his kindergarten class on a field trip to the Indiana Wildlife Conservatory, he gets a little more than just a lesson on bats and fingerpainting.

why are you tattooing an orange? (2.2k, oneshot)

The origin story of Steve's notes in Over The Hills and Far Away and Eddie's first tattoo machine.

ice is made to melt (so is my heart). (1.5k. oneshot)

Eddie Munson loves hockey, and Steve Harrington loves Eddie Munson.

you filling my cup, the sun coming up. (1.8k. oneshot)

Eddie sets off the fire alarm in his new apartment building and earns more than just a lesson on opening a window to smoke.

and icarus' life, it has only just begun. (3.3k. 1/2 chapters)

Eddie gets stood up and he's going to be grateful for it for the rest of his life. Eventually.

no better version I could pretend to be tonight. (3.4k. oneshot)

Eddie can't sleep after the events in the Upside Down. Steve happens to have a solution.

never been afraid of any deviation. (1.4k. oneshot)

In 1985, Eddie finds Steve in a high school bathroom.

what's mine is yours (to leave or take). (8.2k. oneshot)

Eddie's an amateur baker who desperately needs a healthy dose of hope. He finds it in the bottom of a pie dish and the hands of Steve Harrington.

been on fire, dreaming of you. 8.6k. (oneshot)

Eddie's been writing love letters he never intends to send. When he's interrupted by Steve for an impromptu fake date, he receives much more than the promised promotional free dessert.

cassette tapes and ticket stubs. 5.2k. (oneshot)

Eddie and Steve are set up on blind dates by Robin and Chrissy. They both get stood up. Or, do they?

butter, sugar, and northern mockingbirds. 17.1k. (3/3 chapters)

Steve Harrington, Robin Buckley, and Eddie Munson open Steve's secret dream bakery after surviving the Vecnapocalypse. Eddie can't seem to stop getting flour in his hair, Steve can't stop touching him, and Robin might lose her mind.

blue hour. 3.3k. (oneshot)

Eddie Munson smokes and thinks beneath the light of the chilly moon, the heat of Steve's thigh pressed comfortably against his own.

sugar, we’re goin’ down. 22.2k. (5/5 chapters)

Eddie Munson lets Steve Harrington take care of him in ways he'd never dared to imagine.

#steddie #stranger things #steve x eddie #eddie x steve #steve harrington #eddie munson #masterlist #myfic

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aita-blorbos · 7 months

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AWTA for wanting mashed potatoes?

So we (collective of anonymous souls) are an emissary of this god that can best be described as the parent of three other gods, but for the most part we just spectate bloodsports tournaments. A year or so ago these tournaments went on hiatus and in its place were a series of tourneys that took place in the fighters' dreams, so the could probably best be described as "non-canon" to the actual tournaments. The first one we could only really gleam the results of the matches, but by the end of it it was clear that something else was causing the fighters to all dream of the tourney. The next time, our good friend J (Adult M, sometimes lets us talk through him) gave the fighters something that would allow us to talk to them directly within the dreams: a ceramic hedgehog named N. We love N very much.

Throughout the tourneys we would be passed around from fighter to fighter, occasionally getting jostled and yostled here and there, while we all tried to figure out why these tourneys were happening. One time, we were with this god C (Adult M), as well as this fighter D (Adult F), and hiding in this green room, and then C goes over to a secret cabinet to get… mashed potatoes. We start discussing important plot stuff with them… and C is still eating mashed potatoes.

Now don't get the wrong idea, we weren't angry that C was eating mashed potatoes at a time like this. Well, at least not a lot of us; can't really speak for everyone else that was in N. But a lot of us wanted mashed potatoes of our own, myself included. So throughout that tourney and future ones, we would occasionally demand mashed potatoes from other fighters. We got our wish in one of these tourneys, and were able to osmosis an entire bowl of mashed potatoes into N's body for us, but I wonder if we were a bit to adamant about the whole thing. I mean I get it, commitment to the bit and all that, but there were kinda more pressing matters at the time. Idk, maybe I just wanted an excuse to make a post about this event for the other people that were in N. Both tourneys are on hiatus at the moment, so I just wanted to write a silly funny thing about our love of mashed potatoes. AWTA?

#aita #am i the asshole #unreality

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mermaidsirennikita · 5 months

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I see what do mean and I understand the redemption arc is important but I think there's a way to still have him be a dick and do shitty things without having him a would be a would be rapist even if just by implication. It's been a while since I've read the book but doesn't Lillian agree to marry Sebastian at some point and changes her mind? Just have her go through with it after a night with Westcliff. Again I don't really think it would change *that* much. And the Westcliff stuff....there are ways to do that scene without it being dubious consent. I feel like it would be a standard adaptation change. If the rest of the story and characters stuck to the essence of the books what would be more important to me. And tbh this is the type of change that something like Bridgerton could and should have done re Daphne and Simon. But again that's just me. Btw you don't come off as harsh this is just a agree to disagree.

Thank you for reassuring me, lol, I'm never sure about how my particular type of speech comes off online.

It's been a while since I've read it too, but he actually explicitly asks her to marry him after finding out she's slept with Westcliff and offers to take any potential child as his own--and she turns him down, despite the risk of being an unwed mother hanging over her head (I mean, probably not heavily because if she was pregnant with Westcliff's baby, she was going to end up married to Westcliff one way or the other). Because she doesn't like the idea of passing off Westcliff's kid as someone else's, and pretty early on she also realizes that Sebastian is not it for her. She doesn't realize exactly how threatening he is until after he drugs and kidnaps her--but she knows she doesn't want to be with him. And I think she also logistically knows that there's no way marrying Westcliff's BFF is going to be.... an easy thing for her, just because Westcliff is already losing his shit at the mere thought of it.

I mean, Sebastian aside--there's just no way that you can write a Lillian who elopes with Sebastian willingly and then marries Westcliff right after... without completely ruining who she is. She is defiant and she is naive, but she's not *stupid* and she's not cruel. I think not only does Lillian know she and Sebastian wouldn't work--she also knows that it would be cruel to him (I mean, in her mind, as she doesn't know how shitty he is at that point) to marry him and pine after his best friend. She knows it would be cruel to Westcliff to marry his best friend--she's mad him, but she's also in love with him. You very literally don't elope with your lover's best friend if you love them, lol. Even if you're mad. And you especially don't do that if you're as set in who you are as Lillian Bowman. What would motivate Lillian to do that? She has all the money she needs, she isn't excited by a title (and hell, Westcliff has a better one than Sebastian anyway). Sure, she could be pregnant by Westcliff, but why marry some guy she doesn't love to give her baby a dad when the actual dad is right there and also would probably murder Sebastian before he let him raise his kid?

The only way St. Vincent gets there--talked to a Lillian stan friend of mine and I agree with her--without physically forcing Lillian is blackmail. And if Lillian is not going to this marriage willingly, and the marriage doesn't actually stick unless it's consummated (which I think, even if it's not explicitly stated, a lot of people know via cultural osmosis) the implication is that she is going to have forced or otherwise coercive sex with St. Vincent.

For me, I think there are just things that can be adapted and things that can't, and I'd rather these really important points stay as is than see an adaptation that compromises them. Like, I don't really need an adaptation. Probably, at least half the cast would disappoint me. Probably, I'd think it looked cheap lol. I'm really happy with where this series is in my head. I think there are series you could adapt with far fewer dramatic changes (Fifth Avenue Rebels has always been one for me, I also have lately thought The Scoundrels of St. James could be--I mean, that shit can get dark, but the heroes are never *that* dark themselves.). Most likely, The Wallflowers will never even be on the table for an adaptation--but if it was, I'd honestly be kind of afraid because I just don't want something that altered. I think you could, fwiw, have Westcliff and Lillian's first time be totally consensual, but I don't think the St. Vincent thing could be changed without proverbially shaving Lillian bald as a character, lol.

In the same sense, I don't think Bridgerton should have been adapted at all. To me, if you have to rip out such foundational bones of a story (good or bad) to adapt it, just.... adapt something else?

#romance novel blogging #and i used to feel differently #i'm really not a stickler i don't even notice minute details #but the big ones... the big ones matter

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ray-the-ginger-queen · 1 year

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Disclaimer: this post is about Vox machina but I’ll admit I’m a new fan and I’ve been watching the animated series but I’ve just recently started critical role. I know a little about it just through pop culture osmosis. Also,

⚠️ spoilers ⚠️

Percy/Vex Proposal headcanons:

Percy forged the ring himself, it took him several tries because he wasn’t used to working with such small parts, let alone making them so stylized. He still managed and it’s engraved inside with the words “My heart is yours, always.”

He didn’t want anyone else to know but he needed a little help to make sure they could sneak off unnoticed, so he enlists Keyleth.

He wanted to propose in the woods as a call back to their first kiss, so he also gets keyleth to help pretty up the area and she manages some snow for them even though it’s spring.

When the time comes Keyleth distracts the rest of the group with a drinking game and Percy manages to grab Vex and sneak out. (Although Keyleth may have ‘accidentally’ cast fog cloud inside their keep when someone noticed Vex and Percy were missing)

Percy is so nervous he almost chickens out and he has to restart his carefully rehearsed speech twice.

But he gets it out and Vex is touched he went to this much trouble.

Of coarse she says yes

They decide to wait to announce their engagement because Percy wants Cassandra to be there, so he invites her for a visit.

It’s two week before Cassandra comes to Tal’dorei.

In those two weeks, Vex keeps it together pretty well and passes for ‘just in a good mood lately’, Percy is a giddy fool that almost gets them caught several times by repeatedly hugging Vax for no reason and grinning ear to ear non stop, and Keyleth is somehow worse because she keeps bursting out in excitement or tears every time Percy and Vex so much as look at each other.

But they do manage to keep it (somewhat) under raps, even though the whole groups definitely knows something is up.

When Cassandra visits they all go out to dinner. Percy gives a toast.

“To our adventures, to family both old and new, and to my wife-very nearly”

It takes everyone a moment

They nearly get kicked out with how loud everyone instantly explodes when they all get it. Everyone is yelling over each other except Cassandra who’s just laughing at Percy and his dopey grin and Keyleth who already knew but is crying again anyway.

That’s all for now!

#vox machina #vox machina spoilers #critical roll #percy de rolo #percy de blorbo #percival fredrickstein von musel klossowski de rolo iii #vex'ahlia #tlovm vex #keyleth

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lpham2525 · 1 year

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You. This. Everything.

INT. FORGER HOUSEHOLD - DAY. YOR: Loid, can you help me with something? I can't quite fasten...

LOID: *moves towards YOR's room* LOID: Sure, I can help you with...

LOID: *comes to a screeching halt in the doorway*

LOID: ...that.

YOR: Loid? LOID: Yes, erm. Be right there. LOID: *approaches YOR with his eyes averted, then helps her fasten the back of her dress, which reveals most of her bare back* YOR: Thanks! How's it look?

LOID: *straining away*

LOID: Terrific! YOR: Great! It's a little something I thought I'd buy for myself, especially after you encouraged me to get something comfortable. I can't thank you enough.

LOID: *nods emphatically at the wall*

LOID: Mm-hmm.

YOR: *turns around to find LOID intensely studying some interesting pattern on her wall, then notices how ruddy he looks* YOR: Loid? You look a little flushed. Are you running a fever? LOID: I'm fine, Yor. Really. You don't have to worry so much about—

YOR: *reaches up a hand to feel his forehead*

LOID: ...me.

LOID: *unconsciously leans into her touch, the feel of her cool skin a welcome relief from the heat building behind his temples*

[Now that LOID is finally looking at YOR, he finds that he is unable to tear his eyes away. While his initial aversion was to prevent him from having immodest thoughts, he now realizes it’s the expression on her face that holds his rapt attention. A mixture of concern and affection, the emotions scatter across LOID’s mental and emotional barriers, seeping through microscopic cracks in his resolve. Before long, LOID finds his tension dissolving as his posture relaxes and his muscles loosen their tense hold. As the seconds pass, the cadence of his body begins to sync with Yor, their breathing falling into rhythm, their pulse smoothing from a staccato beat into a mellow hum. Meanwhile, the sharp heat in LOID's face softens into YOR's hand as it cascades through both of them in an easy osmosis, warming them from inside out.]

LOID: You shouldn't do that to me.

YOR: *quickly retracts her hand*

YOR: I'm sorry. I shouldn't have touched you without—

LOID: That's not what I meant.

YOR: What...what did you mean then?

LOID: *gently takes YOR's shoulders and tugs her into him, then leans forward until his head drops into the crook of her neck*

LOID: You. This. Everything.

YOR: *struggling to keep herself together*

YOR: Everything?

LOID: Yes, everything. Everything you’ve done for me this past week, it’s...too much.

YOR: F-forgive me, Loid. You looked so stressed lately, I thought it would help if I pitched in more...

YOR: *casts her eyes downward, her arms falling limp at her sides*

YOR: I was doing too much, wasn’t I? I didn’t mean to treat you like that. You’re fully capable of taking care of yourself, and you don’t need me to baby you. I’ll back off, I promise—

LOID: That’s not what I meant, either.

LOID: *feels YOR shaking so he seats himself in a nearby chair and pulls her into him, rocking her gently*

LOID: What I meant was you’re so kind to me that I often don’t know how to react. I’ve lived a long time without that kind of attentiveness, and now that it’s re-entered my life, I don’t know how to deal with it. Lately, it...it makes me feel things I shouldn’t.

LOID: *smiles wryly*

LOID: I guess what I’m trying to say is thank you. For being yourself. For being the sweet wife that you are. For everything.

YOR: *burrows into LOID’s chest*

YOR: You know, for a long time, I didn’t think I was of use to anyone. Especially after Yuri was grown up, I felt like the rest of my life was going to be about work. I never expected to have all this. I’m...I’m glad I could be of use to you.

LOID: *shakes his head*

LOID: I’m not thanking you for being useful. I’m grateful to you for being kind. While I am capable, the fact that you’re there, that you think of the little things, that you can be my partner in all this, that is something worth appreciating. And I don’t say it enough.

YOR: Loid?

LOID: Hmm?

YOR: This is kind of nice.

LOID: *chuckles*

LOID: Compliments are nice. I should dole them out more often.

YOR: Well, that, too, but what I meant is...you...erm, you holding me.

LOID: *glances down at YOR, who immediately covers her face with hands*

YOR: I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to sound needy!

LOID: Yor.

YOR: *muffled noises*

LOID: *smiles as he peels away her fingers*

LOID: I think it’s nice, too. We should do this more often.

YOR: Really?

LOID: Mm-hmm. And the reason I say that is because...

LOID: *leans close to YOR’s ear*

LOID: I like holding you, too.

#spy x family #loid forger #yor forger #twiyor #loiyor #loid x yor

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immobiliter · 9 months

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@shadowcovcn sent a meme: 14, 15, 18

14. Who is an author that inspires you?

oh rip you're asking the jaded english graduate this question lmao. so I'm not sure if I could pinpoint an author who particularly inspires me nowadays — there are obviously authors that I love reading, but I haven't really read fiction widely since graduating and most of the fiction I have drawn inspiration from over the past decade or so is by classic authors. plus storytelling as a medium isn't just restricted to books and I could give you countless examples of other forms of storytelling that inspire me on a daily basis. but speaking strictly about the printed word, big shout out to Jacqueline Wilson books for being a staple of my childhood (i doubt anyone outside of the UK will know of her lmao), and Andrea Levy is also suuuuch a favourite writer of mine. and then a mandatory shout out to Oscar Wilde who inspired the majority of my tagging system on this blog, and is also one of my all-time favourite writers.

15. What do you look for in a rp partner?

someone who's chill lmaooo. that's honestly the biggest thing for me and I think I'm lucky because I feel like I'm a pretty good judge of character? I have a sceptical disposition and I'm strong-minded, so I tend to be rather picky of who I reach out to and befriend on this site and for the most part I haven't really steered wrong. if you're gonna be my rp partner you just have to be OK with the fact that I might not reply to your thread for two years, and that if you pressure me I will either make it three years or I'll drop the thread altogether. also, that I might not talk to you everyday — I don't even talk to some of my rl best friends everyday, I much prefer low-pressure friendships where we can check in every few weeks or months and pick up like no time has passed at all. I just don't have the time or inclination for the crap that comes along with this hellsite anymore, so I stick to people I already know and people who pass my strict vibe test lmao.

passion is also always something I look for too, on a more positive note. I enjoy seeing people passionate about their muses on my dash, it's infectious and there have been so many occasions where I have voluntarily sought out the source material and watched a show/read a book/played a video game solely because a friend of mine or someone on my dash has been talking so passionately about them/it. like it doesn't even matter if I don't write in the same fandom as you, if you get me passionate about a character or universe through the dash powers of osmosis, I'll make an AU especially for you lmao.

18. Are there any AU’s you’d like to explore but haven’t had the chance to yet?

oof this is such a good question and such a tricky one to answer on a multi where I have muses that encompass multiple genres and also where I'm really not shy about writing crossovers lmao. is it a cop-out to just say that I love group verses? not even just verses that involve several people, but creating a group verse with one other person where we just throw different muses from our multis into it like a melting pot? writing two characters against each other is fun of course, but there's something even more fun about throwing ten muses into the same verse and figuring out everyone's connection to each other. or starting with two muses and then building it up slowly until you have a google doc with a dozen muses and a flow chart explaining how they all connect lmao. it just enriches your writing environment and gives you so much more stimuli to play with when you reply to a meme or write a thread. instead of coming up with npcs on the fly, you can bring another muse in to help figure out a plot point or help flesh out an aspect of a relationship or dynamic without it being superficial because you're not just creating a surface-level character to be referenced in one or two replies, but another living, breathing muse with their own life and perspective. I just like everything feeling connected, where every thread has a ripple effect on all of the other future ones you write. also, as someone who likes to push themselves when it comes to writing, it's a wonderful challenge to write three muses within the same thread, I love it.

#shadowcovcn #* / be yourself. everyone else is taken ( ooc. )

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quirrelli · 10 months

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playing a Pokemon game for the first time in 2023

TL;DR: mixed bag, some strong aspects but also one big fat fatal flaw.

Even though I'm a 90s kid, the whole Pokemon phenomenon somehow passed my childhood by. Now, that isn't to say I'd never heard of the franchise and thought a Pikachu was the sound of 3.14159 sneezing; I have picked up some basic things through cultural osmosis. Like that you get one of three little lads to start with and then you go out and with your lad catch more lads, use them to fight other, evil lad catchers and then, presumably, save the world.

Anyway, I decided to see what all the fuss has been about these past 25 odd years and picked more or less at random one of the games I already had on emulator, Pokemon not being famed as a franchise that evolves (hah) drastically from game to game. I ended up with Pokemon FireRed, which turned out to be a stroke of luck because it's a remake of the original Pokemon Red and since I do sort of kind of know the names of some of the Gen 1 lad roster, there was bit of familiarity there.

I picked Charmander (named him Chomp) and off we went. First off, catching new Pokemon never stopped being exciting. I suspect it's a similar effect as Gatcha machines, where you'll probably just encounter another goddamn Pidgey but there's also a small chance it could be something cool. Like, I was super hyped when I caught a Pikachu very early on because I assumed, being the mascot and all, it must be super strong, so I named him Thor. I was only whelmed by his performance in the end but fine.

I will say, up until maybe the second gym, the fights are quite well balanced and I felt challenged but not overpowered. This being a JRPG I had braced myself for a lot of grinding but I ended up needing to do very little, which is nice. Also nice is the manner by which I, as a new player, got eased into systems like type matching, items, etc. Sure, literal sign posts with "trainer tips" are a bit on the nose but overall I appreciated not having an encyclopedia chucked at my head first thing. There is in fact an encyclopedia in game but I rarely used it and had a lot of fun drawing my own little diagram with the types and their interactions as I figured them out.

Progressing onward, I would describe the game as monotonous yet absorbing, at least for a while.

Whoops, that loaded sentence needs unpacking. Right, so, while your lads are still levelling up frequently and you're still constantly encountering new species on the road, the travel and various battles are a way to pace out the excitement without ever allowing it to die away entierly. Cool, works for me. However, this stops being the case in later dungeons, when, in a spectacular display of misplaced confidence not seen since the Virtual Boy, the lvl12 Rattatas of the world still think it's a good idea to spit at my lvl32 Machoke's feet (named Chad obvs). Simple fix I can suggest there, weak ass baby pokemon should just automatically stop coming at you and not require a consumable item to avoid.

On a vaguely related note, in that even random encounters are unnecessarily drawn out, this game has too many text boxes. You can't scratch your ass in this game without 5 text boxes describing the smell of your butt sweat. It really needs turbo text rather than just fast text because every time I get into a fight or go into a pokecenter to heal my nigh expired Meowth (Marx, bc she redistributes capital by throwing it at ppl), after I once again forgot you're not supposed to use bite on Nidoran, I have to read through the nurse's unedited life story first. It's almost as thumbnumbingly tedious as navigating the PC and every other menu.

As a final criticism on the topic of monotony, I'd like to mention that the overworld trainer battles could have been handled better, fancied up a little, arranged with more care than the spoons in my cutlery drawer. How it usually works, is that they're copypasted in groups of 5-10 along a path and you just fight one after another. I feel like the same effect could have been achieved by just having, like, 3 unique trainers and they all just give you 3x as much XP.

XP distribution is of course an eternal sticking point in party-based RPGs but since you usually fight all of these trainers in a row you'll have the same team anyway. In general, the limited XP distribution means that to avoid grinding you pretty much have to limit yourself to one team (+ a couple of situational swap outs) that counters more or less every type, irrespective of whether they are your personal faves. On the other hand, this does help you get emotionally invested in those particular pokemon and their growth in an organic way, but then on the other other hand... well, we'll come back to that.

To be clear, none of these criticisms are dealbreakers, just quality of life issues and maybe signs of age, which I should hope have been adressed in the meantime. Do let me know.

Overall, I made my way through the game without too much trouble. The only gym I temporarily got stuck on was poison mcninjaman, which might have been because it was the one thing I did slightly out of order. I was generally surprised with how linear the game is but I really didn't mind that so much. It allows for more control in levelling and exploration. Speaking of which, one of my favorite features is how your lads can learn certain moves to make new areas accessible. It massages my metroidvania brain and is a neat way of letting the overworld and the "battling dimension" blend together a bit.

Finishing the elite four and absolutely trouncing my rival one last time was perfectly serviceable as finales go. Honestly though, it was the battles before that, on victory road, that were the most engaging because it contained some of the only trainers in the whole game that have diverse teams, not just four ambulatory flowers that fare against my pet flamethrower the way a white couch fares against a toddler with permanent marker.

Regardless, I got my title as lord high champion master trainer of all the strongest lads in the land and was actually excited to dive back in and fill out my Pokedex, fully explore Kanto and continue evolving my team (and maybe some of my benchwarmers). It was then, when I finally took to the internet to look up how to most efficiently turn Nosferatu, Haunter extraordinaire, into Nosferatu, Gengar spectacular, that I was delivered a gut punch which instantly obliterated any desire to keep playing or any recommendation for this game I might have made. See, you can't evolve some Pokemon (i.e. about half my team) into their final form without trading them with other players. Combined with the fact that you apparently can't get the other starters at all, you have no chance to even get remotely close to completing your Pokedex if, say, you're playing the game 20 years after it came out and it's on an emulator and thus not multiplayer compatible. This is a problem, to put it mildly.

I understand that nintendo wanted to encourage players to use the multiplayer features, but in a game that is still designed 99% around a singleplayer experience, it is just not ok to lock players who don't happen to have anyone to trade with out of crucial content like this. It clashes directly with the idea that you grow attached to your Pokemon through your adventures and that they will grow with you when eventually, no amount of rare candies, items or love you can bestow upon them will help. It's the much, much worse flipside of the limited XP problem, first forcing you to focus on a core team to the detriment of all the others and then putting a hard stop on that team's development. It would be possible grind XP if you really wanted that Alakazam but you can't magically conjure a friend (trust me on that). I could bear, like, one super special rare pokemon being exclusive to multiplayer but this is just bullying lonely kids and any astronauts who might be playing.

To summarize my overall opinion with a metaphor: Pokemon FireRed just about manages to squeeze into the crowded bus to Good Video Game town choking in Earthbound's musky armpit, only to be shoved out again on the second to last stop and faceplant into a concrete bench.

I would give Pokemon another chance if it didn't have that irredeemable anti-loner feature. Having said this, I've come to realize that, although I don't dislike the trainer battling, it was but the complementary bread rolls of this meal. I much preferred finding new Pokemon, figuring out how to best fight them without accidentally killing them/having them escape and exploring new areas. So I guess my ideal Pokemon game would be one where trainer duels are kept to a select few and instead the mechanics of finding and catching new lads as well as taking care of them are made more intricate (and less reliant on RNGesus).

Like Monster Hunter meets Nintendogs. Does that exist? Someone let me know if that exists.

#pokemon #pokemon firered #text post #my stuff

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solomon-tozer · 2 years

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For the random ask thing: Do you have any headcanons/ideas for Tozer in a scifi AU? Star Trek, Star Wars, not picky (- if not it's totally fine) Cheers! 💝

I do now!!

Star Trek

redshirt, but doesn't die

security guy, but also friendly with some guys from engineering so helps out holding spanners and such, and is good at fixing things, learns a lot by osmosis

highly likeable, very tactile, good at reassuring people and cheering them up

sensible, level-headed - exactly the kind of guy you'd want around in a crisis

slight fascination with old style guns

loves going on adventures on the holodeck, his favourites are wild west shoot-ups

holodeck mishap??? no one ever finds out, he sorts that shit out before anyone realises anything has gone wrong

loves his R&R, especially as he has 'company'

would seriously die for his friends, but finds it's more effective to stay alive so he can still be around to protect them

Star Wars

from one of the outer rim planets

does NOT like the Empire

pretty good at speed racing, good at fixing things (mostly out of necessity), but his real talent is in fighting

scratch that, his real talent is getting along with people

likeable, people want to gravitate towards him and listen to him. growing up he was the ringleader of a gang of feral little kids that would strip your ship in the time it took for you to blow your nose

his mother died when he was 6, he had no other family but there was a woman who took him in and became like a second mother to him, and made sure he was clothed and got a portion of whatever food was available

he would always look out for others and share what he had, even if it meant he went without for the sake of someone else

things fell apart as he got older. he lost a lot of friends to sickness, violence, slavery, privation, and addiction. his home planet is not a place where many people grow old (his second mother died when he was 15)

managed to get off the planet as part of a not-entirely-honest cargo crew who were passing through, flew a few years with them before joining the Resistance

he's not a pilot at all, definitely more of a 'grunt', but he's outstanding at combat and highly liked, so he's promoted quickly. again, people gravitate towards him

he has these moments when in space where he looks out at all the stars and just... thinks it's so beautiful. but he also thinks about all the planets out there, all the people suffering the way he and his friends did, and he makes a promise to himself that he'll do everything he can to change things for everyone

doesn't really understand the meaning of 'settling down'. it's an abstract concept. as far as Sol is concerned, you keep going until you drop (it doesn't occur to him that he will live long enough to see the Resistance's goal achieved, he figures he'll die for the cause, and he's okay with that. what else could you want to do with your life?)

peacetime Sol would become a foster parent for any and every wayward kid around. he doesn't realise he's being fatherly. he thinks he's just some guy looking out for those in need the way anyone else ought to (and he's always been good at looking out for others). he teaches them how to look after themselves, makes sure they have shelter if they need it, food and clothes, helps them figure out where best to get a job

(Fighter Pilot Sol)

his combat skills are far better than his flying skills. he's still a pretty decent fighter pilot though (emphasis on 'fighter')

befriends droids

tries to speak binary with his astromech droid. his droid tells him no. don't... don't do that

(his astromech droid is snarky, but mostly because it knows Sol finds that funny, and the droid likes him)

bit of a poster boy for the Resistance, which sometimes he enjoys, but other times he just wants a quiet drink with his mates

does his best to look out for everyone

support guy rather than flashy leader, but they promote him anyway

knows he's just a small part of something much bigger, but is proud of what he does all the same

Okay I'll stop there XD This was such an amazing ask, thank you so much for sending it!! I'm going to be thinking a lot about this for the rest of the day now...

#the terror amc #solomon tozer #terror headcanons #this is just the best ask to receive thank you so much #if i know the source material you can probably bet i can jot down some terror-related thoughts XD #star wars au sol in particular is taking up residence in my head #i've carefully avoided shipping because we all know where that would go...#my shit #hopefully this amuses someone

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mercuryhomophony · 2 years

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How’d you come up with Tommy’s true form in “I’ll show you my incomprehensible and Unknowable Form if you show me yours”? I think both of them have really cool true forms, but while I can see a lot of Benrey’s inspiration, I’d love to hear what inspiration went into Tommy’s

Ooooohhhh this is a really good one thank you for this question~!! :D

I'm not exactly sure what "inspired" Tommy's form in terms of basing it off of something, but I wanted to design a form that made sense for the function that (I percieve) G-Man holds in the HLVRAI universe, and, therefore, passed on to Tommy. IRL form shapes function, but in writing you have to work backwards!

Like you said, Benrey was easy - in this, he's from Xen (ish), and while he has some oddities compared to the rest of Xen wildlife (Do golem apes have fur??), his "whole model" was similar enough in design, with some good ol' Benrey elements thrown in, such as the static-ish shadow-fur and the game errors.

This actually made Tommy really fun, because I got to come up with him from scratch! And I had a few different ideas -

Ok, you know what? I actually have thought of one thing that could be said to have inspired Tommy. Biblical. Angels. I'll get back to that.

So I had a few different ideas, some of them just being Tommy, but... More. Like when you're used to a low res or non stabilized TV and you start to watch a TV in high res with that motion smoothing stuff on it, and you can't pinpoint exactly what it is but it's uncomfortable to look at, it's too smooth, it's - it's just a dude, I mean, and there's nothing wrong with him, but it's just... there's something about him that's too real. that concept did stay with Tommy (pulling back the curtains of realitiy and time in order to actually be seen), but with Benrey being so vulnerable I wanted to make it more deliberate. And God Damn Do I Love Designing Shit Like This.

So what does G-Man Do? (note I have only played a little of the HL games through Sven with some buds (I play Gman and I'm Very Bad At Ducking) so my thoughts on this are based on HLVRAI, osmosis, and some research I did for a secret snowman). Primarily, he seems to... watch. Observe. He keeps a close eye on things for an unknown force, and, on occasion when it suits him and his aims, intervenes in only the slightest ways (like, shutting or opening doors on Seargent Shepherd. Dick.). So Gman's gotta be good at watching. Like, semi-infallably good. And, he needs the means to interferevene very gently with the timeline, so as not to create any unwelcome outcomes.

So, G-Man needs to be good at seeing and delicately altering the universe, and we need a form that does that.

Again, I had other ideas on this - I love me some inhumans and will design this shit for fun forever - but I ended up thinking that the simplest answer was the best. He needs to be good at seeing? He's a giant eye, omnidirectional pupil. Can't have a proper body, he couldn't see through himself, after all, so no body. How does he manipulate things? Well, he could have just done it psychically, but then he's just... kind of an eye. DGMW, I really love the description I wrote for Tommy's eye, but I think just an eye isn't quite enough. So, let's give him the tools he needs to meddle. Let's give him hands, hands that are capable of touching the fabric of time and space itself, playing it like a fiddle if he wanted to (he doesn't - his dad has taught him that that's a Bad Idea), and gives him Hammer Space, which I thought was funny and in hindsight, should have mentioned one of them holding a sixpack of Sunkist for him. Whups.

So yeah, now that I'm describing it and thinking about it, you could go biblical angel - a single giant, impossible eye radiating light and an incomprehensible number of hands radiating out to do the will of some higher power. I could see Tommy nervously showing his form to someone a little less sturdy than Benrey with a Tommy-ism of "Be not Afraid!"

That said, Tommy's (in this) half human half-whateverGmanIs, so he's not really beholden to whatever force G-Man is, despite possibly having access to his full power. He could probably just do whatever.

and THAT said, he doesn't, because he's a good dude who wants to see his friends happy. :)

(And just tossin' a link here in case anyone wants to read!)

Thank you for the great question! ^w^b

#hlvrai #hlvrai tommy #mercury writes #fanfiction #deep dive

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tumblingxelian · 5 months

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This theory likely doesn't actually work and I mostly experienced the show through osmosis but its hovered in my head for years and then YT recommended me a Supernatural video so here we go:

What are Supernatural's Pagan Gods?

Or more, why are they what they are and how do they fit into the cosmology? I know this got explained in Season 15 (Just finished doing research for this thing XD) But I think that doesn't quite fit right.

See, the deities are meant to be stronger based on their level of worship, but Kali is as weak as Zeus. We also see deities from other universes that literally devour their own universes like Yokoth. So we know deities can be powerful but worship doesn't seem to play into it.

Then there's lots of little idiosyncrasies that don't quite make sense.

Zeus recalls ruling the world even though even at their peak his worshippers never got that far.

Odin is dismissive of angels power despite even weaker one's logically being able to wreck him.

We also know that there were "Power plays against the Egyptians" which seems odd if all deities were stooges.

Then we get some other intriguing confusing things such as:

The Fates being offered jobs by Chuck, suggesting they weren't his subordinates but instead went over to him despite their own place in the 'Natural Order'.

Avalon, according to a leprechaun, the Devil Fairy, a counterpart to Lucifer exists which likely mean its own god does.

Then we get flipping Osiris who despite being referenced as "Considered for a job that Anubis got" can literally just pluck souls out of the afterlife for his own whims and cannot die.

So, here is my theory, rather than what got established in S15 being the case. IE, the deities were imagined by people and birthed by god to take the fall. That is what we call a revised history. After all, we've seen people change history in this series before, so why couldn't it happen on a grander, more terrifying scale?

Chuck was one of several gods of Canaan, part of a whole pantheon that was worshipped and they did all right. But they were one of several pantheons across the world, some stronger, some weaker.

Life went on.

But, at some point, Chuck basically... Siphoned away El's worshippers to him and ultimately absorbed the other deity. This was not the first time such a thing had happened. But it would serve as inspiration. With him basically, slyly conferring with his fellows worshippers to siphon away their followers and then destroy, banish or absorb them until he was a Pantheon of one.

Of course he was not the only one to do this, Zoroaster had done something similar and even had his own sort of angelic children which were not gods but had divine power in a sense.

Time passed and there was fallout from these actions with larger pantheons, let alone the likes of Zoroaster being able to knock him down. Which led to spreading of his worship slowly and secretly through preachers in Rome and beyond.

Again, slowly leeching away the worship of other deities and as his power grew seeking key allies who could help among others. Such as for example the Fates, and waiting until internal issues within the societies and Pantheons reached a tipping point before making his move to strike key members of worshippers down to take their place.

This history is similar to our own but would be distinct, for instance Egypt's conflict comes much later than it did in Supernatural's timeline.

Whatever the case, as generations passed and he grew stronger, he donned a new identity, in the same way Gabriel wore Loki's face and he created another religion to exploit a period of weakness in Zoroaster, letting him sweep over even more of the lands.

With this degree of power and divine usurpation and murder he was now a target for other gods and temporarily as juiced up as he could reasonably be.

So, with the help of the Fates and other allies, he basically tore his way through history and back in destructive fashion so he could rewrite the story from the start.

This is how we got the universe/multiverse that Supernatural takes place in.

This act didn't come without consequence though and nor did it lack its rebels.

Amara herself is essentially a result of this act, he fucked with the natural order on such a scale and in such a manner that it basically created an anti him, but cos of his efforts to rework history neither of them. IE, even he, do not realize their exact relation to the other.

What's more, this effort to rewrite history did not work perfectly. These were other gods we're talking about his peers and fellow deities. They couldn't be erased so easily by what was essentially an attempt t divine cheat coding his way to the top.

(Yokoth and her brother are a good example of a deity reaching his level the natural way.)

Thus, they are still divine beings and some of the stronger one's can even remember echo's of the previous history. Even Chucks own creations remember echo's of this history such as the war with Egypt but recontextualized to the new timeline where it makes less sense.

Some beings like Osiris even managed to retain their powers to an extent, hence Osiris being un-killable and able to pluck souls from whatever afterlife he wants.

Chuck didn't try to go after them for a mixture of reasons, ranging from viewing them as beneath him, to legitimately fearing someone noticing they share a nature, to thinking there may be some who laid traps for him that if he ever got to close may ruin everything.

Thus, they exist, remembering echo's of being what they once where, but unable to reach it, straining against a multiverse created to cater to one being but that can never quite enforce his will as he wanted. Even when he tried to rewrite history to make himself all powerful he cannot erase what he once was, what they or existence once was and it haunts him.

#Supernatural #Headcanon

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