#or their feelings actually aren't returned

[dykeintraining]

I really love Maximus so much. I love how he isn't a clear cut hero like Lucy or a jaded asshole like the Ghoul. He's someone who WANTS to do the right thing, but he constantly struggles with actually doing the right thing because of the choices that he's given in the Wasteland. Unlike Lucy, he is quite a bit jaded and very untrusting. He will kill someone if they threaten him and he won't hesitate to do it. If there's something he wants or needs, he's willing to take drastic actions to do it, but despite his occasional "selfishness" or even vindictiveness ... he is still ultimately someone who wants to do the right thing. He is willing to sacrifice himself to protect others.

I guess if I'd have to describe the main trio in simple terms ... Lucy is someone who values goodness above all else, whereas the Ghoul values strength and the ability to survive. And Maximus sits in the middle in that he believes that the only way to be and act good is to become strong and that in order to be strong, you need to do things that aren't necessarily "good."

But when push comes to shove ... at his core, Maximus is a good person, I think. I feel like after traveling with Lucy, he's been exposed to someone who was truly good—someone who encouraged him to be good more than being strong and who showed him that goodness is a form of strength. Such as when she encouraged him to return the fusion core.

And it'll be interesting to see how his character develops in season two. I imagine him and Lucy will be entirely separate for most of the series as Lucy will go on her character journey with the Ghoul whereas Maximus will be with Dane.

We know that the Brotherhood of Steel is a "complicated organization," but we don't know that much about Dane and their personality... but I definitely think that Maximus now feels out of place with the Brotherhood after expierencing the kindness of both Lucy and Vault 4. Not only does he desire the comfort and safety both provide, but he seems to be more morally challenged and less assured of the Brotherhood.

#maximus #fallout #fallout tv #my post #fallout spoilers #fallout show #fallout prime #fallout series #fallout amazon #fallout tv series #fallout tv show #fallout tv spoilers #maximus fallout #knight maximus #squire maximus

[captainhunnicutt]

I was watching Commander Pierce, today and had some thoughts. I feel like, this is one of those episodes where the viewer is supposed to think Hawkeye is being a jerk with his "leadership style," and how he overdid it etc. etc. but the more I think about it... the more I feel bad for him. I don't think he was actually at fault here as much as initially thought.

Hawkeye knows who he is. He knows what his faults are and doesn't try to pretend they aren't there. He even says he isn't fit to lead. His insignia is a cringing chicken. He doesn't know how to give orders. He legitimately gives every reason putting him in charge is a bad idea - and not one person takes him seriously. I feel like sometimes, throughout the show, this theme reappears. People don't listen or take Hawkeye seriously because he says things in such a way that makes it sound like he's cracking a joke - but behind every joke there is some semblance of truth. And it feels like an argument could be made that that particular consideration isn't often awarded to Hawkeye. It's the exact opposite of BJ - who delivers a lot of very telling statements calmly and collected and no one pays any attention. Like when BJ says in Our Finest Hour that the war has made him angry, and we all act surprise (the only person who doesnt is Hawkeye) when he lashes out in BJ Papa San. It's the same idea. They aren't taken seriously, and that feels like the most dehumanizing thing, which in turn feels like commentary on soldiers/draftees in general. They are just chess pieces in one large game that never seems to end.

But anyway, Hawkeye doesn't think he can lead, but he really is a natural leader. He leads by example and by not following protocol. By thumbing his nose at rules and regulations - and that is actually working until the influx of wounded and the lack of physical hands available to help. So he defaults to the only option readily available to him. The "army way". There are rules and regulations and standard operation procedures, that in theory, are supposed to help lead. They are supposed to be ways to get themselves to the other side of a situation. So Hawkeye tries to abide by them, use them to his advantage, but with people who are conditioned - by Hawkeye himself and commanding officers continuously allowing it to happen - to NOT play by the book. So what do they do? They lash out at Hawkeye. They make him out to be the worst leader and doing a terrible job - which isn't entirely fair to him.

Hawkeye didn't have the confidence in his own natural abilities to lead and to get them through everything, and fell victim to thinking the "army way" was designed to actually help.

And while I think BJ was honest upon his return, and did exactly what "Captain Pierce" would've done, I don't think he was actually mad at Hawkeye or "Commander Pierce." I think it's one of those situations where he wasn't mad, just disappointed. I like to believe (re: it's possible and I'm in no way saying this is absolutely what happened but it's open for interpretation) BJ was the first person (maybe the only person) to recognize that Hawkeye would've done just fine if he had led as himself and not tried to be the exact thing he normally despised.

Thanks for coming to my messy MASH talk.

#commander pierce #analysis #i dumped all this on bard and thought it wasn't really terrible #but i still don't want to tag it in multiple ways in fear it gets ripped to shreds because #as always i'm here for a thirsty time not an intelligent one

[babsisbakery]

How far will you take it?

Lia Wälti x fem!reader part 1

Do you love me or do you love that you have a gf. That you aren't single. That you don't have to spend nights alone. Someone in your arms or someone to hold you. Would you love me if i wasn’t ur gf or just when I am. Maybe you just love the idea of love but don't actually love me. Or maybe you only “love” me because you are bored and have nobody else. I'm just here and showed you affection, so you took it. Took it, to be in a relationship, to get as close as possible to actual love. In reality it isn't though. It's just a fantasy you create. But what about me?

You love being in relationships. Exes of you have warned me, multiple, so so many. I ignore your red flags. As if I had a red and green colour deficiency. I give and I give, do I receive anything in return? No. Because you need, want the affection. But when I need it, you are nowhere to be seen. When I'm clingy or want some attention. You take your sweet time responding. Time away from me.The cold shoulder, silent treatment, no response after I shoot a text. Even Duolingo messages me more than you and that's sad to admit.

I'm wondering if you leave me on-read on purpose too. I know you do sometimes on insta. Why's that? Did I offend you? Lia, you leave me with crumbs. Crumbs of your existence. Which I absorb like a greedy vacuum. This isn't healthy. It makes my mind spiral every night. Wondering if you love me. Wondering if you are cheating. Wondering if you have found the one but stay with me out of convenience. No-one in a relationship should have to wonder if their partner loves them, yet here I am. You give me almost nothing. Stop messing with my feelings, don't drag me around if you don't feel the same. Let me find someone who does in fact love me if you don't. I want a relationship where both sides give 100 percent. A balance. Yet still all my words fall to dull ears, Words spoken to someone who doesn't want to change or listen. Someone who wants to live their life to the fullest, but why drag me into this chaos of a life. 

So either you get a grip of yourself or I'm done. I'll not only leave you but Arsenal as well. I wouldn't be able to look you in the eyes. So I'm giving you an ultimatum. Yes, like one in the show but without a ring, I want to sense your commitment. Because those restless nights are plaguing my brain. I want to become a mother eventually and for that I need a partner. If it's you or not, I can't foresee. If you can't imagine a future with me, then don't. I'll go. I'll be gone. Just say the words. I’ll be out of your hair once and for all.

- Your dear friend/gf

This is the letter Lia found on the counter top after returning from a cruel training session. Lia sat down on the sofa, still in her gym clothes. She initially assumed it was some sort of grocery list, she wanted to ignore it. But something in her mind nagged her to take a better look. She was shocked and ashamed of herself. She had really broken you. This wasn't in her plans, to destroy your whole being. She simply wanted to have some fun, have you as her girl. Yet there wasn't a trace of you. Not in this apartment, albeit your belongings were still at their places, nor in training today. Now she knew the reason why you were out of sight this evening. You are gone for now. Somewhere you felt loved and cherished. She had led you to exile with one foot in the door. The question is will Lia convince you to stay or will she set you free to be at peace? Which path will she choose?...

#woso #woso imagine #woso x reader #arsenal women #lia walti #lia wälti #lia walti x reader #lia walti imagine #arsenal wfc #awfc x reader #awfc imagine #awfc

[whumping-valentine]

Content: Captivity, conditioned whumpee

I wrote this like a year ago back when I first found out about whump and was experimenting with dynamics. Thought I'd make some edits and post it because why not.

~~~

Whumpee was sat in the grass, smiling as the warmth engulfed them. Cool wind was blowing through the leaves of the trees and the strands of their hair, light rain falling against their face like tiny kisses. Birds were singing, chirping and chattering all around as they searched for worms to feed their young. The outside world was so free and open, and Whumpee was grateful to even get a gaze upon it, let alone sit among it.

They looked up at Whumper with wide, grateful eyes, "Thank you for taking me outside." They said sincerely.

"Well, you've been good, haven't you?"

Whumpee wasn't sure what the right response was, "I am not sure, have I?"

"You tell me, what do you think?" Whumper said, crossing their arms as they did a small roll of their eyes, "Why else would you be outside? Yes, of course you've been good."

"Oh— I'm sorry, I didn't—"

"Yeah, yeah. Just because you're apparently stupid doesn't mean you're bad. Enjoy this privilege."

"I will, I'll enjoy it."

"Good for you." They said, uncaring. "I'm going to run inside real quick, and you're going to stay right here until I get back, okay?"

"Yes Sir/Ma'am." (???)

"Good."

As they walked away they turned their head and continued smiling, feeling grateful for the opportunity to be outside. Though now left alone, a terrible realization struck. The smile vanished from their face as they sunk their nails into the dirt.

What am I thinking?! Being outside is a privilege? It's not a privilege! I should be allowed go outside whenever I want! And explore the woods alone! And make my own food, in my own kitchen, whenever I want! Those aren't privileges!

A hit had been taking to their pride as they realized how conditioned they became. It had happened so slowly they couldn't even see what was happening right in front of them. They were blind to it.

All of this niceness isn't because Whumper actually likes or cares for them, it's just so they'll be good and obedient and not cause them any trouble! It's manipulation! How could they be so stupid?! So conditioned?! They were smarter than this, smarter than to fall for manipulation, and yet they still did.

This monster had them doing all these things just to have the privilege to what, eat? Go outside? Not be tortured?!

If they had any sense of dignity left, they would stand up and take off right now. They were alone, they were outside, they were... not free.

It didn't matter if Whumper gave them a key to the outside world and a map to get home. It didn't matter if they opened the door and let them go. Hell, if they told them to go. It didn't even matter if they dropped them off right back in their old bedroom, because they'd still come crawling back to Whumper.

Physical freedom means nothing if your mind is held under lock and key.

And it's just what Whumper wanted.

They've got them.

"Look at you." Whumper cooed as they returned, "Still here. I knew you were too good to run off. I'm so proud of you."

Whumpee felt defeated, and Whumper could see it in their eyes, which just made their next words all the more satisfying to hear

"Why would I go... when I have everything I need right here?"

#this was originally written with Val and Tori but it didn't really fit their dynamic anymore #and there wasn't anything specific about them here #so I just made it a generic whumper/whumpee prompt #also with the sir/ma'am thing does anyone know if there's a gender neutral version of it? #apparently not but like... we have the power to make one up. #whump #whump blog #whump community #whumpblr #whump writing #whump things #whump prompt #whump drabble

[firstpooher]

Okay, but imagine if Babe is actually pregnant and going through a traumatic period like in the book. He thought he had moved past it, but now that he's pregnant, all those fears and nightmares are resurfacing. He's terrified for the baby, especially because the nightmares involve Way and Tony, two people who have caused him harm in the past. When he wakes up, he finds Charlie by his side, taking care of him even more now that he's carrying their child. It's so Charlie coded to watch over pregnant Babe while he sleeps and smile goofily.

"Do you feel better, Mama?"

This theory starts to make sense when Charlie mentions that line to babe because Charlie is aware that Babe is having nightmares due to the baby. We also know that Babe has had 'some' thoughts about carrying a child inside him (book babe).

Yeah, babe is really scared and concerned about him, his child

and Charlie his let's call him papa Charlie for real here (lol) their small family of three.

It's messing with his head and giving him terrible sleepless nights.

So, Tony and Way still haven't returned. Not yet, at least.

(as said they may be alive and babe sensing them in his dreams (bec he is extra sensitive he is now pregnant) or they aren't back alive, and babe past is hunting him again)

Now that babe is pregnant, he's been sensing their presence and seeing them in his dreams.

In conclusion, babe MUST BE PREGNANT next season or, me as zee will cry :///

(love how I say next season, like we will have more loll)

The whole theory might be disconnected I wrote it down quickly, I should jot down the theory and make it more coherent.

#pit babe the series #charlie x babe #pooh krittin #pavel naret #bl series #poohpavel #pit babe season 2 #pit babe season two #pregnant babe #please make babe pregnant

[nardo-headcanons]

HI FREN!!! Am here to pick your big brain 🧠 🤗 I had a question about finances?! How much do you think ninjas make for being ninjas, by the time shippuden ends, and how much do you think Naruto as hokage makes 🤔 Sasuke as a missing nin has no money so how do they all pay for stuff?! Thank you for even reading this 🤗🤭🙂❤

*SIGH* Finances in the shinobi world... I have thought about this way too often. It should've been a way bigger part of Naruto's worldbuilding, considering the many money driven motvations we see in the story, but it sadly isn't. For the sake of this post I will convert everything into USD, but feel free to convert that into any currency of your choosing. This will be a mixture of canon and headcanon, you've been warned.

Money in the shinobi world

Let's see what the wiki has to say about money in the shinobi world first.

The ryō (両) is the currency used in the Naruto world. It is based on an old Japanese gold coin that was used in Japan before the Meiji period. It was later replaced by the yen. The exchange rate of 1 ryō is 10 yen. Although money isn't focused on much in the story, certain prices and sums of money have been mentioned. For example, Asuma Sarutobi had a bounty of 35,000,000 ryō (...) The Mujina Bandits made a demand to the Ikkyū Madoka, the daimyō of the Land of Fire, of a ransom of 500,000,000 ryō for the safe return of his son, Tentō Madoka, which Ikkyū had to make preparations to gather.

35,000,000 ryō are about $430,000 while 500,000,000 ryō are about $6.24 million.

Shinobi usually earn their money from completing missions. The rewards for these range from 5,000 ryō for a D-rank mission to more than 1,000,000 ryō for an S-rank mission.

5,000 ryō is about $60, while 1,000,000 ryō equate to about $12,400.

Currency

There are three types of currency in the shinobi world, one being copper coins, the other actual money bills and the last one being gold ingots. Copper coins are the most commonly spent currency, while ingots are the rarest. Bills start from 100 ryō ($1.25) and go up to 10,000 ryō ($125), while there are ingots from 10,000 to 1,000,000 ryō ($12,500).

Pricing

In Naruto Part 1, we see Naruto and Jiraya bump into a man who says his designer jacket is worth 10,000 ryō ($1250), to which Jiraya (who is loaded btw) says that designer jackets of that quality aren't usually "that" expensive. Aside from revealing designer brands exist in the shinobi world, it also implies that the pricing in Naruto isn't comparable to our world, since 1000 dollars for a designer jacket isn't outrageously expensive.

While hubs of economy, the ninja villages are mainly used to produce ninjas and economic growth is not their first priority. Most money is made (and exchanged) in the capital cities of the continent, which is where most of the rich and wealthy live.

I do think there is some basic universal healthcare in the hidden leaf village, however, long term/large scale treatments often have to be paid out of pocket. (ex. Mukai Kohinata, Shisui Uchiha)

Salaries

Given the large majority of missions go along the hokage village and a part of the money is taken by the village and the large position of power that the hokage position provides, it's reasonable to assume the hokage earns quite a lot. My estimate is about 100M ryō, which equates to $1.25M.

The average genin, assumed they do 4 D-Rank missions a week and pays an income tax of 20%, makes about $10,300 anually, most of which will be spent on ninja weapons and training equipment.

Aside from official missions, there are also ways to 'illegally' hire ninja, especially when talking about rogue ninja outside of the village. They are directly payed without paying taxes to their village. Aside from state sponsored killing, there are other missions to do, like transporting intel or other goods, which Sasuke most likely could've done during his time in exile, considering he traveled so much. People with ninja skills are a rarity outside of the ninja villages, so hiring a nukenin to do a job for you is a viable option, at least for more wealthy civilians.

When talking about Sasuke in Orochimaru's hideout, I think he gets an allowance from Oro as well as making money doing "illegal" missions. I think Orochimaru comes from a wealthy family and he makes a lot of money from his lab work and experiments. You can hire him/his men for intel gathering and experiments, as well as medical services if you're a nukenin. Out of the sannin, Oro is probably the richest of the three of them.

#naruto #naruto shippuden #naruto headcanons #naruto worldbuilding #naruto fanfiction #sasuke uchiha #naruto uzumaki #hokage #hidden leaf village #konohagakure #orochimaru

[pinkestmenace]

WOOOO! Done just in time! @kirbyoctournament

Name: Olympea, the Pummeling Peacekeeper

Gender: She-himbo, She/Her

Age: Never ask a woman her age! (She's an adult.)

Occupation: Warrior/Hero of Yore

Species: Puffball/Starborn/Star Child/whatever the Kirby species is called.

Uh-oh, due to a temporal anomaly the Hero of Yore Olympea suddenly finds herself transported alive and well from Ancient Halcandra to the Kirby OC tournament! She doesn't know what's going on, but she'll roll with the punches and treat it like a fun dream vacation of sorts. She does like meeting all sorts of new people and trying new foods, weapons and technology. She'll have so many stories to tell her friends when she returns! It's probably for the best if she doesn't learn what disaster befell the four heroes in the regular timeline, though...

Some ground rules, just in case:

I would love seeing people's OC's interact with her! Asking Olympea questions is okay, but this is not an ask blog/rp blog and I'm not looking for extended roleplay. I may not answer your question. If I see potential for an interesting interaction I may draw it, but I can't promise anything. (Keep in mind if I don't respond right away -> 1: I'm timid and get anxious easily. 2: I may not have figured out that part of her story/the history of Ancient Halcandra yet. 3: The answer would have contained a spoiler for my fics. 4: I'm very slow at drawing.)

I'm joining this tournament for fun, so thank you for understanding!

Overview:

While she's not very big, intellectual or attuned to magic, she is unbeatably chipper and physically strong. She loves fighting and gleefully uses a variety of lovely accessories/weapons like a giant club, enchanted glaive, magitech gauntlets, etc. Her left glove allows her to access a dimensional storage. Teases hard, punches even harder. Actually quite feminine when off the clock. Loves magitech gadgets a lot. Doesn't think science or magic is better, because their society needs both. She's definitely not insecure about her height. She'd also never conjure a giant squeaky hammer to bop you over the head if you call her short.

Likes: Vegetables, Nectar, Trying new foods, The colour green, Flowers, Butterflies and moths, Pretty/cool/badass women, Her club, Brass knuckles, Tinkering, New gadgets, Teasing her friends, Seeing a certain winged magenta knight open up and feel genuine joy

Dislikes: Being mistaken for a child, Being called stupid, Stuck-up people, Seeing her friends being hurt, Strangers flicking her antennae, How much dust and scales her wings leave behind

Abilities: Able to fly. Very physically strong. Innately has access to Suplex and Hammer, but mainly uses her trusty club. Her boots and gauntlets let her emulate elements of Hi-jump, Laser and Mecha. (The boosted jump, laser finger guns and palm blasts, respectively.)

Weaknesses: Can't fly quickly. Stubby little arms limit her great strength with little reach. Distractable and a little naive. Can't resist eating strange and exotic snacks no matter the source. Seeing cute girls (she HAS to show off).

Fighting Style:

Her gauntlets are good for punching and the palms can release blasts of energy as well. They're mainly so she can hold large weapons well, since her actual hands aren't very big.

Her moth wings aren't very big either, so while she can normally fly and can still break her fall when she's armoured, she prefers to zip around close to the ground. It's often faster and easier to run and jump when she's fighting. Especially when she's wielding her heavy club. Her boots help her boost and maneuver quickly.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that because she prefers close range combat and isn't proficient with magic she can't attack at a distance. Her gauntlets possess finger laser guns and she can use her left glove (which she also wears under her gauntlet) to access her weapon hoard at all times. Who knows what else she keeps in there?

Even her civilian outfit isn't harmless. She still has access to her innate Suplex and Hammer abilities, after all. And those shoes have steel toes! Of course, the platform heels are just to keep her delicate wings from scraping across the ground when folded. No other reasons. (Like being taller.)

Design Thoughts:

Olympea is the first of the Heroes of Yore who came to me. I was thinking about how to describe the Heroes of Yore and knew I wanted at least one to be a woman. Suddenly her name resounded through my head! Then I just started associating. Olympea sounds like Olympics, so she must be strong. Pea calls to mind small, round and green, so what if she's (mostly) the same species as Galacta Knight? Peas are famous for research on genetics and alleles, so what if she was born, not formed like him? Maybe she doesn't have a lot of magical affinity. Then she needs weapons. Pea, peace, pea shooters, peas in a pod, peacemaker, pea-smacker. Let's give her a hammer, no, a club! She's strong, so what if she packs a punch? How about some gauntlets for punching? She can have a gun, wait, let's put the gun (pea shooter!) in her gauntlet's finger! She needs storage for her weapon hoard (girl needs to accessorise!) so what if her enchanted gauntlets let her access dimensional storage (peas in a pod)? Hmmm, does she have wings? There's a bug called a pea moth, so she has moth wings now. Her ponytail is twisted like a dried pea pod and not-so-coincidentally looks a bit like a cocoon when down and a boxing glove while up in a bun.

I maaay have gone completely overboard with the whole pea thing, but such is life. Although there is a bit of Hammer Lord in there as well. She doesn't hate magic, she just doesn't have a lot of affinity for it. She does enjoy tinkering and building weapons. This is how she ended up relying mostly on technology instead of magic.

She's not a knight and has no mask, because while many people depict all adult puffballs as masked knights (probably influenced by the Star Warriors from the K:RBAY anime) I personally don't think this has to be universal for their kind. How sad it would be if all they were destined for was fighting! ...And then I made her a warrior anyway. Oh well.

#Joining fashionably late but I'm giving this a shot #kirby oc tournament #Olympea's Quest #HoY Olympea #Olympea #The heroes of yore #kirby oc #ibispaint #my drawing #my art #long post

[zalrb]

This is awkward because I made it seem as if there was actually a lot more I had to say about constructing couples I find epic or cosmic or transcendental in movies and I don't really 🤣 but let's give it ago.

So, one thing I think anons should do when thinking about couples in movies is consider the type of movie they're watching.

If you're watching something like a romantic comedy, you're watching the 'why' of a relationship. This is why these two people end up falling for each other, these are the reasons

If you're watching something like Atonement, you're watching the 'how' of a relationship. The feelings exist and the movie is communicating to the viewer how they exist, how the characters express that to each other and to the audience

and usually within the how, the why is embedded

I think anons are curious about the 'how' movies rather than the 'why' movies and that goes back to paying attention to the director's choices - framing, lighting, mise en scene - that communicates the emotional interiority of the characters/couple.

In The Mood for Love gives us a reason as to why our two leads end up spending more and more time together i.e. their spouses are having an affair with one another -- and it should also be noted that we don't see the faces of their respective spouses, we hear their voices, and at most see the back of their heads, which again is a choice, it reinforces that their spouses aren't what's significant here -- but I find it more concerned with illustrating the how of their growing intimacy and yearning. It's a movie about unfulfilled desire and said desire is illustrated effectively with framing

Their growing closeness is communicated with positioning

So we're watching the progression of this relationship in mostly unspoken instances of glances and proximity helped along by framing and music in the span of two hours and it's devastatingly beautiful

The other day, I was at the hairdresser and we were talking about the importance of chemistry in kdramas particularly for the 'face off' i.e. the leads just stand a couple of feet apart and stare at each other and then we get a close up and then a medium shot and then a long shot of them just looking at one other. And we were like the chemistry between the two leads is meant to be so strong and so palpable that all they need to do is look at each other and as a viewer, you can interpret/infer/feel the emotion attached so as a viewer, you should be moved by the fact that they're just staring at each other.

Everything needs this but it's particularly true for a movie because of how the story is streamlined. The chemistry is necessary to propel the plot forward because it's entwined with/sells/elevates the cinematic language/choices that the director makes to communicate the 'how'.

For Arwen and Aragorn,

the primary 'how' is a physical embodiment i.e. the evenstar. But it's not just the evenstar, it's the reverence with which the evenstar is treated.

If he's touching the evenstar like this

If she's touching it like that

I know what the possibility of it breaking means

I know what it means to have it returned

I know what it means when he's wearing it while another woman who loves him hugs him

Of course he rejects Eowyn when she confesses her feelings for him, he's always wearing the evenstar. It's a choice that communicate that depth of a relationship that two lines of dialogue explicitly reveal

Does this make sense?

[b0nelessdoodles]

my actual fav is canon divergance/aus but like I had no idea how to even doodle that so runner up! I’m pretty picky about Hanahaki tho I need these idiots to live even if it is still tragic. Shoutout to my best fic being a Hanahaki fic ✌

#art requests #happyfunballxd #im always a sucker for one person thinking their feelings aren't returned #or their feelings actually aren't returned #very quality angst and drama #but sometimes i need the angst with a happy ending ya know? #i want my little blorbo to suffer a bit but then be happy at the end #god i read this one hanahaki fic that just oh man the emotional rollercoaster i went on #person a got the feelings first and was like nah get those flowers outta me #but then person b also caught feels and wasn't willing to go through surgery about it #so was going to die ya know and person a was like NAH FUCK THAT #and went through science shit to try and save b's life #it was fuckin chef kiss loved that fic so damn much #okay enough rambling thanks for the interesting topic! :D

[soulfireblue]

remembering how tubbo and cellbit being siblings was a pretty popular headcanon before bagi joined, and then people headcanoned the three of them as siblings. but i think that what we've ended up with is tubbo and bagi as siblings, removed from cellbit. i don't usually like to assign found family traditional family roles, but in this case, i think it being specifically a sibling role is important.

because bagi's spent so long chasing after a brother who doesn't want her. so she's gone "fine, then. i'll find myself one who does." and tubbo certainly wants her around! he doesn't mind her stealing from him. he chose her for his team the first time around, despite the one-sided tension they'd originally had.

she went to purgatory for her coach. she said she'd stick her hand in the fire for him. and they didn't win, but they get to walk out together, so i think bagi won, honestly. there's also the mutual bickering and the stealing, but that's part of it too. and there's so much mutual respect there as well.

anyway. i love seeing them hang out and i hope they hang out even more going forward, not just for themselves but also for sunny and empanada <3 because they're siblings too and i love them and i wish they got to see more of each other!

#qsmp #qsmp bagi #bagi #qsmp tubbo #tubbo #soulfire is such a found family in the way that does not involve traditional family roles #but tubbo and bagi can be found siblings. as a treat #i think they both need it #i love tubbo finally feeling like he's respected #and i love that after bagi spent so long choosing her brother and he didn't choose her in return #she's found someone who will choose her and embrace her with open arms #maybe she doesn't come first because of course morning crew and sunny come first #but she still clearly means quite a lot to qtubbo #side note but i think bagi would relate a lot to hearing sunny talk about tallulah #from what i understand of bagi and cellbit's relationship i think tallulah's letter would bring up some unfortunate memories #sunny and tallulah aren't literally siblings like cellbit and bagi but the essence of the issue is very similar #actually this might get its own post

[13eyond13]

HOLD ON YOU CAN'T JUST SAY THAT NANA 1... WHAT DO YOU MEAN

#i'm really upset rn that i can't figure out which way she's talking about the unrequited love going? #she's talking about nana 2 getting married to ren and trying to help her pick up the certificates #but does she mean 'maybe... yes this must be unrequited love' about her not loving nana 2 back??? #or does she think SHE loves nana 2 but nana 2 doesn't love HER back? #or is she actually just referring to ren and nana 2??? #in context i feel it makes more sense that she means she does believe nana 2 might love her now #but she doesn't feel the same which would be SO SAD #but unless nana 1 has changed quite a bit character-wise i feel it'd be almost more in-character for her to think she loved nana 2 #and it wasn't returned?? #but then at the same time she's gone through some shit and it never really got fully resolved between them when things went sour??? #so if their feelings for each other aren't matching up totally anymore i can kinda see that too? #and it's like i was thinking... that nana 1 had to grow up in certain ways and finds nana 2 too immature in certain ways now?? #arghhh this is why reading fan translations can be rough sometimes i feel they aren't always as clear #i will have to wait for the library to loan me this volume to check that version too.... #13readsmanga #nana spoilers #nana #p

[vounoura]

the maister system and the new 'find vocations out in the world' system is...ok, but I prefer the old colour system

#saint plays dd2 #like coming in as someone who knows nothing abt how DD:O worked DD2's vocation system feels like a major step back #95% of the augments are useless and aren't worth using so there's no real build variety anymore #nor is there any real weight to choosing what to run in terms of combat effectiveness and QoL stuff like carry weight anymore #bc there's only like 5-8 augments worth taking bc the stat bonus are insultingly low for the effort of leveling the vocation #and the colours feel arbitrary bc it's not a tree system anymore. thief is green bc it's green and there's no hybrid green #whereas in DD1 every base vocation had a hybrid colour mix and it made logical sense #strider (yellow) and mage (blue) became a magick archer. strider and fighter (red) doubled down on the melee and became assassin. #while keeping the bow as a sidearm. #pure red became warrior and dumped the shield for 2h colossal but slow attacks. pure blue sacrificed utility for highest tier damage spells #and so on. it just felt so much more intuitive and felt like actual growth when you could 'upgrade' to a hybrid vocation bc #you actually needed to have X number of ranks in both colours before you could take it whereas in 2 they're all just standalone classes #and the meister skill systems are....ok. I don't know how I feel abt all of them being connected to optional sidequests you can fuck up #or straight up just miss bc this game still has the weird design flaw of having points of no return where quests autofail #also like I feel to get the meister skill either you or your pawn should actually have like. maxed the vocation out. #like it feels weird when I get magick archer and then immediately unlock the meister skill at the same time #when I haven't even bought the vocation yet.

[nanobyting]

ii.

This isn’t right. This isn’t right.

His ears are ringing with rapid gunfire and the sound of screaming. His nose is being assaulted with the smell of napalm and burnt bodies. Wet earth pressing against his back, not helping how the sticky heat makes his clothes cling to his skin and -

“Bell,” he croaks, straining to look down, finally getting his bearings and realizing the weight on his chest was her. He puts a hand on her hip to jostle her awake. The blast of that explosion must have - 

Her side is wet.

He pulls his hand back and blinks at the bright red liquid dripping down his arm.

He realizes he’s lying in a pool of her blood. “Bell!” He quickly moves to get up, gently grabbing her to lay her down next to him.

Her eyes flutter open and searches her surroundings - and he can tell the moment the pain hits her. She hisses while he tears open her jacket, then she whimpers when he reveals the wound to fresh air. She still hasn’t said a word, but her body’s reacting on its own as she grabs onto his wrist to anchor herself, needing to hold onto something for dear life.

She’s in shock.

“Bell, stay with me,” he says, not wasting a single second because it looks bad. It is bad. Something ripped open her right side when she got in front of him to protect him - she didn’t have to do that. She always does this. Gets herself in damn trouble for me. Gets in the line of fire for me. He never asks her to do this. She always acts as if he was the most precious damn thing in the world. Says things like life wouldn’t be worth living without him.

He hurries to get the gauze out of his pack and presses it against her wound to stop the bleeding, ignoring her cries. “I know, I know,” he shushes her, trying to keep his own nerves steady as he glances around to make sure that they weren’t going to get shot at while Bell was -

“Russell,” she whines, glancing down at her body again and reaching for his red red red hands, “it’s not - ”

“Move your hands, Bell, move your hands,” he growls. Too much blood. It isn’t stopping. Seeping through the gauze. Can’t stitch it up when it’s still bleeding like this.

“Cipher.” 

A whimper.

“Stay with me, Bell. Just focus on me. You’re gonna be alright.”

“Cipher.” 

“Russell.” She barely gets his name out and it makes him finally snap his attention to her even though he doesn’t want to.

“CIPHER!”

They aren’t in Vietnam anymore. They’re on the cliff side of Solovetsky and the Arctic air is burning the inside of his lungs as it carries the scent of Bell’s perfume mixed with the blood seeping out of her chest. She’s gasping, struggling to breathe because her lungs are filling with blood - she’s drowning in her own blood.

He stares, frozen in place. His hands felt so warm against her -

“It’s not - ” she gurgles, coughs, and spits, “ - it’s not your fault.”

“Stop,” he murmurs, staring at her as his hands tremble. Her own hands reach to settle on top of his, trapping him in this moment. “Bell, you - “

“Heroes - “ she led him and “ - have to make - ” stood at the edge of the cliff “ - sacrifices.” and fell.

06͠7 ̶06͘6͏ ̷0̷40͟ ̛0̴62 06҉0҉ 040 0͟66͡ ͞14̶1 04͟0 ҉0͞67̶ ͜0͞66͜ 040 ̴0͜66̴ 06͢6͘ ̧0͡40̸ 0͝6͠7҉ ̨06͘5͏ ͠040 0͏62́ ͝06͡0 ̴0̢40͟ 0͞6̷6 ͡14͝1 040 ͜0̨6̷7 ͘06͝2͘ 0̡4̀0 ͞0̶6͠2 0͘6̴0̴ ́04̧0 0̶6́7 0̶65 040̨ ̛066͝ ̛145҉ 04̛0̨ ̵0̕6̵7 06̶1͟ 0̡40 0̀6̴2͢ 0͜60̡ ̨0͘4͏0 ̶0͠67͢ 141 ͘0̶4̶0̕ 066 0̛62҉ 0͢40 ̛06̨6̴ ̵0͡65͡ ̶0̛40̀ ͡0̛67 0̸6̀2 04̷0 ̧0̵62 ̵0҉6̨0 04̕0 0͜6̨6 0̀6̸7 ̴040 ͜067̸ 06͠6̨ 040 ̴067͘ ͜1͜4̨1̨ 04͡0̧ 06̨7 06̢2́

The world comes crashing down around him.

With Bell dying in his arms, peering up at him as if he was her whole world while her blood seeped deep into his skin, into his bones, into his soul.

“This isn’t how it happened.”

He looks up and there’s Bell standing over them. Healthy, no gaping wound in her chest, looking at him and her dying body with concern. Her hand reaches for him by the shirt and he’s pulled up and back into his living room, panting heavily as he stares at her blankly. 

Bell sighs and caresses his face. He leans into her touch.

“How many times have I told you? You can’t keep re-creating these fake memories, Cipher.”

“It isn’t fake,” he says, “not to you.”

She smiles, amused. “It’s fake to you.”

“No - it was real to you. I was there,” he breathes, “I was there. We made those memories together.” Halcyon days in Vietnam. How did she make memories where she yearned for those days in Vietnam? All because it was a time where she supposedly met him - where they grew close. In that corner of the world, far away from anything they knew, surviving against all odds together.

She considers him and drags the back of her hand down his cheek that has him shuddering. “Not those memories,” she says, “memories of me dying.”

“No,” he says urgently, “no. You - when he was scrambling your fucking brain, you kept - you kept going off script and trying to kill yourself in the scenarios.”

“I did?”

“You did.”

“While protecting you?”

“Yeah.”

“... What does that mean?”

“... I don’t know.” Bell frowns and he grabs onto her hands.

“You feel guilty. That’s all. You shouldn’t keep forcing yourself to go through those scenarios, Cipher.”

“I’m not forcing myself.”

She takes his hands in hers and squeezes them tight. Steps closer and tilts her head back to look up at him. She stares into his blue eyes and he wonders what she sees. Some days he wonders if she preferred him or who he used to be.

 “You should rest, Cipher.”

He stares into her. Those green eyes. He feels like they were brighter when she was alive. Sometimes her smiles wouldn't reach her eyes these days. He leans down to kiss her only to be stopped by her fingers pressing against his lips. He frowns and narrows his eyes at her.

“Don’t play this game,” she murmurs, “you always regret it.”

“You said you’d do anything for me.”

“Cipher...”

“Were you lying?”

“Of course not.” He stares at her, expecting more. He always expects more out of her. She doesn’t squirm like she used to. “I would never lie to you. I love you.”

“Show me, then.”

Bell tilts her head, the corner of her lips raising just a bit as her eyes squint with amusement. “You want me to?”

“Yes.”

“How badly?”

“More than anything.”

She laughs and presses against him as he wraps his arms around her tighter. “Oh, Cipher,” she sighs happily, lifting a leg up behind her as she wraps her arms around his neck, “what would you do without me?”

She licks into his mouth and he buries himself deep inside her with no hopes of crawling back out.

#my writing #point of no return (side b) #im just throwing random things together bc i couldnt get this scene out of my head which isnt really related to point of no return #but it could be #and almost has a parallel #snippet #cipher wishing he was a corpse too so he can bury himself in her 😩😩😩 who said that #SDIGHSDHG #dont take that seriously that pick up line has been stuck in my head all day #also yes those numbers aren't actually random this time #if you wanna solve it octal > hexadecimal > rot13 #cipherbell #if this feels all over the place that's because it is and i wrote it over like ... some days and just filled it with #whatever mood i was feeling iSDHGSDG #russell adler #adlerbell #bell

[enemy-archive]

— ...no need to worry about that now, my dear boy.

Crowley slowly raises his head to take a lengthy look at Aziraphael. He begins to speak deeply, almost growling.

— I've designed the stars themselves. I made Eve take a bite of that apple. I am a demon; I seduce, I corrupt, I destroy. I'm an architect of frustration, neurosis, and breakdown... And what you've chosen to call me is "my. dear. boy."

Aziraphale listens to the tirade while sorting out his paperwork. Buzy tidying up, he doesn't look back at Crowley until a couple of moments after the demon is finished with his little speech of intimidation.

— I suppose I have. Would you rather I'd not?

He grins at Crowley gently, half-playing out concern, perfectly knowing the answer to his question. Crowley averts his stare and almost mumbles, voice traveling higher, speech — faster

— Well ughh... egheyeah no, that works fine, If you insist...

#I haven't been to tumblr in ten years #honestly #and now i have this hyperfixation on good omens so I find myself writing these posts #i know they aren't anything but guys we cope how we cope #maybe this way it will get out of my system and I will be able to return to my actual life #it feels nice to be back though #surprisingly very little changed or i haven't noticed yet #good omens #crowly x aziraphale #aziracrow #aziraphale and crowley #aziraphale #crowley #ineffable husbands #ineffable headcanon #so this is like a&c in some distant future #right after everything got fine #they've sorted it out and talked it through #and have began to sink into their life together #developing little routins #just spending time doing nothing #being together #finally not hurting and being secure in one another or at least knowing that they are moving towards it #will someone tell me why I'm so invested in this..... #i just thought it would be funny to imagine crowley's reaction to being called something sweet....

[puppys-rhythm-heaven]

tbh the thing that bothers me most about the prequels isn't so much that they exist (though it does baffle me, some of them are pretty good tho) but that the music doesn't match the actual game's at all. like. sequels consistently remix the original game's music. prequels don't do that at all. even for, like, fillbots, shoot-'em-up and micro-row, where the sequels' music is basically identical to the original's. none of the prequels have music that matches the actual game's. ,,, which actually makes sense given that prequel rhythm rally's music has test in it file name i'm pretty sure klsdfjfldksdfjdfsfs-

#puppy rambles #rhythm hell #megamix #doesn't apply to megamix's prequels. at least not as much #lumbearjack 2 and second contact kind of remix lumbearjack and first contact's music. kind of #catchy tune 2 and fruit basket 2 don't really remix catchy tune and fruit basket's though- #granted i'm actively listening to rhythm heaven music so. gimme a second actually #... yeah okay no catchy tune's music sounds completely different from catchy tune 2's #fruit basket's is closer to fruit basket 2 but still not sure if it's a remix of it in the same way as sequels usually are #me over here just casually pulling up rhythm heaven songs in my brain klsfdjkfdlsjsfdfdskjfsd- #anyways i like a good amount of the prequels actually. honeybee land's are all pretty good #machine land's. aren't as great. all of the prequels for megamix's new games are good tho #citrus land's good apart from prequel clappy trio i hate prequel clappy trio istg. prequel shoot-'em-up n micro-row are v good tho #barbershop land has prequel rhythm rally n prequel sneaky spirits. but also prequel flipper-flop and lumbearjack. so #win-lose situation there- #the prequels baffle me cuz it's like. are they trying to target megamix towards new fans or old fans #cuz it feels like both. like. they have easier versions of existing games. but also it's mostly returning games. so??? #... though also i don't think they know what games the fandom actually wants klsdfjdfsklfjfdslkjfds-

[the-busy-ghost]

Warning- this is a very petty post, but I think I'm entitled to at least one petty, pissed-off reaction every time I finish a classic novel that hit harder than I expected so take this as my quota for the year.

Also spoiler warning for a book that came out over a century ago but still, I didn't know the plot going in so don't want to ruin it for anyone else, if you haven't read it shut your eyes. (Also Local Tumblr User Going Wild Over Book Published a Hundred Years Ago That Everybody Else Already Read should probably be categorised as akey part of indigenous tumblr culture at this point).

Anyway I just finished the War of the Worlds and in between studying I've thinking about Themes and Motifs as you do, and idly looking for further analysis. I then accidentally ran into an article called 'A Quiet Place II Succeeds Where the War of the Worlds Failed' and:

Now I haven't seen any of the Quiet Place films, this is not a rant against them and of course everyone is entitled to their own opinions. But re: the ending of The War of the Worlds, I have to ask, did this guy somehow miss, uh, the entire point of the book or am I just utterly insane?

#You're right it's not very satisfying for humanity that the invaders are foiled by a bacteria and not human action! Maybe that's the point! #Maybe it's supposed to be FRIGHTENING and make you ask questions about what humans will do under extreme stress #Not be a morally uplifting tale about Humanity Heroically Defeating the Martians in a Glorious Hollywood Ending #Maybe it's MEANT to be unsatisfying because this is not a straightforward fairytale #I mean I've only read it once and don't know much about Wells' work so I might have misunderstood the point of the book too #But at places it is a very pessimistic view of the human condition and that's partly WHY IT'S SO POWERFUL #That doesn't mean there aren't moments of individual acts of heroism (the Thunderchild for example) #But the question is not just 'how will humanity beat the Martians and prove that we're still the masters of the universe' #Rather 'a) why is humanity so confident that it's ultimately in control of its own destiny #And b) here's lots of scenes of societal collapse and of people pushed to the brink and what would YOU do in those circumstances? #Would YOU feel remorse about silencing the curate even if it did lead to his death? #What if it rather than a foolish adult it had been a small child? #And even if they were weak did they DESERVE it? Yes it might have been necessary but should it be policy going forward? #Would you also be attracted briefly by the certainties that the artilleryman's (rather fascist) plan seems to offer so humanity survives? #But what sort of humanity would that be if it DID survive and is it worth it? The narrator feels he needs to justify the curate's death #The artilleryman would have probably never have thought it was anything OTHER than justifiable or indeed laudable #Under strain and stress would you start to turn against even your loved ones and become brutal? #Is that the only hope for human survival beyond complete surrender? And was the destruction of London maybe even 'cleansing' #In the eugenics sense or in the sense of a natural horror of dirt and germs? #And the vast exodus of six million people fleeing headlong in panic - we might not have seen that exact phenomenon #But didn't the twentieth century subsequently go on to show us unprecedented scale of slaughter and refugee movements and communal strife? #At the end of the day what really separates humanity from other animals? And what separates us from the Martians? #It's not an uncontroversial book- it was written over a hundred years ago for goodness sake and there are questions worth asking #about the way imperialism and arguments about eugenics and population control and all sorts of other dodgy areas operated on Wells' mind #But dear God I really don't think the problem with the book is that 'Humanity didn't save the day!' #Unsatisfying ending? Yes. A FAILURE? No not in my opinion- looks like it was exactly what Wells set out to do #Humanity didn't win the war of the worlds they had a narrow escape and though it might not be martians next time #Why wouldn't disaster return in the future? Sure we've studied their flying machines and even preserved a martian in a jar #But for all our science what have we ACTUALLY learned that will enable us to avert future human catastrophes? Ethically or socially? #Alright rant over- as usual my opinion is not universal nor necessarily well-informed this take just really got my goat