The thing about testosterone being a controlled substance means that acess to it for hrt is restricted. While it makes access a significant issue for many people and an easy and effective way to prevent trans men and mascs from transitioning (as we've seen terfs campaign for and succeed at doing in Britain) it also means that is very easy for health care professionals to be able to take it away from trans men/mascs arbitrarily. This is most aborant in cases where trans men/mascs are forced to detransition to gain access to abortions after being raped. However, the first sign of an issues tangentially related to hormones a gp, without any training in trans people or hormones, can and will stop a person's testosterone. Apart from how stressful it is to know that for the rest of your life you'll be dependent on the goodwill of a random person, this has measurable negative consequences for a trans person subjected too it.

Going off t fucking sucks at the best of time, but being forced off t will most likely result in depression and worsening mental health for a trans man/masc, who are already one of the most likely groups to attempt suicide. It can also put a trans person at risk if they suddenly start being visibly trans again, especially if they're closeted in, say, a work place environment. Trans people, including trans men, are already one of the most targeted groups of harassment and violence and sexual assalt and forcibly reducing or stopping t can out people and risk their safety. And a gp won't see this or care about this, or attempt to treat a trans man/masc first or ask for their opinion or situation.

Ultimately, testosterone is seen as entirely optional and so the first resort when something goes wrong it to take it away, when it should be considered the last resort, and is considered the last resort for cis men. And as long as testosterone continues to be a controlled substance it will remain like this.

(edit for clarification: I am a kiwi, this post was intended as a general critique of accessing t through health care systems - based in my lived experience in NZ and what ive heard from international trans ppl; including but not limited to the USA)

Demon!Eddie 1

Steve woke up to someone moving about the room. He wondered why someone was in his room before last night’s events caught up with him. Maybe if he kept his eyes closed, it never happened. Eventually he’d find himself in his own house with parents that were just disappointed in him, not psycho cultists.

“Rise and shine Sleeping Beauty. I slaved over a hot stove for your breakfast. Come and get it.”

With a groan, Steve finally opened his eyes. In the light of the morning, he saw that the walls of the bedroom were covered with posters of people he didn’t know. A gray t-shirt and some sweatpants had been placed next to him. Eddie was nowhere to be seen.

Steve closed the door before undressing. He checked his palms again. Any sign that he had been sliced was gone. But his shirt was still ripped and there was still dried blood on his stomach. God, maybe he should’ve taken that shower after all.

He put the new set of clothes on anyway and left the bedroom. It took about one and half steps to get to the kitchen, where Eddie was sitting with some cereal and milk.

“Slaved over a hot stove, huh?”

“I turned the stove on for the coffee”, Eddie said cheekily.

Steve was distracted from the quip by the large soup pot of black coffee sitting on the stove. This man might really be the devil.

“Soooo”, he sat down across from Eddie, trying to ignore the warning bells. “What’s next?”

“That’s all up to you, remember?” Eddie pushed and empty bowl towards him, along with the box of cereal. “So what does freedom look like to Steve Harrington?”

He thought about the choices his parents had given him before. For his room, blue or green. For his major, business or law. They had always told him it was his choice before giving a very limited set of options.

“I...don’t know. I’ve never had this much freedom before.”

“Well, let’s start with something simple. Cereal or milk first?”

Steve’s expression pinched. “In my bowl? Cereal first, duh.” He grabbed the box and began to pour it.

“Aah, but what if milk is the main event for me and I simply want a crunchy garnish on top?”, Eddie grinned.

“I’d like to assume you’re being sarcastic but after seeing the way you make coffee I’m just not sure.”

“What’s wrong with the way I make coffee?”

Steve looked again to the pot. He wasn’t even a big coffee drinker, but sometimes the way a person did things told you so much about them. “Who raised you?”

“Technically? Your little country club did. Been a while since someone used that summoning spell.”

“Is that how it normally goes?”, Steve asked. “You just show up, burn a few folks, and then make off with the sacrifice?”

Eddie tapped Steve’s bowl with his spoon. “Don’t let it get soggy. And to answer your question, it depends on the wish and what they give up for it.”

“They’ve been worshipping you for...years I guess. Why did you betray them?”

“Would you rather I have taken your soul and given them what they wanted?”, Eddie asked.

“I just...don’t understand everything that happened last night.”

“The spell they used that whole thing they were chanting, it doesn’t call upon a specific demon”, Eddie began to explain. “That incantation is like dialing 911. You’re kinda rolling the dice with whatever demon picks up. And for most folks’ sake, I try to be that guy.”

“So you just go around snatching up sacrifices and leaving people with an empty bag?”

“That’s a good way of spinning it!”, Eddie cackled.

“And you let them crash here?”

“Not often. Most of the time they’re just caught in a bad group or made a wrong turn. I just give em an escape route or help them back where they’re supposed to be.”

“So I’m the first person who’s such a loser I literally have no other place to go.”

“Loser is just another way to say someone’s got a not so lucky life. And hey, it wasn’t all bad before that point right? Lavish parties, nice house, people bowing to you in hallways.” Eddie was twirling his spoon between his fingers as he spoke.

“I’d trade that for a box in an alley if I knew...if I knew they were going to do that.” Steve’s brow furrowed as he stared into his bowl.

“You could still go back. Try and mend some things, follow in dear old dad’s footsteps”, Eddie suggested.

Steve scoffed and pushed the bowl away, crossing his arms. “If they didn’t want me then, they’re not gonna want me now. And I could never be like them.”

“So you’re not going into business. What then? Health, education, entertainment?”

“Well there’s no way they’re footing the bill for tuition, which means college is out, which means my options are limited.”

“Don’t be so sure. Your wish was for freedom. And I aim to keep my promises.”

“Unless you’ve got a bunch of jobs lined up willing to take on someone with zero experience-”

“That’s it!”, Eddie snapped his fingers and then stood up. “You want experience so you can make a decision. Take a shower, make a list and then we’ll get started.”

“Started with what?”

“Job hunting!” Eddie put his empty bowl in the sink and then went through a door Steve hadn’t noticed. “Be ready when I get back!”

He shut the door and then Steve was left alone. He wasn’t any less confused than he was before. But he managed to find the bathroom, wash himself up which did make him feel much better. He found a pad of sticky notes and a marker and started to write down some jobs.

He started with the kind of jobs he had when he played pretend as a kid. Policeman, doctor, zookeeper, firefighter, astronaut. Then he started thinking about careers he had a passing fancy in as he got older. Baker, writer, teacher, military.

When Eddie came through the door again, he had a wild smile on his face and Steve had a completed list.

“Let’s have a looksie”, he said, snatching it from Steve’s hand. He gave a whistle at the various jobs. “Hope you had your coffee.”

“Yeah, I’ll pass. What’re we doing with this list anyway?”

“Steve....have you ever heard of roleplay?”

The redness in Steve’s cheeks were immediate as he looked Eddie up and down and suddenly remembered the feeling of his tongue. 

“You...y-you mean where like people dress up and they um, they-”

“That’s right.” Then Eddie opened that mysterious door and Steve found himself in the middle of a precinct. “They play pretend!”, Eddie finished.

Steve looked down at himself and saw an officer’s uniform.

“You’re gonna live a day in the life until you figure out whatchu wanna do”, Eddie beamed, giving him a nudge with his shoulder.

Steve heard a clinking and saw that Eddie was handcuffed. Today was going to be a ride.

Part 3

Tag Team:

@michael-the-angelo @swimmingbirdrunningrock @flustratedcas

@estrellami-1 @weirdandabsurd42 @lololol-1234

@chaoticvictorianspirit @giopandaonice @marklee-blackmore

@blackpanzy @kacatshi

hi i’m very excited for the sleepover! can i request 38 with yeonjun from the prompt list

yeonjun + “I want to see you, want to watch you come.” 

wordcount: 3.5k

tags: camboy!yeonjun, cam sex obv, dirty talk, masturbation, implied anal but not in detail nor is it related to reader & yeonjun’s interaction. use of: y/n, baby, babe, pretty

note: *heavy breathing* not proof read sorry lmao

~

You weren’t exactly the type to watch dude’s jerk off online. Really you aren’t. You are, however, the type to watch Eboyfantasy jerk off though. He kind of woke something up inside of you. 

Given, in terms of porn there’s not a whole lot you hadn’t already seen and fucking avoided. Live cams and their little cash grab tricks were your least favorite and most avoided, until the cash grab got you…And it got you bad.

At this point, you don’t care how much money you’ve spent watching this stranger pleasure himself. He’s given you some of the best orgasms you’ve ever had, alone in your room, as he speaks out to a general audience. It got to the point where, you know, yeah, you made that account to watch more than just the public show. That was your first orgasm after your initial interest in the strikingly beautiful man spread out on camera with his loose, ripped up t-shirt covering what everyone wanted to see. 

You watched, and then you started typing, thirsting much like everyone else was. Wanting to be the “you’re not like other girls” girl for him, but ultimately, always being just like the other girls and men typing dirty words to him. 

Those words surely didn’t get him off, but the praise. Oh yeah, that did something. You could see the way he would close his eyes when the chat was doing nothing for him, relying on his own hand and fuck-toys to get him there. You could definitely see how his eyes would stay glued to the chat, open and shining when there was praise and money though. Things like, “So pretty, you sound so pretty like this.” or “If i send you $300 worth of coins, would you say my name?”

He always said those names, but it was never your name. That was too personal for some 1k viewers to hear from a pair of slack, moaning lips. It was something you wanted so badly at this point though. Spending half of your paycheck to keep him in that lavish bed, with all of those expensive toys to fuck into and be fucked by. 

Safe to say, you felt about as pathetic as he sounded every single time he drenched himself in his own cum. Even safer to say when you realized his recent update, claiming to offer private shows for a limited time, you felt pathetically aroused at the idea. 

Limited time, for a very limited man, with your limited ass bank account. 

God, the hours of overtime were so worth it, you think, as you sit here in front of your laptop. Unsure of what to expect, but trying to be prepared for your name to finally sound from those lips. Six hundred dollars for this was not a hard bargain when he comes on the screen, waving at you with a polite smile and a small nod. 

“One second babe, let me just grab a few things.”

You politely nod, realizing he definitely didn’t see that shit considering you’re not on camera. 

You: take your time, we have an hour!

That exclamation mark looks stupid, but it was a better option than using a fucking emoji. 

“So sweet and understanding, I should have been better prepared. You’re only my third private show, I’m not so good with someone else’s schedule–” He giggles, stepping off camera to presumably grab something. “I wouldn’t mind if you were a little annoyed with me, you know.”

You: oh? you’re into that?

You: you seemed to like praise, i didn’t want to step over a boundary.

His face comes into view as he reads, smiling with a breathy chuckle. 

“Observant, huh? I’m very adventurous. Sometimes getting everything I want can be a little boring.” 

You pause, staring at him on your screen and didn’t realize that you’d ever want to play a part for him like this. You expect him to jerk off as usual, dirty talk, and simply moan your name. But it appears he is actually putting some effort into it. 

“You didn’t mention in your request what you wanted to see? Does this mean I can decide how to fuck myself for you?”

God, the heat in your cheeks. The way your stomach flips each time you realize he’s talking to you and not a general audience. 

You: i just like it when you feel good. Would love to see how you do it when you’re not putting on a show. 

Another chuckle from him, and honestly, you’re kicking your feet out of fondness at him and his bright little smile, with his bright messy hair, and his pretty fingers. 

“You want me to just– jerk off like normal?” He tilts his head with a slight smirk. “You paid six hundred dollars to watch me finish in ten minutes when we’ve got an hour because when I’m not on cam, and i’m not getting paid, it’s just a quick cumanddone?”

Well, no. Of course not. 

You: I paid 600 dollars for you to use my name. 

“Is that what you want? Give me your name then,” He pauses, letting his loose shirt fall down his shoulder as he places a bottle of lube down onto the bed. “I’ll make it sound good. I promise.” He boasts himself up, pulling his pinky up to the camera and looking into it with doe-eyes. 

Something inside of you clicks, feeling nervous and kind of embarrassed. You can barely bear to look at the way his eyes go to your messages as you type them out at lightning speed. 

You: I’ve never done this before so I don’t know how to ask for things, you might have to help me.

You: my name is y/n. 

You: i just feel good when you do and it feels weird to say that to you one on one

“Oh, I’ll make you feel good babe,” He smiles again, lying back on his bed and presenting to you the bulge in his boxer briefs. “I’m honored to be your first.” 

Your eyes actually devour this man and the way he glances up at the camera with cheeky charm and then back down at himself, inspecting how hard he’s gotten and how hard he plans to get. 

You find yourself typing, then erasing, then typing, then erasing in this short span of silence. Of course, for him it’s entirely silent save for the music he seems to play every time he’s on camera. For you though, it’s too quiet and the air feels heavy as you watch him work that six hundred dollars out of your bank account. 

Given, he could genuinely just lay like this, with his lazy fingers caressing across his length before dragging up his chest and lifting the shirt slightly more. 

“You’re shy, I can tell.” He eventually explains, noting the lack of typing from you and probably the large amount of staring. “What made you start watching me?” 

You pause, still watching the way his movements remain lazy as he speaks to you. 

You: you just looked really pretty in the thumbnail.

“I bet you looked just as pretty watching me,” He looks down at himself, grabbing his length through the fabric and letting out a sigh of relief. “Wanted it to be you, didn’t you?.” He adds, looking straight into the camera.

And it’s normal for him, he thinks. Wondering what his viewers look like and the ratio of how many he would actually let touch him if given the chance. He gets off to the idea of being watched, gets off to the idea of someone shyly watching, and of course, gets off on the idea of someone so docile, like you, paying such a sum just to get him to moan a specific name. 

Surely, a lot of his followers are not quite up to his standard. Most of them are lonely, unable to find partners, or too socially awkward to talk to an interest outside of a paid sex-stream. He really does wonder though, how many of his viewers use his as a guilty pleasure. Working their day job as if they’re not dirty talking a computer screen in a darkened bedroom. 

“Right, babe?” He tilts his head, looking into the camera.

He’s right. 

~ 

Is it a parasocial relationship if he’s moaned your name various times through various sessions? Is it really one-sided when he asks you through the camera, drowsy voice evident and chest drenched in his own cum that, maybe, he’s looking forward to the next show? 

Are you thinking too much into it? 

Perhaps it’s the money, or perhaps he really meant it last time when he mentioned wanting to try something new if you come back to him. That something new was chuckled out of him with deep breaths of post-orgasm bliss. “I’d like to see you next time, if you’re okay with that?” 

He really thought that by suggesting that, you’d never come back. And no, he doesn’t typically ask his viewers to reveal themselves because time and time again it’s happened without his requesting it, and time and time again it has been insanely disappointing. 

You can probably imagine that he butters up all of his viewers like this, but that isn’t the case at all. What you don’t know is that, yeah, he gets a lot of private shows but none of the viewers are as polite as you. They don’t type in a way that makes them seem small, they request a lot out of him. But you, you’re really just here to enjoy the show and he can’t help but feel that like, yeah, maybe he wants to enjoy a show too. 

It felt too one sided, which is rare for him to think. Usually it’s all about him, but he’s truly made it about you. Asking what you want from him and only receiving a polite “What did you have in mind this time?” 

Is it so weird that his horny brain desperately wants to erase his curiosity about the other person on the other side of the screen? Probably.

But then, he gets that little email. The one with your name in it, paying full price yet again despite his insistence on giving you discount codes. He smiles to himself, glancing around the small shop and pretending that the job he works during the day surely pays his living compared to, well, you. 

He doesn’t even read the message because he knows damn well that you don’t place any specific instructions. You simply send money, and wait for him at the appointed time. Under the implication of what he said last time though, wanting to see you this time? He wonders if you took this week-long period to decide if you wanted to or not. 

The show is set for the next day at eight in the evening. A bit early, considering he gets off of work at six tomorrow. He won't have a whole lot of time to eat his dinner and clean up for it, but he will make it work.  

That, he does. Rushing home the next day and immediately throwing himself into the shower to get the smell of spilled drinks off of him. He makes a quick snack just to get him through too, and within a perfect time frame, he’s at his set up, waiting for the clock to pass the last five minutes before he will need to be emailing you that private link to join. 

He feels a little silly acting like this though. Normally, he would decline a show that makes him rush through his day. Normally, he’s not reaching out to see who the person he’s been fucking himself for is. Normally, his heart isn't racing at the idea that he’s either going to be real fucking disappointed tonight, or real fucking turned on. 

Send link.

And now, he waits, and waits. Honestly, the span of seconds between 8:00pm and 8:01pm was a bit too long for his liking, but you join, and once again, you do not type before he speaks. 

“I didn’t think you’d come back this time,” He smiles as he says your name to you, feeling his insides shake a little bit. “And it’s officially our tenth show, so we should celebrate!” 

You’re quite literally panicked upon seeing him again. His hair is a different color this time, but still just as pretty. His lips are especially plump today, and his eyes are shining much like they always do. You, on the other hand, are sitting here in your brand new fucking pair of lingerie, with your hair and face all made up just in case he asks again to see you. 

Because maybe that means he will moan your name even louder. Or maybe, you know, he’ll like your name a little more. 

You: celebrate how? 

“I dunno,” He shrugs looking around the room before getting up and closer to the camera. “I’d still like to see who matches the name I continuously fuck myself to.”

A wave of arousal flows through you. His confidence never failing to minimize your own. Even if this is your tenth show, you think you’ll always feel seen by him despite never seeing you. 

“Would you be okay with that?” He backs away from the camera now, presenting himself to you much like he always did. Lying back, propped up on pillows, hand gripping his length from under thin fabric. “I just want to see who makes me this hard simply by requesting me.” 

Another wave runs through you. 

“If you’re too shy though, babe, it’s okay.” He smiles reassuringly. “I’d be happy to show you how much I like you anyway.” His grip against his length grows tighter. 

You: i’ll show you.

Honestly, you thought it would take much more effort on your part to admit that you’re interested in his reaction to you. Plus, you’ve spent so much money on him, and you didn’t spend even more to have this set of lingerie go unnoticed by him. 

“Yeah?” He smiles wider than you’ve ever seen. A crooked look on his face, blinking bashfully at the camera. “I’ll send a request to see you then, is that okay?” 

You freeze a bit at the thought that, as much as you want to show him, you’re still fucking shy.

“Would you rather let me hear you first?” He offers now, leaning forward to his set up and darting his eyes across the screen. 

You: i would feel better if it’s just my voice first. 

He nods and immediately you get the notification that he’s requesting to hear you. 

“Hi baby,” He says after you accept, listening hard and preparing for what you’re going to sound like. Upon you saying nothing though, he continues. “So shy still?” 

You work up the courage. 

“Hi,” You start, suddenly needing to cough, or choke, or die, really. “I’m sorry, this is another thing i’ve never really done before.”

Good lord the softness that comes with that voice could only belong to a person he would absolutely fuck himself to on or off camera.

“Such a sweet voice.” He says, trailing off a bit as he leans himself back in position and this time, immediately trails his fingers down his pants. “After all this time, this is what she sounds like?”

The heat pooling at the apples of your cheeks is almost painful. It feels sore almost with the way he compliments you without issue. 

“You must sound so, so good, moaning.”

God, you forgot how to talk. You forgot how to breathe. 

“It’s okay, just watch me.” He reassures your lack of speaking, clinging to that single sentence you gave to him before letting his thoughts run wild at what your tone would sound like hiccupping moans through deep thrusts. 

You must feel so embarrassed, and that’s hot. You’re not as embarrassing as he is, already with a pathetic and leaking cock twitching against his fingers for more of the touch, and more of your voice. He holds his fingers back a bit, nearly whimpering at the situation before his hips chase up and into his hand. 

You’re a little bit shocked watching him, appearing far more desperate than he normally is. 

“You look–” You start, taking a small breath to encourage yourself to continue. “So good right now.”

“Mm,” He hums, one arm reaching somewhere off camera to grab his presumed favorite pocket pussy. The one you always seem to respond well to because of the way he fucks it. “Gonna show you something.”

God, he always has something to show you and you never get fucking tired of it. 

You watch him, for the first time not having to lube up his toy. He removes his shirt, and tugs his briefs down to his ankles before sitting himself up and instantly sliding the toy down on him. You watch his lips quiver, biting slightly and reddening his lips further than normal. You watch the way his legs writhe at the sudden pleasure, and the way his eyebrows furrow in relief as he buries himself into the toy and holds it in place. As if it needs to adjust, or maybe, as if he needs to take it slow. 

“This is what you do to me,” he whispers more to himself than to you, but definitely loud enough for you to hear. “Without seeing you, even before hearing you, I want to do this for you so bad.”

Good fucking god. 

“Do you get yourself off watching me?” He asks, more for reassurance because he knows damn fucking well that you do. 

“Every time.” You say shortly, already feeling entirely too sensitive as you watch him and try not to completely drench the panties you’re wearing. “Without fail.”

He hums again with a smile, holding the toy in place as his hips very slowly fuck in and out of the pussy that he wishes belong to you. 

“I want to see you,” He groans out, feeling the slide of his cock hitting every single bump the toy offers. “Want to see you come, want to hear you when it happens.”

The way you’re so turned on by now that you honestly do not fucking care about the embarrassment. You’re desperate, watching him hold his hips back but still try and chase a feeling of pleasure as he listens to the small amount you offer him. 

“Please, y/n?” He very nearly whines out, licking his bottom lip and fucking up a bit faster, deeper, into the toy. “You can let me see you slide those pretty fingers in and out of you, please, I’ll guide you the whole time. I’ll make you feel good.”

The pleading, the image, the fact that he can hear the gasp you take in at his assault of words. 

“Request it,” You say softly, trying to pretend that you’re absolutely not fucking insane right now. 

It would be funny if you weren’t so turned on, with the way he holds the toy with his cock buried into it and nearly leaps for his set up. The request comes faster than you thought possible and you have to fucking force yourself not to think about it before accepting it.

And there he is. 

And there you are. 

For a moment, you almost lose momentum with the way he freezes, the toy sliding off of his length as he runs both hands through his hair at the image that pops up on the screen. 

You almost want to end the session. You almost want to bury yourself a hole and lay in it.

“Fuck, y/n.” He groans, staring straight at you and the way you have yourself sitting awkwardly, all made up, with a dainty bra, and even daintier panties. “Can you lean back and spread your legs for me?” 

The way he says it so shamelessly has you doing it for him, just as shamelessly. 

“God, look how wet you are for me baby,” he groans, reaching down to grab his toy and slide it directly back onto his length, all while staring at you. “I knew you’d be pretty, but this…”

That hole you were going to dig for yourself? Scratch that. 

“Is this okay?” You say as you lean back and keep your legs spread for him, trying to keep your voice from shaking as you intentionally avoid his compliments out of fear that you’d orgasm on the spot. 

He seethes out a moan through his teeth, his eyes staring straight at your entire being before landing right back between your legs. Then, he resumes his position, unintentionally burying himself into the toy as he stares at you with a nod. 

“More than okay,” He says in a moan, unbelievably surprised at how much he finds you attractive. “Can you use your fingers? Can you show me how you’d want me to fuck you?”

Reluctantly, you give him a nod, already well aware that he’s fucking that toy of his as if it’s you. 

“I’ll do whatever you want, just tell me.” You respond.

God, he thinks this might be dangerous. 

the roots of something greener (1)

G/T July Day 9: Rainy Day

patreon prompt: kid logan trying to make a deal with fae janus for nyn! hope you enjoy :)

warnings: magical deals, threats, unwilling transformation, implied parental neglect, mentions of starvation and abandonment

-

The first time the child found him, Janus was already in a foul mood.

The day had started out with a light drizzle, and as the hours crept by, it had slowly grown into a far more irritating downpour.

This wouldn’t have been anything near a problem for most fae, and certainly a meager handful of years ago, Janus would have hardly spared it a fleeting thought. Even if he didn’t care to waste any magic on a simple repelling spell, he could have simply slipped between realms, abandoning that particular stretch of human land until the storm passed.

Now that he was banished and bound, however, his options were far more limited.

There would be no leaving the human realm, not until his time was served. His sentence wasn’t so harsh as to confine him to a single circle, but being able to jump between this and that ring of mushrooms didn’t help him much when the rainfall was present over the entire forest.

He grit his teeth as a stray drop managed to make it through the leaves above him, the thickest canopy he could find over one of his rings.

Though it was only a single raindrop, it drenched his head and shoulders with ease. His form in mortal realm was limited by the space he was allowed, and the only proper faery rings within these woods were barely large enough for a human to step a single foot into.

He wasn’t sure if only being able to manifest at the same size as a child’s doll was an intentional part of his punishment, or merely a bonus. Either way, it was certainly humiliating enough for him to resent it.

It was in this soaked, resentful mood that he heard the distinct pattern of human footsteps, leaves and other detritus crunching rhythmically underfoot.

“What curious timing,” he muttered irritatedly to himself, turning to face the intruder with a smile that was almost certainly a little too sharp for human tastes.

… And then promptly lowered his expectant gaze a foot or two, because the human approaching him was unquestionably a mere child.

Young, likely barely a decade old, and with the thickest, blockiest pair of spectacles Janus had seen in ages. While the child wasn’t dressed for the weather, he was carefully holding a deep blue umbrella over his head as he picked his way over the muddy forest floor.

The little thing froze for a moment at the sight of him, and for a moment Janus thought perhaps this was some unwise youth that had wandered off from his parents, with no idea what was before him.

Then, he straightened up formally, eyes glinting with excitement, and it became clear that the child knew exactly what Janus was, and likely thought he knew exactly what he was getting into, as well.

(Part of Janus was admittedly relieved. Being locked out of his home realm meant there was no easy defense against humans who stepped into the space of the ring, and he really wasn’t in the mood to dodge the grasping fingers of a toddler who thought him a toy.)

“Salutations,” the child greeted belatedly, quickly reaching up to adjust his rain-splattered glasses with his free hand. The umbrella drooped slightly without the support of both of those undersized arms. “I’m searching for the, um, the fair folk of this wood. I’d like to make a deal.”

How bold, to open with such an attention-grabbing phrase. Janus reclined back slightly, attempting to look regal even with his hair plastered in wet strands across his face. “Well, now. Isn’t it good manners to introduce yourself before making requests of strangers?”

The child’s face pinched slightly, but he’d clearly done at least some research. “You may call me Logic.”

Janus hummed. “Well met, Logic. I go by Deceit.”

“Deceit?” Logic echoed with a frown. “I thought fair folk weren’t able to lie.”

“They’re not,” Janus agreed pleasantly, some of his humor returning to him at the usage of a familiar bit.

For all his flaws, none of the humans he’d tricked over the years could claim they hadn’t been warned from the start.

“Then why,” Logic started, before shaking his head firmly, dismissing the line of questioning in favor of his original goal. Whatever had brought him here, it was clearly important to him.

It always was, when they were willing to make a deal for it.

“I’d like to make a deal,” he repeated, setting his shoulders and stiffening his posture. “I want to learn how to use magic.”

Janus refrained from letting the derisive edge sneak into his smile. “And what could you possibly have to offer in return for that?”

“I can offer you equal knowledge in exchange,” Logic responded, wearing a very serious expression that looked quite amusing on such a young face. “I may be young, but you’ll find that I’m very good at researching.”

The offer was exactly what he should have expected from a human child, especially one that had never dealt with the fae before. It was likely that his little research hobby was the only reason he’d learned enough to make it this far.

“My, you certainly have a lot of confidence in the value of knowledge, don’t you?” Janus mused, distantly glad that it was him that the child had chosen to annoy with this, rather than a more power-hungry sort. “Very well, I accept the terms of your deal.”

He held out a hand, and almost immediately regretted it. He’d forgotten how easily dwarfed he was, like this.

When Logic reached out, however, it was with a slow and careful hand, his face scrunched up intently as he used two fingers to emulate a handshake. There was no pinching pressure or crushing grip, only the distinct warmth of human contact and the slight electric spark of the deal being sealed.

It almost made Janus feel bad for what he was about to do.

“Your first lesson,” he announced, pulling his hand back and flexing his fingers absently, “is to never make such open-ended deals with fae.”

Logic recoiled slightly, looking slightly bewildered, and Janus forced his smile into something crueler as the sting of magic grew sharper.

“An offer of any knowledge I please, so long as it’s of equal value? You haven’t even clarified which kind of magic you’re so desperate to learn.” Janus leaned forward slightly, wrapping his hand around the invisible cord of the deal. “I could request your name, control over the very essence of your being, and all I would be required to do in exchange would be provide you with instruction on magic of suitable power. Your terms are exploitable, little one.”

He let the implied threat linger, watching as the implications sunk in and the child’s worry began to turn to fear. The sight of it was a sour curl in his gut, but this was a lesson better learned here and now, rather than later and with more permanent consequences.

“Of course, I have no particular desire to teach you any magic at all, let alone the complexities of magic strong enough to be equivalent to a name.” Janus slowly released all but the tiniest sliver of the potential the deal held. “Hm. I think a demonstration of simple magic will do, to satisfy both your curiosity and mine.”

Transformation spells were painful and slow when cast a certain way, a fact that many of his kin had taken advantage of when dealing with humans. Janus kept the magic brief and painless, because for all his flaws, enjoying the needless suffering of a child was not one of them.

With a snap of his fingers, the child’s form shifted to something more thematically appropriate.

The umbrella clattered to the ground, catching on the breeze and skittering a few feet away from the kitten that now sat on the ground before him, blinking in disorientation.

“Consider our bargain complete,” Janus informed the kid, finally able to speak to him at eye level. “As the last tidbit of magical knowledge I’ll impart, have this: recognition is the key to returning you to your true form.”

Looking as though he was composed of more fluff than flesh, Logic let out a tiny, confused meow. His eyes were surrounded by distinctive, blocky markings, the spitting image of the chunky square glasses that he wore as a human. It was the easiest possible condition Janus had ever set; it was near-impossible to look at the kitten and not see the resemblance.

With a flick of his hand, the kitten was whisked to the edge of the woods that he’d entered from, where there was surely a guardian nearby to find him and undo the minor curse before the sun had set.

With any luck, the experience would scare the kid off from any further attempts at playing with magic he didn’t understand.

Job done, Janus glanced at the abandoned umbrella, lying far out of reach of his undersized mushroom ring, and then turned away with a sigh.

What a waste.

–

Janus hadn’t been one to keep track of the time, before, but that may have simply been because time was much less linear in the faerie realm. The length between one moment and the next could be stretched or squashed, and so time tended to be more of a feeling than a fact.

In the human realm, things were much simpler. The sun rose and fell and rose again, and that was a day, every time without fail. He could hardly lose track of something like that.

As such, Janus knew that two full days had passed when he next saw Logic.

Logic, not the child, because he was still, inexplicably, in the form of that tiny, barely-weaned kitten.

It had been sheer luck that Janus spotted him; he’d been moving between one ring and the next throughout the day, absently looking for any stray detritus that had fallen close enough to his ring to be tugged fully inside. Any shelter made from such impermanent materials was destined to be temporary, but Janus was tired of the chill, and willing to take any reprieve from the elements he was offered.

Looking at the soggy little beast that was crouched a few meters away, Janus felt an odd sense of guilt crop up within him. Clearly, he wasn’t the only one who had been enduring the weather.

Fur matted and damp from the on and off rain that had plagued the area, body trembling from cold or hunger or a combination of the two, Logic looked like the definition of pitiful.

And why wouldn’t he? For all intents and purposes, the child apparently spent the last couple of days trapped in an unfamiliar body and stuck in a hostile environment, with no aid to be found.

… Why hadn’t someone recognized him? For that matter, why weren’t there humans traipsing about through the trees in search of a missing child?

Logic sneezed miserably, interrupting what seemed to be an attempt to use his new, keener nose to track down a meal. His tiny ears angled back in a distinctly feline form of frustration, a gesture that would have undoubtedly been cuter if he hadn’t been so visibly on the brink of starving.

Well. Janus wouldn’t get his answers if he just left the child there, would he?

“I know you, child,” he said, voice carrying enough to make the kitten’s head snap around toward him. “I didn’t expect you to still be scurrying about like this. Why in the world would you not simply go home?”

Acknowledging his true form did the trick. The spell unraveled like he’d pulled on a loose thread in a knit blanket, the magic falling away with ease and leaving the child in his oversized spectacles sitting there in the dew-dappled grass.

For a moment, he remained like that, folded over on himself like a baby deer laying still and hoping that predators’ eyes would skip over him.

Janus met his gaze and raised a prompting eyebrow, waiting for an explanation on how such a simple curse had gone so wrong that the fae who laid it, of all people, had to be the one to free him from it.

In the next second, Logic had sprung to his feet and bolted. His steps were wobbly and likely fueled by panic alone, but adrenaline was undeniably effective in getting him very far away, very quickly.

“Rude,” Janus muttered to the empty air he’d left behind, and then followed the kid as far as he could manage through his rings, making certain this time that he’d actually left the forest behind.

There still wasn’t a single other human around, let alone one that appeared to be looking for something as valuable as lost offspring. Janus tried not to let the information grate against his scales, with only mild success.

In the end, he still wouldn’t get his answers. It didn’t matter. The child had clearly been scared off for good, so there was no use pursuing the issue further.

He shouldn’t dwell on things he couldn’t change, anyhow.

–

The third time Janus encountered Logic, the child found him first.

It was another overcast day, with a light sprinkling of rain that was certain to become something miserably damp within an hour or two.

He hadn’t expected any more visitors, and certainly not any that would make it to one of his rings and lurk there, so he’d been more puzzled by the relative dryness of the leaves beneath his feet. In fact, he hadn’t realized anyone was near, let alone guessed just who was sitting at the edge of the faerie circle until a tiny, presumptuous throat cleared.

(Such obliviousness was out of character for him. If the kid had been a snake, he could have bit Janus.

Good thing he’d picked a kitten before, instead.

Even if those, too, had fangs of their own.)

Logic waved a hand, showing no signs of his previous panicked flight– except there was a slightly harder set to his shoulders, Janus noticed, like he was preparing for a difficult fight.

He’d brought a bag with him this time. It was partially open, and Janus easily made the connection between the spare pieces spilling from it and the plastic canopy that had been painstakingly assembled over his mushroom ring. Large and durable, it was currently diverting the rain away from Janus’s circle with streamlined ease.

“Hello, Deceit,” the kid greeted. “I’m back for my next lesson.”

Between them, the deal rekindled, sparking dull embers back to life at Logic’s willful insistence. With a willingness to keep providing knowledge, he could theoretically continue to learn for as many lessons as he paid the dues for. It was one of the many loopholes that were applicable to such open-ended deals, but Janus certainly hadn’t anticipated the child using it against him.

How interesting. It seemed there were still things an ages-old fae couldn’t predict, after all.

From beneath the comfortable shelter of an oversized dollhouse gazebo, Janus tipped his head back and laughed.

May I ask for your headcanons of Reinako’s relationship after canon? Could be for manga or PGSM!

Hello friend! Thank you for dropping by and giving me a prompt to gush on Reinako even more! XD

First off, here are two sets of PGSM Reinako headcanons for those who haven't seen them before. They are all connected. XD

Reinako Headcanon 1

Reinako Headcanon 2

And thanks to this ask, here is a brain dump of more headcanon:

PGSM Reinako Headcanon Part 3:

Timeline/stages of life of the Reinako development:

Following directly after the Final Act, during the girls' 3rd year in middle school, Minako was a bit awkward about how to act casually around the Senshi team. Rei helped her out the most before the group dynamic fully settled - e.g. never stopped inviting Minako even if Minako often needed to miss out on group plans due to work without making Minako feel bad (not that the others intentionally make Minako feel guilty, but they just try too hard, versus Rei doesn't make a big deal about it); calling Minako out when Minako holds back on sharing her candid thoughts or feelings with the team for some silly reason or due to occupational hazard of being an idol; calling Makoto and Usagi out when they fangirl too hard and was making Minako feel awkward, making it a struggling for Minako to balance building a genuine friendship or treat them as fangirls. (Ami was also a bit shy with Minako at the start, so Rei had to run some interference there, but Usagi and Makoto were the troublemakers.)

I struggle to make up my mind on which is the better high school scenario: if Minako went to Juuban with Ami, Makoto and Usagi just like manga canon, or because of her fame and celebrity status she ended up going to T*A academy for high school with Rei (better security because of all the politician’s and big businessmen’s daughters in the school, etc), Regardless, high school period is when Rei and Minako really settled as best friends, getting to the point they practically know everything about each other and would be in contact almost everyday.

By the 3rd year of high school approaching graduation, Minako starts to realize she has romantic feelings for Rei. She suspects Rei might actually reciprocate her feelings, except Rei is too dense to realize or too scarred by his dad's abandonment of Rei and Rei's mom to consider exploring a romantic relationship. Knowing both Rei's and her own career trajectory would take them away from Tokyo with limited contact after graduation, Minako decided to not broach the topic.

Rei and Minako drifted apart a bit after high school graduation until the Special Act. After the kiss at the hospital (see Headcanon Part 1), and then UsaMamo's wedding, they both matured enough to face their feelings and started seriously considering starting a relationship. They had to do a lot of soul-searching and shared really candid conversations to get through all the emotional baggage, personal barriers and doubts they both carried, but they eventually got there.

And then they live happily ever after following what I described in Headcanon Part 2. haha (My actual headcanon of post-Special Act Reinako is drastically different from my fanfic, coz apparently I thrive most in writing angst and battle. LOL)

High school era PGSM Reinako:

While Rei took the lead in helping Minako find her place in the Senshi team dynamic and getting comfortable with just being a normal teenager during their middle-school period, Minako was the one that instigated most if not all the shenanigans that led to their deepened friendship in the 3 years of high school, elevating their relationship from just-friends to best friend status.

I always imagined Minako pranked Rei by surprising her on a school visit at T*A to "check out options for a new high school". Minako and her manager Saitou Sugao are being led on a school tour by a nun, and when they spot Rei, Sugao (who is of course in on the prank with Minako) makes a whole scene of barging into the classroom trying to scout Rei into stardom in front of all of Rei's peers as if it's his first time meeting Rei and exclaiming he has found the next shining star of Japan, after Minako of course! Rei was absolutely mortified, though the Senshi team had a great laugh when Minako shared the story in their next hangout. Rei was not pleased.

Following the above headcanon, I headcanon that Rei achieves the same intra-school celebrity status by the time she enters her high school division, similar to how Rei is a school celebrity in T*A in the manga. The drastic change from live-action canon was first prompted by the whole stardom scouting fiasco Minako and Sugao caused. Secondly, Minako learned by chance that Rei was bullied at school throughout middle school through Usagi describing how she met Rei. When Minako confronted Rei about it, Rei just shrugged and brushed it off coz she was used to it and the bullies are practically harmless with more bark than bite, but Minako was still so upset about it that she went to post on her public blog (equivalent to celebrity Twitter/Insta nowadays) about how Rei's her best friend and the coolest, kindest person who helped her get through her illness and recovery, etc. She wrote a whole sob story narrative about how thankful she is for having Rei in her life and how Rei was a source of inspiration and a role model to her, etc. etc. and posted some photos she had taken with Rei. Suddenly all of Rei's peers see Rei in a new light and think she's the coolest and want to befriend her for a chance to also meet Minako. The teachers started actually addressing and punishing the bullies and the school atmosphere was changed anew. The whole deal freaked Rei out, while Minako felt very pleased with herself.

Once Rei joined the archery club in T*A's high school division, she gained even more fame from winning archery competitions at the district and then national level. Her achievement adds to the furor Minako caused, and the lowerclassmen in T*A practically fawn over Rei and founded a fan club with merch. Minako loves teasing Rei about it and secretly becomes a fan club member with platinum status from buying all the merch.

^ The fan club is how Minako knows Rei's archery competition schedule, coz Rei is too humble to ever mention it, and also because every time she gets way too embarrassed by how loud the Senshi team is when they cheer for her, because Minako makes sure the whole Senshi team is decked out with inflated thunder sticks and signs whenever they go cheer for Rei at competitions.

Other misc PGSM Reinako headcanon:

Rei's the one who always remembers and is mindful of Minako's distaste for whipped cream, and stops Usagi's rampage on getting strawberry shortcake for every Christmas because Usagi always reminisces on the cake she and Minako had on the Ferris wheel and forgets Minako’s actual food preference. Rei knew coz she actually paid attention to the lyrics in Sayonara ~Sweet Days.

It's very often Usagi and Makoto would drag the girls around town to try out a new cafe or shop that's selling some new sweet drink, pastry or snack (shaved ice, ice cream, crepe, cake, etc. the stuff you'd see people post on foodie social media). If Minako ever bows out of getting something for herself, Rei will make sure to buy something she knows Minako will likely enjoy so Minako can share some of hers (usually strawberry-flavoured coz that's Minako's favourite), and without fail Minako would take some of Rei’s 'just for a taste because she’s curious', and then inevitably eating half of Rei’s. lol And if Rei is buying something for Minako or knows Minako will inevitably take some from her, Rei would always also buy a bottle of water to accompany whatever crazy sweet things Usagi makes them eat/drink - and it has to be room temperature only, for Minako because Minako needs to be very careful with maintaining her vocal cords for singing.

Whenever Minako and Rei get into a serious fight but both struggle to reconcile, they both would separately go to Artemis and poor Artemis can usually help them sort it out after. But if things get really bad and they notice Artemis is feeling caught in the crossfire, Minako would then go to Makoto, and Rei would go to Ami to process their thoughts... or vent. Makoto and Ami's involvement becomes a yardstick of whether "shit's-hitting-the-fan" or not.

Manga Reinako Headcanon...?

I've not thought as much about the manga Reinako headcanon because I perpetually live in PGSM brainrot. But I do think manga Reinako eventually established a partners-for-life relationship in the manga universe as well.

Different from how I think PGSM Reinako eventually enters an openly romantic, crazy-in-love-for-each-other relationship (once they get over their personal crap), I see manga Reinako has a more subtle and delicate soulmate relationship that is built on deep partnership and mutual understanding in life and duty, especially considering their near immortality and role in Crystal Tokyo. Their relationship dances back and forth on the line of being romantic involved in their personal life, and being a kind of kindred spirit in their view and attitude towards their duty. They've dated, and fallen in love with each other, but across the years also realize sometimes they need space from each other to maintain healthy boundaries between private life and their duty. When they enter a break from each other, it's nothing bad and always with mutual understanding, done amicably - stepping away so they don't get "sick of each other" since eternity is a damn long time! But if one of them is ever feeling down or struggling with something, they are each other's default go-to person, their safe place, and they can discard their masks and break when they need it, especially when they start outliving their non-Senshi family and friends while the world they know of slowly changing and morphing into Crystal Tokyo.

Once they stopped aging, Minako would still try to find opportunities to enjoy life as a human when it's possible, while Rei was more comfortable just accepting fate and being Sailor Mars for life. When there's no crisis to deal with, Minako makes Rei de-transform and drags Rei out of the palace for a girls' night with her in the city.

I see manga MakoAmi to have a similar partnership as well. Though their way of showing affection for their partner is a bit more overt and less complicated than Reinako's. Rei and Minako are so interesting to me because I feel they are more polar opposites in some ways, yet both are so similar in how deeply layered their personality and backstories are that it complicates their relationship but also strengthens them.

I know that sensing/utilizing energy is completely necessary in order to practice witchcraft, but how do you know when you've actually raised energy or energetic awareness? Because I've seen this described different ways, and I've heard a tingling sensation in the hands counts, but I've also heard that it's more of an instinctual sense, not a physical one.

I'm not 100% sure I agree with your thesis. However, we might say that the proof is in the pudding.

If you would like a primer for feeling your personal energy body, I highly recommend NEW Energy Ways by Robert Bruce.

But in general, I think a useful thing is to ask yourself what it means to successfully raise and/or capture metaphysical energy.

Feeling things is not particularly important. I am of the belief that the more well developed a person's energy channels are, the less they will feel most energy they send through their body - because their channels are brawny and wide, and a greater and greater threshold is required to make those muscles "burn." In fact, a very decent analogy for the energy body is the physical body - a very weak person may feel an intense sensation picking up a 10lb weight, but a very strong person may hardly register this strain.

So a person very excellent at energy work may not "feel" energy at all in the same way someone very new to energy work would. For this and other reasons it is not too wise to read into the experiences of others.

Well, anyway. What does it mean to successfully raise and/or capture metaphysical energy? I suppose in a sorcerous sense it means that we are discussing power, power which holds both raw potential and yet simultaneously radiates effect.

How do you know when you've actually raised energy? Because something is actually happening.

Raise up energy of something associated with sleep. Elemental earth, perhaps, or lavender, or whatever type of energy you're able to channel. Raise it up and pull it into your body and let it mix with yourself. Do you get sleepy in 15 minutes, an hour, two hours? Does your sleep pattern unexpectedly change that night, the next day?

Do it several times over many days. Does anything truly change for you?

Pull this sleepy energy into a ball and send it to someone, or pour it out through your eyes in a gaze, or breathe it onto them. Do they get sleepy? Do they want to take a nap? Do they go home early? Does the crying baby quiet down? Does the rowdy drunk settle?

No, maybe none of that happens. Well, try again. And again. Try a different technique. Try a different way of sending. Try a different energy.

I spent so much time thinking everything I ever felt was all in my head. I wonder how far along I might be in my practice if I just accepted the reality of what I was doing from the start!

There are many ways to practice. If all of us are really conjuring such-and-such energies, it should be verifiable, yes? Get some friends together and practice. Raise some specific, discrete energy (it helps if you choose one from a limited pool of options). Put this energy inside an object. Take a photo of the object and share it with your friends.

Can they say what is in the object? Can they say the energy you've used?

Well, maybe not. Maybe you can raise energy, but you really can't properly charge yet. So try another technique. Maybe your friends just can't read.

I assure you, between decently trained energy workers and psychics, success rates are much, much higher than average. The way you become decent is to practice.

Practice with a basic spell format. A candle spell, maybe - using cheap candles (we need to do it a lot, after all). Find some situation which has been ongoing. Feel no energy, raise no energy, speak your intent, light the candle.

Does the situation change? Give it a week, maybe.

Do the spell again. This time, raise some relevant energy and stuff the candle full of it. Speak your intent, light the candle.

Does the situation change?

I have a lot of body pain. I can lie down and feel that portion of my body and feel the aches all night long. And in the morning, it will be the same.

If I do energy work on that portion of my body, the pain recedes and in the morning it feels much better.

What does the sensation of energy work feel like? I find people's anecdotes of their own sensory experiences to be too varied to be of great help.

And you're never going to know if it's the same for you without practicing, anyway.

So. Practice, practice. Your results are how you know you've actually raised energy. And if you are like many people, exactly how you experience this raising will shift over time, so don't worry too much about that detail. Worry about results, why not. At least those are easier to measure.

For the Infected!AU, we have a few choices for platonic yandere/s. I've mentioned how different mutations will influence how the infection affects the mutant/human/being. For now, I want to explore how it affects the feral mutants, and how the bby reacts (plus possible mutations for the bby). And the thing is, the bby has backstory with their yandere/s. So, the infected's previous life and relationships can influence them, even after the infection has taken effect and obscured their past memories into a haze of blurred emotions and fragmented thoughts. For now, we will discuss some possible mutant variants of bby.

Possible mutations for their bby include, but aren't limited to:

Harpy!bby: they have a small pair of functioning wings, sharp talons akin to Sabretooth, and act a little feral. Acts like a bird sometimes, collects shiny stuff and rocks and bones. Their wings fluff up when they are highly anxious or scared, and they remind the platonic yan of a baby bird trying to look threatening. Has seen some sh*t, and lived to tell the tale. Can swallow food almost whole, inhaling it quickly as though it will disappear into thin air. Some nicknames for them given by the platonic yanderes (the feral, or anyone you want to imagine) include: fledgling, chick, hatchling, nestling, birdie, Tweetie

Empath!bby: a bby who can feel the emotions of those around them, and possible branch-offs of their mutation could include things like sharing memories between themself and another person, influencing emotions based on their current feelings and mood, feeling someone else's pain and letting someone feel their's, etc.. Very loving and warm, wants hugs all the time, spends a lot of energy trying to help who they can. Possible nickname for them given by their platonic yandere/s (feral or otherwise) include: bleeding heart, sweet stuff, love,

Pyrokinesis!bby: a bby who could be anything from a walking ember (pretty much can warm up like a heated stone), disco-inferno where they can set themself on fire or become a fire being (can be any color of flame, and might look like a light show), flame thrower (where they can generate flames and aim them at enemies), or any other flame ability. Maybe they can even start fires! They are passionate, enjoy marshmallows, and survived by cooking or boiling anything they consumed. Nicknames for this bby given by the platonic yan/s (feral, otherwise, or something else) include: Hot Stuff, Flaming Hot, Lava Lamp, ember, little light

Eldritch!bby: a bby who is a bit... unsettling. Perhaps their teeth are too sharp or too many. Maybe they have tentacles or whisps or limbs sprouting from their back. They could have multiple eyes, a larger and mind-warping form, hypnotic abilities, or anything that fits something eldritch and unimaginable. They love sea food, water, and nighttime. Can be cranky if they haven't slept for over 36 hours. Nicknames the yans could give them include: squid, H. P. Lovecraft, moon eyes, favorite (kid, friend, sibling, elder god)

GemBody!bby: like Emma Frost, they can become a living, breathing organic gem person. Perhaps they are opaque; or marbled; maybe they are two-toned; color-changing; they could look like any gem imaginable, from bumblebee jasper to obsidian to ametrine to amber to agate to any type, really. Maybe they have sharp crystals sprouting off of them in that form. Or perhaps they can find gemstones in the wild. Mayhaps they even can consume rocks in that form, and turn those rocks into gems. This bby is the sort to hit someone too hard, and apologize profusely... even if that person was someone who they were just fighting with. Keeps band-aids on hand, as well as water. Nicknames for this bby from the platonic yan/s can include: jewel, gem, diamond in the rough, gold-heart, geode

There are many other mutations that the bby could have in this au, or any others. But for now, we have these options to satisfy our craving for choices. These were some honeycomb thoughts on different mutant!bby variants!

Hard of Hearing HC

Author's Note: This is based in part off of my experiences as someone with hearing loss, and I haven't seen many hoh! Billy Hargrove hcs so here goes 😜

****

Billy didn't know he was hard of hearing until he reached middle school. Neil thought he had been "disobedient" on purpose, but Billy couldn't always hear what his father was yelling at him.

Billy taught himself to read lips because Neil refused to believe he wasn't making excuses for his poor grades or giving Neil his undivided attention. Needless to say, hearing aids weren't an option, so Billy learned to deal with it.

He didn't mind not hearing his father's threats and orders, but he got embarrassed when he couldn't hear his teacher or his friends.

After his mother left, there wasn't much Billy wanted to hear. He missed her voice when she sang to him.

Since his hearing loss is mostly in his right ear, his left ear compensates. He just has to remember to tilt his head ever so slightly to the left so there's less of a chance for him to be caught by surprise.

Neil makes sure to yell extra loudly to bother him and smacked the right side of his face, asking him if he could hear the sound of palm against cheek.

He's very sensitive to noises, but he likes to turn up his car radio to the max so he can feel the vibrations, annoy Max, and it drowns out the world around him.

He sometimes can't hear himself, so he has to raise his voice, which can get on people's nerves. He gets frustrated because there are times when he hears himself just fine, but others can't hear him.

Max puts two and two together and gets sign language books from the library. They go over it in the Camaro. Billy learns curse words first.

When Billy starts seeing Steve, he's overwhelmed by how accommodating and loving he is. Steve doesn't baby him, and Billy appreciates that.

Steve is patient, and he learns ASL just to communicate with Billy. The three have a field day gossiping about people, and the best part is, that no one (but Nancy) understands what they're doing.

Billy wants to hear Steve's voice clearly, and when he finally gets hearing aids, that's when Steve asks for his hand in marriage.

Billy makes a face when he really hears himself at first. He's not entirely fond of it, but it takes some time to get used to. Steve tells Billy that his voice is Steve's favorite sound, and that shuts Billy up (temporarily)

Billy talks more when he adjusts to the hearing aids.

Going from limited hearing to now hearing everything can be overwhelming. Sometimes his ears get sore, and so does his head. Steve massages his ears and temples.

Billy has to keep his hair up so his curls don't get tangled in them. If he gets pouty, Steve does his hair, and Max takes advantage of the situation by adding some sparkly clips.

Billy can't cover his big ears with his hair anymore, and he thinks they look stupid. Plus they turn red when he blushes, and that kind of fucks with his image. He can't bring himself to bitch much, though. The hearts in Steve's eyes seem to double in size every time the brunette looks at him, and how can Billy argue with that?

Billy names his hearing aids "Mad Max" because they're red like Max's hair.

Steve keeps batteries for Mad Max in his fanny pack, along with wax traps and domes.

Steve spoils Billy with hearing aids that match his outfits, and as per Billy's request, new earrings.

When Steve talks too much, Billy simply plucks his aids out of his ears or just takes out the right one.

NsFw (it's pretty tame imo)

Billy can now hear every one of Steve's lovely moans and grunts

++++++

Tags:

@suspiciouslackofclowns @geormenia @emeraldwitches @jaethecreator @shawgrove @wixterirox @polaris-ursae @phishyie @shipworm @spaceboxkitty @talesfrom-theupsidedown @flayedintheusa @harringroveho @harringroveheart @harringrovetrashh @justan-0-t-h-3-r

GIF MAKING IN PS

i've never done anything like this before so hope it makes some kind of sense.

so before you get into making gifs first thing so will need is some sort of editing software (i use ps 2022) and some raws obviously. most of the shows i gif are on yt so its pretty easy to get them and you can use any kind of yt to mp4 converter.

so once you have all of this i guess we can get started!!! on a daily basis i do not follow all these steps because you can easily turn them into actions on ps, which means that it would take just seconds. so although it may look lengthy its pretty simple

the first step to making gifs is importing the raws. you first want to go to file>import>video frames to layer. this will open up your file explorer from where you can choose your desired file. you may want to make sure your file isn't an mkv one but an mp4 before you do this. also if your raws are large, perhaps a whole episode or longer than 30 minutes, it might help to trim it down beforehand to make it easier to work with.

once you select your file, this window will open up. here, you can move the sliders to select the exact part of the clip you want for your gifs. (when files are larger, it would be more difficult to capture smaller parts of the clip using the sliders) although optional, selecting the limit to every 'x' frames will help reduce the size of your gifs while not making it look too choppy. i do 'every 2 frames' for regular scenes and leave it unchecked for anything in slow-mo. more than 2 usually makes the entire thing look sped up and choppy so i wouldn't recommend it. although it depends on the raws ideally you want something around 80 frames for one gif.

once you press okay on the above step, your workspace will open up and from here we can start making the gif. the first step would be to set the time delay. this is two ensure that the gif doesn't look sped up. for this you want to first select all the frames as shown above.

next, you can click on the downward arrow on any frame to change the time delay. i usually prefer 0.07s which you can set in other...

once you've set the time delay, you have to convert the frames into timeline as shown above.

now that you have your timeline as seen on the left side, all you have to do is convert everything into a smart object. for that you have to first select all the layers using the shortcut Ctrl+Alt+A and then right-click on the layers followed by convert to smart object

now you can see that the many layers have been converted into one layer making it easier to work with. the next step is to resize the gif. the original dimensions would make the gifs too large to fit tumblr's size limit, this can be done by going to image>canvas size

to ensure that tumblr does unnecessarily crop your gifs you want to make sure width is always 540px if there's going to be only one gif in a row. the height can be anything depending how you want your gif to look.

you can adjust the gif onto the new canvas using Ctrl+T to transform the layer. always ensure the height and width are linked to make sure you don't squeeze the image weirdly.

after resizing the gif, i next sharpen the gif (which is my least favourite part). you can sharpen by going to filter>sharpen>smart sharpen while the noise filter is in filter>noise>add noise

although i don't always stick to the same sharpening, these are the settings i use the most.

once i'm done with the sharpening i like to soften the first smart sharpen filter. for this i change the blending option of the first filter to 80%. this is entirely optional.

once sharpening is done, you can colour and edit however you like using any of the adjustment layers. i mostly prefer curves and selective colour. these are the curves i used for this particular gif to remove the purple/redness it had going on. in RGB mode the white slider adds brightness and the grey one darkness/contrast. then you can individually use the red, green and blue modes to adjust the colours. i only used selective colour here to adjust the skin tones a bit so i haven't added that.

once done with colouring all you have to do is export the gif from file>export>save for web (legacy)

in the last window you have to make sure your looping is forever and that your gif is below 9.5MB. although tumblr says max gif size is 10MB, at least for me nothing over 9.5MB uploads.

and THAT'S IT (i say after a whole one page essay) your gif is ready!!! honestly i don't know if this is the easiest or most convenient method but this is just how i do it. also i use actions for everything other than colouring so it isn't as time consuming as it looks. you can also set shortcuts for importing and exporting to save time. this can be done from edit>keyboard shortcuts

since you made it to the end here is an extra bit on captioning

you want to start with a normal text layer and center it at the bottom of the gif. i use arial bold italic in size 16. next to make it look better we can add an outline and shadow to it through the layer style. and you can open up this window either by clicking the fx option at the bottom right or double-clicking the text layer.

these are the settings i use for the stroke as well as the shadow

now it is ACTUALLY the end!!!

Raising Phantom chpt 2

AO3 Link DP x DC 

Danny angrily colored a page that Jazz had set in front of him as he watched a video from his phone. Stupid page. It wasn't the page's fault, but Danny had to blame something. He still felt frustrated from the mugging. He was tired of hiding, and tired of playing defenseless kid. He wanted to scare the pants off them disgusting jerks. Well, he could always haunt them later. But Jazz could tell when he didn't get enough sleep. Call him cranky. He has a right to be! Danny stared down and sighed, the page just had ugly streaks of red in it. Looked like it was colored by a smaller child than he already was. He grabbed the paged and crumpled it up into a ball, getting what last bit of frustration he could out on the paper before tossing it in the trash. Even making it in the bin first try didn't help much.

“Feel any better?” Jazz asked as she sorted the returned books so they were easier to put back on the shelves. “No.” Danny grumbled, sinking in his seat. Danny glanced around and then spoke in a whisper. “Should have let me at them.” “You know why that was a bad idea, Danny. Besides, if I did, Red Hood would have seen you.” Jazz whispered back, never stopping what she was doing. Danny just huffed more as he sunk deeper in the chair. He hated being little. He should be in college, with his friends! …As if he even would have been able to. Danny glanced down, watching his fingers as he rolled the red crayon. He was barely passing any of his classes before being aged down. He was constantly asleep in class and most of the time he was absent chasing ghosts. And then, topic of major. He had no idea what he wanted to do with his life anymore. He never thought about it much after the accident. The one that turned him into a ghost. Half-ghost. He was still alive. “Jazz? Can I have another page?” “Sure thing, Danny.” Jazz handed him another page from the stack on the check out counter. The color page was just a dinosaur with a book, nothing interesting, but Jazz had said coloring is a relaxing activity. Which he was hoping was true. Mostly, Danny just needed to do something with his hands before he started accidentally using his powers... or go to the bathroom to fly out to mess with those muggers. That was very tempting option. He wonder how long it would take him before Jazz finds out.

The door to the library chimed open. “Hey Babs, sorry I was running late. Jaybird needed my help. So how things with the new girl going-?” A man walked in with a t-shirt and sweats, leaning over the counter looking at Jazz's back. His hair loose, but brushed out of his face, eyes blue and hair black. “Well, considering you already mistaken  me for a season veteran in the library, I would say good.” Jazz turned around to smile at the man, taking off her reading glasses. The man did a double take, eyes widening, before running his hand through his hair embarrassed. “Man, and I get onto Timmy for not sleeping enough. Please don't tell Babs.” “No need, I saw the whole thing.” Barbara smiled, as she rolled her wheel chair next to the rolling chair Jazz was in. They look very similar, one might think Jazz was her younger sister. Didn't help they dressed about the same too. Jazz's face just was more round and her body was skinnier framed.

“Ah... No hope this isn't going on family chat.. huh?” the man jolted and then lowered his shoulders as if the answer was already given to him. “Are you guys related?” Jazz asked tilting her head, glancing between them. “Oh no, we've known each other since we were young.” Barbara clarified. “Making it sound like we're old.” The man grinned. “I'm Dick Grayson, Babs didn't tell me she hired her doppelganger. “ Dick held out his hand to shake Jazz's, giving a playful wink. Jazz reached out and shook it. “Maybe that's because she's off limits.” Babs smiled, as she leaned forward on the desk that sat behind the counter. “Is this because she has red-hair?” Dick taking back his hand, frowning at Babs. Babs leaned into Jazz with a nudge and a wink, “Don't fall for his charm. He doesn't know he's doing it.” Dick sighed, as he leaned on the counter, propping his head up with his hand. Jazz chuckled. “I'm not the one that needs to be charmed, if anyone has a chance with me.” Jazz smiled then looked back at Danny, who had been watching them this whole time from the little area he sat at. “This is my son, Danny.” Danny glared at Dick, bringing the point in. “And I'm Jasmine Nightingale, please call me Jazz.” Jazz smiled back at Dick. Dick blinked for a moment, looking between Jazz and Danny. They knew it was jarring with how young Jazz looked, but it was plausible. Dick then smiled at them, whatever thought he had, he kept it to himself. “Its nice to meet you, Jazz. Really, I am sorry for the mistake, but you two could pass off as sisters.” Dick then glanced back at Danny, giving him a brighter grin. “Its nice to meet you too Danny.” Danny glanced at Jazz, who was looking at Danny expectantly. Danny frowned, then idea popped as he grinned, “MOM says I'm not allowed to say curse words. Mr. Bleep.” Dick put a hand over his mouth as a snort come out. Babs turned her head. “Danny.” Jazz whispered harshly. Danny put on his best innocent face, which looked heavily mischievous instead. “Oh, so I can say it?” Jazz narrowed her eyes at him, trying to calculate how she should phrase it. “Only when you're referring to Mr. Grayson, or calling him.” Danny raised a brow, staring at his “mom” for a good long moment, then grinned cheekily. “Hey dick!” The tone was obvious. He wasn't using the name version of it. “Hey Danny!” Unfortunately it didn't have the effect he wanted as Dick was grinning ear to ear. Barbara shoulders were shaking a bit. Jazz turned back to Dick with a sigh. “Sorry. Danny doesn't really like to meet people.” “No need. I thought it was funny. The kids in my gymnastics class always get a kick out of my name.” Dick smiled. “Parents keep trying to force them to call him, Mr. Grayson. It doesn't work out too well.” Babs smiled. Danny stuck his tongue out. Of course someone who actively goes by Dick would be unbothered. He turned back to coloring, though pressing the crayon on the paper a bit too hard. “Oh, you teach gymnastics?!” Jazz asked curiously. “On the side. In Summer, I do it more. Especially with kids.” Dick explained. “I'll have to remember that for next year.” Jazz hummed with the thought. “I'm not going to dumb gymnastics class.” “It might help perfect your landing.” Jazz smiled with a wink. Danny narrowed his eyes at Jazz and huffed with a grumble back to his coloring pages. Groaning when he ripped the page with the crayon, before face planting into the table. “Landing?” Dick asked, giving a sympathetic smile Danny's way. “Oh, yeah. He likes to jump off of walls and tables and counters.” Jazz not looking at Dick as she said this, but up at the sky. Then she met him with eye contact again. “He scares me half to death.” A snort was heard from where Danny laid face down into the table. “He thinks its funny.” Jazz smiled. Dick raised a brow and then glanced at Babs. Barbara was gathering papers and stacking them, but gave a smile and shift of the brow in response. Danny stared at them, peaking above his arms where they laid. Danny liked Barbara okay. She did remind her of his sister, but more laid back. Jazz didn't know the meaning of chill. This Dick. Danny snorted to himself. He wasn't sure of. He didn't seem interested in his sister, but you never know. All he knew, that his head hurts now. He folded down his phone, that had stopped playing minutes ago. He flipped over the torn color page, lazily. Laying his head back down and started doodling on the back with a crayon. Snap. He hated crayons. --owo-- “So she was the one Jay saved.” Dick and Babs had separated themselves from Jazz and Danny to talk. Needing the privacy. “Yeah. She told me after she came in a few minutes late. She looked like she ran the rest of the way. Danny flopped face first into the floor.” Babs smiled. “Jaybird did say the kid reminded him of Damian. I think I see it, besides flopping onto the floor.” Dick chuckled. “I wonder if him and Damian would get along.” “If Damian doesn't try to kill him first.” Barbara chuckled. Dick sighed with a nod, then raised his head to look out the window of the back break room. “She so young though. She doesn't seem like the type to have one... that early.” “I was surprised to, but that's the joy of people right?” “If only it was always joy.” Dick shook his head, hating to know what happen to Jazz that left her that young with a kid.  “And she goes to college?” “Yep. All on her own. She does have an uncle that she rely on from time to time, but prefers to make it on her own. All her paperwork checks out. Even had a name change. It seems she disowned her parents.” “That doesn't bode well.” Dick crossed his arms as he leaned against the wall. “There isn't any police reports, so I say it was a falling out. Or at least hope. But she's a nice girl and she handles her son surprisingly well.” “Can't help, but do a thorough background check, can we?” “I blame Bruce.” Babs and Dick chuckled. Barbara cleared her throat and continued, “I didn't dig too far. She's a psychology major and has been in the city for a few years now. Had jobs here and there. Lives near the narrows. Not pleasant area, but better than other places she's lived.” “Huh, I'll text Jay to let him know later. Kind of crazy she chose to move here though, has she lived here before?” Dick asked curiously. Barbara shook her head as she pointed for a bag of chips closer to where Dick stood. Dick took a moment then grabbed it, tossing the small bag to her. She caught it, and opened it. “No. They lived in a place called Amity Park all their life. I asked her the first day she was here, she said its not that different. Amity just smaller. So take that as you will, I couldn't find much about Amity Park, but the government has a place there. So if I had to place a bet, is they're the reason its strange.” Babs took a chip and popped it into her mouth. “I thought you said you didn't dig too far?” Dick smiled. Babs just shrugged. “Didn't. That was just all easy access.” “Huh. So she just trying to get away from it then.” “My guess, and the reason I stopped. Some people deserve to live free of their past.” Barbara took her turn to glance out the window. “Yeah.” Dick looking up at the ceiling. He couldn't help, but think of his brother. Of mistakes made in the past. Mistakes Dick has done. Bruce has done. “Well,  I just dropped by to give you the files B wanted you to check out. I'll let you go back to work. Can't leave the new girl hanging.” “She's doing fine. Honestly glad to have her here.” Barbara sounded like she wasn't in a hurry but she stuffed her face with a few more chips, before folding the bag and placing it on the table. She dusted herself off ready to go back into the fold. “I'll send you more things Danny does too. He does keep things entertaining. Yesterday after he came in from school, he just took a dictionary and spent the whole day finding out different ways to call his teacher out while answering his homework correctly.” Barbara chuckled. Dick whistled, “Jazz get upset?” “No, she helped him come up with the idea.” Dick got a laugh out of that. People really were surprising.

Hiii, just gotta say, I LOVED your Wendy gifset and I was wondering how you got them to look that pretty?? They looks soft and detailed and like, real? Hehe I hope you can help me out, idk what I've been doing wrong with mine that are looking like shit so, help me out please

henlo anon!

when i first started gif-making, my gifs weren't the bestest either! it's a process and i think you'll get better at it w practice and trying new things !! <3 i'll throw in a bunch of pointers a lot of CCs gave me when i first started giffing and some of my opinions under the cut!

also this is definitely Not a link to download photoshop 2022 for free that i definitely didn't use as an upgrade two weeks ago

what you'll need to know before going through this long long rant of mine:

basic photoshop giffing skills

knowledge of smart filters and blending options

some patience (to hear my nonsense)

interest in maybe picking up new software

disclaimer: image heavy!

1. always use videos in their highest quality!

hq videos = hq gifs! i do not recommend using videos below 720p! also if you use photoshop, the number of colours in the gif is limited 268, meaning that sometimes your gifs can lose quality in export, and that could make lower quality videos look worse! (for eg. the video i sourced the wendy set from was 4k that i downloaded from 4kvideodownloader)

here's links to download:

4kvideodownloader

sophistagram (for vlives)

weverse lives download tutorial

twitter video downloader

a smol opinion: i've seen a lot of users use tumblr mobile, and noticed that gifs on tumblr mobile are always a little blurred out? this kind of makes the gifs look less clear </3 so using higher quality videos always helps!

2. vapoursynth / avisynth / km player!

these are softwares to sharpen and denoise your videos! they're completely optional (i used to gif with photoshop alone for the longest time) but they do make quite a lot of difference!

i highly recommend you to check the tutorials below!

gif-making with vapoursynth tutorial by @wonublr

gif-making with avisynth tutorial by @soonhoonsol

gif-making with km player (and vapoursynth!) tutorial by @woozi

a smol opinion: i've never used km player, so i don't have much to say about it. as for avisynth, it's pretty easy to work with, the only down side is that there are no denoise options. vapoursynth has both and is very user-friendly, but i found the shift from avisynth to vapoursynth slightly confusing!

these are my usual settings for vapoursynth:

3. gif sizes!

a very big (and maybe bullshit) opinion:

now, tumblr recommends you size your gifs this way:

(img src)

but it,, doesn't necessarily have to be that way 👁

i really like to fuck around and use whatever size i want for my 268px and my 177px gifs, and the wendy set was no exception! the size of each gif in the set was 400px X 580px!! this, in my opinion, makes it easier to view them (a lot more clear, you could say) :o

as for my 540px gifs, they remain the same size!

4. sharpening on photoshop!

i would always recommend you to sharpen your gifs again on photoshop. tumblr LOVES reducing gif quality, so i resharpen to give my gifs some 'depth'

this is how i usually sharpen my gifs:

(the gif above was sharpened and denoised on vs w the settings mentioned above!)

step 01:

after you're done converting your gif into a smart object on photoshop, we'll add a layer of smart sharpen. these are my settings:

step 02: more... smart sharpen :eye: :

step 03: high pass (optional tbh)

imp: don't forget to change the blending to soft light / overlay (i prefer the former)

now the gif looks like this:

something to note: i like switching up my opacity levels on these settings, and usually only ever change the radius and strength of the sharpening!

here's a few more sharpening tutorials:

sharpening tutorial by @/woozi

tutorial by @/hellboys

tutorial by @yutaslaugh

5. colouring!

colouring plays a huge role in making your gifs look sharper and cleaner! this is your playground, and this is the area you have the most freedom to change, and zuzsh up things the way you like them!

generally, i like to draw the attention to the person i'm giffing, so i make sure to set the contrasts right! i also extremely like making the colours cooler, so that it seems more natural!

the layers i use most are:

curves (on auto)

more cuves (using the eyedroppers to set my black, grey and white points)

selective colour (to change contrasts, to recolour skin)

colour balance (to balance my shadows and highlights)

levels (for brightness, contrast and depth!)

i'm not extremely good at colouring either, so here are some more in depth colouring tutorials (i'm terrible at explaining i'm so sorry sksjkd):

colouring tutorial by @/jihan

south-east asian celeb colouring tutorial by @/blueshelp

and here's some pre-made psd packs!:

psd pack by @/kpopco

psd pack by @shuatonin

psd pack by @coupsnim

psd pack by @/wonublr

closing ments:

if you've made it this far, thank you! i'm not extremely great at explaining things, but i hope you found this 'tutorial' useful! (extremely confused what this is tbh it feels like i'm rambling sgkfjsh)

here's a few more tutorials (kinda unrelated) that i found useful and fun!:

tutorial to fix grainy gifs

tutorial to remove panning from gifs

animated text tutorial

gif + more effects tutorial

i just got all the achievements on neo twewy after weeks and heres some stuff i learned (no spoilers btw)

lets see

the one for being a frequent customer you get when that repeat option shows up on their menu

at tokyu hands you can trade 2 gem pins for another one, the pairs are rare metal and tektite, adamantite and orichalcum, and shadow and dark matter scarletite is an ultimate drop only

if you want to grind stats:

style - 300 cap (you only need 222) - air in a can (vegelovers - tower records)

attack - 500 cap - that spicy black ramen i forgot the name (suzu slurps - dogenzaka)

hp and defense - 999 and 500 cap respectively - tuna head (sby bbq - tipsy tose hall)

scramble slam sucks but heres how you get the rewards:

put the game on ultimate and reduce your level, you get more points this way

the way you get points is by doing beatdrop combos which means you need a lot of enemies that last

also theres a multiplier that goes up by 0,4x everytime you do a combo in battle up to a max 5x, save the enemy with the 3x until you max the multiplier

make the biggest chain you can with JUST ONE slam noise, thats enough to make the whole chain track points, also you can do chain battles with rival players too just let the noise get you then walk up to the player, once youre done, leave the area then come back so the noise respawn

anyways, equip the basic shockwave and force rounds pins so you slowly kill enemies, equip the rest of your party members with pins you want to grind just make sure they dont have x or y inputs

start attacking with shockwave, once the beatdrop circle shows up switch to force rounds only when its past half (delaying a pin gives it a bit of time to regen, enough to give you one extra full use), repeat the process with force rounds, you can make the most of the pins this way, its like, 5 uses of shock and 4 of rounds, a lot of combos

youre gonna make a fuckton of points this BUT chains are gonna be LONG AS FUCK, 40 minutes up to an hour, be warned

second slam is going to be a massive pain in the ass it took me 8 chains to do it (would be less if i remembered to reduce level)

theres a limited amount of the ion trade pins, theres a few you can miss, look it on gamefaqs i dont remember them, youre gonna need all of them for all the pins and threads

you cant get all the fp you need to complete the network by just doing quests and gold dives on regular days, youre gonna need some extra 15 points you get from a LONG dive in another day, its 10 rounds long and kinda hard, the last round is the worst, its two angry bears and a t rex noise (also angry) save a killer remix for this round, the t rex deals a fuckton of damage and if it eats one party member you wont survive the roar that comes next, watch out

hog healer and affinity weaknesses are your best friends for tough fights remember this

for the love of god grind pp on easy on another day, difficulty doesnt change the pp you get (i think the same applies to xp)

the noisepedia completion gives you a graffiti when you hit 80% but youre gonna need 100% for it to count on the save file complete percentage

ive seen ultimate shibuya hikarie w3d5 and ultimate cat street another day be recommended for money grinding but for the most part i disagree (bc i died often, you need high drop rates for these methods)

the way i do it is ultimate o-east w1d5, the chains last less than a minute and only give like 180 to 200 thousand yen, a lot less than the other methods but the short chains make up for it, this method is also good for grinding food (you do need to take the longest route for the tuna heads which can be infuriating considering the load times)

most secret reports are unlocked by defearting boss noise, 3 of them unlock by network completion, the last one only when you get all others, also boss noise respawn if you come back to the area so you dont have to redo the day like in og twewy

its safer to increase drop rate by threads than decreasing level remember that for annoying fights dont worry most abilities arent that good anyway (I NEVER GOT THAT ONE THAT SAVES YOU FROM A FATAL ATTACK TO WORK FUCK THIS GAME)

plague noise only show up on story fights so you cant chain them, go in with high drop rates, you fight almost all of them in quick succession in the day you have to go after that guy, w3d6 i think?

the last boss is the only boss noise you cant chain also for some reason you can soundsurf when it starts throwing balls at you, use that to get groove

for the superboss on another day i recommend using hog healer (to heal), fang defender (to protect yourself from its HIGHLY damaging dash attack wich you can also dodge, but i found it harder and using this pin fully heals you if you get it right), and a lot of pins you can use at once in an all out attack, if one party member gets attacked the other ones will keep going, i recommend using darkness pins since they can stun and pins with easy beatdrop conditions, use killer remixes only when the armor is up, most of the fight is dodging

just do the time trial on easy no one cares anyway

for the remind graffiti theres like one or two you can miss, again, look it up on gamefaqs bc i forgor💀

you dont need to get 100% drop for the worst fights, thats what killer remix is for, 75% is fine, its worse to make a long ass chain than it is to just do another fight

i need to explain how the killer remix drop rates work so heres how:

YOU DONT GET 0,5x PER PARTY MEMBER

thats why youre probably wondering why it isnt always 3x

the way it works is that you get a 0,5 per pin that has that little ready above it (thats what its for, i always wondered that) to get that ready you need to use that pin in a beatdrop combo either as the one that starts or the one that ends it

synergy abilities apply for the whole party strangely enough

theres a thread that gives you more time with pig noise, anyway brute forcing with killer remixes usually work no matter what

shiba is a toxic bottom

anyway thats all

as for what i think abt the game now that im DONE with it, love it honestly, and despite the fact it didnt meet sales expectations i think, im still hopeful for it, twewy survived bc it was so beloved by the devs i guess so theres that, also imagine if next games were on other cities famous for their urban culture that would be so fashion like

The Last Illuveterian - Part 6

CW: blood, murder, PTSD, weaponry, knifes

As soon as I awoke the next morning I put on a t-shirt with a hoodie, stretchy jeans, and some tennis shoes. I made my way down to the kitchen to find an already prepared breakfast for me. It was something that I was definitely still adjusting to at the time, but I ate what was provided, I needed the extra energy for sure. After eating I went back to the library, there was something I needed. “I need to learn how to use my magic,” I called out as I reached the table. A leather bound book appeared as I sat down. The cover read, translated, ‘Illuveterian Magic’, and the author was my father, which caused me to pause. I didn’t even know his name until I started doing research. Neither did I know my mother’s prior. Suppose that information isn’t usually handed out to small children in favor of the “mom” or “dad”.

Describing how exactly I trained my magic would be near impossible. It’s like concepts but they are tangible to a person. It certainly took many years, over many of which other things occurred. So I’ll just create a list of everything I’ve managed to learn so far, as I’m sure I’ll learn plenty more in the future.

I have learned how to teleport consistently.

I can monitor my energy levels easily.

Most recently I have figured out how to float which is quite fun

I can move my pocket dimension door as I please.

I found out that I have access to the Earth’s afterlifes and can access them as I please.

I have found a way to share my healing process with friends through soul sharing.

I can create these thorn-like spikes that jut from the ground and into whatever I please.

I can summon things from my pocket dimension and return them as needed.

I can “show off” my magic through blue flames that surround my body as well as heated fires from my body.

I can move things with thought now. I believe it’s called telekinesis.

I can look human, though only for a few hours at a time as it’s incredibly exhausting.

One I found out accidentally is if I happen to fall asleep or pass out in nature then animals seem compelled to “protect” me while I’m asleep and surround me until I wake up. That freaked me out the first time since I woke up to a cougar on top of me.

Another accidental discovery is that I can hear when anyone says my names so long as it is intended for me. Which essentially means I technically can be “summoned”, however I do have a choice on responding.

Unless I have a decent amount of food or energy drinks on me, I do have an energy limit for all of this, and some abilities are more taxing than others.

As soon as I had a basic grasp on how to use my magic, which took roughly a year and a half, making me 21 at the time, I decided to then practice hand to hand and weaponry. I went out to the void and had the pocket dimension lay out several options to choose from among the list were: Swords of varying shape, staffs, a variety of bows and arrows, hand scythes, and a couple full length scythes. I picked up one of the full length scythes. It came just short of my height and had a broad blade. Truthfully I just thought it was the coolest looking weapon of the bunch. Once I had that selected all the other close range weapons vanished and were replaced with some longer ranged options. The bows remained. So I’d be picking two to use. From the new group one particular weapon caught my eye as it was something I hadn’t seen before. A oblong piece of metal attached to a long rope. I picked that one up to examine it, but the others all vanished before I could return it. Meaning I had my two weapons: A scythe and a Meteor Hammer.

Learning to wield these was much the same as my magic, though arguably a bit easier as they didn’t take near as long. Of course working immediately with two weapons as such was also trial and error. Meaning I occasionally left practice a new, or multiple new small scars. And let me tell you, a solid chunk of tungsten hitting you in the head because you swung your arm half an inch too far to the left really hurts, and I’m lucky my bones can no longer break. About 4 years into this I felt sufficient enough in my abilities to move on. I wanted revenge.

I began my planning. There were a total of 8 men that had caused my hell. The pocket dimension gave me a newspaper that stated three of them had died in a farming accident. Unfortunate. Leaving 5 left, including that Matthew Collins. I spent a total of 12 days planning everything. I was going to take them out one by one and make sure they knew it was me. So within those days I practiced calligraphy and summoned a small scalpel. The plan with that was to carve my first initial into each of them, as fancy as possible. Just so they can feel a fraction of the pain they made me feel before they die.

I made my way to the first house. The judge. I knew he was home alone since I watched his wife leave for a “girls night” just prior. I sat outside the back door for several minutes, my pulse racing as I worked up my nerve. As I sat I thought about everything I went through because of this man’s callous decision. How much I suffered as a child for no reason because he refused to see past his own biases. A rage flooded me before it was overwhelmed with calm. Standing where I was, my face sat in a neutral expression, while anger burned beneath. My pulsed had slowed considerably and I gripped the scalpel. The scythe remained stored in the pocket dimension for the time being. The porch lights came on as I moved to the door. A small flick of magic fixed that issue and I was covered once more in darkness. It happened to be a new moon that night and the stars shown little. What was visible of my body emitted a small glow, though not near enough to illuminate anything around it. Similar to illuminated numbers on a wrist watch. Just enough to be seen and not something I could change. 

The darkness did not hinder my vision in the slightest, as it is common for many creatures to have good night vision. As I came closer to the sliding back door I could see easily into the house. The judge was sat facing away from me in the living room, close to the front door. The tv was on and the volume was quite high. He had no idea I was even there.

The door slid open and closed silently. I made each step carefully forward, though he never did hear me come up behind him. One simple touch to the back of his neck and he couldn’t move anymore. Frozen where he sat. I walked around the couch slowly, his breathing increased as he finally knew of my presence. I crouched a tad to meet his eyes.

“You-!” He started, panicked. I reached forward to put a finger to his lip.

“Shh,” I whispered. And he was silent. I could see his fear grow as he tried to both speak and move. Yet neither happened. “You brought this on yourself,” I continued as I scanned his form for a location to place the calling card. I wanted to touch him as little as possible and settled on the back of his hand.

I carved a meticulously detailed ‘R’. It had more lines than I cared to admit. It took a good few minutes to complete, and by the end the judge was a silent sobbing mess. It gave me joy to see him suffering as I had. Though he had it considerably better in those minutes then I ever had it. Once I was done I took the scalpel and made eye contact with the man. I had intended to be scary by licking his blood off of the blade. Most other monster species do eat humans so I thought it may taste good. However as soon as it touched my tongue I immediately gagged. It tasted foul and if I could physically throw up, I would have in that moment.

Fortunately for me, the judge was too busy blubbering in silence to notice any of it. I stored the scalpel away in the pocket dimension and summoned my scythe. It was comfortable to hold, and I was at ease knowing what I was about to do. With one swift motion I took his head clean off. Even then I did not falter. From my pocket I took a large paint pen and wrote “CORRUPT” in large lettering on the wood coffee table. I then stood to make my leave. I had no further need to be quiet so I simply teleported to the next man’s house. I repeated the same process for the first 4 of them, aside from licking the blood. Each kill went a little smoother than the one prior. Even for the man who had shot me through the head, I was unnaturally calm.

It was at the final house where I faltered. The residence of Matthew Collins. Though my face remained neutral still and rage continued to burn throughout me, it now mixed itself with panic. I approached the door, it was an old screen that I knew would make a lot of noise. My body shook involuntarily as images of his face flashed through my mind. It seems whatever calm had controlled me before was failing. I began thinking of everything I had gone through again. Anything that he, specifically, didn’t do to me. My shaking calmed and I steadied myself. I walked around the single story farm house and peered through each window. I finally found him through one. Asleep in a bed.

Instead of going through a window or door, which I knew would immediately wake him, I chose to teleport into the room. It made much less noise, almost none, even. I didn’t want him to look at me. Instead of using touch to paralyze him, I took out my meteor hammer. I wound up a swing and hit him on the back of the head. There was a very loud cracking noise and his snoring stopped. Red pooled around the metal and I quickly pulled it back. I took the scalpel and began carving the R on his cheek. Twice I dropped it, as I was shaking so bad. The finished wound was full of wobbling lines and jagged edges. I put the scalpel back and began pacing about the room. The scythe wasn’t enough for me, though I wasn’t sure why. I just wanted to be done and home. I wanted to take a hot bath and go to bed. Yet I remained in that house, and Matthew Collins remained alive. The faint aura all humans carried still flickered so I knew his heart was still beating.

All of a sudden his hand twitched and I jumped, which seemed to jump my body into motion. I moved without having decided to, and I made my way to the kitchen. I searched each drawer until I found it. A long kitchen knife, exactly like the one he had used on me. A new wave of panic fell over me, though I moved anyway. I went back to the bedroom and issued him the same torment he issued me, though it didn’t have quite the same result. 228 stab wounds. Unfortunately, on his massive frame, all his limbs remained attached. When I was done, I was tired and covered fully in his blood, tears flooded my cheeks. I fell and collapsed there, falling through the floor to my pocket dimension. To my delight, the bath in my room had already been drawn. The room smelled of perfumes, though the metallic stench of blood overpowered it seemingly with ease. 

Not bothering to disrobe, I climbed into the tub. Allowing myself to fully submerge beneath the water. So many emotions washed over me at that moment. Like whatever calm spell had been over me finally left. I was overcome with too many things. Fear, panic, grief, relief. All, of course accompanied by flashbacks. Visions of Matthew Collins, the smiling man, still managing to come after me. The only thing that kept me even slightly grounded through that was the feeling of hot water surrounding me. Other than that, I couldn’t seem to tell reality from the paranoia. This panic attack lasted for several hours until I was eventually just too tired. I slept under the water of the bath for a few days. The pocket dimension kept it warm and clean as I did so.

a thing i want to point out here is that game mechanics on their own don't have inert meaning. it's how those mechanics behave, and how you interact with them, that a game becomes "about" something

i've been playing a lot of Cataphract OI recently, a sharply designed RPG by fellow gamedev and friend of mine sraëka-lillian. the premise of the game is simple enough: you're on a timer that ticks every action you take, and your goal is to beat the dungeon and stop the clock before it strikes midnight. it's a very narrative-light game in terms of cutscenes and dialogue, but a thematically heavy game in what it's doing with its mechanics. it's worth talking about as a work of art, even though it's not the kind of story you could easily write a wiki about.

my first few runs of the game, i was excited and tense. i was exploring a dungeon i didn't know, getting to grips with the combat system, and realizing that every single action i took was a commitment. the timer filled every stray action with a sense of dread. spending several turns investigating a room, playing defensively in a fight, or just walking through a hallway has a weight that's so rarely seen in an rpg. it was a game about weighing my options in an unknown world, with the clock always ticking.

but now, i've had a few failed runs of the game, and i've mapped out the entire dungeon on virtual graph paper. the game is very known to me now, so the timer is a straightforward resource i can approach clinically. i have a limited budget, of health, time, and items, that i have to spend accordingly. at this point the game is about optimizing my run, planning things out to a t so i can use as little as possible. i'm not sure how i feel about this tbh? i'll probably have my thoughts together by the time i actually beat this thing, but i will say it gives me a very mercenary view on this death clock. perhaps it matches the party of mercenaries, stuck in a cycle of life and death. (also, i love how the game manages to work constantly dying and starting new runs into a jrpg narrative without being pretentious about it, it's nice)

mashblr is full of the most milquetoast mealy mouthed lgb without the t reporting pornography at the local public library white queers i have ever seen in a fandom

i don't love the use of "queers" here as a noun even with the word "white" in front of it. please don't take my saying that as an excuse to start "queer is/isn't a slur" discourse. racism in the lgbtq+ community is a problem caused by whiteness, not queerness, and using "queer" pejoratively against any group of queer people just inflames tensions. "white gays" isn't any better.

i get why you think i'm the right person to vent to, i've definitely pointed out racism, classism and misogyny as i've seen it. but i don't think what you're saying here is in any way limited to mashblr/mash fandom or fandom in general, and i prefer to respond to and point out specific trends in my critiques. i'm raising my eyebrows at "i have ever seen in a fandom" because i don't see how that's possible unless mash is your first fandom or you've just been really good at filtering and then stopped for some reason when you got into mash.

if you are a brown or black person, i'm sympathetic to how you must feel. it is really hard to be a minority within a minority and seeing fandom held up as a "queer space" or even a "progressive space" is corny as all hell. sure, it is mostly white people i've seen do this and they do rely heavily on the existence explicit gay content as a qualifier, when by that logic the mainstream porn industry is also a bastion of queer progressivism (yikes). it's just a bunch of nerds nerding out and jacking off - disavowing or championing it on the basis of its perceived moral value is annoying.

all communities that exist in a racist, transphobic, sex-negative world are susceptible to the same power dynamics and desire for social capital/validation/acceptance - everything from political parties to high school anime clubs. i tend to avoid group fandom spaces and limit my interaction to one-on-one with people i can trust not to rescind their respect of me as a human being if we happen to disagree on OTPs and sexuality headcanons.

"white opinions fatigue" is a real thing and unfortunately the only cure to that is to check out of fandom from time to time, but at least you have the option of doing that, as compared to the workplace, academia and other spaces you likely have no choice but to participate in. so my advice is to exercise your judgement and free will.

Arcade Nights (Kim Seokjin x Fem!Reader)

Summary:  Jin and Y/N spend their night under neon lights, surrounded by the sounds of lasers, coins, and music.

Word Count:  762

A/N:  A little blurb that came to mind after seeing this moodboard  by @ruminationnn​

“Take that, you evil goblin!!”  Y/N shouted, pointing her gun controller at the screen on the arcade machine in front of her, each shot racking up hundreds of points, adding to her already high score.

“How are you so good at this game?  Should I be worried about how skilled you are with a gun?”  Jin chuckled, watching his excited girlfriend master her game.

“Only if you’re a nasty green goblin.”  She giggled, hanging up the controller back onto the rack for the next person.

“Come on, Y/N, have you seen me?  Worldwide handsome.”  Jin dramatically ran his fingers through his hair.

“Oh, shush, you.”  Y/N poked a finger into his chest.  “Let’s go grab some pizza slices, if I wait any longer for food, I’m gonna pass out onto the floor.  And from the looks of it,”  She glanced down onto the black and neon green carpet beneath her feet.  “if I did that, I would be picking popcorn crumbs out of my hair for a week.”

“At least you would have food for the week.”  Jin joked.

Y/N rolled her eyes but couldn’t fight the smile forming on her face.  She quickly turned towards the direction of the arcade cafeteria, her pastel blue and white gingham skirt twirling around her from the speed of her movements.  Jin simply watched her in awe for a moment before catching up to her and following her.  

Upon reaching the front diner style counter, Y/N took a seat on a neon green leather stool in front of it, Jin sitting next to her.  

“Are you sure you still just want pizza?”  Jin questioned her, noticing how wide her eyes had grown once she realized how many options she actually had.

Hamburger $4.25

Hot Dog $2.00

French Fries  $3.00

Chicken Tenders  $3.50

Pizza Slices  $1.75

Milkshakes $2.50

Soda  $1.25

“Hmm….”  Y/N thought for a moment.  “Yeah, just two pepperoni pizza slices, please!”

“Okay, love.  Excuse me, miss?”  Jin called out to the employee behind the counter.

“Hi!  What can I get for you two kids today?”  

“Can I please have three pepperoni pizza slices?”

“And a chocolate milkshake!”  Y/N added.

“And I suppose two chocolate milkshakes.”  Jin laughed.

“Sure thing!  Coming right up!  That’ll just be….$10.25!”

“Wow, Y/N, you’re expensive.”  He teased as he dug his wallet out of his jeans pocket.

Laughter filled the two lovebirds as they battled the grease dripping off of their thick pizza slices onto their inconveniently white t-shirts, strings of cheese stretching out past their limits until they plopped down onto their chins.  Each slice of pepperoni covered their taste buds with a delightfully subtle spice.  The ice cold chocolate milkshakes they consumed in between bites contrasted the piping hot pizza deliciously.  

“Full?”  Jin asked, wiping his chin with a napkin, then lightly poking Y/N’s side.

“Yep!  Stuffed!”  She grinned from ear to ear, showing her teeth.

“Hey, you ding dong, you’ve got pizza sauce on your face.”

Jin took a napkin from his unused pile and wiped the sauce off of her face, chuckling as he did so.

“Thanks!”  She leaned forward to give him a peck on the lips.

“See, it’s good that I did that.  I would have a face full of sauce right now!”

“You’re silly, Jin!”

“Not as silly as you!!”

As much fun as the couple was having, the night was nearing its end.  The pair walked out of the arcade building, hands entwined, the bright neon lights fading the farther they went.

“Did you have fun?”  Jin asked, opening the passenger side door for Y/N.

“Yes!  I had a lot of fun!  We’ll have to come back here.  I want to try their chicken tenders next!  And see how good the ranch is!”

“All ranch tastes the same.”  Jin said loudly as he walked around his car over to the driver’s side.

“It does not!!”  Y/N argued.

“It does too!  Like water!”

“Oh, don’t even get me started about how wrong you are.”

Jin reached over from the driver’s side and tousled her hair.  

“We can continue this debate at home.”  Jin placed his keys into the ignition and started the car.

“Home it is!  Hey, when we get there, do you want to watch a scary movie?”

“Sure thing, lovebug.”

A perfect way to end a perfect night; scared out of her wits curled into Jin’s chest, laughing when he almost spills the popcorn bowl in his lap from a jumpscare.