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inspectordookie · 9 months

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i saw someone use this picrew (https://picrew.me/en/image_maker/1564386) to try recreating their tavs, and i wanted to give it a try (possibly also because im too lazy to draw them) in spirit of bg3 being released :D mind you these won't all be 100% accurate to in-game appearance but close enough alongside my personal envisions

i've only played as one of them in early access,, i may or may not have taken the time to plan the rest of my tavs for future gameplays LMAO yes i am that kind of person when it comes to rpgs🫡 the common thread between all of them is feeling out of place, and how each of them deal with it in their own ways

ismene farahani-diamandis (she/her) my chaotic good human sorcerer in wild magic (i'm thinking about multiclassing paladin for her but idkk), my first tav and honestly kind of my favorite :') even created a backstory for her parents too. a catastrophe in more ways than one, but truly one of the most caring and fun-loving people, like a disney princess but just a bit more disastrous. a bit of a dreamer who longs to be loved and have adventure like the heroes in stories told by her father, but has often felt she cannot have both or either whether it was due to the utter though consistent bad luck when she tried or feelings of unworthiness because of others even when they did her wrong (aka a list of exes). she has lost most of her family outside her younger, paladin brother and distant noble family in mulmaster, who she has no interest in reaching after her mother's departure as a young adult with her father (it's a very long story involving a rogue noble and a wizard from a family of barbarians). first it was her father from an incident causing his memory then life to be slowly eaten away, her younger sister the one time she was far from home to a village raid, then her own mother the minute she garnered a name for herself as a hero amongst the people. she has since felt a lost sense of purpose, having no family or loved ones to put first having been the eldest sibling for so long, and strong guilt in wanting to pursue more with the unpredictable yet wondrous abilities she was born with, as she has felt she has failed to use them to save precious lives time and time again

even so, ismene is someone who chooses and wants to do good or the best possible thing no matter what challenge stands ahead and hopes that despite everything, she can find a way to be her happy, flirty self once again. trying to make the most of the brain worm situation and genuinely aspires to befriend all in her party, even though most of them prove difficult. lucky for her, if shes anything, shes stubborn enough to keep trying anyways in her newfound but chaotic family--it's almost refreshing to be in a band of fellow disasters. really stuck on either astarion or halsin for her romance because i think story-wise, her and astarion in my brain just are really interesting dynamically and have been in EA, but halsin would probablyyy be her most ideal partner (cause she honestly deserves at least one stable part in her life LMAO) but HEY---MAYBE THEY CAN POLY *if* larian allows it, her mbti/enneagram is ENFP 7w6

amée tanor'thal (she/her) will be my second playthrough, a neutral good seladrine drow cleric of selûne in the life domain. her backstory is probably my favorite amongst everyone, she's actually the mother of my first and only d&d character that i got to play about a year ago now :D i already had her story in mind alongside her daughter (obviously), and thought bg3 would be a good opportunity to play as her. she's always been more reserved and cautious in nature, someone who always tries to consider things beyond how they're presented in front of her. the inquisitiveness is what led her to learn more beyond her corrupt family, religion, and the normalized suffering within her home at the tanor'thal manor in skullport, she went through a lot to escape from it. initially, it was her and a group of hidden eilistraee followers in the city who she planned an escape route with, amée had met them through a boy around her age that she befriended on one of her secret escapades. they opened her to the possibility of a world filled with joy---with light, a life that the underdark, her own family would consume and make impossible for anyone to have. unfortunately, the heavy security made the journey abruptly take a turn for the worse. amée wound up separated from everyone as they continued the planned path, whilst she wound up chased by her own family on a completely different one; she barely escaped with her life. she followed a path of stars, scared and unsure, and it wound up leading her to a church of selûne in waterdeep where she was kindly taken in for sanctuary.

upon learning more and speaking with the clerics and daily visitors, choosing to serve her and the philosophy of having choice and helping to guide those who are lost, amée is a rare and often misunderstood person in the church. it is something she is aware of but is far more concerned in carving a path of peace for all those who need it---especially misunderstood folk of the underdark. despite her gloomy appearance, she is easily one of the most compassionate souls, one who has sworn to devote her life to healing instead of hurting, though she may or may not have had to kill off most of the family sent to the surface to take her life, including her own mother. needless to say, she'll spill a bit of blood here and then and maybe roll with all the evil goons who give her easy access because they think she's evil too. she's a bit funny and often direct, albeit unintentionally. anywho, she'll be romancing gale, who will not only engage her in intelligent conversation but in a child-like wonder through magic after devoting much of her life to her personal cause. i also feel like his romance route has the potential to be veryy angsty cause of his magic chest bomb so. sorry amée. her mbti/enneagram is an INFJ 1w2 :)

fynn tranquilfoot (they/them) will be my third playthrough, a true neutral rock gnome monk specializing in the way of the shadow. from a relatively normal family in comparison to a lot of my own characters tbh LOL, they stem from a gunsmith family business that has flowed for generations in a city full of fellow gnome entrepreneurs and inventors. fynn never flowed well with it and was rather easily overwhelmed by it at an early age. as a kid they expressed no genuine interest in anything really, and instead preferred doing nothing, so long as they were allowed to be alone. it was something that did not sit well with their family. fynn was to carry the mantle of their success, history, and more children to keep things going, which did not, in fact, sit well with them no matter how many of their peers in the same family dynamic gushed about their shared lifestyles and destinies. it was yet another thing they could not relate to, among other things being thrust upon them as labels they never asked for; fynn quickly became the talk of their town. they never cared to argue against them or their parent's complaints; "better to play dead to stay alive", then nothing could truly nag at them. however, if there was something that gnawed at them at all, it was a distinct lack of purpose. they had spent so long doing nothing to the point it almost felt depressing to not be really good at anything; it was one boat ride away that allowed fynn to venture around the mainland and see entirely different things.

one day they saw a monk stealing a noble of all they had in only five seconds, asked how they could do what they did and the rest is history. they went to the same temple, learned the same techniques, and found they were quite good at all of it. fynn knew that sometimes the assassination gigs weren't the most morally correct, or that even when it was they wouldn't get any credit for the deed, and they were content with that. fynn is not someone who has any desire to be remembered and is passionate about the life they've led for themselves and protecting that peace it gave them. they're a rather smart and self-aware individual, and quite understanding as they're not very judgemental. isn't opposed to knowing their party, but has no plans of sticking around at the end either, while the parasites possible power to heighten their prowess at work is intriguing, they're aware that trusting its stability in the long run is likely dumb (but somehow they aren't exactly opposed). plan to romance them with wyll : ) i think his desire to have purpose vs. their lack of desire for one will somehow end up complimenting and opening each other up. their mbti/enneagram is ISTP 9w8

meet magdalena (or mags for short) of berdusk (any pronouns are fine), a chaotic neutral half-orc school of valour bard, and the physical embodiment of the term "here for a good time, not a long time". her story is relatively simple and feel-good in comparison to my other tavs, and i already know i'll end up having the most fun playing him aside from ismene LOL her human dad and orc mom are easily the best parents anyone could ask for, endlessly supportive and loving to whatever their child would choose to do or be as they navigated what he liked and didn't, even though their collective eccentric personalities made them stick out like sore thumbs even in a populated city like berdusk. nonetheless, neither of her parents really cared what people thought so inevitably, he didn't either and in turn became an unapologetically confident and outspoken person. mags learned music from her initially nomadic parents, who traveled all over faerûn sharing their own music, dances and stories, and it became yet another thing they inherited and completely loved. the more he wrote, composed, and sang while playing her father's harp, the stronger mags' music undeniably became, practically wooing anybody that came near it---even those who picked on every surface-level thing about him became unable to deny the magnetism (get it) magdalena of berdusk possessed. they enlisted into a bard academy, attending for years until magdalena found the curriculum to be severely boring, leaving only a year before they would have graduated.

her parents, of course, cheered them on.

so from then on, magdalena felt the rest of faerûn was ready to hear his songs, constantly writing while on the roads, fighting weird shit, performing at nearly every tavern she could find (and shagging only the finest of folk on the way). no matter what though, mags always makes sure to find the time and place to write to her parents no matter where he is and even with a creepy crawly worm in his brain. the situation doesn't necessarily phase them aside from the fact the idea of a worm in her brain skeeves her out a bit, like what if it lays eggs or something? she doesn't exactly understand the full circumstance. other than that, mags is content with chilling with these newfound travel partners of his and seeing where the course takes them, and even if he is to die inevitably she hopes that by the end of it, he'll have a sick ass album to compile before they can. she truly enjoys to savor and experience, so naturally i'm pairing them with shadowheart of all people LOL they'll probably soften each other up. also probably only gives into the tadpole for a while in exchange for the wicked sex dreams until their gf is like "alright you goob can you maybe stop before it kills you faster". mags is an ESFP 8w7 !!

last but not least is zaludra strombjörn (she/her), a lawful neutral wood elf enchantment wizard. omfg shes honestly such a sourpuss LMAO she'll end up likely being my most "evil" route (and by that i mean i have a hard time making mean choices in game lol), but she'll also end up having the most significant development. from a young age, zaludra never had the easiest time connecting with others, and wasn't really allowed to due to her condition. albinism wound up giving her severely overprotective parents who didn't even let her skin go near where sunlight pierced the ground. thus her whole childhood essentially was this reinforced idea that she was deadweight, something that didn't do wonders for her self-esteem as she was unable to directly contribute to anything in her village. in the silence, zaludra only grew a resentment for her home and the situation she was in, only finding more things to dislike about the wooden elf's way of life.

the only time she felt any sort of gratification was in occasional conversations with the only person who would talk to her outside of her parents, her village's sole druid. their magic captivated zaludra, the ability to be anything else, to be something great was---and begged to learn their ways. unfortunately, a severe lack of connection to her people or home made it impossible, and zaludra was back where she started. so, she resorted to other means of obtaining the art of magic; zaludra would venture the nights in the nearest town over in magic shops draped in whatever cloth could cover her skin, checking out basic spell casting books from the local libraries. the more she practiced magic in secret, the more determined she became to be the best in it. overtime it became clear zaludra was a natural genius in the arcanic arts, even learning to craft potions as well, concoctions of her own to make her condition easier to live with rather than hiding in shame because of it. she left her home publicly declaring it beneath her and the potential it had hidden her from and set off to further her education in the city of silverymoon where she only continued to succeed.

she would prove everyone wrong she thought, all of them, including the people who should have supported her the most---her own parents. but highkey though shes super lonely but basically represses that with her undying ambition, but then city and school life makes her highkey more annoyed by other people (likely because she had no clue how to connect with them but dont tell her that). probably will want to learn how to control the tadpole at first for her own power until she starts to unexpectedly not hate her companions, especially karlach because a fine ass tiefling solves everyones emotional problems <3 also i hc that her and astarion get confused as siblings/twins all the time cause of how similar they look she probably hates it. also shes an ISTJ 3w4

anyways thats all IM STILL WAITING ANXIOUSLY FOR THE RELEASE AS WE SPEAK

#bg3 #baldurs gate (and the friends we made along the way)#baldurs gate 3 #bg3 tav #well tav(s)#astarion x tav #wyll x tav #gale x tav #shadowheart x tav #srry laezel maybe my dark urge will romance you

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executables-sims · 5 months

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Get to know you: Sims Style

Thank you so much for the tag, @goatskickin! :D I am ill rn, so please excuse the rambling. x) Long post ahead!

What’s your favorite Sims death? Maybe fright? I've only ever had it happen once via ghost, the anim is pretty funny. :)

Alpha CC or Maxis Match? My Simblr probably says otherwise, but I don’t have a preference! I’ve had nearly every possible CC style under the sun throughout my years of playing, and I constantly think about reviving my 'semi-realism' folder (living vicariously through you, other simmers!). I didn't play with CC until early 2006 though, so MM is a little bit more nostalgic. :)

Do you cheat your sims weight? Hell no! I'm still in awe of Nysha's townie body diversity mod finally letting townies be fat. :D I wish the game had a better way of managing bodyshapes so I could add more variety that way.

Do you move objects? Of course!

Favorite Mod? Of all time? Impossible! My continued interest in gameplay is always because of new mods. :)

I did gain a new outlook thanks to a mod recently, though! My wild romance sim Blaze Biermann ended up 'mood swinging' to fortune before he went to uni, and instead of reverting, it got stuck.

He had a few flings still (pleasure secondary), but after he returned home and met his daughter (for the first time since her birth), he started cringing whenever I directed him to romance his dates. It felt like he had grown as a person, and I loved it!

TL;DR: Randomly change your sims' original aspiration/s to give them interesting character arcs! First Expansion/Game Pack/Stuff Pack? I mean, not my decision, but our first TS1 EP was Hot Date. I'm pretty sure I got TS2 EPs/SPs in order of release (miss those days of unwrapping a new one every birthday/christmas!).

Do you pronounce live mode like aLIVE or LIVing? We're LIVE, baby! 🎥

Who’s your favorite sim that you’ve made? I don't usually get very attached to my first-generation sims, but maybe Evonne Milos, from the gameplay/story hood I accidentally destroyed in four days? Never actually played her, but I had a lot of ideas for a corrupt 'sexpot' politician. x)

Have you made a simself? Lots! 99% of the fun I had playing TS2 as a kid was me and my best friend making ourselves and our respective crushes of the week, and we'd always live in one of those Veronaville lots that was two houses connected by a balcony. I can't even tell you the amount of times she got me pregnant against my wishes whilst I went to the bathroom, lmao.

Which is your favorite EA hair color? For colour consistency, probably brown? But there are a lot of brunettes in Brunwick (must be the name!), so I enjoy the recessives popping up in gameplay. :)

Favorite EA hair? Does an EA download count? Jeanette is lovely.

Favorite life stage? Ohhh dude, that's so difficult to answer. They all bring different challenges and dynamics to the household! I feel like I've started to appreciate the child lifestage more since Brunwick has grown large enough to have multiple friendship groups. It's fun watching them goof around with each other and be actual kids, instead of sitting indoors skilling. I really need to build a park! :)

Are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay?

Are you a CC creator? Yes, I really love how this game has led me to so many creative hobbies! Would like to tackle BHAVs one day. :)

Do you have any Simblr friends or a Sim Squad? Yeah! I consider us all friends over our shared enjoyment of the game really, but as a chronic lurker I'm not the best at cultivating connections. x) Does anyone wanna make a secret club? xD

Do you have any sims merch? No, but I do have a bunch of rad sims memories. 👉😎👉

Do you have a YouTube for sims? Nope, but I watched plenty of sim music videos back in the day! Found a lot of songs that way. :) Some formative memories here: One / Two

How has your “Sims style” changed throughout your years of playing? I sadly don't have screenshots of my oldest saves thanks to a combo of no external HD and no screenshot program, but here's one example:

But gameplay-wise, a lot! My early years were probably based around creating stories more than actively playing, but when I did I would just emulate perfect families, attempt legacies, and restart BG hoods over and over. x)

Now I'm all about wants-based gameplay; witnessing and interpreting a story, as opposed to creating one from scratch. But I will add drama if I find my interest waning! x)

Who’s your favorite CC creator? Again, super-duper impossible to answer because everyone's CC makes the game fun, but my most recent CC shopping spree was Honeywell and HugeLunatic! :) 🛒

How long have you had Simblr? Technically 2011, officially 2013, but if we're being pedantic, I finally made a dedicated Simblr (this) in 2016. x)

How do you edit your pictures? These days, just sharpen and shrink! CC previews aren't too complicated either- a blurred out screenshot for the BG and a shadow.

What expansion/gamepack is your favorite? Ooh… maybe Nightlife, by a smidgen? I feel like it gave us a lot of new features and items, and the subhood was nice (as a non-builder at the time!).

Tagging: @daman19942 @aondaneedles @eulaliasims @profesionalpartyguest @tvickiesims @and everyone else, I love reading these! :D

#Tag meme

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iwritenarrativesandstuff · 1 year

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HEXACO Analysis: Nakahara Chuuya

HEXACO score: 3.75/2.5/3/2.5/3.75/3.5

Highest trait: Honesty-Humility/Conscientiousness

Lowest trait: Emotionality/Agreeableness

Full order: (HC)OX(EA)

Extreme high subtraits (score 5): Sincerity, Fairness and Diligence

Extreme low subtraits (score 1): Fearfulness

(I have been agonizing over this for literally a month so I have decided to just post it how it is because I'm never going to be satisfied with it anyways.)

Port Mafia executive, former leader of The Sheep, one half of the fearsome Double Black, loyal to a fault, wants a puppy. Gotta love this dude. I'm always excited to do any meta on him because there's so much to his character. Now, much of the fanon interpretation of Chuuya differs from my perception of canon, so if you're a bit surprised by any of the rankings, read on to find out why!

Please do keep in mind: a lot of the info we have for Chuuya does not come from the main manga but from his backstory novels Fifteen and Stormbringer. While these two books have made him an incredibly fleshed-out character, we don't have much info on him at 22 years old except in brief scenes in the manga, omake, and official non-canon content like wan, mayoi and some character q&as. The good thing is that HEXACO traits tend to be relatively consistent over time (and Chuuya himself doesn't seem to have changed too much) so I don't think this will be a major issue.

Here's how I'm doing my analyses and extra HEXACO info: I Like to Write Things — Ok so since I have one note on this, that was... (tumblr.com)

*Note: I tend to be reluctant to give extreme scores unless I really can't find much opposing evidence. As such, most of my scores tend to be 2s, 3s, or 4s.

**Note: Since these are scores that require me to pick a clear ranking, it's difficult to be quite as nuanced in my discussions as I prefer to be. These are intended to be general trends and there will likely always be exceptions - if you don't agree, that's fine, and it's probably just due to differences in subjective interpretation. However, if I've referenced something incorrectly, feel free to notify me; just be polite please!

***Final note: This is a long post! I go through 24 subtraits! You have been warned!

Explanations under the cut:

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Honesty-Humility (H)

Subtrait 1: Sincerity - A tendency to be genuine in interpersonal relations.

1 = Manipulative and rarely honest.

5 = Honest to a fault and almost never lies.

While Chuuya is capable of trickery, he doesn't do this very often - he's generally a very honest person who says what he means and doesn't beat around the bush. He faces his problems head on, and due to his immensely strong ability, he's likely never needed to do otherwise. Any lies he engages in are from my recollection either someone else's idea (Dazai, Mori) or to buy time (in Stormbringer). Even then, he doesn't really keep up an act for long - think of the confrontation with the ADA in the Guild arc where he pretty much outright states what the Mafia's game is. He's entirely nonchalant about it. He's not the kind of guy you send for subterfuge or deception.

Moreover, I cannot think of a time he used lies to get what he, personally, wanted. He's a very straightforward person. He has a sort of "I am who I am" kind of mentality and this shows in his words and actions.

Having said that, there are certain times he seems to blindside himself - as an example, the nature of his complicated dynamic with Dazai. While his irritation with him and negative feelings are genuine in part, there's a lot more nuance to it than that - worry, trust, begrudging understanding, unfortunate and unwilling recognition of self through the other, etc., but he boils it down to "hate". So, Chuuya does occasionally appear to tell himself convenient partial truths to avoid digging into things that make him uncomfortable. However, this honesty scale is about interpersonal honesty, and these instances are rare to my recollection, so he gets a very high score here.

Score = 5

Subtrait 2: Fairness - A tendency to avoid fraud and corruption for personal gain.

1 = Willing to cheat and steal to get what they want.

5 = Unwilling to take advantage of others.

This is tricky... he's in the mafia which is kind of all about this sort of thing, and he performs his job very well. Even so, Chuuya actually seems to have a pretty ingrained sense of fairness, to the point where I don't think it's really a conscious thing. He advances through the ranks of the mafia rapidly by... doing his job properly. He trades honesty for honesty, answers for answers, even in the middle of a fight - see his interactions with Rimbaud for more of what I mean. He repays people's favours and has a strong sense of loyalty and responsibility. Brushing off an ally's death as a means to get ahead is repulsive to him (DHC Dead Apple prologue). He outright tells a GSS soldier in Fifteen what's going to happen to him if he shoots at Chuuya. He does what he says he will, for the most part (unless this has to do with retribution, in which sometimes, rarely, exceptions will be made... I'll bring this up again later). Again, this is probably not mere kindness but also a result of his powerful ability meaning he's never really needed to rely on unscrupulous methods. Nonetheless, for what we see of him, I can't think of a time where he screws others over outside of orders from Mori - much less for his own benefit.

(A case could be made for a drop to 4 if you include his willingness to engage in mafia activities at all. I, personally, wouldn't since being a part of an illegal organization is literally all he's ever known from age 7 onwards. That's not really a character choice imo and more to do with the context he was raised in that became his "normal".)

Score = 5

Subtrait 3: Greed Avoidance - A tendency to be uninterested in possessing lavish wealth, luxury goods and signs of status.

1 = Want to enjoy and display wealth and status.

5 = Hardly driven by material gain.

Again, kind of tricky. Chuuya's introduced in quite possibly one of the most ostentatious outfits of the series (definitely up until that point, at least). He has his expensive wine collection and I think it is implied he has some expensive tastes. I think of that bit in Wan where he says he'll drop any money if he likes the thing he's looking to buy enough. Thing is... we get a little bit in Stormbringer where Chuuya's place is near totally empty; devoid of signs of having been "lived in" and tells us that money and status don't mean much to him. Mind you, this was when he was 16 and things likely changed since then; he's no longer only driven by his goal of finding info on himself and has acclimated to his new home in a sense. Truthfully, though, we don't know all that much about 22-year-old Chuuya. From my interpretation, I think his enjoyment of fancy things like wine and nice clothes is less a drive or motive to acquire any of these things, and more that he gets them as a bonus. He grew up on the streets. He has money now; he might as well use it to get himself something nice. Honestly, I swayed back and forth on this subtrait the most... but eventually settled on a score of 2 (that wine collection is... pretty damn expensive). I think he likes to treat himself. (I am now thinking of Chuuya's excitement over his new pillow in Wan...)

(I'd actually say Chuuya's focus on his appearance has a lot more to do with the image he hopes to give off to others than any true interest in material gain, but more on that later.)

Score: 2

Subtrait 4: Modesty - A tendency to be modest and unassuming (note that this has nothing to do with self-confidence!).

1 = Consider themselves superior and entitled to special treatment.

5 = Consider themselves ordinary people with no claim to special treatment.

Ohhhkay, this is a really weird one. Chuuya is so not modest. He knows damn well how powerful he is and is not afraid to flaunt his ability and martial arts prowess. He's cocky, arrogant and completely self-assured in a fight. However... he also has this weird humility where everything he does is in service to his people. He doesn't ask for special treatment, in fact, it may even make him uncomfortable, at least in Fifteen (dislike of being called "king") and Stormbringer (balking at Adam's "Chuuya-sama" addressal and trying to get him to change it). He goes by first name basis with most everyone and while he expects respect from his subordinates, he's not above spending time with them and doesn't treat people as beneath him unless they're his enemies. From Stormbringer, we know that Chuuya being so much more powerful actually isolates and upsets him. He also rarely takes a lot of credit for things; I think about his reaction in the ending scene in Dead Apple where he brushes off praise from his boss for fighting the dragon, saying he was just doing his job. Most anything he does is brushed off in a similar manner. It's just what he does; it's his duty - what he thinks he should do for his people. See? Weird humility.

I can't rank him too low or too high on this trait - this is one subscale where Chuuya's contradictory nature starts to show, I think.

Score = 3

H Score Total = (5+5+2+3)/4 = 3.75

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Emotionality (E)

Subtrait 1: Fearfulness - A tendency to easily experience fear.

1 = Have little fear; tend to be tough and insensitive to physical pain.

5 = Strongly inclined to feel fear and avoid physical harm.

There's not much to say about this. This guy goes through so much pain; gets thrown into buildings, shocked, stabbed and just gets back up. He jumps out of a plane to fight a dragon with zero hesitation. He feels bored in most fights and itches for a real challenge. He's near completely fearless lmao.

Score = 1

Subtrait 2: Anxiety - A tendency to worry over future outcomes.

1 = Feel little stress in response to hardship and difficulties.

5 = Tend to become preoccupied even by minor problems.

I believe Chuuya has a rather standard level of anxiety. I just said he's pretty much fearless, which he is, but he can and does worry, else he would not show concern for others in the way that he does. I think about his clear worry for the captured Sheep members in Fifteen, or him trying to contact Dazai in Stormbringer, or the way his concern over the outcome of the Cannibalism virus led to him attacking the ADA even though he knew that's what their mutual enemy wanted. At the same time, he doesn't spend too much time fretting over things if he can help it.

Score = 3

Subtrait 3: Dependence - A tendency to require emotional support from others.

1 = Feel self-assured and able to cope without help or advice.

5 = Crave encouragement and support when sharing difficulties.

While I think Chuuya could benefit from some supportive friends who don't die on him ( :'( ), I don't think he necessarily needs a lot of emotional support. He's pretty used to toughing it out alone and he's good at it. He's very self-reliant. However, he does ask for advice on occasion (from Mori), he does like to be part of a group (though that's more about other people depending on him...) and he's genuinely touched when people do show a want to support him (the Flags, Adam). He's not too good at receiving said support though lol.

He deserves more than he gets imo, but this scale is about whether he needs it or not, and to me, the answer is very rarely. Chuuya can deal with anything, however much or long he needs to. The real question is should he have to?

Score = 2

Subtrait 4: Sentimentality - A tendency to feel strong emotional bonds with others.

1 = Feel little emotion when parting or in reaction to others' concerns.

5 = Feel strong attachment to others and have an empathic sensitivity.

Bonds with others are literally Chuuya's Reason Living. Like, he practically says as much in Stormbringer and loyalty and protectiveness are two of his core character traits. Nearly everything he does is for the people he decides are his family. And even though he tends to lose people time and time again, he still manages to care and value them in spite of it all. The only reason he does not rank a full 5 is because he's hardly empathic or sensitive, but his emotions and loyalties run deep and comprise a good chunk of his identity.

Score = 4

E Score Total = (1+3+2+4)/4 = 2.5

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eXtraversion (X)

Subtrait 1: Social Self-Esteem - A tendency to have positive self-regard in social contexts.

1 = Tend to see self as unpopular and have a sense of worthlessness.

5 = Consider themselves to have likeable qualities and are satisfied with who they are.

Hm. I wonder about this one. We've already established that Chuuya is very confident but that's mostly in a fight or when asserting his strength. When it comes to social interactions outside of this context, it's clear that he gets very easily self-conscious. Think of Ranpo calling him "fancy-hat" - he reaches up to touch his hat like he's unsure if it's a compliment or an insult. There's Dazai's commenting on his shoes, first happy and then extremely irritated when the other... shoe drops (I'm sorry). Comments on his clothes, stature and anything to do with his history (the latter especially when he was younger) make him defensive and prone to bursts of irritation - he's very confident up until someone says something that makes him self-conscious. This probably has a lot to do with his former insecurities about his inhumanity; while he knows now that he is human, that feeling of otherness isn't just going to go away. Of particular note is Chuuya's dress sense - I made a note of this earlier that it seems he dresses to give off a particular image, namely, his membership to a group and status as their ultimate weapon (he both blends in and strikingly stands out). I'm not the only one who's noticed how he has a lot of outfit changes throughout the series, and how they seem to match whichever group he's a part of at the time - so, to insult the way he dresses seems to be taken as a personal jab to the image he's built up, an image that keeps him secure in his membership with his people (membership we know Chuuya desires from Stormbringer). If simple poking at the surface level of his self-image is enough for him to get so defensive, that doesn't really bode well for his social self-esteem as a whole.

At the same time, Chuuya does possess a lot of self-confidence and a certain level of self-respect. His reaction to Kenji thinking he's cool is definitely unabashed pride. He likely knows and enjoys his respected reputation in the mafia - but again, this is towards his ability and prowess, not necessarily his person. He responds to care for his person often with confusion and, again, defensiveness. I feel like he's about average in social self-esteem honestly, as his reactions tend to be quite polarized. It really depends on the context and what's being judged.

Score = 3

Subtrait 2: Social Boldness - A tendency to be comfortable/confident in social situations.

1 = Tend to feel shy or awkward when speaking to others.

5 = Willing to approach strangers and speak up.

Yeah Chuuya has no issue talking to people. I wouldn't actually call him social (more on that in the next subtrait) but he's clearly anything but shy. Only reason he doesn't rank a 5 is because he approaches people much more on orders or necessity than genuine willingness.

Score = 4

Subtrait 3: Sociability - A tendency to enjoy conversation and social interaction.

1 = Generally prefer solitary activities and rarely seek out conversation.

5 = Enjoy talking, visiting and celebrating with others.

I know there's a tendency to want to pin Chuuya as being a social person from his loudness, stand-out design, and the fact that we do see him drinking with Kajii and Hirotsu outside of work but truthfully? I think there's a lot more reason to think he's not all that sociable. For one, he is extremely guarded in both Fifteen and Stormbringer which makes a lot of sense - Chuuya has always been singled out as the biggest threat in the room, which means in turn that he has no choice but to perceive most people as potential threats in turn. In Fifteen, he really only talks to people out of necessity or in a fight, but he's not hanging out - of course he isn't, none of the people in that novel treated him like a friend. In Stormbringer, it takes an age for him to relax around the Flags and even then, he's not exactly the most conversational. Okay, you might be saying, but that's him when he's younger and fresh to the idea of having friends who don't ask him for anything in return.

It's tricky, again, because we really don't have much on older Chuuya. He apparently drinks with Hirotsu and Kajii. However, we don't know if he went there with them, or whether they just all happened to be going to the same place and he started venting to them. In the scene with him, Mori and Kouyou, he brings the wine, and then... he's not even really involved in that conversation, mostly just listening (and later cursing out Dazai under his breath lol). Also, a lot of the supplemental materials - drama cds, character q&as, even in Mayoi - seem to imply that he prefers to spend his time going and doing things by himself. There's also a few interesting continuities in Mayoi (which I know is a little... sus for canon info but like I said, we really don't have much and this next point is actually fairly consistent, leading me to believe this is intended to be an actual characterization point). In a lot of his dialogue and the summaries for some of the special events, he is described as "hanging back a bit". He often seems to choose to enjoy the atmosphere instead of talk to anyone, or else he's watching for threats. He almost always seems to be tense except in two conditions: one, he knows the place and the people are safe, and two, he gets to relax and sit back without speaking much. All this seems to indicate he actually very much enjoys time alone or at least time not spent speaking to people. Even when he's at a louder location, he is far more interested in the alcohol haha.

Score = 2

Subtrait 4: Liveliness - A tendency to be enthusiastic, active and upbeat.

1 = Tend not to feel optimistic or dynamic.

5 = Usually optimists and often in high spirits.

I don't know if I'd call Chuuya an optimist, per se. I think he's actually quite jaded. However, he generally has the attitude that he can get through most things and he gets quite into the action - he loves a good fight, he likes doing stunts on his motorcycle, he feels his feelings very strongly. He's not "a ray of sunshine" hehe but he's definitely dynamic and active - I think he'd get quite bored if he had nothing to do. I'd say he's about average.

Score = 3

X Score Total = (3+4+2+3)/4 = 3

---

Agreeableness (A)

Subtrait 1: Forgivingness - A tendency to feel trust and liking towards those who previously caused harm.

1 = Tend to hold a grudge.

5 = Usually ready to trust again after being treated poorly.

Hm. Again, this is another place where Chuuya's contradictory nature seems to show. Chuuya's whole mentality is if you try to hurt him or his people, he tries to hurt you back. It's very deliberate that in Fifteen he often kills by ricocheting bullets back at the people who fired at him. It's very retributive; definitely a "get-even" mentality. He immediately goes on a revenge mission against Verlaine for the Flags' sake. He remains furious at Dazai for years (but that's a constant lmao). However, he also has this strange capacity to... stop feeling that same level of raw anger, and it seems to occur when he comes to understand said person as a human being, especially if he can relate somehow. Also, something that is outright stated in Stormbringer is that Chuuya has the unfortunate tendency to help people who have helped him, even if they wind up betraying him in the end. I don't know if I'd call any of this true forgiveness (I think it ties in more with his ingrained sense of fairness and responsibility) but at the very least, he doesn't seem to hold grudges against people he comes to know for long except Dazai, and even then, he still trusts Dazai implicitly. He doesn't give his trust easily, but by god when he does, it's hard to break. I'm not entirely convinced of this myself, but I gave him a neutral score.

Score = 3

Subtrait 2: Gentleness - A tendency to be lenient in judgements of others.

1 = Tend to be critical when evaluating others.

5 = Reluctant to openly judge others harshly.

...He openly tells opponents they're weak to their faces. He's sooo not gentle and he's only really nice to his allies (and Kenji...but he has very little choice in that matter because Kenji decided they are friends). I think he's the kind of person who's blunt, but not always to be a jerk. Actually, he's fairly attuned to giving advice to people (see: drama cds) but he sure doesn't sugar-coat it. He says what he means. There's also his manner of speaking, which is considered quite vulgar. He's saved from the lowest score because, as I said, he does offer advice and encouragement without much prompting and rarely is he a complete jerk for no reason (unless you're counting bully preschool Chuuya from Wan hahaha). He also seems to have a soft spot for animals, especially dogs. Does that count? I think that counts.

Score = 2

Subtrait 3: Flexibility - A tendency to compromise and cooperate with others.

1 = Stubborn and quick to argue.

5 = Accommodate others' suggestions, even if they may be unreasonable.

I think he's fairly amenable to other ideas actually, but it depends on their source. There's an omake where Kouyou has to call him out because he's indulging Mori and his spontaneous whims too much in their planning. He goes along with the dumb shenanigans the Flags and his subordinates get into, with some griping, but it's clear he doesn't really mind. He's a lot more resistant to Dazai, of course, but again, he will go along with most things in the end because he knows that Dazai's plans do not fail. Still, he rarely just takes other's ideas without putting up a little bit of resistance first (unless it's a direct order), and he doesn't seem to work with others except Dazai (and he does not cooperate with him in any way approaching an agreeable manner, despite being completely in sync). I put him as neutral. He seems to need to see the sense in most things or else see some benefit to others (which might just be said others' enjoyment... the rich girl scene anyone?) before he'll actually do something that wasn't his idea.

Score = 3

Subtrait 4: Patience - A tendency to remain calm rather than become angry.

1 = Tend to lose their temper quickly.

5 = Have a high threshold for expressing anger.

...Lmao. I'm so sorry, buddy. If something is annoying to Chuuya, he will react (it might not be a dramatic reaction but it still manifests as at least visible irritation). He is more than capable of repressing his anger and acting more mature and serious when the situation calls for it but... it really does not take much to rile him up, especially if said annoyance humiliates or embarrasses him in some way. That said, he can and will remain stoic in the face of people who rely on him. Saved from the lowest score by a thread.

Score = 2

A Score Total = (3+2+3+2)/4 = 2.5

---

Conscientiousness (C)

Subtrait 1: Organization - A tendency to seek order in surroundings.

1 = Tend to be sloppy and haphazard.

5 = Tend to keep things tidy and prefer structure.

There's not much in the series that really indicates what Chuuya is like in his own space. The closest we get is in Stormbringer, where he has very few belongings - but these are stated to be kept very neatly. He appears to spend a good deal of time making himself presentable and it makes sense that this would extend to the space around him as well. Chuuya is likely to be a pretty organized person - he's seen going over a list in an omake and planning out a schedule, and he's good at staying on task - honestly a rarity with characters in this series. While I wouldn't expect him to be quite as fastidious as, say, Kunikida, the little evidence we have seems to indicate he keeps things pretty organized.

Score = 4

Subtrait 2: Diligence - A tendency to work hard.

1 = Have little self-discipline and are not strongly achievement motivated.

5 = Have a strong work ethic and are willing to exert themselves.

Um, yeah, absolutely he's high in this trait. He considers protection of his people his duty and responsibility - it's of prime importance to him and he shoulders a lot of blame should he fail. He brushes off absurd feats such as facing off against Guivre in Stormbringer and fighting the dragon in Dead Apple with a view that can essentially be boiled down to "it's what I'm supposed to do". He clearly expects 100% from himself. He's very diligent. It's a product of his loyalty crossed with his "I can handle anything" mentality.

Score = 5

Subtrait 3: Perfectionism - A tendency to be thorough and concerned with details.

1 = Tolerate some errors and tend to neglect details.

5 = Check carefully for mistakes and improvements.

Tying in with the above, there's not a lot of conclusive examples I can point to, but as he expects full effort from himself and isn't really tolerant of his own failure, I would say this trait is high by necessity. The suits he keeps in Stormbringer are also kept spotless. I can't give a 5, because I don't think he's a perfectionist, per se, but he does rise to meet challenges and that necessitates improvement. He's the best martial artist in the Port Mafia for a reason.

Score = 4

Subtrait 4: Prudence - A tendency to deliberate carefully and inhibit impulses.

1 = Act on impulse and tend not to consider consequences.

5 = Consider options carefully and tend to be cautious/self-controlled.

...ok. So, he definitely prefers to jump into things headfirst. He solves many of his problems with actions and generally more violent ones. However - he can and does look at situations in a much more nuanced way than people give him credit for. He knows how to negotiate, for one - that's part of what Kouyou trained him on in the first place. For another, even when he does rush into a fight, the Dead Apple novelization has this brilliant passage where you see that he's incredibly observant in the midst of the action - and really, he'd have to be. Gravity manipulation is not telekinesis - there's a lot more to consider in terms of force and resistance than just "pick up/throw object". To be noted though is that much of this quick thought happens within a situation - he's adaptable in the moment but he's not really a pre-planner. His way of dealing with things kind of necessitates him jumping into a situation and working through things as they come. So, his score would still be low here, but not the lowest.

Score = 2

C Score Total = (4+5+4+2)/4 = 3.75

---

Openness (O)

Subtrait 1: Aesthetic Appreciation - A tendency to find enjoyment in beauty found in art and nature.

1 = Not overly interested in works of art or natural wonder.

5 = Have a strong appreciation for various art forms and nature.

I'll be honest, there's not a lot of instances in canon to support or refute this subtrait. We do know that he likes nice clothes and hats though, so that supports some level of aesthetic appreciation. He also is shown humming in the manga, and one of his likes on his character profile is music. In other official material, such as character interviews, he seems to enjoy going for drives to look at the sunrise or sunset from a nice view or enjoying fresh snow falling from the sky. A few of his Mayoi quotes also support this, as he seems to enjoy the ambiance of wind chimes and festivities from a distance - though in one of them he sounds a bit like a tsundere ("the hydrangeas make for an exquisite sight... I suppose") lol.

So, while there isn't a lot, I think there's decent support for a high score here. I can't really see him at an art gallery per se, but he definitely has an aesthetic sense and likely an appreciation for natural beauty as well.

Score = 4

Subtrait 2: Inquisitiveness - A tendency to seek information about and experience the world.

1 = Have little curiosity and are content with what they know.

5 = Seek out new information constantly and love new experiences.

I'm not sure there's much evidence here either. I don't think Chuuya is closed-off to learning new things, as he does teach himself new skills and seems to pick things up fairly quickly. I've already commented on how he's pretty adaptable, especially in the moment. However, I don't think he's the type to go beyond and actively seek out new knowledge that isn't directly applicable to what he needs to know. The knowledge we see Chuuya acquire throughout the series is more practical stuff, stuff he can put to use in some way (ex. martial arts skills). His worldview also remains rather limited - he has only ever known life as an important figure in a criminal organization. He has literally known nothing else. And he doesn't seem to mind this so much; I suspect because, as Stormbringer tells us, he doesn't feel particularly deserving of examining anything different. There's also the matter of his intense loyalty to his people, which means that he has little incentive to look elsewhere. At the same time, he certainly likes to experience things in a more literal sense - he tries different wines, wears different outfits, and is incredibly engaged in action. I'll give him a average score.

Score = 3

Subtrait 3: Creativity - A tendency to innovate and experiment.

1 = Tend to stick to familiar patterns and methods with little change.

5 = Actively seek new solutions to problems and tend to self-express.

Chuuya, I would say, is a lot more straightforward than he is innovative. While, as I've mentioned multiple times by now, he adapts quickly in a fight, his go-to is still... to fight. He deals with things very much head-on, and again, he's not really a pre-planner. In the moment, however, he's incredible at reading a situation and responding near instantly to new threats. As for self-expression, I'd venture to say that Chuuya's actually pretty repressed. He has a distinctive style and set of likes and dislikes, but he often seems to understate his excitement or interest in things - see the tsundere-ish comment above or really just look at how he tries to appear cooler and more put-together than he is in like... anything he shows up in. Dude is repressed, seriously. The only time we see him unabashedly enjoying himself is in high-adrenaline situations like fights - at the very least, in Fifteen, Dazai describes him as being somewhat "kid-ish" when he gets really into things. (You are one to talk, Dazai.)

I'll put him at a neutral score since I can't find too much supporting evidence either way.

Score = 3

Subtrait 4: Unconventionality - A tendency to accept the unusual.

1 = Avoid eccentric and non-conforming persons.

5 = Receptive to ideas that might seem strange or radical.

...you know, writing all this out, and as unusually powerful and contradictory as Chuuya is... he's kind of. The normal one. At least in comparison to a lot of the company he keeps. He tends to be the voice of reason or at least keeps somewhat of a level head in the drama cds which will never stop being amusing to me. Part of the reason he's good at this though is that he's really very accepting and kind of indifferent towards people's eccentricities, especially if he's known them for a while. He barely bats an eye at Kajii's maniacal experimentation, accommodates Mori's weirdness without so much as a reaction, and while he finds Adam incredibly strange (valid lmao) he seems to start to enjoy that after a time. He seems pretty willing to accept just about anyone's quirks the more he spends time around them and gets used to them.

When around Dazai in particular, he reveals himself to... also be very, very strange. The comparatively "normal guy" is quickly replaced with someone just as incredibly unhinged as Dazai himself. Argue however you like whether they make each other better or worse but they certainly do make each other weirder.

I wonder if being surrounded by so many odd people makes him feel slightly less odd by comparison. Something to consider.

At the same time, he's a little too grounded and practical to be given a full score of 5, so a 4 he is.

Score = 4

O Score Total = (4+3+3+4)/4 = 3.5

So, there you have it! Phew, this took a while. I hope you enjoyed it!

I'm working on another analysis for Mori (BSD) and for Seam (Deltarune). If anyone has any other characters they'd like to request, feel free to drop me an ask! I write at a snail's pace but it does eventually get done!

#bsd #bsd meta #hexaco analysis #personality analysis #bsd chuuya #bsd spoilers #storyrambles #i'm glad there's been mostly positive reception to my analyses so far because i cannot explain how terrified i am of being wrong in public #<- feel free to laugh at this as i am also laughing at myself #anyways. gonna post now. hope it's a fun read!#updated with extreme high and low subtraits in the summary #i think it gives it more of a personal touch :)

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thyandrawrites · 2 years

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how do you think that dabi and natsuo/fuyumi/shouto's relationship could be like in the ~~future~~/post-canon? like, your "ideally", what you'd like it to be like, take and your "what's most likely to happen" take, if you will.

Mmh, well, if you've been on my blog for a while, then you probably already know I don't think the story is building up towards a jail ending. At the very least, Dabi, Shigaraki, Toga and Aoyama are not getting locked up in Tartarus after AFO is defeated. I know this opinion is not considered "realistic" enough by the fandom at large, but bnha has never been a realistic story; if Nagant—the literal hired gun executing people on behalf of a corrupt, authoritarian government—can still be understood as having an inherently heroic heart by the moral paragon of the story, Deku, then it goes without saying that writing a gritty and realistic tale on cruelty and lack of forgiveness was never Horikoshi's intention. Besides, there's already foreshadowing of restorative justice ending.

That being said, given how the Todofam plot is headed towards reconnection, making amends and eventual healing, I think the natural consequence should be depicting Touya having a more normal and healthy dynamics with his family.

Since you asked about his siblings in particular, here's my thoughts:

- for one, Touya and Shouto were never allowed to socialize or spend time together. Shouto was still a baby when Touya tried to attack him, and Enji isolated the youngest from then on. Only recently was Shouto shown to form a relationship with Natsuo, so I expect him to be stubborn and develop one with Touya as well. Reconnecting with his family is a major point in Shouto's personal journey, and it's all the more important now since he never really met his big bro but only watched him from afar.

- same but different from above, Touya should also form a bond with Shouto. Like, the effort to be a family cannot be onesided. For much of his life, Touya didn't allow himself to see Shouto as his own person, but only as his replacement. At times he was shown being rational and realizing Shouto had no faults of his own, but then it was back at square one and seeing him with jealousy and pity alike the moment trauma resurfaced. That's not healthy, and that's now what I expect their dynamic to be like after the war. If Touya is able to depersonalize Shouto into this puppet made to dethrone him, it's only because Enji's parenting and their isolation exacerbated those feelings of inadequacy. But they actually have a lot in common, and they could only benefit from talking about their similar experiences and struggles to define themselves in opposition to their father.

- as for fuyumi, she grew up acting as a substitute mother figure, and I think it would benefit her to have Touya around, and be a little sister again. Frankly, she deserves the break. Just... Having someone older she can vent to or be vulnerable around would be a great thing for her, I think. It can be so isolating, having to be the mature and reliable one all the time. And true, maybe Touya will never be the responsible big bro who packs you lunch and kisses your hair when you leave for school, but just... Not having to be the Big Sis™ around at least one member of the family? Please and thank you

- Natsuo... Well. Natsuo devoted his career to helping people in similar positions to Touya. He's studying medical welfare (not medicine!), and it's implied to be because Touya's death left a mark on him for life. Having Touya back would not only finally ease the misplaced guilt he carries since he was eight, but it would also mean getting to hang out with a big bro who isn't as unhappy all the time anymore. I expect their dynamic to build up to be like... annoying little bro being a menace to his long-suffering big bro who secretly loves the attention.

But overall, I expect them all to eventually grow into a real family. Which means having meals together, fighting over tv channels, eating each other's food hidden away at the back of the cabinet... And staying up late at night to talk instead of sleeping. That kikd of mundane stuff, you know?

Now, realistically, I don't really expect the story to show all of that in great detail. It would need to change genre and become a slice of life to do so. So what I expect from canon is that foreshadowed meal together as a family, but with Touya in it. I can see it being the final wrap up of their overarching plot

#Ali replies #Bnha #Todofamily #Todosiblings

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allfrogsmatter · 21 days

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i spent a lot of my weekend playing sims 3 and mannn i forgot how much i loved that game, but it also makes me miss the sims 4 like crazy

rambling thoughts below (also if you played s3 what do you miss or not miss about it???)

sims 4 just does a much better job with relationships and dynamics between sims, which makes it such a good platform for storytelling and i miss that because all my sims 3 sims’ relationships just seem so flat

but there’s something about sims 3 that just makes it so playable. the open world truly was so nice, i love not having loading screens anytime i leave the lot and being able to toggle between sims as they go about their day - i miss it so much in sims 4

also the autonomy in sims 3 just seems so much better, when i leave my sims to their devices they always seem to want to clean up or play with the dog, but in s4 it’s play video games or drink water and leave dirty cups around, plus they spend so much more time actually doing things instead of standing around (maybe this is just because i didn’t excessively mod my game fro s3 but still)

and the wants in s3 are so much better than whims in s4, something about the way they’re displayed just makes me actually want to complete them, and i love that lifetime aspirations show up as wants for kids and teens

other things from s3 i missed:

- pets are more doable- in s4 they’re always running away from neglect because my sims don’t interact with them unless i make them

- separation between worlds- i wish you could travel to other worlds for vacation like you can the ones from world adventures, but i like that your world is contained in s3, everyone at the school lives in your world, everyone at your job lives in your world, you can maintain relationships with people from other worlds but they’re not showing up at your door every day (esp. in the context of a decades challenge, if your sims immigrate from europe to america you won’t be seeing your european auntie walking down the street in your neighborhood)

-color wheel - oh my god, i had almost forgotten, this genuinely was a heartbreaker when s4 came out, there was so much variability in cas and build in s3, even with limited clothing options you could create unique looks for your sims with different patterns and textures and you weren’t restricted to the awful ea options

-clothes- something about the s3 basegame clothing option, it’s just very workable and versatile, maybe i think this because trends have come full circle, but a few years ago when i jumped into s3 again i remember being so tickled with the outfit options

-teens- there’s something about s3 teens that just makes them better, maybe because they made them look like teens by making them shorter instead of just scrawny, but with generations teens just feel more fully fleshed out than in s4 (i don’t have growing together or high school years so ig that’s on me, but also i can’t afford both of those packs)

-packs- something that has really been grinding my gears for the almost TEN YEARS since s4 came out is how much extra content you have to purchase, for s3 if you wanted game content, for the most part you got it through expansion packs, but s4 is just excessive with expansion packs, game packs, stuff packs, kits, etc. there’s just so many features that you want in your game, but it costs a small fortune to get them all because they’re distributed across packs that cost up to $40

-PRICE- i have so many nostalgic memories of saving up my $20 to go to target and buy a new expansion pack for s3, then the joy i felt when it was on sale, every s3 expansion was, and still is, $20 but for s4 they’re twice that, the only time i can ever justify purchasing anymore is when they’re on sale

- rabbitholes- it seems like for s4 they did away with a lot of rabbitholes, just not work and school (except with packs), it was nice being able to send my sims to the movies or the bistro for a date night and not have to be following them the whole time, making them interact

- ownership- maybe it’s just me but i miss physically having the boxes the games came in and putting the disk into the computer and having the little icon for every pack on my desktop, i don’t like how everything’s through origin or the ea app now, esp. because for whatever reason s3 university got uninstalled on my moms pc and ea wanted me to buy it and when i used the code from the box it said it had already been applied (i only have the one account i have no clue why tf they took university from me) and if i didn’t have the disk i wouldn’t have been able to reinstall

- i also miss little things, like ordering pizza and seeing my sims drive around and catching birds in the wild and holiday festivals

#nonsims #sims 3 nostalgia #i’m actually feeling ancient today #because i got the sims 3 for my 11th birthday #and now i’m 22 #and the sims 4 came out ten years ago in september #also i’ve been rewatching lifesimmer’s generations lp #that was my kryptonite as a kid

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cypanache · 5 months

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Cy's 2023 Fic Replay - Track #10

Intro: My entire 2023 Music Replay is populated by tracks from my various fic playlists, and it's made me a little nostalgic and a little reflective so I'm going to be extremely self indulgent and talk about why these are the top songs and the fics they go to. So without further ado ...

track 10: Breathe Me - Sia

This song has been a go to on fic playlists since my Dexter/Lumen days. I love how it feels intimate, and sensual but not explicitly romantic. That simple begging lyric of 'Be my friend' encompasses such an expanse of possibilities that it is often on my playlists for those more complicated relationships which spring from less than healthy places. Like I said it was my banner song for Dexter/Lumen, it featured heavily in my April/Ben playlist when I was writing 'Escape Hatch' so long ago that this link still takes you to live journal, and now suddenly it's back in heavy rotation ... and I still love it.

fic rambling, lyrics and excerpts below the cut

fic: Prodigal

[obianidala | in-universe | post rots ]

I cannot emphasize enough how much I didn't see this fic coming. I have a really complicated relationship with post-RotS obianidala fics because I'm not that interested in any sort of redemptive arc for Anakin once Order 66 occurs. So needless to say, actually writing a post RotS oad fic? Not on my bingo card.

But I really love this fic. It's bittersweet and sharp edged and not at all a redemption story.

But it is a forgiveness story. It's a story about loving someone you know to be capable of monstrous things. About what that does to you and figuring out how to live with that part of yourself.

Which is to say that, although I am writing three love stories, because its me this is first and foremost Obi-Wan and Padme's story. And this song is their song. Specifically this bit:

Help, I have done it again I have been here many times before Hurt myself again today And, the worst part is there's no-one else to blame Be my friend Hold me, wrap me up Unfold me

This encapsulates everything both of them are going through. The blame they put on themselves for what happened and how much they need each other ... It's not an explicitly romantic dynamic, but its so deep and complicated and powerful, its the glue of the story and it's truly one of my favorite flavors of them I've written ...

So to give you a flavor of what I'm talking about, here have this excerpt from Chapter 2 where Padme asks Obi-Wan to share his memories of massacre at the temple:

“Maybe–” she licks her lips, sucking a little on the blood that begun to decorate the surface. “Maybe it will help? You’ve been carrying around all by yourself. Maybe if you share it, it won’t feel so heavy?” “And maybe we’ll just both wind up with nightmares.” “At least you won’t be alone anymore.” It’s a more appealing prospect than he’d like to admit. Still– As if sensing his hesitation, how close he teeters to the edge, she presses. “Don’t you think I deserve to know?” He stiffens at that, some instinctive, possessive part of him rejecting the idea that this woman is entitled to anything when it comes to his Padawan, even this, but then she continues. “He did it for me after all. That’s what he says, right? How he explains it? That he did it to keep me safe. Don’t you think I should have to pay the price?” Oh. Oh my dear. Unable to help himself, he reaches up and brushes a lock of hair out of her face. All his blame— All the secret resentment and unspoken condemnation he’s been carrying around for her in his pockets evaporating in an instant. “No.” Padme closes her eyes at the touch. “Because you think it's yours?” “Possibly.” Definitely. “Well stop it.” She says trying valiantly to lighten the mood. “Selfishness like that. It’s unbecoming a Jedi.” And it’s not that he doesn’t appreciate the attempt but— “The Jedi are dead.” “I know,” she whispers, “I’m sorry.” “Me too.” They lay there for a long time, watching each other, her hand on his cheek, his fingers in her hair. Enjoying the sensation of touching someone, of being touched. And for a moment, just a moment, he forgets, what’s happened, who he’s with, why even this is too much solace, too much grace.

So there you go track 10. Hope this was enjoyable for some of you.

PS Does anyone know how to make the Spotify stuff smaller with requiring me to learn how to do a custom theme on my Tumblr? Because whoa ... that's really big and annoying

#2023 fic replay #fic: prodigal #obidala #obianidala #post rots au #post O66 #obi wan kenobi #padme admidala

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sugareey-makes-stuff · 2 years

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Today is not only September 1st and time to head back to Hogwarts, but it’s @greenmegsnoham‘s birthday! Megs is a fellow snek who is a master of many trades, so here’s a custom nameplate and a mix of recs of all her fandomy things! I first started seeing Megs around in the Rare Pairs and Drarry servers, but I didn’t get to know her until fests! She participated in a few fests I signed up for too, and then I claimed her Flintwood prompt for Quidditch Fest 2021 (aka this is what had us gushing about this ship to begin with). She was also one of the first folks to join the Wizarding Creators Den server when I first started it almost a year ago (wow, time flies!). When I heard Megs’ had a HP podcast, I was naturally intrigued, and started listening to episodes since late last summer. I joined the @careofmagicalshippers server, and well, the rest is history! If you don’t know what Care of Magical Shippers is, it’s a Harry Potter ship culture podcast where Megs and co-host Nathan dive into the when, why, and how for various ships! From OTPs to the rarest of the rare, they’ve got you covered. They’re full of giggles, but they also go into some interesting and in-depth ideas and dynamics for all the ships they discuss. Each episode I’ve listened to so far has given me something new to think about. The server community Megs has cultivated for the podcast has been a great place to meet like-minded folk too. It’s inclusive and 1000% embraces fandom etiquette to allow readers and creators to like what they like, feel safe and be their authentic selves. There’s a monthly fic club, as well as a few bingos, Ministry Mayhem (aka crack and chaos) and other creative activities for people to take part in if they fancy it. I’ve never seen a community or a podcast like CoMs before, so it’s really refreshing that Megs has taken the reigns to carve out a space that gives love to pretty much any ship you can think of (yay for all of the rare pairs, tropes and spicy things! 🌶️). It’s obvious Megs is passionate about what she does, and she genuinely appreciates all the people who make up fandom (readers, mods, reccers and creators alike). It shows in the way she screams about a lot people’s creations, shares all of the creator events she knows about, and just the general hype she creates about so many different ships is something you want to join in on. Not to mention, she’s not afraid to be goofy or geeky. We absolutely need more of that humour, especially during such a weird time right now. If you’re looking for new ships to explore or want to see what the CoMs podcast is all about, here are some episodes to dive into: 🎙️ >>> Hey, Linny! You’re so fine! (Luna Lovegood/Ginny Weasley)

Summary: This week we are diving into some femslash! It’s Linny week!! Ginny and Luna make SUCH a beautiful couple and so much in canon supports this ship. Join us as we take a look at the ins and outs of this lovely pairing! (and there may be more singing and definitely excess giggles) This was my first episode I listened to! I really loved how deep Megs and Nathan get when it comes to how their families and general pasts would affect who Ginny and Luna become as people. Also after surviving a war, these two have such a potential to balance each other out because of the genuine trust and honesty they already have as friends, which is wonderful for something more. 🎤 >>> We Fancy Fleurmione 🌸📚 w/ Danni (Hermione Granger/Fleur Delacour)

Summary: This week is all about the Lady Things™ with our special guest, Danni (@danpuff-ao3!) What if Hermione went to the ball with Fleur instead of Krum? Or they do both become advocates post-war for magical creatures, including Veela rights? What better duo than two strong, underestimated women? Sorry, Bill. Sorry, Ron. These ladies were made for each other, and we’re here to tell you why and how!

What a hilarious episode! But also, Megs, Nathan and Danni shine an amazing light on how Hermione and Fleur can bring the best out of each other with their determination and their strengths. They are more than just women. They’re capable women who strive for what they want, who come from different backgrounds where they can learn and benefit from each other, and they’re more than what people stereotype them as (ie. beauty or brains, or whatever else). 🎙️ >>> Flintwood: 🪨 + 🪵 = 🔥 (Marcus Flint/Oliver Wood)

Summary: What happens when Flint meets Wood?? You get FIRE!!! This episode is all about Megs and Nathan’s BestieTP, Flintwood! The ultimate Rivals to Lovers!!

This episode is here, not just because Megs and I have screamed bonded over Flintwood so much, but because there is some good emotional and deep content discussed that we normally wouldn’t pick up right away when we see these two together...until folks dig into all the fic, characterisations and possible backstories that exist. Yes, Marcus and Oliver can get physical, rough and rowdy, and there is so much tension between them, but there are so many reasons why (aka denial of feelings). They may have different personalities, but they’re two sides of the same coin. One of my fav episodes so far. 🎤 >>> Versy Weasley, Lover of Wood 👓🪵 w/ Geoff (Percy Weasley/Oliver Wood)

Summary: Perciver is the ship of choice the week, and the perfect Nerd x Jock pairing! Megs and Nathan are joined again in this episode by Geoff (aka DreamQuaffle)! Fantastic Percy-centric discussion to be had, lots of giggles (obviously), and features ANOTHER fire of a fic by Geoff! Get ready for the SPICE!

I loved how silly this episode was! Yes, I am a Perciver shipper, but what I really appreciate about this episode is how Megs, Nathan and Geoff go more into Percy’s characterisation, how Oliver complements him (and vice versa), and the potential of both of them being on the neurodivergent spectrum. It really does make sense when it comes they’re fanatical and sometimes over-zealous tendencies about anything they’re super passionate about (like each other). If Megs wasn’t already busy enough with the podcast, she’s also a fest mod! She ran @hpshipuary, a daily ship challenge, this past February and she is currently modding @hpcestfest (claiming is still open until Sept. 9th) and @hpfacultyfest (which is still open for claiming, and works start posting today). She does all the graphic design work for everything listed above, she’s an artist (check out her art) AND she writes fic! I have no idea how she has time to do all of these things, but gods, I am so impressed. Honestly, I think Megs must have some ridiculous superpowers to juggle everything. Amazzzing.

If you want new fic reading, make sure to check out these Megs’ fics (especially if you like smut and/or ships that include Harry): 💞 >>> Scarred (Harry/Bill, E, 13.6k, mind the tags)

Summary: Harry can't escape the press, the fans. His dreams as an Auror shattered, relationships near impossible, Harry finds himself trapped in a life he cannot live. If only someone could set him free.

I had no idea I needed this ship until I read this?! Gosh, soulmates and the amount of feelings this fic has is pretty mind-blowing. So I’m usually not one for infidelity fics, but this one just worked. It reminded me of my uni days where many people (myself included) were told to find someone ASAP to live happily ever after, and sometimes, that’s not how life works. Sometimes, you do need to go with your gut feeling, and this is what this story embraces. Also, Bill is just hot in this. I gotcha, Harry. I see what you see. ❤️ >>> I’m not broken (Drarry, T, 455)

Summary: Draco should want to have sex with his boyfriend...shouldn't he?

Oh, this is gorgeous. This fic captures such a vulnerable and important moment for Draco, and anyone else who identifies as ace. We’re always told about love and sex and how they need to be linked together, but that’s not the case! You can love someone like Draco loves Harry, and sex doesn’t need to part of it. Also, there’s more than relationships than sex (as well as a whole spectrum of attraction and other things in between). 🧹 >>> Yes, Daddy (Scorpius/Harry, E, 11.5k, mind the tags)

Summary: Scorpius loves his Daddy. But no one knows. Not even Harry. Especially not his father.

OKAY. I usually don’t seek out fic with age difference, breeding or daddy kinks much, but I have to say, this was smokin’, and it’s a fic that’s hard not to re-read or think about. There’s humour, and I adore Al and Scorpius’ friendship. Not onlt that, but damn, the smut makes you sweat 🥵 and goes to a whole new level. Megs worked some magic with this one, since you know, I’m cool with reading more fics with these kinks now. But also, Harry and Scorpius are actually just so tender with each other. And Draco is dramatic as usual, what else is new? 🤣 💼 >>> It’s Yours (Neville/Percy, E, 3k, mind the tags)

Summary: Neville's interview for Percy's secretary takes a very interesting turn...

Sooo, this one doesn’t have Harry in it, but if you like Top!Percy, praise kink, power play and boss/employee dynamics, this is the fic for you. Also, Megs pointed out there needs to stories where Percy’s taking the lead. I agree, and she’s making it happen. I don’t know what the hell it is, but Percy not only being in control in the office but when it comes to sex is very appealing. And seeing this from his perspective, which shows what motivates him to do the things he does and to get what he wants, and Neville just handing all of that over...yes. There 10000% needs to be more of these two! You can find more of Megs’ work on AO3. Make sure to leave kudos and comments to show appreciation for all of her fandom contributions. Megs, thanks for being you, for making CoMs exist, and for sharing all the love for all the ships. Things would not be the same without you around. Have a fantastic day!

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icanseethefuture333 · 8 months

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i feel like a lot of kpop stans have insecurities so thats why they think theyre the idols themselves. like they use idols as self-insert, the fans themselves feel like they won't be attracted to non-ea or white women.... so they delude themselves into thinking their idols are the same 🤔

as you can see, i do like to think a little "psychologically" about things

TEA 🍵! honestly I was a little worried writing that statement cus I thought people would make excuses for it? but I'm glad y'all are peeping the bullshit as well. Anon you're right, I also believe that when fans are not of that demographic and feel that they are the minority, they get triggered by that. A lot of the time, white women or east asian women are included mostly in ideal type or future spouse readings for kpop idols, so for fans not of that race/ethnicity to hear that they are possibly not their bias's type, they get offended. The representation isn't really there for woc in these sort of readings. Other readers are very vague and only sometimes you hear a reader describe physical features (whether its the hair, the skin, the eyes, etc). When it's like, why wouldn't a idol be attracted to Black women, South Asian women, Indigenous latina women, etc. They're gorgeous??? I'm not even upset at the original anon who was asking would Mark be attracted to Wonyoung but the other anons I'm getting right now are really just disgusting to me, it feels very tone deaf. Another thing is I feel like since Wonyoung is the it girl right now people are just bringing her up in situations that's not even relevant to her. I have gotten a lot of questions about Wonyoung and male idols when I've never seen or heard about her interacting with them before. It'll be random as hell, like for example somebody could ask "what is the dynamic between rap monster and wonyoung" and its like where did you even get the idea of these two people together??? 😭 I adore Wonyoung and her fans are so sweet, but I need them to understand she's doesn't need to be this person who's always the center of attention all the time.

#ask #anon #mark #wonyoung

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galaxyofhair · 1 year

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I have sort of fallen out of love with Dragon Age and I do not know how to deal with it.

I played DA1-3 religious, I’ve beaten DA:O twice I think, but I’ve crawled through II and III like 4 times or more each.

The big thing that caused me to fall away was a video essay I saw on Youtube from a essayist I really respect--he was talking about DAII and how despite the game being a letdown from a gameplay perspective, it’s actually pretty good as a story because its fairly unique in the EA RPG checklist canon.

DAII was unique because it wasn’t about saving the entire world, it was about survival as an individual. You’re not a Grey Warden, you’re just some guy trying to do well for his friends and family. The main conflicts of each chapter are driven by characters, and are distinctly about the flawed people and flawed societies.

The ending of the game is also very unique, because it offered a politically charged situation that parallels so much of the shit we’re seeing here in the real world--and it ended in a way that set up DA:I to be even more charged, even more unique.

And that’s where the trouble started for me--not in DAII, DAII is innocent and beautiful and I love it--the trouble started in DA:I. DA:I was set up to be the perfect extension of DAIIs predicament: The Mages and Templars have both gone rogue, war, the Inquisition (an already politically charged organization) steps in to restore order.

But this is where our essayist points out that the trailer for DA:I had just dropped--and all indications were that the uniqueness of the series, the message that had been carefully built and executed in DAII, was going to get swept to the side in favor of saving the world from another BBEG.

And that’s exactly what happens in the game: A big bad evil guy completely sidelines the entire conflict and the Inquisition becomes a far more secular organization in the pursuit of saving the entire world and not just the church.

And to be fair--I did enjoy the game enough to play it through several times. I loved theorizing about Coryphaeus, and the original Magisters, and the connection between the Darkspawn, Magisters, and maybe the elves??

But in the years since my last playthrough, I’ve started to mourn the loss of what could have been. DAII was one of the pieces of media that forced me to realize that I was not a conservative--or at least, it set me on that path. DA:I had the opportunity to be so much more a reckoning of thought and a story of self reflection. It existed in bits and pieces, sure--but never as the whole it could have been.

I’m sort of interested to see Dread Wolf--the dynamic set up at the end of DA:I’s last DLC was interesting, and the big history and anthropology nerd in me loves it to pieces--but...

But...

I get that for a lot of people fantasy as a genre is a form of escapism from the woes of modern living--but I am definitely one of those big Star Trek nerds who loves stories that are designed to make you think and reconsider. A story should not end on the last page or in the credits--it becomes a part of the journey of the viewer.

To slightly misquote Stargate: “[stories] are an existential metaphor. [They] allow us to tell stories about the human condition.”

#dragonage #dragon age #dragon age ii #dragon age inquisition #dragon age dreadwolf

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sissytobitch10seconds · 2 years

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Grey's Pack: Labor

Fandom: Grey's Anatomy Summary: The five times Derek Shepherd thinks he goes into labor and the one time he does. Warnings: ABO dynamics, pregnancy, mpreg, birth sexual situations, morning sickness Word Count: 5,333 Ship(s): Meredith Grey/Mark Sloan/Addison Montgomery/Derek Shepherd

Archive link!

A/N: So I just want to put an emetephobia warning for the third scenario because it describes Meredith having some morning sickness. There's nothing too graphic though! There's also a few sexual situations/references but nothing super descriptive because every one of these scenarios is Derek thinking he's going into labor so they don't continue through that. This is my first time doing this kind of trope so I hope that I did it okay! Thanks for checking it out and reading. Stay sissy and bitchy everyone <3

The best and worst thing about being a neurosurgeon is that the explanations of problems normally take a lot of talking for the person experiencing them to really begin to understand. This meant that as a very pregnant omega, he often got to sit in one of the chairs meant to visit as he explained everything. Sometimes, however, there were too many people in the room and not enough places for them to all sit so he had to stand as he answered what was essentially the same question over the over again. As he was nearing his thirty sixth week of pregnancy, being on his feet for that long was the worst thing that he could do to himself. Especially when he didn’t have the gray matter of a brain to turn his focus away from his aches and pains. Every day it was a toss up about whether or not he was going to go home in the worst pain he had been in his entire pregnancy.

He had rolled poorly today, and his feet were reminding him of their protest with every step he took. He had one hand on the part of his hip that was aching worse than the rest and his eyes dead-set on the station where he would be able to fill in the chart clutched in his other hand. As soon as it really came into view, he had to physically bite his tongue to stop himself from growling when he saw that an intern had already taken up residence there to study for the upcoming exams. He turned, even though that took almost more effort than it was worth, and found the next best place.

The neurosurgeon had just settled down into the padded chair in front of the lightbox when someone else came into the room. He was never going to get this chart done, he thought to himself when he heard the door creaking open.

"Oh, Derek," Callie said, surprised to find the omega in the space that she had been using. They were in the same pack but they weren’t quite close yet, especially since she and Izzie were only just mated. "Everything okay?"

"Mm? Oh, yeah," he nodded as he shook himself out of his haze and looked up to his packmate. "Just couldn't find anywhere to sit down so I hid away in here."

"Well, you can use the space as much as you want as long as I can come in here and look at the x-rays while I plan what to do to fix these bones," she chuckled. He nodded and then looked back down at the chart that he was working on. She looked over his shoulder at the x-rays that she had put in the light box a few minutes before Derek had shown up. They thought in silence for a moment before she noticed the uncomfortable, pained look on the omega's face. "Derek, are you sure that you're okay?"

"Mm, yeah, I've just been having some cramping and discomfort all day. I thought that when the twins stopped moving as much last night I would have gotten a break, but I guess not," he tried to chuckle while giving her a weak smile.

Callie opened her mouth a couple of times as she tried to formulate what to say. "Do you think that you could be in labor?"

The omega blinked for a second before he nodded. "Yeah, I guess I could be. George said that he had some vague cramping before he went into labor. It's a little early for the twins to come though."

"Well, that's kind of the deal with multiples. They come early," Callie shrugged. "Do you want me to go get your alphas?"

"Mm, no, I want to finish this," he said as he pointed towards the half finished chart with the wrong side of his pen. He leaned back in the chair and then rubbed a hand over his massive stomach. "If I am in labor, I'm in the very beginning of it so it'll be a long time until the twins actually come. If they're coming."

The alpha rocked back and forth on her feet. "I'm going to stay here with you for a bit. I know that you're older than me and you can totally handle yourself but I'm newly mated so I'm feeling really protective and I need to make sure that you're okay before I leave," she explained.

He sighed, rubbing his temple with his thumb and forefinger. "Alright. I know that trying to fight you and get you to leave won't go well. But you should go check on Arizona and Izzie before you finish your case so you don't snap at an intern or patient."

She nodded and sat down next to him. They ended up talking about her case to try and get the game plan down. The cramps Derek had been having were pretty much gone by the time that they had gotten everything riddled out, so they didn't even bother to tell his alphas that he could have been in labor.

Her lips were pressed up against his scent gland directly over where she had remarked him when they got back together. He felt more slick leak from him and down into his underwear. Addison had already removed his pants when she got him up onto the bed and into his nest. She had him leaning back slightly, using one hand to keep him slightly upright while he leaned back against her chest. Her hands wandered up and down his front before she began to undo the buttons on his maternity shirt to free him from the fabric constraints.

He turned his head and caught her lips to let her know that he needed her now unless she wanted him to be grumpy for the rest of the evening. The alpha quickly picked up on what he needed and tossed her scrubs off as quickly as she could. She helped him back so that he was leaning against the wall of the nest closest to the headboard so he could be supported. "I wish I could keep you like this forever," she mumbled as she spread his legs and wrapped one of them awkwardly around his hip. It was hard for him to move naturally anymore due to how pregnant he was.

"Shut up," he whispered as he reached up and placed his hand on the back of her neck to bring her down into a kiss. He let out a moan into her mouth just as she pressed her cock into him entirely. She bucked her hips forward just once before Derek placed his hands on her shoulders and broke their kiss. "Wait, wait, wait, that hurts," he whined.

She immediately pulled out of him and grabbed his hands. "Are you okay, Derek?" she asked worriedly.

"Contraction, I'll be okay," he shook his head to try and get her worry to go away. It didn't work, as her brows knitted together and she shifted a bit closer to him.

"How many contractions have you had today, my love?" she asked, scenting him to try and help him calm down. Her arousal had completely disappeared upon seeing her lover in pain.

He took in a small breath and then let it out slowly. He shifted his hips a bit before he turned his head to face to look at his wife. "I've had a couple throughout the day. Maybe three in the last hour?"

"Derek!" she almost shouted. She took a moment and then calmed herself down. "Sorry for getting a little upset, my dear. You just should have told me that you were having contractions, I never would have tried to have sex with you if I had known you could be in labor."

"Well, that's kind of why I didn't tell you," he admitted, his cheeks turning bright red.

She gave him a look and then leaned in and kissed him softly. Addison then moved to the outside of the nest and got him another pair of underpants. "Do I have to?" he whined as he took the clothes from her. "I want to continue."

"Derek, I have no interest in fucking you when you might be in labor. The second I put my penis in you and you were in pain, I completely lost the will to have sex," she shook her head. The omega little out little grumbling noises as he let her help him put the underpants on and then a pair of sweatpants. He put on a bra to stop the colostrum from leaking onto their bed. "I love you," Addison reminded him as she got up into the nest and behind him.

"No," he let out a scoff as he leaned his head against his shoulder. "If you loved me you'd have sex with me."

"Omega, I love you which is why I didn't have sex with you," she argued, kissing his cheek.

He eventually conceded to her and took a nap, though she was in the doghouse in the morning when it turned out that he wasn't in labor.

Meredith groaned as she shifted in front of the toilet. She didn't get sick as much anymore, but she still had nausea from time to time. Naomi triggered it most of all since her baby food, which ended up all over the dining room every time she ate, set the beta off every time. Addison was sitting behind her, rubbing her hips. "You're alright, Mer," she murmured as she kissed her mating gland.

"No, I'm so sick of being pregnant," she whined as she shifted again. She flushed the last bit of her sick down the toilet and then moved so that she was kneeling and grasping the edge of the counter. She put one hand on the underside of her heavy stomach. The redheaded alpha was up in a second and helping her up while holding onto her elbow.

"I know that you're sick of being pregnant, but the baby will come when she wants to," Addison placed another kiss on her cheek. "And when the labor starts I'm guessing you'll want to be pregnant again in no time."

The beta scoffed, "Are you forgetting that I was still up and working around when I had appendicitis? I only stopped because I was puking too much to work. I can handle labor. And I want to meet my pup." She grabbed her toothbrush and cleaned out her mouth so she didn't have to taste the bitter bile. When she spit out her toothpaste, she stood up and took a deep breath through her nose so that she could smell the scents coming from her other mates. "Though by the smell of it I might not have to wait long."

Addison's face paled a little bit. "Nope, you're going to go and sit down in the office. I won't have you and Derek in labor at the same time. That's too much for us to deal with."

"But…" the beta tried before she saw how freaked out her mate was. As much as she wanted to meet her pup and not be pregnant anymore, she knew that it would be really bad if she was in labor at the same time as their omega since he was having twins but they would both need the father of their pups there as they labored and delivered. She sighed as she dug a washcloth out of the linen closet attached to their bathroom and pressed it over her mouth and nose.

Addison kissed her forehead. "I'll be down to give you some scented items and your quilt once I check on him," she said softly.

"I know you will," Meredith chuckled before she carefully walked out of the bathroom and through the bedroom, straight to the door in the hall. She went down into the office where she struggled to get the pull-out couch into bed form.

Upstairs, Derek shifted in the bed and blinked tiredly after Meredith as the beta left. "What's going on?" he whined, wanting to have all of his mates close to him.

Addison got up into the nest so that she was on the other side of it from Mark. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his temple. "How are you feeling, my love?"

"Fine," he grumbled as he shifted under his blanket. He moved her hand down to his swollen stomach so she could feel the pups move again. Addison smiled, letting herself be distracted by her growing children.

She was brought back to what she was supposed to be doing when Mark woke up and blinked at her a few times. "Where's Mer?"

"Oh," the alpha swore under her breath. "She thought that she smelled you in labor, so she's down in the office room."

"I'll bring her some things and help her get the pull-out couch set up," Mark yawned. He stood up and got out of the nest carefully so that he didn't destroy any part of the carefully crafted area that his mates had made. He grabbed Meredith's quilt and a couple of other items so she could feel comforted as she slept. "I'll be back in a second, okay?"

"I'm in labor?" Derek asked, blinking sleepily at her.

"You know that Mer's nose is a lot more sensitive than mine, so you might be in early labor," she explained. "I can't smell anything yet."

He pouted a bit. "I either want to have my pups or be in labor," he complained.

She kissed his lips carefully. "I know, but all we can do is be careful and wait."

Both Meredith and Derek were very upset when the morning rolled around and there was no more labor scent coming from the omega, meaning that they would have to wait even longer despite both having spent the night like they didn't want to.

Derek groaned as he closed his eyes a bit tighter while trying to go back to sleep. He was so far into the third trimester that he was waking up rather often in the middle of the night to pee, or because of insomnia. "Hi Doc," he mumbled as he felt the cold nose of their old dog press into his hand. He grunted a small bit as he felt the right twin kicking his back before he realized that the pain was actually the beginning of a contraction. He shifted uncomfortably while it passed.

Once the pain and pressure that came with every contraction he had, he peeled his eyes opened and looked over Meredith's head to the alarm clock to see what time it was. He shifted on the bed so that he was on his back for a moment and then struggled so that he was sitting up. Mark let out a grunt and shifted closer to him so that his head was resting on his swollen stomach like it had been on the pillow seconds ago.

Derek let a small smile grace his face as he moved his hand down and began to pet his mate's hair. The pups wriggled around in his belly to try and get more comfortable themselves in their confined space. "I know you're uncomfortable, I am too," he whispered.

"Derek?" Mark asked as he began to wake up upon feeling the babies wiggling under his hold. He got up with a small grunt and kissed his omega's cheek. "Can't sleep?"

"No," he shook his head. He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face as he continued, "I had a contraction."

Mark was suddenly more awake. He began to smile as well, grabbed the omega's hand and threading their fingers together. "You think we're going to have a baby tonight?"

"I think we just might," he whispered in reply. "But if I am in labor we should move away from Mer so she doesn't go into labor too."

The alpha nodded in agreement. He slipped out of the nest and put a shirt on before he offered a hand to his mate. Derek took it and awkwardly shifted to the edge of the nest so that the alpha could help lift him over the wall and onto the floor. "There you are, beautiful."

"Shut up," he scoffed as he began to waddle out of their bedroom and down the hall. They stayed in the living room as he had a couple of contractions after that but they petered out after two or three hours and both omega and alpha were left disappointed that they'd have to meet the twins another day.

"How did you know that you were in labor?" Derek sighed as he sat down in one of the big recliners in their living room.

"Huh?" George asked, looking away from the toddler standing on his lap to the other omega. Naomi had his little pudgy fists wrapped around two of his fingers. He was standing, wavering back and forth while making babbling sounds at his mother. "Sorry, Naomi is very distracting, aren't you sweet stuff?" he giggled as he blew a raspberry on the pup's cheek.

Derek placed both of his hands on his huge stomach while his heart ached. He wanted so badly to meet his pups and it felt like his body was determined to make it so that didn't happen. "How did you know that you were in labor?"

"Well, I kind of didn't," he shrugged. "I had a lot of energy and so I walked around getting things ready, y’know, nesting. But then my water broke. Iz didn't notice a scent or anything."

"So you just had a boost of energy? No cramps or contractions or a weird feeling or labor scent?" Derek almost complained. He was wracking his brain to see if he had any energy surges over the past day if he was in labor. When he had woken up this morning, he felt rested for the first time since he had entered the third trimester, which sent a shot of excitement through his body.

"Nope, my water just broke and I knew that I was in labor," George made a fake shocked face as he turned back to his happily shrieking and babbling pup.

Owen yawned as he walked into the living room as well. He lowered himself down onto the chair and looked over at the other two omega doctors, "What're we talking about?"

Derek grunted as he felt one of the twins rolling over. "How George felt when he went into labor. I'm kind of grasping at straws because I'm sick of being pregnant."

"Ugh, I feel that," Owen grunted as he shifted where he was sitting a bit so he was leaning back against the chair a bit more.

The older omega chuckled, "I can't imagine how you feel. I'm not even to my due date and I've been sick of this for weeks."

He shrugged. "I'm scared that delivering is going to freak Cristina out again so I'm not too eager to go into labor. But when I almost went into labor a couple months ago I felt off all day. Like my head was in the clouds, or kind of like how you feel before you go into heat."

"Mm, yeah, I felt like that during my labor," George nodded in agreement.

"Ow!" Noami shrieked excitedly as he bent his little legs to get attention back to him.

"Ow?" George gasped, feigning shock. He wrapped his hand around the back of the pup's body to bring him closer. "No ow."

Derek sighed as he resigned himself to the fact that he was never going to go into labor. He knew that assumption wasn't true in the slightest, but it just cemented itself into his mind the more time passed, especially when Owen went into labor in the middle of the night later that very same day.

"Wonderful day to save lives," Derek spoke into the air of the OR as grasped the scalpel in his hand. He was behind the patient's head on the chair that he now had to operate on since he was so heavily pregnant. He really shouldn't have been operating at this point since his due date was creeping closer and closer but he couldn't help himself. The more time that he spent at home or waddling around the hospital while doing consults, the more he felt cramped up. He had woken up that morning and decided that he was going to have at least one more surgery before the delivery of his pups and his maternity leave.

He worked so hard on saving the patient that he had completely forgotten about his pregnancy until he began to have small contractions. They began as small pains in his back but then began to wrap around his heavy stomach periodically.

"I'll close, Dr. Shepherd," Lexie informed him as she looked over at her brother-in-law. She had the same sensitive nose as her sister, so she was able to smell the difference in him despite the heavy scent blocker he had on his neck and wrist.

"Alright, let Dr. Avery help you," he nodded. If he hadn't realized how long he had been having the small contractions he probably would have insisted that he close since he had been away from the OR for so long. He stripped off his gloves and then took his mask off as he walked out into the scrub room.

He paused as he saw both of his alphas standing there, almost glaring at him. "Derek!" Addison said, throwing her hands out in exasperation. "I thought that we all agreed that you weren't going to do surgeries until after you delivered the twins and got back from maternity leave?"

"It's not that we don't want you to operate anymore because we know that you're an amazing surgeon and this is your livelihood like it is for us, but this is risky," Mark nodded in agreement.

He opened his mouth to talk with them, to try and at least get the alphas a little bit calmer, but then he felt something wet dripping down his legs. He looked down and watched as a puddle began to form around his feet. The voices of his worried alphas talking to him had completely seeped away so he could barely hear them, just focusing on what was happening. "Uh, my water just broke."

"Huh?" Mark asked, blinking a few times at his childhood friend as his brain tried to wrap around the fact that he was going to be a father soon.

"Oh Jesus, it did," Addison said as she looked down at his pants. All of the anger that had been there a second ago had completely dissipated and she was left with a certain giddiness and apprehension that came with all new parents. "Come on, we're going to go and get you checked in so we can have these babies!"

She reached out and took his hand. She threaded their fingers together and brought their omega around the alpha that was staring at the wall behind Derek now while he still tried to figure out what was happening. Mark eventually turned around and followed after them, though he had to jog to keep up with them once he had finally realized.

Derek was checked into the hospital while Mark went home to get the hospital bag that they had packed months ago. The omega had changed into his hospital gown and was resting on the bed with the peanut ball in between his legs as the OB that was helping him through his labor, a friend of Addison's, wanted the babies to shift positions before he tried to deliver. Luckily, he had gone long enough in his pregnancy that if he progressed normally and felt up to it he would be able to have a vaginal birth instead of a Cesarean. He also had a couple of IVs and monitors attached to him so that they could make sure he was hydrated and that everything with the twins was happening alright.

"Hey baby," Mark smiled as he walked in. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I'm finally in labor," he grinned excitedly. "I get an epidural in two centimeters too."

"Yeah, I bet you're happy for those pain meds they already gave you," the alpha chuckled as he walked over. He pulled out one of the blankets that had the pack scent for the omega during his labor and delivery process. He laid it gently over his mate before he pulled the chair up to the side of the bed.

Derek reached out and grabbed his alpha's hand. "I wish Meredith could be here to see the first of our litter being born," he sighed.

"I know you do. Hopefully you'll be able to attend her birth since you'll have already delivered," Mark said softly. He leaned down so that his arm was lying horizontally against the bar of the bed before he laid his head down on it. When Derek dropped his hand he moved his fingers up to card gently through his lover's hair.

Addison came back from where she had been explaining the rest of their birth plan to the staff that was going to be taking care of them. She had also run down to where Meredith was working in the pit to tell her that the babies were coming. "I'm glad to see that you made it back and didn't have a breakdown on the way here," she chuckled as she kissed her alpha mate.

"I'd like to think that you had at least a little bit more faith in me than that," he scoffed.

"You were really scared when I told you that my water broke," Derek teased sleepily. The pain meds that they had given to him since he was so early in his labor were making him really drowsy.

"Shush, you. Just focus on bringing our twins into the world, alright? Addy and I aren't going to leave you the entire time," Mark soothed.

The omega let him be soothed into the foggy, hazy place that George and Owen had talked about during their labors. He was aware of the contractions that he was having since he could still feel the pressure and his muscles contracting, even if the pain wasn't there anymore. Mark and Addison were by his side the entire time, and Meredith even called him on the phone to tell him how proud of him she was, but he could barely reply to her once she did.

His contractions began to increase in intensity and frequency as the hours wore on. His cervix was still dilating evenly and he got the epidural just like he wanted to. That meant that he couldn't walk around like he got the impulse to, but Addison helped ebb away that urge. She had gotten up on the bed and helped him onto his knees so his thighs and calves were pressed together and separated so that his heavy stomach rested in between them. She wound his arms around her shoulders and neck as she rocked them back and forth soothingly. Mark sat behind him and rubbed his hips to try and soothe the uncomfortable muscle tension that happened with every contraction.

Counting the time that he was operating, he had been in labor for only six hours by the time that he was dilated enough to push. He was situated so that he had his feet in the stirrups and was almost sitting up entirely. He had Mark on one side and Addison the other. Addison was moping his forehead with a cool cloth and encouraging him to keep going with every push while Mark just held his hand and let the obstetricians in the room do what they needed to do.

It wasn't long before he was informed that he was crowning. He let out a long growl as he pushed as hard as he could to try and get the head out as quickly as possible. "Breathe, Derek, remember to breathe," Addison murmured when she saw what he was doing. He snapped and growled at her a little bit, but listened to her.

The baby was born into the world after a small episiotomy, and immediately placed onto his chest. Mark had helped one of the nurses to move his hospital gown down so that his chest and part of his swollen stomach was exposed so that the infant could get immediate skin to skin.

Derek's entire world shrank down and focused on the little one that was now on the outside of his bump rather than the inside. "Hi there," he whispered as he dropped both of the hands of the alphas and focused entirely on his pup. "You're finally here, you're finally here," he whispered.

"He's so beautiful, Derek," Addison murmured as tears began to develop in the corners of her eyes.

He tore his eyes away from the pup for just a moment and looked to his wife. "I think this is Ash," he admitted. They had already picked out the names they wanted to use for the twins but hadn't figured out which names would go with which pup.

"Our little Ash Catherine," the alpha beamed as she looked over the little one. She cut the cord when the scissors were offered to her as the biological father of the little pup. The nurses then carefully removed the baby from the omega's chest after informing him what they were going to be doing. "Want me to go with him?" Addison asked carefully.

"No, I've gotta push again," he shook his head.

She nodded and Mark gave him a swift kiss before he was pushing again. The second twin was born just as quickly as the first, and placed onto his chest again. The infant took a moment to wail, but was much louder than his brother once he finally decided that he could. Derek let out a small laugh, "Hi there. Oh, so loud. I bet what you just went through was so scary," he chuckled.

The same thing that happened with the Ash happened with the second baby, who they had decided to name Jake. The cord was cut by Mark, and then carefully taken off of Derek's chest to be cleaned up. The omega delivered then delivered both placentas with the careful coaching from the OB.

Everything that happened after that was a bit of a rush. He was stitched up in all of the places that he had torn before he was moved to the recovery room with his twins being moved into the room since they had gestated for long enough that they didn't need any NICU time.

"I'm so proud of you," Mark sniffled as he looked over his omega's shoulder while Derek figured out how to feed his twins at the same time.

"I'm proud of me too," the omega teased, looking up at both of his alphas with a dopey smile on his face. "I've finally got pups now."

"You do," Addison nodded. "We're parents. I wasn't expecting to ever get to have this with you when we first mated."

They were quiet for a bit, letting the only sound be the little grunts from the suckling infants. "You'll let Meredith come in after the labor scent is gone, right?"

"That will probably be after you get discharged, unfortunately. But I'll take a picture of the pups and check on her," Mark nodded. He needed to see the other mate that he had gotten pregnant to make sure that she hadn't gone into labor or needed him.

After getting a soft kiss from his alpha he settled into the bed, happy that he had finally gone into labor and had his pups cuddled close to him.

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