#This is taking a surprisingly long time :/

[zecoritheweirdone]

wanna preface this by saying that i am. So normal. anyway i just spent the last week redrawing scenes from mystery skulls animated but as that hermitcraft au i posted about a couple times. you guys should watch msa it is. so so good.

[thenotoriousscuttlecliff]

Can't believe this writer is trying to argue the problem with the show is that it isn't treating the main villain like a one-note, simplistic character and this is somehow too confusing because viewers won't know he's the villain despite all the villainous things he does like murder, manipulation, gaslighting, and orchestrating the complete destruction of an entire Elven realm. How media illiterate do you have to be to think exploring a villain's motivation in some way constitutes trying to trick the audience into think he isn't really a villain?

[homestuckreplay]

SIGN ME UP FOR YOUR IDIOTIC CLOWN RELIGION OK.

(page 1995-2010)

Homestuck has passed 2000 pages!! Wow that’s a lot of comic. Who’d have known 2000 pages ago that we’d be hanging out with a little gray kid on an alien planet, millions of years before John Egbert even exists. Not me. And not Andrew Hussie either. And yet the transition to this feels pretty natural.

I don’t know much about Alternia yet, but my first impression is that it’s just ‘mask off Earth’. Specifically talking about modern Western culture (aka the culture where Homestuck comes from), we construct this veneer of a polite and civilized society where everything follows rules and traditions, and where we as humans are rational creatures who should be ‘above’ animals and our own biological needs. Meanwhile Alternia is like asking ‘what if we admitted that the world is a bad place where people constantly do harm to each other, and where being a biological creature is both inherently gross and inescapable. what if society simply accepted these facts and did not try to hide or change them?’ The trolls have terrible nightmares as they sleep in their own disgusting slime, are forced through painful and difficult ordeals as children, don’t have great respect for arts like fashion and poetry, and their upper class literally have different colored blood which (to them) legitimates their own importance. I’m sure it sucks ass to live on Alternia but it sounds kind of refreshing to live in a place that doesn’t even pretend to play fair.

The fact that Alternia has the same movies and TV shows as Earth means their societies must be far more similar than they are different, because media is so much a product of the culture it comes from. Also, ‘50 First Dates’, ‘Serendipity’ and ‘Hitch’ are all already fairly literal titles! And movies on Earth are often categorized by genre, by tropes, and by comparisons to other, similar movies! So Alternia is just taking this to its logical conclusion by having its movie titles basically be their TVTropes pages, where people decide whether to watch them based on whether or not they enjoy the individual elements they’re composed of. It seems wacky and different at first glance, but on deeper consideration it’s really not.

All of this might not hold up as I learn more about Alternia, but this is definitely the lens I’m looking at it through right now. And to be honest all writers are humans (as far as I know) and it’s incredibly hard to write an alien society that feels meaningfully different from Earth as we’re all so influenced by our own experiences, and especially in a comedy webcomic where Hussie probably hasn’t sat down to do extensive complex worldbuilding (for one thing, when would they have the time), there will be similarities just due to shortcuts, assumptions and biases.

I watched Karkat’s movies! I saw Serendipity a while back when he first mentioned it and it sucked ass. Hitch was pretty good though – 2005 Will Smith is cute, there’s genuine chemistry between both of the main couples, and the characters feel more fully realized than the average romcom, so I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys the genre. 50 First Dates was not good but it was fascinating, so I get why Karkat likes it even though he has a hard time defending it (p.1998). It has many flaws (racism, misogyny, unnecessary grossout humor) but it really takes the premise of Lucy’s short term memory loss and runs with it, acknowledging the horrors and genuinely exploring what that would mean for her ability to have a relationship and a future, and I kind of respect it for that.

Back when the trolls and kids started talking, I noted that Homestuck was starting to explicitly discuss romance – for example, Dave accusing GA of having a crush on Rose (p.1589). That all went away later in act 4, which was very plot-focused, with the exception of Mom and Dad’s meeting and holding hands. But Karkat specifically liking romantic movies could be a return to that theme. Twelve trolls offer far more options for romantic pairings than four kids, half of which are siblings.

My boy Karkat doesn’t even need a Sburb server player to destroy his house. Apparently he is doing a fine job of it all on his own with this dumbass modus.

Hivebent already feels ominous for a few reasons. First and most obvious, the darker color palette. Second, the ~ATH (TILDEATH) manual. John also has this manual (p.115) and has unsuccessfully tried coding with it (p.24), but never looked inside. It’s full of skulls, bones, graves and grim reapers (aesthetically very cool) and its ‘logic is composed of nothing but infinite loops’ (p.2002). Sort of like paradox space?? Like how John creates himself through ectobiology, sends his baby self to Earth on a meteor, grows up to create himself, in an infinite loop? Kind of like that but now about death, instead of birth perhaps?

‘You certainly wouldn't get all that worked up about a game that happened to allow you to do such a thing. At least not for that reason.’ (p.2003)

Third, this quote – maybe it’s because I know Sburb is a fucked up game that destroys planets and ruins lives, but this is a very menacing, VERY loaded line to me. (It was the final line of June 13th’s update and definitely stuck with me overnight). Sburb too has necromantic capabilities, so this could tie into the Bone Manual from above.

And fourth, the Hivebent title card. A few pages ago, we were told there wouldn’t be ‘time to drag out every little gag and expected pattern’ (p.1993) and this shows even in the art – it’s three still images, compared to John’s title card (p.82) where time was taken to animate the sequence in Flash. But in this case the pattern is upheld, because its purpose – illuminating the POV character’s mental state – is fulfilled the following page. It’s just that Karkat’s mental state is far more action-oriented and ambitious than the more contemplative, trapped kids.

Karkat’s computer looks like it’s made out of biological material, powered by wires going into something soft and slimy. This is kind of like how Skaian chess constructs are made through biological/genetic processes, so, much like the Harleys + Mom Lalonde are already using Skaian technology on Earth, it seems like that’s seeded itself on Alternia already, though in different forms.

I’ve heard that the Alternian language is based on some existing fantasy language but I think it’d be fun to puzzle it out for myself if I have a minute. ‘GAME GRUB EXCLUSIVE LEAKS’, which gets translated in text on page 2007, is probably enough to get started and then fill in some blanks from there.

Pages that aren’t titled with commands are now titled ‘======>’ instead of ‘==>’. Six equals signs for twelve lines in total, representing twelve characters, instead of four. This is just a cool detail, and another way that the characters bleed into the actual structure of the comic.

On the last page of today’s update, there’s a NEW TROLL!! terminallyCapricious, who has messaged Jade (p.1390) at a time when she wasn’t opening the trolls’ message, is now here via pesterlog. Back when I was a forums kid using BBCode tags, I used to use [color=indigo] for all my posts, so I feel an instant connection to this troll. Also, TA and GC both get namedropped (initialdropped?) here, so the initial group of six who’ll play Sburb is starting to come together. My guess is we’ll meet these six first and see them begin the session, with the other six joining the story later.

TC and CG both come off very badly in this conversation, which essentially means that the trolls were always awful, they didn’t become so due to the trials of Sburb interfering in their previously good friendships. Karkat is constantly rude to TC, calling them an awful friend and saying it’s cosmic punishment to even know them, which is a bad way to talk to someone even if you’re trying to distance yourself from them, unless Karkat likes making himself angry. Meanwhile, TC has some highly anti-intellectual attitudes that are harmful and which I associate with fundamentalist Christianity (on Earth). Speaking of which – Karkat is the first to mention God, which suggests some kind of mainstream troll religion, and then refers to TC’s ‘IDIOTIC CLOWN RELIGION’ a few messages later (p.2010). These may or may not be the same religion. But given that there’s already some religious imagery in Sburb (John biting the apply, for example), I’m interested to see religion explored in Alternian society.

okay I said so much here and I didn’t even delve into karkat character analysis. god damn.

[cherrirui-official]

Friendlocke Violet Gijinkas (Part 4/7)

Hell yeah we're over halfway done! Isn't that crazy? I don't have too much to say here sooooooo onto the usual stuff

I plan on posting them in order by groups of three, so there's gonna be seven parts in total, all of which I'll be linking here when done vvv

(Part One) (Part Two) (Part Three) (Part Five) (Part Six) (Part Seven)

!! These will contain personal headcanons I have for the cast, little fun facts, and also spoilers for Friendlocke Violet (for both the edited vids and the streams) !!

@saltydkart-reblogs

Designs under the cut!

VRISKA:

Vriska has an extra set of arms that they can retract and extract whenever they please. However, they usually keep those arms hidden.

The long needle she's holding is her trusty sword that she's used since her pirate days. She doesn't use it as much as she used too, but it's good to keep it on her for self defense in case of an emergency.

The marks on thier neck and shoulders aren't tattoos, they're birthmarks.

Good at sewing, as she often would have to fix her coat after getting into epic pirate sword fights. Sara and Vriska are sewing buddies!

It is unknown why they're unable to sleep, but while the rest of the team sleeps they often find themselves wandering around and doing whatever they want.

Artist's note: I based Vriska's design off the fact that I wanted to make her look like a bootleg version of the og Vriska. As in "Hey that's Vriska" but also "That's not VRISKA" if you get what I mean

MALL BINGO:

Trained herself to become resistant to poison (and by "trained" I mean she just ate a bunch of poison until her body became almost immune to it... please don't try this at home.)

Often goes scavenging for items when she's doesn't feel like robbing someone. If she's lucky enough she'll find some good items scattered around because "stupid trainers often leave good shit on the ground for some reason" (due to all the items you can pick up from the ground ingame lmao)

Mal lost her leg in one of her first heists, after she and another pawmi tried stealing from the wrong person at the worst possible time.

The gun she keeps with her wasn't originally hers, it belongs to someone else.

On a more positive note, Mal has plenty of stories and tall tales to share. She learned them from the eldest in her little pawmi group, as they would often tell her stories before going to sleep. Mal will often share those same stories with Peppy Jr and Mykyie Jr.

Can and will bite you. You won't be expecting it. Be warned.

GRUNPILO:

Due to his abundantly long hair, Grunpilo often lets Mal play around with it and style it however she wants.

It is unknown how or why he picked up on puppetry specifically, but it makes him happy so who are we to judge?

Speaking of which, he creates his own puppets by hand, from simple sock puppets to marionettes on strings. The two hand puppets shown are his favorite ones though.

Sometimes he'll be found speaking to them as if they're real.

Not good in social situations or confrontation, so Mal will sometimes have to speak for him. ("EXCUSE ME! He asked for no pickles!" /ref)

EXTREMELY light, very easy to pick up.

And that's all! Only three more batches left woo, hopefully I can finish them by the end of the year lol.

[ancha-aus]

RealAgeAU Drabble - Session Zero

Hello! I am back! @spotaus get in here friend! Next drabble just dropped!

First Drabble Prev Drabble Next Drabble

Okay. Before anyhting else. This is in the first spring the guys are in farmtale. Nightmare has been six for almost a year now, like 11 months ish. So the gang has been in Farmtale for like 8 months ish (they have had night with them for 10 months)

Look. You all agreed to this timeline hopping when you started reading my drabbles. I have warned you all at the beginning of this ride. ANYWAY! We going in!

*-------------------------*

Ngihtmare stares up at the building as he keeps a very tight hold on Dust's shirt. Dust still has him in his arms as he calmly waits by the enterance.

Killer had dropped them off for now and was going to park the car while they waited under the little covering by the front door.

Dust nuzzles his skull softly "Hey... it is just for a little while. And I shouldn't be long."

Nightmare just pushes closer to Dust "Why need to even go here? It is stupid. You teach me stuff."

Dust nods "Oh trust me. I agree. I am perfectly able to teach things." Dust looks unhappy as well.

Fauna, the nice deer monster from their town, laughs softly "But unless you actually get registered you aren't allowed to do that."

Dust huffs and Nightmare looks at her "So? Why do i need to go here?" Nightmare could just take a break while Dust gets the stupid license to home school and then they can pick it up again. Dust already said they aren't ina hurry.

Fauna smiles softly "This is also to see how you are doing mentally Nightmare. A lot has happened and your health is important."

Ngihtmare just pushes clsoer ot Dust "I am fine." he is fine. He has his... his four! He has a home and peolpe who care about him. What else could he want? Sure his body aches and if he moves a lot it still hurts... and when he is alone at night the nightmares return. But that is beside the point!

He is happier and safer than he has been for a long time. How can they just not see that?

Fauna smiles softly "Well you have been healing a lot. but this is a good thing! you will get to learn so many things, and they will figure out where you are with your schooling to help you better focus and see where you can learn things. Not to forget other children to play with."

Nightmare freezes at the implication of other children and looks up at Dust begging. Please. Please don't leave him.

Dust nuzzles his skull and mutters softly "I will stay right by your side."

Fauna is clearly about to say something but then Killer rushes unver the cover and pants as he drips water "This rain!! It gets everywhere!"

Dust shoots him a disapproving look "really?"

Killer grins "Had to walk quite the end to get here. No parking places. Well! Lets get this whole mental evaluation over with!" and he marches in. Dust shrugs and follows him.

They check in with the receptionist as Nightmare keeps his skull against Dust's collarbone. He watches as he stays quiet to try and listen. file away eveyrhting he hears and keep an eye on where the exit is. Just in case.

They get to the right room and meet some people inside. The director Augustus and the head teacher Miss March.

They talk for a while and Nightmare just keeps trying to stay plastered against Dust. He knows it is dumb and needy and clingy and he shouldn't be this weak after all he experienced but he is terrified and Dust is safe.

They do the stupid tests and talk and they just keep asking him questions he doens't want or know how to answer.

Then they have lunch and all Nightmae wants to do is go home and sleep in their bed.lay together with his dad- four! His four! and relax. let today pass and never think about it again.

They have a few more talks before they meet up with Augustus again and he smiles at them "I must say i am relieved."

Killer looksup and shoots Dust a look as well.

Dust frowns and Ngihtmare feels hismelf be pulled closer "about what?"

Augustus blinks and chuckles "I am sorry. I didn't mean it in any negative way. It is just. I read the file you put together with miss Fauna and I had been worried. but. It seems like your son is a very strong and brave young man."

Nightmare is unsure how to react and just pushes closer to Dust. He knows it is part of the story that Dust is his biological dad but they joy at hearing that bond being refered between them? It is a lot.

Augustus sighs "There is trauma. that is obvious. However. He speaks for himself. and while scared he just needs some gentle encouragement from either of you to feel reassured. The ability for him to still form these meaningfull and supportive bonds with others really showcases that he is on the right track to heal."

He pulls over another report "The physical health is also healing. Very slowly but with the slow recovery of his own magic it is to be expected and all well within the realm of normal healing."

he sighs as he looks at them "Now... about his schooling. He is a smart kid. Very far with reading and languages. But the other aspects of his schooling are very lacking at the moment. but nothing that can't be caught up with." Augustus waits a moment before continuing "Normally. I would recommend full days here."

Killer hisses and glares "No." Nightmare shrinks closer to Dust as Dust just pulls him closer again.

Augustus nods "I had already assumed that would be your answer." he smiles "I will still have to try. I assure you he will be safe here. We have a top staff that all work together to ensure the safety of the children. We are specialised in offering help for children of bad situations. TO help them heal and experience the things any child should get the chance to experience."

Dust glares "He doesn't want to."

Augustus nods "of coruse he doesn't. It is new and scary. It is away from those who keep him safe. But it would help him grow. help him heal. see that not eveyrone in this world is out to hurt him. that those who hurt him were the outliners and should never have gotten the chance to see him."

Dust frowns as Killer jsut glares "We are not leaving him here for days on end."

Augustus nods "While we recommend the full program we can always do a shorter one. One that focusses on trying to help him catch up wiht his learnign and to just keep an eye in case his mental health degrades." he pulls over another piece of paper and hands it to Killer.

Killer snatches it and reads it.

Augustus speaks calmly "It is half a day a week. Normally for children who spend a long time in a hospital. It will mean that he two hours of private tutoring and after that he would spend an hour with the class before and another hour after lunch." he smiles "a much more gentle introduction to school and being near others."

Killer and dust share a look.

Killer leans closer "And how long would this all take? Seeing as we are planning on home schooling him again as soon as Dust got his license."

Augustus looks thoguhtful "Catching up with the school work will take a long time. mentally healing fuly even longer. But as you are not planning on using the full program we can at least give him a stable start to continue healing from."

Fauna frowns at them "What if it turns out that he likes classes? that he likes being in a group?"

Nightmare shakes his skull as he pushes closer to Dust.

Dust rubs his spine softly and Ngihtmare feels hismefl relax. Killer speaks with a grin "If. and only IF Nightmare says he prefers group classes and stuff. Then we will look into options."

Dust nods as he keeps holding him "It will be a long process. We will need to make sure the people he is near know not to touch him. THe children will have to know to be gentle. Nightmare will have to rest a lot and if anything happens with his magic we would have to be called." Dust looks pointedly at Augustus and Nightmare sees the other shiver under the intimidating glare.

Dust just keeps staring "Which is just the start of the list."

Killer grins and the tension disappears "Which is why one of us will remain nearby just in case!"

Augustus frowns "That would go against the aim of the project to help him build up his ability to trust people. We would be at large of a risk that he could fall back into habits of only going to you."

Killer nods "I dn't see anything wrong wiht that." he glares "We are not leaving him. and you can't make us leave."

Augustus frowns and thinks deeply before nodding "What if. You don't stay in the room with him. but you can remain near? We have our waiting rooms for people between appointments or waiting for pick up. YOu could remain there. That is nearby in case of emergencies and knowing you would be in the building could be helpful to make everything feel safer?"

Nightmare is kinda shocked at how considering this guy is. He had seen others before. Who just demanded everyone do what they say because they know better. And this guy probably knows better. He has seen many people before and helped many people. It is why miss Fauna encouraged them to go to this place in the nearby city over the small town psychologist.

Something about having build this whole thing to help others and everything being specialized to be able to help those who have been hurt in this way.

But here he is... letting them decide stuff.

Killer looks considered and him and Dust share a look. DUst shoots Augustus a look "Why are you being so okay with us wanting things different and special?"

Augustus looks shocked before laughing a bit. Then he smiles "Because we are all different people. Two can have the exact same thing happen to them and have a completely different response to the trauma. Two can have the exact same response to the trauma yet need different healing plans." he sighs "We are all individuals who deal and work through things in our own ways. I can advice the most successful routine and what i have seen works before. But you three will always know you three best. You know what you can and can't handle."

Augustus smiles "Maybe after a very sessions and classes I will have a better personalised idea on what could help Nightmare. But before I can do that I need to get to know him a bit more. The mind is a complex thing. It takes time to understand. And you can't understand it if you aren't willing to listen."

Fauna smiles and nods "THe body is rather easy to heal. It will heal if giving the right things it needs. But the mind won't heal unless it is ready to heal. Until it wants to heal."

Augustus nods "exactly. It takes a lot of effort to work through trauma. But the first step is wanting it. Which is why i won't force a program or routine unto anyone, even if i truly believe it will help them."

Killer and Dust consider it and end up agreeing to talk with everyone at home about it.

They do a few more tests and scans. mostly on his spine and ribs to note down the progress. After that they say goodbye to Fauna and leave the building.

The rain had calmed downa lot and turned into a light drizzle as they walk back towards the truck.

Dust hums and nuzzles his skull "you okay?"

Nightmare shrugs "I don't want to do school there."

Dust blinsk adn laughs "I don't think any of us want you to do that either." then he sighs "But it is slightly required to at least get some help."

Killer groans "For real. If we don't at least try this people will keep being problematic." then he frowns "It is also nice to have more medical experts check your wounds nad magic tiny boss."

Nightmare frowns as he pushes close to Dust and thinks.

Eventually they get to their ride and Nightmare mutters "Only for a little while. Just to calm people down." then he wants homeschool again.

Dust nuzzles his skull "We wouldn't ask anything else of you. an we will be wiht you the whole time."

Yeah... that makes the idea bearable. As long as it doesn't take too long of course.

*-------------------------*

First Drabble Prev Drabble Next Drabble

[niftukkun]

THE SWEETMEAT

"Hunted by others and hunting in turn. Trusting none to see you as more than food, your mission is naught more than to survive."

-Carnivore -Monk Spear Damage -Saint Fragility -Artificer Lung Capacity -All Creature Reputation Locked at Hates You

+Quick as Rivulet +No Fall Damage +No Debuff from Starvation

~Starts with Unique Coloured Pearl ~Unique Iterator Dialogue ~Unique OE ending (Cannibalism Warning)

a slugcat based on candy and sweets! who is hunted by everything because it is pure food yikes. if i knew how to program and mod i would make this. itd be a brutal campaign but i think itd be fun.

[breadandbees]

Snippet from hch4 ch. 10: “From Shouto to ‘Hero’”

“Hey, you! Frostbite!”

“…”

“HEY! HEY, I’M TALKIN’ TO YOU, YA BASTARD!!”

“…”

“GIVE ME THOSE! TRYNA IGNORE ME, HUH? WELL, NOT SO FA—”

Shink.

“OH, WANNA PLAY, THEN?! COME AT ME!! BRING IT ON, ICE PRINCE!”

Ka-boom.

“You.”

“LOOK ME IN THE EYE, WHITE CHRISTMAS!! NOWHERE TO RUN! AN’ NOW?! NOTHIN’ TO HIDE BEHIND! YOU’RE GONNA PAY THE HELL ATTENTION TO ME!!”

“You blew up my earbuds.”

“WHAT, YOU BLIND OR SOMETHIN’?? NEEDA REPEAT IT TO MAKE SENSE IN THAT DAMN HEAD O’ YOURS?! I AIN’T LETTIN’ YOU GET AWAY CUZ IT’S TIME TO GET FREAKIN’ SERIOUS!!”

“No.”

“NO?? THAT ALL YA GOTTA SAY, HUH?! THEN, GUESS IT’S MY TUR—”

“Fine. The longer we stand here by the entrance of the classroom, the more likely you’re going to be late.”

“WHAT SCHOOL DIDJA EVEN GO TO?? WHAT WORLD, HUH?? YOU’RE GONNA BE FREAKIN’ LATE, TOO, ICE PRINCE! DUH! OR DIDJA FORGET?!”

“Corusan Middle. I graduated with top marks. I didn’t even need to show up on time. Or at all. Nothing ever went on my record, Bakugou. This incident won’t, either. But it will go on yours. The property damage, this poor excuse of a blockade. Unless you let me in.”

“…”

“…”

Pop-pop-pop.

“Spare me.”

“Get the hell outta my face, you bastard.”

“Thank you.”

“Shaddup. Just–just shaddup!”

[beepborpdoodledorp]

Glamrock Freddy: This year I lost my best friend and wonderful husband Bonnie

The traces of Glamrock Bonnie's consciousness stuck in the scrap pile of unfathomable horrors underneath the Pizzaplex: Ḩ̶̨̛̥̗̻͉̬̫͍̻̤̤̤͚̹̱̣̒̔̏̈́̇͌̈́̀͠E̴̡͖̤̹̩̞̣̱̜̯͕̊̏͌͑̄̃͗̑͌̾͊̂̊̊̚͠L̴̨͖̫̙͇̟͍̈́̐̌̈̓̃̒̽̉͋̒̈́̽͑̚P̴̢̻̫͔̞̩͍̲͓͉̪̫̘͇̲̖̙͛͐͝ ̵̨̧̨̰̹̝͖̗̭̪̬͙͕͍͗̒́̓̆̂̾̂̔̽͋̅́̇̚͜͜͝ͅM̷̛̫͛̅̆̑̌͐̓Ę̵͕̯̣̝̠́̒̔̂̊̆̈́̈͑̊̈̃͘̕͜

Glamrock Freddy: Sometimes I can still hear his voice

[tokopng]

attack for @dogtoling !

[thesilliestrovingalive]

Reckless fun in the jungle

It's a fine day beneath the subtropical sun, deep within the scorching heart of a treacherous jungle. A team of elite operatives—Tequila, Marco, Tarma, Eri, Ralf, and Nadia—have been sent to the southern part of the Amazon Rainforest by the Regular Army for a perilous mission. Their objective is to infiltrate and dismantle a ruthless guerrilla group suspected of human trafficking, illicit arms dealing, and narcotics smuggling. Intel suggests a possible alliance with the notorious Ptolemaic Army, a terrorist cult infamous for its brutality and corrupting influence. With precision and skill, Marco and his team must track down the guerrilla group, gather crucial intel on a possible alliance with the Ptolemaic Army, and execute a swift and decisive takedown to shatter the organisation's grip on the region.

The hypervigilant Tequila leads the group with awe-inspiring courage, his grenade launcher at the ready. Marco follows closely behind, his usual stoic demeanour masking a deep longing to return to the Sparrowhawk Operations Base and reunite with Perifa, whose dramatic flair he misses dearly. Eri, who had previously instructed her fellow Ptolemaic Army deserters to scout for a secret base and any suspicious activity, stands ready with her trusty explosives at hand.

Ralf is pumped for action, his senses heightened as he drinks in the jungle's symphony of natural sounds and feels the adrenaline coursing through his veins like liquid fire. Tarma walks alongside Marco, cracking jokes to ease the tension, but Eri and Tequila remain unamused, finding his humour unprofessional. Meanwhile, his queerplatonic partner, Marco, struggles to maintain a straight face, stifling a couple of laughs in an effort to stay focused. Ralf, however, revels in Tarma's lightheartedness, while Nadia giggles, lost in romantic thoughts of her best friend, Trevor.

Before they can proceed further, Marco suggests splitting up, a plan that Tequila endorses. Marco and Eri meticulously outline the stealth mission, assigning Ralf, Tarma, and Nadia to reconnaissance duty, tasked with identifying potential enemies and hostages. Meanwhile, Marco, Eri, and Tequila will continue searching for the guerrilla group's headquarters. After a brief strategy session, the group divides: Ralf, Tarma, and Nadia head out separately from Tequila, Marco, and Eri.

As they stealthily tread through the jungle, Nadia's focus wanes, and she starts to feel restless, yearning for something more than this mission. Just in time, Ralf spots a secluded hideout, a fallen tree shrouded in dense greenery, where they can lay low for a couple of minutes. The group swiftly settles in, remaining vigilant and on high alert. Ralf, Tarma, and Nadia anxiously await any news from Marco's group via walkie-talkie, hoping to pinpoint the elusive guerrilla group's current location. Ralf and Tarma remain vigilant, scanning their surroundings for potential threats and innocent bystanders, while Nadia's gaze wanders, her attention drawn to the lush jungle foliage and beautiful birds.

As Nadia leans against the tree trunk, she pulls out a blue bubblegum ball from her square-shaped pouch adorned with kitty ears. She pops it into her mouth, chewing and savouring the sweet blueberry flavour. As her gaze continues to wander through the gorgeous sights of the Amazon Rainforest, she spots some enticing swinging vines and her lips curl into a playful smile. With a mischievous glint in her eye, she elbows Tarma…

Tarma jerks slightly, caught off guard by Nadia's elbow to his right arm. He swiftly turns to face her, his head tilted in curiosity, and asks, "Huh? What's up, Nadia?"

She nods towards the hanging vines, her grin growing bigger, and blows an impressive bubble before it pops. Tarma quietly looks at them, adjusting his red-tinted sunglasses and squinting slightly.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Nadia asks, spitting out her chewed-up blueberry bubblegum, as Tarma's smirk forms, accompanied by a low, amused chuckle.

“I so do,” he replies, flashing a charming smirk, his response coming easily and without hesitation.

He watches as Nadia stands up and joyously skips over to the vines, catching Ralf's attention. Ralf raises an eyebrow at Tarma, but before he can say a word, Tarma swiftly stands up, stretches briefly, and confidently strides over to Nadia. As Ralf's gaze follows Tarma to the hanging vines, he grasps the hint and decides to join in on the fun.

Meanwhile, Marco, Eri, and Tequila are cautiously navigating the jungle, vigilant for any signs of the guerrilla group's members. They're also awaiting crucial intel from Ptolemaic Army deserters regarding the location of the group's headquarters, where their illicit operations are allegedly taking place. To pass the time, Tequila decides to strike up a conversation to break the monotony of the deafening silence. He has a strong hunch that Marco will remain his usual taciturn self, but he's certain that Eri will definitely respond.

“I hope these guys aren't affiliated with those cultish dumbasses from the Serapion Fellowship,” Tequila says, his voice dripping with disdain, his face twisted in a mix of anger and revulsion as he recalls his past run-in with the group.

“You mean the Ptolemaic Army?” Eri asks, her voice laced with disdain, accompanied by a tired scoff. “The Serapion Fellowship was decimated when the Ikari Warriors tore through them.”

“The Ikari Warriors didn't finish the job,” Tequila interjects gruffly, his tone respectful yet firm, catching Eri off guard. “My old comrades and I had to clean up the remnants. I'm telling ya, Ptolemaios and his devotees are like blind, stubborn leeches… Those motherfuckers never know when to quit!”

He pauses, fishing out a cigar from his right cargo pants pocket and lighting it with his metallic blue-green lighter. As he takes a slow drag, he eyes Eri with a hint of uncertainty, "I assume you haven't heard about the Arms Deal Barrage?"

Eri exhales a heavy sigh, her gaze dropping to the jungle soil as she falls into a silent reverie, feeling a tad foolish for nearly overlooking a seemingly insignificant event in the Regular Army’s history.

“Yup! Your Lothario son spilled all the details to me,” she replies, her voice involuntarily tinged with a chill as she crosses her arms, oblivious to the fact that Gimlet has kept a dark secret regarding the Regular Army hidden from her.

“Really?” he says gruffly, his right eyebrow shooting up in skepticism, amused by the thought of Gimlet being her informant on this particular matter.

Marco's attention is suddenly diverted by the distant shouts of thrilled excitement from a girl and a man, who enthusiastically belts out Tarzan's iconic jungle call, echoing through the air. He swiftly interrupts the conversation between Eri and Tequila, clearing his throat awkwardly, his interest piqued by something in the commotion.

“Uhhhmm… Guys, I think we have a problem,” Marco says, his voice low and serious, nodding discreetly towards the source of his concern.

“Tsk! What is—” Eri starts to say, her voice tinged with annoyance, but her words die on her lips as her jaw drops in stunned astonishment at the scene unfolding before her.

“What the fuck is happening?” Tequila exclaims, his voice laced with confusion and incredulity as he glares upward at the reckless spectacle above him, his eyes widening in shock.

Marco, Eri, and Tequila watch in stupefied awe as Nadia, Ralf, and Tarma swing from vine to vine with reckless abandon, their movements eerily reminiscent of carefree, playful monkeys. It's as if the entire jungle has become their personal playground, and they're oblivious to the fact that their unprofessional antics might jeopardise their mission. Tequila can only hope that the three impulsive adventurers don't alert any nearby enemies to their presence. Eri's right eye twitches with suppressed rage, clearly unimpressed by their foolishness. Marco lets out a deep, exasperated sigh, smacking his forehead with the palm of his hand and shaking his head in dismay, his gaze cast downward.

“Weeeeeeeeee! This is so much fun!” Nadia squeals, her voice bursting with exuberant joy.

"You're absolutely right, gurl! This shit is amazing!" Ralf exclaims, feeling nostalgic for the good times he had with Clark on mercenary missions in the jungle.

Tarma unleashes a thunderous Tarzan yell, utterly shameless and fearless about attracting the attention of the guerrilla group members. However, his triumphant cry is abruptly cut short when he accidentally swallows a fast-moving insect, causing him to cough violently. He stops swinging from vine to vine and lands on a branch of a kapok tree, gasping for breath and reaching for his water canteen in his citron load-bearing backpack. Nadia can't help but burst out laughing at the unexpected turn of events. Meanwhile, Ralf stops by to check on Tarma, concern etched on his face.

"You okay, man?" Ralf asks, gently patting Tarma on the back with a hint of worry in his voice.

Tarma coughs some more, takes a long swig from his canteen, and clears his throat before calmly responding, "It could've been worse..."

Tarma's gaze wanders to Nadia, who’s still swinging with carefree abandon, then drops to Marco, Eri, and Tequila, clustered beneath the kapok tree's sprawling canopy, far below where he and Ralf stand. He swallows hard, the sound of his gulp audibly echoing through the air. Ralf's gaze follows, his expression contorting into an uneasy frown as his sunburst amber-sage eyes slowly lock onto Tarma.

“Maybe we should get back on track…” he suggests, wincing at the prospect of facing Eri's icy stare and scornful disapproval.

The thought of facing Clark's lecture at Sparrowhawk Operations Base makes him wince even more, especially if Eri shares the story of their impulsive escapade. Tarma silently nods and begins to carefully descend the kapok tree, using the vines for support. Ralf closely follows, keeping a watchful eye on Nadia as she continues to swing from vine to vine without a single care in the world. Her swift movements radiate pure joy, accompanied by thrilled shouts, squeals of excitement, and punctuated by a hilarious, off-key Tarzan jungle call.

After a few minutes of climbing down, Tarma and Ralf approach Marco, Eri, and Tequila, their heads hanging low in palpable shame. Marco's disapproving gaze settles on Tarma, who shifts uncomfortably, his hand drifting up to rub his upper arm in a telling sign of nervous humiliation. However, Marco's expression soon softens, his frustration easing as he realises he can't stay angrily disappointed at Tarma forever. Eri is furious with the two, her anger evident in a harsh puff of breath and her crossed arms, which seem to radiate a menacing aura. She's prepared to unleash a scathing tirade, especially once she discovers who sparked this entire debacle. Tequila appears relieved that they didn't attract unwanted attention, but his expression betrays frustration with their decision to slack off.

Luckily, Nadia soon returns from her vine-swinging escapade. However, her excitement is short-lived, a fragile vine snaps beneath her weight, sending her plummeting downwards. She lets out a blood-curdling scream, but Ralf swiftly swoops in, catching her small body in his arms. As he holds her, Nadia's trembling subsides, and she gradually calms down from the fear and exhilaration of her fall. Once she's composed, Ralf carefully sets her down on her feet, offering a reassuring pat on the back as she takes a deep, prolonged breath to calm her nerves. Now, Nadia braces herself for a scathing lecture from Eri, likely amplified by Tequila's disapproval. She fidgets with her thumbs, gazing up at the sky with an unconvincing attempt at feigning innocence.

Eri's gaze sweeps across the group, her eyes blazing with a fierce intensity as she growls, "Which one of you thought it was a fucking brilliant idea to act like reckless retards in a situation like this?"

Nadia swiftly deflects the blame, her finger pointing accusingly at Tarma as she twirls her raspberry red locks with her free hand.

"Tarms is the one who started it," she claims, her tone dripping with false nonchalance.

However, Tarma's and Ralf's unflinching, deadpan gazes effectively debunk Nadia's attempt at innocence, their silent incredulity speaking volumes. Eri's hand flashes up, poised to deliver a sharp slap to Nadia's face, but Marco swiftly intervenes, firmly grasping her wrist to prevent the blow. He wisely knows that escalating the tension will only make the volatile situation worse.

Marco's expression turns stoically resolute, his brow furrowing as he sternly suggests, "Let's call a truce for now and concentrate on our mission."

Eri lets out an irritated snarl, ripping her wrist from Marco's grasp and rubbing it lightly. She turns to Tequila, seeking validation, and receives a discreet, affirming nod, signalling his agreement with Marco's suggestion. Whirling around, Eri confronts Tarma, Ralf, and Nadia with a twisted face, mocking them with a scornful snort. Deciding to lecture them later, she spins on her heel and strides away, refocusing on their mission to track down the guerrilla group's base deep in the Amazon Rainforest, hoping it's within a reachable distance. Tequila exhales a tense sigh, hastening to catch up with Eri, while Ralf follows quietly, ready to take on the guerrilla forces. Nadia falls into step behind them, her arms crossed and a scowl on her face, pouting silently like a sulky child.

Tarma pulls out a cigarette from his saffron-yellow vest, and Marco retrieves a cigar from his left khaki-green army cargo pants pocket, seeking to calm his frazzled nerves. As he approaches his queerplatonic friend, Marco extracts a gilded lighter from his crimson vest pocket and kindly lights both his cigar and Tarma's cigarette.

"Nadia... She never fails to amaze me with the creative ways she manages to stir up bullshit," Marco mutters, shaking his head in amused disapproval.

Tarma's expression turns mischievous as he sarcastically remarks, "I have to admit, she's quite the firecracker."

As he speaks, Tarma accompanies his words with a soft, affectionate squeeze of Marco's right hand, eliciting a gentle smile. Marco basks in the warm, carefree presence of his best friend and recent queerplatonic partner, enjoying Tarma’s breezy attitude on life. He could linger in this cozy moment forever, but he's keenly aware that pressing matters demand their attention.

After a few moments of adoring eye contact, Marco breaks the comfortable silence with a soft clearing of his throat, and suggests, "Shall we get going?"

Tarma exhales a stream of cigarette smoke and responds with a subtle nod, then quickly falls into step beside Marco as they catch up to Eri, Ralf, and Tequila, who are already some distance ahead. The team is eager to complete their mission, apprehend the criminals, and return to the Sparrowhawk Operations Base in one piece. Marco looks forward to reuniting with his calico cat, Perifa, and enjoying some snuggle time. Tarma can't wait to get back to restoring Clark's custom-built Velocette MAC motorcycle after this mission is complete.

Nadia is eager to spend quality time with Trevor and challenge him to another round of Dance Dance Revolution. Nadia is also looking forward to indulging in some of Fio's delectable baked goods. Tequila hopes that Red Eye is keeping Gimlet in line, ensuring he doesn't succumb to his typical laziness and womanising ways. Tequila and Eri can't wait to unwind with a well-deserved drink and good company back at the Sparrowhawk Operations Base, while Ralf hopes that Clark is doing well in his absence.

[sysig]

Rosawatts, from memory (Patreon)

[linnaealyn]

They're just shooting stars, little one.

[aropride]

i have to believe there is a way out of this fucking house

[feelingtheaster99]

Oh my GOSH Brennan. A 300 word essay in FIVE MINUTES 😬

[off-the-rails-raccoon]

Any dsmp character hot tak? :3

- cupid

Realistically I probably have some that i simply don't realize are hot takes or I just don't think about, but currently I don't thinkk sooo???

Unless you consider the whole "no character is perfectly good or bad, they're all varying degrees of morally grey" as one but I feel like that's a pretty basic concept. A cold take if you will.

[why-the-heck-not]

I miss my dear sweet buddy python that u can just sort of fuck around & find out. With C++ it’s fuck around & …

…”so u have chosen DEATH??”