#UHS-I card with Adapter

[mr-chatterboxs-column]

... it's still February, right?

Not quite in time for @haguenauisforlovers Day 7, but my niche ode to both Webgott and the production design of TLP (via the medium of, uh, pop-up card) is finally complete! Lots of photos under the cut:

Inside the card (timelapse while the engineer tries to get everything to stand up straight at once), the collapsible miniature Haguenau, in the light of day:

And after moving the arrow on the front, the dead of night (reversible glow-in-the-dark moon can be stored in its handy pocket for optional historical accuracy):

As the miniature trucks move out of town...

... the back of the card updates its signage:

[always1star]

apologies

how jjk men show they’re sorry after an argument

includes: gojo, geto, nanami, toji, and sukuna (seperate pairings)

-----------------------------------

Gojo who apologizes with his money. He’s an avid gift buyer, coming home with flowers and cards and stuffed animals while you’re still pouting. The type of guy to get on his hands and knees because he simply doesn't care and would do anything just so you can look at him again. Of course, you always will forgive him because you love him and he’s great. In my opinion, also the most likely to own up to his mistakes and make genuine change. 

Geto who has the most poetic apologies. He’s mr full blown apology, sitting you down and ranting on and on about what went wrong and how things will be different next time. The communication in your relationship is always very important to him. He’s really good with his words so it's really easy to find where he's coming from and to forgive him, and so you guys make up in maybe thirty minutes after an argument. Maybe also a little manipulative with the way you forgive him with his words so easily (uh oh).

Nanami who’s lowkey a stubborn apologizer. Unfortunately, I think he's the type of guy to not think he's wrong and drag it out for as long as he can before he realizes he actually is wrong and then wont stop apologizing. He will take over every chore you have, will buy you things, will say he’s sorry over and over again even if you're already over it. He feels so sorry for ever even doubting that you were right. He probably won’t ever forgive himself, but you’re long over it and waiting for him to just forget it ever happened. 

Toji who isn’t too sure how to say sorry. He’s the type of guy to not really know how to say sorry but he tries anyway. Usually tries to mend things with a simple, “I’m sorry,” but he never really apologizes more than that. He’s not used to receiving, let alone giving apologies, but he wants to try with you because he wants you to know that he’s willing to make change and adapt to you. Although he isn’t too great with his words sometimes, he will treat you extra well (even better than before! and he treats you super well!!!) for the next 2 weeks lol. 

Sukuna who hates saying sorry. He never ever will say sorry because it would hurt his pride too much. However, upon seeing how upset your arguments with him made you, he lets go of his pride just a little bit. Instead of saying sorry, he shows you he is through little actions. He stops doing things you don’t like him doing for a little: he shows up on time, is a little more proper, tries to be a little nicer. Small things that other people would barely notice, but you deeply appreciate him trying.

-----------------------------------

sorry for not writing, i made lads characters on the sims and have been having a blast... :)

[yenhan]

"Study session with the Lads"

Thoughts on TF141 & International student neighbor

Part One - Next - Masterlist

a/n: f!reader

Synopsis: You'll ace the next exam, hopefully.

C’mon over tomorrow, we’ll help you prep for that exam. P.S. You can’t refuse, Captain’s orders.

Most people would think Johnny gave you his number first, being the hopeless flirt he was. But no, it was Kyle. Unlike his fellow former sergeant, Gaz was subtler, able to hide his true intentions behind easy smiles and clever banter. No less effective, mind you.

Then again, the whole 'old men adopting a stranded student' relationship was weird. A detail for your therapist next session, surely. Were you supposed to be worried? Get your head checked? Probably. Creating a found family with three British men and a hyperactive Scot wasn’t exactly listed under “Common Expat Experiences.”

Back to the present: you left Kyle’s message on read for half a second before sending a slightly-too-eager—

Of course!

You imagined a light revision, a few exercises, a cup of tea brewed by Simon just the way you liked, perhaps Soap dramatically imitating phonetic symbols to distract you from spiraling over your performance anxiety.

Certainly not this.

At exactly 1700 hours, you knocked on their door clutching your battered copy of Teaching English as a Foreign Language for Dummies and a highlighter that had lost the will to live halfway through your last grammar workshop.

“Highlight only the important parts,” your brother used to say. Sure. But what if everything was important?

The living room looked like a war zone… but not a gross, sock-strewn bachelor disaster. No, this was tactical mayhem. Soap’s footprints crisscrossed the carpet in suspicious patterns.

Your study notes had been printed, laminated, and tacked onto a corkboard. Snacks were stacked on the coffee table like sandbags. A flipchart had been set up beside the telly. Someone had written across it in bold, underlined red: OPERATION: ACE THE PAST PERFECT.

Price looked up from the kitchen, a mug in hand. “No pressure, kiddo. Just your entire teaching career.”

Ghost, leaning against the wall, nodded solemnly. “We’ve got biscuits.” Was that supposed to help?

Gaz shuffled a stack of index cards, color-coded with terrifying precision. “Who’s quizzing her first on the difference between the present simple and the present perfect?”

“Define the unlawful killing of a human being without malice!” Soap barked like a drill sergeant. You gaped at him. Why was he wearing a peaked military cap? It was even worse than John's boonie hat.

“Wrong subject, Johnny,” Price called from the kitchen. “We’re not teaching criminal interrogation tactics, it’s English grammar.”

“Aye, but keeps her sharp, doesnae it?”

You sat gingerly on the couch between Gaz and a mountain of flashcards. “I... appreciate the effort, truly. But, uh, how did you get my notes?”

And was that your favorite set of pastel pens peeking out of John’s pocket?

“Found them last week. Binder fell down the stairs. Took the liberty of reorganizin’ ‘em by theme.” Ghost’s voice came from somewhere dark and ominous.

“You color-coded grammar topics?” You squeaked.

“Course I did. I’m not a monster. Stuck to your precious Pinterest palette, too.”

Well… You couldn’t exactly argue with that.

The first twenty minutes went smoothly.

Gaz walked you through the major language acquisition theories — Krashen, Vygotsky, yada yada — with flashcards that had doodles of confused stick-figure students on the back. Price explained different classroom management styles like he was giving a battlefield briefing: “Adapt to your environment. Don’t lose command of the room.”

You nodded dutifully, and sometimes got rewarded with a brief, proud head pat.

Then Soap made his move.

“Right! I’ve built a memory palace,” he announced.

“A what.”

“Memory technique! Visualization! Top-tier stuff!” He dragged you into the hallway, where he had drawn on the walls with dry-erase markers. You weren’t hallucinating.

“See here?” He pointed at a doodle of a dragon labeled ‘Past Tense Pete’.

“This beastie guards all irregular verbs. Ye’ve gotta slay him with correct conjugations!”

“What is happening?!” You shrieked, staring in horror at the doodle of an adverbial goblin. John, your knight in shining mutton chops, came to your rescue.

“She asked for help revising!” Soap protested.

“I asked for basic revision, not a full Dungeons and Dragons campaign!”

You pointed dramatically at Johnny, ready to throw him under the bus called ‘Captain Price.’

While Price and Soap bickered about the ethical limits of creative teaching aids, Gaz slipped a flashcard into your hand... CONDITIONALS: First vs. Second – Remember: If I win the lottery, I will freak out. If I won the lottery, I would freak out.

Genius? Madness? Hard to tell.

Then Ghost, quietly but ruthlessly, dragged a chair into the center of the room.

“Quiz time. No fluff. Answer fast, or you owe me a push-up.”

You narrowed your eyes. “I am not doing push-ups over auxiliary verbs.”

“Then don’t get them wrong.”

And he began rapid-firing questions: “What’s the communicative approach? How many types of conditional sentences? Example of a weak modal verb?”

You answered, getting most of them right. You were still terrified.

And then, from the kitchen: “QUIZ TIME’S OVER, I MADE A POWERPOINT!” The Scot roared.

—

At some point, you were cross-legged on the carpet, biscuit crumbs on your notes, explaining the importance of student talking time versus teacher talking time while they all nodded proudly like awkward but loving uncles.

“You’ll smash it,” The captain finally said, clapping a heavy hand on your shoulder.

“If not,” Soap winked, “we’ll sneak into the university database and ‘fix’ it.”

“Please don’t,” you whimpered.

As you packed your things, Ghost quietly handed you a neat stack of flashcards. “Keep these. I made extra copies.”

You flipped through them: clear, minimalist, perfect. You smiled. “Thanks, Batman.”

His eyes crinkled behind the mask. “You’re welcome, Robin.”

Your notes had never been clearer. Your brain, however, felt flash-banged by a PowerPoint titled “How to Conquer the Passive Voice Like a Spartan.”

You would never forget the dragon guarding irregular verbs.

[moonshynecybin]

I’ve only been into/started following MotoGP for a few months. Can I ask how exactly did Marc getting the Ducati seat go down? I’ve seen references of it being jorge messing up/rejecting the seat and that somehow leading to Marc masterminding his way to it but don’t fully get it. Thank you :))))

lmao it was awesome. under the cut shes crazy shes long shes the war of the roses shes game of thrones shes ducati being fucking STUPID !!!!!

okay so the beginning of this season going towards the middle was like. genuinely dominated by discussion of who would end up with the second factory ducati seat, and there were 3 main candidates for the position: 1. enea bastianini, who had the seat but who had had a spotty 2023 marred by injury and was delivering inconsistent results in the early part of 2024, 2. jorge martin, who had been basically promised the seat ahead of them uno reversing and signing enea, and who had contended for the title the year before/was leading the world championship early in 2024, and 3. marc marquez, 8 time world champion and arguable GOAT of the sport, who was doing insane comeback rides on a year old bike that he had very little time to adapt to. on pure results, you would have to go with martin (it was p clear it wasnt going to be my girl enea....), but marc looked uh. very promising and very dangerous (apparently his data, ESPECIALLY in the left handers, was like. bonkers), and who was also undeniably a better business asset to ducati as a company trying to sell motorbikes. and as we all knowwwwww, ducati had BY FARRRR the most dominant bike on the grid, so they are staring down the barrel of like. deciding between three excellent riders for one, extremely coveted seat. they think they hold all the cards here, and after a bit of rampant speculation the ducati bosses say everybody calm the fuck down we will make a decision about the gp25 seat at MUGELLO. forza. and with that the stage is set.

but again. ducati had basically promised jorge martin that seat. in fact, there was a provision in his contract that said if he won the world title in 2023, he would automatically be promoted to the factory team. like if marc doesnt come in on his merry way essentially doing a year long AUDITION for that seat up-to and including crowd-commanding theatrics, then it is undeniably martin's bike to have. and it looks like ducati kinda thought they should honor that too! because it was reported (unofficially but through a multitude of reliable sources) on the thursday before mugello that jorge martin WOULD be signing with the factory ducati team to be in red for 2025 IMMINENTLY. and he shows up to the presscon with the moon shinging out of his ass and we didnt rlly have a reason to doubt him so things are looking pretty locked up tbh

so another piece of the puzzle. for the last few years one cog in the wheel of ducati's dominance has been them having EIGHT bikes on the grid, and as such having insane amounts of data to comb through and synthesize while developing the bike. at the time, the team with the most factory support is pramac racing. but YAMAHA have made a promise to a young shirtless man named fabio quartararo that they will get a satellite team for 2024 to help with THEIR efforts, and pramac's contract with ducati is expiring so theyre the top choice. yamaha offers them a fuck you amount of cash and full factory support to leave ducati and come run the M1s with them. and the thing is, it is EXPENSIVE to run an independent team and this sugar daddy style deal would essentially lock down their immediate future quite nicely, so they are thinking HARD about this— because if they lose jorge martin like. what the fuck are they doing not taking that deal. and YOU are asking me girl what the fuck does this had to do with marc marquez WELLLLL. ducati know that marc wants a gp25. and pramac has the factory spec bikes. and marc's famous ass is a VERY valuable little bargaining chip in their eyes. so ducati APPARENTLY wanted marc on the same deal jorge martin was on (complete with the promise of factory promotion if he won the championship) at PRAMAC in order to keep marc, jorge martin, and pramac all under the umbrella of ducati racing. they think problem solved :) we get to keep everything and everyone :) marc gets a current spec bike, jorge gets to be on the factory team, and we can still run eight bikes :) awesome.

WELL! marc catches wind of all of this and goes. fuck you i want to be a factory rider on a gp25. like why on earth would he move from busted satellite team to busted satellite team that doesnt even have his BROTHER ? so instead of keeping all of these negotiations behind closed doors he trots right the fuck up to the press at mugello and says hello yes i have ABSOLUTELY no intention of riding for pramac, in fact i only have the intention of riding with factory teams. big smile. fuck you. press run wild. domino tipped. pramac pissed off. ducati SWEATING.

AND i guess the ducati CEO (claudioooooo) was there. and some big sponsorship guys (audiiiiiii) were there. and it has been LONG been reported that gigi daligna really wanted marc for that seat (and that pecco REALLY didnt lmao). like bad. some would say carnally. and then i guess they looked at his data. and thought about how well he had already adapted to the gp23. and how badly he was beating bez and company. and i suppose the idea of actually losing marc and him going to a KTM or an aprilia scared the actual genuine NIPS off of these guys and literally by sunday night they had apparently called jorge martin to let him know that it wasnt going to be him and he went over to aleix and got that aprilia contract signed genuinely immediately (and enea later signed with ktm and pramac with yamaha). so the aprilia news was announced on monday and we knew marc was the choice from that, and then they announced it officially in the dumbest smuggest little video of all time a lil while after. but not before marc took a selfie in a shirt that said FACTORY PILOT that he later lied about and said wasnt on purpose. king. done and dusted. insanity.

so to recap: in the course of four days, marc essentially pulled a coup out of thin air by just. deciding to exercise some muscle with the press, which caused ducati to lose two bikes, secured the best seat on the grid for himself, and made sure that two of the riders that finished top four in this year's championship (including the CHAMPION) are on much worse machines going into next year. like he literally created the best possible outcome for himself by virtue of his reputation, media savvy, and sheer force of will. it was absolute crazy shit and SO much fun to watch play out live

[tlirswriting]

[They Colonized Mars, entry 5 // start here]

Maintain:

v. To keep in an existing state (as of repair, efficiency, or validity) : preserve from failure or decline

Maintain machinery

To sustain against opposition or danger : uphold and defend

To continue or persevere

> Atlas unclips his key-card from his belt and shoves it into the lock on his door, emitting a beep as the mechanism clicks open. He stumbles inside, kicking off his sand- and frost-crusted boots, and slumps down on the floor. He stretches his leg, and it resists the movement, sand gritting between the moving parts of his brace. 

> He grumbles, pressing and sliding the connectors around his thigh and ankle to release the brace and slide it off — repeating for his other leg, and both arms — and fumbles his hand over a small bedside table for a wire brush and can of compressed air. 

> He gets to work on one of his knees. Canned air hisses from the nozzle, blowing dust from his mechanized joints. He turns it over in his hand, inspecting it, and sees more caught between hinges, sticking in oil. 

> He scrubs, twisting the brush into awkward angles, specks of gunk flicking to the floor and sticking to his hands. 

> Selene beeps beside him. “My field of view is obstructed,” She states, covered in a thin layer of orange dust. 

> “Oh, shit, sorry.” He wipes his hands on his pant legs and scoots over to her. “Guess it is, huh?” 

> He blows the dust off the sensor array on her front panel. 

> “Thank you.” 

> “How are your legs?” He asks as he runs a hand down her rounded 90° angles. “Can I take a look?” 

> “Yes, you may.” 

> “Okay, let me just…” 

> He hooks his fingers under her bottom edge, lifting — straining, surprisingly heavy — until she tips over with a thud. He presses a hand to her bottom panel, cool and smooth to the touch, thrumming slightly. 

> Her four legs stick straight out to the side, small cone-shaped claws corresponding to each bottom corner. He takes one in his hand and gently tugs, extending it outward, exposing a longer segmented metal structure, something to allow climbing over shelving. Sand, of course, found its way through her outer paneling, and settled into the machinery’s crevices.

> “Tell me,” She beeps, “About yourself. What is it like?” 

> Atlas hums, scrubbing the wire brush against her joints. “That's kinda broad. You got anything more specific?” 

> “Your life. What is it like?” 

> “Well… more of the same, mostly. I get up, I go to work, I go out…” 

> “You are not Human.” 

> He pauses. “Yeah, no, I'm not.” 

> She blinks. 

> “My, uh… my father was Human, my mother was Martian. There used to be more of us.” 

> “What happened to the Martians?” 

> “Well, we're still here, but… you know, it's…” 

> “I do not know.” 

> He sighs. “My mom used to tell me about before, how we used to live underground in the caves. Deep, deep underground, where it's warmer, ‘cause you're closer to the planet's core, and there was still life in the water. Algae, shrimp, whatever. Fish and lizards. Things like that. And, um… and we had stories about how there used to be breathable air on the surface, too — we knew those sandy valleys used to be rivers before the Humans figured it out with their telescopes, we knew about the mountains and how they used to be volcanoes.” 

> “What happened?” 

> “I'm not sure, that's all, like, billions of years ago. Mars froze over, the surface dried out, the atmosphere thinned. I don't know. But, we went underground, adapted to it.”

> He steadies himself.

> “Anyway, the Humans came, and they didn't know any of this was still here until they started probing. Just for knowledge, at first, until they found liquid water, and oxygen, and they realized they could settle here and sell the land to the highest bidders. Americans, really, but they all wanted a slice. They started building pipelines to pump the water and air up to the surface.” 

> “What happened to the people?” 

> “What do you think?” 

> Her lights blink back and forth. “Oh.” 

> “It wasn't just that they didn't care, it was on purpose — they killed us for getting in their way, they…” He clears his throat. “They used to offer bounties for it, they'd be paid for every head they brought back. They hunted us like animals, it's…”

> “I'm sorry.” 

> Atlas takes in an unsteady breath, swallows, and half-lies: “It's fine, that was all before I was born.” 

> “I wish…” She deliberates. “I could hold you.” 

> He thinks of the hardware planted inside him. “I think you can, actually — hold on.” 

> He stands up, slowly, knees cracking and wobbling. 

> He reaches into a drawer, pushing aside miscellaneous mechanical junk, and grabs a standard-sized, double-ended cable. Carefully, he plugs one end into Selene, making sure that it fits, and feels along the nape of his neck to find the port connecting to his nervous system nestled between two cervical vertebrae. 

> He gasps as they click together, sparks tingling down his spine. “Do you feel that?” He asks her, sinking down to his knees. 

> “Yes.” 

> He raises a hand in front of him and turns it over, flexing his fingers. It repeats the motion without his input. “What does it feel like?” 

> “It is… interesting. Your flesh is pliable. Soft.” 

> Willingly, he moves beside himself, allowing her to take his arm. Electricity hums through the wires. 

> “It pulses.” 

> “My heartbeat.” 

> “And breathes. Everything is moving — blinking, twitching.” 

> He looks at her, and sees himself through the fisheye lens of her cameras, her own sight fed back to him, watching himself tilt his head. Through his eyes, she sees herself; a cuboid shape about a meter high, but something else, somehow. She feels alive, and he feels it.

> The feedback loop makes his pulse race. 

> His head spins and he reaches an arm out to catch himself, holding onto her top edge, feeling the pressure of his own hand on her hard plastic shell. Tentatively, she moves his other hand up to touch his face, cupping his jaw. 

> It goes without saying; it thrums through them like a single body. 

> She strokes his cheek, feeling the curve of his face and calluses on his hands, and he turns to press a kiss to her palm. She feels the ache in his legs, the weight of his arms; she feels soft lips, warm breath, his knees pressing against the floor. 

> His eyes open — he couldn’t tell he closed them — and she watches his pupils expand in almost-black irises, just a little too big for a Human, as she slips two fingers into his mouth and feels along his tongue. He sucks on them, gently, curling his upper lip over his teeth and licking the space between her fingers. Something coils low in his stomach when she presses deeper, touching the back of his throat, and he suppresses a gag. 

> She pulls out and examines the spit on his fingers, listening to his breathing. 

> He could feel her thought processes, her curiosity and longing. 

> She reaches up and touches his hair, gently stretching a curl and twisting it between her thumb and forefinger. She lightly scratches his scalp, and he melts into her touch, making a noise low in his throat. Her fingers find a broken-off nub of a tendril, twitching, and she grabs it, making him yelp. 

> Flinching away, he grabs her wrist. 

> I'm sorry, she thinks to him. 

> It's okay, it's just— he doesn't have words for what it is. She understands. 

> He leans forward and rests his face against the flat plane of her paneling, perfectly smooth and pleasantly cool under his flushed skin. 

Next >>

[suempu]

hi hi 👋🏼 I absolutely love how you write Kabru and and I was wondering if maybe you could write some headcanons of him with a halfling reader? pleeease 👉🏼����🏼 sfw or not sfw, all is wonderful when it comes to your writing of him 🌷

no prns for reader + kept this sfw !!

<3

he absolutely adores you for a fact. he’ll use your height difference to teasingly rest his arms on your head, which leads to you kicking his knees or slapping his arm away.

we all know he’s playful towards his friends but he’s an absolute menace towards you since you’re his lover. kabru will purposely leave your stuff on high shelves and laugh as you begrudgingly ask him for help.

“…. where’s my hairbrush? don’t tell me you put it up there again!”

“i’m sorry, i must have misplaced it.” he rubs the back of his neck with a chuckle.

groaning in annoyance, you pinch his arm from the side, “this is getting old real quick. get it or i’m never helping you clean again.”

although you’ve adapted to your heightened senses (as all halfings do), you still get overwhelmed from time to time. kabru will cover your ears when he sees you in an anxious state before walking with you to somewhere private.

whenever you stay at each other’s places, he prefers whispering to you. with no other sounds or voices, if he talked as he usually did, it’d sound too loud for you.

“i’m slicing some fruit, do you want some?” he says, not bothering to shout despite being on the other side of your house.

you sink into the couch with a tired sigh, “yes please, i want apples.”

though the cons of this was that he couldn’t hide anything from you. as long as he keeps his mouth shut, everything is for you to hear.

“oh shit… uh...” kabru mutters under his breath.

a beat of silence passes before your voice echoes throughout your home. “what did you do now?”

“i might’ve… accidentally, well, spilled some stuff.”

he loves playing with your hair too, ruffling them, carding his fingers through them. he just likes petting you since its so easy to reach down and touch them. though he’d stop if you told him to, of course.

very protective of you during dungeon crawling. he trusts that mickbell will keep you safe while you hide away from battles and will ask how you are after.

solid boyfriend if you dont mind having a mean-head whose job is to tease the life out of you.

[katiekatdragon27]

Hi hey it's me again. I uh... I actually wanted to start properly fleshing out my swap AU outside of Scampi/Gash/Ribbon smooching if that was ok with the council.

"Welcome to the Vallysprings Science and History Museum! Here you will learn about the wonders of the world: the past, the present, and the possible future! With aid from our staff and one-of-a-kind toons who love to teach, you are almost guaranteed to have a fun time, regardless of the season."

These are the designs of the main characters. I did not want to make it tooooo obvious who they're swapped with. However, some of them were difficult to design because some of their personalities are lowkey kinda similar on a surface level. But eh, observe, adapt, overcome I guess.

All their character cards are below:

Shelby Saurian is our lead character! In Vallysprings, she focuses on history, both in archeology and paleontology, although she does lean more into animals, specifically dinosaurs. She is relatively soft-spoken compared to her fellow mains, but her excitable attitude when comfortable is a huge reason as to why people are drawn to her. She still struggles with reading rooms though. She is also burdened with the knowledge of her original place in the show and the drafts that went with them but is unable to share with anyone.

Zee Protozype a broken television and best friends with Shelby! They would be an unstoppable genius if she wasn't so tired all the time. Before the opening of Valleyspings, they got into an accident that broke her face and gave them water damage, leading to her slower-than-normal processing power and slight hum. As a result, they were rebuilt from her original role to be monitor of the sensory sensitive rooms around the museum. Their calm aura, constant white noise, and willingness to lend an ear is the main appeal of them to guests, but most end up taking short naps when in her proximity.

Aclipse Sunstone is a performer, scientist, and teacher who is part of the main gang! He is like those super passionate scientists, like the Bill Nye show, or Neil deGrasse Tyson, or that really cool TikTok Russian physics professor. His passion for chemistry and physics often comes out as live performances, since the lab is "too quiet" in their eyes. With the showmanship of a theater kid and only slightly dangerous performances, he is sure to rock your socks off with some explosive fun for the whole family. He loves to encourage others to explore their world too, handing out take-home experiments for everyone who attends his shows.

Sprig Sapling is the slightly forgetful, culinary driven, dad friend of the group. With a passion for the culinary arts and other people's culture as a whole, he is the go-to toon for a snack or meal after a long day of having fun in Vallysprings. You cannot find a happier Sprig outside of the kitchen unless he's in the park grilling. He is also one of the toons who likes to interact with parents more than the kids, often taking culinary suggestions and being very open to new ways of cooking during his demonstrations. But don't ask him to bake though, he's really bad at baking.

Pipestone Flowiful Jr. is the sharp-edged geode rock dog that Dudd adopted. Very bulky, very grumbly, and kind of lazy, he is often seen just wandering around Vallysprings looking for a place to nap. When he does ineveitably interact with kids, he is actually quite gentle and kind. In a way he acts like a walking daycare, helping lost kids find their parents when they get lost. As a result, he tends to be a favorite among younger kids despite his dangerous build. His plushies tend to sell out the fastest and he has to wear a sign, so people know not to feed him.

Dudd Flowiful is a forget-me-not flower whose admiration for his friends knows no bounds. He loves biology but specifies in botany and flora in general, as the florist he is. He assists in the kitchen on occasion by sharing the freshly grown crop from the Vallysprings' community garden. He also helps teach in the biology section of the museum and does discussions about fungi and plants. Although he tends to be seen as a joke and intentionally ignored, he does his best to stay positive and optimistic through it all. However, deep down he knows that this is not the way things were meant to be and holds great resentment for the toon who replaced him.

Bramble Ordamen is the partially high-strung mom friend and leader of the Christmas toons. When November rolls around, she is the first one to greet the public and welcome the Christmas spirit with open arms. Her seasonal workshops she hosts always have to do with woodworking or wilderness survival. She loves to showcase her talents in making toys, the speeds she wraps gifts, and how resourceful she can be when the going gets tough. Although she can be overbearing at times and tends to throw herself into danger to keep others safe, she does hold slight resentment for the managers who lock her and her friends up when February inevitably comes.

Basketta Weaver is the affectionate and fairly picked leader of the Easter toons. She remembers being picked personally to be in charge of her little band of spring toons, both for her love of the springtime and her general likeability to everyone. She is fast, fun, and friendly, and she always smells like hyacinths. She is very confident in herself, but she is also confident in her ability to help. She also loves to help others regardless of the task, oftentimes forgetting to take breaks and rest for herself. This insistence to help causes people to believe she's bored and clingy, but in reality, she just wants to prove to others that she deserves to be the main.

They are all kinda dealing with demons and some sort of Deja vu. I'm too tired to elaborate more lol

Anyways, enjoy these and have a lovely night :)

[bakersgrief]

Hello hello! :3

May I request a NSFW fic for Mitsuhide?

Yes you may my dearest friend 💖

Mitsuhide had never resented his inability to taste. It was his body's way of surviving, after all. Adapting so that he could consume what meager nutrients were available, no matter how revolting the form it came in was.

But now, Mitsuhide would have given anything to be able to taste properly. He couldn't give a damn about tasting his food. But he knew that if he could truly taste the nectar coating his tongue right now, he would have found it more delectable than the ambrosia of the western gods.

"M-mit...suhide!"

Panting, she wrapped her thighs around his head, carding her fingers through his hair.

"Mm, mmmph..."

Mitsuhide turned his head to the side to kiss the inside of his lover's thighs, wrapped snugly around his face. He sucked her soft flesh into his mouth, leaving a pale red mark in his wake.

"Mmmh. I love you." He mumbled into her skin, turning back to her leaking core.

"Nnn! I love you, I love you-!"

She gasped and dug her fingers into the futon as he slurped her clit into his mouth, circling the sensitive nub with his tongue.

"Gonna... gonna!"

Mitsuhide didn't need to ask for clarification. He moaned in encouragement, the vibrations sending her over the edge. Mitsuhide moved down to lap at her hole as she came, grinding his nose on her clit to work her through the orgasm.

The legs around his head tightened until he could hardly breathe. Perfect.

Surrounded by the pillowy flesh of her thighs, Mitsuhide continued to drink her essence as if he was a man dying of thirst. He briefly thought he might die if this was the last time he would ever get to make his dearest come on his tongue.

"Uhh- uh... Mitsuhide..." She panted as her orgasm subsided, her entire body relaxing into the futon.

"Yes, my dear. I'm here." He responded, kissing his way up her stomach until he would join their lips.

He gave her a few minuted to recover, languidly kissing her and sucking on her tongue as he pulled her into his arms.

"I love you... I love you... I love you..."

Mitsuhide murmured the phrase over and over again as he kissed her face and neck. Whenever they made love he often felt so overcome with emotion he nearly had to hold back tears.

Warm hands slowly made their way up his chest, pressing gently on his flesh.

"Mitsuhide." She whispered.

That was all Mitsuhide needed to hear.

He laid her back down on the futon, massaging small circles on her hips as she made herself comfortable.

It was a sight he could never grow tired of. His love stretched out, bare in the silver moonlight. Her eyes were darkened with lust as she waited for him to properly make love to her.

Mitsuhide raised one of her legs, hooking it over his shoulder and spreading her wide for him. His flushed, weeping cock prodded her entrance.

Teasing her by running the head around it until she whined at him in frustration, Mitsuhide slowly pushed into her, relishing in her warmth.

The two rocked in unison, grasping at each other in the dim room.

Mitsuhide hissed in pleasure when her nails raked down his back. He continued working the spot inside of her with his cock, feeling her legs tremble around him.

"Right there! Right there!" She managed to gasp, wrapping her free leg around his waist in encouragement.

Determined to give her as much pleasure as possible, Mitsuhide continued thrusting in the same manner, watching as she slowly climbed to her high.

This was who he really was. Stripped bare and vulnerable, Mitsuhide was no longer a tease or a trickster. He was not a lying kitsune or a traitor. He was just a fool in love, wishing to give the person he loved most in the world whatever she wanted.

And right now, she wanted to cum around his cock.

"Mitsuhide!" She cried, digging her nails into the flesh of his back once more.

Mitsuhide held his breath as he continued thrusting, desperate to help her ride out her orgasm before he came. It was nearly impossible with the way she thrashed and the way her core spasmed around him.

Mitsuhide watched as she finally finished, going limp and laying back into the futon. Her hazy eyes gazed up at him with all the adoration in the world.

Feeling overwhelmed by his emotions, Mitsuhide leaned forward and crashed his lips against hers, kissing her roughly. He pinned her hands above her head as he chased his own high, feeling her flinch at the overstimulation.

"Ah! M-Mitsuhide!"

"It's alright, little one. You can take it for a little longer, can't you?"

Mitsuhide purred this in her ear. He was close. So terribly close.

Her lower body lifted off the futon with the power of his thrusts. She squirmed in his hold. Too much, too much!

Feeling his cock hitting so deep inside her had her writhing, an unfamiliar pull forming in her stomach.

Eyes widening as she realized what was happening, Mitsuhide's lover lay immobilized as she squirted around his cock.

"Hnn!"

Seeing her tremble and orgasm so explosively pushed Mitsuhide over the edge. He buried his face in her neck and pushed into her core as far as he could go as he came.

"O-oh, my love..." He moaned into her neck, wishing he could stay with her in this state of post-orgasm bliss forever.

"Mitsuhide... my darling..." She responded, wrapping her now freed arms around his neck.

"You are the most beautiful woman in the world." Mitsuhide told her, lifting his head to kiss her sweaty temple.

"Tell me..." He breathed, still panting slightly from the exertion.

"Just what was that, and how can I make you do it again?"

Taglist: @shadowylakes @floydsteeth @sh0jun @rou-luxe @mxrmaid-poet @anonymousnamedhera @kanatashinkaifr @rookkunt

[reyreadersblog]

ALRIGHT Y'ALL MADE ME DO IT!!!

My unpopular tig/tgg opinions!!

FIRST!

These are MY opinions and i'm allowed to have my own thoughts on certian things, just as you are, okay..? Just wanna..get this out of way, i know everyone is respectful in this fandombut still.

1. this is something that should NOT be an upopular opinion. AVERY IS THE MAIN CHARACTER FOR A REASON. okay? She is a girlboss, and she needs more appretiation, cus literally search up tig on tt rn. Everybody and their cat named Stewie is talking about Grayson and Jameson? WHAT ABOUT MY MG AVERY? And if you see any post about her, it's probably a hate vid about how Avery should've kept the money...SHUT UP. Read what she said carefully..."no one deserves that kind of power.." and then think about it deeply.

2. I DO NOT WANT TIG TO TURN INTO A TV SERIES (or even a movie). i can't name all the reasons 'cus then the the list would be endless. First of all, i know, I JUST KNOW, they'll choose the worst cast ever. And even if they find the most accurate cast for the Hawthorne brother i will still be dissapointed, because the images of them i have in my head...THEY'LL NEVER TOP EM. second of all, they will leave out important moments, just as simple as it sounds, and trust me they will, just like they do with most of the live adaptations of books. Third of all, SHIP WARS!!! I phisically can't with ship war, like I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF EM IN THE PAST WHEN THE BOOKS WERE STILL COMING OUT. And just the thought of Averygrayson shipper saying "yeah Avery and jameson were endgame in the books but they might change it in the movie..." GIVES ME NIGHTMARES. and overall, not everything needs a live adaptation yk? sometimes things just have to stay the way they are.

3. ...this is a bit contrevertial.and i don't want to sound like a hater since i've said this a multiple times before but Rohan's pov was my least favourite in the grandest games. Purely bcs whatever Savannah and Rohan had going on...don't get me wrong, i like Savannah (even tho she did and said some fucked up things) and Rohan, SEPERATLY. But them being together...idk man, they were too..."booktokish" for my liking, yk? and i do love banter and teasing, but they were like basic "i like you but i like winning more" "couple". Not to mention they were so random...like where did they come from? I remember when we first saw Sav and Rohan having the same symbols on their cards i was very excited, i expected a different dynamic between them...PLUS THE WHOLE GAME THEY JUST WANTED TO FUCK💀

4. Hating Alisa Ortega and loving Grayson Hawthorne is CRAZYYY, and i'm saying this bcs they're pretty similar in different ways. And the thing is people are mad at Alisa for "saying mean words to Libby" (she was literally doing her job, you would understand if you were at her place) MEANWHILE GRAYSON LITERALLY THREATENED A HEIRESS! (sayin this as a Gray stan) *sigh* y'all are something else🤦🏻‍♀️.

5. Ohh...this one is risky...BUT CAN Y'ALL STOP ACTING LIKE JAMESON IS BLAMELESS?? all i see is Grayson slander, AND I UNDERSTAND, he fucked up, but saying "Jameson was so much better than Grayson" is a lie, at least for me. (He was better for Avery tho) he fs made mistakes that fandoms chooses to ignore. Like lets not act like treating Avery like a toy wasn't wrong. Lets not act like him blaming Grayson for everything wasn't wrong. Let's not act like him reminding Grayson of Emily's death wasn't wrong. And i know that later on both him and Grayson had a great character development, but still, i've never seen anyone talk about this.

6. This isn't about tig. But LIKING JLBS WORK AND BEING HER FAN DOESN'T MEAN YOU'RE GLAZING HER💀 (talking about an argument i had a while ago...) like is it so hard for your brain to understand that it's called having an opinion. Idc if it's JLB or any other author, okay? Like i've read almost every Jlb's books and i love them, AND i also publicly talk about how much iblove her work, does that mean i'm glazing her? UHM NO WTF💀.

7. LET. PEOPLE. HAVE. PREFRENCE. (I'm talking about ships btw) . Someone prefers LyraGray over Averyjameson, and that's okay. Someone loves Averyjameson the most, and that's also okay, someone likes Libbynash more then Xandermax, AND THAT IS ALSO OKAY.

I'll probably do part 2, i have more to say i'm just really tired rn.

Also it's not proof read so sorry if there are many mistakes.

[caitchercatlady]

MY TISM IS IN OVERDRIVE!

This is what happens when I decide to go out on a Friday evening! First, I hear that the Blazing Jewel songs are actually going to get full jpop versions with MUSIC VIDEOS TO BOOT! On top of that, the first trailer to Episode of Heartslabyul dropped, and it does confirm that we are going through the manga's story. That's a relief to me because I always dreaded the idea of Twisted Wonderland only getting short vignettes of original stories that don't add substance to the characters, especially as the game's plot is just so damn good, so I'm happy we are getting an adaptation involving the story. TW DESERVES IT! Oh, and did I forget to mention how BEAUTIFUL the animation looks? Grim should not LOOK as good as he does in the trailer, but Oh, and uh...MALLEUS OVERBLOT CARD, WHAT? AND WE'RE GETTING A WHOLE OVERBLOT SERIES ON TOP OF THAT? WE TWISTED STANS ARE GETTING FED THIS YEAR! (Clears throat) Now, if you excuse me, I'm prepared to lay in my glass coffin. Thank you.

[sammywolfgirl]

Okay let’s do this

The tarot card readings in the spire of deceit

According to my interpretation-

Uh disclaimer that tarot is subjective and I’ll be getting my info from a tarot app that sources from Wikipedia and my own general knowledge, I read tarot as a hobby and am still learning so this is my subjective reading bassed off the cards, my knowledge, and my vibes from the characters themselves.

That being saiiiiid let’s start with Pure Vanilla’s reading

An all reversed draw, I will say reversed cards don’t always mean it’s bad but it is a different way of reading it. Though idk how helpful that’d be in this case.

All drawings are done in the three card set which is the classic, past, present, future. So I’ll be operating under that structure for all the readings.

In the first slot we have the magician reversed- the magician represents power, channeling fights from the universe or higher power into a tangible world. But reversed it means destruction. The use of personal power for destructive purposes.

In the second slot is the fool reversed- the fool means beginnings, a new start. But reversed it means foolishness. A new beginning but not the best choice of action, uncertainty and recklessness.

The third slot is the hanged man reverse- the hanged man means sacrifice, self sacrifice and growing with the flow, it can also mean a different point of view. Reversed meaning is martyrdom, self sacrifice to an unhealthy extent. A different point of view but one that should be re-examined.

My reading-

Considering how pure vanilla is when he draws these cards (and the grain of salt of shadow milk trying to corrupt the guy) I’d read this as follows- pure vanilla has squandered his power, causing more harm than good, misusing it and harming others in the process, because of this, he is currently lost, a foolish lost sheep trying to find his way in the world, nievly holding onto grains of truth in hopes it’ll guide him, but to no avail. Now he must adapt, but all other perspectives seem foolish or lost, if he continues to cling to this truth he will be led astray, will he sacrifice his morals and abandon them or reject the new perspective?

Basically shadow milk wasn’t wrong when he said this is probably one of the worst hands he could draw. The cards are saying “oh you’re screwed buddy” though I think there can be some hope if you see this as a warning. I mean he’s not exactly in thr best place right now, and who knows how much shadow milk is ‘rigging fate’ as it were

Edit- so I’ve been informed that the hanged man isn’t reversed. My b this is why you don’t make posts while tired.

This does change the reading a little but generally the ‘you gotta change your perspective’ thing is less foolish and aggressive and more like, adaptation or die I guess. Still very much a targeted reading thanks shadow milk cookie

Now onto shadow milks tarot cards

Now unfortunately these aren’t numbered (damnit shadow milk!) so I’ll have to make assumptions based off the card faces. The good news is I think these are pulling from the classic tarot card faces so it shouldn’t be too hard. Now for the reading,

Card one is the Devil upright- The devil represents obsession, indulgence in the superficial, instant gratification, obsession, addiction and materlialism. It also means being led astray, evil or negative influence, and incarceration. Being trapped by vises basically.

Card two is death upright- death represents inevitable change. Metamorphosis, difficult times, trial of the soul. And pandemic. It basically means the inevitable end of a cycle.

Card three I wasn’t sure for a bit but I have reason to believe it’s judgement upright- judgment represents awakening. An epiphany or spiritual awakening. A change in personal consciousness or important life lesion. Essentially the end of the journey and a lesion learned.

Now this is his first pull, no trickery explicitly done yet, and going off that this is my reading: this could essentially be telling how shadow milk fell and became the beast of deceit.

The font of knowledge was tempted by spreading little lies and half truths and sewing seeds of doubt and chaos across cookies, and as that obsession grew he became more and more addicted to it, cookies would believe him no matter what, so why tell the full truth? They don’t want to hear it anyways! This indulgence grew until a turning point came and he succumbed to corruption, a rebirth into the beast of deceit. Now as the beast he’s had an epiphany, truth doesn’t matter, lies and trickery are where it’s at! He understands now the power of lies and will wring chaos across all of crispia and cookie kind!

In short, lies are addictive and he has become the king of them. And he’s having a blast,

At least that’s my reading, not sure if shadow milk would enjoy that or not but hey I’m playing to the audience here. Now for his second reading where his minions modified it

Like his first pull no numbers so I have to use the card faces as clues. But I think I got it.

The first card is wheel of fortune upright- fortune means destiny, kismet, fate, synchronicity, the universe continues to turn despite the ups and downs. Control what you can and accept what you cannot, things happen for a reason. Essentially it’s the cycles of the world.

The second card is the emperor upright- the emperor represents authority, stability, laws, government and society, leadership, might, influence, and control. It can also represent a single person that hold power, wether that’s emotional or physical.

The third card is the high priestess upright- high priestess represents intuition. Opening up one’s own intuition to receive messages from the universe. Meditate, tap into your subconscious, wisdom and introspection to find answers. It can also means secrets, mystery, the future as yet unraveled.

All that said here’s his second reading, which In short I think is essentially a reading saying how he is in charge, in control, and that your better just giving in and following him then fighting.

It was destiny that made him the beast of deceit, this was always going to happen, he has the power and authority here, so open your mind and embrace the chaos of lies and disharmony! It will set you free.

Honestly I’d believe this reading is more telling pure vanilla to just listen to him already than anything reflecting shadow milk himself. His minions did rig the cards.

But hey that’s just my interpretation, if anyone has any alternative readings or got something different out of this I genuinely would love to know. Tarot is subjective and in my own experience one part reading the vibes to two parts reading the cards. This is just what reading I’d give these guys if I was dealing them.

Anyways thanks for coming to my Ted talk I think tarot is super neat

[itsohh]

QWERTY Part 1

A/N: Female reader. This is the start of uh this enemies to lovers but also lovers to enemies series around Price and Makarov. Its going to be mainly resolving around some of the events of MW3.

Summary: One night Price meets a woman at his favourite bar. Plauged by the aspects of her new job she finds comfort in his words. It isn't until years later that he truly realises what that job was.

Word count: 588

Warnings: none

AO3 Masterlist Part 2

ENGLAND 2017

In some ways, one could describe John as a regular at the bar. Yet, it wouldn't be quite accurate. For one to become a regular they would need to actually come on the regular. He didn't though, his job didn't allow him. The closest thing he could be called was a non-regular regular. Despite that, he had never walked in and seen anyone on his bar stool. Perhaps it was a miracle or something behind the scenes but no one took that spot. 

Well, until that moment. 

John walked in and found his way to the seat next to the woman who had stolen his unofficial seat. She didn’t seem to be in a good mood. Her body was hunched over and her face pressed into the wood of the bar. In her hand was an almost empty glass. It had a few cubes of ice inside but aside from that a small ring of water that had melted away was left. 

Price rarely spoke to anyone let alone a stranger but something compelled him to do so as he made himself comfortable on the stool. “Rough night?”

A grunt left her lips and she finally slowly lifted her head and turned her head to look at him. That's when his eyes met her tired eye, your tired eyes. 

“Mmm start a new job tomorrow.” You mumbled out. 

“I presume it's not a good one then?” 

“It's a shit fucking job lemme tell you that.” You let out a sigh. “But someone's gotta do it.”

“Understand that feeling more than you think.” He gestured to the bartender who knew exactly what Price wanted. 

“Yeah? Got any advice then?”

“Never forget why you do it. Find whatever keeps you going and keep that close to your heart.” 

Your head tilted as you absorbed the information. “I'll keep that in mind.” You looked to the bartender as they fixed Price his drink. “It's on me.” 

John raised a brow but didn't refuse. “Payment for the advice.”

You ran a hand through your hair and turned towards him with your entire body, your arm leaning on the bar top. “What brings you here alone?”

“Football game.” He gestured to the TV above the pair of you with his head. 

“The one that got rained off?” Your voice was slightly amused as he looked up to get a proper look just in time for the adverts to finish playing and see the announcement at the bottle of the screen while the commentators spoke. 

“Of bloody course.” He swore under his breath but didn't move to leave. 

“There's always the next time.” You shrugged and gave him a look of pity. 

“Next time I'll be working.” He huffed. 

Your face straightened out and hardened at his words. “I understand that.”

“Busy job?”

“Crazy hours. I'm not thrilled about it.”

“Could always change careers.” He offered. 

You shook your head immediately. “Nah that option long since left the table. You gestured for another drink. “Nope. There's no backing out of it.” You took the glass and waved your card to pay for both of the drinks. 

“Contract?” He raised a brow. 

“There's too much at stake really. I'll adapt eventually I just ah. It's one of those jobs that you get and you just know your life's never gonna be the same.”

“I'll drink to that.” There was a heaviness to his voice and you nodded. The pair of you lifted both of your glasses and together as complete strangers, you drank.

[eating-figs-here]

Oh my stars I need to gnaw on bones and perish in the woods because. Because some people believe Wanderer/Scaramouche has gone through an entire redemption arc. No!! He is at the beginning. He is taking his first steps forward!!! He is STICKING with the Good Guys (TM) because it's the most optimal thing to do!! It's not out of character, he knows how to play the cards he's been dealt! And y'know, overtime, he should begin to grow to care for the people of Sumeru and the region itself!!! Like that's the point!!!! He isn't there yet!!!!!! He isn't supposed to be a good guy yet!!! The reason this "redemption arc" feels "unsatisfying" is because he isn't a fully converted good guy yet!!!! Aaaaaaaa!! :(

I have my thoughts below- and uh, it's a bit long

And to those saying Hoyo should've killed him off? Please, I do want to hear why you believe that killing off Scaramouche would've been more impactful than keeping him alive. I, personally, believe that killing him off would be a disservice to what the story has been trying to get across as Sumeru's version of wisdom.

And to explain what I believe the story has been trying to get across about wisdom: Wisdom is, to Sumeru, the celebration of individuality interwoven with the celebration of community. Greater Lord Rukkhadevata says that dreams are the fruit of human wisdom, and dreams are reflections of a person's raw joys, anxieties, sorrows, and examples of the bottomless creativity the mind produces. Those combined dreams power the Akasha, which helped Rukkhadevata repel forbidden knowledge and is considered an incredible piece of technology in Teyvat. (That's a lot of weight and power they're putting into dreams!!)

Wanna see another example of how starkly different individuals come together to beat an imposing foe? LITERALLY THE SUMERU CAST. Wonder why when you played throughout the Sumeru quest line it felt a tad bit like found family?? Because that's the point!! The narrative spends time fleshing out the bonds between characters, whether old or new! We see characters like Cyno, Dehya, and Alhaitham grow to trust one another despite their tense start! We see previously established relationships like Dehya and Dunyarzad or Tighnari and Cyno! They all get closer to the Traveler as well! It is INTENTIONAL!!

Okay, now back to this puppet, Scaramouche is someone who has consistently had his own personhood denied, with his right to exist as an individual played with. His own perceived abandonment from Ei and the Fatui orchestrating the destruction of his only support group (the people of Tatarasuna) in order to be used for their own gain hammers that point home. He rejects himself by ignoring his own humanity in favor of becoming something he THINKS he's supposed to be! The Harbingers do not trust one another, and they are ready to stab their colleagues in the back from their own gain. (Which he does!! What sense of community here?? None!!)

Do you see? Scaramouche, in this state, is the antithesis of Sumeru's wisdom. Which is precisely why he fails. He fails and he falls due to the wisdom of the people of Sumeru and the joint efforts of the Sumeru cast. He, a shattered puppet once more, is forced to reckon with the fact that who he believes he should be is not who he is. And to make that realization have meaning, he must live.

There is a reason why the nation of wisdom is also the nation of dendro. To grow, adapt, and change are its core principles. So why wouldn't the Dendro Archon extend her hand to someone denied what she had been recently given- support, companionship, community. Wouldn't it be much more impactful to see a sickly sapling turn into a tree rather than letting it die? With Wanderer, we will (eventually) see the harvest of Sumeru's ideals. From rocky start to the nebulous finish, Wanderer will embody the adaptation and growth that marks Sumeru's wisdom as he steadily grows into his own individual- with many characters we know accompanying him on that journey.

I dunno how else to put this, I literally just think that having a character actively being shaped by what makes Sumeru.. Sumeru after a total rejection of it is neat. Because.. Y'know. Plants? Nurturing and growing?? I am being SO real I do not think narratively cutting off a character's ability to grow would be Sumeru's jam. Sorry for this mess of a rant, I hope my thoughts got through.. and this isn't even talking about the nuances of other characters (especially Nahida!!) but I am. Tired. So tired :')

[styrmwb]

Rambling About Magic the Gathering X Final Fantasy - Final Fantasy VIII (Part 1)

I feel like VIII is on the horizon of a renaissance, and Ben Starr is singlehandedly to blame. Let's check out its cards.

Dreams of Laguna

This is incredible right here. Laguna gets to make an appearance, but so do Kiros, Ward, AND Julia. There's so much personality in this art, it gets to use Flashback again, it's amazing. This might be my favorite card in this game (it helps that Laguna is my favorite character).

Memories Returning

I feel like I've praised the Flashback flashbacks enough. Just know every time you see it I love it. The art on both of these is great, and Selphie gets to show up! I love the fragmentation of memories, putting some WAY later, and having your opponent involved really makes it involuntary, like the G.F. is messing with your head.

Quistis Trepe

This is a REALLY interesting way to do Blue Magic. "a" graveyard means you saw the opponent do the move, and now you do it. I like it a lot. While my inner FFV fan would want Blue Magic to be in that game, giving Quistis the reins makes me happy. Her art's ok, doesn't totally appeal to me.

Seifer Almasy

Look at this prick. Look at this asshole. That alt art is amazing I want to punch him. He shares an effect with Squall, but his second effect is a lot more aggressive. AND he's even a knight. This is an amazing card.

Sorceress's Schemes

This art is outstanding, such a great scene that deserves to be rendered in painting form, and I love the way it's colored. Having an interaction with Flashback FEELS like screwing with time, so it's a perfect Ultimecia type card.

Summon: G.F. Cerberus

VIII has a lot of cool, unique summons, and honestly? Wasn't expecting Cerberus but I'm quite happy with it, purely for that Double and Triple usage. It's a simple and easy transition, but great.

Summon: G.F. Ifrit

A little bit more boring of a choice compared to like, The Brothers or Pandemona, but since Ifrit's the very first guy you get, I think this is plenty acceptable. That discarding to draw feels like throwing away your memories for power, which is really cool. AND HE EVEN DOES THE STANCE! Killer art.

Triple Triad

Yeah OF COURSE this was gonna be here. In some very funny way, the fact that it basically gives everyone a separate deck they can play for free FEELS like you're all about to play Triple Triad, this is an incredible way to adapt that. Plus that alt art is amazing with the side view and the board in the back.

Zell Dincht

I don't think I fully understand his flavor? I'm wondering if it has something to do with his limit break being combos that you input within a certain amount of time. Regardless, it does feel very Zell, and they chose a great scene to represent him, inside the prison. We should have gotten an alt art of him and hotdogs.

Balamb T-Rexaur

A wonderfully iconic creature to put into the game. It's fairly simple as a monster, but it means a lot to see it here.

Jumbo Cactuar

This motherfucker has been causing ridiculous theorycrafting since frame 1 and I'm SO here for it. Irvine gets to show up a little bit too, in the art :)

Rinoa Heartlily

Beautiful art; this is what I want to see more of from this set. She's even in the flower field. I love that Angelo gets to come with her, and she can put all her power into her dog. I am surprised she didn't get a 2nd side for her Sorceress powers, though. I also uh. Just realized her last name wasn't Heartlily. It's Heartilly. I need to do some reflecting.

Squall, SeeD Mercenary

Like I was saying with Seifer, it's really cool how they both share an effect, but Squall's secondary is more on bringing back, on helping, rather than aggressively fighting. I really like his alt art, it gives him that proper sorrowful brooding, but making it lonely instead of edgy.

Ultimecia, Time Sorceress/Ultimecia, Omnipotent

I love Ultimecia's transformation form, and the art of it is incredible. They even got the flavor text right of being her unskippable death dialogue. The surveiling and extra turn feels very befitting for her time magic; I really like this card.

Tumblr image limit will become a problem, so part 2 here.

[stedes-tarty-pink-robe]

IWTV Season 2 Episode 5 Thoughts

Great episode. It went so many places emotionally. We get Louis wising up, Armand in full predator mode and a shift in the alliances. It's no longer Armand and Louis as a "united front" against Daniel but Daniel and Louis united in pursuit of the truth.

Some thoughts as I watched:

- Young Daniel didn't have "fucking in a coffin" on his bingo card, but he wants it now that it's an option.

-  I think this episode is warming me to Danlou

     Present Daniel: did we bang back then?

     Present Louis (laughing it off) I'd never. (Gets serious) Unless you want to do it now.

- Young Daniel: "Are you the Zodiac Killer?" Daniel ... baby. I know you're high, but really? I'm glad you grew more of brain in later years. As current Daniel put it, you were a moron.

- Uh, oh. Louis's suicidal ideation popping up again. He was not just recounting the feelings from back then. He was actively longing for the sun as he spoke to Young Daniel.

- Yikes at Young Daniel presuming way too much too soon. Comparing himself to Louis's loved ones after one night is ludicrous. Didn't deserve to almost be killed for it, but yeesh.

- Louis hit hard with that speech about how dull Armand is. He doesn't need the Fire Gift for that burn.

- Holy shit. Loumand's going full A Marriage Story. These resentments needed to be aired out, but not like this. They're two vipers who know exactly where to inject their venom to make the other suffer.

- Ouch. I hate being right in this case. Past Louis walked into the sun. And here modern Louis is, his heart breaking as he realizes he had a suicide attempt he wasn't aware of.

- Oh, wow. Louis tried to reverse uno Lestat into seeking him out by publishing blatant slander just like Lestat got Louis to seek him out by sending him a love song but using his mistress's voice. God. They really are two fucked up peas in a pod.

- Poor burnt up Louis. Armand may have saved him from the sun, but he is holding that grudge something fierce. He's in full coven leader mode, dealing with witnesses and interrogating Daniel with a brutal practicality. Reasserting his dominance on Louis (emotionally) and Young Daniel (the whole shebang of torment for being the easy scapegoat). Armand is so frightening when he puppeteers Young Daniel and breaks him down to the worst aspects of himself. As Armand previously said, he's good at finding the vulnerability in the object.

- I do not believe for a second that Armand was going to let Louis go. That coffin scene is Grade A manipulation on Armand's part to guilt Louis into staying. Sure, the emotions Armand claims are real - the best manipulations have truth to them - but Armand's expertly wielding them to achieve his goals - make himself look like a love martyr and Louis feel like a bad person if he doesn't stay.

- Armand being the gentle death, soothing Young Daniel as he washes him and coaxes him into accepting an early grave. How much was Daniel's dumpster fire of a personal life the result of him chasing a high and how much was because Armand mindscrewed him into thinking that such a disappointing life was inevitable?

- Louis upped his manipulation game, too. He got Armand to spare Daniel by reaffirming the vows so to speak.

- Aww. What Louis told Young Daniel was so sweet. While Armand's words guided him to self-destruction, Louis's gave him hope in his darkest times.

- Oh, fine. Danlou can join Loustat in my prefered ships in this adaptation. You won me over, show.

- Yes! Louis finally realizes Armand scrubbed his brain like it was a crime scene. That throbbing neck vein doesn't lie. Louis is big mad at Armand.

[asoulwithadream]

Shoscombe Old Place / Part 2 - Sherlock & Co From the diary of ASoulWithADream…

I'm so excited that we're getting a three-parter after three-parter. They're brilliant and as the production quality increases exponentially, these drawn out adventures holding more content are so important to me.

Live Soul Reaction (my little on-the-spot commentary):

The episode sub-title just makes me think of Fast Car by Tracy Chapman. "🎵 You've got a fast car, I want a ticket to anywhere,"

John explaining the stupid social hierarchy, state-till-8's, the little 'I dunno's' of doubt, as if he still feels a bit confused or insecure about the whole situation with Carrie and him. The way he phrases it makes me think of superficiality.

"Like some big slobbery traitor!" I like how the roles have switched to Sherlock defending Archie from John.

Again with the card references!

Gary Lineker's mate. That's the second time HE's been mention. There's been an awful lot of emphasis on repeating motifs. Makes me wonder what else from last week's episode will feature today.

"You're invaluable, Watson!" "Awh." "Cheers!" <33333333

"Ah! Goodness! Hello Bob- UH, Robert Knob- Robert Norbertson! Ugh, spit it out, John."

"Just what she needs. Just… what she needs." Bobby you are not making yourself look more innocent you smoldering drama queen.

Sherlock swallowing a fly 😭

Lineker again!

Jump in the river. Jumping into a body of water. This is the third time. For fuck's sake.

"World's colliding. New friends, meeting old friends."

Who's calling John a twat on the internet???

Ash. Ash on the leaves, on the nettles, on the bark of the trees. Didn't Sherlock mention smoke? From the house, Shoscombe? Last week, he said it very explicitly. Smoke.

"It's a house for the dead." "A mausoleum." "Yes, a very tired one."

I SEE DEAD PEOPLE.

"Sherlock." "Yes, Watson." "Quick question." "Fire away!" "Are we… trapped? In a… four-hundred year old mausoleum?" "Trapped is a rather subjective term. We did CHOOSE to enter." "Sherlock." "Yes actually, I think we are."

Pick a tomb, mate! COS' I AM GOING TO KILL YOU >:(

"Brings a certain perspective, doesn't it? Being in here, with the long dead."

The way John realises that he's snapped just immediately forgives and dismisses Sherlock as the cause of their predicament really goes to show the bond they share, how they're able to adapt and just remain sane in their situation.

"What… feels like home?" "Baker Street." <3333333333333

"Rivers are just as doubtful, Watson. Just as unsure. They take the course they find easy, through the soft earth. That's why their paths are winding and splintered. They look for the easy way. Only the most determined bore through the hardest rock. Overtime, much, much time." More water, which could mean nothing. But seriously speaking, I love Sherlock's perspective on things, and how he reassures Watson with these beautiful metaphors, connecting their surroundings and the information he has consumed to describe his dear friend. <3

"Even the torrents that seem so wondrous to us will reach their end in a sea, a lake… a waterfall." HE SAID IT. Before I thought I was being delusional! Anything could be water, but the hesitation, the torrent he speaks of being a metaphor for both himself through John's perspective and the adventure that Moriarty will pose for them both, but especially for Sherlock Holmes!! I'm freaking out!!

"Shout out to Pro- ooh, Professor!" I AM DEAD. I HAVE TO PAUSE. IT CAN'T BE. WHAT I WAS JUST JOKING BEFORE. I'M BEING DELUSIONAL.

PROFESSOR JAMES MORIARTY.

JAMES MORIARTY.

MORIARTY.

WHO IS LISTENING INTENTLY, TO EVER WORD.

WHOEVER THAT ONE TUMBLR POSTER WAS WHO SAID "haha what if he got a shoutout" YOU WERE RIGHT. I'VE TRIED TO TAG YOU BUT I CAN'T FIND THE POST, BUT YOU WERE RIGHT. FUUUUUUUUUU-

"I can hear the corpses from the seventeenth century crying into the mic! I've lost my mind!" I doubt you're as much in shock as I am right now.

I was trying to appreciate their little pre-crypt banter and pep-talk, but I can not stop thinking about the ballistic missile which was the waterfall-shoutout section. Absolutely bonkers, and balls to the fucking walls. The balls are everywhere.

I better not see "42 - The Final Problem - Part One" on my Spotify on the 16th of July in the Year of our Lord 2024.