#I will probably die X times to the main boss...

[niuniente]

I’m at the final boss in Blasphemous but first, I will collect all items and check all hidden things >:3c

I’ve read people saying that a) Blasphemous is hard b) there’s too much running back and worth.

I have a tip how to make the game easier (you will still die at times, it’s OK) and how to avoid running so that even a casual gamer like me, who DOES NOT enjoy of hard games and will ditch a game immediately if it’s too hard, has enjoyed Blasphemous so much.

As soon as you beat Ten Piedad, Albero’s church will open. Collect yourself 30 000 Tears of Atonement (or 50 000, if you want to save the trouble of collecting first 30 000 and then 50 000). Takes some time but it’s worth the trouble.

Donate 30 000 (or 50 000) to the church. It will grand you immediately the price of the said donation but also all the previous donation gifts - this means that you don’t have to donate first 2000, then 5000, then 10 000 but you can donate 30 000 and get also the prices of 2000, 5000 and 10 000 tears. Super neat!

With 30 000 tears you will - Be able to remove your guilt for free in the Albero church - Have your energy and fevor bars filled full in each saving point - Teleport from a saving point to another without limitations If you donate 50 000, you will get a bead which will give The Penitent One a short moment of super strikes hitting targets, which causes lots of damage also to the bosses.

Also, keep your sword updated always to its max level. That’s easy as it requires just Tears of Atonement.

I beat all the boss fights after Our Lady of the Charred Visage with these things with a first try, except for the fire dude in the dungeons (took me a while to learn his moving pattern). And I am NOT a good gamer.

[lamentationsofalonelypotato]

Chapter 3: Please Remember to Take Your Happy Pills

Pairing: Soldier Boy x f!reader, Reader POV

Summary:  When you decided to work with Butcher and his merry band of supe hunters to take down Homelander, you never expected to be saddled with a sullen, grumpy, jerk like Soldier Boy when the job was done. The more you're around him the more you hate him, but you can't help but wonder, is he really as big a jerk as you think? Reader is a supe with plant powers. This takes place in an AU about a month after the end of The Boys Season 3, in which Butcher has let Soldier Boy continue to work with him on his team.  (I'm real bad at summaries, please forgive me!)

Tropes: Enemies to Lovers (Not in this chapter), Slow Burn, Age Difference (Reader is in her 20s), Protective Ben/ Soldier Boy.

Word Count: 6.1K

Warnings: I'm going to label this 18+ because Soldier Boy (he's a warning and everyone knows it), swearing, mentions of sex, sexual innuendo, sexual tension. Ben/Soldier Boy might be a little bit OOC.

Note: This is told from Reader's perspective. Any references to the reader is made using you or your. There is minimal use of y/n. I tried my best to proofread, but nobody's perfect. If you don’t like, don’t read, but if you do like, you’re my favorite!

Internal monologue is in italics and is in first person.

Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist

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Despite your insistences for Ben to just go away, he walked with you to “Please Don’t Die,” the plant shop that you’d been working at since you moved to New York, all the while complaining about the fact that you didn’t have a car.

You wondered if he'd ever had friends that didn't have as much money as he did or if he just lived in the asshole rich dude bubble.

You never hated walking. Something about walking through Central Park invigorated you, being surrounded by all the plants made you feel grounded  and more in the moment. It made you feel alive. Not to mention you liked walking past all the flower shops and perking up the bouquets of flowers wrapped in plastic and placed in black bins as you walked. And even though you were late, you figured that you always had time to use your powers just to make everything a little bit greener.

Maybe it was cliché, but you hated seeing dead plants and dead flowers. Whenever you went home you always spent time in your grandmother's garden making sure that everything was growing as it should and even the plants in your home never seemed to wilt.

Which probably meant that you were working in the right place.

The shop you work at is the same as it’s always been. Outside the brick was painted a cheerful white, with black trim that frames the large glass windows and a black glass door the proclaims the name of the shop in strong block letters. Each window display was changed every other day and were both currently crowded with multicolored plants that stretched towards the warm sunlight on the street while the glass skull planters your boss, Jake, had placed artfully inside glittered black.

When you open the door, the smell of soil, earth, and water greet you, wafting out to envelop your body in a layer of comfort.

You feel your body physically relax as you step over the threshold. The thrum of your abilities reaching out, flowing through the branches, stems, and leaves of the plants, soaking through your bones to connect you to them. You could feel every twig, every small push of roots in the soil, every unfurling of new leaves from each plant in the shop. It was impossible to see beyond the rows and displays of potted plants that trailed languidly on the clean concrete floors. Wooden shelves were bolted to the walls covered in layers of green foliage so dense you couldn’t see the red brick behind. Displays of bouquets sprouted dark purple, deep red, vivid blue,  and warm orange, sat wrapped in plastic and ready to be purchased on the left wall, next to coolers filled with even larger bouquets in ornate glass vases.

Herbs crowded the front of the register at the back of the room, sending the sharp scent of mint, the spicy scent of chives, and the soothing smell of rosemary into the air. Vines wove above your head hanging from the ceiling to cover the plastic squares that lined the roof making it seem as if you had entered under the dark canopy in the jungle. The rest of the shop was hidden behind rows and rows of potted plants, on long wooden shelves and tall potted plants that reached up to the ceiling, giving the illusion that as soon as you entered the shop, it was like you entered another world, cut off from the rest of New York.

It honestly felt like home, felt just like your apartment as you stood there in the humid air, the sound of the misters turning on and off echoing the deeper you went into the store.

Plants were easier than people. You learned that early on.

It didn’t matter where you were, plants always called out to you, from the smallest seedling to the mightiest oak, you were connected with them. When you were away from them it was almost painful. As a kid whenever your parents took you on a plane, you had to carry seed packets in your pockets, nursing small seedlings as you left the earth behind and took to the sky. When Annie had a weekend off from her patrol back home, she had suggested that the two of you go on a cruise. Neither of you had seen the ocean and it had seemed like a good idea up until you stepped foot on the ship.

At first you thought that you were seasick, the dizziness and the puking that followed seemed to be due to the boat rocking back and forth, but the only way you were able to get out of bed and avoid puking your guts out was when Annie brought you some grapes from the buffet and you covered your entire cabin in grape vines to make you feel better. And the rest of the trip you had woven vines in your hair to stay just a little more grounded to the world you left behind when you stepped foot on the ship.

“Y/n is that you?” You hear your boss, Jake, call from somewhere inside.

“Yeah I’m sorry I’m late!” You shout back. He was still hidden by the dense displays of plants that stood like silent watchmen just at the front of the shop.

“It’s fine.” He replies.

You turn to glare at Ben. “You can go now.”

He’s not paying attention to you, he’s surveying the room, surprised by how green it is.

He’s going to have to get used to that if he’s going to force himself into my life.

Jake pushes through the wall of plants in front of you, holding a giant Monstera in a gallon bucket. The leaves were easily as big as your head and you’re surprised that Jake can move it, given that he wasn't a supe. He stumbles slightly under the weight and you rush forward to take it from him.

But just as you take it from Jake, your own super strength buckling slightly under the weight, Ben pulls it from your arms and holds it in one hand. You were only slightly stronger than the average person, enough to hold your own, but not enough to lift a car over your head.

“Where do you want it?” He says looking from you to Jake.

Jake is… Jake. He’s taller than you, with sandy blonde hair that curls slightly behind his ears and hangs long and shaggy on top of his head. His bright blue eyes are hidden behind tortoiseshell glasses. Today he’s wearing his usual flannel pushed up to his elbows that reveals tanned, freckled, and muscular arms, not as muscular as Ben, but enough to notice, and a pair of blue jeans.

They were his favorite pair, worn in just right at the knees. You gathered that by how often he wore them. Not to mention you appreciated how he filled them out.

In the way that Ben was tall, dark, and handsome, Jake was tall, bright, and beautiful. He always smiled when he saw you, always tried his hardest to make you laugh on a day that never seemed to end, and he always seemed to have the best advice when everything seemed hopeless. He was a good friend. A good friend that you had kept separate from the supe world. He didn’t know what you could do and you wanted to keep it that way at least for now.

Your record with non-supe friends was dismal and you didn't want to ruin your friendship with him.

“Whoa um-" Jake clears his throat. "Just over by the calatheas.” Jake's eyes widen seeing how easily Ben holds the gallon sized barrel in one hand, hefting the monstera easily.

“The what?” Ben frowns rudely.

“The striped plants over there.” You point at the collection of lemon lime prayer plants that sit prettily on a circular wooden table in one of the front displays.

Ben walks away still toting the monstera like it weighs nothing in his right hand.

“Do you know him?” Jake watches Ben curiously.

“Unfortunately.” You frown, but shake it off when you look at Jake. It was easy to smile at him. “How are you?”

“Good. Got here early. The shipment of Christmas cactus came in. Needed to start breaking down one of the displays to find a place to put them.” Jake returns your smile. “You doin' okay? You look a little frazzled.” His southern twang slips into his honeyed voice.

Jake like you, wasn’t from the city, he was from the south and moved to New York to go to get a degree in environmental law, but when he got certified he opened “Please Don’t Die” and the rest was history.

You glance over at Ben who is now walking back towards the two of you, still frowning. “I didn’t have my coffee today.” It was the truth, but you didn't want to say that the reason why you looked so 'frazzled' was that you were spending time with the bane of your existence.

“I figured. Which is why I grabbed you one. It’s on the register.” Jake nods back in the direction of the antique bar top turned desk where a cup of coffee sits slightly steaming in the humid air.

“You’re officially the best part about today.”

“That’s what I say about you every day.” He winks making you flush. “Oh wait you’ve got an eyelash.”

Ben stiffens beside you as Jake steps forward into your space and gently brushes his index finger under your right cheek. Pins and needles trace behind the movement and you can feel your heartbeat stutter. “There you go.” Jake wipes his hand on his flannel.

Ben huffs and mutters something under his breath that you don’t catch.

Jake looks up at him, because Ben was about three inches taller. “Hey I’m Jake.” He extends his hand towards Ben.

Ben eyes it. “Ben.” He grunts not taking Jake's hand and deepening his frown.

Jake's smile falters a little.

“Please ignore Gramps, he forgot to take his happy pills this morning.” You nudge Ben with your elbow. "Be nice." You whisper low enough for only Ben to hear.

“I think he took them for me sweetheart.” Ben mutters back. "It's nice to meet you." Ben says tightly, in a way that doesn't seem like it's nice to meet Jake at all.

“Gramps?” Jake looks confused as he retracts his hand.

“Nickname for sunshine.” You gesture with your thumb to where Ben glowers at the mention of the nickname. “But he was just leaving.”

“Oh. Well if you need me I’m going to be over by the hydrangeas. Do you think you can start working on the plants in the back? They need a little TLC.” Jake rubs the back of his neck. "I know you're better at that kind of thing."

“Of course. It’s what I’m here for.”

“I don’t know what I’d do without you darlin'.” Jake laughs and walks off towards the blue and pink flowering plants in sleek silver pots towards the door.

Ben eyes your boss up and down, watching how he turns away from the two of you but stays within earshot. “He wants to fuck you.” Ben says a little too loudly.

“What?” You whisper yell, dragging Ben away into the dense foliage on the other side of the shop. “Shut up he can hear you! And we’re just friends.”

“You’ve never heard about friends fucking? I mean if you and I started to-"

“Not going to happen. And we’re not friends!” You frown at him.

“I mean, I am living with you.” Ben crosses his hands over his chest and shrugs.

“You’re not living with me. How many times do I have to say that?” 

“As many times as you want. I love the sound of your voice. I bet you could say some pretty kinky-“

Your eyes shift to a dangerous bright green, the entire room vibrating with energy as the plants begin to bend to your will.

“I know you think that using your powers is supposed to scare me, but I think it’s sexy when you do that.” Ben smirks. “Your eyes turn that gorgeous shade of green.”

“Please go away.”

“Fine. But he does want to fuck you.”  Ben smirks. He cocks his head to the side examining you for a moment. "You want him to, don’t you Petals?”

"No I don't!”

I mean I could do a lot worse than Jake.

He was exactly what you were looking for. Someone sweet, who  understood what love was, and actually cared for other people. He was smart and funny, and he loved plants almost as much as you did. He understood how important they were and how to take care of them. Not to mention he actually had feelings and knew how to express them, unlike the toddler standing in front of you.

You grab on to Ben’s arm and drag him further into the shop away from your boss to make sure that you’re no longer within earshot. “Contrary to whatever belief you have, not everyone is focused on sex all the time-“

“They are.”

“No they’re not. There are other things-“

“Like what?” He raises an eyebrow.

“Um.”

You honestly couldn’t think when Ben was standing so close to you, towering over you, staring at you with those bright green eyes that always seemed to consume you. Your eyes slide to a cork board filled with seed packets on the wall above his head.

 “Like watermelon and blueberries and-“ You begin to say, reading the names.

“You’re just listing fruit sweetheart.” Ben chuckles under his breath. “You know what I think?”

“No and I don’t care.”

“I think you think about having sex with me.”

“What?” You shout louder than you should

“Mhmm." Ben traces his hand along your cheek, but you swat it away. "This morning you were awfully red when you bumped into me in the hallway. Not to mention in the kitchen when you were against the counter. Your heart was beating so fast. And I could practically smell how w-“

“Finish that sentence and lose your tongue.” You snarl grabbing the front of his shirt tightly in your hand.

“Doll I don’t think you want to rip my tongue out. Not with what I could do to you with it.”

You groan and withdraw your hand, fighting the urge to punch him. “Can you please leave? Don’t you have anyone else to sexually harass? Like Hughie maybe?”

“Hughie’s a guy?” Ben looks confused at your mention of Annie’s boyfriend.

“So? I kinda think you’re overcompensating for something by sleeping with that many women.”

Ben only laughs. "If you slept with me I'm sure that you'd see what all the fuss is about." He looks over through the walls of green leaves to where Jake is standing, watering a display of hydrangeas. Every few moments Jake would look over in your direction over his shoulder as if to check if you were okay. “How long have you worked here?”

"What does that have to do with anything?" You cross your arms over your chest confused.

Why does he care about that?

"Just answer the question doll-face."

"Two years."

"And you've liked him this whole time?" He cocks his eyebrow.

"No."

"You're worse than Mike doll."

"I am not."

"Mhmm."

"And I don't want him to sleep with me."

"Sure."

"Again, not everyone is focused on sex. And maybe you think that's the most important thing, but I'd rather have a relationship with someone." You turn to busy yourself with straightening the seed packets on the cork board, wishing that you weren't about to have this conversation with Soldier Boy of all people.

"So no sex?" Ben taunts.

You bite the inside of your cheek, transferring a packet of potato seeds back to the correct peg and reach for a packet of watermelon seeds to avoid eye contact.

I can't believe that I'm about to say this.

"I think that sex is better when you have a deep emotional connection with someone.  Someone who cares about you, who sees every part of you, even the bad things and they don't care. I wouldn't expect you to give a fuck about any of that."

"I don't." He breezes and you can imagine just how carefree he looks. You could feel his breath on your neck reminding you of your position earlier today.

"Exactly." You roll your eyes. But deep down you couldn't help but feel a little disappointed with his confession and you hated that you were disappointed.

What? Did you think that he was going to change? That he was going to suddenly be the kind of guy you wanted after he practically forced his way onto your couch?

“You’re serious about him though? Looks like the kind of guy who would cry when he fucks you. You really want him instead of me?” Ben leans into the space next to you, trying to catch your eye, which you successfully avoid. "I mean, come on Petals, he's not even a supe."

"What?"

"He's-not-a-supe." Ben says it again, slowly like you're an idiot.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Oh please, you think that guy is the one? The one you've been waiting for? I've seen you in a fight and there's no way he could handle you. He couldn't even carry that fucking plant! If he tried to fuck you, you'd snap him in half."

Your cheeks flare an angry red that creeps back into your neck, and up your ears. "That is none of your business."

"It would be if you'd just let me fuck you. Show you what you've been missing." He cocks an eyebrow.

You fight the urge to slap the look off his face. “I can’t do this with you right now. I haven’t had my coffee.”

"He brought you some." Ben sing-songs, but you ignore him. "Fine. I’ve got to go anyway. Butcher wants me to meet him at some park in fucking Jersey.”

“You need me to write it down for you? Using your newfangled doohickey probably might be too much huh?” You turn and shake your phone for emphasis at him.

Ben rolls his eyes. “I think I’m capable of finding it.” He turns to go but stops glancing over his shoulder at you. “Are you gonna be at the apartment tonight?”

“What apartment? My apartment? The apartment that you're squatting in like a hobo?"

“No Butcher’s.” Ben glowers.

“I mean maybe?” You shrug. “I’ve still got to make a list of auto shops to visit this week. Butcher wants me to try to go to at least a dozen to see if I can get any leads on this guy.”

Ben nods once.

“Why?”

Why does he care?

���No reason. I’ll see you later Petals.” Ben smirks when he uses the nickname again, before turns once more and vanishes into the foliage that leads to the front of the shop. It was very difficult not to make the closet branch smack him in the back of the head as he did so. You hated that nickname about as much as he hated Gramps, but you knew that asking him not to call you that wouldn't do any good.

You make your way to the register at the back of the shop, feeling like you could finally breathe again. You hated how Ben wound you up so much, how angry and annoyed he made you. You hadn't met anyone else in your life that could do that to you and you liked to think that you were an easy going person, but not around him. He always knew exactly how to push all your buttons.

The memory of him pinning you to the counter earlier surfaces from the events of the morning, how his body seemed so strong above you, how he seemed to curve it protectively around you as he stood there waiting for you to tell him that it was okay for him to take the next step. The kiss from last night follows, how wonderful it was to lose yourself in him, how he tasted just a little bit like whiskey-

The hibiscus plant to the right of the register poofs into bloom, the bright red flowers unfurling and shining like beacons.

Shit. No. Get it together. Ben literally just said that he didn't think that emotions were important.

You glare at the plant until the flowers wilt back into submission, hoping that Jake couldn't see from where he was watering the hydrangeas.

That's the last conversation that you wanted to have today with your boss.

The coffee he got you is just how you like it and you’re reminded again that you deserve a relationship like that. Someone who remembers the little things, someone who cared about you, someone who was willing to hold your hair back when you threw up, not someone who annoyed you without end and the only emotions he ever expressed was anger or arousal.

“Your friend leave?” Jake asks. His clothes were flecked with water, hands just a little dirty, hair tousled just the right way to make him look like he'd just woken up.

It hit you again how different he was than Ben. Where Ben was ruggedly handsome, Jake was boyishly handsome and he had a younger less angry quality that made him seem lighter. You supposed that was because Ben had spent the last forty years in a Russian lab, but sometimes you liked that about him, not that he had been tortured obviously, but that he seemed real. He didn’t sugar coat things, he told it to you straight. Sometimes Jake was too happy.

No no no. I am not going to compare Ben to Jake, that's not going to happen.

“He’s not really my friend. He’s more of an annoyance.” You smile tightly, flicking your thumb against the cardboard coffee collar on the outside of the cup.

“Oh. I kinda thought he was your boyfriend.”

You spit out the coffee in your mouth. “What?”

“Well the way he was looking at you. And the way you guys were talking." Jake clears his throat embarrassed. "Sorry I didn't mean to assume that."

"It's alright. I'm sorry that he was rude to you. He's rude to everyone honestly."

It was the truth, Ben was always rude to everyone, though you didn't understand why he was rude to Jake. All Jake had done was try to shake his hand.

"How did you meet him?"

"Butcher."

Jake didn't know much about what you did for Butcher, only that you had another job on the side and he was your boss. Butcher had picked you up once from work to go on a case and Jake had caught a glimpse of him and had been confused as to why you knew someone like him.

"Ah." David nods in understanding. "He looks like Butcher's kind of guy."

"Yeah." You take another sip of coffee, shifting from foot to foot. "Thanks again for the coffee. I kinda needed it to deal with him."

"He was bothering you?"

"Only a little." You wave your free hand as if brushing away the thought.

"You should have said something, I could have thrown him out of the shop." Jake grins wide, leaning against the register.

The image of Jake trying to drag Ben out of the store was ridiculous. You doubted that Ben would go willingly, he hated backing down and you suspected that he would rather die than let another man throw him around. And the last thing you wanted to do was have to pull Ben off of Jake.

"It wasn't anything I couldn't handle. He's more bark than bite." You walk around the back of the desk to look at a box of lavender plants. They were in relatively good shape, a few brown spots, but nothing you couldn't fix when David wasn't looking.

"Sure." He is still leaning on the counter watching your fingertips stroke along the purple flowers. "Hey y/n?"

"Mhmm?" You sigh, inhaling the soothing smell.

"Um-" He bites the inside of his cheek. "Never mind. I'm gonna go start the Christmas Cactus display."

"Okay. I'll be in the back if you need me." You shrug, picking up the coffee Jake bought you and walking through the dark curtains that covered the doorway that lead into the back of the shop.

Your thoughts shift to how Ben acted around Jake, how he seemed to be an even bigger jerk, how Ben seemed to hate the idea of you and Jake together, and how Ben kept watching Jake like he wasn't sure about him.

Was he… jealous?

You gently touch the browning leaf of an African violet, feeling the fuzzy outer covering beneath your fingertip.

As if.

And as you stood there gazing at the plants that needed a little extra care, something else began to stir, something that you couldn't put your finger on, something that you felt when you were only around Ben, but you shake it off and clear your mind with the earthy smell of soil and the soft green leaves that needed your care.

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“I can’t believe you let Soldier Boy sleep on your couch!” Annie exclaims before taking a bite of her sesame seed bagel.

The coffee shop was crowded for a Thursday afternoon, and although most came to Calamity Coffee Co for the Rocky Top frozen choco-molten mocha swirl , Annie had settled for a oat milk latte and watched you eat your Rocky Top with a spoon. It was making you feel better after the night you'd had.

 People sat with their laptops along the long table that lined the front windows writing emails or the next Hunger Games, others lounged on the purple velvet sofa and high backed green armchairs by the decorative fire place chatting about a new movie in theaters that you'd seen a commercial for, and a man and a woman sat at the glass topped wrought iron table looking at their phones and not speaking.

I love what romance has come to these days.

“It was a moment of weakness.” You spoon another bite of the chocolatey frozen treat into your mouth still trying to forget exactly what happened last night when Ben kissed you in the hallway.

As if you were going to tell her that.

The rest of your shift at the shop had been uneventful. You fixed up most of the plants in the back and helped Jake make the new displays of cactus in the front while making small talk. He was going to a plant show this weekend and had invited you along, but you had declined, told him you had to work.

You did. Butcher had this crazy idea about sending you to different auto shops around the area where the supe had been jacking cars, to see if anyone knew anything about him.

It was getting harder to track him down, it would be easier if y'all could put a name to the face, but no one had seen him. Not even when he tried to fry you two days ago. He always wore a hoodie and pulled a dark scarf over the bottom of his face.

“So you did sleep with him!” Annie accuses.

“No I didn’t. He just slept on the couch and I slept with my door locked.” You reply, touching the vase of wildflowers in the center of the table to perk up the colorful blooms.

Annie's smile drops. “You thought he would try something?” It was something that she didn't joke about and she had reason not to.

When you found out what the Deep had done to her, she had to hold you back from marching up to Vought tower and implanting a watermelon in the Deep's stomach until he exploded. Something that you'd thought about trying with Ben when he really annoyed you.

“No not really.” You press your lips together. “Ben doesn’t really seem the type-“

“Oh so it’s Ben now.” She flutters her eyelashes and you kick her shin under the table.

“Shut up. It’s his name-“

“You never called him that before! You always just call him Gramps or the Bane of your existence.”

“He is the bane of my existence." You roll your eyes at her, leaning back in your chair. 

He really is.

“Well the bane of your existence is kind of hot. You know for an older guy.” Annie shrugs.

“I can’t believe you’re saying that. You literally were gung ho for locking him away for all eternity or whatever.”

“I mean yeah he’s done some shitty things.” She takes a sip of her almond milk latte. “But it would have been a waste.”

She’s not lying.

You don't answer her, instead your mind shifts to how good Ben looked in a towel this morning, slightly damp from his shower. And then inevitably begins to dip back into the waterfall fantasy.

When Annie had told you that Soldier Boy was back, you had done the research, watched his movies, commercials, and music videos, read his file, and gazed at older pictures of him. Yes he was handsome, but something about the Ben who existed in the 21st century was better looking than all the rest. You didn't know why, just that you were crazy not to admit how good looking he was.

Maybe I've got issues and I'm attracted to the wrong type of man.

“Come on so you locked your door.” Annie nudges your leg under the table.

“Yep.” You avoid her eyes, because you knew as soon as you did you might let it fly that you wanted to sleep with him or rather that he'd kissed you so hard that you'd seen stars and it had only lasted eleven seconds.

Why do I know how long the kiss lasted?

“Why are you making that face?”

“This is my face Annie.”

“No no no. You’re making your suffer in silence face!”

“That’s not a thing.”

“What? Did you lock your door so you wouldn’t go out there?” She jokes with a snort.

You take another sip of your coffee.

“HOLY SHIT Y/N!” Annie's smile is almost too wide, as if she's discovered a new kind of chocolate that you can eat and never gain any weight.

I'd invest in that.

“What?”

“You wanted to sleep with him!”

She shouts it so loud that the people staring at their phones glance over to the two of you. Even a few of the writers on the long table under the window look back over their shoulders at you.

“Keep your voice down." You shush her. "Just because my body wants to doesn’t mean my mind does!”

It does. Who am I kidding?

“Uh-huh sure.”

You slump further in your chair, avoiding the gaze of the couples at the other tables looking at you. “Annie come on. You’ve known me since we were four.  You almost blinded me when I took away your my little pony doll-“

She purses her lips. “I recall you making a tree rain acorns down on my head.”

“It was my doll.”

“It was mine! And I said that I wanted it back. You didn't have to have a tree do a reenactment of the ten plagues garden edition."

You hold up your hands in surrender not wanting to get into this fight again. “Whatever the case. You know me. You know that I always think stuff like this through-“

“Maybe you’re just thinking too much.” She sing songs.

“I can’t believe you’re for this. I’m not going to sleep with him.”

“Why not? You obviously want to.” Annie shrugs. "I mean I guess I'm not his number one fan, but maybe it will help get you out of a slump."

"What slump?"

"You haven't really been with a guy since Newton-" Annie begins to say, referencing your ex-boyfriend that you locked in a tree in high school. Because he deserved it.

"Because I never meet anyone that I'd want to sleep with. And yeah maybe I want to sleep with Ben, but he really just pushes my buttons and makes me crazy and-" You stop for a second considering your next words. “I don’t want that kind of relationship with someone. I want a relationship that means something. And I don’t think that sleeping with him is going to do that for me. He doesn’t want more than one night and I’m worth more and I want more.”

"You are worth more sweetie." Annie's hand covers yours where it rests on the table. "You just need to find someone who understands that."

"The only other single man in my life is Butcher and trust me I'm not going down that road." You bite the inside of your cheek thoughtfully. "I mean he is pretty hot in a rugged sort of way-"

"No." Annie squeezes your hand. "If God put me in your life to prevent you from dating William Fucking Butcher then so be it."

"Fine." You roll your eyes at her.

"And what are you talking about? What about Jake? He's cute and he likes you."

"He does not. We're just friends. And I don't know if I want to drag him into all this supe shit. It's not exactly easy."

Being with Jake will just complicate everything. He's my boss and he's not a supe. What if I accidentally killed him during sex? I don't think that I'd ever be able to get over that.

"Yeah. But maybe he'd be okay with it-"

"Like Newton was okay with it?" You raise an eyebrow, saying the name of your high school boyfriend for the first time since you'd locked him in a tree.

"He was an asshole. Not all non-supes are assholes."

"Just because you struck gold with Hughie does not mean that all non-supes are like that."

"You just have to broaden your horizons a little bit. Maybe you could try online dating."

"What like Tinder?"

"Fuck no." Annie groans. She raises the sesame seed bagel with a perfectly manicured hand to her mouth, reminding you that you probably should get your nails done. You hadn't done them since high school, because sometimes you thought it was a waste of money given how much time you spent with your hands thrust into potting soil.

"Because Ben seems to really  like it. Has no problems working that app, I'll tell you that." You roll your eyes thinking about him again.

It was one of the first apps that he had downloaded on his phone by himself and one that he did not have any trouble navigating, given the parade of women that came through Butcher's apartment and the amount of nights Ben spent going on "dates." For a guy born so long ago, you noticed that he really didn't have any old fashioned values.

"You sure are focused on him."

"I am not." You glance down at your phone noting the time. "And are you going to spend our date mocking me about Ben the whole time?”

“That depends.”

“On?”

“If you’re going to fuck him or not.”

“I’m not so let’s move on.” You sigh loudly, moving your hand as if ushering in the next topic.

“Well if things don’t work out with Mr. Blast From The Past, then you can always date Mike.” She sniggers.

“Oh I don’t think he’s going to be a problem-“ It slips before you meant it to.

Shit.

“What do you mean?” Annie perks up when you say that.

“Nothing.”

She punches you hard on the shoulder.

“Ow. Annie-“

“Tell me!” She punches you again.

“What are you the mob? You’re gonna keep punching me til I tell you?”

“Exactly.” Her small fist hits your shoulder one more time.

“Fine!” You avoid her next swing. “Mike came out of his apartment last night when Ben and I got in and Ben he-“ You bite the inside of your cheek to try and phrase it in a way that isn’t going to make Annie freak out.

Yeah there’s really no easy way to say this.

“He pretended to be my boyfriend.”

“He what?” Annie squeals.

“And he kissed me.” You mutter into your drink.

“He kissed you!?”

“Say it a little louder, I don’t think they heard you in Canada.”

She punches your shoulder.

“Ow, Annie! I told you what happened!” You rub your hand over your sore shoulder, which given Annie's enhanced strength was sure to have a bruise.

“That was for not mentioning it earlier! Because What the fuck?! You KISSED!?” You could practically see Annie mentally kicking her feet and giggling.

“Yes.”

“Was it good?!”

You pause. Fuck yeah it was.

You were trying to forget that. Forget how he held you, like you weren’t close enough, forget how he deepened the kiss as if he wanted to swallow you whole, forget how everything else in the world seemed to fade into shades of gray and kissing him was the only thing in color.

Damn it. This isn't going to end well.

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

A/N: Honestly thank you for all the love and support on this series. I know it's kinda slow going at the beginning, but I promise I have a plan for this one! :)

As always thank you so much for reading! If you'd liked to be added to the Taglist please let me know :)

Taglist:

@roseblue373 @mrsjenniferwinchester @corruptedcruiser @winchesterwild78 @the-super-who-locked-wizard

@criminalyetminimal @52ndstreeet @bitchykittenconnoisseur @anna6307 @libby99hb

@faephoria @possiblyafangirl @jqtaro @quietlybitchy @tinydancer40

@roger-that-cap @megara0224 @miskwaadesiwag @rainyeggvoidpurse

@soldiergrimes @tiffsbagels @podiumackles

[caprisunnydays]

Stardew Valley x Reader Bachelor Headcanons

Alex

Before you and Alex got together, you probably became long time friends

He was def like "damn they hot" but then when it became more than just that he was like "DAMN THEY'RE HOT"

It's been a bit since he's felt those silly little butterflies, it genuinely makes him nervous

Que him leaning against a wall like "Hey bbg" but he's sweating bullets

After his confession, he feels much better, and the nervous air that only you could really pick up on has disappeared

Very PDA, arm is always around you, probably not in the back pocket but if he's tipsy enough then boom it appears

Insists on going in the mines with you but saw a slime and wanted to dip so bad but you protected him <3

"Heh...I totally wasn't scared. Don't worry babe I'll protect you" nah boy

He feels his heart melt every time he sees you and Evelyn baking together, or her just acting like your grandma

Even George has become a grandpa figure, giving advice with alex or general things

Alex is secretly insecure about himself, but with you, he finds room to grow as a person and find that those worries are unwarranted

Though he doesn't say it often, you make him feel seen, and he truly appreciates that

Elliot

(Personal fav right now so I'm about to go OFF)

If you picked romance for his book he's imagining you both as the main characters

Not a complete parallel because he's like "can't be creepy" but a teensy bit

Speaking of "can't be creepy" he has written multiple sonnets about you since realizing his feelings

Unlike some of the other bachelors, he embraces his feelings more, using his passion to inspire his writing and other endeavors

Heavy on the gifts and courting stuff

Gives you love poems at least once a week he has so many piled up but he doesn't wanna go overboard

Says the sappiest things all the time with this love struck look in his eyes

PRETTIEST MANNNNN

Words of affirmation kinda guy, he's poetic like that

Leah pokes at him for being a simp but mans could not care less he's proud

Picks out pretty sea shells that wash up on the shore and gives them to you, and they're always intact!

Big fan of the flower dance and looks forward to getting to dance with you in front of the entire town! maybe your worst nightmare but he's just happy to show you off (and his dancing skills lol)

Speaking of which, mans is gonna teach you how to waltz and a bunch of other old timey dances

At some point he WILL show up in the pouring rain to profess his love, or give you flowers, or both

You're like "Elliot we're literally dating was this necessary and he's like "OF COURSE MY DEAR"

He'd love heartstopper

Harvey

Insert too sweet by Hozier

Silly little doctor guy tries to avoid you but can't help but be drawn to you

He sees you running around doing your daily tasks, and just watches you from afar from the window of the doctor's office

Maru notices and tells you to come in sometime cuz her boss ain't gonna get nowhere by himself

When you start coming in more often he can feel himself die of embarrassment when he fails to make interesting conversation

Is very worried about your health though and fusses when you pass out in the mines/street

He gets even more adamant about you taking care of yourself once he's confessed

Way less nervous though!

Looks at you with adoration eyes when you do anything

Tipsy Harvey is a cute Harvey because he starts spilling his guts on how often he thinks of you

Whenever you're not busy with work he appreciates you stopping by the office, just to talk about both of your days

He yaps to everyone about you btw

Doesn't mean to but when someone brings you up he's like "oh yes me and my partner love to-" or "my partner loves-" etc etc

I used to not be a fan but he's such a sweetiepie

Sam

"I just love a guy who plays guitar <3" - u @Sam

That's it

I JEST

Originally he's like "hey come and hang out with me, Sebastian, and Abigail"

Then you start coming over and it's just you both alone

He's not creepy about it, just wants to spend time with you one on one

Loves showing you the songs he works on and if you want he'll show you how to play guitar too!

He's also happy with how well you get along with Jodi, always trying to get you both to bond, it makes him feel nice that you feel like you're apart of the family

Once y'all are together he does sneak you in anytime he gets the chance

He'll text you like "come over" You : I've gotta be up at 6am Him : "PLZPLZPLZPLZ-"

OG golden retriever bf

You both go shopping at Joja at 3am for fun and goof off

Or go run around in the forest taking aesthetically pleasing pintrest photos

Sebastian

You can't tell me he's not an arctic monkeys kinda guy so insert R U Mine? By Arctic Monkeys

It took him time to warm up to you

When he did you became one of the few people he could hang out with after a long day of socializing and not feel drained around

I can see him doing things that aren't always super platonic and thinking he wants to do them because

"Platonically" holding your hand, cuddling, etc

At town events he stands all close to you, complaining about how much he hates it, but showing disappointment when you mention leaving

Everyone's like are y'all dating and he goes NO way too fast

When you both finally ARE together though he's actually much less affectionate and public, but it doubles when you're in the comfort of his basement room

Finds the most joy in keeping you trapped in his bed with him until noon when you say you should be working on your farm

Especially in the colder months, then you can also share his mom's pumpkin soup

He's almost catlike with his affection

Another guy you run around and take aesthetically pleasing pintrest photos with, but his are more grunge esk

"Accidentally" leaves his hoodies at your place but he likes seeing you in em

I imagine that the characters have those closets filled with the same outfit, so when you try and give him his stuff back he goes "nah" and whips out his 100th hoodie

Shane

PACK IT UP SAVIOUR COMPLEX I mean what who said that

After you rescue him from the depths of his depressive alcoholism, he feels guilty for having feelings for you

Part of it is because he's like "fuck do I actually like them or is it just cuz they basically saved my life" and partly because it feels painfully stereotypical

Not a lot changes, though he is a lot more open to you then he is with other people, even with Marnie

Helps out with your chickens when he has free time

Talks to them about his problems and once you almost walked in on him ranting about his feelings for you (bro was shook)

But once he's confessed, well, he's still insecure about some things, but accepts your help with stride

Jealous easily, but tries not to show it

Acts of service kinda guy, so if you need him to run an errand while you're swamped with farm work? He's on it

Pulls up to your farm with a bunch of snacks and a bag full of movies for you to pick from

He sets it up while you take a shower to wash all the grime and dirt off from a days work so you can just come and cozy up on the couch with him

You're also basically besties with Jas, such a sweet girl, always asks you to play jump rope with her

You both go "say no to drugs" to her l o l

Marnie is also now your bestie so even when she's not working you can get stuff from the shop #WIN

I loooooove stardew valley it's so cool so great

[katsukota]

Mean x Meaner

(part two)

I'm writing some of this the same day as part one but i wanted to be mysterious and make it have multiple parts.. 🤫

Same warnings as last time probably ! Spoiler references to the anime and chapters, Part one : 💗

Eventually, and reluctantly, you learned more about each other.

To you, "Bakugou Katsuki" You learned to be his name, was egotistical, over his head, and bound to die in a petty battle after making a stupid mistake. Not one you'd ever make, of course.

You also knew, his birthday was April 20th. A taurus, but on the cusp of aries which made sense. He had a childhood friend who "Pisses me off even more than you do", and had a singular dimple.

The main thing you learned, and what you were most excited about, was finding out he liked spicy food. Just like you.

After being the leagues captive for a good minute, you'd grown unfortunately comfortable and accepting of your situation. Of course, your content mindset didn't change your bossy, and demanding personality. The league had to grow accustomed to you as well, so when you screamed at god knows what hour, shocking only Bakugou, they weren't surprised at your request (more of a requirement) of any spicy food, and now.

Bakugou wasn't new to bossing around and bullying villains, honestly everyone really. But he couldn't help but be left in astonishment seeing how you practically walked part of the league like a dog. You were dominating, and it was clear to him and the LOV, that some demands were to be met if they wanted not even your cooperation, but basic behavior. If they didn't want a shit show, and possibly an escaped witness, your asks were top priority. For a captive, you asserted a role above those who you saw as inferior, even if they had the upper hand. You strung them along, giving them crumbs of hope that you'd help, taking their gifts and turning your head when they asked for anything in return. And that was at best, if push came to shove, he heard of the stories of you and the villains getting into fights that you'd sometimes share during late nights. But nevertheless, you never left, even though you clearly could. You never seemed to even be curious about what could lie outside of this shitty underground bar. You were content with the mutual Stockholm Syndrome you and the league had been trapped in.

Thats how you two ended up there, two bowls of spicy udon. Whilst Bakugou was suspicious, you were relaxed, eating it while complimenting a "Kurogiri" for his cooking.

When you noticed him still being tied up, you got closer, and held the large, bowlish spoon up to his lips.

"Eat."

He wondered what this place was doing to him. If anyone else had even dared to think of this, the whole building would have been sent flying into the air. He would've created a coffin for you in the sky.

But, here he was, opening his mouth carefully to let you press the utensil against his tongue.

A scary thought bubbled in him, that perhaps it wasnt what this place was doing to him, but what you were doing to him.

As he went to swallow, he felt the end of the spoon get jabbed against his uvula and hit against his throat.

Fuck that. You werent doing anything to him. Besides making him feel this burning feeling. It must be hate.

"Hey ! What the fuck ?" He scowled, his face looking like one of a pitbull, bread to fight and be dangerous, but when his fangs were beared, you couldn't help but coo at him.

You laughed again, the one he hated so much. The one he hated falling asleep too, and waking up too. He hated you, and all your pranks, he hated villains, and he hated that they had brought you here. Of course, he hated that because it meant he had to deal with you. He couldn't give less of a shit about you outside of his tolerance. Right ?

To Bakugou, You were like Pandora's Box. But he hadn't opened you, he was thrown into a cage, where a tiger pounced out of the box and injected all the wonders and horror into his brain like a lobotomy.

They were obnoxious, annoying, bossy, rude, loud, brash. The type of person if you were walking in the hallways, hes sure he wouldn't even have the chance to move out of your way before you'd knock him over on purpose. Hes sure that during movie nights, you wouldn't choose a movie you liked, but calculate which one could scare or piss off the others the most. You were a fucking demon.

And worst of all, you were like one of the demons on his shoulder. He was stuck tied up, and even though you absolutely could get him out, absolutely run off together, (hed ditch you soon after, obviously), but instead you stayed behind him, resting your head on his shoulder to piss him off.

"Stop touching me, freak." He snapped, counting down the seconds until the heroes would save him. He wondered, what would happen to you ? Would you even want to leave ? Would you decide to finally join the league ? Would he fight you someday in the future ? Not that it mattered. He could obviously beat you.

You lifted your head up slightly, still in his space, but not touching him. "Hm ? I'm not touching you ? Is your brain fried from all that stupid hero shit ?"

He butted his head against yours, knocking you away slightly. "You're so hypocritical. What about you and your villain shit ?"

"Pfft." You wrapped your arms around his chest. At first, he almost became flustered. Confused at the escalation in touch. "I'm not a villain. I think all of you roleplayers are stupid." Your arms lifted, locking the boy into a chokehold. Not enough to harm him seriously, but enough to rough him up.

He let out an amusing strand of chokes and curses, "I'm gonna blow you to bits !" or "Youre so fucking done when I get out of this crap !" The usual bickering.

Your sadistic tendencies and the laughter you didnt even try to hide ran down his spine. "You sound like a fish out of water, cat got your tongue ? Cmon. Spit it out." You loosened your arms as tears of excitement threatened to spill past your lash line. You'd never admit it, but having someone around did make things more entertaining.

Though, you and Toga had a few hangouts, and Mr Compress was no stranger. You've kept Kurogiri company while hes cooked, you and Twice have had hilarious conversations. You aren't a fan of villains or heroes, but you understand and listened to Spinner whilst he talked about Stain. You wouldnt say you were friends with any of your captors, but youd be lying if you said you didnt have your fair share of human interaction. So why was suddenly having someone like Bakugou around making things more lively ? You attributed it to how easily you could tick him off, and how you two naturally clashed. Nothing else.

Tomorrow would be the official indoctrination. You knew this, as on the first of every month they'd bring you out to the main 'living room' space and gather around you, having an attempt at converting you. You were excited to see how Bakugou would react.

You thought more, unable to sleep. Your ideals were clear, and set in stone. Everyone playing pretend, thinking their some big shot hero or villain was stupid to you. It was a fancy way to make cops and robbers seem like fun.

But if they did convince Bakugou into joining, what would you do ? Its not that you want to be a villain, but the thought of him having that power over you, turning on to the side of your captors made you sick.

No it didnt.

You didn't care about the fact they were your kidnappers, you knew that had little to no control over you. So why does the thought of him leaving make you feel so sour ? Maybe you just don't want to be alone. It can't be anything more.

"What's got your face looking all confused and uglier than usual ?" A gruff voice spoke out.

"Fuckin creep, looking at me while I'm trying to sleep ?" You spat back. Usually you were just rude without any anger, but right now you weren't in your best mood. "Last I checked there isnt any mirrors, so go to sleep before I bash your fatass head in."

"Well fuck me for making sure you weren't dying over there."

"Tomorrow they're going to officially try and bring you into the League of Villains." You looked at him, ignoring the previous scuffle. Usually you wouldn't have told him, curious to see his blind reaction. But you wanted answers, and you were going to get them. "Only god knows why they want your weak ass, youd contribute nothing."

"Shut up, will you ?! I crush the weak, don't categorize me as that, ill fuckin kill you." A nerve was clearly hit, but when is it not ?

"So, you crush the weak ? Yea that sounds strong." You said sarcastically, if he was strong then he'd pick on strong people. But you knew you couldn't get on his ass for that. "Think you'll join the league then ? They don't just crush the weak. They crush everyone and everything. Seems like your idea of fun."

"You're out of your mind." He groaned. Hed had this conversation with you about every twenty minutes. "The heroes are coming, every minute I know they're getting closer and closer. They're gonna get us out of here." His heart sped up. Us ? Why the fuck would he say that. "That's why I'm gonna be a hero. Theyre way fuckin cooler, and always win." Maybe if he was already a hero, he could have saved you from this place sooner.

You rolled over, unable to look him in the eyes. Why was it ? Your heart felt weird, and you felt oddly warm at the usage of 'Us'. "You're delusional," you sighed, "Even if they do save "us", it's not like I'm gonna be some hero."

"Well why not ? It's not like.." He paused. He'd never said anything like this before, 'complimenting' someone wasn't his thing. Fuck he hated you, he hated you for making him say such things. "It's not like your quirk is all that shitty. Like you said, people like us get kidnapped by these losers for a reason."

You wanted to kill him. He wasn't being an asshole, you couldn't even justify just slapping his brain out of his ear. But implying you'd ever be one. It was just silly. You didn't trust yourself to speak, surely it'd shake. Out of rage, of course.

When he saw you respond with a middle finger and lay further away, he changed his approach. "Fine, then what are y'gonna do ? You're my age, you have to be in school. Theres a general study where I go, im sure you could get accepted."

"Pfft, are you gonna miss me or something ?" You snickered. It's starting to sound like he wants you to come with him. Deep down, the thought of coming with him is sweet. It feels happy. But happiness doesn't last, and you doubt that that's what he means. You're just twisting it to tease him.

"What, like you won't ?" You sucked your breath in. What the fuck is he about to go on about ? "Why did you tell me about the League's plan tomorrow ? I know you would've loved to see my face when it randomly came up. Don't tell me you were trying to figure out what I was gonna do so you could gauge your next action ?" You could hear the smirk on his face.

"You're so stupid." You said, sounding unbothered. "Just tryna make sure you don't turn into one of my captors. Sure you'd love to flaunt that power imbalance in my face." You already knew this was not the case.

"Do you think im stupid ?" He groaned, annoyed at your excuse.

"Obviously, the fact you even asked when I made that clear is proof enough." You yawned, pretending to be bored of everything that was Katsuki Bakugou.

"The League is like your fuckin lap dog, if anything you'd just get control over me."

"You already are a dumb dog, I can control you as much as I want from inside this cell. Now shut up before I put you down."

"I'm really going to kill you someday."

[the-unconquered-queen]

What are some Choices books that you feel if they came out today, they’d probably be single LI books? Because I've given it some thought and I'd say some of them might have been:

The Royal Romance: Would have absolutely been a Liam-only book (I’ve talked about this a bunch in the past), so you’d end up marrying the heir to the throne, Liam/Lia instead, and honestly it would’ve probably worked out better for the writers in the long run if they were only going for a specific narrative instead of trying to force the one-arc-fits-all thing most players have complained about in the series at some point.

Ride-or-Die: Not only is MC’s attraction to Logan something that sets off the story, but I also can’t imagine Colt or Mona being love interests following how modern books are. Don’t know what f!Logan would be called, though.

Save the Date: I mentioned this once before, but I think it would’ve been a Justin book which would’ve leaned harder into a “forbidden romance”, but I imagine this book having come out in their affairs era because it would have been the epitome of the stuff PB loved back then: an LI who’s MC’s “boss” and also I maintain that they would’ve made Justin/Justine the one having the wedding, and of course you’d end up breaking them and their fiancée up, so there’s that other component PB was obsessed with. But since that wave of books seems to have ended (abated?), then the engagement/fiancée arc possibly wouldn’t be a thing today, but there’s every chance they’d still throw in a gf to be MC’s rival as a subplot.

I also wonder if they’d have made Open Heart a single LI book (they practically did anyway) but the thing about OH is that it’s not mandatorily a romance book, so for that they’d have had to make the romance a main part of the story.

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

But at the same time! Are there any recent(ish) Choices books that you feel would have been multiple LI books in the past? Because I’ve got thoughts about that, too, but the only thing I've got so far is:

Crimes of Passion: Ruby and Luke would’ve absolutely been romanceable, and they’d have been a bigger part of the story for it, too. The MC x Trystan romance doesn’t really play a crucial role until b2 anyway, and everything that happened in b1 could’ve been accomplished with them as good friends as well. Trystan would’ve still been the main LI, just not the only one.

And then sometimes I've wondered if TCH (b1 at least, if they hadn't planned it as a series) would have let you choose whether you ended up with Kieran or a Sun Court LI (potentially Radiance if they weren't a traitor and dead—moreso because of the dead part because even as a traitor they could've had the same b2 arc they gave Aerin in Blades 2, since Radiance is already a copy of b1 Aerin), but idk, probably not, since the series hinges so much on Kieran being in love with MC and them having that Beauty and the Beast thing going on.

[berylcups]

My favorite thing to do is smash my hyper fixations together.... So do you have any headcanons for a JJBA ( part 5 ) x splatoon au? :)

Another Splatoon lover Awww yeaaa! 😄 Funnily enough one of my first posts was a jjba/splatoon au but it hardly got any activity so I deleted it forever ago. But that means I can do a new one! 😄 for this one I did La Squadra. If this one does well, I’ll do a bucci gang one too!

La Squadra as Splatoon characters-

CW: none!

Notes: I based each kit for each member based on their personality, stand abilities, and just their vibes. Not everyone’s kit is “balanced”, it’s probably going to be either OP, or ridiculously weak. 😅 so if you disagree with anything just take it with a grain of salt. Especially with Sorbet and Gelato! Regardless I hope you all enjoy! 💜 Beryl

Name: Risotto

Octo/squid: Octoling

Species: Day Octopus- this octopus is the best at camouflaging itself which would be a perfect representation for Metallicas invisibility.

Sub weapon: ink mines- these are helpful to have nearby in his blind spots while he camps out waiting for his opponent to come by. He’s a leader for the hitman team for a good reason. He’s always prepared for anything and thinks three steps ahead.

Main weapon: Grim Range Blaster- this thing is slow but packs a lethal punch. Risotto toyed around with Doppio but that was a special case. He doesn’t mess around when he’s going against a target. 1 hit kills are something super satisfying for this lethal minded Octoling.

Special weapon: wave breaker- this weeds out opponents that are close by. Just like If they are in his range he can cause some damage and track them through the magnetic fields.

Fav Ability: Respawn Punisher- just like when he’s fighting the boss, if he’s gonna get splatted and be punished for it he’s gonna take you down with him. He’s not afraid of the repercussions as long as his opponent gets punished too. He enjoys ninja squid too but he doesn’t move much so it would be a waste…

Fav mode: He would probably enjoy tower control the most. He could camp on the tower while his comrades kill those who even think about trying about putting a single grubby tentacle on Risotto’s precious tower.

Type of fighter: He’s your worst nightmare. He’s a camper. Where’s he hiding? Who knows? He could be protecting his base, in mid, or slinked his way into your base blasting you every time you respawn. At least he’s not one to squidbag

Name: Formaggio

Octo/squid: Inkling

Species: Southern Pygmy squid- The smallest squid known to man. He’s not ashamed of his size! It’s pretty obvious why he would be this type of squid. It’s hard to shoot a moving target that’s ridiculously small.

Sub weapon: curling bomb - to gtfo when things get hairy!

Main weapon: Sploosh-o-matic - short ranged, annoying to get splatted with, easy to use = perfect for Maggio!

Special weapon: Ultra Stamp - what's the best way to make your enemies feel even smaller by stomping them with a big ass hammer??? He’s going to spam this special like it’s going out of style so better find a way to out run him or know where to shoot his weak point while he's stomping around!

Fav Ability: last ditch effort- He’s laid back but hes no procrastinator. He’s going to fight to the bitter end. Last ditch effort is perfect for him to get the last laugh or die trying.

Fav mode: Rainmaker- this one is a little self explanatory. Rainmaker is like 1 big explosive football/soccer match! You can’t exactly pass the rainmaker like you can the ball in his favorite sport but he’s willing to adapt! Clam Blitz is another beloved mode of his, but Rainmaker is his number 1 love.

Type of fighter: Booyah spammer- He’s a great teammate and loves to cheer his teammates on…or does he just love screaming BOOYAH??? It’s a mixture of both. It can be annoying at times, but his enthusiasm and dedication is admirable.

Name: Illuso

Octo/squid: Octoling

Species: Mimic octopus- is it really a mirror or is that Octoling really good at mimicking your every move? This crafty octopus is a perfect representation of Illuso and his abilities.

Sub weapon: burst bomb - you cannot separate this bomb from the carbon roller, they are the perfect couple! Illuso thinks so too. He also loves the instant gratification of damaging you quickly.

Main weapon: Carbon Deco Roller - a super quick but low damage weapon that Illuso has perfected to a Tee. His MO isn’t to go in and charge directly at his enemy but to sneak up behind them and barrage them with multiple swings of the roller and to add some razzle dazzle, end it with a burst bomb.

Special weapon: big bubbler- he may not have the mirror world to rely on but he can use the big bubbler to only allow his ink inside…but it doesn’t stop others from coming inside to kick his octo-ass. I don’t think he was prepared for that situation… oh well! You can always respawn Lulu!

Fav Ability: Ninja Squid- this asshole loves sneaking up on a poor soul and bonking them on the head with his roller.

Fav mode: splatzone- he would like to guard an area and keep it under his team’s control. He’d like to keep it for himself…but he has no choice but to share.

Type of fighter: taunter- this dick squidbags after every kill. He loves getting his opponents heated up and too angry to play with a clear mind. Don’t let him get under your skin, splat him while he’s taunting your poor teammate! (And maybe one up his taunt with a better one )

Name: Pesci

Octo/squid: Octoling

Species: Dumbo octopus - Like Pesci its a little odd and not very threatening looking, but the both of them are very charming looking. (and adorable!) Don’t let that get you down Pesci, the Dumbo Octopus is a fan favorite among Cephalopod enthusiasts!

Sub weapon: torpedo bomb - Beach Boy is good at detecting nearby heartbeats, so a torpedo bomb would be good at sussing out if an enemy is nearby as well. Also, the fish shape of the bomb is just fitting for this fisherman!

Main weapon: Splatana- Variable in damage and swift, and it handles somewhat like a fishing rod… This would probably be the most fitting weapon for Pesci! He can swing vertically for a concentrated hit once his head is in the game, and he can spam it horizontally when hes panicking or trying to paint up the base. Very versatile for this critical thinker.

Special weapon: killer wail 5.1 - Pesci doesn’t have to worry about walls when using Beach Boy, and he won’t have to worry about again when he’s using his killer wail! It’s not as accurate as Beach Boy, but on the upside, it goes after more than one enemy. He’ll take that trade off for this situation!

Fav Ability: thermal ink- If his vertical swing doesn’t splat off his opponent he should be able to track them for a short while afterwards so he can hunt them back down. He thinks this is a pretty neat ability. He sure wishes he had this ability when he’s out at sea fishing. He wants to be able to track a rare fish that slips off his hook and get another chance.

Fav mode: Salmon Run- He’s Grizz’s Employee of the month ever since he started up his sketchy business! Theres nothing that Pesci loves more than taking out hordes of Salmonids and Striking down their King to receive a massive bounty of ...12 bronze scales. That doesn’t bother him because he’s all in for the grind!

Type of fighter: overfisher and supporter outside of salmon run- There’s no one better to take a shift on with than Pesci. You’ll make it to 999EVP and kill every King Salmonid/Triumvirate you encounter. Full Hazard will feel like a walk in the park.

Outside of Salmon Run hes a huge support- He mostly keeps track of the map and paints, and waits nearby and guards your super jump spot. He’ll even sacrifice himself for you if you’re being targeted when vulnerable either from super jumping, or using your special(ink jet, zipcaster)

Name: Prosciutto

Octo/squid: Octoling

Species: Deep sea Octopus- this octopus has a very long lifespan! They live up to 16-18 years. They are old as hell compared to most octopi species- they live roughly 1-5 years. Prosci would definitely be based off the longest living octopus species.

Sub weapon: toxic mist- Grateful Dead has toxic fog… it’s pretty self explanatory why this would be his sub weapon. The only downside is that there’s no geriatric opponents out on the battlefield.

Main weapon: Foil Squeezer - This would be a perfect weapon for all his needs. Good for inking and far ranged enough for shooting. He’s ready for any situation that comes his way. He’s not backing down!

Special weapon: Splatter Screen- his stand isn’t instantly deadly, but it weakens the literal life out of you. Splatter Screen would be perfect for his needs. Instead of aging you, disorienting you and losing your ability to hear properly and see colors is probably just as debilitating as becoming old. Once you're nice and weak he’s gonna blast you in the mantle!

Fav Ability: haunt- Anyone who splats him won’t be able to get to do it a second time. He likes having this ability so he can always have the last laugh.

Fav mode: Turf War (Splatfest) - He’s 100% dedicated to his team and won’t hold anything back to ensure their victory even if it means he has to respawn. He tends to focus more on getting kills but he doesn’t forget the main objective of the fight- CLAIMING TURF.

Type of fighter: try hard - He’s THAT kind of opponent. Y’know the one gets kills after kills? No matter how hard you try you can’t land a SINGLE HIT on them? That’s Prosciutto. You try match after match so you can just ONCE you can splat him. But…it never happens. 😞 you either rage quit or the stages changed. 😩

Name: Melone

Octo/squid: inkling

Species: gonatus onyx- one of the few squids that brood their eggs. This squid species is the most parental of its kind. Melone is always there to teach each offspring of baby face how to take someone out. This squid embodies him perfectly!

Sub weapon: Auto bomb- go baby face! Or…this auto bomb will do I guess. Go slowly chase down anyone who gets too close to Mel!

Main weapon: E-Liter- Melone doesn’t like to be deep in the action. He likes to work from a distance. What’s the best long ranged weapon for a long ranged stand user? An E-Liter of course! He can get kills all day long guarding base and working his way up as his team claims more turf. But…he might want to watch his back though. Some crafty inkling could slither on behind him and wipe him out. 🐍

Special weapon: super chump- he can’t bring in Baby Face but he can summon a horde of explosives instead. It’s not very accurate and they are easy to kill off but they make good distractions while he either retreats or charges up another shot.

Fav Ability: sub ink saver- he loves to depend on his auto bombs even if they don’t hit anyone. They at least ink up the place and look cute as they waddle towards you menacingly. He needs a lot of sub ink saver so he can throw out as many auto bombs as he can squeeze out in 3 minutes!

Fav mode: Tri Color (Defense)- There’s no way you’re getting the ultra signal. Not when there's a charger constantly defending it. Melone doesn't care about turf, his mind is only on the signal. As far as he’s concerned, it’s your problem to turf the rest of the place. I mean that’s good I think..? You can ink away while someone is guarding the ultra signal?

Type of fighter: Human/Inkling aimbot- may or may not be using an aimbot…he isn’t thankfully! But scarily enough his aim and reaction time is just that good. 😰 you definitely want him as a ally and not an opponent.

Name: Ghiaccio

Octo/squid: inkling

Species: humboldt squid- this is the most aggressive squid that nature has to offer…that we know of. It attacks divers and fishermen like the Red Devils that they are. They also inhabit icy cold waters. Angry and cold? If that doesn’t describe Ghia I don’t know what does!

Sub weapon: splash wall - White Album can nullify attacks by freezing the atmosphere around him but the best we can give him is a splash wall. (They always suck when I use them but they are nearly invincible when my opponents use them…talk about unfair 😩)

Main weapon: Octobrush - yeah he knows he’s a inkling and it’s an octobrush. He doesn’t care! It’s the perfect amount of speed and power for this aggressive inkling. He’s going to chase you down before you can even THINK about warning your teammates before he starts clapping cheeks with his brush.

Special weapon: kracken royale - Just like White Album, this special is invincible. BUT it doesn’t last long. So you need to pray to the cephalo-gods that you can out run him until he tuckers out. Then during that brief second of vulnerability then you have the upper hand on him.

Fav Ability: opening gambit- Ghia wastes no time when he has a mission to complete. He’s going to speed through the first 30 seconds of battle getting ahead of the opponent. Whether inking, splatting the enemy, or collecting clam shells he has to be faster than the enemy.

Fav mode: Clam Blitz - this would probably be his favorite mode. He’s quick and has a keen eye to grab as many clams as he can so he can bust down the enemy barrier. He’s also going to spam “This way!” aggressively for you to go to the enemy base and throw as many clams in as possible! If he could scream instead of gargle his voice you’d probably hear it all across inkopolis to Splatsville. 😬

Type of fighter: Try Hard/ Grudge holder - squidbag him and he’s going to make it HIS MISSION to splat you over and over again. And he will aggressively squidbag back harder and faster each and every time. 😰

Name: Sorbet

Octo/squid: inkling

Species: big fin squid - he looks like an intimidating man. A nightmare Inducing squid species would complement him as well.

Sub weapon: suction bomb- he loves destruction and the generous ink coverage

Main weapon: Wellstring V- he seems like another hitman who likes to work from a distance. There’s not much known about him so this is just my own self projections. 😅

Special weapon: triple ink strike- dropping massive bombs from a distance…good enough reason for him!

Fav Ability: ability doubler- he’s well known to be greedy so it’s likely this limited time ability would be his favorite! 😍 he wants as many abilities as he can get his tentacles on.

Fav mode: doesn’t care as long as he’s on the same team as Gelato

Type of fighter: match thrower by AFK (when not on the same team as Gelato)

Name: Gelato

Octo/squid: inkling

Species: promachoteuthis squid- another nightmare inducing squid… has a humanoid mouth. Gelato looks like a person that would bite someone unprovoked tbh 🤷🏻‍♀️

Sub weapon: fizzy bomb - this bomb is unpredictable. Just like him! Shake it a little or shake it a lot and watch it blow!

Main weapon: Tentabrella - He must protect Sorbet at all costs. So he’s gonna ignore the objective completely and protect Sorbet and shotgun blast away anyone who comes close by.

Special weapon: trizooka - more projectiles? He’s in love 😍 the more chaos he can create the better. 3 shots is very generous to him with his accuracy. That means 3 dead inklings/octolings…well until they respawn. But that just means he gets to use his special weapon again!

Fav Ability: object shredder - this guy is destructive. He has impulse to destroy whatever is in his way. Sprinklers, splash walls, barriers, etc… he’s going to break it!

Fav mode: doesn’t care as long as he’s on the same team as Sorbet

Type of fighter: match thrower by squid partying (if he’s not on the same team as Sorbet)

[alexissara]

Gwitch and Minimum Viable Queerness

Trusting companies to make queer art is always asking for heart break even when it really and deeply seems like they made some queer art. However, despite my love for Gundam: The Witch From Mercury it must be said there is plenty of issues with the show that pointed towards the direction they have gone now that we've entered the post release era.

In the magazine Gundam Ace they edited our a writer stating that Sulleta and Mio were married. They apologized for that statement ever making it in to begin with on Twitter the X gonna give to you dot bomb with this.

This obviously lead to tons of angry fans and queer folks but it wasn't like this came out of nowhere. Despite some people saying it's just "western brained losers" or something that thought there was queer bait in the Witch From Mercury there is something that queer people forget which is that most straight cis people literally have no brain cells. They espically have an inability to see sapphic relationships as real or valid.

Gundam The Witch From Mercury was explicit, more explicit than a lot of media but they intentionally excluded the three universal signifiers of romantic or sexual love from the show despite it being centered for all 24 episodes around the Sulmio engagement. These three signifiers are an "I love you" "I Love You too", a kiss, or fucking. Gundam is a toy commercial for kids so while sex is probably not on the table it isn't actually even off the table for Gundam given the series history has had off scene sex and bad stuff too like adult women trying to seduce like a 10 year old boy. So like these shows aren't afraid to do some shit. Many say that Gundam doesn't do kisses that is a lie, Z, 00, Seed, and Iron Blooded Orphans's all have done kisses. I love yous also happen across the series, the end of G Gundam has a special love attack that blows up the last boss.

This is all to say Gundam: The Witch From Mercury activated a strategy corporate media called minimum viable queerness. In order to get the gay dollar, to seem progressive, whatever it may be a company will do as little gay as they can get away with to get the gays actively invested in their art. Ultimately, their aim is to have it be blaringly obvious to queer folks but invisible to the hets. The show also did the minimum viable amount of women making sure the men had utterly meaningless fights near the end just for women to be on screen less. These fights involve men who are not either of the main two girls getting mad at each other for some kind of connection or action towards one of the girls. These take up a significant amount of the second seasons run time not to mention one of these men got a full episode devoted to him. Meanwhile the main couple of the show was away from each other for the vast majority of episodes, almost never in the same room and almost exclusively on somewhat bad terms.

In the show Sulleta is the main character but in season one she is mostly piloting against men with one fight against a pair of girls near the end. Chuchu is given sidekick pilot status and lives to the end but she doesn't get her own highlighted battle ever unlike a side side character in Guel's brother who gets a major fight against his brother weighted against the fate of quite zero and Sulleta and Ariel fighting. Which comes after Guel fought Shadiq for no reason which came after Guel fighting Sulleta again for Ariel which came after Guel trying to survive in a mech when he was stuck on earth earlier. Guel was in a mech 1 more time than Sulleta was in season 2. The two other witch girls die in their first and second time respectively of being in a gundam in season 2 and the second of the pair gets maybe a word in with our main character her whole existence and never talks to our secondary main character at all. The action is still in large part being given to men even in the woman centric series.

And in this "queer centered" story we see very explicit delectations of feelings from Guel, Shadiq, Petra and Lauda which are all heterosexual ontop of all the adult characters being hetero, implied hetero E5 with Nora dying for considering being with a man and E5 sexually harassing Sulleta. The series overwhelming overcompensates for it's queerness by aggressively pushing straightness and in particular having other main characters want our lesbians heterosexually.

This does not mean that the writers or animations didn't want to be more explicit or that they did a bad job. they did a great job but we cannot know what is Namco Bandai and what is Sunrise. We just can't but it seems given recent statements that likely Bandai was very hands on in controlling the show. Not to mention giving it's first woman lead series a much shorter run time than most other Gundam series got and intentionally closing it off from an easy sequel series despite it being the most profitable series ever for them.

It appears to me as if Namco Bandai's intention was to convert a bunch of lesbians into gundam fan and throw mild gay bait at us to keep us coming now that we converted, far less explicit than Sulleta and Mio but attempting to ride it out in good faith and have us enjoy the men shows that appealed to boys to not break their delusion that they are making a boys toy for boys. Feeding us right into more Gundam Seed is like trying to choke out any potential life and I think we're gonna see a decline in Gundam sales following Gwitch representing the betrayal of these sapphic fans but more so simply the lack of interest in the bar being lowered.

As fans of Gwitch we need to demand better, it does work, we've seen companies fix statements about Sailor Uranus and Neptune before and other similar instances. We can also make them see if they want to reach the high highs again we need the great shit we get in Gwitch but then even more that the minimum we'll let them get away with is far more than the last time.

If you enjoyed this post consider throwing me some money on Patreon to help me make actually queer art without corporations controlling my voice. I'm hoping to write a bit more about minimum viable queerness in the future but I wanted to really just talk about this while I was mad about it and get it up there. Anyway, back to the writing mines with me, hope you have a great day and go out there and be gay.

[yey56]

Villainous x sarcastic and trouble maker dealer.

DR FLUG🧪:

Thinks your the rational version of Dementia, at least you can be reasoned with.

Sometimes you feel bored and just start to move things from its place, not very far away but defenetly not where they were and it drives him nuts, he's seriously considering that he might have early Alzheimer.

He still thinks its Dementias fault that his things are disappearing and reapearing in different places. You're just laughing in the corner watching they're discussions unravel. 😜

Tries to ally with you whenever he wants to deal with Dementia because your smartass actitude and sarcasm makes you the perfect match for her.

When he's explaining something in the commercial videos he's already expecting either you or Dementia commenting something. 👀

Even though he doesn't admit it much, he likes your funny nature and you're easygoing self.

When you're feeling kind you tell him jokes and make funny comments so he can have a more relaxed environment.

he always laughs at your jokes and sassy answers, but he will always try to hide it.

You're like a ticking bomb waiting to explode, only that you explode with words, every time you open your mouth he doesn't really know what to expect. 💥

You don't always get along but you are able to have fun together and cooperate 👍

DEMENCIA🦎:

Three words: ✨Partners in crime✨

When you're bored you team up with her to annoy Flug, or anyone at your reach.

Once you guys stole a bank and run away with a bycicle so while you were scaping you looked back at the police for a second, that single thing made you both fall to a river (Spoiler: Dementia had to drag you out)

Whenever one of you has committed a crime you can bet that the other is either involved or fully aware of it.

Sometimes you're bored and instead of being productive like you boss has many times aggressively kindly suggest you, you think is a better idea to make an absolute mess. Of course Dementia appears and you both really get carried away. So when shit hits the fan, Black hat appears with all the intention to yell at you both, thats before Dementia literally grasps herself around him.

Of course you take advantage of this to make a quick scape before the boss can notice you presence.

After 2 hours of Black hat trying to get Dementia off of him he called you to deal with her, so after another 30 minutes of bribing her with sugar and energy drinks (probably not your best idea but certainly the quickest one), you finally got her away from your boss.

All of Hat island knows you as the main troublemakers of the place, the almost abandoned police department in the island has a honorary photo of your mug shots in the main entry.

Dem/You: our friendship goes beyond your average kind of bond (🤨🏳️‍🌈)

You: but not because we're gay.

Dem: No, not because we're gay.

Dem/You: were close but not that way, the only one that I love is Blackhat/ Myself 😃.

BLACK HAT 🎩:

He can appreciate witty and mentally quick people, smartness is useful.

Has catch you once or twice slipping some sarcastic comments from time to time, if he's in a good mood he'll ignore them, if not he'll just look at you menacingly.

Sometimes when he doesn't want to go to an event he's been invented to you are send in his place (and if he doesn't like very much the host of said event he allows you to insult other guest, you used the "his words not mine" as an excuse 😈)

You have the bad habit of cursing a lot and you have already been warned that if you keep insulting so much he will tear your tongue away from you mouth.

He wasn't done it yet but instead has put soap in your mouth, and once physically banned you from saying curse words.

You: YOU...

Dem: stupid

You: AND ABSOLUTELY...

Dem: useless fuck

You: I HOPE YOU DIE A HORRIBLE DEATH YOU...

Dem: bitch-smiling

Flug: what the hell are you doing?

You: boss has banned me from saying curse words but I'm unstoppable.

Black hat: I don't think so - turns you tongue into an alive fish. 💀

You basically have no filter, so whenever he wants the truth from an employee you're always the one he asks first because hes certain that you will be honest (sometimes some money is involved but that's another story).

Has catch you sometimes overhearing others conversations in a dark corner, only for you to scare them after .He also enjoys scaring people so thats a hobbie you have in common.

Once for Halloween you proposed the boss to scare the living shit of everyone in the manor for the whole day, he liked that idea so you spent the rest of the day hearing the screams of the others. (+ Points for your malevolence 👍).

One time you were way to honest with him in a day in which he had worst mood than usual (not a good idea) so ONCE AGAIN he punished you taking away you ability to speak (has happened more times that you can count). When you tried to apologise to him, you had to get creative so you got a notebook and wrote this:

You: *writing* ... --- .-. .-. -.-- / -... --- ... ... 😔☹️

Black hat: what the fuck is this?!

You: *writing* remorse code :)

Black hat: now I'm even angrier than before. >:(

505 🐻:

Every time he sees you doing something shady you always give him a lollipop to bribe him (always works).

You're his favourite story teller, since you have a way with words every story you tell him is really fun.

You spent a whole morning doing sock puppets of yourself and other characters.

When you and Dementia make plans for you crimes outings, the both on you and 505 draw together maps and of course outcomes (with Dementia of course it ends up in really unrealistic outcomes but it's fun to imagine them)

You have tried to teach him how to make jokes and pranks, but his concept of a prank is stopping halfway and hugging the intended victim.

You ask him to make empty cakes so you can put a little bomb inside of it. Every time it explodes, everyone near that cake ends up dirty with sugar.

Your always take it easy with him so the pranks you pull on him all innocent and don't cause any kind of harm.

You're a little soft for that big guy, you will never admit it out loud though.

You: you're to good for this world

505: 😃

You: but that's ok, I'll be shitty enough for the both of us

[delphiniumarchangelmoon]

More Hyrule Warriors thoughts because I’m still in the hole

I’m now at the point in the first two adventure maps where the only things left to do are insane boss rushes and I’ve realized now that I only beat the legend mode end bosses out of luck. I have no idea how either Ganon fight actually works. I’ll look up a tutorial sometime but not right now.

In the meantime I started the first normal rank map. It’s annoying. Fuck off with your “no heal” challenges I SPENT SO MUCH TIME GETTING ALL THOSE ILLUSTRATIONS TO GET BETTER POTIONS AND YOU TAKE THEM AWAY??? I’m gonna eat you.

Also in those maps LEVELING IP FIESNT EVEN HEAL YOU I’m going to make someone TASTE THEIR OWN LUNGS

I have like 5 fairies but I only use the first one I got cause she has an ability that instantly revives you if you die and none of the others have anything even close to that good so far. Plus she’s the one wearing the Ghirahim cosplay.

I haven’t changed any of the default names of the fairies cause it feels Weird. Like “hi I just saved your life now serve me eternally also your name is now Lorraine”

One of my fairies is named Chomp :) I love her. Shes useless, but I love her

I haven’t gotten many hats. It bugs me cause none look good with the Ghirahim cosplay. Why can’t I just get like, a red headband or something???? Why did I have to get a random skull???

I’ve finally gotten a huge string of weapon upgrades so a lot of characters are useful for the first time in the entire game and I’m having SO MUCH FUN WITH IT

Specifically I’m really liking Twili Midna! I didn’t get her moves at first but I’ve started to really vibe with it now that she has some decent damage output (also that X special is OBSCENE just annihilate an entire room no biggie)

I have Toon Link in his blue lobster shirt, all is right with the world :)

I found out you can go over level 100. I thought I was doing okay with keeping the gang leveled up (I go in 5 level jumps where I’ll sell a shit ton of weapons to get rich then level the entire roster up at once) having everyone at a minimum of 40, but it turns out I was wrong and now Link is level 102 and I don’t know how to plan for this future the disparity is so much larger than I anticipated (I stopped playing as him much but I keep finding maps that require him)

So right now I’m maining Sheik at like 65 or something, then once they hit like 90 I’ll probably go to Ganondorf or Impa (I finally figured out how to play her giant blade god bless)

Primarily right now I’m jumping between going back to maps I didn’t get a-rank on and replaying them and going through free mode getting every stage done on hard + getting skulltulas I abandoned during legend mode, it has actually gotten me pretty good levels

I cannot however finish the level to upgrade Volga’s weapon, I need to A-rank a goddamn full level with a close-quarters imprisoned fight at the end like BLOCKING DIESNT DO SHIT WHEN ITS ACTUALLY EATING ME! IM IN ITS MOUTH THERES NOWHERE TO RUN IM IN A CAVE

[blazehedgehog]

You know how Super Metroid had Reserve Tanks and then we just never really saw them again? Do you think there's a way to bring them back and make them a little more interesting? Would they even need to be?

I think the general problem is that by the end of a lot of Metroid games you're so stacked on health that you kind of don't need even more reserve health on top of that.

Samus can have a maximum of 1400 health in Super Metroid, plus another 400 in reserve. For them to be more useful, you would probably need to make Samus's main health lower. Like, my main point of reference is like, E-Tanks in Mega Man X.

In those games, when you upgrade X's health, it only goes up to about double what it is at the start of the game. But a full E-Tank always refills your entire health bar (that I remember). E-Tanks can only be be used manually, but you can use them whenever you need them, and can be used whether they're full or not.

Generally this creates one of three scenarios:

You're panicking and use an E-Tank in a situation where you might not need it, wasting some percentage of it. OR:

You've been struggling and don't have a full E-Tank charge, limiting how much health it might give you. OR:

You're trying to tough it out, don't use the tank at all, and die.

Even up to the final bosses of Mega Man X, you never feel invincible and having a stock of E-Tanks is always useful.

Compare that to Super Metroid, where you could roll up on Mother Brain with x140 the amount of health you started the game with, plus another quarter of that if you happen to somehow waste that much hp. On top of secret techniques like the Crystal Flash.

I assume they just removed the reserve tanks because Samus is already powerful enough without them, and I think that's fine. I like a game that lets me get overpowered. I don't want Metroid games to be Mega Man X hard.

Maybe you could just make it a general "auxiliary power battery" that could be converted in to missiles, bombs, or health. Make actual restoratives a little more scarce, and have the battery work more like an estus flask from Dark Souls, where you're far away from a recharge station, are running low on something, and have to pop your battery for a quick recharge until you find the next checkpoint.

Turn it into an important decision: missiles make these enemies a lot easier to deal with, but that might mean feeling the pinch of low health more later on in the zone.

But when you inevitably reach that point later in the game where your max health cap is unreasonably huge, well, now you've just got free refills for other things.

But the key I think is putting the player in a position where it's a manual thing they do, and they might regret using it later. It's gotta have that element of risk to it and not just "here's more on top of more and it's all automatic." The reason the Crystal Flash feels so secret is because by the time it's useful you'll never, ever need it.

[greaterbalrogcat]

Which legend units (as in bahamut) are actually good

before anyone asks, legend cats are classified as special cats which are able to be boosted to level 40 after first completion of An Ancient Curse and level 50 after first completion of Revival of Origin. units will be in order based on the order they are in in the cat guide. all units will be reviewed based on their true form (uril true form will not be included, as it is currently only available in the japanese version of the game, and i play the global version). if i forget any please remind me there are quite a few

STORY MODE LEGENDS:

VALKYRIE CAT: first legend cat. probably the worst. there is no point in using valkyrie unless you're doing no gacha and need as much area dps as you can physically get and also you don't have ururun. i know people who use it on eoc 3 moon, and it might work there, but i didn't lmao worst legend cat 100%

tl;dr: valkyrie bad

BAHAMUT CAT: really damn good. bahamut's first/second forms have the same stats, and for a unit you get after beating eoc 3, they're very solid stats. a 450 range high damage nuker carries you through getting a lot of crazeds, works through a lot of early SoL, and can actually help with some 4 star. however, it does kinda fall off as you get better generalist rangers, and this is why awakened bahamut (shortened to abaha) was created. abaha is a busted rusher, holding the highest base dps of any unit (previously second to balrog before abaha was buffed in 6.0) and 93.5k damage per hit at LEVEL 30. obviously, being a rusher, its health is kinda low, and it will generally die quickly. however, just getting one or two shots off on a major boss can shave off 100k-200k health (when boosted to level 40), and if the boss has a blindspot or gets knockbacked by this, abaha can typically attack again. this is especially apparent in several advents, such as clionel, which needs rushers such as abaha to get into its blindspot and kill it, and doremi, which is the easiest advent in the game due to the abaha cheese (abaha has just enough damage to knockback doremi on each attack, doremi has just enough speed and attack startup to get hit by abaha every single time). while abaha may see less use in late/endgame due to access to specialized rushers such as yukimura and idi (which we'll be going over later), it's still arguably the best legend just due to the sheer amount of use it sees throughout the entire game. the battle cats would not be the same without bahamut.

tl;dr: busted

CAT GOD THE GREAT: really weird niche unit. 350 standing range, omni hits from -850 to 850, three hit multihit with guaranteed knockback on non-metal enemies on first two hits and decent (51k at level 30) damage on the third hit, attacks less often than it really should. its standing range is kinda bad, but its omni extends 500 ahead of its standing range, which somewhat makes up for it. however, the main appeal of cat god is how omni works. cat god will stand 850 away from the enemy base. this means that it can cheese stages with a high health big boss, such as lil mohawk or lil eraser, and stages where you need to KB threats behind the base so you can destroy it, such as floor 32 of both heavenly tower and infernal tower. true form is absolutely irrelevant but it's pretty goddamn funny. not a great unit, but definitely has its uses.

tl;dr: has rare niche usages, not great

FILIBUSTER CAT X: the other contender for the worst legend in the game. filibuster is unlocked by beating cotc 3 and then beating the one time clear filibuster stage (which has the best song in the game btw). before true form, it has 575 range, low damage, freeze vs traitless for 4 seconds, low health and one knockback, and omni (but it only pierces backwards so it's irrelevant). in true form, it gains immunity to surge and curse, target relic, and its damage doubles. this doesn't seem that bad, right?

twelve (12) seconds of foreswing. this is more foreswing than twelve balrogs put together.

filibuster holds almost no use. you could hypothetically, at best, use it on a stage where you can stall and stack filibusters on the peons, but those stages are so incredibly few and far between that they might as well not exist and you could just use any better generalist or CC unit. shockingly useless.

tl;dr: filibuster bad

JAGANDO JR.: actually a surprisingly good anti-traitless. jagando is a 360 range strong vs traitless three hit multihit with surge and guaranteed knockback on the third hit curse and surge immune unit. this seems more complicated than it is. jagando has solid anti-traitless dps, guaranteed knockback + level 1 surge so it's guaranteed to knockback twice if the first knockback connects, curse immune for use in UL and against uril (the floor 50 of heavenly tower boss, not the legend unit which we will be covering later), and surge immune for use against kappy jr and any possible surge base/raynard/other surge enemy support in a traitless stage. very straightforwardly good unit. works well in 4 star.

tl;dr: solid anti-traitless damage + KB

STORIES OF LEGEND LEGENDS:

URURUN WOLF: the classic generalist. ururun is the baseline for what a backliner's stats should be equal to or above. even before true form, there are quite a few units (nurse cat, bahamut, thundia/windy outside of niche, etc) it outclasses in terms of generalist stats. in true form, its 450 range and 6.4k dps (at level 30) make it a very viable backliner, especially in early UL and 4 star, but it does somewhat fall off in later game when you get stronger generalists. its 20% chance for knockback can hinder some slower foreswing units that you bring with her (bahamut), but it can also help on occasion when you need knockback units. really not much else to say about ururun, just a strong unit overall and helps with early game.

tl;dr: good generalist

LI'L NYANDAM: despite being one of the highest standing range units you can get in 4 star, its attacks are slow, its proc chance for slow is only 50%, and its only real use is if you NEED a way to outrange professor a in 4 star and you have no stepping stones for LD units. not very good.

tl;dr: not unusable, just not good

RED RIDING MINA: pretty solid no gacha LD sniper. stands at 435, hits from 300 to 700. can hit quite a few backliners if given a stepping stone. 50% chance to weaken relic and immune to curse is largely irrelevant, but it can help on occasion. mina is one of the best snipers in 4 star, can be stacked on stages with low peons, and is just generally strong. good legend.

tl;dr: decent sniper but there are better options outside of 4 star

MIYAMOKU MUSASHI: musashi is a generalist with zkill, 30% chance to freeze relics, and curse/wave immune. musashi used to be one of the very few options available for anti-wave, and was solid due to that. however, as the meta has evolved, wave has become one of the most powercrept abilities, with units such as octopus cat, gloomy neneko, talented dancer cat, and talented li'l mohawk making it much, much easier to deal with than it was back when musashi was first introduced. the only real use for musashi is as a counter to the occasional 4 star cadaver bear that you can't deal with with shigong, which is a half decent use, but it's just too uncommon to justify musashi's low stats. very mediocre unit.

tl;dr: killed by powercreep, can work vs 4 star cadaver bears

MECHA-BUN: bad relic tank. it's a fast attacking strong against relics curse immune "tanker" with too low health and not good enough damage to be good. not interesting enough for more than a few sentences.

no tl;dr for this one it was three sentences

IDI:N: the unit i did not consider when deciding on formatting but i'm too lazy to change it. idi is effectively an anti-relic version of awakened bahamut, with massive damage vs relic, curse immune, and surge immune. idi's niche is very useful against relics that she outranges like oldhorn, relics with low damage that she can use all her knockbacks against like lowkey, relics with a blindspot that she can get into like loris, relics with long tba that she can hit once or twice in between their attacks like luza, relics with lots of knockbacks that you want to hit hard like puffington...honestly just the majority of relics. the only two relics she can't really deal with by herself are m ost and relic bun bun because they attack fast and she gets outranged, but you can tbolt or freeze them using something else and she can get solid damage on them. incredibly strong anti-relic rusher.

tl;dr: anti-relic awakened bahamut, very good, very worth beating all of 4 star

UNCANNY LEGEND LEGENDS:

DOGUMARU: dogumaru's true form is what mecha-bun dreams of being. it has resist vs traitless and relic, behemoth slayer, colossus slayer, curse and warp immune. it has 156600 base health at level 50, increased to 626400 vs its target traits, 223714/261000 vs colossus/behemoth respectively, and 894856/1044000 vs a traitless or relic colossus/behemoth respectively. this makes it a strong tanker for luza stages, with its 64800 damage (103680/162000 vs colossus/behemoth) being strong enough to take out the peons, and revival of origin having no enemies that aren't one of its target traits. dogu still works outside of luza stages, being a strong tanker for both traits, and while its behemoth niche is largely more useful than its colossus niche, as traitless/relic behemoths such as wild doge, magamojoe, and cumulus gallus are decently hard to deal with, its colossus niche does help with the occasional jj jackrabbit, or, if you have no other options, baron gauntlets. even outside these sub-trait targets, its traitless and relic niches make it work vs both yulalas, its own enemy counterpart, and any other traitless/relic enemies without too high dps. pretty damn busted.

tl;dr: great traitless/relic tanker, colossus/behemoth slayer gives it a lot more use, strong legend

URS & FENRIR: urs is effectively just a better ururun. trading out the 20% chance of knockback for a 20% chance of weaken removes any chance of making other units miss their attacks, dps and health stay the same between the two; however, urs gains 10 more range, behemoth slayer (with 30% chance to dodge, making it one of two behemoth slayers with increased dodge chance and therefore increased survivability), colossus slayer, and costs slightly less. the only thing ururun has over urs is a 3.33 second lower cooldown, but this is entirely irrelevant, as it's a difference of 161.2 and 164.53 seconds. urs becomes a strong anti-behemoth and anti-colossus; despite generalists becoming less relevant at the point in the game that you get urs, a 460 range unit with 10295 dps vs colossus is very helpful on baron gauntlets, and you can use it against behemoths to decent effect, despite the sheer amount of anti-behemoths available. just a better ururun.

tl;dr: ururun but better. decent anti-behemoth and anti-colossus. worst UL legend but not bad by any means.

ELDER MASK DORON: doron is one of very few suicide/kamikaze/self-destruct units in the game, sharing this ability with only glass cat, stone cat, and wafer cat. as is consistent across all suicide units, doron's health is extremely high, having the second highest base health of all cat units (599995 at level 50), and it has immunity to almost all negative effects (no toxic immunity). this is to make sure it can land its hit consistently. doron has a 100% chance to knockback and freeze relic enemies for 6.67 seconds and spawn a level 3 surge between 400 and 1000 range. it stands at 400 range, but its omni reaches from -1000 to 600, giving it 200 piercing range. it holds 29997 dph, and due to being a suicide unit, there's no real way to calcuate dps. it also has behemoth and colossus slayer. doron works against pretty much every relic, freezing them and keeping them away from the battlefield for those 6.67 seconds. while its surge may seem inconsistent, it will create a wall of freeze + knockback if it lands on its intended relic target, and if it doesn't, it can do solid damage versus non-relic. its anti-behemoth niche isn't great due to behemoths almost always being surge immune, but it works against great ape luza and the initial hit will still affect behemoths. the colossus niche is better; despite zero luza being immune to freeze, it can still be knockbacked, and the surge can stall it for several more seconds. doron is also surprisingly usable as generalist dps, with the surge's spawn radius making it capable of piercing to backliners or creating a wall of death at the frontline surprisingly well, although it's much less reliable than its cc role. its 1800 cost and 52.53 second cooldown give it very good mobility. strong anti-relic.

tl;dr: incredible relic cc, cheap for what it does, good damage for a reliable cc unit

ELDER BEAST NAALA: the best UL legend. naala's main gimmick is its weird multihit LD, with standing range of 300, first hit going from 1-301, second from 300-500, and third from 500-700. its dps is thus decreased to 1/3rd of its potential, still a respectable 7957.89 generalist dps at level 50, with 45360 generalist damage per hit. it holds 135000 generalist health. however, naala's main draw is its niche, being strong vs relic, guaranteed weaken to 50%, and behemoth/colossus slayer. it also has curse, wave, and surge immunity. against relic behemoths such as magamojoe and great ape luza, it has 29842 dps, with 170100 damage per hit. against zero luza, the only relic colossus, it has 19099 dps and 108864 dph. its two knockbacks and high effective health (450000 vs behemoth, 385714 vs colossus) give it good durability and make it capable of staying on the field for long periods of time to keep dishing out damage. 113400 damage per hit vs non-relic behemoth makes it a viable generalist anti-behemoth, and given the prevalence of melee behemoths, it can snipe backliners by using wild doges or behemoth pigges as stepping stones. incredibly strong unit.

tl;dr: busted anti-relic, anti-behemoth, anti-colossus. one of if not the best legend. incredible unit.

APE LORD LUZA: anti-relic nuker. luza has a somewhat weird LD multihit, with 400 standing range, first hit hitting from 1-401, and second hit hitting from 250 to 550. this gives it some piercing range and the ability to consistently hit both hits at its standing range. if both hits connect, it has 27971.22 dps (halved if only one hits) and 259200 dph (both hits added) vs relic. with behemoth slayer, this increases to 69928.05 dps and 648000 dph. resist gives it 334800 health vs relic and 558000 health vs relic behemoth. i hope i don't have to explain how insane this is. its immunity to weaken and warp aren't that relevant, but curse immune helps for obvious reasons and surge immune gives it a niche vs pesky surge enemies. luza doesn't have much outside of what it does at face value, but what it has is pretty damn good.

tl;dr: straightforward good relic nuker. worth the evolution.

HEAVENLY TOWER LEGENDS:

MASKED GRANDMASTER CAT: masked grandmaster is an anti-relic wave unit. while its 4080 damage per hit at level 30 may not look like much, it has three hit multihit and a level 5 wave. this gives it solid backliner dps, at 2891.34 dps (4337 dps vs relics) at level 30 up to 1132 range, enough to do consistent damage to any threatening backliners and clear peons decently well. while, again, this may not look like that good of a unit, let me direct your attention to its 2400 cost and **37.87 second cooldown**. this is less than 10 seconds higher than manic macho legs's cooldown. this allows masked grandmaster to be stacked on any barrier with 12.3k health or above or any high health low range permafreezeable or permaslowable enemy until you have a massive wall of death for any enemy that dares cross its path. while these situations are obviously rarer than would be preferable, it's a strong anti-relic and wave unit.

tl;dr: strong stackable waver with low cooldown.

SPIRITUAL YULALA: weird LD anti-relic rusher. 350 standing range, hits from 200 to 500. massive damage vs relics. while its 12.5k dps vs relics is solid, its low standing range and only two knockbacks hold its survivability back. 71.2 second cooldown and 4200 cost make it much less mobile than masked grandmaster, despite its much higher speed (20). could be much better than it is.

tl;dr: mediocre anti-relic rusher. usable against low range relics

MASTER URIL: pretty damn good anti-relic cc. 100% slow vs relic for two seconds, 100% chance for level 3 surge (spawns between 400 and 600), 375 range. surges hit 125 ahead and 250 behind their spawnpoint; thus, uril's surge is only guaranteed to hit the initial target if the target is between 350 and 525 away from it. while this looks good in theory, seeing as uril can guarantee slow at standing range, the permaslow ends as soon as something pushes just 25 range inward. still, this is only if the enemy you're trying to slow is at the front. if uril targets a peon with an m ost behind it, it'll slow the m ost, preventing more pushing. it also has a chance to slow backliners, with the farthest surge spawn hitting up to 725. three knockbacks and 68k health at level 30 is solid, although its damage is a little low, and is only usable for slight chip and/or peon clearing.

tl;dr: solid cc for melee relics and midrange relics with stepping stones. well worth the floor 50 grind. will be much, much better once true form comes out.

jesus christ i got this ask like. actually two days ago. this took too long but now i will never talk about legend units ever again

uril true form? busted anti-relic busted anti-aku but that mf ain't in BCEN yet and therefore no one cares

[robo-ky888]

So I wanted to make a video on why Robo Ky is my favorite fictional character period but I don't feel confident enough with my skills to do this sort of thing justice so I'm scrapping the project for now. I'm gonna upload the script here but be warned, it's my first ever script so sorry about that. Thank you for reading.

Introduction

Robo Ky. a character that first appeared as a story mode exclusive boss only as a palette swap of Ky and was only made fully playable in the 3rd entry into the series, is my favorite character in media. But…why, why is this random one off character that usually places around C tier on tier lists and was relegated to cutscenes and spin off games past his debut game my favorite in all of media, especially when Guilty Gear has so many amazing characters like Faust or Sol or even Johnny or Slayer. Well today I intend to tell you why and frankly, i'm not trying to win anyone over with this one or spark a new “Robo Ky revolution” or anything, i just really REALLY wanted to get this out there and this was the only way i knew how to do it. I hope you all or even if you dont, i hope you learn something new about one of guilty gears most original characters.

Who is Robo Ky

Robo Ky made his first appearance in Guilty Gear X Plus for the Playstation 2 in 2001 exclusively in cutscenes. He was portrayed as a palette swap of ky and to play as this version of Robo Ky, you had to select ky’s gg version which had different attacks. This version of Robo Ky looked way different as he was portrayed as having tan skin and a much slimmer frame, looking more like regular ky. This also applied to guilty gear petit as he works exactly like this in that game as well. I actually played this game on an emulator once and inputted the code to play as Robo Ky right away and even got his ending, which is probably one of my favorite photos of the funny man. After these two middling appearances, we finally see Robo Ky take on a full move set in guilty gear XX released in december of 2002 in japan and march 2003 everywhere else. In the first installment of the game, he is unlocked by completing Story Mode or via time release (96 hours). This is the only version of the game Robo Ky is an unlock in and in all future versions he is unlocked right at the start, as perfection should be. Its moveset and gameplay is surprisingly different from ky and if you know anything about Robo Ky, this is probably it. His gameplay revolves around maintaining your heat and battery gage as when you use certain moves, the corresponding bars will increase or decrease, if the heat gage fills up too much, you overheat and explode, if you run out of battery, you can't do specials until you get the energy for them, think of it as tension that empties and fills faster. For example, his special skill fires a bullet from his elbow which increases the heat gauge and his DON'T GET COC-KY! Uses up a bit of power. Heat goes down naturally and your main tool for rebuilding energy is gimmicky, no that's the actual name of the move, Gimmic-KY. He even has a delayed get up which can really throw people off and he even talks shit at you while he is getting up. Now why am i explaining any of this, to most people none of this even matters, but i thought this was really important to explain because Robo Ky does not play like anyone else in the entire cast, not even ky himself. They may share some of the same moves, around 9 or 10, but Robo Ky plays so differently thanks to his gauges and his weird attacks that i was drawn to it as soon as i saw it. His uniqueness is truly what makes him stand out and while he isn't the BEST character in accent core (thank you zappa), he is my absolute favorite to play and i will die on that hill.

Story reasons

In the guilty gear universe, Robo Ky was created by the Post-War Administration Bureau as a sort of assassin robot to take care of anyone trying to get in their way. This is his main objective throughout his entire story, to eliminate someone who is in his way, but that is the most barebones way of explaining it so let's go more in depth. The way fighting game canon works in general is….questionable as everyone has multiple endings and routes, it's hard to know what is canon and what isn't but i will give my best interpretation on what is Robo Ky canon.

In X’s story, Robo Ky actually scans ky and stalks him throughout his chapter until they fight and surprisingly he actually gets the jump on the defective original as when you play this story, you will always have a portion of your health missing.

Unfortunately, Robo Ky does canonically lose but this is one of the most intimidating scenes we see Robo Ky in and one of the only times he is taken and shown off as a legit threat. The next time we see a Robo Ky unit is in XX where the number of Robo Ky are actually quite thin and because of their middling performance, they’re up for discontinuation.Nevertheless, this guy named crow who has been working on the Robo Ky’s for awhile decides to send one particular Robo Ky on a mission to gather combat info as a sort of last mission.

Throughout the mission, Robo Ky argues with crow, is generally rude and dismissive and just goes on fighting, collecting data, all that until crow essentially decides “hey bud, your insides are acting real FUN-KY so get back here” and you actually get a choice as a player for if you want to return to the lab or not but for this overview we will be looking at the ending where you do not decide to return to the lab.Robo Ky must have only heard the word KY when crow said he was acting FUN-KY as he only has eyes to kill the defective original, much to crows dismay. Eventually, you actually do find and fight ky but the prince gets away and robo-kys damages are too severe so he gets back to the lab…only to be met WITH A COPY OF JUSTICE WHO IS ESSENTIALLY AN ULTRA POWERFUL KILLING MACHINE.

(Here is pt 2)

[ourflagmeansgayrights]

Jim/Olu and Lucius/Izzy for the ship asks

(I like to send one that’s cute and good and one that will fill my mutuals with rage)

jim/olu

do i ship it: fuck yes baby this is actually the first ofmd ship i wrote fic for!!! i have not uh. finished. the fic. but some day i plan to!! anyway yes love these two so so much

why i ship it: LOVE how olu says he's known jim for "over a year" (instead of like, the very ambiguous "years" we get for izzy and ed) so we know they've known each other for less than two years which is not actually a lot of time??? yet they still give this vibe of ride-or-die having each other's backs doing anything for each other besties. genuinely obsessed with the idea of olu, reliable steady and everyone's best friend, stumbling upon this weird quiet knife assassin who comes off really stoic and aloof but they actually just lack social skills, and then the assassin is like "i want to kill your boss's husband" and olu is like "i'll help you with that. i'll help you escape, too. i'll follow you anywhere i'll die for you" and then the two of them just. stick together forever. i also find it hilarious how olu is jim's voice of reason and i also find it so fucking sweet that he's the little spoon. 10/10 ship wouldn't change a thing.

canon potential: i mean they're. literally canon. can't imagine the show permanently breaking them up for any reason. the happy ending of the show is almost definitely gonna include these two being together

fanon interpretation/fandom around it: there is a depressing lack of tealoranges content. like it's to be expected of a canonical side pairing that isn't two skinny white men but there's like nothing. they're always together in the background of fics (also to be expected) but like, i want some more jim/olu centric fics (i do have like one or two in my Marked For Later list on ao3 but i dont have the time to rlly read anything longer than 10k rn fhjghfkj). there's a decent amount of fanart tho but obviously not as much as any of our Main Ships

lucius/izzy

do i ship it: ok so it's not a no. but it's not a very strong yes??? lucius/izzy is kind of the only izzy ship i can tolerate, i guess. im always wary of ships that have izzy x any person of color bc 9 times out of 10 the content is just "person of color decides to spend their time and energy rehabilitating a white man" and the focus is 100% on izzy getting treated nice and like, NO mention of how the character of color feels or why they'd even be interested in izzy in the first place. blackhands is only good when it's izzy crying alone while masturbating sadly. stizzy could be fun if you really dug into the way the two of them fucking hate each other and never actually change that dynamic but nobody does this. steddyhands same as the last one but now with the added bonus of people's racism really jumping out in every fic. and then i guess i could tolerate izzy x any other white character but i'd just be making it up bc he doesn't interact with any of them except lucius. so like by default yeah i guess i kinda ship lucius and izzy.

why i ship it or not: the tension is there the potential is there and it would be so so good for izzy if he realized sub ≠ masculine ≠ top. i think if i could ever manage to write any of the fics ideas i have i would be shoving these two together in the background all the time just so that izzy can be magically fixed by lucius's dick and i can resolve that conflict easy (i don't actually think it's in character for izzy to get topped by lucius once and turn into a like, friendly and likable person, but the idea of it is funny enough that i would write it into a fic if i ever fUCKING WROTE ANY FIC AAAAAAH-). now all that being said. at the end of the day i just don't like izzy enough to have any strong positive feelings abt this ship. i'd be happy seeing izzy become normal but i'd probably be just as happy (if not happier) seeing him get fed to some sharks so like. this one is fine i guess. lucius has established himself as being very emotionally intelligent and also down to talk some sense into other characters so i can see it.

canon potential: the potential is there but idk if they're gonna do it or just keep all of izzy's horny sub energy purely subtextual until he fucking dies the end. bc the tension is fucking real in the "have you ever been sketched?" scene but will they commit to it?? only time will tell. i think if they redeem him it'll probably happen tho.

fanon interpretation/fandom around it: fan content of this one is good actually. art is cute, the fics are cute, i've never seen anyone break lucius up with pete (or fang) to make it happen. i also haven't seen any izzy dom content for this ship which would be the biggest ooc offense of all time so i'm ok with everything i've been exposed to. i mean most of the PWPs have izzy give in really quick once lucius just directly asks him to fuck which seems a little ooc, but it's for PWP oneshots so like i get it they're not dragging this out into a 100k slowburn.

ask me about more ships im bored!

[first-impressions-gaming]

Loot River

Developed & Published by straka.studio

Release Date 2022

Tested on Xbox Series X

MSRP 24,99 USD

Roguelite, a genre that bases itself on repetitive gameplay that becomes a fresh experience with each run. You die, you repeat, your goal is to be better than your last run, and as you go, you progress and you’ll reach the point where you can beat the game with enough effort. Personally, roguelite genre and souls-like games which are too hardcore are not my cup of tea, you can say that I cannot stand up a game which defeats me over and over again and I start at the very beginning with the hope of ‘let’s beat this game in this run once and for all’. Loot River has nice twist for it though, let’s get to it.

As a typical roguelit, Loot River does not attempt to invent the genre from scratch, you’ll see the usual suspects here: your character stats, the upgrade points as you level up, your gear (weapons and rings), modifiers, the map, merchants that you can purchase items and equipment from between runs.

One of the first things that I spotted on the screen as I started the game is the timer at bottom-right, this gave me the chills that there’ll be players trying to beat the run record all the time and competing for speedruns, I mean, there’s already a “leaderboard” at the main menu. 

I’d like to mention interactions between runs before I talk about the game, so between runs you can interact with a few NPCs, Soap is a self-described alchemist, to whom you can invest health points and receive the double amount after a successful run. Freya is a blacksmith-like fella, you can see your weapon unlock path and unlock weapons with earned “knowledge.” Hoby is a merchant who sells rings and weapons but his offers are too limited, you won’t find there diverse range of gear, compared to games such as Dead Cells.

Casual players may be put off with the difficulty and challenging enemies, that’s way the game offers “easy mode” which turns the game into more of a hack-n-slash type of one, this way enemies have less health and they deal significantly less damage to you. You may say “then what’s the point of being a roguelike game if I turn on easy mode?” Frankly, I’m not a hardcore gamer, meaning I don’t like my patience to be tested in a game I just would like to enjoy myself and enjoy the game itself without being frustrated with it. If going roguelite is your jam, then you won’t be enabling “easy mode” option and go with the default one. My point being, if Loot River didn’t have difficulty option and the game wouldn’t have grabbed me and most probably I would have quit it within half an hour. Providing an easier mode and making it accessible to non-hardcore audience is a smart choice. I, for one, love the environment layout and hack-n-slash quick combat. From this perspective, the players of this game will be divided, people who use the easy mode and those who don’t. A roguelite and a souls-like game lays the foundation in pushing the player to be better than their last run, you die and you try once again and you don’t stop until you overcome and defeat the boss or a certain level and you try to keep up with your gear and all the equipment combinations and whatnot. Loot River is much more friendly towards the player because you can pick up and get going much more easily even at your first run. And the other highlight is that each level lasts around ten to fifteen minutes depending on your movement speed etc, this makes the game more approachable to a vast player base, for example I wouldn’t like to commit half an hour or more to a game at one sitting if I’m looking for a quick game session, for instance I consider games like The Elden Ring, a hardcore soulslike, to be a game that needs to be played at least an hour in one session and not just pick up and pause after ten minutes. In today’s world our time is pressed even more, games which don’t require us to commit a long playtime at one sitting are preferred and Loot River is one of them.

Check out the movement in the clips below:

The game has a simple and easy-to-read UI:

This is the hub area:

Loot River presents unique movement mechanic that may seem too surface-level at first, yet it’s awesomely smooth and it offers a fresh combat experience thanks to it. The gameplay doesn’t pressure you to “git-gud”, it indirectly teaches you to get around the map more fluidly by getting used to moving blocks and traversing on them. Procedurally-generated maps work so well with the mechanic that, you’re approaching to enemies at your own pace, this gives you the choice to pick a more aggro or more strategic playstyle. 

[sophierequests]

looking out for you // fingers crossed part two

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Pairing: Kaz Brekker x f!Reader

A/N: Quite a few of you guys wanted a part two, so here it is! I'm so glad that you liked this fic so much, because I am a sucker for angsty writing. Some of you even wanted to be tagged, so the question is, if you'd like me to establish a tag list? Where I'd just tag you whenever I post a fic about this certain character? I'd love to do that, you just have to comment, and I'll do it!

You can find part one here!

Summary: Kaz goes to confront the reader about hiding their wound, but it does not go as planned, leading to a fight and also confessions that were regretted immediately after.

Genre: Angst, Comfort

Word Count: 2.5K (how the hell did I write that much again???)

Warnings: A bit angsty, feelings, mention of past injury and pain, slight callback to a previous panic attack, if you squint and a lot of profanities

You didn’t wake up for almost one whole week. And when you did, you had one of the worst headaches imaginable. Even though you weren’t back in action yet, you still felt a lot better.

Jesper was more than relieved to see you fully awake, sitting upright and smiling at him. Kaz, however, didn’t come to see you when you first woke up. Which didn’t surprise you, but left you with a sinking feeling of disappointment.

“Oh, I’m so dead.” Jesper sighed, throwing himself next to you on the bed, before giving you your dinner. You turned your head to smile at him sheepishly, taking the dinner gratefully.

“Why now, Jes? If Kaz wanted to actually kill you, he would have done it by now.”

“Isn’t that just fucking comforting, love.” he said, whilst chewing his own food.

 “You can be glad that Wylan loves you because I think I saw a glint of murder in his eyes after I told him what happened. I’m pretty sure his wrath would’ve been worse.” you joked, nudging the sharpshooter's arm with a grin.

“Ha ha ha, very funny, Y/N.” Jesper mocked, “You have no clue how mad he was after that. He almost forced me to sleep downstairs!”

The both of you laughed, enjoying the time without any distress or missions thoroughly.

“How’s Kaz?” you asked, immediately regretting it after seeing Jesper’s facial expression.

“Ugh, if I would only know. This man is starting to become a ticking time bomb.” he said, toying with his rings nervously, “I don’t think he’s sleeping. At least not really well. And I think he’s only really talking to Inej. I haven’t heard him say a word, since he called me to help Nina fix you up. I don’t think you’re allowed to almost die again anytime soon, or he’ll go completely mad.”

“I’ll try my best.” you chuckled, however, the weight of his words still heavy on your shoulders, “Do you think he’s mad at me?”

“What? Are you being serious right now? Please don’t tell me that you care about what Kaz I-can’t-express-my-feelings-properly Brekker thinks about you. Love, he’s not mad at you, why would you think that? You’re probably one of the few people on this team, that he could never be mad at.” he told you reassuringly.

You snorted.

“You should’ve seen the look on his face when he went into my room that night. If I wouldn’t be one of his valuable investments, he would’ve killed me on the spot. I think you think a bit too highly of his opinion of me. I could’ve finished the mission on my own. But no, he needed you to join me, because I am not allowed to go on these missions alone. He thinks I’m not useful on these sorts of missions, and it is driving me insane. He’d never send you to go on a mission with Inej!” 

“Oh Y/N, you are one of the smartest people I know, but during times like these, you can be so bloody dense.”

“Hey!” you snorted, giving him a slight jab in the ribs.

“I’m being serious. Have you ever thought about the fact, that he might care about you? I’ve known him for quite a while now, and he never acted like that with any of the Dregs. We all have the sneaking suspicion that our dearest boss might have a little crus-”

“Don’t finish that sentence, or I won’t be able to look him in the eyes anymore.”

“Why? Scared of someone actually returning your feelings?”

“Shut up!” you chuckled, slumping against the headboard and closing your eyes, the half-eaten dinner sitting on your nightstand was already forgotten.

“I don’t get what you see in him anyway. You’re way too good for him.” Jesper commented.

“I know. But so are you.”

“Aww, you’re so sweet.” he grinned, leaning his head on your shoulder.

He was right, of course, your crush on Kaz Brekker had been one of the most embarrassing gossip topics that the Crows could bring up. It was just such a bizarre thing to everyone. You were lovely and kind, never failing to comfort the team members if they needed it. And Kaz, well, Kaz was Kaz. You always told yourself that you were friends and that he wanted nothing more than that from you. But hearing it out loud, that he might have a crush on you too, gave you a complicated arrangement of feelings.

“Love, as much as I enjoy our little talks, I should get going. Because my boyfriend should already be waiting for me downstairs. We planned on going to the market, want something?”

You shook your head, waving him off with a smile.

The silence that Jesper had left you with didn’t stay too long. As soon as you closed your eyes, you heard the faint clicking of a cane doming from the corridor. Internally, you prayed that he would just walk right past your room, but if the Saints were actually real, they didn’t seem to like that idea.

Before you could think about what to do next, the handle turned and Kaz slipped inside the room.

“No knocking this time?” you asked, a soft smile on your lips.

The man let out a huff, and you knew that you were in for a lecture.

“What were you thinking? Hiding a gunshot wound? That could have got you killed. No, it should’ve killed you. You were more than lucky that Nina was here. If she hadn't been here, you would be dead by now! And Jesper lying right into my face will also be something I’ll have to keep in the back of my mind from now on.”

“Jesper lied because I told him too. I really didn’t need you to give us another talk on team safety.”

“Oh, so you probably also told him to shoot you then?” he snarled, visibly aggravated. 

“You can be such an ass sometimes, do you know that? Jesper didn’t mean to shoot me. It was my fault. I didn’t assess the situation properly and got hit. That’s it. He couldn’t have done anything to stop it.” you retorted, getting angrier and angrier, “And you know if you only came here to yell at me, I’d like you to leave, Kaz. I get that you’re angry, but that gives you absolutely no right to be such a bloody prick.”

“I’m not leaving. What you did was stupid and reckless, and I have every right to hold you accountable for that.”

“You have no right to anything, Brekker. This is the first time you visit me since that night you checked on me, and without showing the slightest bit of concern, you just start lecturing me? This is the last thing I need right now. You are the last thing I need right now.”

He tried to hide the way his face cringed, after hearing that statement, but this feeling was soon replaced as he saw you flinching, whilst trying to straighten your position. Nina helped you as best as she could, but the pain would stick around for a while.

Without a second thought, he moved towards your bed, handing you one of the vials, filled with a disgustingly sweet liquid to ease the pain.

“Here.” he said, his voice now way more regulated than before.

You sighed, taking it from his hand and downing it in one go.

“Are you going to do something else, other than just standing there like a lost dog?” you asked, patting the empty spot next to you as a sort of pathetic peace offer.

With a glint of hesitation in his eyes, he sat down next to you, avoiding eye contact as best as he could.

“Why did you try to hide it? I don’t understand.” he said again, but now in a much softer tone.

“You said it yourself. A hurt crow is of no use.” you huffed, closing your eyes, “I just didn’t want to bother you with that. You said it was important that you got to take a look at the blueprints as soon as we were back, so I thought it would be best to follow that.”

Kaz stared back at you, a conflicted expression painted on his face.

“I haven’t looked at the blueprints yet.” he confessed, “I only wanted you to bring them to me, to make sure that you were safe. I knew that it would be of risk to go into Pekka’s territory. I needed to actually see that nothing happened to you.”

“You already sent me a babysitter for that, though.” you snorted.

“He was just a backup safety measure.”

“Why do you trust me so little? I could’ve done the mission on my own and I would have been completely fine.”

“Y/N…”

“No, Kaz, you asked me to tell the truth, and now it’s your turn.”

“I do trust you. More than you probably know.” Kaz admitted, running a gloved hand through his messy hair, only now you realized that he looked like he hadn’t slept properly in the last few days, “When Jesper brought me the blueprints that day, I was more than worried. You wouldn’t make Jesper finish miniscule things like that.”

He paused, pondering on what to say next.

“We fought, Jesper and I. He told me things I didn’t like to hear. That’s why I only checked on you after he was gone. I should’ve just swallowed my pride.”

“What did he say to you, Kaz?” you asked, slightly confused by where this was supposed to go.

“He told me that I was just a boy too scared of his own feelings. And…”

“And?” 

“And he’s right. The reason why I always send Jesper with you on these missions is because I can’t stand seeing you hurt. I care for you. In a different way than I care for Inej, Jesper or any other team member. I just never though that this would influence my judgement this much.”

This confession left you speechless. Coming from Kaz this was basically a love confession. No, it definitely was a love confession.

“Why didn’t you come to see me earlier? I’ve been awake for a few days now. I genuinely thought you were mad at me.” you inquired, testing the waters slowly, “I mean, I don’t know how out of it I would’ve been, but still.” 

“I was mad. Not at you, but at myself. Nothing of that should’ve happened, I should’ve known better.” he rolled his head back to stare at the ceiling, his hands now only a few inches away from your legs, “I did come to visit you. When you were still unconscious. Nina said that you were going to be fine, but you didn’t look fine. Well, not what I understand under the word fine.”

An awkward silence settled between the two of you until Kaz groaned, moving to get up.

“I’m sorry, this was more than ill-fitting of me Y/N. I shouldn’t have said that. You shouldn’t have to be aware of these kinds of one-sided feelings. I’m sorry.”

Before he could stand up, you lunched forward, clutching his sleeve tightly.

“Wait, what if I told you that I may or may not feel the same?” you stammered, realizing that you were still holding onto his shirt, only a little bit away from accidentally touching his skin.

His expression turned from a look of irritation, and he pulled his sleeve out of your grasp.

“No.” he replied in a stern voice

“What? What do you mean no? You can’t just tell me about your feelings and then deny mine!” you answered, now standing, or rather sitting, completely helpless against his words.

“I could never give you what you want. You know that.” he shot back, now meeting your gaze harshly.

“What do I want, Kaz? Tell me?” 

“Someone that doesn’t have to retch when you touch them. Someone that can actually show you affection. Someone you can kiss. Not me.” 

“I don’t need all that. There’s more to love than just that.” the mention of the word love made Kaz shudder, since none of you said it out loud up until now, “I enjoy your company and the conversations we share. I enjoy you. The rest really doesn’t matter. You’re not a lost cause.” 

He turned around, his back now facing you, his hands wiping over his face anxiously. For a moment, he just stood there, not saying anything. Then he walked over to the door, his hand resting on the handle. This made your stomach drop. You really thought that things could work out between the two of you.

However, something inside him stopped him from turning the handle and leaving. The moment felt like a déjà vu, him turning to run off to his office like a kicked dog and her just helplessly sitting on her bed. He thought about the following hours, Inej telling him that she was alive and him thanking every supernatural force for granting him another chance. This was it. And what was he doing? Running away again. 

No, not this time.

Meanwhile, there were tears building up in the corners of your eyes. You didn’t know what to do, and even though the hurt was possessing every inch of you, you wouldn’t run after him this time.

“I can’t and won’t promise you anything.” his voice broke the silence, causing you to look up at him, “But if that is what you want, I’d be willing to try.” 

You felt like someone just waterboarded you, just to pull you out right after.

“What?” you stuttered.

Kaz crossed the room again to get back to your bed, sitting a bit closer to you than before. After taking a deep breath, he set one of his gloved hands on yours, eyeing you carefully.

“I can’t promise you any sort of physical affection. To be frank, I’ll have to get used to any sort of affection, too. But I’d like us to try, Y/N.” he repeated slowly.

You nodded hastily, the weight of his words hitting you like a freight train. He wanted to try. That was more than enough for you. Tears were still running down your cheeks, just for a different reason now.

“I’d like us to try, too.” you answered softly, seeing the hint of a smile form on his face.

“Good, it’s settled then.” Kaz added smugly, now genuinely smiling, “And please stop crying, love. Don’t waste your tears on things like that.”

Much to your surprise, he didn’t wait for you to do it on your own, but moved his hands to cup your cheeks, wiping the tears away with his thumbs.

Before any of you could say anything else, the door opened suddenly, Jesper and Nina walking in to your room without any announcement. They took in the scene, you, sitting next to a startled Kaz, leftover tears still gliding down your cheeks. 

“You made her fucking cry, Brekker?” Nina shrieked, her expression changing into one of annoyance.

“It’s not how it looks like!” the both of you tried to clarify in unison. 

None of you knew where this would take you from there on, but both of you wanted to try. And at least for you, that was the only thing that mattered.

Taglist:

@b3kk3r-by-br3kk3r @kitty084

Thank you so much for the positive feedback, I really do appreciate every comment and request I get <3 If you want to be added to a taglist, just tell me in the comments!

[multiversxwhore]

Eddie, and Cheryl Chronicles

Pairings: Eddie Munson x Sinclair!sister

Warnings: Slight angst, mentions of night terrors, sleep paralysis, and light horror element.

Word count: 2k

a/n: So This was getting into 6 pages, so decided to stop this one right here. Usually when I write it starts off with the main plot, or idea. Then I create the rest of the story based off that. So I had no idea how this one was going to start lol. I hope y'all enjoy this one.

The Power of Friendship pt.1

The last thing I wanted to do is spend my Saturday preparing for a battle against monsters from an alternate dimension. If I didn’t go, and something stupid happens to Lucas, or Erica, I’ll never hear the end of it from our parents. Thank god no one is out shopping this afternoon, but it’s not like it matters, everyone shops at the new Star Court Mall now.

“So are you and that weirdo like a couple now?” Erica asked, we both wandered down a random aisle that had all types of knives, and trapping mechanisms. I tried to hide the smile that began spreading across my face, to which Erica looked back at me in disgust, probably not the response she was hoping for.

“We haven’t figured that out yet, I’ll let you know the development when it happens. What about you? I asked her quickly to change the subject.

“What about me?” Erica asked suspiciously, we took a pause in front of a giant bear trap, after considering it for some time, I decided to pick up two of them, throwing it in my basket.

“Do you like any of the boys-”

“Hell no! What is wrong with you?” Erica cut me off, and immediately shut me down. I was initially shocked by her sudden outburst, but the answer she gave seems to be on brand for Erica.

“I don't know what’s wrong with you all falling in love, and getting into relationships all of a sudden. Not me, I got things to do, and I don't want some boy getting in my way.” Erica proclaimed, though I’m not sure of all of what she would have to do at 13 besides homework, and boss around me and Lucas.

“What could you possibly have to do that’s so important?” We turned the corner, and entered another aisle, this one had protective gear like thick jackets, and goggles.

“Like saving the world from monsters, and making sure my siblings don't die.” Erica said as if it was obvious, I paused to look at her, and she stared back at me.

“I’m the smart one, you do understand that right?” I placed my hands on my hip, and Erica mimicked my movement.

“What’s 5,487 times the square root of 92?” Erica asked, and I was completely stunned, there’s no way I could figure out that without paper.

“Quickly.” Erica snapped her finger at me, I rolled my eyes at her already giving up.

“52,629.455. So much for you being the smartest Sinclair.” Erica pursed her lips, and shook her head in disappointment. She dropped a few pairs of goggles in the basket, and moved on to the next thing.

“I can't believe I’ve been bested by a thirteen year old.” I mumble to myself, just then I feel two arms snake around me, accompanied by someone's warm breath, and soft lips on the back of my neck. Knowing who it was, I leaned into their body finding comfort in the smell of their axe body spray.

“Did I tell you how pretty you look today?” Eddie whispered against the shell of my ear, his hands sneaking up my stomach underneath my t-shirt. His index finger poking my belly, the sensation was weird, and it made me squirm a bit. I quickly turned before Eddie got the idea to do anything else to me in public. Ever since I turned 19 this summer, Eddie has been extra handsy with me, having him as my first time was the best decision I’ll probably ever make.

“Actually, you did not tell me how pretty I am today, and I think you’re long overdue.” I wrap my arms around his neck, and our foreheads touch. I can see his beautiful hazel eyes, I can see how there were tiny flecks of gold in them, and I can see the way his pupils dilated. I loved looking at Eddie upclose, it reminds me of the parts of him that are real, and not who he pretends to be for the rest of the world.

“My Cheryl, lovely Cheryl, you are absolutely gorgeous today. Like you’re glowing, it’s crazy.” There wasn’t any music playing, but suddenly we started swaying slowly side to side to our own rhythm. A goofy grin plastered onto his face, I opened my mouth to say something but I’m cut off by Steve’s voice.

“Alright love birds, back to the car, we’re on a mission here.” Steve says flatly, a bored expression on his face. He is the least excited about this plan, but just like me, Steve too feels responsible for the brats. I sigh as I reluctantly pull away from Eddie, and catch up with the other girls.

“Wow, 5 whole minutes you two were sucking faces, that is a record.” Robin chimes, I roll my eyes, and bite the inside of my cheek. Nancy looks over at me waiting for my response, I wait till I’m seated in the back to speak up.

“We didn’t get to that part this time, but trust me, we had plenty of mouth to mouth last night to make it a lifetime.” All the girls squealed, and giggled along with me, we all quieted down as some of the boys approached the car.

“That’s disgusting.” Erica said as she looked over our map of Hawkins, we all broke out into laughter again, but then Eleven turned to me from the row of seats behind me, her brown eyes wide with curiosity.

“What’s…suck face?” She asked innocently, I smiled back at her as Steve slid into the driver's seat. “It’s basically kissing, but like more intense.” Eleven’s cheeks turned hot pink as her eyes flickered over to Mike when he climbed into the back row.

“What are you guys talking about?” Mike asked, he noticed El looked slightly embarrassed, and the other girls were more quiet than usual.

“Nothing.” Me, and all the girls spoke in unison. Mike gave a weird look, but instantly forgot all about it when Eleven grabbed his attention. Eddie had grabbed onto my hands, squeezing them gently, feeling myself get a bit sleepy. I rested my head on his shoulder, and we melted into each other.

“How can she sleep at a time like this?” Dustin asked out loud. “She can sleep through a sandstorm, I’ve never understood it.” Lucas said.

I was having this weird dream, it seemed like I was in The Upside Down, and I was standing face to face with a demogorgon. I could hear Eddie’s voice in the distance calling to me, at the same time the Demo Dog opened up its face, and screeched at me.

Cheryl Sinclair…is next…friendship will not save her. …Cheryl! ….Cheryl wake up!

“God not again, Cheryl!” Eddie shouted, I shot forward from my sitting position, my breathing staggered, and heavy. I can feel my body trembling, I looked up to see everyone had turned around to look at me. Even Steve looked worried, and that was a problem.

“Dude, your eyes rolled back, and you were twitching. Then it was like your body was lifeless, but your heart was still beating…then you started talking.” Max rushed out, his eyes brimmed with tears, I’ve never seen him like this before.

“It was him talking…Vecna. I think I know what he’s doing.” I said, when no one moved I rolled my eyes.

“Come on we’ll talk about it inside, come on move your ass.” I commanded them, suddenly they sprung up from their seats, got out of the car, and ran to the house. We all burst through the front door, my mom can be heard in the kitchen, we tried to quickly make it up the stairs before she had a chance to see us. I packed everyone into my room, I turned, and closed the door.

“Okay so spill!” Erica shouts at me, suddenly remembering the task at hand I wring my hands out feeling a bit uncomfortable, as if I shouldn't even say anything.

“I think he’s trying to detour us, Vecna, he knows what we plan on doing. I also think he wants to take us down one by one…like kill each one of us individually. He’s seeked the power source for us…” I trailed off, Will perked up seemingly understanding what I was getting at.

“Our friendship.” Will whispered to himself, I nodded my head, and I tried to think why would something like this disturb Venca so deeply. I could only come up with one sensible answer.

“He’s evil, and vengeful.” I said, I leaned against my bedroom door. Dustin scoffed, shrugging his shoulders.

“Well, no shit he’s evil Cheryl, but how does that help?” Dustin asked, I was about to answer when the sound of him opening candy temporarily distracted me. I blinked, and shook my head choosing to ignore him.

“My point is…we give him too much power, I mean who named him Vecna anway? His name is Henry, Henry Creel. He may be strong, but he isn’t invincible.” The room remained quiet, I couldn’t tell if they were inspired, or shocked by my words.

“His weakness is happiness, and not being superior.” Eleven spoke from her spot next to Max, I clapped my hands, and pointed to her excitedly.

“That’s right El! I know it’s hard to focus on the light when you’re surrounded by darkness, but it’s possible. He can’t know every single memory we have, and he has now way of knowing which memories are our happiest. We started this hellish journey thinking there are no rules, but Henry has rules, and clear motives. Now we know some of them, so it evens the playing field.” I sat down feeling exhausted from all the talking I just did, Eddie places his hands on my shoulders gently massaging them, I sigh as I feel myself getting sleepy again.

“No, no you stay awake.” Eddie shakes me quite violently, and my eyes snap open. I haven’t told anyone that I've been having night terrors, and sleepy paralysis for the past few months. The only time I feel relaxed enough to sleep was when I’m around Eddie; I’m not sure how long it’s been since I’ve actually slept.

Erica went over the area’s in Hawkins where there were possible Henry related deaths, and the most recent one is the library. The other openings to The Upside Down have been closed up, he’s a lot smarter than I give him credit for.

“One way in.” I said. “One way out.” Robin finished, a chill ran down my spine shaking me to my core, he’s planning on trapping us there.

After the plan was clear we all ran back down stairs, and that’s when our mom stopped us.

“Oh I didn’t know you kids were all here, I would have made more food.” She said smiling, I wanted to cry right then, no one said anything. We all stood frozen not sure what to say or to do.

“Mom…I love you, you’re the best mom I could ask for.” I pushed through the group, crossed the room into the kitchen, and hugged her. I squeezed as tight as I could, then Lucas, and Erica followed suit.

“Oh! I love you all too, I don’t care what happens, you’re still my babies.” She kissed us each on the forehead, and suddenly everyone else joined in on the group hug.

“I love you all too.” My mom chuckled as she pulled us all in tightly, I pushed back on everyone as I’m starting to suffocate, I inhaled deeply. The smell of soulfood filling my nostrils, it puts a smile on my face, and warms my spirit.

“Alright, well we gotta go mom.” Dustin naps a piece of cornbread off the table, he smiles sheepishly as he stuff it into his book bag.

“One for the road.” My mom smiles, and turns to the kitchen table.

“Here, I know how you kids never stop to eat, at least you’ll have some energy whereever you’re going.” She passed out a perfectly square cut of cornbread to each of us, she wrapped them in plastic wrap to seal in the heat,and moisture.

“Oh gee thanks! Your mom is awesome Cheryl.” Robin beams as she takes the bread, and puts it in her pocket. Erica pushes us all out the house like a Sargent in the army.

“Hop to it you magots, we got places to be, evil monsters to kill! Lets go, lets go!” She shouts, Erica pushes me by my butt out the front door.

“Watch after your sister, and brother Cheryl!” My mom calls after us from the threshold.

“Will do!” I call back from the backseat next to Eddie, his hsnd grabs onto my thigh, and he squeezes gently.

“Here we go…on the high way to hell.”