#I'm not perfect either. I also fall into those same reasoning traps from time to time

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

Hey, I don't normally make my own posts about this, but.

Do not argue with an anti on their own terms.

Don't get me wrong, I get it. You see the hypocrisy. You see the way they take aim at your favorite ships or characters or tropes while enjoying something similar. And you think "if I can point out to them just how hypocritical and idiotic they look right now, everyone will see our argument, they'll see that the anti is wrong and a hypocrite, and then maybe more people will stop harassing the people who like my thing. Maybe the anti will see the light and stop being a hypocrite."

But it will not work. It will not work.

There is an extremely high chance one of two things will occur:

They will double down on their argument, and ignore what you've said. (Ex. They might say "This relationship has an age gap. That's p3dophi1ia. That's dangerous." And you might say "well you ship something with the same age gap. Is it not p3dophi1ia and dangerous when you do it?" And they will just double down and say "This ship is dangerous. The shippers are grasping at straws to make their p3d0 ship normal.")

They will agree with you, but in the worst way possible. (Ex. Someone says "Ew your ship are basically siblings because they're childhood friends and grew up together. 1nc3st apologist." And you might respond "And yet we allow our most popular ship in this fandom to be popular? They grew up together as childhood friends and were inseparable. Why is that not inc3st?" because you think they'll gain a sense of perspective here. But then that person responds "People who ship that popular ship are freaks too then." Maybe they believed that before the convo or maybe they didn't, but the point now is that (while not your intention or fault by any means) some people have gone on to harass shippers of a ship that aren't doing anything wrong. What you think will bring clarity ends up raising tensions between shippers instead)

Do not meet them where they're at on their preconceived notions. You will not make them believe that they are wrong or hypocrites. Do not concede to their heavy assertions of abuse, p3dophi1ia, 1nc3st, etc levied against the thing you like for the sake of arguing that they are a hypocrite, or with intent to make them feel dumb for inadvertently labeling 80% of a fandom with said labels. They will not "see the light". The best thing you can do, if you have to say anything, is double down with "I'm not hurting anyone and it's fiction. I can do whatever I want" or "I don't give a shit what harmless things people like as long as it's tagged and I can filter out what I dislike" (especially if this is your stance). Then block and move on.

Antis, like trolls, thrive on engagement. They want you to argue so they can continue to point at you or lie about you or make you look bad.

It is in your best interest to pick your battles, and to try to sus out the difference between a friendly argument or standing up for yourself versus feeding the trolls. You won't make the right choice every time, all of us are human after all, but I promise you that ignoring and blocking bad faith actors, deleting their hate anons, etc, is not the coward's way out. Sometimes you don't need to fight. Sometimes keeping yourself from platforming bad faith actors and giving them nothing to go on will do the job (because there are more antis that are just small blogs with little power to do anything than you think, the kinds of people whose inflammatory posts will die if no one touches them).

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

[jayzioxx]

I reblog things more than I actually post someting so here's a lil something

Conglomerate!Kazuha and average joe office worker!reader;

First met when [name] was in 1st grade.

[Name] was anxious about his first day of school, and in his little mind, among all those other kids, he was the only one who felt that way!

[Name] didn't exactly go to pre school, it wasn't a legal requirement, so his parents didn't see a reason to send their child to education so early and spent the first few years of [name]'s life making memories with just the three of them.

[Name] wanted to cry when he saw his mummy waving at him with a smile on her face, but he promised her he would have fun at school and a big boy doesn't break promises! So he held back the tears threatening to fall down his chubby little cheeks.

[Name] looked around, trying to find someone to talk to, but everyone already seemed acquainted with each other... Would they be mad if he bothered them? He didn't want to take chances, he'll just figure out the school thing himself! It won't be that hard, right? School was, in fact, not fun. Everyone had friends and seemed to fit in, and [name] was the odd one out. An acorn in a bowl of dog food, a duck among swans, whatever. He missed hiking with his parents and exploring old (publicly available and safe) ruins within the woods (sectioned under the community park).

As lunch time rolled around, everyone ran to play with their friends, and [name] didn't want to stay cooped up inside the classroom either, so he, too, begrudgingly walked outside to at least stare at nothing.

When [name] looked around for a quiet place to sit, a huge tree in the corner of the grass field caught his eye. He ran over to that perfect place he spotted, but as he got close, he noticed another boy, laying down on the grass and observing the sky.

[Name] turned around to quietly leave before the other boy spoke. "Do you want to sit with me?"

[Name] didn't say anything and just looked at the other boy, slightly intimidated. He seemed older. He wanted to say,'It's fine, I won't bother you' but instead blurted out, "Which grade are you in?" filled with embarrassment, he slapped his hands over his face, almost expecting the other boy to be angry, but instead, he just laughed.

"I'm in second grade. Is this your first day?" [Name] nodded and stayed silent.

"If you're alone right now, you can sit next to me. I'm also alone." The older boy said, and feeling a bit more comfortable, [name] sat next to the him.

"What's your name?" He asked from his new found friend. "Kaedehara Kazuha."

It was only in third grade, did [name] find out that Kazuha was in fact not a loner like him, and was very popular.

Went to the same secondary school too.

The hardest year for [name] was his last year of primary school. It's not like he didn't have any friends, but still, his first friend had already finished primary and transferred to another school.

When he finally finished that long year of school and transferred, he was scared. What if he had already found new friends? What if he didn't want to talk with him anymore?

Any thoughts that bothered him quickly vanished as a blonde haired boy came barreling towards him, trapping him in a hug.

"Hello!"

Had to part ways before Kazuha finished secondary school.

At some point, Kazuha just stopped showing up at school, or the library, or the park. It was like he vanished. [Name] tries contacting him, but every time the phone only spoke in its robotic voice,'the number you have dialed is not in service.'

Years passed, and [name] ended up in college. Not a prestigious university or anything, just a community college, got a half decent job with a half decent salary, and continued to stay in the same monotonous office just because the job market was too competitive to find a better job. By then, Kazuha was just a distant memory from a happy childhood.

Met after a team dinner.

[Name] was so dizzy by the time he reached the toilets, barely able to keep himself from puking all over his clothes, but hey! Just because the team leader forced him to drink till dead doesn't mean he should die before washing the damn stench off his clothes. It's not like clothing was getting any cheaper....

[Name], with all the strength he had, kept himself from face planting anywhere till he got to the sink, splashing the cold, surely dirty tap water onto his heated face.

"Fuck this..." was all he could say. Not like he could quit. Or call HR, or beat his loser of a boss dead. He still needed the paycheck and the job.

Every step he took felt like an iron ball was chained to his ankle, oh he was drunk alright. So so drunk and so so annoyed.

He somehow made it out of the crappy restaurant and decided that was enough before letting his jelly legs collapse. Maybe the pavement would be comfortable.

He shut his eyes, expecting to fall face first onto the concrete, yet a strong but slender arm stopping him from toppling over completely.

[Name] turned his head with widened eyes, the face he saw between his hazy vision was all too familiar, yet distant at the same time.

"Am I hallucinating?"

Took a while to get more comfortable with each other.

"You up?" A strangely familiar voice asked as [name] rubbed his temples, barely opening his eyes from the headache crashing into his head.

The smell of coffee radiated throughout the unfamiliar, comfortable room.

"I made you some coffee." The other person said, and only then did [name] snap back into reality. He was in an unknown person's house, in an unknown person's bed, wearing an unknown person's clothes, just the morning after he was drunk to his limits.

"What the hell happened..." he spoke, almost to the stranger, but mostly to himself. He dreamt about seeing the face of an old friend.

"At least look at my face." The man spoke again, and when [name] did look, he didn't think he'd forgive the other one again.

(They did nothing freaks)

Had their ups and downs.

It's been almost a year since [name] reunited with his old friend. A year since Kazuha did everything he could to at least hang out with [name] a bit more. His younger friend was a bit more rough, a bit more ill spoken, and a bit more pessimistic than he remembered. But gosh, was he beautiful.

But when he gets angry... I guess rage is also a beauty?

"And WHEN exactly were you going to tell me?!" [Name] kept a tight pincer grasp on Kazuha's ear as he let out a series of 'ow's.

"Soon-" Kazuha tried to weasle his way out of [name]'s grasp but was cut of swiftly.

"Yeah, and exactly how 'soon' were you going to tell me you partnered with my company's boss, specifically requested creative team B for a task specifically catered to have me work at your company?"

"Soon-! Hey that hurts!" Kazuha complained, trying to put on his best puppy eyes, but alas, it is useless.

"Right, and I'm Elon Musk, your point?" [Name] sighed and continued. "If I didn't accidentally turn to the wrong office I wouldn't have known that was your company in the first place." He raised a brow, finally releasing Kazuha's red ear.

"I can't even get mad at you because you're cute... You're abusing your power..." Kazuha pouted, rubbing his ear.

"YOU'RE the one abusing power here!"

And never confessed to each other either.

Kazuha barged into [name]'s room. The ivory walls and wooden shelves were decorated with a few photos and trinkets to the younger man's liking.

"There's a thing called knocking?" [Name] sassed as he went through a work document before he could hit submit. It's been about a week since [name] moved into Kazuha's apartment (against his will), and Kazuha made it his personal goal to invade [name]'s privacy every few hours with drinks and snacks.

Kazuha placed the mug of coffee on the table as he pressed a quick kiss on the other's cheek before grabbing another chair and sitting beside him.

[Name] suddenly paused his work and took off his reading glasses, placing them on the table. Kazuha, confused, didn't inquire but sightly tilted his head, quite like a bird.

"What are we?" [Name] asked.

"What do you want us to be?"

But still, they love each other.

A/n I'm too lazy to type out the individual headcanons rn. Maybe I'll do a part 2 if yall want me to...

Yeah anyways cringe culture is back and I'm pulling kdrama ceo x poor man gay homosexual uwu fanfiction out my ass. Yay.This one specifically was inspired by every kdrama I've watched and every manhwa I've read

[contritecactite]

As ever, it takes the tiniest hint of encouragement (thanks @grimboigio ) to goad me into generating a wall of text. Well, actually, the wall was already there. Big big Hades II spoilers below in the form of messy half-baked notes I've been jotting down as I play. Some are just things that I got excited about, but there's a tiny sliver or two of theories and expectations.

I think we're headed for no happy ending, just acceptance—the battle is against Chronos, but it's really about *time* as a concept; for these gods, time really did take its toll and change the way mortals relate to them. Supergiant will never make another sequel for the same reason: things belong in their own time.

The lycaons *could* just be heralding Cerberus, but they somehow give me a sense of the trappings of Roman the Empire creeping in (in an intentional, storytelling way). Same with the emptiness of Ephyra and the hints of war in the mortal aspect. It feels like this is the fall of the cultures we now call "ancient Greece" as told through the eyes of the gods who get left behind or changed.

Apollo is giving me traitor vibes. He had a line about how we "have all the time in the world," and there's just something too carefree about him.

This feels like a lovely little patchwork quilt of Supergiant games. Homer is more reactive like the Bastion narrator. The music, the social bonding opportunities, and the inventory and lore screens feel a bit like Pyre. Some upgrade systems remind me of Transistor, and the mood reminds me very much of it as well. The writing and combat are still very Hades, and there are new aspects that speak of a team that has taken the time to understand what works, what doesn't, and what improvement and innovation should look like within their existing framework.

Echo's whole thing is fucking clever. Those gifts: Either repeats or diminishing returns—just like an echo. Holy fucking shit the way I vibrated when I met Echo the first time.

I love my randomly assigned college roommate who never goes to her classes and moves all my shit for no reason (Dora). If she were my actual roommate, I would feel a very different way about this.

Eris is perfect. I love her being mean-spirited mischief rather than brute force or accidental mischief; it feels like a unique character composition. She's awful. I can't stand her. She's perfect. She also reminds me of Spoiler from Pixie Tricks, a series I read as a kid (both in personality and, vaguely, design).

Nemesis and Artemis sound like they have a no-strings on-again off-again kind of thing going on and I love that for them. Also hope Charon and Hermes get to see each other again soon bc I'm rooting for them so hard.

I literally shrieked when taking out one of the sirens *actually impacted their contribution to the song*. I shouldn't have been surprised, but it was so much fun to hear it happen anyway. Very immersive! I'm also in love with Scylla. She reminds me very specifically of Ryan Stiles' Carol Channing impression and a little of Dolly Parton. Also. Her fucking hood. Jesus.

One of my favorite things about Hades is that there was nothing that an enemy or boss could do that you couldn't do through some combination of boons, weapons, and upgrades. The same seems to hold true here so far, and I just can't say enough how *cool* that is. The worst part of any combat-heavy game to me is the realization that the boss or even the cutscene of your character can do things that you, the player, can't initiate or control during a regular battle. Hades says "yeah, fuck that. It'll look different when you do it vs. when that sea serpent does it, but you can accomplish the same action/effect." Likewise, there's practically nothing your character can do that isn't also usable by at least one enemy. That keeps things balanced and combats the sense of "ah yes, you are the Most Special Chosen One" that's often inherent to RPGs. It gives the sense that skill matters a lot and makes me as a player feel skilled—I'm not visually doing anything that my enemies can't do, so... maybe I'm actually kinda good at this? (I am mediocre at best, but the game lets me *feel* skilled).

Additionally, just as in Hades, the enemies in an area are very informative about how upcoming bosses will behave. It rewards a player for paying attention and makes each enemy populating an area make *sense*.

After beating the sirens, ALL I wanted was for Melinoë to be able to have one single fan among the shades like Zagreus in the Theseus map. What I got was even *better*; the same type of interaction, but in a way that takes into account *her* task-focused, serious personality while still giving a little bit of levity. She is *done* with being here and ready for everyone to clear out, and that grumpy shade is not having it. He even makes a new little face! Love you, purple shade in the corner.

Oh, hey, charybdis, there you are

THE 2 IS IN *ROMAN* NUMERALS I'm having a moment

yeah that's it that's what I got. For now. My gaming buddy keeps falling asleep when I try to gush and talk through things, so Tumblr gets it instead.

[lunarsilkscreen]

Anakin's fall to the Dark Side

Anakin was born Sith. This is a term bestowed upon him by Qui-gon when he noted that he's "Probably the chosen one" and the reason why the Jedi Council wouldn't train him.

But still; that doesn't quite explain his fall to the "Dark Side" does it?

That statement holds a lot of different pieces of Star wars lore, about the "Sith'ari". A lot I don't want to extrapolate here because many content creators already have.

Because of this the term "Sith" doesn't have any dark side connotations. And the only one who identified himself as "Sith" was the Emperor Palpatine.

So there's a lot of unexplored territory as to what "Sith" actually means during this era of the Star Wars franchise. And while KotoR designated the name for a race of evil beings... I'm not quite certain that's the whole truth either.

What happened to Anakin; Force Balancer?

Seemingly trapped in a lifetime of slavery he momentarily gained his freedom to be trained as Jedi; only to lose it again when his mother died.

At this point in time; Anakin was a Jedi Warrior. Not a good person. The Jedi were not good. They fought and they killed people. By the time he took his wrath out on the people he thought murdered his mother; he had already [lifed] whole peoples under Jedi order.

Most of the media portrays this as just him fighting robots. But to him; C-3P0 was more than a robot..a person. And also; he was tasked as a General in war against *real people*. The things they don't tell you in Jedi history. To make them seem more benevolent.

This was already second nature to Anakin thanks to the Jedi teachings and the Orders given to him by "The Light Side of the Force".

There's no telling if the People of Tatooine actually tortured his mother, or if they were directed to by another source or if they actually tried to nurse his mother back to health *but* their medicine was poison to human.

I don't think Anakin even knows. The Force Guided his actions because he wasn't fully conscious of them. That's what Blind Rage can do, and why the Jedi teach you to be cognizant of them.

Even Obi-Wan was not immune to this, but the only two people alive that he might've cared about were Qui-gon and Anakin. He didn't have to face the same pain Anakin had.

This is the point Anakin was chained to the dark side. He was being controlled by Palpatine through the dark side of the force.

It's likely he either couldn't articulate the problem to the council; or that they wouldn't listen. The Sith don't exist anymore afterall, and *those* teachings were buried by Councils past.

We do know that the Jedi stood in the way of Profit margins, but we don't know what impact that had on the people they were blocking.

We may never know.

What we do know is that Anakin was molded by the people who sworn to serve the light and peace into a perfect weapon. And then disallowed to voice any dissent.

This opened him up to the dark side, to be wielded by somebody who would use him for evil.

Anakin isn't dumb, Obi-Wan had the high ground.

"You don't know what's going on with me" he pleaded and cried. And launched himself at Obi. Not in hopes of victory, or this hardheaded arrogance that he was painted as.

He was [ritual of lifing] he wished for obi to save him by releasing him from his bondage. The only way he could think to do it.

It wasn't Anakin that defeated Dooku, he did not want to pull the trigger at the end. He hesitated. But in the back of his mind Sidious words echoed "Do it."

Unfortunately, it was Obi's own reluctance that sealed Darth Vaders fate. Anakin was sealed off from the force, and thus the only connection he had to life; Padmè Amadala.

And the Emperor's victory was complete. The pawn became his Queen.

[kobblefort]

Rushsly: The Early Days 4

Welcome to the last pre-caverns episode, sorry I've been dragging my ass on that!!! Sorry about the slow update in general, I was busy all day. It will either disappoint or relieve you to know that I didn't think about kobbles at all until after I got home and took a nap.

I could kill them. You definitely shouldn't think things like that. But I could pull the lever and just crunch them up. The wagon, the guards, the buffalo, just take it all to fucking crunch city. Shut Toastsdrip and Rarsa Tightnesstrusses would be smashed in an instant ok nah because I am not physically capable of doing violence to a guy named "Shut Toastsdrip" that just ain't in me!!!! That's one guy I don't want to even entertain the thought of killing!! But I still do. But I won't do it if you were wondering. I have all sorts of intrusive thoughts because of severe OCD that I have never actually acted on, besides maybe within the safe confines of a virtual space like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive where I can throw a flashbang right at my team's spawn at the start of the round or ping my squadmate in the head just as he settles in to the perfect camping position, get kicked from the server, and go on about my day. I've been getting Instagram ads telling me that people would like to pay me to do some experimental medicinal treatment that's supposed to make the intrusive thoughts go away, but despite the fact that I spent my 20s taking any drug I was ever offered with wild abandon and that includes freebasing bath salts I have grown into the kind of guy who is not actually enthusiastic about the prospect of testing weird new drugs. But this series isn't about me it's about Dwarf Fortress the greatest simulation game of all time.

Oh shit I didn't know Ace Steel was in my fort. Actually I'm literally going to rename this guy "Ace Steel" because that's funny to me.

This is going to confuse the fuck out of me in 4 hours when I've completely forgot about it and just see his job title pop up somewhere. Well anyway let's talk about traps shall we? Not the music genre unfortunately (though if you have a girlfriend I highly recommend putting on this classic of the prototypical genre or maybe this one to frighten her) I mean the serrated iron disc kind.

Across 5 Z-levels, this is the general layout of traps. Let's start from the bottom because that's where invaders will hopefully think it is a good idea to enter the fortress from, via an unassuming little ramp down into the ground while thinking "those idiots really left their back door open!" So just to start things off we have the old faithful, cage traps - they don't always work, but when they do work, they always work. It alternates in rows with sets of sawblade traps, which I've never actually used in a fortress before, and the first two levels are just that. The third level is where things get interesting - stonefall traps are, for the most part, completely fucking useless unless you use them in tandem with environmental hazards. For some reason they are incredibly easy to dodge, but the successful dodging of our literal rat-bastard invaders is exactly what is being banked on, in order to plunge them into deep, deadly little puddles of water. You can kill real rats kind of like that using a bucket that they fall into to drown them, but you shouldn't. If you're going to kill any kind of creature drowning is obscene and cruel. And also remember that when you die and go to purgatory you will be killed just the same way as everything you have killed, down to the last little bug, so if you ever must kill anything be absolutely sure to make it quick, merciful, and painless. The rats in Dwarf Fortress aren't real though and they also like to kill my cute innocent little kobbles so I feel fine about finding the humor in them barely staggering through four rows of sawblade traps just to fall off a tiny precipice and drown. Anyway after that there's a little "reprieve room" for the bastards who survived to regroup - I might add more traps later, but everyone having to haul around the big iron mechanisms and boulders was really cutting into productivity, so we'll see about that. Finally there's the piece de resistance - still being constructed because the coal is very far away and heavy, but either way it is exactly what I said it was, a paved road made out of bituminous coal that will (hopefully!) be ignited by pockets of magma when the floodgates are opened by an unassuming little lever posted over by the tavern. At the end are doors which will bait the invaders as long as they remain unsealed, which works for now, though ideally something more reliable like a retractable bridge over a big-ass hole would make a far better final bulwark than just some literally glass doors. But I'm choosing to believe this stuff is all glass in the "Morrowind glass armor" sense not the "Headshop guy dropping a perfectly good bong on the tile floor to try and prove a vaguely Sinophobic point" sense. But why go through all this trouble anyway? Let's answer this by digging into the minds of some more kobbles, we haven't done that for a while - I think we'd do well to start with our glorious leader Acl Controlledown.

We see him working on the same drudgery as any given peasant must, intricately engraving every single tile of the three-space apartments.

He draws monkeys (I highly approve) trees and plants all over the bedroom of a random archer as selflessly as any kobble with 1/10th of his stature. He performs religious rites and makes friends and gets scared thinking about dead bodies. Anyone should be proud to toil under such leadership as would literally carve a drawing of a monkey into their bedroom wall just to make them a bit happier! When's the last time you saw a politician in the real world do any actual work? They hardly even make phone calls for themselves. They don't even drive their own cars! And whose bedroom does he do this for?

A mother who left both her lovers and her child behind to strike the earth here, who likes poetry and music and pangolins and turkeys for their snood!!!!! and will gladly fight for peace, will gladly kill for Rushsly, has already killed for Rushsly, might one day die for Rushsly.

A few stories up Kody Inkblighted comes under a fey mood, and begins weaving away an artifact of sheep wool, bristle cloth, and... jet blocks?

Its artifact is completed just as the fire-road is, just as the winter ends, just as a brand new year begins. The year 253, our fourth year in the fortress - a good enough fortress to be certain, not a great or terrible fortress - but good enough is never really enough. As anyone who's spent a little too long with an opiate habit can tell you the only such thing as "enough" is too much. And so with above-ground defenses mostly taken care of (though we could admittedly use some more bird towers) it's time to break into the cavern layers.

The plan for now is to just keep digging down the main 3x3 stairway, starting at -10 and cutting out "vents" every 5 floors. I'd very much like to not accidentally dig out onto the ground level, since that way we should be more-or-less protected from any forgotten beast that can't fly, but in Dwarf Fortress you don't really choose what happens. The simulation ultimately doesn't care about you or what you want and in a world of overwrought games where characters yell out the solution to puzzles before you're even finished looking them over that kind of agnosticism is refreshing. Even RimWorld, a very similar game to DF (and quite a good one, greetz fly out to all the RimWorld fans 🤝) there is an AI narrator system in place that tries to algorithmically tool the experience to a satisfying, demanding but fair level of challenge. Dwarf Fortress has no such pretense, things just happen and YOU have to be the one that adapts. But it's historically been quite easy for me to play this game by just ignoring my kobbles entirely, barely spending a second on the Personality tabs and just treating the game as a purely mechanical exercise. I guess that's the point of this whole blog, to rediscover the fun over 250 hours into the Steam release by letting the game and I write a story together instead of just being just a game. I also like to dot this story with absurd and far-too-long asides and anecdotes because I am an insane person, and there is a certain kind of catharsis in randomly telling strangers on the internet stuff like "I was haunted by a vision of straight-up biting a guy on the bus for sitting in this weird sideways manner right in front of me that made me have to keep making awkward glancing eye contact with him" though I do apologize if you were just here looking for normal Dwarf Fortress content. I am not a normal person and have no interest in making normal things. I would recommend "Kruggsmash" and "hoodie hair" on YouTube if that's what you were looking for because I find their videos to be particularly high quality, though I can't imagine anyone who wants to get off this fucked-up ride is actually still here, especially not at the end of this fucking barely-relevant run-on nightmare of a paragraph.

Well that was fucking easy, didn't even have to deviate from the staircase at all. However, we can barely actually fucking see any of it - the height of this cavern layer is -15 but the little bit of floor we can see is at -71. Jeez

We're going to carefully dig down to -60 without exposing ourselves, then punch out just a small hole to get a better look.

Zhag Gillpoker forges fearlessly ahead into the great unknown - not just fearlessly but all-around emotionlessly, actually. Provided nothing fucked up happens to him in the immediate future he's definitely getting transfered over to the military - breaching the caverns should get at least some kind of reaction, even from an admittedly "cheerless" kobble. Oh well, down we go!

Up on the surface, bunys arrive with a wagon, and I think about how I really need to move the trade depot a couple tiles over so that I'll stop being so tempted to smush whoever's sitting on it, or more likely, won't accidentally smush whoever's inevitably on it when the next invasion occurs.

The metal/glass production floor got all cleaned up just in time for the mold to start showing up :\

Kobbles have started doing my least favorite thing, leaving piles of meat/meals on the floor even though there's tons of empty barrels. I think they'll stop if I dig out more space and make the stockpile bigger, and I had the good sense after like 10 forts whose denizens inevitably started doing this to start making sure my kitchen/butcher/raw food stockpiles are walled off, but it never gets any less annoying. I mean look at the empty pots and barrels right fucking there, mere steps away! Do not come crying to me when it starts giving off miasma, this is your own fault!! I think I get so instinctively mad at this because it reminds me of roommates leaving dishes in the sink so long they got moldy or started to stink, then acting like I was somehow contributing to the problem when I literally only owned one pan, one pot, one bowl, one plate, one fork, one spoon, one butter knife and one chef's knife and washed them every single time I used them and also had to hide them in my room because I didn't want them being used and left in the fucking sink with the expectation that I would clean up after their lazy bum bachelor asses like I was their mom!!!!

The problem is mitigated, at least in part, by gifting a frankly astoundingly valuable pile of prepared food to the bunys, because they are cute and I like them so I want them to have a nice little lunch on their way home. We relieve them of all their cheese, all their leather, and most of their cloth. A couple lucky kobbles will also be receiving new socks and shoes.

A diplomat meets with Acl to tell us all about the latest developments in buny civilization and I'm so smitten with how adorable these guards are. Look at those cute little wooden spears!!!

The diplomat, amusingly known as Minefield, checks out our temples approvingly, particularly enjoying the doors, before heading off on his way. I love these guys. I want all bunnies to be happy.

Making more room for the stockpile only made things worse. If those meals in the tavern start rotting I'm about to flip the fuck out

Way down below, we've finally got a good view into the cavern, and have found... absolutely no beasties at all, to our pleasant surprise.

Up on the surface we've QUADRUPLED our peacock numbers!!! You can't see because the screenshot isn't animated but a couple of those tiles hold TWO lil homies. In addition to that we also bought a live goose off the bunys, so we are in absolute bird business. Just as an extra bulwark we're also going to put up some random statues as a secondary alarm system. If you're not in the know, you get a notification when a building is toppled, and rampaging bastards like were-beasts and raiders love to destroy statues. This means that you can get a general "radar"-like sense of where enemies that haven't been revealed yet are, because the game will show you where a statue was felled, even if it's not allowed to show you who felled it yet. Since green glass is basically just free to us at this point we may as well dot the entire edge of the map with statues. This is kind of a lot of work just to weasel out of having a squad patrol outside but I just don't want to take that risk!!

A single migrant arrives, and with him, the realization that we have no siege weaponry. He should make a good fit for the military at least, though I fear I have already begun thinking about ballistae and catapults and the kinds of fun that can be had with them...

But I'll have to figure that out tomorrow because it's 4 in the morning and my computer has been on too long so it's starting to lag. I'm considering this "the end of the first arc" even though it doesn't seem like things will be all that different from this point on. Forgotten beasts can show up from the caverns now but they could always show up on the surface too, I think this world might just generally be chiller than what I'm used to. Hey wow this might be the first entire update I went without almost talking about David Cage

[barsformars]

Expectations

// 

g - angst, comfort(?)

p - yunho x reader

w.c - 1.2k

t.w - (self doubt?)

c - compliments can give people strength but the future expectations that come with it can weigh one down and cause one to beat themselves up just because of a small hump in their journey; tldr -> yunho's mentally and physically exhausted.

a.n - hihi! just a piece i wrote late last night because,, thoughts. i hope everyone remembers to be gentle on yourselves, and like my dad always tells me (and now what i tell others): challenge yourself but within your own personal limits. it’s okay to be disappointed in yourself if you truly think you could have done better but if it is because you didn’t live up to other people’s expectations of you then fuck them! the more you blame yourself because of that the blurrier the line between self satisfaction and satisfying other people will be. 

t.l - @closer-stars @jeongyunhoed @fromercury

//

His feet dragged across the floor all the way to your bedroom where he finally allowed himself to completely let go and release all the tension in his sore aching muscles as he falls onto your bed, it is rare that he gets to do so without having to first check whether San was in the top bunk or if any other members were following him into the room, and it's already rare enough that he feels like this. It's not that he didn't like to be vulnerable in front of them, he just couldn't bring himself to whenever it boiled down to this same problem he was facing right now because he knew that it would shake the team's confidence and energy for at least the next week. Words like "because Yunho can grasp the choreography really well really quickly, we feel assured," and, "we are always grateful that we can rely on him," they do give him strength to continue working hard, but sometimes, it's nothing more than a heavy burden placed on him, felt like an ankle weight was tied to his feet, preventing him from executing the footwork properly.

As those words replayed in his head — a reminder that he should probably be spending this time doing something more productive, that he should be using this time to clean up his dance moves because at least one person would be coming to him for help tomorrow — Yunho shrinks as he curls into the fetal position, the heels of his palms pressed against his eyes. Even with his body closed up like that, he still felt like he was going to fall apart if anything or anyone gave him even the gentlest of a nudge, this was already the best he could manage in holding himself together.

Yunho knows that this was not the end of the world, no one was going to blame him for not having perfected the choreography already, no one was going to be disappointed that he couldn't help them either, in fact Hongjoong would probably tell him: "It's alright! We can all learn it together slowly and patiently, we will get it eventually." And Yeosang, who has always been the best at footwork, will probably be more than happy to lead the dance practice yet again. Yunho knows, but he can't stop himself from feeling like he wasn't doing his best. If only his body could withstand a little more...

His palms are now warm and wet, without warning, and without a sound. No shaking shoulders, no shuddering breaths, no tightness in his throat, no burning sensation in his nose, the tears just flowed down silently and slowly, whether he liked it or not. Yunho stays frozen in that position for a little while as he let his tears do whatever they wanted because if he even had enough energy to wipe them away he would rather conserve it so he could get to the kitchen and pour himself a glass of water. And when he removes his hands away from his face, he heard the front door opening and shutting, and just the thought of being in your warmth almost caused him to burst into tears again.

You noticed Yunho's shoes thoughtlessly kicked to one side and how his bag was randomly dropped in the middle of the hallway, and your heart ached for him. You already knew that he wasn't feeling good because Yunho was always honest about the reasons he wanted to visit you for, and while it wasn't your first time seeing him feeling down, this was just...bad. You quickly made your way to your room where you knew he would be, and when your eyes met his swollen ones, there was no need for spoken words, not yet at least. So you put your bag down onto the floor and sat yourself down on the edge of the bed, allowing him to lay his head on your lap. Your fingers were already caressing his hair, that honestly still felt a little moist, an evidence along with his slightly sticky skin that he had spent quite some time in the dance studio earlier on. It worries you, because Yunho almost never gets this stressed out when it came to dance, or did he perhaps dance to get his mind off whatever it was?

Yunho's eyes are closed just like when he was alone a little earlier, but this time his tears stay trapped behind his eyelids, though his nose ached a lot more now. "Do you want some water?" You asked, hearing how he was starting to sniffle. He sat up (very stiffly) and you took it as a yes, your toes already pulling your bag closer within reach so you could pull out your bottle of water.

"Do you want to talk about it? Or is me being here enough for now, or do you just need some alone time?"

Yunho scrunches his eyebrows as he gulped down a large mouthful of water, it was much more painful than he remembers it being the last time he had a good cry. He opens his mouth to speak, and then he hesitates for a little, blinking multiple times as if trying to piece the words together in his head. You don't pressure him.

"I just think I'm being stupid right now, I know what I'm feeling is so dumb and irrational but I can't stop myself from feeling like this. I know if my body is this exhausted it must mean that I did indeed gave it my all, but I can't stop feeling that I could have been more productive. I don't mind being this tired as much as I do about not feeling like I did my best. And I can't help but feel like I'm not doing anything to contribute to the team right now. If I can't even get those steps down, then I don't deserve the 'main dancer' title, and I don't deserve having the members looking up to me."

You suddenly felt guilty for thinking that there was no way Yunho would get this distressed over dance, thoughts and expectations like this from everyone who knew him probably contributed to the growing expectations that he felt pressured to meet. Of course even Yunho would face problems when it came to executing certain moves, he may be a very good dancer but there is no dancer out there, anywhere, who could master every technique of every genre of dance there was. People forget that dancers are always constantly learning, heck, everyone is constantly learning as they go on in life, mistakes are allowed.

"It's not stupid, Yunho. Your feelings are valid, everyone wants to be the best version of themselves but, Yunho, a moon is still a moon in all of its phases. Just because you're struggling with a few dance steps does not mean that you are not a good dancer, or a reliable member to your other members. You are still you, and with time, you will master those moves and shine brightly like you always have. Besides, you are not just the 'main dancer', you are also a good vocalist, a positive influence, and most importantly, a human."

[danceing-spelled-wrong]

Made a Grumpus OC

They're just one of few of them..not sure if I'll draw any of them, I drew them because..I'm bored

I have a grumpsona in mind..but I'm not finish with it's design

I guess I'll explain them

Amly Ductforce(I'm bad at names) came to Snaktooth island because they were bored and needed a vacation from their "job"

He's gender-fluid and doesn't mind people getting his pronouns wrong when he doesn't feel that gender, but some just call him a "They" and that's fine by him

One thing that she's really good at, is lying and stealing. When she came to Snaktooth Island, she started her hobby right away and stole some things from Wambus which got him pretty upset

He gives everyone nicknames despite not liking anyone besides Cromdo

She likes order yet enjoys chaos, sometimes, she would plant random objects that belong to the residents in each other's huts to start up something

When the town split, he went to the Boiling Bay due to the nice warm yet cold feel to it and because she wanted to steal stuff from Floofty

They're probably in their late 40s early 50s

Her and Cromdo get along for the most part as long as she doesn't steal anything from him

In their hut, they have a lot of stolen objects, most from Wambus

Their hut is beside Liz and Egg's hut but is to the right of the beach

If he was in the game, then you'd meet them the same time you meet Floofty

She doesn't like Lizbert because she always calls her out on the stuff she steals, same for Beffica

Due to his hatred to Lizbert, he shares the same hatred towards Eggabell but doesn't go out his way to steal from her, seeing her as too fragile

He's scared of Chandlo(because he would snap her like a twig), Shelda(because she acts like a cult leader), and Gramble(because he's too nice)

If they get caught stealing, they lie about it and theres a 90% chance it'll work due to their confident sounding voice and being a bit manipulative

Dialogue in game:

What everyone thinks of them

Filbo:

"Oh..them? They're..ok, as long as they don't cause any trouble.."

Wambus:

"...."

Beffica:

"She's just a thief, no wonder her and Cromdo work so well together, they're nothing but squeebs."

Gramble:

"I never spoke to him before..but..I don't think he likes me very much.."

Wiggle:

"She stole my banjo and said she wanted to play a song, but then she threw it off a cliff! I'm so glad I have fast reflexives."

Snorpy:

"All they do is steal stuff! Then lie about stealing that stuff! I haven't gotten my inventions back in 3 months!"

Cromdo:

"Ah..that grump is something all right..greatest business partner ever, she and I are gonna rule the money world!"

Triffany:

"Oh..Amly? I don't come in contact with her often but Wamby doesn't like her."

Chandlo:

"After they stole my balls AND Snorpy's inventions, I promised to never speak to them for the rest of my life bro!"

Floofty:

"I don't appreciate them stealing my leg or my notes. If given the chance, I would experiment on them."

Shelda:

"Do not speak of thy name who gladly would turn his back on us if given the chance!"

Cemi:

"Nope. I don't like her at all..she's not that attractive..and she hangs with Cromdo."

Charlia:

"I really don't like it when she tries to remove my arm..it hurts my feelings.."

Being asked about Floofty:

"I like stealing their stuff but if I offered to help them, I think they'll kill me."

Meeting them:

"Woah..a new face! I haven't seen anyone new around here in..grumping forever!"

"Who are ya and why are you talking to me?"

*explains*

"Oh! You're that amateur journalist Lizzie was talking about! I thought you were never coming, isn't this grand? New faces! New people! New stuff to..borrow!"

"I'm Amly Dustforce, the ruler of Snaktooth island!"

Will you come back to town?

"Wait..town? No way..if Cromy's not there, then I'm not going!"

"Also, I'm a little parched, can ya get me a Sqaquiri? I'd drink those things, everyday of the week, maybe we can..cut a deal, how's that sound doll?"

*Caught Sqaquiri*

"Now THAT was a refreshing beveridge, thanks doll!"

"So, ya want me to come back to town? Well, I might need some convincing, I want ya to find out what that Filbo kid does when nobody's lookin, I could use it for..things."

*You find out what Filbo does*

"HA! Are you serious?! Oh jezz, and I thought he couldn't be more of a squeeb! HAHA! Goodness..that's a laugh I needed..ha!"

"Good to know theres some things to see in town, but I'm more interested in WHAT is in town."

"For ya final task, I want ya to steal Beffica's diary..then rip out some pages that are interesting, and give them to me. Easy."

*You grab the pages*

"Sweet! Good job my messenger grump!"

"*sigh*, I think I'm ready to go to town..but..first I want you to get Cromy in town."

But you said that was the final task

"I lied."

"Get Cromy in town and I'll follow right behind, deal?"

*Cromdo is in town*

"Wow! That was..slow but it'll do!"

"Thanks doll, looking forward to chatting with ya! Farewell!"

Interview:

Have time for an interview?

"Interview? That sounds fun! I'm in."

Who are you?

"Amly Ductforce, it's pronounced Aim-ly. Strange. I know."

Why come to Snaktooth Island?

"I heard of Lizzie's stupid conspiracy on TV, I was about to change the channel when I heard there was an island involved, and I just so happened to be looking for a place to host my vacation. So I packed up and lied about being interested in her expedition."

Vacation from what?

"My life. My job. My family. Everything basically."

Thoughts on Bugsnax?

"I guess they're ok, the names could be better..but some taste pretty good. Note, keep away from the Aggroll."

Why?

"Because those things will break some bones and the flavor isn't even worth it! Also because it's named after someone I'm not found of."

Why did you leave town?

"I could handle the drama between Wamby and Gram, but once Cromy left, I had no reason to stay. I wanted to follow him, but I decided to live near the beach instead, so yeah."

What do you think about Cromdo?

"Me and him have a pretty decent relationship, I give him what he wants and he takes the fall for me. Simple business."

Are you planning on betraying him?

"No way, he's cool, I don't consider him a friend, but he's still great to work with."

Any info on Lizbert?

"Liz..I grumping hate her! She keeps saying I stole stuff from her, I would never do such a thing! If she didn't have that little obstacle beside her, I would burn her hut down!"

Woah, calm down. Who's this obstacle?

"I am calm..just speaking out my mind. And I'm talking about Eggabell. The doctor? Lizzie's girlfriend? Eggy bell? Yeah. She and her are like..two papers in a file. Theres nothing you can do to separate those two."

What happened to Lizbert?

"If we're being honest, I'm not sure."

Are you lying?

"Heh. For once in my life, no. I really don't know what happened to Lizzie, she went up that mountain and didn't come back."

How do you know she went up the mountain?

"I saw her."

Why didn't you tell anyone?

"I did. Nobody besides Cromy believed me, guess that's the price being the best liar in the world."

That'll be it. Thank you

"No problem doll, that was pretty fun! Here, have this!"

*stolen piece of journal paper*

"Found it while cleaning Lizzie's hurt, it might help ya in someway. Any who, I gotta run, farewell!"

Side Quests:

"Heya doll, you won't believe what I discovered! It'll help ya find Liz!"

What?

"First..get me a Poptick..it's very important."

Why?

"Trust me! It's super super SUPER important!

Sure, I guess

"Caramel please."

*Got the Poptick*

"Perfect..now..I need a Snaquiri.."

Are you going to tell me why?

"Nope. Make it quick! I have a feeling my brain's about to forget everyone!"

*Got the Snaquiri*

"Good..now..I need a Cheery, that'll be all to finish this!"

I have a feeling you're lying

"I'm hurt."

Fine.

"Hurry up! I'm losing my life force!"

*Got the Cheery*

"Alright..now-"

*silence*

What?

"That's it. I was just hungry."

Why did you say it was important

"There was no way you'd do it if I asked, so I just..slightly lied."

Slightly?!

"Calm down doll! Everything fine! Nobody got hurt.."

You have a lying problem

"I know..but I can't do anything about it, it's the only thing I got."

"When you're a liar, nobody wants to be around you, nobody likes you..and nobody will trust you."

"Ever since birth, I lied, stole, and broke so many things, nobody wants anything to do with me. I had no friend and my family kept saying I was a bad person..so I don't talk to them anymore."

"Lying is all I got left doll and if I stop, I got nothing. So I'm not stopping anytime soon, so deal with it."

"Thanks for the food..farewell."

Welcome back message:

"Oh..you're..back."

"Heya Wamby, didn't know you'd be back either! How sweet! The gangs coming back!"

"Amly, if you go near my farm-"

"What? Me? Go near your farm? No way! I would never!"

"Don't think that everyone things you're a saint! Only Cromdo thinks that!"

"I don't think I am one, but it's nice knowing you think so!"

"Just stay away from my farm."

"Deal. Happy catching up with you!"

Major Celebration Dialogue:

"You know, Cromby..maybe we should take a break from our business, we're making a few people upset by it."

"Agreed. What should we do to be occupied til then?"

"Hm..maybe we could sell Bugsnax? I could..borrow that trap the journalist uses."

"Yeah..yeah I like that idea!"

"It's settled! Cromy and Amly's marketing lives on!"

"We need a better name."

"Yeah.."

*approaching him*

"Heya doll, how's the party?"

*asked to dance*

"Sorry, but I'm working. Maybe when we sell out."

*sold out*

"Wow! That was quick, how's about a dance Cromy?"

"You bet! Meet you on the dance floor!"

Reaction to partner(I guess..he paired with Cromdo and Beff):

Cromdo: "Grumping..NO!"

Beffica: "Wait..no..what..what's going on?!"

Dying message:

"I'm nothing but a liar..a cold..worthless liar. I hurt so many people..no wonder I have no friends..at least I got bugsnax.."

Final message(Good ending):

"What the ever grump was all that?! Why..did...oh zonk who cares?We're alive! Ha ha! Amly lives to see a new day!

You know..after all of this..I think I'll finally turn over that new leaf..I'll quit my job..and start fresh in the country. I should also apologize to everyone I hurt, so..sorry doll, I stole your pen...

Geez that took a lot out of me! Ah! This'll be hard!

But..it feels..kinda nice..guess I shouldn't wait around..farewell, til we cross paths again, doll."

Final message(Bad ending)

"What..the grump? Cromdo..he's..gone. This..makes me..realize..our lives are so..fragile, I..shouldn't waste it..

Oh Cromdo..if I known that..I would have put myself in your place

At least..maybe we could be together..again

Business partners forever...ha.."

I over complicate everything

[coffee-n-bagels-comic-universe]

Inside Jokes and References in the Full Bios

Mainly for @spacelizardtrashboys and @kuruumiya

Also: Any time strikethrough text is used it's because it's meant to be secret information, for example on the small bios any time 'Lucifarian' truly isn't their last name their is strikethrough test after saying that it's not their real name. This is to say that no matter what is written or if it's strikethrough text or not, it is there for a reason.

Damien - Bio In-Jokes and References:

The Quote for him refers back to his 'King of Hell' gimmick, as does his middle name, Rex means king.

He's protective, like a dad, but also way too overprotective over the gimmicks for the girls. He's an old, old school guy so he enjoys card games with the boys.

He's supposed to sound like a young Hugh Laurie, mainly because if I heard a young Hugh Laurie say Damien's bio quote I wouldn't be able to take him seriously.

His main finisher (Seventh Circle) refers back to (a) him being the king of hell and (b) the seventh circle is for violence, and well, he's a wrestler, that's a pretty violent job.

He calls fans both 'peasants' and his 'loyal subjects' because he's like an asshole-ish king who'd quickly be dethroned if they rebelled.

Vickie - Bio In-Jokes and References:

The Quote for her refers back to her gimmick along with the old saying 'pride comes before the fall'.

She's called 'Victoria' because of both (a) it meaning victory and (b) the fact that Queen Victoria ruled back when Britain had an empire, then the empire fell (as in pride [Vickie] before a fall)

Both Her and Damien are born in August and are the only two to share a birth month as they are Father and Daughter (non-kayfabe, as in they share DNA)

She's raised Christian as back when she was growing up England was a lot more Christian than when she became an adult so she got lax in her beliefs

Her personality is supposed to make her come across as a vain, rich, arse of a person, yet deep down she's still redeemable, she's got a long way to go before she actually redeems herself though

She's the type of person who makes sure EVERY little detail of her matches and promos are PERFECT to the point that she will control what other people do or say, down to the moment it's said/done and the way it's said/done

She only likes the other D.O.D (Daughters of Darkness) members because she has only made enemies in the short while they've been in the company, she especially dislikes George 'The Animal' Steele because of his very messy style going against her 'everything should be perfect' views

She's the leader, the brain and the mouth because of her control over the group, if she let them have more control, there might be less arguments about her amount of control

Her named moves are also references to both her gimmick and other things. Beheader is named because of the Tudor monarchs of England having kind of a thing for killing people in this way (ex. Henry VIII).

Lineage Ender is named that because if she ever botches that one specific move (it'll make sense in context/ she does it during a training scene) it could end either her own Lineage or the person she's doing it to.

Lion's den is called that because she traps them in a near-inescapable crucifix pin, and normally if someone goes into a den of Lions, they aren't escaping in one piece.

Family Pride is named that because not only is her gimmick the sin of pride, but she's got pride in her family and she's her dad's 'pride and joy' because she's his only child.

Wish for this (her main finishing move) is called that because it's an inside joke of "you're gonna 'wish for this' to be over soon"

As she's Damien's blood daughter, a 'prodigal son' joke seemed somewhat appropriate.

Billie - Bio In-Jokes and References:

Her quote is a reference to the Guerreros and the whole 'Latin lover' trope

She was born in February because of Valentine's day, hence why her birthday is two days before the 14th

She's 1/2 Cuban (just in general - both Mexican and Cuban culture is interesting to me) But she's 1/2 Cuban in case I ever need to write for Razor Ramon, I can get away with making the joke of 'my Cuban accent's better than yours'.

Her casual style is 'Suggestive' because how else is Lust supposed to dress.

She dislikes Hulk Hogan because she finds him incredibly annoying and she dislikes Jesse Ventura because she dislikes his fashion choices.

I imagine her uncle Hugo looks like Luis Guzman and her dad's like Raul Julia. Try to imagine those two wrestling as a luchador tag team.

Her mother was basically a valet to her dad, which was usually Billie's role before she was part of the D.O.D.

Her move name references are all song references: Love me Tender - Elvis' song of the same name, Personal Aphrodite - a reference to / joke on 'Personal Jesus', Sexual Healing - Marvin Gaye's song of the same name.

Also, I hope to eventually use the joke 'The Babe, the babe with the power,' 'What power?' 'Power of voodoo' 'Who do?' 'You do' 'Do what?' 'Remind me of the babe' because of one of her commentary nicknames being 'The Babe'

P.G - Bio In-Jokes and References:

Her quote is in reference to her being greed and (right at the start of the story) her thoughts on money actually being able to buy her happiness

her surname 'Voronin' means crow, and well, crows like shiny things, like money

she wears 'fancy but simple' clothing because if she bought designer clothes she'd be in debt, but she still wants to look like she has more money than everyone else

she's cowardly in a Jimmy Hart way, she'll piss someone off during a promo and run away once she feels like she's in danger

she's a showman because she's more show than work, meaning she works exceptionally quick matches.

Her moves are basically jokes on the fact that she is greed, such as Gold-digger and Diamond Ring. However, Money Maker is also a joke on the fact that it's a facebuster and usually an actor's face is called their 'money maker'

She hates Hulk Hogan and Sgt slaughter because of how patriotic they are

Kirby - Bio In-Jokes and References:

Her quote is a reference to (a) the fact that she's Gluttony, (b) her being the only one who wears a mask constantly and (c) her basically being the group's scare tactic against people who think they can push them around.

I am planning on eventually making her a part of the machines, maybe as a valet, maybe as a wrestler, not 100% sure as of right now

Her mother is the Norwegian-Scottish one and her father is the Irish-Welsh one

She is the tallest (not the heaviest, that's Damien) but she's still 9 inches shorter than André.

She's willing to bleed hardway, but hates blading

She hates Big John Studd because of his disrespect, she hates Hulk Hogan because she thinks he's obnoxiously 'American', she dislikes Lord Alfred Hayes and Dynamite Kid because they are so insistent on calling her '1/4 Icelandic' whenever she talks about being 1/4 Norwegian. She hates Brutus Beefcake because he's just 'so, so much' energy-wise.

She's always been tall, always shorter than André though, she was 5'6" when she was 12, which is still taller than Sam, P.G and Eli.

Kirby's the best at using folk tales and mythology references in her promos and still keeping them dark and scary.

Her speaking voice is Jessica Hynes, but I imagine her singing voice (which will be important later) to be that of Deee-lite's Lady Miss Kier. On that note, I will be putting up a post on this part of the fic's canon.

Feeding Frenzy is meant to look similar to Roddy's wild punches, hence the 'frenzy' part of the name.

Organ grinder is named because it's meant to look really hard (like she's putting all her force and weight into it) as if she's grinding her opponents organs

Hungry for Blood is an in-joke of during her toughest matches she seems hungry to give the fans the sight of blood

Consummation is a joke of 'the match will soon be over, the match will soon be concluded, or consummated' not the sex-based meaning of that word.

Number of the beast, which is 666, is a reference to the 619, and is a modified 619 basically.

Vampire's Bite is a reference to her sitout jawbreaker looking like she could possibly bite someone's neck, like a vampire, as she performs the move

I didn't want to call her chops, chops, so I made a joke of 'oh it's chopping, like a butcher's knife'

Overfeeding is another basic gluttony reference. Cheshire Grin is a facelock-based joke. Let Them Eat Cake is a butt=cake joke

The ogress is a thinly-veiled way of the commentary team calling her ugly, because why else would she be the only one in a mask

Holly - Bio In-Jokes and References:

Her quote is written that way because I always wanted her to sound like she comes from New Jersey

She's very cuddly towards the rest of the D.O.D and thus gets called a teddy bear by the others

She's Pansexual because she doesn't care what your gender is, she loves people just being themselves

She's the only ginger because I've never seen a ginger wrestler from New Jersey

She was raised Catholic but lost her faith upon realising how bad gay people are treated by the church (Holly literally just goes "Y'all it is 1984, how are y'all gonna reject people based on who they love?")

Holly's very much the person who'll ask permission to cut a promo on someone but won't tell them how harsh she's going to be

She's the group's mom friend (mum friend?)

Before she started travelling with another member of the group (Holly travels with Sam a lot) she would accidentally no-show events

She does accidentally give incredibly stiff shots

Holly likes Gorilla Monsoon because their friendship is very much a weird pseudo-dad-daughter friendship, so basically, she's using him as her new dad

Her voice is Angie Harmon because I think Harmon sounds like a badass from New Jersey

Naptime, Dirt Nap and Lullaby are jokes of 'I'm gonna knock you out'

Eli - Bio In-Jokes and References:

Her quote is a joke of 'this is why she doesn't do a lot of promos'

She's the most likely to be on one of those 'too hot for TV' blooper reels from her promos

Both she and Sam hate people taller than them

Sam - Bio In-Jokes and References:

Her quote is a reference to the fact that her tattoos are her 'masterpiece'

she dresses athletically because she's always ready for a fight, especially because she's usually the one picking fights

She likes Lou because he's like a crazy uncle to her and she likes George Steele because, unlike Vickie, she likes the wild man side of his gimmick

She's voiced by Melissa Etheridge because she's still feminine but is the most masculine sounding

[muwi-translates]

Collar x Malice Short Story: Inside the Box

Christmas Shiraishi-centric short story.

HEAVY SPOILERS. Only read this AFTER you have finished the first game.

**Please don’t move this translation or claim it as your own.**

Generally speaking, the thing called ‘Memories’ is not clear.

Unlike memory as information, it has no fixed form. Its content can depend on the person.

Sometimes sad memories turn into hatred, and happy memories sometimes turn into delusions.

The human brain can't be trusted. It can automatically rewrite itself for its own benefit.

I, who did not require ‘Memories’ —— surely it is the same for Shiraishi Kageyuki the human.

◇ ◇ ◇

This was when I lived in the ‘Facility’.

Every day, every minute and every second, I lived like a machine.

For me, who knew how to suppress pain and happiness as soon as I understood how, all I had was ‘Curiosity’.

The vast amount of knowledge grew with each passing day. Memories of the outside world were written in letters. Like events of a distant world, even the difficult to read special books were simply ‘Unknown Stories’ to me.

I thought that my desire to know things defined my personality. However, when I think about it now, it may have been a desire planted in me as part of my training. Training to become a perfect doll.

"Christmas. The festival celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, coming from the word "Christ mass", it takes the form of many activities in Japan—...”

Inputting information was simple. However, I was also trained how to ‘Use Memory’. If a huge amount of information stayed on the surface of the brain, it will become confused, so if it is not necessary, there was no need to take out the memory sealed in the deeper layers.

(Gifts are put under a tree, and you gather with your family around the dinner table…)

Perhaps this information will also be stored in a box that is rarely retrieved from.

Of course I knew the basics, it was only carefully investigated because it was related to other information.

(Giving love to each other...for what...?)

The outside world is full of as many far-fetched, mysterious customs as mountains. If you had questions about everything, it would only make the processing slower. But this time, I was not sure why I was so interested in this subject.

"Are you interested in Christmas?"

——Suddenly hearing a sound coming from behind, my shoulders moved unconsciously.

Points are deducted if you are seen reacting. I immediately pretended to be calm and looked back, only to see an unfamiliar face.

“Your hand, it’s been paused on this page for a while now.” 

What peered at me was a pair of eyes full of serenity, transparent no matter where you looked — like glass balls.

"No, I'm very sorry. I memorised it without any problems."

"I’m not blaming you for anything. I know you have good scores here."

He was a high-ranking person who has inspected this ‘Facility’ many times. 

But his appearance did not match his position, with his youthful face. He appeared to be younger than me.

I remembered his name, because it was necessary for me to do so.  —Mikuni Rei. He was a human who worked with those who ‘control’ us.

“I’m interested why you, someone that’s like a precision machine, showed interest in ‘that’, that’s all.”

"I didn't become interested... I just had questions."

"Like?"

“......”

What was the meaning of his response? Was I being tested, or was he being whimsical? Either way, I had no right to not reply.

"Why do humans, who aren’t related to that religion, choose to give each other love on that day? What for?”

"...I think there are many other things similar to it but..."

"Yes. But... after reading this information, I think for the average person, this part seems to be more special than others."

As I finished speaking, he— Mikuni Rei’s eyes became slightly dim for some reason. Careful observation of the facial expression can lead to an answer.

【Pity】

A boy in the ruling class felt compassion for a stray cat trapped in a box.

A sense of superiority, a desire for control, and empathy. There were many times where I wanted to give it a name, but it was difficult to understand because I was immature.

"Human feelings... cannot be explained by theory alone. If you feel special, it must be because it touches your heart.... If the other person is the object of your envy and admiration, they are not bound by rights or wrongs."

Thoughts continued to sound as the words continued.

If ‘we’ have feelings for a particular thing, in his viewpoint, it is not a good thing. However, he agreed.

“Why do you treat me like a human?”

“Eh?”

Asking questions is normally prohibited. But now my curiosity had prevailed. This was a serious error. There should be no more curiosity beyond the rules.

"You said these things about a pawn, things impossible to explain with theory."

"...You are right. I don't know why. It's just..."

 After speaking, his bewildered gaze stayed on me, and then he spoke unwaveringly.

 "Number 14. I... don't want you to be unhappy."

...At that time, he smiled.

But what kind of smile it was— I can’t remember.

Pitiful? Loathing? Hateful? Kindly? 

I don’t remember. I can't remember.

Because it's stored in a box that can't be taken out, deep and deep inside.

◇ ◇ ◇

In my dream, someone is calling my name.

 “————Shiraishi-san.”

Did I always have this human-sounding name? I want to lie and tell myself that this is true.

But it's impossible. Even my name, which was supposed to be just a code, has become so dear to me.

“Oi, Okazaki! There’s no room for you here for dinner!”

"How mean. But it's okay, I'll eat some from Mineo-san’s.”

“It’s NOT okay! No one told you to come!”

“I’m sorry, Enomoto. ...I was the one who called Okazaki here today.”

“Geh! Yanagi-senpai?! When did you fall this guy’s wily ways—!?”

"His voice was so loud we heard it from inside, obviously he’ll attract attention. Yanagi-san probably didn’t want to disturb the neighbors."

“Yanagi-san let me in when I kept saying ‘I’m so cold… I’m so lonely…’, fufu, he’s so nice.”

“So you just left Yoshinari outside? Talk about pitiful…”

“I'll bring him a souvenir later. It's food that Yanagi-san and Ichika-chan made together. It'll definitely be delicious."

“I don’t know if it’ll suit your tastes but… Ah, but Yanagi-san’s food, I promise it’ll move you! It’s definitely not inferior to food you’ll find at high-end restaurants.”

"Why does the stupid cat look so proud?"

"It looks good thanks to Hoshino being particular about the arrangement."

“Yanagi-senpai…! I’m getting a little jealous watching you two compliment each other, please stop it!!”

Ah, so noisy. Completely unproductive dialogue. There’s no calculation and no falsity, the boring everyday that I like.

When did I get used to this warmth and treat it as part of my everyday?

While I was thinking in a daze, Ichika-chan reached out to me.

“Shiraishi-san, come here. The party has already begun."

——Party?  ……Is that so? Has it started?

"These were all made with everything we had. Let's have a good meal today."

 ——Fufu, as usual, Yanagi-san takes care of others like this.

“......Though I really don’t understand what’s so good about a bunch of us adults coming together.”

 ——Although that was what Sasazuka said, he also stayed behind to join in.

"Hey, don't stand there in a daze! You’re the protagonist today!"

 ——Hm? Did Enomoto-kun just call me ‘you’?

“I heard Ichika-chan is giving you a present, right?” 

——Even Okazaki is here… Fufu, he must have come in by force.

"Yes. It’s a wonderful gift I prepared with everyone."

I took a box from Ichika-chan who was smiling as she spoke.

I felt strange rather than happy. I was looking right at Ichika-chan, instead of looking down.

Yanagi-kun patted my head, and it also seemed to feel very big. No, maybe it's because I have shrunk.

Thin limbs, short hair. I am the same age as when I talked to ‘Him’ about Christmas.

(Ah. Is this… a dream?)

It seems I dream too much at Christmas.

"But Ichika-chan. I haven't prepared a gift."

"No, Shiraishi-san. We’re...returning you what you gave us."

“...? What I gave you?”

 "Yes. You gave us… a lot. It's only natural that we want to return the favour."

“I see… so this is what it means… to exchange gifts…”

"Yes. We want to share it, because we cherish each other. Please open it, and take a look."

“Okay.”

I slowly opened the box, and inside was——、

 ◇ ◇ ◇

When I opened my eyes, I saw a familiar scenery.

This was their base, called the ‘Detective Agency’. It also became a place I could feel comfortable as well. 

“Ah, Shiraishi-san, you’re awake?”

A pair of eyes I seem to always see somewhere, someplace, were looking at me. Crystal clear—like glass balls. 

“Ichika-chan…? Ah, huh? Where’s... the present box…?” 

"? Fufu, it's rare to see you half-awake. If you sleep in a place like this, you’ll catch a cold. Are you going to the office to stay overnight?"

I realized the reality as my consciousness gradually returned from my awakening. 

That’s right. The collar—in order to protect herself from those who had declared to ‘pick her up’, she had taken refuge here with her brother.

The deadline announced by Adonis was approaching soon. In order to make her forget this fact temporarily, I had been talking to them about Christmas. When I thought about the gift she gave—and the only gift I could make, I fell asleep.

(Truly... the ‘Heart’ is so difficult to understand. I… must have been scared to have a dream like that.)

 —Everything will end soon.

That smile of his I had gently stored away was blacked out. 

The contents of the boxes I had received from her and everyone had been badly damaged and dirtied.

But I decided not to regret it, even if I was scared or in pain.

Because I got the most precious gift in the world.

"Ichika-chan...Thank you."

"Eh?"

"You taught me my first Christmas, right? So, thank you."

"What are you talking about? The real fun starts from now on."

"...Fufu, yeah."

In a few days, we won’t be able to greet Christmas as we promised. Regardless of what happens, it will only make you sad.

Even if I understand that, I want to see it. I don't want to give up. I want to make my wish come true.

 This is certainly not a sad story.

I, who had received such a present, could not be unhappy. 

Even if I get it dirty with my own hands, this warmth will not disappear.

There’s no reasoning. It’s because I’m human. ...Because I am special.

A shining, sparkling gift for me, who was supposed to be called Number 14.

An opened box filled to the brim with tender memories.

[kirsty585-scottiegirl585]

Lunch Break

Pairing: Lena Luthor/Reader

Summary: The reader surprises Lena on her lunch break. Cue cuteness, fluffy and a bit of making out.

Words: 1,296

A/N: So this is the first story I've written in a couple of months, the first one I've written for Lena and the first one from a reader's perspective so I hope it doesn't suck too much. Started writing it for my good friend @mcgrathandwives and was supposed to be a little bit smutty and revolve around Lena and the boots she wore in 4x02 (I think). This is what it turned into.

As soon as Lena walked into the room, you knew you were fucked. The black and white floral top, tucked into her sinfully tight skirt was one thing. But the thing that made your chest constrict, part your lips and stop the blood flowing to your brain? Those thigh high boots. The one's that were clinging to Lena's soft and supple skin. The very skin that your lips had trailed up, tongue collecting a combination of sweat and salt, the musky scent that could only belong to Lena overpowering your senses.

She brushed into her office, eyes glued to the large stack of paperwork in her hands. Eve had let you in, not twenty minutes ago, stating that Lena was just finishing up a meeting. You could barely even remember the reason you were visiting, the bag of food on the small table completely forgotten about as you watched her hips sway, a little more than normal with the fabric clinging to her legs.

Reaching her desk, she set down the pile of paper, back tensed as she leaned slightly over the piece of furniture. The position causing an arch in the bottom of her back, the material of the skirt clinging that bit more tightly around her ass. You couldn't help yourself as your eyes followed the curve and all you could think about was standing behind her. Hand pressed firmly into the arch, while the other reached down the front of her skirt. Stuttered gasps escaping her mouth as you whispered in her ear all the things you could do to her in this position.

A startled gasp brought you crashing out of your daydreams, a hot blush covering your neck and face, realizing you had been caught. The smirk that lined her face told you that she knew exactly where your mind had drifted off to. Her pupils had widened and her chest was rising and falling ever so slightly quicker, so you knew that she was clearly enjoying your gaze.

“Hey, I wasn't expecting to see you until tonight, “ The soft undertone of an Irish accent did nothing to help the blood flow, currently rushing down your body. It was well-known that Lena had spent a fair bit of time at a boarding school in Ireland during her younger years, but the slight accent was not heard often. She knew what it did to you though, and would often let it slip when teasing you. Just one of the many examples of trust that built the foundations of your relationship.

“I knew you had that big meeting today, figured you probably skipped lunch preparing for it. So I brought you some food from that vegetarian restaurant down the road that you like, “ One hand brushed the back of your neck, slightly embarrassed at the romantic gesture, while the other hand waved vaguely in the direction of the bag.

You knew about Lena's past. How previous lovers had seen Lena as a prize to be won and a trophy to wear on their arms. How in college some had only acted interested, so they could brag later to their friends about how they had spent the night with her. Even as an adult, most of them either just wanted an opportunity to either sell a story to the press or have her as a status symbol. Whether she felt loved or not didn't come into the equation, as she was only supposed to look good while accompanying them to whatever social event was lined up.

You took it upon yourself to show her what a relationship should be like. Sending her flowers, just to brighten her day. Bringing her lunch, when she had busy days because she would often forget to eat. Leaving little notes around her house, each one listing a different thing that you loved about her. It had taken a while before she got comfortable with the sweet gestures.

One night in her house, the two of you curled up on her couch, an open bottle of wine and a roaring fire warming the air. She confessed to you that in the beginning she had worried that all the things you were doing were a trap. Lure her in, thinking you cared, only for you to betray her like everyone else had. She understood now, that you did these things because you truly cared, and she actually looked forward to each gesture now.

A hand stroking the side of your face brought you back into the present. Eyebrows furrowed, concerned she had done something to cause you to go silent. Tilting your head slightly, you were able to bring your lips to hers. A gentle promise that nothing was wrong. Her other hand moved up your neck, finding purchase there as she deepened the kiss.

You brought your hands up to her shoulders, kneading the clenched muscles for a moment, before beginning a descent. They came down the front of her chest, over the supple swell of her breasts before spreading along her sides. A moan slipped through her lips as your fingers splayed across her lower back. Reaching her ass you gripped a bit harder, pulling her more tightly against yourself. Not yet entirely satisfied, you continued down to her thighs, lifting her up with ease.

Long legs wrapped around your waist, both of you groaning as she started to rock against your stomach. The hand at your neck tightened as she got comfortable. Your lips had more of a purpose now and you waited for the right moment to slip your tongue in.

Stumbling backwards, the edge of the sofa met your legs. Somehow you managed to fall back, in a graceful movement and landed squarely on your ass. Lena, being the genius that she is, had the foresight to unwrap her legs as you fell, so her knees rested aside your thighs rather than behind your back. Both of her hands were in your hair, desperately trying to remove any space between the two of you. Her tongue met yours and started a familiar dance.

So caught up in each other, neither of you had noticed the office doors swinging open, nor the ball of sunshine that had swiftly entered.

“Ah my eyes! Stop eating each others faces!” Kara Danvers, also known as Supergirl, squealed. Hands immediately covering her eyes, before she spun around so her back faced you and Lena.

You could feel the heat from Lena's blush as she hid her head in your neck. All you wanted to do was push the Kryptonian back out of the office and continue having your way with your girlfriend.

“I'm not turning around until you both are separated!”

“Well you'll be standing there for an awfully long time then Danvers, “ You savoured the last few minutes in Lena's embrace, knowing that it would be at least several hours before you saw her again. Lena let out a contented sigh, clearly not wanting to let go of you either.

“Guys.....come on.....” Kara whined, normally something like that would annoy you, but the Danvers sisters held a special place in your heart. By now Lena had started unwrapping herself from you anyway.

Getting up, you brushed your uniform, trying to make it a little more presentable before doing the same to your hair.

“I could swing past after work and pick you up if you wanted? Maybe we could even grab a bite to eat?” She simply nodded before placing a chaste kiss on your cheek.

“Sounds perfect, “ She strode towards her desk, boss mode reactivated. Though she couldn't help but send you a small smirk before you left.

Passing by Kara, you couldn't help but lean in and whisper jokingly, “Paybacks a bitch Danvers.”