#Universally Adored and other One-Dollar Stories

[rozmorris]

Finding stories and characters in drama games - author and actor Elizabeth Bruce @EbruceTexasDC

Elizabeth Bruce is a storyteller on the page and on the stage. She began acting at the age of 25, began writing in her 40s and has continued productively on these two creative channels ever since. She’s founded a theatre group and theatre workshops that teach writers drama techniques to create truthful characters and plots. She’s published short fiction and a novel. Her first short story…

[charmedreincarnation]

TW: SA, possibly death??

Hey there fellow witches and warlocks, it's spooky season and I am loving it! I recently discovered the void state through yoga nidra and your reverse psychology method charm, and I was ready to manifest my dream life. October is my birth month and my favorite season, so I was excited to see what the universe had in store for me and whoa did it come through.

It's unfortunate to see that SA victims like me and others are still getting death and rape threats. I was inspired by a blog who shared her experience with yoga nidra, but then deactivated due to trolls sending her horrible messages. It's sad to see people hating on others' success, but we won't let them bring us down.

I manifested everything I desired of course my mind came through!! - from my desired face, body, aura, zodiac, personality, voice, talents, friends, family, and so much more. A few things I've manifested include a dark academia mansion, billionaire parents who aren't known, a witchy and Halloween-themed small business, and an eco-friendly private jet.

I know some of you may be concerned about the "death note" I've manifested, but it's just for fun - I'm a huge fan of Light Yagami from Death Note. I won't actually use it, but it's a cool spook factor to have.

Here’s a tiny list anyways ⬇️

🎃Desired face, body, aura zodiac, personality, voice, talents, friends, family and so much more. I had this long wattpadd story ass list that I obviously won’t share here but trust me my mind came through .

🎃open minded witchy family, dark academia ass mansion, Pinterest dark academia wardrobe in my massive closet that’s the size of a room, billionaire parents who aren’t known (I love my privacy and I love being mysterious), wattpadd billionaire love story to happen in the future. Yes not now…. I’ve been ugly all my life so I want to be a slut right for a bit not sorry, everyone loves and falls in love with me, Idgaf personality, Scorpio sun moon and rising, bold attitude that is adored, but a kind heart for the people I love and so much more. Again like most people I had a very long list on my google documents

🎃I own a witchy candy and Halloween small business!!! but I’m going to be making 100 million dollars a year so I will be a billionaire in the future. I like working and having a craft and it’s just so me, ugh I love my life !!! But I’m going to hire my two best friends that I manifested so we can all be successful rich witch bitches who travel the world and have too much money to spend

🎃an environment friendly private jet. It won’t affect the environment as I love the environment but I also hate flying commercial! I’m also vegan now, I couldn’t be one before due to health issues, but I love animals 🥹🥹🥹 and now I’m rich enough to have healthy tasty cruelty free food.

🎃anyone who sends death threats, rape threats, or engages in a bitter manner on that tea page including the owner will never get into the void until they grow up and acknowledge that they’re weirdos. I’m not as forgiving as these other big blogs. Bye ✌️

🎃anytime I say “you’ll die alone” when im arguing with a man 🤮🤮 (incels, misgyonists, racists not men who aren’t insufferable ofc love y’all) they actually will, and no one will ever love them, until they grow up and once again acklowege their faults. As you can see I’m very into vigilante justice and I’m petty 👻 I’m a witch anyways so now my craft will be perfect.

🎃all my spells and curses work! And any harm attempted to be done to me always backfires On the person 10x worse ! Yea this is my world everyone’s just living in it.

🎃psychokenis, my eyes being able to turn red, divine protection for me and my loved ones, the ability to speak to animals, and never aging. The last thing I manifested a way to benefit all !!!! research age regression and see how we will all be eternal youthful witch bitches in the future ;) I got inspired by my grandma who retired but us too old to enjoy her life. Now she can and we call be 150 and still sexy with 0 bodily pain. I also always hated how we slowly decompose and lose bodily function until we die.. like why can’t we be sexy and bodily abled forever!! This will also help with health issues and diseases like cancer! Just one way to give back for my blessings. And the rest is just to spook bitches tbh I don’t plan on actually doing anything but speaking to animals.

🎃I manifested a death note. Now before y’all start I just really love light yagami I don’t think I will actually use it or maybe I will just to spook bitches but whatever

🎃so much more that I don’t want to share because it’s too long!

So, fellow hot bitches and witches , keep manifesting your dreams and never let anyone bring you down. Remember, we were born to be happy, rich, and loved. It is in your DNA and my word is final !!!!! I’m gonna leave my dream life and be a whore now lova yaaaa 🖤🖤🖤

Lmfao slay 😭😭 idk if it’s too early or what but this sending me for some reason! Anyways I wish you all the best in your life and dreams. Have a great spooky season! I love witches and Halloween too 🧞‍♀️🧞‍♀️

[bloopitynoot]

13 WangXian Social Media Au's

This list was requested by @yiling-laozu-is-loml and is all about WangXian social media stories. NOTE: All of these fics are tried and true! They include fics I have read an enjoyed and wanted to share.

Request:

WangXian

Social media can include; group chats, online forums, blog, tweets, OF, youtube etc really the public eye (I included some actor/famous/reality tv with fans fics too) or chat based fics.

if applicable Bottomxian only

book canon only if applicable

If you want a specific rec list for WangXian dm me! I love putting these together :)

Enjoy the list!

1 Welcome to Pepper & Bun! (9560 words) by PaidSubscription

Chapters: 1/1 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dating Advice Columnists, Relationship Advice, Demisexual Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Bisexual Disaster Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Mastermind Nie Huaisang, Inspired by Twitter, Autistic Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Has ADHD, Getting Together, Fluff and Humor, Those Who Can't Do Write Advice Columns, Idiots in Love, Mainly Wei Wuxian Because Canon, Podfic Available Summary: Wei Wuxian: Did you catch our first letter? Shall we meet up and discuss it? Lan Wangji: No need. Sent draft just now. Wei Wuxian's email pings with 'Column Copy- Final Draft.' It contains two words.   "Dump him." OR: Gossip Editor Nie Huaisang strikes gold when he picks Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji to be co-writers of a new dating advice column. The only slight problem? Lan Wangji has never dated.

NOTES: Okay this fic was so damn sweet!!!! If this was a real advice column I would be invested in an unhealthy way- the two of them are adorable. It gives a little bit of frenemies to lovers and I am always here for this dynamic- the duo who seemingly has nothing in common falling for one another. My heart! Also Nie Huaisang is a marketing genius.

2 For a Good Time, Call (170842 words) by ScarlettStorm

Chapters: 21/21 Rating: Explicit Additional Tags: Modern AU, Getting Together, Pining, Porn, like in the writing and also as a plot point, onlyfans au, repressed lan zhan, sex worker wei ying, in this house we support sex work, Minor Angst, major shenanigans, hornt(tm), way too many details about onlyfans probably, they say write what you know, No beta we die like wei wuxian, mental health, therapy is good actually, in which I reveal my true otp and it's anyone in the untamed/therapy, okay so actually more angst than I was expecting, a surprising amount of genuine feelings, whoops?, Background Jiang Cheng/Wen Qing - Freeform, background lan xichen/nie mingjue, background Jiāng Yànlí/Jīn Zixuān, Nonbinary Nie Huaisang Series: Part 1 of See all this and more for just ten dollars a month! Summary: The picture is of Wei Ying, that much is clear. It’s of a lot more of Wei Ying than Lan Zhan is used to seeing. He supposes that, technically, Wei Ying is dressed. It’s a bare technicality, since one of Wei Ying’s hands has rucked up his black tank top practically to his collarbone, showing a long expanse of abdomen and one nipple. Sweat beads on his sternum, catching the light like jewels. His other hand is--Lan Zhan feels his eyes widen, as though unable to look away from a train wreck--on his hip, one thumb tugging down the waistband of a pair of red briefs. Wei Ying is biting his lower lip and looking directly into the camera, sultry, his eyes dark and inviting. His erection is obvious, outlined against the red of the briefs and framed carefully with the hand on his hip. Lan Zhan’s brain goes wildly, screamingly blank. Or: Lan Zhan accidentally finds his best friend's OnlyFans account and has an ongoing emotional crisis.

NOTES: I love an OF plotline and this one is exceptionally good. Poor Lan Zhan going THROUGH the moralities of not only finding your besties OF account but also subscribing and also finding it too hot to handle. The amount of tears and cash this poor boy spends. It has a happy ending so no stress with his moral angst! ALSO the sequel is so so good KILF (Knits I'd Like To Fuck in (pls note the sequel has them tagged as switches so full disclosure there if it is a deal breaker for you).

3 兔's Clues | Tu's Clues (12296 words) by Anonymous

Chapters: 2/2 Rating: General Audiences Additional Tags: Crack Treated Seriously, Single Parent Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Minor Jiang Yanli/Jin Zixuan, Fluff and Humor, Misunderstandings, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Minor Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén/Niè Míngjué Series: Part 2 of AUs only a mother could love Summary: Most childrens’ show hosts are cheerful, energetic people who wear eye-catching clothing. The man on-screen is none of those things. This man (“that’s Lan-xiong!” A-Yuan says helpfully) is eye-catching for completely different reasons. When A-Yuan had started talking about 'Lan-xiong' and rabbits, Wei Wuxian had briefly recalled 18-year-old Lan Zhan sitting back on his heels with two baby rabbits in his lap, but the idea of his high school crush hosting a childrens' show had been so ludicrous that Wei Wuxian had chalked it up to coincidence. So either Wei Wuxian is hallucinating or that is indeed Lan Wangji on-screen, talking to two rabbits. As the host of a childrens' show. --- or: A-Yuan's new favourite thing is a show about solving clues left by rabbits… or something like that. Single dad Wei Wuxian is very much not prepared to see his high school crush hosting a childrens' show.

NOTES: So listen, this is tagged as Crack Treated Seriously and honestly the energy was not so Crackish. It was a surprisingly adorable and very cute fic. Lan Zhan WOULD be a stoic AF bunny handler as a children's tv host.

4 shoot your shot -- hot or knot (51435 words) by defractum

Chapters: 5/5 Rating: Explicit Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Reality Show, Alternate Universe - Hunger Games Setting, Canon-Typical Violence, Extremely Dubious Consent, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Humor, Additional Warnings In Author's Note Summary: "Hi, I'm Wei Wuxian. I'm a Career Omega and this is my fourth season on the show. I like spicy food, archery and alphas who are funny. Or maybe I don't, I haven't rolled over for one yet." On-screen, Wei Wuxian winks at the audience laughter. Hot or Knot is the world's most popular reality TV show. Part dating show, part survival show, Hot or Knot is everyone's guilty pleasure - and Wei Wuxian is a fan favourite. - The Love Island/Hunger Games reality dating tv show A/B/O au

NOTES: Okay, but here's the thing. This is S tier crack fic and no one can change my mind. Did I think I would be out here reading a Love Island/Hunger Games/ ABO reality show fic- absolutely not but let me tell you *slaps fic* this baby has so much good shit in it. Just pls trust me and go in with open energy LOL

5 episodes (34947 words) by kasunn

Chapters: 8/8 Rating: Mature Additional Tags: Fluff, basically all fluff, Youtuber Wei Ying, Social Media, Actor Lan Xichen, Artist Jiang Cheng, Chef Jiang Yanli, Babysitting, lowkey kidfic, Surgeon Lan Zhan, Canon typical feels, Taiwanese Wei Ying, Copious amounts of Chinglish, pets!, Secret Relationship, Kind Of, bad pet names, Established Relationship, wen yuan is a wen Summary: “Lan Zhan-gege,” Wei Ying sighs when he reads the tweet and Lan Zhan pats his knee. “I said hello,” Lan Zhan says. That he did. The tweet simply reads ‘Hello’ with a waving hand emoji. Terrible. Wei Ying is ashamed of himself for not teaching him better. “Your brother is going to kill me,” Wei Ying says. (or just a lot of domesticity between Wei Ying the Youtuber and Lan Zhan (his husband) + a mild, mini mystery for Wei Ying's viewers)

NOTES: I love this fic so much. The wholesome domestic energy is everything. WY is a youtuber and quite popular online in this and his husband is a mysterious man no one sees or knows anything about- obviously fans get curious and oh, Lan Zhan gets twitter.

6 you are safe / loved / worthy / enough (150003 words) by everythingispoetry

Chapters: 28/28 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - College/University, Social Media, Mental Health Issues, Healing, self-care, Anxiety, Hurt/Comfort, the mortifying ordeal of self-acceptance, Falling In Love, Depression, Slow Burn Summary: One of the more timid-looking posts, in pale greens and creams and yellows, says Hello, I'm managing to be fairly high functioning right now but I'm really not doing as well as it may appear, and Lan Zhan feels as if someone sneaked into his mind and read his most secret thoughts, the ones he's never even dared to admit to himself. (Lan Zhan falls apart and finds himself through the most unexpected means.)

NOTES: So a few things with this fic; first it takes the prompt social media a little lighter as in social media is used for healing and there are social media talks but it isn't the forefront of the fic, second CW if you struggle with depression this fts that heavily and in a descriptive way. So heads up there. This fic is stunning, it's about healing, recovery, autonomy and love. That being said, your boy Wangji really goes through it in this fic. The poor guy is Not Okay. It is a beautiful fic though and he does get better.

7 Badreads (37442 words) by arabii

Chapters: 8/8 Rating: Mature Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Writing & Publishing, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Humor, Bullying as a Flirting Technique, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian in Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian's Body Summary: Lan Zhan rated it ★☆☆☆☆ August 12, 2022 shelves: should-have-abandoned Picked up solely because I thought that a book release clouded with so much controversy would at least be entertaining to read. I was wrong. How does Wei Wuxian manage to make a book containing cannibalism, necromancy, and a sex cult boring? Lan Xichen and Wei Wuxian are romance authors with large social media followings. Nie Huaisang sees an opportunity to get publicity by faking a relationship between them. This action will have consequences.

NOTES: I absolutely LOVE when Lan Wangji is a Bitch and this is peak Bitchiness. WY and LXC are romance writers and LWJ is a book reviewer with 0 fucks to give. The brutality in which he makes a point to read and review each of WWX's books brings me so much joy. and OFC they fall in love.

8 Falling to the Rhythm (128916 words) by Selenay

Chapters: 14/14 Rating: Explicit Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Alternate Universe - Dance, Alternate Universe - Strictly Come Dancing Fusion, Ballroom Dancing, Dancer!Wèi Wúxiàn, Violinist Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Pining While Dancing, Oblivious Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Gratuitous Costume Descriptions, Gratuitous dancing descriptions, Slow Burn, Rating applies to later chapters, The unbearable romance of being cared for, Podfic Available Series: Part 1 of Wangxian Strictly AU Summary: "So it's a bet?" Jiang Cheng said. "Dance the showcase if you get him, fancy coffee machine if you don't?" Wei Wuxian considered the machine. "Fine. You're on. I want it in red." "Don't start planning your caffeine overdose yet." "It's in the bag," Wei Wuxian said cheerfully. "There's no way they'll match me with someone like Lan Wangji."   Teaching Lan Wangji to dance in front of the nation for twelve weeks, how hard can that be? Wei Wuxian is about to find out.

NOTES: I love everything about this fic. It was so good and light (a tiny sip of angst because competition and some pining). The Strictly Come Dancing (basically Dancing with the Stars for North America) is *chefs kiss*. Also the fact that WY went in on it for a bet because he wanted a coffee machine I cant.

9 Gusu's Drag Race (55079 words) by DizziDreams

Chapters: 15/15 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Additional Tags: the gang's all here, Drag Queens, Drag Race AU, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Nonbinary Character, Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - Reality Show, whistleblower, There Was Only One Bed, Alcohol Abuse, ambiguous setting, American political system - Freeform, Big Bang Challenge, Background jyl/mianmian Summary: Meet the Queens of Gusu’s Drag Race Season 5! by QIN SU Oh my god, we’re back again. Hot on the heels of the shocking finale of season 4, Gusu’s Drag Race is back, with perennial judge Lan Qiren, Gusu’s grumpiest shufu, and featuring the return of the grandmother of drag Baoshan Sanren. And this season is already promising one. “We’ve never had such a strong cast of refined, professional queens. It has the makings to be the greatest season of Drag Race yet.” Big talk for the Emmy-award-winning show that has shot dozens of queens to fame, bringing drag to the mainstream. “The mainstream may be taking notice, but there’s nothing mainstream about drag done right,” says co-host Baoshan Sanren. “Drag is about disobedience. It’s rebellious and anti-mainstream by its very definition, and we’ve got some queens this season with the chops to prove it.” With all that to look forward to, let’s Meet the Queens who’ve already captivated our judges.

NOTES: I know I said that Hot or Knot was PEAK Crack, but this one is up there too! We have the MDZS ensemble, we have Drag, we have unionization and the fight for working conditions, OH AND INCLUDED ART. This was so fun to read.

10 Yesterday Once More (22725 words) by Sweetlittlevampire

Chapters: 7/7 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Reality Show, Long Lost Family AU, Adoption, Family Reunions, Reunions, Lost Love, Getting Back Together, Family Feels, Found Family, Angst with a Happy Ending, Mild Angst, Happy Ending, Podfic Welcome, Podfic Available Summary: „I remember him as…sunny,” Sizhui tells her. “His whole personality radiated sunshine and warmth. He was always smiling, always cracking a joke. He loved playing and rough-housing with us kids, but he could also be very gentle if he wanted to. Looking back, he couldn’t have been older than twenty-five; he was probably even younger than that, now that I think about it. But despite the short time we’ve spent together while he was looking after the kids at the orphanage, he always felt like a father to me.”   In which Lan Sizhui goes on a TV show, to find the man he saw as a father figure while he was in the orphanage, and who disappeared one day. …and who just so happens to be his adoptive father's long-lost love.

NOTES: Okay way less crack, this fic actually made me tear up. A wholesome journey Sizhui centric in which he goes on a reality TV show to find his Xian-ge. The "show" was so beautifully narrated and "produced" and the ending ultra sweet.

11 Love at Second Sight (49893 words) by flowerofgusu

Chapters: 17/17 Rating: Explicit Relationships: Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian Characters: Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Luo "Mian Mian" Qingyang, Wen Qing (Modao Zushi), Wen Ning | Wen Qionglin, Jiang Yanli, Jiang Cheng | Jiang Wanyin, Lan Yuan | Lan Sizhui Additional Tags: Background SongXiao, background mianqing, Romance, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Reality TV, Musicians Wangxian, Comphet Wei Wuxian, Coming Out, Demisexual Wei Wuxian, Rated E for the Small Amounts of Smut, Eventual Smut, Romantic Comedy, Falling In Love, Misunderstandings, Rivals to Friends to Lovers, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage Summary: Popstar Wei Wuxian agrees to go on Nie Huaisang’s reality TV show, wherein celebrities play an arranged married couple for a month. His manager, Wen Qing, insists this will be good publicity—plus, the funds raised will go to a children’s music school. He’s excited—he’s never been in a relationship before, let alone a fake-arranged-marriage. But when he finds out that he’s been arranged to be married on the show to his rival Lan Wangji, he doesn’t know whether to grin and bear it, or run the other way. How much can he act smitten for the cameras?

NOTES: On a good day I am already too invested in real life trash reality tv so it's no surprise that I am here to include yet another reality tv dating show au. This one was so good. I love a good "fake it till you accidentally actually fall in love" trope and this one does that plus a solid slowburn to realization exquisitely. These poor babes so oblivious- such messes.

12 cookin' up a storm, piece of cake (9562 words) by livinginaworldofnoise

Chapters: 1/1 Rating: General Audiences Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Social Media, Baking, the dumbest comments u have ever seen, wei wuxian being a troll for nearly 10k words, lan wangji suffering the most that any recipe blogger has ever suffered, Baker Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian is a Little Shit, Crack, content warning for absolute unhinged nonsense, told in the form of recipe comments and emails, Epistolary Summary: yiling_patriarch: first time making a cake with alcohol! it’s still in the oven but it smells great so far ↳ Gusu Lan Kitchen: There is no alcohol listed in the ingredients for this recipe. yiling_patriarch: i didn’t have any oranges or orange juice so i replaced those with a can of orange sparkling margarita! tasted super weird [★★☆☆☆] ↳ Gusu Lan Kitchen: Are you being deliberately obtuse? OR: life is tough for baker!lwj when online troll!wwx won't stop commenting on his recipe blog

NOTES: I know @yiling-laozu-is-loml has already read this (and the next fic) but I legally (not actually) had to include this one on this list. This fic is so damn cute- flirting through bad baking, trolling, and blogs??? What is there not to love. It is extra sweet how they end up together in the end.

13 don’t threaten me with a good time (60023 words) by livinginaworldofnoise

Chapters: 11/11 Rating: General Audiences Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Reality TV, Alternate Universe - The Great British Bake Off Fusion, wwx is a chaos demon determined to make gbbo more exciting, lwj cares about the Integrity of Bake-Off, who will win????, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, gbbo au, content warning for absolute unhinged nonsense, Enemies to Lovers, by enemies i mean BAKING RIVALS of course, the last two chapters are the twitter reactions to the show so, Social Media AU, Podfic Available Summary: “I’m using orange liqueur to make my cake more interesting. Give it a bit of a kick, you know?” Lan Wangji’s expression has only changed minutely—not a lot of range there, it seems—but Wei Wuxian can tell he is perturbed by this information. “Alcohol? In cake?” “Honestly, I’m not sure any cake should even be made without alcohol,” Wei Wuxian says, offering another beatific smile that Lan Wangji does not return. OR: the great british bake-off au???

NOTES: Bake off AU! BAKE OFF AU! It's got cakes, scandal, disasters, enemies to lovers, and clothing so distracting WWX bluescreens. A very wholesome social media + reality TV competition. I highly recommend for good vibes. Bonus with the juniors idolizing Lan Zhan- such little cuties.

[whalefairyfandom12]

Sebinis Big Bang

Thank you so much to everyone who contributed their talent and time!! Check out the amazing art and fics below (please mind the respective tags):

on the sea he waits by @gargoylegrave; art by abidolly.

Sebastian moves to Clagmar Coast, and meets an interesting character in Ominis Gaunt. He spends perhaps a touch too much time uncovering all of his secrets, and the cost of doing so is greater than he could have imagined.

Elysium by @the-invisibility-bloke; art by @crime-in-progress

After Azkaban, Sebastian is invited to visit Ominis at Gaunt Manor. Nothing is quite what it seems.

Machine Learning by gimbal_animation; art by gimbal_animation and anonymous

Sebastian Sallow, a mid level programmer at a billion dollar tech company, receives a strange invitation from his enigmatic employer.

Nothing to Fear by brightened; art by @flamboyantjelly

Ancient magic doesn’t cure Anne, but it does ease her suffering. When Anne insists on using her respite to experience as much life as she can, Sebastian chooses to go along for the ride.

i had wondered what was done to you, to give you such a taste for flesh by milkteeths; art by @eleniaelres

About thirteen years or so after Ominis penned Sebastian's absolution letter, nine years after they part ways, and four after Ominis makes a name for himself as a Healer, he gets a call to come back home.

Vendetta's Dance by sunsetplums; art by @celestinawarlock

Ominis Gaunt is tasked with ending Sebastian Sallow. Sebastian Sallow is tasked with ending Ominis Gaunt. Love, possibly, remains caught in the crossfire. Or perhaps not.

Deferred Adoration by clockworksiren; art by anonymous

After many years as a near penniless wretch, Sebastian is finally at the end of his rope and does something drastic, selling himself into a system designed for pariahs like him.

won't you break the chain with me by nigelly; art by @waywardprintmaker

Ominis turned his back on his family a long time ago, building a happy life with Sebastian and a successful career as the head of the Muggle Liaison Office, until one day he gets a letter asking him to accept being the guardian of his brother’s children as his only still living relative while Marvolo is in Azkaban.

The Summer of '92 by @eleniaelres; art by @trappezoider

A love story between Sebastian Sallow, a musician trying to make it in the 90's music scene in London, and Ominis Gaunt, a college student who fled from home to experience what life could be like.

The Language of the Birds by @whalefairyfandom12; art by @mouiface

The Triwizard Tournament has come to Hogwarts, and against all odds, Ominis is selected as the champion. It’s hardly the first cosmic joke from the universe. Deep in the bowels of the castle, something is lurking.

Your Hand by @trappezoider; art by @celerydays

After Anne's death, Sebastian and Ominis have become estranged. However, when Ominis supervises him during one of his detentions, Sebastian realises that what he has for his ex-best friend is more than familial love. Being a proper gentleman (in his own words), what else could Sebastian do other than propose to his newly-lit flame?

Circus Freak by @turntechgoddesshead; art by gimbal_animation

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages! Be thrilled by the horror of what you can only find here at Sallow’s Circus Spectacular! Watch in shock and awe as two childhood friends find hope and forgiveness in one another after two extremely different lives and upbringing.

The Terrifying Luminescence of Hope by @blatantblue; art by @trappezoider

A story of ten years in Azkaban, a hundred coping mechanisms, one deluminator, and two boys in love.

[battorlstuff]

"The menu"

The menu will be a section where I list the stories and concepts I am working on and a future index for all my stories.

​I will accept suggestions and if possible I will try to give priority to the stories of your choice.

1. A Real Dad

The city's dads usually meet once a month to have a drink and talk about life. Everyone seemed to have a belly, more or less big, but there was someone who made them roll their eyes, Carlos. Why did he have a body like that? Carlos's comments didn't help either, but maybe during the next summer trip the other men will help Carlos become a real dad.

2. At the Mercey of the Envy

Matt was willing to become a model, he already had several proposals and with his good looks and statuesque body, no one doubted that he would be a super model, that is until his mother died. Being left in the care of his stepfather and his envious stepbrother was the worst thing that could have happened to Matt.

3. A Cow to Fill and Drain

James shouldn't have bothered the campus nerds, specifically the university's science champions. Well, when the group of nerds gets a million-dollar deal with a dietary supplement company, they make sure James is their test subject.

4. Expanding Kingdoms

A young and attractive prince named Aiden, possessed of a statuesque body, is at the mercy of a king and his son, being reduced to an obese jester.

King Cyrus and his son Danus are extremely obese but control most of the kingdoms, between negotiations at court the gallant prince ends up insulting the king and his son, mocking their weight and fat body. So when the war breaks out and the prince's kingdom falls, the gallant remains in the hands and as a prisoner of the king and his son.

The king leaves the arrogant prince at the mercy of his son Danus, who takes it upon himself to fatten and humiliate him. Danus enjoys watching the hot prince grow fat and lose his wonderful muscles.

5. Extra Credits, Extra Pounds

Logan is both intelligent and attractive, and he went to one of the best high schools in London.

As the son of farmers he has developed an exceptional physique due to all the work on the farm, but his parents did not take kindly to him not wanting to dedicate himself to the fields, he practically had to run away from home. Now he was one of the most popular and handsome guys in the place.

Most of his teachers adore Logan, he is the perfect student, although there may be some who have certain resentment towards the boy. Algebra Professor Harries hates Logan, the boy was not only brilliant but also too attractive.

Professor Harries couldn't help but be consumed by envy, because every time Logan showed off his good body the professor remembered how he tried to look better and exercise at that age. Teacher's pet Ethan also seems jealous, Etahn is a nerd but unlike Logan, Ethan is overweight and basically ugly.

When Logan wins a scholarship to a prestigious university, Ethan is frustrated. Logan is not only attractive but smarter. Maybe his favorite teacher has a plan, between the two of them will blackmail the handsome boy into doing whatever they want, putting his scholarship in the way.

6. Stuffed Deal

Jason has been a bully all his life, when he finished college things seemed to be going great, he had a good job and his body looked better than ever, but when the company where he works declares bankruptcy things get complicated for Jason.

The stud finds a new world online and with his good looks he does not hesitate to make videos and lives, satisfying others for money. However, without knowing it, Jason ends up at the mercy of some guys who have a certain grudge against him.

I will also continue working on Fall of the Jock and maybe another chapter for Rival Treatment 😏

[goldenj0]

okay first of all I am so beyond proud of you!!!!!!! no one deserves this more than you and I just love you so much. I'm having such a proud mom moment right now.

can I get a fluffy brother's best friend with rafe cameronnnn??? maybe they are going to the same college (he is no more than like, 2 years older) and her brother asked him to look after her for him and he starts falling for her, and her him (even tho she totally had a crush on him in like her pre-teen, early teenage years because who wouldn't?)

summary — you are in love

pairing — brothers best friend!rafe cameron x fem!reader

warnings — a few seconds of sadness but a whole lotta fluff and a kiss or four later!

author’s note — megan i adore you and your support and it means the world to me and i did change it up a bit, hope you dont mind!!

Love was cruel with two blue eyes and sandy colored hair, who also happened to be your brothers best friend.

Bright eye and a school girl crush, with your heart on your sleeve. Having listened to Taylor Swift on repeat growing up, you knew this is what love felt like.

Over the years you fell harder for him each day. It was how your name sounded rolling off his tongue. Always going out of his way to make sure how your day was and checking in on you. Rafe always made you feel important even when you felt like you didn’t.

And maybe you thought he started to feel the same way, but then senior year came around and football and senior parties took over his life and that left you in shadows, only ever getting the small waves in passing and a forced smile as you turned to walk down the other way.

The memories of him were all you had to hold on to.

A year later, freshly graduated and a freshman at UNC you felt like you could conquer anything— including the blue eyed boy that you were madly in love with.

A week later with no sightings of him, you we’re excited that maybe just maybe, you could start over and forget about him, but the universe had something else in mind.

Loud music, too many bodies and maybe the promise of a kiss would completely wipe the idea of him out of your memory.

Too wrapped up in your thoughts, your tan body collided with the back of a figure, “Oh my god, I’m so sorry, I didn’t—“

“y/n?” The Taylor Swift songs started speaking.

The universe for sure hated you became you looked like a deer in headlights trying to gather your thoughts and form a sentence or coherent thought.

“Rafe?” Eyes trailing up the tall figure, noticing the changes and how much he’s grown from the last time you saw him.

The last few times he’s been home you had successfully avoided him at all costs making up lame excuses to be out when he was over. And for awhile it worked.

“Hey, how’re you?” Wrapping his arms around your waist, home, “Been hoping I’d run into you.”

“Oh yeah, well I’ve been busy with school and getting settled and yeah.” Flustered and upset at the thought of never having the one thing you wanted.

Rafe was star struck. He couldn’t remember what you looked like. Of course he kept up with you on Instagram and occasionally seeing you on other peoples snapchat stories, but you were a work of art that a picture couldn’t capture. Rafe Cameron couldn’t remember when it happened, but he fell hard for his best friend’s little sister. Too caught up in his thoughts he didn’t register that you stopped talking and started waving a hand in front of his face.

“Sorry, I, uh, can we go talk somewhere quiet?” The million dollar smile that you fell in love asked you. “Somethin’ I need to tell you.l

All you could do was nod and take his hand when he offered his up. Following him through the crowd and out of the house to a more quiet part of the backyard he took a seat and patted the empty next too him.

“So I uh, shit okay,” Raking his fingers through his messy shaggy hair, trying to find some composure that was nowhere to be found. “y/n, I need to tell you something.”

He knew. That’s all that filled your mind. Rafe Cameron knew that you loved him and he was here to let you down gently because you were his best friends little sister.

“Have you ever had those feelings? Y’know those feelings that you shouldn’t have but you do?”

“Yeah.”

“I uh have some of those for someone I shouldn’t and I don’t know how to tell her.” Picking his head up and meeting your eyes.

“Oh.” Swallowing the tears that were threatening to spill, stupid feelings, “Have you thought of just telling her.”

“I’m in love with you.”

“Yeah just like that.” Forcing your water lined eyes shut and picking your back up.

Rings littered fingers grabbing your cheeks to meet his eyes, “I’m in love with you.”

Millions of emotions and feelings running through your body as you process the words you yearned for, for years from the boy you’d been in love with since you were twelve and he was thirteen.

“y/n? Can you say something?” Nerves crawled under his skin, “Shit, I shouldn’t have said anything, I just —“

The lips he craved to feel for as long as he could remember were on his begging for entrance to his mint and beer mouth. Cold and nimble fingers met his warm and flushed cheeks as you pour everything into this exact Taylor Swift moment.

Pulling away from the best feeling, “I’m in love with you too.” Pressing your lips against and feeling him smile against your pillow like lips.

besties!! @r0und3bitch @mackenzielovee @cutesouls @onmykneesforrafe

[metamorphosisff]

|Two| It’s Over Now

There are plenty of things I need to be doing, going over the quizzes from one of the three psych classes I taught, following up with three judges about cases I had updates for, and so on and so forth. Yet, here I was rereading the same four words that were sent to my phone earlier this week: Try with somebody else. Jamila Cortez was an enigma that I was drawn to which kind of unnerved me. When was the last time I actively wanted to get to know a new person? For the last few years I had been content within my bubble that consisted of what I thought was a happy relationship, building connections in the educator world, and increasing the distance from my checkered past. Keeping my head down, focusing on my goals served me well until it didn’t, and that bubble popped.

Apparently, the approach I took to reshaping my life caused my ex-girlfriend Mariah, of the last four years, to abandon all of the plans we made for the future. She claimed I wasn’t the same and I hurled the same accusation back. Now I was single for the first time and free from that bubble. I had spent these last few months trying to submerge myself back into the world, catching up with friends that I neglected in favor of hers, and trying experiences that actually interested me. It felt like I was discovering myself again, going through yet another transition, although I had no idea what the end result would be. My previous transitions were brought on by intrinsic motivations, this one? Was extrinsic by all intents and purposes, so I was riding the wave and seeing where it took me. It kept crashing into Jamila.

With me being one of the ten supervisors that worked for the non-profit Helping Hand I met all kinds of people. HH was designed to give people who have had minor brushes with the law a chance to give back to society by cleaning up and volunteering around the community. Along with my job as a professor, it gave me the chance to use the clinical psychology degree I spent four years getting. I loved social work, being on the ground, and getting to know people. My love and genuine care for others was another point of contention between Mariah and I. She didn’t like the way I always had to engage in conversation but it was a quality that served me well in my profession. I was able to see things in people that most would overlook. In Jamila I saw a sadness so profoundly deep I’m sure she didn’t even know how far down it reached and it reminded me of my own cemented over well of sorrows.

It became a goal of mine to strike up conversations with her because something told me her story would be interesting and I could learn from it. That girl was tough as nails though because she had no patience for me. I’ve been trying to think up a response that would adequately do but can’t seem to grasp how. My skills worked better in person I was starting to note. Right as I began to put my phone down, it began to vibrate, and flash with Mariah’s number. Taking a deep breath, I answer.

“Yeah?” I don’t have time or the space to give her pleasantries she does not deserve.

“Hey Xav, I uh, have quite a few of your things here. Are you coming to get them?” she asks in the airy tone I used to adore but now found quite grating.

“What things Mariah? Clothes?” I asked, trying to remember what I’ve left over her new home over the past year.

“Clothes, products, workout stuff,” she lists with a sigh like I was the one inconveniencing her. It seemed that our whole relationship had been one big inconvenience to her in hindsight. “Things like that. So what do you want me to do with them?”

There was no way I was getting on a plane for what was probably less than five hundred dollars worth of belongings. “Donate them or trash them. It’s whatever Mariah.”

“You don’t have to be like this. I was hoping that-

“That what? That we could be friends? After the shit you pulled?” I questioned, mindful not to raise my voice since I was in one of the adjunct offices at the university. There were six in a row in this wing of the floor and the walls weren’t the thickest. I didn’t need to disturb my colleagues with this drama. “What exactly were you hoping for?” 

“I tried to talk to you before any of this happened! You were always too busy helping this convict or that student. You were ignoring me,” she shrieks.

“So it’s my fault you fucked someone else? That’s a new one,” I chuckle dryly though I am not amused. It’s been three months since we last talked, I should have known this call was about to be some bullshit.

“I made my mistakes but so have you. You aren’t perfect either Xavier,” she said.

“And I never painted myself to be Mariah but I was loyal. Cheating isn’t a mistake, it’s a choice, and you still can’t stand on the choice you made. That’s unfortunate but that has nothing to do with me,” I said.

“Wow, it’s crazy you can even say that because it has everything to do with you,” Mariah says.

I closed my eyes as I took another breath because I can tell from the wobble in her voice that she is about to cry. If she does, I might actually lose my shit. She always thinks she can cry her way out of a disagreement. It’s as tiring as it is disingenuous.

“We can do this all day Mariah but it won’t bring us back together. Nothing ever will. Please don’t contact me again,” I said, before hanging up the phone. 

It was the only way to end the conversation and for her to understand that I did not want to be bothered. Moving quickly, I blocked her number before yet another essay text hit my phone. I had been stalling on doing so but it was clearly time to let every part of her go once and for all.

“Fix that form nigga.”

Sweat poured down my body as I readjusted the bar on my back that held two hundred pounds of weight on it. There was only one way to clear my mind after a day like I had and hitting the gym was it. Lucky for me, my best friend Aiden was the ideal work out partner as he was a personal trainer at Equinox. 

“Better but not by much,” Aiden said, as I ascended from the squat. “Where is your head at? Cause it ain’t here.”

The thing about being friends with someone since elementary school is that they know you better than you know yourself sometimes. I reach for my bottle of water on the floor before saying, “Mariah called me earlier today and I’ve been in a funk since. Trying to snap out of it though.”

“Why the fuck you answer? That’s the problem right there. You did it to yourself,” Aiden said, switching places with me at the rack.

He wasn’t one to mince words whereas I considered each word before saying it. The difference between us was patience.

“Man, she hasn’t called me in months. I honestly didn’t know what to expect,” I said, closing my water back.

“You should have expected some bullshit because it’s exactly what you got,” Aiden said as he executed the five rep set without missing a beat. It was lighter than what he had been lifting lately.

“Pretty much but I finally blocked her so the problem is solved. Just dug some shit up is all,” I said, as we switched places again.

“That’s to be expected too X. She hurt more than your feelings, she hurt your pride, and that’s a motherfucker to come back from,” Aiden says.

He’s not wrong. The dig at my ego did and was doing a number on me. Even in the lowest of our lows, Mariah and I’s sex life never reached those dips. Not when she moved either or so I thought. It was one of the reasons I had held on so long even though the end was imminent before she cheated. To know that hadn’t been one of her reasons to hold on fucked me up. We were disconnected in every single way possible.

“She did but what’s done is done. It’s time for both of us to move on,” I said, as I glanced at my watch. I meant to check in on my progress during this workout but when I noted the time I cursed. “Aye bruh, I gotta get up out of here. It’s my turn with Granddad tonight.”

Vernon Taylor, my grandfather, was the heart of our family. That’s why when we got the diagnosis of dementia as an explanation for his frequent sudden bouts of forgetfulness, we were crushed. It would eventually progress toward Alzheimer’s but for now we did everything we could for him. Including alternating night shift visits between his children and their children so that my grandmother GiGi could get some help. If I rushed, I could make it to Queens by eight.

“Oh I forgot about that too. Tell GiGi I said I’ll be there soon,” Aiden said, outstretching a fist towards me.

I bumped it with my own as I gathered my belongings. “Will do, I’ll see you.”

With that I was off. My apartment was only a fifteen minute walk from the gym. Once there I showered quickly and threw on some lounge clothes. The overnight bag I used when going over there was already packed, so once I grabbed it and my work bag, I was in the back of an Uber before seven. For the next forty eight minutes, I used the ride to reflect on my day, deciding what would make it into tomorrow, and what wouldn’t go past today. It was a coping method I learned in undergrad that helped me regulate my emotions when I did not know quite what to do with them. By the time I made it to Queens Village to the yellow two-story home I spent almost every weekend in, I felt ready to deal with what awaited inside. Walking up the pathway, I fished my keys out of my pocket so that I could let myself inside.

“GiGi it’s me, Xavier,” I called out, as I locked both the screen door and front door. No one else would be coming today so I also went ahead and put the alarm on.

“We’re in the living room baby. I left your dinner in the oven, should still be warm,” GiGi called back.

“Ahh thank you, I’m starving. I’ll be in there in a minute,” I said, before heading upstairs to my dad’s old room which was the first one you saw once you reached the landing. 

I didn’t bother turning on the lights knowing it would be a minute before I was up here for good. Tossing my bag on the floor, I stepped out of my sneakers and into the slides I wore around the house. I headed to the bathroom to wash my hands and then downstairs to grab the plate stuffed with salmon cakes, sautéed vegetables, and rice, that was indeed still warm. Within ten minutes I had inhaled the plate between checking my email which was unsurprisingly even more full since I last looked. I’d spend a good portion of the night combing through them for real. The next few hours belonged to Grandad who was sitting in his favorite chair. Gigi sat beside him knitting while he looked ahead at a Knicks game. 

I walked over and dropped a kiss on her brown cheek before moving over to Grandad. “Hey old man, how are you doing today?” I asked, holding my hand out towards him.

His hand grasped mine as his eyes roved over my face trying to place me from the rolodex of memories he had left. “Doing good Lex, doing good. You checked in on your sister? You the oldest you need to keep up with her and Keith,” Grandad replied.

GiGi tossed me a small smile as she said lowly, “Today was a little rough. Sorry baby.”

“Nothing to apologize for,” I said, reaching over and squeezing her hand. Out of all of us, I knew this transition was hardest for her the most. She’s known him inside and out for forty nine years. Turning to face Granddad once more, I mustered a smile while saying, “That’s good Pops, I try but you know how your kids are.”

“Don’t I?! Y’all came out working a nerve let me tell you,” Grandad said, wheezing a laugh. 

“All done with love,” I say as I ease down on the floor beside him like I did when I was younger. His hand taps my shoulder a few times as I get comfortable. It is his form of affection because as a veteran it was hard for him to soften enough for constant hugs and kisses. “Who you got on the game?”

“Not these bums in blue and orange, they need Walt. Where his ass at? His team needs him,” Grandad said, shaking his head and causing me to laugh. The essence of his personality is prevalent.

As much as things were changing, I had to hold onto these moments as tight as possible to carry into however many tomorrows I had left on this earth.

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[iasmelaion]

1,000+ Hours??

Steam tells me I've played over 1,000 hours of Stardew Valley. WILD! In my defense (?), that's over about 7.5 years, so it works out to about 130 hours a year, but still, it's by far the videogame I've played the most, and now that the 1.6 update is coming out in a couple of weeks, I got to thinking about just why that is, and why I enjoy the game so much.

For anyone who doesn't know, Stardew Valley is a farming life sim in pixel art style, where you inherit your grandpa's farm and are tasked with fixing it up and revitalizing the town it's in. It was created by a solo developer, ConcernedApe aka Eric Barone, as a passion project that took him years to make, because he did everything: the coding, the art, the music, all of it, while he had a part-time job and his girlfriend supported them.

It's a hell of an underdog story: solo developer labors away at this passion project for years, and then when he finally releases his game, it becomes an enormous hit. In the past eight years, it's sold over 30 million copies. At around $15 a game, all it takes some quick back of the envelope math to calculate that, even accounting for the cuts various platforms and past publishers have taken, discounted prices, and his overhead now that he has a small handful of staff, ConcernedApe has made hundreds of millions of dollars.

I mention all of this because in a lot of ways, Barone is living the dream. He did it, he hit it big: he worked really hard on this thing he loved, and it was a success, and people love it, and now he's set for life. Of course it came with its own costs: this GQ profile points out that it took a near obsessive dedication to pull off, and obviously, he couldn't have managed it without the financial support of his partner. But like, damn! It more than paid off!

The fanbase almost universally adores Barone: not only is he an incredible underdog success story, but he's released multiple updates for the game for free. Like, dude absolutely could have charged for the 1.5 update, it added a lot of content and the players would've been happy to pay for it, but it was free! He also personally helps people out sometimes, when bugs break their game saves, and he's supportive of the lively modding community (in fact, the 1.6 update includes a lot of updates that are specifically meant to make modding easier).

All that external stuff wouldn't really matter to me if I didn't actually like playing the game. But I do, and as I've thought about why I love it so much, I know part of it is the knowledge that it was, in fact, this one guy's passion project, and very clearly a labor of love that he devoted a ton of care and attention to. It's an inextricable part of what makes it feel good to play the game. (Also, it's nice to know the game isn't, like, evil, lol. No exploitative labor practices [other than the creator's own perfectionism], no microtransactions, no dark patterns meant to make you throw more money at it, though it is for sure an addictive game play loop.)

Anyway, it's been one of my emotional support videogames over the past seven and a half years I've played it. The great thing about my anxiety, to the extent there can be great things about it lol, is that it's very easily distracted, and games like Stardew Valley (and Hades) are A++++ ways for me to break out of an anxiety spiral. Very useful during the Trump times and the pandemic! Also, even when I'm not feeling notably anxious, it's just a super chill and satisfying game to play, one that gives you that sweet, sweet dopamine for accomplishing tasks, plus it's a great game to play while you're listening to an audiobook or podcast.

But like, I'm still kind of baffled about why this game. I've tried a bunch of different games that are similar, and none of them have hit for me like SDV. Like, objectively, I should be sick of SDV! Even with the amount mods add to the game, I've basically 100%ed the game with two different saves (the achievements I haven't gotten are the ones I'm NEVER going to get: never gonna do a Joja run, and never gonna come close to beating the Journey of the Prairie King minigame). And yet, here I am, still playing it!

Other games like it that I have tried, and even enjoyed, but that haven't held onto my attention like SDV has:

Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Like probably everybody else, I downloaded this just as pandemic quarantines and restrictions were kicking off in the US, and it became my Emotional Support videogame while I was stuck in my apartment. It was charming and comforting and cute, and the routine it added to anxious, isolated days was a true gift. It has plenty in common with SDV: farming and foraging mechanics, decorating a house, befriending villagers. But I abruptly dropped it in July of 2020 and just...never went back to it. It served its purpose for me, and while I think of it fondly, I don't really have any desire to play it again.

Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom: Not, strictly speaking, in the same genre as SDV. But I've played a lot of it, and it has some of the same vibes, if you will: gorgeous scenery, the ability to play it however you want, foraging, great music, a chill vibe (when you're not fighting monsters). And indeed, I do occasionally come back to these games! They truly are beautiful, and genuinely thrilling at points. But there's not quite enough structure here to make for a comforting gaming experience.

Littlewood: a cute little RPG with some of the same mechanics as SDV. I played about 40 hours of this, but got bored with how grindy it started to feel. SDV also has a fair amount of grind, but I think what keeps it from feeling too grindy is the amount of variety. Littlewood's grindiness felt like it was just about making Number Go Up. With SDV, you have a bunch of different kinds of grindiness: making money, catching all the fish, collecting stuff for the community center, collecting enough resources to build stuff, going into the caves to mine and fight monsters, etc.

Spiritfarer: billed as a "cozy management game about death", and not really fucking around with that description. Has farming and fishing mechanics, plus you get to explore the world by sailing to various destinations, but there's not really any replayability here. Also it is emotionally devastating. Like, you start it, and you're like, oh, the art is so pretty, the music is so nice, how lovely, how charming, there is an adorable cat here as well, and then the game reminds you, hey! you are here to help souls release their earthly burdens and move onto the next stage of the afterlife! And you will cry. Like, seriously, this is the only videogame to have ever made me cry.

Cult of the Lamb: darkly funny little RPG about being an adorable little lamb who's building a cult to your dark god. The vibe here was funny, with the juxtaposition of the cutesy art and the dark humor. I got bored with this, plus it got pretty buggy for me on my Switch, but it was fine!

Sun Haven: farming sim RPG, much heavier on the fantasy and anime vibes than SDV. I gave up on this one after 15 hours. There were a lot of little things that just piled up and annoyed me too much to keep going. Something about the game's balance and pacing also just felt off to me.

Dave the Diver: like, yes, this is about a guy diving into a Big Blue Hole to catch fish for his sushi restaurant, so objectively quite different! But honestly, this was a delight to play. It juggled its various different aspects in a fun way, cycling between the fishing, the RPG stuff, the restaurant management, and even a little bit of farming. The art style is neat, the cut scenes are funny, and it's pretty nice to just swim through the water catching the occasional fish. Again though, not super replayable, and the gameplay loop does get boring once you've played through the main game.

Roots of Pacha: this is basically SDV, but make it prehistoric. I liked the pixel art a lot, and it's a neat tweak on the SDV formula. I had fun playing it! But again, I finished the main game and felt no real urge to go back to it, or to grind out all the achievements.

Wylde Flowers: another cozy life/farming sim, but this one includes witchy elements. An art style reminiscent of Pixar movies, which tbh, is really not my jam in video games. This one stands out though for how it's fully voice-acted, which is a neat touch. Nothing out and out wrong here, I just got bored, and as noted, the art style is not my favorite. I think the gameplay loop here just wasn't as satisfying as SDV.

And finally, Hades: this is nothing at all like SDV, obviously. The only thing they have in common is a fishing minigame. But it and BotW/TotK are the only other games I've played anywhere close to as much as I've played SDV. Hades, like SDV, offers an immensely satisfying gameplay loop, one with enough novelty to keep you playing, and the art is gorgeous. An incredibly fun gaming experience, and yeah, I come back to this one every so often. It's pretty relaxing for a rogue-lite fighting game, at least, once you've gotten the hang of it!

Graveyard Keeper: I haven't played this, but I did watch some Youtubers play it, lol, and counted it a bullet dodged. Not because the game looked bad, but just because it looked the kind of grindy that would CONSUME me but that would be ultimately unsatisfying. Way better to have saved myself ~50-60 hours and just watched Youtubers play through it instead.

After all that, I'm still not quite sure what keeps me coming back to SDV over and over rather than other games in the same or similar genres! I'll keep giving other games like it a try: I'm especially excited to try Coral Island when it comes out for the Switch, and Chef RPG whenever it's released. But for now, I'm super excited for the 1.6 update, and can't wait to start a new save.

[ashintheairlikesnow]

BBU Community Days

@bbu-on-the-side * {Day 15: Collaboration} Create any piece of BBU content together with another community member! Could be a crossover scene with both your characters, a collaboratively developed concept, an illustration to their story, an RP, … Anything goes, as long as you worked together within the BBU!

-

@for-the-love-of-angst and I have an Au where my OC Jameson stumbles into their OC Taron's restaurant and they strike up a sometimes tentative but enduring friendship. For the last day of BBU Community Days, Collaboration, I wanted to write something in our shared little universe)

Jameson slips the bottle into the hidden inside pocket of his coat, his eyes scanning a variety of protein bars in boxes without really reading any of the labels. The orange juice is cold from the line of glass-front fridge sections that run along the entire back of the gas station. It had been easy to take the little orange bottle out and carry it around for a while, browsing, while the gas station was crowded with workers in paint-stained tshirts and clean suits and uniforms.

He had a plastic bag with a burrito in it in the other hand. He'd pay the two dollars for that, and no one would notice the bottle being gone at all.

He exhales, waits a few more seconds, and then shifts to head down the aisle and get in line.

When someone taps on his shoulder, almost too light to feel through his coat, Jameson spins around with his heart in his throat. People turn to look nearby where they stand pouring steaming coffee into paper cups.

Jameson's protest - fuck you, I didn't take shit, asshole - dies when he sees who was standing behind him.

Taron's eyebrows raise. His hair is back and away, caught with a tie at the nape of his neck. Usually it's pulled higher up. Jameson has dreams about taking out the elastic and running his fingers down the textured darkness of it. Has dreams about Taron grabbing his wrists and forcing him against a wall, too. Neither dream is ever going to happen.

That's what makes the dreams safe. Knowing it won't happen makes them feel nicer to wake from. Knowing Taron won't ever do any of the things Jameson wants him to do makes him the safest person on earth for Jameson to fantasize about.

But it still pisses him off when Taron looks so fucking good in a flannel shirt and jeans.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Jameson asks before he can stop himself. "You don't live on this side of town."

"Neither do you," Taron says mildly, smiling a little with one side of his mouth. Jameson's mouth goes dry at the sight. Fucking handsome asshole.

"I don't live anywhere," Jameson counters, shifting from foot to foot a little uneasily. "So I could be everywhere. Why are you here, though?"

"Needed gas." Taron shrugs. He has a cup of coffee in his free hand, a bag hanging off his arm with what looks like doughnuts inside. "Got a call from somebody trying to find a home for goats."

"For goats?"

"For goats."

"And you didn't tell them to fuck off and raise their own fucking goats?"

"Don't mind goats." Taron's smile widens and Jameson knows what name he'll say next the second he sees the adoration in the expression. "Zizi is the one who answered the phone, anyway."

What Zizi wants, Zizi gets, Jameson thinks with no small hint of bitterness. Zizi, Taron's wife and True Love and whatever the fuck else she wants to be. Perfect happy cheerful Zizi who bounces around and is so fucking nice to him that Jameson can't even really be jealous of it hate her because she's so easy to fucking like.

He'd go get her the goats, too, if he's honest.

Or anything else she wanted.

"Oh. Well. Okay. I was just getting myself breakfast-" he holds up the burrito. "Enjoy your... goats, I guess."

Taron snorts. "Take out the juice," He says in a low voice.

Jameson tenses. "I don't have-"

"Yeah, you do." Taron doesn't sound angry. Or upset. Or even disappointed. He's just stating facts. "Come on. Take it out."

Jameson's lip curls in a brief snarl before he grunts a curse and pulls it out from the hidden pocket. "Fine. I'll put it back. I only have enough cash for one fucking thing, so sue me-"

"Want to come see the goats?" Taron interrupts him, head tipped to the side.

"Do I... Do I want to what now-"

"Go with. See the goats. I'll get your breakfast, you help me get the goats back home." He shrugs again. It's a crime, how good he looks just shrugging his shoulders. "Call it a trade."

Jameson looks at the juice, and then back up at Taron's face. "Back to your house?"

"Zizi might need help giving them names," Taron says, and it's an invitation, not a command. He never gives orders, not like that. Jameson wishes he would.

He's grateful in a desperate frightened way that Taron never ever makes a demand.

The only man Jameson has spent any real time with who doesn't.

"Uh... Yeah. Okay. Yeah, I'll go with. Can I have coffee though? I'll put the juice back."

"Why grab it if you didn't want it?"

Jameson grins, sharp as a knife. The first smile he's found in days. "Hot coffee is harder to hide."

Taron makes a sound like he's choking back a laugh. "Right. Come on, get your coffee."

He doesn't look over Jameson's shoulder or look close behind him. Just waits patiently while Jameson puts the orange juice back and then gets his own little paper cup of bitter dark coffee, pure shit but at least it's caffeinated shit. He doesn't comment on Jameson adding creamer, or tell him where to stand. He doesn't touch Jameson's lower back or stand too close in line.

He never touches Jameson at all.

It sucks.

It's wonderful.

[goldensunset]

how does one get into the legend of zelda

that is a fantastic question. start with any one random game that caught your eye somehow and play that and become emotionally bonded to it for the rest of your life so much that no matter the objective quality relative to other games it’ll always be your favorite, then log onto the internet and talk to people about it and wait until someone goes ‘YOU HAVEN’T PLAYED OOT???? fake fan.’ (they have only played 3 games themselves) then go try to play that one next but it’s either a million dollars or on some defunct console so you have to emulate it, watch a let’s play, or learn through cultural osmosis

LOL ok so basically lemme just ask you: what game consoles do you own? seek out any zelda game on those consoles and you’ll be good. like if you have a switch absolutely get breath of the wild (that’s how i got into this series! i adore it 💚). if your wii still works and the motion plus wii remote is good you should look for skyward sword used somewhere. twilight princess too if you’re real lucky.

i guess if nothing else just play/watch the major titles (the 3d ones)! that’s all a majority of people pay attention to anyway. it’s not like other series where if you don’t keep up with every minor detail from every little spinoff ever you won’t understand anything (*cough* kh *cough* love it though) the writers themselves partially reinvent the lore like every single game

while there is an official timeline and these games do all exist canonly in the same universe, aka they’re not just random separate entities, the nature of each game is it’s really easy to play each one not knowing anything about any of the others. they can all pass for self-contained stories really easily.

so truthfully don’t worry about starting with the ‘right’ one. there is no advantage to appealing to nostalgia and trying to start with the early nes games, nor is it essential to play in chronological order (that would make for an interesting experience! but possibly confusing, believe it or not)

by major titles i mean: ocarina of time & majora’s mask (in this case order matters), wind waker, twilight princess, skyward sword, breath of the wild & tears of the kingdom (order matters here too). in fact it would probably be great if you could play those 7 roughly in that order since that’s their release order but it seriously is not essential. (diehards will crucify me for implying that handheld split timeline spinoff number fifteen isn’t ‘major’. ignore them. it’s ok)

tldr: there is no right way. there is no recommended order. anyone can jump right in to any game pretty easily. but just start with what’s easiest for you to access

[parfumieren]

Encens Flamboyant (Annick Goutal)

There is a perfume she will never wear, in a vial she keeps locked away. She takes it out occasionally when she is alone, and opens it to breathe it in. But it never touches her skin. It can't; she won't permit it.

She keeps this perfume not for personal adornment, not for pleasure or an anodyne from pain. She keeps it because she lost the key to that industrial-sized padlock on her heart. This lock might otherwise rust shut forever if she doesn't break it open every once in a while. She could do this easily with a cigarette, if she still smoked. But the doctor told her she'd done enough damage to her heart with smoking, so that road is closed to her now.

For a brief period -- eight months, a year at most -- she'd smoked Nat Shermans, either Hint of Mint or Touch of Clove. To get them, she had to travel to one of two tiny independent tobacconists situated half an hour in opposite directions from her house. They came twenty to a box for eleven dollars plus tax. To her logic, both the prohibitive cost of these cigarettes and the difficulty of obtaining them worked in her favor, acting as built-in deterrents to the development of a more serious habit.

It's too bad she exercised less restraint where other attachments were concerned, but that's neither here nor there.

As it was, she allowed herself one smoke daily (two, tops, if the day had been particularly rough). She only smoked outside or in her moving car with the windows rolled down. At home, she'd stand on the second-story apartment balcony and take long, satisfying drags while staring at the trees. Then she'd go inside and wash her hands and face with soap to remove every last trace of smoke.

Her husband of many years -- not a smoker himself -- hated this late-appearing habit of hers. With characteristic good grace, he tolerated what he couldn't understand, hoping that it was just a temporary aberration.

She had a friend whom she cherished in a way best termed complicated. Her friend and his girlfriend and his brother were her tribe. Her heart was tangled up in theirs, and she adored them beyond wisdom and without reserve. Her husband, though congenial, couldn't see what she saw in them or feel what she felt for them. But he saw her, and he could see how she felt. So he made an allowance -- the sort that only love can make -- and took these friends' presence in their lives in stride.

She remembers one night in particular with her tribe. They drank wine, played music, danced and sang along to it, unembarrassed in front of one another. They laughed and laughed. Outside in the chilly night, they stood in a circle under the tall pitch pines in the front yard and passed one of her cigarettes around. The smell of pine sap, the icy still air, the tobacco smoke, the tiny fire making its way around the circle, her friends' beloved faces in the dim porch light: she remembers these things.

Sometimes she wishes she couldn't.

That night, gripped by the moonlight, her friend's brother let out a war cry and climbed the big pine until he hung from its swaying branches twenty-five feet over their heads. A gallant, dangerous gesture, full of life, defiant of death. Hearts full, all she and her tribe could do was look up at him in awe.

It was one of those acts which -- despite what ought to be its transparent and obvious foolishness -- carries a heartrending significance, both in reality and in memory. You might never be able to say why you did it, but it was somehow crucial that you did. Something inside you made you take the risk, believing that if you proved to the universe that you weren't afraid, it would reach out and catch you in its arms at the last minute.

But it didn't; not for her. When her time came, she fell and fell until she hit the ground.

There have been emails, some written in grief, some in denunciation. There has been silence and darkness and unknowing, deliberate detours taken to prevent paths from crossing. Her friends (if one can even call them that) are gone. She hasn't seen them for years now, and never will again.

The perfume she keeps locked away was born the year their bond died. From time to time -- always when she is alone, always when she is at her loneliest -- she takes that little vial from its hiding place. She pries it open to directly inhale its contained fragrance, or else places a single drop on a small piece of paper from which its scent radiates for days. She sits and closes her eyes, breathes in the smell of pine, of night, of cigarettes shared in a circle. She views her own memories from a distance as one views a snake on the ground, unsure whether it is poisonous but certainly not taking any chances.

And then she stoppers the bottle and hides it deep inside a drawer, angrily wipes her eyes, and walks back to the parts of life that are still alive.

Only until this cigarette is ended,

A little moment at the end of all,

While on the floor the quiet ashes fall,

And in the firelight to a lance extended,

Bizarrely with the jazzing music blended,

The broken shadow dances on the wall,

I will permit my memory to recall

The vision of you, by all my dreams attended.

And then adieu,--farewell!--the dream is done.

Yours is a face of which I can forget

The colour and the features, every one,

The words not ever, and the smiles not yet;

But in your day this moment is the sun

Upon a hill, after the sun has set.

-- Edna St. Vincent Millay

Scent Elements: "Vieille église" frankincense, pepper, roseberry, cardamom, sage, nutmeg, mastic, balsam fir

[francenemolove]

Series: My Kitty Minie ( Chapter 1 )

Synopsis: 

"It was you all along? I don't understand; why didn't you just tell me?" Jimin stammered. eyes teary, looking at her. 

 "I just wanted to fulfill a promise I made." Y/N said coldly. 

 "So if there isn't anything important you want to tell me, then go back to work," she dismissed. 

 Jimin just nodded and bowed his head as he stepped out of her office. 

He assumed she'd be relieved to see him again; everything they'd been through had been insignificant to her. He didn't know that experiencing this could be the most painful thing in his life.

Warnings/Tags: 

~ This story is purely fiction.

~ This means that the characters whose names are used in the story, aren't like this and don't do things like this.

~ This story contains triggering topics like abuse, sex, angst and fluff.

The story is made in an Alternate Universe. It's an A,B,O world where Alphas can be females with a cock and Omegas can be males with a pussy.DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE BELOW 18.

Chapter 1

Everyone in the shelter was busy because their boss would soon be evaluating the situation. It was a sunny day. The shelter's staff was cleaning and stockpiling supplies. As soon as everyone was finished, they let the hybrids out in the playroom of the shelter so they could play, stretch, and interact with others. The shelter was fairly sizable. housing both old and new hybrids, at least 158. A retired hybrid doctor who wanted to protect hybrids from those who would abuse and exploit them built the shelter.

The staff was checking the hybrids' attendance while they were all napping in the sizable play area. There wasn't one there.

The time was 1:33 PM. When Sun-Young entered the shelter with her granddaughter. Everyone greeted and welcomed them. human beings to hybrids. All hybrids have come into contact with Sun-Young, a wonderful human and doctor. All the hybrids living in her shelter looked to her almost like a mother. She was accompanied today by her 14-year-old granddaughter Y/N. The hybrids also adored Y/N for her sweet and caring personality.

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

Good day, Doctor! We welcomed a new hybrid baby this morning.

'Afternoon! Omega, Beta, and Alpha? '

"Doc, it's a male omega,"

The sweetheart is what kind of hybrid, Sun-Young ask?

"It's a 9-year-old calico cat," the person said.

What's this one's backstory? '

According to the report the hybrid rescue center gave us, the animal is a runaway. spent nearly six months wandering the streets.

I appreciate your help. I'll conduct another evaluation of the hybrid and determine the course of his care. Can you go play with the hybrid babies in the meantime, Y/N darling? Sun-Young searches the area but is unable to locate her granddaughter. Even she didn't know where she was as she turned to face the staff.

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Hybrid babies giggled loudly, and older hybrids gossiped.

Y/N enjoys observing the hybrids playing in the playground because it makes her feel a little better to see them enjoying themselves and their own time with their friends. Y/N enjoys visiting the shelter, but her grandmother limits how often she can go because she also has school and other private lessons to attend. See Y/N, thanks to her mother, was raised in a wealthy family. Her grandfather was the most in-demand surgeon, and her grandmother was the best hybrid physician in the nation. Her mother Boram ran a multimillion-dollar business as its CEO. And since Y/N is the sole child, it goes without saying that she will inherit her mother's company. She was the only child, but unlike her grandma, she didn't have a close relationship with her mother. Despite the fact that her grandparents are very busy, she spent her formative years with them. Because of this, she grew up caring for and loving the hybrid animals that live in her grandmother's sanctuary. In contrast, given the predicament, her mother is less interested in hybrids.

‐-------------------------------------------------------------------‐------------‐-----------

"The kitty hybrid is the only one missing in the playroom; should we coax the kitty out?" so that it can at least socialize with others? said by a staff near where Y/N was standing.

"Let's give the baby a break." That boy went through so much, and now he's been moved to another shelter that he isn't familiar with, and with strangers at that. Another one said

"You're right, it's just that..."Come on, let's let him rest first, and if we think that it's ready to come out, then we'll coax him out, okay?

"Okay, then."

Hearing that, Y/N got curious and decided to go see for herself this new kitty-hybrid.

[dailyrandomwriter]

Day 113

In my on-going quest to try and not be a complete recluse, I had saved a bunch of events going on this month. November and December are easier months to find local events that I can take myself to because of Christmas. Today, the children and art museum downtown was holding a holiday book and art fair.

Which had the bonus benefit of the museum entry being completely free, except for one specialized exhibit that was closed off.

I didn’t get any books, because the embarrassing thing is, outside of fanfiction I haven’t read a novel in years. I blame in part on changes to my taste in reading material and also university. Nothing kills your desire to pick up a book than having always read books.

By the way, I adore significant others who join their loved ones at these book fairs and help promote their books. It took me a second too long that the gentleman who wanted to suggest Forgotten King and Forgotten Magic was not the author of those books but the lovely lady beside him. I should have brought the first book because a story plot where a prince is disposed of not by killing him but by magic that makes everyone forget he exists is fascinating. However, I didn’t get it because I was afraid I would not read it, because I have other things on the brain right now.

Which was better than the young man who had tried to nudge his female counterpart into talking to me to promote her book. We were standing awkwardly for a minute or two in that case.

I did come away with arts and crafts items. Including two dangling earrings sets for an old roommate of mine who likes that sort of thing, and for myself two small card kits Christmas themed. It’ll give me something to do in the days leading up to Christmas though I noticed both sets had sparkling stickers. So my desk may look like a pixie puked on it at some point.

Also did access the exhibits that I did have access to. The major one this time around are periodical pieces, props and costumes surrounding a murder mystery show that I’ve heard of but never watched. There is an additional exhibit, but that one is special and would require an extra addition to an actual ticket. I’ve never seen the show, but it’s interesting that the exhibit exists.

On the top floor was an exhibit to the senses, but I don’t have a lot of stamina so by the time I got to the top floor I was waning. Also that was where all the little children went, so my own senses were a bit overwhelmed and I needed to call it day.

Still, it was a good trip and I didn’t get back until around 2 p.m. because I took time to get home. Now that I know where that museum is, and how close it is to the transit I should think more on going there. Even if it means to buy a ticket. Also membership for a single person is 45 dollars which is really cheap if you plan to visit it at least 5 times throughout the year. Which, if you’re local, is a really great plan actually.

So yea, I learned a few things, like I need to go downtown more often.

[whatsinyourstory]

Why Secondhand Books Make the Perfect Gifts

With regards to gift-giving, the quest for the ideal present can frequently be overpowering. We need to track down something insightful, exceptional, and individual that will be valued by the beneficiary. As of late, Second hand books have turned into a famous decision for some, and for good explanation. Here's the reason Second hand books make the ideal gifts.

1. Interesting and Uncommon Finds

One of the most astonishing parts of looking for Second hand books is the possibility to uncover extraordinary and intriguing finds. Dissimilar to new books, which are efficiently manufactured and broadly accessible, handed down book shops and online commercial centers frequently do of-print versions, marked duplicates, and interesting first releases. These fortunes make for a stand-out gift that won't be quickly found somewhere else, adding a layer of selectiveness and appeal to your present.

2. Eco-Accommodating Decision

In this day and age, manageability is a higher priority than at any other time. By deciding to gift a handed down book, you're pursuing an ecologically cognizant choice. Second hand books don't need new assets for creation, decreasing the interest for paper, ink, and different materials. This eco-accommodating decision assists with lessening waste and supports reusing and reusing, making your gift smart as well as capable.

3. Moderateness Without Forfeiting Quality

Giving doesn't need to burn through every last dollar. Second hand books are frequently altogether more reasonable than their shiny new partners. This implies you can track down great, very much safeguarded books for a portion of the expense. Whether you're on a tight spending plan or basically seeking get more incentive for your cash, Second hand books offer a practical method for giving a significant and great gift.

4. A Hint of Wistfulness

Books have a novel approach to interfacing us to the past. A handed down book, with its very much worn pages and delicate wrinkles, conveys a set of experiences and story of its own. For some, getting a handed down book can summon a feeling of sentimentality and an association with the past perusers. A gift recounts to a story past the words on the page, making it profoundly private and suggestive.

5. Supporting Neighborhood Organizations and Good cause

At the point when you buy Second hand books from neighborhood book shops or noble cause shops, you're supporting independent ventures and altruistic associations. These foundations frequently depend on local area backing to flourish, and your buy assists with supporting them. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement where you get to give an incredible gift while likewise adding to the nearby economy and worthy missions.

6. Empowering an Adoration for Perusing

Giving a book is a magnificent method for empowering an adoration for perusing. Whether it's acquainting somebody with another sort or giving them a duplicate of a dearest exemplary, a book can open up new universes and viewpoints. Second hand books, with their changed and diverse determinations, can offer novel open doors for revelation and motivation.

7. Individual Touch and Customization

Second hand books frequently accompany an individual touch that new books need. Past proprietors might have left notes in the edges, engravings within cover, or other little denotes that add character and history. You can likewise add your very own touch by composing a genuine note or including a customized bookmark. This customization makes the gift significantly more exceptional and essential.

8. Ageless and Never-ending

Books are ageless gifts that can be appreciated again and again. They don't become unfashionable and can be gone down through ages. A very much picked handed down book can turn into a loved thing in somebody's assortment, a gift that continues to give long after the event has passed.

Conclusion

Second hand books are something beyond an insightful and novel gift; they are an economical, reasonable, and individual decision that can give pleasure and motivation to the beneficiary. Whether you're searching for an interesting version, a reasonable yet significant present, or a method for supporting neighborhood organizations, Second hand books are an ideal choice. So whenever you're looking for the best gift, think about the appeal and advantages of a handed down book - it's a decision you will love.

[filmrelicsworld]

Marvel And College Life

I'd like to share a little secret with those of you who might not know much about me: I adore Marvel more than most things.

I read comic books as a child and became well-versed in all things Marvel. I can probably still pinpoint the exact differences between character reactions in the comics and the film. This takes me to the aspect of Marvel that I value the most: the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

As I've become older, the movies have meant a great deal to me because of their commitment to faithful character representation as well as the poignant and motivational teachings they include.

I have seen every Marvel film produced during Phase Three, which includes "Captain America: Civil War" to "Avengers: Endgame," since I moved in 2019 to attend my graduation.

Permit me to share with you the lessons I learned from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) throughout my time as a graduate. Every one of those films imparted valuable lessons that I was able to apply to my personal life while attending college.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR

Fans of the films that had followed Captain America: Civil War through to that point experienced intense emotion. Iron Man, who sided with the government, and Captain America, our two favourite superheroes, were at odds over a new government policy that would have required superheroes to obtain permission from the government before acting.

By the time the film concludes, half of the beloved characters have vanished, the Avengers are forced to take sides, and the bond between Cap and Iron Man is as shattered as Cap's shield. At a pivotal moment in my life, when I was grappling with the realisation that I no longer felt as close to some of my friends as I once did, this movie arrived.

I never had time to hang out with some of my old pals since college made me busy than I had ever been in my life. I was left behind as they began to make friends of their own. That used to greatly bother me, but the movie served as a helpful reminder that friends don't always drift apart because they no longer care about one another.

DOCTOR STRANGE

Next up is a personal favorite of mine. For a very long time, Doctor Strange has been one of my favorite superheroes. I think I identify to him a lot as a person, maybe because I appreciate the idea of a superhero who can see into the future and perform magic.

Strange's profession is nearly destroyed by his reckless driving, which turns him from a qualified surgeon into a man lost in a very dark place. He is also incredibly pompous and arrogant. He wastes his riches on pricey, novel operations that leave him penniless and alone.

He spends his last dollar on a one-way airline ticket to an experimental treatment facility, where he encounters sorcerers who enlighten him about his past by teaching him the skill of magic. I want to remember that when I graduate and start my career—that he no longer needs fame or wealth to be happy.

Money is vital since it enables one to support their family, but if Doctor Strange has taught me anything, it's that material wealth isn't everything and that I should continue to follow my passions even if they don't always result in the highest salary.

SPIDERMAN: HOMECOMING

Since almost everyone and their grandmother is familiar with the Spiderman story, the villain is given more screen time in this film.

In "Spiderman: Homecoming," a villain by the name of the Vulture is shown stealing weaponry and equipment to resell on the black market after Tony Stark's (Iron Man) actions unintentionally cause his firm to fail. Ultimately, we see this criminal as a kindly man who steals to support his family and spare them the pain of his insolvency.

Unbelievably, this gave me some insight about how to serve others back when I was in Amity. It made me realise that regardless of how someone appears on the surface, they are all dealing with emotions on the inside and may require support to deal with those emotions. When the Vulture finally refuses Spiderman's attempts to assist him, Spiderman is compelled to stop him.

By teaching me not to judge a book by its cover, "Spiderman: Homecoming" has helped me make a lot of friends throughout college and serves as a constant reminder that people may be battling conflicts I'm ignorant of.

THOR: RAGNAROK

In the third movie of the "Thor" trilogy, our main character Thor is left to handle what's left of Asgard after his father Odin passes away and a new threat—his sister Hela, who was just revealed—appears to challenge Thor for the throne.

From this moment on, Thor must choose his own fate, as he had always found his calling in his father's guidance and approval. It always seems to bring back memories of the moment I decided to change my degree.

One of the reasons I initially decided to attend Amity was because I felt compelled to become a lawyer at a young age. However, while I was in college, I discovered that I was more drawn to a completely different major: communications.

That's when I realised that no one else could decide to switch my major for me; instead, I had to pick my own path with God's help. One is constantly reminded of such by "Thor: Ragnarok."

You would be here reading for an hour if I wrote an article about every Marvel film from Phase Three. I'm going to take a "Infinity War" approach and break half of this! I'll see you then!

[jeromefart]

ok heres my jedi survivor thoughts. and let me preface by saying i am incredibly excited for this game and will be buying it once i get a ps5. i will be saying negative things but i honestly do not care that much and i am 100% in love with everything we’ve seen from this game so far

i think that the walk run and sprint animations are a little scuffed. the run animation in fallen order wasn’t great, but now all the movement animations look off. i hope this is something they fix.

i honestly like the map system from fallen order. its a star wars holo map!! its fun and interactive!! it is hard to see exactly whats happening, but i think having to adapt to it improves the immersive experience. because most maps in star wars are holo maps, and if you were in the star wars universe, that’s what you’d be using.

some people complained about it being more open world, but i love open world games. i doubt they will be empty and i know they will be filled with tons of secrets and small details. fallen order is a game about exploration. you are meant to explore each corner and complete your map. you are meant to find secrets. and even without treasure chests, it’s still rewarding. each thing you scan has a small blurb about it. each echo you hear is part of a larger story. its honestly an incredible concept. its so unique and works so well for detail oriented people who like to search for a story and find answers instead of being told everything. it’s rewarding when you get every echo in a category. then you can read back and learn the lore of animals, planets, characters, and the galaxy. fallen order is a massive game, and survivor is going to be even bigger.

(a side note: ive put hundreds of hours in breath of the wild, and while very open and immersive, it tends to fall short in the rewarding category. there are 900 korok seeds hidden throughout the game, where you do small hidden minigames. at the end of collecting them, you get a useless collectible item. its useless and while it’s meant to be funny as it is a pile of shit, it’s just annoying. so comparing korok seeds to force echoes is very eye opening. because you actually get a sense of gratification out of getting to listen to an echo from the past, rather than shooting a bullseye or putting a rock into a hole)

i really loved the progression in fallen order. you go through a path, and then unlock a shortcut back. so later on, you can breeze through shortcuts to get to certain locations. the lack of fast travel made sense in some aspects. they wanted to keep it grounded and realistic, like with the holo map i mentioned. with the shortcuts, it didn’t take long to get to one area from another. but where the issue arrives is that its still super tedious, annoying, and hard to remember where each path leads. it’s immersive, but too immersive. i had to use a guide to get through zeffo. it was a massive planet that you return to multiple times. and 100%ing it was a NIGHTMARE. it took me a week. with that said, the addition of fast travel in survivor is exciting. it could be said that it takes away from some of the immersive factors of the previous game, but honestly? it is going to be life changing. gone are the days where im tearing my hair out running in circles trying to backtrack to the place that has 99% completion (well, maybe i’ll still have this problem).

i feel like this goes without saying, but i am in love with cal’s design. he has grown so much since fallen order, and i just adore how rugged he looks. i was unhappy with his appearance in the teaser trailer, but i kept my hopes up with the action figure illustrations. thankfully, his design is perfect. his outfit is so nice and im excited to see the customization.

this isnt really worth mentioning but let’s talk pricing. 70 bucks? fine. games are expensive nowadays. but the 20 dollar expansion pack that only includes cosmetics? honestly insane. it’s just luke and han inspired outfits, i think? the r2 bd skin is cute but other than that, it’s a waste of money imo. that is 90 fucking dollars!!!!!

the combat is exciting. i loved the split sabers in the previous game and it’s going to be so fun to use them more. the combos look effortlessly cool and ive rewatched cal twirl around his blades and throw them a million times now. it is hot. double saber gameplay looks cool too. i loved using it in fallen order even though it’s wide ranged attacks with less damage designed for attacking groups of enemies. so seeing it used on singular enemies and turned into a full usable form rather than something to switch to for a specific scenario is really nice. the crossguard saber looks cool too. some people were hating but i dont know why? i think a claymore style saber is really awesome and i have played some games with that attack style and it is actually what i prefer next to long range stuff. i love long range.

and speaking of long range, cal has a blaster. we havent seen him use it yet, but im excited. and i would not be surprised if it has little functionality. i have a feeling it will be used more for interactions with the environment than combat. im annoying when i play games and if you give me a long range weapon i will take out everything i can from as far away as possible. playing stealthy is super fun. so i will probably do that in survivor. hell i do it in fallen order. i abuse the shit out of the lightsaber throw move

lets talk CHARACTERS!

first, cal kestis. i love him 💕 he is gorgeous and im obsessed w his new design as i mentioned previously. it seems like hes going to be struggling with the dark side and justifying his actions as the fight against the ever expanding empire worsens. the way cameron has described all of this has me very excited. i loved the part in fallen order where he directly faces his trauma. it was so powerful and it really resonated with me. i almost cried tbh. anyway im super excited to see what happens next!! i love cal :))

the mantis crew. we don’t know much about what theyre up to, but im sure theyre all doing fine. it was expected that theyd all branch off and find their own purposes in the galaxy. looks like cere is building a jedi archive or something. and somehow greez let cal fly the mantis, maybe hes settled down in his home planet? or he gambled his life away LMAO. and merrin never planned on permanently staying with the mantis crew. shes probably back trying to rebuild dathomir and the nightsisters or something.

bode akuna. he seems cool and im very excited to see what hes like! it looks like him and cal form a bond despite their differences, like brothers in arms. the enemy of my enemy is my friend, right? everyone hates the empire, so they are all united through that. yes, i do ship him and cal, but im trying not to be too crazy about it and wait til we see more. anyway, i like the buddy ai thing that they’re going to do with him. its bound to be pretty cool.

the mystery man played by cody fern!! ok, i need to share this because i think its funny. so when the trailer came out and it was confirmed that cody fern is playing him, i looked him up and learned he was in ahs. i was already a casual fan but had only seen 3 seasons, so i watched apocalypse. big mistake. i got super hyperfixated and binged the rest of the seasons (haven’t seen death valley and nyc yet tho). but it was worth it honestly. cody is super cool and watching his role in apocalypse got me super hyped. he plays a great villain!!! i have been saying this forever, but i want him and cal to have homoerotic tension. michael and another character (the one played by evan, i think his name is gallant?) have the most homoerotic tension ever. i mean, some of the dialogue is literally “are you gay?” “would that excite you?” i mean. COME ONNN.