#all of us in our lives should get to write a time loop at least once so I'm happy for him

[cookinguptales]

"god, I am such a slut for a time loop," I say, surprising absolutely none of my readers

[floating-far-from-earth]

hi, so remember that one odile looping au where she was instead in sasasap? yeah, I thought more about it. There's some writing accompanying the art under the cut~! (though uh, warning of. self-harm implications at the end?? our dear odile is Not Doing Well!)

It's been a good few loops since you'd been in the House with the rest of the group. After an... event you're not going to think about, you'd spent a good amount of loops going through the Dormont library, reading through any and all books you could get your hands on.

(No familytales, which you feel bitter about. You're stuck in this hollowed out state, not allowed to progress further, but not allowed to end, and you can't even have that. You came here to try and connect with a part of your own heritage that was taken from you, tried to learn more, to hope that maybe you'd find some sense of belonging that you'd been missing. And now… Now, you're barely even living. Barely even-)

…Returning to your original train of thought, it's been a while since you made your way through the House. You hadn't seen much point in it, to be quite honest. It's not like you can beat the King.

(After all, you've tried so many times already, and nothing you did worked. Not trying to hone your skills through fighting the sadnesses scattered around the House, not through a thorough inspection of all the rooms, not through trying to outsmart the King, nothing you did worked. There's that one attack, just that one attack that the King uses, and maybe if you'd just be able to avoid it you'd be able to defeat him-)

(But you've tried. You've tried, and he always uses it, always kills you before you can even tell the Child to run. You should have never let yourself agree to bring them with you, but you can't bring yourself to try and spare them of this now. They're a part of your group, and you promised that they could come, and you don't want to disappoint them, even if you can't even beat the King, even if the first time around, the Chosen was-)

You take a deep breath. You are not facing the King this loop, you will not see it, so it doesn't matter.

(You don't know whether he kills the Chosen so brutally when you're not around. After all, in the last loop you faced him, he hadn't wasted waste any time in dispatching you at all.)

(…You're unwilling to find out how things play out when you're not there, but for her sake, you hope it's quick.)

(And it's not like it matters, when you're the only one to remember.)

(…The only one. The only one. The only one the only one the only one gems who even are you at this point something jagged and pulverized to small bits until everything feels like a blur and you can barely hold your thoughts together you don't want to be here please someone anyone get you out of this hell you don't want to see them die again you-)

You hold back a sigh. Annoying. All these thoughts and feelings are so annoying. There's something else you should be focusing on. After all, there's a reason you neglected to wrestle the lead from the Trapfinder, letting yourself trail behind the Chosen. A reason you hadn't pushed, hadn't reached for the control of deciding where to go (even if it caused the Trapfinder to feel useless, even if it made them feel unneeded, you couldn't bring yourself to care, to regret, not when you were losing your mind having to see them examine the exact same rooms, the exact same things every time like clockwork, not when you knew exactly where to go to progress and had specific things you wanted to check-) There's a reason.

After all, you know that, even without your input, the Trapfinder will find the way through the House. You can trust them to do that, at least.

This, in turn, gives you time to think. And you need that. Because for this loop? You're planning to go to the House library for the first time.

And you have to figure out a way to get your group to let you do that. Because, despite everything, you still care what they think of you on some level. You don't want them to worry about you. To know that you couldn't figure this out. To-

You do.

So you wonder. Because, you'd heard them talking about you on the way up to the House. You may not care to bother with trying to decipher what exactly they're planning to do, how much they've figured out, but you're sure they've noticed how off you're acting. And you don't think they'd allow you to stay by yourself in the library, not without having a Talk, and that's not something you can afford to have.

The Trapfinder runs into another sadness, and you don't even notice until a stray scissors attack cuts into your side. The Chosen quickly heals you, sending you a worried glance as she does so, but you don't pay it any attention because…

You think you just found your way through.

(You wonder how badly you'll have to injure yourself so they let you stay behind.)

(It's not like it'll last anyways.)

[wolfjackle-creates]

Ghost!Robin Part 8

Look at you lucky ducks! Two WIP Wednesday excerpts today! I'm afraid you won't be able to get used to it. Going forward I may update each fic on alternating weeks. I have a busy few months coming up if everything goes to plan and could use the buffer in case I can't get much writing done. We'll see, though.

I'm going to start leaving a fic summary at the beginning of every excerpt in case people find this in the wild and want to know what they're getting into.

Summary: Danny is finally going to meet Jazz's boyfriend Jason. At Jason's family's mansion. He spent weeks making sure he could have an evening off of any Ghost King business. But when he meets Jason on the steps of the mansion, he can barely pay attention to the guy because his focus is on the ghost of the dead Robin hanging off his shoulders. Who is very happy to find someone who can actually see him.

Word Count: 1.4k

First, Previous

----------

“Right. Um… Well, I do just kinda do whatever is necessary or find someone who can. Because, um, well, I’m… kinda the High King of the Infinite Realms? There’s a bunch more titles after that but I refuse to memorize them because ugh.”

Danny looked down at his plate, not wanting to see everyone’s reactions. Jazz must’ve made sure he got a piece of pie because it sat in front of him. It looked so good. Did they even know about the Infinite Realms? Justice League Dark members did, but did Batman? Jazz reached over and took his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Tim and Barbara’s typing seemed to get faster. And then a pair of pixie boots and legs settled on the table next to his plate. He looked up and met Robin’s eyes.

Robin reached out an poked Danny on the nose. He gave a little trill of safe, friends drawing a smile out of Danny.

At the same time, Duke exclaimed, “That’s why you have a crown!”

And Steph said, “Okay, I may be out of the loop, but what the hell are the Infinite Realms?”

Damian snorted. “Aren’t you too young to be a king of anything?”

Danny half stood. “Look, do you want to go spar or something? Is that why you keep picking fights? Because we can do that. Fighting is good for young liminals. But I really don’t think this is the time or place.”

Jazz groaned and dragged him back into his seat. “Stop it, Danny. You’re on Earth right now.” Speaking over Danny’s protests, she explained to Damian, “We wish. Managed to get them to delay until he turned eighteen at least, but his grandfather wouldn’t let us wait any longer than that.”

Danny let the fight drop, but he did notice how Damian’s grip on his spoon tightened. Looked like they would be having that spar tonight if Damian had anything to say about it. Still, Jazz was right and he had to follow human customs on Earth so he bumped his sister’s shoulder and spoke to her instead. “You know as well as I do that he would’ve if it was possible. But thanks to Pariah, there are things that haven’t been done in a thousand years and it’s been causing so many problems.”

“Steph,” said Barbara. “The Infinite Realms are the spaces between universes according to Constantine. His documentation states that the Realm’s inhabitants are all incredibly overpowered and should not be approached under any circumstances. Just one being can evade all methods of capture with standard supplies.”

Jazz nodded. “And our parents dedicated their lives to building a portal to the Infinite Realms, or the Ghost Zone as they call it, and destroying all ghosts.”

“By ‘ghosts,’” asked Bruce, “Do you mean beings from these Infinite Realms?”

Jazz nodded. “Yes. Most beings from the Infinite Realms come into being when a living creature dies in a traumatic way, with a lot of emotion, or near a large source of ectoplasm. Usually some combination of all three.”

Both Tim and Bruce tried to ask further questions, but Jason’s voice cut in over theirs. “Jazz, when you say your parents wanted to ‘destroy all ghosts,’ did they stop after Danny’s accident?” Jason’s question did, at least, cause silence to fall as everyone stared at the two siblings.

Jazz looked down and gripped the tablecloth tightly, jaw clenched. Now it was Danny’s turn to lay a comforting hand over hers.

“No,” Danny said. “They didn’t. They didn’t know what happened for several years and when they found out… Well, there’s a reason I can’t use their last name and Jazz won’t call them ‘Mom’ or ‘Dad’ anymore. But”—Danny clapped his hands—“this is a great segway into what is actually important. Does the Justice League know about the Guys in White? More formally known as the Ghost Investigation Ward? Or even just GIW?”

“That name is unfamiliar to me,” said Bruce.

Tim agreed. “Babs and I aren’t seeing anything in the JL databases.”

Even Robin just shrugged.

Danny didn’t expect the jolt of pain that sent through his chest and Jazz turned their hands around until they were gripping each other’s hands with more force than any baseline human would’ve been able to.

“I told you, Danny. They didn’t know. They didn’t know.” Her eyes were wet, but she forced a shaky smile. “You could’ve had help.”

Danny just shook his head. “Even if I had believed they didn’t know… Without meeting them, without knowing how many of their own were in danger, I would’ve never trusted them. Too many people rely on me for me to risk it.”

“Care to enlighten the rest of us?” asked Dick. His posture was relaxed, but his voice had an edge that hadn’t been there earlier.

Robin nodded from where he sat staring at Danny. He sent out a questioning Danger? pulse at Danny.

“Yeah, danger,” agreed Danny. “Barbara, Tim, if I give you a law code number, can you pull up the law I’m referring to?”

“Of course,” agreed Barbara. “Just a moment… And shoot.”

Danny gave them the code for the Anti-Ecto Acts. “The Guys in White are the government agency responsible for enforcing the Anti-Ecto Acts which classify all ‘ectoplasmic entities’”—he made the air quotes—“as non-sentient and non-sapient and excludes us from the metahuman protection acts.”

“What the fuck!” shouted Duke.

Next to Danny, Dick suddenly was sitting up tense. “That’s impossible.”

“The league would’ve noticed such an act being passed,” said Damian, though he didn’t look as sure as his words would seem.

Cass merely tilted her head and looked at him while Steph choked on her drink.

Bruce looked to Tim and Barbara. “Is this true?” he asked them.

Robin pointed to himself and mouthed the word ‘Me?’ at Danny.

“I’m afraid so. And Bruce, Cass, Steph, and Damian as well.”

Dick’s spluttering got louder. “How are they all in danger?” he demanded to know.

Before Danny could reply, Tim was speaking. “It’s all true. And far worse than Danny implied. Not only are ecto-entities not protected by the metahuman protection laws, but they are to be actively hunted and turned over to the GIW for experimentation and extermination and anyone who assists them is declared guilty of treason.”

“When did they pass?” asked Bruce.

“Four years ago,” said Barbara. “While Luthor was president. They were hidden in some laws about green energy.”

“Ghost are made of ectoplasm,” explained Jazz. “Ectoplasm is a fantastic energy source.”

“It happened a few months after I defeated the previous king but before my coronation,” added Danny.

“Why do you think myself, Damian, Cass, Stephanie, and Jason will be targeted by this Ghost Investigation Ward?”

“It’ll be easier to show you.” Danny reached down and pulled up his bag. The thing was made in Pandora’s realm and was bigger on the inside. Once open, it took him a moment to find what he was looking for. He could see Robin signing to the group next to him. “Here we are,” Danny said as he pulled out three devices. “These are all different ectoplasm detection devices. One is my own design, one is the Guys in White’s design, and one is my parent’s design. I’ll show you mine first because it’s the best.”

“Might be a dumb question,” started Dick, “but what the hell is ectoplasm?”

“So you know how all the elements in this universe came about from nuclear fusion of hydrogen in the cores of stars?” asked Danny. When most everyone nodded, he continued, “In the Infinite Realms, that base element is ectoplasm. But there’s no need for a star to transform it into anything else. It will mold to the shape any consciousness that interacts with it wants. When sentient creatures slip through, either by a portal or through death or any other means, they shape the part of the Realm they’re in to their will. The stronger the ghost, the larger the area they control.” Holding out his hands, Danny called forth a ball of ectoplasm, shaping it into a glowing-green ice duck. “Something like this,” he commented grinning around the table.

Only to be met with horrified looks as most of the table were staring at his hands with distrust. Damian had his knife out again. Jason, his gun with the other arm held protectively in front of Jazz. Bruce was standing and Cass tense.

“What’s wrong?” asked Danny. “It’s just an ice duck sculpture. Completely harmless.”

Jason’s voice was low and threatening. “It’s an ice duck made of Lazarus water.”

More alarming than his voice was the way his eyes glowed ecto-green and the fear-anger that filled the room.

----------

Next

Challenge: Stay on one topic for more than two sentences.

Outcome: Failed.

They keep getting side tracked with more questions. And Danny still hasn't had a bite of his pie. This evening will never be over.

Tag List Part 1

@addie-lover-of-stories, @justwannabecat, @gin2212, @amercurio, @regonold, @overtherose, @readerzj, @sjrose1216, @echoednonny, @deeterzz, @blu-lilac, @number-one-jew, @rowanaway-fromthisbs, @vythika96, @tired-yet-awaken, @themirrorghost, @emeraldcorpral, @all-mights-asscheeks, @darkhinauniverse, @blep-23, @phandomhyperfixationblog, @larkcoe1, @thegatorsgoose, @job-ross-the-second, @britcision, @lenacraft, @bubblemixer, @androgynouslordofescapism, @purefrickingspite, @leftmiraclechaos, @lizisipancardo, @starlight-sparks, @miraculousandmore, @gildedphoenix, @sometimesthingsfallapart, @letmesayfuxk, @phoenixcatch7, @skulld3mort-1fan, @abaowo, @dhampir-princess, @idkmrpianoman, @sarina-elais, @ballzfrog-blog, @undead-essence, @spookytragedyshark, @flyingpansaurus, @akintoabitch, @marivictal, @8-29pm, @justreadingthefanfics, @happybear135, @kisatamao, @spoopyspoony, @adorablechaos, @sara0055, @screamingtofillthevoid

Looks like 50 is the limit for active user tags in a post. Good to know

[effervescentdragon]

I loove in the reflection, WHy did you get bad comments ? Are people mad?

Alright so I've been thinking since last night whether or not to answer this, but I got a comment this morning that cemented the decision for me, because I want to explain what I mean and you asked very nicely.

First of all, thank you for your kind words, im super happy you like my writing! That makes me genuinely happy, because when I write, I write so I can bring at least a piece of joy I feel while writing to the people who are reading my works.

Thats very kind of you to ask about the comments, too, and here we go.

When I said i got bad comments, i did not mean outright hate or "your writing sucks". That is obviously not true and wouldn't impact me, plus, only registered users can comment on my fics and people are much less inclined to be hateful when not on anon. It was comments like these:

These were left on a couple of my wips, and there are more like this but these are the first two i could find. These comments are bad in a sense that they are entitled, demoralising, and prone to make me much less inclined to write anything any time soon.

Writers and authors live on feedback. We feed on it and there is nothing that makes us happier than knowing that people enjoy our work. When the readers tell us this, it genuinely feels like we are on top of the world. A simple heart emoji in the comments is enough to make my day, and not to speak of in-depth analyses that I cherish with my whole being and re-read every time I'm in a slump or need a pick-me-up. All these comments, short and long, are inspiring and make me want to write more. People discussing my fics with me makes me want to write more. Anyone saying "this brought me joy" makes me want to write more and give more joy out in the universe. The loop is neverending.

However, comments like these have the exact opposite effect. I (and other fanfiction writers, but let me talk about me here, and my writer friends may add whatever they want, if they are so inclined) do this for free. I do this in my free time for the sheer joy of sharing a story in my head. I write for myself and for the story I'm telling, but I appreciate knowing that that story brought someone joy, or relief, or a way to put names to the feelings they may be feeling. What I do not appreciate is being made to feel like I am a content producing machine. What I don't appreciate is demands for updates cloaked in seemingly harmless compliments that really aren't that. I "forced you to leave a comment"? What does that mean? "My heart dropped when I saw [this was a wip]"? Why do you project your feelings on me? Why do you think I would be flattered that you left a comment that is, at its basis, just a demand for more content? I am taking these in as good faith as I can, but impact always trumps intent, and the impact of these comments on me personally is "I don't want to write anything in these universes again".

Fic writing is a community. It's a two way relationship between writers and readers, and, like any ecosystem, it thrives on mutual recognition and appreciation. I do not feel appreciated when I get a comment like this. I feel guilty for not writing, which is insane since I am and adult person with a full life who does this for fun and for free. I feel angry, because it makes me feel like I should be putting out 20k works every other day to stay "relevant", and what does that relevance even mean? I've been writing fics for years. AO3 is an archive. It's not an algortihm driven site that favours only new "content". I read fics from 2009 and comment regularly, because that's how an archive and fandom works. It's not tiktok, it's not instagram. So I refuse to bow to the demand of "write something new immediately or basically fuck you". It makes me feel disheartened, because I am a writer, and I hold myself to a certain standard, and a good story takes time.

Now don't get me wrong. For every one of these comments I get at least two lovely ones. And I focus on those because they are the ones that give me inspiration and joy. But I am also human, and sometimes, I am so fucking tired, and I can't just ignore this.

Did you know, well, you didn't, you can't, but I'll tell you anyways. I have been itching to write lately but I never got the time, and so I cleared up my day today to deal with some administrative things I need to do in rl and left the rest of the day free for myself to write? I thought I might finally finish this one chapter of a wip I've been writing on and off. And then I wake up to a comment like the ones above, and guess what? I'm not writing shit :) all my inpiration flew out of the window and burned in the heat of this obscene summer, and that's it. That's what these kinds of comments do. That's why I call them bad. Because they are bad.

I am lucky to have faith in my skills as a writer, so I am not worried about that. I know I am a comparatively good writer, and I personally like the things I write. But I wonder what comments like these do to people who are less certain and more insecure in their writing skills? I wonder how it impacts them? I wonder how many people stopped writing because they couldn't cope with the guilt and the pressure these kinds of comments produce?

So there. That's my answer. And I want it stated clearly that I didn't post these comments to call anyone out personally. I posted them because I needed to show them as examples and to explain and maybe make some people understand what your thoughtlessness and entitlement does. Food for thought, innit?

[thepenultimateword]

please write some fluff hero x hero as they’re trying to retire to get married and settle down 🙏🙏

tbh retirement age for hero’s must be like 30 at the latest. I don’t think they last long.

“Noooo,” Hero groaned, slapping their palms over their eyes

Other Hero paused in the middle of their dark decor, fanged mask in hand. “What?”

“You’re not hanging that in our living room!”

“How’s that any different?” Other Hero said, pointing at the candy blue cape hung on the other wall.

“It pops! Brings some warmth to the room. People like warmth not…” they made a circular wave at the dark mask, “reminders of their fading mortality.”

“Oh, right, that would be bad, we’ll just give them a headache instead.”

Hero stomped their feet together and folded their arms. “You liked it!”

“I liked it better on you.” They stepped up to their angry newlywed, tucking a piece of honied hair behind their ear. “Too big for you. So adorable and bright. It brought out your eyes.”

Their fingers trailed down their jaw.

Hero leaned in on tiptoe, noses just brushing, voice lowered to a whisper. “I don’t want the mask over the hearth.”

“Curse it!”

“But. To make it fair I’ll move the cape as well. Oh! Maybe let’s just have a show room! Dedicated to our mementos! A Hero and Other Hero collection. People would pay to see that!”

Other Hero shrugged. “They’ll forget about us soon enough.”

Hero's bright grin faded and their petite form wilted. Retirement wasn't as simple as they'd thought. It all made sense in their head; they wanted to live comfortably with Other Hero. So many times in their career they'd thought it would never happen. That one of them would meet an untimely end before they made this far. The last month had been torture. They'd probably called Other Hero's mission comm over a hundred times, checking in on them. And no, they weren't so old, but their bodies couldn't take the strain of the job anymore. They deserved to take it easy. And yet. Was that it?

They'd dedicated their life to helping this city, time, relationships, their own well-being. And it was nothing more than a blip in history. Other Hero was right. New heroes would step up to replace them and soon no one would even remember the two of them or anything they'd done.

Strong arms wrapped around their waist, and Other Hero's chin rested in the crook of the shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"Mm. Doesn't matter."

Other Hero traced the scars spattered over Hero's neck. "Yes, it does."

Hero turned around, sinking against their spouse's chest and reaching to cup their face in both hands. They roved the worn eyes, several-times-broken crooked nose, and the dark circles that still hadn't faded.

"More nightmares? You were tossing and turning last night."

"I guess I'm still getting used to not being on call."

Liar. That was one thing Hero wouldn't miss. They were going to spoil Other Hero rotten until all those inner scars faded away.

They looped their arms around Other Hero's neck. "Hey, remember when I used to sneak into your side of the agency?"

Other Hero snorted. "We got penalized at least a dozen times."

"Those dating rules were ridiculous. No relationships between departments?"

"To be fair, you were a TV hero," Other Hero said, rubbing circles into Hero's back. "You needed to be preserved. My training was to put the job above my life. They didn't want me getting attachments."

Another thing they wouldn't miss.

"I loved you from the moment I saw you." Hero grinned. "They didn't stand a chance."

The next thing they knew they were off the ground and in Other Hero's arm. "Everything is going to be ok," they murmured. "Yeah?"

Hero nodded, basking in the quiet warmth and the weight of their arms. After several moments, they said, "Should we start unpacking the kitchen? I'll make brownies. And this time we won't have to run out the door before they're done."

Other Hero kissed their forehead. "Sounds perfect."

Master Taglist:

@moss-tombstone @crazytwentythrees-deactivated @just-1-lonely-person @the-vagabond-nun @willow-trees-are-beautiful @cocoasprite @insanedreamer7905 @valiantlytransparentwhispers @whovian378 @watercolorfreckles @thebluepolarbear @yulanlavender @kitsunesakii @deflated-bouncingball @lem-hhn @office-plant-in-a-trenchcoat @ghostfacepepper @pigeonwhumps @demonictumble @inkbirdie @vuvulia @bouncyartist @lunatic-moss-studio @breilobrealdi @freefallingup13 @i-am-a-story-goblin @ryunniez @rainy-knights-of-villany @distractedlydistracted @saspas-corner @echoednonny @perilous-dreamer @blood-enthusiast @randomfixation @alexkolax @pksnowie @blessupblessup @wolfeyedwitch @thedeepvoidinmyheart @cornflower-cowboy @bestblob @a-chaotic-gremlin @espresso-depresso-system @prompt-fills-and-writing-spills @paleassprince @takingawildbreath @yindo @psychiclibrariesquotestoad @harpycartoons @pickleking8 @urmyhopeeee @goldenflame2516 @tobeornottobeateacher @talesofurbania1 @sweetsigyn

[catartac]

When i was younger and my brother still lived with us i would sometimes go to him asking for piano improvisations based on different themes i would give him. Often times this would be based on my OCs or scenes from my "story i will someday totally write but for now daydream about and monologue to my siblings". It was nice to sit back, eyes closed, imagining the action with my own background original soundtrack. He was pretty good at it too.

He was the first one to leave home as he went to uni, and he was the only one to never really come back to live with my parents at any point. He was never really the easiest to communicate with and being away didn't make things much smoother.

However, every year, on our birthdays, we will compose songs for us. He knows what we like, so he always crafts them based on our preferences. He knows I'm a sucker for a repeating melody, for violin and piano sounding sounds, he knows I dream of vocals and man he's come close. My sister is all about rhythm and a bit more electronic. One year we collaborated and I made a moving backdrop to his song for her (which also included audio from Kermit the frog in the background... it kinda worked ngl).

He's been working on a game for some time (you know, if being a talented mathemagician and musician wasn't enough) and even though we are definitely not the target audience (it's a rythm game and man i suck at anything that requires reflexes) he kept asking us for feedback every step of the way. He made it very clear that even though the game has a very high skill ceiling he wants to make sure "even mum can play it".

For context, my mum is first adorable and also she's an og gamer. As in, she got carpal tunnel from playing too much tetris when she was younger. Now she loves playing overcooked and animal crossing with us but she get a bit overwhelmed with more complex games (she's just like me frfr).

It came out today! I bought it (he did offer me a key but I kinda couldn't be bothered and also he was one of the first people to but from my Redbubble so i gotta do what i gotta do). I started playing it. Immediately changed my settings to four keys maximum because i was honest with myself. Actually, that's a lie, the first thing i did was change the colours because that's the kind of person i am. Started playing, really loved the first song, quickly realised another one was waaaay out my league, liked another one. Tell my bro, he says "oh you should also check out Bi Katuak, I think it's your birthday song" I check it out, love it but doesn't ring that much of a bell but now that I am on the second page i see it

La Danza del Fenix

Immediately i am transported back, i imagine Amanda, the character, riddled by anxiety and regret, that i then thought i related to the least but have since then came to realise portrayed very accurate parts of me, dancing surrounded by fire in a joyous way for the first time, the freedom, how her daughter will dance at a ball carefree and excited on what will be the real proof that war and tragedy is over

My brother only gives side hugs and half smiles

It's an easy song. With a lovely repeating melody that makes me want to dance around as I play it even if that makes me make mistakes. You're not penalised for mistakes, you can only see your records get higher. The songs never end unless you want them to, and yet they don't loop in any obvious way (something to do with the algorhythm he kept trying to explain but I kind of gave up understanding at some point.

This game may be for you if you like music, rhythm games, or just videogames in general. Though in a way I am sure it will never be for you in the way it was made for me.

It's called EnternAlgoRythm Give it a shot! There is pretty much nothing you can't customise in terms of gameplay and cosmetics and if there's anything you notice you can tell him and he'll do his very best to fix it or improve it. There are plenty of songs for any skill level (some i dare not even touch) and the songs are named in different languages based on the countries we have lived in/had influence from. My favourites are the aforementioned Danza del Fenix, Bi Katuak (defs also made for me, it's an easy cat themed song), Violet Voyage, and Ingranaggi Striscianti.

TLDR: im very emotional pls go play my brother's game

[skepticbeliever-bookclub]

Hiya Shippers & readers

With the close of June just behind us and a fresh new month before us, I can proudly say we have completed yet another June Long Read. These rounds are usually the length of a full cycle where we gather round and nominate fics over the 45k mark. As covered in our last post, we voted in the very unique A Symptom of Time (series) by fightingfuries.

When I say that we, as a club, loved this fic, I'm not just saying that. The premise, the emotional journey, the comedy. Consider us fully fed and it lead to a very meaty final discussion and submission day

Rating: T (eventually E)

Summary:

"Sure," Shane says easily, like he doesn't believe Ryan for a second. "You're living out the plot of the 1993 Bill Murray vehicle Groundhog Day. Now where does the kissing factor in, exactly?"

"You were all like 'I'm Shane, I don't believe in magic but you should find a tall brunette to kiss.’"

Shane laughs again, helplessly. "I'm the tall brunette? I obviously meant Andie McDowell." He catches himself. "If I had said that, which I didn't, because time loops aren't real."

Or, Ryan is stuck in a time loop and needs true love's kiss to get him out of it. Maybe.

Book Club Thoughts

I do want to at least say that this fic made me feel the way I have felt about fic back when I first joined fandom, what was rekindled in 2020 when the pandemic had so many people in this server writing prolifically but a fic written in this fresh year 2024, it stuck all the points for me in present characterisation, references and especially with the parable of it. I want to read many fics where Shane dirty talks abt the universe or someone else watching them while they fuck. Idk that was really hot to me. I am a particular fan of the scene where Ryan has fully self-actualised and his feelings and love for Shane are so real to him that he's just Zen watching Shane, feeling love for him I really think in these last chapters the author really bloomed in so many ways

Creative Submissions:

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[westadventure24]

Day 6 - Old Geysers and the Canyon

Never a dull day here in Yellowstone! Once our breakfast was done, we started our tour for the day. I don’t think I will ever get used to the bison! At times, they are so funny! Take this gal….just walking down the middle of the road, holding up traffic without a care in the world. We thought she wanted to cross so we gave her some space…she just looked tight at us as she went by. And Todd decided upon eye contact it was time to move on. Traffic was backed up behind her for at least a mile, if not two.

Just down the road, we stopped at one of Mom’s favorites so far…the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. The roaring, clear water of the falls streaming down into the deep canyon was absolutely breathtaking. Dad wasn’t too interested in looking down into the Canyon as we couldn’t convince him that the rocks creating the barrier weren’t going to move. Who knew he wasn’t a fan of heights???

Have you ever driven the big loop in Yellowstone National Park? Much to marvel at here! You see, the entirety of Yellowstone National Park is considered to be a geothermal caldera, an underground volcano. There are beautiful blue pools that are so hot any living creature daring to enter would be boiled alive. We could feel the heat and mist on our faces as we looked in awe at the pristine color. Then, there are mud pots. I am not even sure how to describe the mud pots, other than the boiling mud seems like it would be sent to a spa you would see on an 80’s tv show with young ladies’ hair wrapped in towel as an attendant spread a mud mask on their face. Really interesting. Mom and Dad neither were too found of these natural wonders thanks to the media coverage of the recent explosion in Biscuit Basin.

We had a late lunch at the Old Faithful Inn. It was constructed in 1903-1904, made out lodge pole pine for the price of $140,000. Old Faithful is called that for a reason…the time of eruption can easily be predicted within a few minutes time. So, at 3:17 pm on the dot, we eagerly awaited for the geyser to erupt as we watched from the 2nd floor terrace of the dear old inn. It was glorious!

On the way back to camp as we drove through Hayden Valley, we saw the biggest herd of bison yet! I personally enjoyed these two lying side-by side close to the road just watching the traffic go by. Somehow I envision their conversation to be that of a Far Side cartoon….”Well, Troy, should we just keep lying here letting them think we are tame or charge and scare the heck out of them-for fun? I don’t know Carl, I find this people zoo very entertaining. Why is the guy in the red hat mooing?!” Anyway, I digress and there is a clear reason I don’t write cartoons for a living.

Later that night, we enjoyed a leftover dinner buffet by the campfire. Todd, Lily and I stayed out to enjoy the forest of pines overlooked by the beautiful starry night before heading off to bed. The last thing we learned yesterday is that Lily is definitely afraid of the outdoor dark…she is likely smarter than all of us!

Also, one correction to yesterday’s post…I had incorrectly identified one of the animals as a mule deer, when upon further inspection by the expert (Ryan), I learned that was actually a female elk! Unusual to see one alone!

[sophsicle]

Hey Soph! I loved this last chapter of KYD (as always), thank you for giving us a bit of (almost) all our boys and generally for the great stuff you always share with us ♥️

I've already screamed about so many parts over on ao3, but I just wanted to go back to this part you've also shared as a sneak peek: There’s always shouting with Sirius. Everything that makes Regulus quiet makes Sirius loud.

Because god, I love it so much. Not only in how it so beautifully portrays the way in which their trauma manifested differently, and how the kind of abuse they had to suffer is exprienced and evolves in various ways, but also because it hints (at least imo?) to how Regulus and Sirius also hurt each other, even though they desperately don't want to. To how it's so hard for them to be there for each other. How sometimes they make it worse? You touch upon this in their POVs too and it always hurts so bad because it's just one of those things that like, it's not either of their faults, but it's still there. Idk if I'm making sense, but anyway, bottom line is, I love the way you write their relationship so much. I know KYD will have a happy ending, and I was wondering if you also plan to explore them healing their relationship as part of that?

Hello lovely! Yes! Exactly this! Sibling relationships are so weird, because on the one hand there are things about you they understand that no one else ever will, but on the other hand (depending on your relationship) they only know you in this very specific family context and therefore there are huge parts of you they have no idea about.

And like, in other areas of your life, if someone handles situations in a way you don't like you can, you know, walk away from them. But you are inevitably stuck in emotionally charged situations with your siblings. And if you process things differently that. Is. A. NIGHTMARE. Which is what you get with Regulus and Sirius. And I do think they get stuck in this loop of like, everything Sirius does to deal with this hurts Regulus and everything Regulus does to deal with this hurts Sirius and that isn't intentional on either of their parts but at the same time it's very difficult for them not to take it personally.

I wanted to really show that with the opening memory - because Sirius is the one in the fight, but Regulus is now being forced to live in this house where people are fighting and I wanted you to be able to see that it doesn't just annoy him, he isn't just angry that Sirius isn't handling this the way he thinks he should, he is very much affected by it. Like he's sitting there on the stairs trying not to have a panic attack. At the same time, you have Sirius now having to deal with these phone calls from his mother because Regulus is unwilling / unable to deal with his relationship with her himself. And you see how that really affects Sirius. One hundred percent I intend to explore them healing together. The sentiment of this story is very much that the person that Regulus needs is Sirius. And you know, the two of them finding their way back to one another. And forgiving each other and themselves. Etc. ect. ALSO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS MESSAGE IT WAS VERY NICE :)

[asksintheapartment]

ok, here you go *🍄 hands Ranboo a stack of paper, each paper being a different gen, the last paper looks....strange*

Gen 1

Only RGB trio alive

Lives in the mall

Someone else is watching, they are calling themself “Bishop” which in name form means ‘Overseer’

No one else is at the mall (As of right now)

Bishop: Any and all pronouns, is nice but maybe it’s an act?

Ranboo sees the anons as people.

Found a control panel that plays parts of the social experiments, so that way fun/s (Also, Ranboo saw Charlie as the slime/blood demon for a second)

Theory: The anons are ghosts and because Ranboo was dead for a while they can see us.  

 Gen 2

Ignore the Theory it’s not important THEY ARE IN A TIME LOOP (And so are we I guess)

Bishop is a bitch and is trying to blame us! (Bishop good now don’t worry)

Ranboo can’t speak 

Some of the others might be alive now (Nope)

List of people I want to stab if I get a body: The founder, Hetch (I guess not anymore… :/), whoever is the person talking in red, Bishop’s mom (But I won’t because Bishop says no). 

Ranboo has figured it out! They all now know that they are in a time loop.

We can’t say Bishop’s name, but that won’t stop me from trying to hint at it >:)

I think they are still in the show, it is the only way to explain how they can get stuff and money for stuff. 

Can’t say any more things to them. Hide stuff better and do more hints.

Bishop is un-mind controlled now, They are good.

I accidentally revealed that to the founder, but we are going to fix that……hopefully….

Got Sneeg to help look for Checkers (What we are calling bishop now) so hopefully we find them.

Checkers looks like security to everyone but us (Sometimes) and Ranboo.

Got it fix we good

Gen 3

We are not good, the looped rest. if this happens again I’m going into my villain arc :D

No filter this time, Yippie 

Checkers says that we should stay away from Ranboo this time, at least for now 

Ranboo got mind control by a mask

Hetch caught on quickly, he is not mind control but we just good old-fashioned gaslighting gatekeep girl bossing that’s happening, we’ll figure it out. (what was I even trying to say here???? How much sleep did I get???? How late did I write this????)

Gen 4

Going to be worse this time, be extra careful.

Back to talking in hints and riddles, yippie/s

Don’t know if anything changed

New(?) person, don’t know their name but they are a bitch

Checkers is missing

Ranboo got out of the box by themself and they are hurt, a lot……I really hope they remember…..(They don’t remember us D:)

Red text (The new person) is an AI,

Ranboo can’t see or feel us anymore :( I want to hug them so bad……(Head pat them, they don’t like hugs anymore)

Ranboo doesn’t want to leave this time

THERE WERE RED EYE FOLLOWING RANBOO

The power is out

Everyone is split up (Fun :D/s)

Bishop is ok :D but I want to check if they are being controlled again as soon as I get the chance (Worried about Ranboo now, Bishop is fine (Bishop is NOT fine))

Ranboo found their notebook :D

Ranboo is mind-controlled D: by the earpiece

“Ranboo” wants to cut off all the cameras, AKA, send us back to the void :(

Bishop was masked and was being controlled (Fucking called it) and we met the founder and Hetch fucking stabbed Ranboo and-

Gen 5

Charlie and Sneeg are out of the mall

Charlie finds us in their backyard

Ranboo is still trapped at the mall (I figure the same with Bishop)

No one remembers still (wHy :( (Ranboo remembers))

Charlie and Sneeg are staying at Sneeg’s old house. (I don’t think that’s the truth it way too close to the mall (it is the truth….hun…..)

Going to go save Ranboo and Bishop (And whoever else we make our friend) after Charlie gets Sneeg.

Never mind, Ranboo is at the house now. (Still need to safe Bishop)

They all reliving the last 3 years (So like, 2026?(We in the future >:D))

Ranboo can feel us again :D (don’t give hugs just head pats)

Ranboo has an old friend, feels like this is important, like they will be trapped as a Showfall worker or something.

New mission, make Ranboo smile and let them be happy :D

Ranboo has been forced to watch gore for the past 3 years, so if we get a chance to hurt Hetch and the founder, make sure they are at least closing their eyes.

Sneeg and Charlie are being mind-controlled or something because they are saying some shit that they would not say. (If they are not being mind-controlled I’m going to slap them, or throw myself at them, one of the two.)

Charlie locked Ranboo in a room

We are in Ranboo’s dream now :D

Ranboo’s friend goes by any pronouns

The dream was an old memory of when Ranboo found the taps, we met Ranboo’s friend in that dream but their face was blacked out, and after Ranboo stopped playing along with the dream the friend was yelling at Ranboo to say their name until Ranboo woke up

Also apparently Ranboo lied to us, not mad, tho I do want to know what they lied about.

The door to the room is unlocked

Don’t know where Sneeg and Charlie are

There are flys and bugs outside the house and in the house

There is a dead raven in the backyard :(

THERE IS A DEAD BODY-

Gen 6

It fucking reset again, Ranboo quickly found us and we are now figuring out what happened (Ranboo stills remembers don’t worry)

Snowfall workers hunted Ranboo around the mall, killed them, and then they would wake up the next day revived.

Wait this is the first looped where Charlie didn’t find us……bit weird but it’s ok :D

Ranboo has wires in their skin

One of the wires glows red, I think it when they lie that it glows…….I’ll feel so bad if I’m wrong :( (I was wrong fuck I’m giving them so many head pats to make up for it……and hugs if they are alright with it now(They are not, stick to head pats))

Gonna to test to see if we can still give them head pats. (We can lets go :D)

Therapy (Seriously Ranboo looks insane sometimes they need it, and I’m sure everyone else will need the same)

Went to go cause some chaos against Showfall, found something to break, Ranboo cut a wire and everything went dark for a moment but now we are with Bishop again (I thought I killed us for a moment, not going to lie)

Ranboo got killed again but they will be revived tomorrow 

I finally got a chance to show Bishop their fan art :D

We found a Secret tunnel :] and it leads to the revile room…..

Found Ranboo, they are currently dead so we have to wait or find a 100% safe way to speed it up.

We reviled Ranboo but some of their memories are missing (Like all the time loop ones) so we are now going to fix that :D

BISHOP IS RANBOO FRIEND!!!! :D

Ranboo still blames themself so we are going to fix it.

Talking to Checkers now while Ranboo relaxes (I swear if someone touches them while we are not there I’m haunting someone) and we going to see what happened during their past :D

Little clues from other gens that I believed hinted at Ranboo’s and Bishops’ friendship: How Ranboo was drawn to the Bishop chess piece,

HETCH IS BISHOP’S UNCLE!!!!

Checkers doesn’t have siblings

We going make Showfall pay for their therapy >:D

Talked to the founder

THE FOUNDER IS OUR PARENT????? (They created the anons (I still don’t get why I look different from the others tho….))

Ranboo gonna leave while the anons and Bishop kill the founder >:D

Gen 7

BISHOP IS TIED TO A CHAIR IN FRONT OF THE BOX!!! D: 

There is a robot clone of Ranboo? Very weird (Past me ssh Ranbot is the best :D)

Bishop now knows that Hetch is their uncle.

Ranbot (Robot clone of Ranboo) is just a little guy, they are so fucking adorable and we are going to get them out of here too :D (They were in fact, not just a little guy)

I FUCKED UP :D

Going to try to fill in the real Ranboo of this and hope they believe me.

Back to Bishop up now

They are being used as the power source

Ranbot good again 

Got Bishop unplug woo! :D

Going to get some stuff to deal with the founder now >:D

Bishop having a nightmare :(

I did not write down any of the other stuff…..fuck-...........I’m not there anymore….. :(

Gen ???

WE BACK BABY >:D

Between gen 2-3

Started with Charlie and Sneeg outside the cabin room

Going to go see if Ranboo’s ok

BISHOP FROM GEN 7 IS HERE :D They were just about to kill the founder

WAIt- the founder went back on their deal >:(

Ranboo has the box on their head……but they are walking around and find????

Ranboo is reminding me of Ranbot when we first met them….

BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD-

It was just a….nightmare…….I’m still here………how do I have the is note…

it was not real it was not real it was not real it was not real it was not real it was not real it was not real it was not real it was not real it was not real it was not real it was not real it was not real it was not real it was not real i̸t̵ ̸w̴a̶s̷ ̸n̶o̷t̶ ̴r̷e̵a̶l̸ ̷i̴t̴ ̸w̸a̴s̶ ̴n̶o̷t̷ ̷r̵e̶a̵l̶ ̸i̴t̷ ̴w̴a̴s̷ ̶n̸o̴t̷ ̵r̵e̴a̵l̶ i̷̙̾̑t̵͕̪͘ ̷̧̟̈͗w̸͎̭̎a̴̬̚s̵͔̹̉̀ ̸̟̊ń̵̟̪̍o̶̪̗͌́t̴̥̊ ̵̢̱̌̂r̷̮͑̈́ȅ̷̡̉a̷͈͑̚l̴̻͐ ̴̟̦̀i̶̥̊̚ť̸͖̠ ̵͙̬͑̈w̴͈̓̎å̶͖̣͘s̴̫̅ ̷̢̆n̴̦͈͑̉õ̵͇̰̀t̵̪̓͆ ̸̧̳̂r̴̳̩͛e̸͓͗͊ả̴̳̣̑l̷̪̰̔̌ ̶̧̨͝i̶̫̝͛͒t̵͖̭́̚ ̶͛ͅẅ̶͎́͊a̸̤͛ͅs̷͕͑ ̶̱͝n̶̟͓̋o̷͚͔͒̇ṯ̴͋ ̶̩̊͘ŕ̷̲̈́e̷̞̙̕a̵̤̙̽l̴̳̣̆!-

-🍄

[lost-generation-au]

ok, just warning you tho, It's a lot. Both in length, and content.

Gen 1

Only RGB trio alive

Lives in the mall

Someone else is watching, they are calling themself “Bishop” which in name form mean ‘Overseer’

No one else is at the mall (As of right now)

Bishop: Any and all pronouns, is nice but maybe it’s an act?

Ranboo sees the anons as people.

Found a control panel that plays parts of the social experiments, so that way fun/s (Also, Ranboo saw Charlie as the slime/blood demon for a second)

Theory: The anons are ghosts and because Ranboo was dead for a while they can see us.  

 Gen 2

Ignore the Theory it’s not important THEY ARE IN A TIME LOOP (And so are we I guess)

Bishop is a bitch and is trying to blame us! (Bishop good now don’t worry)

Ranboo can’t speak 

Some of the others might be alive now (Nope)

List of people I want to stab if I get a body: The founder, Hetch, whoever is the person talking in red, Bishop’s mom (But I won’t because Bishop says no). 

Ranboo has figured it out! They all now know that they are in a time loop.

We can’t say Bishop’s name, but that won’t stop me from trying to hint at it >:)

I think they are still in the show, it is the only way to explain how they can get stuff and money for stuff. 

Can’t say any more things to them. Hide stuff better and do more hints.

Bishop is un-mind controlled now, They are good.

I accidentally revealed that to the founder, but we are going to fix that……hopefully….

Got Sneeg to help look for Checkers (What we are calling bishop now) so hopefully we find them.

Checkers looks like security to everyone but us (Sometimes) and Ranboo.

Got it fix we good

Gen 3

We are not good, the looped rest. if this happens again I’m going into my villain arc :D

No filter this time, Yippie 

Checkers says that we should stay away from Ranboo this time, at least for now 

(OOC:ask Bishop about their past at some point, Maple seems to want to rant about that :D)

Ranboo got mind control by a mask

Hetch caught on quickly, he is not mind control but my just good old fashioned gaslighting gatekeep girl bossing that’s happening, we’ll figure it out. (what was I even trying to say here? How much sleep did I get? How late did I write this?)

Gen 4

Going to be worse this time, be extra careful.

Back to talking in hints and riddles, yippie/s

Don’t know if anything changed

New(?) person, don’t know their name but they are a bitch

Checkers is missing

Ranboo got out of the box by themself and they are hurt, a lot……I really hope they remember…..(They don’t remember us D:)

Red text (The new person) is an AI,

Ranboo can’t see or feel us anymore :( I want to hug them so bad……(Head pat them, they don’t like hugs anymore)

Ranboo doesn’t want to leave this time

THERE WERE RED EYE FOLLOWING RANBOO

The power is out

Everyone is split up (Fun :D/s)

Bishop is ok :D but I want to check if they are being controlled again as soon as I get the chance (Worried about Ranboo now, Bishop is fine (Bishop is NOT fine))

Ranboo found their notebook :D

Ranboo is mind-controlled D: by the earpiece

“Ranboo” wants to cut off all the cameras, AKA, send us back to the void :(

Bishop was masked and was being controlled (Fucking called it) and we met the founder and Hetch fucking stabbed Ranboo and-

Gen 5

Charlie and Sneeg are out of the mall

Charlie finds us in their backyard

Ranboo is still trapped at the mall (I figure the same with Bishop)

No one remembers still (wHy :( (Ranboo remembers))

Charlie and Sneeg are staying at Sneeg’s old house. (I don’t think that’s the truth it way too close to the mall)

Going to go save Ranboo and Bishop (And whoever else we make our friend) after Charlie gets Sneeg.

Never mind, Ranboo is at the house now. (Still need to safe Bishop)

They all reliving the last 3 years (So like, 2026?(We in the future))

Ranboo can feel us again :D (don’t give hugs just head pats)

Ranboo has an old friend, feels like this is important, like they will be trapped as a Showfall worker or something.

New mission, make Ranboo smile and let them be happy :D

Ranboo has been forced to watch gore for the past 3 years, so if we get a chance to hurt Hetch and the founder, make sure they are at least closing their eyes.

Who I think Ranboo's friend is: an oc, Aimsey (Because Ranboo’s friend goes by any pronouns and Aimsey does as well, I think(Not Aimsey)) CrumbToast because they go by any pronouns (I checked this time) and since they have not faced reveal it makes sense that its face is covered :D (Update:IT’S FUCKING CHECKERS :D)

Sneeg and Charlie are being mind controlled or something because they are saying some shit that they would not say. (If they are not being mind-controlled I’m going to slap them, or throw myself at them, one of the two.)

Charlie locked Ranboo in a room

We are in Ranboo’s dream now :D

Ranboo’s friend goes by any pronouns

The dream was an old memory of when Ranboo found the taps, we met Ranboo’s friend in that dream but their face was blacked out, and after Ranboo stopped playing along with the dream the friend was yelling at Ranboo to say their name until Ranboo woke up

Also apparently Ranboo lied to us, not mad, tho I do want to know what they lied about.

The door to the room is unlocked

Don’t know where Sneeg and Charlie are

There are flys and bugs outside the house and in the house

There is a dead crow in the backyard, I wonder how it died….probably from a baby zombie (I’m sorry I can’t stop myself :D(never mind it was a raven I’m stupid))

THERE IS A DEAD BODY-

Gen 6

It fucking reset again, Ranboo quickly found us and we are now figuring out what happened (Ranboo stills remembers don’t worry)

Snowfall workers hunted Ranboo around the mall, killed them, and then they would wake up the next day revived.

Wait this is the first looped where Charlie didn’t find us……bit weird but it’s ok :D

Ranboo has wires in their skin

One of the wires glows red, I think it when they lie that it glows…….I’ll feel so bad if I’m wrong :( (I was wrong fuck I’m giving them so many head parts to make up for it……and hugs if they are alright with it now(They are not, stick to head pats))

Gonna to test to see if we can still give them head pats. (We can lets go :D)

Therapy (Seriously Ranboo looks insane sometimes they need it, and I’m sure everyone else will need the same)

Went to go cause some chaos against Showfall, found something to break, Ranboo cut a wire and everything went dark for a moment but now we are with Bishop again (I thought I killed us for a moment, not going to lie)

Ranboo got killed again but they will be revived tomrower (I don’t know if it’s their time or our time)

I finally got a chance to show Bishop their fan art :D

We found a Secret tunnel :] and it leads to the revile room…..

Found Ranboo, they are currently dead so we have to wait or find a 100% safe way to speed it up.

We reviled Ranboo but some of their memories are missing (Like all the time loop ones) so we are now going to fix that :D

BISHOP IS RANBOO FRIEND!!!! :D

Ranboo still blames themself so we are going to fix it.

Talking to Checkers now while Ranboo relaxes (I swear if someone touches them while we are not there I’m haunting someone) and we going to see what happened during their past :D

Little clues from other gens that I believed hinted at Ranboo’s and Bishops’ friendship: How Ranboo was drawn to the Bishop chess piece,

HETCH IS BISHOP’S UNCLE!!!!

Checkers doesn’t have siblings.

We going make Showfall pay for their therapy >:D

Talked to the founder.

THE FOUNDER IS OUR PARENT????? (They created the anons)

Ranboo gonna leave while the Anons and Bishop kill the founder >:D

Gen 7

BISHOP IS TIED TO A CHAIR IN FRONT OF THE BOX!!! D: 

There is a robot clone of Ranboo? Very weird

Bishop now knows that Hetch is their uncle.

Ranbot (Robot clone of Ranboo) is just a little guy, they are so fucking adorable, and we are going to get them out of here too :D (They were in fact, not just a little guy)

I FUCKED UP :D

Going to try to fill in the real Ranboo of this and hope they believe me.

This is not even talking about the socail experiment, fucking hell

- 🍄 

[folliesandfolderols]

Writing prompts days 51-55

From this prompt list. If you’ve read this far, I’m not sure you need any explanation, but the short version is I hadn’t written any fiction since 2019, I set a goal to write at least 150 words/day in 2024, and this list was my way to restart. Also I abruptly decided on day 2 I would write an entire Tim/Damian story connecting all the prompts, because I am Good at Judging My Limits. /sarcasm Anyway, I finished the rough draft a while ago and am now unlocking the old entries as I edit.

Read from the beginning here, or on ao3 here

Days 49-50 here

***

16. You drive me so insane, you don’t even know.”

39. "Tell me how you like/want/need it.”

46. “Wanna feel you against me.” (slightly modified for characterization purposes)

48. “Clothes on or clothes off?”

93. “Gonna make sure you don’t forget about tonight.”

110. "Do whatever you want with me."

118. “S-Stop leaving marks on my neck. I have a presentation first thing in the morning.” “Then I get to leave marks anywhere below the neck?”

***

Tim was busy over the next couple of days, because the surveillance he’d planted at Waters’s house proved to be a gold mine of information. He and Galloway were high up on the food chain with their respective creditors’ organizations. Waters had ties to the Irish mob, and Galloway was in deep with the Russians. Both had a history of leaving bills unpaid, so it was no surprise that some of the debts they’d incurred would leave them owing more than money. What was more surprising, in a way that didn’t leave Tim with much shock at all, was the fact that they didn’t seem to mind being at the beck and call of criminals as long as they got the benefits of the trafficking as well. And they did reap plenty of benefits: building permits issued with almost no wait, real estate deals that made no sense on paper, weapons collections that would have made a warlord proud, and of course a never-ending supply of humans to exploit and use as capital.

Tim watched the video footage of Waters fucking a model-beautiful woman on his desk in his study, and all he could see was the deadness in Luz’s eyes.

Damian texted him while he was on patrol three days after the Closet Incident (it had earned a title and upper-case letters, after being looped in Tim’s brain on repeat like a favorite movie). Tim, in the middle of watching over an underpass that had seen a few houseless people murdered during the past month, pulled out the phone and nearly dropped it onto the road below when he read the sender’s name.

Do you have anything new to report?

Tim snorted, imagining what Damian would do if he replied with his first impulse, which was “yes, your dick is now living rent-free in my thoughts at all times.” Instead: have u been watching the surveillance footage?? good stuff, disgusting stuff lots of info

I have not. Is there a reason why you refuse to use upper-case letters? I've wondered.

Tim grinned. Maybe it was a League-trained thing. 

convenience 

I suppose, but at some point you've done more to keep things lowercase than you would have if you'd just let autocorrect do what it likes.

jason's told me the same thing more than once

Be that as it may your point stands. We should consider next steps if you feel we have actionable intel.

do u and jason want to come over to my place again? it might be the best use of our time right now to coordinate our plans in person rather than via video call

Perhaps. My WE schedule is demanding at the moment. I'll see if we can align times.

ok lmk 

Tim put away his phone and concentrated on proving to himself through measured breathing that he was completely unaffected by the prospect of having Damian in his space again. It didn't matter. He'd had random hookups before with weird choices. The fact that he couldn't get Damian's voice, low and intimate, saying let me feel it, out of his head meant nothing. Neither did the forever pain in his chest and stomach. That was just how he lived now.

Well, at least Jason would be there. That would keep him from doing anything stupid. Probably.

Given the fact that they'd fully gotten each other off with Jason on the other end of a precariously deactivated comm, maybe not. Fuck. He was already starting to get hard just thinking about it.

An Audi parked a few hundred feet away from the encampment beneath the bridge and five men got out, voices loud and abrasive in a way that screamed "drunk frat boys" even if he couldn't have seen the Greek symbols on the bumper sticker. They ran toward an old man huddled in a cardboard box against the slanted concrete, and Tim leaped down to join them, grateful for the distraction.

*** 

Damian texted Tim and Jason together the next day while Tim was at work: I will be available this afternoon after 5:30. Will your schedules permit a meeting at 6?

Yeah, I can make that, Jason replied.

Tim swallowed and typed, i'll meet u both at my place then

Capitalization, Damian replied, at the same time Jason's message came through: Punctuation, dammit!

i am free as the wind and so is my text style u plebes just dont understand my aesthetique

Both of them left the conversation simultaneously, and Tim smiled in triumph. He wasn't sure what was so fun about making those two mad, but whatever it was definitely sparked joy.

Tim had contracted for R&D at WE for a couple of years now, ever since he'd finally gotten his degree, but it was mainly a front for funneling the research and products with the greatest potential for Bat-exploitation to the right places. He typically spent at least half his time on the clock doing casework, and the other half doing the same work that took most of the other people in his department twice as long. He almost never saw Damian, who tended to stay firmly in the finance department. Out of idle curiosity, he checked Damian's calendar on WEdrive. His entire day was packed with meetings from the moment he got in until he left, for the rest of the week. He didn't even have a lunch break today. Bruce was such a fucking slacker. Of course, Damian had probably demanded extra responsibilities as the "blood heir" or whatever. 

Tim opened his meal delivery app and put in an order for dinner. He didn't feel like cooking, i.e. pouring cereal, tonight.

Once he got home, he changed out of his suit into sweats and sat on the couch to wait, flipping through the video feeds in Waters' house. The devices he'd planted in the escorts' bags hadn't been much help as neither woman had done anything but take their purses back to where they lived. Luz’s conversations at home were boring mundanities, and Katerina’s device had been mysteriously deactivated, but at least he had their addresses now. And possibly those of clients if they attended anything else that required a fancy clutch.

Damian showed up first, this time, still in his work clothes. Tim immediately suffered an overpowering urge to unbutton his custom Italian suit and lick his neck, which was horrifying enough to kick his best acting instincts into gear. He decided to aim for nothing of note has happened between us, ever, and gave Damian a friendly smile as he closed the door. "Hey. How's it going?"

Damian rolled his eyes and kicked off his shoes. "Spare me the useless civilities, Drake. 'It' was a grinding bore today, filled with incompetent idiots who insisted on projecting their own lack of efficacy onto me, and then had the gall to be shocked when I proved to be far out of their league in both intellect and influence."

"So, everyday WE business meetings, then. Somebody's hangry."

Damian scowled, but before he could reply the door speaker buzzed. Tim glanced at the camera and saw the delivery guy holding up the restaurant bag. He pressed the speaker button. "Leave it at the door, thanks."

He ran downstairs while Damian was still grumbling about him daring to order food for himself, and by the time he returned Jason had come in by some entrance that Tim was going to have to eliminate in the near future.

He started putting containers on the table. "I got enough food for all of us if you guys are hungry. Plates are in the cabinet on the right of the fridge and forks are in the island drawer."

"Fuck yeah I'm hungry, I just got up." Jason ambled to the kitchen and got the plates and utensils while Damian looked down his nose at the containers.

"I suppose all the dishes contain meat." He couldn't entirely hide his interest as Tim popped lids open, leaning over to inspect contents.

"I mean, a couple do, but a lot are vegetarian." Tim pointed as he listed them. "Potato pakoras, haleem, fruit chaat, samosas, aaloo gobi, aaloo qeema, paneer tikka masala, vegetable biryani, and of course the raita."

Damian flushed the faintest bit. Jason set the plates down on the table. "Where'd you get this? I didn't know there was a Pakistani restaurant in town."

"Al Noor," Damian and Tim said simultaneously. Damian flushed a darker red and continued, avoiding Tim's eyes, "It is actually one of my favorites. It reminds me of home, a little."

Jason picked up one of the chapli kebabs and bit into it without waiting to put anything else on his plate. "Oh hell yes," he moaned around the mouthful. "Timmers, you got enough to feed the whole fam and the pets too, what's up with that?"

"I got enough to feed two normal appetites plus you," Tim retorted, putting a little bannu pulao on his plate. He wasn’t really hungry yet—on night job days he usually didn’t eat for the first time until noon, and his last meal was after his patrol.

"Fuck you, I've got muscle mass you can only dream of." Jason got some of everything and sat down at the table. “By the way, who gave you that bite on your neck? Conner doesn't usually leave marks so I'm guessing someone new. C’mon, your secret's safe with me and Damian.”

Tim reached for the bruise before he could stop himself. “None of your business.”

"Todd, your table manners are as abominable as your self-restraint," Damian interpolated, sneering at Jason's perfectly respectable use of knife and fork. After a long pause in which he visibly almost said about five different things and changed his mind each time, he added, "Thank you, Drake, for getting the food," still not looking directly at Tim.

Tim spun around to hide his burning face. His first thought was a nonsensical oh shit, Damian knows, to which he could only ask his brain, knows what, dumbass? He hustled to open the fridge and grab three bottles of water, as if he always turned that fast so he could run retrieve fluids. "No problem," he called from behind the door.

When he set the bottles on the table, Jason was looking from him to Damian and back again. Tim didn't like the assessing expression on his face, and he especially didn't like that Jason was allowing him to see it. This was the worst part of being surrounded by people who'd been trained by Bruce "The World Only Makes Sense If You Force It To" Wayne. You couldn't have a private emotion, ever, without someone feeling the overpowering need to track it down to its source.

Damian spoke before Tim could spill a container on Jason's lap and distract him. "Have you heard from Arsenal lately?"

That diversion successfully embarked Jason on a tangent for about fifteen minutes. Tim knew better than to glance at Damian to share a relieved look while Jason ranted about Roy's selfless tendencies and how they endangered his life. Still, a glow flared to life in his chest when he watched, out of the corner of his eye, Damian sitting next to him and eating food Tim had bought for him. Some of the constant pain receded in its warmth.

Once they were done eating, they each brought out their laptops and compared notes on the footage. Damian hadn't had a chance to view most of it, so Jason and Tim gave him the highlights. He had managed to dig further into the Galloway's and Waters's financials, so he gave them a list of the probable beneficiaries of the inconsistencies between income and expenditure.

Jason sighed as he scrolled through the names and companies. "Looks like I'm heading to Tulsa and Corpus Christi. Love it when I get to have fun with not one, but two mafias."

"I can go instead," Tim offered, looking through the same document as he twisted the top off his bottle.

"Nah, it's okay. I can't be in Gotham too many weeks in a row or I'll kill Bruce, and you know how he feels about murder. Fucker'll haunt my ass just so he can lecture me every time I pull a gun on some piece of shit dealer."

Tim, mid-drink, had a sudden vision of ectoplasmic Bruce floating from Jason's butt like an asshole-obsessed Casper and nearly choked when he started laughing involuntarily.

Jason stared, aghast, as he sprayed water all over their computers. "Holy shit, Tim, it wasn't that funny!"

Damian, ever helpful, smacked Tim's back a few times hard enough to leave bruises, expression bored. "Clearly he pictured Father literally selecting your buttocks as his postmortem residence, Todd. His brain's operations are incomprehensibly juvenile, but if you choose the most ridiculous option you can often divine what he was thinking."

"Sorry," Tim gasped, jumping up to get a seldom-used kitchen towel off its hanger. Some days his mind really had it out for him. He couldn't help it that when he was stressed it decided to interpret every idiom as a visual. "Sorry!"

Jason narrowed his eyes as he watched Tim carefully dab at their keyboards. WE laptops were all water resistant, but there was no sense in being foolhardy. "You've been off all evening. Something going on I need to know about?"

Tim ran through various possible responses in the time it took him to hand some paper towels to Damian to dry the floor. He decided to play it casual. "No, nothing. I just have my attention split in too many directions right now between this, work, and patrol. But this case is my real priority at the moment so don't worry. I wanna put all these guys away for life."

Jason nodded, but Tim had a feeling he wasn't satisfied with the explanation.

They made a few more plans for the immediate future of the investigation, and then Jason packed up to leave. Tim walked him to the door.

"How'd you get in, by the way?"

Jason smirked. "Bet you'd love to know."

Tim gave him an unimpressed look. "I'd love to know why you're such a pain in my ass, too, but I guess I'm not getting any of the answers I want tonight."

Jason leaned in close enough that Damian wouldn't be able to read his lips. Tim stiffened, wary. Jason said, sotto voce, "Timmers, I'm starting to think that's not the kind of pain in your ass you want. Don't think I missed the fact that the baby bat is hanging back until I've left you two alone again. Used to be, he couldn't wait to get away from you."

Tim stared, eyes wide with dismay, and couldn't say a thing.

Jason straightened, wicked grin firmly in place, and caroled, "Byeeeeee!" before slamming the door in Tim's face.

"What did he say?" Damian wanted to know, because of course it would've been too much to ask of the universe for him not to have noticed.

Tim was too discombobulated to say anything other than the truth. "He knows something's going on with us. I don't think he knows what, yet."

"Well, that makes two," Damian said.

Tim leaned his back against the door and looked at him, sitting cross-legged on the couch as if he couldn't be more at ease. "I don't know, either, so it's three."

Damian smiled, perfunctory and cutting. "Did you think I meant myself? I don't waste time speculating about inconsequentialities."

Tim surveyed him for another second in silence, then snorted with genuine amusement. "Oh, you are so completely full of shit right now. You think I'm going to believe that after what happened in Waters's closet?"

Damian shrugged and checked his phone with conspicuous boredom. "I barely remember 'what happened', personally. Perhaps I had too much to drink at the after party. If you've got a clearer recollection it must be because it mattered to you in a way it didn't to me."

A sudden blaze of fury burned away Tim's lightheartedness. He stalked to the couch, ripped the phone out of Damian's hand, and threw it to the loveseat opposite.

Damian didn't balk, but he did snap, "What the hell do you think you're—" His words cut off with a sharp inhale as Tim straddled him and yanked his head back by his hair.

"It's either kiss you or punch you at the moment, and frankly this hurts my knuckles a lot less," Tim hissed. “Maybe if you try really hard you can make it matter enough for both of us to remember this time.” He kissed him with a vicious edge of teeth.

Damian went stiff and unresponsive beneath him. For one awful moment, Tim thought he had read the situation entirely wrong, and horror slid down his spine like an ice floe. He jerked away, ready to babble apologies and then die in a corner of shame somewhere.

Before he could go anywhere, Damian's hands shot out and grabbed his upper arms. "Don't you dare." He pulled Tim back into his lap.

Rage faded in the relief of not having hurt him. Tim sat again, unresisting, hands braced against his chest. "Do you want—"

"Do whatever you want with me." Damian wrapped his arms around Tim and drew him close against his own shoulder, in the process conveniently hiding his expression from Tim's view.

Tim decided to let him get away with it and pressed his face to Damian's jaw. His fingers found their tentative way to play with the ends of his hair. He was still shaken, enough so that he felt the need to be explicit. "Tell me how you want it. Please. Clothes on or clothes off?"

Damian tugged on his t-shirt. "I want to feel you against me."

Tim let him pull the shirt over his head. He started working on the knot in Damian's tie while Damian untied the drawstrings of his pants. "You're wearing too many things." He couldn't seem to catch his breath.

Damian pulled Tim’s sweats down to his thighs. "Unfortunately, I can't dress for work with the sole priority of being instantly accessible to your touch."

Tim’s brain turned to white noise for a second, blindsided by the wave of sheer possessive yes that crashed through him at the notion. He freed the tie from Damian's collar with unsteady hands and stood up to kick off his pants entirely, along with his underwear. Damian sprawled below him, looking like a perfume ad with his disheveled hair, rumpled unbuttoned shirt, and clear bulge in his tailored pants. Not to mention the sulky mouth.

"Christ. You drive me so insane, you don’t even know." He gripped the top of Damian's shirt and used it to throw Damian down on his back on the couch, a maneuver that wouldn't have worked if Damian hadn't cooperated. Straddling his hips again, he hurriedly ripped the buttons out of their holes, exposing Damian's chest to his perusal. “Gonna make sure you don’t forget about tonight.”

Damian grabbed his hips and ground Tim's ass down, against his own erection. "What a promise. How do you intend to deliver?"

Tim ducked to suck on his neck with enough force to bruise. "I've got a few ideas and zero champagne, so we're already halfway there." Something about having Damian's skin between his teeth was unbearably satisfying.

Damian moved restlessly beneath him, hands clutching and releasing over and over again. “S-Stop leaving marks on my neck. I have a presentation first thing in the morning.”

Tim smiled into his collarbone. “Then I get to leave marks anywhere below the neck?”

Damian pulled his own head back so their gazes could meet. "Yes."

day 56 here

[mizukagami-takamagahara]

With Entropy Effect's Early Access version releasing in just a few hours, I wanted to go over some of what we've learned from trailers, reviews, and sneak peaks that hasn't come up while I was analyzing the character spotlights.

Of course, do take time to note that I am writing this before even the early access version has dropped. What I discuss here may prove inaccurate to the game we'll get tonight, or the full release we'll see in the future.

Let's just have a little fun with some last minute speculation and analysis!

The gameplay visuals that we've seen so far have looked absolutely gorgeous. I love the character models and the way that battles turn into a light show. I'm a very simple creature, I can always be pleased with some colored lights. The environments and battle effects also look great- this game has very strong art direction. I mean, look at this!

Which really surprised me, and still confuses me, when compared to the artwork they've chosen to use as the face of the game.

Yeah, unfortunately we're gonna start this post with a little negativity, but it should be the last of it, so please be patient.

Or feel free to skip this rant, if you'd like to keep your coverage positive, or just read about what we know about the gameplay itself.

But seriously. What is this key visual. This is just the Central Fiction character select artwork!

Okay, correction; it's the Central Fiction artwork for most of the characters. Poor Hibiki doesn't even get his character select artwork, he's left as the odd man out with his CF story mode battle sprite.

And then there's Es! What did they do to Es!? I don't know enough about graphic design to be able to tell what happened here, but something about her face looks like they tossed her art, and only hers, through some kind of AI filter. She's been weirdly smoothed out and she looks way paler, and more gray, than the rest of the line up. This straight up hurts to look at.

For the first few months after Entropy Effect's announcement, I thought the game was fanmade, because all the key visuals they were pumping out were (and, thus far, still are) made up of the basic official art that appears as the first images when you do a google search of the characters.

How did this get greenlit? They really couldn't afford to pay an artist? I can't even say "they couldn't afford to hire and artist" because, looking at the gameplay, clearly they did! They hired some very good artists! Why not write one more paycheck to get some cover art out of the incredible talent they already have on board?

Okay, okay, SaltFest is over. Coping and seething have been reigned in. Let's get into the fun stuff.

Trailers so far have indicated that the story of Entropy Effect is original, with no clear connection to that of the BlazBlue series- although it seems to share a significant amount of thematic elements with BlazBlue.

The story looks kind of cyberpunk, revolving around a world filled with these little robot guys. Our main character seems to be called "ACER," though whether that's their name, a descriptor, or a title, there's no way to tell- at least, for a few more hours. Sources claim that, similar to BlazBlue's story, there are themes of a looping existence, looming destruction, and fighting to ensure the very existence of a future.

Something that stood out to me in trailers, but I haven't seen spoken about anywhere, are these things called "Phenomena Fragments." They seem to showcase scenes from the lives of human figures in this gray dust-like particle effect.

If I had to make any guesses, I'd say this looks like a post-humanity story, with our ACER using the BlazBlue cast within some kind of simulation.

One thing we do know is that the word 'Entropy' in the title will be integral to the plot, as some cutscene dialogue warns of an "Entropy Shoreline" that may threaten to bring an end to the world our protagonist lives in. The robotic inhabitants of this world also seem to have some kind of god figure, though not all of them believe in it.

Those who have played the game say that Entropy works as a mechanic in the game that increases the difficulty of the run as it builds. I'm interested to see how it plays into the story...!

The full truth of the story will remain a mystery, at least for another hour, but all reviews that have spoken of it so far have been very positive.

Now let's move on to take a look at some of the gameplay!

I saw this screen a while back, with what looks to be 30 available places for characters. At first, I assumed this meant that the game would have 30 different playable characters- I mistook this for a character select screen. Keyword being mistook.

Instead, it looks like the 30 slots on this screen are to save up to 30 builds from previous runs. We see the same screen again here, with two different versions of Lambda saved on it, and the other characters in different positions than the one above. As I'll discuss later in the post, previous runs of the game will be used to pass on certain skills to your next character at the start of a new run. So this screen will probably end up looking different for all players!

The real character selection screen loops, so there's no way to know how many characters will appear in the final version. However, the company has confirmed that there will be more than the seven we'll see in the Early Access version.

The seven characters playable in early access Entropy Effect are Ragna, Noel, Hakumen, Lambda, Kokonoe, Hibiki, and Mai. The games animated trailer (which also looks great, I don't know what happened with the damn key visual) also shows us Jin and Taokaka, who will likely be made playable with the full version of the game. Considering Naoto is the face of the game's Twitter and YouTube accounts, I expect to see him in the final version as well.

As for characters appearing as enemies, Bang's NPC subordinates from BlazBlue's story mode have been shown to appear as generic enemies in certain stages, and both Arakune and Susano'o have appeared as bosses!

After selecting which character you want to play as, you're taken to the screen I mistook for character selection, where you can select two characters you've played as in previous runs, called "Evotypes" in the game. You can have your new character inherit abilities from them- the number of abilities you can inherit from your chosen characters seems to depend on how well you've been doing in your runs, as each run earns some kind of grade. This explains how we've been seeing characters using one another's abilities, such as Hibiki using Hakumen's lightning, in the trailers!

While playing, you earn points called "Potential," which can be used between stages to purchase new abilities. This seems to be where characters unlock their movesets from the BlazBlue fighting games.

There's also a second type of choice players can make as they develop their run. These are called "Tactics." Unlike the abilities unlocked by Potential that seem to be exclusive to characters unless chosen as inherited Evotypes, Tactics are universal and can be purchased for and used by any character.

In a video on his experience playing the game early, Twitch streamer Veedotme says the game rewards you for selecting Tactics you haven't used before, so consider trying out everything before you start picking favorites! Veedotme's review also clarified a lot of what I comment on in this post, so please check out his work!

Interviews claim that the game's early access version will have roughly 100 Potentials and roughly 200 Tactics to choose from, though there could be even more in the final version of the game.

It seems that the early access version will include 10 different stages, with 13 levels each, along with a few other modes of gameplay such as a challenge mode were the stage bosses become even more difficult. I've mentioned it already in other posts, but I like this 10 and 13 number theming, as both numbers have been pretty important to the BlazBlue franchise. It's another sign of serious attention to detail from the developers.

And, well, if I want to get this post out in time to be able to watch some of the first streams go live, I'll have to wrap it up now. Thank you for reading, and if you're interested, please share your own experience with the game in the coming days!

[zaftikat]

Game Review: Firmament

EDIT 2023-06-08: I have been informed that developers used so called AI tools to assist with asset and story development. Needless to say this makes my review moot. You should not give money to Cyan for Firmament if you haven't already.

There is something of a pit in my stomach when I think about my gameplay experience with Firmament. Deep in that pit, in a modest Dutch Colonial fixer-upper, lives the potential for this game. The setting has so much more story to tell than we were given. It lives in that Myst-like space where we enter a world at its nadir. Violent collapse has occurred, but we hold a glimmer of hope for what comes next. That is not an unfamiliar formula for fans of Cyan. Is our Virgil trustworthy, or is she leading us to damnation? Who are we when the game tells us that deep sleep erases memory? We’re told that we are the next and possibly last of the many Keepers. A collective whose goal is the preservation of a cooperative order that will create a livable world for the Arrivers. Our Mentor gives us a mission—activate a series of towers, and prepare the worlds for the Embrace. In order to do so we must complete a series of traversal puzzles with our handy dandy Adjunct—a device clearly designed for VR compatibility at the cost of the expected Cyan gameplay experience. Pausing for a moment to lift ourselves to the meta-context of this game, Cyan pitched backers on the notion of what I’m calling VR-first design when they reached out for crowdfunding in early 2019. I think that context is necessary to understanding the game, so let’s talk about it after the cut.

When the game first entered crowdfunding, I had come fresh off of a re-play of Obduction. Obduction is a game that by all accounts is a triumph of Cyan design aesthetics, and when I saw the project page for Firmament, I was ready to dive in right then and there. Games have development cycles, so I knew I would be waiting. Then 2020 happened. The project, by necessity, had to be scaled back from the early tech demos. A decision was made to redouble the focus on the Adjunct tool. It would now interact almost exclusively with nodes. This meant paring down puzzles that did not interact with the core mechanic. Cyan did not shy away from the fact that the game was going to be scaled back, and even spoke of it as a function of approachability. We know all this because they, throughout the development cycle sent numerous detailed backer updates. For all I may detract from the final product, I must equally praise the communication from Cyan. As a designer, I know games take time. Coding shaders, composing dynamic music, writing scripts, creating environments, there is so much that goes into creating a video game and Cyan kept their supporters in the loop on every part of the process. Nevertheless, it is abundantly clear the game was scaled back. I finished the game in 8, with at least an hour of that time tabbed out to work on personal projects.

The gameplay, with its VR-first design, leaves so much to be desired. Instead of the interactivity we’ve come to expect from Cyan games—with even mundane objects being game entities—we instead have a far more empty world, where every puzzle is solved by the Adjunct. In late Curievale, there is a puzzle wherein you ride an elevator up and down, then connect 4 nodes after running back across the zone in order to then run across the zone again to get to the next puzzle. The tedium of trying to finesse the nodes so that your fully upgraded adjunct will do its job is an essential mechanic to the game’s limited longevity. In the subsequent Curievale puzzle, there’s a section where the game expects you to fire a node through a miniscule gap in some ice. The puzzle isn’t about how you engage with the elements of the problem, but about how you can master ways around the physics engine. A game that uses janky controls as a difficulty gate is effectively trying to frustrate you into a longer gameplay experience. And that refrain repeated a few times while I traversed the three still visually stunning worlds.

A few months before I write this, Clayton Ashley of Polygon put out a video wherein he praises the pseudo-genre of note-taking games, and indeed does highlight their heyday by citing entries from Cyan’s game library. It bears repeating here, Firmament was designed as a VR-first game. Nothing breaks immersion in VR quite like needing to take off your headset to write things down on paper. And this fact is the truest tragedy of Firmament’s gameplay. I think fondly of getting to break out a notebook to teach myself the grid system of base 4 numbers used by the Villein in Obduction. Here, gone is the simple joy of having to learn to solve puzzles. Learning, finding secrets, and sniffing out details of the world are one of the key drivers of exploration in a puzzle game. Without that element, the worlds, despite their gorgeous and massive scale, feel lifeless. Not in the way a game like the Witness feels both lifeless and lived-in, but rather one that feels devoid of any interest. Like the world has been sanitized after everyone disappeared. It’s an empty platform on a disused subway line that has been assiduously scrubbed of any evidence of life or use. We get some bits and pieces of story, intentionally obscured by our Mentor and her agenda. Most of what we learn is told to us as a series of cryptic Proper Nouns. We don’t get a look at why until the game has been completed, twist largely untelegraphed. Myst and Obduction have bad endings that you might reach if you’re not carefully exploring and studying clues. Firmament is far too linear for that. There’s a cavernous echo where those human story elements would be in other Cyan games, and worst of all they skipped out on the FMV, an essential part of the Cyan charm. 

So that I’m not just endlessly ripping on this game, let’s talk about what it does well. The aesthetic design and practicality of the setting is fascinating and beautiful. They have made gorgeous use of Art Deco style to produce a world that feels narratively coherent, nostalgic and futuristic all at once. The Arches combine that styling with a sci-fi megastructure to create that cohesive and stunning visual language. The Adjunct provides clear direction in puzzle solving by making obvious the possible interactions, though this is somewhat of a trade-off when puzzles become jank fights. The game leaves me wishing and wanting to know so much more about the setting, and that is the mark of compelling world design. There are also some truly fun puzzles like the greenhouse platform puzzle that call to mind that very Myst-like feeling of nostalgia. Each of those elements still feels insufficient to make this game what I had hoped it would be. I so desperately wanted to love this game, as badly as the soft-boy kindness influencer wants to be bi for clout. But like the milquetoast wishes-he-wasn’t-straight man, I just can't bring myself to swallow the nut this game offers. 

[raging-violets]

The Flash: Life on Standby | 9x12: “A New World, Part 3: Changes” | Barry Allen & Averey Moore (OC)

A/N: Kinda/sorta spoilery for the future of the Blindsided series (and spoilers for the show) but I’ve had something like this stuck in my head since I watched 9x12 and I needed to write it down, haha.

-Rhuben

“He said that he has the chance to change everything. That if he chooses the crystal, he could get everything he deserves." Averey screwed up her nose as Barry made another pass around the living room. “I just don’t understand. How could he want to do this? That's not Eddie. It’s not the Eddie we know.” 

Averey’s eyebrows lifted as she watched him. He had spent the whole time they had stood in Eddie’s “home” relaying everything he had just experienced with their friend. And the whole time, apart from her inquiry about where they were, Averey had been quiet. She didn’t say a word, just twisted her features in reaction to the words that came out of his mouth. 

So it really through him for a loop when Averey looked him square in the eye and said, flatly, “Shut up, Barry.” 

Barry stopped pacing, coming to a halt in the middle of the living room. “What?” He couldn’t think of anything else to say. 

“Eddie’s getting the chance to see what kind of life he’d get to have should things have been normal for at least five bloody minutes,” Averey explained, her eyebrows coming towards each other. “How do you not understand that?” 

“It’s the Negative Speed Force, Averey,” Barry reminded her. “It’s not real. None of this, none of what he wants, is real!” 

“And it was the Reverse Flash, Barry. And then it was Zoom. And then it was Savitar.” Barry let out a noise of frustration and spun on his heel to storm into the dining aera. Averey followed him, calling after him to say, “There’s always going to be someone that’ll change things – the timeline - in our lives, B. It may not be real to you, or any of us, but it’s real to him.” 

Barry made a scoffing sound, shaking his head. 

“Ah, my apologies, mate.” Averey’s tone suddenly took on sarcasm. “Guess I just never realized you were the only one who was allowed to take the chance to see how your life was different.” 

Barry whirled around to face her. “That’s not true.” 

“It is true, and you know it,” adopting his direct tone. “You’re selfish, Barry Allen!” 

Barry’s jaw dropped. The start of his next sentence died in his throat. “Unbelievable,” he said quietly. A derisive laugh came forth. “I’m trying to save the whole timeline right now,” Bary said, jabbing himself in the chest. “Our lives! Our future! How is that me being selfish?” 

“As long as it’s your mum, or your wife, then you get the green light to do whatever you want with the timeline,” Averey shot back, swinging her arms in the air to indicate everything around them. “That’s how! But if it’s anyone else, we’re not allowed to make that decision.” Barry scoffed again. Averey’s eyebrows lifted and she let out a high-pitched scoff-laugh of disbelief. “You didn’t go back in time for Cisco to save Dante, and yet you tried desperately to save Iris from Savitar.” 

“Averey...” 

“You created that Flashpoint timeline because you went back to save Miss Nora.” 

“Ok, but--” 

“And that wouldn’t have even happened in the bloody first place if you hadn’t gone back in time to save your mum from Eobard!” Barry’s nostrils flared as he expelled a breath of air in one sharp exhale. “And the funny part about all of that was, that it was pointless. Miss Nora was always going to die, and yet you kept trying.” 

“I didn’t even know about any of that until now,” Barry said weakly.

Averey put her head into her hands. Barry planted his hands on his hips and shifted his weight from foot to foot. “You don’t get it, Barry.” 

“Oh, come on--” 

“I’M NOT EVEN SUPPOSED TO EXIST!” Averey lifted her head, eyes ablaze. Barry grimaced at the sudden shout. “I’ve always wondered what our lives would have actually been like if none of this ever happened. If that original timeline, if that real first timeline played out where Nora didn’t die, I wondered how that would be.” She jabbed herself in the chest, her voice cracking. “And I don’t even exist, Barry! Either Henry never has an affair with my mum, and I’m never born, or I’m a different person and our paths just don’t ever cross and we don’t know about each other. But to you, no matter what, I’ve never existed. I wasn’t supposed to.”

Barry wet his lips with his tongue.

“I remember everything from every timeline that’s ever been changed. I remember everything before that tidal wave hit Central City.” She sniffed, using the heel of her palm to wipe at her nose, turning her head away from him. “I remember the first time I told Cisco that I was in love with him, but he doesn’t. It’s different for him. And it’ll always be that way. But you don’t care.”

“Ave…”

Her face became hard again. “Which isn’t a far cry from anything else, because outside of Iris, it’s like nothing exists for you. Except for her.”

Barry gaped at her. “Averey, she’s my wife.”

“And I’m your sister!” Now Barry put his face into his hands. “Not that I want anything to happen to Iris, you know I don’t, but you can always get a new wife. You can’t bloody get a new sibling.” 

Barry opened and closed his mouth.

“And that kind of sucks, because it’s been sweet as getting to know you these past ten years.” Averey wiped at her eyes with her hands. “And that’s what the Thawnes tried to do. They tried to forget that Malcolm even existed, and just put Eddie into that slot. He’s had to live his life based on other people’s standards and expectations. There’s even pressure further down that bloodline as far as Eobard is concerned.” 

“That’s no excuse to act like this though,” Barry said tiredly. 

“Come on, B.” Averey turned away from him and moved to sit down on the couch. Barry stepped closer to her, reaching up to tap his fingertips against the entryway to the room. “It’s easy for you to say that. You’ve never been on that side of being compared to anybody. Because you’re Barry Allen.” A hint of a laugh rumbled in Barry’s throat at her jazz hands at his name.

“Mate, dad compared himself to Joe all of the time because he wasn’t there to raise you.” Barry blinked rapidly in response.

“Dad never told me that,” Barry said quietly, leaning his head against his stretched arms.

“You know Wally had that grudge against you when you two first met, and I reckon a part of him still feels that way.” Averey put a hand to her chest. “I know I still have issues with Iris I’m working out even now, because of how angry I was with her being. Eddie’s going through it, now, too. He’s just now feeling the weight of all of that emotion at one time.”

“And the Negative Speed Force is feeding off of it,” Barry reminded her. “I know he can fight it off. I know he can.” 

“So, do I,” Averey said. “I don’t reckon that Eddie should listen to the Negative Speed Force and take that crystal, but you’re one big ass hypocrite for trying to force him to stop something you’ve already done so many times without a second thought.” 

“Ok, ok...” Barry slowly nodded. He dropped his arms down to his sides and moved to sit down beside her. “I hear you...” 

“It’s not out of the ordinary for people to wonder what their lives would be like if things were different. Yeah?” Averey crossed her arms over her chest, settling back against the cushions. She turned towards the window, squinting towards the bright lights illuminating the street. “Like if we didn’t make this decision, or take that job, or if we just had more time…” Silence feel between them as the end of her sentence trailed off. “You’ve had all the time in the world to figure this out. Eddie has the chance to make that decision for himself right now. He’s still the same Eddie; he’s just faced with a very difficult decision.” 

“And if he chooses wrong?” 

Averey looked at him, a solemn look on her face. “Then we gotta do, what we gotta do. But we can’t make him feel like he’s evil for being human and wanting something he always thought he couldn’t have. Or what he’s told he can’t have.” 

“I just can’t believe Eddie would even consider this.”

“Please. You all thought he was selfish and into himself before this. CCPD called him ‘Detective Pretty Boy,’ remember?” A wry smile came to her face. “Or was that just your jealousy talking? Because he had Iris, and you had a lenghty date with a coma.”

Barry pressed his lips together and twisted his mouth to the side. “I...we...just didn’t know him.” 

“You know him now.” Averey bumped his shoulder with hers. “Don’t hold it against him when he doesn’t choose to act the way you would. That’s not fair to him.”

“When did you get so smart?” Barry asked. “Almost sounded like something Joe would say.”

“Being around all you smart blokes, it was bound to happen,” Averey said, her smile widening slightly. “You’re the paragon of love, Barry. Sooner or later, I’d have to throw one of these sorts of speeches back in your face, right?” Her smile slowly faded. “So, what do we do now?”

“Prepare,” Barry said, just as solemn, “to do what we gotta do.”

-

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[lovecolibri]

Every time I think about 6A and the sperm donor storyline and get mad enough to want to write a rant, I just go back to two of your posts about it that I reblogged, and they just cover everything so well I don't need to write my own rant so it really saves me time and energy thank you ❤️👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

lol, you're welcome? Glad my ranting is serving a purpose! But for real this storyline makes me want to eat glass and not in a good way and at least half of that is because it COULD have given so much!! We could have gotten a really good arc for buck out of it for a few episodes in 6a, and ended with him turning them down and feeling a little lost, and then had this big arc for him in 6b but instead we already got nothing but them making a joke out of it, and now we will continue to get...nothing? It's not affecting him in any way? I just... *muffled screaming*

ANYWAY

Let us hope and manifest that it's not actually his baby and THAT is what throws him for a loop and then we can all collectively wipe this storyline from our memories and move on.

I will never understand people who get paid do to this for a living who can't come up with even the most basic and obvious course for a plot like this to take with a character like Buck! At least it sounds like they're course correcting after it bombed so hard in 6a but like...KR has been in charge since some time in season 4 and has been involved in the show since the start (I think, and I'm not going to look it up right this second but if not the very start then pretty darn close), she should NOT still be struggling so hard to come up with plotlines that make sense for these characters (or like, any plot at all considering Chim and Bobby in particular have had VERY little focus for ages). Plus, every major plotline she's come up with for Buck recently has bombed HARD and left him tied up in random shit people don't care about with characters the audience doesn't like or doesn't care about, instead of tying him into other main character stories and putting THEM at the front for a bit. It's all just very frustrating. Here's hoping things are getting better!