#also i've never actually made a full list of all my work so i figured now was the time

[rallamajoop]

That time Heisenberg stabbed Ethan with a rusty fencepost

Thanks to this one fic project that needed a pornographically detailed list of Ethan’s most memorable injuries, I've spent some time trying to figure out exactly what Heisenberg stabs him with when they first met. Working mostly from a free-camera version from youtube, I settled on calling a metal pipe with a square profile.

Tumblr: I was wrong. The reality is so much worse.

Having cracked the game files and installed my own free-camera mod, I tracked down the original asset for this thing, and, well...

No, really, this is it! Check out those matching cross-bars if you doubt me.

FWIW, it isn’t actually a spear. Those semi-mangled crossbars flag it instead as a spear-headed fence-post. (This may not be a distinction that Ethan would find very comforting after being stabbed with the thing, but there it is, regardless.)

In fact, if you poke around the cemetery area just outside the castle gate, you can even find the fence it presumably came from.

Look in on the cemetery near the church from the lane leading up to the Duke's shop beside it, and this is what you'll see.

It's not a perfect match (in fact, it's even worse viewed from the opposite side, because someone has clearly stuffed up the textures on different sides of the same asset). I'll also note that if you go back to this fence again after meeting Heisenberg, you won’t find any suspicious gaps in it where a post was recently ripped out. So I’m going to just go ahead and assume this particular piece was lying in a pile of surplus scrap in the cellar somewhere, and Heisenberg did not, in fact, drag the thing all the way there from well outside the whole damn building. I mean, at that point, you’re just showing off.

The fence post is, admittedly, pretty hard to get a good look at in the actual game. Unlike all the other crap Heisenberg already has levitating around him in this scene, the fencepost doesn’t appear at all until Heisenberg stabs Ethan with it. It actually seems to emerge at speed from between a couple of barrels at the back. But if you’re enough of a lunatic to play around with the various slow motion/rewind settings that came with the free camera mod, you can get a decent shot of it in flight, cleaning up any remaining doubt that this is the same asset that was used in game.

It even freaking spins in the air as it moves. FTR, yes, it does go in pointy-end first. And the whole fucking spearhead ends up buried in poor Ethan. (Please feel free to insert your own dick-joke here.) Those paying really close attention might even note that the blood on Ethan's shirt is present even before the spear hits him, but that's just going to be virtual-stunt-coordination having a normal one.

I can offer you no similarly definitive insight into why Heisenberg would think stabbing Ethan with this thing was a good idea. I can’t even tell you if he knew for sure that it was Ethan Winters he was talking to at this point (maybe he's just playing dumb, pretending not to recognise him. Or maybe he legit didn't know that Ethan himself had made an appearance until Miranda told him. Sure, he's already got that whole conspiracy board, but finding real pictures of this Ethan-guy is surprisingly hard.) But whether Heis was already testing out Ethan’s ‘interesting body’, or whether he’d just generally assumed that anyone who could survive a full lycan assault on the village wouldn’t be too seriously inconvenienced by a little stabbing, hoo boy was this one way to make a first impression.

I’m not even sure which of these losers is the bigger idiot here: the one who imagined Ethan might still agree to work with him even after inserting a very convincing imitation-spearhead into his intestines, or the one who never thought to seriously question how he keeps shrugging off injuries just as exciting as this one.

They probably deserve each other.

[fastcardotmp3]

🌻august bookshelf🌻

july recs | recs tag

I really enjoyed putting together a little fic rec list at the end of last month and decided to do it again!

🌻driving in your car by @kkpwnall - when I say the ultimate pining Steddie fic I MEAN IT. the use of the car as this sort of central, grounding force within Steve's world and the way the testing of his tether to Hawkins and the people in it plays out here is stunning, not to mention the HANDS and the ronance going on stage left and the complete and utter tenderness lying just beneath the surface. perfection I am swallowing it whole

🌻clueless by @gothbat99 - such a lovely short & sweet slice of life in the summer after they win the war, it feels SO important in its simplicity that Nancy and Robin are getting to behave like young people, all free and hopeful and discovering how to want/ be wanted. made my heart so big and warm in only 1k words like THAT !!! is so impressive, so worth your time, will make your day better guaranteed

🌻Faces Freedom with a Little Fear by @fragilecapric0rnn - literally Steve family-centric character study of all time, come swoon over big sister JJ Harrington and watch as her presence in his life creates a fullness and richness of growth and self-realization LIKE. I could bask in this world for the rest of forever and never get tired of its sincerity and depth and siblingisms, what a heart-squeezing delight from start to finish

🌻haunted hawkins by @hellsfireclub - starts with the brilliant premise of "what if it's not just Hawkins?" and RUNS with it, giving not just beautiful ruminations on both Nancy and Robin as they start a journey towards figuring out just how far the paranormal spreads and also a journey towards mutual self discovery and (: lesbianism (: READ THIS FIC.

🌻then I see you, you're walking 'cross the campus by stellarpoint (@heybluechild) - a lovely little peek at Steve and Nancy's friendship coming back together after they've come into their own a little bit and Nancy being so, so brave in coming out to him. truly this made my heart so big and full and warm i am carrying them gently in the palms of my hands

🌻this must be the place by @judasofsuburbia - JARGYLE CAMPING. the tenderness of this, the peace offered to Jonathan when he hasn't ever really known such a thing, the way they just sort of slot together and find and choose and become each other?? it's got me all soft in the heart and THAT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN. illegal actually. I'm weak in the knees :((

🌻Young, Scrappy, & Hungry by @fragilecapric0rnn - politics ronance rivals to lovers WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY?? perfect dynamics already and I can't wait to see where these girls go. the characterizations of them is so REAL despite the very different world of Washington they've been dropped into and my lesbian, TWW-loving ass is feeling soooo normal about them SO normal don't worry about it

🌻The Warmth Pulls by TheDeathsWish - I'm not fully caught up on this one yet, but it is genuinely one of the most unique AUs I've come across so I have to mention it here. It's still 1986 and it's still Hawkins, but the sci-fi overlay is switched out for more purely fantasy elements, including some very cool and beautifully revealed eccentricities and abilities of the characters. Steddie but also so hugely dependent on the ensemble of it all, which you know I eat up, I'm excited to keep working my way through this one!

P.S. if you read and enjoy any of these, please remember to tip your writers in kudos and comments!💛

[temnurus]

More Wangxian Faves: Post-Canon & Canon Divergent

This list was made to honor the request in the notes on my WWX recs post from @100percentserenity for some more fics featuring Wei Ying set in canon or canon divergent fics. Now, not all of these are strictly from his POV, but they all feature him at his quick-witted, charming, & hopelessly oblivious best. Canon divergent can be a pretty wide category, so do keep that in mind if you see a rec & think, "This isn't very canonical.." Haha. There are two repeats from my first Wangxian rec list, but they fit the ask & are both excellent & worth mentioning twice! Now, in no particular order, may I recommend:

Far Away You Are by cqlorphan (E, 17,358)

Thoughts: I absolutely loved the idea of the esteemed Hanguan-jun being this not-so-secret purveyor of comfort hugs & heartache advice. Wei Ying’s shock upon finding this out was so funny I couldn’t help but laugh, & my amusement only intensified when he made the scary Yiling Laozu face while asking who broke Lan Zhan’s heart, only to be told it was him who’d done so. I wanted to hug all the Juniors myself. They’re all so very precious. This was a lovely story where very little hurt in the end, & sometimes that’s just nice after the gut punch that canon gives us.

my age has never made me wise by idrilka (E, 63,439)

Thoughts: I absolutely loved this. It was pretty CQL (The Untamed) compliant & told the post-canon story of Wei Ying wandering alone as a rogue cultivator after the events of the show. Of course he was pining after his zhiji the entire time, so when he heard gossip that the Chief Cultivator might be married by summer's end it nearly undid him. The angst was excruciating, but One Brain Cell WWX Strikes Again fics somehow always manage to be fun at the same time. I've read several post-canon, wandering Wei Ying stories, & this one was particularly good.

Not What We May Be by brooklinegirl (E, 29,222)

Thoughts: I love Wei Ying’s cleverness in this. He’s his usual irreverent, chaotic, charming self, & I never get tired of how wonderfully his mind works. The odd phenomenon occurring in the town he’s staying in was an interesting mystery to solve, & I had to laugh when Lan Zhan arrived with the usual Lan Juniors ensemble in tow. Watching them all work together to figure out how to fix the issue while also dealing with the healthy side helping of oblivious Wei Ying & searing sexual tension between him & Lan Zhan was a fun treat.

All Caught Up by brooklinegirl (E, 36,934)

Thoughts: Wei Ying proposing to Lan Zhan to get him out of an arranged marriage he didn’t want is so something he’d do. There is no character more quintessentially chaotic good than Wei Ying. You can’t change my mind. The practice kissing was a lovely regular feature from this author, & my particular favorite thing in this fic was Nie Huaisang’s cameo as their pseudo wedding planner with his classic meddling while insisting he’s useless shenanigans. This was super cute. I liked it a lot.

love, in fire and blood by cicer (E, 360,042)

Thoughts: This was an example of a cool MDZS-specific trope I hadn't seen before, & in it Wei Ying, the infamous Yiling Patriarch, was a cultivator who had achieved immortality (aka, he's OP as fuck but in a fun way). The great sects enlisted his help to win the Sunshot Campaign, & what did he demand in return? Lan Zhan's hand in marriage, of course! It was a fantastic slow burn in which poor Lan Zhan suffered the mortifying ordeal of falling in love with his own husband. An amazing & complex plot, chock-full of angsty goodness.

Birthday Party by waffles_4_breakfast (E, 100,123)

Thoughts: I loved the idea that Wei Ying would actually get to attend Jin Ling's one month celebration, but I was, of course, still concerned about the continued danger he'd be in. This fic nicely showcased Wei Ying's sharp wit, charm, & ever-present sass. I also loved his dramatics when it came to his interactions with Lan Zhan (and in general, of course, haha), but their sweetness together was ultimately my favorite thing about them. The continued threat to Wei Ying's life & all the plotting surrounding it was interesting, but the best things about this fic were the characters & their bonds with each other.

Fentao-laoshi's Guide to Cut-Sleeve Pleasures by occultings (E, 31,775)

Thoughts: This was set during the Cloud Recesses Study Arc, & it was so, so good. The sexual tension between them was just simmering the entire time, & the idea of them “practicing for marriage” on each other was fucking hilarious. Their banter was top notch, & I absolutely loved Lan Zhan’s nearly overwhelming desperation for Wei Ying, not to mention Wei Ying’s bullshit getting him in over his head (as usual, but this time in a fun way, haha). The feelings were actually very sweet, too. I enjoyed this a lot.

wide enough and wild by impossibletruths (E, 64,120)

Thoughts: I love the tag “Noping Out Of Society With Your Boyfriend And Your 50 Wen Refugees: The Novel”. It made me laugh before I’d even started the fic. While this was set during the time period in which Wei Ying frees the Wen refugees, they didn’t end up in Yiling this time. I won’t get too specific, but they still ended up rebuilding their own little settlement & farming to survive, basically. Lan Zhan found them & decided to stay. The slow burn was so good, & I loved the pining in particular. I cried a couple of times in this. It really was just that good.

your problem as a mountain. by cupofwater (E, 30,989)

Thoughts: It was so cute to see the difference between Wei Ying’s & Nie Huaisang’s fantasies, & Wei Ying’s turning out to be more vanilla & romantic in nature absolutely cracked me up. I nearly hurt myself laughing when Nie Mingjue sent Lan Zhan some of the letters by mistake, & I was delighted by Lan Zhan’s reaction. I won’t spoil it, but the smut was lovely & despite the misunderstanding our boys definitely both got their happy ending, haha.

The Vermilion Ribbon by Unforth (E, 233,368)

Thoughts: This sat on my Marked For Later list on AO3 for the longest time, & I really did myself a disservice by not reading it sooner. It was absolutely fantastic. The world-building, pacing, & intricate plot were all brilliantly done, & Wei Ying being in the Wen clan was nothing like I imagined it was going to be in this. Instead of his core family being the Jiangs, we get Wen Qing in Jiang Yanli’s role & Wen Ning in Jiang Cheng’s. Now I’ll warn you that this got super heavy in some places, so mind those tags & take care of yourselves. Nothing was graphic enough that I had to stop reading, but it didn’t shy away from the serious subject matter it covered either. The whole fic was a real emotional roller coaster, & I can’t recommend it highly enough.

[kimbappykidding]

Other Parts: Part One, Part Three and Part Four.

Because he was expecting a text from you any day now, Jeno couldn't step away from his phone. He tried to play to cool and left his phone facedown but he just kept wondering if he'd got a message yet and so decided to leave it face up and stop fighting it. Luckily you texted him later that same evening and Jeno smiled widely when he saw your message.

"So about that games night...we have to pick a day my brother is busy or he'll hog the remote. When is he busy when you're not?". Jeno knew you'd said it was because Jaemin was a hog which he could confirm but he also liked to think it was because you wanted alone time with him and he liked that idea. So he inspected the group schedule and came back with 5 dates, one this week and a few more later in the month to give you lots of options. You came back with the earliest one and Jeno realised that was only 2 days away!

The days passed quickly and before he knew it, you were outside the door. Jaemin had complained he was missing out on this but you'd broken to news to him and taken the blame. You'd claimed you had work at the other times and he could join next time. Jeno liked being your secret and happily went along with it. All of Jaemin's huffing and puffing was worth it when Jeno opened the door and saw you standing there.

The first thing he noticed was how great you looked and that brought him to the second thing he noticed...you were dressed soooo differently from how you dressed when you came over to hang out with Jaemin. You never looked bad when you played with Jaemin, Jeno always thought you looked good in joggers and athletic wear. It was more he noticed you'd purposefully made an effort, knowing you were going to see him. That thought alone excited Jeno and he couldn't help but give you a big smile.

He ushered you inside, helped you take your coat off and then showed you what he'd prepared. "So I got some snacks and drinks for us" Jeno said gesturing to the counter in the kitchen "and I figured we could order food in whenever we want to eat. I've made a list of all the good places and all the menus are on a pile on the table for you to look at". "Wow you're literally perfect" you said "you brought food and worked out ways to get more!" and Jeno smiled "is that the only thing you have to do to be perfect?". "No but it definitely gets you at least halfway there" you said and Jeno smiled, making a mental note to watch everything you ate and always have some in the apartment for you. "Well then I'll never stop doing it" Jeno said and with your snack choices, he led you through to the living room.

Jeno let you select the first game but of course, it was Arceus and he loved that game so was very happy to play it. You could play multi-player too so actually got to team up and Jeno was in full gamer mode wanting to impress you. "Wow you're really good at this!" you said as he took out an opponent with one move. Jeno shrugged "I've just played it a lot, it's one of my favourite things to do after a long day at work. I know that's boring and nerdy but...it's what I do" he trailed off and you smiled "I don't think it's boring. Plus you definitely do not look like a nerd and I think many geeky boys would be furious at you using their title". Jeno laughed "I think I can pull off the nerd look" and you shook your head "not at all, nerds don't have bodies like yours and can't do flips". Jeno went bright pink and only just realised the two of you were sat rather close together. He looked down rapidly, his blush growing and this time you couldn't pretend you hadn't seen it.

"Do I make you nervous?" you asked and Jeno blinked "I...kind of". You watched him "in a good or bad way?". "Definitely good" he said "you always have, ever since we were in school". "Really?" you asked and he nodded "I think you just have that effect on people" and you nodded "I like the effect I have on you". Jeno's breath caught in his throat and he turned to look at you properly "you do? Why?". You smirked and Jeno thought he was going to drop dead right there from how sexy you looked. "Because it's so gorgeous to see a hot guy like you look at me the way you are" you said with a husky tone. Jeno blushed looking away and you smiled "do you get uncomfortable when I compliment you?". Jeno nodded and you shook your head "you don't have to, I'm not that scary Jeno. I won't bite...not without permission". Jeno blushed again and with a chuckle, you moved away and grabbed the controller. "Okay I say we complete this section and move on to another game! There are lots of games I want to play and only so much time". "You can't leave a game in the middle of a level that's just poor etiquette" Jeno cried "come on Y/n I thought you were a serious gamer!" and you smiled. "Fine!" you agreed seeing the logic in Jeno's words but honestly he would've said anything to get you to stay longer.

You were still there when Jaemin got home in the early hours of the morning. You both said you didn't realise the time but you were both liars who just didn't want this to end. "Don't you have work in like 5 hours?" Jaemin asked and Jeno's eyes widened "what? Y/n you're going to be so tired!". "Yeah unless you go to sleep like right now so Jeno you pack up the stuff and I'll get Y/n some pillows so she can crash on the sofa". Jeno hopped up to help and cleared the living room while you got changed into some shorts and a top, this time your brother's which annoyed you but he'd beaten Jeno to it. You were wondering where Jeno had gotten to and found him in the kitchen making a smoothie. You smiled "still hungry after the bucket load of food we ate?" you asked. Jeno jumped nearly spilling it and he put the lid on before shaking his head. "No I thought I'd make it for you for breakfast tomorrow. That way you don't have to worry about breakfast and can get a few more minutes asleep. This was honestly so sweet and you stared at Jeno for a few seconds stunned. "I...thank you" you smiled "you're always so kind to me and it always surprises me. You're a great guy Jeno". Jeno loved your praise and went a light pink colour "thanks...I think you're a great girl" he said in reply.

You moved closer to him and went to say something when Jaemin appeared "there you are, everything ready now come on time for bed". You rolled your eyes "your my older brother by minutes not dad!". "I'm just trying to save everyone from sleep-deprived Y/n, you're a monster when you don't have sleep". You gasped and attacked Jaemin who you could always beat in a fight. He called Jeno for help but Jeno shook his head "sorry Jaemin but I'm not getting involved". "Traitor! I thought you liked me more than her?" he asked and a long silence followed. You could see Jeno felt awkward and smiled "well I should be going to bed, thanks for the amazing night Jeno we'll definitely do it again and thanks bro!" you said punching his shoulder and then disappeared. Jeno stayed in the kitchen to tidy away and Jaemin hovered around him like he wanted to say something but when Jeno looked at him he just said goodnight and left.

You were gone when Jeno got up the next day but you texted him again thanking him and asked when he was free to do it again which made Jeno's morning. You arranged to meet again and you and Jeno managed to dodge Jaemin 2 more times before he had enough and he arranged the games night...and turned into a group event.

Jaemin had invited all the NCT-Dream members and they'd all accepted, much to Jeno's horror. You'd accepted too and Jeno was purposefully waiting near the front door for you to arrive because he was worried you'd get lost. With 8 people coming Jaemin and Jeno's apartment seemed too small so Johnny had offered to host it at his house bringing the grand total to 9!

You'd never been to Johnny's house before and were unsure where you were going. Jeno had sent you directions but you'd also asked Jeno to be reachable in case you got lost. So he kept his eyes glued to his phone, hovering near the front door but acting like he wasn't so his members wouldn't get suspicious. The guys kept calling to him from the other room but Jeno just pretended he hadn't heard them and carried on waiting when he heard a door close. He looked out the window and saw you'd arrived and he got really excited before calming himself down. He rearranged his hair, brought his shoulders back, arms forward and opened the door.

You smiled when you saw him "I've got the right house!" and Jeno laughed "yeah you did it!". "Am I okay parking there?" you asked "I know I've blocked some of you in". "Yeah it's fine don't worry" Jeno said really not caring if the guys were blocked in so long as you were here. "Sorry this turned into a whole group thing" Jeno said and you smiled "are you apologising because I don't get you all to myself?" you asked and Jeno blinked. "I erm...I'm not saying you wanted me all alone" Jeno said unsure what to reply and you shook your head "no you're right I do enjoy our one-on-one game nights but don't worry I'm sure I'll cope" you said. Jeno blushed slightly and led you inside. "So everyone's here and we're all in the living room" Jeno explained "you can hang your coat here" he said and hung it up for you. By this point, the guys had seen you and began calling out to you.

You of course knew all the Dream guys and they all called out to you with various greetings. Then Jeno watched as Jaemin dragged you over to Johnny who you greeted as friendly as ever. Jeno knew you didn't say Johnny specifically when you were talking about attractive guys but he was still a pretty attractive and charming guy. Plus he was American so had that foreign charm and flare. So as Jaemin introduced you both Jeno held his breath waiting for the earth to start shaking or the romantic music to start playing but nothing happened. You said hi to Johnny and thanked him for inviting you over and he was friendly back. That was it and then you came back to Jeno "so what game are we playing first?".

The guys wanted to play a racing game which wasn't your and Jeno's go to but you both dutifully sat down and went along with it. The two of you had definitely got into a gaming routine and Jeno handed you the red remote without even thinking about it. Haechan had a problem with this.

"Hey" he whined "I want the red remote" and Jeno just looked at him "it's Y/n's". "Since when?" Haechan asked "I thought it was your controller". "Yeah but whenever we play Y/n has it" Jeno said "so she gets it, you can have the yellow one" and he shoved it into Haechan's hands. You laughed and stuck your tongue out at Haechan who pouted unhappyily. He ran off to tell Johnny but even Johnny didn't interfere. He could see the way Jeno looked at you and was happy to let the boy shoot his shot and if the red controller helped with that then so be it.

The afternoon passed quickly in a mixture of gaming and chatting. You got to know Jaemin and Jeno's members quickly and liked them all. They'd heard a lot about you and vice versa so it was fun to actually form friendships with them. Haechan forgave you for the controller incident and you spent 40 minutes debating who was the better artist Baekhyun or Kai. You were both stubborn and enthusiastic and just settled the argument by listening to each of the Exo's members solo and just gushed over them instead. Agreeing they were both great.

Jeno tried not to be creepy and overprotective but he made sure to keep an eye on you to make sure you were okay. He spotted you and Haechan's battle over Exo and didn't like hearing you saying how hot Kai's hips were. He made a mental note to ask for sexier choreography in the next comeback and to try and do the Rover challenge with Kai to show he had good hips too. He was debating texting Taeyong now to ask when you appeared best to him.

"Hi" you said and Jeno jumped "hey, you having a good time?". "I am actually, you're all pretty great and I see why my brother likes being an idol so much". Jeno nodded "yeah we're all pretty great...not as good as Baekhyun or Kai though" and you smirked. "Are you jealous?" you asked and Jeno blushed "no...but are his hips really that amazing?" he asked. You laughed and looked at Jeno "well maybe it's just because I haven't seen yours". Jeno turned even pinker at that but didn't look away this time. "I was just thinking of a way to show you them" he said and then froze as your eyes widened. He moved away and immediately explained what he meant. "As in through dance!" he said "I thought I should try Kai's Rover challenge. Oh god that sounded so wrong" and he was panicking when you put a hand on his arm. "Jeno it didn't sound wrong or atleast I didn't think it did". "You didn't?" he asked and you shook your head "how could anything you say sound wrong?" you asked "especially when you say things like that. I was actually quite excited with what ideas your words formed in my head".

Now Jeno was sure this must be some dream he was having. You were basically telling him you'd quite like to sleep with him and doing it in such a sexy way. Jeno had no idea what to say. His mind went straight to "yes please" but he couldn't say that so he blinked and tried to form words. Luckily Mark saved him. "Hey Y/n you going to game or just sit them flirting with Jeno all night?". You turned around and threw a cushion straight at Mark's head getting him in the face. The guys laughed and Jeno was happy, very pink because of Mark's comment but happy. "That's it, I'm playing this round just to beat Mark" you said and Johnny passed you his controller and gave up the good seat for you "be my guest".

Jeno watched you take on the guys in one of their favourite games and couldn't find you any hotter. You were the perfect girl for him and he wanted you so he decided today would be the day. Something would happen tonight and he wouldn't stammer or struggle to find his words. He'd let you know how he felt and the only way he was going to do that was to keep flirting with you.

So when you went to grab a drink from the kitchen he took his chance. He skipped over to your chair and sat in it. "Y/n's just gone to grab a drink, she'll be coming right back" Mark said and Jeno nodded "I know" making Mark smile. "But she'll want to sit there" Renjun said confused and Mark laughed "yeah dude that's the point!" and Renjun blinked before he got it "ohhh okay". Jeno was blushing slightly as the guys teased him and then you reentered the room.

You walked in and sighed immediately. "Jeno!" you cried seeing he'd taken your seat and he just smiled at you "mine now". "But I want to sit there" you whined "I'm playing next so I need to see the TV!". "I'm not stopping you" he replied and you pouted "Jeno!". Sorry I'm comfy so I'm not moving" Jeno said and with a sigh, you shrugged "fine!" and sat in his lap which was exactly what Jeno had wanted...until it backfired.

The game started and you were doing well playing Mark, however you were an expressive gamer who typically moved around a lot. Jeno hadn't noticed this before but now you were sitting on his lap he did.

You got excited when you were doing well in the game and would bounce slightly. When you first did it Jeno stiffened and realised he hadn't thought this through. Then when you were shot you sighed and moved further into his lap which made Jeno tense and he wondered if you were doing this on purpose. Then when you started bouncing again his hands went to your waist to try and stop you but you just ignored him. "Y/n" he whispered but you didn't pay him much mind. "Can talk busy winning" you said and started yelling at Mark who yelled back. Meanwhile, Jeno was trying to breathe deeply and just power through this. He told himself he could get through this...he HAD to!

5 minutes later all he could think about was you and everything he could feel with you pressed up against him. You seem to have well and truly forgotten he was beneath you and just used him like a chair. You even leaned your head back on his chest and touched his leg slightly when you rested your hand. Everything you did drove him crazy. Jeno could feel blood rushing to parts of him and knew he had to do something fast. "Y/n I have to get up" he said and you made a whine which really didn't help his situation. "But you're so comfy" you said with a smirk and Jeno blinked rapidly, trying to remain calm. He was worried any moment you'd realise what was happening and then you shot Renjun and let out a loud cheer pressing further into his lap. That was too much and Jeno was at his break point. Jeno shot up, picking you up with him, put you down in the chair and ran out of the room as quickly as he could.

You didn't notice what had happened too busy trying to defeat Renjun again but the other guys had. Mark and Haechan were in stitches and rushed to tell Jaemin everything. Johnny came to see if Jeno was okay and told him he could rest in his room if he was too embarrassed or couldn't see you right now. Jeno waited for little Jeno to calm down and then rested in Johnny's room like his hyung suggested. He was having a lie down when there was a knock at the door. For a second he froze, what if it was you? What if you knew? But then the door opened and it was someone even worse.

It was Jeamin.

"You got a boner because of my sister!" he cried and Jeno froze "shit". Jaemin was furious and Jeno tried to explain it. "It was just because she was sat in my lap and bouncing" he said "that was all. Any guy would've reacted the same way". "Why was she even in your lap in the first place?" Jaemin asked and Jeno looked down like a guilty puppy. "I stole her seat and refused to move". "So you wanted her to sit in your lap" Jaemin said and Jeno's blush was enough of an answer. "I knew there was something going on with all your secretive gaming dates when I'm conveniently busy and that weird moment in the kitchen the other week. What do you want with her Jeno?" Jaemin asked and the boy blushed. "I don't know I just think she's really hot okay! We've been talking more and she's really cool and funny. I like her" he admitted. Jaemin stared at him for a few seconds before he sighed. "You're lucky you're one of the nice ones" he said "just don't hurt her and I don't want to see anything. Got it?". "Wait you're giving me permission?" Jeno asked and Jaemin looked at him. "You don't need my permission, she's a grown woman but no I won't stand in the way of it". Jeno was stunned but really thankful and he conveyed that to Jaemin before he left. Jeno rested for a little longer but didn't want to cause a scene so returned later.

Things seemed to have calmed down and he saw you sat with Renjun quietly talking. Jeno felt warm again the second he looked at you so he purposefully went and sat next to Johnny instead. You smiled as he passed and he smiled back but thought he was still too emotional to face you again. Luckily you left 30 minutes later and once you'd gone he had to endure all the guy's teasing. Jaemin conveniently left the room while the guys roasted him. Once they'd ripped him to shreds they started focusing on the positives. "Well she's into you at least" Mark said and Jeno sat forwards "you think so?". "Yeah you could totally see it" Haechan said "well not in the same way as your attraction. She didn't get a boner but she was totally flirting with you". "Yeah and even the way she looked at you was hot" Johnny added "she wants you man". Jeno couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the night.

You apparently wanted him and now there was nothing stopping him from going for you.

[wonderful-magician]

DAROACH HEAD CANNON RAMBLING???

More likely than you would think my friends.

Ok so I worked on the drawing above for maybe 10 hours and I'm very proud of it! And I felt like this post would be a good transition into elaborating MY VERY LONG LIST OF HEAD CANNONS for this rat.... Since he has very little backstory canonically similarly to most Kirby characters who have like a sentence of backstory. And unlike Meta knight or King DDD who have a general concept or idea. We know nothing about the silly rodents!! Nothing!!

( NOTICE THIS IS ONLY FOR MY GIJINKA VERSION OF HIM!! )

So I'm here to basically write a whole damn book for these guys. But specifically daroach because... I'm biased. Lmao. SO I decided to give him something! The life of a poor child from 1920!! ....woohoo?

I believe I've said this before, and I don't think it's that crazy- but I enjoy playing with the fact these characters are for the most part from different planets and have different cultures and experiences because of this. And I love to write little things about it. And just like many others. We have no idea where daroach is even from in the first place.

I like to think the original species of squeaks/squeakers originated from the forgotten land. But at some point they all moved to different planets and locations. You can find them on different planets, and they have a unique culture to each other. The only thing they all share is the bells! Which I shared on my post all about the bells!!

Anyway I figured I would have two bulletin lists about the fun head cannons of mine! But put both of them here for simplicity. And I hope this is coherent and doesn't come off too ... Wow! Tragedy! Daroach is really a chill, happy guy despite some of the things that happened to him in my personal canon...

Despite the events I list here, Daroach actually has a very positive attitude and outlook on life! Despite how his homworld has shitty living conditions and child labor.

Daroach lived with his father until he was ten, when his father was drunk and shot by an officer for being openly against the current mayor.

Daroach never met his mother. But he worries about it little. He cared about it more when he was younger. He also has no known extended family.

Daroach had to live in the streets for a while because of this. Working as a newspaper boy.

He met Storo during this time. The two quickly became good friends. As Daroach was fast and Storo was ... Big. Even as the two were only 10-12 year olds.

The boys became familiar with a lot of the adults in town. Knowing the baker or the locals well. Storo liked to speak to a specific man named doc, quite often.

One harsh winter. Daroach gets sick. And Storo starts to feel under the weather as well. Storo, worried for their well being. Begs doc for help one morning. Doc, after seeing the full conditions of the two boys. Let's them stay with him.

While this was originally temporary, doc ended up enjoying their company. And the three live together like a family. But none of them want to call it a family.

Daroach starts working at a factory and so does Storo. Doc trying to revive his career as a scientist. ( and failing.. miserably. ) around this time doc also takes in spinni. Who's only 7.

Daroach starts to become a more intense thief. While he was always good at it, he did live on the streets for two years after all. But he gets... Very good at theft. For he learns how to float and teleport.

As they all get older. They form a early version of the squeak squad. But it's more like a group formed against the current situations and political climate. As a civil war is occuring in the country and the city is very divided.

Daroach gets himself into a lot of fights. But is both loved and hated by the press. For his hatred to the government but attractive looks by squeak standard.

After daroach is wounded in a fight. They get money, and leave on their newly made airship. Never to return to this planet. As it's just miserable there.

Ok that was a basic outline of his story on my end! Time for more basic head cannons that can be applied much easier !!

Daroach has been smoking since he was like 13. This was normal for his planet. But nowadays he mostly understands his mistakes. But he still smokes, even if he's polite about it and smokes outside it matters little. Meta knight likes to absolutely mock him for this...

Daroach hates being hatless for an extended period of time. It's just ...weird...

Daroach is the only squeak/squeaker to stand on his tiptoes constantly.

Won the triple star in a bet with a certain wizard who plays star stacker.

Used to have a alcohol problem, as his father originally did. But he did actually recover from this.

Dated meta knight for a couple months before they broke up with no explanation.

Nobody but them and galaxia know why.

At the age of 11 he developed a limp and still to this day he doesn't even understand how he got this mysterious limp.

Owns like three of the same outfit and does his laundry often. Pure comfort

Hates not being formal. You won't find this man in public wearing slides and a T-shirt. Must be a poet shirt. Or something alike that.

Totally not weird that he dated meta knights reflection. When he broke up with the real thing.

Okay this better post correctly 🙂

[the-gateway-to-madness]

jack frost hcs: the original draft

Some/most of these are repeats of my very first, original Jack Frost headcanons post (with more elaboration), because back then I didn't know where to find my drafts, but I just found them so here's the sorta-kinda-not-really-lost original Jack Frost headcanon list! It's redundant but there's new stuff in there too and also I don't care lol

Jack was an instrumentalist of some kind in his past life. His hands and fingers are long but sturdy, they'd be perfect for at LEAST violin or piano.

Furthermore, passionately played classical is one of the few things that can switch Jack from chaos mode into concentration mode.

His mischief was mainly to get people to see him, and while he still plays pranks for fun, he no longer has the desperate compulsion to do it now that he's a Guardian and has friends and believers. Now he does it to make everyone happy and entertained.

Jack understands and responds well to all of the love languages, once he gets used to being loved in the first place. His own main love language is quality time, with some clear response to words of affirmation (or maybe North is just good at words of affirmation), but he takes great joy in figuring out other people's love languages and assaulting them with affection.

Sandy's main love language is physical touch, since the others can sometimes get lost in translation for him; he also adores quality time. North's main love language is of course gifts. Tooth's would be mainly words of affirmation (notice the Guardians' verbal support and comfort was very effective for Tooth's stressful moments during the teeth crisis). Bunny's is mainly acts of service. [Note: I switched some of these around in the other Jack Frost headcanon post, I hadn't even realized. Ah well, good points in favor of both ig]

The Guardians absolutely get closer after the Pitch incident (as everyone assumes they do)- they're not quite found family in the movie, but when they're not actively fighting anymore they begin making more effort to bond, since their separation from the world and each other got them in trouble in the first place. Each Guardian starts becoming the natural leader of various types of group interaction, and they all begin to treat each other more casually.

At some point after the movie Jack, now having an identity that feels complete, begins to build a real home for himself- something that felt uncomfortable before he knew the full extent of who he was. This is how he discovers that when a new spirit is properly established, like Jack now is, other spirits pay tribute to them and congratulate them by leaving little gifts. He gets everything from nice new clothes various spirits made, to little bits of art or sculptures, even a holster for his staff. Other spirits may still find him or his season annoying, but that doesn't change the fact that respect for Jack is growing.

Jack begins to get invites to massive spirit gatherings as respect for him shifts, and of course, he now gets to attend North's Christmas parties and Bunny's Easter parties as a guest of honor.

Jack discovers, through all this new interaction, that a lot of the spirits have become more reclusive due to long centuries of almost entirely solitary duties; many didn't reach out during his 300 years alone simply because they didn't know how or didn't feel it was their place or just didn't know he existed, and there are actually a lot of very decent spirits out there who are perfectly welcoming that he just never found.

Basically, Jack learning things and reaching out to people that help him work through all the trauma of the 300 years

I've never liked characterizations that make him out to be super bitter about other spirits leaving him all alone. He's so eager for connection, and while yeah, there'd probably be lingering uncertainty about other spirits, I don't believe he'd actively lash out at him. Even when he's freaked out by the Guardians abducting him, he's more irritable and mocking than actually angry and loud.

Just- Jack developing a network of friends beyond the Guardians from the population of spirits that never heard of him and are actually eager to know him.

Anyway

Jack likes strong flavors. Spice, sweetness, savory, doesn't matter. Not to say he dislikes mild flavors, but he can handle the powerful stuff too.

Jack is actually a Ravenclaw who comes off as a Gryffindor because of ADHD (sorry Slytherin Jack fans, but he was completely happy the way he was, and if the Guardians hadn't literally dragged him along, he would have never had the ambition to join them). His fighting style depends entirely upon flexibility and agility, and it seems it's been that way a long time, given that Jack didn't know after 300 years how much sheer power he could unleash. That's a strong indicator that he's always chosen to fight in ways that demanded strategy over force. He's curious, has a solid sense of humor, and gets bored easily, all possible indicators of intelligence.

I don't think Jack actually dislikes Manny. He remembers MiM's light chasing the darkness away when he appeared from the pond with appreciation and admiration. I think he was just lonely and frustrated.

Jack has steady hands and good coordination and, in turn, handles most things very gently. (Including whoever you ship him with ehehe)

Jack likes theater fine but doesn't much care for opera, in particular.

Jack has a great sense of rhythm but dances like a dork on purpose.

[hrwinter]

20 questions game

Thank you @luthordamnvers for the tag!!

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 10 on AO3. many deleted on FF-net.

2. What’s your total AO3 words count? 309,689 which is like, wow, not that much. especially given that one story accounts for 105k of that.

3. What fandoms do you write for? supercorp for AO3. i've definitely entertained the idea of writing for other fandoms, but haven't made it to an actually completed document yet. i've thought a LOT about writing for harlivy.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? Mrs. & Mrs. Danvers, Fidelity, would you forget me (do i know you?), i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart), and What I Do When I Have Writer's Block. i have writer's block a lot.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? i always try to respond to comments! i get that other people may not, so no judgment, but i figure if someone took the time to write to me, i can take the time to write back to them. it just seems like it fosters more community and the idea that we are all big fans, even just consumers, and appreciate artists of all types.

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? i don't really write angst ending fics, but i've fleshed out a somewhat angsty 'No Way Home' spider-man AU that is pretty angsty.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? probably i carry your heart. faster than a speeding date is also the closest i think i've ever come to fluff.

8. Do you get hate on fics? it's not common, but it's happened. i try to remind people to engage with the content they want to read. everything is tagged on ao3. there really isn't an excuse to be reading 7 full chapters only to then leave a comment like 'i hated this.' then what are you doing here? and if someone is pointing out something they believe to be problematic in my writing, i do my best to fix it. i've had both bad faith and good faith comments, and i really appreciate the latter. m&m au is a bit of a tough one because the original movie is QUITE problematic. that's where i've gotten these comments the most.

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind? like many, i'm sure, i've tried. i'm not sure if i've succeeded. i'm really impressed with the skills it takes to do so. i think people massively underestimate how hard and vulnerable it can be.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? i have never written a crossover.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? yes.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? yes.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before? no, but i think that would be really fun.

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship? i've had a lot of ships that i'm going to list here: harry/ginny. snape/lily. jack/juliet. selene/michael. buffy/angel. buffy/faith. mulder/scully. alison/emily. santana/brittany. villanelle/eve. kara/lena. poison ivy/harley. adora/catra. i've never written as many fics for anyone as i have for supercorp, so i guess it would have to be that.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? there was this sex positive krypton/exchange student au prompt that i got so long ago, years ago, where i fell in love with the concept so much, i developed an entire original novel about it. the novel is absolutely a rip off of supercorp with different names because i didn't want to give DC my worldbuilding for krypton. i have about 60% of the plot written, but i am SO BAD at writing original stuff that i'm worried i'll never get it done. sometimes i've thought about just writing the god damn fanfic because at least then y'all would get to see it. i'm so obsessed with that story. it's absolutely insane.

16. What are your writing strengths? i've been told action and dialogue. a kind of "movie like" description or pacing.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? i'm going to say the same thing as the person who tagged me: Actually writing.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? it would be really cool! i just don't speak any other languages well enough to write in. i don't mind people who want to translate at all though.

19. First fandom you wrote for? harry/ginny. basic.

20. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?  eternal sunshine au. i wrote it in less than 30 days, which has never happened again. and i felt like, even though i didn't at the time, that it actually captured both the essence of the movie and supercorp perfectly. it's one of those stories that is so HEAD canon to me, that sometimes i forget none of it happened in the show. i wish it had. i was so unimpressed by the explanation of why kara lied to lena, even though the 100th episode dangled the potential of it so close to our faces. in my mind, i just erase that, like my story, and imagine my version instead.

Tags, but no pressure: @littlemousejelly @shaolinbynature @coffeeshib @inkedroplets

[pixeldotgamer]

✨All My WIP Projects✨

Since the results of that Twitter poll I did show people REALLY wanna know what I'm working on, I figured I'd just announce/summarize most of the things I have in development right now!

This will be pretty long so it's getting tucked under a read more!

Don't Tell My Wife / DTMW (Game, Horror VN) Status: Active Development

DTMW is my entry for SuNoFes2024 on Itchio! Folks may actually recognize this one as I streamed some concept art a while back, and even posted some as well!

This game focuses on a Husband and Wife in the woods. Specifically, the Husband and something he's been trying to plan for a while. Now there's only one week left and his Wife has taken notice.

"You have one week to get your plans sorted. You thought you had more time than this. Don't let her find out."

---

Treacherous Flesh (Game, RPGMaker Horror) Status: Research & Writing

TF follows the story of Ila, a woman who contracts a deadly illness and must wait 8 months for treatment. The game follows her over that time as her symptoms worsen, and her body turns against her.

Like many of my projects, TF pulls from a personal feeling. This game is an outlet for my own ongoing health problems. I started working on this game after being told I had to wait 8 months for an ultrasound I need for diagnosis. It's month 4 of 8 now.

Probably the most outright depressing thing I'm working on, this game actually means a lot to me. This is an outlet, but I'm also hoping it resonates with people who may be going through what I am.

---

Dead Girl's Club (Game, VN) Status: Research & Writing

DGC follows a girl from a religious cult town tracking down the male "murderers" of girls from said town. The game is a very blatant look at the transmasc experience tackling themes of family, community, passing, more.

---

Computer Angel (Game, Point & Click/Interactive Fiction, Horror) Status: Concept Development

Computer Angel comes from my own fascination with the concept of "angels speaking to you through your screens" and such, whether for horror or comfort.

In CA, your aunt has just passed away suddenly and you end up with her computer. As you investigate the machine to use for yourself, you realize there's something in the computer. Something that would very much like to make your acquaintance.

With 3 narrative paths depending on your choices, I want CA to be a spooky and surreal little game! While the concept has been fleshed out, this one is on the back burner until I dedicate myself to learning GameMaker which is the engine I want to use.

---

Pop-Rock & Curly (Game, Point & Click) Status: Research & Writing

A brainchild of mine from 2019, where I said to myself "What if I made a detective/robber OCs but they're lesbians?" and then PR & C just. existed in my brain?

After just having them rattling around in my brain but never drawing them more than once, I decided to adapt them into a game! I've always had a love of P&C games, so it only makes sense I take a stab at one (Art from 2019)

The game follows detective Pop-Rock, who is personally requested by Curly to help as she rats out her no good boyfriend who has stolen a big flashy item. Using this as a chance to improve her reputation, PR ventures into the cities criminal underworld.

---

Juno Law (Game, VN) Status: Pre-Dev Done, Art Concepts Started

Juno is what I'd call my first "modern" game idea, the first game idea I can pinpoint where looking at it I could go "Wait this could actually be a game!" Basically a "what if I made an PWAA game" type deal

We got lawyers, punny names, gimmicky designs, and more! While not what I would call a fangame, Juno is meant to be my love letter to Ace Attorney that I started cooking up after playing the main 6 games. I actually was pursuing this as my first game!

Juno is a LARGE game. The biggest of anything even on this list in scale. Because of that, I've had it on the back burner since I finished the full game notes back a few years ago. The game is completely outlined! All characters, trials, plot lines, all of it!

I'm really passionate about Juno, but I knew I had to be honest with myself; This is just too much for my first game! My weakest skill, in my opinion, is my writing. So, starting out with massive narrative VN? Maybe not, haha. Someday though, I want to make it.

---

7. Cleopocha (Game, ???) Status: Concept Development

Cleopocha is about an android idol named Chapel, who starts dreaming of their past personas. It's a game largely about identity and asking what do we own those who came before us, especially when we don't remember them?

My current sticking point with Cleopocha is actually genre! The story I want to tell needs breathing room in a way a VN can't provide, but I'm unsure if an RPGMaker type game is quite right. What should the gameplay even be? Those kinda questions 🤔

---

A2amB (Podcast, Liminal Space Horror) Status: Research & Writing

I've had this fascination with doing some kind of story based podcast as far back as 2019, where the title A2amB comes from! The name is a placeholder from the idea I had way back then. (Art from 2019)

The story now is WAY different than the first concept. Salvaging characters and concepts from a MOTW campaign I was running, the podcast is now about a liminal space mall and the people stuck within it. (Art from Aug 2023)

Casey Day, local computer repairmen and burnout, gets dragged into the liminal mall and is stuck fumbling around trying to get out again. Besides twisting halls, a mannequin cult, and unpleasant personalities - Casey will also be haunted by his own issues.

I've been on a steady dev pace with A2amB, but I'm still figuring out what I want from the story, as well as how I want to deliver it. So currently I'm just locking down the pacing and themes in a way I find satisfying. I'll probably have to trim a lot of ideas..

---

And there's the bulk of what I'm working on! I need to refine my pitch process a bit, but I honestly just love gabbing about ideas!! I have no set release dates for these projects, they'll happen when they happen! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧

[gamebunny-advance]

NSR Comic Ideas I'll Probably Never Get To

My brain worms often prevent me from doing the things I actually want to do, so here's a list of NSR comic ideas that live in my head that I just can't bring myself to actually draw. These aren't full scripts like I've written in the past, but more like general outlines.

Draw them yourself if you want, but tag/credit me if you do. It'd be fun to see other interpretations of these prompts.

Since they're mostly gag comics, I've split them into "Set-Up" and "Punchline" in-case you want to write your own punchline or don't want to spoil the joke with the misguided hope that I will someday bring these to life. Some also have "Extended" parts which I think functionally don't need to be there, but may add context or additional jokes at the risk of dragging it out.

Anyway, I hope y'all enjoy them, and hopefully someday I'll be able to make at least 1 or 2 of these real. If there's a particular one you really like, let me know and it might inspire me to actually do it~

Preview:

Game (Neon J. teaches 1010 a new game.)

Clothes (1010 discuss the concept of nudity.)

Simulation (Kliff plays a 1010 dating sim to gather intel.)

Shorts (Tatiana urges DJSS to reconsider wearing shorts to work.)

Singing (Kliff sings to himself in the hideout.)

Chill (Gigi reveals that he has ice powers.)

Wall (Kliff and Tatiana have an argument that turns violent.)

Magazine (Neon J. tries to find the culprit of a smuggling.)

Trade (Kliff makes a trade.)

"Game" (Warning: Violence)

Set-up: Neon J. offers to teach 1010 how to play a new game. They all agree.

Punchline: NJ throws a gun on the table and declares the game is "Russian Roulette."

Extended: The winner turns out to be Blue (as per the chess poll), but he is traumatized by the events. It turns out to be borderline pointless, as the losing 1010s are immediately restored by the factory. The 1010s attack Neon J. in retaliation.

"Clothes" (Warning: Suggestive)

Set-up: Green holds a meeting to discuss if the concept of "nakedness" applies to the 1010's considering that their "clothes" could also be considered "skin." White is annoyed at the prospect of such a pointless discussion, but the others make their cases. Two camps form: team naked (Red and Green), and team not-naked (Blue and Yellow). Team naked believe the skin theory, and team not-naked believe that functionally they can't be naked. Additionally, Blue believes that their clothes are technically made of skin since they're 80% recycled materials.

White refuses to participate to break the tie, so to settle this Green proposes the "underwear test," claiming that if they look more or less naked while wearing underwear will determine if they are functionally naked or not. If they look more naked with underwear, then they weren't naked before because the underwear would draw attention to their nudity. If they look less naked, then they are naked because now they're more covered up. He convinces White to model for them since he hasn't done anything to help move the conversation anywhere (the sooner they settle this, the sooner they can do something else). White agrees and models some underwear, but all the 1010s determine that he just looks stupid.

Punchline: Green bursts out laughing, revealing that this was just a drawn-out revenge plot. White destroys him and their "Days since White has Destroyed Green" board is reset to 0.

"Simulation"

Set-Up: Kliff hobbles into the sewer looking half-dead and is intercepted by Zam, asking what happened to him. Kliff explains that he was doing research for the upcoming 1010 battle. To meet that end, he discovered that they released a dating sim that was supposedly programmed with the 1010 A.I.'s input, so he figured that there might be something useful in it that he could use for a battle strategy.

"Ellie says: Please don't pirate games from independent developers!"

When asked why he didn't just use a guide or play through for his research, he claims that although each 1010 only has 2 routes (good and bad) plus an ultimate ending for playing all routes, the A.I. adapts to the player, so the information would only be useful if he played as though he was Mayday or Zuke.

Punchline: The content of the game was so expansive and the story so moving that he was burnt-out emotionally and mentally. When he recalls the final ending, he starts crying, mimicking Mayday at the end of the 1010 battle.

"Shorts"

Set-Up: DJSS was recently hired onto NSR and has been pulled into a meeting with Tatiana. Tatiana tries to convince DJSS that wearing shorts is inappropriate dress-code, stating that "There are children here." Offended, DJSS starts pointing out the obvious biases in her request, citing that Neon J. doesn't technically wear pants and Eve accidentally interrupts their meeting in her usual outfit. Tatiana acquiesces on this condition, "Don't come crying to me when you come to regret your choices."

Punchline: DJSS leaves the room in a huff, and begins muttering to himself. At that moment, Yinu and Mama are passing by as Yinu points out that DJSS often talks out loud to himself. DJSS and Mama stop to try and make small talk while Yinu zones out of the conversation. She starts looking at DJSS's leg hairs and grabs onto them. DJSS thinks that she's trying to get his attention, but she suddenly yanks them out, causing him to let out a physical scream which bursts out of NSR tower to be seen by the citizens miles away. When we return to NSR tower, DJSS has toppled over from the pain, and Mama lightly scolds Yinu as they walk away from the scene. DJSS manages to pull himself back into Tatiana's office, crying. To which she replies, "What did I just tell you about crying back to me?"

Extended: It is revealed that this is why DJSS wears platform shoes: to keep Yinu from reaching his leg hairs. He also switched to velcro shoes just to be safe.

"Singing"

Set-Up: Kliff is singing Vs. SAYU to himself in the meeting room. He's embarrassed, but can't help himself because the song is too catchy. He at least finds relief that no one can hear him in there but suddenly notices that someone is peeking in through a crack in the door. It's Zam who was secretly recording it on his phone.

"Ellie says: Don't record people without their permission!"

Zam apologizes and slowly closes the door and begins to talk away before Kliff bursts through the door and begins chase. Zam manages to get the phone to Ellie, who gets the phone to Mayday, who is confused about what's happening. Kliff managed to get back to the game room, but he's too late.

Punchline: Mayday plays the video and says, "Wow Kliff... you've got a really good voice." Zam (who is a little beat-up from the chase) agrees and says, "But he never comes out to karaoke with us." Kliff is confused because he thinks the fact that he was singing one of NSR's songs is embarrassing, but Mayday laments that it's a really catchy song, and she does the same thing sometimes.

"Chill"

Set-Up: It's a hot day in B2J's hideout. Mayday laments the heat when Gigi passes by and puts his hand on her forehead. To her surprise and delight, his hand is really cold. She asks him if he was just holding a cold drink, but he reveals that he's half-ice elemental, so he has a naturally low body temperature, explaining that's why he's always bundled up. Mayday asks if she can hug him, since she thinks a frosty hug would be amazing right now. He's a little hesitant but agrees. Mayday feels relieved from the heat, but Gigi starts sensing murderous intent from somewhere. He notices a darkness flowing out from the meeting room and sees Kliff peering out. He urges Mayday to stop, but before she can do anything, Kliff accidentally falls over into the room from leaning on the door.

Punchline: Mayday wonders why this happened and concludes that Kliff must have been jealous. As Kliff tries to say that "it's not what it looks like", Mayday says, "You're jealous that I'm hogging Gigi all to myself. You can have a turn too." Gigi and Kliff internally monologue about how dense she is, but hug each other anyway to keep up appearances.

Extended: As they hug, Kliff realizes that it actually does feel pretty good. And the next shot has Kliff apparently monopolizing Gigi from the others as the latter wonders how they got to this point.

"Wall"

Set-Up: Tatiana and Kliff are arguing about something when Tatiana suddenly slams her fist into the wall, narrowly missing Kliff's head. Flustered, he says, "You can't win by trying to seduce me!" She replies, "This isn't seduction you moron." Before they can do anything else, they both hear a "Ker-thunk!" as Neon J. has situated a table with a sign reading, "Get wall slammed by Tatiana! $5 [Or the rough equivalent in ringgits]" and a small line has already formed. Tatiana questions this as Kliff slips away from the scene. Neon J. declares that he takes any business opportunity he sees. She's about to tell him to stop when the crowd starts looking disappointed.

Punchline: Tatiana begins wall slamming various characters including:

Mayday, who squees about being wall slammed by Kul Fyra.

Eve, who Tataiana tells could just ask her to do this for her.

Kliff again, who wasn't done with their earlier argument and had to pay Neon J. double since he "got the first one free".

Extended: After all the wall slams, Tatiana is exhausted and Neon J. tallies their profits from the day and gives Tatiana her share. It is also revealed that the "table" was actually a 1010 with a board on his back covered by a tablecloth.

"Magazine" (Warning: Suggestive)

Neon J. has called a meeting for the other 1010s to discover which one of them brought a dirty magazine into the house. They ask where he found it, but he claims it doesn't matter and he just wants to know who it belongs to.

Punchline: The 1010s look to each other but remain silent. Neon J. expresses disappointment that they would disobey orders twice, but they claim that they can't determine who it belongs to without more information. Neon J. then correctly deduces that they all own copies of the exact same magazine, just hidden in different places. They are all grounded for 2 weeks.

Extended: In an attempt to make it easier to identify the culprit the next time this was to happen, Neon J. decides to give each 1010 a different fetish, so he can just match the content to the 1010. To his dismay, this just leads to them finding a magazine which miraculously contains all 5 fetishes.

"Trade"

Set-Up: Kliff sits on a bench in front of a fountain. An individual wearing a trench coat and hat obscuring their face sits next to him. Without looking at the individual, Kliff asks, "Do you have it?" They slide him an envelope. Kliff briefly examines the contents (seemingly a document) which can't be seen by the viewer. After tapping them back in, Kliff sets a USB drive on the bench. The individual takes it. "That should patch up most of your vulnerabilities." Kliff says. "Yeah. Most." The individual says with a square text bubble, revealing himself to be Neon J. As Kliff stands up he says, "I need a reason for you to keep coming back, don't I?" Neon J. is left alone holding the drive before squeezing it in frustration and curses under his breath. Kliff makes his way back to the hideout's meeting room where Mayday is waiting with a stern expression. She asks, "Did you get the goods?" Kliff tosses the envelope onto the desk and says, "I always come through, kid." Mayday examines the contents and smiles to herself.

Punchline: It is revealed that the document is a signed pin-up of Kul Fyra which Mayday excitedly hangs up in the room.

[anxiety-banana]

20 questions for fic writers

y'all i'm so happy i haven't done one of these in forever :')

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

93, but that doesn't count my 49 anon works lol

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

252,902, and i'm still disappointed by that number, because that means i could have written multiple novels by now lol

3. What fandoms do you write for?

oof uh lets start the list: star wars and marvel (and like three of its subcategories lol) are the current ones, but including past ones: white collar, psych, warehouse 13, almost paradise, and leverage!

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

so apparently most of my best fics are anon,,, i guess stick around for the official release of those?? but yeah the first three are anon

when it matters (white collar)

inevitability is a stupid, stupid, thing (penny parker fic!)

if you're so smart tell me why are you still so afraid (this is my one and only suits fic, i also hate it, but feel free to check it out lol there's not enough content in the fandom to keep it anon)

and home isn't quite the same, but it's far from unachievable

big brothers make it okay

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

uh YEAH unless you're writing in a language google translate doesn't understand or you made me so mad i'm avoiding giving my phone a smackdown, i'm replying to your comment

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

browski my fics are either fix its or "hey you know what would be fun? killing plo koon" so uh i did some digging and i think it might be call me what i am, call me a monster. that one was,,, a lot lol i have no idea where my headspace was when i wrote that. a lot of my angsty fics end somewhat hopeful but this one legit is angst all the way through

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

ooh!! lose ourselves in the moment is one of the fluffiest endings i can think of. i write quite a bit of fluff, but my main fandom also occurs during a war so it's a delicate balance lol

8. Do you get hate on fics?

kind of?? i've never had someone comment "u suck" on a fic, but i've had a LOT of passive aggressive stuff telling me i'm writing a character wrong, or that I write a fact wrong (i usually get these when i actually wrote something into a fictional universe with fictional, non canonical facts lol so i do get a little pleasure responding to those kind)

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

lol nope. i have an appreciation for certain kinds of smut in writing, when they're tasteful, but even then i typically don't read far into it before wimping out

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

i haven't, but i've written references to them into fics for people to find haha

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

yes, but basically my entire wattpad fic era was stolen on one of those weird bootleg fic websites?? honestly it was all crap they can have it

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

no, but i'm hoping to translate all my fics into legible english prose one of these days. when will this clown figure out how to write is my question

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

i had one (1) fic in the works between @ashgryff and @ljbrary once like two years ago that never even got close to completion, i'm not even sure what happened to that thing?? but i remember panicking because i was terrified of messing up something and we were all kind of new friends at the time so it was mortifying ahaha

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

team "i crave familial affection" i literally took to scrolling my bookmarks to find one i love :') i might have to go with kanan/hera?? i just never get tired of them they're some of my favorite characters as it is

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

mmm so I Know, I'm Sorry (But You Can Do Better) is technically an ongoing fic, it's just a one-shot sort of thing that I'd really like to either give a full plot or just continue indefinitely but at this rate i have no idea if it'll even get another chapter

16. What are your writing strengths?

when i get into it, i pride myself on inner emotional prose, also people have complimented me on my dialogue before so i guess dialogue

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

plotting, pieces longer than 10k, sticking through rough patches to finish a draft

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

personally i only trust myself to do it in a tiny bit of french, but if it's done correctly i think it can be really cool

19. First fandom you wrote for?

sooo technically that would not be star wars even tho that's the first of mine on the internet, it would be Marvel, in which I wrote three paragraphs of a random movie ten years in the future after Endgame came out. it sucked, but look what it started i guess??

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

we've already established that i have a total 142 fics on ao3 so this is a struggle uhhh maybe Eternal, i was really proud of it when i posted it, also you didn't put those bones in the ground, because it took me a really long time to post after i finished it. i find most of the fics i hesitate to post are my favorites, because i don't want them to be harshly judged haha

that was long, thank you for sticking around!!

no pressure tags! answer any or none of these questions haha

lilly and ash who i already tagged and feel bad for double tagging, @ahsokryze @dashedwithromance @armchairaloof @twentyfunnybunnies and all who wish to join! i see this a lot but honestly if you want to join this, please take this as your permission! i will literally tag you if you ask me to so you feel better about participating

[super-ion]

Ion & Emily

The Honeymoon - part 2

(part 1, masterpost)

Cannonball sails across the room. It's almost beautiful until she slams through the drywall.

I wince. I know she's indestructible, but still… that doesn't look fun.

She steps out of the hole in the wall and rolls her shoulders. She looks pissed.

Holy shit. I love my wife. She is amazing.

That said, I thank my lucky stars that she retired from superhero stuff before she met me because she is abso-fucking-lutely terrifying right now.

Well, I guess that's mostly because she swore never to put the mask on again and somebody went and kidnapped me and forced her hand.

That particular somebody launches a stream of lightning at her. She manages to throw her arms up in time to absorb the bolt. I guess it grounds through her suit because she doesn't bat an eye.

I should probably pause and explain what's going on. So, a couple years ago, Emily's brother shows up on my doorstep asking for help. Newsflash, he's a superhero. He tells me Emily's in danger, and she and I were sort of dating at that point, so of course I'm helping him out. We get to the Tower and second newsflash, Emily's actually a retired superhero (which, in retrospect, I probably could have figured out on my own if I hadn't been panicking about her being in danger). Anyway, this hero Thundercloud has gone full villain, like A-list villain, like civilian casualties villain. The three of us take him down, hurray! At some point I guess he broke out and he's got an axe to grind. He tracked us down. In Paris. On. Our. Honeymoon.

Seriously, who the fuck does that?

I guess he decided to kidnap me because he thinks I'm a bigger threat? Because I'm technically a villain and she's a civilian? I don't know, whatever his logic, he just made a gigantic mistake. If there's one thing I know about Emily, it's if the people she loves are in danger, the gloves come off. She's got like two settings, mild mannered retired superhero and absolutely ready to fuck your shit up.

She bares her teeth and lets out a primal howl as she sprints towards Thundercloud.

It's the hottest thing I've ever seen.

Also!! Her costume! God damn!

It's like the sexy grown up version of the one she wore as a teenager. It's sleek, it's modern, and the black and pink hugs her curves and muscles perfectly.

She's so transcendent that I momentarily forget that I'm a supervillain. Can you blame me though? I'm literally living out one of my teenage fantasies here. Like… my inner fourteen year old is re-experiencing baby's first gender crisis.

An unmistakable whiff of sulfur tickles my nose, snapping me back to reality. Somebody crouches behind the chair I'm tied to and gets to work on the handcuffs. Of course they're low tech, anything with any kind of tech and I'd have been out in minutes.

"You like it?" Lady Lacuna says as she cuts through the first cuff. "Bit of a late wedding present."

My eyes slide back to Cannonball and the familiar logo, it's unmistakably my version of her logo.

"Oh shit," I said breathlessly. "You made her that?"

"Technically it was her idea," she replies. "I did make a couple design choices with you in mind though."

I swear, I owe this woman the biggest favor.

She finishes cutting and the second cuff falls off. My power floods back as whatever nullification crap was in them wears off. My head is still fuzzy from all the lightning bolts that are still flying around, but I can suddenly feel the hum of the power lines running through the building and the grittier digital signals in distant computers.

Lady L slaps a gauntlet into my hand. It's one of mine. I slip it onto my wrist and my awareness expands further.

I jump to my feet. I've got to help my wife. Lady L grabs my by the shoulder.

"Girl, no!" she hisses. "You don't have any of your gear. He's going to fucking fry you if you try to engage."

"But Em… uh… Cannonball?" I plead.

I look back to see Cannonball deliver a roundhouse kick to Thundercloud's head.

"She's got this," Emily says, watching Cannonball with an unreadable expression.

She's right. I don't have any of my gadgets or armor and my powers are pretty useless in a stand up fight.

There's an explosion as Thundercloud unleashes one of his finishing moves. I'm knocked back a few steps and I have to shield my eyes against the blinding light and the patter of rubble.

As I open my eyes, Cannonball is there. She's been thrown across the room again and has skidded to a halt at my feet. She's dirty and sweaty and her hair is singed, but she's just as beautiful as I've ever seen her.

She blinks up at me.

"Hey, gorgeous," she says, sending my heart aflutter.

"You… you look amazing," I stammer.

She glances down at her costume, which is holding up remarkably well considering the punishment she's been going through. She grimaces slightly before forcing a cockeyed smile.

"This old thing?" she asks as she drags herself to her feet. "Thought it might be good to dust it off and relive the glory days."

Before I can come back with anything, we hear a groan behind us and Lady L is staggering and clutching her head. I don't know if you've ever seen a head wound, but there's always like an alarming amount of blood.

An instant later, all the hair on my neck lifts up and I barely have enough time to dive out of the way of another lightning bolt.

It strikes Cannonball in the chest, knocking her back and she lets out a string of curses that I'm definitely not repeating. She looks at me, then at Lady L.

"Both of you get out of here," she says. "I've got this."

I give her a nod and she sprints towards Thundercloud again.

I don't have to be told twice, not with Lady L being injured. I grab her by the arm and drag her behind a desk.

"Let me see," I say and pull her hand away from her head.

"I'm fine," she says, slurring slightly.

She's… probably fine. The wound looks a lot worse than it is, but I'm pretty convinced she's got a concussion. She definitely needs medical attention.

"We gotta get out of here," I say. "Do you think you can manage a portal? Dr Hands has that townhouse in the city."

She blinks, trying to clear her head.

"Y-yeah," she says. "I think… yeah…"

She raises a hand and the fabric of reality rends open with an almost audible scream.

Without a second thought, I drag her through.

It closes right behind us and the silence falls like a wet blanket, the sounds of a super fight replaced with the night sounds of the city.

We're… not at Dr Hands' place. We're in a park somewhere. Still in Paris as far as I can tell. It's after midnight, so it's pretty deserted. That said, I'm really not a fan of the idea of dragging an obvious super who is very obviously injured through this place.

I can't even speak French. Like I tried downloading a dictionary into my brain and… well, it didn't go very well. I've mostly been relying on Emily to get around.

Jen. Focus.

The gauntlet Lady L gave me has connected to the internet, so that's good. Without a HUD, it takes me a minute to get oriented, but I manage to determine that she only missed our destination by a couple blocks, so that's good.

I get her arm over my shoulder and heft her up.

"Come on," I say. "It's not far."

She nods, but doesn't say anything. Actually she looks like she's going to be sick. That's probably not good.

We make it about a block and a half when she staggers and slumps in my arms.

"Hey, L! Hold it together just a little more. You're supposed to be rescuing me, remember?"

She huffs a laugh.

"No, I'm just backup. Your wife is doing all the work."

She turns and grips my collar. Her eyes are glazed, definitely a concussion.

"Never," she says deliberately. "Never, ever let her go. Never take her for granted."

So… I've heard their story, or at least Emily's side of it, but it hits a little differently when your wife's ex is staring you in the face and commanding you to cherish her.

I nod.

Oh my god, I think she's about to start crying. She lets go and staggers to a bench. I have to lunge to catch her before she smacks her head again.

"I fucked up," she blubbers. "I did it again, I fucked it all up."

"Um..."

What am I supposed to say to that? I'm sorry it didn't work out between you and my brother and also my brother-in-law who is also kind of your nemesis?

"I still love them," she says. "Dale and John were the best things to ever happen to me."

She takes a long ragged breath.

"I still love Emily," she wails.

Okay, so... you know that feeling when your best friend who's a supervillain admits she's still in love with your wife, but your wife used to be a superhero and had a nasty breakup about superhero stuff, but ended up falling in love and marrying a different supervillain?

Actually, that's really weirdly specific. You very probably don't know what that's like.

I rub her back gently. It seems like the right thing to do. But then she sniffs and she's blinking her tears away as she looks at me. Her lips part and there's something desperate in her face. She leans forward…

Is she…?

Oh shit, she is trying to kiss me.

Nope. Nope nope nope.

I gently take her shoulders and push her away.

"Sarah, buddy," I say as gently as I can manage. "I'm flattered, but we're not going to do that right now. Maybe you can buy me and Em breakfast and we can talk this over, but right now we're going to get you some medical attention."

[carnalapples]

20 questions for fic writers

Thanks so much @rowanisawriter for the tag!!

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

11

2. what’s your total ao3 word count?

70,667

3. what fandoms do you write for?

Dragon Age, Mass Effect, a few Indian movies, and the list will be growing lol

4. what are your top five fics by kudos?

rivers of bitter certainty

those who are in favour with their stars 

a desperate light that since has died 

a heart that laughter has made sweet 

a rose by any other name 

5. do you respond to comments?

Always! They make my day

6. what’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

gold dust woman - Dragon Age, Branka/Hespith, very proud of this one

7. what’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

a rose by any other name - which is also my fluffiest fic in general! again Dragon Age, Cullen/Adaar

8. do you get hate on fics?

not yet 😎

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

I suppose so, not often on its own but usually as part of the plot... character study through the bj 💀

10. do you write crossovers? what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I haven't written any crossovers yet!

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

No

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

No

13. have you ever co-written a fic before?

No! I really like the idea, but I'm a bit worried because I write so sporadically when I get bursts of energy that I'm not sure if I'd make a great writing partner, haha

14. what’s your all-time favorite ship?

Ahh, I just love Romance, so I don't know if I can pick a favorite, but Katniss and Peeta from The Hunger Games are who got me into fandom, and they're who I always return to when I'm truly feeling discouraged. Most ships I've written for are a favorite for some facet of them.

15. what’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I have an AC3 AU fic just. Lingering on the hard drive. I do hope to finish this one eventually, but it keeps threatening to be longer and more convoluted than I expected.

16. what are your writing strengths?

I think describing emotion/character dynamics. I get really proud when I figure out the sort of dynamic I want to focus on, and then I can shape the fic around that. I also tend to like my dialogue, especially when I make myself laugh with something kind of cheesy.

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

Definitely plot: I love focusing on characters, and as a result I do not develop plot as much as I'd like to. I think I tend to drag out scenes and sometimes I feel like I'm forcing it to lengthen the story or create some kind of action. I also really like including boring details and when I go back and edit I struggle to keep what's relevant, lol.

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Even if characters are talking in another language, I usually write in English except for a few words that don't translate well. I was trying to think of situations where I'd write full dialogue in another language and they were all very specific: maybe if it's an important part of the setting or a character's internal conflict. So I guess in those cases I would if I either knew the language well or could ask someone about context, etc. (This actually reminds me of another WIP I don't know if I'll finish, lol.)

19. first fandom you wrote for?

I think The Hunger Games, but I never posted any of it. So many talented people in that fandom!!

20. favorite fic you’ve ever written?

Again, probably the care and feeding of lovebirds! It’s such a comfort movie + fic, and I guess that shows in how quickly I wrote it haha. But going back to that one is soothing for me, and I do have more DDLJ fic in the works.

I'll tag anyone who wants to share!!

[sharkneto]

for the ask game — 🏅🤔💭

🏅 What is something you recently felt proud of in regard to your writing (finished a fic, actually planned for once, etc).

"Recent" is my forever and always pride over Holding It Together. That's a novel! I wrote that! I finished that! And it's good! But it's also two years old now - how time does fly.

I think the Shifting Together series in general, though. Joining Together was one of my very first writing projects when I first sat down and started dabbling in really writing wayy back in like September 2020. I wrote it to kill time in the pandemic and it was a fun little Just For Me Project That Will Never See The Light Of Day and because I couldn't stop thinking about The Shifting Mirrors. The fact that it's grown into the series it is, and that we are so close to finishing JT is really something. A full circle kind of moment.

🤔 What is the hardest part of writing fic?

Writing.

I'm only half joking, but sometimes I get in my head and I'm looking at what I've written or what I'm in the middle of writing and I have the bad brain worms and it's like "what the fuck am I doing this is so dumb". Gotta step away for a bit when those hit to let things settle and the love for it smash back through, usually by figuring out what specific little detail or scene is bugging me and needs an edit to get things back on track. Currently having it a bit with the latest chapter of JT and I think I've figured out the bit that's bugging me, so hopefully almost through this particular slump.

💭 What is a headcanon you have about your own work?

Headcanon about my own work... Huh. The thing is with this question, is that... if it's your own work that's just canon babey.

First things that came to mind are Rob (head)canons - Rob is a nerd for bad, cheap sci-fi. I'm talking B- and C-list made-for-TV SyFy Channel Original movies Bad Cheap Sci-Fi. Sure good CGI is fun, but terrible CGI is even more fun. It's not all that relevant ever but it is why he's so fast to be like "hey - Five Time Travel?" Because he likes watching movies with horrendously ignored time travel paradoxes that give Sarah headaches, so he's not as hung up on the inherent problems of time travel like others (Sarah) would be as an idea to even consider. Second Rob (head)canon is that he has atrocious Doctor Handwriting and it kills me it has never been relevant in Shifting Together to bring up.

response to this fanfic ask game

[thessalian]

Thess vs The List, Again

Oh, I failed to mention that I have been working on my whole resolution to at least try all of my games by the end of the year. This is slightly made problematic by the fact that I keep getting more games, but hey, it's not that bad of a problem to have. At least if I keep trying, I can whittle down the list of games I haven't even touched yet. So here we go:

Transistor: This is the one that won my little poll, and while the general story seems really interesting, the controls are not exactly intuitive for me. My tolerance for fiddly has pretty much died. I'll probably try it again when I have a few more spoons available.

Pentiment: Now this one, I liked. It doesn't exactly feed that need for Doing Things that attracts me to a lot of games (whether it's a farming sim, building sim, or just something where I can beat on people without getting arrested), but definitely an interesting one.

Garden In: This is a new one for me (released last year), but ... I mean, that still counts towards "whittling down the list", right? As the name suggests, it's basically a gardening sim, but one where you can also decorate your surroundings and the plants don't die a permanent death if dry or infested with bugs. So it's very Zen, though I figure it'll probably be one I finish all the achievements for and then put away for awhile, only to come back when I need that particular kind of Zen. Like I do with Pan'orama.

Model Builder: I liked this one, and it's very much my kind of Zen, but it can also be a little fiddly, so I'm going to have to restart that one. Probably going to be my go-to Zen for awhile once I've 100%-ed Garden In.

Enigmatis: The Ghost of Maple Creek: Thrown at my head for Christmas this year. I mean, I had the second, third, and fourth game in that series, and was just missing the first, so ... yeah. Anyway, a pretty standard hidden object game, and definitely my idea of a good time. (Side note: even if they don't live on my wishlist, a hidden object game never goes amiss.)

This War Of Mine: Yeah, I know, it was THE game for awhile and I'm only just now poking at it. It looks really interesting, and I'm slowly figuring out how to work the thing, but ... I think it's a little too grim for me at the moment. I need something way more sunshiney at this point. Or at least something that isn't "Everyone is living in abject misery". If I wanted that, I'd just look outside.

An Arcade Full Of Cats: More hidden object fun, and much more my speed. No particular story involved; just a "Find the cats and stuff" mandate and a bit of messing with the set dressing. It's cute, it's fun, and I guess I must not be alone in thinking that because there's a whole franchise of "Full Of Cats" hidden object games (where in some cases, there's a whole achievement based around finding the representations of the dev team's cats, so you get finding cartoon cats and real-furbaby cat tax).

Memory Fragment: Another one that's fiddlier than it needs to be, honestly. I think they were trying a little too hard with some of the mechanics. I'll probably try it again at some point.

Paradise Killer: I'm only a few minutes into this one, but it honestly wasn't grabbing me. The premise is ... probably interesting, but while I will probably carry on a little further just to see what's going on with it, the fact is that it's a first-person perspective game and those are hard for me. Might have to go into the NOPE column on general principles. And, y'know, not wanting my head to explode.

I'm pretty well resigned to not getting everything at least sampled before the end of the year. Not least because a) my birthday's coming up and for most people, hitting my Steam wishlist is just the easiest option, given the whole "ocean in the way thing" (plus maybe presents to myself, y'know), b) I actually want to finish a Baldur's Gate 3 playthrough, and c) Horizon: Forbidden West comes out in about 7 weeks and that's going to eat my time for awhile (I should probably pick up Zero Dawn again just to remind myself what I'm doing there). Plus d) the office is a mess again (that's for another post, though). Still, I'm going to keep poking away at it. There are a lot of games there, and I have a 2TB external drive (plus space remaining on the 1TB external drive I got in honour of Baldur's Gate 3), so even the ones I didn't bother installing could see a return to at least test out. Plus it'd be nice to know the ones I can just leave uninstalled in perpetuity. Also, there's the off chance that some of the first-person perspective ones could be played, if they're not too frenetic ... y'know, if I bothered to get my prescription checked. I'm looking into that but I'm trying to figure out how best to go, "Look, I just want my prescription; I'll order the glasses themselves online because it's cheaper". We'll see. I do have an entire week off coming up soon. Ugh. They're going to do that stupid eye-puff glaucoma test that always leaves me with a migraine for the rest of the day. Still, better that than the increasingly regular headaches I've been getting lately. Part of it's probably stress, but the rest is probably "my eyes are going to shit". If I didn't need varifocals, it'd be fine! Or at least cheaper!

Don't mind me. It's not a lack of being able to afford it. It's a combination of sticker shock and general frustration with the whole process. Mostly because it just has to be done again a year or two down the line. The whole problem with being an adult is having to take yourself to the doctor etc, not to mention paying for it.

[fourseasonsfigs]

I Didn't Know How or When you Would Come...

This "hairpin" fig set is of course directly inspired by this scene in Episode 31 of Word of Honor.

The set comes with the two figures, the table, chair, and the mirror. It's made of resin, which always worries me due to the fragile nature of the material. I have the warehouse bubble wrap any resin figure, but you just never know how aggressive carriers might get, or if there were any hairline fractures to start with.

In my experience, all resin figures come in this type of carved plastic cushioning, and I've had (cross my fingers, knock on wood, etc etc) good luck so far.

Only the hairpin appeared broken in transit, so while I was sad, I felt that overall I had gotten lucky.

However! I realized that the hairpin was not actually broken, but shipped in two pieces to avoid breakage, and they included a tube of glue in order to glue each side to A-Xu's little hairbun.

Normally the warehouse removes glue from shipping, but in this case the tiny little tube seems to have accidentally slipped down the side of the box. I already have a 2-part resin glue of my own that I bought locally that is a bit of a hassle to mix and deal with, but is pretty rock solid. This nail glue? is softer and the hairpin is already wiggling loose a bit.

This is a beautiful set for a beautiful scene. I love it.

The figures are very stable. A-Xu sits squarely back in his chair and I don't worry at all he'll fall out. As I say this, of course, I upload this picture...

He is laying very gently down on his perfect face to illustrate. Sorry, A-Xu! You can see he's crafted to fit quite securely with his robes and his sleeves. You can also see his little bun here and the hairpin holes pre-glue.

I love the long elegant sweep and train of Lao Wen's red rescue robes.

A-Xu looks adorable sitting there. These figs have quite a bit of glorious hair but their heads seem a bit smaller and more delicately sculpted than typical.

I never get tired of their beautiful long hair. You can see my wobbly-glue hairpin creation here.

Here's an angle of Lao Wen in full hair brushing action.

A view of the mirror here. I'm quite tempted to decorate the table with little jars and a runner like the screenshot.

The seller also sold this beautiful standee. This was originally a fig / diorama design, but demand wasn't high enough to offset enough of the cost. A huge bummer because this would have been incredible.

The box the fig set shipped in is also beautiful! I love this seller's whole design aesthetic:

Two sides of the box have spicy sets of artwork in a non-chibi style. There was also a pin-up style piece of art that I believe came with the early bird/first-in purchases, but I wasn't early to this, so unfortunately I didn't receive it.

Unlike the (mild and sweet) spice level of the art on the New Year Wenzhou armory magnet (which you can read here), this definitely is kicking it up a notch. I'll post it past the ***** line as usual.

Material: Resin

Fig Count: 57

Diorama Count: 5 (I'm not counting the diorama in the header post quite yet! I'll do another post on that)

Snowglobe Count: 1

Rating: ...but I knew that you would come

[link back to Master Fig Index for more posts]

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Alright, I'm going to ramble on for a bit so anyone scrolling down to read the bulleted list has a substantial buffer of space before the pics.

I really hope this fig creator makes more figs. Their work is fantastic and I love their vision they had for the swing figs / diorama - full credit to them for shooting for the moon on a large dramatic glorious piece.

Plus there simply just isn't enough Wenzhou figs out there - fig makers could literally make figs for every scene of every episode they're in, and I would buy them all. Can you imagine? That would be amazing.

Alright my patient fig friends! Here's the artwork. I will admit it took me a while to get what the fig maker was riffing off of here, but I did eventually get it.

[knightofhylia]

Adamkvi: Peace and Joy on the Planet Earth

I am honouring Adamard 'Puka'. His tag is adamkvi.

History and Name:

He came to me as part of a Full metal Alchemist OC. Adamard is a combination of 'Adam' and 'Edward', since he started as an Edward export I wanted to keep the name. It is pronounced "ah-DAHM'-ard" His middle name, Llolineu is a mystery. I don't really know where it came from. It has been spelled also as Llolineau. I always pronounced it 'Lah-lahl-eh-new' but I think it is closer to "Tholl-eh-noh". Considering that Puka is from the UK, I wouldn't be surprised if the double L is supposed to be like the Welsh letter that we see often in Llewlleyn. It's pronounced more like a 'th' with the tongue behind the teeth as opposed to on the teeth with an L. Another interesting synchronicity with his name is that he is mostly known as Puka. I used to refer to Puka, his wife, and their partners as 'the goblins' because they were mostly all short fae creatures with a tendency for trouble. I learned later that púca is the old English word for goblin! interesting huh? His last name is Tracey, but I don't think that had any specific origin, I think I just picked that from a list.

Role:

in 2020,when I was working with my deities I asked them all what their 'role' was by pulling 3 Tarot cards (This is when my Zelda deck was all I had). His as follows:

The Hanged Man Surrender, release, waiting, sacrifice The World Change, luck, taking action, inevitable change King of Swords Intellect, objective, assertive

When I first pulled these cards I assumed everyone was 'a deity' but as I've gotten to know them all, Puka is more of a saint/prophet than a deity. He is godspoused to the spirit of the Life and is very close to a Yeshua/Jesus figure: an embodiment of a god on earth whose focus is to spread kindness, love, and justice.

Lore and Description:

Adamard has been both human and machine multiple times. He was drowned as a child by bullies and was made into an android. Later, he was changed back into a human .He is intersex and albino. He was a part of many experiments which lead to his clone, Cain, and his son, Beauramard. He was groomed by an Anglican offshoot cult to be their saviour, however, he was later disregarded after the birth of his child did not change the world as prophesized. He later married D'sukinz, the actual prophesized saviour, and raised their children together. His patron deity is Niseag and D'sukinz. He is the son in law of Hemy, and brother in law to Kaleitti and Junalahqi.

Appearance:

He is albino with pale skin, white hair, one blue and one pink eye. I never remember which is which tho. In his teenage years he was forced on hormones to 'fix him' so he presented more feminine. as he got older he presents more masculine/androgynous. His favourite colour is blue. He has scar on his neck and a scar/tattoo on his forehead.

UPG story:

Puka was actually a name given to him by a longtime friend of mine. I collect BJD dolls and have two of him. One day my friend commented saying he looked like a 'pukabear' and when I asked what the was they said 'I dunno but it's him!' I rarely use Adam or Adamard with him,I mostly call him Puka lol.

I mostly experience puka in my head so I don't have very many upg stories I guess. Sometimes when I get thrown into a laughing fit my husband calls it 'my puka laugh' lol. There is a still al to for me to learn about him! I also haven't worked directly with him in a long time.

Correspondences:

Animals - rabbits, hares, albino animals, Astrology - Virgo, Venus, Gemini, the Moon Beverage - Tea Color - Blue, Pink, White

Crystals: Rose Quartz, Pearl, Aura Quartz, Coral Emotions - Peace, Love, belonging

Epithets: The Auspistice, Peace Keeper, Flower - Rose, baby's breath, elfdock Fruit - Apples, Strawberries, Herbs - Damiana, Motherwort, Carrots Keywords - Love, Harmony, Rebirth Kvi - September Meme -

Metal - Iron, Aluminum Musical Expression - electro swing, indie folk, vapourwave

Number - 50, 38 Playlist - Lüzers Mythical Animal - Unicorn, Mermaid, Jackalope Physical Expression - Sex, Stimming, being flirty Sense - Touch Symbol -