#and even games where I think I'm being clever are apparently to easy so

[yusuke-of-valla]

Also sorry to be in an increasingly pissy mood today but I'm also tired of everyone saying every game should have the popular feature du jour

[tai-janai]

ok so apparently all the voices have a little ability ? of some sort that comes from different forms of trauma responses and the sake of safety so im going to list what i think they are. im open to discussion

tldr: they all are their own form of trauma response

with the obvious:

The Voice of the Paranoid with reign over the system. It goes with the fact that someone with anxiety has more stress responses than the average person, he knows how to keep the heart from exploding. His response is pretty clear, the nightmare is very clearly traumatizing. His focus works on survival from the inside.

The Voice of the Hunted has his animalistic instinct and heightened senses. I stand by the fact that he could hold his own better than any other voice in a battle to the death. Though he may not outsmart an enemy, his focus works to keep the system safe.

The Voice of the Hero is, in a way, inconsistent. I think his ability has to do with adaptability. I also have this minor headcanon that he isn't quite the same as the other voices, since he's always kind of there. He can reach the Quiet even when others cannot. His interactions with and reactions to the princess depend on the player more than any other thing. His focus is less of a Hero, and more of an ally.

The Voice of the Broken is fear in a way Paranoid is not. His fear makes him small, but more powerful. In the instance of "Fight or Flight," his response is "Fawn," as in he will use his power to give in to the fear. His will and fear are very powerful compared to the others, being able to control the Quiet's actions without much effort. In a way, his focus is making himself powerless.

The Voice of the Cold is pretty infamous for being as unfeeling as possible. I believe this is not just his little emo persona, I think his focus has shifted in a way that he has become unfeeling (usually as a result of turning off after being stuck in Nothing for "eternity"). His focus is a straightforward lack of empathy as a response to the trauma of nothingness and murder.

The Voice of the Opportunist is like the Hero with adaptability, but that is not his focus. He works with self-interest in mind. He is focused on self-improvement, with the self becoming the best and most powerful. When others backstab, and when you, yourself are a backstabber, it is often that one learns from this to get a vantage point. He is very clever to the best situation and outcome, not caring how he gets there. His focus is the self's best interest.

The Voice of the Stubborn is a very angry little guy. Fight or Flight, his choice is pretty obvious. In the route of the Adversary, of which he is the foil, his response is to become the enemy. He has to fight her, until it becomes a game where "nobody can get hurt." He, like Paranoid, can keep the body from stopping. Remind you of anyone named Frisk Undertale? His focus comes down to denial and determination. He won't let himself be the victim.

The Voice of the Skeptic is, of course, constantly questioning. Once bitten, twice shy, as we all know. The lies , this time from the Narrator, are definitely stress-inducing, and coming from someone that preaches trust, it is not so easy to replenish the guy's trust in anything. His views can venture beyond what is available; he is the first to think outside of the box. It comes down to the focus of self-preservation, the opposition to the Opportunist's focus of self-interest.

The Voice of the Contrarian is similar, but it can be argued that he isn't exactly a trauma response. He is just a reaction to the self. There is a disorder (i cant remember the name) where its just constant denial and contradiction, and that feels more like him than anything. But we all know Conty. It's very clear his focus is Brewing Chaos. His affect can literally alter reality as the reality is being perceived.

The Voice of the Smitten is ... a little bit sad. I'm sure we all know about stockholm syndrome, but in a lot of instances, Smitten will trauma bond with the princess. It's as if she can do no wrong, right? even when she kills you? Multiple times? And will again? ? ? The sheer denial and willingness to be hurt is, yes, another trauma response, wanting the person you love to be perfect, and hoping that they are. His focus is effort; trying his best to love and be loved. Often in vain. It is arguable that his affect effects reality more than any other Voice.

Last but not least, The Voice of the Cheated. Thought of as weak, but could have been more if he was "treated fairly." Anyone who feels as though they have been treated unfairly in the past knows the desire to have things be fair. In the route of the Razor, he also has an incredible resolve and determination. His stubbornness comes from a need to "settle the score." He can unify, and eventually "empty the cup," as in letting go of his vengeance. All of the voices do not bother him. If anything, he is glad that everyone can have their effect, and he hopes his efforts will be enough. His focus is equality, and unity.

[bittersweetbeet]

Okay so thoughts about the building contest and such, here we go–

(this turned out so long, I'm so sorry–)

I applaud Alan and his team, because the only reason I'm able to infer so much from these wordless videos is because of their body language animations and clever world building.

Okay so I went back and rewatched (my favorite thing to do). The beginning of this portion of Green's arc starts in "The Building Contest", aka AvM 2. Which takes place approximately two years after the og Animation vs Minecraft. We are early in the timeline.

Anyway, Orange begins the contest, and Green is seen to be very particular about what blocks he uses. He lays down some blocks, looks back at the reference picture, and then apparently decides they aren't good enough. He starts over.

End of the video, Green has created a lovely build, earning himself the trophy. He is very excited about this; he dances around, punches the air, etc. In response to this, Blue and Yellow work together (like the dynamic duo they are) and toss TNT onto his build, blowing it up.

A fascinating start. In simply this video, you could defend Green with "Well, Yellow and Blue were just being bad sports. He earned the win!" That may be true. Let's carry on.

Next video: "Build Battle", aka AvM 17. Two years later (approximately). They've lived through that first big adventure: The Nether, Purple and the End, Skyblock, all of that.

Green's first build this time around is extremely detailed, and he receives the trophy once again. However, his attitude seems challenging. Almost a "what are you gonna do, not give it me? Look what I did." kind of attitude. And then he Fortnite dances on the losers. Not a great look, Green.

Now, the video isn't over, but I have to mention something. I believe that we can infer at this time that this has happened before, and has been happening, from Yellow's reaction.

Yellow approaches Orange and begins to scheme a way to get Green to lose a build battle. I don't think someone would plot their friend's downfall unless 1) the winning had gotten to the point where the game was no longer fun, and 2) if the winner's attitude was one of annoyingly-confidant arrogance.

The next challenge for the build battle is a toy robot. Machines and robotics are Yellow's thing– literally two episodes before he'd taught his friends the basics of redstone. Should be an easy win, right?

Well.

Yellow makes a working robot; its eyes light up, the limbs move, it can jump up-and-down. Yellow seems proud of himself, and he and Green share a moment of tense eye contact before they move on. Blue's robot build is good, but then Green brings out his robot.

This is where we delve into one of my headcanons for this scene. I believe that Green cheated here. You simply can't build a robot that complex in vanilla Minecraft, and Green been shown to have cheated in contests before (remember his Minecraft simulator in "Redstone Academy"? I don't think either Green or Orange were being honest there)

Even if Green didn't cheat, and created his robot through completely legitimate means, that doesn't excuse his taunting of his friends after his win, and the fact his robot chased Red and Blue with a diamond sword after they tried and failed to blow it up.

On to another build battle. Interestingly enough, it seems as though Yellow and Co have stopped trying to sabotage Green's success. They continue through the building process as normal.

And then Green summons a Wither. Completely by accident, he was thinking only of what would look most authentic and didn't realize what he was doing. Regardless, the Wither is here and it demolishes most of Green's build and starts to fight him.

While this is going on, the rest of the Color Gang are carrying on as if nothing is happening. They inspect Red's build, then Yellow's (complete with redstone-activated teeth and claws!), where Green attempts to get their attention before getting chased by the Wither. They ignore him. At Blue's build, it is even more clear that they are doing this on purpose. Part of Blue's build gets disintegrated but Blue just casually rebuilds it. Doesn't even look in the direction of the fight in the background.

They continue to Green's... remains of a build. They are not impressed, and then Orange presents the trophy to Blue. Which I think was a fun way to subvert expectations that Yellow would have won because he'd been set up to rival Green in this episode, but we carry on.

What next? The Wither attacks them and the video ends. We have not gotten a build battle video since.

So what do we make of this? Green technically got what he deserved, being all cocky and such. I find it fascinating that we haven't gotten more build battle videos. Sure, it might be because Alan prefers the Noteblock episodes, but in universe?

I think the Gang might have stopped doing build battles, or at least made them less of a deal. They have other things to compete about; see "The Ultimate Minecart Race". And I think Green may have mellowed out a bit.

It is very interesting that between these videos and "The Prank", where his smug personality was on full display, that there was a trend in the Actual Shorts where he would keep getting hurt. Or at least be the butt of the joke.

This was early on. They hadn't gone through some of the craziest adventures yet, where their friendship would be tested, and their very lives put in danger.

I think Green has matured; yes, he's still ridiculously competitive and has an arrogant streak a mile long. But he seems to have focused his skills– honing them, instead of trying to the best at everything. Specifically with music, something that can be done together. Even if he still manages to make it competition. It is still something that brings people together– after all, it's how he was able to reach Purple.

Green is still competitive. But he has become so much more than that. He is focused, determined, confidant, kind, compassionate. A wondrous musician, and likely a terrible cook. He is nuanced and I love him for it.

DONT APOLOGIZE FOR THIS BEING LONG HELLO I AM EATING THIS UP

You sent this at the right time tbh I needed a break from my final paper-

GOD I LOVE THIS ANALYSIS SO MUCH I never noticed that Green mellows out and matures throughout his arc and that’s so real omggg. The idea of Green honing his skills in music not for the sake of being better than anyone but because it brings people together is so good omggg im injecting this into my blood stream.

IT ALSO NEVER STRUCK ME THAT THEY STOPPED HAVING BUILDING CONTESTS AFTER THE LAST ONE THATS TRUE they probably were looking for other ways to compete with each other that’s fair for everyone involved.

And I love love LOVE how Green’s competitive nature is still there even when he has become more compassionate and mature. Since it feels that’s a pretty big stable for his character; being the one that’s good at everything and brags about it.

It’s kinda like how Purple is still a trickster/schemer at heart even though it’s clear he’s much happier and isn’t afraid to be more expressive now. Cause without those traits, the characters just kinda lose the charm and nuance they initially had. So I always get very happy when characters development as people but that trait that gives them so much charm is still there in a way.

[fernsandsunflowers]

I hyperfocused on Good Omens, Crowley and Lucifer so here's a 2000 word essay that I'm not sure even makes sense. I'm going to go and salvage the rest of the day and do some of the work I'm supposed to be doing to live or whatever now. thanks for coming

I don’t know how popular the Crowley is Lucifer theory is I haven’t read into it, but I knew of it being out there. I started thinking about it randomly today and now I am obsessed. If I’m repeating anything that’s already out there I am sorry but I – went on a whole ass journey and here's why Crowley has to be Lucifer.

Most of my knowledge on Christian mythology is based on media/books that I’ve read. I have consumed A LOT of western media and I personally love stories inspired by Christian theology, including Neil’s Lucifer comics and the TV show. So, I am familiar with the concept of using Lucifer as a medium for critique. I was however, under the impression that Lucifer and Satan were one and the same, that Satan was Lucifer before he fell. And so, when I first came across the theory that Crowley was Lucifer I was a little confused. It stuck in my head though – because, wouldn’t that be just a good fucking twist?!?! – and I started researching Lucifer and Satan. And omg.

I don’t know if there’s a lot of different things in the books that I have missed not being Christian or being born into a Christian family, where Crowley would have done things that was traditionally associated with Lucifer/Satan. I’m assuming there is and that’s what led to the theory coming about? The only thing that stuck out to me was him being the one to tempt eve. I thought Satan, as a snake, tempted Eve to eat the apple. [based on google searching I know this is also debated and maybe not actually in the bible? It was just a crafty ol’ snake?]. But everything changes when you separate Lucifer and Satan.

First on why Crowley’s angel identity is one of importance:

Crowley clearly was a high-level angel, that much is clear from S1/Book and more so in the light of evidence from season 2. S2 also starts to put more emphasis into who Crowley was before the Fall, not in the very apparent ways like that first scene where he creates a Nebula. No, in clever little foreshadowy ways.

There is overt emphasis on the miracle in terms of Aziraphale’s power than Crowley’s. I know it was half-half, but while the show never once denies that it was their combined power, it continues in a way where Aziraphale is the focus of the miracle and it’s 25 lazarii power and Crowley’s part in it is made subtler almost like Mr Gaiman is trying to get us to forget. But if that miracle is so powerful and it is so unlikely that Aziraphale could have done it being just an angel, then it implies that Crowley is incredibly powerful too.

Crowley had access to Gabriel’s files.

Crowley has clearly been mind-wiped. We all agree on that right? “I know it hurts”, “looking where the furniture isn’t”. It doesn’t seem like any of the other angels/demons have. But I think everyone’s been made to forget something, erasing memory seems to be an easy enough and common enough thing for the higher ups to do. Or for Metatron to do anyway. A little tweak here and there and everyone forgets Crowley was Lucifer, including Crowley. Someone (it’s Metatron) is playing a very delicate little chess game (Metatron I see you) and there’s a lot of little signs to show that small details are missing from everyone’s memories (Metatron!!! *shakes fist at sky*). An example is that Aziraphale and Muriel have met before. In the Job memory she was the one who went through Crowley’s contract. And I know it’s a small thing – the writers could have just decided not to acknowledge it or imply that maybe they had forgotten they had already met. People forget things all the time, and it was 100s of years ago! But the whole thing struck me as exceptionally odd. I even expected there to be a comment by Aziraphale that he had met Muriel and so her pretending to be a ‘human police officer’ was doubly hilarious. But there was nothing and, to me, it felt like there was a heavy emphasis that both individuals believed this to be their first meeting. I know they’ve lived for thousands of years and memory is a fickle thing so they could have simply forgotten that meeting. But Aziraphale isn’t the type to forget a face, especially one that helped him go through a contract for something that was very important and honestly kinda life changing for him. And Muriel honestly, also doesn’t seem the type to forget the time she helped Heaven’s ambassador on Earth go through a contract involving a pretty popular and consequential bet between God and Satan. Anyway, I digress. I don’t know why it was important to erase Crowley’s (and everyone else’s?) memory of Lucifer [but I have a theory, more on this later] but Crowley would have needed to be significant as an angel and instrumental in the Fall for it to have been necessary.

What I’m trying to say is that I believe S2 was riddled with hints that Crowley’s angel identity, his past, will become important as we move forward. So his identity is possibly one that we as the audience will immediately recognize.

That’s all the technical reason’s why I think Crowley is Lucifer, but none of that stuff actually give any real foundation as to why he is Lucifer and not just another high-level angel. So here are the more abstract and very emotionally biased foundational reasons.

First a bit on etymology and history:

Lucifer (latin) is used to describe the morning appearance of the planet Venus. Venus is the morning star, the bringer of dawn or the light bringer. We all know it – it’s that big, big, bright star that always catches your eye when it’s out. Being the brightest object in the sky, outside the sun and the moon, Venus is extremely beloved and a major fixture throughout recorded human history. Because of the way she orbits around the sun, we on earth see her at different times depending on her orbital period. Either in the morning or in the evening. The morning star and the evening star. Same star. Lucifer was used to describe Venus in the morning, translating to the dawn-bringer. Venus’ appearance in the sky throughout recorded human history is described with such reverence and love. Every culture has their own stories and mythologies surrounding her and in nearly all of them (generally - each culture had specific beliefs) she represents love, light and joy. The stories differ based on whether cultures are referring to her morning appearance or her evening appearance or whether ancient cultures believed her two appearances to be the same star or different stars - There are stories of Venus’ two appearances being star-crossed lovers in ancient Vietnamese folklore, for instance.

In a lot of stories where she was seen as one and the same, including Greco-Roman folklore, the stories often featured Venus ‘falling’ or being ‘cast down’ from the heavens. These particularly related to the way Venus moves in the sky as observed from earth. Because of trajectory of her orbit around the sun, the planet never reaches the very top. That is she never rises above the sun or the moon always appearing just below and the planet never actually falls below the horizon. Apparently, this was different enough from norm (hi i don't know a lot about space) that it was included as a key point in a lot of these folktales. Numerous mythologies spoke of Venus being cast down from the heavens for trying to reach the throne. Including, in Roman folklore, that later feeds into Christian mythology. See below

Lucifer became Satan due to a small mistranslation from the Book of Isaiah. It was from a single passage following the death of the oppressor in the story, where lucifer/morning star was used, sarcastically, I gather. “How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, "I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit. Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate: "Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble, the man who made the world a wilderness, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?". This dude was just taunting his fallen adversary, but this then, over the slow passage of time, led to the idea of Satan being a fallen angel called ‘Lucifer’ who tried to take the kingdom of heaven.

On Crowley and Venus:

We know that no matter how many times or how loudly this fool (affectionate) denies that he is ‘good’ and ‘kind’, it is his entire being. His love for the universe that he so so soooo lovingly, so excitedly, helped create led to his ‘fall’. He doesn’t just love humans in all their exceptionally flawed glory, he loves all the little things that made the universe, the universe – from ducks to nebulas. Love, joy and kindness comes to him entirely naturally, more so than it does for Aziraphale (I love you, boo, I do I do I do - but Crowley is definitely the lighter grey). So taken very literally, just based on character alone, he is like Venus, he is light and joy, excitedly rising before even the sun to herald a new day for earth. The morning star, the light-bringer.

But Crowley finds out about Armageddon and he has… suggestions. I don’t know if I can see him making a direct play for the throne. Ruling isn’t him. But I can see him starting out by wanting to stop Heaven’s plans of destruction and then ‘sauntering vaguely downward’ from there. He is different from the rest of the host of heaven in that he never quite, metaphorically, at least, reaches all the way down. Point blank: he's not quite - 'evil' in his beliefs. Venus doesn’t quite fall in an arc either. There’s no clear drop, she never disappears below the horizon – she never quite ‘falls’. She just slowly loops around the earth, horizontally, sauntering vaguely at a downward angle.

On Crowley and Lucifer (A speculative association):

Crowley’s opposition to Armageddon would gradually have led to his complete disillusionment of heaven and God’s ineffable plan, over-time (see above on sauntering downward). I think he would have genuinely tried to argue and fight the Armageddon plans. Just as he did to stop Armageddon in S1/book, though he would have done it then without pretending like he didn’t care (and acting the opposite). He would have been unsuccessful, continuously, increasingly and frustratingly so – enough to start hanging out with the wrong people. Just so he had a space to vent, you know? Next thing he knew, he’s labelled traitor by association and he’s fighting a rebellion he didn’t really believe. Or may be that’s what he remembers.

I think he played a much larger role, unintentionally, kind of, but a role significant enough that it was important no one remembered it. I know it feels like Crowley making such a major play is against what we know of his sauntering – but I sometimes I read those statements as defensive or more a nod to him acknowledging that he did ‘fall’ in that he made some wrong and less than OK moves. But he made them with good intentions in heart, he was trying to protect the universe but it led to his association with the other side... that was unintentional – he didn’t mean to fall. This is based entirely within the context of that first scene in S2 (and the fact that this man has clearly spent hours, months, millennia contemplating morality and humanity and critiquing heavens views – more so than Aziraphale has). Pre-fall Crowley is light years apart from post-fall Crowley when it comes to taking action, to fighting the system. That man talks and acts like someone who tried really fucking tried to change the system and it failed so miserably that he’s now irrevocably jaded. There’s no fixing heaven and hell – sorry Aziraphale, I tried and it just led to eternal punishment for all those that I fought side by side with and no there are two teams trying to do the thing I was trying to stop - let’s just run away to Alpha Centuari together.

Lucifer became synonymous with Satan from a mistranslation, a small little thing drop that snowballed to most believing in something that never actually happened. That 'Satan' was a fallen angel by the name of Lucifer and it he that started and led the rebellion.

What if Lucifer (Crowley) didn’t mean to but simply sparked the rebellion, with his questions and his suggestions; what if Satan (whatever that turns out to be in Good Omens, be it an actual being or simply an amalgamation or some personification of 'sin') saw an opportunity and used Crowley? You can’t quite control how things pan out can you?

Lucifer, light bringer, just wanted to keep the light on for eternity - have it last forever (but oh, Crowley nothing lasts forever - haha I'm not traumatized), he got enough people questioning things that Satan used that as cannon fodder to stage a coup. Something that started from a genuine place, got twisted and corrupted – remember Hunger Games (and I guess the real-world?? god fuck)? Shit went off track fast and there’s all out war. Heaven won and those that rebelled were cast out.

But here’s the catch. You can’t quite stamp out an idea, not once it’s been planted (fire is catching said Katniss, eliminate their beacon said Snow, also - re: inception). How long will it take before someone turns around and goes, hey that war was crazy wasn’t it? Anyway you guys remember what Lucifer was saying before things got confusing?

Nope, you can’t have heaven’s remaining angels or even hell thinking there are ‘institutional problems’. How do you unplant an idea? Easy, how do you control weeds my dudes - pull them out by the roots!

...

Lucifer who?

[egg-emperor]

I watched your video on Eggman being a bad father and I gotta say the parts where Orbot and Cubot flinched whenever Eggman shouted or did any quick sudden moves was such a nice detail. It showed the extent of the bots' abuse which I feel gets easily overlooked (I certainly missed it when I first watched those cutscenes). I find it hard to think that any character who was mostly depicted being horrible to others without remorse would suddenly be kind. Unless a soft side was established early on.

Thanks for watching, I'm happy I could help bring attention to smaller details too. Lost World had a bunch of animations of Orbot and Cubot in the background that I also didn't notice as I'm always too busy admiring Eggman XD but they're neat and those are my favorites. The subtle things like that also say a lot about how he treats them and how as much as they bother him, they do actually fear him and I find it interesting to take into account combined with everything else.

It makes a lot of sense for them to flinch at Eggman's sudden moves or raise in voice like that, knowing how he can get loud and physical when he's mad, it was clever of them to include. And in some parts he wasn't even particularly angry, like it's really so common that it's just their automatic reflex. The way they can be startled like that by the slightest actions of the sort from him is saying a lot about how they're commonly targets of his and we do see a lot of it on screen to know it's true.

Same here, and that's why I like the take, and apparent intention according to Flynn, that the dynamic with Sage isn't supposed to be as pure and wholesome as fandom makes it out to be. That way it tracks with how he's always treated his creations and everyone else. He isn't shown to be capable of kindness, empathy, and good deeds in any situation where it's not about self benefit and what's in it for him, so of course Sage is just based on his narcissism in her being a reflection of his genius and serving him well.

I feel like the only reasonable way for him to appear to be capable of otherwise at all is when it's a part of his trickery and manipulation for selfish gain, which is why I have the ideas and takes for the Eggman and Sage dynamic that I have. I got backlash but it's only what I wholeheartedly believe, it's just not possible for me to see or believe him suddenly being capable of a genuine kind and soft side with everything I've seen and known about him in the games all this time, with all the examples in the video.

I'm glad I'm not alone in it and that I could compile a video with the supporting evidence for it, and that it can also help highlight some of the signs that are easy to overlook but also really say a lot about his dynamic with his creations. And in this case, it's a cool attention to detail from the animators to commend them on!

[wanderlustphatty]

Boxers:: FWxFem!Reader

Summary: Fred and Lee opt for a night in with the reader, and choose some interesting attire.

Warnings: Implied steaminess, kisses. Mostly humorous.

Word count: 1584

Notes: I have no clue why I even did this. It started as a joke, but I could actually see this happening with Fred and Lee lol. I hope you all like it! Hopefully it gives you some serotonin.

Masterlist

"Fred, put your pants on!"

"No."

"Pants time!"

"No."

"Pants party!"

"NoOo."

A sigh escapes her lips as she stares at her husband gaming in his boxers and a t-shirt on the couch. Normally she wouldn't be this adamant, but Lee would be by soon and the three of them were supposed to go out to eat. After all, this whole plan was concocted by them and not her. So why not get dressed? It was normal for the stubborn twin to be fashionably late, but that never stopped her from trying to get him more organized. 

"Lee will be here shortly, love. You need pants," she tried to reason with him. Instead she's met with a smirk and a quick glance. "He's seen me naked before you. Boxers won't bother him." To this she rolls her eyes and turns to walk back into the kitchen. Again, defeat. What would make him budge?

Before she can finish her thought, there's a knock at the door and her husband chimes in telling whoever was outside to come in. Luckily it was Lee and not some stranger. Mentally she makes a note to keep the door locked just in case.

He pauses at the door for a moment, acknowledging that his friend still wasn't fully clothed, and then casually asks "So uh, we still going out tonight, or staying in?" His eyes dart to her and back to the lanky ginger. Yet again Fred answers, this time with his nose curled up slightly. "I was hoping the missus would let us have a relaxing night at home." 

She looks over at him, her gaze searing for a moment before being talked down to an exasperated agreement. "Fine," she says with the slight shake of her head and a small smile tugging at the edge of her lips. It wasn't like it was a date or anything, because he would never pass that up. "I'll order pizza, unless you two want something else." The both of them answer in near unison saying that's fine, and she turns to grab her phone. 

By the time she turns back around, she catches Lee discarding his pants at the door, just like he did his shoes, and heading on into the living room. He and Fred both are laughing as he picks up the second controller and makes himself at home. Neither of the two paused to think that hanging out in their underwear might seem a bit odd. Is this what they did in Gryffindor tower?

Apparently her stares and the lack of talking on the phone made her husband look up. "Everything ok, babe?" Lee turns around to look at you as well, but they both seem fairly oblivious to the awkwardness of the scene. Finally she manages to ask "You two comfortable?" Confusion knits across their brows before it finally dawns on them and they both burst into laughter again. "You got a few husbands when you married me, love. Lee's one of them. If you hurry up and order the pizza, you can run upstairs and put some boxers on too. It'll be a boxers party then." He winks and crimson dusts her cheeks. Again, both guys laugh.

Instead of replying, she simply turns to walk back in the kitchen. She grew up with all the boys, so it wasn't uncommon to see a shirtless George, have Lee stay a few days, and watch Ron wear the same shirt for two days. For some reason though, this was the first time any of his friends had shucked down to their boxers in her presence. In a way she felt honored because of how comfortable Lee felt, but at the same time, underwear is pretty intimate. 

With a sigh she shoves the awkwardness out of her mind and dials the number. Moments later she hangs up the phone, dinner on its way, and reluctantly walks up the steps to her shared bedroom. Fred's eyes watched her as she ascended to the next floor, a mischievous smile playing across his lips. Deep down he knew he could get her to do anything he wanted, including participating in a "boxers party", as he put it. Just as he watched her, she watched him as if to convey he owed her in some way for pushing her boundaries with his friends. As his smile spread and realization started to register within his brain, the controller in his hands vibrated, signaling a defeat of sorts. He quickly turns to Lee and both of them let out amused and defeated groans, but agreed to continue the game.

In her room she found a pair of boxers she had normally reserved for pajamas and slipped them on over her panties. She wasn't brave enough to wear them like the boys did, so the thin layer of fabric beneath them gave her a sense of protection and security. Her third husband by marriage had no business seeing any of her unmentionables if the underwear was less than conservative. As she gives herself another look in the mirror to make sure she looks good, she hears Lee cheer and Fred let out a loud, yet amused "NO", meaning Lee had won that round. 

Deciding not to drag her feet anymore, she heads back down the steps, catching her husband's eye as she rounded the bottom step to go into the living room. Brown eyes analyzed her figure from toe to head and his eyebrows peaked. His lower lip pulls between his teeth, making her blush slightly. Even when she's wearing pajamas, he was able to make her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. Quickly she motions to the TV screen to remind him to focus, and just in time too - it was time for his character to jump. After successfully clearing that obstacle, he winks at her and nudges his head at the place next to him on the couch. Before she can make it there, though, the food arrives and she retrieves that before coming to take her place.

Both guys pause their game to eat and chitchat. Conversation was always easy with Lee, and there was never a dull moment when he was around either of the twins. No matter the situation, he was always happy to be there with his friends. Stuffy restaurants would never be either of their scenes, and she admits that part of her expected one of the guys to flake on going out. Truth be told, she was happy to be in comfortable clothes as well. 

As she half listens to the conversation about the Chudley Cannons, her thoughts and her bite of pizza are interrupted by a long finger trailing up the side of her thigh. Her eyes dart up to Fred and she's greeted with a mischievous smile. The finger trails back down and she feels the breath hitch in her chest. He absolutely had plans to make up for staying in. Quickly she looks at the other couch to see Lee more focused on where he's going to bite next on his slice of pizza, thankfully. She turns back to Fred and smiles before mouthing "behave". A pout forms on his lips and his brows knit in fake sadness before he mouths back "where's the fun in that?" This man.

"Do you think Egypt'll actually make it to the Quidditch World Cup this year?" Lee's question interrupts their moment, but the clever ginger doesn't miss a beat. "Y'kidding me? It's going to come down to Romania and Argentina. Egypt has played alright so far, but they nearly lost it to Chad, of all teams." Immediately the two are engrossed in a discussion about various teams, but the long finger that traced her thigh was replaced by a hand that pulled one of her legs up to his lap. His hands gently work at the muscles in her calf and gradually start to make their way farther toward her center. 

"What do you think, babe?" Her attention snaps up, meets her husband's, and she tries to speak, but her voice comes out hoarse and she has to clear it. His eyes seem to twinkle, knowing even that small gesture was enough to occupy her thoughts. "Excuse me. Sorry about that. I, uh, personally I'm thinking we'll see Transylvania and Scotland." Their gazes hold for a moment while Lee begins to explain why Scotland or Transylvania would be a better choice than Argentina. So it's not too obvious, though, the twin looks back at his friend and nods in agreement. 

Their night consisted of video games, quidditch talk, and a brief moment of dating advice for their friend. As always, their hang out session was fun, and Fred politely tried to get his friend to stay the night because they had lost track of time and it was after midnight before he started preparing for his departure. He declined as he hopped to pull on his pants, giving the excuse of having to work in the morning, and left when he got his shoes on. No sooner than the redhead latched the door, though, she knew it was on.

Quickly he turns and gives her a delicious grin before picking her up. Instinctually she wraps her legs around his waist and giggles. Hungry lips trail kisses from her jaw down and he nearly growls in her ear. "I've been waiting to do this all night." Chills scatter her skin and he carries her upstairs.

Masterlist

[pettyvxbes]

Colson Baker x Reader - Ocean Eyes III

This was originally only supposed to be three parts, but I have so many ideas. . . I might be getting a little carried away. If anyone is interested in being included on the tag list for ocean eyes drop me a comment. ❤ Btw, ya'll rock, and I'm so thrilled that you're digging where this story is going as much as I am!!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL COFFEE DEALER

Colson had insisted on going to a coffee shop across town, even though there were plenty of great coffee shops near Shaker Square that you two had frequented on your previous Saturday adventures. He initially suggested that you ride with him, but you declined the offer and opted to drive yourself, much to your dismay. You considered making a wrong turn to head back to your sister's house several times as you followed closely behind him but decided against the outlandish idea.

Pulling into the parking lot, you immediately noticed the sizeable pink skull painted on the side of the brick building. It read "Drink. Eat. Work. Meet" arched across the top with "The" on the forehead, a 2 and 7 in separate eye sockets, "club" on the chin, and the most clever part was the nose which was a cup of steaming coffee. The aesthetic was everything, and you quickly understood why Colson had wanted to bring you to this specific coffee shop. It was edgy and artistic, kind of like you, and he knew you would love it.

"This place is fucking awesome." You gushed, taking in the surrounding interior. The walls were painted pink and accented with black. There were skulls in various places throughout the room, and directly in front of you behind a large circular counter were the associates, wearing "Coffee Dealer" tees, waiting patiently to take your order. Capturing every aspect of the shop, you noticed the music playing. It was a synth-pop-R&B beat accompanied by the voice of Chris Brown and Usher.

"You gon' be my baby Love me, love me crazy Tell me you with it Baby, come and get it Maybe try a new thing And let's spark a new flame."

It was one of those songs that stuck in your memory and could take you back to a specific time and place. You looked over at Colson to find him looking back at you, and you were instantly transported to that cold January night eleven years ago, the night you had first met Colson.

The air was crisp, and the night sky was aglow with the bright city lights of Atlanta. You were visiting your best friend for what was left of your winter break at NYU. She couldn't wait to take you out on the town. So naturally, you both ended up at the Gold Room less than five hours after you had touched down in the Empire State of the South.

The Gold Room was fancy. Golden poles were lining a transparent window rail in the main seating area. Each roped-off section donned eccentric gold couches, chandeliers, and splashy tropical lighting, all of which highlighted the significance of those seated there. You happened to find yourself smack dab in the middle of the distinguished crowd, behind the velvet ropes. All thanks to your gorgeous best friend who had been casually seeing one of the Atlanta Hawks.

"Y/n, don't look now, but that guy over there has been staring at you since we walked in." Your best friend screamed into your ear over the loud music.

"Which one?" You questioned, waiting to turn and look.

"The blonde with the tattoos!" She paused, taking a sip of her drink. She could tell you were waiting for a more descriptive answer. "You'll know which one. He's fine as fuck!" She screamed, causing you to chuckle at her bluntness.

You casually turned to the side to look for the mystery guy, and you were quickly met with his blue eyes. You felt your cheeks flush a bit as he maintained eye contact.

You were beautiful in a way that the other girls in the club weren't. You were confident but not cocky, and your attire was modest but still sexy. You didn't need to be accepted by others, which was apparent in how you carried yourself. Your smile was beaming as you looked back at him, and Colson could have sworn it illuminated even the darkest corners of the room. You were authentically you, and the blue-eyed boy was captivated.

Your eye contact was broken by one of the tall basketball players in your section offering you a glass of champagne. You accepted the drink and made small talk for a moment before quietly excusing yourself to the ladies' room. At least that's what you told your friend, but if you were honest, you were actually looking for those blue eyes. You made your way slowly through the horde of people keeping your eye on the VIP section that the tattooed man occupied. You couldn't see him, so you wandered closer until you were stopped by a husky voice.

"Are you looking for something?" You turned, looking up into the blue eyes you had been searching for.

"Not anymore." You smirked. He was taken aback by your forward response, and you could tell by the look across his face that he was speechless. You chuckled at his expression. "I'm sorry."

"I wasn't expecting you to say that, but I was hoping you would" He laughed. "I'm Colson."

"Y/n."

"Y/n, that's beautiful." He smiled at you. You couldn't tell if it was the champagne coursing through you or the fact that he was extremely handsome, but all you could think about was kissing him. The thought was soon pushed to the back of your mind as you began exchanging information about yourselves. Where you were from, what you were doing in Atlanta, your relationship status'. . .the basics. You two eventually found yourselves halfway through a game of 21 questions in a more private area of the club where you could actually hear each other speak.

"If you could have one 'do over' in your life, what would you do differently?" You inquired.

"Ooh, we're going there now?" He chuckled. "That's easy though, I wouldn't do anything over because then I wouldn't be sitting here with you."

“Smooth.” You chuckled at his cheesy answer.

“Yeah? You see what I did there?” He joked "Ok, my turn. . ." He changed the subject, trying to think of a question quickly. "If there was one piece of advice you could give, what would it be?" You thought for a moment before speaking.

"To always appreciate the little things in life."

"The little things?" he questioned, waiting for you to elaborate further.

"Yeah, you know, like early morning sunrises or late sunsets. The ones where you'll see an array of colors in the sky that you wouldn't normally see." You raved. "Or road trips and motorcycle rides, when you have music in your ears and the wind in your hair. Or the days when you're surrounded by your favorite people, the ones who make you realize that the world isn't such a cold, harsh place." You rambled, and he smiled like a fool.

"The little things that make you realize what life is about and what it means to be alive?" He pondered quietly, contemplating what you had said.

"Yes!" You extolled. "Appreciating the little things makes you enjoy where you are, right now, in the present."

"Enjoy where you are right now," He reiterated. "I like that" A comfortable silence settled in for a moment, and you could hear a catchy synth-pop-R&B beat surging through the room. The voices of Chris Brown and Usher were crystal clear.

"Who said you can't find love in a club? 'Cause I wanna tell them they wrong Come on, just baby, try a new thing And let's spark a new flame."

You both let out a little chuckle at the lyrics, and the next thing you knew, his right hand was on the side of your face pulling you into him. The kiss was magic, chaos, and a little bit of poetry. You felt a fire deep in your bones, and he melted every part of you.

"Hey, Colson!" The barista greeted him, pulling you from your memory of the man standing next to you. You hadn't even noticed, but you two were still staring at each other, and you wondered if the same memory had crossed his mind too.

He turned towards the barista as your eyes continued to explore the coffee shop. That's when you saw it—a mural on the wall situated above black leather dome seats. In large pink letters, "Enjoy where you are right now." and it clicked - this was his coffee shop. . .and he still thought about that night, just like you.

Colson glanced back at you, preparing to order, you smiled at him, and yet again, he could have sworn it illuminated even the darkest corners of the room. You were still authentically you, and the blue-eyed boy was still captivated.

II << 💀 >>

TAG LIST @canyoubuymetoast

[fulcrum-agent]

008. Adroid [FFXIVwrite2021]

"So just...pick a big room?" she asks the punkish apparition, head canting a little.

The redhead nods, smirking a little. "You're a clever girl, Quil - I trust ya won't pick somewhere with so little space, the bulkheads get blown up."

There's the briefest moment of blue screening brain at the compliment, but it's gone in a microsecond.

"'Cept when it comes to that other thing you brought up," she chides, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall. "That was stupid as fuck, and we're gonna be discussin' it when you're done kicking this Miqo'te about."

Quila can't help but wince, giving the Arcadia a sheepish expression.

All the apparition does to such is wave her hand a little dismissively. "I said later. Call your new potential toy - just be sure ta gimme a show~."

Then just like that, Quila's alone again. Sort of. Mostly. Sighing, she reaches up for the linkpearl that's paired to her tomestone. "Karuis...found us a place to train."

"Ah, and here I thought I was gonna resign to watching the rain bounce off the bulkhead. Where am I meeting you?"

Xe has busied xemselves with taking up a curled up position somewhere in one of the Outlaw's more out of the way pieces of real estate, some cross beams nearby to some of the larger guns. Xe hops down from their Miqo accessible locale as xe wait for the exact location, tail flicking idly behind xem.

"You grab a place ground side, I assume?

"Nah. Arcadia's letting us pick a room," she explains but doesn't. "I figure one of the cargo bays is gonna be best, yeah?"

She's already making her way through the massive ship. She's trying to find where the cargo bays actually are, given she's near the bridge out of habit.

"Long as we have permission, that's fine with me. And aye, cargo bay works fine."

Xe didn't really require an explanation, everything after talking house, living through the memories of others, a massive skeleton trying to kill xem, and whatever the fuck the past few moons have been...

Xe assumes the Arcadia is just as alive as anyone else, and she told Quila what room to use. As xe make their way over to the other airship, xe give some idle thoughts to where precisely in the cargo bay they were meeting before deciding that finding out could be the adventure. Xe gives a slight bow of respect as xe come aboard the Arcadia before xe start moving like a shade through the halls, the map the Viera had shown before of this great airship bouncing about between their ears; as xe try to find... oh, there she is. By providence, luck, or maybe just The Arcadia being well designed xe spot the Garlean and give a half-wave, tail flicking behind xem.

"Didn't get lost, did we? Would be a little concerned if you did."

"Pfft, she'd let me if only to watch in sadistic amusement," she chirps as she turns, startling a little physically due to their lack of footfalls. "But, there are multiple cargo bays here. This is just the first one I've found. This ship is MASSIVE, and I feel like it's some sort of game to her to not just...give me a map."

"I could certainly see that; watching people wander around aimlessly can be pretty hilarious." The Seeker blinks at the noise before rubbing the back of their head as xe put on a small smile. "Sorry, someone had the bright idea to put a bell on me when I was young, fucking menace ever since, apparently. But! I have a map.. kind of, at least I remember the floor plans or whatnot. Rika managed to snag, so I mostly know my way around.. but that doesn't stop me from being thankful that I haven't gotten lost.. yet."

Xe glances about the cargo bay for a moment before turning their gaze back to her and motioning to her, finding a nearby support beam to lean on.

"So, what's the plan for today? Am I starting with teaching you the basics of Thavnarian dance fighting, or are we sparring to see where you are in hand to hand generally and working from there?"

At this point, she's in a pair of shorts (black), stockings (dark purple), her almost-trademark boots (black & gold), and one of those tank tops that the Isghardians were handing out to crafters (wine red). While she doesn't have Talekeeper with her, at least, as far as can be seen, she's still wearing the Warmage magicite Locke'd given her as a pendant to the collar she seems to wear 24/7.

When he speaks of the bell, she ends up giggling a little, trying to picture xe with a collar bell...which was surprisingly easy.

"I'm thinking we try some hand-to-hand so you can figure outplacement," she notes with something of a wicked grin, suddenly ramping towards manic. "Just don't go easy on me."

Xe has swapped over to something more warm with their Bozjan coat now missing for The Twelve only know how long. So the Seeker has thrown on a currant purple anemos gambison, some modified jet black strife pants, and one of their constantly swapping pairs of combat boots, these ones an Alliance make in soot black. Xe still has the twin onyx and dark amber revolvers gifted to xem by Locke on their belt though, besides that, xe aren't carrying any type of polearms. The two accessories that stand out are a watch on their left wrist that has a faint hint of aetheric energy coming off of it and a dull grey gunmetal tin clipped on their right, just about the size of a soul stone.

Xe raises a brow at the snickering and just shake their head a little; that smile from before staying before it turns into a grin at she's request.

"I wasn't planning on it; it wouldn't be an accurate assessment if I did take it easy. So I'll give you one warning before we do go; if you're gonna try and flow again, I'll start using my stone. On your mark, Aquila."

As soon as those words leave the Seeker, their demeanour switches with all the effort of a light switch, mismatched gaze narrowing as xe drop into a defensive stance, the style more reminiscent of an Imperial martial discipline than anything else.

"I uh...kinda don't know how to make those moves otherwise, so game on?" she replies as she falls into...absolutely no stance. There's nothing. Her stance is absolutely neutral all around, and suddenly, all but the most necessary of movements evaporates as she begins to focus on xem. It's slow, but there's a pronounced shift in her entire being, down to an aetheric level. A change she doesn't seem to be aware of.

She's almost maddening to fight. Any and all movement happens with barely a microsecond of warning, yet all of them still flow as though she's dancing, not fighting. Even watching the triangle, her telegraphs are tiny as hell; she always falls back to neutral if there's time, otherwise flowing from one motion to the next as xe fight.

And just like that, she blinks into the Lifestream to close the distance, ejecting just in reach of xe - as she had on the deck, only this time with the intent of actually striking him right in the solar plexus.

Xe would have clarified that xe head meant the blinking manoeuvre, but when xe takes in that she lacks stance, any of those thoughts leave xir mind. The Seeker catches the shift instance, their ears pinning back and tail puffing up as xe prepare for that same focus xe encountered on the deck of The Outlaw.

The dance-like flow to the spar thus far and the speed on display put the Seeker right in their element, moving with all of the grace that being both a Miqo'te and professional performer granted them as xe keep in sync with the Garlean. The Seeker shifts between and around styles like breathing the longer the fight goes on, prodding and poking at her defences to find her responses and strengths to certain things. The Seeker seems to favour a style favoured by Doman resistance cells, sending out elbows and fist and knee strikes in rapid succession.

Like a viper, the Seeker waited for that shift in the air as she went into the Lifestream. Xe know that point for point, xe weren't going to be able to match the manoeuvre for sheer speed, so instead, xe rely on the anticipation of the strike's previous flow. With an utter lack of hesitation, the Seeker moves to send out a swift dragoon kick, less focused on power but more on sheer speed as it snaps the air around the two. xir's body twists for the kick and hopefully moves the blow to somewhere less disastrous should it land. Xe was not about to hold back here, she deserved the Seeker at their best, and xe weren't one to disappoint.

Given that xe is a clever catte, xe'll quickly pick up on certain hallmarks of what she's capable of combatively: one of her biggest strengths is the lack of movement telegraphing, as it makes finding any sort of opening complex, at first. While her eyes seem to be unfocused, she locked onto the triangle that's formed by the Miqo'te's collarbones and sternum, that distant gaze seeming to more stare into their soul than past xem.

Blinking back into a kick sends her strike wide, the palm of her hand skimming along the side of his leg as she adjusts to try and block the kick before sliding around the side of Karius' body. Should she slide past him, her next attack is towards the middle of his lower back - another snapping strike with a bit of aether behind it, her second hand following to make a small follow-up strike.

With a better sense of what xe were working with when it came to her, the Seeker decides to switch up tactics. Xe shifts energy from trying to read the Garlean's movements to instead focusing on following through on their own and keeping a sense of spatial awareness in the room. Xe decides to eat the strike to their lower back, the energy needed to counter that far too much of a gamble; the weaker follow-up was a different story, however.

Turning on a dime on their heel, xe move to face she, using the speed and momentum of the rapid turn to try and veer the strike off to their left with their palm. Now fully facing she and the distance relatively short, xe go on the offensive, taking a far more aggressive stance as xe unleash a combination of palm and knee strikes. Xe wasn't relying on all of them to hit but instead overwhelming the other fighter with a complete switch from their previously tight defence. Xir's aim at the moment seemed to get the two of them out to a far smaller section of the cargo bay or at least push them to fight closer to this area.

Surprisingly, she doesn't smile at landing the strike. In fact, her expression is little more than deadpan as xe launch the continuous series of strikes. At first, she manages to keep up on blocking or redirecting the hits, but the longer xe continues the tactic, the more she has to pivot or dodge than she does block. Finally, it's becoming clear xir is going to overwhelm her with the rapid strikes...

...and as the Miqo'te overwhelms her, she blinks into the Lifestream, crossing through xe before flashing back into existence at their back. She's already executing a roundhouse kick as she solidifies, aiming for her opponent's middle back.

The Seeker was not about to let up the advantage of xir's rapid combos as xe continues to press her further into the smaller section of the cargo hold, boots squeaking against the metal floor as their speed increases. xe were, however, incredibly aware that xe couldn't keep it up forever; either she would come right for their throat or-

The sensation of being teleported through gets xem to shiver, warning xem what may be coming alongside dreading that blink. Unfortunately, there just isn't enough time for xem to dodge the strike, at least not in a way that wouldn't give her another big opening to exploit. So xe quickly turn on their heel and brace their arms up to catch the blow, which still sends the Seeker sliding back and does some solid damage. Xe hiss in pain as xe take a moment to centre xemselves before rushing into the Garlean's space. xir's method swaps now to something far faster, using their stone to gather as much momentum and speed as xe can while bleeding into these dancer-like strikes and spins. Thavnairian dance fighting, and xe gave her a crash course like an Imperial locomotive coming down the tracks.

Active learning at this speed is possible for the Warmage, though it was more of a slow build-up rather than a sudden gift of knowledge the way it can be when there's less going on. Falling back to focusing on dodging more than redirecting or blocking, xe would start to notice the more xe does a particular mood or technique, the more likely it is that she works it into her side of the fighting. With movements the Miqo'te's using heavily, she can almost perfectly mirror them; with the less frequent movements, she's a little unstable and erratic, her form nowhere near as tight and proper.

The continued attacks again start to press her, causing her to play defensive more than offensive.

Xe's next high kick ends with a different result: she doesn't attempt to block, redirect, or dodge such the way she has been. No, instead, she just...bends back at the waist, forming an almost perfect arch as her hands drop to the floor behind her. And then she pushes her feet off of the floor, intent of kicking her opponent with each foot as she shifts into a handstand before vaulting from such to her feet - facing xe, but several fulms away now.

As xe starts to notice she putting xir's techniques into her fighting styles and the like, that.. certainly gets a reaction from xem. But, then, something snaps from behind their crimson and amber eyes. The Seeker continues darting into she's space as much as xe can up until that next high kick, eyes going a bit wide as xe watch that arch and then the kick lands.

The hit lands nicely and sends xe sliding back, getting their tail to puff up and to show off their sharp canines, which are considerably sharper and pointed than even a vast majority of Keepers. Unfortunately, this fact doesn't stay in the spotlight for long as black aether sparks around xem as xe concentrates on their stone and go on an onslaught. Xe was going to put pressure on the fact she couldn't precisely copy their techniques perfectly or keep up with their speed to the same extent. If she continued using flow, then xe wasn't going to go easy, sending forth kick after dashing elbow to shin strike. One of the main strikes xe go into xe get right in her face and attempt a sweeping kick the Garlean before spinning into another kick to her midsection.

The initial onslaught causes her to start losing ground rapidly, causing her to dart backwards as she refocuses on trying to dodge as many of the strikes as possible. However, the moment the Seeker starts to focus on her face, she blinks backwards three separate times - putting as much distance as possible between them. Although she retreats, xe' leg sweep fully lands while the second is more of a light graze across her stomach.

She crashes to the floor as she exists the Lifestream the third time, rolling several times due to the force of the impact. Such is only stopped when the back of her upper body slams into the metal wall with a loud clanging thud. For a few heartbeats, she's propped up against the wall before her eyes fully roll back into her head as she falls sideways.

Xe was in the zone and was hard-pressed to get out of it, especially with the amount of blinking around the place that she was doing. Despite the serious expression on their face, xe were having so much fun with all of this. Xe goes to try and bring down another combination when xe hear that crash.

Xe pauses a few fulms away from the Garlean before their eyes go wide, and xe dart over to her side. Then, cursing under their breath as xe tries to force xemselves to not only calm down but try to figure out what might be wrong with their limited medical experience.

"Shit, shit... Aquila, are you alright?"

((Adapted from an RP session with Karuis.))

[zachsgamejournal]

COMPLETED: Breath of Fire 3

It is done. God is dead. Well...a self-proclaimed god. While we cheated, my son and I did beat the game...and, despite this being one of my favorite RPGs, it's uh...my first time "beating" it.

So! We crossed the desert into the futuristic city that now lies in ruins and took the elevator up to the Myria Orbital station. It's, uh, a space station connected to the earth by an elevator shaft...I guess. Concept Art

After all the wandering about, I was pretty ready to meet "God" and get this over with--but it's the finale, so they had to make it count. We wandered about, trying to feel our way around the "space station". Eventually, we found a room I had forgotten about...it had electrified floors. To un-electrify them, there are three consoles. Each console has a pattern of negative and positive signs on a grid. You have to get the three patterns to over-lap so that the postive-negative charges cancel each other out. But with three panels, you run into issues of two positives and one negative occupying the same space: thus it stays electrified.

Clever idea: yes. Fun idea: no.

One console is in the room with the floor, and the other two consoles are in a completely different room, separated by a 30 second walk not counting the one or two random battles you're likely to get. I got really frustrated, and my son went and told my wife: "That game is making daddy nuts!"

Anyway, I figured it out and moved on. This required a boss fight (easy enough cause we're cheating), which got us a keycard and special plant-killing shells for Momo. Going back to the other wing of the station, Momo uses the special shells to blow up plant vines blocking the door (not unlike a puzzle in Resident Evil 2...).

I think beyond this, we find a labyrinth of utility hallways. I had to back track a few times. Eventually we get to an indoor garden.

FLASHBACK: (not in the game, but mine)

Back when I first tried to play this game, I defeated every challenge thrown at me. I think I did have the guide to the game, but it was mostly used to help me through some sticky parts (and look at the cool art!). I made it to the final dungeon (Myria Station) but struggled to beat the final boss.

As a matter of fact. I never beat the final boss.

I needed to be a higher level. To reach that level, I did some grinding in the garden area. Mostly, you fight Plant 42s, which I loved since it was a reference to the mutated Resident Evil plant. But it shocked me to see that the exp was about 800, when there are fights elsewhere in the station that land closer to the 2k range. Surely that would have been more effective leveling?

Either way--I just never got strong enough to win the final boss.

BACK TO PRESENT:

We find Teepo here. Jack and Rei are surprised as hell! My son was excited, cause we all thought Teepo was dead. Turns out, Teepo is also a dragon, just like Jack. But instead of wandering the world with Garr and Nina, he joined the Goddess Myria who convinced him that his powers were dangerous. So he surrendered himself to her and is now her brain-washed lapdog, more or less.

Teepo causes Ryu to go into a weird dream (which we had to play twice due to game-freeze). Here, Ryu is exposed to the thoughts and anxieties of his party members. This is supposed to convince him to surrender his power like Teepo, but it doesn't.

Nina apparently struggles to please her mother by being a good, respectable princess while also trying to be herself and pursue her own sense of justice: such as helping Ryu and saving Rei!

Rei...I guess is concerned about his own power as Weretiger. Mostly, he just seems to want to help his old friend?

Garr wants to reconcile why he was ordered to kill hundreds of dragons, especially then they easily could have defended themselves--but they didn't.

Momo wants to understand all the advanced tech here, and how it could be used to better the world.

Peco is apparently the fucking tree of Yggdrassil in mobile form, and wanders about with thousands of years worth of world-knowledge, but can't communicate it to the team cause he doesn't speak English.

So anyway, Ryu doesn't relent and Teepo must be defeated. He dies and turns into a purple dragon. Rei and Ryu are sad, but yo--dick move.

Next, we have to find our way to Myria. First, there's this confusing 3 level maze of boss rooms that have you fighting past bosses, sometimes several at a time. It was annoying, and my son was done with it. WE JUST WANT TO MEET GOD!

Once through, we find a super sci-fi, futuristic room with holograms explaining Myria's intentions. The advanced world was being consumed by sand. My guess is that pollution made that world self destructive. Myria led her people to a greener, more flourishing land and then built a giant ocean between them to stop the sands. She also made the ocean very dangerous so the humans wouldn't return. Some how, she feared the power of the dragons would bring about another sand-issue, so she had them killed to save humans.

Now, this seems like a Lost scenario where Myria is no God, and likely didn't actually build any oceans. Instead, she helped people escape their self-destructive technology, and then controlled people's knowledge of tech so they wouldn't repeat past mistakes. So basically, she kept building machines and letting them fall in the ocean so they'd wash up on shore (Steel Beach). This allowed people to use machines a little, but not "make" machines.

I think she really feared dragon power as a threat to her own power, and wanted them out of the equation since they didn't submit to her rule. Since she martyred herself as a savior of humans, she felt justified in her genocide.

Ryu chooses whether to help her or fight her. But she warns that fighting her would mean facing the desert without her protection. Warning that holds little merit in my mind, cause she's a liar.

So we fought her. We defeated her.

The space station starts to crumble. Garr decides he's completed his journey and turns to stone like the other guardians. Everyone else escapes. Myria prays to God, asking, "If there is a God..." revealing that she was playing a part and did not actually know shit (like Jacob in Lost).

Afterwards, Ryu is seen joining his friends at a cliff overlooking a desert: fade to black.

Despite the many deviations the story takes for the sake of taking up time, I really enjoy this game. The world is well defined and the characters are good. Even the villains often have empathetic motivations, or perspectives that make you doubt your first conclusions. The game also tackles a variety of concepts that are morally challenging and deals with death and sacrifice in meaningful ways. It led to great conversations between my son and I. The last leg of the game is a bit tedious and shallow. I understand why they felt compelled to make it "bigger", but they used up most of their plot early on.

We cheated. We had infinite health and all that. Basically, we just killed all the grinding and retries. The game has a great story and fun mini games (and the sound track is fucking amazing!) so I don't think much is lost by skipping the tedious random battles and leveling up. If that's something you want as part of your experience, go for it.

It's just, for RPGs like this, the best things about them are story, characters, mini-games, puzzles, and exploring. The fighting is fine, and expected, but it shouldn't take up 70% of your play time when it's really only about 10% of the fun (if that).

So I feel no shame in cheating.

My son wants to play Breath of Fire 4 now. I'm excited to revisit this one (I actually beat it before (no cheating))!

[fly-pow-bye]

DuckTales 2017 - “How Santa Stole Christmas!”

Story by: Francisco Angones, Madison Bateman, Colleen Evanson, Christian Magalhaes, Bob Snow

Written by: Colleen Evanson

Storyboard by: Sam King, Kathryn Marusik, Stephan Park

Directed by: Jason Zurek

The Last Christmas...episode of DuckTales 2017.

Twas the night before Christmas, and all throughout the night, The kids are reminded of Scrooge and Santa's fight. Previous episodes have brought up Scrooge's Santa furore And this is the episode where we get the whole story.

The episode starts with Della, tucking her children into bed, Feeding them stories to put in their head. It's not the usual story, as her children moan, but reasons for that old elf to not be allowed in their home.

But outside of Webby, the kids aren't Santa-haters Even if he's known by the McDucks for being among traitors They hear thumps on the roof, and the kids will go to the Manor's ceiling, where they see a shadow

As the figure shows himself, their childlike wonder was not blessed...

...as it was someone else whose name starts with S.

Scrooge was preparing his defenses against any reindeer, and ensuring on Christmas, no Claus will be near. He ensures the kids they don't need him, as he is rich. See, he's able to give them all hats that itch.

It's practical, he says, though the kids think it's lame As they wanted a trampoline, a cell phone, and a video game. Before Scrooge can explain, he hears the doorbell. Carolers, Scrooge assumes, and the lies that they tell.

He opens the door, Webby readying weapons she possessed and it turned out to be our jolly old guest. Scrooge grits his teeth, and the children shout with glee...

...and then Santa falls down, nearly crushing Dewey.

It's here that I realize this rhyming is annoying you, and that's okay, because I'm getting tired of it, too. I can really only do this for a short review-ey, So the rest of this are normal paragraphs, ah phooey.

So Santa falls down and breaks his leg, and even Scrooge, with his pretty low opinion on Santa Claus, is concerned for his well being. He even has to motion to Webby to put down her grappling hook that she was apparently was preparing to put into Santa's chest. She then slowly brings out a sword. It's a joke on the same level as that spork one from a previous episode; it's a classic Webby moment.

After hearing that Frank Sinatra-esque Christmas-themed opening from the last Christmas episode, now with 100% more Della, Santa wakes up near the chimney fire. I like the detail that it's barred up to prevent Santa's usual Christmas travel, though as I was told as a kid who lived in a house that didn't have a chimney and this episode proves, he can use a door just fine. In this universe, he's real, and he proves this by giving Huey, Dewey, and Louie their video game, trampoline, and cell phone, respectively. He tries to do the same with Webby, but she pretends to like her hat better. Got to look good for the man she idolizes, after all.

That man, Scrooge, decides to reveal exactly what Santa did to get his ire: he stole something from him. All but one of the kids can't believe it, and the one exception couldn't figure out exactly what that something could be. Don't worry, this is not going to become one of those Christmas Carol pastiches, as DuckTales 2017 is a lot more clever than that and didn't feel like competing with that rat that must not be named. Instead, it's more like Santa Claus is Coming To Town, where we get to hear the origin of the holiday that Scrooge says was stolen from him. The title isn't wrong, it really is actually Santa that stole Christmas this time!

Santa doesn't have time for this, as he needs to get Christmas finished before sunrise. It is still Christmas Eve, after all. He asks Scrooge, with his belt so tight, to drive his sleigh tonight, and it takes some begging from Huey, Dewey, and Louie for him to oblige. Well, that, and Santa offers him to never come to the McDuck Manor if he does the deed. That's not the only offer, as Santa decides to tell the kids a story I thought would be the noodle incident of the cartoon.

The story begins with Scrooge during one of his business stints, selling heat-giving coal to the populace of a snow-filled village, with no buyers in one particular cottage. He finds a polar bear with a sleigh singing about bells that jingle, and Scrooge comes over to help him out. Introducing himself as Santa Claus, Scrooge finds out that he does have similar goals, though Santa prefers to warm people's hearts with toys rather than coal. Santa tries that same cottage, offering a gift for free, and they happily let him in, and he was so kind that they even allow him to bring that guest that was yelling at them to buy his coal.

The big guy ends up being the life of the party at the cottage with his new hit song, filled with people of short stature with colorful costumes, until the fire burns out. Scrooge's coal ends up saving the party, though Santa had to use his own way of selling it by just grabbing it right out of his bag and throwing it in the fireplace. This warms the hearts and the house of the cottage dwellers, though Scrooge could tell it's more because he's a friend of that jolly guy than anything else. It's quite clear Scrooge has more reason to start his hatred of that red guy beyond being named after that classic Christmas-time villain.

The hatred doesn't start just yet, though, but he is a little bewildered by an idea that Santa Claus has: not only does he want to bring this heat source to this cottage and the people who were just visiting it, but to everyone in the world in one night! Scrooge knows this is impossible, but Santa feels he knows some way he can do this. This begins a brand new friendship, and this is where Webby is confused.

Webby: Wait, Scrooge doesn't have any friends!

Understandably, Goldie is more of a frenemy, being friends with Launchpad is far too easy to count, and it's debatable if anyone is Gyro's friend, either.

We cut to what's happening in the present, where Scrooge gets on the sleigh with all of the reindeer kids would know. All the kids know Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen. If they think of any other reindeer's name, well, let's let another Christmas special sort that one out:

Olive, the other reindeer: By the way, where's Rudolph?

Comet: There's no Rudolph. It's just one of those urban legends.

Along with Santa and himself, Scrooge decides to only let the one kid who knows Santa is a fraud, Webby, on the sleigh. The kids protest, and Santa implies to them that if they go to bed, they would be on the nice list. They already got their gifts, and if Santa ends up doing his end of the bargain, it wouldn't even matter, but the nephews decide to go back to bed. One could argue that Santa could boop his nose and instantly turn the video game, cell phone, and trampoline into coal, and that one is confusing this episode with another special with siblings that wear the primary colors.

As the reindeer fly into the sky, Webby continues her anti-Santa creed, saying that she wouldn't be wooed by dolls, candles, or crossbows. That last one does end up piquing Webby's interest enough, and Santa does reveal that, yup, that's what she was getting. Scrooge tells Santa it's going to take more than that, and Webby isn't trying too hard to prove that's true. In fact, she actually blurts that she's worried that Santa wouldn't be able to finish Christmas in time, and Santa tells her, and it's all because of another artifact from that legendary Finch journal. No, I'm just kidding, there's no journal in this episode; along with the Halloween episode that also doesn't feature it, this episode was written before anything else in this season.

That artifact is the Feliz Navidiamond, a diamond that can slow down time to the point where the mission to give coal to everyone on Earth is a possibility rather than pure fantasy, and Scrooge happens to have a map that leads right to it. Said map leads to Cascabel Cavern, a cavern known for having creatures of legend defend it, including the Los Renos Voladores. Those who know their Spanish, as Scrooge does, may see where this is going. Santa didn't just have the flying reindeer show up at his doorstop one day, he had to encounter them at the cavern along with his new friend. While Scrooge attempts to use his cane to fend one of them off, he notices that Santa appears to be taming the flying beasts with his jingle bells. Again, the contrast between the charitable and caring Santa and the practical yet uncaring Scrooge shows itself here, along with the contrast between how much they're enjoying this partnership.

Webby says she can figure out why Santa decided to keep them, as reindeer are known for their long horns and good efficiency. Scrooge asks her why she even cares about this, and Webby, once again, tries to say that his fantastic flying reindeer aren't really her thing. For a super-spy in training, she is surprisingly bad at this. Her Santa hatred breaks throughout the episode as she slowly develops from someone who blindly goes with what Scrooge says to realizing that this elf may be a little more than what her idol says he is. I could see parallels with this character arc in this one episode and her development from the sheltered Scrooge fangirl who can't figure out how the real world works of Season 1 to the caring girl with some Scrooge fangirl tendencies she is in Season 3, and that's neat to see. I do think her just blindly believing in Scrooge’s stories in the beginning is a little bit of a negative, though.

While the story is happening, the episode decides it's montage time. To the tune of Scrooge's least favorite song, guess which one, we see Webby and Scrooge give gifts to various people, including Webby taking her time to give both Violet and the still-looking-like-she-did-before-that-one-episode Lena a kiss, though the latter is understandable because, as mentioned before, they wrote these holiday specials first. We also get an extended scene where Scrooge has to wade through all the Beagle Boys in the naughty list to give a gift to Bouncer Beagle, who somehow managed to get on the nice list. I did question at first how time appears to be flowing quite well in these scenes judging by the giftee's reactions, but I could understand that the Feliz Navidiamond only works when they're on the sleigh. After Santa saves Scrooge from the Beagle Boys, he says they're even, referring to something that happened after the taming of the not-Rudolphs.

In the Cascabel Cavern, we get to see the rise of a guardian, who some people might call Jack Frost though they don't call it that. No, not the Jack Frost from those guardians, I say to the people who still remember that movie exists.

No, it's a Jack Frost like the movie with the snowman. I'm sure Santa could sense that Michael Keaton film from nearly a century later, as he tries to calm the roaring snowman with a delightful gift. Hopefully it's Campbell's Soup, and then we'll find out inside that guardian was just a really, really cold little boy that's mother decided to leave out in the cold for way too long. Unfortunately, that too was the wrong Jack Frost, as this one's more like the 1997 one that had 100% less Michael Keaton and 100% more killer snowmen.

We get our big fight scene of the week, as Scrooge rescues Santa by pelting the snowman with his flaming coal, riding a flying reindeer. Which reindeer is it? It's so awesome, nobody really needs to care. With this help, Santa grabs onto the Feliz Navidiamond, slowing down time to the point where it almost seems like time has stopped, and they can just waltz out of the cave with it. In their words, they're running on Christmas time. I should point out that they don't create Christmas, as they refer to it all throughout this flashback, they just create the tradition that happens on Christmas. They don't go further than that, and that's all I will say on that subject. Rule of three dictates that there should be some other monster after this, and...well, let's just say the next enemy Christmas has to face may not be a monster or some animals with abilities beyond regular animals.

As Scrooge leaves to deliver one final Christmas present, telling Webby to keep a present as he's got it, Webby decides to ask one question that's been on her mind: why would Santa do all of this without getting paid? Santa replies that he gets the greatest gift of all, and I jokingly thought this was going to lead to him talking about the Santa Bills that he sends to the children's parents. Of course, that would deter kids from asking for those Disney playsets, so we get a heartwarming speech from Santa about Christmas being about the warmth of the heart one gets from giving gifts. A much better alternative, I'd say, it's a good speech and one fitting for a Christmas special.

There is one major thing in this Christmas origin story that hasn't been brought up yet: how did Santa giving coal to everyone to warm up their homes become only giving coal to the bad children and giving toys to the good children? They really only show the idea of the latter once, with Doofus getting a nasty looking box in his stocking, and even then, it doesn't look like coal.

The next Christmas, Scrooge barges in the door, singing his own version of Jingle Bells involving his favorite practical black rocks, and Santa has a small suggestion to make about Christmas. Instead of just giving out coal, why not bring them a special surprise on Christmas morning: a special gift for free as a promotion for their coal distribution business! Scrooge immediately balks at the idea of giving out handouts. Oh, rich people. This eventually leads to Scrooge getting into a big fight with Santa, and they break up.

This isn't the monster part, as that happens much later in the history of Christmas. In fact, they're remembering it right now, as they find that Santa's sack appears to be still filled with Christmas presents. If those are the presents with all the toys, what did they gave the children? No, not just a practical gift meant to warm people's homes rather than their hearts...

...but a practical gift meant to warm people's homes rather than their hearts and an invoice for it, too! We even fade to Scrooge, making a rather evil grin that feels like it came from another famous Christmas special. He really is a mean one, Mr. Scrooge. Now, being an outright villain may seem a bit out of character for him; he's usually only a villain when he has to play one in a wrestling ring. But, come on, do you expect a guy named Scrooge to be the good guy in a Christmas story, never mind give out handouts? I will say that his evil grin does go against any interpretation that he's doing this for good, as he implies. I mean, he's so much of a Grinch...

...he even has his own Cindy Lou Who named Jennifer, a poor girl in desperate need for anything, including warmth. She even takes this lump of coal he gives her and turns it into a toy. She's that desperate for some warmth in her heart, and no speech from Scrooge about how practical that coal could be to warm her home could change that. It doesn't take a genius to find out if this causes Scrooge's heart to grow three sizes.

To make a long story short, we get another speech from Santa about why he even bothered to have Scrooge help him, and there's even another twist about Santa here that makes this trip just that much more special. The ending is quite clever, too, and it does fit into the family side of the Christmas tradition. Since this is most likely the last DuckTales 2017 Christmas episode, it's a great ending in many ways.

How does it stack up?

I was greatly entertained as this episode arrived, As I humbly give this episode a Scrooge number of five. Now I'll say, to everyone reading this site, Happy holidays to all, and to all a good night.

Well, that's it for now, as DuckTales enters yet another hiatus. In fact, this is the last big review I'll make this year. Have a Slightly Better New Year, because it sure couldn't be worse than this one.

← The Fight For Castle McDuck! 🦆 Beaks in the Shell! →

[myhearts-sherlocked]

The sign of three was basically a declaration of Sherlock's Love for John

Okay so, the title says it all.

This is my first blog post I'm writing I'm really excited, I hope not to get lost in my train of thought.

Okay so... Let's start easy.

The morning of the wedding Sherlock's up early, mrs. H brings him tea, and she starts talking about the Marriage ( calling it: THE BIG DAY) and how it changes people. Sherlock doesn't understand why this is a Big deal, and starts to avoid talking about it.

When the photographer is taking pictures after the ceremony; Sherlock doesn't budge at first when the photographer said "just the bride and groom, please" which I found really cute and sad at the same time. As at that point Sherlock helped both of them organize a lot of things, so they've been a team in the whole process, and when it was time for the actual thing, he had to step aside.

When Sholto arrives at the reception, John obv greets him, while Sherlock and Mary talk about him, and Sherlock shows obvious signs of jealousy knowing that John "never shuts up about Sholto and not him".

Also, it turns out that apparently he's not "the most unsociable man that John has ever met" anymore, which was one of the many things that made him different from everyone else around them, and now there's suddenly someone else taking that place from him?

*MARY: "neither of us were the first, you know? "

At this point Sherlock is done, and tells Mary to stop smiling, luckily Mary doesn't take it to heart as she 'knows' Sherlock and just shakes it off.

But Sherlock never told John to stop smiling cuz he basically did everything so that John's presumably "Most important day of his life" would go smoothly, and he knows how much John has hurt for the past years (he takes responsibility for it, and is trying to redeem himself by helping him find 'happiness') and probably understands that for John , the wedding day is actually a big deal, he might not understand why, as  he tells Mrs. H earlier:

* SHERLOCK: Two people who currently live together are about to attend church, have a party, go on a short holiday and then carry on living together. What's big about that?

One thing I really liked about Sherlock's Best man's speech is that even though he's the Cleverest person in the room , (and he knows it) and the whole mind palace thing ;

He prepares flashcards to remember, just in case something goes wrong and forgets, which would be unlikely, cuz yeah, hes Sherlock Holmes but he's still a human, and he does it so that he doesn't ruin the most important day in his Best Friend's life. Although he doesn't understand why, Sherlock does it anyways, for John. That's why he gets a bit agitated when he sees everyone crying, and wonders if he did something wrong.

Plus, Sherlock doesn't show-off as much during his speech, he made sure that the spotlight for his speech would always fall on John Watson.

Let's quote some of the nice things Sherlock said about John, during his speech:

*SHERLOCK: today you sit between the woman you have made your wife and the man you have saved - in short,  the two people who love you most in all this world. And I know I speak for Mary as well when I say we will never let you down, and we have a lifetime ahead to prove that.

* SHERLOCK: I never expected to be anybody's best friend. Certainly not the best friend of the bravest and kindest and wisest human being I have ever had the good fortune of knowing.

* SHERLOCK: The best and bravest man I know and on top of that he actually knows how to do stuff.

[Flashback to John asking Sherlock to be his best man]

*John: I want to be up there with the two people i love and care about most in the world

So, we already know that John's talking about his wife to-be and Sherlock. Now if you'll excuse me let's just go back a bit, when John hasn't met Mary yet. I think the statement would still stand; but with only one subject/individual (In this case Sherlock). Idk where I'm going with this. But basically what I'm saying is that before John met Mary, Sherlock was the only person he loved and cared about the most in the world. Let that sink in.

Now. Let's talk about the flashbacks of the stag night.

Before actually going to the Pubs, Sherlock asks Molly to help him 'calculate' their ideal alcohol intake.

And he says :

* SHERLOCK: Don't want to get ill. That would ruin it - spoil the mood.

Let's remember what John told Sherlock when he  was appointed as Best man:

*JOHN: Look, Sherlock, this is the biggest and most important day of my life.

And we see that Sherlock's a bit skeptical about it at first but we've seen that already.

[back to the stag night]

Sherlock really wants it to go well for John, but it doesn't really go as planned and they go home early. NOW, my favorite part of the stag night: The Rizla game.

When Sherlock's trying to guess who he's supposed to be... These are the answers that John has already given him:

He is human; not as tall as people think; nice-ish; clever, important to some people, ppl don't like him and he tends to rub them up the wrong way.

SO! With these informations on hand, Sherlock's first guess is: KING OF ENGLAND, ofc John tells him that they don't have a king, So Sherlock had to guess again. His second guess was 🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁. JAWN. Yep, so I found this interesting somehow, basically what I came up with is : for Sherlock, Jawn has the same qualities a king would have. Think about it. I'll let you work it out by yourself, cuz I'm tired sksk. Just comment below any thoughts about this.

Ok so at this point Hudders interrupts the game, bringing in a client. Nothing in this part particularly interests this blog.

But a few honorable mentions :

> John touching Sherlock's knee

> Sherlock's arm around John while sitting on the couch

> Sherlock's butt up while "clueing for looks"

After this, there's the whole case-solving part. We'll skip it, and go to the last bit.

Sherlock's playing his newly composed waltz for the Watsons and then they talk about Mary being pregnant, everyone's happy, and there's the really long, awkward eye contact between the two men, while the bride is the one supposed to have all the attention, out of the 3 of them... Okay afterwards, the newlyweds dance together, and then Sherlock leaves early. As he sees that everything's going smoothly again, ( Sherlock saw, being the best man, a responsibility) at that point he probably thought that his job was done, and his presence was not needed anymore. That's heartbreaking.

So basically Sherlock also composed a Waltz for them (as I already mentioned earlier), and taught John how to dance along with it. So practically Sherlock did hell of a LOT for the Watsons, and John specifically. Cuz yeah it's the topic of this Blog post. But I enjoyed Sherlock and Mary's friendship during this.

But here's the thing, everything Sherlock has done throughout the whole episode; he did it exclusively for John's happiness. Because that's true love. Now count me as cheesy, but even if you don't ship Johnlock, and only see them as friends, you have to admit that what Sherlock did, showed his love for John. Because even if he knows that after this wedding John wouldn't spend as much time with him as he did in the past. He prefers to see John happy than being Petty about it. ( for me, that's love, as long as the other half is happy, I'm good)

Now let's remember what Sherlock did for the Watson's during this episode:

> greatest best man speech

> compose a Waltz

> teach John how to dance

> organize an intricate stag night with a personal touch

> prevent a murder at his Best friend's wedding

> got in good terms with Archie

> scared off Mary's ex, so he'd stay put.

> Made sure they still had beautiful wedding pics before arresting the photographer

Helps organizing :

> the sitting setting at the reception

> the time Schedule

> the tissues

* = quoted from https://arianedevere.livejournal.com/66078.html

That was all I had for you guys~ ✨I really hope you liked it, I enjoyed writing this, comment your thoughts, I'd appreciate feedback :')

[theangrypokemaniac]

I'll state from the beginning that the images below display the sort of sweet synchronicity to which only love can give life:

MaAndPaShipping is the best ship, and here are five reasons why:

1. It Made James

Like the boy do yer? Ever felt the slightest tingle of warmth at the mention of his name?

Well get down on yer knees and give thanks to his mother and father for gifting him to the world!

Where would we be without their remarkable commitment? Could James have grown into the dandified dream boat of your desires if deprived of the safety provided by his parents?

Had they not brought him up, he'd be dead, The Dog of Flanders fantasy made reality. If miraculously he survived, foraging in the wild is not conducive to a foppish personality.

Is that to yer fancy? No? Then let's have a little respect. The luxury Ma and Pa gave enabled his macaroni tendencies to reach such heights.

Their love created him! How can it not be celebrated?

You lot would ship Jessie's parents but you can't, because she has no dad, and I don't suppose you'll ever assent to his obvious identity of Windy Miller, although 'Jessie Miller' has a wonderful ring to it, so what can be done?

Should a Pa Jess be conjured for the purpose, he still buggered off, didn't he? Where's the allure in a faithless git?

I can't comprehend the obsession with Ma Jess. As soon as here she's stiff, and what is there to remember but coercing her daughter into eating snow?

Hey, I named her. What more do you want from me?

I'd rather have the living, visible ancestors, if you don't mind.

Yeah, says the history fanatic.

Why not make the most of the chances offered, and follow a devoted couple whose love made a difference to your existence?

2. Canon!

There are many ships which I find repulsive for involving depravity, or absurd as the subjects haven't met, or don't inhabit the same fictional universe.

Video et taceo: I see and I say nothing.

Neither does anyone. Forcing decent folk in to incest, bestiality etc. is quite alright.

Perverted ideas are left alone, but woe betide a Rocketshipper, because that's offensive.

It may be the only original ship left standing, with proper evidence and sanctioned by Nintendo, but no, it's fair game for undermining. People pick at your arguments, quibble constantly and NEED to register their objections NOW. You MUST be made aware of opposition. You're not to be permitted your views the way those with twisted tastes are indulged.

Why, out of tens of thousands of combinations, does making Jessie and James an item provoke hostility?

The strength of negativity actually serves as validation, for why be so concerned if it's an impossible relationship?

However sick they are, I'm not anti any ship. I can't muster sufficient interest to do it, and if I scroll on, I forget. I certainly don't attack those responsible.

Anti-Shipping is inherently nihilistic for promoting loneliness. They aren't against Rocketshipping through wanting Jessie and James to be with someone else, as an alternative is not readily available, so the outcome of it is neither finding a companion.

MaAndPaShipping attracts no sourpuss silliness, for 'tis canon beyond question. There's nothing about being 'just friends' when married with a son.

How's the state of your O.T.P.? Not looking too clever I expect, and what's your contribution: wishing, and hoping, and thinking, and praying?

Cast it off! None of that longing is necessary in these quarters, as MaAndPaShipping is a fait accompli.

Hallelujah! Wallow in that Love!

Don't you yearn for at least one ship that all of us accept by default, to the extent these aristocrats are spoken of as a single unit?

Across the internet, Ma and Pa are bracketed as 'James's parents', never 'he' and 'she', always 'they', barely counting as distinct characters. That's how undeniable the love is between them. Sheer indifference has awarded it a blessing from everyone.

MWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!

Of course, now I've drawn attention to it the moaning will start, but we all know a spoilsport when we see one.

If they had any legitimate complaints they ought to have mentioned 'em before this piece highlighted the marriage!

Except it won't have occurred to 'em previously, proving the eternal, indissoluble quality of MaAndPaShipping.

You get good value with this one.

Find a post referring to Ma and Pa as individuals and I'll have written it, for that's what you call ironic.

3. It's a Fine Rocketshipping Proxy

I was at primary school when Pokémon hit the West like the bright, bearded meteor it is, atomizing all competition for a child's attention.

I have shipped Jessie and James before I knew anyone else did it, unaware shipping was even a thing.

There are other pairs where I think: 'That seems to fit', but it's incomparable to what I feel for them.

It is part of me. I bleed it.

I have shipped it longer than most Tumblerries have dwelt upon the earth.

I used to believe, what with the hints and manga finale, that this resolution was  inevitable, and all I had to do was wait.

Well I've been patient for two decades now, thus when I look at the modern incarnation, and realise it's no nearer to that goal, and instead is further away, waiting starts to wear a bit thin.

I resent the lack of appreciation shown to the fans by the cretins in charge, how any meagre shippy inclusion is done not with an interest in deepening bonds, but with the blatant cynicism of moulding us into performing monkeys dancing to their manipulative tune.

I dislike being treated like a sea lion, expected to clap me flippers at the wave of a fish, or as a panting dog begging at top table, where, because they're desperate to maintain the status quo, every scrap flung down from above now comes with an Anti-Ship kick in the teeth, just to be sure nothing progresses. Not whilst the franchise can still be milked for all it's worth.

I have lost faith Rocketshipping will happen. What passes for Pokémon today carries not the remotest indication of any intention on the so-called writers' part to finish it that way.

Even if it did, it's not my Team Rocket, it's those skeletal, gargoyle bastardisations. My Jessie and James never got the reward they deserved.

I'm somewhat in the market for a replacement. Beneath this loathsome carapace of acid and ice beats the tender heart of a true romantic, and it must have an outlet!

Shipping Ma and Pa provides a certain spurious relief, because it's as close as you can get to Jessie and James without it being them, both biologically as his parents, but they're so similar to the duo it counts as proof in itself.

Holy Matrimony! is prime Rocketshipping territory, not merely the balloon lift, but many slight additions are as important, like the haircuts matching.

Ma and Pa are therefore Jessie and James in the past, present and future:

The past for representing Jess 'n' Jamie gone Victorian, and we've all wondered how that'd turn out.

The present as it's there right now, absent of suffering the shameless whims of morons to get what you want. 'Tis yours to savour.

The future as a glimpse of Jessie and James once married with children, and they agree:

That's how they play it given the opportunity!

What, James in blue, for his and Pa's hair, and Jessie wearing purple, like Ma's, with a red shawl for her own, and Ma Jess's orange earrings to copy the beads?

• Money!

• Bun!

• 'Tache!

• Classy pad!

• Fancy gear!

• Pampered pet!

• Identical cups of Earl Grey!

4. Original Blend

Ma and Pa have only got two fans! We care more than the entire fandom has in twenty years!

Rocketshipping art is ten a penny, so why not display a pioneering spirit, sharpen up those pencils and be inspired?

Let your mind expand and marvel at the possibilities of these unchartered territories, and I'll reblog it if it's nice.

Pay attention to the condition of it being nice. I'm not putting up with any old toss.

Real Ma and Pa is what I want too, not those Sinnoh coffin-dodgers.

It's never been done! Every drawing breaks new ground!

I don't like fan fiction, but I wouldn't say 'no' to that either. Recall the 'nice' stipulation again.

Come on, be the first amongst your friends and get ship shape!

5. It Gives Us All Hope

Suppose your favourite amour one day became canon: you imagine that's the end of the matter?

Well it ain't.

Between Ash, Misty, Brock, Jessie, James, Gary and Tracey, there are three-and-a-half out of fourteen parents (Flint doesn't count as a complete man) and one out of twenty-eight grandparents, and that's not enough!

If the series drew to a close with your beloved couple apparently walking into the happily-ever-after, there's no guarantee it'll endure. In fact, the odds are they'll split up within a few years and leave another generation to fend for themselves or starve.

That's right, so don't presume the final episode is all you need to worry about. Can you rest easy knowing it'll go pear-shaped once the camera stops rolling?

It's futile soothing one's worries with:

Oh, but they know what it's like to be alone. They'd never inflict such stress on their children.

Oh really?

Look at that poor showing of grandparents. Either Pokémon has a system reminiscent of the sci-fi film Logan's Run, where everyone over thirty is vapourized, or these disappearing maters and paters were themselves victims of abandonment.

I bet when they settled down, they thought it'd be different for their kids, they'd make sure of it, but no, off they went down that same route of feckless self-indulgence, and that's being kind assuming they intended not to repeat history.

Depressing eh? What's the good in any of us surrendering to romance, real or otherwise, if love is but a mayfly of emotion, and all dreams are doomed to die?

Then Ma and Pa arrive, and suddenly the storm clouds part for a ray of heavenly light.

It's not only that they made the effort in what was probably an arranged marriage and have stayed together from youth, it's that they've stayed together when no one else has, which augments its value.

When separation is commonplace, sticking it out becomes rarer and rarer as any belief in the sanctity of wedlock erodes with every failure.

If they didn't bother, why should I? What's the use when it won't work?

Once that idea enters your head, it's over, and your gloom-laden attitude fulfils itself.

Society is collapsing about Ma and Pa's ears, but they persevere nevertheless, refusing to buckle under the turgid malaise engulfing the arrogant and weak.

It's bloody beautiful, man!

You may suggest an environment of supreme wealth erases normality, and to their class and time period divorce is still taboo, so they don't really have much of choice but to remain wedded.

Ah, but it's not as if they simply tolerate one another for appearances, or carried on for the sake of their son (which is more than anyone else did besides), not when he walked out on them.

They've been married longer than James has lived, so at least eighteen years (don't all squeal at once), and they're still blissfully contented!

They hold hands!

They use terms of endearment like 'dear' and 'my precious'!

They were made for one another!

They work as a team!

They want the same thing for James!

It could bring a stone angel to tears it's so beautiful!

See what success can be achieved when you try? When you endeavour to love the one you're with and make yourself worth loving in return?

Better that than chucking 'em at the first sign of trouble.

Ma and Pa is such an irrevocable union even the despair of losing their only child failed to tear 'em asunder, and that'd defeat many, but not this husband and wife.

Be grateful, for it means all is not in vain.

It doesn't have to be misery and pain: love can last despite the pressure of a wretched, hollow culture bent on self-destruction. Your ship might just succeed too.

God bless 'em for keeping the magic alive!

...

Why do I have the presentiment that I'm going to regret encouraging support?

[cryptnus-blog]

The Immutability Of Blockchain Is Useless When It Comes To Easy Crypto Thefts And Hacks

New Post has been published on https://cryptnus.com/2018/11/the-immutability-of-blockchain-is-useless-when-it-comes-to-easy-crypto-thefts-and-hacks/

The Immutability Of Blockchain Is Useless When It Comes To Easy Crypto Thefts And Hacks

[Disclosure: I used to have a small amount of Ethereum (Ether), but now I have absolutely zero Ether]

Your eyes are not deceiving you, the disclosure above is usually printed at the end of any article by any Forbes writer when the subject matter is about cryptocurrencies.

In this case, I am confirming that I now have no Ether, but I did have some until my crypto wallet was hacked around six weeks ago.

In the interim period, I know now more than most about the lack of crypto security and how it’s virtually impossible to retrieve funds after they’ve been stolen. It’s an interesting story, it’s just highly annoying that it happened to me.

First things first. Like many others, I was in the latter stages of the crypto wave and only started becoming interested in them a couple of years ago.

Blockchain seemed revolutionary, Ether looked as if it could more than emulate Bitcoin because of Smart Contracts, so why not quietly invest in a future nest egg? I had time on my hands, so this was always a long play… and not a big one.

I learnt quickly, heard that crypto exchanges were hacked regularly, so it would be advisable to store my Ether in a wallet via a public key and a private one. I could upload funds using my public key (open to the world), but only I would know the private key.

So far, so encrypted. Both keys were 40 characters long and I decided to use Myetherwallet to store my Ether; friends in the industry had assured me this was the best one.

As directed, I printed off my private key, kept it securely in my desk (whoops, just gave it away again) and then came up with what I thought was a masterstroke.

Some years ago when I lived in Goa, I met some very interesting people, one of whom was a notorious (and somewhat garrulous) drug dealer.

He told me over a few beers that whenever he wanted to pass on a secret message, he would give his Gmail log-in and password to an associate and that individual could access the appropriate message in Gmail drafts.

Nothing would be sent over the internet, so nobody would know, so it was as safe as proverbial houses. Good enough for a paranoid drug dealer, good enough for me; that’s where I stored my private key.

Moreover, I split the key into ten different sets of four characters and encrypted it my own way. Whenever I accessed the wallet, I would scrunch the characters together, cut-and-paste, access my wallet, then clear my browser history, then rearrange them differently. Clever old me.

Clever, not. This, apparently, was how the hackers found my private key. So if you’re thinking of storing your private key (or talking to fellow drug dealers), then Gmail drafts is a very bad idea. Clearly, I found this out too late; you have no excuses.

Crypto wallets and exchanges are mutually exclusive and do not provide security.Quoteinspector (via Creative Commons Flickr

What happened next was insane and intense. When I next logged in, I quickly discovered that I’d been cleaned out a week earlier. The crypto cupboard was bare.

Like any other burglary, this was an intensely stressful experience, so I activated my network of great people. Black hats, white hats, blockchain aces, crypto genii, high-networks individuals with access to the top, everybody I could think of.

Information came quickly. The Ether had been moved to a new public key address, but had not moved for seven days. This meant it could have been malware that had scraped the private key (but didn’t know how to move it to an exchange) or the thieves were biding their time.

Unfortunately, they bided their time for another six days, but I was told ‘not to worry’. This was blockchain and if the funds were moved to an exchange then I would be alerted, the thieves would be easy to track down.

Then they moved and six days later I was alerted that they were transfering my funds (along with others) to the Binance exchange. That transaction had to be stopped because no blockchain transaction can be reversed. Simple surely, the exchange could just block that transaction.

The next six hours were crazy, it was if the whole world was trying to help me out. Over the course of that evening, the odds of me blocking the transaction veered between 5 per cent to 40, down to 20, up to 70, down to 30 and finally a big, fat zero.

Myetherwallet were sympathetic, but said there was nothing they could do, they did not have the ability to stop movements, even if they were suspicious. I spoke to Myetherwallet CEO Kosala Hemachandra in a panic as the heist continued its less than merry way.

Remember we are an open source wallet that doesn’t hold any user funds, so any compromise of funds like this may be a result of using a lookalike phishing site. We have the highest security measures available in the market so that our users are protected against malicious actors.

Well, that was nice to know, but it didn’t help me much, so I turned to Binance, but was presented with a website request for a ‘ticket number’ and they would get back to me in 72 hours.

Seventy-two hours? I wanted something done within 72 seconds. I was told to expect a reply, which came 24 hours later, and a request for a law enforcement number to whom I had needed to report the crime.

I live in the UK, not North America. Law enforcement means the Police and while I appreciate the work the Police do, I don’t think any Police force in this country would even understand what had happened to me.

This to them would just be another burglary and if they did know enough about crypto, being informed that I had left my private key in my Gmail drafts was as good as leaving a window open in my house. I probably deserved it.

I later caught up with Wei Zhou, Binance CFO at this month’s Blockchain Summit in Malta and he said there had an increase in thefts such as mine over the last couple of months describing it as a ‘last grab’; hackers knew the crypto community was beefing up security.

We work very hard to ensure the safety and security of funds on Binance and Trust Wallet. Our hope is that all users are informed on best practices to ensure the safety of their own storage and accounts. We work closely with law enforcement agencies around the world to help users recover funds, so in case of stolen funds, we encourage users to file reports right away with law enforcement.

It will be interesting to find out just how many times Binance has co-operated to get theirs users’ funds back, but Zhou assured me that Binance wanted this relationship with law enforcement to be more efficient and they’re working on it.

I have seen the price of Ether plummet in the six weeks since I was hacked, so the pain has lessened over this period of time, but while I’ve been an idiot, I’m not exactly clueless in how this all works.

For the average and traditional investor however, the volatility of cryptocurrencies and its current (and brutal) bear market are enough to put most of them off investing in crypto.

Add stories such as mine and the eventual creep of regulation, the crypto world right now seems to be a very dangerous place to play.

On the other hand, I’m still a believer and while I’ve been burnt once, I may yet return. In the interim, the thieves have got away with it and whether this is a ‘last grab’, whether I’m a total loser or whether better security is coming, the warning is clear.

Never, at any time, store your private key anywhere on your computer or your cellphone; you are not safe. Moreover, forget using Gmail drafts for anything else other than drug-dealing… it’s a mug’s game.

[Disclosure: I do not currently hold any Ether… or any other cryptocurrency]