#because I don’t think they’d want to follow that up in future games

[designernishiki]

I think one of the things that bothers me the most about mine being killed off at the end of y3 is like… you get little tiny looks here and there into his mind and at who he is, but overall because his intentions are so mysterious most of the game, he seems like a relatively 2-dimensional villain pretty much up until the very end when he monologues and reveals his worldview, background, relationship with daigo, etc. and then right after they establish him as being complex and interesting by revealing all that info AND having him take kiryu’s hand and start changing his mindset for the better– they kill him off. so it kinda feels like truly introducing a character right at the end and then getting rid of him like thirty seconds later just Destroying all the potential they just gave him. like. he was just at the start of his development basically and it just sucks to not be able to see that through and see what he could’ve become.

as much as I do totally understand the dilemma brought on by daigo waking up and the crushing guilt that’d immediately bring mine, and I totally agree that he’d absolutely TRY to dramatically kill himself in an act of self-sacrifice over it, I don’t think they particularly should’ve let him– for the sake of his potential as a recurring character, but moreover because we’ve already been through this before with nishiki and ending this incident with the same result despite kiryu actually doing things right this time and daigo showing immediate care and concern for mine upon waking up (unlike kiryu with nishiki, who got ignored and basically forgotten). I think it would’ve been more powerful and interesting and applicable to kiryu’s development in the long run to have had mine saved, both literally/physically and emotionally in the sense that he actually accepts, even if he doesn’t believe he’s worthy of it, that people truly care about him and there isn’t only evil in the world and that if he can’t live for himself he can live for the sake of those he loves. he’s been self-centered for so long and kiryu calls him out on it, so he considers that maybe, for once, he should put his fate and trust into the hands of others rather than believing himself to have the clearest judgement on what he deserves or how he should repent. and that’d mean something to kiryu, who’s at that point already grappling with a similar dilemma when it comes to stubbornly sacrificing himself for others despite those who love him telling him it’s not always necessary and that he can accept help. it’so mean something to have kiryu see that self sacrifice isn’t the only option, and even in the worst of situations a person’s life can be saved through compassion.

[dnpbeats]

Why I Don’t Think the Secret Project™ Is a Tour—This Time With Facts!

Let me start out by saying I do think they’ve brought up another tour enough that it will happen at some point, I just don’t think it will be this soon! (Also keep in mind Dan did imply there are two things coming up in his Tweet.) That being said, obviously I could be totally wrong. But hey, if they do announce a tour in a couple of weeks, there has to be someone that gets clowned by the announcement, and I’m happy to take the fall <3 Post under cut as it's long (1.3k words 💀)

The main reason I don’t think they’re announcing a tour is timing, but I do also have something to say about the hints they’ve been dropping and why I also don’t think it necessarily points towards a tour. So, to start, let’s look at how long they spent planning TATINOF and II. In “The Making of TABINOF,” Phil says they are releasing the book (on October 8th 2015) after working on it for a year and a half, which would be April 2014. Presumably, this is around the time they started working on TATINOF as well because they were supposed to be companions. TABINOF and TATINOF were announced together on March 26th 2015, so almost exactly a year after they started planning them. Even if you want to guess that TATINOF planning started a few months after TABINOF planning, keep in mind that they originally only planned the UK leg and planned the US tour after that. The UK leg ended November 15 2015 and they announced the US leg February 26 2016. So that’s a little over two months of them planning the US leg alone, when they already had the show itself all sorted.

With II, we know they were actively planning it for about a year. Phil follows that up to say they planned it for “the majority of this year [2018],” so let’s just call it 10-11 months. More so than that, Dan said that they realized they wanted to do a second tour “halfway through” TATINOF, which in my best guess places that decision around summer 2016. This means they seriously considered doing a second tour for ~6 months before they even started planning it. 

Now, if the new project coming up is a tour, they’ve only been working on it for 6 months max. They only brought back the gaming channel 7 months ago, and we know from the end of Dan’s bday live stream that they didn’t start working on this project until they realized how many people still liked their content: “We were so shocked about how much people care about this light entertainment, sat-in-this-chair-ass content. [...] It took us by such surprise, and now we’re like, where is this going. [...] It was supposed to be a ‘let’s just do this for a bit and see what happens.’ [...] So now we find ourselves going, well okay, this channel, this content, the people, the future of it. What else are we gonna do? 'Cause it seems like there's a thing here.” 

So it’s up to you to decide when they realized that, but I think it was probably sometime in November at the absolute earliest, and then they still needed time after that to decide what they’re going to do, and then actually plan it. (And honestly, I doubt they started actively planning anything in December during gamingmas, but you never know!! Also like I said in my original post about this, Dan was still doing WAD stuff up until February and then some book promo stuff after that, so he was busy with that as well.)

So, that’s all to say, I really don’t think they’ve had time to plan an entire tour. At the very least, not a world tour, but I don’t know if they’d announce a UK-only leg and plan the worldwide tour later based on what they said about choosing to plan II all at once, rather than the split up way they did with TATINOF (also keep in mind that Dan announced WAD all at once, like d&p did with II). Idk I just don’t think they’d announce a tour without having it all planned!

Okay, so, besides the random hints that they’re busy planning something, we also have Phil’s comment about saving money in his Cactus Club post. He wrote “I also just wanted to make your cactus a lil more affordable as Dan and I get busy on what is …. next… ??” Now while this seems to imply saving up for something (hence why the membership needs to be affordable), he doesn’t outright say that. Then in his Q&A vid, he answers a question about what he’s cooking that specifically asks, “Should I save my money?” And interestingly, Phil doesn’t address the money part of the question. Now maybe he just couldn’t say anything about saving money, maybe it would've been too on-the-nose. But I’m also sure plenty of other people asked that question without asking about saving, which means he chose to specifically ignore that part. To me, it seems kinda weird to outright exclude that if the project is something people will have to pay a lot of money upfront for (i.e. tour tickets), but again that’s just my opinion.

(Also just a secondary note on Phil’s answer—he actually says, “Look, I can neither confirm nor deny something might happen in the next month.” I find the phrasing he chose really interesting. He didn’t say an announcement was coming, he said something was going to happen. Dan also never explicitly said to look forward to an “announcement,” he just said they’ve been cooking and to give it a couple of weeks. Obviously this could all mean nothing and maybe it is an announcement (whether it be for a tour or something else), but I actually think whatever the project is might be getting released not just announced. But idk!)

A moment of me speculating based on vibes (that also negates the note I just made about this potentially being a release rather than an announcement): part of me thinks this project might be something/similar to something they tried to get off the ground before but then never came to fruition! This gifset by @reunitedinterlude got me thinking about projects that they didn’t get to do for various reasons (namely COVID lol). I think one of these (either one of Phil’s ideas that he’s now brought Dan onto, or something they were trying to do together from the get go) would actually make a lot of sense for what’s getting announced. It would be something that they had already started work on, so it doesn’t take as much planning as something brand new, meaning it could be announced sooner. Additionally, I just feel like they’ve been so vague about what’s coming up, but they’ve also been super excited! They seem really proud about whatever they’ve been cooking. While I obviously think they’d be excited to do another world tour, part of me just feels like they might be this excited because it’s something new that they’ve never done before. Also, if it’s some kind of game show type thing, it would make sense that Dan said the project is a “celebration” of the gaming channel. But again this is just based on vibes lol.

In conclusion, I do think we’ll get a third Dan and Phil tour, I just don’t think it’s what’s getting announced(/released?) in the coming weeks. But I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the next thing they announce after whatever this upcoming thing is! If you think I’m dead wrong and actually other people have planned world tours in <6 months please let me know, I’m happy to be proven wrong bc I would love another tour :)

[augustjustice]

You're the One that I Want

@steddie-week prompts: dizzy, drunken confessions @stevieweek prompt: girls night @steddiemicrofic prompt: one | wc: 1111 words rating: T | tags: transfem steve harrington, platonic stobin, sleepovers, phone calls, love confessions

AO3 Link

When the phone rang right around eleven, Eddie had to admit he was sort of surprised.

Not that he was any stranger to nighttime phone calls. One caller in particular had become something of a regular, post-nightmare soothing sessions in the first weeks after Spring Break soon morphing into inane chats about anything and everything. 

But he knew she was busy tonight.

Eddie had been quick to learn, once he’d gotten closer to the Upside Down crew, that weekly Steve and Robin Nights were a sacred tradition. Ever since Stevie came out, the title had transformed into Girls Night, much like their very own lovely jock herself. 

The importance of the day, however, remained the same.

And, it being Thursday, Eddie definitely didn’t expect to hear from her tonight. 

Crossing the trailer, he mused over who it might be instead. Gareth, maybe, since he was still sorting out the kinks of his drum solo in Corroded Coffin’s latest song. 

“Joe’s Pool Hall,” Eddie chirped when he picked up. “We rack ‘em and stack ‘em so you don’t have to!”

“Munson!” Robin’s voice burst out over the line, loud enough Eddie pulled the phone a few inches away from his ear. “Stevie needs to tell you something!”

In the background, he could hear Stevie’s muffled Robbie, nooo.

“Stevie-Evie, come on! Tell him, tell him, tell him.” The speed at which Robin chanted her words left them slurred, tripping over each other. “Exactly what you told me. It’s like–sleepover law. You gotta.”

From the shrieks and incomprehensible arguing that broke out after, Eddie could surmise they’d fallen into a drunken scuffle.

Finally, Stevie’s voice rang out from the receiver. “Hi, Eds!” 

The happiness in her tone made actual butterflies erupt in his stomach. Goddamn, he was such a mess for this girl. 

“Hey, sweetheart,” Eddie answered, twirling the cord around one finger. “Sounds to me like you two lovely ladies are having a fun night.”

“Oh, yeah, totally. We totally were. But then Robin,” in her inebriated state, Stevie put extra emphasis on the end of her best friend’s name, “got this bright idea to play, like. All the girls’ sleepover games I missed out on because…well, you know.”

Though Stevie sounded put-out now, Eddie had no doubt the suggestion had delighted her. Indescribable fondness for both girls swelled in his chest. 

“That right? What game are you at–prank call the hottest future rock star you know?” 

“No, sillyhead!” Stevie tittered.

Eddie could practically see her, smile bright and nose scrunched up adorably. The image was so distracting, he almost missed Stevie’s next words. 

“I’m s’posed to call…” she dropped into a hushed whisper, the crinkling sound the receiver made suggesting she had cupped her hand around the phone, “my biggest crush!”

The sentence hit Eddie like a truck, nearly incomprehensible. He felt dizzy with it, the bottom of his stomach dropping out the same way it had on the Gravitron at last year’s Fourth of July Fun Fair. 

“S-Sorry, uh,” he stuttered out, “bad connection, I think. You know how shitty the service down at Forest Park can be. Cuz, for a second, I almost thought you said–”

But Stevie barrelled on, as though he hadn’t said anything at all.

“You’re the one that I want!” she sang out.

Her voice carried all the passion and fervor as the times she was alone in the car with Eddie, taunting him with her favorite new pop hit, or when she and Robin were goofing off, having a dance off after hours at work. Eddie could hear it when Robin joined in for the follow-up chorus of Ooh, ooh, ooh, honey!

The absurdity of it made Eddie cackle, momentarily distracted from the racing of his heart. 

“Harrington…did you seriously just sing Grease at me?” 

“I did not!” Stevie protested. 

Eddie wouldn’t have been surprised if she had punctuated that claim with a stamp of her foot. But she followed it up with a little hmph, contemplative. 

“–Well, yeah, okay. So what if I did? That-that isn’t the point. The point is…I want you, Eddie Munson.”

He gulped against the nervousness welling up in his throat. “Princess…you’re actually serious right now, right? This isn’t just, you know…the booze talking?”

“‘Course I’m serious, Eds. Don’t know how you didn’t notice–Robin said my mooning was getting so annoying. But that’s only cuz I’m like…totally in love with you, to be honest.” 

It wasn’t as eloquent and romantic, Eddie suspected, as a sober Stevie Harrington love confession would have been–but, heart flipping in his chest, he cherished it just as much. 

“Oh. Well, shit. Looks like…I better shape up, then.” 

And even though he knew what he was about to do would make him sound completely ridiculous–he couldn’t help but smile, knowing it would be totally worth it. 

So, Eddie took a deep breath and belted back, “Cuz my heart is set on you!”

“Eddie!” Stevie gasped like he had just performed a magic trick. “You know Grease?!”

“Stevie, you gotta swear you’re gonna take that one to your grave. But…sure I do, darling. You think I wouldn’t go out and see one of your favorite movies?”

“Really?”

The excitement in her voice was tempered by a sudden hint of shyness, the kind she usually hid behind a bold, confident exterior. Eddie knew exactly what that was like–and he felt lucky, that Stevie trusted him enough to let him see the vulnerability underneath.  

“Really really. I’m gone for you, Stevie. Have been for…well, hell. A really long damn time.”

Stevie sighed, lovelorn and wistful.

“Me, too.”

Eddie was really glad he wasn’t the one that was drunk right now, or he might have suspected he was dreaming.

“Wanted to tell you for so long–” But whatever sweet thing Stevie had been about to say was cut off, as she suddenly huffed into the phone. “Oh my God, okay! I’m hurrying, I’m hurrying!”

“All good over there?” 

“Sorry. Robin says I’m hogging the phone,” Eddie could practically hear her eye roll, before her tone turned mischievous. “Besides…now it’s her turn to call Vickie. Talk tomorrow?”

“Wouldn’t miss it, Stevie. See you bright and early.” Bright and early for Eddie usually meant around noon, but, for this, he was willing to make an exception. “And tell Buck–I owe her one.”

You’re welcome! he heard Robin sing-song just before Stevie hung up, evidence she’d probably been listening in on every word. 

As he wandered back to his bedroom in a daze, 11:11 blinked at him from the digital alarm clock on his bedside table.

Eddie didn’t even need to make a wish.

Travolta and his flying car had nothing on him. 

[frozenjokes]

grian jokes about leaving them for mumbo tho. splayed dramatically across mumbo, who came over and is trying to read his emails on his phone, attempting to ignore the fact grian is rolling around him like he’s a human jungle gym

a note from future Elsa: I started to ramble. None of this is coherent. Thanks for being a vessel to allow me to yap though.

I do actually find it silly to think about eventual cumscarian. maybe more. like the polycule just keeps growing. all of our friends, into the pot. it’s the most monstrous QPR/actual romantic mix you’ve ever seen, none of it is labeled, none of it makes sense, and then BOOM. hermitcraft.

(In an eventual future) anyway Grian probably would do this. And then he’d realize he wasn’t joking. And then they’d all have to have a conversation MDNDNDNDNND. but yeah if mumbo doesn’t want to be treated like a jungle gym maybe he shouldn’t be so tall and lanky and a pushover.

Genuinely though Mumbo has a very interesting dynamic with all three of those losers and I think it would be fun to explore each of their relationships /platonic/ separately from each other because they’re all very different. Idk if this will actually happen or if I will have moved on to something else, but here are my thoughts.

Obviously, Grian and Mumbo are besties. Estranged for a while, but their relationship now is pretty healthy with Mumbo setting very firm boundaries that Grian understands and follows (besides occasional instances of forgetfulness or not thinking, but as time passes and old wounds scab over, it matters less and less). I have zero planned major conflict for these two and I don’t imagine that ever changing. Just a steady, healthy friendship.

Mumbo and Cub are interesting to me as mutual friends of Grian who never quite Clicked despite living together most of their college years. Cub makes Mumbo a little bit nervous because he’s so difficult to read a lot of the time, but I don’t imagine Mumbo has ever really gotten Cub in a place where they can talk about shared interests (of which they have quite a few!), an environment that Cub would have a lot more energy to bring to the table. Cub likes Mumbo, but He Can Tell that Mumbo can’t really relax around him most of the time, and since he’s not a very outgoing person he kinda just. Doesn’t try to do anything about that. He’s very used to being regarded as cold and thinks it’s too much effort to try and change minds. Cub I think also has misinterpreted Mumbo’s perception of him though, probably not realizing that Mumbo would like to be closer, he just doesn’t know how to go about doing it. (Cub often assumes most people would rather not bother with him, not necessarily in a self deprecating way, more neutrally toned) Cub doesn’t know either. They would both feel awkward about it. I think the ideal way to put them together would just be to drop them in an escape room or something. Give them a puzzle. Let them problem solve together. I imagine they’d butt heads a little in their Autistic Fervor to PUZLEPUZZLEPUZLLEPUZZLE SOLVEOLEVSOLVESOLVE BE VERY STIMULATED but in the end they’d appreciate the input of the other person in places they got stuck and really respect each other in that way. From there they could move forward.

Scar and Mumbo is tough here because Scar is a little bit obsessed with him and in that obsession just continuously breaks Mumbo’s boundaries like he’s crashing through drywall and Mumbo is just Tired of him. Scar is a Pest. While Mumbo and Grian could bond initially over their distaste of Scar, I imagine as time went on Grian would start to realize someone needs to pull Scar aside and tell him straight up he’s being an asshole, because Scar doesn’t always Get It. What is to Mumbo and Incredibly Annoying inconvenience is interpreted by Scar as a back and forth fun game, and he doesn’t understand that Mumbo is serious, that the way Scar is acting isn’t fun for him. It would take a bit for Scar to understand. Scar’s outlook and interpretation of the world around him is pretty stubborn and he isn’t the most empathetic person and struggles sometimes to connect that the way He would feel about [blank] isn’t universal to everyone. But he would get there. And when he’d apologize, he’d mean it. Mumbo would know it, and I don’t think this au Mumbo could hold a grudge to save his life. Too much energy. So the turnaround on his and Scar’s friendship would be pretty fast; neither party going out of their way to talk to each other, but with so many mutual friends it’s pretty inevitable. And it would probably be nice. A little weird getting to know each other for the first time after years of (forced) talking, but they’d jive. I bet they’d both be into board games. They could be weird about them together.

[nagichi-boop]

So assuming that Sonic 3 will at least partially follow the plot line of Sonic Adventure 2, here are some of my thoughts/predictions about things that will happen in the movie to fit Shadow’s lore into the movie universe;

• In regards to Shadow’s motivation for disliking Sonic, either (a) he resents him for having a human family while his was lost, (b) he thinks Sonic and his friends are stupid for getting close to humans as they are ‘inferior’, or (c) he doesn’t really care about any of that, but just that Sonic gets in his way. • Similar-ish to the last point, but I want Shadow to come to respect the Wachowski’s. Maybe not fully like them, but at least acknowledge they are good people. Whether that happens gradually or after he gets his real memory of Maria’s wish back, I want him to soften a little to them.

• I don’t think Shadow will be adopted into the Wachowski family. Not because they don’t want him, but rather I think he will become a free spirit, similar to how he is in Sonic 06.

• Although in SA2 Amy is the one to talk Shadow into helping stop the ARK hitting earth, I think Sonic could work well as the one to talk him down. He lost family, but he found a new one. He could convince Shadow that not all of humanity is evil. That, or maybe even Tom could talk to him? Who knows. I think Amy would also be a great option to match what happens in the games and I’d love to see that moment recreated, but I worry since we have had no word of her actually appearing in Sonic 3. That and I feel like they’d want the moment to be between Shadow and a ‘main’ character instead, especially with Sonic’s backstory being much different in this universe. • I also think it would be kinda cool if Sonic saved Shadow in space instead of him falling to earth. Not only does this avoid potentially rehashing the whole “I forgot again” storyline that Heroes and ShTH covered, but it also might make him more accepting of Sonic as a friend, or at least someone to respect.

• This is very much wishful thinking, but if Rouge and Omega return (either in this movie or in the future), please please PLEASE let them be a trio again, or at the very least friends. I don’t want any of this “Shadow can’t have friends” nonsense. TMOSTH proves how much more likeable he is when he isn’t just edgy and mean.

I think overall, I just really really hope that if Shadow is kept in the series after the third movie, he becomes an anti-hero instead of a villain. I want that version of Shadow back, not the “I’m edgy and I hate everyone” version. We saw a bit of his older self in TMOSTH and Prime (which I need to catch up on), so it gives me a little hope that Shadow in the movie will be more like his old self. And as a side note, I hope he’s like that in Sonic x Shadow Generations. Given its rehashing his backstory, maybe that’s a sign that he will be written to be like his previous characterisation? Who knows. A girl can only dream.

[this-aint-massachusetts]

My future man au is finally done!!! After 1000 million years, so now ima yap about it. Warning for a long ass post.

First imma say all the characters that will be in the series:

Josh Futturman

Gabe Futturman

Diane Futturman

Ty-Anne ‘Tiger’ (her real name is Ty-Anne but goes by Tiger because I felt that made sense and would be less confusing for another character)

Cory ‘Wolf’ Wolfhart

Stu Camilo

Ty-Anne (I’ll explain this later)

Elias Kronish

Lucy ‘Lugnut’ Wolfhart (yeah she doesn’t canonically have a ‘real’ name but I gave her one cuz I can)

Jeri Lang (yay she’s not a bloody pulp!!)

Joosh Futturman (once again I’ll explain later)

J26 (will once again be explained later)

The Cluster (they might be taken out later though because I’m not quite sure how they’d fit into this au)

Marigold Kronish

[more might be added or removed later]

Here Biotics do still exist but they’re more calmer and less murdery so humans and Biotics now just coexist without wanting to kill and so there’s also no resistance. As well as Tiger still has part biotic in her.

So to explain a few character ‘duplicates’; Joosh, Josh, and J26 here all are separate people despite looking similar. Joosh is a far off cousin to the Futturmans who is still famous off his video games and energy drinks (and is still an asshole), J26 was another kid in the foster system like Josh he just got adopted way before him. As for Tiger and Ty-Anne, they’re both cousins, Ty-Anne being Stu’s daughter still and Tiger only living with the two because her mother is currently missing and/or just dead.

Following up with the foster system, this au is inspired by @dottsdraws foster au so J26 and Josh were both adopted yet J26 was adopted way before Josh was so he’s around 17 while Josh is 14.

Speaking of ages, this is kinda like a high school au so I think I should get into that a bit.

The school is a k-12

(The only ages that follow canon is Kronish, Marigold, Diane, Gabe and Stu so I won’t be putting those down) The ages in this is:

Josh - 15

Tiger - 15

Wolf - 15

Joosh - 23

Ty-Anne - 17

Jeri - 16

Lugnut - 13

J26 - 17

So Jeri is still a biotic yet since biotics are more peaceful here they don’t have the bombs in their necks anymore yet I still wanted to involve some kinda explosion thing for her so I made it that she has an interest in explosives because I’m silly like that.

Josh here also still has a crush on Jeri, she doesn’t like him like he likes her but like in canon she’s still a bit manipulative so she kinda screws around with him but doesn’t like him at all.

Now here is where I get into some headcanons for this so if you don’t like that you can skip this part or don’t yet please don’t be an ass about my headcanons.

So it’s implied in this au that Tiger is sapphic, it’s not really said directly and she doesn’t have a love interest but she is sapphic. As well as she’s nonbinary yet still uses fem pronouns (remember! Pronouns ≠ gender!). Josh is trans FtM that’s a main plot point of his character arc so it’s more main, as well as he’s bisexual. Like Tiger it isn’t directly said but Wolf is bisexual as well and his also FtM trans yet that also isn’t very much of a main plot point. For Jeri I wouldn’t consider her aroace but she doesn’t have interest with getting with anyone but still flirts with basically everyone no matter gender so I guess maybe she’d be demisexual and aromantic? And she’s transfem because I’m js silly like that.

K now that I’m done with that ima move onto some family relationships.

As said earlier, Tigers mother and father are either dead or missing so she lives with her uncle Stu and her cousin Ty-Anne. Lugnut and Wolf are siblings but Wolf is technically her legal caretaker because like Tigers parents they’re either dead or missing. Josh and J26 are both adopted siblings by Gabe and Diane as well as Joosh being a far off cousin.

Now ima get back to the school au thing for a second.

So since it is a school instead of Kronish and Stu being scientists, Kronish is the principal and Stu is the vice principal. Jeri is the class president yet Ty-Anne keeps trying to take that role over. J26 is there yet everyone in the school thinks he’s dead because he just hides in a classroom all day.

Not related to much but Josh has a pet chinchilla named Chimmy :3

Everyone except for Josh has a sorta love-hate relationship with Jeri. As well as in the story it won’t be brought up much but it’s implied that Jeri and Tiger dated briefly but it ended up in a messy break up which is why Tiger doesn’t like her all to much. (Oh and the explosives too, she doesn’t like her explosives)

Okay that was… a lot…. But that’s it for now. Like I said more will be added/removed if I decide to but that’s all I got for now. I’m tired see y’all sometime

[coffee-at-annies]

I think I figured out my feelings on what the pens have done in the last week. It’s safe. That’s all we are under Dubas and FSG. We’re safe. There’s no guts. There’s no sense of impending glory. We’ve had our cake (18 years of love and friendship) and we’ve eaten it (3 cups) and fans are impatiently yelling for more when we’ve got the best baker (of banana bread) in hockey and instead of mixing it up we’re following the recipe.

It’s not that there’s no hope. Through Sidney Crosby all things are possible so jot that down. It’s that we aren’t betting big. We aren’t swinging for the fences. We aren’t doing big moves or signing big players. We did that last off season and it worked out very good with Eller, pretty good with EK, and badly with Graves. We aren’t risking anything with the contracts we’re signing or the trades we’re making. Everyone is getting one to two years at cheap because we aren’t promising anything bigger or longer. We’re signing a bunch of boys for short terms who are looking to have bounce back years hoping at best we’ll find another Ned. Then if we like them we re-sign them and if we don’t they’re gone this time next year. That’s why we didn’t give PO an offer. They’re so scared of arbitration giving him more money or longer term than they offered him that they’d rather let him walk.

It’s hard to feel like this team has a future when it feels torn between this season and when Crosby retires in ???? years (but realistically 2-5). We’re banking draft picks and prospects for that nebulous future but it’s very clear that Dubas doesn’t expect anyone on this current team to still be here at that time (or at least none of the people we’re acquiring - Graves has 5 years, Jars Tanger Rak and Rust have 4 and I think everyone but Tanger is going to get traded when they hit 2 or 1 UFA). If this team is going to change year over year what is there to excite us about? The kids we call up and don’t play? Prospects that are realistically 1-3 years away from Wilkes and 2-5 years away from the NHL? The end of Sid (and Geno and Tanger but mostly Sid’s) career(s)? Idk.

We’re not betting. I know we can’t empty out the cupboards because the cupboards are bare but even in restocking we’re playing it safe. There’s nothing exciting. There’s nothing to distract from the real impending sense we’re at the end of an era and they haven’t invested time in creating a bridge to the next one. There’s no one interesting in the minors that they want us to care about. There’s no one on the team that they want us to get excited about since we’ve not heard from anyone on the team via official accounts since the end of the season. Maybe prospects dev camp next week will give us actual content but there’s nothing coming out of the penguins right now.

Maybe I’ve been fooled by the stability of 8 years of watching Sidney Crosby play. Maybe every team goes through a complete identity change up every 5 years or so and I’ve just been ignoring it as everyone around Sid and Geno left until it was just those two and Tanger still kicking. Idk. We could lose a hundred games like the 2022 pirates did and I’d still be a fan. Management isn’t betting on the team. Why should I?

[runnning-outof-time]

Congrats on 2K you amazing human being! I thought I'd join in with the celebration, please can you use the prompt “I don’t like you.” and please can the character be Tommy? I'm happy for you to interpret it however you wish! xx

Thanks so much, Aimee! 🥰❤️ I’m so happy to have met you on here, and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for us!

Thank you for helping me celebrate hitting 2K followers! Want to read more blurbs from this celebration? Check out this post!

Late Night Confessions

Tommy Shelby

Warnings: language, blood, injury

(Y/N) knows just who it is knocking on her door late at night.

“What’d you do this time, Tommy?” (Y/N) questioned in a monotone voice as she opened the door to her home. “Oh shit…” she gasped as her eyes fell on the man standing in front of her. She’d seen Tommy Shelby with wounds so many times that she’d lost count, but never had he come to her while he was still bleeding. “Tommy what’s happened? Come in,” she asked him before ushering him inside and over to the couch.

“It doesn’t matter,” he brushed her off as he sat down, wanting desperately to put his head in his hands, but the blood on his face wouldn’t allow it.

“I’d like to argue that it does…” (Y/N) trailed off as she moved about the main living area of her home. She grabbed a rag and got it wet before coming back over to where Tommy was sitting on the couch. “What’s the best way to do this?” she asked herself aloud, thinking it over for a minute before she sat in the open cushion next to him.

She then placed her fingers underneath Tommy’s chin, titling his face up so that she could see his injuries more properly. There was an obvious cut above his brow, and his bottom lip was split. She wasn’t sure if his nose was also bleeding because of the amount of blood that had been coming from his forehead. She looked at him intently as she brought the rag up to start dabbing the blood away. Tommy hissed as the cold rag came into contact with the gash on his head.

“Hold still, please,” she told him in a soft voice as she continued cleaning his face. Tommy did as she said, his eyes fixated on her as she worked on wiping the blood away. “I’d still like to know what happened, Tommy,” she said once the majority of the blood had been cleaned off.

She stood from the couch to go back to the kitchen and grab some basic medical supplies to cover up the cuts he had. She then sat back down next to him and stared at him, deciding to not do anything else until he gave her the answer she was looking for.

A few moments passed before Tommy realized what she was doing. He let out a sigh before looking away from her, knowing that he’d have to come clean now. “There were some men at the bar. They’d come from the football game and thought that they’d get drinks on the house. Harry was tryin’ to tell ‘em that that wouldn’t be happening, but they weren’t listening to him…”

“So you took matters into your own hands,” (Y/N) finished his story for him, already knowing what route the story would go in. “Oh, Tommy…” she sighed, shaking her head as she carefully applied a bandage to the cut above his brow.

“Didn’t think the fucker was gonna break a chair and use it on me,” he sighed, sounding rather defeated.

“You can’t keep getting into fights like this,” she told him, sounding much like a parent who was scolding her child.

“They were acting a nuisance in the bar, (Y/N),” he pointed out, like it would justify his actions.

“That doesn’t mean you go and fight them,” she tried to make him see sense.

“Why do you care about what I do anyway, eh?” he asked her, his eyebrows raised. He didn’t sound angry when he said this he was just…curious.

“Because I…I…” she stammered out, becoming more frustrated by the second, “because I don’t like you, Tommy!” she finally got out, her words coming out a little louder than she expected.

“What?” Tommy was confused now.

“I don’t like you…I love you, and I can’t keep seeing you looking like this. You don’t understand how much it hurts me to see you bruised and bleeding. And I don’t want you to take that as a reason to stop coming here when you find yourself in situations such as this one, because I’ll still clean you up, but…god, Tommy…you’ve gotta stop picking stupid fights,” she rambled on, not even really knowing what was coming out of her mouth as she spoke. Really word vomit at its finest.

Tommy stared at her after hearing her declaration. His lack of response made (Y/N)’s eyes widen. Why did she admit that to him? She was now screaming internally at the fact that she’d probably just ruined their friendship. She was about to begin apologizing profusely when Tommy grabbed the back of her neck and brought her in so that he could crash his lips against hers. (Y/N) just about gasped at the contact before her hands fell against his chest, allowing her to clutch the fabric of his suit jacket in her hands so that she could steady herself.

“Tommy…your lip,” she whispered when they pulled away to breathe.

“It’s fine,” he dismissed her worry, his breath fanning against her lips as he stayed close to her. “I’m sorry I’ve been putting myself in these situations…if I’d known how you felt about me, I wouldn’t have been so careless with myself,” he told her then, his eyes finding hers as he spoke.

“It’s ok. Just…just next time please think before you go defending your bar,” she told him, a bit of a smile forming on her lips. She never thought that things would turn out this way, but being this close to him felt so right. “Let me fix your lip,” she said then once they’d pulled back completely.

“I think you’ve fixed it already,” he grinned, his words making her cheeks heat up.

———

Tagged: @mgcllovdrms @the-anxious-youth @cloudofdisney @look-at-the-soul @golden-hoax @elenavampire21 @peaky-cillian @mrsalwayswrite @julkaamazing @evita-shelby @lilyrachelcassidy @notyour-valentine @shelbydelrey @december16-1991 @onlydeadcells @peakyswritings @just-a-blackhole @watercolorskyy @strayrockette @peakyduchesss @alexxavicry @captivatedbycillianmurphy @yummycastiel @dark-academia-slut @tommystargirl @stevie75 @lyarr24 @signorellisantichrist @zablife @anotherblinder @midnightmagpiemama @cillmequick @rangerelik @lovemissyhoneybee @dandelionprints @letal-y-poetica

MASTERLIST

[scriberye]

🔞 Melancholy

         ➥  Jarod x Reader     |     1665     |     Ao3

⚠️🔞 Angst, Reader is an Adult, Reader is not the Hitchhiker, Alcohol Abuse, Smoking, Sexual Content, Gender-Neutral Reader You see a lot of interesting faces working at Palavas. Jarod's face is your favorite though. a/n: I really enjoyed playing Road 96 (it's also on xbox game pass atm). Interacting with Jarod was always heartbreaking and terrifying and I loved every minute.

You and Joe were one of the rare ones. The only people Jarod could talk to about Lola without his anger flaring up. Anyone else and they’d soon be looking down the barrel of a gun. Maybe it was because he liked you. Maybe it was because you supplied him with alcohol and didn’t ask too many questions.

“Think it’s time to cut you off, Jarod.” Joe said with a sigh as he collected the multitude of glasses surrounding Jarod. All he gets is a grunt in response.

You smile and finish wiping down the bar as Joe takes the glasses back into the kitchen. Jarod was a long-time regular before you started working at Palavas, so it was natural you’d develop a soft spot for him over time, learning tidbits about his life here and there whenever he got wasted enough.

It added fuel to the fire that was your growing crush on the man.

“I’m not drunk enough to get cut off.” Jarod complains, just loud enough for you to hear as he pulls out a cigarette and holds it between his lips, patting the pockets of his jacket in search of matches.

“Smoking’s bad for you.” Your familiarity with Jarod emboldens you to pluck the cigarette from his mouth, a shy smile on your lips.

He growls, “So is drinking.”

“Oh, well, you got me there.” You lean on the bar, nudging the cigarette back between his lips. Your heart races, and you wonder what possessed you to try this now. Something in the back of your mind told you if you didn’t act now, you’d never get a chance to in the future.

“If you need somewhere to crash, I’ve got space in my bed.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“I do.” You reach out and place your hand on top of Jarod’s, grateful when he doesn’t immediately pull away. “I want to be more than just a bartender to you. It’s fine if you don’t have any feelings for me, so if you want this to just be a onetime thing, I’m down.”

His expression gives you nothing to go off of. Jarod had mastered the art of the poker face. You wait to hear what he has to say, but there is only silence. It stretches on for so long; you take it as a no and pull away.

Jarod grabs your wrist.

“All right, but only for tonight. Don’t get any ideas.”

You let out a sigh of relief, though it doesn’t do much to calm your racing heart. Even if he didn’t return your feelings, you needed this, and perhaps he does too. Even if it’s just a different vice for him to overindulge in to avoid confronting his grief.

You nod, and he lets go.

Jarod lingers outside the bar, smoking like a freight train as you and Joe finish cleaning up the bar and lock up the doors.

“All set?” Smoke billows out, and you cough, waving your hand to disperse it. He tosses the cigarette on the ground, snuffing it out with his heel. If you didn’t know any better, you’d say he looked almost upset at making you cough.

“Yeah, I’m all set.”

You follow Jarod out to his taxi, waving as Joe drives away in his own car. It’s just you two now in the empty car park. You linger a bit, unsure where you should sit in the taxi. The backseat, like every other customer? Jarod answers the question for you by holding open the front passenger door, staring at you expectantly.

“Did you want to sit in the back?”

“Oh, no! I wasn’t sure.”

“Then sit in the front, where I can see you.” He taps his finger against the door, waiting. You hustle over and slide into the car, tucking your bag under your legs on the floor. Once you’re settled, he shuts the door and gets in on the other side.

“Where to?” Jarod stares at you as the engine roars to life.

“The Paradise Motel. You know where that is?” You grin, pulling the seatbelt on and locking it in place with a click. Glancing up, you catch him glaring at you with only the barest hint of a smile tugging at one corner of his mouth.

“Of course I do. Wouldn’t be very good at my job if I didn’t.”

The ride to the motel is quiet. No music playing from the radio, only the sound of the engine and your racing heart. The road stretches on for miles ahead, illuminated by the headlights of the taxi and the moon above. You would usually find this soothing, but right now, your insides swirl. This is actually happening. You made a move on Jarod, and he accepted.

You take a deep breath and lean your head against the window, staring out at the flat, and near barren landscape as it passes by. Was Jarod as nervous, as excited as you were?

The little roadside motel comes into view all too soon. The familiar neon sign and its flickering ‘O’ coat the roof in a warm, orange glow. You sit up and pull your bag out from under your legs, setting it on your lap.

“It’s the room at the end.”

“.. Mmh.” Jarod pulls the taxi into a parking spot near your room and turns off the car.

You clamour out and start walking toward your room, not bothering to check, or even wait, for Jarod. You’re excited and wound up, and for some stupid reason, you hope no one sees you bringing a man back to your room. Who would see you out here, anyway? In the middle of nowhere?

Your hands shake as you fish out the room key.

It’s strangely quiet at this hour. You don’t even hear the usual roar of the television from your room neighbor. All you can make out is the sound of Jarod’s footsteps approaching you from behind, then the warmth of his body as he gets into your personal space.

“Need some help?” He asks, leaning in close enough you feel hot breath against your ear. His rough voice sends a shudder down your spine.

“N-No! I got it!”

You squeal and clamp a hand over your ear. He must know what kind of effect he has on you, he’s doing this on purpose. After getting the door open, you toss your bag and keys on the desk and look at Jarod.

The motel door shuts behind him with an audible click, and the quiet tension breaks. You’re pressing against him and he’s pulling you closer, knocking his hat off. He tastes like the alcohol he’d been downing earlier, just enough to cover the taste of ash from his constant smoking.

It’s a frantic, fumbling mess of hands, pulling away clothes and tossing them aside. You fall into bed and Jarod climbs on top. You try to kiss him again, only to feel a pang of hurt when he turns his head away. No.

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

He grunts and the mood shifts. The needy desperation to find relief temporarily halted. It’s an apology from him to you as his hands work their way over your body. It’s almost shocking how gently he prepares you for him, and for a moment, you let yourself believe he doesn’t mean to hurt you physically, or emotionally.

But it won’t last.

He doesn’t want to see your face, so you lie and tell yourself you’re fine with it. Jarod’s carrying too much baggage for this to be sentimental. He refuses to let himself feel anything other than anger and spite. His fingers dig into your hips, the loud, rhythmic creaking of the bed mingling with your moans.

You don’t realise how close he is until he empties inside of you, a strained groan coming from behind you. Guess that’s it then. You huff into the pillow, resolving to finish yourself off in the bathroom when, in a moment of softness, he reaches around to help you finish, sending your body into tremors.

You slump down on the bed, trying to catch your breath. The bed dips as Jarod lays down beside you. “Mind if I stay the night?”

“Mhm.. That’s fine.”

It’s killing you. You want to move closer to his warmth, seeking some emotional comfort, but you stay put, and so does Jarod. He lights up a cigarette, and you close your eyes. Sleep is the only gentle embrace you know that night.

The blaring of your alarm wakes you in the morning. You stare at the space next to you. Instead of waking up to Jarod, you only see a folded piece of paper. Of course he’s gone before you wake. You sit up with a sigh, and read the note. It’s short and to the point.

Sorry.

It’s the morning of the election when you finally see him again, after several long days of no contact. Jarod walks through the doors of the bar, a bouquet in his hand. All eyes are on him. He ignores the attention, walking up to the bar to stand across from you.

You gulp, glancing between his face and the flowers. They’re rough and beaten up. He must’ve plucked them from the side of the road and thrown them into the backseat of his taxi.

“The usual..?” you ask out of habit.

“No.” Jarod sets the bouquet down on the bar and some petals fall onto the countertop. “Just you. If you’re available.”

Heat spreads across your face like wildfire, and your heart hammers in your chest as you pick up the flowers. You don’t know what happened when he disappeared, but there’s no mistaking his intentions this time, and you’re willing to take him as he is; broken, scars and all.

“I am.”

Jarod’s shoulders relax and he slides onto a bar stool, placing his hat down on the counter. It’s the first time you’ve seen him genuinely smile, and finally, finally, relax.

[samobservessonic]

Following on from the profile, we get the first Knuckles story in StC! He’s got off to a better start than Tails did, immediately getting his own story, instead of needing to wait for the fan demand to give him more spotlight. With Knuckles being the cool new character at the time, I can understand why they’d want to hit the ground running with him

This story is also double Kitching! He did both the art and the writing for this one, which is cool to see!

Our starting point is riffing on what the profile already said, introducing the legend of the Floating Island, which most mobians don’t know to be true. It also establishes that Knuckles is waiting for his people to return to him. Which, save for one single echidna and the flashbacks in Sonic Adventure, isn’t a mystery that’s going to be solved in StC

But Knuckles doesn’t know that and thinks that maybe something falling from the sky might have the answers he seeks. Also, StC also has what Archie called the “zoot chutes” (copyright Ken Penders), except they called them zoom tubes, which isn’t quite as catchy

Captain Obvious quite quickly figures out that whatever fell from the sky isn’t a meteor

It seems that StC Knuckles is in the habit of talking to himself in the lack of having anyone else to talk to him. On this occasion, the narrative provides him with a small robot to talk to, claiming to be from an inventor trapped inside, looking for help. I think anyone who’s seen the opening of Sonic 3 knows how this is going to go, but let’s see how Knuckles gets duped

The duo talk a bit more, with our “inventor” lying about how the satellite harmlessly crashed onto Mobius, before being corrected by Knuckles about where they are. It seems as if Robotnik might not have known that he was on the Floating Island, but he’s certainly going to use Knuckles telling him about the Chaos Emeralds to his advantage. And yes, I looked it up and apparently in StC they initially had Knuckles have a second set of Chaos Emeralds to the established ones that keep the island floating instead of the Master Emerald, but I believe this gets retconned later on. At least, I remember that there definitely was a Master Emerald in StC when I read it

Our story ends with Knuckles meeting the world’s most trustworthy man, who’s come to preach the bad word of Sonic the Hedgehog. We get a textbox advertising Sonic 3 for the full story, but also promising that StC itself will bring us more on Knuckles’s story in future

I like this one, both because Kitching’s art has a lot of character to it (look at that Robotnik up there) and because it does the opposite of what happened to Tails’s backstory in a recent issue. Instead of condensing it down, we see a concept we know from the games get expanded on and given a bit more breathing room

[reyesstrand]

weekend wip game

thanks for the tag @welcometololaland (and thanks for thinking up this game lola!) @alrightbuckaroo @strandnreyes @theghostofashton <333

rules: list your wips below (if you only write one fic at a time, feel free to include future wips/ideas!) then answer the following questions. then, tag as many people as you have wips (or more).

1. wip list:

active wips: food fic

future wips: pottery au; aftermath of the solving of gabriel’s murder

2. which of your wips is currently the longest?

food fic, mainly because it’s all i’m working on ajdnskdn

3. which wip do you expect will end up the longest?

food fic will span from 1x05 to tarlos’ honeymoon, so likely this one

4. which wip is your favourite/the most enjoyable to write? why?

when it isn’t giving me a headache, definitely food fic. i love getting to look back at canon and extrapolate on moments we’ve seen (and include scenes we didn’t) focused on the idea of food as a love language. however the pottery au probably has the most little random snippets i’ve deposited into my notes app that bring some serious joy

5. which wip do you find the most intimidating to write? why?

pottery au, simply because full-on alternate universe fics are kind of out of my wheelhouse, even though i love reading them

6. which wip do you experience the most self-doubt about? why?

probably the gabriel murder aftermath fic, because i have a very clear idea of the sort of tone i want to develop through the story and worry about perfecting it

7. which of your wips will you seek out a beta/sensitivity reader for? why?

food fic will have a beta (if they still want to even though they offered truly six months ago 😭😭😭😭😭😭) and i’m grateful because this i’m pretty sure the fic will be 20k+ and having a pair of skilled eyes look it over will be so helpful.

8. have any of your wips been struck by the curse of writer’s block?

…….have i mentioned i started food fic six months ago 🧍‍♂️

9. which wip has your favourite oc? tell us about them?

i’m very boring and unfortunately don’t have any at the moment!! hopefully some will come to fruition with pottery au once i actually try tackling it

10. which wip is the sexiest?

food fic, because cooking is sexy and tk and carlos agree and also because it has the only real “explicit” sex i’ve written. HOWEVER….i would be amiss not to mention pottery au, where the moodboard centred around this photo:

11. which wip is the angstiest?

probably will be the gabriel murder aftermath fic….shes gonna be moody!!! but also food fic has a lot of the boys and their unhealthy coping mechanisms. so both?

12. which wip has the best characterization (in your humble opinion)?

i’m going to say food fic only because i’m writing from a place of knowing the entirety of canon so far, and can use that to go back and write them as their baby season one selves. also, since it’s fairly introspective for both of them, i think this is my clear answer

13. which wip has the best scene setting (in your humble opinion)?

i’m….going to say all three, in their varying states of completion. it’s something i feel most comfortable with as a writer and i think it’s something i tap into easily, and i think each has examples of this

14. which wip have you worked the hardest on?

food fic. it’s kind of become my baby

15. which wip do you have the highest expectations for? why?

….food fic, only because i’ve been working on it for so long and it’ll be the first thing i post since may. so. i feel a lot of pressure to make it “right”

16. do you dream about any of your wips?

only if i’ve been writing/plotting right before bed

17. do any of your wips have particular complexities that your other fics don’t?

hm….i guess food fic only since it’s truly following the whole development of a relationship, and trying to capture where they’d be emotionally at a certain moment in the grand scheme of things is complex. pottery au also fits here, though, since i know it’ll need some planning that i don’t always think about, since i tend to write canon compliant as opposed to au fics

18. which wip is the funniest or has the most humour?

i don’t think i’m very good at humour 😭😭😭 but i think most light-hearted, maybe, would be pottery au? food fic has some bright spots too, though

19. do any of your wips contain outside povs or a deep dive on a character other than the main ship? how are you finding that process?

ooh okay, so there’s at least one instance of this in food fic where we see owen observing the boys, and it’s something i love tapping into because thinking about owen with his boys always makes me 🥺🥺🥺 like he’s just so happy for them and sees their love for what it is and i enjoy whenever i can explore that, even if only for a few paragraphs. i think gabriel aftermath will explore more of gabriel/his relationship with carlos in SOME capacity, though i truly haven’t even explored it yet. it makes me excited though!! introspection is my favourite <3

20. tell us one thing we don’t know about one or more of your wips.

hmmmmmm i’d say that food fic was originally a 5+1, then a 7+1, but i couldn’t figure out what the “+1” would be/how i would phrase it, and i decided i liked connected vignettes following the trajectory of their relationship better. also that seeing a singular photo of ceramics on pinterest inspired the pottery au….tarlos brainrot will always take over at the most random times!

((sorry for not following the rules here)) i’m no pressure tagging @carlos-in-glasses @birdclowns @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut @paperstorm @heartstringsduet @rmd-writes @louis-ii-reyes-strand @carlos-tk @redshirt2 @tailoredshirt @beautifulhigh and open tagging whoever would like to play <333

[businesstiramisu]

Okay I rewrote the post. Thoughts on the last tenth (or so) of Worth the Candle:

[I don't really expect this to be interesting to anyone except me, but i do want to save these for future me, lol]

 I found the ttrpg Fel See Incident much more satisfying than the Aerb version. No, not satisfying, it was horrible. But it was exactly what the story had been building it up to be, for 1 million plus words, and that's quite an accomplishment. Whereas the Fel Seed of Aerb.... I think the problem is scope creep? When the stakes get Too High and the antagonists (or protagonists, for that matter) get Too Powerful my brain just gives up and I disengage. Like "sure, whatever, just tell me who wins". Whereas the ttrpg version, and the real world-level drama around it, felt horribly plausible.

I did like "we'll win the second time because, if Joon had gotten a second chance at the game, he would have let the players win." That was a nice bit of narrative reinforcement/article of faith.

 I love the Long Stairs. It's almost enough to make me think I should give SCP a more serious look, but I'm still worried the horror will be Too Scary for me. (And don't get me wrong I would hate to play a ttrpg campaign in it... actually, maybe it wouldn't be worse than usual? I could just follow the RDP instructions instead of my usual choice paralysis. well, depends on how often they come up. I probably wouldn't like having to make new characters constantly b/c they keep dying.) But like when Juniper wished they could've stayed in the labyrinth and explored the other cultures living there, I was right there with him.

The final reveal of Uther/Arthur..... hmmm, complicated feelings. On the one hand, ugh! why couldn't he just apologize, and admit to being terrible!! Well, he kinda did later... to Juniper, after they'd spent a long time rebuilding camaraderie and basically giving each other a pass for the horrible shit each considered the other to have done. And that was depressingly realistic. Well, idk that anything in my life compares (fortunately) but the most serious, scary arguments in my life have mostly gone like that.

Juniper and Arthur's ultimate goodbye felt appropriate, even cathartic. Raven and Bethel didn't get anything comparable though. Just Uther brushing them off (or in Ravens case saying "I understand this is hard for you but you've got to suck it up", basically). Which, yeah the world ain't fair. It wasn't justice, though. They didn't get their due like Juniper did.

The final conversation withe the dungeon master was also surprisingly satisfying! I liked it a lot more than when Sophie's World did the same thing. (And I've probably read more books that have the character confront the fact that they're characters in a novel, but that's what came to mind lol).

Maybe b/c it was really funny how the DM told Juniper "you're all characters in a novel I'm writing" and Juniper immediately rejected that explanation as bullshit.

Similarly, the Narrator, as the actual Juniper who was writing WTC

Heaven!Fenn though, felt overly self-indulgent to me. Which is maybe ridiculous, b/c the whole story is an exercise in self-indulgence/self-examination, but i dunno she just didn't work for me

Well, it's pretty hilarious that she was The One Person In Aerb Ever To Go To Heaven, and was always destined to be that one person. Hilarious in a pretty arbitrary way.

Someone in the comments to Ch. 245 or 246 said that "Worth the Candle but Reimer died instead of Arthur" is a great fanfic premise and... i dunno, it would be a massive amount of work, but it's tantalizing to think about. Seems like Aerb would have to be very different with--well, idk, would it be a whole collection of Reimer's characters, since he never seemed as devoted to one of them?-- instead of Uthur Penndraig, but with the themes of putting people on a pedestal, using their tragedies as an excuse to wallow in your own grief and depression and rage, and also the DM presumably having the same goals, I have to wonder how much it would even matter?!

Wow, the void beast was a metaphor for global warming?! kinda kicking myself for not picking up on that. Unless I just forgot about it; this story is really long.

[nami-moittli]

Uh, so, since in the azurido tag I saw a comic about Azul thinking of having a child with Riddle, I figured now would be a good time to bring up the fact that I once designed an azurido daughter (in Gacha life 2) (it’s just really easy to make designs in there, which, since it’s a dress-up game, does make sense but whatever)

Uh, so, here she is! Her name’s Trick Ashengrotto!

I wanted to go for more of a casino vibe for her, but I ended up making her look more like she belongs in a circus instead lol. I wanted a casino vibe because of Riddle’s card game motif + Azul’s shady business practices = casino vibes. But like I said, I ended up making her look more like an act in a circus. I don’t totally mind though, because she is her own person, which I feel may be easy to forget when making a ship child, at least for me.

Maybe it’s cause she’d probably end up spending a lot of time with babysitters, like the tweels or someone from Heartslabyul, as Riddle would be busy with being both a mage doctor (or whatever it was called) and a lawyer, because with Azul around, he’d definitely encourage Riddle to do both. And Azul himself would be running all the branches of Monstro (Mostro?) Lounge, so he’d be busy often, too.

They’d both try to be there as often as they could for her though!

Riddle, after seeing how easy it was to not traumatize your child:

Whatever the case, I think that both Azul and Riddle have a hard time finding a middle ground of wanting to spoil her, and making sure she’s still not too… what’s the word? Studious? That’s about right.

Cause Azul just naturally wants to spoil her, but then he remembers his own childhood and how he spent a lot of time not really working diligently on his studies or magic, and he doesn’t want his daughter to make that same mistake.

Meanwhile Riddle doesn’t want to be like his own mother and be so strict that Trick ends up like how he did, but he also wants to teach her to follow the rules and always try to be top of the class.

(Side note, I find it so interesting that Azul and Riddle had basically opposite childhoods, yet ended up becoming so similar. Love that for them <3)

Anyways, yeah. She’s also, of course, an octomer, which is why her eyes look squareish like that! Also, when I designed her, I gave her grey-purple eyes, but thinking about it, that��s not how biology works at all lmao. Unless, of course, it’s a sort of recessive gene type thing, or, alternatively, because she’s wearing colored contacts. Knowing her, it’s probably just contacts. If you’re gonna wear em, might as well look cool lol.

Yeah, she feels like she likes having fun. She feels like she’d do some sort of tap dancing or acrobatics, or both! You know Azul, after all. Trick would bring in good customers lol.

Anyways, yeah. Here she is! Might actually draw her out at some point in the future. But for now, here’s Trick!

[catcze]

TAKING INSPIRATION ANON IS BACK. Taking inspo from ship your anons anon, assign your mutuals a genshin date and couple costume (since it's Halloween soon) this time!

KaHASDKJN WELCOME BACK ALSO DEAREST <3 Glad you're still here ! :D

Okok all moots that I'm listing are off the top of my head! No hard feelings to those who aren't mentioned! Also, like usual, I tried to give my moots someone aside from their usual fave just to mix things up a bit 😌 Also omg these took a while because man really tried to think for these ajknsda Note: these can be taken as platonic or romantic !! Whichever suits y’all better 💞

@awlumii

I can totally see Shiloh having a halloween date with Tighnari! As for costumes, I don’t think either of them would go, like, all out right–– but they would still make an effort to be in the halloween spirit. Sooooo I think that they’d go for something up the avenue of ‘forest spirits’? Bc I can so see Mars and Tighnari incorporating vines and flowers into their costumes, and having like jewelry and accessories on them that appear like they’re made of vines! I don’t think either of them would really go to any parties in their costumes, though. I can instead see the two of them going somewhere quiet, like this really cute hole-in-the-wall café that’s offering discounts to patrons who come in costume, and just chilling out there for most of the evening.

@kazeyu

Yoi I can definitely see spending halloween together with Yun Jin! Those two feel like they’d be so enthusiastic for the season together! Yun Jin would enjoy being able to go out and wear costumes that, although they might not be as grand as the ones she wears for opera, are still very much enjoyable and fun to walk around in! I can see the two of them wearing something some cheesy and cliche but still very cute costumes–– lowkey I can see them both wearing vampire outfits? Like with the high collars, fake fangs and black capes! Those two would be such a blast when they go trick-or-treating. The people giving out candy would find their enthusiasm infectious, and the kids that would follow them both around like ducklings would have so much fun, too.

@i23kazu

Ying I can see hanging out with Ayaka! These two seem so chill and down-to-earth, but would also enjoy the festivities a lot, yk? For these twoooo... I can see them doing something simple like putting on a white dress or a white top and donning on a pair of angel wings! These two don’t strike me as types to go to big halloween parties–– instead, I see them both going to a party held by a close-knit group of friends. Something simple and chill, where they play stupid yet fun games together and laugh until their sides hurt. Where they all pitch in and try to make halloween-shaped cookies and, honestly Ayaka and Ying whole hard carry those cookies and are the main reason they came out unscathed. Those two would take lots and lots of photos throughout the night, too–– sweet n cute memories to look back on in the future!

@taintedsorrcw

Lena spends her halloween with Yae Miko! Now these two–– hands down, I can tell you these two show up in the hottest halloween fits. Not quite slutty tbh, but deffo in something enough to make anyone go ‘damn.’ I’m personally torn between giving them demon costumes or kitsune costumes so!! why not demon kitsune costumes? it’s halloween bro anyone can dress however they want lmao. Funny enough though, I don’t really see either of them going to any parties, either. Instead, I can see Lena and Yae making the most of the busy night where everyone is somewhere else and absolute going to town on some of the shops. That ice cream store that you usually have to wait an hour in line at? These two get their ice cream in 5 mins tops. That cafe that you basically have to fight someone to get a table? Tonight, these two can sit wherever they’d like.

@scaranya

I can see Nya spending their time with Yelan! These two strike me as people who would much rather stay inside, rather than deal with the rush and the chatter of halloween. They can appreciate it and how happy it makes others, of course, but these two would rather stay inside instead, yk? I can see them doing something like simply putting on some cat ears, and trying to draw cat whiskers (and inevitably ending up laughing) on each other. These two I can see being more chill–– spending the evening watching movies together, chilling, baking some cookies just to participate in the halloween mood. I can see them building a pillow fort in the living room, too! full of fluffy pillows and warm lights while the tv plays movies late into the night.

@seelestia

For halloween, I can see Lia hanging with Thoma! I feel like these two would be really fun during halloween and that, give enough time, they could prepare a pair of costumes that make people think it’s professional-level, y’know? as for what they’re wearing, I’m thinking these two could really rock something inspired by the motifs of ancient deities. Now, I’m not exactly sure which deities these two would dress up as because whoa there’s a whole lot of potential there and not enough time for me to run my mouth, but these two would absolutely kill their costumes. They’d have all the relevant props ready and looking so well-made, their costumes would be impeccably put-together and distinct for each deity they had taken inspiration from, but still remains cohesive enough that anyone could tell those two came as a pair. I can genuinely see these two going to some kind of halloween party and basically winning their costume party by a whole landslide! They’d spend the rest of the evening basically being treated as deities, funny enough, and would be asked for lots and lots of photos and would be given a bunch of compliments on their costumes!

[grismavessel]

Info Dump

I chose Violet and got my Ceruledge and I found a shiny Shinx, so I have one in Arceus and shining pearl as well.

So I think if Gris and Ingo ever go to Paldea they will be reminded strongly of Hisui. Also what pokemon would they catch.

I chose Fuecoco, best decision I made, am now following the titan storyline best I can

How has your experience been :)

We’re on the same wave length because I picked Violet too, and Fuecoco (give me the fire gator) AND I’m still working my way to getting a Ceruledge too! Other than some bugs and glitches (which my game dev nerd brain wants to talk all about) it’s a ton of fun! I haven’t had thing much fun with a main Pokémon game since ultra moon, like Pokémon shield is so boring compared to this, I like the characters a lot more than shield too. (Also I keep forgetting it’s based off of Spain so when I see a Spanish word or food I keep going “oh hey I know that thing” and I just smile)

And I at first kept forgetting that the game wasn’t legends Arceus because it has the feeling and with all of the Pokémon running around I keep getting flashbacks to running away from alpha Pokémon hehe

If Gris and Ingo were to visit and see just how wild and open some of the places are, it would be like home to them. Gris feels that giddy urge to go swinging poke balls everywhere and Ingo almost wishes it was just a little colder in Paldea since he’s used to the chill of the mountains.

(I haven’t gotten that far into the game yet so this is all I have for how they’d react to Paldea) but pokemon wise I think Gris would absolutely love Fuecoco! It’s a little pepper gator, and sure it’s no cool owl, but they’d still think it’s pretty rad. They’d also get Veluza (if you haven’t seen it yet imagine if a metal fish has poison spikes coming out of it) because it’s just a punk fish that would absolutely k.o Decidueye. Revavroom because well, it’s punk, and also grafaiai. I don’t what else, the last two are mainly for companion Pokémon bout when I get later into the game I’ll probably have a better sense of what else Gris would pick.

For Ingo I feel like he’d be a big cyclizar fan, and also Tinkaton and Charcadet. Cyclizar for it’s speed and friendliness, Tinkaton for its strength but adorable (and menacing) look, and Charcadet so he can dress it up as a mini subway master.

That’s all I have to say for what Pokémon they would pick, but as I get more through the game I’ll have more thoughts on how they’d feel with the obvious time travel past/future thing going on

Also working on an au where Gris finds a long lost cousin, when you get to the team star quests you’ll probs guess who

[homeowrk]

VENTTTTT WARGHHHHHHHH 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Disrespect? Defiance?

I simply didn’t want to go to a kids birthday party, I just wanted to study.

I’m already in Junior College, you think I have time for kiddy birthday parties and playing around? Why can’t I study? Why must I follow you? Why must you assert your ‘authority’? I am studying for my future, not yours. What time? I am just studying, why must I follow these useless trips? If I don’t study, I won’t get good grades, I won’t get a job and I would die.

Is that what you want? For me to suffer? There is no end to studying, this universe is small yet its knowledge is endless. I’m not a kid, I have to think about my future, the jobs I want to take, what I aspire to be. I can’t be coddled like this.

Why were you oh so mad that I didn’t wanted to go to your relative’s birthday party? It’s just a birthday party, for children, with games, for children. What am I supposed to do there? Play musical chairs with 5 year olds? You guys don’t want to know how mad my parents were when insisted that I didn’t want to go.

If I went, I’d be miserable and anxious about my work. If I didn’t go, I’d be miserable and depressed because my parents are soooo mad at me, but I’d still be able to study comfortably.

Yesterday was the first time in my life I stood up to my dad. Simply repeating the words ‘I don’t want to go’ while he hurled stuff at me. My mom said I was extremely rude, acting defiant towards him. I just said three words, stood my ground. I just didn’t want to go. It felt rather nice. The person who I thought was a monster that would kill me at anytime was just an old man.

Who were the forceful ones? Who were the ones that didn’t care about the others emotions? Have you all not seen the Singapore education system? Do you think a silly ‘1 hour study session!!!!!’ is enough to cover all topics? I’m so mad, they didn’t go though the same system as me, yet they insist that it is just as carefree and easy as theirs. Times will always change, people will not. They’d rather stay in their own little bubble of comfort and self-righteousness. I can understand that. But let me be selfish too.

I’m just so mad. I don’t understand my parents. I don’t want to go to a 5 year olds birthday party for the sake of ‘socialising’ with my relatives. Why not at Hari Raya? Why not at a different day? Why at a kiddy birthday party? In the middle of this time?

At times like these, I have to accept that really, I’m just a doll to be dressed up and taken around.

But I have a future, I’m human too. I have dreams. I’m human too. I’m a human, can’t you understand? Not just a ‘daughter’ a human with real emotions, real dreams and real concerns, why can’t you understand that? Why am I just a trophy? Why am I just a pet? Why am I just a doll?

I’m so mad. I’m so mad.. I’m so mad…

But I have dreams, and I have to chase them. These are little things, small hurdles. Perhaps a little test. Maybe these are the challenges I will face in the work force? Will I be able to separate work and personal life? The future. Is too much. Can’t I disappear now?

I admit that, perhaps I didn’t consider their emotions. Truthfully, I can’t understand them. Why must I attend a 5 year old’s (that’s is apparently my relative) birthday party? It was probably more important than their daughter’s emotions and worries. Perhaps that child is really important to them, more important than me. Perhaps they wanted to make that family happy? But two other of your children are going! I’m not your only doll, what about my siblings? Didn’t they go to? Doesn’t that satisfy you?

Or maybe they were acting in the heat of the moment, unable to come up with valid reasons for the actions. Perhaps they were just following their heart, not their brain. A ‘I want it, I get it’ mindset.

(I have no say in this household really, it’s shut up, suck it up, I’m always right)

But why be so forceful? Doesn’t no mean no? I have said three days in advance before you told me about the occasion, that I had to study over the weekend. And you said I didn’t manage my time properly?

The next time this happens, it really will be my last straw

I’ll really disappear. I don’t want to be a doll anymore. Is the ‘rebellious teenager’ phase? No, it’s not. Its a results of living in such a dysfunctional toxic household of 4 adults that really hate each others guts and vent and take it out on the children rather than amongst themselves.

No wonder I’m so anxious, so ‘shy’, so afraid. I can’t even talk to my damn teachers without feeling like vomiting everywhere. It’s because of adults like these that have soured my unconscious perception of my dear teachers. I’m already in Junior College, and still act like a child with severe social anxiety. What a drag. If I could kill my inner child, I would have done so when I turned 12.

I can never get used to this. Who the hell does? Even when you think you do, you realise you’re just deluding yourself. You crave love, you crave affection. It’s what makes us human. You’d still feel like a piece is missing. A piece that can never be filled till the day you wither and die. What an unfair life we live huh.