#but I'm proud of what i have so far and hopefully I'll get to do more with this in future

[zero-max]

I keep forgetting I can post here but, I've recently been toying around with the idea of making some Miles centric au content, so here's what I've cooked up recently.

- Miles gets yeeted through the collider during the first Kingpin fight, and ends up stranded in a bizarre subsection of the spiderverse commonly known a the void (it kinda looks like the hologram Miguel showed Miles but on a larger scale)

- He's trapped in void the for the better part of 2 years (he's 16 instead of 15 during the main events of atsv now so everyone's aged up a tad and everything happens way letter than in canon)

-He ends up running into a being that refers to itself as "The System", a glorified sentient supercomputer created in the wake of the spiderverse to monitor it and protect it (so like what spidey hq does but to a terrifying degree) and contains knowledge related to the creation of the spiderverse and the origins of the spiderman mythos

- Miles winds up working for The System in an attempt to find a way home, and learns how to repair dimensional rifts, how to travel through different dimensions without using a watch and a handful of other things to make his dimension hopping shenanigans less painful

- He's still bitten here, so Miles gets all his cool spidey powers with some neat upgrades courtesy of the The System

- 1610 Peter doesn't die here so he takes over for Miles and helps Peter B and the others get home and stop Kingpin. Peter is constantly thinking about what happened to Miles and feels super guilty about letting him die (thankfully he's not but he doesn't know that)

- Peter ends ups working for Miguel (Migs is not too happy about it but he has to admit Peters good at what he does) and has frequent teams up with Peter B when he's not taking care of Mayday

- Miles pulls some vigilante shit in order to please The System, and ends up leaving the void semi frequently at it's request, since the spiderverse has been a bit more unstable than normal

- He remains pretty elusive for the first couple of months, mostly showing up near the end of fights to deal the finishing blow and leaves the anomalies for Miguel and co to deal with

- The System hates Miguel and his team believing they're meddling with things they shouldn't be and fucking up the spiderverse in the process (in reality The System really doesn't deal with any of the problems Miguel's team does opting out for only dealing with problems it deems worth its time)

- The whole Spot thing still happens, but Peter takes the fault this time and Gwen has to help him sort things out but by the time she tracks The Spot down he's already gone

- Miles saw the whole thing and it's by this point he's getting real sick of putting up with The Systems bs so he decides to find spider hq and help them stop The Spot on his own without it's help

- The Mumbattan fight is basically the same only Peter's there, but Miles shows up once the fights over to close the rift in Pav's dimension and is promptly dragged to spidey hq

- From there he's taken straight to Miguel who demands to know who he is and what's he's been doing hopping from dimension to dimension and getting in there way

- Miles doesn't explain much (he's looking worse for ware after fixing the dimensional rift) simply telling him they have the same goal and that he can help him defeat The Spot and stabilize their dimensions

That's about the most I have as far as concrete plot points go but, I'll potentially make a separate post that goes into more detail about Miles, The System and anything else I think is worth mentioning.

[fluffs-n-stuffs]

"Do you not realize it? Do you... truly not see what this means?"

The next Destiny Bond update is in progress! ❄️✨ –> Check out the latest part here 🔷 –> New to the series? Follow from the start! 💜

[wileys-russo]

you NEED to write something about one of these

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/24371723/arsenal-england-leah-williamson-alex-scott-red-carpet/amp/

+ the gucci exhibition outfit

we are getting fed🧎🏼‍♀️

heels II l.williamson

"how's your thesis going then pretty girl?" arms wrapped around you as leah rested her chin atop your head, gently massaging your shoulders as you welcomed the girls slender fingers attacking the knots in your muscles which had been cramped over your laptop all day.

"it’s getting there." you sighed, eyes closing as your head slumped back a little in relief. "do you have time to help me with my makeup please?" the blonde asked hopefully, kissing your cheeky sweetly as you nodded.

"of course baby. now?" you offered looking up at her with a smile. "yes please, thank you." she mumbled against your lips as she kissed you, stealing the breath from your lungs before pulling away and offering her hand.

helping you up you followed her to the bathroom where she'd already laid everything out. "i tried to make it easier." leah gestured as you smiled, pecking her lips and gesturing for her to sit on the edge of the bath.

"what are you wearing?" you asked curiously, her hands resting on your hips as you stood between her legs, starting to do her base. "you'll see later. but its black!" she smiled, eyes closed as you frowned but hummed, knowing the woman was far too stubborn to give in if you'd bothered to try and get it out of her.

"i got cleared to wear heels again today." leah grinned once you'd finished her base, tapping her shoulders as you rifled through your makeup trying to work out what you wanted to do for her eyes.

"every little change is one step closer to being back on the pitch. i am so proud of you lee." you smiled, your eyes shone with pride as you rewarded her with a kiss, your girlfriend mumbling how grateful she was for your support.

"so you said black. what do you want for your eyes then babe? are you taking a statement bag or a clutch or anything?" you asked, hands on hips as you surveyed her. "mm something light? you know what i like." the blonde shrugged and you nodded, grabbing what you wanted as she closed her eyes again.

"all done." you stole a kiss once you'd finished as her blue eyes fluttered open. "you look gorgeous. i'll leave you to get ready, did you want anything to eat before you go? or leave you something leftover for later?" you questioned as the older girl stood.

"you look gorgeous. but no that's alright love, they'll feed me there and i'm not sure when i'll be home." she smiled apologetically as you nodded in understanding, not the biggest lover of social events you never minded a night in on your own, understanding from the get go that they were a key part of leahs job.

your relationship with the english captain wasn't a secret but it was private, and so you accompanied her to the occasional event at her request but mostly you were happy to support her from afar, comforted in knowing that it was your bed she always returned to afterwards anyway.

it was around an hour later when leah emerged again, smiling in amusement watching your body sway to and fro to the music gently floating around the kitchen as you cooked. your back facing her you hadn't noticed her presence yet.

"mmm dinner and a show? i'm almost tempted not to leave." leah joked, eyes fixated on your behind in a pair of very short shorts, her hoodie adoring your top half as you jumped, caught off guard at her voice as you spun around clutching your chest in surprise.

but nothing compared to the surprise felt as you took your girlfriend in, fixated on what she was wearing, or more specifically what she wasn't wearing.

"jesus fucking christ leah." you breathed out quietly, jaw hanging slack as the defender smirked, your reaction all she'd been hoping for and more. "do we like?" she cocked an eyebrow toward you as you nodded wordlessly.

the tiny black skirt had a small arch up the side, showing off her incredibly tanned thigh, the short length only highlighting the blondes gorgeously long legs.

her top, if you could even call it that, resembled more that of a bikini as it clung to her chest, barely covering her breasts.

her toned abs were out on full display which practically left you drooling, your head a fuzzy mess as you'd become accustomed to her leaning more into her masculinity when dressing.

but tonight gone were the tailored suits, dress shoes, button ups and jorts. she was a picture of feminine ethereal radiance and your entire body was screaming for her. a million and one thoughts raced through your mind as leah slowly advanced toward you, heels clicking against the hardwood floor.

"you look so very cute when you're flustered baby." she purred, hands flat against the counter, arms either side of you trapping you between her scantily clad body and the counter.

her lips ghosted yours teasingly, warm breath fanning your face. you almost moaned as you craned your neck up to kiss her and she pulled her head back with an infuriatingly sexy smirk.

normally a good head taller than you on an average day, in her heels leah towered over you, her hand grabbing your chin as her thumb stroked your jaw, her rings cold against your skin.

"be a good girl and wait up for me baby, i'll see you when i get home." she whispered, leaning in as if to kiss you, lips instead pressing to your forehead fondly.

"are you seriously going to call me a good girl dressed like that and leave without even giving me a proper kiss?" you managed out in disbelief, slumping against the counter as she backed off.

"mm, have a nice night darling." she blew you a kiss and just like that her heels clacked away and you heard the front door close before you could even breathe, feet rooted firmly to the floor.

some days you were convinced she would be the death of you.

[chrysanthemumgames]

January 2024 Progress Update

Hey everyone!

As most of you know, I am deep in the editing process right now, but I wanted to let you know roughly what's going on.

In December, I more or less outlined the sequel (so I knew exactly what needed foreshadowing in the current game), and then re-outlined the current game so I could implement the new mechanics I have in mind and also address some of the feedback I've received.

In January, well... I got started doing all that. I've rewritten the prologue, chapters 1-2, and most of chapter 3 at this point, and if you're interested in checking out the changes so far, those are available at the Blossom Tier of my Patreon (and above).

My plans for the near future are more or less just to keep going in this manner; making adjustments and excising things as needed, and writing new scenes where I've decided they go, all hopefully in service of making Asphodel a better game. I had initially hoped this would be done by March 1, but it definitely won't be! Instead, I'm hoping for something more like April 1, but we'll see how I do.

Anyway, I'll try to be a little more regular with updates here for those of you following the game's development. Hopefully, all the work will be worth it in the end, and I'll be able to get something published that I'm proud to share with you. :)

[wordstome]

now that we don't talk

I cannot be your friend, so I pay the price of what I lost And what it cost Now that we don't talk

alpha colonel König x beta ex-lover reader

2nd person, no y/n, she/her pronouns, reader's callsign is Eden, reader speaks French, omegaverse, exes to lovers, fraternization

2.2k words

tw: none

I swear to God one day I'll write something that doesn't involve that big hooded freak. But today is not that day.

Shoutout to loganlermanstanaccount here on Tumblr, who I won't tag. The bullet point headcanons with written parts interspersed format is from their excellent college roommate Miguel O'Hara post, which became their fic Rigor Mortis. I highly recommend both!

Also, excuse the absolutely butchered military content. I'm sure none of this is how it works in real life, but alas, this is fanfiction, not a research paper. Reader serves a Laswell-like role, but I refrained from labeling her as CIA even though I do call her a station chief. For the purposes of this fic, she's the voice in the operatives' ear during ops. We're playing a bit fast and loose with the terminology here.

You’re a highly skilled intelligence agent and operative handler.

You’ve spent most of your life dedicated to your career: moving through the ranks, proving yourself, refusing to let anything stand in the way of your ambitions.

You’ve done some things you aren’t proud of, but always for the right reason. Or the reason that made the most cold, logical sense. Even when your heart tells you otherwise. Nobody in this line of work has clean hands, after all.

You’ve always done what needs to be done. For everyone’s best interest.

Today marks the first day of your collaboration with a PMC called KorTac. You’re hunting down a homegrown cult turned out-of-control terrorist cell.

You haven’t had much experience working with mercenaries, but in terms of hardened war criminals, KorTac’s people are quite well mannered.

Not that you had expected them to be rude and discourteous, but, well. You are an outsider. They haven’t necessarily embraced you, but their reception was nice enough.

You’ve got a meeting with their commander, but you can’t quite find the room you’re supposed to be meeting in. Not a great first impression to make, but luckily, someone takes pity on you.

He introduces himself. Korean. Callsign Horangi.

“You’ll get used to the layout of the base,” he says as you follow him through winding hallways.

“I hope so,” you reply. “I’ll be here for a while." You study the walls, the signs and numbers on the doors, trying your best to memorize everything.

"Do you know your commander well?" you ask. You're not the world's biggest fan of small talk, but you may as well know what you're walking into.

"König? Yeah, we've been close ever since he joined up." Horangi says, leading you into a long hallway. "He's a good guy. A little intense, but don't let that get to you. He's just getting the job done."

"We'll get along if he's competent." You can respect a man who forgoes pleasantries for making sure the shit gets shoveled.

"You don't have to worry about that." Horangi stops and holds the door open for you. "After you."

You study him for just a moment before entering the room. He's curt and to the point. Not bad-looking, either. Hopefully you'll get more chances to—

Your heart nearly stops.

KorTac's commander is facing away from the doorway, shuffling through some papers by the looks of it. But you would know him from any angle. The set of his shoulders, the way his stance is at ease but never truly relaxed, the way his hair curls at the nape of his neck.

You have to force yourself to step into the room. And when you do, he turns around.

You're vaguely aware of Horangi stepping around you to get into the room, but that's happening somewhere far away from the headspace you occupy right now. By the way König's eyes widen as they meet yours, he's in the same place too.

He hasn't aged so much as he's gotten more tired. He never did sleep enough, but now he looks like he hasn't gotten a sound night's rest in a long time. He's put-together, but there's a haggardness to him that probably wouldn't be noticeable to anybody but you. Someone who knew him when he was younger, and in the prime of his life. Someone who used to know every scar on his body, every crease of his brow, and now hasn't seen him in more than a decade.

The man who broke your heart stands on the other end of the room, staring at you as if he's seen a ghost.

The two of you stand there for a while before Horangi's voice shakes you back to reality. "Brought the station chief, sir."

"I...see." König—you suppose that's what he calls himself nowadays, the arrogant prick—clears his throat. "Thank you, Hong-jin."

"No problem." Horangi takes a seat. "The others will be in soon."

Horangi seems like a perceptive enough guy. Can he tell that the room feels several degrees colder? You pull a chair out, the furthest one from König's position possible, and ignore the hurt that briefly flashes across his face as you sit down.

The meeting goes well. It's just an opportunity for you to formally introduce yourself to the KorTac operators you'll primarily be working with for the next few months.

You can tell they're a close knit group by the easy way they interact with each other: they've worked together for a while.

König, too, is part of them, which must be how they pick up on the chilly dynamic between the two of you. Some of them are just puzzled. For most of them, it raises their hackles.

It doesn't matter to you. You can barely focus on getting through the meeting without feeling like you're going to faint.

It's absurd. You're not some delicate Regency-era lady. You're a hardened military officer. But it makes no difference.

It doesn't matter how long it's been, it seems. He's still the only one who can make you feel like this.

You can't get out of there fast enough after the meeting has concluded. Not only are the others shooting you suspicious looks, but you've spent too long in his presence. Any longer, and you don't know how you're going to keep your composure.

But you can't escape him. Of course not. Why did you ever think otherwise? You hear him call for you, and you walk faster. But it's futile.

This hallway is smaller, narrower, less open. Nobody's around to watch when he slams you against the wall to stop your hasty retreat. Nobody's around to see the way you sway in his hold, overwhelmed by the smell of him all around you. You're bathed in it, the overpowering presence of him.

"We need to talk." he demands.

"We just did. Meeting's over," you shoot back, making a paltry attempt to wriggle out of his grasp. He loosens his hold on you, but you're still trapped between him and the wall. No exit.

"I didn't plan this, in case you're wondering."

"That much was obvious." He's let his hair grow out longer, you notice at the most inopportune time possible. It suits him, you think.

He sighs in frustration. "If we're going to work together, we have to be civil."

"Don't worry. I wouldn't expose how much of a scoundrel you are in front of your precious squad," you bite.

You feel a twinge of smug satisfaction as regret settles into his expression. Too little, too late.

"I don't want it to be like this, either," he murmurs. "Ignoring and avoiding each other."

"You don't get to tell me how to act."

"You're right. But it's been a long time. Can't we try to get along? Not for my sake, but...yours."

"Well that's not condescending at all."

"That's not what I meant. I know my team. If you're walking around resenting me openly like that, they won't trust you. And they need to, if you're working with us."

He's right, and you know it. But there's that deep instinct inside you, older than your bloodline, waking up after a long slumber. It wants him, snapping at the bit to give into him and do whatever he asks of you. The urge will consume you if you don't fight it every step of the way.

You glare up at him, hoping you come off as brimming with resentment instead of desire. "As long as you and your team stay professional, I can too."

He's not satisfied with that answer, but it's all you're going to give him.

"Fine." He steps away from you, and you pour all your willpower into commanding your body to stay still. To not chase after his closeness. You sway on the spot, dizzy with his scent after having gone so long without it.

"This hallway is a dead end, by the way."

You try, you really do. But it's hard to be around him without feeling the urge to touch him, to press yourself against him and inhale him like the most destructive drug possible.

Your only recourse is to stay as physically far away from him as possible.

You do your best to ingratiate yourself with the other operators. You and Calisto are fast friends: she's got a breezy confidence to her that's quite refreshing. It also doesn't hurt that you speak French, as well. There's a bit of kinship felt whenever the two of you are holding a conversation none of the others can understand.

Horangi's a different story, though. The initial courtesy he showed you is a bit more clipped, now that it's clear something is up between you and König.

You can't believe you missed it the first time, the way König's smell is all over him. It really has been too long.

The two of them must be pretty close. You give up trying not to fixate on the idea.

You didn't mean to eavesdrop on them, but you were curious. Even more curious when you hear your name mentioned.

"It's pretty clear you and Eden know each other. None of us are stupid."

You freeze in your tracks. The door is closed, but you can hear Horangi's voice, loud and clear in the room behind it.

"It's not relevant. She's just here to do a job."

"I think it's pretty relevant that she gets up and leaves whenever you enter a room, regardless of what she's doing. She can't get away from you fast enough."

You give a surreptitious look at your surroundings, then lean down slightly, pressing your ear to the door.

"You're not going to give this up, are you?"

"Hell fucking no."

You hear König sigh. "Fine. We knew each other before I joined KorTac. Back when I was in the Jagdkommando."

Do you want to hear this? Your painful history, relayed to a near stranger? Horangi's not a stranger to him, that's for sure.

"And?"

"We were...involved."

"You and a beta? Never took you for the type."

"Well, neither did I. But she was...special. Smart, pretty, deadeye with a knife. Wouldn't give me the time of day, of course. I was obsessed with her."

"Naturally."

"Give me a fucking break, okay?"

"Can't wait to hear how this ended."

"Not...great. I was a total dick."

You can say that again, you think.

"I was young. Real dumbass who thought he was hot shit."

"You still aren't."

"Shut the fuck up." Something twinges inside you at the hearty laughter the two of them share. You missed that laugh.

"Despite everything, it was the most stable relationship I've ever been in. We looked out for each other. She knew me better than some of my family does."

"How did you fuck that up, then?"

"I got too comfortable. Started thinking I could do better. God, what a fucking idiot I was. I loved her like crazy, but I didn't realize how good I had it until it was gone."

"She left you?"

"No. I was the one who ended things. In the worst way possible, too. I told her the relationship wasn't going to go anywhere, that we were never going to be a serious thing."

"Ouch. Why not?"

You squeeze your eyes shut. You remember that night, like a shard of glass buried in your chest. As hard as you tried to forget, you'll never forget the way you felt. Like the world was ending.

You'll never forget the decision you had to make.

"I told her I couldn't see myself with a beta long-term."

"...that's fucked up."

"I know. I know. I was too caught up in that shitty macho alpha mindset. I was fucking ravenous back then, and I thought only an omega could give me what I needed."

"I get it now. If I were her, I would have quit on the spot seeing you in that meeting room."

"Yeah. She's a better person than I can ever imagine being."

Well. It's nice to know he regrets it, you think. Not that it does you much good now. Quiet as a mouse, you make a quick exit before you can get caught.

You make it back to the the room you've been assigned to. They were nice enough to give you your own private quarters, something you deeply appreciate when you need to be alone with your own thoughts. Like right now.

It's a strange feeling, to sort of get closure like this. Not at the end, but at the beginning of something new. You still have to see each other. Does it help that you know how he feels? Maybe, but it doesn't ease your own guilt. In fact, it makes it worse.

You're not mad at him for telling Horangi. You're glad he did, actually. There are some secrets that cause more harm to keep than not.

You open a drawer and pull out the pill bottle, hidden underneath your other possessions, and stare at the label.

WARNING - SUPPRESSANTS. NOT TO BE USED BY ALPHAS. ONLY CONSUME UNDER PHYSICIAN SUPERVISION.

You would know.

BOOM! There you have it. (In case it wasn't clear, the suppressants are for omegas.)

@sprout-fics's omegaverse 141 headcanons series inspired me to write something based off the idea of an omega disguising themselves as a beta in the military. Please check out her series, it's great.

I was really into exploring how omegaverse dynamics can make complicated relationships even messier. I did consider writing this story without the omegaverse, but I think now it's kind of an essential element. (I also just. Want them to have crazy nasty omegaverse sex. Sue me) I can't picture König ever breaking up with someone he deeply loved and was obsessed with, unless he had a reason like that. Still not a great reason, but a little bit understandable. Eden being a disguised omega also adds a bit of spice to the exes-to-lovers arc, too: she could have just come out and told him she's not actually a beta, but she chose not to for the sake of her career. Oof. Ruthless judgement calls were made on both sides.

I put this out because this idea had me in a STRANGLEHOLD, and I just had to get it out before I burst. Hopefully my writing's still up to par 😅 As for Kingdom Come, part iii may take a little while longer because a lot is going to happen in it, so I hope this can tide you guys over until then.

As usual, comments and feedback are always appreciated! I would love to talk about this au more. And again, if you'd like to be tagged, drop a reply. And if you're in the taglist and would like to be removed/only tagged for Kingdom Come, please let me know!

@crowbird @poohkie90 @cumikering @iytatsworld @papaver-decervicatus @anxietyrain @riotakire @ax0lotly @cookiepie111 @kacchasu @no1runawaymilkdad @chthonian-spectre @backwards-readings @yxllowtxpe @garbau @hexqueensupreme @queenthorin1 @violetstyless @her-majesty-theking @vegan-peppermint @peonytarian @ghostslittlegf @euuuuuuun @e1x03 @kokonoiwife @deaddainish @dragonfang @teehee-47 @catluvwr @keiva1000 @waves-against-a-cliff @channelsoph @cutiecusp @itsagrimm @dins-riduur-anthe @mantishymns @lexuria

[slayfics]

Muichiro’s Mansion

Muichiro x Reader series

Mitsuri joins a training session with you and Muichiro.

Chapter 5

Mitsuri joined you and Muichiro to observe your training session for today. You suddenly felt extra nervous with two Hashira’s watching you.

“Just pretend I'm not here ok!” Mitsuri said smiling and sat down under a tree to watch.

“Come at me.” Muichiro stated.

You were taken back. The past few weeks you have just been swinging your sword and hitting a dummy. Muichiro had never asked to spar with you yet. He stood in place waiting for you to make a move. You took a deep breath then ran towards him and just before you would have struck him you slid under between his legs to confuse him and then attack from behind.

Muichiro had never seen you fight before but he seemed to instantly catch on to this move and was not deceived by your movements.

He stood in place but when you turned to face him, he had the sleeve of your uniform in his hand.

“Too slow. If I wanted to kill you this wouldn’t just be your sleeve.” He stated tossing the sleeve on the floor. “That is a risky move and you’re not experienced enough to pull it off. Don't do that against a demon.” He stated.

You sighed and looked at the floor. You didn’t know how much longer you’d be able to take this berating day after day.

“Tokito! Don’t be so rough on her!” Mitsuri yelled. She stood up and placed her hands on her hips. “Can’t you think of one thing she did well?”

“Of course I can.” He replied.

“Well then tell her! You can’t just tell someone all the things they are doing wrong day in and day out! How she is supposed to stay motivated! Try to say something nice at least once a day, ok? Boosting self-esteem helps demon slayers get stronger!”

“That sounds pointless. It’s what she’s doing wrong that needs attention. That attack was to slow and put her in a vulnerable position. I barely had to move at all to strike. She’s slow and clumsy and it’s been this way for weeks now.”

That was the final blow you were able to take. You ran before thinking about your actions. You knew you couldn’t hold back your tears and you didn’t want to cry like a child in front of two Hashira. You kept running till you were far enough away to have some privacy and began to cry. It felt hopeless you were trying so hard but apparently weren’t getting any better according to Tokito. All you wanted to do was be stronger and make him proud but the past two weeks you were beginning to feel he regretted accepting you as his Tsuguko.

You sat with your knees pulled to your chest and hid your face. Should you just tell him you quit and save the embarrassment of being asked to leave.

“Hello.”

You jumped and turned to see Muichiro standing behind you. You quickly turned back around and began to wipe the tears off your face.

“May I join you.” He asked. You nodded still not sure you could speak without letting out more tears.

“Why do you cry?” He asked.

“I know you regret taking me in as your Tsuguko. You don’t have to tell me I'll pack my things and leave. I’m sorry I tried hard to make you proud, but I know I'm no good. I’ll train harder on my own then hopefully be good enough to be taken in by another Hashira. I didn’t mean to waste so much of your time.” You said tears falling in between.

“I see.” Muichiro said and stared off into the distance. “You are a brilliant swordsman. Did you not know this?”

You felt like maybe you might have passed out in the forest somewhere. There is no way Muichiro would be saying such kind words to you after the weeks of belittling you went through.

“But you… never have anything nice to say and it seems like you hate me.”

“I comment on what needs improvement. Isn’t that why you came to me, to improve?”

“Yes… I suppose that’s true.”

“And I do not regret taking you in as my Tsuguko. I never once said that.”

“You turned me down twice, it was hard not to assume you might be regretting saying yes the third time.”

“I denied your request twice because I do not remember becoming a Hashira. What good is a teacher that doesn't remember their own journey, and I have never had a Tsuguko before. It appears we both have some things to learn. I will comment on your skills that I notice from now on. Of which I have noticed many by the way. You should also know I feel honored that you fought so hard to be my Tsuguko. Thank you.”

[esamastation]

Shizuroth, part twenty-six

Previous parts: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five

-

Angeal makes it to Midgar first, having rushed through his mission and finished it early. Genesis, even if he rushed, would have had a harder time making it back - Junon wasn't exactly close, after all, even by helicopter it would take a few hours. Genesis still makes his presence known, muttering in his ear the whole way.

"I was asleep when he messaged me! And why is it my job to babysit the favoured son of the Science Department anyway?! What madness must our quest bring to find you so lost -"

"Genesis…" Angeal sighs, pinning his PHS between his right shoulder and his ear while attempting to park his truck in the Shinra Building's maze of a parking garage.

"How was I supposed to know he would lose it the moment I turned my back to him? Our fair hero seemed so well put together yesterday - the clothes he picked! He looked very smart! I was almost proud! I thought he had it handled."

"Genesis, I doubt anyone blames you for this," Angeal assures him, checking the mirrors.

"And they better not! Yesterday he seemed fine. Said he was looking for a quiet day in," Genesis scoffs. "Of course for Sephiroth that must involve untold physical toil. When he messaged me, I thought he would do what he always does, fight a few monsters, slay a few enemies. Normal behaviour, to be expected from our great Hero!"

Angeal finishes parking and takes the PHS in his hand. "I thought Sephiroth was fine too," he says, placating. "He was confused, sure, but overall he was calm and collected. None of us could've seen this coming."

Genesis lets out an explosive sigh. "Maybe we should have. He's not himself."

"There are many ways to not be yourself," Angeal says with a sigh. "Try as we might, we are not trained for these kinds of mental issues."

"No. And neither is anyone else at Shinra for that matter."

Angeal hums in agreement and then looks up as he spots movement outside his truck. Well, damn. "Listen, Genesis, I have to go. I'll do my best to handle this. What's your ETA?"

"Another six hours, minimum," Genesis says regretfully. "You're going to take Sephiroth on alone?"

"Hopefully not," Angeal says. "But probably. I'll… try to keep you posted."

"I'll write you a lovely eulogy," Genesis offers, and with a snort Angeal hangs up on him.

He takes a moment to inhale and brace himself. Then he turns the engine off and pockets his keys. The Turk outside waits politely - though not very patiently - for him to step out.

"Mr. Hewley, I'm here to escort you directly to Director Deusericus' office."

"I should head to the SOLDIER floor first," Angeal says slowly, warily - not liking the implications of this at all.

The bald Turk is utterly impassive behind his sunglasses. "Director Deusericus is waiting. This way."

So… the situation has already escalated to that point, has it. Damn.

Angeal grabs the Buster Sword and then follows the Turk to the elevators, and spends the entire time going up mentally running through all the ways this could go wrong. There's a lot of ways this could go wrong - but surely the company wouldn't actually try to eliminate Sephiroth?

Lazard's appearance doesn't give him much hope - the man's face is tight with tension, and there's a Turk lounging by the window, a casual threat.

"Angeal," Lazard says and looks up. He doesn't look at all relieved to see him - just more tense. "Good. There's no time for pleasantries or even explanations, so I'm just going to get to it."

"Sir," Angeal says guardedly.

"Sephiroth is on floor 49," Lazard begins while the Turks watch them with deceptive disinterest. "As far as we can tell, he's not actively hostile, but he hasn't moved in several hours. There are approximately twenty SOLDIER members on the floor with him, and they've stationed themselves between Sephiroth and the elevator. For security reasons, they're refusing entry for anyone but active SOLDIER members. Even I wasn't allowed off the elevator."

Angeal frowns. So either Sephiroth was too dangerous to let anyone in - or he was so vulnerable that SOLDIER members had stepped up to guard him. "I assume you're sending me in, with orders?"

"Yes. Sephiroth has a mission, and you're going to deliver him to it," Lazard says and picks up his PHS. "I'll send details to your account. Your first and only priority is getting Sephiroth out of the building and into the airport. There's a transport waiting for him on standby."

Angeal takes out his PHS and checks the newest mission.

They're sending Sephiroth to Wutai? Now? "Sir, I understand some disciplinary action is in order, but is this really the time for -"

"The less time we waste, the better for all of us," Lazard cuts him off and glances at the redheaded Turk by the window.

The Turk shrugs. "Sephiroth almost killed Department Head Hojo," he says lazily. "We at Shinra Public Security Department feel it's best to put some distance between the two."

Angeal blinks, surprised. "Sephiroth almost killed Hojo?" he asks faintly. "Was anyone else -?"

"No one was killed - there weren't even any injuries," Lazard assures him.

"You'll be briefed fully on the incident," the red head Turk promises, "once both you and Sephiroth are safely on board a transport and in the air."

Angeal tries to read between the lines, even as his gut says that sending a SOLDIER in what sounds like still ongoing mental breakdown to an active war zone is a bad idea. But then, he's not sure what's the alternative? He'd been half expecting to be tasked with Sephiroth's imprisonment! Or worse, his detainment in the labs!

If Sephiroth really attacked Hojo… Wutai might be his best chance at some freedom.

The red head Turk clears his throat. "Clock's ticking, SOLDIER First Class Angeal Hewley," he says. "Better get moving."

"There's a helicopter available on the HQ Landing Pad," the other Turk adds. "Or alternatively, a car in front of the building. Both your and Sephiroth's belongings have already been packed and delivered to the transport."

"All we are missing is the big guy himself," the red head says. "Think you can go get him for us?"

Angeal looks at them and then at Lazard, who's watching him seriously. The man looks weary and stressed - but not like his hand is being forced. There's not time for much else, he can only hope his read on the situation is right.

"Alright." Angeal nods. "I'll get Sephiroth on the transport."

"Good! We'll meet you there," the redhead says, clapping his hands together. "Don't be late! And Hewley… don't let anything stop you."

Angeal arches his brows in alarm as the two Turks saunter out. "What the hell does that mean?"

Lazard sighs. "Angeal," he says. "There's no time. Get Sephiroth out of here. Now."

[rotten-games]

Rott Update

So! It's done and debugged.

It's been a long year, a hard one, but hopefully things will change and I'll be able to get back into gear and into the groove of things again (an explanation post coming soon to a theater near you).

I'm not going to lie... there's a lot here that is rough, there's a bit I'm not too proud of, but truth be told if I don't release it as is I'm never going to get anything done. FOR THE MOST PART, it is a complete experience; there should be nothing here that isn't completely playable or obviously a placeholder. If there is let me know and I'll fix that.

Keep in mind that old saves might not work with the current build. If you come across a bug and you have used an old save, you may need to restart the game to get it to work properly.

With that all well and said, if you just want to experience the game here's the link as always: https://rotten-games.itch.io/rott-book-one

If you want the full rundown here's the change log below the cut.

This version of the game includes the following:

The equivalent of the full first four chapters that were included in the original version of the game is now included. I've now caught up on the rewrites and will be moving onto the completely new chapters after a brief break.

You can now meet an additional three to six romancable characters with varying degrees of interaction; Lokeira, Korrin, Ettia, Ardwen, Nox, and Bex!

Train with Severa, Herron, or Spotter and potentially see a start to your own romances with them during the festival.

Get rejected!

Make a bargain.

Speak to a messenger of the Gods?

The original dreams in chapter one were edited. Typos were fixed and some passages were changed. In some cases, additional choices were added.

A light mode has been added. It's a little bit rough and I would like to do some further changes to it but for now it's here. If you need some changes made or additionally want further colour modes added just reach out and I can see what I can do.

The relationship screen now mentions milestones in your relationships with certain characters (both romantic and platonic!)

Known bugs:

As far as I can tell I've ironed out most of the bugs but there's always inevitably some that sneak through and I have no doubt that there will be others. There's two main things I haven't yet been able to fix.

There may be some visual issue that I haven't gotten around to but aren't a priority at the moment. If you see one please let me know so I can note it down for later.

This one is a bit illusive. You may find you are unable to progress the game near the end of the final chapter. I currently cannot replicate this bug (I've tried, trust me I've tried) and thus have no idea whether it's fixed or not so... watch out.

​That being said, I'm glad to finally get this finished. I'm gonna be having a brief break before getting back into it (mostly to find and compile my old notes for the next few chapters).

Hope you enjoy :)

[strangerscallmegray]

Are we the same?

Hello guys, I hope you like this. I was out looking for Joel Miller x son!reader fics and I could find very little male reader or GN reader fics and so I impulsively decided to create this series. I hope you will like it. The first chapter is going to be exploring Joel's PoV. I'm new here so I don't understand much, hopefully I'll learn along with you.

So, the thing is I have not seen the last of us, it is just recently that I discovered the fanfics and I really liked them, I'm going to watch it soon. So, I apologize for any timeline discrepancy as well as factual errors that might be there in the story lolol.

------- x --------

Joel had a difficult relationship with his son. It was not that Joel did not love him, no, he did, he immensely loved the kid, how could he not? He was his son. You were the last remaining person from his family. The life and family he had had before everything went to shit. But there was a distance between you and Joel, one that Joel deeply lamented. It started after Sarah died. Joel felt like you blamed him for what had happened. You had always been a loving older brother to Sarah and losing her broke you too, you were never quite the same and he couldn’t say he was either.

Joel watched as you went outside the house after the latest argument you had had. Arguments were not uncommon between the two of you. It was simple, Joel still felt you were too young to be going on patrols with him. Whereas you felt you had never been more ready and to see Tess take your side had been heartbreaking for Joel. Tess would not forget the look of betrayal that had etched onto his face when she had done that. Tess had later given him a lecture saying if he wanted his son then he’d have to let him do what he wants to do even if that included danger. Joel had cried out in anger then saying that he’d rather have his son alive and hate him than dead. He and Tess had needed a lot of time to recover from that. He had already lost one child and he was not planning to lose another any time soon. Now, since Joel did not have a say in what you wanted to do, he put his everything into training you. He wanted to teach you everything he knew so that you could survive even if he is not there. He was very proud of you and how far you had come. You never complained when it came to training, even if you had arguments with your dad, sparring sessions were a must, even if it just helped in releasing pent-up frustration.

Joel was sometimes very harsh with you and he knows that. It was because maybe he got so lost when he lost Sarah that he forgot he had another person depending on him. Some days the guilt consumes him and the others he feels like you need the rigidity to make yourself better, that it is what you seek from him. Tess had told him many times that his harshness might reflect negatively on you since you were only 16. Sometimes he thought that surely Sasha must be rolling in the grave over what kind of a father he had become. A memory flashed through this head.

“This is a waste of time, they’ll have finished turning you by the time you get back up from the ground.” He said.

You were panting having fallen on the ground. “I am…..trying.” you said in between of breaths.

“Not like that you are not, the only thing you are trying to do right now is getting yourself killed, if that was your mission, congratulations, you succeeded.”

You had glared at him, still not getting up, “What the hell is your damn problem with me!?” you had shouted and stood up walking up to your dad. “You can see I’m trying, we only started practicing a week back and Tess says I’m doing good, why do you always have to be so critical of me as if I can never be any good?”

“I don’t know what Tess has been seeing, all I am seeing is that it was a mistake allowing a 14-year-old out on patrols.” Joel had said. He couldn’t understand why he was being so unnecessarily harsh.

Tears stung your eyes as you said, “I will prove you wrong Dad, I will be the best hunter you’ve ever seen.” You had said and walked away.

And you were most definitely the best that Joel had seen, he just failed to communicate it to you. He wished he had been more understanding back then.

Then, then came Ellie, the kid who reminded him too much of Sarah, the kid full of life and so opposite from both him and you. In the beginning he didn’t know how to act around her but slowly he warmed up to her. She was not replacing Sarah, nobody could replace his Sarah ever but Ellie was not Sarah, Ellie was Ellie and that was why he had grown to care for her and he knew he had grown paternal towards her. He had seen the way you interacted with Ellie too, you had never held something she didn’t even know against her. You had even taught her a couple of things and his heart swelled with happiness whenever he saw that. An emotion he was sure he would never feel again.

“Is he your son?” She had asked pointing towards you who was standing with the group explaining something to them.

“Yes.” He had said, short and crisp, he didn’t want to discuss it and he hoped she’d get the hint. She did not.

“Then why is he on patrols? He doesn’t seem that much older.” She looked curiously.

He had looked at her and glared “Why don’t you ask him the same then maybe even I will know.”

And after that, it felt the most normal than ever in Jackson, but he just wished he could mend his relationship with his son. He wished you would stop looking at everything he did for you in negative light and stop seeing him as the enemy.

Soo, I hope you liked that, let me know what you think. The next chapter will be your PoV.

[loupy-mongoose]

It's not necessary, but I found this song to be a good fit to this part. :3 (Steve Morgan--Into the Night)

~~~~~~

He snapped the suitcase shut.

Taking a step back from the bed where it lay, he sighed.

The day was upon them.

It was time to begin the flight to Hoenn.

He found himself thinking back to the last time he'd visited his mom. Far too long ago. Soon after he'd discovered he was in M--

No...

Soon after he'd discovered he was a Mew.

It had been a much less lighthearted visit. He'd had to break it to her that... Well...

That her son had died...

He hadn't expected her to accept him as... as a continuation of Randy... Arceus knew he had a heck of time accepting it. And there was no way he would've been able to if she hadn't.

He didn't dare think about what he would've done if she hadn't accepted him.

He smiled, as Lav's words came back to him.

"I'm proud of you, Dad. I know that time is hard for you, but... You've come a long way since it all."

...He had, hadn't he?

You alright, Love?

He snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the beautiful blue Mew. Yeah, I am. Just reminiscing.

She nuzzled his cheek, purring. For once, he believed he would be to, if in Mew form.

Are you packed yet?

Yeah, I think so. I don't know how much of it I'll need.

That's always the case for travel. Better to have more than you need than less. I wonder how Lav's doing. And Perzi. Have you asked Perzi if he wants anything packed?

Yeah. He's fine. He's the most ready of any of us.

Randy sighed. I have to admit I'm jealous of how easily he adapted to having Rosemary. How easily he adapts to anything, really. I feel like a mess compared to him.

Akoya gave him a peck on the cheek and snuggled up to his neck. You're a recovering mess, Love. It's not easy, but you're doing great.

He felt his eyes grow hot with tears, and he smiled. Lav said something similar a bit ago. He paused, recomposing himself. I'm proud of you, too. You've been an amazing mother.

He felt her tense against his skin for only a brief moment. Her response was quiet and full of emotion. Thank you.

yyyeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!

Randy turned to the doorway just in time for the pale Mewtwo to barrel into him, knocking all three flat onto the bed. Thankfully they missed the suitcase.

Lavender quickly hopped up and hovered speedily around the room. YEEEEEEEEEEEAAAASS IT'S ALMOST TIMMME! WE'RE GONNA SEE GRAMMA VIVI!!!

Randy clenched his teeth against the peal of her voice. Lav, please, I know you're excited. But my ears are ringing.

Sorry Daddy! Her voice was at a reasonable level now, but she still floated and kicked her legs as she fought against her overwhelming joy.

Are you all packed, Lav?

She nodded vigorously. So much so her body rocked in the air as she bobbed her head. She finished with an accidental summersault and a giggle. Her parents couldn't help letting their own chuckles out as well.

Well...

Randy stood up, keeping a sense on his legs to see if they would decide to ache or not. Once up, he gripped the suit case handle and telekinetically pulled his cane to his hand. Mentally noting that he had everything, he turned into his Mew form. The items in his hands vanished with his human body.

Shall we speak to Perzi and the team?

You're all clear on how to run the place?

The three shiny Pokemon nodded in unison, grunting in affirmation.

Randy smiled at them, then turned to his wife, who was saying her good-byes to Jerry the Pichu. Lavender and Perzi were with the three kits, who were playing around in a nice padded tote bag they'd gotten for this trip, as a means to gather them together if need be.

Good. They seem to like it. Hopefully we won't need to force them in there.

The Mews eventually gathered together, waved good-bye to the remaining Pokemon...

And took off...

~~~~~~

PREVIOUS NEXT

ARC START

I hope you all don't mind the influx of written parts for this arc. And potentially future arcs as well. It's just a lot quicker to get done, and helps offer looks at emotions and thoughts comics can't achieve on their own.

Anyway...

The trip has begun. :)

[kiiyome-art]

Final Shape Vienna

I've finally been able to finish my design for Via during the final shape, I am super proud of it, and excited that I finally get to share it! No text ver. and my thoughts about TFS dlc below the cut :)

It's been a bit hard to draw lately, my hands have been hurting and making it quite difficult, which is partly why this design took so long to get out. Taking a break did not prove helpful, I just hope I can find something that does help. Apologies for my openness... Anyway! So... Final shape... It was... a wonderful experience, I'm happy that bungie had knocked it out of the park in every aspect. I adored being able to see the characters I love; I loved getting to fight alongside my fireteam, getting to be around Crow, Zavala, Ikora... getting to see Cayde again. God that broke me. It made me so, so happy, but damn if it didn't make my heart bleed. Bungie really knows how to give me a real gut punch.

I haven't decided what I want to do with Vienna, part of me was so convinced that the best course of action was to end her story after final shape, let her rest, let her be with Cayde. But now I'm not so sure... I don't know how to rewrite the ending without invalidating Cadye's sacrifice. I try to write Via as close as I can to canon, keeping true to the original story while still writing her in the way I want to, and getting to tell her story right. So, thank you bungie. Thank you for writing a wonderful, thought-provoking story, an in-depth world. Despite all the bumps and hiccups along the way Destiny means a great to me, I love being able to write Vienna, to get lost in the universe, it's brought me a lot of comfort and happiness that I wouldn't have had elsewise. The opportunity to get to spend it with my fireteam, my friends is invaluable, they mean the world to me more than anything. I'm excited to see where the story goes from here, and I will continue to create more artwork and writings for it, at a quicker pace hopefully! Thanks for reading my rants if you got this far, and I'll see you starside. 💫

[rozeliyawashereyall]

Guys I'm back (not really)!!! I missed you all so much and- oh wow I missed too much, huh.

I'll start with saying that I'm doing okay now! My mental health has improved a lot and I'm very proud of myself :) however! I'm still on break, I just came here to address a few things.

Now to what's happening in the bug army—and lemme just say jeez. I did not expect to come back to drama, especially with how small this sub fandom is.

English isn't my best language so hopefully I'm not being rude saying these-

Most of my information came from @audioroleplayconfessions and a few friends of mine

-Now~ about the discord server. A lot has happened and I won't be getting into too much detail about it. One or two of our members weren't in the best place and sought out help from me and a few others, they're both okay now and are getting proper help ^^

None of us are exactly okay in the head in the army, I don't mean "insane" I mean "just need a safe environment to vent". And that's exactly why the discord was made! But unfortunately it went past an after school comfort club and more of a therapy session.

Thankfully! Me and the mods are being especially stricter on the rules and are actively enforcing them better!

This is still our first time making a server so of course we aren't the best at it, but we're all trying! I do hope that anon can feel safe there again.

that's all I'll say about it, so let's close this topic already.

-The favoritism! Now sure what to say on this one tbh, just that no one owes you anything! If you're so insecure that you have to seek validation from strangers online—and having panic attacks that you aren't being noticed, maybe the problem is with you. Most of our amazing artists that get slightly more recognition is because they're one of the first batch of bugs to appear in this fandom!

It honestly just feels like you're putting the creators on a special pedestal, above everyone—while they're all very talented and incredible people, they're still human. Just like you, just like me. They try to interact with everyone they can and it's clear every person helping with the gator boys series is trying their damn best.

I genuinely do hope you're doing okay now though :(

I'm always here to help and support you if you need it! But now, it's best if you take some time off to focus on yourself! Take a mental health break, it'll do wonders to you, I would know! I'm taking one now ^^

-that one anon ask that was very clearly about me but they didn't say it.

I'm not too fussed up about it, just a little sad I made someone feel that way

I'm not sure what I did that gave you the impression of "annoying" and "pretentious" of me, but I'm really sorry that I did anyways. I do hope you'll still consider joining our little army, and so we too can be friends! I'm sure you're a great person!

Do know I'll always greet you and new members with open arms! <3

Oh and thank you so much to the people in the reblogs that defended me—giving you all the biggest digital hug ever

-and lastly~ I really, really hope none of us gave you a bad impression of us or the VAs! Everyone here is a wonderful person! From talented to kind to fun! Gator boys is an awesome series and we all just wanted to create a small group to fangirl and boy about it X3 I'll admit things have gotten a bit too far, but me and the founders are trying our best to keep everything under control.

Now, I'm not too good with words—but, I'm very sorry about everything that happened these few days, but I promise everything will be okay from now on! We'll all make sure of it!

Gonna be putting this post in my pinned for a week just in case-

[cereusblue]

https://gofund.me/96bce824

Hi, all. So, I've had a day from hell and I'm too exhausted to re-explain on another platform. But here, I'll copy paste the story here. TLDR at the bottom. If you can't help, pass it on. Literally everything helps. Love you all.

Good day all, thank you for stopping your busy day to check my page.

Let me lay out the situation as best I can.

First off, some background for myself and my family. My fiancee and I only have(had) one functioning car between us when we took in a family member of his in an emergency CPS case. We are trying our hardest to take care of her and teach her how to be a person, but our schedules and only having one vehicle has made that a struggle. She has gotten a job just last week and is working hard to get on her feet. It's great and we are very proud of her! It's part time for the time being while she learns how to manage finances and how the world works.

However, since October things have started taking a turn for the worse. Between my fiancee and I, we both worked minimum wage and in October I bent over to put on a shoe and my back made a horrible crack noise. I went to the ER in immense pain and despite having insurance, I still got dumped with a hefty bill that to this day I am still trying to pay off. I have gone through physical therapy as requested by my doctor, since he didn't want to operate on someone of my age. However, it did nothing but agitate the problem. While I can now move around again, bending over and lifting anything past 15 pounds is strenuous. I'm in pain every single day and even sitting up is difficult most days. I can't stand up for long anymore before it becomes too much on my back. But things continue to happen, as they do. I was set to come back to see my surgeon this year but on Dec 29th in the last hour of the day, my job decided that an AI system could completely take over my job and laid me off. Getting unemployment as well as answers back from my previous work has been very difficult. My benefits were cut off with no chance to refill medications or see my surgeon. So, now my continued treatment to fix my back on top of my other health issues have all been put on pause. I've been working for almost two years now to get treatment and figure out what's wrong with my health, but I am now on a desperate search for a new job.

Which leads us to today. We are already strapped for money, and on a trip to an interview and my fiancee going to work, we got taken down a gravel road that looked deceptively fine. Driving across, the ice was far deeper than it appeared and it destroyed the grill, bumper, and wheel well (I believe that's what it's called) aka part of the frame that covers the front wheels broke and are hanging. That's not where it ends. So, I took the car to get it temporarily fixed so we could hopefully figure something out to get repairs done. The car got a temporary fix, and then I proceeded to take the car to pick up my fiancee from work. He and I began our drive back home, and as we were passing train tracks a doe jumped out into the road way too close to us. She only came into view as she appeared in the lights of the car, immediately getting bodied by the car. As you can see from the image, she destroyed the hood of the car and much more. I feel horrible for the poor thing and I hope she went quickly, noticing the fur and blood on the front bumper. We managed to get the car home, but the check engine light came on. This car is a Toyota prius. Anyone who knows anything about a prius knows they are basically tin cans. So, the worry is that the cooling system is busted now too. This will exponentially increase the amount we need to pay to repair the vehicle.

The worst part is, is that this is the only car we have to go to work and for me to go to interviews. I do have a car, but it's not in running condition right now. The poor thing is a 1999 and needs some parts replaced that we have not had the funds or availability to get a list of parts and have them replaced. The car also can't move anyway right now and would need towed. The prius is our only vehicle we have, and I don't have the funds to drop on fixing it. Insurance won't pay for it as far as we have been made aware by the body shop because of the type of insurance we have.

So, this is the current estimate we have to work with in regards to repairs. The entire front, hood, coolant system, and I know a few more pieces need replaced. The prius can run and be moved to a body shop at least, but paying for it will be a nightmare. If he can't get to work, we are in major trouble. My fiancee, his little sister, and I all rely on this car for work. While I'm still looking for work, I'm very limited because of my current physical state. We've spent a lot of money on my Healthcare already and every day are worried I'm going to reach for something and have my back crack again. While we are working on Medicaid, these things are proving a slow process. They also don't cover previous medical bills when I did have insurance. So, our only choice is to live off his income currently while I'm on a search for a new job every day. Our lives depend on this one car. Especially since we live out in the woods and work is 40 minutes away.

If you've read this far, I appreciate every single second of your time. Every single hand this gofundme goes through will be a huge help. If you can't help, that's okay, please don't stress your own financials if youre in a tough spot. If you can pass this along to anyone you can, that would be more than enough. Thank you again, and I wish you all better fortune this 2024.

For those who can't read the whole thing;

TLDR; Me and my family are already going through a lot of financial troubles with my health and being laid off, our only mode of transportation is severely damaged from an unmaintained roads massive pothole and hitting a deer in the same day. Three people rely on this one vehicle for all our jobs and interviews that are far from home. Donate if you can, if not, please share and thank you so very much.

Also including another picture here for you all to see. Thank you all again, I wish you better fortune this year.

[who-do-i-know-this-man]

I made a mistake. Several actually. Several very severe mistakes. And this post isn't meant to make it all ok, I have accepted that many are rightfully mad at me, but I do hope that I can at least have some context to the mistakes I made and why I made them.

First let me say that I am privileged. That much is true. I am a white man in the american suburbs. I have the luxury of not only not being personally affected by many social issues but not even having to witness them. But I still want to be a good person. And part of that is learning about these social issues by talking and interacting with people online. But I'm still not perfect. I'm barely an adult and I have a lot of growing to do as a person. And hopefully with this in mind it will make some of the mistakes I will go over just a bit more understandable.

Back in mid march I made the submissions post for this blog, and did not expect to get as many as I did. I then spent a month taking as many submissions as I could and putting them in a list. All in all I ended up with over 2000 characters. From that alone it should be understandable why I couldn't research every one before releasing the bracket. I even ended up with many mistakes like incorrect labeling and duplicate characters.

However the first true mistake came later. I was making the poll posts themselves and I got to Lance. I knew I should have done something at the time but I didn't exactly know what. It was one poll and I was doing 16 polls per day minimum, but ideally double that so that I could have a backlog of posts. So I didn't spend as much time thinking about the issue as I should have and the conclusion I came to was that at the end of the day it was a fictional character, and if I properly content warning it it will be fine. Anyone who is sensitive to that imagery can block it. This is largely where my ignorance came in. While it may sound improbable to those who do know more I promise you I genuinely thought that I was doing no harm. And while I won't lie and say I am now a master in the topic now I do have a better understanding of the harm that this decision caused. Additionally my pride got to me. I am very proud of having "the biggest bracket on tumblr" but I had already had quite a few be disqualified for being duplicates or real people, so I didn't want to make the bracket any smaller and lose prestige. This was far from the main reason I kept him in, but it was morally wrong.

People's response to the original poll was mixed. There were people who immediately asked me to remove him, but others were on my side in saying that he should stay since he's a fictional character and his morals don't matter. So I defaulted to the stance I already had, and did nothing. This was a mistake. Above all else I should have prioritized everyone feeling safe and comfortable on my blog.

But the last night it was about an hour later then I should have been asleep and my brain was incredibly stupid, and things started to go down hill. I got the first ask in a while about Lance, and I decided to put an end to the issue. My way of doing this was doing a poll. In my mind this was my way of accounting for my ignorance. I don't know much about how severe this issue is, so I'll put it in the hands of people who did.

This poll also got mixed results. Some said I should just have the conviction to eliminate him myself, but others brought up things about that character I didn't know, like how he apparently has a character arc of learning fascism is bad, or that he has other visuals where he's wearing different outfits. I also got messages from fans of the series who thanked me for giving the character a chance. This made me feel comfortable in being a "neutral party". However with the notes I felt that I should "do this right" which unfortunately led to me doing the exact opposite.

I deleted the original poll, where 70% were in favor of disqualifying him. I didn't think it was a big deal since it had only been up a few minutes, but this was yet another mistake. I made a new poll, which included info that had been told to me since the previous poll. But the problem was that what I had actually written was not good. It was almost midnight at this point, so while I tried to remain a "neutral party" I ended up having the info show a very clear bias. And considering the character in question, people began to wonder why I was trying so hard to keep him in the poll. This led to many replies on the poll that began to overwhelm me. I was starting to realize the mistakes I had made and just how deep of a pit I had dug myself in. I panicked. I turned off replies and deleted all the ones on that were on the poll so that I could say everything I wanted to say interrupted. This backfired, and led to people going to the reblogs instead. And me deleting all the replies looked BAD. While I was trying to get the things I wanted to say out the post had spread. Spread even outside of the people who normally know this account. People who knew nothing of the history and structure of this blog, who thought that I had seen a character who was a Nazi and thought "sure come right in" and I was now trying desperately to keep him in.

This understandably made people very mad when that was their perception. Many many people were saying terrible hurtful things to me. Their heart was in the right place but even now I do not agree with the kind of harassment some stooped to. At this point I was in a full blown panic attack. Every bit of damage control dug me deeper into the pit. I decided that I needed to deal with this situation with a clear head so that I didn't make more mistakes in a panic. I deleted the poll about Lance's elimination and went to bed.

That brings us to this morning. I have announced that Lance is disqualified, and deleted the original poll containing him. I promise you all that I will try my hardest to prevent anything like this from happening again on my blog. I want to make things as right as I can. And I hope now you all will believe me when I say that I am not a Nazi, or an antisemite, I'm just a privileged idiot who made some dumb mistakes.

[front-facing-pokemon]

koraidon is my best friend. my beast. his name is sandwich and i never make him fight ever if he doesn't have to. i yelled at all the characters for insisting he fight. he's a special little sandwich boy.

well! i've. certainly missed out on a lot. let's get through all these

number one! sandwich is a perfect name for a koraidon. the special little sandwich boy

now, everything else:

i. only caught this after everybody ragged on me for not getting it. i dunno HOW i failed to pick up on this but, yes, i've got it now

actually, i was just about to make a proper post asking what i should do with the blog (since i queued up the final pokémon in the natdex yesterday) so i will keep this one on the list of suggestions (hopefully. if i don't then remind me and feel free to drop it in the comments of the post i make abt it)—although there is one option that's at the forefront of my mind..!

this killed me on the spot when i first got this ask. incredible. i queued up iron boulder a few days ago (obviously since i have queued up every single pokémon in the national pokédex by now) but this is funny. be proud

you did yes. that's some commitment. rather powerful especially since i don't think they can even breed. not sure if they can show up in outbreaks though

this is a theory i'm hearing about for the first time from all of you, and it's one that i do quite like. although saying "until you start thinking about it for half a second" feels like you're accusing me of not thinking about it for half a second? probably not but damn. ouch! either way i think this makes sense. i feel like it wasn't explained in game very well at all

POWER CREEP THE POKÉMON YEEEAAAAHh

oh i just call most pokémon "little guys." i quite like the phrase "little guy" and use it to describe most creatures

oh yeah. especially with all their names being nearly identical just "iron (noun)" i feel like their designs are super boring compared to the past paradox 'mons. makes me wish i got scarlet instead

i would, but i doubt tumblr will let me post them, for one, so you'd have to DM me—and for two, they're in trmdl format. whether or not you'd be able to actually manipulate them (or even render them) depends on the software you're using. your mileage may vary

and now, the many, many nose ratings i've missed:

PHEW!! that was a lot! if you're still here, you must be dedicated! if you're that dedicated, expect two posts coming up shortly: number one, a few fundraisers that were sent to my ask box that i wanted to give their own post to not mix it with the regular content. as far as i'm aware, they've all been vetted. and number two, perhaps later: the post asking what exactly i should do with this blog once we reach the end of the natdex. after i get enough suggestions on that post, i'll send out a big poll with the top contenders to truly decide WHAT becomes of this blog once pecharunt posts. thanks for sticking around for this wild ride!

[matchalovertrait]

Per usual, Erick was making dinner for the family. He was a little sad because he didn't have the company of his kids quite as often anymore while he grilled, but that's life. Ángel was at drama club and Dulce was doing homework upstairs.

When the food was ready, he noticed Noemí had just arrived home. "Hey, you're just on time!" He set the plate of food down and turned around to look at her beautiful face.

"It looks good," Noemí spoke softly. "Is that salsa made with tomatillos?" She was trying to not make her sadness that obvious, but she was failing miserably. Erick noticed something was clearly wrong. "Noemí what happened?" He spoke in an even quieter voice than her as if he was trying not to scare her away.

He kissed her on the cheek. "Here, let's sit down and we'll talk about it."

Noemí nodded and sat down at the table. She put her hand on her forehead and closed her eyes. She told him everything that happened.

Erick listened attentively as Noemí spoke but he held his thoughts to himself. His anger toward Alfonso grew more and more with each word. They have worked so hard, especially Noemí. She has worked nonstop even when she was pregnant both times. She only gets a day off a week. Now this rich bored guy wants to undo all that labor? There are children involved for god's sake. What about their college funds? The money for Dulce's therapy?

"Things are looking okay, but I'm still so scared," Noemí told Erick. What if we lose the bakery and even the house?"

"That's not going to happen. I'll find ways to bring in more money if it ever comes to it, which I doubt we'll have to resort to."

Noemí broke down. She wasn't having any of it. "I'm a failure. To my kids. To my mom." She had been holding all of this in ever since she finished talking to Teodor earlier in the day. It was so difficult trying to keep it together in front of the customers.

Erick couldn't bear to hear or see the love of his life like this. He rushed over to Noemí, gently turned her chair to face him, and knelt in front of her. "Noemí, you are not a failure. Don't you dare call yourself that. Teodor is our friend and we love him and all, but don't ever forget that he needed YOU to make Postres de Alegría. That is your name and that is a name that I am proud our kids carry."

Noemí sobbed more. All the pressure felt heavier. At that moment, she was not sure her kids would even be proud of that name. "I can't do this," she said.

At that moment, Erick realized all that Noemí needed at this point was a long hug, not logic. She needed to be heard and held. Noemí hugged her husband tightly and didn't let go of him.

We don't know what awaits the Alegrías, but they have made it through every obstacle so far. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day for them.

Part 4/4

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