#but i absolutely wanna do future installments

[arolesbianism]

So I may or may not have spent a good chunk of my day trying to learn how to look into onis code and while I may not have yet succeeded I will likely keep fucking around with shit tomorrow and if I manage to succeed it'll spell great doom for my sanity as oni becomes the interest I've officially poured the most effort into analyzing

[weirdsht]

cale with idiots in love trope

- "You're cute" "hm?" "I said you look like a boot."

- casual displays of affection, hand holding bc s/o would space out and may or may not get lost (directionally challenged)

- pretending everything is casual, but they're soooo in love with each other

- "I look like a mess" "the prettiest mess"

- the kids absolutely love when they get cuddles with cale and s/o

- maybe braiding cales hair??

- whenever cale goes somewhere and can't bring them, they'd go like "I'll be going for a while" (cale) "I'll always be here" (s/o)

- stealing cales clothes bc its comfy!!

- "are you asleep?" "...no" "wanna talk?"

- "I love you" "I've loved you my entire life"

Can’t Two People Be Friends? - Cale/Gn! Reader

tags: gender-neutral reader, deputy commander reader, getting together fic, vague novel spoilers, is told from Alberu's perspective, tired Alberu, save Alberu from his dumb dongsaeng, use of degrading words (e.g. stupid) but it's in a loving way, have I mentioned Alberu is tired of Cale's shit?

English isn’t my first language so there will be grammatical errors

Pls don't repost my work anywhere without my permission

Constructive criticisms and any kind of interaction are more than welcome

Requests are currently closed but my ask are still open (read navi)

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another anon said: cale who acts like a lover to his "closest confidant", though they are not in a relationship, they certainly do act like one– to the point that his crew would question them, to which they'd respond "We're just friends" "What do you mean? They look at you like you're their entire world"– which then starts their operation, get cale a lover

Cale Henituse is someone who has a lot of people under his wing. He's a heroic person busy saving the continents– no, the world. Which was why it is no surprise to find out that he has a close confidant. He has a second-in-command who helps him plan everything and is in charge of backup plans in case something goes wrong.

All of that is normal. Expected even.

What isn’t normal is how they act towards each other.

They act like… people who have a deeper relationship than just friends, for lack of a better term.

Like right now. [Name] is holding onto Cale’s arms as they navigate through this tiresome ball. Looking at him as if he had hung up the moon and the stars.

“Your Highness, you are quite close to the both of them… are we sure they are merely close friends?”

One of the nobles talking to Alberu Crossman questions as everyone watches the commander-and-deputy-commander duo dance in the centre of the hall.

“Of course they are. They have said so themselves.”

Alberu adds on at the end about how they shouldn’t inquire about another person’s private life.

However, Alberu himself is quite frustrated.

It was the truth when he said the two are nothing more than friends. And that’s what frustrates him. The two idiots can’t see the way they stare at each other. Can’t notice how they are unconsciously each other’s priority no matter what happens.

Alberu also knows that he isn’t the only one feeling this way.

No, as a matter of fact, everyone in Cale’s group feels the same frustration the future king feels.

“When will they get together? They deny their feelings as if we didn’t see them cuddling last night while reading a novel.”

On complained one day while eating the crown prince’s cookies.

“I’ve always known that our young master was quite dense in the aspect of love but… hmmm, I must say that this level is getting frustrating.”

Ron shared his own opinion as he served everyone tea.

Well everyone except the two people who are the topic of their discussion. Of course, they aren’t. For they were busy cuddling in the newly installed swing in the garden of the black castle while reading a novel. [Name] is busy platonically nuzzling their head in Cale’s chest, while Cale himself is busy platonically draping his legs over [name] as they lay down on the large swing.

‘Merely friends my ass’

Alberu thinks to himself as he watches the two from the window while sipping on the tea Ron served.

The people inside the room merely complained about Cale and [Name]’s relationship. They did not say anything about forcing them to get together and be in a romantic relationship.

And it’s not because they respect what the two have now.

No, it was simply because they didn’t need to say such things out loud. The complaints they have said out loud are enough confirmation to ensure that everyone is on the same page.

That everyone will be doing their best to show those two knuckleheads that what they have is more than platonic.

“You do know that you only let [Name] braid your hair like that. Do you realise just how much special privilege you give them?”

“What special privilege? The kids also braided my hair.”

Alberu’s dumb dongsaeng stared at him in confusion and the crown prince swears his about to have an aneurysm.

“Yes, but they are your kids. Of course, you’ll indulge them.”

“That is true…”

For a moment Alberu thought that they were finally heading somewhere.

“But [Name] is the only one who can braid my hair neatly like this.”

Turns out the only place they are heading to is back to square one.

Alberu pushed down the urge to smack a chair in his beloved dongsaeng’s face. How could he forget Ron’s existence? The Ron that does every task perfectly, but still could not braid the redhead’s hair because ‘only [Name] can do it perfectly’.

Cale better be glad Alberu didn’t transform Taerang into a hammer and threw it in his face.

“I love you, you know that right?”

[Name] had asked Cale during one of their cuddling sessions and Raon’s ears perked up.

“Of course I do.”

Cale answered casually and it got Raon’s hopes up.

“Are you guys together???”

He asked, eyes full of hope.

“What do you mean silly? Of course, we’re together, we’ve been friends for years now.”

That night Raon did not speak to any of them, and the two idiots only thought he was sick and tried to coax him to talk to them.

Subtle advances like that continued for a while before they all admitted defeat. One day Rosalyn even straight up asked [Name] how they felt about Cale. To which the deputy commander only responded with “he’s my best friend of course” before going on their merry way to steal another one of Cale’s clothes.

Just when all of them are about to give up Alberu caught the two of them talking in that same swing one night. 

He was about to go back to the palace. Only went to sneak into Raon’s castle to talk to Cale about an important business that cannot be said through a communication device. However, just as he was about to teleport back he heard the two.

“Why are you still awake?”

“I couldn’t sleep. You weren’t in bed.”

“Wanna talk then?”

Alberu silently scoffs at them. Even their conversations sound like their married already.

They talk for a few minutes. Topics vary from the mundane to philosophical questions no one can answer. 

It didn’t look like Alberu would get anything from eavesdropping so he thinks about going home.

But then…

“I know we’re both too busy. I know this will only add more burden to you. However, I must say it.”

[Name] spoke gently. Their eyes which were previously watching the stars shifted their focus to stare at Cale’s face.

“I love you. I love you so much. I love you more than life.”

That made the crown prince stop in his tracks. For a moment he remembers Raon’s complaints about how they seem to say “I love you” to each other without it meaning anything. For a moment he doubted if it was a confession.

Of course that didn’t stop him from recording the whole thing.

“I love you too. I’ve loved you this entire time. I’ll love you even after death.”

At Cale’s reciprocity, Alberu finally moved to give the privacy. He may want to see the two of them get together, but he does not want to see them kiss. A confession was enough to satisfy him.

But the irritation he feels from waiting for them to confess did not go away.

Hence why instead of going home he first went to his instructor, Choi Han.

Alberu Crossman did not say to the swordmaster. He only hands him a piece of paper before going back to his palace.

In that paper wrote:

The two idiots are finally together. I have a recording if anyone is interested. I’ll show it in exchange for a recording of you lightly smacking my lovely dongsaeng head upside-down. I’m sure my instructor will understand where I’m coming from.

Choi Han does. He greatly understands where his student was coming from.

That’s why, the next morning he was setting up a hidden recording device with a smile on his face.

Oh, he also got everyone’s permission before he set it up. In fact, most of them cheered at the thought of him physically knocking some sense in their young master’s head. 

[irisintheafterglow]

Hiii! Im obsessed with your coparenting megumi series. You write all the characters so well!! Are you planning on writing more for it? No pressure just curious! <3

hi anon, thank you for the love !!! and i absolutely will continue writing coparenting megumi, so here's a new little installment :)) hopefully it's not too late in the winter for ice skating <3

cw: swearing, fluff

in hindsight, you didn't expect them to get so invested in the winter olympics. you'd turned on the channel for megumi and tsumiki to watch while you made dinner, unaware of tsumiki's sudden fascination with the world of ice skating. megumi, ever the little brother he was, begrudgingly watched with his sister but took note of how her face lit up as the skaters danced across the ice. when she burst into the kitchen, slipping and sliding across the floorboards with her fuzzy snowman socks, she could barely sputter out what she wanted this weekend's adventure to be.

"i want to go ice skating," she declared after she caught her breath, grinning so widely that it'd probably hurt her cheekbones. "please." a moment later, megumi slides into the kitchen with half as much grace as his sister but still nodding as enthusiastically.

"where'd this come from?" you smile and tap the wooden spoon against the edge of the pot. "you wanna go to the olympics like the people on tv?"

"that's in the future," tsumiki says matter-of-factly. "first, i need to get more comfortable with balancing on one foot, like a ballerina."

"ballerinas also take classes," you point out. "do you wanna start taking skating lessons? i can talk to satoru and see if-" you're immediately cut off by frantic shouts of please! and i'll do the dishes for a year! that echo off of the cupboards and disturb the peace of your neighbors.

so here you were, freezing your ass off and crisscrossing your laces over the front of your ankle, tying it into a tight bow before checking on the kids. it'd been a few weeks since tsumiki started her lessons, and you were finally able to line up you and satoru's schedules for a free day to take the whole 'family' skating. tsumiki, as expected, is practically bouncing from excitement with her skates already laced and ready to go; megumi, on the other hand, stares at the supposed shoes of death and looks as apprehensive as an emperor penguin hiking an active volcano. though he was willing to watch skating with his sister, you found that getting him to step onto any uneven surface was nearly impossible. your boyfriend is nowhere to be found after mumbling something about dinner not sitting right in his stomach and racing to the bathroom, leaving you to help tsumiki drag her little brother onto the ice.

but, she's gone as soon as her blades hit the ice and it's like you threw a caught tuna back into the ocean. there's no hesitation in the flow of her feet as they propel her forward, carefully crossing over one another around a tight turn. she'd improved astronomically since the first lesson you brought her to, even going so far as to lift one of her legs slightly off the ground and continue to glide.

"are we sure this is safe?" megumi's mumbles are barely audible as he white-knuckle grips the edge of the walls, his feet slowly making unsteady progress. you skate alongside him, not as confidently as tsumiki but not as shakily as megumi. "how many people have died while ice skating?"

"i don't know, but i guarantee you will not be one of them," you reassure him while his left hand finds a home in your right glove. a quick glance around the rink reveals satoru nowhere to be found and tsumiki cautiously practicing a spin in the middle of the ice. "you're doing great, bud. just focus on yourself and don't worry about anyone else."

"what if they knock me over?"

"i won't let them knock you over."

"but what if they try?"

"megumi, you have survived scarier things than assholes at an ice rink. just-"

a whoosh! of cold air flies past your left shoulder and you're about to curse out whoever sped past you when you catch tsumiki with her hands raised in celebration, cheering. your eyes adjust and finally recognize the shape of your boyfriend speeding around the rink, weaving between couples and eventually coming to a hockey-stop right next to you. you're shocked, to say the least, and the first thing that comes out of your mouth after you laugh surprises him.

"what the hell are you wearing?"

"it's my skating gear," he replies, giving you a lopsided smile. "surprised?"

"incredibly," you snort, taking note of the way the long-sleeved compression shirt hugged his muscles and highlighted the shoulders you ever-so-lovingly liked to bite. you knew he'd skated when he could during high school, saying something about wanting his aesthetic to match his hair, but you'd dismissed the idea without a second thought. you guessed he was counting on you to doubt his skating ability. "i can't say i don't like it, though."

"ew," megumi mutters from behind you and satoru peeks over your shoulder to find his unofficial son continue to struggle on the ice.

"hey, bud! you doing okay?" satoru's question is met with another grumble and he shrugs, undeterred. "want me to give you a little bit of help?"

"absolutely not," megumi says adamantly, tightening his hold on your hand as one of his skates veers backward for a split second. satoru disappears without another word, finding tsumiki in the middle and bending down to whisper something in her ear.

you can't hear what they're saying, but whatever satoru says makes her gasp and race over to you and megumi. she hurriedly pries megumi's fingers from your hand and replaces it with hers, quickly saying something about taking over for you. before you can question it, satoru's hand is grabbing yours and lurching you forward, faster than you had ever skated before.

"holy shit! what are you doing?" you half-laugh, half-panic with no choice but to hold on to your boyfriend for dear life. it was exhilarating, moving so quickly with such ease, but you couldn't negate the dread of what would happen if you fell. "i can't skate this fast!"

"i'm making you skate with me, so we're gonna go as fast as i want us to," he replies with a smirk over his shoulder.

"i'm going to kill you if i trip," you swear, but he laughs it off immediately. "brutally."

"like i would ever let you fall," he murmurs. he positions himself at your side while you steady your shaking skates, slowing to a halt in the middle of the ice. with no wall of safety to be found, you maintain your death grip on satoru and hesitantly push yourself forward. "look at you go, pushing off all on your own." the tease in his voice was evident, but you were too busy trying not to eat shit to scold your boyfriend.

"shut up, satoru. i'm focusing." you let go of his hand and feel his patronizing gaze burn into the back of your neck, flinching when he suddenly cuts right in front of you. your flinch throws you off balance and you jolt forward, but he immediately grabs your forearms and sets you back on your feet.

"see? told you i'd never let you fall," he says quietly with a tiny smile that breaks through your frown of concentration. your expression softens and he notices, like he always does. "there you are. think you can forgive me for pulling you out on the ice?"

"as long as we don't go as fast as last time." he grins and locks his fingers in yours. "speed up and i'm gonna hide all your favorite compression shirts."

"oh, so it's serious," he chuckles, pulling you forward and letting you mirror the glide of his skates back and out, side to side. "that's okay," he concludes, leaning over briefly to peck your cheek. "i love you more than my compression shirts."

"what a statement," you deadpan lightheartedly and he shrugs.

"honestly, it's a pretty close competition-"

"alright, that's enough. shut up and skate," you interject and start to move a little faster, his hand in yours warm and safe. "we have to get good at this if tsumiki's headed to the olympics."

if you enjoy my writing and would like to support me, you can buy me a coffee on my ko-fi! you can also check out my full masterlist here :)

[writingreadinglurkingandsmirking]

Is Your Secrets - Sarah Cameron x Reader

Dear Reader Duology: Part 1, Part 2

Summary: For 16 days Sarah has absolutely no explanation as to where you are. She knows, but not from you. And it's killing her. The uncertainty of what she's done to your relationship and where you both stand is killing her. And when you finally make it back home? You both have to face down the future of your relationship and what that will look like.

Word Count: 5.2k+

TWs/CWs: She/her pronouns used, adult/profane language, descriptions of relationship issues/relationship deterioration, mentions of hospice/a funeral (not extensive or central), making up from a relationship, not fully flushed out

Note: Lmaooooo I didn't feel like waitinggggggggg! Part 2 of the Sarah Cameron installment of the Dear Reader duology series I have going on here on Tumblr. Happy pride: go lesbians, go. Again, if I'm lucky I'll get Kie's out before pride month is over.

“What the hell? Where is my girlfriend?” Sarah demanded when JJ and Kiara emerged from the trees without you. Both had grim looks on their faces and Sarah had a spinning anxiety threatening to take out her legs. She watched as the couple exchanged a glance and her eyes hardened almost immediately into a glare. She folded her arms tightly across her chest. “This isn’t funny. Where is she?”

“She…had to leave, Sarah,” Kie said eventually.

“What?” Sarah asked.

“She’s having a family thing. It’s…bad,” JJ said.

“What the fuck are you talking about? No, she didn't, she would’ve told me,” Sarah said defensively.

“She just got the text, Sar. Right before she ran off,” Kie explained.

“No. She would’ve had me take her. What are you even saying?” she asked.

JJ went to reply but Kiara grabbed her boyfriend’s arm squeezing it, as if in warning. It didn’t go unnoticed by Sarah, but she didn’t get why. She shook her head and turned towards John B. He nodded encouragingly, smiling and patting her shoulder.

“Go call her and see what’s up,” he encouraged.

Offering him a smile of thanks she walked off, dialing your number within moments and holding it to her hair. It rang once…twice…a third time…a fourth time…then? It was sent to voicemail. Sarah bit her lip, immediately worried.

“Hey, baby? What’s up? Where did you go? Are you okay? Kie said you have a family thing going on,” she said, drumming her nails against her leg. “I’m worried. Call me back okay? Just let me know what you need so I can help you.”

She hung up and walked back over to her friends. “Did she answer?” Cleo asked.

“No,” Sarah said, shaking her head.

Cleo sighed and got up. “I’ll try to call her,” she assured Sarah before walking off.

“I’m sure she’s fine, Sarah,” Pope offered. “She just has to deal with her family stuff. You know she’s not just gonna run on you.”

Sarah turned her head over towards Cleo who glanced back in Sarah’s direction. She shook her head and lowered the phone. Obviously, you hadn’t answered, then. Sarah’s hands sat on her hips and she started drumming her fingers more insistently. She took out her phone after a few seconds of thought and started firing off a series of texts to you.

Hey, where did you go?? JJ and Kie said something’s wrong?? Why aren’t you answering??

I love you, baby. Just call me back please.

I just wanna know that you’re okay. You don’t even have to tell me what’s wrong.

I’m supposed to be there for you, peach.

For a moment, Sarah paused and looked up at her friends. “What did she say was wrong?” Sarah asked.

Again, Kie stopped JJ from speaking. “She didn’t say anything. She showed us the text she got,” Kie explained. “Her aunt’s collapsed. It looks like she’s…potentially not gonna make it this time…”

“Shit,” Sarah hissed before taking her phone out, trying to call you again. Again, you did not answer. She left another message. And with that, she started firing off another round of texts.

Kie just told me your aunt collapsed. Do you need me to get us over to the mainland tomorrow? Are you going on the last boat? Do you want me to come? What’s up? What do you need? I don’t want to overwhelm you I just know how hard this is.

So just tell me what you need, okay?

I love you. I wanna support you.

I can be there by the morning. Just say the word. You know I’d do anything for you, right?

Sarah made a final attempt to call. This time she didn’t bother to leave another voicemail when there was no answer. She looked over at Kie, face pleading for some answer that she knew well that her friend could not provide. Or would not even if she could do it. She looked back down at her phone, shaking her head, firing off a few more texts.

My love, you’re scaring me. I hate to think that you’re out there overwhelmed like this and that you’re alone.

Please talk to me, peach.

“Sarah,” Kie said cautiously. “She just texted me.”

Sarah’s eyes widened. She hated the sound of that and the nervous energy that filled her at that. “What did she say?” Sarah asked, worried.

Kie didn’t say anything, instead, she simply held the phone out for Sarah to read. So, Sarah had to read the text with her own two eyes. She had to come to terms with the fact that she saw that this was what you said. She had to acknowledge that this was what you meant.

Tell her not to come.

It felt like a ton of bricks had been dropped into her stomach and fell all the way to her feet. “Hey,” Pope said optimistically. “I’m sure it’s not as bad as it sounds.”

“Right,” John B said automatically, nodding in agreement. “Probably just gonna be crowded at the hospital with her aunt. Less to worry about. Nothing about you, Sarah. She’s crazy about you.”

Cleo and Kie exchanged a look and Kie swatted at JJ as he made a noise. “What, JJ?” Sarah asked, overly defensive immediately.

“Nothing, Sarah. Just try to understand that her aunt is dying. Of course, she doesn’t need to worry about you. But we should be worried about her, shouldn’t we?” he posed, voice dripping disdain even as he kept his face neutral.

Despite the urge to snap back at him, Sarah knew that it was largely just her anxiety tempting her towards it. She simply squeezed her hip with one hand and gripped her phone with the other. She offered a curt nod. “Yeah, you’re right,” she said. “I’m gonna head back though and see if she went to our apartment first.”

“Sarah…she didn’t,” Kie said, sounding like she hated even saying it. “She’s on the ferry already. Heading over. Just…give her a little space right now. She’ll reach out when she’s ready. Give her a break. It’s been…hard.”

“What are you saying? What has been hard?” Sarah asked, looking suspiciously at Kiara.

“Look, Sarah. Let’s take you home,” John B said, clapping her on the shoulder. “You are way too worried about this right now. You need to decompress. You’re not gonna do that here.”

Sarah offered him a scathing glare. “I need to know if my girlfriend's okay,” Sarah retorted.

“No, you need to listen to Kie and give your girlfriend a damn chance to get through this. And she wants to do it without you right now. And you need to respect that,” JJ said bluntly, ever willing to push her buttons regardless of how painful it might be to do so.

“And we’re done here,” Kie said with fake cheer, clapping JJ’s shoulder before beginning to bodily drag him away. She threw a final look back at Sarah and a last piece of advice. “Just give her a bit. She’ll be back when her family's stuff's set.”

Regardless of what Sarah wanted, she knew that she had no other choice. She knew that her friends were right, whether more softly presented like Kie or more harshly presented like JJ. So, when she went home again, to an empty bed that should’ve had you sleeping beside her, warm and safe, she was determined to be patient. You’d reach out when you needed her. And you did. You did need her. At least…she hoped you did. Suddenly, she felt swept over by a tidal wave of doubt as she sat alone in your shared apartment.

Sarah was not unaware that she hadn’t been the best version of herself with you for the past month. No, she was entirely aware that this was the worst girlfriend she’d ever been to you. And she hated herself for it. But she truly, truly felt like she had to. After all, as much as she often…hated her brother…hated everything about the way he acted and the person he portrayed himself to be…the last conversation they’d had together had left an impact. Something that she had no doubt he’d be delighted to know.

“You know, you’re a lot more like me than you’d like to admit, Sarah. A lot more like Dad. It’s about time that you stop lying to yourself that you’re some normal little good girl, isn’t it? We’re all adults now,” Rafe had sneered on their monthly call that both of them hated, yet neither seemed to be able to stop.

“You’re a crazy, possessive dick, Rafe,” she’d pointed out, with her teeth grit. “I’m nothing like you. And I’m not some selfish…clingy asshole like Dad, either.”

Rafe had chuckled on the other end of the phone and something about the sound had set her teeth on edge. “Oh that’s so sweet that you think so,” he had cooed sarcastically. “But you should take a look at the way you treat that little girlfriend of yours before you start running your mouth over who acts possessive and crazy…or selfish and clingy. You want that girl to be about you 24/7 and if she isn’t you got a problem with it.”

Sarah rolled her eyes at her brother. “Yeah, no. I don’t think it’s weird that I’m excited to be with my girlfriend actually. Some of us are emotionally mature and actually grew up and have partners that we love,” she had said, the words caustic and barbed.

“Ah, well, commitment’s overrated,” Rafe drawled down the line. Sarah had been furious to hear his smug amusement at her easily triggered anger at that moment. “I bet you don’t even realize how bad it is. You probably don’t go even five minutes without touching her if you’re in the same room.” He let out a hum that had Sarah’s hair standing on end. “You probably couldn’t even stop yourself if you tried. I feel bad for her, I do. I’m sure that your girlfriend hates it. Even if she’s too nice to say it to you.”

At that point, the conversation had devolved largely into her yelling at her brother to stop being such a jackass and grow up and a bunch of other childish and otherwise unhelpful things that only could be dragged out of her by her siblings. Even so, knowing that Rafe was an idiot and a loser and always wrong more or less, the words had haunted her. They stuck to her brain. And part of her knew that he was right. She was clingy. Some probably would call her obsessive. She did feel like she had to be touching you every moment that she could be—it helped her feel sane for God’s sake. And sure she hated when Kiara looked at you for too long even though it was more likely that you’d both run away and elope with a literal fish before even looking at each other that way. So maybe she was a bit possessive at times. But you were the best thing that had ever happened to her. So sue her. Of course she was.

At that moment, it struck her.

And damn it all to hell because Rafe was right and she was just a bit psychotic when it came to you.

And damn it all to a deeper part of hell because he was also probably right about you hating it.

She tried her best to dissuade herself from that being the truth. But, over the following days after that first conversation with her brother, she recognized it more. The pattern of borderline obsession with you. Not to an unhealthy degree, not really. But enough that she somehow felt like a part of her was missing when she didn’t get to touch you every ten minutes or so when you were with each other. And that scared her. It scared her a lot. She’d worked so hard through her late teenage years and into her early twenties to become strong and independent. And in the last two years with you, it had dismantled every wall she’d ever built. You felt too entwined with her; it was like she didn’t know where you ended and where she began.

Sarah would admit it: she got scared.

Sarah would admit it: she was a coward.

Sarah would admit it: she ran in every way but literally.

At the drop of a dime, despite the fact it almost felt like going through literal withdrawal at first, she started distancing herself from you. From her peach. From the sweetest and best thing that had ever entered her life. She told herself it was to give you space. It was to give you the freedom to choose to bridge that gap and make the connection with you both. That was a lie though. That was the lie that she told herself even as she pulled away as you tried to make contact, even as she ignored you and flaked on plans and lied about where she was. Because if there was one thing that Sarah couldn’t shake—not fully, at least—it was the ability to blow up things that were important to her when they got too serious. Sure, it had taken two years this time, but she still did it.

But, hey, consistency was key when it came to destroying your life, right?

Then, it felt like she couldn’t stop. She felt awful that first week and wanted to stop. Going into the second week she told herself every day she needed to cut the shit out. And going into the third week it was the same song and dance to. Every time she said it she vowed she would. Every vow she made to do better she completely threw away for fear that she could not name.

So, she was completely aware that she deserved the silence that she got from you. She’d earned it even. But, even so, it burned her. It pissed her off and it terrified her and she was terrified for you and it all turned her stomach into knots that she felt would never go away. And the days dragged on like this. One day into five. Five into nine. She felt like she was going absolutely insane. Not a word from you. Not to her at least. Kie would get an update every four days or so it seemed like. Sarah desperately tried to act like it didn’t bother her but it stung. Already she’d mentally returned herself to the place of I don’t deserve this in a last ploy to avoid the depth of fear and feelings surrounding all of this. And she stewed in that instead of moping around too much. She avoided people the first nine days of you being gone, but by then her friends had informed her quite plainly that if she didn’t voluntarily come out with her they’d actually kidnap her this time. So, she’d agreed.

That’s what brought Sarah out to dinner with her friends. It was nothing big. It was literally just at the Wreck. Even so, dragging her there felt like a trial from the devil himself for a moment there. She sat, tense and generally off from her normal self. Everyone politely seemed to be ignoring it, even as she snapped and complained far more than she’d ever done even before she’d met all of them. Everyone except JJ who seemed almost personally offended by Sarah’s literal existence today. So, she made it her personal mission to ignore him altogether.

“Hey, Kie, have you heard from her?” Sarah asked quietly as the conversation began splitting off after they’d all placed their orders.

“Nothing today, no,” Kiara denied, while JJ scoffed. “Jayj, stop.”

“No. Got something to say, Maybank?” Sarah asked flatly, practically itching to take her anger out on something at that moment.

JJ looked her over as if she were the least interesting thing he’d ever set eyes on then shook his head. “Nothing worth it,” he scoffed before taking a drink from the bottle in front of him.

Sarah raised a brow. “No. Do go on,” she insisted.

“You’re pissed that she’s gone, yeah?” JJ posed. “It’s been two weeks of her dealing with a family crisis that might as well have arrived outta nowhere, yeah?” He scoffed. “Not even two full weeks yet.”

“What’s your point?” Sarah asked, gritting her teeth.

“My point is that you start talking about how she’s been gone so long, and this, that the other. And you’re saying it all like you weren’t practically throwing her away the past month she was here. And yes I said throwing her away because some of the shit had long surpassed pushing her away,” JJ pointed out, voice acidic but truthful. “And you know damn well I’m right, here, Cameron. You do. The problem is that’s just the stuff you were doing in front of us. So I’m sure you were doing worse when y’all were alone. And all my love, of course, Sarah. But at the end of the day? If you’re being as shitty a girlfriend to her as I even think you’re being? I hope she doesn’t come back again. I hope she doesn’t answer you. And I hope you figure out what the fuck got you so flighty when you’ve been happily held down the past two years by a woman you like…are obsessed with.”

“Why don’t we all take a step back here,” Cleo suggested, stepping in front of Sarah. Sarah hadn’t even realized that she’d moved. “Before things get more heated.” Sarah’s glare didn’t move from JJ. Cleo squeezed her shoulder. “Come on. Sarah.”

After another moment, Sarah cut her eyes over toward Cleo. She scoffed and pulled roughly away from her friends. “Fuck you, JJ,” she snapped as she stormed over to the door.

“Sarah,” Kie called after her.

But, Sarah didn’t reply. Instead, she stormed her way home and stewed in her anger, sadness, and hurt. It was easy to be angry. Very easy. It was probably the strongest thing passed down through her family. It was easier to stay attached to the anger than it was to try and reckon with JJ’s words…his accusations. Yes, it was far easier considering the voice in the back of her head that informed her plainly and repeatedly just how right JJ had been. So, instead of facing that, she happily stuck to the anger she felt at your perceived abandonment of her. She’d lost a lot in her life. You knew that. And now, what? She was expected to be okay with losing you? When she loved you, her precious girlfriend, more than anything else? No matter what the back of her mind reminded her of—her poor treatment of you—she couldn’t think beyond the threat of losing you.

The cycle went on like that

Despite every instinct in her mind, Sarah called you. She knew damn well that you wouldn’t answer. But, she just had to hear your voice on the voicemail. Just for a moment. She let out a shaky sigh as she heard your voice, telling her that you were sorry for missing the call and that you’d call her back if she just left a message after the beep. Your voice was so light, you were so full of joy. Sarah longed to have that happiness coloring your tone again. She longed to be the reason you were that happy again. At the sound of the beep, Sarah paused, unable to hang up.

“Hey, peach,” she said, the words practically squeaking out of her mouth. “I know you’re busy. Everyone says that you’re dealing with the family stuff on the mainland. I know. I get that. I’m sorry. I just…I just needed to hear your voice with the voicemail. I love you. I’m sorry. Please…I know I don’t deserve it. And I know that…I don’t want to make this about me. But…just…when you come back…let me talk to you. Please. Let me fix things. I love you so much. I can…I can explain everything about how fucking awful I’ve been. And I promise that I’m not gonna make excuses. I just…you deserve to know.” She let out a shaking breath. “I love you. I miss you. I…I can’t wait to see you again, my love.”

After that, Sarah hung up again, practically flinging the phone away from her. She took a few deep breaths and wiped away tears from her face that she hadn’t even realized had fallen. She forced herself to muster all of her strength and stopped crying. She stopped letting herself feel the hulking weight of her upset and instead laid down in her bed. She curled up in a ball and didn’t let herself cry, but instead forced herself to sleep. It was much, much easier that way—less pain gripping at her throat threatening to pull her under the weight of her own sadness and crush her. So, sleeping it was.

Even so, the last thing on her mind as she drifted off to sleep was you.

Nine days turned quickly into sixteen. And suddenly, it had been half a damn month since Sarah had seen or spoken to her girlfriend. It was killing her. By then, her friends were making a much more concentrated effort to try and make her feel better. Even JJ by then was trying to give Sarah something to smile about and distract her from your conspicuous and extended absence from her life. The most recent attempt was today, with Kie and Cleo dragging her down to the beach with the guys to look for sea glass they could use to make some new jewelry for each other. There also was the side quest of meeting the new girl that John B had been getting to know and definitely getting to be smitten with.

But, hours later, when the sun was burning high, her pockets were full of sea glass and her shoes full of sand, the mission got thrown to the wayside. It had been great hanging out with everyone. For once she’d been wholly distracted. Hell, she’d even found herself getting along well with the new girl that John B was seeing—she was sweet, really. But none of that mattered when she saw you at the end of the beach, walking towards them. She froze like a statue, brain overwhelmed so completely that it shut off entirely.

Naturally, everyone’s attention turned in your direction when they noticed the near-comical freeze from Sarah. You simply gave a half-smile when you realized that your friends had spotted you. One of your hands was shoved into your pocket, the other held a bouquet of dahlias that could only have come from your family’s flower shop—the shop that had been closed for two weeks now, much to the disappointment of the island. Your eyes were downcast, protected by sunglasses against the midday rays. Sarah blinked once, twice, a third time. You were beautiful and perfect and terrible and she missed you and she hated you and she loved you more than anything in this world and she didn’t know how to feel anymore. So, quite simply, she decided not to think about it. To not feel like she had to know anything. She just acted.

Sarah’s feet carried her forward on instinct towards you, slowly at first. But then she was booking it across the sandy beach to you. She threw herself at you, arms wrapping around you in the tightest hug she’d maybe ever given you, practically shaking. You wrapped your arms firmly around her, holding her tightly against you, and let her bury her head in your neck for a moment. Even in doing so, you had the presence of mind to not crush the dahlias, intent on them being perfect when you actually handed them over to Sarah. The pair of you were silent for an extended moment, just holding each other with your eyes closed.

“Hi, baby,” you greeted her, sounding utterly exhausted. Somehow that broke Sarah’s heart even more.

“Hi, peach,” she replied, voice wavering. “I missed you. So much.”

“Missed you too, Sar,” you assured her. She pulled back and looked at you, stroking your face with one hand, the other wrapped around the back of your neck. “You okay, baby?”

“I’m sorry,” Sarah said, tearfully.

Your brow knit together. “Why?” you asked, looking—and feeling—genuinely confused.

“You’re the love of my life and I have been awful for the past month. I wouldn’t have blamed you if you hadn’t come back. You deserve so much better than I was giving you. And if you give me another chance then I promise you that I’ll do better. I love you so fucking much and I’m not ashamed of or embarrassed of you and you’re worth every ounce of effort and love that I give and I never ever, ever want you to doubt that,” Sarah declared. The words flowed from her mouth in a waterfall. “I’m sorry that I ever made you feel any differently. The love that I have for you…it isn’t…it shouldn’t be…it isn’t a secret.”

“Sar…baby…I was just dealing with hospice and the funeral the past few weeks,” you said, sounding tired, stroking her cheek in return. You sighed. “Yeah, you were out of it. You’re allowed to be.” You scoffed. “I just didn’t check in for two weeks, baby. That’s worse.”

Sarah shook her head in refusal. “No. You were dealing with your family, it’s not,” she declined. She saw you open your mouth and shook her head again. “And you needed to do it alone and I respect that and don’t feel any type of anger about it. I was just being awful because I was insecure and felt like I was too clingy. I should’ve been there for you.”

“Sar…stop,” you said, frowning seriously at her. “I didn’t want you to be there. I didn’t want anyone to be there. I was angry. I was upset. And I was stupid and wanted to handle it myself. That has nothing to do with you or our relationship, baby. I promise. Who cares if you dropped my fucking hand? This isn’t the music video for fucking All Too Well. You’re not Jake Gyllenhaal. This isn’t a Taylor Swift song, baby. This is real life. You’re allowed to be distant every once in a while. And I can tell you all about everything later. And I will. But we didn’t both need to go through it.” You blew out a sigh. “At least that’s how I felt when I was leaving. So it was what I maintained. I know that it hurt you…and for that I’m sorry. I’m not gonna do it again. I promise you that. And I also promise that I will tell you everything later.”

Despite her best effort, Sarah felt her bottom lip quivering. There was much that needed to be unpacked. Much that needed to be discussed. But, all Sarah could focus on at this moment was the stark relief that she felt. Her relationship wasn’t in danger. Her love for you wasn’t in question. She sagged against you, eyes wet with unshed tears, and looked at you with the ghost of a smile threatening to take over.

“You promise?” Sarah asked you quietly, needing the verbal confirmation.

You leaned forward and pressed a soft, sweet, lingering kiss to her lips. “I promise you. I’ll tell you everything. And you can tell me whatever you were saying you had to in your last voicemail. We’re gonna talk, Sarah. This isn’t the end of anything.” The words came out strong and assuring. “You are way more important to me than my own ego. Our relationship is more important to me than any fight we’d ever have. I love you, Sarah. And if I have been reminded of anything in the past few weeks? Life is way too goddamn short to waste time on this when I just want to love you.” You pressed another soft kiss to her lips that she tried to chase you down to continue. You smiled as you pulled away. “We can work it out later on, baby. Okay?”

Sarah nodded. “Okay,” she agreed softly, leaning her forehead against yours.

“For now I just want to be with you. Okay?” you posed.

“Okay,” she agreed, squeezing your hand in hers. Silently, you extended your hand, the dahlias—perfectly preserved due to your carefulness—being offered to Sarah in a silent apology. Sarah sniffled. “What do dahlias mean again?” She knew, of course. Dahlias were your favorite flower. She had them memorized as well as she had you memorized by now. But she just needed to be sure that you really, truly still felt the same way about her.

“Beauty, kindness, love…lifelong commitment…devotion,” you said softly, pressing tiny kisses to her lips between the last three. “And in this case? They’re just a plain old apology from me to you, Sarah Cameron.”

“They’re perfect,” Sarah said, looking down at the perfect blooms in her hand, wiping her tears away.

“No, that’s just you,” you denied. You smiled at her, soft and sweet. “I wanna hang out for a little while before I head back. Get the verbal lashings from Kie and Cleo out of the way. And JJ’s passive aggressiveness. Then…if…if you want…it can be just you and me tonight?” Sarah nodded eagerly and the pair of you started walking back towards your friends who had been watching the both of you without any shame in it. You glanced at them, eyes lingering on the girl you didn’t know. You turned towards Sarah, lowering your voice so only she’d have the possibility of hearing. “Who the hell is that?”

Sarah grinned at you, brightly. “Oh, that? That’s the girl John B’s been going out with,” she said lightly. You looked at her, eyes widening. She nodded, grin turning into a shameless smirk. “Yeah. I know. There’s a lot to catch you up on.”

“Debrief at home?” you asked quietly as you approached your friends.

“Debrief at home,” Sarah echoed in agreement, squeezing your hand, the weight that had been heavy on her heart largely melting away. She looked over at you as you approached, voice no longer quiet. “I love you, peach.”

“I love you too, Sar,” you said, bringing your entwined hands up to your lips so you could kiss her knuckles. You both ignored the catcalling coming from your friends. You rolled your eyes playfully at Sarah at their reaction. She did so back and you smiled slightly.

Yeah, the trouble could wait. At least for the night. Because you were right. All that mattered? You two had each other right here again. The rest of it? You’d figure it out along the way—doing it together. And that was all the both of you could hope for.

[kitkat-the-muffin]

Here I am, once again~ Playing Cloutchase with my friend~

Anyway hi! Welcome back to Muffy-Posts-Cloutchase-Spoilers!!! Here are the other two installments: [1][2]

I had SO MUCH fun playing Vol. 3 with my friend! She is amazing at doing impressions and gave YouTube and Twitch the perfect voices, I couldn't ask for anything more. But enough about her since she prefers to remain anonymous, today I am here to present my favorite screenshots from the latest release of Cloutchase!

Without further ado, here are the spoiler-free teases:

And there's the cut!

Aight let's do this

First thing I absolutely loved was that Twitch is so expressive! The facial expressions were all so delightful. ALSO. CLUB PENGUIN. AND WIZ101. And of course Webkinz, Animal Jam, and Neopets are in the background as well hahah, love that too!

This minigame was SO AMAZING omg I am OBSESSED with these character costumes and the fight animation too. Love all the cameos but this Strife content was so awesome!!!! The buttons were a little non-responsive at times but I managed to beat Twitch first try heheh

This is a pretty awesome frame and I'd like to shoutout AJ who I'm pretty sure drew it but I don't have the time or computer charge to reopen the game credits to check. If I'm wrong lemmie know but AJ deserves a shotuout anyway

I love how the subs are sub-sandwiches and I love the design of the camera and chat

I love how complex Twitch's route was. It was very compelling and definitely something I think most streamers need to hear. Swell job Team Timesync! Swell job indeed

I could shout about filmscore and the ghostie crew but instead I'm gonna scream about the google floor lmbo look at it I love it

Oh this. This is beautiful. I read the bonus room content and it's so neat that the timelines lined up coincidentally

Love the dramatic over-the-topness of this fake apology. He's so fake I love it. The voice my friend gave him was kinda like if a greaser was born in Alabama but raised in New York if that makes any sense

I STARTED SCREAMING AT THIS HAHAHAH! YOUTUBE KIDSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Peak good end, now I know how to tie a tie. I actually really liked YouTube's route as it was cleverly designed and I love all the many different endings. It was kinda like wading through YouTube's recommended section where you'd save each different possibility of choices in your Watch Later and visit them all when you have the time (which is usually never). So many options but what to pick? I picked them all!

So when I got to this point I started laughing because my friend does all the voices and I only play User and Miss Blog Runner so she was carrying this entire section of the playthrough... AND THEN-

AND THEN THERE WERE FOUR! SHE HAD TO VOICE ALL FOUR OF THEM HAHAH! AND SHE DID AMAZINGLY! I kinda wish she wasn't anonymous cause I wanna give her a shoutout, but maybe when all the routes are released I can convince her to voice them all in a fandub (well not them ALL but definitely Kik and YouTube)

SWEET SWEET REVENGE HAHAHAHAH!!!! Totally deserved as long as they're done here hahahah. I do hope they can all tolerate each other again tho but I love this ending

This volume was long but a lot of fun! I love the Strife minigame and kinda hope it comes back in the future with more mechanics. Maybe an entire spinoff game like Smash Bros idk. Everything was so well written and I love how complex the characters are

Another fantastic entry for a fantastic game! Remember to recommend this game to various streamers to give it the attention it deserves (but not too many, don't wanna overwhelm our fav indie creators!)

[canmom]

アニメションの夜の未来

no animation night yesterday - apologies for the lack of announcement, I had @footsteps-on-the-dance-floor visiting from a long way away, and wanted to make the most of having her there <3 we won't be back until after the Annecy festival - but to briefly state the plans for the future of Animation Night...

I am planning to get back into the regular swing of things. the whole 'end on number 200' plan? forget that. what I needed wasn't a final one to count down to, it was a break. and i took that break (we managed about 24 animation nights in the year since the last Annecy, which is better going than I thought). but now i don't want to wrap it up anymore! I wanna bring it back! we'll still do an Eva marathon to hit End of Eva on #200 tho, that sounds like a good time.

we'll continue with the general mix of reruns and new content. there are plenty of great animated films we haven't screened yet, but equally there's so much good stuff I showed in the earlier years which would be great to revisit with a new audience. I also will continue to do 'mixed' ones where I'll show something we saw before along with a new instalment.

now and then I learn some crazy cool new thing about a film I thought I knew about, largely thanks to the amazing work of Animation Obsessive on substack who have been absolutely on fire recently. for example did you know that a lot of the direction for Ghost in the Shell, such as the realist style, was by the request of UK distributor Manga Entertainment, who wanted a film that would help spread anime in the west? that's gotta be one of the greatest called shots in history lol. or did you know that Otomo's short film Construction Cancellation Order was pretty much where he learned animation from people like Rintaro, taking inspiration from early Miyazaki? or that Mamoru Oshii was originally going to have a short on Memories? they also have this ongoing discussion on montage, space and stillness in animation which is absolutely fascinating.

so that's the kind of stuff I want to bring in if we revisit some of those films we watched before! there's always more to find out! I also want to mix in some 'Toku Tuesday' style content - there are some films like Godzilla Minus One or Takashi Miike's new film Lumberjack the Monster which I'd love to watch with friends, and while running two film nights a week is definitely beyond what I can do at the moment, switching in an occasional live action night would be pretty fun I think. unfortunately it can't be on Tuesday anymore.

one thing I'm kinda considering is, once I'm vtubed up, whether to combine that with Animation Night a little - e.g. popping up in between films to give a little intro speech or something. I'm not sure about this - I like the purity of films, title cards and text - but it would also be a neat thing to fold into the whole 'act' right? like come to her post-apoc bunker to watch some cool films from the world before or smth. and it would make it idk a liiiitle more 'transformative' as a project.

aaaaanywaaaaaay - beloved audience, was there something we watched on animation nights past that you thought was a great time? or that you wish you'd seen and would love to see again? is Sunday still the best day, or would you like to see it move back to Thursdays? let me know, sometime now or later ^^

[gffa]

I'd like to ask, I wanna get into the books of SW, but there are the Legends and now the Canon. How should I approach the books? Is it "easier to stick to one over the other" or "u can mix n match" or "dealer's choice"??? Help 😭

Hi! It really depends a lot on you and what you want out of the books, like what experience are you hoping to get? Do you want to read just Disney canon or Legends canon? Or would you prefer to mix and match? All genuine questions btw! <3 My personal advice is to consider what you're looking to get out of them, because honestly I don't think it matters much in fandom, there's not really a ton of fic that focuses on events of the books and the stuff that's derived from books (like the entire concept of the AgriCorps or Obi-Wan's time on Bandomeer before he became a Padawan) is often more fanon-based than that you need to read the books. This isn't a value judgement on the fics that use those tropes and scenarios, just a general nod that, honestly, so much of Star Wars fandom is a big game of Telephone and we're on the far side of the circle at this point. So, read whatever book you want in whatever order, it doesn't really matter because the people who made the movies and who make the shows might give nods to the books (mostly Favreau tbh) occasionally, but the vast majority of the time, they do not go out of their way to stay in line with the books. The books are entirely supplemental, both to watching the movies/TV shows and to vast swathes of fandom. I personally find it easier to stick to Disney canon books, in general I prefer it to Legends (though, Legends has some banger novels that I enjoy as wild rides, like nothing will ever beat Stover's ROTS novel or the absolute manic RIDE that is Wild Space), I find it them a little more internally consistent, but honestly you'd be fine picking up any book that sounds interesting and reading it, so long as you understand that the books are way down on the ladder of what's like to be important to future canon installments. They're delightful to read, I love them very much and you can see I pore over them to liveblog them or scour them for lore bits, but they're very much supplemental. So "dealer's choice" and you're the dealer, there's no one better way to approach them than the other! If you want some recs, I have a tag of books I've enjoyed if you think our tastes overlap or you can just close your eyes and spin around in a circle in a Star Wars bookshop and let that choose your first book to read! XD

[bbsprint]

PMT01: Scaffold nano & Trowel pico

Scaffold nano & Trowel pico v1.1.0 have been released tonight.

Updates add a myStages to Scaffold, and QoL improvements to the powerup editing experience in Trowel pico.

Now that it's out, I'd like to also take this moment to talk about the development and release of both.

One year minus one day ago I had announced in Twitter I would work on the level editor for the demo version of BRICKBREAKER SPRINT (nano) so fans could breathe in more life to the game even in its limited state and to also showcase how much it can do with its limited toolset at the current time.

The reasoning for a completely separate technology version was simple, WebGL. WebGL in Unity is so limited for even the most basic things (I had to install a package to support cross-app copy/paste before nano+'s release!) and I said "hey, might as well give the multiplatform users something to be able to edit with, doesn't need to be just windows which is what the currently unpolished-ish trowel desktop is!"

But then it hit me that the same limitations would likely make it hell for me to support just levels downloaded as files (internally stored with "bxtp" extension btw :) ) so then... I came at a crossroads

just say FKIT and not do it, make ppl wait for BB Lite

still say FKIT and kickstart the foundation of the online service that I had planned since the first design iteration of the game

guess what I took?

I don't regret it.

Currently, Scaffold's login system is attached to itch.io. In the future, this will use my own account system (called Luna, still in development)

Now then... developing Scaffold's frontend was a challenge in itself, because I'm a masochist. I chose yet another technology to make the frontend in, this time Svelte, Sveltekit as backend saying "okay, no more fear of ServerSideRendering now that I can afford a VPS for this"

but... Svelte has been an absolute joy to work with. Its learning curve even smoother than React's (my first frontend framework, which powers cometSpectrum!), and I got everything rolling very quickly

At first, I was going to use my regular website design language, but it's kinda jank, so I said NO and started from scratch with a simpler façade. For the style I wanted to pursue... it was perfect. Some people have complimented the graphic aspect of the site, and I'm happy I could deliver exactly what I wanted. (and yes the icons being in opposite directions compared to bbsprint's UI is entirely on purpose)

BTW, the site is made in such a way that a BB theme could be used as the site's theme and every color will change except for PNG icons, i love it (this functionality is used for people using their OS's Light theme)

This is actually the first made-by-me website project that has "public" facing write actions to a database and stores actual files. It works... very well, and I am very happy about it. It's like a combination of everything I've learnt up to this point, down to API design and interop between programs.

I did say this was the foundation for Scaffold, and I plan for this game to keep Scaffold as its prime way of getting stages, even when getting to storefronts like Steam or GOG. Kind of like an osu! situation.

You're at this part of the message... wanna see how Scaffold's logo used to look like?

[fatuismooches]

greetings, miss smooches ~

hello hi dearest!! i hope all has been well for you today <3 if not, i hope this lengthy and i mean lengthy ask can manage to bring at least a smile to your face.

on the ninth of june this year, i discovered your blog again through your very first installment of your kabukimono series. i never had the courage to send an ask until recently, and my dumbass realized i never followed your blog.

it's a little surreal to believe that it's been so long, i remember being a wee seventeen year old back in 2022 gushing over every kuni piece you published, then i read your masterlist on my birthday, and was swoon since then. it's a shame that i never had the courage to reblog your works at least, but i suppose it's better late than never ~

i saw your post today morning regarding your kabukimono series and i would like to present mindful:

first of all, your last two chapters i did read and HAH! I WAS FUCKING RIGHT ABOUT WANDERER'S BEING BITTERSWEET — cough. excuse me.

but absolutely yes omg. a lesson in forgiveness had my heart reeling because the sweetness of kuni still remembering both little and big things about his dearest beloved almost made me shed a tear which is natural because they were lovers but fuck me sideways that combined with the bitter reality that reader isn't able to remember neither do they remember the past the two shared. i can just about imagine him, after the encounter he had with reader in the cafe, he wonders if he'll be able to make things right, wonders of he deserves a second chance to love you like he used to and... ugh. i hate him. i hope he gets microwaved. ( lies aya loves him way too much )

the bonus lesson, a lesson in the heart — shut up because getting MARRIED to kabukimono is literally fucking everything. that lesson had me giggling and kicking my feet and smiling from ear to ear like come on?? kabuki is literally the husband of all time and i just wanna lay down in the puddle of tears i metaphorically shed reading that lesson :( the way he was just kissing reader so lovingly and talking about how grateful he is for you, how much his life has changed thanks to your wonderful presence like .. fuck. i need a moment

there is so much more that i could honestly say about the last two installments to your series, your series as a whole is something i will never shut up about. such a hauntingly beautiful piece of work and i adore everything it tackled; from the delightful to the depressing and everything in-between if you hyper analyze it like i do — it's surreal to see it come to an end, but it makes me all the more proud to be one of the people who discovered it early, stuck around to read it because it was that enthralling to me.

you rarely ever find a kabukimono fic or any kuni fic in general that's set in a more fluffy and domestic atmosphere ( until shit goes down hill ) and i think that's what adds to the haunting nature of it, something so beautiful and simple can at times be taken away too soon by the hands of fate.

i am so happy for you, smooches. so happy and so proud to see you come this far, and i cannot wait for not only future installments for the other harbingers, but just in general a lot more to come from you <3

if you do start on that dot series, make sure to take your time and write it at your own pace! you are a busy individual, and i hope you get the much needed break you deserve now that the kabuki series has come to a close.

take care lovely, remember to stay hydrated and treat yourself to whatever you crave! be safe, and i will see you when i see you <3

— signed, ayame.

AHHH HI AYAME!! <3 This ask is SO SO SO SWEET ahhh thank you so much it really did put a smile on my face!! Damn i can't believe you've been around for so long 😭😭 I'm really glad you were able to make your way back to me. It's super sweet to hear how much you like my Scara works ❤️ BUT YEAHHH YOU WERE RIGHT I just felt like it being bittersweet for Wanderer would be the perfect ending. Yup the sad things happened and there's nothing he can do about the past, but the future is always waiting for him. Especially when you're there with him now. AND OMG THANK YOU FOR NOTICING THE STUFF KUNI REMEMBERS WITH YOU 😭 I was literally going back to the previous lessons to try and find the best memories to incorporate with Wanderer. And yeahhh he definitely wonders if he's worthy of another chance with you :( He already blew the first one and turned into this kind of person so does he really deserve you? I imagine he's a bit stiff and perhaps even a bit quiet around you which is really strange? I mean he's silent around a lot of people except he always has a few scoffs and mean things to say but around you, he doesn't do much of that. It takes a lot of nudging from Nahida to get him back to normal.

I'm glad you feel the same way about marrying Kabukimono 😭 It's literally the SWEETEST thing ever omg he'd be over the moon every single day even though the wedding is months away. He's like. beyond excited to marry you. I just know he tries to be the perfect fiance for you in every way possible. He has a little notebook with tips from the villagers and Niwa. *gives you a tissue and a hug*

AHHH EJDEDENDJW shit you're hyping me up too much Ayame 😭❤️❤️🥺 I don't know what else to say beside thank youuuu I'm beyond overjoyed that this series means that much to you 😭😭 It does make me really sad to see it end because i truly enjoyed writing it but. I'm satisfied and I'm glad i gave reader and Wanderer a happy ending :))

AND YEAHHH i think fluff for Kabukimono is in limited quantity so I'm glad i could add to it!! i think adding fluff before angst is a really good way to build up the sadness. Because you see how lovely and simple life was before things changed and it just hits harder since you now know things will never be the same again... </3 once you know how good things used to be, it's hard to accept the opposite.

Once again thank you so so much Ayame <33 I hope you continue to enjoy my future works. Whenever i write Scara I'm going to be thinking of you now. Please make sure to take care of yourself as well okay? ❤️💗💗💗🫶

[izzy-ikigai]

[Browser names in bold if you just wanna skip to the paragraph you want to tell me I'm completely wrong about because that's your browser]

So, in light of the possible future where some of the chromium-based browser might get kicked right in the content-blocking code with Manifest Version 3, I actually felt the need to look around for alternative browsers to our holy lord the Google Chrome if we can't even have uBlock anymore.

Obviously I'd love to have a browser that won't die in the next 2 years, so either backed by a company or backed by a large community would be neato. It's fine if it's chromium, as long as content blockers will keep functioning or at least have alternatives. I did consider MS Edge for a hot second, I read somewhere it's supposed to not yield to Google for the new APIs but couldn't find it again, but then I remembered that Microsoft is an anti-consumer oriented company that pours billions into AI and making our lives worse in general and that even if it does run on Linux I do not fucking care.

I went over a few of the obvious choices and while yes, Firefox is oh-so-different, the basic threat/security model of FF is still lacking. Trading one security issue(not being able to run full-fledged content-blockers) for another one seemed a bit like a letdown to myself.

And while yes, the company Mozilla puts a lot of money in advertising how privacy-oriented they are(on social media, with targeted ads, lol) the have gotten to a point where that's simply not completely true anymore.

I also looked at Brave, it has a few cool features and the notion of a crypto wallet built right into the browser gave me the ultimate anti-climax and the tab was closed with Mach 10(someone please make a video about what would actually happen with a finger going mach 10).

For now I arrived at Vivaldi for testing. It has a few decent built-in things like tracker/ad-blocking(via url lists, which works pretty decent on it's own but I decided to additionally also run uBlock since URL list don't catch everything).

It also has an absolutely overwhelming amount of customization that made me realise how "default chromium-based browser" is basically like plain rice and I've just gotten used to plain rice every day to the point where I didn't question if that's good or nah. Vivaldi made me realise that spices exist. I know it sounds ridiculous, it's just a stupid browser, after all, BUT...

Just look at this Tab Cycler.

Or this Spotlike-esque in-browser search

Oh you would like your tabs on the side, cuz that's what the cool kids do? WELL WHICH SIDE IS IT THEN????

Oh you said tiling your windows in your operating system's UI sucks so your browser should do it? Yup, if for some weird reason that resonates with you, it also does that.

Pause button so you can focus on something non-internetty? That little shit hides in the corner of the status bar.

A weirdly functional and also overly customizable side-bar? Got that as well.

Honestly, when I say an overwhelming amount of customization, I mean it. I've been playing around with this piece of shit for like 4 hours and I watched the intro videos to some of the things and I really feel like I haven't even scratched the surface.

Someone please tell me some dealbraker about this browser, it's almost 3AM and I need to sleep. Like holy fuck this thing feels like someone went "imagine if your browser was as much of a full-time job as emacs was".

And no, I'm not switching to Vivaldi (yet). I'll obviously give it a solid month before I'll make such an obviously life-changing decision. I might even do a cheeky install on my phone I guess.

[msookyspooky]

Spooky!!!!! Can you plz share your thoughts on Neve Campbell returning to scream? 👀

(Sorry if you've answered this already!)

Ps I LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEE ur series so much - ur writing is SOOOO good 🥹 The last chapter tore out my HEART but has me kicking my feet GIGGLING at the same time - I genuinely wish u the absolute best bc you are AMAZING 💗

OMG THANK YOU!! I appreciate that especially since I was lowkey a bit weary of even adding Billy and YN at the end but damn we're 4 books in this has to happen eventually 😭🥴 I swear that the latest chapter is actually done (Just proofreading) but the plot is so heavy so damn 'wtf' that I'm writing the next chapter because I wanna make sure this pieces together smoothly cause there is no going back afterwards. So I swear I ain't dragging my feet TOO much 😅 But I'm giddy and nervous to post bc omg I don't think yall are ready 😗🤭

That is...just complicated. I love the idea of Sidney returning but not for this movie simply because of how they handled Melissa. Idc what side of the aisle you're on firing someone for speaking their mind on their Insta instead of being a meek media darling will always rub me the wrong way.

ANNNNDDD these Producers and Executives have lowkey butchered Scream in so many ways since Wes Craven passed and the fact that they made Sidney have less screen time in 5 not only for ageism in my humble opinion and money hungry greed to replace her with younger actresses no one asked for (Sorry I was all pissed they killed Dewey just to replace him with Chad even if I love Chad and got rid of Neve for the sake of 'new chapter' bs with a Billy's daughter trope if they were gonna do that they should've went with Scream 4's original plot IMO OR Sidney's daughters and Mark etc)

THEN by 6 we got very use to them and Sam became a beloved character that we could live with her and Tara being the new final girls just to shitcan them (Jenna walked from what I remember good for her) over an opinion that wasn't stated rudely or anything just talking about the kids involved in this war and they treat her as badly as they did Neve cutting Neve's pay and tossing her aside just for Neve to agree to come back???

Man, I'm sorry I am not a Neve lover nor hater but my pride could never. Guess that's why I'm not in Hollywood or loaded bc I would NEVER sign onto a movie that publicly humiliated me by basically saying I'm not worth the pay, then treating a younger co-star so poorly, then signing back on because they paid me what I should've probably gotten paid in the first place. My Manager and PR team could bite me...Probably why I'm a struggling artist instead lol

I do not hate Neve for this choice because ik money is money but it's disappointing.

And honestly? I have BEEN vocal how Scream 5 is by far my least favorite and they suckered us in with nostalgia and Scream 6 was GREAT except for the ending with the killers being so...Wattpad to be blunt coming from a wattpad fanfic writer. Hate or love Jill Roberts but she was a great Ghostface and it's so OBVIOUS what movies Craven worked on versus not. The killers in 6 COULD have been great too had it not been for them related to Richie (Who is my least favorite GF by far) and how fanfiction both latest installments feel with reveals. Scream 3 did too but Scream 3 purposely did not take itself seriously while 5 and 6 did except for Mindy as comic relief.

Of course this is my opinion and thank you for asking I'm honored you wanna hear my rinky dink opinion but I am not looking forward to 7. Scream 6 may not be my favorite but it is top 3 for me up until the reveal and Sam letting go of the mask and choosing a path to the future feels like the perfect ending! Franchise is done! Move on!

These movies are not like Friday the 13th of TCM with new victims these are stories tying in the victims and making 7 with the political climate rn and how they got rid of THE TWO NEW FINAL GIRLS just to beg Sidney to make a comback while probably having the safest most generic plot with how many changes they probably had to make after the characters were gotten rid of.

I'm just not hyped for Scream 7 and probably won't watch it. Ya know, all good things have to come to an end. Even this fic in time has to end. And I think the execs bit off more than they can chew and are backpedaling instead of doing the reasonable thing and canceling and I hate that Neve and some writers etc are on board still

And let's be real; Scream is getting less believable with tech. 96? Yeah, I could see it! 2000's? Sure! But 2020 onward? With smartphones and smarthomes and ringdoorbells and dna collected its time to say good bye to something that has to move on! Scream 6 did a descent job with the multiple GF and Scream 4 despite me not liking it they did it best as far as preparing future Scream for the murders. Not to get away with it but to be caught and sell the footage. They SERIOUSLY could've ended at 4 and I would accept it :/

But whatever, they're still decent movies but 7 is just one I have no interest in truly watching. For me personally but thank you for asking and listening to me rant and hopefully if you want cheesy overdone meta tropes my fic will do the trick rather than the movies 😅🤞🖤

[yeonban]

Send me ✔ and I’ll bold what my muse would do with/for yours.

@achroanimus asked: ✔ for Nikolai hehe

Acquaintance:

hold the door for them | help them carry something | let them borrow something (I can already see Kolya putting his lil hat on Maki's head while they're in public and saying absolutely Nothing about it) | let them use their phone | smile at them when passing in the streets | shake hands with them | flirt with them in a bar | share a taxi with them | give them a ride home (and don't be surprised if you randomly find Kolya in your house after going for a walk either btw. act normal, as you would with any other critter) | lend them money (IF Maki-kun asks nicely~) | sit next to them on public transportation | offer them some food (we'll never know if it's safe to eat, poisoned enough to give you stomach aches or poisoned enough to give you an one-way ticket into the next world but haha!!) | help them find something they lost

Friendship:

let them stay the night | listen to them complain at 4 am (I feel like for most of the things Maki could complain about, Kolya would be of the same or a similar opinion) | help them get over a break up | go out shopping with them | pet sit for them | help them move houses (once more for the people in the back~, IFFF you ask nicely~) | help them find a lost pet | go on vacation with them (hey Maki-kun Maki-kun Maki-kun, do you wanna see Ukraine) | stay up all night with them | help them hide a dead body (or alternatively give him an experience similar to a heart attack by putting a corpse Maki's tried to get rid of right in public view. you know, as they do for funsies) | provide an alibi for them (OR counter his alibi. depends on the position of the stars and which shoe he put on first that morning) | take their side in a break up | talk about their future plans | be maid of honour/best man/etc. at their wedding (Maki if you ever get married do NOT invite Kolya. trust) | share food with them

Lover:

let them stay after sex | gentle sex | rough sex | experiment | handcuffs | bdsm | whips | orgasm denial | aftercare | cuddles after sex | tea/coffee/etc. after sex | gentle kisses | rough kisses | passionate kisses | sloppy kisses | lazy kisses | hang out without sex | hide their relationship | cheat on them | cheat on someone else with them | dirty talk | loving talk | gentle touches | rough touches | nervous/shy touches | say “I love you”

Married/dating:

take them on expensive dates | pay for dates | make them pay for dates | go to the movies | put out on the first date | get an arranged marriage | stay at home most nights | cuddle in front of the tv | propose first | drop hints until they propose | give a big/expensive/elaborate proposal | have a quiet proposal | say yes to a proposal from them | have a big wedding | have a small wedding | elope | get married in Vegas | go on an expensive honeymoon | go on a cheap honeymoon | have kids | get a pet | move in together | laugh during kisses | laugh during sex | tickle fights | fight over who’s cuter | make them sleep on the couch after fights | make up sex | angry sex | no sex | let their parents stay over | let their family visit often | tell them “I love you” every day

Sibling/platonic:

fight | hug | laugh at them when they get hurt | help them hide a dead body | provide an alibi for them | tell them they’re annoying at least once a day | share food with them | help them move houses | walk them down the isle (again. do NOT let Kolya anywhere nearby, the entire experience would go down in flames) | try to sell them online | set up an online dating account for them (Maki randomly waking up to 300 new dms from an app he didn't even install himself. dw bestie Kolya did it FOR you!! never mind the annoying people and incessant ping'ing) | set them up on blind dates | try to set them up with your friends | listen to their problems | help them cook | cook them food | make them watch shows they don’t like with them | tell them they’re an idiot/loser/dork/nerd affectionately

Enemy:

fight them | take petty revenge | kill them | try to smother them in their sleep | hire an assassin | work harder to beat them at something | follow their social media just to get mad about it | make passive aggressive remarks towards them | spread rumours about them | laugh at them when they get hurt | take (fake) pleasure from them being upset | ruin their life

[true-blue-sonic]

sorry blue this time i'm not gonna talk about silver but;

considering espio as an underrated character:

i think SEGA and paramount have to surpass themselves to make a new and amazing characterization to our boy, with the fact that the sonic movie has the ability to turn a hated character into the best one

without forgetting other members of teal chaotix of course, i also think the best moment to undroduce them could be not in sonic movie 3 but in the fourth, beacause of shadow plus maybe amy and MAYBE SILVER, too much characters, and i really wanna see espio becoming the powerfulest ninja warrior as well as i see him in my mind, so to take the time to make an amazing enter they should make them in 4th movie

did you have the same throughs, and if no what about yours?

One the one hand, I would love to see more members of the game cast in the movies, but on the other hand, I think said movies have a setting that makes it highly difficult to incorporate the game cast in the way they deserve and that gives each added individual time to shine. In short, I feel like the fact the movies take place in the human world and with human characters as main casts makes it difficult to introduce game characters. In the second movie, the (by lack of a better term) OC human characters were kind of 'left out' into a wedding plot while Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Robotnik were doing all sorts of things with the compass and Master Emerald. And though eventually the anthro plotline and the human character plotline did come together again at the end of the wedding, I fear future instalments will suffer from the same thing: Tom and Maddie will have to be added somehow, but how to best reconcile that with the further introduction of the game cast? It would be weird to leave especially Tom out because of the central role he plays within the universe of the movies, but in the same vein, how often can the creators justify/come up with plots where the game characters travel to the human world without it getting old?

But that is just my overall view on introducing game characters into the movies, that has little to do with your question at hand. I'm not getting my hopes up for the creators introducing more characters of the games into the movies, especially less-known ones like the Chaotix or Silver, but I would absolutely love to see it! And I feel that there could be ways in which it can work, for example if the movies begin taking place entirely in a fictional setting as opposed to the human world. Though, I do fear the Chaotix are not popular or well-known-enough characters to get a whole movie for themselves. But in the same vein, I can see them be fun supporting characters in a grander overall plot! Their shtick as detectives can easily be added to many different stories, in my opinion, so I do not think much needs to be changed to their general purpose. Nor do their personalities need much editing either; they're fun and they mesh together well both within the Chaotix and with the game cast at large. With Shadow properly introduced in Sonic 3 and maybe characters like Metal Sonic or Amy (though I do doubt they'll get added, to be quite honest, especially Metal Sonic) as well, it might be too busy to also introduce the Chaotix, but I do think they can have a nice role in an upcoming instalment of the movies.

[lunarsilkscreen]

FFXIII - and Lightning

I've been asked; if FXIII-Lightning Returns is your favorite *ever* Final Fantasy game; why don't you write more about it? Like your other multi-volume sagas on the other franchises you go on fanpages about?

Because most of what I would have to say about the 13 series as a whole would be critical in nature. FFXIII is the first game in the FF series that feels Rushed, Forced, and suffers from the the dreaded [hallway effect].

The hallway effect is what happens when you try to extend a Retro-Style side-scrolling game like [Ghosts and Goblins] or [Battletoads] into a 60 hour (minimum) endeavour.

And by 60 hour minimum; I mean regardless of skill level, replays, or skipping side-content you're sinking approximately 60 hours in from front to back. You can get it down to about 40 hours if you're really focused, but it is a slog.

And this is the first in the FF13 series. So it's hard to say "Wow, I love this game and you should too" when it feels more like a trap where you'd love to finish the game; but it feels less like a game and more like work.

That's not to say you shouldn't like the game. I'm hyper critical, despite thoroughly enjoying the story. Although... The [Day-time Soap Opera] feel if the game may lead other players to outright avoid it in it's entirety.

The world of FF13 is set in Gran Pulse's moon; Cocoon. And society has set up a safe haven because monsters have taken over the planet's surface. The government has created a sort of legal system that forces [Criminals] suspected of [Crimes] to face punishment or flee to the planet's surface (which is not an easy thing to do). The planet's surface is basically Australia.

So this reflects a lot of "penal colony" rhetoric from the [Colonial] days.

In between 13 and 13-2; the titular character [Final Fantasy XIII], I mean [Lightning] has gone missing. She just fell in a gap between dimensions and her friends and family have absolutely no idea where she went.

This leads to her sort of Adopted Son; Hope from the first game to set off on a frantic lifelong mission to find Lightning. Similar to the plot of Interstellar; but with more RPG elements. Hopes quest coincides with Noel's quest who, through Hopes dealings with the quantum space time [whatever's] and though the power of [Eidolons] (this installments version of the [Summon]) is forced from the future into the present world where Hope, the character, lives.

He informs Hope of the future; A world that has gone extinct. Not just Humans, the entire planet. And Noel, along with Caius who also disappeared between dimensions like Lightning did, are the last two humans on Gran Pulse. (Cocoon has since been evacuated so that humanity lives in Gran Pulse.)

Leading to an unending battle between Lightning and Caius until the events of FF13-LR.

FFXIII-2 has a more arcadey feel (despite the original game was designed to mimic an arcade experience) and IMO has the mechanics of what the original FFXIII should've had in the beginning.

I really feel that if FFXIII was originally released with a FFXIII-2's style, it would've had a bigger following. The original FFXIII, however, did something that I don't know if it was intentional; allowing freedom of movement on Gran Pulse when the player finally gets there (Gran Pulse feels like FFX's world where the calm lands are).

This makes the player think; Do I really want to go back to cocoon to finish this? Or just hang out here on Gran Pulse? At the part I arrived in this area, I wanted to do the side quests; but I was also so burned out on the game I just wanted to be done with the story. (And I didn't wanna watch a YouTube video.)

I HAVEN'T SINCE TOUCHED FFXIII or -2, despite having played LR 3 times. That's how much I enjoy LR; even now I would go back and play that and avoid xiii and -2 entirely.

Hope and crew put an immense effort into trying to contact Lightning; the only person they really feel like could save the planet from its eventually destruction; while simultaneously trying to defeat Caius and the dark Chaotic rifts that open up all over the planet; in the past, present, and future.

Serah, being a [Seer] Sees a vision of Lightning save the world at the end of XIII-2 before her ultimate death. [Seer Visions] being thought to eat a portion of the Seer's life is the documented reason why; but nobody knows for sure.

In Lighting Returns, [FFXIII]; I mean Lightning: appears as diety, working for the Christian God [Bhunivelze]. An all powerful entity who wishes to destroy Humanity, Gran Pulse, and reform it as whatever he thinks is a better version.

At first, Lightning is collecting Souls. She Operates in a similar facet to the Protagonist of Act Raiser; returning to a celestial [Home Point] in between each outing and trying to save as many people as she can; However; Bhunivelze, Hasn't told her about his true intentions, and keeps a Copy of [Hope] as she remembers him, a child from the first game. But Hope isn't really there; he's a construct controlled by Bhunivelze; an effort to control Lighting entirely.

It's at this point I stop to tell you may favorite connection between FF13 and the Lightning Saga to another lesser known game series on GameBoy: [Sa-Ga] or {Final Fantasy Legend} in the west. I'm sure there's many more references to the Romancing SaGa series as a whole, but it's the Gameboy games that I've played regularly.

The GameBoy games feature a lot of the same key story points (That I'm going to glaze over) such as time travel to save the world inside of a futuristic spaceship (Legends3), Fighting and taking the place of the divine being (Legend 1) and most notably (For me) Odin. Whom ressurects the Hero should they die, only for the main character to have to fight Him and take his place.

(The save/reload ability of the game can be interpreted as Odin's resurrection power in this case. Which is a detriment, because you can no longer be "reloaded" to right before you died.)

Odin in LR becomes Lightnings mighty Steed (Chocobo) who many players tend to rename to [d*face] prompting SquareEnix to remove the ability to rename your Chocobo in the PC ports.

While Lightning becomes Odin in this game, and has to make this decision; follow God's Will, OR; save the souls of humanity and ferry them to the new world like a modern Charron retelling.

Obviously; Lightning chooses to mimic Noah and save humanity (Possible after canonically failing her mission of 13 days in length several times. Due to needing to 100% the game basically in order to see the true ending.) and ferry's the souls of the damned to the new world; while Serah and Caius opt to stay in the [divine realm] in order to protect humanity from another would be Bhunivelze.

[thewriterowl]

Question I have been holding in for a while but now that Sunburst is talking a short hiatus I feel comfortable asking…

I asked you previously about revamping old stories and you had some really interesting ideas that I would absolutely love to see would those be included in your future work? Or what could we expect? From the other updates?

Are there any story ideas you want to start but are too invested in another story to start?

I absolutely love all of your stories! I’m just interested in what’s coming next?

Hello!

So! The ones I have planned are updates and nothing new yet. My hope is that once Sunburst is done, I'll get Untimely Business finished, start the next installment of the Sunburst series and get a new Dinluke more romantic multi-chapter story going on at the same time. Just since I don't quite have a story mapped out like I mentioned in the other ask, I don't know which project that would be just yet. Got some potential ideas but none are really clear on which route I'd go.

For the next few weeks as I get further on the final leg of Sunburst we'll hopefully get an update of The Untimely Business of an Office Engagement (chapter two is almost done but man, this story is being difficult :/ ), a new smutty one shot within Fruitful and Twisted, and (potentially) a new smutty one shot with A Taste of Something Sinful (or it'll be in Fruitful cause it can be read with a little dubious layer--it'll depend on if I do many edits with it before updating; and is a special Boba/Luke smutty story)

Most of these items are written with the exception f some editing and the Untimely Business one that I wanna punch in the face. So it'll give me time to get the next few chapters of Sunburst written so I can stay ahead and not be rushing to finish the chapter the day of updating XD

[stranger-who-writes-fiction]

NBD just crying over Action Comics 1060 (in a good way but also a sad way because DC is being VERY DUMB and ending PKJ’s run in favor of a Jason Aaron Bizarro filler arc ohhhhhh how I weep bitter tears of frustration)

…Anyways, spoilers!

So 1060 is the penultimate installment of PKJ’s (stellar, spectacular, phenomenal, brilliant, top-tier) run on Action Comics and I just want to applaud him—for a lot of things, really, but in *this* specific case, I wanna stand and cheer because he’s making it EXTREMELY CLEAR that the twins (who are not actually twins) are in fact, Clark’s kids. No question, no ambiguity; Otho calls him papa, Clark refers to her as his daughter, and he’s willing to travel through LITERAL HELL to get her back.

It’s entirely possible that future writers will try to get rid of these kids, but I appreciate that PKJ has made it *very* difficult for them. XD Any retcon they’d come up with would be so messy. (Of course, saying this, I realize that the more depressingly realistic outcome here isn’t that writers actively try to erase them, but rather, will probably sideline/ignore them, trot them out for generic precocious kids stuff every now and then, and wait for the next line-wide reboot to ‘streamline’ Clark aka toss out anything mildly interesting and/or additive to Clark’s corner of the DCU.)

Right. Sorry. Salty tangent. XD

So anyways here’s some panels that tugged on my ‘Aunt Kara’ heartstrings.

‘I know sweetie. I know. It’s so hard, not knowing.’ HOW VERY DARE.

There’s also a really great page wherein Kara gets Osul to calm down by reminding him of a…I think Phaelosian legend? Or possibly Kryptonian, I know she was trying to find stuff for them in a previous issue.

(Went back and it’s actually the House of Ra fable; the House of El’s is ‘Nightwing and Flamebird’, Ra’s is ‘Red Son and Starchild’.)

I love that Lois lets Kara and Osul have that moment, that space; I maintain that while Clark has a better handle on getting what the kids went through on Warworld given that he was there, and Lois obviously has more experience with raising kids that have unique needs thanks to Jon being half alien, but *Kara* is more readily equipped to sympathize with Otho and Osul’s struggles with transitioning to Earth life, based on her current, canon characterization. (Which is, uhhhh…Woman of Tomorrow and alsoooooo…Rebirth? Maybe? WoT is def canon, the recent SG one shot visually referenced Kara’s departure from Argo.) But I digress!

Speaking of the kids’ struggles…Otho is Going Through It. The stuff with Sister Shadow (AKA Norah Stone AKA evil daughter of an alt universe Bruce and Talia) trying to tempt her to the dark side by preying on her trauma/difficulty adapting to her new home and revealing a future, tyrannical version of herself is some wonderfully juicy character work, both from the perspective of fleshing out Otho AND being additive to Superman’s roster of villains; that’s something I love about PKJ’s approach to world building overall. Yes, he’s revamped some of Superman’s established bad guys (Metallo, Mongul) but he’s also added awesome new foes, like Norah Stone, and Pyrrhos.

I really hope DC lets him do like. A mini series on his original Kryptonian/House of El characters. I would honestly love to read about all these cool new, additive elements, than deal with the Luthor cameo fest over in Superman rn. XD

In conclusion: DC once again shying away from anything interesting and new with Superman in favor of the safe status quo. -_- I mean, I hope I’m wrong. I hope the new ‘Superman Superstars’ opt to build on the solid foundation PKJ has set up. But given what happened with Bendis? Creators’ absolute refusal to incorporate any of the canon he built, because they knew DC would walk it back ASAP? (And the Superman group editor openly admitting that was his number one priority as soon as he GOT THE JOB???) Just shows a complete lack of faith in your creators, and doesn’t really give me too much hope for one of the few remaining titles I look forward to each month.

…but hey, hopefully Marilyn Moonlight will be neat??? XD

(Also LET A WOMAN WRITE A MAIN SUPERMAN BOOK YOU COWARDS.)