#but maybe the devs WERE onto something here

[profounddefendorcrusade-blog]

I just had a weird thought

Starlo = star + lo(ser)

what's wrong with my brain

[lakefu]

A Perfect Warmth 🕯️

Summary: Astarion and Tav take a well deserved break away form the chaos of their adventures at an inn inside Baldur's Gate. They need to clean up and get back on the road but they keep getting distracted. Perhaps plans could be delayed for a night of passion...

Pairing: Astarion x female!Tav

Tags: 18+, Explicit, fluffy smut, brief Astarion trauma response, PIV, erogenous elf ears, scent kink, blood + biting, a bit of praise, a bit of edging... a sprinkle of cockwarming...., these guys are in love...

Word count: 3.5k Note: This was my first fic originally uploaded on Ao3 on 11/27/23, inspired by the patch #4 dev note mentioning adding sponges to clean your companions. I've made edits from the Ao3 post.

“Remind me to sell this junk next time we pass by a merchant, would you dear?” Astarion was seated at the edge of the bed and rummaging through his traveler’s pack, placing various items on the nightstand for further examination. Two silver forks, an old necklace, and a handful of various polished stones ended up on the table before he plucked out an intricate sapphire ring and held it up to the sunlight peeking through the window.

“Good taste,” he muttered to himself. He placed the ring on his pinky finger in amusement and resumed the scavenge. 

“It’s going to get difficult sneaking up on people if I have to lug this heavy thing around you know.” He threw over a glance at Tav, who was preoccupied with gathering laundry together in preparation for the next day.

“It wouldn’t be so heavy if you didn’t pocket nearly every shiny thing we came across,” she teased, without even looking over at him.

He gasped dramatically. “Framed by my own lover? Quite the scandal. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten the near dozen times you’ve asked me to hold onto your things because your own pack was too full.”

“Hmm. Maybe. I guess that might sound sort of familiar…” She giggled to herself and walked into the bedroom to catch his eye, meeting him with a mischievous grin. 

“Why are you such a- oh! Now, what’s this you’re wearing?” Astarion blinked and scanned her up and down, clearly enthralled by the wardrobe change. She stood there in an old linen robe that was yellowed with age, definitely unlike anything he had ever seen her in before.

“Just some old thing I found in the dresser here, isn’t it just fabulous?” Tav's words were dripping in sarcasm and yet she smiled, performing a grandiose little spin in the middle of the room as if she was wearing the most beautiful ball gown in the world.

“I… it’s just so different from your usual armor or that drow nightwear you fancy so much. You look so… domestic.” His eyes were locked onto Tav intensely, with brow furrowed as he seemed to be confused by his own words.

She felt her heart skip a beat and a flush run to her face.

“And you think that’s a good look for me?”

His eyes softened and he paused a moment before quietly answering.

“Yes… I do.”

Tav watched as his smile faded and the gaze of his eyes became increasingly more distant. The atmosphere seemed to shift and a slight panic ran through her body. Did she do something wrong? No... and it didn’t require a tadpole connection to get an understanding for what had brought down his spirits.

Astarion hadn’t considered a comfortable domestic life was possible for someone like him. Even the slightest concept of such a thing had been buried for over a hundred years, and he never expected it to resurface. Was he worthy of such a thing, and was it even possible? 

Oh, it was possible. The evidence was standing right in front of him, spinning circles in an ugly bathrobe. He could see glimpses of a happy future that was so close to being a reality he nearly felt nauseous. Not because he was unsure of himself, but because there were still too many unresolved matters they had a duty to attend to. Too many missions and stupid little quests that could now go wrong and threaten this idea of a happy ending he never even knew was possible.

Everything was different now that he realized what was possible, and he suddenly felt an unknown and uncomfortable pressure. All he knew was that he couldn’t afford to lose in the upcoming battles. Battles that some would say were impossible, suicidal even. The thought of loss at this point was beyond unbearable. It was sickening just to think about.

“Hey!!” Tav ran up to where he was sitting on the bed and took his head in her hands. She placed a delicate kiss on his forehead, knowing she had to get him focused on something else.

“Why don’t we go to the shop right now and get rid of that stuff,” she motioned to the collection of items that had been gathered on the nightstand.

“Wouldn’t hurt to get some more coin in our pockets, right?” She looked at him expectantly and felt a huge relief as a light seemed to return to his eye and meet her view.

“Please tell me you aren’t going to wear that horrid robe to see the merchant,” he sighed and looked up at her pleadingly.

“Of course not!! I’ll change and- oh gods!!! We’ve got to get this blood off your face, the merchant is going to think we are trying to kill him!” Tav exclaimed as she lightly shook his shoulders, and quickly began examining his body to see how much cleaning would have to get done before they could leave.

“Blood… on my face?” He raised an eyebrow and brought a finger to his cheek.

“Yeah!! Well, it’s all over you really, dontcha remember earlier today, fighting those cultists?? You sneaked up behind one of ‘em and BAM!!! Just obliterated with a single strike, it was amazing!! You’re so strong…you know.” Her pulse was racing at the mere memory of the event as she delicately traced the side of his face with her fingers and ventured down to his chest. 

“Ah of course. That was all so terribly easy I’d nearly forgotten,” he said proudly, adjusting his posture and keeping his eyes on Tav’s hand movements sliding across his chest. Her soft touch was becoming more firm as her fingers made their way toward his arms, giving his biceps a teasing squeeze before leaning her face into his and teasing a kiss.

Before their lips could touch, Astarion wags a finger in between their faces as if to remind Tav of the task at hand.

“Alright my sweet, let’s clean up shall we? You’re my mirror after all. So, go on then.” He took her hands into his own and gave them a kiss before placing them back at her side, encouraging her to go and gather whatever it was she needed to get him cleaned up.

Right, the supplies. It was nearly impossible to remain focused after moments of intimacy with him, no matter how brief they were. She quickly moved into the other room to acquire the washcloths and bucket of soapy water that she was using for herself not too long ago. Hands full, she scurried back to the bedroom to meet her lover, who hadn’t moved an inch.

As she approached him, Tav could feel the tie on her robe becoming increasingly more loose with each step that was taken across the floor. The embarrassment hit her as she realized she didn't have any hands free to do anything about it. She quickly tried to put the bucket down by the bedside, but the bending movement only resulted in the robe slipping off one of her shoulders, exposing a bare breast.

“Oh? You haven’t got anything on underneath?” Astarion cocked his head in amusement, eyes unmoving from the newly exposed skin.

“Ye-yeah that’s the whole point of robes isn’t it? I was doing laundry earlier ya know and umm,” She laughed nervously and started to fix the wardrobe malfunction but was quickly stopped by a hand over her own. Astarion reached out toward her until both hands were around her waist and pulled her in close to his body. Fangs were peeking through his devious smile while determined eyes looked her up and down. With a singular finger he crept over to the loose knot of the robe’s tie and flicked it completely undone with one swift movement.

Tav shuddered and felt her body starting to run warm despite now being suddenly exposed to the cool air of the inn. She was completely revealed to him now, the robe only just clinging to her arms and draped across her backside.

“Gods, you’re beautiful,” he sighed and began kissing her stomach and caressing the curves of her waist. “Come here.”

Tav gasped as she felt his cold grip around her waist tighten as he expertly lifted her up onto his lap with ease. Pleased at the new angle, Astarion shifted his attention to kissing the crook of her neck and started moving down her chest. He delightfully found her nipple with his mouth in no time, and teased it in circles with his tongue just as he knew she liked it. His gentle sucking continued for only a few brief moments before he suddenly withdrew and cleared his throat.

“Ah, well. You can reach my face better up here I’m sure. For the cleaning of course,” he said smugly. The elf leaned back and admired the view of his lover, nude and flustered, perched oh-so perfectly on top of him.

“The cleaning…” Tav nodded and remembered she still had a warm and soapy washcloth in her hand. The urge to throw the stupid cloth into some unknown corner of the room was nearly undeniable. All she wanted in this moment was for him to take her completely, in any way he wanted, it didn’t matter as long as she ended up getting fucked into oblivion. So fine. On with the cleaning.

She raised the washcloth to his temple and slowly began to wipe away the dried blood by working down his face. His cheeks were a bit sunken as usual but flushed adorably in this moment, clearly enjoying the tender rubs of cloth on his skin. She continued rubbing down toward his chiseled jawline, across to his lips, and back up the other side to repeat the process once more. She ran her fingers through his silver curls and noticed his ears would need cleaning too. 

One hand caressed the pointy ear to keep it in place and the other brought the washcloth in for a gentle scrub. A quiet moan suddenly escaped the vampire’s lips.

Oh? She had seemingly discovered a sensitive spot and noted that she would have to continue her work carefully. The scrubbing continued but Tav couldn’t keep her eyes off his face now. His eyes were closed but still noticeably moving behind their lids, and his lips were slightly parted with his breathing becoming increasingly heavier and more noticeable. 

Astarion was in his own world of pleasure. What in the hells had he been doing these past weeks, aimlessly scrubbing himself clean alone in the river when they could have been doing this the whole time instead?

He opened his eyes just to make sure it wasn’t all a dream. She was still there of course, diligently and lovingly taking such good care of his body. A wave of maddening lust rushed through his core and he needed her closer. He needed her as close as physically possible and even more so after that.

Their eyes met, revealing intense desires. Tav lowered her hands and she spoke slowly, “Can you take your shirt off? There’s a spot I can’t get to with it on…” 

She wasn’t fooling anybody, but he obeyed without hesitation. The shirt was gone in seconds, revealing his pale and perfectly sculpted chest. It was a sight that Tav never tired of admiring, and was in fact the subject of distracting daydreams on the daily. She shifted her body closer to his and continued scrubbing his neck and chest, despite it becoming increasingly more difficult to focus. Deep breaths.

She had always been fond of his cologne that he was quite proud of concocting himself. The scent of aged brandy, bergamot, and rosemary was now forever an Astarion specialty that she could never forget. Even during times of battle or travel, a gust of wind could carry his essence to her and bring along with it a sense of reassuring familiarity. As she continued to wipe him down, however, a different scent began to come to the forefront.

It was something that did not seem completely foreign, but it wasn't immediately identifiable either. There was something about taking it all in that felt forbidden. Tav tried to pinpoint what she was experiencing. He smelled earthy… raw… unnatural… it was without a doubt, the undeath.

An undeniable heat rose through her body as she engulfed herself with this pure scent from her lover. The washcloth, the bed, the entire room seemed miles away, and nothing felt coherent except for a craving to be even closer to him. Nothing else existed except their bodies and her overwhelming desire to-

“Eager, are we?” A sultry voice snapped her back into reality, where piercing red eyes amusingly greeted her return. She suddenly became aware of a presence between her thighs and glanced down, realizing she was sitting atop a clothed bulge. His hands had a firm grip on her backside and his encouraging movements made it clear she had been absentmindedly grinding on him during her trance. 

“Shit, I got carried away…” She hadn’t taken her eyes off his crotch and began to notice that her excitement had left a dampness on his clothes. Embarrassment nearly overtook her, but a gentle yet confident hand grabbed her chin and brought it up to meet his gaze. He leaned into her with a grinning open mouth and kissed her passionately, tongues intertwining.

She felt his fangs briefly scrape against her tongue every so often until a metallic taste became increasingly noticeable. She didn't mind the blood, especially since it seemed to enhance his arousal as noted by his hips continuously jolting faster up into her exposed crotch. Tav was soon pleasantly overwhelmed between his deep kisses and desperate hands groping her at every curve of her body. She longed to give him everything; her blood for his hunger, her body for his pleasure. 

Tav released herself from the kiss they had been locked into and tilted her head so that her neck became exposed as an undeniable gift. His mouth lunged at the presented spot as soon as it was noticed, fangs immediately sinking in deep. Tav cried out at the initial impact but soon was reveling in the experience. It was a perfect mixture of pain and pleasure that she was only capable of experiencing from him.

He remained on her neck for a while, still tightly holding on to her body and keeping one hand free to reassuringly caress the back of her head. It was only after the blood flow slowed to a near stop did he cease his medley of licking and sucking at the wound. Blood dripped down his chin and onto his exposed chest, but he was ultimately unfazed. He leaned back, clearly happy and mostly satisfied, but there was still a different type of satisfaction he had left to chase.

Astarion's throbbing erection was begging to be released from its clothed restraints. He quickly untied his pants and shifted his underwear to finally free it. He moaned a few incomprehensible words of relief and stroked himself a few times before looking up at Tav for approval.

Tav had been staring at his length from the moment it was exposed, an impressive size for an elf, no doubt. Her eyes fixated on his perfectly pink tip, glistening with precum just for her. She immediately fantasized of shoving him down her throat until she choked and cried, but that was a fantasy for another day. In their current position, they both knew there was only one simple way of how to continue.

“Astarion,” she whimpered. “Fuck me.”

Tav sat up on her knees and positioned herself so that her entrance was just nearly grazing the head of his dick, ready to take him in completely at any moment. She grabbed ahold of his shaft and guided the tip back and forth through her folds until he was covered in her slick. The new sensation of the friction between them left them both gasping and desperate for more.

Suddenly, finally, his arms wrapped around her body as he pulled her down onto him with one firm motion. Astarion grunted through his teeth while Tav moaned unapologetically, focusing on relaxing enough to allow her body to adjust to his length inside of her. 

The temperature differences between their bodies only heightened the feelings of pleasure whenever they became one. Her warmness was intoxicating to him, granting a sense of safety and bliss that was impossible to achieve anywhere else. He was already so close to the edge in this moment, but was not ready to give in just yet. He wanted this moment of heaven to last as long as possible.

Meanwhile, Tav was having the time of her life riding her man like there was no tomorrow. She had no intent to slow down until a pair of large hands suddenly gripped her hips in a way that prevented any further movement.

“I’m not done with you yet, love. Didn’t you notice the mess I’ve made after feasting on you?” Astarion took a finger to his chin and smeared a bit of Tav’s fresh blood down his neck.

It was true, he had made a mess. Quite uncharacteristically of him in fact. Tav had assumed he had simply gotten careless in his horny and feral craze but no- it was clearly all calculated. 

“Just be still and sit nice and pretty on my cock. Finish the cleaning, then I’ll take care of you myself. How does that sound?” 

How does that sound? His words echoed in her head, which was already spinning plenty enough as it was. She was unsure if it was from the blood loss or her seemingly never ending carnal desires, but perhaps it was both. One thing was certain, however, he could convince her to do damn near anything speaking in that low and lustful tone of his. Without uttering a word she slowly brought the washcloth up to his chest. 

“Good girl,” he whispered. He felt her body twitch around him in response to the praise, and he leaned back to relax and enjoy these final few moments of intimacy. 

It had taken everything in Tav's power to remain still while she worked. It wasn't exactly easy to focus- she was being split in half by a whimpering vampire beneath her after all. Astarion’s skilled fingers had been dancing around her swollen clit the whole time, just enough to keep her stimulated but never enough to let her come.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the blood was all cleaned up. She hadn't even realized when it happened or how he did it, but his pants were completely gone now. She reached over to place the cloth down and awaited her reward of sweet release.

Astarion’s hands moved to the knees that were straddling him and slowly pushed them farther apart, spreading Tav’s legs open bit by bit. She inhaled sharply as she took him in deeper. He opened her up more and more until she lost her balance and fell backwards onto his expectant embrace. 

“Relax darling, I’ve got you,” He purred in reassurance. 

Astarion took her entire weight in his arms with ease and laid her down amongst the soft pillows of the bed. He nestled himself comfortably between her legs, making sure their bodies were flush with one another. Nearly smothered by his body now, all Tav could do was claw at his back and arch her hips into his powerful thrusts. His mouth frantically traveled across her lips and neck with desperately wet kisses until he settled near her ear with a playful nibble.

“You’re so beautiful…” He whispered tenderly, while the rhythm of his lovemaking became increasingly sporadic. “So fucking perfect… Gods…just for me… I love you… so much...”

“Star, I- ah!” Her words cut short as she felt something snap within her. Pure ecstasy- she was falling and flying somewhere a million galaxies away and never wanted to come back. Obscene noises and curses filled the room as they rode out each other’s high in tight embrace. The smell of sex lingered in the air as their bodies heaved with labored breaths, finally collapsing on each other in exhaustion. 

They laid together a while longer, exchanging soft kisses and enjoying the short moment in time where nothing else in the world mattered. Eventually, Astarion rolled out of the bed and stood up to stretch. 

“Tsk, looks like it’s my turn to clean you up my dear,” He said with an accomplished grin, eying how her thighs were dripping with his sticky mess.

“I’ll be right back, don’t move an inch. Actually, I doubt you can move at all after that, ahaha!” He laughed and leaned over to brush aside a strand of Tav’s sweaty hair that was stuck to her forehead before walking over to the other room. 

“Shut up… dummy…” she smiled to herself and rolled over, feeling at ease enough that the weight of sleep was starting to overtake her.

“I love you too, Astarion.” Her eyes closed as she drifted off into a peaceful slumber, knowing that her lover would soon come back to her side like he always did, and always would.

[d6volution]

Melatonin

Jax/Reader Fic. [Fem aligned reader.]

Heavy explicit content. | 1k words.

[Also found on my Ao3]

minors dni.

Jax sighs, his iconic smile briefly dropping as he stared at your tense figure, "C'mon toots, relax. You'll never get any sleep like this y'know." A gloved finger lifted your chin to face him, "Trust meee. You'll be finee." He cooed in a somewhat teasing voice, before dropping his hand and pushing your shoulders gently, allowing gravity to take over and your body to hit the plush bed beneath you. He crawled atop your smaller form, and sometimes you forget just how tall he is. You swear you see a devious glint in this eye for a moment.. You hesitated.

"I-It's not that, Jax we barely know each other and-" Words fumbled from your lips, until he shushed you, his finger touching your lips. "Ah- ah," He tuts. "Just.. see this as an exchange between two friends, yeah? A little.. help gettin' ya to sleep. That's all." He spoke while his opposing hand shoved the strap of his overalls down from his body, and they fell seamlessly. "Alright?" His words were so smooth and voice like honey, you nodded and briefly looked up at the ceiling, trying to calm your mind until- *Plop*, something heavy fell onto your stomach and you felt heat creeping up to your cheeks, a small squeak escaping your lips. You swallowed hard, "Ya gonna stare at the ceiling all night?"

His voice broke you out of your previous stupor , his hips moved grinding his already semi-hard shaft against your stomach. His smile returned, wide and mocking as he watched you glance down at his dick. "Impressed? Maybe the devs are a bunch of perverts who knows-" His hand grabbed your left breast and began kneading, his body hunching over yours. Mouth closing in on your ear, "Ah , well- let's put on a show for 'em."

your stomach was doing flips.

Before you could speak Jax flipped you over, "Oof! Jax, wa--" You protested, but only for a moment as one of his hands shoved your head into the pillow, the other looping beneath your waist and dragging you upwards, forcing your body to arch against him, "Thaaats more like it. All this talkin' is making me impatient, just let me do my thing and I promise you''ll be in dream land in no time." You could feel his eyes boring into your back, his eyes narrowing as he pushed aside the silly garb covering your wet snatch, "Heh. And here I was thinkin' you were being shy or something, good thing your bodys bein' more honestly with me dollface."

Hell. His words were only making this worse, embarrassment seeped into your core, "J-Just quit talking and do it alrea- Nngh!!" His thick shaft forced its way past your gummy walls until he was buried to the hilt, his hands gripping your hips as he sighed in relief, holding you in place as he bottomed out. "Hha... mmn, were you sayin something toots? Nnh, yeah.. keep clenching on me just like that," You whined and nuzzled the pillow, you could feel your insides spasming around him. You were sure this place made you feel far more sensitive than you felt did in the outside world. "J..Jax I feel.. nnh.."

"Uh, huh I know, I know-- you'll get use to it. In fact I think you'll love it," His hips began to move, he pulled out until just his tip was teasing at your entrance. Then he slammed back in with even more force than before, you cried out his name and his hand forced your head back into the pillow. "Aah. not too loud, you don't want your new friends to hear you gettin f&%cked into the mattress on your first night do ya?" He picked up a rhythm now, hips slapping agianst yours, every so often he'd grip the plush of your hips and pull you closer. "N-No.. I.." Your words were muffled, "Can't hear ya sweetness," His fingers lost themselves in your hair and yanked your head back, "Repeat that for me will ya?" He asked, hips still rocking you both, "I-I don't want them to hea- Aaah!!" He purposely thrusted sharply against your sweet-spot, causing you to see stars.

"Mmnh, right there huh?" He chuckled against your ear and released your hair, causing you to fall back against the pillow. "Guess, I'll focus there," He muttered and picked up the pace, focusing on the spot that caused you to moan so sweetly before. The tip of dick battering into your g-spot as you squirmed and whined beneath him. Biting the pillow to hide your embarrassing moans, "J-Just like that, keep takin' it.." He huffed and panted above you, a gloved hand swatting your ass for the heck of it. "Eep!" He noticed how you clenched down on him whenever he slapped your ass. He couldn't help but laugh, "Cl-Close.. Jax.. I'm..!" He smirked, "Already? Fine." He almost sounded just as annoyed as he sounded amused.. Except, he pulled out. "Wha.." You lifted your head from the pillows, in a daze. "Why'd you.."

"Relax, would ya?" He rolled his eyes and flipped back onto your back, grabbing your legs and folding you like pretzel as he slammed back into your needy core. Hitting your cunt even deeper this time, fucking your smaller shape into the mattress, he grunted into your ear and you moaned into his in tandem, "Please.. please..!" You didn't know what you were begging for , but Jax still answered your cries, a hand reaching down to rub quick circles onto your clit. "C'monn.. that's right, let go.." He almost growled into your ear as hips were moving like a blur now. You couldn't take it and cried out his name in pleasure, back arching against him and cunt spasming around his dick. His own hips stuttered due to the vice grip around him, "Ahh.." He sighed, releasing inside of you and allowing his weight to hold you down until he finished spilling into you. "Heh." He pulled out and took a step back from the bed to admire his work. Your body was sprawled out on the bed, chest heaving as your eyes remained half lidded. "Sleepy.." You muttered.

"'Course you are." He fixed himself up and pulled up his overalls. If you were able to look him over, you would have noticed he didn't seem to break a sweat. "Sweet dreams, toots." A familiar key swung around his finger as he strutted out the door, locking it behind him so no one would walk in and find you asleep half naked.

[winxwiki]

On the Winx reboot leaks

Long post, leaks analisis, spoilers if you don't want to see it under Read More. Seeing the Rainbow artist names attached onto these pictures and the development renders, these are 100% real. On top of that, It's not the first time Rainbow got something leaked, received feedback and acted accordingly. Remember the negative feedback on the 2023 easter eggs designs? Poof, gone. Remember the positive feedback on the 2023 leaked group design? Suddenly, Rainbow started using that Bloom at press events.

I genuinely believe that Rainbow "leaks" stuff now on purpose to receive feedback without actually needing to announce anything final to broadcasters.

Let's see.

From the Lorem Ipsum we can tell this isn't remotely final, but a group test. We're back to Bloom with a ponytail (they really like it!) and Tecna does have robotic limbs. Each girl's design seems to reflect their elements:

Stella has stars, the sun, wings at her feet and light, even light rays on her wings and top

Bloom seems to have scales of some sort and patterns on her leggings. Maybe to indicate that she's an artist? Or meant to represent the breath of life?

Musa, the smallest, got some musical sheet onto her. Overall not the most musical inspired design. Everybody kinda looks like an ice skating ballerina.

Flora got flowers. Really most obvious one there.

Aisha's hair is a bit too much, I prefer her civilian braids more. I like how her dress has wavy patterns of sorts and sparkles that look like shining waters on her shorts and skirt. They can do better on her though. Wings look like they got splashes of water. It's still cool that Rainbow is experimenting more with black textured hair than any american animation studio, so kudos for that.

Tecna looks like she's wearing a circuit but looks the most generic. Probably because she has too much going on with a full bodysuit with patterns. I don't like the accessory on her head.

Proof that these are real: these obvious dev documents

They even got an alt with their "civilian" hairstyles, but it says "transform". Which means no hairstyle or design is final so far.

It seems Musa and Tecna share skintones, Bloom has her own, Stella and Flora share it too, Aisha has her own and is the darkest. I think we can make Stella and Flora a little darker each in varying degrees, to show that Stella is tanned and Flora is a dark skinned latina.

There is a lot of focus on the designs we saw leaked that got positive reception. It's likely they will be finalized, since they went as far as making a test animation with that Bloom design.

A lot going on here in this room already giving Bloom so much personality. Her own shelf with the name with a heart-shaped B. A guitar? A sketchbook and school supplies. Bloom is back to drawing again, we last saw that in World of Winx but in the main series it was always just left implied by her earth room's belongings and her huge drawing desk, yet it was never expanded upon. Hopefully her being an artist can finally shine through her personality.

Most importantly, she's back to being silly, goofy and expressive again. Of course, the reboot is back to square one with the story and characterizations. I hope more quirks that were not explored in the main series get more attention in the reboot (again, like Bloom being an artist!)

The Trix now got a symbol and individual faces while sharing the same body. Icy's design is nearly identical to the original, I actually like the small cuts showing skin on her chest, so she doesn't feel too covered up. Midriffs are back and so is 2000s fashion.

Important detail, Icy is taller than Bloom. Is it her heels? Regardless, we got some more body diversity.

Some more notes:

Artist is credited as Pasqualino Masciulli, a real 3d artist at Rainbow

Date is 17 April 2024, for some reason they're using the wrong format. This is VERY recent. They're NOWHERE near done!

It says episode 106. It must be a reference to the reboot itself, Season 1, episode 6, as the old series episodes in total were 208. This means the series has at least finished writing and storyboarding, but they haven't finished with the character designs yet!

Further proof that fucking nothing is done yet, the leaker said this. From what I just noted above, I believe it. They're not remotely done.

This "Damien" motherfucker looks ai generated, doesn't fit the style in the slightest with his weirdly realistic face and the belts details and clothing folds are all over the place. Shame to whoever did this.

Who even is this guy? Is he the new character Iginio was warning us about? He doesn't look bad but they can do even better. Definitely a fascinating choice for the sexy bad boy, because I know that's who he's gonna be.

Don't fucking use AI for your art, though. It looks like shit.

Interesting, no specialists in the leaks. No Roxy or Terra either though.

This outfit is a mix of 2 outfits from season 2. Which means they're studying their own old designs. The same goes for another Bloom render and concept.

Fascinating detail: they're using 2000s dress up pixel dolls as reference. Learn from the masters! This dress doesn't resemble anything and doesn't seem to be a civilian dress but a transformation one, with all the glitters and stars around.

Last but not least, absolutely atrocious 2000s fashion is back (this is a good thing). We can hope a little but it's surprising how in 5 years they haven't done shit yet. That's some development hell. Either Iginio is really passionate about making this the second coming of Christ or they don't know what the fuck they're doing.

Free hopium tanks!

[nihilnovisubsole]

i wasn't going to keep cluttering people's dashes up with my ffxiv stream-of-consciousness posts. but after a chance run-in with @arcanistvysoren in the dusk vigil one night, i was encouraged to make more. so, hey! heavensward! that was a lot!

one thing you can always count on final fantasy to do is give you leitmotifs. sad scene? leitmotif. climactic battle? leitmotif. quest accepted? leitmotif. hey, dragonsong is nice. why not?

it's difficult to overstate how habitually this game throws beautiful atmosphere at you and makes it look effortless. i know i keep repeating myself, but it keeps being true. the quiet desolation of riding through the coerthas western highlands at night with a blizzard battering you and fog obscuring the horizon. ough

i was looking forward to royce's role as a self-exiled ishgardian in this part of the story, and i was very much not let down. heavensward spends a lot of time emphasizing what an irreplaceable asset the warrior of light becomes to ishgard, so the bitter taste that she would have experienced during the early coerthas ARR quests rises to a nauseating pitch. oh, now the ishgardian authorities care. now they want her around. now they want to heap praise on her for pulling them out of the fire. when they did nothing to help save her squad five years ago and went damnatio memoriae on her when she vanished. they're lucky she's too heroic to let them burn.

i'm not exactly sure how she works through her feelings by the end. i'll have to think about it. write about it, maybe. we'll see.

the dragon plot is fine. it works! it's cool! it's all very mythic in scale and appropriately tragic. i'm just more drawn to the expansion's mundane side. it's easy for final fantasy to get carried away with itself when it's got aether and primals and multiverses flying around, so we need the periods where we deal with interpersonal conflict to keep it grounded and speak to lived human experience.

i mean, the windows into how ignorant ishgardian citizens are and how deep their religious indoctrination actually goes? that's meaty. a church covering up everything from their archbishop's love child to the history their core theology was founded on? that's the good stuff

god, it's hilarious how much estinien and aymeric were engineered in a lab for fans to fall in love with them. they're elves, they're tall, they have deep voices and piercing eyes and swooshy hair, they're brooding, they're burdened with great and terrible responsibility. estinien is beat-for-beat the "character 1" archetype of otome games: mysterious and mean, but defrosts over his story arc. you have dinner at aymeric's house! the dev team had to know that these fellows were going to have a following and leaned into it.

actually, wait, does aymeric fall into the "responsible authority figure" otome archetype? is haurchefant the "flirty, excitable younger guy" archetype? am i onto something here? pepesilvia.jpg

poor haurchefant ):

speaking of characters, cid is growing on me. i didn't pay much attention to him in ARR, but i like that he continues to play a major role. he's a fun guy to have around. royce draws heavily from cyan garamonde, who's a notorious technophobe, and i wonder whether she inherited some of that character DNA too. you are a good man and i trust you but do not dare augment my lance. more power means more parts to break. cold steel will never fail you

the vault and baelsar's wall are awesome as dungeons, but lol, lmao. there is something to be said for bark trigger volume. filthy rats! [crackling fireball noise] sickness must be purged! [explosion] filthy rats! [griffin sword swing] sloppyyy!! [another explosion] sickness must be purged!

i have finally found a part of the game i dislike: leap of faith. UGHHH. why am i good at every GATE except that one. UGHHH

oh i have THOUGHTS about that duel with raubahn

emmanellain's job is just beach

[crissiebaby]

Double Diaper Dare: Chapter 14

DISCLAIMER: This story contains diaper usage, public humiliation, masturbation/diaper sex, WAM, hypermessing, hypnosis, diaper filling, slime transformation, and other ABDL themes. I hope you enjoy!

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Clicking on his flashlight, Mike cocked his head sideways, entranced by what appeared to be an oatmeal outline of a butt. “So…what? Someone got wet and wild with the oatmeal machine?” he said, peering around the corner at his fellow security guard, Devin, who was in the process of checking each and every stall thoroughly.

“Looks that way. I told you we needed to double security for the testing department,” said Devin as he kicked open the last unchecked stall, disappointed and confused to find no one inside, “It doesn’t make sense. There’s no one hiding in the lockers or the stalls, and there’s no other way out of this bathroom.” Pressing his fingers to his temple, he sighed, not looking forward to reporting to his superior empty-handed. At least if they found the vandal, they could avoid getting chewed out for a security breach.

Shaking his head, Mike waved Devin back to the entrance, offering him a sympathetic smile. “Well, consider your point proven. Maybe now, they’ll listen when we say we’re stretched way too thin,” he said, patting his colleague on the back, “Tell ya what we’re gonna do. You’re gonna stand guard outside of this changing room and keep a close eye on the testing chamber while I radio to maintenance for a clean-up crew, sound good?”

Nodding in response, Devin shook off his dejection and followed Mike into the main testing chamber. “Wanna get some beers later tonight? It’s Thirsty Thursday at Mickey’s and I could use a-WOAH!” he said, cutting himself off mid-sentence as one of his feet slipped out from under him, nearly causing him to fall over. He planted his feet and stuck his arms out wide, quickly regaining his balance. Looking down at the floor, he expected to see a clump of oatmeal with a shoe print skidding through it. However, what he found instead was some kind of sticky, purple goo, “...the hell?”

“What’s up?” said Mike, attentively approaching Devin only to stop dead in his tracks as though his feet had been glued to the floor, “Dev, is this a prank or something?!” He twisted his upper body around frantically, attempting to dislodge his feet to no avail.

Shaking his head no, a panicking Devin soon found that both of his shoes were stuck to the floor as well. In his struggle to free himself, he lost his balance once and for all and tumbled backward onto his butt, landing atop the sticky surface. “What is this stuff?!” he shouted, trying and failing to remove his hand from the ground.

Suddenly, the gooey ground began to shift around them as a purple blanket of slime began to converge at a central point, rising from the ground in the process. Unfortunately for Devin and Mike, the shifting slime carried their bodies with it, sucking them in closer to the epicenter. “W-What the fuck are they working on in here?!” screamed Mike, lunging with all of his weight in hopes of unsticking his feet, only to flop down onto his belly, trapping him like a bug on a piece of fly paper.

With both Devin and Mike unable to escape, they could only watch with growing horror as the goo continued to pile onto itself until its central form was several feet taller than the two burly men. “How dare you enter MY domain?!” said a booming feminine voice, a pair of slimy eyes forming on its face.

The security guards could only shriek in terror and plead for forgiveness as they fruitlessly scrambled to dislodge themselves from the angry-sounding slime creature. “I-I’m sorry! W-We’ll leave immediately,” cried Devin, who was shaking like a frightened chihuahua. His fear became so great that he accidentally let out some pee into his black slacks, a fact that did not go unnoticed by the mysterious, sentient goo monster.

“Hahaha! Looks like someone forgot to diaper up this morning,” said the female voice, cackling maniacally at the pitiful guard. As her eyes wandered over to the two-person diaper that Crissie had presented her with earlier, a devious plot formed in her mind, “Don’t worry, I can help you both change into something far more appropriate.” Extending several slimy tendrils out from her body, the slime creature effortlessly lifted the pair of men off of the ground. She snickered at their meek attempt to wiggle out of the many tentacles she used to bind them, getting quite the kick out of how easy it was to keep them hovering in the air even as they kicked and writhed to free themselves.

“P-Please! I’m just a security dispatcher! Let me go and take Devin! He’s the one who was harassing you!” pleaded Mike, showing that he was more than willing to throw his buddy under the bus for his own sake.

Dropping his jaw in shock, Devin’s frightened state immediately swapped to animosity toward his co-worker. “Fuck you, Mike! Take him! He just sits in his office most of the day anyway! No one will even notice!” he said, hoping for any sort of mercy from the slime monster. Sadly, the only response he got was having a tentacle shoved between his lips, silencing him and filling his mouth and throat with flavorless goo. Straining his peripheral vision, he saw that Mike had fallen victim to the same fate.

“There, much more peaceful without you two squabbling,” said the slime, orchestrating her tentacles to position the two guards back to back. She then picked up the diaper with four leg holes and slowly shimmied it up the two men’s legs, quite a feat considering how strongly they were jerking their lower halves back and forth to stop her. Their efforts were tragically in vain as in no time at all, she managed to slot them into the two-person diaper, taping it on them snugly before using the built-in waistband lock to secure their conjoined undergarment.

Depositing the two men back on the ground, the slime let go of their bodies to allow them the opportunity to explore their new padding for the foreseeable future. It may have been a little cruel but it was an absolute delight to watch them fail to do something as simple as stand up without crumbling back down onto their tushies. As a finishing touch, she grabbed two pieces of Bubbly Baby bubblegum and forced them into the mouths of her two captives. They tried to spit out the sugary confection but Codi’s tentacles were relentless, keeping the gum firmly held between their teeth. After a few chomps from both Devin and Mike, she released them, watching with unabashed glee as their expressions faded from anxious to docile to giggly in a matter of seconds. “Now, you two sit here and think about what you’ve done,” she said, booping them each on the nose before rushing back toward the changing room.

Flattening herself to the floor, the slime dove under the changing room’s door and rose up on the other side, gradually returning to her humanoid form as Codi. “Told ya I could do it!” she said proudly, having completed Crissie’s latest dare.

“Yay! I had a feeling you’d have fun with that,” said Crissie, running up to Codi and throwing her arms around her, paying little mind to the parts of her that were still unformed goo, “Let’s hurry and find that key! We don’t want to deal with anyone else showing up before we-MMMMF!”

All of sudden, Crissie had her mouth filled by a long, gooey tentacle. Her eyes went wide as she felt herself growing instantly moist behind her cursed chastity belt. With her resistance flatlining, she opened her lips more and flattened her tongue to allow Codi’s slime to travel down her throat, which eagerly pressed into her tummy and rubbed up against her womb. Surprisingly, she still found she was able to breathe through her nose, letting her know that Codi was skilled enough to pull this off without suffocating her. Meanwhile, a second tentacle slithered over the waistband of her diaper, through the slots of her chastity, and into her moist slit, filling her from top to bottom. Her limbs went weak as she moaned hard, allowing for her entire body weight to be supported by Codi.

“Ah, ah, ah! It’s my turn to give the dare and I won’t have you rushing me,” said Codi, taking her fully formed hand and brushing it against Crissie’s cheek, “I Double Diaper Dare you to avoid cumming until I get us back to the nursery. If you can do that, I’ll concede and let you win.” While to an outsider, her offer may have appeared fair, both she and Crissie knew that Crissie was never going to be able to hang on for that long.

Codi had barely stepped foot outside of the changing area before Crissie felt the first orgasm overtake her. Her body quivered in Codi’s arms, refusing to let her mask how horny she had become. Part of her expected Codi to say something snarky as her climax happened but instead, Codi didn’t say a single word, deciding to comfort her with a series of soft headpats.

Watching as Codi scanned through the scattered oatmeal to find the teleport key, Crissie leaned into the crux of Codi’s arm and closed her eyes. She didn’t need to see her find the key and bring them home. She fully trusted that Codi would take care of her and keep her safe. “Ah uv oos,” she mumbled through her mouthful of slime.

“I love you too, Crissie,” said Codi, leaning down and planting a kiss on Crissie’s forehead.

TO BE CONTINUED…

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Edited by AllySmolShork

Special Thanks to Our CrissBaby Diaper Company Investors: BlossomBitchDolly BlushyBen DD Exminister Gun1242 JFN LittlePissy PrincessKittenLizzi Strawberry Sweetsamantharebecca

[zorlok-if]

"Evey," the blonde woman gazes past you, her lavender-gray eyes shining as she smiles. "There you are!"

"Hey, Vi," a clear voice responds, noticeably less-enthused than Viola's. You know this voice. Unfortunately.

Your muscles tense up. This was the confrontation you were trying to avoid by coming directly to Detective Jarndyce.

"I hadn't seen you yet today." Viola crosses one long leg over the other, leaning back in her chair with a smug expression. "You had me starting to worry."

"Yeah." Eve sounds tired, already exasperated and it's only 8:15. "Well, there's a missing corpse I had to deal with." You manage not to react to that statement. "And I can't just sit at a desk all day," she continues, pointedly.

Viola smiles briefly. "I'm actually in the middle of taking a statement as you should have noticed." She clears her throat, gesturing to you with an open palm. "This is—"

"Oh," Eve cuts her partner off. "There's no need for that." You hear something like a manila folder snapping shut before being dropped onto a desk. "I remember them."

Your heartbeat falters—if you do indeed have a heart. You spin around in the cheap, rolling desk chair. Eve is now towering over you less than half a meter away, her arms tightly crossed.

Your mind returns to Redcliff Forest three nights ago. The hellhound was leading the dogs and their handlers away from you—charging deeper and deeper into the park, getting as far from Fell Hollow as it could.

You were catching your breath in a bush, quickly realizing you'd picked the wrong shrub to hide in. Spiny thorns dug into your side, ripped the fabric across your back and shoulders, tore into the tender flesh at the base of your neck. You were about to move when loud radio static erupted from the ravine, no more than ten meters behind you. "55-A. Suspect in custody. All units report back to your commanding officers."

"10-4", Eve responded.

"Let's get out of here." Viola sighed. "This place gives me—"

A flashlight beam flicked on. It was aimed at the bush. At you.

"Eve? What is it?" Viola whispered aggressively. Her partner didn't respond. "Did you see something?"

Eve paused for a long moment. She was closing in, approaching slowly but surely. Leaves crunched beneath her feet. A twig snapped.

"Maybe," Eve murmured.

Silence.

You clenched your fists. What the hell? How had an ordinary human noticed you?

"We have to go," Viola pleaded. "There's nothing there. It's just a bush. Are you going to arrest a fucking plant?" She walked closer to Eve, whispering, "Come on. Let's get out of here." There was a playfulness to her voice that you didn't fully understand.

Shit. You didn't want to kill these two tonight, but if it came down to it—

"Fine." The spotlight drifted away. "After you."

Back in the precinct, you shift in your seat. "Right. About that—" you start to speak at the same time as Eve says, "You were the one we brought in for questioning last week. The one those kids saw at Sunnyside."

Relief washes over you. You do your best not to let it show. "Yes. Lovely to meet you again, Detective Park."

"Same to you." A dangerous smile touches her full lips. She tucks her hair behind her ear and pulls over her own desk chair. "I've been hearing a lot about you..."

Please enjoy this sketch of Eve courtesy of the lovely and incredible Vin (@fooltofancy). I cannot recommend working with her enough. Definitely go check out their other work (like this one of Adam or this one of Dev).

[felassan]

First thing, I love your blog, I've been following it for a while and I have to say that your theories for Dreadwolf and lore in general are the best. 🙈

Second thing, I have a question about Flemythal and Hawke/Warden when they were left in Here Lies the Abyss. Do you think there is a chance for survival for the person that was left in the Fade? I left Hawke cause the game kinda hinted it(from Flemeth warning to Hawke in DA2, Hawke theme playing when they talk with Varric etc). Flemeth took the soul of Urthemiel from Kieran (if he is the old god baby ofc) and is seen sending something into an eluvian before Solas comes to her. Is there a chance she sent it to Hawke/Warden (cause she can waltz into raw Fade with no problem apparently). I'm really curious to hear your thoughts! 😊

hello! welcome, and thanku for the nice msg (❁´◡`❁)

thoughts below 😊

(interesting points about Flemeth's lines to Hawke in DAII, and the Hawke Family Theme playing in the conversation with Varric in DA:I.) whether the person who was left in the Fade could have survived - you know, I'm actually not sure one way or the other? I lean towards they didn't (RIP Stroud), but there's always a chance ig. the text accompanying the choice only says "[x] will likely die to cover your escape", right? the writers could in future write that they survived, if they wanted to write that. you can kill leliana in DA:O and she still comes back in DA:I, in a manner of speaking. (an aside: peoples' art, fics and AUs etc which explore, for example, Hawke escaping from the Fade or the HoF searching for Alistair in the Fade etc, are neat. personally, I always think about this happening wrt Purple Hawkes who got left in the Fade hhh)

about Flemythal and the post-credits scene, she's seen sending something into the eluvian before Solas arrives even when Kieran doesn't exist or the Dark Ritual was never undertaken. so I tend to think it wasn't Urthemiel's soul (or wasn't only Urthemiel's soul) that we see there in that scene.

data-mining the game files on that scene yields these dev notes:

Designer’s Notes: This is Flemeth from the previous two games. In this game, Flemeth’s story comes to a head – she knew that Solas would summon her, and that he would need to steal her power to further his plans. She knew that because they are both elven gods…yet Solas has slept for a thousand years and his power dwindled, while she was killed long ago and a spark escaped from her into the body she now holds. She has nurtured that spark, and knew that Solas would need it. He was once her oldest friend, but she knows in his drive to save the elven people he will kill anyone – even her. She intends to let him have the power, so long as she can pass the essence of her god-hood onto Morrigan, a gift Flemeth had always planned for her daughter yet one Morrigan misunderstood as hostile possession.

dev notes like these from game files don’t always ‘hold true’ by the time the games ship because things can change during development and ‘legacy notes’ sometimes get left in there iirc, or else something which the player experiences or is told to them during the game contradicts them (and in those cases what’s seen/said in-game takes precedence in terms of what’s canon ofc, as these notes aren’t really meant to be ‘seen’ be players). so the notes should probably be taken with a grain of salt. still, my speculation is that the thing Flemythal pushed through the mirror is the essence of her godhood, intended for Morrigan. we don't know where the eluvian in that scene leads - maybe it leads to the Crossroads, rather than the Raw Fade? if the thing we saw was indeed intended for Morrigan, that could make sense, since she has knowledge of and access to the Crossroads.

my alternative speculation is that it was part of Flemythal's own soul; Flemythal has demonstrated before that she can split her soul into different pieces to avoid death, Horcrux-style (like amulet she gave to Hawke in DA2, "the first of my people do not die so easily" etc). 

I'm also unsure about the timing lining up - the post-credits scene with Flemythal and the mirror takes place at an unspecified time after Inquisition but before Trespasser. the person who was left in the Fade was left in there weeks or potentially months before then. so if the thing that was sent was the crux on which the person's survival depended, it would depend on the person who was left behind defeating Nightmare and surviving alone in the Fade for quite a long time until receiving the thing that was sent.

ofc, none of that means the person left in the Fade couldn't have a chance to survive separate to that.

[joannaliceevans-fanficblog]

Hello SunShine: Prologue

Guys! I’m soooo excited! And this is first for me, to be writing an action/ romance fic! I really do hope that all of you enjoy this one, as much as I love writing this. 

Warnings: violence (gun shots and mentions of beatings). If this isn’t for you, then dont read. 

There will be smut and this is going to be a mini series. 

Also, if you like what you read? Please reblog! Thank you and I love you!

18 + only.

I would like to thank @maroonsunrise83 for letting me share some of my ideas! and also @starlightcevans​

ALSOOOO to @princessofdarkwinter​  because I love her and everything about her. 

Denny walked along the long hallway with his second in command, Suzanne. It was a successful mission for them, and they both planned on going out for drinks and finally putting Lloyd away. Denny knew that his best friend was crazy, so he used him to take down whoever was in his way. 

But after a while, he’s gone a little soft on him, and he didn’t like it. 

Friends? Sure, friends since their Harvard days. But Lloyd changed over the years, and for the two, it was time to put the psycho in his place.

"Alright, I'll see you at the bar in a few hours?" Suzanne said, making her way to the other hallway.

"Yes, I just need to make a few phone calls to the boss," Denny said. The two nodded, and Suzanne disappeared down the hallways. Sighing, Deny opened the door and closed the door behind him.

He reached for the lights and froze. The prickly feeling in him had a feeling that someone was in his office. He went around his waist, reaching for his gun.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Denny heard. He frowned as he felt like he had heard it before.

"Do I know you?"

A snort came from the other end, and his desk light went on. A woman appeared in front of him, dressed in black, in a ponytail, and holding a silencer. He knew that signature gun and the girl. 

Denny looked at her and let out a giggle.

"Oh, your Mrs. Hansen, Lloyd’s wife." Deny said as he took a step forward.

"I am." You said as you got up from his chair and walked around the desk, leaning back.

"There has to be a reason why you came here." Deny said. You looked at him slowly as he reached around his waist once more. You didn't think and aimed at his foot and shot a bullet. Deny yelped and fell to his knees.

"The fuck was that for!" Deny whined in pain. You smiled and punched him on the nose, making him yell out in pain.

"If you want to live and have a drink with Suzanne, then I suggest that you tell me where Lloyd is." You said, tapping the tip of the silencer on his forehead. Deny laughed.

"The hell I would tell you. You let out a laugh and grabbed Denny by his collar. And even if I told you, he’s dead." Denny said with confidence. 

“You know, the moment that bitch Suzanne called me, I knew there was something wrong.”

Boom

You looked up to see Suzanne with her gun. You smiled and shot a bullet towards her leg. She, too, clasped onto the floor, and her weapon flew far from her. You watched her crawl towards her gun, and you sighed. You strolled towards her while grabbing Denny on his collar and dragged him with you. You then kicked the gun even farther.

"I'm done playing games, assholes. You said. Tell me where you put Lloyd, and maybe I'll play nice.", dropping Denny to the ground. 

"Your bluff-"

You turned to Deny and kicked him in the stomach, making him yelp.

"I'd rather die-"

"Oh, you'd rather die? Okay!" You said with a smile and shot a round close to her at the chair.

**

20 minutes later ...

You had Suzanne tied to the chair and Deny as well. Both bloody and well beaten up.

"One last time, kids, where is Lloyd?!"

"Kill me-"

You kicked Suzanne on her leg where her bullet wound was and making her yelp. Then you punched her on her swollen cheek and placed your hands around her neck.

"Lion, France!" Suzanne yelled with what's left of her strength. You let go and stood back with a smile.

"Now that wasn't so hard!" You said and reached into your pocket. Then you placed a tiny little device around Denny's neck. You clipped it on and tapped his face.

"Now, there is no way you can escape now. You fucked with my husband, and now I fuck with you kids. Except-" You said, holding onto the remote.

"They will get you for this!" Deny yelled as he tried to wiggle out of his chair.

"Oh, I'm sure they won't. Someone taught me well." You said, pointing the silencer and shooting Deny in both his knees and twice on Suzanne's feet.

You walked out and heard them yelling to spare their lives. You then placed your sunglasses on and headed towards the elevators. Once you hit the lobby and towards the front, you got the remote and pressed the green button.

The moment you walked out of the building; the top floor of the CIA building explodes. Dani pulled up, and you got in. Dani looked at you and smiled.

"Where too? France?" Dani asked. You smiled.

"I knew; I just wanted to kill them." You said as Dani drove off, and commotion was beginning

[animatedjen]

I have a question about the scenes from different angles! I often wonder why they seem to...jolt or maybe stutter (for lack of better words) and yet the actual finished scene presented in the game seems so much more fluid.

I was thinking of this with the one with Kata boosting herself up and settling herself on the couch you just posted but I've wondered about this before. I know that other examples, like BD jumping into Cal's arms makes a little more sense since BD doesn't actually exist and is added separate where they definitely need to change the angles to make it more seamless but it's fascinating how the raw product (again, lack of better words!) reveals just how much those angles and panning in (not so much out) matter.

Or is this just a technical thing that has an easy explanation and I'm making it far more complicated? LOL

Good question! I'm not a game dev and my animation days were a long time ago, but there's probably a few things at play:

Every cutscene in the game would be designed, polished, and optimized specifically for the end visual. Disconnecting from the intended camera always look worse when the entire scene is built around a specific POV.

Sometimes animators will "cheat" a movement if it ends up looking better from the camera's perspective. Or if a character's hand or face isn't visible to camera, there's no need to fully animate it. My guess is: here Cal's hand "snaps" to BD-1 as the animation transitions from PCAP (performance capture) data to locking onto BD's character model. We don't see it in the final cutscene, so it doesn't need to be polished.

Kata's hands/legs aren't seen in the actual cutscene, so any animation left there is to better serve the in-camera visuals-- could also be the PCAP moving her character rig. Or the animator selected two finger controls while adjusting torso movement, idk for sure. But her face is cute :') Don't ask me about Merrin's leg though.

Notice how the camera is shifting too! That changes how we perceive movement. I'm also very new at capturing game footage and may not be using the ideal framerate/settings to best showcase the visuals, which could definitely add some stutter.

The alt-angle cutscenes are fun to explore (Twitter found one of them and it got a little crazy hah) and it's WILD to "re-film" a scene after it's been created, which is something I can't do in live-action or 2D animation. Outside of VR, most things aren't designed for 360 viewing! And I'll always, always uphold Respawn's decisions with its visual narrative and how they wanted to present it.

TLDR; cutscenes are designed around the camera, animation is super time consuming so prioritizes in-camera visuals, and Jen is still learning how to capture game footage

[raxistaicho]

Edelgard suggested she might be wrong, though!

Eeeyyy, Strikes (that’s her nickname and it’s a lot shorter than butwhatifidothis, sorry) doesn’t usually make arguments anymore! This’ll be a nice break from Fantasy Invader.

Maybe.

Hopefully.

Spoilers for Trails in the Sky a ways under the cut

And uhh, that’s not an argument I’ve ever heard before, honestly, it must be a super old one. Good thing it got dropped, it’s weak.

So because Edelgard said,

It means the devs are saying, “you did wrong, tho.”

So I guess when Dimitri says he’s a monster who deserves death it means we need to ram him into something that can kill him, accept the game over, and start a new file of Three Houses?

When Joshua Bright said he was a broken person with a broken heart, it meant Estelle should have immediately given up on him?

When Velvet Crowe said she was monster and claimed she ate Seres just ‘cause, that meant she retconned reality and changed the circumstances under which she ate her?

It’s almost like sometimes people with trauma and a poor self-image say self-deprecating things that aren’t actually true.

“Which doesn’t mean Byleth is defying destiny by walking at Edelgard’s side. No sir.”

Again, the devs only said Silver Snow was the route that was made first to explore the world, not that the worldbuilding suits SS specifically. Otherwise, what the fuck is Azure Moon there for? I’ve seen it argued that White Clouds best suits Azure Moon because of Lonato and Miklan (setting aside that their respective issues were not about Dimitri’s personal tragedy but the broken state of Fodlan society), but with Strikes’ argument Azure Moon can’t possibly mesh with White Clouds because White Clouds only supports Silver Snow, according to her!

I mean... Azure Moon doesn’t mesh at all with White Clouds anyways, but that’s for very very different reasons.

I’m on to you, you red-headed, red-caped bastard.

I won’t let you invade Nohr, Ryoma >:(

Also, correct me if I’m wrong, but Byleth’s side, whichever side that is, does plenty of mowing down in all routes.

Damn, Fodlan is doomed.

Those poor celebrating commoners.

Oh no, is this Crushed Nugget again?

Now we’re delving straight into, I believe, Crushed Nugget’s Everyone is Miserable in CF set of posts, which is something I’d reeeeeaaaaaally like to dig into sometime, because it’s just a lot of petty and trivial ways to try to demonstrate everybody as being unhappy or less-fulfilled characters in CF.

These can range from the ever-popular “Lysithea doesn’t want to destroy the Empire in CF”, to “Yuri feels overworked in CF”, to “Raphael is irresponsible and happy in CF”, to “Ingrid is sadge in CF”. Yeah, being happy is bad if in CF and being unhappy is also bad if in CF.

It’s basically just her plucking at literally anything she can find to say that CF is bad in that exact moment without any regard for consistent standards. Ignatz’s is especially amazing given you know if the paintings he drew were reversed she’d instead say VW Ignatz is good for wanting to immortalize the horror of war so we never forget what war takes from us while CF Ignatz is bad for trying to cover up the pain with pretty pictures of something.

If you looked at red flags through pink lenses, wouldn’t they still look red?

Hey, you’re the one who said,

Because even the lord of the route is trying to tell the player that uhhh Byleth doesn't belong here, they're supposed to be on the other routes. Which checks with how the devs said that SS is the route the world-building is based on, and how within the game itself CF directly goes against SS' world-building. 

Don’t blame me for arguments you made!

She’s missing the point. It’s not argued that you don’t get to choose SS. The argument is that you do have to choose CF. You can’t default onto CF the way you can SS.

Another important point is how riddled with But Thou Musts SS is.

Who’s in charge of the army here, Seteth!?

So... going CF isn’t about tearing Byleth away from their proper place in SS?

If Byleth is meant to go SS, as Strikes said above, then CF is about defying fate.

If CF isn’t about defying fate, then Byleth isn’t meant to go SS.

So suddenly Byleth is more than a self-insert for the player to glom onto? That’s a bit contradictory to the usual Edelcrit line, but okay.

Since Byleth is now their own character and not a self-insert to represent the player, then Edelgard isn’t trying to date the player and the player demographics have no bearing on whether or not she’s bi, nor does her "gap moe” have any bearing on whether or not CF is a valid choice, because maybe Byleth doesn’t care about all that. Maybe they’re into MILFs.

Technically no, there’s a sequence of options that can have Byleth making no positive choice regarding which side to take.

Miss the coronation entirely, then you have a “I must kill Edelgard,” and “...” option at the Holy Tomb.

Indeed, you can spend basically all of SS being dragged around expressing discontent, and getting But Thou Must’ed into following along with the plot.

Also, again, the argument is not that Byleth can’t choose SS. It’s that they have to choose CF.

Hey, speak for yourself, I usually marry Dorothea.

Strikes is getting real fuckin’ philosophical all of a sudden about the concept of player character agency in a narrative-driven video game.

For real, this is some Bioshock/Undertale-level shit.

You know, I never considered that maybe Corvo would rather just stay in his cell and accept execution as penance for his failure to protect the Empress. He can’t speak in Dishonored 1, how do I know what his thoughts on the subject are? Am I puppetting him to commit mass murder like some kind of revenge-loving cordyceps!?

I am so sorry, Corvo :(

But actually, Strikes, how do you know that Byleth wants to fight Edelgard? Maybe they want to pick Black Eagles every time? Are you perhaps denying their agency every time you join your beloved Golden Deer? (I’m just assuming GD is her favorite route since she professes to love Claude). Are you denying their agency when you click on, “I must kill Edelgard”?

How could you do such an awful thing?

Bonus round time!

Why is she continuing her arguments in the tags??? That sounds annoying as hell.

Also, uhh,

Look at that fucking smug grin. Is that the face of an expressionless killing machine?

I have no idea where this, “Byleth reverts to being the Ashen Demon in CF” argument came from. I guess because they’re killing people the Edelgard detractors would rather they not kill, they have to be doing it heartlessly? That’s assuming a lot.

That’s... more or less exactly what it is, actually.

I know Strikes doesn’t like Edelgard being portrayed as a sad, tragic figure, but uhh... she is. Edge of Dawn is right there, it’s about Edelgard’s sorrow thinking about the future.

[midnightsun-if]

Since I’m nosy and curious what would you share on a hypothetical Patreon? 👀👀👀

I’ll just put this beneath the cut so the people who don’t want to interact with this don’t have to see it…

I’d probably double check with all of you what you’d like to see on the Patreon! After all, you all would be the people paying for said content… Some of my ideas though?

Early Access to future updates (which I feel like is a given).

RO POV Stories… Either to do with the MC (during canon, potentially before, or after) or something to do with their individual backstories. Or maybe just some fun scenarios involving them.

Family Stories— from back when the MC was a child, different events that transpired (while the MC was there or before… like how Helena and Saraya met).

Sibling Stories with them being the RO.

I might even do the sibling romance stories on there too… Wherein it wouldn’t become public until they were completed. (And I’d probably do each one at a time… Letting you all pick which sibling to do first.)

Different Polls for things. Like specific scenes you might want to see, what character I should focus on (like if I wanted to do a RO Month or Family Month specifically, etc). Might even ask for potential things that could become canon (like if I want to add a fourth pet option or something).

Lore Posts (would also take recommendations about what you’d like to see). Might even delve into my favorite love story that I have in the canon story that’s sort of become a myth in itself within the world of supernaturals.

Art, of course. SFW or NSFW (the monthly support being the thing that’d help me pay for said commissions).

Just NSFW content in general.

Q&As with the various characters or whatever else (again would let you all choose what you’d like to see at the beginning of each month).

Guides whenever we get to that point in the story. Would probably also have a spoiler tag just in case….

I’d love to be able to let you all make characters for the world of Midnight Sun… from a Professor at Aurelian, to a shopkeeper in Avalon, to anything else… (It wouldn’t be a perk for everyone, but I think it’d be fun.)

Scattered Dev Blogs— behind the scenes stuff, seeing potentially deleted scenes, etc.

Given the option to help direct potential scenes in the future (what you’d like to see) or being given the choice to help me customize things…

Might even share more of my “Untitled IF” on there too… Who knows though.

Honestly, I’d just be willing to see what you all would like to see as well! My ideas may not be the best or the most interesting, but I’d be willing to listen to feedback from you all!

I’d also like to point out the a couple of the things, like the art, would end up making their way onto here as well! Of course, there will be things that are Patreon Only, but I wouldn’t want you all, the ones that either can’t afford the Patreon or just don’t wish to subscribe to it, miss out on potentially important things…

Thank you for being curious about my potential future plans. You’re a sweetheart! ❤️

[eviexstratford]

So Watch Me Fly | Self-Para

Evelyn was terrified. Which she knew was to be expected. It had been a wonderful visit, even though she had actually missed Gray’s presence at their home. She could at least be happy in the fact that she was indeed giving her poor sister a break from their parent’s relentless bothering. And, now that they had seen for themselves that she was happy and healthy and doing well, they would ease up. So that had been good, and seeing her friends again? Nothing could have been more perfect. She and Landry continued on as if no time at all had past, as best friends did. And Devon? After a bit of awkwardness and obvious lingering guilt on his part, they went on much the same as well. Like the life-long friends that they all were. But too quickly those wonderfully rare few days of catching up were gone, and now it was time. And Evie wondered if she could really do this..

Don't know why I'm frightened I know my way around here

It was time. They had done as they’d planned, Devon going out first and a small bit on his own before she was ‘introduced’ and joined him. In those precious few moments, she took that time to collect herself.

But I'm not in any hurry And I need a moment

To look down at the exquisite costume that Elijah had lovingly and perfectly made, it’s vibrant reds and oranges designed to complement the Flamenco music that she and Dev had chosen. And she had been right, it was almost like he was there with her. Before she knew it though, it was time. One more deep breath and then she was gliding towards Devon on the ice, her smile wide as her ears nearly throbbed from the deafening applause. That was all for her ‘big’ intro, as there would be time for bows later. Now, without missing a beat, she took his hand as they went into the routine that they had been practicing (under the watchful eye of their coach this time) for months. And..it was perfect. Flawless, just as their countless practices had led up to. It made it all worth it, the rushed pain in the butt weekends that she had spent, flying from school to the rink only to fly back again before she felt like they had even accomplished anything. Obviously they had, as Evie was in her element. Shimmering and sparkling, and not just her costume. She herself sparkled as she always had, becoming one with the sounds of Charo’s Caliente’.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QgrirVDH1Y

She and Dev locked eyes and hands, flying apart only to come together again, the chemistry that had always been between them even more evident as they completed the more sensual steps towards the end. Then it was over, at once almost as fast as it started while also seeming to last forever. Devon dipped her before bringing them nose-to-nose as the music ended with the same flourish as they did, laughing and breathless. They parted then, Dev keeping hold of her hand as they took their bows. Her name was chanted, yelled. Signs were held up and roses were already being tossed onto the ice. It really was almost as if she had never left.. The two of them, still hand and hand, then glided off the rink and into the waiting arms of their coaches and friends.

I'm trembling now You can't know how I've missed you

The break was a short one but she enjoyed it. Watching Landry work her magic on the ice was always something special, and she had a moment to text her parents and Jason in the crowds before it was time to go change for her solo skate. This one..it was special. She had designed her costume herself, a confection of ice blue velvet shot through with silver threads that cascaded onto the flowing chiffon skirt. It would make her shimmer once again but in way this time. This was the Evie people were used to seeing: fragile but strong, delicate but capable. Charming and captivating and maybe even a bit theatrical. ‘Flamenco Evelyn’ had given them something different but this was what they were all here to see. The two sides of her; fire and ice. It was ice’s time now, and she was ready. Music that she had carefully chosen swelled as she glided onto the ice once more, the ice her home and the crowds her family.

I'm coming out of make-up The lights already burning Not long until the cameras will start turning And the early morning madness And the magic in the making Yes, everything is as if we never said goodbye

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5erci6mNvQ

The words of the song resonated with her, as did the emotional tone of the singer. Which was why she had picked this version, though it may not have been one of the more common or popular ones. It suited her and that made it hers. Evie started strong and stayed strong, the routine that she had a hand in choreographing like second nature to her now. She knew what was coming, and what’s more..she knew that she was ready for her. Closing her eyes, she sent a prayer to whoever happened to be listening and then simply..went for it. Small body torquing and turning at her will, Evelyn counted the rotations. One, two, three, and then, miraculously..four. She had done it; she had landed a quad! Tears of joy and pride streamed down her face as she finished the routine, this time ending with a soft and graceful bow. Yes, she had done it. She had reached past the pain and darkness of that first year or so after her accident, reached into a place of light and strength and accomplished something she never dreamt that she would. 

And this time will be bigger And brighter than we knew it So watch me fly, we all know I can do it

Pale eyes shimmered with tears as Evelyn looked into the crowds once more, the faces of her friends and family coming into focus as if they were the ones spot lit. She made her waves and blew her kisses, then simply stood and took it all in. Basking in the love of not only those who were there but those who couldn’t be, but whose love had still just as much brought here there. They had brought her to this point and she would be nothing without any of them. After mouthing a final ‘thank you’, she once more skated off the rink and into Landry and Dev’s waiting arms. Yes she was home, but there was also another home in her life now. And she couldn’t wait to get back to it and share her triumph with the new family in her life. She could do that now, knowing she would be back. Her life..was just where it was supposed to be.

@grayxstratford  @quinten-sawyer  @professor-shaw  @liamoftheirish  @xdamienblackx  @elijahxxwilson  @everlasting-unicorn @leibxedelman @lesliestedeman @ava-montgomery​  @margeauxxadkins​

[bprpg]

Hello! I hope everyone is having a lovely day today.

There's something we want to talk to everyone about regarding posts and replies.

It is very important that everyone read this post in full, so please do so! We'll be able to tell who has and who hasn't, and anyone we notice hasn't read it will receive a link to this post via tumblr and discord until we know it's been read. You've been warned!

As you probably know, Tumblr launched a new post editor a couple of years ago that hasn't been officially, fully implemented onto the site. Because of this, when making posts and doing replies, some of us are still able to toggle on and off between the legacy editor (the one we've been using for years now) and the new one. However, back in May, tumblr announced that they would start removing the legacy editor for some users, meaning that the eventual takeover of the new post editor is inevitable. Because of this - and a lot of reasons that we will go into further detail below - we think it's time to say goodbye to the legacy editor and only use the new post editor when posting starters and doing replies.

The thing is, as much as we love the legacy editor (RIP), you've probably noticed that sometimes using it to reply to posts that were created with the new post editor will make them a bit... wonky, to say the least. Your reply will appear twice, maybe the entire post will duplicate and then be impossible to delete (or simply require too much energy to fix). It complicates things for everyone. It's not anyone's fault! It's Tumblr's updates. It's also very hard to know when a post has been made using the legacy editor vs. the new post editor, so it's impossible to know whether a reply will work or not. To make things easier for everyone, I think it's important we all switch to the new post editor starting effective immediately.

Here's a couple of questions you might have.

Does XKit work with the new post editor?

The short answer is no. At least not the New XKit, the extension we've been using for ages now. If you've been roleplaying for a while, you probably remember there was an extension simply called XKit before New XKit came about, which was back when tumblr changed their post format the last time circa 2015. They got rid of blockquotes in reblogs! Remember? You couldn't edit your partner's reply even if you tried. And they did it again, except this time, it was a little harder to fix, so New XKit is no longer working with this new format. Reblogs using the new post editor look differently now. You can see an example of the difference below.

Does that mean I can't cut posts anymore?

Nope! You still can. The process is a little different, but if we're all using the new post editor, it shouldn't be very complicated.

You can use something called ✨ XKIT REWRITTEN ✨

It's another extension! (everyone say: thank you devs)

Because we are no longer allowing anyone to use the legacy editor, I would encourage everyone uninstall the New XKit extension you have and replace it with this one. It has basically the same features as the last one and is very user-friendly!

Download for Chrome

Download for Firefox

How does Trim Reblogs even work?

You can find a guide to using Trim Reblogs that explains it a million times better than I ever could right here. We'll have it linked in the resources channel on the discord as well, in case you need to check it out.

What about my current replies using the legacy editor?

Because we know you have active threads using the legacy editor, we'll allow you to play those out still using New XKit and editable reblogs, but any and all starters going forward have to be made using the new post editor. If your replies with your partner are duplicating or not working, you can either continue to write them that way, removing any duplicates if possible, or reach out to them and ask them what they want to do; try to figure something out that works for both of you.

So, TL;DR (but I DO hope everyone read this!):

Using the legacy editor will no longer be allowed in the roleplay. If you are currently using the legacy editor in replies, finish those but going forward, please post every starter and reply using the new post editor, install XKit Rewritten and toggle on Trim Reblogs to be able to cut your posts.

If you have any questions at all regarding this new rule (because we'll be adding it to the rules shortly with updated information and links to everything you'll need) please feel free to reach out to us!

To make sure everyone read this, I'm going to go very Tumblr 2012 and ask you to like this post and send me a discord message with a picture of your favorite animal. Thank you.

[teaveetamer]

The fact Engage was finished during the same time they had released 3H obvioulsy means that all the fears that Engage become the new standard for FE are also ridiculous since AT THE TIME, it was a contemporary of 3H and not a successor. And it's delay in release makes me realize that maybe we weren't even supposed to have a 3 Hopes game to begin with

I do actually really want to know what was going on in IS's headquarters at the time. Because here's what I've gathered:

3H and Engage were being developed alongside each other, though I'm guessing 3H began slightly beforehand since Engage was originally intended to release in 2020 for the 30th anniversary of the series and 3H was originally slated for a 2018 release. Also supported by the devs of Engage saying that they were intentionally going for the opposite of 3H, which means 3H must have been some degree of developed when Engage started.

3H got pushed back into mid 2019 which would have meant these two games would have had released dates within a year of each other, not exactly great.

3H released

Global pandemic + 3H's late launch likely caused IS to shift their plans and push Engage into the future/even further into the future

In the meantime IS requests another FE Warriors game. Don't know exactly when. We know based on interview content that FEW3H was originally conceptualized as just FEW2 in the same style as FEW. However I can't say how long they held onto that idea for.

At some point, KT pushes for an entirely 3H based Warriors game and they get their way.

That's what we know for sure/reasonable speculation based on circumstance.

So I'm guessing

It probably would have been far smarter to keep the 2020 release date for Engage and instead push 3H off for a few more years. This is just given that Engage was probably at the level of polish it needed to be for release whereas 3H could have used a few more years in the oven. BUT this was literally impossible since they'd already put 3H out there, banking on it being finished first. Since they were expecting a 2018 release date we'd already long since been getting promo material. Woulda caused some serious confusion if they were showing us a game for years and then suddenly we got something completely different. There might have also been contract terms (since it was developed by an outside studio) that wouldn't have allowed for that.

The development of Hopes probably pushed the Engage release date back even more, since it would be weird to release a Fodlan spinoff if the Fodlan game was no longer the newest in the series?

I wonder if originally they commissioned KT to do another Warriors game so they could have something to release after Engage to give them time to work on the next mainline entry, which got screwed by Hopes being a Fodlan exclusive game.

I'd say the biggest evidence for point 2 there is just how rushed the time between Hopes and Engage was and thus far the lack of support it's gotten since release. They probably would have been better served by a true FEW2, since it would have been much more flexible to work around.

[unproduciblesmackdown]

also enjoyed some delightful behind-the-scenes bonus material sort of videos for a:tdd from frictional:

the sound design demonstration video is a complete gift

the soundtrack composition and a tour of the composer's digital setup (so, all at one desk here lol):

a funny little edit presumably just serving as some teaser material:

and this video on Story:

which pairs really well w/an ye olde dev blog post i read abt their approach to immersion as well by trying to make the player feel like they Are the protagonist / doing what they would do, vs thinking of themself as just operating within the constraints of piloting a specific guy around, and had comments on what they chose to do to enhance this / what they think did or didn't work....sure noticed that frictional overall focuses on Story a lot, which i think is neat even if it comes at a tradeoff for how the game itself works sometimes, though the game serving the story and story serving the game works so well in a:tdd for sure, i also felt that the story did enough in the bunker, though the focus felt on the gameplay itself more so....it was funny hearing that apparently many players interpreted daniel's Read Aloud Diary Entries as being read aloud by him Now, Speaking in the Present, and would then be confused why he doesn't speak aloud to agrippa, though agrippa acts like daniel's responding....got the lore that agrippa was added fairly late in development, and that they considered removing the voiceover for diaries (which: noooo lol i love it. Eye didn't interpret it as [daniel is doing a dramatic reading for us Now] & it's so fun. but i note henri (& lambert's? i think) notes are Voiced Over in the bunker, so, win) or some different approach for agrippa (which, i also still really enjoy As Is imo, and sure interpret as either [imagine that daniel is speaking but we don't hear it] or [assuming agrippa is telepathic what with the mouth situation & we aren't hearing daniel's Thought Responses, which also aligns then with daniel just declining to have those thought responses for alexander lol)....talked abt Not doing cutscenes or anything where control was taken from the player, though there could be "reflexive" instances of forcing the View onto some event/item, and saying most ppl didn't mind this but they were wondering if even that was unnecessary....estimating that fifteen to thirty percent of players were annoyed by the Auditory Responses of daniel's reactions like, the heartbeat sfx, gasping, audible breathing, but to hell with them lol. i suppose i'd say that maybe daniel's Reactions like so were really what makes him feel very Present as a character, not as Necessarily an extension of the player, but (a) when Eye was playing i'd had the bonus confidence of enough familiarity via playthroughs to not be taken by surprise for the most part; the blog also said that Most Players were either neutral or felt daniel's noticeable reactions Enhanced the effects for them & (b) also Thee Story just serves to make daniel A Character in the first place, even if he didn't react thusly....but it'd be like, oh, gotta look after the guy separate from me, daniel, and make him feel a little better by standing in torchlight or collecting an item or something. but it's also like how it says in the video there, wherein this is Like having to mind your avatar's health stats. i realize I'm not wounded, but you find some laudanum about it (versus anything more like a Heal Kit lol. hangin in there), maybe I'm not crackling with fear rn, but i find daniel some light about it. and if i Was really in this creepy castle i Would be really quite scared i bet....you have to carry on....whilest it's also like, of course impossible to Ignore how well daniel's doing on that front, since even though he Doesn't become more easily found by enemies by any direct mechanic, having darkened shaky/blurry vision ft. hallucinations & that if you upset daniel enough he falls over for a few seconds = you really are in more danger b/c of all That....anyways obviously i like daniel's Presence as Past & Present character.