#edit: just opened it up on mobile for the first time and. oh.

[vivitalks]

(whispers) me? rebrand? i don't know what you're talking about! ive always been stydia in disguise

[onyourstageleft]

[sugoi-writes]

Biting back the urge to say 'fuck it' and come off anon cause I keep finding gif-sets that would work perfectly for Smutmus. I know why tumblr doesn't allow image/gif sharing while on anon, but goddammit! The visual aids do wonders for the parts I'm not articulate enough to write without sounding repetitive. 😩

But on that note: I've decided to just throw caution to the wind and do a reveal after this one! Just wanna play a bit more with what little editing mobile allows and get summaries of the Smutmus Holy Trinity put on a masterlist first~ ❤️

"Yeah? You gonna cum for me, baby?" You breathed out in between your gasps and moans. The corners of your mouth twitched upward as Alastor's thrusts became more and more animalistic with every 'slap!', every curse that bounced off the walls and invaded his senses. You just felt so fucking good! He couldn't help himself.

Removing his clawed hand from your hair, Alastor traced the point of his sharp nails down your back - reveling in the hiss that forced its way through your clenched jaw - to wrap around the curve of your ass, his other hand on your hip joining it on the opposite cheek. With a harsh squeeze followed by an equally hard slap, Alastor began to guide your lower body in sync with his own. Foreheads still pressed together, his eyes were locked with yours as both of you were nearing another release. "Yes, just like that! Don't stop!" He groaned, forcing your hips up and down, the sinful drag of his cock driving you mad.

"Gonna cum in this tight little pussy! M'gonna fill you up!" He promised, hips becoming more erratic as he chased that wonderful high - one he could never get anywhere else. Lifting your head just enough to look down between your bodies, salivating at the way his cock disappeared inside you. It was only for a second, but it was enough for Alastor to smack your ass once more, his other hand coming back up to grab a fistful of your hair and direct your gaze back to his face. "Look at me!" He demanded. The blissful sting of his hand pulling your hair made you clench around him even harder, if that was even possible.

"C-c'mon Al, give it to me!" You cried, heart racing as he pushed you closer and closer to the edge, splitting you in half on his cock. "Pound that pussy-! Nnghh-ohfuck, fuck! Harder Al! Pound my little pussy!" You continued to babble, your mind beginning to go numb as your mouth fell open in the perfect 'oh!' shape. You looked so beautiful like that, it was almost enough to make Alastor cum right then and there, but he held on. It was knowing that he was responsible for the ecstasy coursing through your veins that did it for him; your begging and your expression was tugging at what little restraint he had left.

Reaching up to pull his fingers from your hair, you lifted your upper body so that you were in an upright position once more - his hands returning to your ass cheeks, using them as leverage to bring you down harder and harder with each thrust. "Don't stop! Don't stop! Don't fucking stop!" Alastor commanded through clenched teeth, pounding up into you while watching your tits bounce in time with his movements. "Cum on my fucking cock! Do it, cum with me!"

You had wanted to drag this out a little bit longer, but the way Alastor was pounding into you at such an inhuman pace, your were nearly at your peak (as was he). Alastor watched your hand go straight for that little button in between your folds, rubbing harsh circles against it with the pads of your fingers. "That's it, that's it! Good fucking girl!" He praised you, his own mouth falling open at the sight before him. Arching your back slightly and throwing your head back, you clenched your eyes shut - a drawn out moan so lewd it could make a pornstar blush (Angel) coming from your throat. Your thighs quivered violently, unable to hold the pace any longer as your orgasm crashed over you like you had just stepped under the Niagra Falls - your fluids squirting onto his lower abdomen and dripping down his sides onto the sheets below, a small amount even pooling in the crevice of his navel.

Alastor struggled as the vice grip your heated mound had on his shaft made it damn near impossible to move; but he prevailed, fucking you through your release while chasing his own. His cock twitched inside you as he watched your eyes roll back into your skull, his hips stuttering as he felt the first few ropes of his seed shoot into you. "M'cumming, m'cumming! Fucking-holy-! ... Oh my ffffuuu-!" Alastor shouted, this orgasm hitting him particularly harder than the rest. His shoulders came off the bed as his upperbody jerked forward slightly from the force of his orgasm, his own thighs quaking as he tried to keep his pace, determined to fuck you both through your individual highs straight into overstimulation.

Eventually his thrusts slowed and you removed your hand from that little bundle of nerves, placing both of your hands on his knees as you leaned back slightly, supporting your own weight on them. Your entire body would twitch and your hips would jerk away whenever the tufts of his pubic hair brushed against your swollen clit. Your chest heaved as you tried to come down from your high, but Alastor's shallow thrusts were making it difficult. "A-Al... baby please-" you tried to beg, but it was no use. You knew Alastor was deaf to the world the first few seconds after his release, so you could do naught but try to ride it out. But this time was proving to be more difficult than the rest.

Attempting to lift yourself off of his cock, you barely made it an inch when one of Alastor's tentacles wrapped around your waist, forcing you back down onto his still rock hard, drooling cock. "Ala-... Wha- Alastor?!" You cried out in shock, the overstimulation becoming almost painful as he forced your hips to grind back and forth with his hands. Your whole body was going to be covered in bruises and hickies come morning, and that thought alone had Alastor ready for another round. Grabbing hold of his forearms, you tried to get him to let go. "Al- just give me a secon-nah! Nngh! F-fuck!" But it was futile, as in the next moment you found yourself lying flat on your back in the same spot he once rested, his claws wrapped around the underside of your thighs and pushing them up against your chest - his dick not leaving your core for a single second.

"Oh darling... I'm no where NEAR done with you!"

I was wobbling so hard when I went to go grab a drink after this-- I fuckinh FELL. I FELL BECAUSE OF THIS POST.

ALSO WE HAVE A REVEAL SOON? I LITERALLY GONNA CRY-- OH MY GOSH I CAN'T WAIT??? AND GIFS, PICTURES, ACCOMPANYING THIS STUFF??? Phew. Guys, hold me up, HOLD ME UP

*Post Read*

F-First of all... how are you reading my mind? 🥴🥴🥴 Literally so many k-kinks in one post... the hair pulling? 😩💦 the nails? 😩💦 grabbing ass and using it as leverage? 😩💦 The commands/forcing us to look? 😩💦 Good Girl? 😩💦 Overstim when his legs are giving out??? 😩💦😩💦😩💦 HHHHHHHHH MINK AND HAZEL I FEEL LIKE MAKING A WHOLE ASS ESSAY ON THIS

S-Second... HOW? How do you write this stuff and not pass out? I'm clutching my pearls, I'm staring at the ceiling, and my legs are twitching. My throat is dry, my voice is groggy from waking up, but I want to SCREAM.

I- I can't IMAGINE how you must feel when you write this???? JFC?

I don't think you've realized what you've done 😩💦 You have rights to my estate, you have my soul, you have my crops, fuck it, you can have my cat Nugget when I die from the heart attack I'm about to have--

UGHN!! AAAAAAAA SO GOOD SO GOOD SO GOOD. BARK BARK BARK

If no one has told you today: you're so fucking awesome. And you deserve to have your mind blown and turned to mush from being dicked down 😩💦

☄️❤️Anon I fucking LOVE YOU. 😭💗

@hazelfoureyes @minkdelovely ....what's worse? THERE'S ALREADY A SECOND PART IN MY INBOX!!! SEND THE POLICE. IM GONNA NEED A WELLFARE CHECK

We wish you a Merry Smutmus, and a Happy Nude Year!

(Gif below was my exact reaction, when I woke up screaming to this post)

[britcision]

Eeeeh it was WIP Wednesday… and I’m thirsty for attention, so have a snippet from chapter two of Danny Fenton, Dead and Loving it!

(And I had to check I could paste obscene amounts of words from my notes into tumblr, since I’m not writing this in drafts for now - I lost too many sections to not hitting ‘save’ before putting my phone down)

Prompt and First chapter! (I guess I cannot make neat links on mobile, woe is me)

And the fic on AO3

@welcometosasakiworld @kyrianclawraith

@someonebored0100 @stealingyourbones

@starkcravingmad @frostedthroughghost

@akikoyuii @rainbowbunny0159

@littlefeather345 @violet-catsarelife

@serasvictoria02 @wolfjackle @blacksea21090 @secretdestinywerewolf

————————

“Hang on a second, does that mean your ghost writer friend is also an actual ghost?” Because yeah, he had googled book collectors around Gotham and came up blank.

Danny took a moment to work out what he meant, then perked up and nodded.

“Oh, yeah! That’s his actual name too, I’m not sure he was ever a living person, and I wasn’t kidding when I said he had every book ever written. A lotta first editions too. I think he’s a spirit of literature?”

Jason took a quick peek around to see if any giant and possibly book shaped palaces had appeared.

Place was covered in floating islands and purple doors, there was a chance.

“Could we… could you introduce me?” Cuz he wasn’t gonna actually ask if Jane Austen was a ghost, not on his first day.

He had some damn self control. Even if the pit was fucking purring in the back of his head and this whole weird place felt more like home than anywhere he’d been before.

Flying beside him, Danny nodded cheerfully and shot him a thumbs up.

“Oh hell yeah, he needs more friends. Probably not today though, he’s not really around this part of the Zone, and we wanna make it to the Far Frozen and back before New Years. Next time,” he added before Jason could even begin to feel disappointed.

He’d known the odds of heading right there weren’t great. Fuck, he wouldn’t have wanted to; it was just hard to remember they were here to get the pit out when it was filling him with a buzzing, humming contentment down to his toes.

Part of him wanted to be a whole lot more suspicious. Did not like how easy it was to trust Danny, to relax into this undead realm.

But it was usually the pit that nagged at him not to trust anyone. And the pit was in heaven, and Jason had spent so long fighting that constant suspicion.

If things went as well as he hoped… well, he wasn’t gonna be going easy on any of the assholes fucking with his turf.

But being able to talk to the bats without the pit’s constant paranoia… yeah, he did a little hope he’d be a bit tighter lipped.

Feelings just kept spilling out of him around Danny, apparently literally if what the kid told him about his core was to be believed.

Jason could feel enough of Danny’s emotions in return to know the kid wasn’t lying. Hopefully that was what made him trust him.

Today, he nodded and looked around.

“So, the Far Frozen. Called that because it’s far?” He asked casually, definitely not letting on any concerns.

Flying hadn’t been hard so far, but he had no idea how long this was going to work. He couldn’t even tell if it was using a muscle, but it was sure as shit one he hadn’t used before.

Danny snickered and shrugged, clearly not even a little concerned.

“Well, I opened the portal pretty close in this case, but yeah, it’s far from the more populated areas of the zone. The yetis like it, it means they can keep to themselves.”

This was kind of the problem with Danny, Jason was coming to realise.

He’d told Jason where in the zone they were going, and why. They needed to see a guy called Frostbite, because he knew the most about ghost biology.

He’d probably know what to do about Jason’s pit problem, and what Danny and Jason could do to deal with the pits themselves. Fun, exciting, Jason was 1000% up for that.

Fucking yetis had not come up.

“The what?” He asked, striving for nonchalance and wondering again if he shouldn’t have shot someone a text before leaving.

And potentially never being seen again.

Danny hesitated for a moment, brows furrowing.

There was definitely more snow ahead than there had been behind.

“I totally mentioned the yetis?” Danny said carefully, like that would somehow make it true.

Jason stifled a snicker.

“You did not mention yetis. You mentioned ghosts.”

“Yeah, they’re ghost yetis.”

“That doesn’t actually make it any better, y’know? The yeti part is still kinda important.”

Not that Jason would be hugely surprised to find an alive yeti at some point. The world had a habit of saving up its weirdest bullshit to dish out onto him.

At least he wasn’t Constantine.

Danny pulled a face and shrugged, turning so he was flying backwards.

“Well, I mentioned it now? They’re yetis. So is Frostbite, but he’s like, bigger. And their leader. I mentioned that part, right?” Danny asked hopefully.

It was pretty clearly a fair question.

Jason nodded, scanning through what he’d been told so far.

“Yeah, and that they had the ghost hospital? I guess it’s a good thing as ghosts we’re not gonna feel the cold,” Jason added idly, glancing at their increasingly frosty surroundings.

He could feel the temperature dipping, sure, but nothing serious. They hadn’t even grabbed coats.

Danny stopped flying so quickly that Jason actually overshot him and had to turn, coming back to rejoin his guide. Who looked guilty.

Jason pulled on his best deadpan face.

“Let me guess. You definitely mentioned it?” He asked dryly.

Danny groaned and slapped himself in the face, then dragged his hand slowly free.

“Okay this one’s totally not my fault? I mean. I don’t need a coat there? And usually if anyone else comes with me, we have the Spectre Speeder, and it always has coats, so it’s not like we pack?”

He gave Jason a sheepish smile, half wincing like he expected a punch.

Jason did consider it, but not seriously.

“Okay, focus up Danny. What do we need to do? How cold am I gonna get?” Cuz the longer they were sitting still, the more the chill was creeping in.

Danny let out another lingering groan then closed his eyes, calculating.

“Okay… so I can call Frostbite when we get a bit closer, and he can come meet us, and he’ll have some spare coats? And I don’t think you can technically freeze to death anymore, but you don’t have a core? So I dunno.”

Jason took a deep breath of his own, fighting a half smile. Good to know he wasn’t the only one with a bad habit of rushing in.

But even he tried to be ready for everything.

“Great. Love this plan. Especially the part where I probably can’t freeze to death,” Jason snarked.

Danny squinted at him.

“Look, it’s better than my other plan, which is I freeze you solid in my ghost ice and tow you the rest of the way. You wanna show up walking and talking or in an iceberg?”

The fact that he seemed to be serious probably should have concerned Jason more, but he was having fun.

Just imagine, Jason Todd as the responsible one in a superhero team up. Dickie would be so proud.

It’d be just like his old Robin days, except that suit was thermally regulated out the ass.

“Ooh, frozen wastes or frozen in iceberg, I’m definitely seeing the difference. Let’s just get moving so you can call your buddy before I turn into a popsicle.”

Danny stuck his tongue out at Jason, but did indeed get moving again.

“Hey, both of those are still better than our last option,” he snarked back, and maybe Jason was imagining it but they were kinda going faster.

Lucky for Jason, apparently it was willpower that made you fly in the Ghost Zone, and being a stubborn bitch had always been his stock in trade.

“Oh gee, what’s the last option? Shoot ourselves from a catapult? Build a snowman and have it carry us? Or do we close our eyes real tight and wish ourselves there?” Jason asked as sweetly as he could.

Made Danny laugh anyway, before his expression became deadly serious.

“You’re literally wishing your way there right now, smartass, but no. The last option is we call my regent and he stops time and you spend the next eighty relative years of your life listening to lectures about why I need to be fully crowned.”

Which did sound pretty last-resort-y, in Jason’s opinion. And raised an important question.

“Why are you so against being fully crowned? You seem pretty in touch with all the king shit.” Certainly willing enough to talk about it, although now that Jason thought about it, mostly to complain.

Danny pulled another reluctant face.

“Just cuz I know I can’t get out of it doesn’t mean I gotta give myself up right away. The last king was a bloodthirsty tyrant, in an enchanted sleep for thousands of years. Do you have any idea how much paperwork that stacked up?”

Danny let out a shudder that had nothing to do with the increasing cold. Thinking to the amount of report forms he’d be facing if B found out about this particular jaunt, Jason joined him.

“Yeah, okay, that sounds like it sucks,” he agreed, and Danny shot him a relieved grin.

“Right? Like, I want to live my actual life first. Do something more than struggle through college and fight ghosts. Everything worked just fine while the other guy was in prison, so what’s the rush?”

They flew in silence for a moment, Jason struggling with an entirely unexpected lump in his throat.

Danny broke it, drifting closer until their shoulders bumped.

“Sorry man. Didn’t think.”

There was a perfect snappy comeback in there about it not being the first time, but Jason didn’t have it in him. He managed a nod and gentle bump back.

It was getting cold enough now that the moisture on his cheeks stung.

From condensation. Or air resistance or something.

The Ghost Zone had high humidity, explained all of the snow.

They continued in silence for a while, then Danny sighed and slowed to a stop once more. Jason copied a little more reluctantly, brushing trails of ice from his face.

“Okay so this is gonna be just, stupid loud?” Danny said with a slightly strained cheerfulness, like they’d never stopped bantering. “You’ll probably wanna put your hands over your ears.”

Jason complied, wondering just how literal the “call” part of Danny calling ahead was gonna be. Stupid loud implied it wouldn’t be on a cellphone.

He’d not had any messages since leaving Gotham actually, and it had been a couple of hours. He should probably check…

He clapped his hands back over his ears just in time as Danny sucked in a huge breath and bellowed like a thunderstorm.

“HEY FROSTY! PHANTOM INCOMING, BROUGHT A FRIEND. HE NEEDS A COAT!”

And then Danny gave Jason a cheery grin and nodded in the direction they’d been travelling as he cautiously removed his hands.

“He can’t get quite that loud, so we’ll have to get closer before we can hear him. Might as well keep going, right?”

Jason took another moment just to stare at the ghost. It was beginning to actually kick in that… yeah. Danny wasn’t human.

And Jason knew plenty of metahumans, people with powers. He knew Black Canary, so what the line should be is a bit fuzzy.

But.

Danny’s not fully human, not anymore. So what the hell was Jason?

The exact same asshole he was yesterday, obviously. Just with… well, his baggage compartment had already been overstuffed.

Even the thought of getting to dump the pit baggage meant that even if he was now a zombie or a ghost or whatever that was still a net loss unless he had to eat people.

Which, again, what the fuck was his life?

He almost laughed, but didn’t want to try explaining that thought process to anyone else, even if the odds were pretty good Danny’s life… existence was at least a little fucked.

He gave a smile instead, nodding and following Danny’s lead off into the frost.

Doing absolutely nothing to reassure him, Jason was no longer sure it was reflections off the ice now catching the corner of his eye.

The longer they were in the Ghost Zone, the more he kept thinking he saw stars passing across the black of Danny’s suit.

***

Frostbite did in fact come to meet them, and did in fact bring Jason a coat. The fact that said coat REALLY looked like it came from a yeti…

Well, Danny had long decided never to ask, and Jason was following his lead today. His new friend was all wrapped up again, and wasn’t even shivering anymore!

Yeah. Danny fucked up.

And he also felt a little bad even after Jason told him it was fine, a damnably cocky smirk on his lips. It felt like he’d been holding onto that “Not the first thing you’ve conveniently forgotten” line for a while.

Which, to be fair, they’d met twice ever, so how the fuck would Jason know?

Just because it was accurate didn’t mean he had to say it.

They’d had to make quite a trek back to the depths of the Far Frozen along with Frostbite since the yeti had come to meet them, but they’d made good use of the time.

Frostbite still understood more about ghost biology and even specifically halfa biology than Danny himself did, and he’d immediately seen something was up with Jason.

Reassuring him that Jason wasn’t actually fading and that his core just hadn’t formed yet hadn’t taken long; apparently, yetis could smell core formation.

Delightful fucked up information Danny wished he’d never learned, but at least he’d been right.

Surrounded by the ambient ectoplasm of the Ghost Zone, Jason’s core was already coming along in fits and bounds. Something which had alarmed Jason to hear too, but hey.

About half of his ghost problems were probably related to that slow forming core, and the other half…

Yeah. Frostbite had a Lot of questions about the Lazarus Pits. And Jason had basically nothing by way of answers beyond what he’d already told Danny.

Which, aww, he’d really been putting everything he had on the table, which was nice. The longer they spent together, the more Danny figured Jason hadn’t been honest with anyone in a while.

He kept getting this surprised look on his face, these moments where he stopped like he couldn’t believe what he was saying. Like he thought he should be more careful.

Danny could relate. Frostbite was weirdly easy to share things with, even if Danny couldn’t get him to stop calling him Great One.

The second Danny had protested, Jason got a real sneaky grin on his face that Danny wasn’t sure he liked. He knew a Bastard Little Brother face from his mirror.

Jason being older than him? Meant nothing.

For now though, they’d made it to the medical center and Jason was looking at the scanning pods with a sceptical but weirdly unsurprised eye.

Danny still hadn’t stopped making Star Trek jokes when he saw them, but. Robin. What the fuck did Batman have access to?

Frostbite gave them both a very proud smile, patting the tube fondly.

“With this, we shall determine how much corrupted ectoplasm is within you, and how best to separate your mind from its affects. Already some of it is being purged by contact with our Saviour, but for it not to be gone already shows there is a deeper problem,” the yeti explained happily.

Jason shot Danny another shit eating grin at “saviour” and Danny bit back a groan, making himself smile at Frostbite instead.

Insistent and slightly patronising hero worship aside, he really did like the guy. He always wanted to help, and usually could, which was a nice change.

“Yeah, about that? Do we know what I’m doing that’d change his corruption?” Because it’s not that he didn’t want to help too, but it might be easier if he knew how.

Frostbite gave Danny a cheerful pat next, sending the smaller ghost stumbling a little.

“Oh, some of it will happen merely from your presence, Great One. As the King of the realm, you have far more ectoplasm and it is far stronger, which will help Jason’s ectoplasm to heal on its own. But we must find the root for the problem to be solved.”

Jason chuckled and shook his head, stripping back out of the thick yeti coat.

“There’s always a catch, right? Is this gonna hurt?” It sounded like he expected the answer to be yes, and even Frostbite looked suddenly concerned.

“You should not feel anything at all, young Jason. Perhaps the feelings from your contaminated source will become stronger, but they are not negative at present?” It came out as a question, mostly tied to that concern.

And Danny could kinda see why; from everything Jason told them, he was usually only swamped by rage. Neither of his auras felt angry now, but the pit’s had jumped to betrayal pretty consistently every time it spiked.

Needing to be told that something wasn’t going to hurt him sort of pointed where those feelings might have come from.

Danny nudged closer on impulse, letting his own trust-reassurance-done this before wash gently over Jason’s aura.

[satancopilotsmytardis]

How do you settle down to write? Like do you put music on, have a certain set up, a snack?

I’m mainly asking because I have multiple fanfic on hiatus (some for 3 years 💀💀💀) because I can’t just sit down and write 😭

I have all this inspiration, and all these ideas (I have 582 open docs 0-0) but struggle to write more than a few sentences a week. I’m not short on ideas by any means, I just can’t WRITE them.

Okay so you gotta figure out what works for you. I read this and my immediate reaction was "well I can't answer that, I just sit down and write, that's not going to be helpful". And I do just sit down and write, I have a lot of things I'm working on, but I pick one or two a day to do and then I just write.

BUT I use 4thewords which is a website that creates an RPG around writing. Every amount you write can progress the story, give you in-game rewards, and help you build a writing streak (at the time of writing I am at 999 days in my streak (I have absolutely missed days but you can recover those with stempos)). I'll be honest, I haven't read a single game pop-up that actually explains the story, I literally don't care about it. But I knew I wrote the most when I was at school participating in Nanowrimo where I could do word sprints and word crawls with other people, and I couldn't hold myself accountable to do them on my own. But the monsters on 4thewords and the quests that can be done help me to stay on track and keep writing.

On days when I don't want to write, I still often end up groaning and saying ugh, if I just defeat ten monsters that each are only 44 words, then I can earn my daily chest, that won't take that long. And I do it. Or if I'm at 3.8k words and I want to stop, ugh there's another reward if I hit 4k, so I might as well just finish the last 200 words. And then, oh wait, there's another reward at 5k, how long will 1k more take me?

I use this site because it has built-in goals and rewards so that I have accountability outside of myself to keep me motivated and producing words. That's the method that I've found works best for me. If you're someone who likes external goals and deadlines, then that might work for you too (or a different similar site-- this one does have a paid subscription, but there is also a free trial to give it a go if you'd like).

If you think that having outside deadlines is too much pressure, then this probably isn't the method for you. Do you edit too much as you write? Try writing in white font on a white page (or whatever color you'd like) so that you can't see what you're writing. Do you get distracted researching something that will amount to one line of text? Put that thing [in brackets] and don't research it until you are going back to edit and adjust from there (same works with naming places or characters). Do you need other people to motivate you? Join a forum (4thewords has lots of these but I don't visit them) or have an IRL buddy who will check in with you and ask you if you wrote that day. Is your writing space uncomfortable? Too comfortable? Optimize it for you! No motivation due to mental illness? Been there, fully understandable, take the time you need to work on that first and other things will start to fall back into place as the brain recuperates.

Not writing when you want to write means that something else is going on, and it has to be you who figures out what that is and makes the changes that are needed to get you writing again. Idk if this was actually helpful, but literally I roll out of bed every day thinking about doing my dailies like a mobile gamer so like... this is all I've got, sorry!

[haveyoulistenedtothisalbum-poll]

Hello everyone!! We're looking to pick up possibly one or two mods to help with the workload, if anyone is interested! It's been a bit difficult to maintain 13 posts/day between the two of us, and with enough help, we should be able to maintain that queue rate or maybe even increase it a little! There's also some things that would be really nice to do if all of the time we spent dedicated to the blog wasn't just making sure the queue didn't empty out haha

If you're interested, please send an ask off-anon, and I'll DM you from my main when I can! If you don't allow DMs from your main, you can also give a different way to contact you as well in your ask! (Like the URL of a sideblog with DMs open!) Thank you !!

More info under the cut!!

The main modding responsibilities include:

Gathering album information into the planning spreadsheet.

Taking that information and drafting the posts to queue them.

Less importantly, helping keep track of links for posted polls and copying over the poll results.

These can largely be completed independently, aside from any obvious ordering restrictions (can't queue a post if you don't have the data put together), so if, for any reason, you're only able to do one of the first two on a temporary or even permanent basis, it would still be a lot of help.

In terms of technological requirements, all information can be accessed on websites free-of-charge, two require a (free) account to get access to the album images, and everything can be done strictly in-browser if needed. We do use Google Sheets for the planning sheet, but I don't think you need a Google account to edit/access it. I do not think this is something that is reasonable to do on mobile, so you would need access to a desktop/laptop computer.

I think things can be made considerably easier if you can use some non-browser programs. I personally use a Windows 10 computer + Firefox for my own workflow, but things aren't impossible without it for sure! There's always more than one way to do things. I have no idea what potential difficulties may occur for someone who is a Mac + Safari user, for instance. Oh! And in terms of communication, Discord is best, so it would be helpful if that's something you use as well!

Also we're all here to have fun so like this isn't a job much less a role with strict expectations, so it doesn't have to be like a primary responsibility for you or anything like that!

Also apologies if I take a bit to get back to anyone who does send a message! I'm multitasking between my job and some other obligations so I might not see any notifications right away, and I need to coordinate adding any new mods with my co-mod so there might be a bit of waiting involved unfortunately!! Thank you so much to anyone who reaches out though !!

[sandcobangevent]

Flashbang 2024!

by @absolute-gibberish and @transmasc-taub

Mondays. God, he hates Mondays.

It’s 10pm and John is sitting in his bed, finalizing the editing on the Retired Colourman case. The flat is silent except for Archie’s sleepy breaths and the occasional click-thud of his laptop’s sticky mousepad.

"-Look at that! Radio Times reader. Says it all." John’s voice points out accusingly over the recording.

"Oh my god- Will you stop with this?" Came Mariana’s exasperated response.

"Ah, I'm not doing anyth-" 

John pauses the recording with a sigh. He runs his hand down his face and checks the time: 10:46pm.

"It's late. I should try to get some sleep." He says to himself.

John takes out his earbuds, closes his laptop, and puts both on the nightstand to his left. He cuts out the remaining light in the room before picking up his phone and turning to lay on his side, facing the wall. Being careful not to jostle Archie too much, he slips deeper under the covers and powers on his mobile phone.

He stares blankly at his lockscreen for a moment, thinking. He knows he shouldn't, but he couldn't help himself. He opens the search engine and thumbs in the same search term he's been checking all week.

'sherlock & co radio times'

He selects the first link and scrolls through the article, quickly finding the section he was dreading.

'-Watson is

an incompetent true crime podcaster.'

He should, by this point, be well used to this particular piece of criticism, what with having read it no less than a dozen times within the last week. But now, blanketed by bone-deep exhaustion in the tranquil privacy of his own room, it hits him with renewed strength and John feels hot tears well up in his eyes.

“Damn it.” He mutters.

He harshly tries to wipe away his tears, but they just keep spilling down his cheeks.

“I’m not-” He swallows, trying to regain his composure.

“I am not incompetent.” He attempts to say it like a mantra, but as self-deprecating thoughts continue to wash over him, he takes pause.

“Am I?”

Those two little words seem to be the final straw and John is quickly consumed by a swirling fog of negativity and doubt.

 What if Sherlock thinks that? 

And Mariana?

Does his mom think he’s incompetent?

His breath quickens as he spirals.

In a quiet and broken voice, “I’m- I’m-”

But he doesn’t get to finish his sentence as he's pulled from his thoughts by the warping darkness he catches in the corner of his eye.

Archie.

The bulldog, now wide awake, senses his owner’s distress and waddles to his side. Archie’s innocent, but all-to-knowing puppy-dog eyes stare unblinkingly into John's watery ones, asking a million questions, and, despite the tears, John shakily smiles at the dog’s caring antics.

Archie sees that as a good sign and jumps up into his human’s face, giving him lots and lots of kisses. John’s grin grows wider and he begins to giggle at the affection.

“Archie!” He squeals quietly, narrowly missing a slobbery dog kiss to the teeth.

The dog doesn’t seem to notice or care about his name being called and just continues excitedly showering his favorite person with affection.

John hugs the pup close to him, knowing that no matter what anyone else says or thinks about him, he’ll always have Archie by his side to cheer him up.

[jovenshires]

You’ve probably been asked this before but what’s like your fanfic writing process?? Like how do you end up writing your fanfictions?

i actually haven't but i'd be happy to talk about it!! i'm actually writing fic right now, so here's what i've done in the past like. hour. im gonna put it under the cut bc its EXTREMELY long but if you ever wanted 'katie's guide to fic writing,' here it is!

i'm pretty easily distracted, so i've gotta make sure i'm in like. The Right Conditions. that means phone face down or away if i can (rn i've got to be on call in case my boss needs smth but you get the gist) bc i WILL just open tiktok or play a mobile game. even just now writing this answer i have picked up my phone and opened pinterest. i cannot be stopped so i try to stay off it and put it down when i catch myself!!

more and more often i cant even listen to music while i write - partly bc i tend to read my work aloud to myself to make sure it sounds right and partly bc my brain will be like "you know this song omg the words are in your brain" or "you should go look at what song this is bc you kinda like it". cannot trust myself even with sound. if i AM listening to music while i write, it's either the specific playlist for that fic, playlists with the right vibes (ex: rivals-to-lovers for iwks), OR anime openings bc. less likely to get distracted when it's not in english tbh.

(huge on all of the senses so i also usually have a candle lit. im super sensitive to smells so if there's an unpleasant smell somewhere around me i will be unable to focus <3)

all that being said about distractions, i think it's important to take breaks - dont just FORCE yourself to write. that's why i'm huge on setting goals for myself - deadlines, word count goals, timed breaks. like "okay im gonna sprint write for 10 minutes and then after that ill watch some of this danny gonzalez video" or "i'll write until 3:30 and then i should go take a break and read a book." im not always faithful to my goals but i try my best!!

as for the actual writing itself, i typically just go for it. i can usually see an image in my mind and i try my best to write that out/describe it as best i can. and then if it sounds wrong i just reword it again and again until i've got it. this is kind of where my reading aloud bit comes in - if it sounds right when you say it out loud, that generally means it sounds right in the text.

sometimes i'll just have a certain scene or just scraps of dialogue and i'll write that out and be like "okay how did they get here." i never embraced writing out of order until recently, but now that i have. no going back tbh i highly recommend it. rwylm and iwks especially had scenes WAY later down the line that i wrote first. just write what comes naturally and go from there.

occasionally i do outlines, but not super often, and when i do they're vague as hell. i think a lot of my iwks outline was just "game" and then "another game but tommy is there this time." i think outlines that go too in-depth kind of take away from the freedom of writing so. if it's for you then slay but its usually not for me

i try not to worry too hard about. the style/grammar/little things as i go. of course im guilty of this and i'll stop and edit my own works along the way sometimes but i've found it's best if you keep writing and then go back later!!

sometimes when i'm writing a new smosh cast member i'll go back and watch videos/compilations of them just to reorient my brain. i've done this a lot with chanse recently!! but i also think. it really isn't that deep too NSDKFNKNK like these are fictionalized versions of fictionalized selves and so on and so forth so don't worry about 'voice' too much im trying to kick that habit myself

EDIT: oh i've talked about this before but. as for ideas/where my fic ideas come from?? i truly try to grab from my every day life. oh i went to the grocery store today? what if smosh member a and smosh member b went to the grocery store. i watched a horror movie and you know who else could do that. otherwise i pull from music/movies/tv shows/other media and be like 'this but for smosh.' i really just be pulling from my life and repackaging it thats all. start small (haircut fic) and work your way up (homoerotic soccer epic)!

and i think that's it?? i'd like to think im pretty chill about the whole thing. (read: i am not chill in any way at all but im trying my best.) anyway, it's something i'm always happy to talk about - thank you for asking!!

[lore-gore]

Ride The Cyclone Open Roleplay

Doing a Ride The Cyclone roleplay.

Jane Doe: Taken by me

Ocean O'Connell Rosenberg: Taken by @democracyrockzz

Noel Gruber: Taken by @astral--horrorshow

Constance Blackwood: Taken by @savannahwiththegreeneteyes @thenicestgirlintown

Mischa Bachinski: Taken by @parasolyaa

Ricky Potts: Taken by @krowsselfindulgy (@spacingbachelorette)

This will be the main trigger warning for the beginning of every scene:

Tw: death, unreality, body horror, implied gore, yelling, trauma, loss of identity, internalized queerphobia, horny teens being horny teens

This will also be in the tags.

Any other trigger warnings should be added to reblogs as well as tags.

The concept is basically if Karnak died before ressurecting anyone. So it's just them doing silly shenanigans as ghosts, singing songs we think they would sing, and probably a bit of angst. It will mainly act as a follow up to the 2016 bootleg version, with yannick's edits of course. (If you headcanon a different performance of your song for your character that's fine.)

We will also create character sheets consisting of name, gender, pronouns, age, sexuality, sign, birthday, favorite ride, appearance, personality, backstory, and "the most _ in town." (Mine is the only one without a sign, birthday, and favorite ride. If you forget, don't worry, I can edit it in.)

It's how you imagine the characters, with a mix of headcanons and canon.

The uniforms are the same as the 2016 ones but without the plaid.

How they wear their uniform and how they accessorize is up to you.

You can interpret the characters however you'd like, but make sure to stay faithful to their base character traits. (Things like Noel being gay and Misha being Ukrainian. Also Ricky using MOBILITY AIDS THANK YOU.)

Be as descriptive as possible. (See mine and my friends character sheets for examples!)

Also me and friends are high school students, so please only other high school students!

No NSFW roleplay. Talking about sex is fine, but no actual sex scenes! I'd prefer SFW blogs too.

Characters having crushes on other characters is allowed, but it might not be reciprocated. (Me and @democracyrockzz are pretty much planning to do perfectdolls.)

Every thread will be a scene. When you want to start a new scene, make a new thread. Give a synopsis of what the scene will be about, as well as the location in the fair.

Example:

New Scene

Synopsis: The choir plays a board game.

@democracyrockz reblogged

Ocean: Guys look what I found!

(Ocean emerges with a board game)

Noel's roleplayer reblogged

Noel: Oh god, no.

It will be a public thread so people who aren't in the roleplay can still enjoy it.

No racist, sexist, ableist, saneist, colorist, binarist, pigmentist, homophobic, transphobic, biphobic, panphobic, acephobic, arophobic, enbyphobic, queerphobic, xenophobic, islamophobic, fatphobic, misogynistic, transmisogynistic, body shaming, "pro-life", transid, "MAPS", pro contact para, TERF, anti semitic, anti neopronouns, anti xenogenders, anti mspec, anti BLM, anti feminist, or incel blogs.

Toxic behavior will not be tolerated. Hate comments will be deleted.

To claim your character, simply comment who you want to play or DM me.

Afterwords, write your character sheet. Take your time, the person playing Noel won't be ready for a little while so don't be rushed. (I'm getting ahead of time.) Make sure to tag me too.

Also let me know what to add to the main tw. If you plan on having your character bring a sensitive topic up, I need to add it.

I will then put your character sheet in the pinned post of my side blog @mystery-contestant. Make sure to follow it!

If you want to make changes to your already posted character sheet, edit the original post and send me a message letting me know!

You will know the roleplay has started as I will announce it on my side blog. I will be starting off the first "scene."

Also if there's something you think should be a main tw let me know!

We will be starting this summer!

Jane's character sheet!

Ocean's Character sheet!

Ricky's Character sheet!

Constance's Character sheet!

Breakdown of edits!

More:

[rosaren2498]

Warnings: Angst, blood, torture in the name of science (like the Augustine Society from The Vampire Diaries), implied past rape (it also almost happens but is interrupted before it can go that far), past captivity/imprisonment, reader wishes for death, organ removal

Please be careful and let me know if I missed anything!!! I want to tag the warnings properly but I never know what might trigger someone.

Also, I usually write in Fem 3rd Person and then edit it to be 2nd Person so it's more gender neutral so please inform me if I missed anything during my editing process, I do this on mobile.

Nightmare or Memory

It was cold.

So cold that you had long stopped shivering. So cold that you had accepted long ago that you might never know warmth again.

It was cold, and you wished you could say it was dark, but the lights shining in your eyes never went away; never dimmed, darkened, nor turned off. At least not while you were conscious.

You minutely flinched at the sound of metal scrapping on metal; you knew by now what that sound meant. You caught a flash of metal out the corner of your left eye, the scalpel reflecting the bright white fluorescent lighting.

"How are we doing today?"

You bared your teeth even as you felt the warm press of the blade against the naked skin of your chest. It had used to be cold to the touch, but now it was warmer than you. "Go to hell," you hissed.

His laughter seemed to echo around you; it was almost as if he'd laughed directly into your ears. It was dark, twisted, almost aggravated. The way the blade dug into your skin reflected it; cruel and aggressive, not as precise as usual.

Your breath hitched at the sharp bloom of pain. You think you'd be used to it by now, after all this time, but the first kiss of the blade never failed to steal your breath. You bit back cries, screams, and pleas for surcease that you knew would fall on deaf ears and do nothing, save for make him smug. However, you could not withhold your tears. As you squeezed your eyes shut and prayed for your life to finally end, tears slipped from the corners of your eyes, running into your hair.

The scalpel was eventually exchanged for something to keep the y-shaped cut -now on your chest and bleeding- open and you choked on a sob as it was forced open further. Seconds later, the first scream tore from your throat as his hands rooted around inside you.

"Ah, here we are."

You choked again as a hand grabbed one of your lungs and began pulling, the scream that was building in your throat abruptly cutting off when the lung ripped free. You tasted copper and you couldn't breathe; your vision was rapidly darkening.

"Oh, come now, don't pass out on me just yet." The voice was distant, cold and disappointed. It was also the only warning you got before blinding pain lit up your every nerve-ending and you let out an unearthly scream that seemed to echo in the room. "There you go."

You gasped desperately for breath as the pain slowly began to subside, and you were almost too distracted to realize where his hands were now; almost. You stiffened at the press of fingers on your thighs, another choked sob slipping out. Your lung had already grown back and you took a deep breath to speak.

"Please. Please kill me," you begged.

He laughed cruelly, forcing your thighs further apart. "Why would I do that? You're so beautiful like this. Chest open, blood and tears all over, spread open for me..." His voice had taken on an almost desperate edge and you shuddered in revulsion.

You closed your eyes again as your breathing sped up. 'Please don't,' you thought. 'Please make it stop.' You gagged when something blunt and thick pressed against you, then everything went still. It was an unnatural stillness, accompanied by a preternatural silence interrupted only by your quick breathing, until someone suddenly spoke.

"Enough."

Your eyes snapped open at the deep voice that you did not recognize. The ceiling had been eclipsed by dark storm clouds that swallowed the bright fluorescent lights. It plunged the room into shadows, interspersed with flashes of lightning. The doctor that had been positioned between your legs was gone, as were all his tools, including the one keeping the cut on your chest open. Instead, there was a dark figure standing to the right of the table you were strapped to. You flinched when he moved, but he only unfastened the buckles of your restraints.

You eyed him warily, slowly sitting up when your hands were free; your wrists were bruised and bloody from your thrashing. Your thighs twitched with the urge to snap shut when his fingers brushed your ankle while he undid the restraints there too; as soon as you were free, you were curling up in an attempt to hide yourself. You weren't sure whether to thank him, or ask who he was. Your mouth opened, but it quickly shut with an audible click of teeth when he removed his coat and held it out to you. You hesitated only a moment, terrified he would snatch it back the moment you reached for it, before taking it and slipping it over your naked body.

"Thank you."

Your voice was quiet, rough and hoarse from your screams. You adjusted the coat to be tighter around you and were abruptly stunned by the scent that smacked you in the face. It was rich, ozone and thunderstorms, plus something you couldn't quite identify, though your mind whispered stars, as if they had a scent; it settled something inside you.

"Are you alright?"

His voice was as quiet as yours had been and you shuddered at how deep it was, curling further into his coat. You could still feel your own blood on your chest, could feel it sticking as it dried; you hoped none of it ended up on his coat.

"It's not the first time this has happened." Your eyes fell to the ground, your voice taking on a bitter tone. "It won't be the last." With your gaze on the ground, you missed the twitch and twist in his expression.

"This was not an ordinary nightmare."

It was not a question, but you shook your head and answered anyways. "Not a nightmare; a memory."

"How long has this plagued you?"

You looked up at him now, a frown marring your features. You felt your defensiveness rise up, but what you'd been about to say died in your throat when you met his eyes. Twin stars, burning, endlessly burning, stared out at you; you found yourself answering his question without thought and with complete honesty.

"130 years, give or take. 'Course, that's what happens when you spend well over a century held captive by a secret society hellbent on discovering your secret to immortality so that they may replicate it to 'better the world.' "

His expression darkened once more, but you did not find yourself afraid of him, even as the very shadows seemed to stretch out from him; something told you he wasn't angry with you.

"Who are you?" The words did not come out as demanding as you had meant them too, instead coming out more curious than anything. Though that was, perhaps, for the best. Just because he wasn't angry with you doesn't mean he couldn't be.

He eyed you as if debating whether or not he should answer your question. You shifted in your spot, a little uncomfortable with his intense gaze on you, as you waited; you could be patient, but the silence stretched on. Just as you were beginning to think he simply wouldn't answer, he spoke.

"I am Dream of the Endless, King of Dreams and Nightmares."

You stiffened once more, your grip on his cost tightening. An Endless. He was an Endless. "You... Fuck, you're an Endless. And not just any Endless. No, you just so happen to be the second most powerful Endless, and the King of Dreams and Nightmares. Wonderful."

Dream seemed startled by your knowledge of him. He stepped closer to you, his eyes narrowing. "You know of me?"

You snorted at the understatement, unable to help it. "Know of you? Just about everyone in the Supernatural Community knows of you, and your family, Lord Dream. Not everyone believes, of course, but I suppose you could call me a... special case. I've dealt with your family before. Plus, I believe you and I have a mutual friend: Hob Gadling."

Dream frowned. "What do you mean you've dealt with my family before? How do you know Hob?"

You shifted in place, tightening his coat around you once more. "Easy question first. I met Hob about 350 years ago, at that tavern that has since closed down. We spent most of the night drinking and talking. Actually, he spent the night talking about you, though he clearly had no idea who you were." You don't even try to hide fond smile on your face. "I knew right away that he wasn't normal, but it took him about 50 years to realize I wasn't human." You snorted, then startled when you realized there was the barest hint of a smile on his face. The tiny smile made his entire face seem to shift, becoming more open and inviting; it stole your breath.

"And how do you know of my family?"

The smile was wiped from your face as you abruptly tensed. You gave a heavy sigh, but were determined to be honest. "I've not met them all. I often speak with your older sister, Teleute, just about every time I see her. But I was originally introduced to your family when..." You trailed off, hesitating as one of your hands absentmindedly traced at your chest where you had been cut open. "Let's just say, I became intimately familiar with your younger sister's realm while I was held captive; I still keep in contact with her sometimes, though her twin is no longer welcome in my presence."

He raised an eyebrow at your vagueness. "You have something against Desire. What?"

You grit your teeth in remembrance. "That is extremely personal and I'd rather not discuss it. Let's just say I was foolish once and they took advantage, hm?" You can still remember their laughter, the look in their golden eyes when you had confronted them 130 years ago... No, you could not tell Dream that Desire was the reason you had been imprisoned, even if it had not been entirely intentional on their part; you still weren't convinced that it hadn't been.

His expression twisted, clearly irritated with the lack of a concrete answer, but, surprisingly, he did not push; perhaps he could tell how you would shatter if he did? He gazed at you for a silent moment before he spoke once more. "This nightmare won't trouble you any longer."

You blinked a few times, startled. You opened your mouth, planning on saying something, anything. Perhaps planning to ask if you heard him correctly, or maybe to ask him why he would bother, but his next words seemed to echo around the room and vibrate in your very bones.

"This dream is over."

---

You jerked awake in bed, sitting up and panting heavily. Your hand flew up to your chest, tracing the y-shaped scar that had rested there for over 200 years now; as your heartrate decreased, you took stock of the rest of yourself. Your hair was a tangled mess and you ran your fingers through it in a futile attempt to tame it. Your room was dark, though that was more due to your blackout curtains than it being late; the light peaking out underneath them and the clock on your bedside table told you that it was almost 1 o'clock in the afternoon. Hob would be expecting you at the New Inn soon.

You leveraged yourself out of bed, freezing the moment you looked down at yourself. You were still wearing your typical wine-colored tank top and black shorts that you always wore to bed, but over top them was a long black coat; the inner-lining was made of a veritable night sky. The end of your nightmare came back to you and you had to practice slow breaths so as not to hyperventilate; well, you had quite the story for Hob when you saw him at work... and Teleute the next time they saw each other too. Although... how were you supposed to return his coat?

[mahoushoujotechsupport]

episode 1, start! ok trying this again because my original post was community flagged for reasons i don't understand

so, this little goober decided to ride inside aerial on her trip from mercury to asticassia instead of like wherever normal passengers ride??? lmao

she really is a little cinnamon roll huh? and i love the added light novel details that she just automatically thought miorine was beautiful the first time she saw her here lol

and that she did, miomio

wow is this that suit that one person had during that big ass match in episode 13?

leave suletta alone, you jerks

oh, miorine-san, if only you knew what that girl would become

gotta wonder how in the world miorine dealt with pretty much being bullied by all these rich fucks. like how many failed attempts to try to go to earth had she had at this point that felsi and petra use it to make fun of her

see, if guel had realized secelia wasn't sitting on the couch, then maybe he wouldnt have asked suletta to duel against him later on

yeah, yeah, i know he mostly redeemed himself and didnt even end up being a weapons manufacturer in the end like his daddy (assuming the new asticassia isnt basically the elite's military training grounds like it was at the beginning), but god guel was such a fucking asshole

in this moment, suletta's like "this is nothing like my fair use expired copyright mangas"

there's no such thing as an ethical capitalist, but sarius definitely didn't like the way delling was running things

prospera was at least a tragic figure, but we never really got to know what the hell made delling the way he is. like is he just some stupid war veteran with ptsd who lost his wife? either way, don't care. he was an asshole for everything he did to miorine and just irredeemable in my eyes lol

funny how suletta talking about her mom is what gets miorine to be a little bit kinder to her in this scene just because of her own mother. yeah prospera was manipulative with suletta and it was her idea for suletta to go to asticassia, so that makes it a little funny that talking about prospera here is really what in the end allows miorine to open up her heart to suletta. sorry, miorine, guess suletta was kind of right huh?

sorry, lauda's just another character that will never be likeable to me either. he's just an asshole on top of being a total moron

so glad guel got his comeuppance

yeah, i wasn't gonna skip the slapping (editing my word-use here because i think saying sp**k got my original post for this episode community labeled... which i know now is not why because it got labeled AGAIN!!! and i still don't get why) but dang look at miorine's reaction to that. i still haven't decided if this is the moment miorine takes romantic interest in suletta for standing up for miorine or at the end of the duel later on this episode when she actually makes good on her promise

get him, suletta lmao

*wild tanuki noises*

bob, you're so fucking stupid. glad he's just stuck listening to secelia and el0n now

really wish we could know more about these two lol like rouji's an anxious little mess around everyone else, but perfectly comfortable with secelia

i was really hoping for another scene of these two in the cockpit together, but miorine would've just died inside calibarn

aerial really is such a cool mobile suit

and there it is. the final scene to shock literally everyone ever on their first watch. it really makes me wish i had started watching live instead of just before the first cours was almost over, i can just imagine ~the discourse~

i started right around when the grassley fight episode had finally been subbed by gjm so around episode 10 real air time i believe? and like yeah, i had kept hearing it be referred to as gundam utena, but i wasn't prepared for this lmao

we didn't get a kiss and we didn't get the wedding on-screen, but i am so so happy these two ended up married in the end and that they're both so obviously in love with each other

[goosetrainer]

Mari's Surprisingly Early Tera Raid Guide #uhhhlemmecheck6 - Hisuian Typhlosion

Heeeeeey people sorry for the radio silence I've been busy trying to solo the Mewtwo raid (failed)(fuck Nintendo) and then I skipped the Hisuian Decidueye post too because I downloaded the data like in the last 5 minutes, I figured it would be too late to make a guide. Maybe if they run it again.

Anyway! Post-Mewtwo raids all seem too easy. Vaporeon time! (But let me tell you I was considering many many more options that I think would be viable, will reblog if I find the spoons to try something else)

[Beware: I edited the post after some more tries, I found a simpler and faster strategy] Usual reminder that the pokémon I used for this guide is available to borrow for free to anyone who asks (Pokémon Home needed - both on Switch and mobile)

Vaporeon lv.100 Tera type: Water Ability: Hydration (hidden) Item: Shell Bell Nature: Modest (/Quiet/Mild in a pinch) IVs: max in HP, sp.atk., sp.def. EVs: 252 sp.atk., 252 sp.def., 4 HP

Moveset: -Surf (TM) -Rain Dance (TM) -Calm Mind (TM) -Wish (egg move) (I ended up only using two healing cheers instead, but might as well have a full moveset)

Usage:

So, the nice thing about H. Typhlosion is that he doesn't mess with stats. He still wipes stat modifications on both sides, but only once, and can't boost his own stats nor drop yours. The Sunny Day + Will-O-Wisp + Flamethrower + Infernal Parade (x2 damage when you have a status condition) looks scary, but it's all special damage that can be heavily mitigated with some simple boosts on your part. Noice

Oh, I should mention that serebii.net has started listing all the scripted actions of event raid mons, so give it a look! Extremely useful!

Anyway, back to our raid. What we have to look out for is Sunny Day - luckily for us it's a scripted move, it will happen at 95% of the time bar (so ~turn 2) and once more at 40% of the time bar. We want to keep the rain on as long as possible, because it activates Vaporeon's ability (Typhlosion's AI seems to prioritize keeping you burnt, and rain + Hydration neutralizes it) AND completely flips the power balance in our favor, BUT since the first Sunny Day will not be in the first turn, it's actually better to open with a Calm Mind and wait for the sun to go up before our first Rain Dance. Just so we don't waste two turns in a row playing with the weather, you know.

Once it's raining we're basically safe - the only move that's still worrisome is Focus Blast, and only because it can lower your sp.def. but it won't happen too often. THUS don't bother getting your special stats up to the max, I find that the single one from the opening is enough. Get your 4 Surfs in (for the tera orb, counting one more because Typhlosion steals your charge once). Less special attack on the Vaporeon is actually helpful here: you deal enough damage to recover reliably with Shell Bell, and not enough to trigger the shield until ~3 Surfs are done. You can reapply Rain Dance if the rain stops much sooner than the 40% time threshold, but it's not heavily needed, depends on how lucky you've been until now. Just keep an eye open for the scripted player-side stat reset (drop everything and do 1-3 more Calm Mind, heal when you need to either with Wish-Heal Up or from using Surf if you're already terastallized) and the second Sunny Day (drop everything and reapply rain). When you are ready and terastallized and with more than half HP, start spamming Surf and don't look back.

TL;DR: Calm Mind x1, Rain Dance right after his Sunny Day, Surf (x4 or more) and heal (Wish or Heal Up cheer as needed), terastallize when possible, Rain Dance after 2nd Sunny Day, Calm Mind x3 (+ healing as needed) after Vaporeon's stats are reset, Surf until KO.

OTHER OPTIONS:

Wish is a fancy move but not so easy to use, and you can use the healing cheer just as effectively (in this battle). Instead of Wish, one could use Fake Tears (TM) to harshly drop Typhlosion's sp.def. but, since it doesn't work when he's shielded, it must be done after Typhlosion's negative stat wipe (85% time) and before the shield goes up (either 70% time or 60% time remaining, whichever comes first). That is the time you'd use Surf to charge the tera orb in the strategy above, so this means that you're delaying the terastallization (and counting exclusively on cheers to heal) in exchange for more attack power. It's very likely that you will deal so much damage, after 3 Fake Tears, that you won't even need to terastallize, but you have to pay more attention to your health.

Pros: -no DLC no transfer no trading required -great special bulk -also enough special attack to never need a full boost to any stat Cons: -the fact that it requires both the HA and a tera type that's not one of the native types of the first evo stage (Eevee) means that (unless you got very lucky with tera dens) you either have to use an Ability Patch or 50 water tera shards (I'd choose the shards,annoying to farm but less rare)

Afterword (feel free to skip): this one was really easy. I think there's a lot of space for playing around with other pokémon. I went with Vaporeon because it was one of the more common ones and I gave priority to those that can be found in the base game, but it's not the only one, and I think I can give some suggestions :) The biggest threat is - unusually - Will-O-Wisp, because it makes the ghost type STAB move twice as strong and you can't even bring a normal type for this fight (unless you like being Focus Blasted in the face). And yeah of course you don't want anything weak to fire in general... Water types look good. As long as you have rain and the means to boost both your special defense (or drop enemy's special attack) and boost your attack/special attack (or drop enemy's defense/special defense), you're basically done. Physical attackers also need some burn protection, be it from Water Veil or Hydration; special attackers appreciate it but if they have enough special bulk and can withstand the stronger Infernal Parade they can even do without. I wouldn't try Misty Terrain on them though, you already have another field thing that lasts 5 turns to keep track of (rain). (Best bets imo: Whiscash, but maaaaybe if you're lucky you can get away with Dondozo, Tatsugiri, Basculegion(F), Clawitzer, Lumineon, Milotic...? Gastrodon? probably the legendaries too) Fire types look good on paper but you need to terastallize them to another type if you want to break the shield. I suggest tera ground, and Flash Fire as the ability. But whatever you use here probably has no good ground-type move and needs Tera Blast which is... mid. (If I had to take a guess, I'd say the ones with a chance would be Rapidash-Ninetails-Flareon-Arcanine(Kanto), and maaaaaybe Armarouge-Ceruledge-Typhlosion(Johto)) Guts may be an option? But idk, all mons with that ability look like poor counters... Dachsbun's Well-Baked Body also looks fun (throwback to that time I used it against Johtonian Typhlosion! It would be so funny if it worked LOL but it would need yet another tera type change, fairy on fire is eh) Misty Terrain... I was this close to transfer a Galarian Weezing with its HA but then I gave up because, as I said, priority to easily obtainable pokemon. Not everyone has swsh. Other Misty Terrain users don't look too promising because they're almost all fairy types and again, probably gotta change tera type unless you can power through the shield without super effective moves, ahah Magic Bounce has a similar problem. All available pokemon with it are psychic types and thus weak to ghost. I guess maybe Hatterene if you give her looooots and lots of special defense? Walking Wake looks interesting, but I can't see anything in its arsenal to raise its special attack or lower the enemy's special defense... might still make it, who knows

[sydneyofalltrades]

RTC headcanons: Ricky Edition!

Ricky loves reading science fiction. If it wasn’t obvious, he enjoys getting lost in a good book and finding his way out of it with the characters

Ricky is a maladaptive daydreamer, and would frequently zone out in class, especially when he already knew the concept, and he’ll always be daydreaming during choir practice, giving people the assumption that he’s not all there in terms of brains

Ricky is wicked intelligent. His parents wanted him to be book smart even if he couldn’t speak, so they fed his curiosity and desire to learn by helping him learn to read and if he isn’t reading, he’s probably being forced to do something by Ocean’s command

He knows both American Sign Language and his parents’ version of sign language. So he often jokes that he’s bilingual. Constance finds it hilarious, but Ocean just has that motherly “oh yes, that’s wonderful, dear” attitude

Ricky’s love language is drawing for people. He draws for Connie and she loves everything he gives her. He drew for Ocean like one time, but he does draw for Noel and Mischa, mainly for Mischa just cats in traditional Ukrainian outfits. Mischa has never thrown away a single picture

Ricky is paler than most people. It’s just his natural skin tone and it gives him a slightly sickly appearance, but he’s actually very healthy

He hates assumptions. People always, always, always assume he’s a tragic case or a disfigured person but he’s just a guy who loves cats and space. He never assumes much about anyone, just loves

Ricky and Penny became fast friends. Penny enjoys signing with Ricky, Ricky enjoyed having another person to talk to. He sat next to her when they were riding the Cyclone and felt oddly connected to the girl with a doll’s head

Ricky has two mobility aids, crutches and a wheelchair. The wheelchair is usually used for when he’s just around town and he uses it more than the crutches, which he only uses when he needs to be transported somewhere quickly

For the most part, how Ricky and Noel became friends was by random chance. Noel was sitting out the gym class in first grade because he didn’t want to be all sticky and sweaty, and Ricky, who couldn’t participate, was doodling. Ricky drew Noel and wrote a little note and Noel loved his art so much. They both watch horror/sci-fi movies on weekends

Ricky is non-binary and he uses he/they pronouns. He’s also pansexual and has had a crush on everyone in the choir at least once

Mischa actually opened up to Ricky first. He knew he couldn’t talk so he sent him a note saying “you’re the cat guy, right? I think your art is awesome :)” Ricky loved that note, he still has it tucked away in his sketchbook

As Ricky was dying, they felt less scared than the rest of them, yes, it was terrifying, but he felt like his time in Earth wouldn’t be that long anyway

Ricky still watches over Penny after she came back to life. In a way, she feels his presence and knows he’s there, even if she can barely remember who they were

[total-drama-takes-takes-2]

tta episode 9

“Last time, on Total Takes Action: our remaining players competed in an all-out chick flick extravaganza, complete with the infamous makeover scene and a climatic test of intelligence and cunning- in the end, Scary subverted the trope expectations and won immunity, but not without throwing a world-class tantrum first. Sha-Mod ended up voting himself out to protect his identity, leaving only six players behind. Who will be walking the plank today? And who will be taking one step closer to the grand prize of one million dollars? Find out now, on Total! Takes! Island!”

Thunder rumbles overhead Toronto, and this season, it’s not the result of Chris’ scientific tampering. A thick fleet of rain pours down over the film lot, casting everything in a filter of gray.

As per usual, Scruffy is up bright and early (though it’s not very bright today) for their daily pre-challenge training. It’s hardly five in the morning and they’re already dressed, stretching in the boys and such trailer and jogging in place as they brush their teeth in the communal bathrooms.

As they spit out a mouthful of toothpaste, a loud shriek makes them jump.

“Oh, no! The challenge is starting already?” They throw their toothbrush carelessly and run outside. “I didn’t even run my 85 laps around the set yet!”

They throw open the bathroom door and step into the rain to see… a pile of suitcases, clothes, and furnishings on the grass.

A microwave flies out of the girls’ and such trailer and lands on the mountain of things. Peter pokes his head out of the adjacent mobile home and he ducks just in time for a fork to go flying overhead.

“What on earth?” Scruffy scratches their chin.

Their question answers itself, though, as Scary storms out, tugging at their blonde hair with a wild expression on their face. “CHRIS!”

The intercom crackles to life, the feedback making everyone cover their ears for protection as it squeals. “Yeeeees?”

“I KNOW YOU’RE BEHIND THIS!”

Scruffy jogs over to the doorway and hovers in front of Scary. “What’s up?”

“That weasel took my notes- all of the notes I’ve been taking since we got here!” she groans. “This wouldn’t have happened if you were pulling your weight around here!”

“Hey, I’m staying in the game. Isn’t that enough?”

“No!”

“Well, this has been heartwarming,” Chris’ voice blares. “But you’re not so special, Scary- if everyone would please check their belongings...”

Scruffy thinks for a moment, and then pats their pockets. “My whistle!”

Peter digs around his shirt. “My girlfriend!”

A piercing shriek, louder than both Scary and the intercom feedback, makes everyone wince. Fren dashes out of the trailer, dumping an empty drawer on the ground. “My clothes! That sadist took my clothes!” he drops to his knees and cries out to the heavens as the rain pours down. “THAT MONSTER!”

Max stands in the doorway of the trailer, rolling his eyes.

---

MAX: “So, Chris took some stuff. Big deal. This is probably some dumb pirate treasure hunt episode, and at the end of the challenge he’ll reveal he actually burned all of our things and the grand prize is a bag of chips,” he sighs. “Still, it’d be nice if he chose something other than my shoes to take.”

---

The rain continues pouring down on camp, the water pooling on the top of the craft services tent and weighing down on it. O watches the rain indent the fabric and grits his teeth nervously.

No one else seems to notice, though, as they’re all busy dealing with the recoil from their missing necessities. Scary is hurriedly leafing through a physics book, surrounded by other open editions, Fren has had to substitute his usual flair for plain black clothes lended by the interns, and Max is wearing a pair of O’s sneakers.

Only Scruffy still seems chipper, hurriedly weaving something out of grass.

---

SCRUFFY: “In preparation for Total Takes Island, I took a weaving class, a spinning class, a sewing class, and swim aerobics. That last one was free,”

---

They finish their creation, and hold up a tiny horn as a whistle substitute. “Alright, I’m up! If I'm fast, I'll get 30 in before the challenge!” they shout, standing and jogging outside for their laps.

Fren nervously twirls a strand of hair around his finger at one end of the long table. He looks down at his outfit, then back up around the room, then to the camera. “Please tell me the cameras are still capturing my colors?”

The camera man shakes his head. Fren sighs.

Peter walks over and sets his breakfast tray on the table next to Fren. “Everything okay?”

He puts on a smile and looks up. “Great!”

Peter doesn’t look quite convinced, but doesn’t push, anyway. “Hey, wait, didn’t you once design a whole fashion line out of palm leaves and dental floss?”

“This is different!"

Max raises an eyebrow from across the table. The intercom crackles to life and Chris’ voice blares over the sound of the rain.

“Good morning, victims! Get your butts outside the craft services tent, ASAP!”

Scruffy groans from afar.

---

The small group of campers huddles outside the trailers, looking between each other as they’re drenched in rain. Chris, decked out in a raincoat and holding an umbrella, smiles warmly.

“Great weather we’re having, huh?”

“Cut to the chase,” Scary’s eyes narrow.

He chuckles. “Alright, alright. Today’s challenge is simple- or is it? This episode is all about mystery, suspense, and the unknown,”

Max pipes up from the back, eyes wide. “You don’t mean?”

“Oh, I do. Today’s theme is detective noir!”

Scary rolls their eyes and no one else really reacts to the news, though everyone turns around after a high-pitched squeal comes from the back of the group. Max stares back, then clears his throat and straightens his tie.

“Alright then,” Chris chuckles. “I’m sure a few of you have noticed you’re missing a few meaningless souvenirs-”

“MEANINGLESS?!” Fren shrieks. This time, it’s him everyone stares at. He chuckles nervously. “I’m just saying!”

“I hate to admit that he’s right, but…” Scary sighs. “I need my notes back.”

“…And I’m sure you’re all wondering how you’re going to get them back,” Chris smiles. “All these questions and more will be answered… by YOU! Here's the deal: one of you was paid six hundred dollars by moi to swipe from your fellow contestants- who? That’s for everyone else to decide! You'll have the day to hunt for clues, collect evidence, and then when your time is up, you'll all vote on the suspect.”

“Wow!” Peter says. “Kind of like Am-”

“COPYRIGHT!” Chris shouts. “And it’s nothing like that! You have until the end of the day to catch the culprit and recover the missing goods. There’ll be some fun surprises along the way, too.”

“Define fun,” O asks.

Chris chuckles. “Oh, you’ll know. Ciao!”

The host walks off, leaving the last six competitors behind.

---

SCARY: “One of these rats stole the weeks worth of notes I’ve been building my case with. If I can’t get them back, goodbye lawsuit, goodbye Chris McLean lifetime prison sentence!”

---

PETER: “I’m not too worried about the missing goods,” he pulls another picture out of his back pocket. “I always carry a spare! But I am worried about everyone turning on each other. I don't want to pick sides...”

---

SCRUFFY: “Yes! Okay- so not only is this a totally chill, laid-back, relaxed, super fun easy fun challenge, it’s also got something to do with physical harm- based on Chris’ tone! I can ace this!” their eye twitches.

---

Fren wails in the confessional.

---

MAX: “What? Why should I care about this challenge?” he pauses and then grins. “Okay, fine- I love mysteries! Capers, cold cases, riddles, puzzles- I even have a detective alter-ego named Raleigh Dubois-” he pauses and turns red. “I’ve said too much.”

---

O: “I’m just hoping nobody figures out that nothing was stolen from me. I don’t know why, but Chris put a massive target on my back- I don’t even have a fighting chance, and I'm a terrible liar...”

---

The remaining players sit around the table in the craft services tent, looking between each other in silence. The air is thick with electricity- either from the rising tensions, or from the lightning outside.

Finally, Peter breaks. “I can’t stand this! Why can’t we just work together?!”

“That’s not how this works,” Scary snaps. “Now, we just have to wait until the culprit snaps under the pressure, I can get my notes back, and they’ll be sent home- with a broken spine!”

“That’s it!” Max stands, slamming his fists on the table. “If you all want to take the easy way out, that’s fine- but I respect the sanctity of an open case, and I’m going to solve this on my own!”

He storms out. Scary rolls her eyes.

---

MAX: “I came back for Michela. And to get out of that terrible peanut gallery, but mostly for Chel. Now, she’s gone, and until today, I had nothing left to keep going for- but now I have a purpose! I have a motive! I have a case!” he pauses, then pulls a fedora out from under the counter, fixing it on his head. “Raleigh Dubois is on it!”

---

Max sits in a dark room, adjusting a lamp light. He angles it upwards and shines it in someone’s face. They wince.

“Is that really necessary?” Peter asks.

“Very,” Max says. “I find the blinding light to be… calming. Makes a liar nervous and an innocent man blind.”

“How is that fair?”

“It works for me,” he shrugs, then pulls out a notepad. “Run me through your day. Take your time.”

---

“Well…” Scruffy says. “I got up at 5:00 AM sharp, got dressed, brushed my teeth, then I heard this terrible banshee scream…”

---

Scary rolls her eyes. “I went to add the weather for my daily log and my notes were missing. My notes. My notes! For idiots like you, that’d be like waking up and missing a leg!”

---

“Where to start?” Fren thinks. “Well, as per usual, I went to Chef to see if I received any fan mail…”

Max looks up from his notepad, eyebrow raised. “Did you?”

“Ahaha!” he grins. “Of course! Tons!”

---

O quivers. “I-I-I um.. I- I- where’s my lawyer?!”

Max stares back. “I just asked you to state your name,”

---

“It was obviously targeted. So whoever did it must’ve known these notes are important to you,” Max says, clicking his ballpoint pen. “I would ask if you have any enemies, but that’d be a rhetorical question.”

Scary bares her teeth. “How am I supposed to know that you’re not the sellout?”

“I might be. What're you gonna do?”

---

Fren smiles confidently. “After an hour lost on the streets of New Delhi, we found our way to the river-”

“This has nothing to do with the question,”

“It does so! You asked what I was missing, and I’m giving you a detailed account of each item,” he crosses his arms. “You should be thanking me. Anyway, let’s talk about my cashmere scarf. It was winter in the Swiss Alps…”

Max massages his temples and groans.

---

“My whistle,” Scruffy thinks. “An odd choice, considering I have my own notes in the trailer… maybe the thief only cares about Fren and Scary!”

“It’s not necessarily the object, it’s the obstacle it creates,” Max mutters, taking down notes. “Your whistle helps you with your… “training”, so taking it caused you to miss your two hours this morning.”

“Ah! Right! I knew that!” they nod. "I totally knew that!"

Max rolls his eyes.

---

“What am I missing?!” O chuckles nervously, scratching his arm rapidly. “My, um… my catcher’s mitt! It was my grandpa’s, it’s a family heirloom! I take it everywhere, it’s lucky!”

“Really,” Max raises an eyebrow.

O laughs like an insane person.

---

MAX: “So far, not much. All I’m sure of is that whoever did the swiping obviously knows their way around the cast. They have a lot of observational skills, and they’re brave enough to seriously hurt someone’s feelings- or pride. That cuts out Peter,” he thinks aloud. “Scary wouldn’t take the 600 at the price she’s holding over Chris’ head, plus everyone would suspect her. O… I’m not sure.”

---

Scary sits on the steps to the trailer, munching popcorn and watching Fren and Scruffy argue over who’s missing memento is more important.

“Max said it himself! It’s not the object, it’s the symbolism!” Scruffy shouts.

Max’s voice rings out from inside the trailer. “Not what I said!”

Fren scoffs, offended. “As if my clothes aren’t symbolic! I’m not some cheap whore, I have goals, you know!”

“Outside of clothes?” Scary chuckles. “Please.”

“Oh, you'd be surprised. I mean- I did charity work in the Himalayas!” Fren shrieks. “I am a person of substance and interest!”

Max pokes his head out of the trailer, holding a few plastic bags. “Can you keep it down out here? I’m trying to focus,”

“On what? Role-playing?" Scary rolls her eyes. “Please. We all know you’re the thief, anyway.”

“In your dreams,”

“You are most certainly not a part of my dreams,” she scoffs. “Unless you’re dead or in prison.”

Max rolls his eyes and goes back inside the cabin, Scruffy following as he and Fren disperse. Scary rolls her eyes.

---

SCARY: “What do I think? It was O. Obviously. He’s been avoiding us all day- not exactly a great secret-keeper. But I want to drag this out as long as possible, to teach a certain green-haired traitor a lesson,”

---

"So, we can all agree that it's O, right?" Scary asks, flicking a dust bunny off their lab coat.

Peter and Fren look between each other as they huddle around the table in the craft services tent.

"Why?" Peter finally asks.

"Duh. He's an observant therapy-freak so he knows all our weaknesses, he's been missing all day, and nothing of his was taken," Scary sighs. "While Max has been busy getting that stick out of his ass, I went through O's things, and nothing was out of place! I catalogue everyone's belongings at the beginning of every week, so I would know."

"You what?"

"Irrelevant. He's so obviously the culprit,"

---

SCARY: "I know nothing about detective work, or human drama, but... I feel like I'm aceing this,"

---

Scruffy rocks back and forth on the floor in the trailer, mumbling to themselves as Max digs through suitcases and looks under beds. After the trainee starts biting themselves, Max sighs and turns. “Can I help you?”

“No, no, I’m fine! I’m fine! Totally staying in the competition, I totally know what’s going on all the time! I am super chill!”

“Jesus Christ,” Max mutters under his breath.

---

MAX: “So this is pure, unbridled insanity. I can cross Scruffy off the list, unless they're secretly an A-list actor. No... but that is an interesting thought, isn't it? Someone who acts overwhelming as a cover...”

---

He peers out of the doorway and watches as Fren paces around the grass, throwing his hands up and kicking his legs out and groaning.

---

"It's gotta be five o'clock by now," Scary murmurs, pacing around the craft services tent. "Where is he? Where could he hide?"

No one responds. Peter is busy twirling his thumbs, Fren is picking at the scratchy, unflattering sweater he was given, and Scruffy- recently relocated from the trailer- is scribbling nonsense in the dirt.

"Pete, go check the bathrooms," Scary instructs, pointing outside into the dark, pouring rain.

He winces, but doesn't push back, standing and disappearing into the dark.

Scary puts her hands on her hips and huffs, looking around. "Where's the pipsqueak?"

---

The emerald green equipment tent provides adequate cover from the rain- although the wind blows in a few drops as Max opens one of the flaps and sneaks inside.

He surveys the area for interns, and once the coast is clear, he sets up a PC and enters a few passwords before cracking into the system with “chrisisawesome1”. He pulls up a search engine and takes a deep breath.

---

Peter, holding O's hand, coaxes him back into the craft services tent with the promise that no harm will come to him.

"It'll be fine, there are witnesses!"

"That's not helpful!" O whisper-shouts back.

Sure enough, as soon as he's inside, Scary pounces on him and drags him to the table, handcuffing him to the leg while he shrieks and struggles.

"Can it, limp noodle!" he snaps. "We know you did it- and as soon as the shrimp is back, we're voting you out. Bye-bye!"

"Hey, hey, we haven't reached a consensus yet," Peter says, trying to mediate.

"Can it!"

Scruffy holds up a finger. "No- he's right- we need evidence! We need-"

"You're next, jellybean," Scary narrows her eyes. "In fact, you're my next choice- trying to make everyone's lives harder so you get an easy ride to the finale, huh?"

"I don't even want to go to the finale, I just want to know how this game works!"

Scary drops O and storms over to the corner Scruffy is in. "Here's how this works: you don't abandon your lab partner for a stupid rigged game show just because it hurts your frail little ego! Not everything is about Total Drama!"

"You're wrong!" Scruffy sobs, holding their head in their hands. "Total Drama is life!"

"Oh my God- How am I not the craziest person on this island!"

Fren scratches his arm. "You'll all have your time,"

"What was that?"

"Nothing,"

The tent flap suddenly flies open and Chris walks in, carried in a throne with a roof by four struggling interns. They set his chair down at the end of the table and scamper away.

"Good evening, campers. Have we reached a verdict?”

Everyone falls silent. Scruffy hangs their head. O says a prayer. Finally, Scary speaks: "I think we have,"

The players look between each other.

“Only one of us had nothing stolen- only one of us could be stupidly pressured into taking $600 over a million- only one of us was gone almost all day,” Scary claps her hands for emphasis. “O is the thief!”

O protests. “No! I don’t know why nothing was stolen from me! I’m innocent!”

“Lies!”

The campers break out into argument- as they do, the tent flap opens again and Max walks in, grinning. Scary pauses from yelling at Scruffy to scoff. “What’re you so smug about?”

“You’re wrong,”

“Excuse me, shortstack?”

“You’re wrong. And a shoddy detective,” he stands, pacing the room. “I’ll admit, even I was fooled for a while- O has the motive, the know-how, and a shoddy alibi- he’s a smart guy. But not as smart as a certain someone in this room.”

“No need to pat your own back,” Scary rolls her eyes.

“I wasn’t talking about me,” Max says, pulling a stack of papers from his blazer and slamming them down on the table. The players, and Chris, crowd around them.

The top of the stack is a picture of a familiar face, standing on a stage- the headline reading “Teen Theatre Prodigy Awarded in London”.

“From the start, I was suspicious. We all knew he was lying in one way or another, but... what if he wasn't?" Max says, pacing. "What if Fren really has done all those things... as characters?"

The table goes silent, looking between each other. The silence holds until it’s pierced by a delightful, almost cheerful laugh. Fren chuckles, wiping a tear from his eye.

“Oh, God, it took you all so long!”

“What?” Scary demands, staring at him. “What are you talking about?!”

He sighs and leans forward, balancing his head in his palms. “It was almost too easy! A movie-based season? For an auteur? An artiste? A free exercise in my skills, with a monetary prize?” he grins. “The “Frendom”? My fans from back home. I have a lot, after all. All my elaborate stories, my impeccable personality? ‘Fren’ was a fascinating character to play, almost corny in how over-exaggerated he is. Alas, that kind of swagger is brushed off in this show.”

Max smiles triumphantly as Fren pulls off his baggy sweater, revealing a black shirt underneath with everyone's items strapped to his torso.

“At some point, I just began seeing how far I could push this before someone started suspecting something,” he chuckles, tossing everyone their things. “I salute you, Maxwell.”

“It’s just Max, actually,”

“Whatever,” Fren says. “Congratulations on out-smarting Miss Poser.” he jabs his thumb in Scary’s direction. She growls. “Oh, don’t be like that. You’ll get your due. Most of you will.”

“Well,” Chris grins. “I think it’s safe to say that Max has won immunity today- the rest of you, I’ll see later!”

Chris walks off and Scary growls, storming after him. Fren grins.

---

FREN: "Was it manipulative? Yes. Was it deceptive, scheming, conniving? Absolutely. But I served, and if anything- I wasn't boring. After my character- the beta Fren from Island- failed right off the bat, I realized I was going to have to add some extra spice to my performance. And oh, did it flourish from there! I could've made such an excellent antagonist, if I hadn't gone for the "insecurities revealed" plot... alas, there's always the next season,"

---

Fren leans against the boy's trailer, Peter next to him. The rain has finally cleared up and the late afternoon sun is beaming down on the set. “So it was all a character?” the shorter brunet asks.

“More or less- I like to give all my characters a little sprinkle of myself. Fren is me, I am Fren, but we’re different. Understand?”

Peter rubs his head. “I think. Are we still friends?”

“Mmm… no. But we can be,” Fren holds out his hand for a shake. “My legal name is Alistair.”

“Peter!” he eagerly accepts the gesture.

A loud scream emanates from the communal bathrooms and Scary runs out in a towel, clutching their head- their perfect blonde hair changed to a deep, midnight black.

Peter and Fren watch him run to the trailers to attack Max with a large stick.

“Was that you?” Peter asks.

Fren shrugs. “Hey, the hair dye in the confessionals is free. Now she can be a proper emo, and maybe get some acting lessons- her character last season was so dull!”

---

“Well, players… much to talk about today,” Chris chuckles. “Fren pulled a Scary on us and revealed Fren-ception… mostly thanks to Max’s expert detective skills. Or should I say Raleigh’s?” Max turns red and glares. “Nonetheless, it won him immunity, and put the rest of the cast on the chopping block.”

“Our first Gilded Chris goes to… Scruffy,”

“Peter,”

“Scary,”

“O- you unintentionally mislead everyone by acting weird… by trying not to act weird. And you cost Scary the immunity- great work, dude! And Fren- though your acting skills and secret villainy are admired, you also mislead… everyone!” Chris grins. “And the last Gilded Chris… goes to…”

“…O. Sorry, Fren. Maybe next time!”

Fren grins and stands, waving goodbye to the cast as he walks the red carpet. “Don’t worry about me, friends! I’ll be on a real red carpet soon!”

The cast watches him disappear into the Lame-o-Sine and drive off.

“Riveting! Is anyone who they say they are? Will Scary stay emo? Find out next time, on Total! Takes! Action!”

[arimiadev]

May Updates – Android Ports & Editing

May was a very hectic month for me personally, so there wasn't much progress made this month - but that doesn't mean there wasn't any!

Asphodelium

In May I was asked a simple question - will there be an Android port for Asphodelium? I almost immediately responded "no, it would need too much reworking", but then I got curious.

I assumed the small size of the text (as the story is completely NVL) would make it too hard to read on mobile, but I went ahead and (after a few Java downloads and updates) made a build for it and tested it out. It's actually quite readable and only needed a few tweaks. So, off and on for a few days I tinkered with a build of it, testing it out on my phone. And I was able to release it!

You can now play this Android build for free on itchio.

To go with it, I also released the stickers & print set I've been working on of Hazel & Aster on the store! Rather than have them be separate, I included them all under 1 pack for $10. You can find them on our merch store~

Canvas Menagerie

I wrote about 4k words for Canvas Menagerie. I also did a fair amount of editing for Act 2 of Canvas Menagerie, proofreading what's there and trying to make sure it all fits together.

There's one somewhat frustrating character in particular that is fully introduced in Act 2 who's named Rose - I won't go into who he is for spoiler reasons, but I will talk a bit about him as a person. Rose is a very secretive person with low self-esteem and not a solid self-image of himself. He's quiet and can come across as rude because of how little he responds to others, preferring to keep to himself.

Rose's sprite, which I was able to work on more this month!

Rose is very important to the later half of the story and a fair amount of it is centered on Niko trying to break Rose out of his shell as they're now coworkers. However, it can be hard for 2 reasons:

Rose isn't a love interest

Rose doesn't respond honestly (and hardly at all) to others

Rose isn't a love interest - Ren is. This is a romance game about Niko and Ren's growing relationship rather than a simulator game where there's multiple love interests. It's surprisingly hard to balance having scenes between two characters that could theoretically date but aren't going to. The overall focus is on Niko and Ren, but Niko and Rose's relationship is also important to the later half of the game - it's just not romantic.

Rose doesn't respond honestly - Rose is a very timid person, mainly because he doesn't have much confidence in himself. Rose is similar to how Niko is at the start of the game, but the interesting thing about their relationship is that by the time they meet, Niko is a different person. He's not overly confident, but the Niko that Rose meets has become more confident in himself and more comfortable with others than the Niko we first met at the beginning of the game - it's only because of meeting Ren that Niko changes. So, in a way, it becomes Niko's job to do the same for someone else.

I swab some lavender paint, hesitating to lay it down on the canvas. Just as I reach over to my phone, there's the sound of one of the doors opening. —And then, the door to my painting nook. Rose "Ah—" Niko "Oh." As probably the last person I thought I'd see, Rose steps in the warehouse room. Just as quickly as he stepped in, he looks like he's about to run off again. Niko "What are you doing here?" Rose "I—" Rose "I got turned around..." How do you get so lost to end up here?! Niko "What were you looking for?" Rose "...The script reading rooms." Wow. I know this studio can be confusing to navigate, but that's a whole new level. Niko "That's....kinda far away...." Niko "W-Wait, I didn't mean to laugh!" Rose tries to hide his face and shut the door, but I quickly reopen it. I'm not good enough at giving directions so he'll definitely be lost if I don't help him. Niko "Do you have to be there immediately?" Rose "...No?" Niko "Well, if you'll give me a minute to clean up then I can walk you down there." Rose "..." Rose "...Sure." He says everything with a careful pause. Canvas Menagerie - Act 2

I call Rose "frustrating" because, while I do like him, I sometimes feel like I'm Niko while writing his scenes - it feels like I'm trying to pull any kind of information out of him with little to no avail, just like Niko. I hope by the end though we're able to see Rose's true colors!

Last but not least, May 31st is a special day - it's Niko's birthday!

But I'm writing this in June a few days late because I was at OffKai Expo so....

HAPPY PRIDE! 💜

— Arimia

[sentientgopro]

A massive difference in Gwenpool's writing that I don't see people point out is her addressing the audience. This simple fact reveals so much about her vastly different characterisation, and can even open up an in- universe explanation for her inconsistent writing.

This was copied from A Reddit post I made on r/gwenpool, thought I'd repost it here. Since Tumblr works differently, I decided to include tags for 196 and reddit refugee, since, well, fuck it, why not, as well as a few comic related tags. Because of that, I've added a short section summarizing her writing inconsistencies. If you know all about this stuff, look for the big text saying "Main point starts here."

I'm not going to explain the inconsistencies in Gwen's writing, you're on this sub, you (Might not) know all that already. I'm going to be using Unbelieveable Gwenpool and Gwenpool strikes back as my two main references here.

Okay, writing inconsistencies, lets make this quick. In her original Solo series, the Unbelieveable Gwenpool, Gwen is characterized as a "silly", "innocent" teenage girl (her exact age being 19, and those words arent the best descriptors, but the best I could think of in short terms.) However, when other writers pick up the character, for example in crossovers and teams, they hear "Gwenpool" and go "Oh so Deadpool with tits", stripping away any and all of her Character and personality. Another important note, later into her solo series, and an idea that would persist through THE REST of her appearances, is that she realises she is not popular enough and is heavily at risk of cancellation (which happened to her solo series) and fading into obscurity, which she actively tries to prevent. Im gonna end this here, if you don't know about Her, and youve got a spare 20 minutes, "The rise and fall of Gwenpool" By comic Drake on yt should catch you up on this. This topic of her inconsistencies has been done to death so, onto the main post.

Main Point starts here.

To try to get to the point, a massively understated difference in character is that throughout UGP, she does not address the audience. She mentions "someone is reading" while on the roof of the mobile base, worrying that shes bad, but thats it.

Breaking the fourth wall is, let's be honest, a gimmick. The character talks to the audience and thats weird and wacky! And then it got done a few times and got old for most people. 4th wall breaking also can lead to characters feeling insincere, for obvious reasons.

But the original meaning of breaking the fourth wall is talking to the audience. This is what modt people think of when talking about breaking the fourth wall. But, by this definition, and by alot of peoples conceptions of it, UGP Gwen _does not even break the fourth wall._ (Edit: a comment I saw on the Reddit post described it as "Medium Awareness instead of fourth wall breaking, which I quite like.") She begins to do it later on, though, in GSB and onwards, as she becomes more conscious of the audience.

So why? Why does it matter if she talks to the audience or not? Because Gwens interactions with the audience in GSB tend to be the parts fans don't like. Like the "could a comic book character do this" bits.

But what Im trying to say is, when Gwen is not conscious of the audience, shes the fan favourite version of herself. She _is_ herself. When she is conscious of the audience, people don't like her.

What Gwen missed when she first started getting wrapped up in trying to stay popular and relevant was what made her popular in the first place. People like her as a character. They like her being herself as a character in the marvel universe, acting as she would naturally act. By trying too hard to impress the audience and put on a show, Gwen stops being herself, stops being a character, and just turns into a gimmick. Here, I did some crazy things normal characters can't do. Aren't you impressed?

So, in summary, the difference in behaviour of addressing the audience vs not, and how much people like each version of the character at the times she does this, demonstrates that her consciousness of the audience and trying to address them is what causes all her problems.

I really do feel like concept should be taken further and should be used as the true reason for her character inconsistencies, and have Gwen come to the realisation that she should just be herself. Maybe this could happen in, say, I don't know, what movies are expected sometime in the future?

_It Ain't called BEYOND The Spiderverse for nothin', sony. Do it. Make an incredible trilogy perfect._

So, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. ESPECIALLY if youre here from one of the unrelated tags and dont know alot about her.