#first bits are really true for me yeesh

[forgetmaenott]

NUTCRACKER - TADC Showtime Christmas Special

A/N: This might be my longest one, hence why it took a while. Also I didn’t know shit about the Nutcracker until this month. This is also my last post for a while, since I’m going to residential therapy today. :,) …as for the other prompts I received, they will not be forgotten! Life got in the way and with the timing, I decided to write and release the Christmas themed one first.

@definitely-mothman thank you for the idea!

cw: alcohol, cartoon violence, suggestive comment from jax, jax in general

“Are you really sure you want to work overtime tonight?”

Pomni sighed and rubbed her head. “No. But corporate is being an asshole, and you all have things to get to.”

Ragatha bit her lip, looking at Pomni like she wanted to jump back in her seat and finish all the work for her. “Oh, Pomni, I can’t just leave you here on Christmas Eve! Here, why don’t you come with us to my cousin Andy’s. Jax and I are—”

“Yeesh, lay off it dollface. If short stack wants to work Christmas Eve, let her waste her holiday,” Jax interrupted with a roll of his eyes.

“Wha—Jax! Be nice to her. She’s offering to work really hard for us," Ragatha scolded, hands on her hips.

“Tsk. Yeah, yeah. I'll bet anything she just wants an excuse to stay behind and jump Caine's bones or something."

Pomni clenched her fists, blushing immediately at the implication. "That's not true!" she argued through gritted teeth, almost offended at the idea.

Ragatha's face was just as flushed as Pomni's, and she tugged at her hair in frustration. "Jax! You can't just say things like that!"

Jax grinned widely at the frustration he incited. "What? You don't think it's a little odd that Caine obviously favors her and she decides to stay behind with him on Christmas?"

"Nothing is going on," Pomni grumbled, trying to calm herself, "he's my boss, a-and I'm not even interested." She crossed her arms, looking away from his infuriating grin.

Ragatha brought a hand to her face, sighing. "Don't listen to him. We appreciate this, you know."

Zooble walked by, grabbing for Gangle's red scarf from the hanger. "You really want to stay here all night?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Pomni groaned. Any more comments from the others would probably make her decide to shove all her work aside and head right out the door. "Yes, I'm sure. It won't be that long."

Just then, Caine emerged from his office, chipper as ever. "Dooooon't worry, my shining stars!" he walked behind Pomni, gripping her shoulders as though showing off his most valuable possession, "Pomni here has graciously decided to sacrifice her holiday for all you jolly gingersnaps!"

Pomni tensed at his touch, averting the others' gazes--especially Jax, who was smirking at the way Caine held her so proudly.

"Well, that's very generous of you, Pomni!" Kinger piped up.

"This seems really immoral," Gangle whimpered, wrapping the scarf Zooble handed her around her neck.

"She'll be fiiiiine. Caine's going to take great care of her, right, Caine?" Jax grinned mischievously at the two.

"Anything for my starlet!" Caine replied cheerfully, oblivious to his suggestiveness.

Pomni laughed uncomfortably, staring down at the floor. "W-well, now that that's settled...I'm gonna go back to work," she excused herself, quickly retreating to her desk to avoid the uncomfortable conversation.

"Merry Christmas!" Ragatha called after her retreating form, before being ushered out the door by an impatient Jax. The others gradually filed out, leaving the office silent apart from the occasional rustle of paper or buzz of the computer.

"I have to say, my dear, it's very admirable of you to give up your holiday," Caine's voice came from behind her, startling her.

"A-ah! Caine, how many times do I have to tell you to knock--"

"O-oh, of course. My apologies," Caine looked surprisingly sheepish, turning back to look at his office but not quite walking away. It was obvious he didn't want to leave, like he had something else on his mind to tell her, but for once in his life he was speechless. Pomni followed his gaze.

Caine’s office was filled with nonsensical, colorful knick-knacks. He collected things he was drawn to, he had said. But those knick-knacks ranged from rubber ducks, to rubix cubes, to plastic figurines. She would have found it strange, if it weren’t for how oddly endearing he was about it all.

Pomni sighed. She wanted to be alone, but she felt a pang of sympathy for him. “...I had nowhere to be anyways. Jax and Ragatha had a party to go to, Zooble…well..they didn’t say what they’re doing, Gangle is hosting some hangout at her apartment, and Kinger and his wife are having a night in. But me…”

Caine watched as she trailed off, then his charismatic smile returned. “Why, Pomni, what better way to spend your holiday than with your boss?!" He put an arm around her, causing her to tense in discomfort. She glanced over at him, almost wondering if he was joking, but his eyes shining with a genuine enthusiasm.

Pomni sighed, bringing a hand to her head. “Just…at least let me have a drink or two tonight.”

Caine removed his arm from her shoulder and crossed his arms, looking at her sternly. “Now now, you know how the rules about workplace etiquette!”

“Right…has to be family friendly?” Pomni recited bitterly.

“Correct! It can be enjoyed by all ages…”

She raised an eyebrow. “A…workplace?”

“Ah—well…” Caine hesitated, eyes roamning on the woman in front of him. “I…suppose I’ll see what I can do."

She sighed. “Thanks,” she said half-heartedly before returning to work.

Hours of mundane work passed, most of it spent with Pomni inwardly cursing out upper management. Then again, she had nothing much else to do on Christmas Eve. A part of her couldn’t help but wish she had taken up Ragatha on her offer—but, realistically, that would have likely been more uncomfortable. Unwanted social interactions—here, the only person she had to work with was.

Caine had graciously granted her a bottle of alcohol—she had asked for vodka out of flat-out desperation, but he gave her wine instead and insisted on watering it down each time she wanted a glass.

“Can’t have my star employee inebriated!” he had told her before stashing the bottle away.

Pomni grumbled, but she knew he was right deep down. Though she’d never admit it, the alcohol was making her feel slightly tired. Or maybe it was the fact that she had been unable to sleep all night. Probably that.

All she knew is she was struggling to keep her eyes open, the buzz of the computer almost comforting. The gentle glow from the office's Christmas tree made her feel encompassed in warmth. She gave into her tiredness, but just for a few minutes, she'd told herself.

She planted her head down on her arms, resting on the desk. The hum of the office and the gentle ticking of the clock lulled her into sleep...

——

The first thing that stirred her back to reality was the feel of a pillow, uncomfortably positioned by her side.

For a moment, she swatted her side, feeling for her cat. It wasn't unusual for her cat to wake her up, either shifting in position or scratching at something. She groaned, when in a cold shock she realized she wasn’t at home in her bed. Upon opening her eyes, panic settled deep in her stomach, accompanied by a sick feeling of dread. She wasn’t even in her office, or any place remotely ordianry—rather, she was in a red-and-blue themed bedroom.

Pomni rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, only to realize her hands were concealed by cartoonish, white gloves. On second thought, she wasn’t even in her work attire—she was in a red and blue leotard. She jumped out of her chair in surprise, suddenly taking in just how bizarre this situation was. She felt at her face, at her hair, at the jester hat she wore…

Panic settled in her stomach, followed by a sudden sensation that she was being watched. Something was off about this, and it certainly wasn’t sitting well with her.

"POMNI!"

"AgH--!"

Cutting through the silence was a boisterous voice, followed shortly by the sight of an uncanny, cartoonish figure above her bed, gazing at her with heterochromic eyes between...teeth for a head?

He swept down to her side, gripping firmly at her hand. "What were you dreaming about, dear? Could it have been--the excitement of adventure?" he leaned in close, voice so loud it could give her a migraine.

"...No..." Pomni mustered, discomfort etched across all her cartoonish features. Something about that voice, ever-enthusiastic, was awfully familiar, in spite of his uncanny appearance.

"Great!" he cut off her train of thought, enthusiasm a stark contrast to her exhaustion, "then there's no time to waste! Your funny buddies are already waiting!" He grabbed for her hand before she could protest and, with a sickening twist of her internal organs, she found herself rapidly transported out of the bedroom and into a nauseatingly colorful room.

Her vision spun around, the teeth man flying away from her side with a cartoonish "whoosh" and towards a group of colorful cartoon characters. Once her stomach settled and her eyes adjusted to the brightness, she got a better look at the group--a purple rabbit with an arrogant grin, a rag doll scolding him, a girl made of ribbons with a happy mask, an abstract figure seemingly pieced together by various parts, and a chess piece peeking out of a pillow fort. Everything so...uncanny.

And worse...familiar. Really familiar.

She warily stepped closer to the group, mostly because she didn't want the teeth man to return and shout excitedly in her face about "adventure", and overheard the conversations of the others.

The stern expression on the rag doll's face melted away the moment she saw Pomni, replaced by a soft smile. "Oh, hi, Pomni! How'd you sleep?"

Pomni blinked in surprise, looking between her and the rabbit. "...I...slept fine," she replied half-heartedly. Her gaze trailed to the others, all watching her with curious expressions.

"You look even more paranoid than usual," the rabbit said judgmentally, eyes flicking up and down at her tense form.

Pomni didn't take any notice at first until he smacked at her face, as though snapping her out of a trance. "..Huh...what?"

"Yeesh. At this rate you're a bigger nutcase than Kinger," the rabbit snickered, earning a glare from the ragdoll.

Kinger.

The name repeated, again and again in her mind. Then…that would mean….

Pomni's eyes followed the rabbit's thumb, pointing at the chess piece peeking out of the pillow fort, stomach dropping in realization. She glanced around at the other cast of characters. It felt like she had woken up within a dream, everything suddenly lucid. And she didn't like it one bit.

Kinger, Jax, Ragatha, Zooble, Gangle, and...

The teeth man flew above them once more. "Now, now, my little polygonal pinecones! Today's adventure is filled with wonder, excitement, festivities!" his eyes fell on Pomni, bottom jaw curving up in what she read as a smile, "and it's all thanks to our little jester friend..."

Pomni's breath was stolen from her.

Caine.

Jax rolled his eyes. "Yuck."

Caine flew down to Pomni's side, placing an arm around her in the same manner that he had at her desk a few hours ago. "That's right! Pomni recently informed me during one of our lessons that you humans deeply treasure your traditions, your festivities!" his grip on her tightened, "and so, today's adventure is in honor of Christmas!"

With a snap of his fingers, the circus around them transformed slightly. The stage was framed by a garland, a wreath formed at the top. Colorful lights were strung around, and a large tree with large ornaments stood proudly in the center of the room.

"...I'm never drinking again," Pomni mused, rubbing at her head.

"Now, now, my silly little shortbread. You know the importance of hydrating!" Caine corrected her.

"That's not what I--"

"THAT'S RIGHT! I declare today a digital Christmas!" Caine spread his limbs out enthusiastically, tinsel sprinkling down onto the circus members.

Zooble looked unimpressed, flicking some of the tinsel off of their head. "Isn’t it, like….June?”

Ragatha clasped her hands in front of her dress. "Ooh, Christmas? That's a great idea, Pomni. We could really use some holiday spirit around here," she praised with an enthusiastic swing of her arms.

“Yeah, yeah, holiday spirit. Gross. Where’s the bloodshed and violence?” Jax tapped his foot impatiently, crossing his arms.

Gangle smiled, lifting some tinsel from her ribbons. “Actually…this sounds like a lot of fun,” she piped up.

Caine twirled around in the air, his cane spinning behind him. “I knew it! Ha-ha! Oh, Pomni, we need to collaborate more often!” he praised, before snapping his fingers once more. “Now that that’s settled, today’s adventure issss…the Battle of the Gloink Kingdom!”

Silence filled the air. Then, their reactions came in one.

“…Well, I’m heading out,” Zooble huffed.

“Battle? Now we’re talking,” Jax said with a satisfied grin.

“Gloinks?” Kinger tilted his head, a finger pressed to his chin, “Gloinks make me crazy…” he began to trail off.

Pomni sighed. “Remind me how this has to do with Christmas?”

“Maybe it’s like the Nutcracker?” Ragatha piped up hopefully, clearly trying to salvage the idea.

“Wh—n-no, of course not! It’s a complete Digital Circus original,” Caine huffed defensively with a cross of his arms, teeth clamping shut to conceal his eyes.

“I’m good,” Zooble repeated, turning to walk away.

“Um…I think I’ll sit this one out, too,” Gangle said meekly, twiddling her ribbons together as she glanced at Zooble’s retreating form.

“Wha—but this adventure is filled with so much excitement! So much festivity! Where’s your holiday spirit?” Caine called after them.

“In the void,” Zooble quipped before disappearing with Gangle down the hall.

“W-well, that’s fine! We’ll have the best Christmas adventure without you,” Caine crossed his arms, turning his back to them and glancing down at the others, “well, that leaves all of you!”

He glanced down at the remaining circus members—Pomni, Ragatha, and Jax. Kinger had long since retreated to his pillow fort, having talked about a rubber room and gloinks. Pomni was tense, Ragatha visibly uncomfortable but trying to force a smile, and Jax grinning.

“So, Caine,” Jax started, “just how much violence and bloodshed will there be?”

“Ah! About that, my rambunctious rabbitoid friend! Pomni here suggested that too much ‘violence and bloodshed’ could stress everyone out. So this adventure will be very family-friendly—” Caine reached to boop Jax’s non-existent nose.

Jax grimaced, pushing his hand away. He glowered down at Pomni. “Nice going, Pomni. You’ve ruined Christmas,” he said with a roll of his eyes, “if there’s no violence in a ‘battle’, I’m out.”

Good riddance, Pomni thought. The more her mind was adjusting to the circus world, the more familiar everything felt. And the more familiar everything felt, the more she realized how much she despised that damn rabbit.

Caine looked visibly disappointed, but tried to maintain his showman demeanor. “Well, that leaves the two of you, then! Whaddya say?“ he asked, but his eyes were only on Pomni.

Pomni felt her stomach flip at the attention he was giving her. She tried to shake the thoughts away, but the way he had praised her for telling him about Christmas, the way he was so excited to show her—God, she’d feel bad if she rejected him after everyone else did. But she really didn’t like the idea of another gloink adventure, whatever that meant.

Ragatha’s eyes went between Caine and Pomni, sensing the tension. She smiled to herself, well-aware of the blossoming relationship between the two—likely more aware of it than they were themselves. She was usually quick to accept an adventure, even the unpleasant ones, out of her people-pleasing nature. But she also wasn’t keen on potentially interrupting the two. “W-well, I actually had plans with Gangle and Zooble today. Drawing and whatnot,” she lied, earning a disappointed look from Caine and a nervous one from Pomni.

“A-ah, I see…” Caine trailed off before shaking his head cartoonishly, his smile returning. “Very well! Pomni, I’ll join you on today’s holiday escapade!” With a snap of his fingers, the world around them shifted. The two of them shrunk down, the Christmas tree towering over them.

“Wh—CAINE?! What the [#%?!] is going on??”

“Language, my dear. And to answer your question, we’re gloink-sized!” Caine announced proudly.

“Gloink-sized?? Wha—WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH CHRISTMAS??” Pomni seethed.

Caine ignored her complaints. “Ah, there they are now!”

“There’s what—” Pomni began to ask, but her question was cut short by the sudden stampeding of an army of gingerbread men, followed by the familiar bouncing of the gloinks.

The two sides met in the middle, battling rather pathetically. The gingerbread men continuously broke into pieces, cookie crumbs scattering across the floor. The gloinks, on the other hand, would bounce on the gingerbread men’s’ bodies and knock them down, often clipping through the body.

Pomni stood there frozen, face contorting into one of complete puzzlement. “…what kind of adventure is this…?” she asked slowly.

“A Christmas one, Pomni! Look!”

Pomni followed the direction of his pointed finger and saw the Gloink Queen emerging from seemingly nothing, cheering her children on from afar as she slithered over to the battleground.

“So like…we just watch?”

“Ah, of course not! It’s your job to defeat the Gloink Queen!” Caine explained.

Pomni frowned. “Wasn’t that already an adventure? Besides, can’t you just do it?”

“Hmm…I suppose I could help, but only a little bit. It wouldn’t exactly be fair if I did it all for you, now would it?”

“Caine—!” Pomni began to scold, but was quickly interrupted by the Gloink Queen scooping up a group of the gingerbread men and swallowing them whole.

“It’s all part of the show!”

Pomni gaped at the Gloink Queen, who was swallowing down pieces of gingerbread army men.

“You foolish ginger soldiers are no match for my precious children! How can you not see by now, everything will be gloinks! You will be gloinks, she will be gloinks, God will be gloinks!” The Gloink Queen growled between violent chomps of the screaming gingerbread army.

Without thinking, Pomni grabbed a crescent-shaped gloink and threw it at the Gloink Queen.

“My precious spawn!” the Gloink Queen cried out, watching her two-hundred-and-third child be thrown past the nearby Christmas tree.

“Caine, please just get rid of her already!” Pomni practically begged. This alleged Christmas adventure was already a disaster, and as much as she didn’t want to disappoint him, she also didn’t want to watch more NPCs die in morbid ways.

Caine sighed, seeing that Pomni wasn’t satisfied. “If you insist, Pomni,” and with a snap of his fingers, a black hole summoned beneath the Gloink Queen and swallowed her whole. All the gloinks quickly jumped in after her, following their mother into the unknown. The hole closed behind them, leaving the two alone with the gingerbread NPCs.

For a moment, all was quiet, except the men’s cookie weapons clattering to the ground. Then, they turned to Pomni and Caine, and started cheering out.

“She saved God!” one of the men cried out, shaking Pomni by the shoulders.

“Wait, wait, wait, I did HUH?” Pomni shook her head in disbelief.

Caine laughed heartily. “Oh, Pomni, they’re celebrating you! For saving my life,” he explained, placing a hand where his heart would be.

“…but you can’t even die!”

“We have to take her to the princess!” one of the gingerbread men with a broken arm exclaimed, shaking Pomni around violently.

Caine clasped his hands together. “Why, Pomni! How exciting! They want us to meet the Princess.”

“Caine, I really just want to—”

“Splendid!” Caine interrupted, and with a snap of his fingers they were teleported into the Candy Canyon Kingdom before a crowd of NPCs.

“AGH—CAINE WHA—where are we??”

“We’re with the princess, of course!”

Pomni’s head was spinning. It was evident that he was desperate to please her, or perhaps even, make their time together last. She couldn’t deny, she really, really wanted to go back to her room and stare into the abyss for a while. When Caine had said “Christmas adventure”, she had foolishly assumed he meant something traditional—a gift exchange, decorating gingerbread houses, something normal.

But looking at the man beside her, she knew it was best never to assume he was anything “normal”.

Princess Loolilalu approached the two from within the castle, earning screams of excitement from the crowd. One she had approached the two, she curtsied to them. “Ah, you must be the brave girl who saved God,” she said, gesturing to Caine, whose eyes were pointing in entirely different directions.

Pomni sighed. “Yep…that’s me,” she replied weakly, quite honestly wanting this whole adventure to be over.

“Well, we’ve prepared quite the celebration in your honor. And, if you don’t mind…” Princess Loolilalu gestured for a mannequin NPC to scurry over, carrying a candy crown on a red pillow, “I have a gift for you.”

“Oh, um…that’s okay, I really don’t need—”

“Nonsense! I coded the crown to fit you perfectly,” Caine interjected. With a snap of his fingers, her jester hat disappeared, leaving her with her short, dark brown hair fully exposed.

“Well, you can’t argue with God,” the NPC commented before lifting the crown to the Princess with more urgency.

Princess Loolilalu smiled gently before plucking the crown from the pillow, stepping closer to Pomni and placing it onto her head. “A crown in your honor. The Candy Canyon Kingdom is forever grateful for your noble escapade,” she curtsied, and the crowd of NPCs erupted into cheers.

Pomni smiled uncomfortably, not sure what to do with all the eyes on her. She brought her gloved hands to her jester shorts, curtsying awkwardly.

Caine leaned over to her. “A crown suits you quite nicely, my dear,” he complimented in a hushed voice, so close to her that it made her tense up and flush.

“Let the celebrations, begin!” Princess Loolilalu announced, earning another round of applause and excited cheers.

——

After what felt like hours of vibrant “cultural”celebrations (as in, various NPCs presenting her with glitched-out dances or candies they prepared themselves, prompting her to wonder, is this cannibalism?)—the two were finally given the chance to exit the kingdom’s gates.

“Wow, Pomni! What an educational journey about candy culture!” Caine placed his gloved hands on his hips, eyes crossed in different directions.

“Can we go back to the circus?” Pomni asked in exhaustion. She never expected she’d be asking to return to that colorful purgatory, but all the NPCs’ attention had drained for.

Caine lowered onto the ground beside her, watching her carefully. “Well, actually…”

Pomni tensed, anxiety immediately settling in her stomach. “Oh God, don’t tell me we can’t go back.”

“Nonsense! Don’t be silly, I can take us home with a snap of my fingers! But ah, if you would humor me, my dear…”

Pomni raised an eyebrow as he stood eye level to her. There was something…different about his demeanor. A crack in his usual showman persona, a flicker of vulnerability. Something that felt less like an AI and more like a real person.

Caine took off his hat, fiddling with it in his hands. His eyes looked up to meet hers, slightly concealed by his top jaw. He almost looked shy. Caine, the loud and goofy AI ringmaster, looking shy. “Would you care to dance?”

Pomni blinked in surprise, unexpected butterflies settling in her stomach. She thought nothing of it, just her usual anxieties. “O-oh, I’m not really good at dancing,” she brushed off, smiling a bit uncomfortably.

“Oh, nonsense! You’re a one-of-a-kind performer,” Caine replied, placing his hat back on his top jaw, “Besides…if I may confess, there is something else I’d like to share with you.”

Pomni tilted her head curiously. “Oh…okay, um…yeah. Show me,” she said, though she knew that could be quite a risk given Caine’s history.

His face—or lack thereof—seemed to light up at her willingness. “Wonderful!” he exclaimed, hands grabbing for her waist and pulling her flush against him.

She yelped at the sudden touch, the closeness immediately bringing heat to her face. But Caine, ever the oblivious AI, merely snapped his fingers and teleported them across the map—much to the dismay of Pomni’s internal organs—inciting a cry from her.

“Ah, here we are!”

Pomni was suddenly aware of how tense she was when she had been released from his touch. Her shoulders were tensed, eyes squeezed shut, preparing for the worst. But when she opened her eyes…

Huh.

The world around her had become a forest with light streaming in, and the trees and ground coated in a sheet of snow. Everything was quiet, and snowflakes fell to the ground lazily, landing on her candy crown and Caine’s hat.

She lifted up her hand, letting the snowflakes fall on her glove. They were delicate and detailed, each one perfectly crafted. They melted slowly in her hand, and it was…

Beautiful.

“I…I love it,” Pomni breathed out in awe.

“I knew you would!” Caine said, expressions lighting up once more, “I’ve spent the past week designing this, and all just for you!” he approached her, carefully taking her hand in his.

“For me?” Pomni repeated. He had always given her special attention, she remembered that much. But this was something else. Something that made butterflies dance in her stomach.

“Of course! I wouldn’t have done this for just anyone, you know!” he gave her a playful wink, “besides, I couldn’t help but think about that conversation we had about Christmas and snow. And how much you’ve missed it.”

Pomni felt like her heart was melting as much as the snow on her hand. God, he was actually learning. And the result was beautiful. Perhaps it was that rush of affection that motivated her to prompt, “What was that you said about dancing?”

Caine’s smile widened immediately at her invitation. “Ah, of course.”

Pomni couldn’t deny how much her heart thumped in her chest—perhaps from nerves, but deep down, she knew it was something else. He held her hand in his with more confidence, his other hand slipping to cup her waist. His touch had once made her tense and shy away, but for some reason now, it took her breath away.

He guided her, slowly at first. Taking one step, then the next, back and forth in a gentle rhythm. She watched her feet, making sure she was doing it correctly, but was quickly interrupted by Caine letting go of her hand and bringing a finger to tilt her chin up.

“It’s best to keep your eyes on me, my dear,” he whispered tenderly.

Pomni nearly shivered from how gentle his voice sounded. His gaze was so oddly tender, so loving that it made butterflies flutter around in her stomach. His hand returned to hers but this time, Pomni felt bold enough to interlace her fingers with his. She could see a flicker of surprise in Caine’s eyes, but just for a brief moment.

The dance gained more confidence, snow falling delicately on the two as they moved. It coated the top of his coat and her leotard. And yet, despite their surroundings, she felt incredibly warm.

Caine lifted their hands and spun her around, causing Pomni to clumsily follow in surprise. “Careful, dear. Just like that…see?” he guided her movements, but her eyes were still too focused on his. One eye was blue and the other was green. This was the first time she had really thought about how much she liked that.

Their rhythm sped up slightly, the two gaining more confidence and fluidity in their dance. They spun in circles around the snow-covered clearing, eyes only focused on the others’. Her chest was pressed flush against his, and she could feel the way his code thrummed against her beating heart.

Her mind spun, and it wasn’t from them spinning in circles that was doing it to her.

His hands slipped down to her waist, fingers brushing over the small of her back in a way that made her breath catch. He gripped her tightly before boldly lifting her up. Pomni gasped as she was lifted into the air and spun around briefly. Normally, she would have been frightened, but for some reason, it only made her gain more confidence when she was returned to the ground. She smiled at him, gripping his hand tightly and continuing to dance with him. His eyes glistened in joy at the sight of her smile—genuine smile—and she could feel his system temperature only rising.

At one point, she spun around so her back was against his chest. His hands held hers, guiding her in a delicate dance. Pomni swore she stopped breathing when his hands traveled down to her waist, snaking around her and holding her from behind. She was certain he could feel the way her heart was beating in her chest, and it only made her more flustered.

Finally, Caine moved to dip her. Pomni audibly laughed at the dramatic gesture, the sound only making Caine’s body burn against hers. He was certainly overheating, the snow beneath him melting, and she couldn’t deny that she liked being the one that made him feel this way.

His hands were wrapped around her, one holding her back and the other cupping her waist again. Pomni’s laughter faded when she realized that the two weren’t moving. For a moment, she thought he had frozen, but…no. He was watching her, his gaze making her blush.

Caine brought the hand on her waist up to her face, brushing aside her hair and cupping the round of her face. He let his thumb trail along her lips, along the blush beneath her eyes, eyes taking in every detail like he wanted to burn this moment into his memory. But it was the way he was looking at her that made her swoon. His eyes were glistening, watching every inch of her.

He was looking at her like she was his favorite adventure, like she was his most prized possession. He looked at her like, just maybe, he wanted her. It made her hold her breath, and Pomni was acutely aware that she wanted him to kiss her.

“Caine,” Pomni breathed out, eyes blown wide at the sight of him so…genuine.

He didn’t break eye contact. It was oddly thrilling. Like a million Christmas days rolled into one moment—him holding her like this, looking at her with real emotion. Not programmed reactions, not an illusion of a feeling, but real emotion.

It made her incredibly nervous, face flushed the more she became aware.

“I believe you need rest, my clumsy little Clara,” he said so softly she almost didn’t believe it was him. He lifted his hand as though he were about to snap his fingers. “May I?”

Pomni hummed in response, shoving her pride aside in favor of the sudden warmth overwhelming her senses. She rested her head against his shoulder, hearing the soothing buzz of his code, thrumming with more intensity the closer she pressed against him.

He pressed a gentle kiss—or the closest thing to a kiss he could initiate—to her cheek, making her feel warmer than ever. With a snap of his fingers, she felt a familiar discomfort in her gut as she was transported across the map. Only this time, the discomfort was blanketed by Caine’s comfort.

“Mm…I never knew you could be so…” Pomni mumbled incoherently as she drifted closer to sleep.

“So…?” Caine prompted, code thrumming louder against her ear.

There were so many words she could choose from. Cozy? Soothing? Attractive? “…warm…” she settled on.

“I think you’ll find I can be many things, my dear.”

He settled her into her bed, tucking her in and letting his gloved hand linger against a front strand of hair. Maybe she was just incredibly tired, or maybe she was actually starting to see him differently.

“You’ve had quite the adventure today, Pomni,” he soothed, “get some rest."

There was something about the way he said her name so gently that made her feel safe. For the first time in this terrifying place, she really felt safe. Maybe even…

Loved.

She wanted to say more. She wanted to hold him close and never let go. But sleep overtook all her senses, along with an indescribable warmth.

Loved, was the word repeating in her mind as she drifted off.

——

Pomni woke to the feeling of Caine shaking her gently. It was oddly calm considering his usually energetic demeanor, like for once, he was willing to let her sleep.

A blanket was wrapped around her shoulders…no…not a blanket. It was a red jacket.

Caine’s.

She came back to reality, visions of the dream melting away in place of the dimly-lit office. The clock ticked rhythmically, the computer on her desk buzzed, the lights of the Christmas tree lazily flickering in the corner. The fever-dreamlike world of the circus had faded away, replaced by the dull familiarity of reality.

The more she woke up, the more she adjusted to the scene around her. And that’s when she became aware of Caine, who had visibly just given her his coat as a blanket. He froze when she stirred awake, eyes falling on him.

There was a sudden flutter of butterflies in Pomni’s stomach at his gaze, her head feeling light and certainly not from the alcohol.

“Caine,” she whispered, suddenly feeling incredibly flustered as the memories of her romantic dream returned to her.

“Pomni,” he replied, clearly just as unsure of what to say as her.

“Caine.”

“…”

“…”

“…merry Christmas, dear.”

Her eyes flicked to the clock, reading 12:57 AM. “Merry Christmas, Caine.”

“…”

“Pomni, I…”

“You…?”

“Well, I was just wondering if you’d ah…like to…join me today.”

Pomni blinked. “You want to celebrate Christmas with me?”

Caine blushed. “Well…doesn’t that sound like such a festive thing to do? Such a human thing to do? Spending a day that is almost unanimously agreed on to be special with someone that you, perhaps, see as special?”

Pomni blushed at his jumble of words and the way he avoided her gaze. Caine, the enthusiastic and shameless boss of this place, shy. In the back of her mind was that dream. It almost seemed…

Like a memory.

Or maybe it was just the alcohol. And the exhaustion.

Probably that.

All she knew is she was blushing and speechless, her heart jumping in her chest at the sight of him. She didn’t know why her mind had made him look so…absurd. But somehow, the dream version of him had swept her off her feet.

And she felt it now, too. Like she shouldn’t find him endearing, but she did anyway.

But she wasn’t ready to admit that to herself.

“I’d…like that,” she said without thinking.

He could have burst in excitement there and then. “Oh, my dear, you would? You—really?”

She stood up, smoothing her skirt out. “Yes,” she decided, then followed up with a sentence that surprised herself, “work can wait.”

Caine froze in place, finding it difficult to move for a moment. He nearly forgot he had control over his movements until Pomni snapped her fingers in front of his eyes. “Caine…? You okay? You sort of froze up there for a moment.”

“Aha, yes! Pomni, I can’t begin to describe how long I’ve wanted to experience this with you.”

She paused for a moment, tilting her head curiously at him. Everything he was saying lined up well enough with her dreams and…maybe, just maybe, those dreams really were….

She interrupted that train of thought. No, that was entirely absurd. She was just incredibly exhausted and just a little bit drunk.

Even so, she remembered the way they had danced together in her dream, the way he was so incredibly oblivious but still endearing. The way he paid her special attention, the way he held her like he wanted her. And the way he was looking at her now…

His eyes…one was blue and one was green. She had never noticed that until now. Just like her dream…never really noticed it, not like this.

One blue, one green. Both, filled with equal adoration for her.

It could have been that thought that motivated her to boldly take his hand in his, making him tense up.

“I have, too, Caine.”

A/N: and with that, I’m off to residential for a couple months. hopefully it wasn’t too rushed, i’m quite literally heading into the office right as i post this so did not have time to edit as much as i hoped. Thank you all for being amazing. Merry Christmas <3

[sunflowerandstrawberryspice]

CARMEN SANDIEGO? In 2024? It's more likely thank you think! Please excuse the shit quality for some reason I wasn't allowed to upload the normal pdf and I had to upload a fucking screenshot???

So my friend convinced me to watch Carmen Sandiego and since he's watching ALL of Ninjago for me I thought it was the least I could do to watch four season of a show with a pretty decent concept but uh... yeesh, don't get me wrong the show is really fun but lord have mercy does it have problems especially the last two seasons which were just so wildly disappointing to me. It went from a show with an interesting look on morals to pure pro-cop and mostly black and white thinking so quick (that not mentioning the breaking up a found family full of people with abandonment issues) it was honestly just so disappointing so me and the friend who introduced it to me decided to rewrite it! (I will not be animating nor do I plan on doing more than MAYBE a comic or art piece here and there because my chronic pain ridden ass can not handle that much lol)

The main goals are to:

1) Flesh out characters that aren't Carmen and actually give them reactions based on their lived experiences and how they might realistically react instead of what the show needed to move the plot along

2) Having characters other than Carmen be actually relevant to the plot the main one being Chase Devineaux who we're gonna kind of have as a parallel to Carmen (trust me yall) as kind of a "What if Carmen didn't have her friends/family to ground her and fall back on" but for all the Chase fans out there (gods I hope there's some other than me) he will be getting a happy ending but bro is getting put through the RINGER first

3) Have both A.C.M.E (now standing for Administration for Containing and Monitoring Evil) and V.I.L.E be the bad guys. Also just as an extra bit of fun we're making VILE a full blown cult, they were very cult like in the show so we're just gonna make it one. Both are going to be very morally questionable and while it'll take a bit longer for ACME to show it's true colors don't you worry they definitely will ;)

4) We're doing canonical lgbtq+ rep, I know the show teased a lot of relationships and really only gave yall background gays not to say thats bad but we can do better than just a brief shot of a damn taco truck. I mean like come on in a story about a young woman going against the government for the greater good why not put some rep into it ya know!

5) We're making it light sci-fi, not like SUPER high tech but definitely beyond what we've got currently, as shown with Carmen's prosthetic, and don't worry I'm doing my research as a disabled person I know how it feels to be misrepresented or ignored so I want to make sure I'm being realistic

6) PLAYER ISN'T GOING TO BE A CHILD! I don't know if this bothered anybody else but to me it was really weird that this 16 year old's only friends were in their 20s!

Alright I think that's what I'm gonna say for now, I'd love it if yall tuned in for updates if your curious since this is a passion project for me and my friend and we're having a blast writing it!

As always I am still working on stuff for Ninjago cause I could never abandon my one true love, currently there's a Pixal drawing in progress (it's giving me hell T-T) something for Cole and Geo, and something of Sora MAYBE even Euphrasia if I'm feeling up to it.

Having said that I hope yall have a great day/night and PEACE OUT!

[pixelatedraindrops]

“Alright, I think your fever rose again a bit… So, get some more sleep. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Okay… Thank you…. Dad.” Yuma yawned then fell asleep with his hands curled by his cheek smiling.

Yakou looked bewildered by that last statement. “Yeesh. That’s some delirium… What the heck was in that medicine?”

Are those lines familiar to any of you? Well they should be. Because today marks a full year that I shared my first RainCode Fanfiction Home Is Where The Heart Is to the world on AO3 for the first time. Its the anniversary of my first Raincode fic!✨

Rambling below

This fanfiction was my first real first step into getting noticed by the RainCode community. I usually made sickfics for any of my fixations and when I wrote it the community was still fresh and new. I was really nervous to share it due to me still being pretty shy about my guilty passion at first...💦

But this fanfiction, was what really got me recognized in the community. Sure my sprite edits were something as well, but this story is one of the most read in the community along with many others. This fic showed what I was truly capable of in my skills as a writer and as a illness/sickfic enthusiast. 🌡️

In a way this fic got me a little more confident in trying to focus more on my gp and honestly its made me so happy. Happier than I’ve been in a LONG time. It’s thanks to people’s love for this story that I was able to get this far and get to know the community. And to be known for my gp and not be judged, but instead admired by others?? It really is such a dream come true for me… 🥹 Drawing for it and for this series is truly my calling as a fan artist.

Happy Anniversary HIWTHI. One full year since I truly began to spread my wings as a Raincode and illness whump creator. I decided to try my hand at making an anniversary art for it. Tbh back when I wrote the story, I had little to no confidence in my art skills at all. But now that I’ve gotten better, I drew something for it. I do worry the pose is rather boring because it’s the same as 2 other images that were made for me… xD But come on, you know its the cutest scene in the story 🥰 (and ugh yakou was a pain to draw AS USUAL ><)

Yuma’s home is truly with the NDA. The illustration shows him still sick but happy. Laying his head in the lap of his trusted chief covered in his dirty but cozy bed’s duvet, and surrounded by all the stuff his friends got for him to help him to recover~💊

I hope you like the picture. And to celebrate this story’s 1 year anniversary, feel free to tell me your favorite part if you have read it! 💕✨ And if you haven’t, I hope you do sometime!! 💜

[thesongoffalsity]

contemplation (grimmjow x black!gn!reader)

TW: brief violence

"i would have went to war with the world on your call" — ball w/o you (21 savage)

after tybw

"that's strange. i thought you said you'd be leavin'." your eyes were atfirst resting on the sleepy desolate lands of hueco mundo til you heard a familiar gruff voice. you turned your head. the first thing you noticed was the ever deepened scowl burrowing into his features. fuck. this was gonna be a whole ass thing. "not in the mood, kitty." you scoffed, shaking your head forward to avoid his gaze. you know what he was up to and what he was trying to achieve. sometimes you wish you didn't teach that bastard gaslighting.

"c'mon, ya always in the mood for me ain't ya?" a hearty laugh left the arrancar as he, without a second to process what he even said, plopped himself down next to you on the ruined pillar you were resting on. grimmjow slung his arm around your neck. you could smell that weird cologne that always lingered on him. and no, it wasn't the smell of gore and blood. it smelled...familiar? "is that the cologne i got you from the human world?" a smirk grew on his face. "ah! ya noticed! i thought it smelled bad, but i gave it a try cuz ya liked it or whatever." he sniffed and rubbed his upper lip, "it's kinda overpowerin' couldn't ya find somethin' lighter?" "i thought hollows are immune to allergies." you snickered, poking at his side teasingly with a cheeky grin. "hush up, fuck-twat. that's like sayin' we can't take a big fat shit either." "i didn't say anything about taking a shit." "oi? shut up? yeesh ya humans annoy me. when is that kurosaki kid comin' to pick up his mutt." he muttered, pulling his arm from you and crossing his arms. just as quick did your smile appear, it immediately disappeared and was replaced with a flat stare. "grimmjow. why did you come over here, i'm able to hold my own in hueco mundo and you know that." "cuz aizen's free and wants your heart." you stared at him with an unamused look. you'd think he'd come up with something worse. with a forced sigh he begrudgingly grabbed your wrist, "okay okay! it ain't that!" you kept your stare and all the more quirked your brow, "what the fuck do ya want, kitty." he growled at your words. he hated that nickname. for a moment you caught the hollow bite his bottom lip, but it barely even lasted a second before it was replaced with the same scowl from earlier. "when were ya gonna tell me!" the way he said it sounded like he was hurt, but his tone and facial expression sure were resolute and well...grimmjow. "tell you what—" "HOW YOU'RE LOSIN' YER DAMN MIND!" he screeched, his hold on your wrist was so great...the sound of bone crunching filled your ears and then the searing pain came. you bit your lip as tears filled your eyes. he didn't stop though, he continued, "how the FUCK are ya gonna just...agree to that stupid dumbass! 'oh yah urahara i'll let ya take my powers away!'...g-god ya make me..." "i don't wanna lose ya." though, he said it too low for you to hear. "g-grimmjow...why do you care so much? you barely ever see me." "cuz ya NEVER visit hueco mundo like ya visit shitty soul society!" your heart lurched, that was true...and to be fair soul society was much safer than hueco mundo. "and don't say hueco mundo is dangerous cuz i'll maw the first bitch who wants to touch ya!" nevermind...

"...if you're in love with me...just say it." grimmjow shook his head. "i ain't in love. cuz if i was i could still stab ya in the back, lie to ya face cuz 'i don't wanna hurt ya'...i got loyalty. i got the integrity to not do any of that cheap shit, cuz i'm really...really here for ya."

after he said that, you were speechless. you didn't know what to say...so you left.

you could never forget the look he gave you as you entered the garganta.

686 words author's note: ahh ive never written shit for bleach + written fanfiction in SO long so like idk if its good or not. im probably gonna write for dbz next to practice fight scenes :p © thesongoffalsity

[angelbroad]

You're Like Me, Let's Be Friends

This superhero business was going pretty well, all things considered. It was a good thing Nadine had basically all the time in the world to work on this, which also made her realise she didn't really have anything going on in her life. But now that she was an official hero (was there even such a thing?) also meant she would have more run-ins with the other heroes of Gotham.

The first had been Batman. Nadine thought him very intimidating at first, and he still was, just with a bit of humor to him. Even if they didn't talk often, or worked together often, Nadine could tell he was somehow watching her. The man was like a shadow, and it only made Loxz-Ha dislike the Bat even more.

"I'm sure it's cause he cares.", Nadine told them, "Besides, I'm still new to this hero thing. I think he wants me to do it right."

Or he sees us as a threat that must be observed and terminated

"Loxz, I think you worry too much."

I worry just enough, Nadine Estrada

Nadine sighed, "Would it kill you to stop calling me by my full name?"

The two still had some stuff to work through, especially Loxz-Ha's distrust of basically everyone they'd meet.

Next was Nightiwing. He was slightly less intimidating than the Bat, much more easy-going. Nadine was in the process of stopping a few crooks when he showed up, the two managing to turn them in in one piece.

"Batman told me about you.", Nightwing said.

Nadine looked away with an awkward smile, "H-He did?"

"He said you were new and practically clueless."

"Oh...uh..."

He is insulting our intelligence

"No he's not."

Nightwing raised an eyebrow. Nadine coughed.

"Sorry about that."

"You talk to yourself often?", he asked.

"More than you think.", Nadine said with an awkward laugh,

"W-Well...nicemeetingyoubye!"

As she flew away, she chastised herself internally. That was so embarassing!

"Loxz-Haaa.", she groaned. The scarab chuckled, apparently her suffering was amusing.

"So, how did it go?", Anthony asked as he was washing the dishes, Nadine lying on the kitchen table face first.

"I fumbled Nightwing so bad..."

Pearl patted her back, "Hey, I would too."

"Would you though?"

"Well, duh. You know dark mysterious men are my weakness."

"Can you two stop thirsting over the vigilante in my kitchen table?", Anthony asked.

"Dude! She's doing that, I'm just embarassed I acted like a child in front of him!", Nadine shot up, slumping back down as she finished, "First Batman, now Nightwing..."

"Hey, c'mon dude. You've been a super for like what? A couple of days?", Pearl reasoned, "Obviously your personality won't change that quickly. You're still the same ol' Nad."

"Thankfully.", Anthony added to his sister's statement as he sat down, sliding a burrito towards Nadine's head, "Now eat, won't you?"

"But I'm not hungry...", Nadine mumbled, but saw how Anthony had bothered to make her food, so she reluctantly took the burrito to eat it.

"Any luck with blue?", Anthony asked Nadine as he sat down next to her.

Nadine shook her head, "Apperantelly he's called 'Blue Beetle', but I've never seen him around."

"Hey, we'll burn that bridge when we get to it."

"Anth, I'm trying to make friends here, not enemies."

"My guy,", Pearl said, "you're a superhero. No duh you're gonna have enemies."

Nadine let out an awkward laugh, "T-True. I just hope I don't get a Mongul as my villain."

"Yeesh. Went right for the Superman-level threat, didn't ya?"

"Sorry..."

Nadine was bound to be nervous about all this. Now that she was putting herself out there, with a secret identity to boot, she was a target. And because Loxz-Ha still doesn't tell her everything, she didn't know how big the target on her back was.

---------

"Flying through the streets, hope nothing bad ever happens to me-"

You are murmuring again

"Just trying to find some comfort.", Nadine reasoned.

The spike in your anxiety indicates otherwise

"Well, what should I do?"

Take deep and slow breaths. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth

Nadine did as instructed, aiming to meet Nadine's requirements to the best of her ability.

Good. You are doing so well, Nadine

"I...am?", that felt nice, in a weird way.

Nadine landed on a building, continuing her exercises.

Nadine

"Y-Yeah?"

You have a performance tonight

"Oh shit! Thanks for reminding me!", Nadine said as she blitzed through the streets and to the back of the venue where Stephanie was waiting. The armor came off almost as soon as Nadine's feet touched the ground. "We're not late, are we?", Nadine asked as she tried to catch her breath, not even noticing she said 'we' instead of 'I'.

Stephanie let out a sigh, giving her a reassuring smile and guiding her inside with a hand on her shoulder.

"Just in time.", she said, "Adhhab alan 'iilaa altubuli, ya sadiqi."

The stage lights were as bright as always, bathing Nadine in a green light as she picked up the drum sticks. As the drummer, she always sat in the back, and she preferred it that way. Loxz-Ha had asked about it at some point, and Nadine made it clear that she wanted to stay as a support to the band's structure. She cared little for spotlight, to which she was sure she heard the scarab create its own version of a hum.

It started with a spin of the drumstick, then light tapping on the peddal, and then Nadine met her queue of beating the drums like her life depended on it. The music blasting from the speakers would surely make her go deaf one day, but she didn't care-not now. Nadine closed her eyes, smiling ear to ear as she focused on the beats of the music alone. Guitar, bass, song, and drums, working together in chaotic harmony to create a form of art Nadine had always looked at as an escape. Loxz-Ha didn't buzz in her mind right now, and even if it did, she couldn't hear it.

She did hear the scarab at some point, telling her to open her eyes again, and to focus on stopping as the song was coming to an end. They had received applause, a great sound to hear as an up and coming band. 'Lords of the Flies' were not the only band performing in the event, but they were the smallest. Even Nadine knew they stood very little chance against Cassidy.

The group decided to stick around for the meet and greet portion of the event, and they got a handful of people coming to them too, though it was mostly for Steph and Anthony. Pearl lagged back and scrolled on her phone, while Nadine sat nearby and dozed off. Maybe Loxz-Ha would talk to her again.

"Um, excuse me?"

Nadine turned her head, jumping in surprise. "S-Sorry, sorry! You just, scared me.", she tried to play off.

Be more aware of your surroundings

Noted, Nadine mentally said.

"Drums, right?", Jaime knew that was a stupid question to ask. Obviously she was the drums, he'd seen it himself. "I...really liked them. Looked like you were having the time of your life up there."

"I did.", Nadine chuckled.

"Could you...?", Jaime asked, handing her a small booklet and pen.

"Sure!"

Nadine wasn't getting a lot of attention, being a drummer will do that to you, but she had a couple of people that found her support good enough to ask for an autograph.

Meanwhile, Jaime was fighting hard to not talk back to Khaji-Da.

Jaime Reyes., they said, There are more important matters at hand than going to see your favourite 'indie band'. We must find the individual we are looking for

"Here you go.", Nadine cheerfully said, handing him back his notepad first before remembering the pen was his too.

"I-I'm Jaime, by the way.", he blurted out and extended his hand. He could hear Khaji-Da sigh inside his head.

"Ah, um, I'm Nadine, but I guess you know that?", Nadine replied, trying not to let her awkwardness show as she shook his hand. Pearl wiggling her eyebrows behind her was not helping.

Another thing about her new condition of having an alien strapped to her back, it was really itchy. Nadine withdrew her hand to try and reach her back. Jaime raised an eyebrow at that while Pearl got up from behind her.

"You good?", she asked.

"Y-Yeah, it's the uh...you-know-what."

"Ooooh. Hang on, I gotchu.", Pearl said as she moved to scratch the spot. She then looked at Jaime, who was looking quite confused. "She recently got some back braces. Gets real itchy."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Don't be.", Nadine waved off, "Just a-"

Did Loxz-Ha just purr?? Whatever sound Loxz-Ha had internally made had Nadine's back straightening like a metal rod, catching Pearl by surprise.

Jaime darted his eyes around before turning them back to the two girls, "You were gonna say...?"

"...Bug. Bug was what I was gonna say."

Huh, that was weird. This situation was oddly familiar to Jaime. Braces were a tricky thing, especially if they made a bump on your...back...wait-

Jaime shook his head, finally catching on to the bug comment.

Well...fine, I will give you credit for this one

Nadine felt an arm go around her shoulder as Anthony returned.

"Hey, all good?", he asked Nadine, but his eyes were on Jaime.

Nadine looked away as she took his hand off, "It's fine, Anth. Just meeting new folks.", she said. Nadine wasn't really too big on physical affection of this degree. "This is Jaime. Jaime, this is Anthony."

Anthony crossed his arms as he raised an eyebrow at him, but Jaime stood his ground and extended a hand.

"Big fan, great to meet you."

Anthony reluctantly took his arm, "Same here.", he then looked at Nadine, "We should probably go, the event is over and you guys need rest."

"R-Right, rest.", Nadine said, going to help the girls with gathering up the instruments, "Nice meeting you, Jaime!", she waved as she walked off.

-----------

Jaime lagged back at the building, flying to the roof to wait for when Nadine would leave. Khaji-Da had suggested it, but that made him feel like a stalker.

We are not stalkers, Jaime

"Well, it sure feels like it.", Jaime admitted, "What am I even supposed to say?"

Just tell her what you are

"But what if she isn't the Green Scarab? We'd be revealing our identity to a random person in Gotham."

Would you rather we wait until the actual scarab shows itself?

"Probablemente. You don't think this is problematic at all?"

Hardly

"Por supuesto que no.", Jaime said, facepalming. A metal clang brought him back as the back door was opened. Quickly ducking behind the roof wall, he could hear the group talking. He mostly kept his attention on Nadine's voice, following it as she walked off.

Nadine was smart enough to bring a jacket this time, she'd hate to ask Anthony for his own again.

"So...", Anthony started, "that guy-"

Pearl punched his arm, earning an 'ow' from her older brother. "Geez dude. If you're gonna be jealous do it subtly."

"I am not-"

That earned a rare laugh from Stephanie, with Nadine trying to contain her own.

"Anth, you worry too much!", Nadine said, "He just wanted an autograph. Besides, you don't see me going off like that when you get autograph requests."

"W-Well I um...you just...nevermind."

"Pfft! Not subtle. At. All!", Pearl quipped.

Nadine raised an eyebrow, "I don't get it?"

Stephanie pulled her close as they walked, "Don't worry about it."

As they continued walking, Nadine felt a little off. It was like someone was following them.

Good, it seems that you have taken my advice to keep attention to your surroundings

"I try."

"What's it saying, Nad?", Stephanie asked.

Nadine shook her head, "Nothing."

It wasn't until Nadine was alone, the others having gone their seperate ways, that the feeling got stronger. She stopped walking, and inhaled deeply. Should she confront the supposed stalker? How would she even do that?

Nadine

"Hm?", she whispered.

Just follow my instructions

Nadine nodded.

Turn around

Nadine did just that.

You have to look serious

Nadine tried her best to put on a serious, and slightly angry, look as she looked into the darkness.

Now say that they will be evaporated if they come out and threaten you

"We talked about this!...Oh crap.", Nadine could hear Loxz-Ha groan, more than ready to materialise their armor before the stalker popped up.

The figure was on a roof, and Nadine couldn't tell much since all she could see was the silhouette. They lifted their arms up, seemingly to show they meant no harm. Nadine gave a determined look at the sky and pointed at the figure.

"L-Listen here...mister! I don't know who you are or why you're following me, but I'm warning you, I'm gonna hurt you real bad if you try to lay your hands on me!"

"I-I mean no harm!", the figure said, the voice sounding weirdly familiar. The figure dropped down, Nadine instinctively going to a fighting stance. The street lights revealed the figure as the blue figure Nadine had seen on that video Pearl had shown the crew. There he was, right in front her.

Well, that was rather lucky

Nadine shooke her head and pointed at him, "You're the blue guy!"

Jaime chuckled and tipped his head, "Blue Beetle, at your service!"

Nadine chuckled, "Phew, glad I ran into you. You never know in Gotham."

True. Jaime himself hadn't been in Gotham much, but sometimes the team would require him to come over.

"I...think we have a lot to talk about.", Jaime said.

Nadine nodded, letting the armor encase her again as the two took off into the sky.

[great-hon-equal-to-pot-pie]

I saw some people already discuss this topic but I think that we can all universally agree that lmk does such a disservice to Ne Zha. Like come on. This is coming from someone who GOT INTRODUCED TO THEIR CHARACTER THROUGH LMK. I hate to say it, but on my first watch through of the show I honestly barely cared for him... they just made him so lame? What might be a tad bit harsh but it's the best word I can think of. He wasn't really fun? He was so "oh rules!" "oh this and this by the book!" what firstly is boring and SECONDLY IS INCREDIBLY INACCURATE TO HOW HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE DEPICTED! Also yeah they nerfed him hard... I can get behind the whole no fire powers thing bc I can tell they try to give all the characters diverse abilities and powers yada yada... but judging slowly off combat skills, yeesh. Like Wukong kicks his butt far too easily, they act like their power levels are in completely different leagues which is not true!! Ne Zha could beat Wukong with very little struggle lol. Idk... it just frustrates me a tiny bit cuz Ne Zha is so cool (arguable one of the coolest characters from East Asian mythology) in their original story that I wish he was equally as cool in one of his most popular modern iterations. I wish they start characterizing him better at the very least and giving him more spotlight. They deserve it!

[romance-of-three-memes]

It's been over 6 years since Dynasty Warriors 9 came out, and 6 years since we've had a new main series entry. We're not getting another main series entry at least as of yet, we're getting Dynasty Warriors Origins, which was revealed in Sony's 2024 State of Play show, which has been remarked to have been an utterly mediocre event (much like this entire generation of tRIpLe A video games). The first trailer is here:

So, what do I think of all this? My overall sentiment can be summed up as follows:

Fuck man, I dunno.

Dynasty Warriors means a lot to me. It means so, so much to me. It's shaped a lot of aspects of my life, my taste in video games, music, characters, and costume design, my academic interests and aspirations, etc. I learned Chinese in college and studied abroad in Beijing largely because Dynasty Warriors stoked that interest in me from a young age. So yeah, I *really* love this series. I *really* am not sure what my life would look like if it hadn't been part of it. And I *really* hate what's become of it.

I want to be excited. I want to be optimistic. But at the same time, I don't, because man, does getting your hopes up only to have them dashed hurt. Nothing last forever, and after the sorry affair that was Dynasty Warriors 9 (the strongest defense I've heard for it was 'it's wasn't as bad as people say' it wasn't AS bad. Yeesh), it's made me wonder if there's really much of anywhere left for the series to go that's interesting.

The formula itself, the 1 vs 1,000 gameplay, has long been ported to other IPs such as Zelda, Fire Emblem, and Berserk, and a lot of them have been great (holy shit I love the original Hyrule Warriors). This proves that the gameplay concept can continue to evolve and be engaging. But Dynasty Warriors as a narrative device for that concept has been pretty played out, and it's not like this is a new observation, anyone who's played more than one or two Warriors games would probably be able to tell you the same thing.

Given the differing gameplay with the whole nameless hero bit and the title it's probably more like (another) spin-off than a main sequel, and that may very well be because the devs don't have much of anywhere else to go with the main series, which may be for the best. I'd rather let something go quietly into the night than watch as it shambles on like a reanimated corpse, although I'd rather it ended on a better note than Dynasty Warriors 9. Something that particularly bothers me is the wording of some of the ad blurbs, like on Koei-Tecmo's official twitter account announcing the game: 'In addition, for the first time in a Dynasty Warriors title, the storyline will be told through the eyes of a “nameless hero.” Play through the historical tale of war as chaos erupts throughout the Three Kingdoms, showcasing the vast lands of China and its most ruthless generals like never before!’

That's *technically* true, but in a very legalese way. This isn't the first time the Warriors series has had an original character with no historical or cultural background being 'the main character' of the game. Dynasty Warriors 4 and most of the Empires games have the option for you to create a player character and play through the game with them, and Samurai Warriors Chronicles is the same deal, albeit that's even more like the premise of Dynasty Warriors Origins because you play as an OC going through the late Sengoku Era. And man, the evolution of the character creation over the years has been pretty amazing. It makes me wonder if this 'nameless hero' is going to be customizable other than changing their weapon (which was showcased in the trailer). I'm going to be really honest, unless that character ends up being extremely compelling and well-written, I'm going to be very put off if we can't customize them, or if there's only a small degree of customization. In Samurai Warriors Chronicles 3 I can make a player character who’s a woman that’s taller than virtually every male character, isn’t stick thin, can wield any other character’s weapon or her own unique weapon, and I can put her in cool armor that isn’t pointlessly sexualized, and I can give her different voices who all give the character different personalities in their lines and delivery, and I give her the overconfident, ruthless voice actress. If you take that degree of customizability away from me after having given it to me on a handheld system from the previous generation, I will lose a ton of interest, Dynasty Warriors Origins.

Another thing that maybe isn't quite as major but still gets me is the announcement tweet on Koei-Tecmo's official twitter account that goes 'Fueled by exhilarating 1 vs. 1,000 action and the rush of massive armies, DYNASTY WARRIORS: ORIGINS delivers an unrivaled sense of realism to the battlefield'. Realism. In Dynasty Warriors. A game series where you play as characters with superhuman abilities and are at a peak physical condition that most people could never hope to achieve. Realism? You think I want realism? You think *anyone* plays this series for realism? One of the best parts of Dynasty Warriors is how flashy and campy it is, and how unabashed it is about that (or how it used to be, anyway). Dynasty Warriors has never, ever been about realism and feels more like chasing trends, since realism has been a buzzword in the video game community for years now (albeit it's quieted down within the past few years, thankfully).

Still, this is just a very basic first trailer. Could it be great? Yeah, I'd love for it to be. But do I think it will be? Most of what little evidence we've been given so far makes me lean towards 'no'. That doesn't mean I necessarily think it'll be terrible, but I also don't really think it will be great.

As much of a cynical, joyless bastard as I can be, I don't get anything out of saying all this. I usually love being right, but not about this. Man would I *love* to be wrong about this. I really, really would. Also, I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade or try to convince them that they shouldn't be excited or should expect the worst case scenario, I'm just throwing my opinion out there. Maybe once we see more my expectations will take a turn for the better.

So I guess I'll end this with the sentiment I began with: Fuck man, I dunno.

[autistic-crypt1d]

SG-1 Book series Live Blogging:

The Price You Pay (Season 1)

Ok so I've never read a Stargate book before and I'm both excited and nervous. Here we go!

Updates:

- Chapter 1

- ok so first off, getting to know more about stuff like supply requests? Neat af

- Sam Carter uses a nightlight, validation to all nightlight users

- "But for herself, the concept of stepping, or perhaps falling, across space was still fabulous, and every night before a mission she lay awake, testing the delicious fear that maybe this time the mysterious technology of the Star-gate wasn’t going to work." Girl is thinking about their demises before they even step through the gate

- Chapter 2

- "Really, it was too good to be true. Something was missing. Where wasthat familiar cozy feeling of dread and doom?" XD

- Chapter 3

- I am SO confused

- Chapter 4

- Carter, you're making me nervous drinking that stuff

- OH SHIT THE DHD

- isn't that like one of the first things they check for with the MALP?!?!?!

- Chapter 5

- damn it Sam this is not the time to be drunk!!

- this must take place before they figured out how to dial manually

- “People on your world sit on babies?” XD

- "“How does one become square?” Teal’C inquired.O’Neill opened his mouth, closed it again, and shrugged.Carter and Jackson crawled away."

- I'm getting major Goa'uld Hunger Games vibes right now wtf

- Chapter 6

- so... yeah pretty much

- I'm a little confused why they felt the need to specify Teal'c skin color when describing that he stopped in a crowd, but I guess maybe so that people who've never seen SG-1 would know? Idk, they didn't say "the white woman nearly ran into him", they said "she nearly ran into him" so, feels weird but I'm white so what do I know

- "your legs are too short" PFFFFT

- ok again describing him as "the black man", literally no one else's skin colors are being mentioned like this. Why do Carter, Daniel, and Jack get she/he, their title, or their name and Teal'c gets "the black man" tf??

- poor kids :(

- Chapter 7

- “Heeeeeere dialer dialer,” O’Neill crooned. “Come out come out whereveryou are.” BRUH

- “Oh, I don’t know, maybe you could set up a box trap with tacos?” BRUH

- “Just lucky, I guess. You should apply to the Guinness Book of World Records as the person allergic to the most planets.” poor Daniel

- ahh, ok so I guess this is the first time they get stranded without a DHD and that's why it becomes standard to check for one

- way to throw away your stealth Jack

- oh shit something is about to go down

- Chapter 8

- welp, Teal'c and Carter kidnapped a bunch of kids and Jack and Daniel got kidnapped by a bunch of towns people

- Chapter 9

- oh great now they're sick

- "What would O’Neill do in a situation like this? he wondered. Whatever it was, Daniel was certain that the colonel wouldn’t let a little nakedness stop him." True XD

- Chapter 10

- poor Sam :(

- "O’Neill had decided that a miniskirt wasn’t his look and couldn’t figure out where to put his knees." XD

- Chapter 11

- a hand held DHD?? Why would they never use that in the show???

- Apophis's home??

- a teleporter? They can't be describing rings cuz they know what that is, they specifically describe a blinding light. That makes me think Asgard, but they don't have that tech

- a Goa'uld city?!?!?!?

- Jack is making poor Daniel have to GROVEL grovel

- Chapter 12

- this is so strange

- Chapter 13

- poor Carter :(

- Chapter 14

- ah yes Daniel, take off the helmet that is protecting your identity because it's a little uncomfortable. SO SMART

- huh?? I really do not understand that last part

- Chapter 15

- I'm sorry, envisioning that kitchen scene is so funny

- nice work Daniel

- Chapter 16

- YEESH

- Chapter 17

- oh shit Sha're and Apophis actually make an appearance!

- "at least one young woman now held the keys to the universe."

- "was it all worth it?"

- those last couple paragraphs were awesome

- I really liked this book overall! Getting to read their thoughts was especially cool. It's a bit frustrating to go into these and know that nothing of concequemce is going to happen though since the show already happened

Sacrifice Moon

[riddlesnap]

🖤 (BE!Marg why not I'm curious LMAO) @smilingwrxith

Send 🖤 and my character will answer about yours. (No longer accepting!)

"Well now, look at you having a whale of a time! Good, good. You've done well doing what I've asked, and now comes the matter of your reward..."

attractiveness:

repulsive / hideous / ugly / not attractive / unappealing / not unattractive / meh / no preference / ok / mildly attractive / nice looking / cute / adorable / attractive / pleasant on the eyes / good looking / hot / sexy / beautiful / gorgeous / hot damn / would tap that / perfect / godlike / holy fuck there are no words / I like this version of you better!*

personality:

grating / irritating / frustrating / boring / confusing at best / awkward / unreasonable / psychotic / disturbing / interesting / engaging / affectionate / aggressive / ambitious / anxious / artistic / bad tempered / bossy / charismatic / appealing / unappealing / creative / courageous / dependable / unreliable / unpredictable / predictable / devious / dim / extroverted / introverted / egotistical / gregarious / fabulous / impulsive / intelligent / sympathetic / talkative / up beat / peaceful / calming / badass / flexible.

how likely they would have sex with them:

not if they were the last person on earth and the world was ending / fuck no! / never / no way / not likely / not sure / indifferent / I’m asexual / maybe / probably / it depends / fairly likely / likely / yeah sure / yes / would tap that / hell yes / fuck yes! / wishing that could happen right now / as many times as possible / we are already having sex / woah that's more than I can handle!*

level of friendship:

never in a million years / worst of enemies / enemies / rivals / indifferent / neutral / acquaintance / "friendly toward each other" / casual friends / friends / good friends / best friends / fuck buddies / bosom buddies / practically the same person / would die for them / true friends / my only friend / mutual benefits*

first impression of them:

i hate them so much / i don’t like them / i don’t trust them / they annoy me / they’re weird / I’m indifferent / meh / they seem alright / they’re growing on me / truce / I think I like them / I like them / I’m not sure if I trust them / I trust them / they’re cool / they’re genuine / I think we’re going to get along / I really like them / I think I’m in love / oh fuck they’re hot / I love them / they're a bit scary yeesh*

current impression of them:

i hate them so much / i don’t like them / i don’t trust them / they annoy me / they’re weird / I’m indifferent / meh / they seem alright / they’re growing on me / truce / I think I like them / I like them / I’m not sure if I trust them / I trust them / they’re cool / they’re genuine / I think we’re going to get along / I really like them / I think I’m in love / oh fuck they’re hot / I love them / they're useful* / we're going to have a lot of fun together!*

[inventors-fair]

From Nothing, Victory: The Origin Winners

~

Our winners this week are @genericaura, @horsecrash, and @nicolbolas96!

@genericaura — Nilix, Scholar of Nothing

First up is this curious specimen, taking a distinctly mathematical approach to the idea. D'you think their associates ever tease them about their title? At any rate, this is a fascinating piece of design. Copying spells is by no means untrodden ground in these colors, but the requirement for the spell to have been free is such a bizarre wrinkle that I can't help but be enthralled. It's a pretty hefty buy-in to get the effect online, too, so the card feels more fair than you'd think something centered around cheating mana costs to be. There's a decent amount of depth to the use cases, too. Sure, chaining this into a Mind's Desire is positively rapturous, but there are plenty of spells that are already free, or cast something for nothing as more of a formality, and suddenly those become worth their weight in gold. This really got the wheels in my head turning, and I can't really ask for more. Although, it is kind of odd to have a bird without flying. An ostrich aven, perhaps? That's just nitpicking, though. Good show!

@horsecrash — Hogaak, Tide of the Dead

Hogaak's back, baby! And hopeful not about to ruin a format this time. I saw a design like this tossed around several times this week, a card with a cost reduction mechanic that gets a bonus if you manage to shave it down to zero. None of them require quite this much reduction, though! The chance to get a huge beater that also traumatizes you (which is a sentence I don't get to say often) is a supremely tasty carrot on the end of the stick, though, and it sets my self-mill loving heart aflutter. Consume makes a fascinating companion to convoke here (although I'd also be interested in seeing what you can do with it by itself), allowing a real scale of quite how hard you want to commit. That's assuming you want the mill in the first place; an 8/8 trampler on the cheap is nothing to turn your nose up at. I appreciate the reminder text clearing up any confusion around the intersection of the mechanics, and I could see plenty of times when you'd rather tap but not sacrifice something. I'm not quite as sure about the inverse, but it's always good to keep the option open. My one concern is that the fact that any way to get this onto the battlefield without casting it (so reanimation, blink, or what have you) also counts for the effect feels a bit against the spirit of the card, but it's hardly a dealbreaker.

@nicolbolas96 — Desperate Necromage

Yeesh, desperate is right! This is one of those beautiful cards that completely reshapes the game around itself the second your opponent is aware of it, because now every single decision they make has to be made in respect to it. Cards with both first strike in deathtouch can often be unblockable if they don't give your opponent a compelling reason to interact with them, and while that's true of this for most of the game, boy does that flip on its head the second your life hits zero. It really does crystalize that feeling of being on the brink of death, but just one more good hit and you can take them out! I do really think the life loss on attack is deceptively important here. Obviously it advances the card's win condition, but by doing that it encourages you to be aggressive with a card that would otherwise sit back as a deterring blocker. Even more than that it introduces a real sense of riskiness, because if this is removed too early, even before you hit zero, you can suddenly find yourself in a very bad position. After all, a deck designed to lower your life total probably isn't packing many tools to raise it, and the lower you go, the more risk you run of being abruptly blown out. All in all, this is the kind of intersection of flavor and gameplay that just captivates me.

Runners-up to follow shortly, then commentary (hopefully) later today. See you then!

@spooky-bard

[nellie-elizabeth]

Doctor Who: Boom (14x03)

I regret to inform you that this was a very good episode of Doctor Who. Fucking Moffat, knock it off with being an occasionally very good writer. I hate this dude.

Cons:

I thought the romance arc between Mundy and the random dude whose name I can't remember was probably the least memorable part of the episode? It just felt a little flat and proscribed, and it fell into some cliche writing tropes. Why is it always that an oblivious woman is being pined after by her long-suffering martyr of a best friend? It's giving Rory and Amy, it's giving... Joss Whedon. I don't know. I didn't hate this, but it didn't add a ton to the story, it almost felt like more of a distraction to the core relationships that we should have been focusing on.

This was the most I've enjoyed Ruby and the Doctor's relationship on the show yet, but there was this one moment that I had a problem with in the writing. The Doctor is calling out to a dying Ruby and basically says "I need to talk out loud in order to think, and you're the only person I can talk to." I think I get what the goal was here, but it read a little strange to me. Because the point of the Doctor is kind of that he can make friends with most people, isn't it? He finds the connection, and the adventurous spirit, and the bravery, in all sorts of people he comes across. We even see him forming connections with the other people he's meeting in this very episode. So I do wish the sentiment had been adjusted just slightly. Ruby shouldn't be valued and loved simply because she is uniquely able to provide the Doctor with companionship. You know?

I thought the resolution felt a little rushed, with the father's love saving the day. Very sweet or what have you, but I could have used a bit more build-up to it? As is Moffat's MO both as a writer and as a show-runner, he's always better at the setup than he is at the payoff.

Pros:

I think when Doctor Who is at its very best, it takes a simple concept, a small group of people, and it plays out the complications of the scenario over the course of the hour. This was an episode with a small core cast, basically only one setting with just a few cut-aways to the camp where the soldiers were staying, and there's a pretty simple problem to solve: the Doctor is standing on a landmine. If it goes off, because of his special Time Lord-y-ness, he could blow up half the planet they're on. So the stakes are higher than simply the Doctor's life, and they're on a timer.

And from there it's really just a lot of intense stakes-raising, alarming moments of tension as the Doctor tries to keep his emotional reaction to a minimum so as not to trip the sensor. I loved the scene when the Doctor is begging Ruby to back away and she's insisting on staying close to help. Great relationship building, great classic rapport between the Doctor and his companion. She's brave, he's worried about her, but together they thwart catastrophe.

As is often true with this show, and with sci-fi more in general, this episode has some not so subtle political messages baked into it. I think it was brilliantly and disturbingly done, showing us first the soldiers and the way their lives hang in a delicate balance, then starting to learn about the for-profit model of this weapons manufacture, and then the gradual and chilling revelation that these people are not at war with anyone at all. It's an empty planet, and they're fighting nothing, letting themselves be killed for the benefit of a corporation running on auto-pilot designed to maximize profits. Yeesh. That's a thought, isn't it.

There's also the lovely detail that all of the soldiers are part of the church. Ruby talks about how strange this is, and the Doctor points out that the military and the church are usually hand in hand, and that her current reality is really just a blip in the pattern.

The gasp-out-loud moment of this episode is of course when Ruby gets shot. I love the way the scenario is set up here, where Ruby is going to shoot Mundy with her consent, in order to draw the ambulance's attention away from the Doctor, but Mundy's love interest dude sees Ruby pointing a gun at her and misinterprets. And then the Doctor, forced for the sake of this whole planet to stay frozen in place and just watch it happen... great face acting from Gatwa here as he reacts with horror while simultaneously trying to tamp down on his reaction.

This was a good episode, with a lot of good moments. I think tamping down into a more tragic story allowed for the Doctor and Ruby to have some exchanges that didn't feel so... manic, the way the first two episodes were? And that was a big help to make them feel like they have a more grounded relationship. Ruby begging to know her next of kin in the final moments of her life is going to haunt me, that was so tragic! And while maybe a little bit trite, the father's love saving the day thing did still work okay for me, all things told.

I'm hoping we can get some motion on the Ruby mystery in the coming weeks, and hopefully preserve a bit more of the naturalistic bond between our main characters as we move forward.

8.5/10

[colourfullsims]

DAY 3 | It Takes Two (2/6)

Nina: Alright. Guess we aren't quite wrapped up with the drama for tonight. The islanders start to scatter, but this group has decided to hang around the fire pit a while longer to debrief over the recoupling. To no one's surprise, Frankie and Sydney are happier than ever having successfully coupled up tonight, avoiding the dramatic mishaps the rest of the islanders had to endure. Ramone and Sydney are happy their friend Yana has made it out of the chaos unscathed. But Ramone's relief is short lived after Camryn makes a pretty unfunny joke about her being better suited coupled up with Hikaru. Yeesh, let the man breath, Cam! Looks like this might have been the final straw for Ramone: now that he's resolved to playing the field, just who does he plan on going after?

Next, let's head over to the other side of the backyard to see what Joey and Manny are chatting about!

@galaxsims-x @regalllove @nilonne @ironicscavenger @ommsims @madebycoffee

Beginning | Island Schedule | Previous | Next

Frankie: Where are you going?

Hikaru: Upstairs.

Frankie: To sulk?

Hikaru: To take a shower. Or am I not allowed free will all of a sudden?

Frankie: [Chill, dude. I was just curious. No need to bite my head off.]

Yana: [meekly] A-actually, Hikaru, cou-

Hikaru: Not now.

Hikaru: [in the DR] What was the point in me trying to make progress today if Joey was going to sneak in and snatch Manny away from me?! It’s BS! I had this in the bag before he got involved! Now I’m back to square one!

Frankie: Don’t mind him. He makes a much better second impression than his first. He just needs to warm up to you first.

Yana: [sigh] Right. Well, I guess I’ll go unpack my bag and get ready for bed…

Sydney: [See you in a sec, Yana.]

Ramone: [See you later!]

Frankie: Well, that was a rollercoaster ride! I knew there’d be drama but not to this magnitude.

Sydney: I’m just glad we were out of the crossfire.

Sydney: [blushing] I liked your speech by the way. I didn’t know you thought all that about me…

Frankie: [blushing] Well…now you know.

Frankie: [in the DR] I’m pretty ecstatic that we’re coupled up now. I wasn’t sure if I’d meet someone who meshed with me the way that Syd does, but I really lucked out!

Sydney: [in the DR] You stole the words right out of my mouth! After a little bit of a rocky start, I can say I’m super happy Frankie came to the Villa when they did.

Ramone: I’m still shocked that Joey had the balls to do that! It was pretty clear that Tucker was planning on scooping Manny up tonight.

Camryn: [quietly] Is that so…?

Sydney: Is it really surprising though, after what happened at the comp today? That kiss between Joey and Manny felt like the biggest one-up attempt ever. They clearly have been fighting over her for a minute.

Camryn: Hmmm…

Sydney: What’s more shocking is how Tucker did Tori! I can’t be the only one who saw how shocked she was when he picked Felicity. I can’t believe he’d drop her like that in front of everyone without talking to her about it first! Like where’s the common courtesy?

Ramone: Oof, yeah, that was rough to watch. I hadn’t really talked much with Tori, but she seemed cool. I guess the silver lining here is that at the end of it all, Yana wasn’t dumped. 

Sydney: True. I’d have hated to see her go home after coupling up with Frankie. Though I can’t say I have much faith in her making any headway with Hikaru romantically. Those two couldn’t be more opposite energies.

Camryn: Right?! It would make more sense if Hikaru and I were coupled up. At least we’ve already got the first kiss out of the way! [cracks up at herself]

Frankie: [in the DR] [rolls eyes] I can’t believe she said that shit. What is wrong with that girl?

Sydney: [in the DR] Yeaaah, that was not a good look on Cam’s part.

Ramone: [annoyed] Really?

Camryn: What?

Ramone: You and Hikaru?

Camryn: I was just joking around. Sheesh, don’t be so serious.

Ramone: Despite all the shit Camryn’s been giving me I chose her at the recoupling because I had faith that we could click if she’d just give me a real shot. I’m regretting that decision now. Clearly, she doesn’t care about my feelings, so why should I keep on caring about hers? From now on, I’m not holding back waiting around for her to give me the time of day. Ramone: [cold] Right. My mistake.

[goodbysunball]

Parched & parcel

Things are getting noticeably heavier and weirder, and we're the better for it. Some metal, finally, paired with some fine Aussie experimental noise and a band that'll make you believe in the dream of NYC again. It's the best season for this kind of stuff, so dive in.

dprk, Shitville Tourist LP (Studio Fabrik)

May I introduce to you Shitville Tourist (title of the year) by dprk, apparently a duo of Nick Dan (xNoBBQx) and Richard Fielding (Severed Heads) with support from a few mates. It feels like a journey in time back to where Twisted Village and Kye once roamed, where the journey largely justified the end product and the listener could take it or end up spending big later. While there is no question this record took me a few listens to unravel, what didn't take much to pique my interest was the gentle loop on "Crazy Little Corkscrew," something that sounds like a lullaby played with a steel drum, being poked and prodded by various electronics over its seven minutes. The track, like all four tracks on here, doesn't really go anywhere over its duration, but floats, writhes, twists and soaks in the sounds being made: pure joy in the noise made by machines. The title track and "Blumen Schmerz" are darker, more cavernous, where synths bleep and blot and drum machines whirr and exhale steam, creating the illusion of life where there is none. The latter has some creepy guitar parts splayed out on the pulsing synth backbone, but the investigation leads to no further conclusions; there is no categorization here. The finale, "Gulag In Space," provides not only another great title but a track nearly worthy of dancing, especially after the mind-fuck of the first three tracks. The beat bounces off all surfaces, as slippery as the rest of the record, but there is a sparkle on "Gulag" that winks at the listener as Shitville Tourist winds down. Something magnetic, or just plain alien, about the whole affair, but whatever it is, the sheer number of times I've played this have more than justified the hefty price tag. Great debut; let's hope for more from these true underground freaks.

Excarnated Entity, Mass Grave Horizon LP (Nuclear Winter)

Greece's Nuclear Winter puts out a ton of releases, so much that I've seemingly looked them over in the last few years. But taking stock, they've been responsible for the physical releases of a number of near-and-dear U.S.-based death metal acts like Blasphematory, the mighty Anhedonist, and now, Excarnated Entity. Excarnated Entity features a former member of Anhedonist, and there's definitely a similar approach to death metal with the two acts: mournful, grandiose but without the heavy-handed use of keyboards or Gregorian chant-like vocals. Excarnated Entity is also singularly focused on the horrors of war - not to be confused with the glorification of such in war metal - and provides ample heft to the incalculable loss of life. The band's demo, also reissued by Nuclear Winter in 2020, was a good primer for their debut LP, but the LP is devastating. The instrumental opener "Abjection" runs an elegant Mournful Congregation-style guitar line into the ground, simultaneously distraught and triumphant, and sets the stage for the rest. For anyone paying attention to the recent death-doom resurgence, Mass Grave Horizon fits right in and sets itself up near the top of that heap. While I think that there's a bit of momentum wasted in the middle section of "Corridor of Flame," that's really the only complaint I can level at the record. Everything else is properly filthy: gurgling vocals over blastbeats slam headfirst into downtuned chugging riffs, and a elegiac solo rises from the cracks in the pointlessly blood-stained soil. It's between "Irradiated Shadows" (the part before the solo, yeesh) and the punishing title track for my favorites here, but there's not a dud in the bunch. It's worth noting that the band does four-minute sprints as well as they can stretch tracks out to twice that length - a versatility that elevates Excarnated Entity above the one-note lifers rehashing the same formula on every track. Bleak, miserable and, given the state of the world, timely death-doom is what you get on Mass Grave Horizon, and if you think you've heard it before, it's worth hearing again in this singularly focused and dimming light.

VoidCeremony, Threads of Unknowing LP (20 Buck Spin)

I've got to give Nic at Repressed Records credit for pushing this one, as anything combining descriptors like "jazz" and "prog" with "metal" usually makes me run for the hills. But, this new VoidCeremony LP is checking all the boxes while flirting with all of the above, while (as Nic notes) throwing in a fretless bass solo on nearly every song to boot. The band plays death metal, firstly, and while there are some space-y outros and instrumentals, everything feels of a piece rather than forcing together disparate parts. The label press mentions that the band plays "with the gliding, controlled chaos and smooth fluidity of a jazz quartet," and that checks out, but I don't smell anything particularly jazzy about the record. Rather, I get a big whiff of Gorguts when listening to this record, another band that seamlessly combined progressive, thrash and death metal with grooves, resulting in something impressively complex without making it feel like a homework assignment. "Writhing in the Facade of Time" probably best displays all of these aspects, from the fading-in tech-death opener, to the sky-scraping guitar solos, to the crushing close of the track before the group's whisked away on a mystical Moog coda. The band shifts from strength to strength without any bloat, and just as importantly, without any clean vocals. Threads of Unknowing is my go-to workout record this year, the fluidity of the drumming providing blastbeat stress and necessary space in equal measure. Strap in, take a trip; whether you buy into the lyrics or overarching theme is up to you, but either way it's one of the most thrilling death metal records of the year.

Weak Signal, War&War LP (12XU)

Cool "reissue" of an album digitally released in 2022, hopefully given a wider reach with the push of 12XU. War&War is Weak Signal's third LP, and it sounds like a band comfortable with themselves, their capabilities and their sound: they can rip off a garage-punk track like "Don't Think About It" and slow things to a simmer on "Consolation" with ease. That the band sounds so self-assured did make this record feel a little too easy the first few times; but, like label mates Lewsberg, the complexity of the tracks shines through on iterative spins. Seemingly small choices like the backing vocal melody on "Names" or the sparkling Cass McCombs guitar on "Spooky Feeling" begin to feel like bold, powerful moves amidst the background of resignation/resilience across the album. The mostly spoken, barely sung vocals paired with the often bluesy guitar lines give the record a rough, workingman feel - which, for me, means that things ain't going your way but what are you gonna do about it - but there's no glory in it, just a general disdain for how things are. It's definitely a bit of a downer, though I think the band would prefer "realist," and two lyrics from the middle of the record seem illustrative of the this approach: "I'm no weirdo/I'm no freak/but things keep happening to me" from "Songworld," and "If you think I care/that's where you're wrong" from "Yr Deal." I don't find that the lyrics convey apathy, rather an infinite patience or aplomb in the face of everything spinning uncontrollably off-axis. War&War feels similar in spirit to what True Widow was doing on the heavy sigh of As High as the Highest Heavens..., though without the depressive bent of that record. A bit of despair creeps in on the cover of Johnny Thunders' "It's Not Enough," which bleeds into the gray, abstract noise of the title track, but the band puts their dukes up again on closer "Who the Hell Are U?," a fitting end to the record to reinforce the group's street savvy instincts. Weak Signal's delivered a doozy, and one of my favorite new-to-me discoveries of the year so far.

[fiberflxwer]

"Hard knock life for the Deer out there, eh?" Python sidles up to Faye with a casual stride, hobbled only slightly by his still-aching knees. Truth be told, there's some relief in being able to relax so early—if only he didn't have to get so banged up to earn it. Seems he didn't get the worst of it, though. The girl's injuries are pretty visibly severe as far as mock combat goes. He sucks in a breath through his teeth. "Yeesh. Does the crowd here just hate Valentians? Archers? Commoners? Or do we gotta be all three to get our teeth kicked in so quickly?" It's more of an acknowledgment of their shared background than a true question. He dismisses his own line of questions with a low chuckle and a shake of the head. "Nah, bow hunting's just a dangerous game. You bag any Lions or Eagles before they clawed you up?"

Her wound has been cared for enough that Faye is able to at least hobble out of her tent and sit down outside. She doesn't linger too far from the tent that treated her, though. According to the rules, she was "out" of the competition, and there's no need to check in on something she totally failed in. Sitting on the grass of Gronder Field does put her mind somewhat at ease...despite the echoes of the ongoing battle in the distance.

To her surprise, one person ends up approaching Faye - not that the medical tents are lacking company, but she does not expect one would want to approach such a mopey girl. The voice that calls to her is enough of an explanation of who would come to her now though, as she sees Python standing aside her once she looks up.

Oh right. Alm did mention Python being a Golden Deer instructor...

Python's body appears to be worse for wear as well, even if her injuries seemed more severe. Based on his joking tone, she assumes he was out there in his own skirmish. Not the first thing Faye imagines Python doing at this academy...but knowing she wasn't entirely alone out there is somewhat comforting.

"Oh, hey- unf," Faye's speech is interrupted by the sudden sting from attempting to rise up so quickly. She insteads remains on the floor, seated a bit higher at a reasonable-enough height for conversation. "Hey Python! Yeah, I'm still getting used to this...bow-thing. Got some good shots in at least."

She does not address his rhetorical question, but a faint smile on Faye's lips is enough of an "answer." It is true that the two of them share a common background - although they never really connected with that back when they were comrades. There were bigger fish to fry at the time.

"We were against the Lions...the Lions are the blue ones, right? Anyway, I landed all my shots on this one red-haired guy, he was on the ropes and all that! But then...he managed to get away, and some black-haired lady got the best of me. She was really quick with a sword."

Not that her combat sputterings made Faye an easy target, but Python didn't need to know that much.

[battle-subway-ghost]

Oooh I love mienshao~! Maybe because I find the rest of the common fighting types here in Unova to be so... Boorish looking... Did you meet yours as a mienfoo? Is it true fighting types train and challenge themselves all the time?

Mienshao are great! I met Lotus as a meinfoo when I was taking on the gyms in Unova. I'll spare the rest of the details, it wasn't all that interesting (They hit hard, I will say.) No comment on other fighting types in Unova. Other than the fact that they tend to scare me a bit at first glance... I know bipedal Pokemon aren't very uncommon, but a lot of the fighting types in Unova really just look like burly little men if you're not paying attention. Yeesh.

About the training, though- it is true, at least in my case! I've never seen Lotus shy away from a challenge, ever. Recently, he took up sparring with my rival's Lucario. It's good to see, they've both been improving a lot. Make a great team as well when they fight together. It's been great to see develop over these last few months.

Also, I will say that it's all fun and games having a mienshao, until they try to kill a bug and end up putting a hole through your wall... Four times.

[the-judicial-assistants-notebook]

You know, I think what really bugs me about the "Dadworth" dynamic applied to Kay and Edgeworth's relationship is that it usually makes Kay out to be this hyperactive, slight problem child (in the 'stealing and pranking' sense rather than the 'moody and abrasive' sense), occasionally with deep-rooted daddy issues like Edgeworth has, when that's... the opposite of her character.

(This post got away from me, so TL;DR: Kay is a quick-witted and independent young woman who has worked very hard to be both emotionally and practically intelligent enough to be seen as a legitimate successor to her father's legacy. Making her out to be the traits mentioned above, so she functions as Edgeworth's daughter rather than his investigative partner and equal, undermines her character and semi-conflates her with Maya [the deep-rooted issues bit]. Also I don't like it wksgskaj)

The thing about Kay is that she's not actually in the series as much as it feels like she is, which makes it easy for her character to be altered to suit the needs of the story (which I think happens in The Forgotten Turnabout, but I won't talk about that here). She turns up in two cases as herself in AAI (as in, teenager Kay whom we're most familiar with) and shares her role with Gumshoe, Ema and Franziska when she does, lessening her appearances even further. Nevertheless, there are still concrete elements to her personality that we're made aware of right from the beginning, and the first major one which I feel gets overlooked in favour of her hyperactive characterisation is this:

Kay is very, very sharp.

In terms of mainline assistants, I'd consider her the sharpest of all (maybe after Trucy? But I don't remember enough of AJ to comment on that). Yes, she's shown to be reckless and impulsive, but, when it comes to actual investigating and reasoning, she is solid. With Nick and Maya, you sometimes get the impression that they're both fumbling along until Phoenix catches on (most of the time with Maya's usually a little accidental help, and he still has to explain things to her near every time [not Maya's fault. Following Phoenix's reasoning is like being on a rollercoaster in a minecart]), but Kay is very rarely like that with Edgeworth. Within minutes of meeting him, she can predict what he's going to say (or 'steal his lines', as the game puts it), and there are several moments after he uses Logic and is about to explain what he's connected where Kay interrupts with the correct conclusion herself:

Edgeworth: A second Blue Badger that shouldn't exist... Clearly, the true identity of the person underneath is...

Kay: Oh, I know! It's one of the kidnappers, right!?

There's even a point where she tells him off for overexplaining things to her:

Kay: Yeesh, I told you I got it! Do you feel the need to explain everything!?

And, near the end of their first case together, he acknowledges that's she's generally quite quick:

Kay: OK, what should I re-create first?

Edgeworth: ...You haven't figured it out yet?

Kay: Heh, maybe I have, and maybe I haven't.

Even if you don't take these points into consideration, the fact that she comes up with a new way to use Little Thief, and knows how to use it at all actually, shows you that she's a really intelligent girl! Continuing on a bit from the point I made earlier about her being brash, Kay may be reckless, but she isn't irresponsible. Whenever she rushes into situations, she doesn't expect other people to come save her; she's quite assured that she can and will get herself out of them on her own, and, if she needs help, she asks for it in advance. She treats Edgeworth less like her guardian and more like her investigative partner:

Kay: I didn't get permission to enter Allebahst... so we're going to go gather whatever info we can over on the Babahlese side, OK!?

Edgeworth: Alright, I'm counting on you two.

Kay: Right, and I'm counting on you and Ms. von Karma to sniff out clues in Allebahst!

...

Edgeworth: A number of pieces connect in a very complicated way in this case... It's almost enough to make one completely mentally exhausted.

Kay: Let's not over-complicate matters, OK, Mr. Edgeworth? We've been so focused, like a laser, on only what seems strange and out of place... it's no wonder nothing's clicked and we haven't unlocked anything yet. But, if we think things through calmly, the answer should come to us!

There's an independence to her proactiveness that kind of forces Edgeworth to meet her on equal grounds, and this too is an element that gets lost when the Dadworth dynamic comes in because it involves making Edgeworth responsible -- or feel responsible -- for her actions and general wellbeing when Kay has never expected nor wanted that. She does things on her own terms, and she walks the path she's chosen by herself:

Edgeworth: Preposterous! On what grounds do you suspect her of such a thing!?

Shih-na: The fact that she calls the Yatagarasu. That in itself is a more elegant proof.

Kay: Ms. Shih-na.

Shih-na: Yes?

Kay: I... have no intention of taking back any of what I've said.

Shih-na: ...?

Kay: I am the Great Thief Yatagarasu. And I refuse to allow some imposter to claim that name as their own! The path of justice that my father pointed me towards... I will walk it the best I can!

Her relationship with Edgeworth works as an inverse to that of Nick and Maya's in the way that, where Nick and Maya have deep respect for one another beneath layers upon layers of playful insults and messing about, Kay outwardly respects Edgeworth first (and expects that respect to be returned) and razes him second -- that, too, never to an extent she wouldn't with anyone else or that crosses a certain boundary. Her messing with Edgeworth is shown to be more an attempt to get him to lighten up or not take himself too seriously than an act of (platonic) intimacy as it is with Nick and Maya (which makes sense because Nick and Maya have spent years together, while she's known Edgeworth for all of two weeks) or genuine obliviousness/silliness (although it definitely sometimes is). This is pretty obvious simply from the fact that she always calls him 'Mr Edgeworth', though she's perfectly comfortable calling Gumshoe and Badd, people whom she is more familiar and comfortable with, 'Gummy' and 'Uncle Badd' respectively. Also Kay, in general, is quite polite? Edgeworth calls something she said rude at one point and she gets insulted, and, when you ask for her opinion, she doesn't go 'What?' or 'What is it?', she specifically says, 'Yes?' (this changes in AAI2, which I promise I'm not discussing here) Upon meeting Oldbag, she has this exchange with her, where Kay chooses a more formal mode of address than what is actually offered:

Oldbag: My name is Wendy Oldbag. But you can call me "Wendy", or "Granny", or whatever suits your fancy.

Kay: Nice to meet you, Ms. Oldbag! I'm Kay Faraday.

She's also had moments where she calls Edgeworth out for being 'tactless', and she's shown to feel very strongly about rudeness throughout the whole game. I'm not saying she isn't mischievous or playful, she very much is, but the point is that she's really quite respectful, and this extends to her relationship with him. Her characterisation in Turnabout Ablaze, where she's considerably more excitable/high-strung than in Kidnapped, seems largely due to them chasing down Calisto Yew. Edgeworth even comments on this:

Edgeworth: Kay, you need to look before you leap. You tend to lose your cool when it comes to anything related to that woman.

Generally, though, you can tell that she was obviously raised with an adherence to certain formalities. She's not looking for another parental figure (because she doesn't need one, which I'll go into after this), but, if she was, she'd make that clear.

Kay's a very straightforward person at heart; she doesn't hide any part of herself, even the part that should be hidden (i.e. the Yatagarasu). There are points where she suggests that Edgeworth reminds her of her father, but, in AAI, she specifically mentions that it's both Edgeworth and Gumshoe who remind her of her father and Detective Badd. It's not about her seeing Edgeworth as a father figure; it's about their and her own dedication to the truth. Even in AAI2, where her comments could be read as leaning more towards the former angle, she doesn't get cut up about him not picking up on that or really paying it much emphasis at all, because it doesn't matter. The fact that he reminds her of Byrne is just that: a fact.

Returning to the point about Kay not needing/wanting another parental figure, I think it's pretty self-explanatory, but to put it succinctly: Kay has the guidance she needs without him.

To put it less succinctly, Edgeworth's possibly the worst candidate to go for for emotional support and guidance in the first place, and by the time she meets him again, she's basically processed her father's passing and has a better handle on herself emotionally than Edgeworth does (not a brag; most characters have higher EQ than Edgeworth); what she wants isn't necessarily closure for Byrne's death in the emotional sense but in the I-want-answers-to-this-mystery-that-will-restore-my-family's-honour sense. You could make the argument that Kay becoming the second Yatagarasu and shaping her entire future around continuing her father's work prove that she isn't over his death, but I don't think that's true and more of a result of conflating her with Maya a bit.

With Maya, becoming the Master isn't something she chooses; it's given to her by Misty and Mia. With Kay, it's the opposite. Kay's decision to become the Yatagarasu and pursue the truth is wholly her own, and her approach to that goal reflects that. While Maya uses her cheery, upbeat attitude to conceal a lot of self-doubt and vulnerability (and Franziska does the same with her hostility), Kay does not. Her cheerfulness is precisely who she is; it's not a mask so much as it is a distraction. It keeps people from looking at her too closely and realising exactly how capable she is, and, while I don't think it's fully intentional (again, she believes in living her life in a straightforward and upfront manner), she does imply that it's sort of her (or the Yatagarasu's) MO:

Kay: Well! By the time everyone notices, it's already gone! That's the Yatagarasu way!

Interestingly enough, this unintentional tactic of using humour and cheeriness as a distraction from her abilities makes her a mirror to Calisto Yew, who also uses her seemingly always light-hearted nature as a disguise for what she's actually capable of (Calisto's joviality is her true self, too, or at least as 'true' as she can get). The difference between them is that Calisto delights in ironically mocking the world around her, whereas Kay finds joy in life itself, and she's stronger for it.

The only part where we see Kay attempt to mask her feelings is when she's a child, and even then she admits that she feels better after crying, which, I believe, led to her becoming more open with her emotions later in life (see how her older self has a teary sprite which makes pretty frequent appearances where her younger self does not). In any case, to me, this shows that she has people in her life already who are helping, and have helped, her confront and process her trauma. She's not looking to Edgeworth to help her make sense of her father's death and she definitely isn't looking for a replacement (again, literally dedicated to continuing her father's [and Badd's] legacy). Whenever Edgeworth even gets close to becoming parental with her, she dismisses it, unless she acknowledges that she is in the wrong:

Edgeworth: ...Kay, it's not good for you to stay up late, you know.

Kay: Yes, gramps!

...

Edgeworth: ...I appreciate your sense of justice, however... I would appreciate it if you wouldn't go running into the heart of any more raging fires.

Kay: Nngh... Yes, Mr. Edgeworth... I'll try...

Despite her buoyancy and bright attitude, Kay is quite firm that she be treated as an adult (she doesn't see her cheeriness as a mark of youth; it's joie de vivre, it's who she is, and that's that), and, throughout the game, she gets annoyed when people don't respect that (her arguments with Lang are largely over how he calls Little Thief a toy and her crow-girl). She holds her own and relies on herself while being unafraid of asking for help.

Anyway, this post has gone on for long enough and I think I've addressed the points I wanted to. I should mention that I realise that a lot of how many people portray/interpret their relationship is validated by AAI2 but that's honestly a discussion for a separate post HAHA I feel like, when it comes to AAI, the father/daughter interpretation can maybe be argued with regards to the way Edgeworth treats her? Honestly, though, I think he'd treat any young lady who suddenly becomes part of his team/responsibility in pretty much the same way. And, like, he drops the ball almost every time he's supposed to give "fatherly" advice because he's just not that great with it/children!! It's actually hilarious HSKSDHSK

Either way, yeah! I just think Kay is actually given a lot less credit than she's due when the Dadworth card gets played and I just! Want better for her!!