#given I can't thumbnail her

[sisterdragonwithfeathers]

HOW am i meant to find photo reference for my stupid underfed old sweatshirt too-short jeans currently living his sad backstory 17-year old looser boy? What are the search terms for this?

[melodic-haze]

Now I can't get the idea of Arlecchino with a Shy s/o that everyone thinks is definitely the sub in the relationship just cause of how dominate Arlecchino acts in general. Little do they know In the bed room Shy s/o is the dom and mercilessly rides/pounds our beautiful little sub arle while she moans loudly begging for more and talking about how she belongs to them

Oh so you're a 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴 in the sheets THAT'S what you're telling me.......

No but it's so funny when someone mentions it, saying how they worry for YOUR WELLBEING when Arlecchino is Like That. Like they'd think she's an absolute DOM who'd easily put you through your paces bc you're. Well, no matter how fit you are, let's be real it'd be EXTREMELY hard to hold a candle to that domineering spider woman that wears literal daggers for heels. And, yk, you're you. What force and power would someone so shy and reserved hold against someone like the 4th Harbinger?

Even funnier when she's near you too. Hell tbf imagine her standing somewhere behind the mystery person, listening in on the conversation. And your eyes just can't help but drift over to her with a certain glint to your eyes that only she seems to pick up on and like. Idk what the exact name for the action is but yk when you try to get dirt out your fingernails with just your thumbnail??? She does that while looking away, though you notice the slight red flash to her own eyes before she moved her head 🤷‍♀️

Ohhhh but they don't know....THEY DON'T KNOW how she would ABSOLUTELY submit control to you within private walls. They don't know of the collar on her neck, be it metaphorical or literal, in the same way that they don't know of the marks on your back from when she clings onto you as you bring her to thr edge again and again and again without any sort of break bc she's supposed to be this powerful being capable of withstanding even the worst tortures.. or so she thought after you tbh

And whyever would that control be limited to your private quarters, really?? Call for her name and she will easily slip to your side. Tell her to do something—anything—and watch how obediently she heeds your every command no matter how soft-spoken you are

And later on in the night, it won't be you who's given the privilege to see her submit, nonono. It's HER, who's being given the privilege to be beautifully pathetic after a long day :3

[polarolds]

From @thedreadslayer's fic Unbroken, Chapter 37.

Sometimes I like to make comics, as a treat. See below the cut for a snippet of my progress. :)

Clothing refs for Ch 37, Ellie's hand-cropped shorts and red flannel were given, but Abby's clothes were not as clear so I took some artistic liberties. :')

+ lighting test - was aiming for early morning/dawn colours. Purple hues are some of my favourites to work with.

The section of the fic I was adapting, written by the brilliant @thedreadslayer:

“What … the hell am I doing?” Her legs go numb and unsteady. She plants herself down on a boulder. “Oh, god. I could’ve … oh, my god.” “But you didn’t,” says Abby, kneeling beside her. She gently rotates Ellie’s arm and indicates her masked bite. “Because of this. Because you believe in what we’re doing here.” Abby takes Ellie’s hand, clamps it around her Firefly dog tag, and just … holds it there. It’s terribly intimate. And terrible. “You did a good thing.” Ellie glares at Abby and imagines ripping her pretty face right off.  Because the Fireflies, the cure, humanity - her supposed “greater purpose” - had little to do with her decision to stay. 

I've made comics from prose a few times before in the past, but I can't say that I've developed any specific process for it lmao 🥲 i just try to make thumbnails and see what vibes well

from sketch (damn they messy)-> lineart -> to final

it isn't shown here, but I've learned to start blocking out the colours before I line and found it's been a great help figuring out the tone and layout :')

and that's p much it!

[toskarin]

just because I'm thinking about it, here's one of those periodic posts where I list off a few random youtube channel recommendations I've been enjoying lately (or have been enjoying long-term (or for any length of time really))

Masaru. - I like fishing. but I can't do it at the moment. Masaru also likes to fish. he free dives, he brings a fish up, he cooks the fish, then he says how it tastes. sometimes it is an unusual fish. sometimes it tastes good. sometimes it tastes wretched. he will tell you. this singlehandedly solves basically every single complaint I have with most cooking/fishing channels. this is cocomelon to me

MIQ(MIO) - it's MIQ! one of the strongest anison vocalists of... well, basically ever. it's her official channel! she uploads concert recordings, karaoke advice for her own songs, and general updates on what she's doing here. I'm always aghast when I see how low her viewcounts are, given that she's an industry legend who's been going strong for over 40 years.

bellykelly - vinyl collector, uploading some really good cuts that you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. one of those channels where I'm always up to date on uploads, and when I fall behind, I just playlist it all to catch up

Xerxes Vinyl Classics - vinyl collector, hasn't upload in a while, but has lots of older releases and remix pressings that are otherwise pretty rare. has some of the higher quality recordings of cantopop releases that are otherwise a little difficult to listen to in acceptable quality

Zuka Zhvania - music-enjoyer and song-uploader with a VERY frequent upload schedule. he's (as far as I know) not an official promoter or anything, but he's pretty damned good at keeping the tunes coming. if you're looking for someone to set you on some obscure industrial and house cuts, check out this channel

LIVING ONLY RECORDS - official channel for a doujin label with some absolutely fantastic noise rock, punk, and shoegaze bands on it. it's my understanding that this is less of "a record label" and more of a way for 群青リボン and friends to book out live houses together while selling merch at one table. which is a pretty noble cause

Someone45356 - probably laying pretty safe claim to the title of "most genre-firsts in the touhou doujin scene," Someone45356 is a strong recommend just for the level of care they put into their arrangements. I love their video thumbnails and their arrangement notes in the video description. a great channel at any level of musical interest (but an ESPECIALLY good channel if you're also a musician)

UPROAR24 - sick and tired of plguin and samplepack demo videos that are 75% ad copy by volume and still don't manage to show you the stupid thing in action? tired of looking at questionably-useful free vsts and not being able to tell whether you're even comfortable having that rubbish on your pc? UPROAR24 runs a channel that's pretty explicitly a reaction to this, making dodgy demos of dodgier plugins. works lovely as a catalogue to browse when you're looking for a new toy

USUDA - the pillar of the Armored Core fan community, USUDA has arranged more Armored Core music than anyone else short of actual FromSoft staff. he also releases his music for free download, including his midi arrangements. very friendly guy in all the interactions I've seen, and also pretty good at remembering people he's seen in other comment sections. I'd honestly shoot him a message first if I had any questions about arranging songs from these games lol

Ricardo Cruz - if you've listened to any portugese (br) covers of anison, you've heard Ricardo Cruz. even if you only listen to originals, there's still a pretty fucking solid chance you've heard him, because he's a JAM Project contributor. absolutely wonderful channel if you like watching skilful singers duet with other powerhouses

Saint Mauve - the best Hellsinker channel on youtube, which isn't an especially competitive title. but I think Saint Mauve would probably still be the best Hellsinker channel on youtube even if there were more than like three. my qualifier for when I've found something weird in the Hellsinker periphery is when I haven't seen Saint Mauve post about it. also plays other (often HS-adjacent) doujin stg and has good opinions on them

Tom Green - this is a weird recommendation but if you don't intuitively understand the appeal of a now-early-50s Tom Green calmly talking about his farm animals and riding around on a horse for hours at a time, I'm really not sure I can sell you on it. oddly calming

mercurytower - this channel is run by Asa, the musician behind Souvenirs to Forget. before they started releasing their original work, this was mostly used to upload guitar covers (which are good, but guitar covers aren't really enough to make me give a glowing recommendation of a channel). Souvenirs to Forget is a really exciting solo project and one I'm personally keeping an eye on. naturally, they upload their releases to this channel

Trance Classics - vinyl collector, records videos to go with the music, focuses more or less entirely on trance. I've got no excuse here. I just fucking love trance and always have, so you can pander to me really easily by just making a channel like this. if you like trance, it has hours and hours of trance

SJ HanStone Lee - the early-gen Mabinogi composer, among a lot of other things. it's been a while since he's posted anything new on this channel, but I check in every now and again. by my reckoning, one of the best mmo composers (and honestly one of the best game composers in general) of the past two decades. there's some stuff on here and his soundcloud that serves as wink-wink-nudge-nudge loveletters to his time working on the early Mabinogi soundtrack

[french-unknown]

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒: shanks, vivi, ace, law, sabo 𝐂/𝐖: fluff 𝐖/𝐂: 1.3 +

| m a s t e r l i s t | - | p t . 1 | - | p t . 3 |

The morning was calm on Red Hair's boat. The sun had been up on the horizon for a while, but apart from you, Building Snake who was at the helm and Lucky who was cooking breakfast, everyone was still sleeping.

After a while you saw Shanks, still half asleep, point the tip of his nose in the kitchen and come up behind you to place a kiss on the top of your head. You took the opportunity to sneak a hand behind you, for a simple touch at first, but you didn't resist when you felt his flask of whiskey under your fingers. You stole it away. Unconscious, the captain continued his way behind the counter where he began to boil water while taking out the bag of coffee beans that Lucky had ground earlier in the morning. You saw him install the coffee container, the filter and the ground coffee and then start preparing it. You stayed at the table watching him in his half-buttoned shirt and baggy pants. His loose red hair fell in front of his eyes and his unshaven beard was visible from where you were standing. Finally, he took a casserole out of a cupboard and poured some sugar into it. He then retrieved some whipped cream from the fridge before returning to his work station and shoving his hand in his pocket. Immediately, you saw him turn to you with a soft smile and he approached with his outstretched hand.

Faced with the silent order, you gave him back his flask which he recovered in order to pour part of its contents into the pan. When it was over, he gathered the coffee with the mixture of sweet whiskey and whipped cream and came to sit next to you to peacefully enjoy his coffee.

Curious about the large bracelet that Vivi wore earlier, you stole it to be able to observe it more closely. A magnificent jewel in white gold meticulously worked with a set of rubies, each as sparkling as the other. A true masterpiece.

You already noticed all the frequent comings and goings of panicked servants in the corridors while you were returning to Vivi's apartments in order to return her bracelet, several hours after your theft. But you were far more surprised to see her servants also searching in her room while the princess paced nervously in the middle of the room with her thumbnail held fiercely between her teeth. As soon as she saw you, she rushed into your arms.

"It's a disaster!" She exclaimed, panicked, when you asked her what was going on. "A representative from the neighboring kingdom had given me a priceless bracelet to facilitate a trade agreement between our two countries but he's currently in the throne room with Father to discuss it and I can't get my hands on this jewel!"

Not daring to tell her that it was you who stole it from her, you comforted her as best you could before parting with her while promising to help her in her search. You then joined the library, in a place where you knew she had passed between your theft and the discovery of it, and you took the jewel out of your pocket before shouting that you had found it. No one needed to know how you found it when you gave it back to Vivi.

Ace was sleeping peacefully in the middle of a meadow while he was surrounded by you and all the half-eaten food. Indeed, since you had both found yourself on a spring island for a non-urgent mission given by Whitebeard, you had both decided to stop for a picnic in the middle of the forest. And, although the meal went very well, you ended up betting that he was still going to fall asleep before the meal was over. He bet no and you bet yes.

Here you are with a winning bet, as a result of which you began to search his pockets to recover your gains. You were nevertheless surprised when, while you were standing almost above him with one hand in his pocket, he mowed down your carrying arm with his own arm without waking up. You then collapsed on his chest before he came to wrap his arms around your neck and your waist and he came to bury his nose in your hair.

"Five more minutes. We'll leave later." he whispered before falling asleep as quickly.

So you found yourself wedged against him, lying on his boiling chest, on the thick grass of the meadow while the sun pleasantly warmed your back and the scent of nature perfumed your nose. Deciding that you didn't necessarily have to collect your reward right away, you freed your trapped hand from his pocket as best you could before wrapping your arms around his chest and falling asleep too.

Since this morning Law seemed to have something in his pocket but he refused to tell you what it was. Every time you asked, he said that it was none of your business or to leave him alone. Still, you were determined to find out what your captain had in his pocket.

You waited for him to take his nap on deck to act. As he slept against Bepo, you approached slowly at first, then more eagerly. On the one hand, you didn't want to wake them up but, on the other hand, you knew they could both open their eyes at any minute. Slowly, you manage to approach them enough to pickpocket your captain. Suddenly, you heard the white bear start talking. You froze. It seemed like he was just babbling because he stopped immediately and didn't open his eyelids either. Relieved, you breathed briefly before leaving as quickly as possible. You took out the mystery object on the way to discover that it was only a simple bottle of hydroalcoholic gel. Nothing very interesting. Disappointed to have deployed so much effort for nothing, you continued to walk, sulking.

"Room, takt!" you heard behind you.

You were then wrapped in the surgeon's blue bubble and you felt lifted until even your toes no longer touched the floor of the submarine. A drop of sweat formed on your forehead as you felt your body do a 180° towards Law, who was staring at you intensely, and pull you towards him. As soon as you were in front of him, he stopped you approaching him and reached into your pocket to pull out the bottle with a look that didn't bode well. You really shouldn't have done that.

You've been waiting with Sabo in hiding for days. You had been sent by the Revolutionary Army to spy on enemy partisans, yet nothing was happening. You couldn't take it anymore. Sabo, by his side, had spent the day training to use the Mera Mera no Mi.

Arriving in the evening, you find a place to settle down at a good distance from your targets and then unpack your belongings. When it was your turn to rest and Sabo's to watch the strangers, you decided to surprise him. In your head, you imagined yourself romantically stuffing your hands in his pockets in order to pull him closer for a hug.

Unfortunately, you had just enough time to slip one of your hands into his pocket when he jumped violently, surprised at the contact, and threw a hand back to block your hand which he thought was a thief. However he still had trouble controlling his power so, as his hand grabbed your wrist, he felt his body turn into flames from his fingertips to his forearm.

Burned, you first felt a great cold in your wrist before the pain failed there and the heat seized it. You just had the presence of mind to grit your teeth instead of screaming as a dull pain throbbed in your joint. Sabo immediately let go of your member but the damage was already done. He jumped on your supply of water which he poured over your burned skin as he apologized profusely. Having completely forgotten his mission, he continued to pour the water while arranging your business as best he could with the other hand. As night fell, you finally arrived at the nearest hospital to treat your burn. Sabo stayed by your side all night.

𝐉𝐎𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐃𝐎𝐍'𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐘 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓: @iheartamora @bontensh0e @opchara @idsmash717 @lys-ada @xomingyu @parkyrr

[ikroah]

I've given everything I have, didn't know I'd run up such a tab, Oh, Lord, ain't the reapin' ever done? —“Ain’t the Reapin’ Ever Done,” Eddie Noack (1972)

It Keeps Right On a-Hurtin’ #25 - Ring-a-Ding-Ding IV

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Read IKROAH on Archive of Our Own

Notes / Original Pencils / Transcript:

Notes:

At long last! As I've mentioned a few times, this issue got...delayed because I spent 2023 getting divorced, falling in love again, going outside, touching grass, laughing, playing, et cetera. But even if you toss all that aside this issue would still have been a doozy because I've been wanting to try an issue in this artstyle, and with a much large page size, for...well, for over a year now, ha. The thumbnails for this issue are nearly a whole year old!

Usually I have a lot of fun commentary about how a script changes over the course of working on an issue, or how the production panned out, but the making of this issue has been stretched over such a long time that I can't even begin to really describe it. Lemme just show you the original pencils so we can get out of here and move onto the next one, which will hopefully take far less than the time it takes to carry a pregnancy to term.

Oh, actually, there is one thing! If you spotted this happy couple on the first page, then check out @memepipboy's comics too.

Also, here's Vulpes in the dead Yamcha pose.

Which is also about how I feel after going on a bender of productivity last week to get the whole issue colored before it slipped away again.

Original Pencils:

Transcript:

EXT. NEW VEGAS STRIP. A small plaza outside the casinos is flushed with lights and people, all coming and going, even at such a late hour. The crowd is monitored by the Strip's POLICE SECURITRONS. Two people are exiting a casino: ROSE OF SHARON CASSIDY, and

MESSENGER: AGNES SANDS!

AGNES: Oh God, I'm--

AGNES: --wait, are you NCR?

The MESSENGER that has called out AGNES' name is a surly and middle-aged man in uniform.

MESSENGER: Correct, ma'am. I'm a messenger.

AGNES: Courier, huh.

CASS: Hell do you want, boot boy? We're busy.

MESSENGER: Your presence is requested at the embassy on the south side of the Strip.

The exchange has caught the eye of a BYSTANDER READING A NEWSPAPER.

AGNES: You said requested, as opposed to, um, required?

MESSENGER: Yes. I'll be blunt with you, Sands: the incident near Gecko and your subsequent desertion have made you a fugitive of military police since 2269. I'm sure you know that--but this is not an arrest.

MESSENGER: This isn't even about your personal case, necessarily. It's only from chance reports at the Mojave Outpost and Boulder City that intelligence was made aware of your presence here at all. The NCR merely wants to let you know that you--as well as your companion--are persons of interest to us in two of our other open investigations: the Legion raid on Nipton, and recent terrorist attacks on merchants in the area such as Crimson Caravan.*

CAPTION: *Various events of IKROAH #7-16. -Lou.

MESSENGER: There's also some other matters, which are classified.

CASS, at AGNES' side, listens intently. Then she glares at AGNES, who is grimacing but avoiding her eye contact.

MESSENGER: Now, our intelligence officers only want to speak to you, not arrest you. So there should be no cause for alarm or any worry on your part. It's your choice to come to us willingly--and on your own time. But--

AGNES sweats nervously.

MESSENGER: My orders are to make this next part very clear. This is merely the current state of our interest in you and your companion. If your presence does become required, as opposed to merely requested, by the NCR--and it very well may--

MESSENGER: --consider this a nice, friendly notice. I'm here because the NCR knows where you are. And the NCR wanted you to know that, because it wants you to keep it in mind as you mull over whether--and when--you might be feeling co-operative. That is all. We'll be in touch, Miss Sands.

The MESSENGER departs. The BYSTANDER READING A NEWSPAPER observed the entire exchange. The moment that the MESSENGER is gone, he speaks:

BYSTANDER: Ahh...I must admit, it does make me glad when people discuss my work.

AGNES: W-what?

CASS: Pardon?

BYSTANDER: And it was fortunate, as it turns out, that you were spared that night in Nipton.

AGNES: Oh...oh no--

CASS: --YOU?

BYSTANDER: Very fortunate indeed--

The BYSTANDER grins.

BYSTANDER: --that you were spared from the burning tires, spared from the teeth of the dogs, spared even from the cross and stake--all of this, there, was the finest work yet of VULPES INCULTA--against the profligates of the west, and for the glory and the might of CAESAR'S LEGION.*

CAPTION:*IKROAH #9. -Lou.

AGNES and CASS are transfixed where they stand, taken aback by the reveal. CASS scowls while AGNES squirms with terror. She remembers:

The raging fires and the horror show of NIPTON. Crucified bodies and dogs to eat the corpses.

VULPES: During our talk in Nipton, I admittedly became quite curious about you, Agnes. You had intrigued me for some reason, and I wanted to know what it was. Only later did I finally place it.

Her hands up in front of her face, a futile barrier between herself and three men. Benny. His gun, pointed at her, shining in the light from the moon and the lantern.

VULPES: A tabloid story from the news on the radio. A courier shot in the head near Goodsprings Cemetery.

The SECURITRON with the cowboy face, VICTOR, carried her out of her grave. Or so she was told.

VULPES: --who miraculously returned from the grave. It was you.

There were three men. Two besides Benny. She found them later, one was dead and the other had two more with him.

VULPES: It was also you, as I would later discover...who slaughtered that pack of Great Khans in Boulder City. Clearly no ordinary courier.

VULPES: Why, even now, you assassinate the leader of the Chairmen in his own casino--in his own bedroom, no less. Very impressive.

AGNES: But how did you--

VULPES: Know? From one saboteur to another, I do have to commend you, Agnes. You're quite covert...for someone who had no reason to realize that she was already being watched, that is. Just as we have been watching Benny, the dearly departed.

VULPES grins wider.

VULPES: My network of frumentarii have detected something of a conspiracy in Vegas...something about a certain piece of platinum, I hear. Which reminds me--the mail has gotten so unreliable lately, don't you think?

AGNES is visibly panicked as VULPES continues.

VULPES: The NCR'S interest in you is not misplaced, Agnes Sands, given your recent exploits.

CASS is suddenly going down the casino steps--

VULPES: But I doubt that they are as quite aware of the bigger picture as--

--and raising her fist, and--

VULPES: the--

--punching VULPES in the face.

SFX: WHAM!

VULPES is flung to the ground, his nose bloodied. One of his teeth have been knocked clean from his mouth. He stares upward, in disbelief, up at the furious woman who's laid him out.

VULPES: Ah...yes. Rose of Sharon Cassidy. I've--

PTOOEY. A wad of spit splats against VULPES' cheek. CASS points a finger at him as he shuffles back onto his feet.

CASS: Get my name out of your mouth right now. I'm not afraid of you. You just piss me off. And unless you get lost I'll deck you so hard that you forget my name. Hopefully how to form complete sentences, too.

CASS: I think we've heard enough, you goddamn dogfucker, and whatever you're selling, we don't fucking want any.

VULPES: Ah...so no less impudent than last time, despite...well.

VULPES wipes the blood from his face with the back of his hand, muttering from behind his palm in LATIN.

VULPES: Sī cognōscere nōn vīs canis senex tum nēquam praeter futuendum eris.

VULPES reaches his bloody hand toward his dislodged hat.

VULPES: Agnes--the Legion has a particular use for you, a use which comes with certain courtesies that are not extended to your companion.

VULPES: ...she would do well to keep this in mind.

VULPES returns his hat to his head. AGNES has rejoined CASS at the base of the steps.

AGNES: "Use?" What use? I don't have anything--I mean, I'm not--whatever you--whatever the Legion wants with me, I don't know anything. About this, or about Benny. If you want the chip, I--

VULPES: Agnes, Agnes--you're a terrible liar. Or else just terribly naive.

VULPES turns to leave.

VULPES: If the NCR is interested in you, and they are, then seizing you for ourselves is certainly useful enough on its own. But truthfully, this isn't about the NCR. The Legion is interested in you--I am interested in you--because Mr. House is interested in you. You and that chip.

AGNES: Mr. House!? But I...no, no, I just thought the chip--

VULPES: Vale, courier. And vale, Rose of Sharon Cassidy. And be safe in your travels, if you can help it--you never know when somebody might be watching.

As VULPES departs, a SECURITRON approaches behind AGNES and CASS, casting a shadow over the both of them.

[genericpuff]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CvO2Fo1vbJU/?igshid=NjZiM2M3MzIxNA==

I don't know if you have seen the last thing RS posted on instagram, and I don't wanna sound mean or like I'm criticizing every single thing she does, but, why does this feels a bit off? Like, I know every author needs money, and that's why they sell books, special editions and merch from those books. But seeing how some people who went to that last "book signing" now want to order or buy ANOTHER lo book just to get an autograph or that "exclusive doodle" feels a bit... Idk, bad? Like, the fans have to spend more money than other fans just to get this stuff? It feels a bit like what happened with that Persephone + Ares book that had a special edition that was all black, but costed more than the regular edition so the fans had to spend more money if they wanted their lo novels to look good together. Idk, maybe i'm just seeing too much into it, but I still wanted to ask your opinion on the matter.

Love your work, btw. Lo rekindled is so good, and your art is beautiful!

OKAY SO

I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THIS INSTAGRAM POST LOL

so I looked into it and yeah! it's off! it's super off!

story time, but there's this band I'm really into where, 1-2 years ago, they had released two new separate EP's, and they were selling them individually as special editions, only for them to then SELL THEM ALL OVER AGAIN AS BUNDLED VERSIONS AND THIS JUST LIKE

IT FEELS VERY SIMILAR LOL

there was also a time where this Youtuber musician my husband was really into was selling vinyls, and we managed to snag a copy in the hour that they were available, only for them to start selling SIGNED copies the week after they had sold out of the original prints

it's just an overall "ech" move because it really screws over your audience for paying attention/getting in first, y'know? That's what's such a big deal about being in a fandom, a lot of people like being "first" so to sell something under the precedent that it's "limited edition" just to print more with an even COOLER thing attached feels like such a fuck you. They're literally just trying to gouge more money out of people who have already bought the thing and "need" the exclusive copy.

This just goes to show btw there was nothing stopping her from signing books personally at SDCC. That feels like such a middle finger to the people who paid money to go to and be at SDCC (travel costs AND attendance costs) esp the people who cosplayed as LO characters and were clearly specifically there for Rachel just to be given a stamp and shooed away with zero conversation (as I talked about in a previous post) and then find out later after you've already gone home days later that you can get a PERSONALLY SIGNED AND DOODLED COPY if you go and buy a brand new book in one specific bookstore. That's so lame man, I can't even.

Just to add btw, not related to your ask really, but it really goes in conjunction with it, there was a tweet recently from Rachel advertising some new t-shirts.

But people who bought the shirts reported that they're INCREDIBLY cheaply made and don't look anything like the products listed. You can even see the low ratings on them but when you actually view them-

I do not feel the need to say it any louder for the people in the back, it's being spoken clearly at this point - WT and Rachel are cashing out on what little merit they have left, they do not care.

AND Y'KNOW WHAT I FOUND OUT WHILE WRITING THIS POST ????

THEY CHANGED THE FUCKING THUMBNAIL!!!

THAT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE 2 DAYS AGO, I CHECKED IT MYSELF BACK WHEN IT WAS FIRST POSTED TO REDDIT AND IT WAS THE GREEN VERSION.

THEY'RE LITERALLY CHANGING THE THUMBNAILS AND ADS TO DISCREDIT THE REVIEWS BEING LEFT.

DO NOT FALL FOR IT. BUYER BEWARE.

[causeitsagame]

UNTITLED ANGST PROMPTFIC THE THIRD (out of four, I am guessing)?

Sequel to this and this, and will make zero sense without them.

-----

"So as I have said, all this time," Peko quietly finished, "Fuyuhiko has not given up our location."

Hajime's heartbeat thudded irregularly in his chest. It was exactly two months later, and he'd demanded the long-promised explanation even before anyone could eat.

Since they'd left the islands, he'd settled on one awful outcome as the most likely path. Fuyuhiko had promised to distract their would-be captors; he'd do anything to protect the knowledge he held; he'd said a rescue would be pointless after two months. One week after fleeing, a horrifying potential explanation for all of that had erupted into Hajime, unbidden: a suicide pill.

He spent the next weeks trying to think of absolutely anything besides that worst-case scenario. Over and over, he'd failed. When the day finally arrived, he'd grabbed Peko early as possible, wanting to collapse that quantum state of "dead" and "alive" into some known truth, whatever it was.

Never had he considered something even darker than Fuyuhiko offering himself up to die.

Hajime's jaw hung open at Peko's explanation, useless. No words came. It felt like his throat was swelling shut.

"And you did not stop him?" Sonia demanded, teary-eyed.

"Stop him?" Peko's eyes were just as glossy. "It was his idea. His choice to make. His decision that saved all of us."

Kazuichi looked lost, like some young child. "You both lied to me. I wouldn't… I wouldn't have sent the plane."

Peko's gaze drifted slowly downward. "It was the only way. He knew that, and so did I. If any of you pretend otherwise, you're diminishing his choice and his sacrifice. I won't allow you to dishonor him like that."

"Fuck that," Hajime spat. His blood surged hot as nightmarish memories crowded his mind. He remembered exactly what it had been like to be slowly sanded away to fit inside someone else. "And fuck you."

Peko looked back up and met his gaze with bloodshot, hollow eyes.

Hajime regretted the words as soon as they clawed out of him, but he swallowed hard and said nothing.

For a while, there was silence. A measured voice eventually broke it. "Ultimately, this was Fuyuhiko's decision. Peko is not his keeper. This has been a heavy burden for her to bear, I'm sure." The Imposter's face was solemn and determined. "But now, the rest of us can help. Hajime, it's fortunate that you negotiated that two month timeline. We'll put it to good use, now."

Sonia nodded slowly and lifted a shaking hand to her chest. "I'll start listening for any directions we might pursue. Kazuichi, can you please work on enhancing the ship's surveillance?"

He nodded, still bewildered and heartbroken over how he'd been used months earlier.

Inhaling, Sonia turned. "Ibuki, when I begin listening to those streams, will you help me work through the static?"

Ibuki looked up from where she gnawed on her thumbnail and nodded.

With clearly feigned confidence, Sonia forced a smile onto her face. "Then everyone, let us all do our very best with all of the tasks before us. Teruteru, I know you will have a wonderful meal for us to start our day. Let us do that first, and then get to work."

In silent unison, nearly everyone filtered out of the meeting room on the ship they'd adopted as their new home. The remaining duo took a while to say anything.

"I'm sorry," Hajime eventually mumbled.

"Perhaps I should have spoken up earlier." Peko gripped her wrist. "I am supposed to be making my own decisions, after all." After a heavy pause, she looked toward him. "You can't go."

Hajime's jaw set. "I have to."

"You were the main factor behind his decision. If we all only faced death, he might not have left. Simple death probably isn't worth these extreme measures."

It felt like the room's shadows abruptly deepened. For an instant, Hajime was back across the Pacific, feeling himself be stripped away. "So, if not for me, Fuyuhiko wouldn't have…"

"No. I really don't think so." Peko's gaze softened with understanding. "I know you want to help. But it's like he said, months ago: if you get captured, everything he's gone through will have been for nothing."

"But… I won't, they won't get me. But I'll get him."

"What do you think he'd do if you said that to him?"

Hajime tried imagining that, and could only picture soul-deep betrayal if he even made the attempt. "I just…" Biting his lip, he looked toward a porthole. Through it, he could see the cliff face that their ship was anchored along, helping to hide it in this small, tucked-away bay. "It's my fault. Something worse than death, and it's my fault."

"We'll get him back."

Hajime felt the ship tilt under his feet. They'd gotten used to living on the waves, but he was suddenly dizzy as it moved. He again remembered the unspeakable claustrophobia of feeling like his entire existence was closing in, followed by endless, useless freedom after that existence shattered. Will we?

It took another sixteen days until the question was answered. C O L L E C T E D, came each letter with agonizing slowness. The obscure data route was undetectable, but the speed meant that they hadn't been able to update everyone else on their progress.

Hajime's heart leapt as he saw Peko's transmission. Finding Fuyuhiko meant he'd been alive to find. And even better, she wouldn't have sent that until she, the Imposter, and their target were safely back on the helicopter they'd acquired. (From an abandoned Canadian base along the coast, and modified to remove absolutely all tracking elements.) "Mikan, get the infirmary ready."

The rest of the group was waiting behind him, unable to see the small communications screen. "For everyone?" Mikan risked asking in a tiny, tremulous voice. "Or did the mission… did things not go…?"

Hajime turned, grinning like he'd almost forgotten how to do. "For everyone."

Relief ran through them in a messy, joyous surge. They allowed themselves a few rounds of hugs before Mikan demanded to be let through, with the sort of confidence that only came to her for a patient's sake. Hajime's own relief practically felt like it had hollowed him out, and his hands shook as he moved to follow her there.

As the two of them worked on preparing the small infirmary, Hajime's mind skittered away from considering what state Fuyuhiko would be in when he arrived. His mind didn't allow him to view today as anything but amazing, and so every darker thought that piped up was quickly squelched. "He might hate how cold it is, up here," Hajime cheerfully said as he took inventory of their medical supplies. "Of course, he complained about how hot the islands could be."

"He might like it more here," Mikan agreed with a bright nod. The infirmary was on the other side of the ship, and its portholes looked out over water and onto the evergreen forest beyond. It might be Canada out there, or might be Alaska, but there were no still-living towns for a hundred miles in either direction. Unless someone knew exactly where to look, the Remnants were undetectable. There was food out there, too: berries and fish and meat and various other things that only Teruteru and Hajime could name.

It didn't feel like a home, but it had been okay. Maybe it would feel like home when all of them were together, again.

The two of them needn't have rushed. The helicopter had a long path to fly, and needed a stopover at an abandoned base in the Aleutians to refuel. Slow letters appeared again as the next dawn touched the trees: A L M O S T T H E R E.

"Stay in the infirmary!" Hajime ordered Mikan as he ran for the landing pad at the back of the boat. "I'll bring him in!"

The message had taken long enough to arrive that he could see the approaching helicopter when he ran outside. Hajime threw an arm halfway over his eyes to block the whipping gusts from its blades, but unlike the rest of their group, he kept walking forward against the wind. He could see the Imposter at the controls; Peko must be at the back of the craft with Fuyuhiko.

He's here, Hajime thought, and felt his eyes swim with sudden tears. We got him.

When he could finally slam the helicopter's door open and see inside, Hajime's heart twisted with mingled joy and fear. Yes, Peko was in the back of the aircraft, tenderly holding a slender figure wrapped in a blanket, but that figure was absolutely still. It took Hajime a moment to process that Peko's expression would look very different if she were holding a corpse, and he forced himself foward.

His heart twisted again; this time, only with agony.

Fuyuhiko's exposed skin was a mass of overlapping bruises and cuts, new and old and poorly healed. The scar over his bad eye had been further mutilated; there was probably no going without an eyepatch, now. And beneath everything, his skin was sallow and dry, with cavernous hollows under his eye sockets and cheekbones. One arm extended out of the blanket, and its wrist was awkwardly, painfully prominent. Fuyuhiko had never had weight to lose, but they'd stolen it from him, anyway.

Hajime looked at all that, and at the ragged red tips to all of Fuyuhiko's fingers, and felt a crimson wash pass over his vision. Focus on him, he thought, and balled his fists until they hurt. Think about them later. "I'll get him to the infirmary."

"Careful," Peko whispered. Her cheeks were marked with tear streaks, some fresh.

Hajime's arms shook as he slowly picked up Fuyuhiko. Despite his care, Fuyuhiko hissed as soon as his torso twisted even a bit. Probably broken ribs, Hajime thought, and began cataloguing the injuries as he walked forward. Limited movement prescribed for that. Significant dehydration; IV fluids. And…

The group split as he approached. Gasps and soft cries welcomed Fuyuhiko back to them, but everyone had more sense than to make any noise louder than a whisper. If he hadn't needed to limit the jostling that Fuyuhiko's ribs received, Hajime's arms would have shook by the time he stepped back into the ship's interior.

As he walked into the infirmary, Hajime whispered, "We got him."

Mikan's eyes filled with tears, and she moved for her supplies.

Fuyuhiko still hadn't come to, but faint groans and uncharacteristic whimpers suggested that consciousness was just below the surface. At one of those soft, vulnerable sounds, Hajime's heart seized anew. He couldn't help but kneel next to Fuyuhiko's shoulder, so their faces were close. "Hey. It's okay. You're safe."

That seemed to work, at least a little, so Hajime tried again. "It's okay. You're back with us. I'm right here and I'm going to help you. It's okay."

Fuyuhiko's good eye slit open. His gaze roamed slowly around the infirmary and eventually settled on Hajime, though he seemed to have trouble focusing. "Where's Peko?" The question came out as a cracked, tired sigh.

"We'll get her," Hajime promised, and nodded to Mikan. She nodded back and darted out of the infirmary. If Peko had been the one to actually carry Fuyuhiko to safety, he could only imagine what a relief she must be to see. They should have thought of that and insisted that she come along right away, despite the infirmary's tight quarters.

Fuyuhiko tried to run his gaze around the infirmary, again, but even that appeared to exhaust him. "Who're you?"

Hajime's heart skipped a beat. The optimism he'd used to brick off Peko's explanation of Fuyuhiko's horrifying plan began to develop thick cracks. "It's Hajime. Remember me?"

Fuyuhiko stared back at him, still unable to focus his vision. "You…"

Hajime barely kept himself from grabbing Fuyuhiko's hand to try to encourage him. Mikan hadn't bandaged the many, many wounds there, yet. "Yeah. Me."

"You must be all sorts of fucked-up," Fuyuhiko managed. "Looking at you feels like a whole burnt-out library."

Hajime's arms felt to weigh a ton apiece, suddenly. They hung heavy.

For the first time, Fuyuhiko's eye managed to focus, but he wasn't looking at Hajime. The relief and trust he'd hoped to see directed at him were finally there, but aimed only for the woman walking through the infirmary door. "So. What's the situation?"

"You're safe, young master," Peko whispered.

Hajime shook his head. Young master? He'd gotten her to stop saying that soon after waking up.

Fuyuhiko studied Hajime as critically as his barely-there energy stores would allow. "You mind?"

This couldn't be happening. It couldn't be as bad as Peko had described. It couldn't be that bad, not really. Not when he was back and alive. "Mind?" Hajime dumbly echoed.

"Private conversation."

"I. Sure. Okay." Numb, Hajime stood and stepped past Peko. She brushed down his arm with quick sympathy, but then stepped in to take the spot he'd vacated at Fuyuhiko's bedside.

Perhaps Peko didn't realize that he could still hear from there, or perhaps she didn't care. Maybe she even wanted him to hear. "Young master, these are the people I mentioned. You can trust them all."

"…You sure about that?"

"Yes. I am."

"'Cause I must've burned them out for a reason."

"You did. You were protecting them all, because you care very much. You even went back to memories of meeting them, it appears. Doing so much was very." Peko's calm wobbled momentarily, as did her voice. "Very brave."

"I get that. But." Fuyuhiko took a long pause. "I didn't burn out a chunk of stuff that was just about me. That way, I'd still know what year it was, and shit like that."

"That makes sense."

Fuyuhiko took a longer pause. "So I remember what I did."

Peko was silent for a while, in return. "Things are different, now. Very different."

"If these people know me… did they do that kind of shit, too?"

More silence. "Things are different, now."

"What about the guy who just left?"

Holding his breath, Hajime flattened himself more against the wall, like they'd somehow notice him eavesdropping.

"Hajime? What do you mean?"

"I look at you, and I know I burned out a lot of big memories starting in high school. I looked at that fat guy, and I burned out anything big, too. But that guy just now… everything. I burned out every goddamn thing I know about him. Why?"

Hajime's knees weakened, and he barely kept himself from collapsing where he stood. It took him a second to realize that Mikan, unable to hear the quiet conversation inside the room, was asking if he was all right. He ignored her.

"He was who you were most concerned about. You found it absolutely unacceptable for him to be at any risk of capture."

"He's who got me all fucked up, then? That guy?"

"Young master, that's not… the situation is very complicated. It is not Hajime's fault."

"Sounds like it is. Heh." The soft noise earned a hiss of pain.

That, Mikan was able to hear. With an apologetic look toward Hajime, she murmured something about needing to interrupt them and walked into the infirmary.

After a moment, Hajime walked away with slow, heavy steps, again feeling like his existence had been shattered.

His mind spiraled, veering between Fuyuhiko's horrific injuries, those dismissive words, and his own memories of existence burning away. With each such cycle, he spiraled tighter and lower, and everything began to overlap into a screaming, endless chorus. Soon, the doctors who'd stolen his own memories were the faces torturing Fuyuhiko, and they thanked Hajime for showing them the way.

Hajime started running. He barely made it back outside and to the ship's railing before he doubled over and coughed up a stream of bile. A large, strong hand gripped one shoulder while a metal one gripped the other, and both men asked if Hajime was all right.

"No," Hajime said dully, staring into the distance. He wasn't.

Because Fuyuhiko was right. And he'd been right, when he said it to Peko.

This was his fault.

[dystopianam]

About the "Fake/Beta thumbnails syndrome" ...

For those who don't know of what I'm talking about, when you open the Capps and Montys for the first time, the thumbnails of Tybalt and Mercutio looks like this, with these funny faces instead of their real faces which are these:

But after a few seconds the thumbnails refresh themselves and change with the real ones (if this doesn't happen you have to make them change appearance in the mirror).

Now, the "funny" thumbnails They are the beta faces of Tybalt and Mercutio. But why are they so strange?

For Tybalt the solution is very simple. Tybalt Beta was not Juliette's brother, but as in the original story he was the COUSIN, son of Goneril and Albany, and for this reason "Tybalt Beta" nicknamed by us "Fakebalt" has this strange face. He has the genetics of Goneril and Albany. But WHY then, Tybalt Beta had red hair even if his father wasn't Caliban? How you can see, Goneril have brown hair and Albany blonde hair.

That's simple. Goneril real, genetic, hair colour Is red (recessive genes from a grandmother or great grandmother) but Maxis changed her hair without changing her genetic code.

BUT having then become Juliette's BROTHER, Maxis probably thought well of making him look more like his new parents: Cordelia and Caliban. The actual Tybalt looks much more like his new mother, but he has maintained certain physical details of Goneril such as cheekbones and lips (even if they are not annoying and make sense, he also resembles his grandfather Consort so, I have always appreciated this grandfather-grandchild resemblance).

But although having to recreate Tybalt's appearance was a must with the change of parents, and the fact that he doesn't look too much like the new parents is also justified by the fact that Cordelia and Caliban have corrupted faces... I don't understand WHY Mercutio was changed.

As we already know, Maxis is used to deleting Sims and letting other Sims overwrite the data of other Sims and therefore having to recreate many Sims. ALL the premade of Veronaville have been recreated, but Tybalt and Mercutio... they are special. They are not new sims, they do not (apparently) seem to have overwritten the data of other sims, but it seems that at most they have overwritten the data of themselves (miraculously?) or that Maxis has simply changed only their facial structure (even if I find it strange that their data remained intact given that all the others were destroyed with the change of neighborhood ID)

Or at least, they are not the only sims to have this different thumbnails perk. Romeo and Puck have this thing too. Except I've never seen the old thumbnails of Puck.

I don't know what happened, maybe at a certain point by changing the ID of the neighborhood they ended up with the corrupted face and Maxis had to recreate it?

Many sims have been recreated from scratch, but why have they been...fixed? Maybe it's possible that Maxis already knew about the corrupted faces and that they knew how to fix it but they never wanted to do it with the deceased sims because "they can't be resurrected" anyway? (or at least, you couldn't until the first expansion came out)

What do you think happened to these sims with the thumbnails bug? Maybe they have an old character file with a corrupt face that has been updated (with the face fix)?

While I can understand why Tybalt was changed (Tybalt was supposed to look like his new parents) but Puck, Mercutio and Romeo? The old Mercutio and Romeo (beta) have the genetics of Claudio and Olivia, while the new ones do not. Why change their appearance if Claudio and Olivia don't have any problems? They're not even corrupt!

[my-mt-heart]

Thoughts on the Opening Minutes of TBOC

Below the cut in case people don't want spoilers. Also issuing a trigger warning because I'm including screenshots of the sides for that Daryl and Isabelle scene so I could go over what changed (and more importantly why it changed). Please keep in mind that if you are excited about everything you've seen this weekend, you deserve to hold onto it. I kindly ask that you just keep scrolling because this post isn't for you. If you're open to some critical thinking, maybe this will resonate. Either way, please allow everyone the space to feel what they're feeling. It's all valid.

The first thing I want to flag is that, though I didn't watch the opening minutes on AMC+, I'm aware that they used a Daryl thumbnail and kept the title as TWD: Daryl Dixon. If the purpose of S2 is to highlight Carol's return and focus on her side of the story, why isn't AMC trying harder to sell her? She can absolutely carry a show and boost the ratings, but they'll only be able to capitalize on that if they promote her to the fullest. The deliberate choice to exclude her where it makes a difference is baffling to me, or at least it would be if I didn't already know they care too much about catering to a specific male demographic who don't connect with Carol or even Daryl for that matter.

Melissa is amazing in all her scenes. She can communicate so much about Carol's headspace as she looks out at the broken boats, contemplating the distance between her and Daryl. The performance is so simple and yet so charged. Not a doubt in my mind that she is meant to co-lead this show, that there is no show without Carol’s side of the story to ground Daryl’s. The problem is that the writing just isn’t matching up. There should be substance to all of the material Melissa’s given, and at least in the opening minutes, there just isn't. I hate that the beat of her finding what she thinks is Daryl's walker got cut because that's a much clearer visual of what's at stake for Carol. She can't lose him. I love how Daryl's bike and crossbow are used to highlight a spiritual connection between them, but I hate how lazy it feels without insight into how and when Carol picked up those skills. Yeah, I can make headcanons for myself, but I'm so tired of twisting myself in knots to find the connective tissue when its the showrunner's job to give it to me so that the story flows better.

Same goes for Daryl's scenes. We understand that Daryl has "people" back home and Carol is "one" of them as it says in the script:

One of those people. CAROL PELETIER. Riding Daryl's motorcycle. As we left her (Ep. 106).

And we're meant to take the transition from Daryl saying "wondering if they're still thinking about me" to Carol on his bike as reassurance that "people" he's thinking about are not only thinking about him as well, "people" are also on their way to find him. But it doesn't tell us what Daryl's relationship with Carol means to him and without that, the storytelling becomes really uneven. Carol is putting all this effort into finding him because she misses him and she worries about him while Daryl stays ambiguous. It just makes me sad for Carol, more so when Greg Nicotero says that Daryl has no idea she's coming and that he may be too attached to his manipulative French family by the time she gets there. Is it baiting? Yeah, maybe, but I don't like that TPTB are making us sit with the unsettling feeling that Daryl might have to choose between her and the new family, trying to use our anxiety to get us to watch. It's unethical. I'm not okay with it.

Over a year ago, a page from 201 leaked online, and a few fans managed to save it before it was deleted. It included two scenes. The first, I already mentioned above, a scene where Carol is riding Daryl's bike, sees a walker that looks like Daryl, and fearfully goes to see if it really is him before riding off again. It got cut. Shouldn't have, but scenes that Caryl fans would enjoy are always the first to go for some reason. The other one made it to screen. It's the scene where Daryl and Isabelle are talking and he doesn't know if he's meant to be at the Nest/in France. It reads like this (trigger warning):

DARYL: How's that Kool-aid taste?

But Isabelle doesn't get the reference.

DARYL (CONT'D): I'm not sure this is where I'm supposed to be.

Isabelle scrutinizes Daryl. And even though she's afraid of the answer, she has to ask.

ISABELLE: You don't think you could be happy here?

DARYL: I dunno. Could you?

ISABELLE: ...Yes. I could.

If...what? A charged beat. It's clear there are feelings. They hold a look.

DARYL: The longer I'm away...the longer they're waiting for me. Wondering if I'm still alive.

Isabelle nods. Sympathetic to the fact that he has people as we cut to:

On screen, Daryl's dialogue is slightly different. There is no Kool-aid reference (thank god) or a "dunno" line to suggest he's conflicted. His last line addresses an insecurity that he's been forgotten, which ties back to Carol saying on the radio that he didn't need to worry about her, the implication in Daryl's head being that she was fine without him. His line sets up the transition to Carol, who is definitely not fine without him. Overall, I think the revisions make Isabelle's feelings more ambiguous (though there are enough cues to interpret that they're there if anybody chooses to, especially with the score) while Daryl is more adamant that he wants to go home. They aren't in the same frame when they "hold a look," which reduces the "charged" energy between them. So this is a good thing, right? The changes mean we got riled up for no reason?

No. The changes happened because we got riled up. There is such a thing as sanctioned leaks to allow studios to gauge audience reception before releasing content they aren't confident about, sort of like a focus group. Whether or not that's what this one was, the noise demonstrated that shading the scene as written would've hurt their viewership. That's why it's so important to be vocal about how we feel, even if it's perceived as "negativity." That's why I raise concerns. That's why I'm taking the time now to give my feedback on all the SDCC content even though I'm feeling pretty broken. It's hard and it’s scary because other fans are mean sometimes, but it's the only way to encourage AMC to course correct, whereas silence and/or finding the bright side in everything gives them permission to keep gaslighting their audience.

The one thing that can’t be helped is Zabel's and Nicotero's intentions. Zabel said in an interview he didn't intend to make Daryl's and Isabelle's relationship romantic. That was a lie. The intention to shipbait is right there in the sides that were approved for production, and it's right there in the SDCC trailer, which I will address in another post. I don't trust storytellers who think ageist tropes are necessary to get people to watch despite the significant portion of Daryl's fanbase who don't view him as the ZA's James Bond. I don't support storytellers who think they have to stick to an outdated formula instead of doing proper research on the characters to see what works for their unique stories and unique fanbase. I won't stick around for S3 to find out which lucky actress gets to be the new shipbait or which parts of Caryl's story get retconned. I can't make sense of a stagnant friendship narrative for them because that's not the narrative I followed on the flagship show. These guys make me too afraid to watch S2 even, which hurts because Caryl’s story is so important to me. I want to see it continue, and I want Melissa to get the praise she deserves. But I also want Caryl’s story to be in the right hands. It is with Melissa and Norman working as a team. Notice the difference in the quality of their interviews when it was just them and Louis getting to speak on their characters vs when Zabel and Nicotero were there to chime in (frequently)? I did, and it just makes me confused about the future of these characters.

Note: I apologize for the quality of the screenshots. They were blurry to begin with, but I also didn't want to post the whole page with the watermark in case it wasn't a sanctioned leak.

[monty-glasses-roxy]

Anyone else find it fucking hilarious that Bonnie's dead body is a prize? Congrats!!! You win!!! Here's his corpse for you!!! You earned it!!!

Also fun thing I noticed: behind you in Bonnie Bowl, there's an old Freddy plush, a Funtime Foxy plush and a Toy Chica plush all sat together with snacks or fizzy faz or whatever it was. The light is focused on Funtime Foxy, but is hitting all three of them. On the other side of the couch though?

There's a Roxy plush. In the dark. You can't see her unless you shine your light on her. She's sat there too, but not with the others. She's been left in the dark, and if memory serves, she's slouched and looking more towards the ceiling than watching the game.

I just find that interesting. Why would she be singled out? It's not like it's the band minus Roxy, it's old versions of Freddy, Chica and Foxy. Bonnie isn't represented there and neither is Monty. Well, Bonnie is at the end of the bowling alley and gator heads pop out of the walls to get in your way, so they're there too in the spotlight, just not as plushies. So... Why is Roxy the only one left in the dark and singled out?

Given she's the final node in the MXES system, it could be because that's singled her out? Or perhaps, that she's in the underground with Cassie, in the dark and looking for a way back up to the Plex?

Interesting for sure. I'll try and find more vids tomorrow, I'm sure there'll be way more by then. I've seen thumbnails of the ending so I'm sure it's gonna be good. We'll see!

[themonotonysyndrome]

Your thoughts on the newest audio from Desmond ?

sndfjksndf I was just thinking of posting my thoughts on Prince Renae today; you have great timing, Anon! I was lowkey worried that I might spoil those who haven't listened to it yet.

What I ❤️❤️❤️ about it:

-Tigress's new origin story is hella interesting! I actually like that she's not a captain in this one because a captain would be too busy to try and infiltrate the Imperial royal circle. Tigress is playing the long game and I'm here for it!

-Little Prince Renae was the one who gave Tigress her nickname! Awww! Even after all these years, he still remembers her.

-The SFX!? SNDJSKDNAS I can clearly visual in my head during that scene where Prince Renae and Tigress were dancing. The footwork, the background music, and the soft conversation around them? IMMACULATE.

-Tigress is still a badass and a badass that Desmond clearly 'shows' instead of having the characters just say, "Oh wow, Tigress. You're really strong." Once again, to all the creatives out there, the golden rule is: Show, not tell!

-Prince Renae's admiration for those 'Southern Warriors' and how he only admits it in a drunken haze because it might come across as treasonous is adorable. I imagine that he has heard of Castin by now, and I would love to write a fic where the Baroness and Castin are attending an Imperial Royal Ball, and the Prince is trying really, really hard not to fanboy while Castin is so confused at this Tsundere 😂

-Also, I love how everyone in the tavern couldn't care less that Tigress killed the owner sdnfjdkfsdf though, Tigress, that was very stupid of you. YOU'RE TRYING TO STAY LOW PROFILE! NOW WE HAVE WITNESSES!

-The dramas and intrigues came in swinging like a wrecking ball! Who framed Tigress' dad!? I'm so sus about the Captain, don't trust him Tigress! I don't know if Tigress can continue pretending to be a merchant girl for long because the Empress and Prince Renae are upset about her face and the ending, too!? Tigress is fully back in Imperial high society and mingling with royalty - there's so much potential here for where the story can go, AND I CAN'T FUCKING WAIT! Oh, the fallout is gonna be so angsty!

-Last, I hope Desmond will release the official names and their spellings somewhere soon.

What I 🤨🤨🤨 about it:

-Once more, Desmond, why? Why with the clickbait thumbnail and title? Tigress only took a bath in her new room in the Imperial Palace, and Prince Renae walked in. There was no brothel bathhouse or whatever 😭 I was disappointed in that.

-Speaking of which, the title - now, we know that Tigress and Prince Renae were childhood friends, and at the very least, he has a crush on her and now MAYBE believes himself to be in love with an idea of Tigress instead of ya know, her actual self. But calling them exes is not really... right?

-The name change from Prince Desmond to Prince Renae. I remember in the old lore that Prince Desmond was given that name to honour Gang Leader!Desmond, the first King of the Coastal Empire. I don't know if I remember that wrong, please correct me if I'm wrong, but yeah, I always did like that bit of lore. But hey, I can fuck with Prince Renae eventually.

And... yeah! That's pretty much it!

[zmediaoutlet]

a vessel

pairings: Sam/Dean(na), Dean/Lucifer, pining!Cas warning: non-con length: 2700

What if Jack wasn't Kelly Kline's son, but Deanna's?

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Deanna can't stop chewing her thumbnail. It's down to the quick, smarting, but she keeps sticking it in her mouth anyway, biting at it anyway. A rush of coppery salt makes her jerk and blink and finally tear her eyes away from the tome of celestial theory. Red riming the bed of the nail. She could get up and get a band-aid but it'll have to wait because Sam, the stupid self-sacrificing idiot, is in a submarine seventy-three years and an ocean away from her, and nothing really matters but getting him back.

"Him and the Hand of God," Castiel says, extra-gravelly like if his voice is even lower she'll take it more seriously.

"Yeah, Cas," Deanna says, but she doesn't know why he bothers with clarifying. Like they haven't known each other for almost a decade. Like he doesn't know what her priorities really are.

Sam shouldn't have gone. Of course there was no choice but to let him be the one to go. Not the first time she's wished she was born a guy. A submarine in the forties full of male soldiers—no way she'd be able to sneak around, find what needed to be found. Of course, his stupid hair would make him stick out like a sore thumb, too, so technically—but he'd only given her that so-patient look, waiting for her to come to the obvious conclusion. For all the arguments to the contrary over the years, she isn't actually stupid.

They'd hugged. Nothing else, not with Castiel right there watching, waiting almost impatient, and he'd wrapped careful arms around her shoulders and pressed his lips down against the top of her head. She can bring to mind exactly how he smelled, right in the center of his chest. The shirt he'd worn for two days, the faintest trace of rain-fresh deodorant but also the smell of his skin. Salt. She'd said told you you should get a haircut, and he'd huffed and said, yeah, and then kissed her hair brief and easy, and stepped back to where Cas was waiting with that hard strange light in his eyes. Getting ready to jump. See you soon, Sam said, and Cas clamped a hand on his shoulder and then—

She blinks hard at the book. It's gone blurry. Her thumb hurts, and she sucks it clean of the blood and then wipes her hands hard over her face, pissed at herself—there's work to do, there's no time for this shit—and on the next page, there it is. A spell.

"Can you do it?" she says, dumping the book in front of Cas. "It calls for the power of an archangel, but—"

Cas looks it over. Irritated at first—he has been since he came back sogged out from the ocean, which Deanna did find entertaining until she realized what it meant and bloomed into full-on panic—but then considering. "It can't hurt to try," Castiel says.

Her gut's one hard furious clench. She thought he'd say something sadsacky and Cas-like, something about his powers being fragile. "I don't know how much time he has," Deanna says. Cas ignores her, looking at the ingredients. "The whole time travel thing—do you know how long we have, until the sub goes down?"

"We have time," Castiel says, barely looking at her, and she—how does he know? How can he possibly?

The majority of the ingredients are simple if gross, fetched from the catalog in one of the archive rooms. She washes her face in cold water in the WC and puts her hair up in a half-bun and looks at herself in the mirror. Her eyelashes dark spikes like she's been crying. Her lower lip so bitten and chapped she might as well be a kid again. When she remembers telling Sam, who kept chewing his lip, hey, quit it, use Blistex like a normal person, and had tugged his lip out of his mouth so many times when he was fourteen that he'd bitten her thumb once in pure bitchy retaliation. He'd stopped, though. All that work to get him to grow up and she couldn't, couldn't. Wouldn't.

In the library Cas is working, steady. Willing to try, no matter what. No matter what else has happened between them she loves him a little, for that. Only—

"Cas," she says, helpless. He dumps vervain into the steel bowl, ignoring her. "You're not strong enough. It isn't going to work."

"Deanna," he says, rough, and pauses. He picks up the butcher knife, dragging the preserved brain closer. "Have faith."

Where has he been. As though there were any point in having faith in anything but—Sam, and sometimes, on occasion, what Sam and her could do, together, and when all else failed what their friends could manage. She presses her fingertips to her eyesockets, pressing hard just under the brow bone, and she wants—more almost than anything she wants—to go back. When their problems were easier. Just a quick apocalypse or two. Sam at her side, the two of them turning to people who knew better for help—like standing in Bobby's house, getting easy answers. Getting an eyeroll and getting called stupid, but the answers came anyway, easy-peasy.

Her eyes open. Bobby.

"Wait," she says. Cas sighs. He drops the mangled flesh into the bowl. "Wait, you—we can power you up."

"How," he says.

"Use me." Cas pauses, still holding the knife. Deanna drags in air, certain. "You touched Bobby's soul, way back then, to get me and Sammy back from the past. Use me, take—whatever you need. However you gotta power up, so you can do that spell and you can get Sam back. You can do that. Can't you?"

"I… can," Castiel says, looking down at the bowl of reagents. "But I'm sure I don't need to, Deanna—"

"You can't be sure," Deanna says, quick. She comes close, sets her hand on his sleeve. "Cas, please."

Later she'll know it all went wrong—there. Right then.

Cas laughs. He never, ever laughs.

Deanna steps back. Instinct, inbuilt from age four. "What?"

"It's so strange," Castiel says. He turns, leaning his hip against the table. Weird and casual. "I'm working so hard to get Sammy back, and I'm letting you boss me around like—what, like you're interesting? You've got the connection to Amara but there's nothing about you that's ever, ever mattered to me. Isn't that funny."

His voice odd, high. Deanna takes another step back and runs into the other table. She grips the edge of it with one hand.

Castiel drops the knife onto his table and then he's—there, crowded up against her, his hands hard on her wrists. Bruising, shocking strength. She doesn’t breathe, looking up into his eyes. Unfamiliar blue.

"I always focused on Sam, you know," Castiel says. He smiles down at her, shrugs. "Girl that got away. Just hated him to bits. But you, you were always just the irritating little gravel in my shoe. Little bitch that Sam kept pining after, making him say no to everything I wanted to do. Even when I finally got in there, it was you that caused all the problems. What was it he saw in you? I never could figure it out. When, to me, you're just some stupid slut who never served her purpose. My brother never even got to take you for a ride, so what is the point of you?"

Her tongue, caught fat and shocked in her mouth, finally unfreezes. "I don't know, Lucy," she says, her voice coming from some distant place. "Must be above your pay-grade."

Lucifer smiles wider, all teeth. "Took you long enough, dummy," he says, and then backhands her so hard she falls back against the table, the legs screeching a foot backwards on the floor.

Pain's nothing—it rings in her skull, blood sluicing down from her nose, but so what—and she knows, knows, there's an angel blade on the bookshelf under the scimitar and there's another on the bar, by the crystal decanter she hasn't refilled in too long—and even if they won't work on Lucifer, at least it'll give her time—and all that goes through her brain in quick flipbook succession, knowing how to roll off the table and lunge for the bar and grab it and spin and stab him in the chest, in the fucking brain if she has to, no matter whose body he's in—but. This isn't Cas, this is an archangel, and he knocks her back to tabletop in an instant, crushing her down into the wood, not letting up. She blinks hard, tears smarting, and Lucifer arranges Cas's face into a little playact of pity, looking down at her.

"Aw, sweetheart. Feeling tough?" he says.

She lets her head thunk back onto the table. Rage ripples down through her throat and lungs and gut, chased with a liquid shot of fear. She wants the mark back on her arm. How she could tear into him, with the blade back in her hand. No matter the consequences that'd follow.

Lucifer looks all over her face, clearly entertained. "Well, that is kinda fun," he says. He transfers her wrists to one hand, squeezing so hard the bones feel like they're going to snap any second, and flicks her hair back away from her face. Smiles, softer. More awful. "You know, Cas said yes to this? He knew I was your only shot at fighting back Amara. First decision he made that wasn't grade-A idiot. But you know that wasn't the only reason. Don't you?"

Deanna breathes shallowly. The cage. Sam stuck in there, all her terror proved true, and when she broke in Lucifer beating them both bloody, her bones shuddering and Sam nearly gone and Cas shoving Lucifer away from them, from her, and—she can't—she was holding Sam, curled over him like she could protect him from what was coming, and Cas said—Cas—

He drags cool fingertips down her cheek, denting the skin. Down her throat, hard enough it hurts. "All those dumb protective urges," Lucifer says. Cas's fingers on her collarbone, and then dragging at the collar of her henley. Revealing the edge of her bra. Her heart thuds thick and slow and calm, a vast coiled beast under her skin. Lucifer's lips twitch. "All that envy. What he'll never get. And he just wants to protect you, anyway, you know that? You and Sammy. He knows. You know that, right? About you and your brother."

"Don't know what you're talking about," Deanna says. Wishes, immediately, that she hadn't. Another stupid instinct from all those years in the dark.

"Honey, you're dumb but you ain't that dumb," Lucifer says. His hand drags down, glancing over one breast and then down to her stomach. It sucks in without her say-so. "So," he says, soft. "I'll get your brother back, so I can take the Hand of God out of his big mitts. Then I'll gut him, because I am so, so tired of that stupid hangdog face of his. And I'll keep you safe and sound in my palace, a caged kitty while we work out how to take out my bitch of an aunt. But I think, first, it's only fair to give Cas a little treat, for the favor he's done for me—letting me free to take out Mork and Mindy, once and for all." He drags her hips to the edge of the table in a hard cruel haul, and smiles at her. "Mindy was kinda hot, don't you think?"

He flips her onto her stomach. Maybe he thinks that's more humiliating. She breathes slow. Not like it's the first time. Her belt snaps. Her jeans and panties hauled down to her knees. She braces her boots on the floorboards. Buzz of a zip. "Wow, not the most embarrassing vessel in the world," Lucifer says. She wants to say, Cas. Cas, stop. It's me. Cas, you can stop, it's me, please, don't let him, don't let him do it, you don't want to hurt me, Cas, can't you—can't you take control, take some goddamn responsibility, Cas, please—except there's no point in saying anything like that because if Cas were going to stop it he would have stopped it, already, and while she's thinking that his cock blunts stupid up against her, already hard, and she opens her eyes wide and sees every fleck and color of the woodgrain and then it's shoved inside. Thick. Not the thickest or biggest but she's dry and it hurts. Of course it's meant to.

She grips the edge of the table, takes it. Her hipbones grind into the wood. "Don't be afraid to make some noise," Lucifer says. He grabs her hair, pulling her face away from the safe shadow of the table, hauling her back onto Cas's dick. "We gotta make a nice highlight reel for Castiel, don't we?"

Like he's taking a walk in the park. She braces, tilts her hips so it hurts less. Because her head's been pulled up she keeps her eyes fixed on the telescope, at the far end of the library, and lets the room bob dizzily between each pummeling thrust. Her toes curl, scrunched inside her boots. Her heart a distant, steady drum.

"You're good at this, huh?" Lucifer says. He's not. His hips move like a piston but there's no imagination, either to make it hurt more or to humiliate her by making it good. Never was human and apparently never bothered to learn, either from Cas or Sam or poor doomed Nick, all those years ago. Just hard meat, cramming in where she's soft, over and over. Slick now because that's how bodies work. She doesn't know if he's ever done this before, in any body, but Cas is hairsbreadth from being a virgin so it can't take that much longer.

Sure enough: "Let's give him a show," Lucifer says, and pulls her upright by the throat. His breath coming in odd little puffs. He's not choking her but the clutch is hard enough to make her dizzy. She squeezes her eyes closed and focuses: the pole slotting in and in and in, the grip around her right wrist, the bruises throbbing up on the bend of her hips and now maybe on her thighs where she's getting crushed against the table. His chin over her shoulder, prickly stubble against the side of her neck, his voice soft while he says, "We better show Sam, too, before I kill him. Make sure he really sees. Big sister, dripping. Just like he used to, you know? Back then, when we were roomies."

She makes a sound. Not meaning to but the air chokes in her throat. He squeezes hard, laughs high and goofy.

"You're all so easy," Lucifer says, laughing, and then he pulls her in tight and pushes her own hand over her crotch and says, "Feel that," while he jerks inside, coming. She can't, other than the thickness. It should be—boiling hot, like the demons used to be, but then again he's an angel. Despite everything.

When he pulls out there's a sting. He pushes her hand down further, cups against the loose-wet gap, and she feels that first trickle, dripping. Thick.

"Too bad Michael never got to try you out," Lucifer says, soft against her ear. She opens her eyes. The library, the telescope. A little smoochy kiss against her neck. "Would've been fun to break you both in. Oh, well."

He shoves her. Deanna catches herself against the table.

"Ooh, stay just like that. Be right back, lickety-split."

A flutter, like wings. How didn't they notice that before?

She pulls her hand out from between her legs. Sticky. No red. She's surprised, considering, but then Jimmy Novak's dick wasn't all that big. Her breath and heart and mind are still slow and calm as a hibernating snake. In her pocket, a knife. She drags her jeans mostly up, folds her fingers around the silver handle. Angels and blood. Her thumbnail stings, where she tore it.

The wingbeats come again and there's Sam, in an old-time sailor uniform and his face pale and his eyes going right to Deanna, ignoring the danger at his left side.

"Dee?" he says, taking her in, and then steps forward. His face changing, seeing what was left for him to see. Behind his shoulder Lucifer smiles at her, broadly satisfied. Happy to win the battle, no matter the ultimate stakes of the war.

[starlightshadowsworld]

Poppy Playtime chapter 3's 2nd teaser is out and holyshit this thing is dark.

Like we know from the last one it's dark but this is dark.

These are my initial thoughts while talking bout it.

We see our beloved train, tipped over and on fire.

Great start.

And a sign that we are very clearly in Play care.

Which is where, way back in Chapter 2 the train we were aboard crashed into.

And shout out to Huggy, poor guy is going through it.

His head is on a pike and his body is just on the floor splayed with blood.

And from the claw marks he was dragged.

Preseumbly by the beast in the thumbnail?

There's black and white pictures of what I assume are children.

Children's drawings saying unnerving and sad stuff.

Mostly about being afraid, being abandoned etc.

Oh yeah and there's words on the wall, what I zoomed in on were the phrases:

"the original saved us"

"I live to serve our angel of salvation"

👀

Which sounds like we're in for a good ol fashioned cult.

Insert the obligatory if I had a £1 for everytime an indie horror game based on children's entertainment.

Ended up with writing on the wall, talk of an angel and a being of salvation.

I'd have £2.

And I'm here for it.

Also I'm assuming by "original" they mean the prototype.

And I may be reaching but it even looks like candles on the floor....

Which is sus.

What also stood out to me on the wall was the phrase:

"Never forget the hour of Joy"

Because we've seen a similiar phrase to this before.

Its actually in the tunnels in the RESTRICTED_location_08-08-1995.mp4 video on Mob Entertainment's YouTube channel.

Which is the one where Kissy is strapped to the train.

Where the words "The Hour Of Joy Is At Hand" is on the wall.

We get a shadow of some kind of amalgamation of different toy parts.

Can see what looks like a wuggy head, arms that look like their from mommy long legs.

Which could be the prototypes full form.

Given how mommy says "What have you done! He'll make me part of him"

Before being dragged away by the Protypes claw in Chapter 2.

And we get a good ol jumpscare at the end.

Complete with glowing white eyes.

Not that I can figure out what it is, it's too dark.

... Might be the Fnaf fan in me but I was like... Is that a bunny?

It's preseumbly the monster in the thumbnail.

Before red gas appears.

We know this chapter will feature a gas mask, since that was the focus of the first trailer.

They're are ongoing theories that this gas could be how the kids were fused with the toys.

Given the first experiment we see, 814 dealt with poppy flowers.

And you know... Poppy Playtime. With Poppy the doll named after how her hair is supposed to smell like poppy flowers.

And that Poppy flowers don't have a scent unless your talking about Opium Poppies.

And how they were used in this era as soothers and things used to put kids to sleep.

To over simplify.

Speaking of sleep, we get a red Poppy playtime chapter 3 title screen.

Now with the subtitle, Deep Sleep.

👀 So we might be on the right track.

And a release for Winter 2023.

I am pumped man, like Ruin came out and now this it's a good year for indie horror games.

Can't wait to see what happens.

[laladellakang]

YES YES YES PLEASE I’m literally down for anything whether it’s a drabble or some ideas u just had just give me sth 😭😭😭( on a serious note tho it’s fine take your time love)

thank you so much!! here’s some of the drafts i have so far! maybe you guys have some ideas to add on these?

"Della?" Jungwon looked up from his phone to look at the girl beside him. He could've sworn he heard her breath get heavier.

"Look at Koya!" her eyes were watering when she showed him a video of her youngest cat. "He's so cute," she tried to blink the tears away. She can't ruin her makeup or she'll get scolded and probably cry harder.

"He really is so cute. He kinda looks like his mom," he helped fan the tears away. "Here, have a lollipop."

"Yay!"

[della’s period episode]

"It also sucks that I wasn't the first one," SHIT, I'm fucking blushing.

I know these guys literally just asked me to be their girlfriend but it's still crazy to me that they actually have feelings for me. Like- Jake actually wants to kiss me? Holy fuck.

[first kisses, della’s pov]

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"We can have a few sessions together if you want. That way we can meet more often," it's no secret that Kazuha (well.. Le Sserafim in general) wants to get closer to the girl. Given that they're the same age, in the same industry, from the same company, and that she can speak Kazuha's mother tongue really well.

"I would like that," Kazuha reciprocated Della's high-five.

[extras: hybe caterers]

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"Guys- go play the strawberry game or something with the kids while Jay and I check in," Heeseung instructed the rest of Enha.

"Okay, hyung, "Okay, oppa," the six and their kids watched them walk away.

"Let's get some boba," everyone agreed with Sunoo's suggestion.

They knew that they can't play such games in places like the airport. They'll be way too loud.

[the en-family goes to disneyland tokyo]

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"No but- I'll be so offended if my cooking skills were compared to Sunghoon-oppa," Della joined. "Niki and Sunoo are not that bad."

[ Park Sunghoon (20): Number 1 worst cook in ENHYPEN ]

[en-o’clock 14&15]

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"So Della, you're going to be standing on top of here, and just stand there," the staff instructed the girl dressed in a white gown. "We'll shoot a few far away shots with Enhypen in the bottom and then you can come down for the close ups, okay?"

"Yes, understood," Della nodded her head once.

[au: nonidol!della]

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Della would say that she was comfortable with virtually all of her stage outfits.

Everything was tested beforehand so she was never worried about flashing anyone, especially with how hard their choreos go.

[della wardrobe malfunction (or something like that but i just can’t figure it out)]

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“Hear me out..." Heeseung leaned against the sink. "Have you ever seen any of us naked?"

"Bro- ew," Jake's eyes widened.

[nsfw: ramyeonz threesome]

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"You're gonna win. No way," the older laughed. "Try with one of the guys."

"Let's try, Lala," Youngbin suddenly offered.

[scenario: the guys getting jealous during i-land]

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"Two what?!" Jake asked, laughing at what Della called them, causing her to burst too.

"Today I was supposed to be alone but two invaders decided to join," Della translated in Korean, talking in between laughs.

"Guys she called us idiots!" Jake protested, still off-camera and making Della laugh more.

"Sunghoon-oppa and Jake-oppa!" Della announced with an applause. The two boys appeared from both sides of the screen, Jake from the left and Sunghoon on the right.

[v-live: jallahoon (y’all this was OLD OLD. over a year old omg)]

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several thumbnails i planned to use but… idk now

[della living up to the korea’s siren title]

[kang della giving major dom vibes]

[whoever put tyd together is a genius]

[enhypen: our favourite poly couple part 63278129]

[accirax]

initial thoughts on DCAS episode 6

THIS EPISODE WAS SO GOOD!!! the fact that it was a musical episode is totally the cherry on top; i love it when series come with their own music (cough cough me @ project sekai). but overall it was also really funny, and had some great character moments, too.

i'll save my thoughts on strategy and where the season might be headed for my next power ranking post (whenever that is :,( ), but were some of my other thoughts/highlights.

specifically the phrase "fuck my life" and Yul saying it made me cackle. seems like Emily ISN'T Yul's manager, but she might still kinda take on that role this season? we'll see. the lack of phones is really having an effect on the plot.

they hate her so fucking bad

okay, i guess i forgot to consider this angle when i was saying it would've made more sense for them to vote out Fiore. however, having started with 18 participants, the merge will probably happen at, what, 10 people? (modern Survivor describes the merge as "at least 11," but obviously this isn't survivor.) sure, Hunter is a bit of a challenge beast, but he can't protect all three of them every episode. if this trio is only 3/10 of the votes, you could literally split the votes on Ally and Tess in a 3-3-4 if you can get everyone else to unite against them. you know what you should be worried about? THE VILLAINS ALLIANCE HAVING 6/"10" VOTES AT THE MERGE!!! sigh. why am i relying on Jake to be smart (/j)

i'm more impressed that there was hot water in the first place. this thing is in the middle of a field, no?

i'm finally starting to see how Yul can be a hilarious "love to hate him" kind of villain. he had some of the best lines this episode hands down.

TREVEK BECOME CANON???

there was absolutely no reason to put the apple on the stick other than to fit in. love this for her.

idk if this is a winner's cut moment or not. glad that the money would go towards schools and NOT the police force, though.

man, now i want to go back and check the other episodes to see if Tess has had the "Cyan Team narrator" role the whole time. in Survivor, that's indicative of a deep run. ...i really need to stop applying Survivor logic to everything.

and why are you thinking about what would make Oliver laugh, Kristal? ',:)

i appreciate the s1 callback, but Trevor doing this dance move gives me so much second hand embarrassment that i keep inadvertently closing my eyes every time i have to "see" it again. anyways, given how most of the episode songs had lyrics related to the Team's emotional state, it's interesting to see that Trevor is singing a romance song. trevek become canon pt 2?

this was an interesting parallel. with Kristal laughing at Derek's joke, it seems like they were trying to show how she's growing closer to Derek, in a way which Trevor might fear is romantic. were there supposed to be romantic undertones to Alec being the only one to laugh at Connor's joke? and, if there were, was that just a fun nod to the aleconnor shippers, or will it actually be canon/relevant to later in the season?

NOT a surprise. i need to see the "i want you died" poetry he wrote about Fiore after last season.

of course you were, you fucking fruit (affectionate)

the anguish: i love my gf :D let's frolick through a field together

"trust me dude i'm the divorce man"

GABBY?????

mood but also damn is Ellie really leaning into the villain thing this season. this doesn't even help her win the season, she JUST wants to see him suffer.

i forgot that the s1 contestants didn't know that Nina was her own separate being yet

they were NOT lying, Aiden's VA is a great singer! Tom's backing vocals and Ellie and Gabby's harmonies(?) were also really nice too, though. this was probably my favorite song of the episode just bc i think Cyan had the strongest singers. all of the rocking, shoulder-moving dances are also impossible not to imitate.

well, there's the thumbnail. their choice of thumbnail made me laugh bc i remember, back when i was watching s1, seeing all the thumbnails of Aiden kissing both James and Hunter and thinking that Aiden was going to be some sort of troublemaking flirty antagonistic character only to be blindsided by his actual characterization. i'm sure the s1 watching me would have only added this to her arsenal of evidence, although hilariously idk if i would have been able to tell the other character was Tom at the time. anyways, i was pretty certain from the start that this must be part of the performance. although, while i'm happy that Aiden seems to think that James will be okay with the performance, i wish we could have cut to James somehow just to confirm that that was true. i don't want the next time we see James, whether in the finale or some other time, to show that he was actually really jealous and upset at Aiden for kissing another man while in a committed relationship. also gabbielle(?) super cute in the bg :D

he's so fucking stupid... (/pos)

bold of you to say this to Ashley, who has been in a two year relationship with the guy who went home in episode 2.

i also really liked this song :D i understand why they made Jake and Ally the main singers, because they best encompassed what the theme of the song was about, but i think i actually liked Ashley's vocals the best. i wish she'd gotten to sing more. also for a moment i thought Marcus had a trans flag on his hat. it's still close enough. trans Marcus canon.

this was probably my least favorite performance of the episode, although idk how much of that was just how much i hate Alec's outfit. glassesless Alec scares me so bad... no hate to the VAs, obviously, i think they have nice voices! it's actually the way that they didn't sound like they had confidence in their singing abilities that made the performance feel a little shakier to me. i do think that this song had the best lyrics in terms of encapsulating each member of their team, though. i really like how Yul and Riya are the ones to sing "i'm going to chase it" as a duo, because they're the ones chasing fame and the limelight, and then Grett sings that she can't ignore it, because eventually she's going to have to realize that her entire relationship with Yul was a result of him clout chasing. Connor only singing "live in the moment until i die" is also very fitting given his placement... in both seasons. L.

really surprised that Riya (or anyone else) didn't even mention Yul's foot injury as part of this equation. Riya just said that she didn't want to lose any more challenges, and Yul's bad foot could totally lead to a loss. maybe i'm just overestimating the extent to which that foot injury will stick around, though.

season 2 characters are REALLY suffering out here.

HELP??????

love to see Alec and Fiore's kinda sorta dual redemptions. i have high hopes for them.

and those were my initial thoughts, which got way longer than i expected. thanks if you wound up reading towards all the way down here. i have no idea who the leakers are, obviously, but i really hope that they stop acting up soon so that the series can continue. i would hate to have the artists have to take a pay hit and/or stop making the series just because of some people's impatience and delusions of power, or have the honest patrons lose out on being able to watch the episodes early to protect from others' immaturity. see ya!