#great for planning even if your boss is a decent person

[icryyoumercy]

'please stand in front of this toilet in the most uncomfortable and counterintuitive position possible, and then pee in this cup while under direct video surveillance'

... and then the people making me do this wonder it doesn't work?

like. if you need to observe people peeing in a cup, at least you could set up the surveillance in a way that doesn't require them to stand sideways to a toilet while holding their feet uncomfortably close together, that shouldn't be that difficult

[alottiegoingon]

art fair

jackie taylor x fem!reader

summary: jackie taylor is the elementary school's art teacher.

warnings: too much fluff, jackie and reader being adorable, not proofread

you weren't expecting to stay for any longer than five days this time. that was the initial plan and the words you had said to your parents on the phone before you arrived to wiskayok, new jersey.

the second high school was over, you took the first bus to new york and never looked back. okay, never was a strong word. despite the strong feeling you had to free yourself from the place where you had an awful time in high school, sometimes you would come back to visit your family and your sister, in special.

not wanting to miss her growing up, you had to work extra shifts on the bookstore to pay for a decent looking car, capable of going back and forth from new jersey to new york twice in a month.

now, it was an special occasion. for her 8th birthday, you promised her that you would spend the week in your family home and spend time doing fun things. and by fun things, she meant fun things for her.

the first thing you were asked as soon as you put your feet inside was "what did you get me?"

after wishing your sister a happy birthday and watching her open her present, you sink into the couch with drowsy eyes after some good two hours driving, feeling exhausted. you were so tired that you weren't even paying attention to what the small human full of energy was chattering around you.

"what do you think we should do first? we can go roller skating!"

"bug, i hate roller skating. you know that." god, you remember the last time you fell on your face. you wore a purple eyes for weeks.

"...or we could go get me new books! mom promised me you would go out with me." she keeps talking, not paying attention to you. that was going to be a very long week.

the very next day, you could barely open your eyes when your sister forced you to wake up early and drive her to school, affirming that it was part of the birthday package you promised her even though you didn't actually recall that

[🎨]

you had the brilliant idea to go straight home after dropping the kid at school and sleep for the rest of the day. or until she got home with quick loud steps and a vibrant high-pitched voice.

your great idea fell apart when you were effectively blackmailed by a tiny human dragging you to her classroom, excited to show you everything. you weren’t even sure if you were allowed in there but you followed her anyway.

"that's cool, bug! you did that?" you encouraged her regardless of the many screams of the other kids hurting your ears, right after seeing the paint strokes in a small canvas forming the figure of a person. for a eight year old, the kid had some actual talent. it was better than what you could do.

she nods, extremely proud of herself. "ms. taylor is teaching us how to paint for next week's art fair. you’re coming, right?"

five days. five days was all you could do. it was a pain in the ass to convince your boss to let you skip work for a week and you only managed to do it cause she was a friend of the family. more than that and you would turn into a jobless woman.

“i’ll see what i can do, alright?” you get on your knees to match her height. “now i’m gonna go home and later we can watch…” your voice trails off when your attention is stolen by a woman entering the classroom.

wearing baggy and colorful clothes with glasses that made her look even more attractive, she had a few books threatening to fall from her hands and loose paper sheets. nothing like the old women you used to have for a teacher when you were young.

“good morning, party people! sorry i’m late today.” she doesn’t seem to notice you, too busy and overwhelmed while organizing her desk. she was probably used to be surrounded by loud gremlins all the time, you thought.

she was about to say something but her lips closed after not even a second, knitted brows and an uncertain but polite grin painted on her face. “oh, and i think we have a visitor today.”

and your world fully stops when she looks at you. flushed cheeks as you were practically drooling.

“that’s my sister, she's visiting for my birthday!” the little one fills the awkward silence, not looking like she cares about your unexpected loss of words.

“aw, this is so sweet.” she frowns for a second and all of sudden, her eyes are on you “and are you having a good time down there?” she chuckles, causing your heart to skip a beat, and only then you notice your knees hurting. you were still on the floor, looking like a full time idiot. you hear the other kids the room laughing as well.

“yeah, i was just… tying her shoes.” you stand on your feet as quickly as possible, nearly losing balance.

“no, you weren’t. my shoes don’t have-.” your hand flies over your sister direction to cover her mouth.

your legs were feeling like thin sticks as you walked towards the light haired woman, extending your hand to her. “hi, sorry.” you said falteringly.

“it’s all good. i like to stay on the floor sometimes too.” she offers you an empathetic smile. “i’m jackie.” she finally shakes your hand.

“jackie.” you echo her, subtly shaking your head. it felt like you were absorbing her name into your soul. even her name sounded like something that could be in a movie. “hi. i’m-“

“i know. your sister talks a lot about you. but i guess i wasn’t expecting you to be like this.” you freeze again.

“like what?" your voice trembles as you ask.

she didn’t say anything but you feel her eyes wandering around you while she smiles.

jackie gave you an excuse, apologizing for interrupting the conversation but emphasizing how she desperately needed to start the class. she was already late and you felt bad for taking so much of her time.

“it was nice to finally meet you.” is all she says and you made sure to say it back. before walking through the door, you quickly wave at your sister, not wanting to disrupt them anymore.

you immediately gave up on the idea of sleeping for the entire day. how could you when you had just met jackie taylor?

overthinking everything was like a piece of cake for you, as easy as blinking. but it wasn't hard to overthink things when jackie's first impression of you was probably a terrible one, knees on the floor and making a fool of yourself.

you were happy to welcome your sister back home from school, disregarding the fact that she told your parents that you were drooling over her art teacher on your damn knees. how can kids remember so much?

wanting to know more about her very interesting teacher, with ice cream for dinner, you succeeded in finding out that jackie taylor wasn't a married woman.

"why do you wanna know that?" you struggle to understand the few mumbles thanks to her stuffing her mouth with ice cream.

"okay, i think you had enough." you whisper, slowly moving the bowl away and ignoring her question.

[🎨]

for the next two days, between a bookstore visit or going out for ice cream, you would give jackie taylor a thought. not because you cared or was interested, of course, you were just curious. and you wanted to fix the impression you made on her.

"are you driving me today?" was the question you were asked every morning.

too tired, too sleepy, too early, bad headache, terrible cramps. were all the excuses you gave her so you could have a few more hours of sleep. until the third day.

"school is starting soon!"

"hmm, i don't know if i'm taking you... i'm feeling so-"

"ms. taylor's class is the first one today." you notice her playful tone. she knew you too well.

"good. i'm actually feeling so good today." fast as the wind, you shoot out of the bed.

"you don't have to walk me there anymore. i'm not a baby." the eight year old complains as she notices you following her inside.

"sure, i know. i just wanna make sure you're safe." that wasn't a full lie. yes, you were looking forward to talk to jackie again, but you still cared about your sister.

[🎨]

you were fifteen minutes earlier that the actual class time and by the time you walk into the room, jackie was already there. with your sister going straight to talk to her friends, that was your chance.

"good morning." you timidly knock on the halfway open door, not wanting to scare her.

"hello there!" jackie closes the book that was laying on her big desk in front of her, fixing her gaze on you. lips curving upward. "not tying any shoes this morning?" standing up, she adjusts her slightly crooked glasses as she watches you get closer.

"not today, no. too hard to find any customers." you join her tease, feeling like you have been blessed as she laughs.

"you should try the art exhibition next week. lots of shoes to tie in there." you caught yourself thinking that she may be flirting with you but maybe you were just going crazy for drinking so much coffee lately.

"i would love to tie some stranger's shoes on a school event." playing along, all you could think was that you urgently had to stay for more than just five days. time to beg your boss twice.

"nice! i'll see you there, then." about to end the conversation, jackie's smile widens and the simple act almost makes you fall on your knees again.

"actually..." you fight to not stumble over your words as you create the fastest excuse ever to see her again. "my sister and i are going out for roller skating tomorrow. you should join us."

jackie's gaze lifts back at you, eyebrows raising in curiosity.

"why should i?" she had the casual smirk adorning her face, probably enjoying this entire situation much more than you.

"because... we're going to a park nearby and there's a few tables in there. what's greater to an art teacher than a pretty view to paint?" you were quite proud of how quick your mind worked.

jackie seems to take a brief moment to think about your words, even though she had already made her mind minutes ago.

"it's a deal."

"what? you hate skating. remember when you had a purple eye? that was funny." you turn around to find your sister standing by the door, giggling at the memory of your swollen face. jesus, for how long she was in there?

[🎨]

you met jackie at the park after spending the entire day double-checking your helmet and all of your safety equipment. you couldn't afford to fall again. not this time.

with a huge bag and many art supplies, jackie carefully placed everything on the picnic table while being squeezed in a hug by your sister. the first thing you noticed was how jackie dressed the exact same way out of school. free of any boring clothes and with no glasses this once.

"you actually came." you shyly mirror her grin.

"of course i did. i need to paint something for the fair and i thought that the good old blue sky and pretty trees would do the job."

"so an empty canvas is what made you come?" nervously, your eyes dart back and forth at the brushes on the pine table and her eyes.

"not just that. i think the companny is pretty rad too."

after feeding the ducks with your sibling, you joined jackie by sitting in front of her. she appeared to be so relaxed even when being so gentle and cautious with the paint. you couldn't help but feeling at ease as well.

"found something worthy of being painted by you?"

jackie looks at you over the canvas with rosy cheeks and a contented smirk, affirming with her head. "i think i did."

"it's nice of you to stay longer." her narrowed focused eyes are back on her work, sometimes meeting yours.

you didn't remember telling jackie that it wasn't on your initial plan to stay that long and as if she was capable of reading minds, she snorts before explaining herself.

"she told me you wouldn't be here for the art exhibition." her head points at your sister, skating around the small lake.

"she really does talk a lot about me." you joke, referring to what jackie said when you first met her.

"why did you?" eyes locked on the piece of work, jackie tries to sound unbothered.

"stay longer?" she agrees silently.

"i figured that i really like art. and i couldn't miss such an important event for her."

"so your love for art was what made you stay?" jackie questioned and, once or twice, you would catch her more concerned glance at you.

"not just that. i think the art teacher is pretty rad too."

in the middle of longing stares and jackie blushing for the first time, you hear a childish voice calling you.

"aren't you coming? you're so boring!"

snapping out of the jackie taylor effect, you realized that you still haven't fulfilled your promise to skating with your sister.

jackie, not worried about the painting anymore, quickly put on her rollers with a huge beaming expression. without a single effort to stay still on those things, you became aware of how experienced she was.

"come on, i'll help you out." standing in front of you, she offers you a hand and you don't wait much to accept it.

[🎨]

you were a nervous wreck when the big day came and it wasn't even your works that were going to be exposed to people. in honor of jackie, you tried to wear something formal like a nice looking suit and elegant shoes. a bit too much for a simple school event but it was much more than that to you.

at school, you were surrounded by an impressive quantity of paintings already framed on walls. some of them were adorable, made by younger students.

being pulled by your sleeves, you spend a few minutes in the area where your sibling's works were hanging in and seeing her so happy made you pleased to your decision to stay.

with a single poppy in hands, you find jackie talking to someone, probably a parent. at the exact moment your eyes met, she quickly excuse herself from the conversation to walk towards you with energetic steps.

"all of this looks amazing. you look amazing." is all you can say, not caring about the ear to ear grin on your lips.

"hi! you look great too. i like the suit. so fancy." her hand tenderly brushes over your shoulder, feeling the soft fabric of your clothes.

"it's a special occasion, right? and, here, i got you something."

jackie's face radiates happiness at the second she sees her favorite flower being handled to her, eyes sparkling at you.

"thank you! how did you know i like them?" she tucks the flower into her hair, prettier than ever.

"you know, she talks a lot." you two share a laugh. "aren't you gonna show me your work?"

as her silky hands covered your eyes from behind you, she guides you to the wall with all of her artworks.

"you ready?" your nod in response and she let go of your eyes.

as soon as you open them, one specific framed canvas catches your attention. it was jackie's first view from when she was sitting at the picnic table the other day. you and your sister feeding the ducks on the lake, with the exact same clothes you were wearing. there was no doubt.

"jackie..." you gasp, stunned, jaw almost hitting the floor.

"you like it? i thought it would be something worthy to paint." she's nervous. you can hear her shaky voice as she speaks.

instead of saying something, you spin around to face jackie behind you. with trembling hands, you trace her jawline before pulling her in for a kiss.

you were a big fan of art now.

[holylulusworld]

Big Grump

Summary: Your best friend’s friend is annoying.

Pairing: Mobster!Bucky x Reader

Warnings: banter, language, snowed in, enemies to…?, a hint of fluff

"Barnes, stop with that grimace or your face will stay like this one day,” you tut as Bucky won’t stop making a face.

He scowls at you. It wasn’t in his plans to spend the evening with you, not his best friend Steve. Now he’s stuck with you at Steve’s cabin, in the middle of a snowstorm. Steve won’t make it to your planned getaway and Bucky, well, he’s fuming.

“My face is none of your business.” He crosses his arms over his chest.

“It is when I have to spend time with you,” you bite back, a little too harshly. “What if your face stays like that and I can’t call an ambulance.” You smirk darkly.

“Even then I’ll look better than any guy you ever dated,” he smirks at you, blue eyes sparkling when you get up from your seat.

“You never met one of my dates, Barnes. Stop acting as if you are the gift to womanhood. You’re nothing but a walking STD.”

“Careful now,” he snarls. “I killed people for less. Stop disrespecting me! I won’t shelter your life.”

“If you kill me, Stevie will kill you,” you sass back. “He will avenge his best friend.” You snicker. Bucky’s features darken and he pouts. “What is it, Barnes?”

“I’m his best friend. And I got my reasons for killing you,” Bucky grunts. He shakes his head and decides to just ignore your existence. “I can only hope the snow melts fast.”

“Why? Do you have a date? Aw, do you want to spread more love, Barnes?”

Bucky gets up from the couch. If he must spend time with you at the cabin, he won’t do it sober. “Just shut up and stop being a brat.”

“Now where is the fun in that?” You follow Bucky around the cabin only to tease him some more. “Do you want to play a game?”

“How about the silent game?” Bucky opens the cabinet in the kitchen to find alcohol. “Damn it, Stevie. Where is the booze?”

He sighs. No. This can’t be. Why is there no alcohol at the cabin?

“If you play a game with me, I’ll tell you where Stevie is hiding the good stuff,” you grin at Bucky. “Come on, live a little.”

“No, thanks.” He turns to leave the kitchen. “I will find something to drink…somewhere.”

“Seriously?” You sigh deeply. “Can you not act like a decent person for once? I know that you do not like me, but we are stuck in the cabin. I will miss a date with that cute guy I met, and you are the only person around.”

“I don’t like you?” He turns around, brows furrowed. “You do not like me!”

“That’s not true!” You talk back. “I tried to give you a chance because you are Steve’s friend. All you did was talk low about me. I know I’m not a big bad mafia boss or shit, but I stand my ground every day of the week.”

“I never—” Bucky looks offended. “I never said something like that. I think it’s great, that you are not part of the business, but like Steve as if he’s a normal guy. You never treated him differently.”

“He’s my friend. I don’t care about his profession,” you shrug. “He took over his father’s business, is all. Steve is a good man who does bad things sometimes to protect what belongs to him. I know people who aren’t in his line of business and did worse things.”

“Hmmm…” Bucky nods thoughtfully. “What do you think about me?”

“You’re a jerk,” you smirk. “But you are not a bad guy.”

“If you tell me where Stevie is hiding his booze, I’ll play a game with you.”

“Alright!” You clap your hands. “But be aware, we are going to play truth or dare.”

Bucky swallows thickly as you walk back inside the living room to get the booze. He’s not sure if it’s a good idea to play truth or dare with you when he's drinking.

He could let the truth about his feelings for you slip. And this can never happen. Steve would kill him...

>> Part 2

Tags in reblog.

[crownmemes]

Questioning Sentences, Vol. 5

(Questioning sentences from various sources to ask all kinds of muses. Adjust phrasing where needed)

"Did you know that you have a tell when you lie?"

"Do you know how illegal it is for us to have this stuff?"

"Are you threatening me?"

"What are you still doing here? Your shift finished ages ago."

"I'm not cut out for this, am I?"

"Is this just confusing because I haven't had my coffee yet?"

"Ask yourself; when you were a boy, could anyone have parented you?"

"How many times have I lied and covered for you?"

"Do I look ill to you?"

"Oh, so this is all about you?"

"Are you meddling again?"

"I know you're happy with him, but would you be happier without him?"

"Would you be surprised to learn that you've been on my mind?"

"So, are you shagging the boss?"

"Why haven't you answered my calls?"

"I wonder, dare I ask, if it would be possible for me to have a nice cup of tea?"

"You were biting your tongue in there. What did you want to say?"

"You don't care for my father much, do you?"

"May I give you my professional opinion?"

"Since when do you care about other people's privacy?"

"Why don't you do yourself a favour and take early retirement?"

"Do you plan to reproduce? Are you going to procreate at some point?"

"And what is your excuse for not telling me this until now?"

"Oh, you're still here, are you?"

"Is that booze in your pocket or a bloody great gun?"

"What now? Are you going to arrest me?"

"Do you consider that an appropriate way to speak to a child in your care?"

"Did you know him personally, or shouldn't I enquire?"

"Is it possible to truly know another person? Is it even a worthwhile pursuit?"

"Did you see that?"

"Can we do something besides talk about murder?"

"So, are you going to fight him, or are you going to sleep with him?"

"Shall I be charming and terribly amusing?"

"Have you found any decent clues?"

"What are you doing tomorrow night?"

"So, what is it that you've got to tell me?"

"Isn't there anyone you want to stay sober for?"

"What is it? I'm at work."

[helluvabossrewrite45]

Hey. I've seen some of your rewrite of Helluva Boss scenes and I really like them. I enjoy how you fixed the issues with the writing and how incredibly spectacular your writing of the improved dialogue within the scenes are.

Honestly, I feel inspired by your work. I have an idea for my own Helluva Boss rewrite where I not only fix issues the show has (ex. tonal shifts, inconsistencies & plot holes, worldbuilding issues, etc), but also integrate my HB OCs into my rewrite (ex. my main HB OC Alice Lola (Ally for short), who is an assassin at I.M.P. and an aspiring writer).

I was wondering if I could ask you this: do you have any advice & tips you could give for who have an idea for starting an HB rewrite, or a rewrite in general? I ask out of curiosity as an aspiring writer myself.

Feel free to respond back when you get the chance. Thank you and have a wonderful day/afternoon/night. Keep up the great work! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 🤗💕❤️🧡💛💚💙💜💖💕🤗

Thank you, im glad you enjoy my rewrites and of course, I can offer up some advice for rewrites;

I think one of the best things in writing a rewrite is that you can use these minor details the piece your rewriting has and use them to you advantage. For example, I noticed that Octavia listens to music whenever she hears her parents arguing or at the dinner table where her parents would be and probably would have at least some awkward tension so from rewriting seeing stars, I use that minor detail to highlight her character and her arc of using music or the moon festival to ignore her problems even though it clearly doesn't help. It also contrast with Loona in my rewrite ignoring her problems that she later acknowledges and the two would open up, closing the character arcs in a nice neat bow. Another would be that Millie is often depicted as either moxxie's wife or a murder machine and from the little time we see with her and her family, I rewrote millie growing up having to be in her sisters shadow and just wanting to be her own person instead as inferior or someone's tool. This would establish why she has a rivalry with her sister while also giving her more character for her to be explored (which we should've gotten from harvest moon tbh), Any details you find in helluva can be a tool for you to explore whether it be for the characters, world etc...

Something that even I learned is that when rewriting, you gotta plan what your gonna do with the characters, with the worldbuilding you establish, with all of these plots/ideas your rewriting. Most of the problems helluva has is because vivziepop didnt plan the show out until season 2 rolled around and if we wanna rewrite the show to be better, we ourselves cant make the same mistakes. If you already started the rewrite however, i suggest you look back on the rewrite your already doing for as much as you can to remember in order to not fall into the same mistake the show itself has

When planning an oc into rewrites, I think the main thing is to ask what are they doing here, what purpose do they serve to the plot and what is their character overall (their motive, personality, character arc, likes, dislikes, relationship with the characters, how they bounce off to the other characters etc...)

As another aspiring writer who has a lot of original stories in the works (there's even an original story inspired by helluva boss and some of my rewrite ideas for it), I think its important to approach criticism as a helpful tool rather than an insult. Especially when its rewrites. I always want whatever I'm writing to at least be of decent quality and is regularly curious of how people would react to my original stories still in the works so receiving it and even given criticism for it can help, you know? Since you have an established audience and them offering criticism can be your tool that you can use to improve. It should be noted though that their is a difference between criticism and personal bias/subjectivity. For example, if someone wanted to point out a plot hole or a mistake in your work, that's criticism you can use. But if someone just tells you to go touch grass for your rewrite or something like that, then its not criticism, that's personal bias/opinion they have of rewrites in general so it offers nothing you can use to improve it.

That's all I got so far, I hope this helps!

[thebrightestlodge]

@nishihii Saw your tags (thank you SO much for the commentary!)

I have ....MANY DISJOINTED THOUGHTS on them ...considering there is absolutely nothing beyond Amelia's cutscene and suggestions based on Henriett's locations. I am going to be nice and put it under a read more so apologies for rambling. I'm the person who made that one flayed BSB in Old Yharnam my own OC at this point.

Thots on "Violently Ill and Tragically Catholic" and "Emotionally Distant Through Distrust of Anyone That's Not Her Person" (this jsut rambles into a chunk and I apologize as I realize this right after sdfgfgdg)

I mean, Amelia has three details, she's a Vicar left behind, she's clutching a pendant in the Grand Cathedral, and she's bowed and praying in front of Laurence's Skull. That's ...about it. So a lot of this is jsut my brain going "This is my interpretation to the point of 'my city now' "

Unknown what sort of special thing Amelia has to her, maybe it's a secret that never spreads to anyone beyond the upper echelons of the church, but she is chosen and groomed to serve as a high ranking member of the church. Sickly and paranoid and seemingly on the edge of a breakdown constantly, thinking gods are judging every move. Her illness came before the church, and people jsut deal with it coldly, but she's used ot it at this point. Not to say she is inept or withheld, she definitely has earned a place, her faith and her intelligence holding her up to the title of Vicar. She comes into the title in her early 20s, I like to imagine after the Halmet, so she knew Laurence before and after the descent to madness. Not any relation but she's being set up to take over whenever Laurence steps down/is indisposed/goes crazy goes stupid, so there's a decent connection. A soft intelligent man who wants to help slowly getting more frenzied and wild discovering what lays beyond blood and fluid, and the part unattached to the church wants her to leave, but her faith shackles her. As Vicars begin to disappear and beasts fill their halls, Amelia is slowly becoming more panicked and paranoid of her eventual hour of beasthood. Constantly check her mirrors and asking others to see if her pupils have started blistering, if her blood is now different, if the smoke is driving her away more than usual. She's never left the Ward so knows nothing of the world beyond who comes to prayers and what Henriett tells her as Amelia settles into another dreamless sleep ...

Henriett has even LESS lore, but a couple things I find interesting. She's the main and ONLY summon for Amelia, but she is an optional boss for Ludwig (and I've heard Laurence but can't get info for this bit). She also wields a Kirkhammer, a known church weapon, a repeating pistol, and torch

With the Ludwig and Kirkhammer, I always imagine Henriett as a former Tomb Prospecter, (the only other prospector we meet is Olek, who also uses the Kirkhammer, repeating pistol, and torch). She for some reason decides to cease descending into the dungeons, even if the great Church Hunter Ludwig insists on invites, seeing her as skilled at what she does. With her being a Church Beast summon, perhaps she's like Djura and discovers the true secrets of the church, and decides not to be involved in their schemes. The Hunters have no secrets, they're jsut former gilded heretics who wander in the honesty of their brutality. Somehow she's formed this very very close connection to the Vicar Amelia. For some reason, she sees it as her task to tend to Amelia, making sure she's comfortable and cared for, and able to handle herself when Henriett is not around. Perhaps her secret knowledge of the blood means she knows why Amelia fears beasthood. She and her friend have their contingency plan. It is spoken of as intimately as one shares a secret to a lover, but no one quite knows their association with one another, no one can tell if this is an inappropriate church connection.

-----------

Amelia is alone when we fight her Henriett only a few blocks away. Perhaps she wants her last human memory to be when she and Henriett were close, and not her seeing claws grow from her finger beds and her friend swinging stone to break her apart. She asks Henriett to leave and only come back when the blood breaks. Henriett thinks much the same. The new Hunter invites her to duel with a beast in the Cathedral, the floors are cold and cruel and Henriett remembers when she used to warn Amelia about walking across them barefoot and catching an illness.

Ludwig is an afterthought. A man she respected, she's here to give him the dignity he deserves. She wants him to see what a church hunter has become, someone who can carry a task for others. She performs it well and even if he sees the Hunter isn't part of them, she is the one to tell him (be it truth or lie) that his dear spartans have always fought for their honour. She doesn't know The Harrowed but she respects him enough to leave him with the beast's head

(if the Laurence summon is true (I've never found her summon)), She's there for her own fury. Her closest confidante, the closest she's ever been to a person. She had to kill her with the kindest mercy one can bestow on a Hunt. Laurence birthed monsters, Laurence made her friend a slave to a cult born from amniotic anguish of an underworld. Henriett's kindness is going to make this murder as cruel as she feels it needs to be. She finds a bed in the Hunter Gaol afterwards and takes the first rest she has in years. When Henriett wakes up, she'll decide to bury Amelia's amulet in the Upper Ward.

[whistleloves]

HONKAI IMPACT MATCHUP FOR MY DEAREST, @drxgonspine

(I’m putting all this here because if I write this in an ask I’m gonna probably fuck it up.)

SMART PEOPLE:

Dan Heng

Romantic

Dan Heng is that really quiet guy in the back of your history class who always does exceptionally well on every test. If you were to peak over his shoulder and look into his notebook, everything would be color coded and catalogued with the skill of someone far older than he appears. He’s smart as all get out and would much rather spend his time adding to the Data bank than trifling with silly matters. He fits the bill of an incredibly smart individual decently well, and his stoic demeanor eerily remind me of Albedo at times. He’s certainly not above teasing though, and will sometimes make a remark towards those he considers a good friend. I could see you two discussing whatever topics you’re currently enthralled in with each other. He would listen to you prattle on about chemistry will diligently writing down any information that’s new to him.

Aventurine

Platonic

Aventurine is a peculiar man with a dashing sense of style and an incredibly self destructive nature. He’s quick to bet with his life and it usually works out for him. He’s blessed with a mysterious string of luck, and a horrific life. He’s a peacock incarnate and truly shows with how he carries himself. Though he may at first seem like an arrogant, self serving, conniving individual, he harbors just as much fear as anyone else. I can see a relationship with him being either romantic and platonic, though I’m leaning more platonic. Having his favor would likely mean he’d lavish you greatly with anything he could provide. He knows poverty, and he doesn’t seem to have any intention of experiencing it again. He’s witty, sarcastic, and would easily keep up with any banter you throw at him. Though of course, he’s lost so much that was dear to him, he’d be incredibly protective. As a friend (a true one at least, sometimes he says friend and means pawn.) he would cherish the bond deeply. Though he wouldn’t dare let you too close at first, he might slowly open up. This man is sneaky and strategic, and his boss fight killed my husband a few times before I did actually beat him. So I’m mad at his ass rn >:(

Kafka

Romantic

Kafka is the kind of woman who would tell you to sit down and a whole legion of people would salute and oblige. She is honestly terrifying, and off the charts smart. The way she speaks makes even ME, one of the straightest women on the planet, think “Mommy?” Her plans extend far past what the average mind can conceive, but she somehow carries herself with a sense of humor. She balances out the severity of her actions and words with a strange lack of seriousness at times. She would let you vent to her about a bad day and by the need you’d feel leagues better than before, and she’d give you some great advice to boot. She too can keep up with witty banter easily, though she may just surpass you a bit too easily. She scares me quite frankly.

THE DUMB PERSON:

Sampo Koski

Romantic/Platonic

Sampo is kinda just Sampo honestly. There’s not too much behind that goofy demeanor but a lot of well meaning scheming. He’s never an antagonist, but he certainly isn’t the most morally correct all the time. He’s goofy, well meaning, and a bit slippery. He probably gives fantastic hugs while mumbling about whatever shenanigans he got up to that day specifically.

[chainelunaire]

“you really don’t need that.“

touya smiles at you. him smiling is a rare occasion, and it’s usually not out of joy, rather mockery. he never laughed at you, like, directly in your face, and yet you still know he finds you ridiculous. when he actually needs to acknowledge your existence, which is quiet often, sadly.

“like, right fucking now or in general?”

“in general it’s your ‘right fucking now’.”

“that’s rich. i’m not gonna agree on that. now, take the money, i don’t have that much time.”

he never does, by the way.

not that you care that much - see, surviving on the streets is a whole thing, and you’re not that naive or kindhearted as he may see you. you’re doing it for far more than he can ever imagine, and you do good because you provide something everyone needs here. you’re one of the lucky ones - if you really, really wanted, you could become a decent member of a society. maybe even a hero.

yet, you’re not a hero. far from one - if we talk about book-like heroes. you have a lot of clients, and some of them are heroes - you know very well, they don’t do heroic shit with buying from you, but you don’t judge. heroes have some good money, they’re great clients - dutiful, polite and they pay in cash. they’re a lot better than poor angry scum, like small villains or angry homeless kids.

touya is an interesting case for sure: you know you’re not the only one he’s buying pills from, and you’re not blind, you see why he needs it so badly. his rotting flesh - violent purple on some places, and still kinda pinkish on others - is his very obvious reason why he wants every painkiller in a city. with how much he needs, he alone would probably suck your quirk dry, only if you’d let him to, so you don’t. you’re friendly with him - you’re poilte with all of your clients - and you let him mock you, smile at you, but still, you charge the guns. not your problem sometimes he forgets that.

and again, even if you’re asking some stupid questions, everyone generally let you be, because you have the powder, and they don’t, so who’s the real boss here? touya, for example, hates to be asked - what’s his real name (touya is his real name), where’s he from (he was too high to answer, and later you just dropped the subject alltogether), how old is he (he hadn’t answered that one) - he hates shit like that, but he told you almost everything you wanted to know, because you have the pills, and he doesn’t. you’re making rules here.

so he can smile all he want, but here’s the real threat, and he feels it - you may actually not be in the mood to give him pills, and this is bad, very-very bad. you need cash, of course, but you don’t need it that badly, you know? you have enough. it’s friday, late in the night, he called you not on the schedule, and you may be slightly pissed, because all you wanted was a peaceful night, not his usual shenanigans.

for once, he’s right.

“nah, i spare” you say, stepping back under a roof of a night club, where you usually spend your friday evenings. “g’nite”.

“wait” you turn back to him - he’s a bit angry, you think. “that’s not what we agreed upon”.

“of course not, since you stalked me here out of the blue” it’s your turn to smile - you afraid it might look a bit wolfish with how annoyed you are, “you should be grateful i talked to you. i don’t have anything on me right now anyway and i want to rest.”

“c’mon, make it. i’ll pay you double”

“sounds nice, but still no” something changes in his attitude. you’re so calm and he knows you’re not playing. you’re not that type of person - he thinks you’re naive, but he also knows for sure you don’t do anything you don’t want to do. and your quirk, while being so handy, is very tiresome. that’s the core reason why you busy being here and not being a decent member of a society - you help only on your terms and only if you want. he can’t change your mind, not really.

“my, my, you look horrified, don’t you have a backup plan?” you’re starting to worry because now he’s shivering, studying his hands in almost horror. you feel a bit bad - you know that he really needs it.

but it’s none of your business at the end of the day.

“you were my backup plan” he says quietely, not so smug anymore. “already been everywhere”.

“i’m really s-”

“please” you don’t like that desperation in his voice. you absolutely hate when clients do that, play your emotions. you’ve always respected touya for not doing that. that’s why you were so friendly and calm with him. but here he is, trying to play you. “please, i really need it.”

“everyone does” now you truly do sound tired. touya looks at you, eyes glisten with something more than just desperation and terror. you can smell burning flesh and you prefer to ignore why.

“i can give you more, if that’s what you need” he speaks after a long pause.

“i already told you, i don’t need more cash”.

“didn’t talk about money”.

you feel cold in your limbs. he looks straight at you now - no spark in his eyes, not any reflection. his gaze now remind you of a dead fish - it’s this empty, this fucking gross.

you know for a fact, he doesn’t like you. for what you know, he doesn’t like anyone. he hates to be touched, he completely ignores any attempt in flirting, even innocent playful teasing, even not from you. he doesn’t like to be around people, and he sure as hell doesn’t like you - in that sense at least. you never asked him where he got the money. you never asked him why everytime he needed just a bit more. you’ve grown too comfortable with the fact that it’s a neverending circle: he needs more powder to kill his pain to go through a day so he can get money so he can pay you - and not only you - for a powder to kill his pain-

he sinks on his knees, looking down, and you want to run away, to scream, to jump into a hot water and scrub this disgust away. you shiver when you feel hot lips even through warm tights you put on today’s morning.

“don’t touch me”

“don’t worry” he mumbles not looking at you “i’m clean. checking every month. promise”

you’ve truly never been so terrified in your entire life. you’re begging him to let you go - his hands are gentle, not inruding in any manner, but still he doesn’t listen. you can’t move a muscle. you don’t feel aroused in a slightest.

you wanna throw up.

“wait”

you feel warm hands on your hips.

“touya, wait”

no response. you’re starting to think he’s zoned out - you know, people do that when they do something they hate to do.

“touya, stop!”

you feel bad for kicking him. you feel bad that he thought so of you. you feel even worse, because of how easy it was for him to go in this direction. it’s like he’s used to do it again, and again, and again.

“what” he asks flatly. you hate his eyes now, without his usual boldness and pride. it hurts you, it hurts you so, so bad.

you feel growing pain in your chest. you feel your entire body trembling with tiredness and something more. you feel like you need a lot of powder, to kill this pain.

he doesn’t look in your eyes - his gaze is locked on your hands.

“take it” your voice is hoarse from anxiety. you don’t have the strength in you to make this powder neat and nice, it’s not his usual pills, it’s something different, but it should work. you fear that he might want to finish what he started, and you see him opening his mouth. to ask, probably “shut the fuck up and go home. do it before i changed my mind.”

“i scared you?” he asks instead. you look away. “i see”

“take it and go!”

“sorry. didn’t want you to fear me. don’t feel bad-”

“please, just go away. please” you feel your voice crack, and hide your face behind your free hand. you feel warm fingers on your skin once again, and then you can tell he’s gone.

there’s a tiny bit of powder still on your skin. you’re licking it off of your palm, and you know how strong you are, it should be enough for you, you should feel better now. the thing is, even after making yourself painkillers again and again and again, until you’re almost lying on the ground from tiredness, that terrible pain is still here.

and you probably still really need more.

[teeth-cable]

Hey. I've seen some of your HB rewrites and their pretty cool. I even like some of the ideas you came up with (ex. Stolas & Stella being political enemies rather than a married couple, imps being intersex & following a binary gender system, etc).

I was wondering if you could give me some writing advice with rewrite stuff. See, I have this portfolio-like series called 'Let's Reimagine', where I revision (i.e. rewrite and/or redesign) a piece of media (be it a show, movie, webcomic, video game, etc), whether it be something I like, or something that while I'm not a fan of, believe that it could've been great (or at least decent) had it been handled better, while also integrating my OCs (including self-inserts) into my revisions as if they were canon characters in said media. This is one of my passion projects that I'd love to bring to life someday, as I wish to make YouTube videos about them when I create my YT channel (which doesn't exist at this point in time) in the future, so for now, I'm starting small by making posts talking about my revisions on Tumblr & Reddit as like a practice run of sorts (like for ex. creating a manga and then having that manga get an anime adaptation, or creating a comic (like a webcomic) and having that be adapted into an animation of some sort (ex. series, short(s), etc), or creating a book or novel and having said book or novel being adapted into a movie and/or series).

I'm also an aspiring writer who wishes to share their stories with everyone for them to enjoy, including 'Let's Reimagine' (where Helluva Boss is one of the shows I plan on reimagining, due to the many issues it's got, especially with the increase of them in Season 2; as much as I like & enjoy HB, I do have to agree that it's kind of a mess, and I get where fans are coming from with its criticisms, especially towards Season 2). However, there are some issues of mine that I feel could detriment my writing abilities & projects (including 'Let's Reimagine') in general (ex. not thinking about potential plot holes, inconsistencies, worldbuilding/lore issues, & questionable/weak/bad writing choices/ideas, rushing into things before thinking & planning stuff out, worrying about my stories not being good enough for anyone to enjoy, feeling inferior compared to other artists & writers, people hating what I make, and thinking the worst possible outcomes; apologizes if that got a little too personal and if I (potentially) made you worried; I suffer from anxiety and have a tendency to get anxious and worked up too quickly, especially when thinking negatively, and trying to be a perfectionist, worrying that if I or my content aren't perfect, then I come across as a failure; but I assure you that I am trying to work on these issues and getting past them for the better).

So, with all that said, do you have any advice in creating & doing rewrites/revisions (ex. planning stuff out, character arcs/development, worldbuilding/lore, plot points, fixing & covering plot holes & inconsistences, fulfilling wasted/missed potential & missed opportunities, avoiding questionable/weak/bad writing choices/ideas, integrating ocs/self-inserts into said rewrite/revision, etc) to any writers out there (including aspiring ones)?

Feel free to respond back to me whenever you get the chance. Thank you and have a wonderful day/afternoon/night. 🤗💕❤️🧡💛💚💙💜💖💕🤗

This is very late, I'm so sorry it took me this long to answer your ask.

Things has changed sufficiently from when this ask was submitted. My HB rewrite is on currently on pause so I can focus on my Hazbin one instead.

I do like the concept of your Let's Reimagine series. It sounds like a fun passionate project in which you experiment with your writing and show tough love for the shows you're rewriting for. I hope soon you'll be able to release your first rewrite for the series.

I have some general writing advice and one specific advice for rewrites I personally use.

Create the world building first

If your rewrite takes place in a fantasy world, I suggest fleshing the world building first before the characters. This is a different world from our, so their rules and lore will affect these characters differently, and you should know why first to explain the certain elements of the both the characters and world. Fleshing the world building first can help create plot ideas and external conflict easier.

Have a Beta Reader

This one is standard. I suggest having a beta reader to review your rewrites and concepts. As writers, we think our stories make sense because we know the context, but to readers who don't know anything, our scripts realistically be confusing at first. Along the same vain, they can help you realize that an idea is underdeveloped or useless. Another good reason is they can offer new and improved concepts and ideas you didn’t or wouldn't think of before.

Be open to criticism

Criticism will help you grow as a writer. You don't have to like them all or listen to every piece, but still keep an open mind because they can and will help you. I heavily suggest being open to criticism specially when you’re writing a topic you have no experience in (Ex: mental illness, addiction, a specific identity). Again, not only will it help you improve, but also portray those topics better.

Rewrite

My only rewrite specific advice is to expand and flesh out ideas and characters, you felt the original show skimmed over. In both of my rewrites, I'm putting a greater focus on the world building, dark character concepts and how they intertwined with each other because the shows barely touches on them. It's your rewrite so do whatever you want with it, don’t feel limitless.

I hope this helps!

[showtoonzfan]

With the undeserved praise that stuff Helluva Boss and The Bad Guys despite thier poor written stories and characters, do you think animation fans care more about pretty award-baiting visuals then good writing or story-telling?

Sadly I’d say yes. Good animation really is a distraction for a lot of people, but obliviously not all hope is lost. I recently remember seeing people critique Wendell and Wild, a film that was VERY anticipated and I myself was looking forward to. When I saw the actual movie, I was disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, I’d label the film as good, I had a nice time watching it and it’s stop motion animation of course was amazing, but the script had pacing issues, as well as trying to shove a lot of things in. There were also moments where I felt confused, and some things weren’t explained or elaborated on. The ending was also VERY underwhelming for me, and I feel like Wendell and Wild themselves didn’t really get enough proper focus outside of trying to go along with their plan. I honestly wish the rest of the movie was similar to the first opening minutes where Wendell and Wild are arguing, I thought that was the best part. The movie just wasn’t as good as I thought it was going to be, I’m also glad I’m not the only one who thinks this, even Saberspark made a tweet about it that mostly summed up my thoughts on the film, (and some of the comments.) It has great elements to it, characters, and scenes, but it could have been better. It is a film I would watch again though.

As for The Bad Guys, ironically my thoughts on this movie is the same as Wendell and Wild. It was highly anticipated, the animation was freaking awesome, and I had a blast watching this film with all the feel good action and heist stuff, even the characters are decent to watch despite them not being that layered, but the film itself wasn’t as good as I thought it was going to be either. This is one of those films where it’s good if you turn your brain off and just relax to have a good time, but when you look at it from an adult perspective, it’s flawed, not god awful, but flawed. The script isn’t anything that special, in fact it’s very predictable and generic. Almost everything done in the film is very basic with no unique twist or anything. Some of the jokes are also not as good either, especially the fart jokes, they’re a pain to get through lol. To sum it up, this movie isn’t really all that, and isn’t really anything special on a storytelling or writing standpoint, however I personally would watch this film again, because like I said, I had a blast watching it and it’s kinda a “feel good” film for me. Keep in mind these are all my personal opinions!

As for Hazbin and Helluva, yeah…..most people still have trouble looking past the animation, but I am happy that the animation industry as a whole doesn’t shy away from criticism.

[bjfinn]

What are your Dewey Finn x Rosalie Mullins headcanons? There really isn’t enough of them around! I love your writing by the way 😁

Thanks for this! Dewey and Rosalie's relationship is definitely going to become more and more important for my stories, so it's a great excuse for me to work out some of the details! And I'm so glad you like my writing!

So, on to the headcanons:

First, I think that in order to understand their relationship and where it might be headed, we need to understand a couple of things about Dewey. Historically, he wasn't the most attentive boyfriend -- mainly because, for him, the music always came first. I think his previous relationship ended when she told him that he had to choose between her and his guitar -- "Sayonara, sweetheart!" was his response to that.

In bed, as well, he wasn't the greatest -- mainly because he wasn't very attentive to his partner's needs. So long as he enjoyed it, that was really all that mattered.

But with Rosalie, things are different -- firstly, she's a soprano, so she understands how he feels about music. It's the most important thing in her life, as well.

Second, she came to his rescue when he was confronted with his lies and threatened with arrest. Rosalie didn't have to cover for him, remember -- she could have let him suffer the consequences of his actions, and I doubt even Dewey would've blamed her. But she understood what he meant to the students -- and what an asset he would be for the school. In other words, she showed him that she thought he was worth doing that for -- possibly the first person in his life to treat him that way.

Now, Rosalie is, and likely always has been, a "good girl" -- studied hard, got good grades, never got into trouble. That's obvious, I think, because one doesn't become an operatic soprano and the headmistress of a prestigious private school otherwise. Nonetheless, she longs to throw off the shackles of convention -- to loosen her hair, throw off her glasses and let herself go. It wasn't until Dewey came into her life, however, that she got the opportunity to do it -- and even then, it took some convincing on his part. And Stevie Nicks' "Edge of Seventeen" on the jukebox in the diner.

She likes looking after Dewey -- making sure he eats properly (not just pizza and beer), getting him a decent sweater for Christmas, maybe some new underwear (his old ones probably have the elastic worn out). As well, she wants to broaden his musical education beyond rock -- jazz, classical, etc.

And Dewey likes seeing Rosalie let her hair down and have fun -- "We're here for a good time, not a long time" as the Trooper song goes.

He recognises that Rosalie is someone special -- maybe she's even the one. So, unusually for him, he's letting her set the pace -- she'll be the one to decide when they'll sleep together. (And I believe it happened before Christmas -- I hinted broadly at it in "Holiday Plans".) And with her, he's unusually considerate in bed -- maybe too considerate. I think his instinct is to treat her like she's a delicate flower, but she wants to get wild. It'll take some convincing on her part to get him to "rock her like a hurricane" -- but soon enough he'll get the message, have no fear.

Now, they need to be careful with their relationship -- she's his boss, after all, and if they were found out there would definitely be negative repercussions for both of them (but especially for her). So their dates mostly are spending time at Dewey's place, listening to music, watching rom-coms on TV, etc. When they do go out, it's mainly to places in his Brooklyn neighbourhood, where they are unlikely to run into parents or other faculty members (I personally think Horace Green Academy is in Staten Island). They could also attend concerts together -- with the excuse that they're both music teachers.

Both of them do hope to one day make their relationship public, however -- as fun as it can be to sneak around, eventually it can and will take its toll. They just have to figure out when and how.

The big question is, of course: "Will their relationship last?" No one can really know the answer to that, but I'm an optimist -- and an incurable romantic. I think Dewey knows when he's got a good thing going, and he wants this relationship to work -- that's why he's letting Rosalie take the lead. For her part, Rosalie also wants it to last -- I think she's been hurt before (because who hasn't?), so she's going into this with her eyes wide open. She sees Dewey's potential and knows his limitations -- maybe better than he does -- and she's smart enough not to try to "fix" him, just ... tidy him up a bit.

[freddyfazbearisinmycloset]

I've thought about Kirby's "Dream Friends" in Kirby Star Allies for a while now. so, I thought I'd talk about them. I really enjoy this game, so why not bring it up again? -Bandana Waddle Dee: The joke boss turned hero himself, and about time too! This lovely little dude is a great time to play around with, and can have elements added to his spear to pack an extra punch! He's just a treasure. -King Dedede: Yup, He is gonna be here. also, he really needs to see a doctor because that much possession can't be good for your body. either way, it's the same great hammer-slamming, belly-flopping, ground-pounding moveset you've come to expect. -Meta Knight: I can't do this dude justice by talking about him. Listen to the song "Meta Knight's Revenge" to see what I mean. -Rick, Kine and Coo: Now we're talking! These three are like a Swiss army knife, they can do just about anything. Fire? Check. Water? Check. Wind? Check. Rock? Check, Ice? Ehhh only underwater. but not only can they solve almost any puzzle, Rick can even Goomba-stomp enemies! Hows that for utility? -Marx: ...Dream Friend. Dream Friend. Maybe I missed something between Marx being shot into Nova and now, but I don't remember any friendliness between him and Kirby. Also, according to the pause menu he took over the world because he was hungry, pretty funny stuff. anyway, He is one of the most powerful early characters, worthy of a final boss for sure. -Gooey: Doesn't know why he's here, which is understandable. it's so nice to have Gooey back, this Dark Matter who changed his ways is a decent all rounder with some powerful attacks. it's Gooey. not much more to say other than he's a good little guy. -Adeline & Ribbon: Man, these two bring back nostalgia... ahem, These two are actually the best characters in this game! not kidding, while their health is abysmal, their guard makes them invincible, and they are the best Healers by far. if you go on the defensive, even the hardest challenges can be cheesed, if you like that sort of thing. they also have unique paint interactions as well. -Dark Meta Knight: I still don't get why he's here. According to the pause menus, he's only here for personal gain. He is also NOT a direct copy of Meta Knight, using multiple mirror-based attacks that take up large amounts of the screen, he's so powerful in fact, he might even be able to split someone into four! (hehehe...) -Daroach: Fun fact, in Kirby Mass Attack, he acts as a hint system for finding treasure. Daroach may be a friend now, but he is still a thief, and his entire Squeak Squad (yes that's their name) are apart of his move set! he is overall great to play, not to mention his feet do little tippy taps when he walks. Also, their theme is a absolute bop! -Magolor: After that honestly horrible apology in the form of a theme park, Magolor is here to help! He is just an absolute BEAST who has tons of power packing. when it comes to power, I'd say they are the second strongest in the game, which is saying a lot! not only that, but they also use that (apparently useless) in game currency from Super Kirby Clash to blow up opponents! -Taranza: This dude has some untreated trauma we need to address... some other time. His attacks aren't too notable, but he can use a vision of his (now deceased) friend to strike down foes with lightning! how's that for kid's game? trust me, between this, the death cult, and the Giant Elder God, this series has been darker than most can expect. not even mentioning the giant death angel eye! -Susie: In the Japanese version, she's here to unite everyone with the power of science in peace and harmony. which is a nice sentiment, if it weren't for the fact the English version states she's here to continue her father's original plan. great. anyways, she is overall just fun to play, with a full on mech to play with! for her base attack, she wields a gun. -There's another. the strongest, but that isn't my tale to tell...

While Star Allies is without a doubt in my mind the easiest game in the series, there's still a lot of charm to it. it's a great celebration of history and it will always be dear to my heart.

[siriuslyreads]

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood: A Review

Title: Love on the Brain

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Genre: RomCom

Rating: 4.8/5 Stars

Release Date: April 23, 2022

Format: E-book

Synopsis:

Like an avenging, purple-haired Jedi bringing balance to the mansplained universe, Bee Königswasser lives by a simple code: What would Marie Curie do? If NASA offered her the lead on a neuroengineering project--a literal dream come true after years scraping by on the crumbs of academia--Marie would accept without hesitation. Duh. But the mother of modern physics never had to co-lead with Levi Ward. Sure, Levi is attractive in a tall, dark, and piercing-eyes kind of way. And sure, he caught her in his powerfully corded arms like a romance novel hero when she accidentally damseled in distress on her first day in the lab. But Levi made his feelings toward Bee very clear in grad school--archenemies work best employed in their own galaxies far, far away. Now, her equipment is missing, the staff is ignoring her, and Bee finds her floundering career in somewhat of a pickle. Perhaps it's her occipital cortex playing tricks on her, but Bee could swear she can see Levi softening into an ally, backing her plays, seconding her ideas...devouring her with those eyes. And the possibilities have all her neurons firing. But when it comes time to actually make a move and put her heart on the line, there's only one question that matters: What will Bee Königswasser do?

Review (with potential spoilers):

This is my second Ali Hazelwood book, and I thoroughly enjoyed the Love Hypothesis. It was one of my favorite books from last year and I have re-read it multiple times. I plan to read all the novellas she has released as well. When I read The Love Hypothesis, it was easy to see that it was originally a reylo fanfic, but as a fanfic lover I had not issues with it at all.

This one, I jumped right in. Bee is a lover of science, Marie Curie, and cats and she is chasing after my own heart. I loved this woman and her personality from the very first page. She is brash, unapologetic and holds her hurts close to her chest. She also has a style that I would kill for, differently colored hair, septum piercing and tattoos. Yes, mommy. From the beginning we learn that she was engaged, cheated on, and emotionally abused (though she never puts it in quite those same words). Now, she is married to her work and just received the chance of a lifetime, the ability to collaborate with NASA on a neurosciencey thing that can help astronauts (I’m not a science person, sue me.) Until she discovers that her archnemesis is her co-lead. (We all know where this is going right?) But she pulls on her big girl panties and sets off to Houston to pair up with a man who hates her (does he really?) With her very eccentric assistant, Rocio beside her to inform her of all the morbid curiosities life has to offer. Seriously though, I LOVE Rocio and would gladly die for her. Well her and Kaylee.

From this point Bee runs into issue after issue, her equipment isn’t there, she has nothing she requested, no one is responding to her emails, she can’t even get access to the building. And of course, we know just who did this to her.  But do we? This was the turning point for me in the book. Before this point my blood was beginning to boil, I did not see a way that we could like Levi, and I was ready to call him every mean name in the book. But when we witness his conversation with his boss, I started grinning, because I knew that love was going to come on fast.

From this point on the book moves at a pretty great speed. We get some forced proximity, a ton of miscommunication, a decent amount of steam (if that is your cup of tea), and plenty of girlbossing. We also see a side coupling between two women, and it is hilarious and beautiful all at once.

But whoo buddy, I was not prepared for the third act drama.

In the third act we get potential ruined careers, cease and desist orders, disappointing all the people who matter, and tampering with security cameras. And it happens SO QUICKLY. The worst part of it for me, Bee would have remained silent if Levi had not left the flash drive at her house. I truly don’t think she would have mentioned any of it to him, and just dealt with the consequences.

Honestly, this is the only reason I marked off from 5 stars to 4.8. The villain reveal was expected, but them having a gun and waving it around was too much for me. In The Love Hypothesis, we had a despicable villain who was a piece of shit, but he wanted to ruin Olive’s career, not kill her! This felt like far too much of an escalation.

Overall, I loved this book. I read it in one day and would love to re-read it. Ali Hazelwood did not disappoint, and I hope she continues to give us great rom-coms with a side of science.

[less-than-three-3]

Elden Ring - Fromsoft’s Magnum Opus?

(asks the person who has only previously played Sekiro)

Coming from Sekiro, and with the expectation that I wouldn’t really like the combat in a traditional Dark Souls (just based off impressions), this game really blew me away with how much I enjoyed it! Yeah, shocker, it’s an amazing game, almost like it’s the most awarded game of all time or something. But to me it’s so strange, because there are definitely elements present that I have complained about before in other games or had concerns about going in, but they like, oddly really worked well? And it’s the first game in a long while that I have really immediately wanted to dive back into? (I won’t because I have a decent backlog, but I definitely will sooner than later)

Full thoughts below, with minimal spoilers (but be warned for some small details):

Going into the game (and talking about my expectations for it), I should first briefly mention my experience with Sekiro - a game that I technically still haven’t finished. I beat the first Owl fight and went on to do the true ending stuff and just... got tired, I guess. Not out of boredom but out of stress. That game is stressful, in a good way but stressful nonetheless. Beating Owl after countless tries I was just burnt out and didn’t find the motivation to continue for too long. But undeniably everything about the game is masterfully made, especially the movement and combat dynamics. I think in terms of parry/stance-based combat and swordplay, it’s top notch perfection both among Fromsoft games and just in the genre as a whole, and it’s super satisfying to finally get down. So when some people say Sekiro is the best Fromsoft game, I totally get it. In terms of combat its probably the best they’ve done so far. (Bloodborne is also in commonly in contention, and damn do I want to have access to that game, but I don’t so I can’t really speak to that one) 

So in comparison, seeing, at least based on my perception, the less precise and more... dodge-rolly combat of the more traditional Souls games coming out of Sekiro, I really didn’t expect to enjoy it all too much. I didn’t end up loving it, but there’s certainly a lot to like, and I think the thing that kept me in the whole way through in the combat is actually that stress point I mentioned earlier. With Sekiro, every encounter just felt deadlier, required me to be on my toes the whole time, made sure that I was always alert. It’s fun but damn it can be draining. 

Here, though, a lot of the mobs pretty much get one or two shot past the early-game, or at least don’t require so much precision or have slow attack patterns to the point where my brain doesn’t need to always be firing on all cylinders and always scared of dying. There definitely was that kind of feeling more early game, as I’m just not that strong and I don’t know how to deal with threats, but as I got good (lol) that pretty much disappeared. Maybe part of it has to do with building strength so that I just kinda destroyed a lot of normal mobs at a certain point? (Not to say every mob was easy - there were certainly plenty of pretty tough and also pretty annoying mobs) But it was engaging enough to keep me interested, on top of the exploration and traveling, while still making some high tension moments for minibosses and great enemies. Were the peaks as high as Sekiro? Perhaps not, but I still really loved pretty much all the boss design. It’s so impressive to have boss fights that aren’t technically even really that hard, but feel so fucking awesome (Radahn is my highlight, though Rykard and Godrick were certainly also super cool fights), on top of the classic “beat your ass into submission until you break your bad habits and develop a real plan” bosses (i am malenia blade of miquella). That said I really didn’t feel the difficulty was like rage-inducing at all, maybe that’s just that this game is easier than other Souls games or maybe I’m just gamer or maybe I chose a baby build or maybe I got a tad overleveled idk. It was definitely challenging and I died many many many times, but I almost felt like the preconception was scarier than the game itself.

The second key to me was sort of exploration, but not really in the same way as, like, a BotW where you see a distant landmark and you just climb your way over to it. There were castles and ruins that you could do that with but it wasn’t really what I explored for. It wasn’t like, seeing new enemies and gathering new abilities and equipment, because I was pretty much just a big sword melee build the entire way through, with some experimentation with the weapon but not that much. I don’t really know what it was, maybe it was the allure of having a boss fight at the end, or I just enjoyed running around and killing shit, pushing forward to the next grace? Whatever it was, it really encouraged me to keep going forward. The exploration almost felt Metroidvania in a way, which maybe is a dumb comparison looking at, like, Hollow Knight (which is a soulslike for a reason), but it really activated that neuron and I’m not sure why. 

Oddly enough the lore and learning about the world really enthralled me too, which feels strange to me because typically games that, for lack of better words, unravel lore as you just travel and notice things don’t click that well for me. I think it was partially the way that they presented it - in that pretty much all of the basics of the lore is shown and explained to you in character dialogue, boss monologues, side quests, and are thus delivered pretty naturally. What usually ticks me off is expecting me to read a bunch of like item descriptions or random tablets with lore posts to actually understand what’s going on - that wasn’t the case here, between the opening cutscene, Melina’s guidance, and much of the side-quest and boss dialogue, the world was built very effectively and things clicked. I’m sure if you looked really into item descriptions and stuff you’d gain more detail, but you pretty much get the whole gist of the world, how it got here and what it’s like, and what your position is just by playing the game. I’m not sure how much of that is George RR Martin’s doing, but like it worked really well for me, and it definitely gives major SMT vibes. I really love the world that they built. The physical structure of the game definitely helped too - being able to sort of see things at your own pace. Early on, to me, it felt like the open world was almost overwhelming if not unnecessary, and while I don’t necessarily think it’s absolutely the best part of the game, I feel like it really helped everything feel more connected. 

Speaking of SMT, this game really unleashed the “build planner obsession” part of my brain, and it’s exactly why I really want to do a NG+ or just a fresh start soon. Even though I was pretty committed to the high strength big sword big doink big damage direction (and that was pretty limited admittedly in terms of diversity), just seeing all the weapons and arts and enchants and spells I felt all my gears turning and thinking about what I could possibly do. Having relatively easy access to respeccing after a certain point also definitely didn’t help the brainworms. I really wanted to beat the game with just pure raw fundies first (read: dodging around and swinging the giant sword) but I can definitely see myself having changed around builds a lot, and that’s probably what I plan to do the next time I play it. Maybe when the DLC comes out? (I had and will continue to try to avoid bleed and full sorcery, because I recall hearing those were pretty broken, but we’ll see where things go. Also there have been a few patches so maybe that’s outdated lol)

If there is any standout weakness to me it’s probably the music/sound design? Not that it’s bad by any means, just entirely unmemorable. I never had a Nightmare King Grimm or Soul Sanctum moment of awe, or really felt creeped out or otherwise felt that the ambience was anything other than, well, ambience. I think for what it is it works well enough, but I definitely love to see music really add to the life (or lack thereof!) of a game’s environments, so if there is any disappointment, there it is. 

So is this the best fromsoft game ever?? Best game ever??? I certainly think this is a really good example of how to do a great open world from a lore and exploration viewpoint - Fromsoft adapted the “genre” into the Dark Souls backbone excellently. I wouldn’t call it my favorite ever, but I think it is probably my favorite Fromsoft game (out of 2), in part because it scratches so many of my brain niches. Of course Sekiro is a great game, and I think it is a very different type of peak that Fromsoft achieved, and these two peaks can definitely coexist. Sekiro has an incredibly well designed combat system and bosses to complement it, and a fairly streamlined and straightforward experience, in terms both of narrative and playstyle (everyone gets the same tools pretty much except choice of prosthetic). Elden Ring is a sprawling, epic world of dungeons, lore, and character builds that one could easily sink hundreds of hours into and have vastly different experiences every time. Fromsoft has very clearly polished two very different directions with these games.

anyways I can’t wait to do this all again when I eventually get a playstation and get bloodborne

[researchblogblog]

INTERVIEWEE 3

INTERVIEWEE 3 — Yesterday at 23:58 I’ll answer your question 14 April 2024

INTERVIEWEE 3 — Today at 00:08 People come back to these games because they’ve had them as part of their childhood often times these games hold nostalgia outside of nostalgic factors these are said to be the best in the series to a fair majority of the community more so in borderlands 2’s case opposed to the first one I’ll break them down individually the first one was what started it all off it’s not polished and the story is not just amazing nostalgia carries the first borderlands pretty handily but that being said it’s not bad in any way it had no super defining gameplay mechanics or things to speak on but in that case it has very little you can say that’s bad about it as for borderlands 2 fantastic story design wonderful pace amazingly fun guns this has mountains and mountains of positives to state but it’s not perfect it does have its flaws such as it’s OP mechanic which by all means is its weakest attribute to an added difficulty system and to take something on the newer side of the borderlands franchise borderlands 3 while it’s not bad by any means and in fact it adds quite a bit to improve the flow of movement throughout the game but the story has some major pacing issues and that’s quite a hard negative to have as a game that saps replay ability the story isn’t half bad bosses are cool even if they are a bit easy it has a lot of positives here and honestly not many negatives but it falters in ways that really hit it hard opposed to these older games that at face value play a bit worse or look worse or maybe not even have as much content but the content that does stand there speaks for itself as to why the community comes back

apon — Today at 10:30 thanks for the in-depth answers, if you'd still be up for some questions:

How long have you been playing the game and how regularly?

Is it a familiarity, the experience or something else that keeps you coming back? or the story, maybe the good mechanics?

On a scale of 1 – 5 how much do you enjoy this game compared to your other games?

What is your playstyle?

and lastly what do you think of borderlands 3?

INTERVIEWEE 3 — Today at 18:25 How long have I played: I played every since the first borderlands came out and I religiously played it until the second came out then religiously played that for years the pre sequel I come back to every once in a while to mess about I spent around 400 hours on borderlands 3 don’t really come back to it these days but maybe sometime in the future I might and tiny Tina’s wonderlands was a big flop for my personal preference I played it maybe 100 hours and don’t plan to go back to it [18:28] What keeps me coming back to these games is great story fun mechanics and grindy game in nature of which I love familiarity definitely plays a role in why it’s so easy to come back to them [18:30] How much do I love borderlands 2 over other games on the scale of 1-5 it’s definitely a 4 over every game franchise apart from fallout of which I hold in just as high of a regard as borderlands [18:30] My play style varies with playing the same franchise for so many years you sort of adapt to all play styles to keep things interesting

apon — Today at 18:31 great replies, thanks for your time and i hope i wasn't too much of a bother

INTERVIEWEE 3 — Today at 18:32 What do I think of borderlands 3? I do believe it’s actually a good game taking everything together at face value it improves movement gunplay is fun story is decent difficulty is on the easier side but that’s not a horrible thing it allows for newer players into the franchise to enjoy it though the flaws it does have it makes the game way worse than if it where to have different flaws such as the story pacing its paced so poorly it makes it draining and hard to do further play throughs I don’t fancy the vault hunters in the game though that being said that’s fully personal to me

INTERVIEWEE 3 — Today at 18:33 Nah not at all I enjoy borderlands

apon — Today at 18:33 same

INTERVIEWEE 3 — Today at 18:35 Did you need anything else on the matter?

apon — Today at 18:35 no, that should be all

INTERVIEWEE 3 — Today at 19:00 Wonderful glad to be of service

[the-firebird69]

We are told we're beyond professional. And we're aware of that. We are ready to launch a portion of it. And the portion of it were ready to launch is the one for the bars and have 12 person lounge setup and we're ready to launch it because we can build it now and we want to put in the 3D arena sports arena which can also be used for a live arena and it would make people aware it's very refined technology and we would like them to. We have several offers for locations and we want to go and do a demonstration with the people who are in charge of construction there we know some places are in flux and it's not time to go there some places are still more lock and some people are there to approve it Florida is in really bad shape so here's not the place California might be but our son says we are going to get a whole package together a complete package and we are going to meet at a stadium to present it is off hours preferably daytime and he has ideas for the Roman coliseum not gross ones but he wants to have games there and they're rough but not massively rough it would be like the medieval games that you see the house actually knock you off the horse are you wearing special armor and you could simulcast it and you can place bats and things like that it's like fake wrestling and he wants to do WWF there and WWE at the Colosseum in Rome.

And we have several stadiums that will offer to house us and our presentation for the presentation duration it takes several days to set it up and give the presentation and they do have some time like that yes and it needs to be sizeable. Propose several versions of the stadiums. Some cities are more inclined to car races something motorcycle races something to football and some to baseball and the stadium was standing accommodate a few but there's a few games and races that have to be in life cycles videos for the two effects so the truth actually want to show what that true effect is we also want to show what it looks like in the rest of the city from the city from the street and all in hologramic viewing and that several versions and we can change things there if they want to look at it differently and from space and from the air and they seem to like it it's a great idea they said and they want to have a stadium built in order to show presentations to their bosses of how they want cities to be and we will be the lead consultant for coming up with the master plan and the girl from there and selected Master architects and builders and we said that's a great deal it's a great deal because we're very confident no one can be our speed accuracy and quality but we are willing to do the consultation and compete. They said that's terrific too and we're going to talk about where and Mac Daddy might want to do it in a defunct stadium to breathe life into it and to also say something or something. And he says he knows where and it's not too far away it's actually in Florida and it's Tropicana stadium no that's still in use there is one though it used to be where the dodgers were and that's not here he says and I know that but he wants one up there and he's seen her smaller one and says it would be intense with large you would not be able to believe what you're seeing you could literally stand up and you could expand the buildings and walk down the street and see what you're building looks like from the street.

Thor Freya

So I set up my appointment to see the live viewing of the king and queens coronation in the United Kingdom and I can't wait

I'm very excited this technology sounds extremely interesting and I know the people making it at least I think I do and what they say is their tax is similar and they have to kind of use that they come up with if your stuff is cool. It says he can do this show with food facts we need for a class but all over the world 50,000 classes we collect like $1,000 from each or even a couple hundred dollars it's still decent money and install some products and books a question.

This is intense I can't wait to see it

Trump

It'll be able to get addicted to the school I want to see a motorcycle race I can't see any of them cuz I have to zoom over and zoom back and zoom over it's a pain in the ass and it's getting harder to do probably all sit in our asses in Australia and New Zealand that was supposed to but we're in the sports now I see the problem we're going to be huge going to be more viewers he says 300 trillion for a concert because all the people who are checking up on the concert you have like 25,000 theaters it'll be intense.

Dave