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ironunderstands · 5 months

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Here’s my comparison of Acheron, Aventurine and Ratio that I made in 2.1 which I forgot to upload here lol, I would like you to know my thoughts then because OH BOY HAS THIS AGED WELL

Aventurine, Acheron, Ratio and what the Nihility means to them

(Inspired by a convo I had with @aoxizu on Tumblr!)

The ending scene of the 2.1 update (the one featuring the black hole) is perhaps one of my favorite in all of fiction. I genuinely adore the way it was done and what it says about both the characters and life itself. This game has THEMES and by god did they come through then. So, I want to go over why I love it so much, and why it’s such a vital moment for Acheron, Aventurine and Ratios characters.

First, some context. Prior to Aventurine’s and Acheron’s conversation, Aventurine was taking the riskiest gamble of his life. Prior to the confrontation between him, Acheron and the Astral Express, Aventurine set up a plan to try and get to the secret at the heart of Penacony, as well as provide a ruse for Topaz and Jade to do, well whatever they planned on doing, the ending scene says they came there to “harvest”, so in 2.2 I assume we will find out what exactly that entails.

In order for this plan to work, Aventurine needed his cornerstone and to trick Sunday, so pre-2.0 he went to Dr. Ratio to include him in this plan, and set up a fake betrayal to fool Sunday and allow him to keep the Aventurine stone, with the Jade and Topaz stones also being acquired pre-Penacony. We know this because of Aventurine’s conversation with Topaz post 1.4 Belabog mission in which he requests her help in Penacony, something which we didn’t get confirmation on whether or not she accepted until 2.1, in which it’s revealed that one of the Cornerstones in the box is Topaz, meaning when they got confiscated in 2.0 she had already accepted his offer (we can assume a similar situation for Jade).

Essentially, everything had been going according to plan for IPC (even if Aventurine was absolutely not having a fun time during it), Ratio even says as much, stating that the IPC is pleased to hear of his death sentence, so that part of the confrontation was already predetermined. This leaves Aventurine with one final gamble, hoping the Astral Express and Acheron take the bait, and that they will try and stop him from destroying the entire dreamscape, which if Acheron acts on it, he could entire the true dreamscape to find the truth, as only an emanator could break through the power of the harmony.

Luckily for Aventurine, the gamble pays off and Aventurine does indeed draw her blade, both stopping him and sending them both into another plane entirely, it’s there in which one if my favorite scenes in fiction ever occurs.

You see, even if Aventurine planned this all from the start, he hasn’t exactly been having a fun time while doing it. Being sentenced to death and then slowly hallucinating on Harmony sh1t until the manifestations of your past self and your present doubt and insecurities come to haunt you isn’t exactly fun for anyone, especially Aventurine. 1) Because his backstory is horrifically tragic and being faced with a reminder that you will never feel secure or valued or truly happy would be enough to erode away the psyche of anyone 2) A version of himself which claims to be his future, but is more like a personification of how much Aventurine doubts and hates himself. It’s even more telling that this isn’t the first time he has talked to this version of him, in fact it saved his life several times, meaning one of Aventurine’s driving motivations is his own self loathing.

A trait that on the surface you don’t think he would have, Aventurine plays the role of the confident, unflappable gambler who always wins, when in reality his other hand is under the table, clutching his chips for dear life (something I quite literally paraphrased from the game).

Therefore, going into this conversation, Aventurine is more relieved than anything, yet another one of his gambles paid off, but now he will have to see how to go from there, and that’s when Acheron’s advice comes in. She’s not stupid, and immediately recognizes that he won (or at least got what she wanted), and that killing him is meaningless, it’s not his time yet. However, what Aventurine is really focused on is the fact that out of all the emanators he could have come across, the one he faces now is an emanator of nihility.

And well, in the face of overwhelming nihility, one’s own value comes into question yet again, and that’s something Aventurine doesn’t even need the aeon for to ask. So, he talks to Acheron, as IX isn’t exactly going to answer, but she might know. Now, I’m just going to lay out the dialogue (then explain it obviously) because it’s genuinely amazing.

Aventurine starts out by asking Acheron if she is an emanator of nihility, and I find her response to be really interesting. She doesn’t view herself as someone chosen by IX, as nihilism (the feeling of meaningless) envelops everyone equally, but she has simply walked in their shadow longer, tainted on the feeling. This leads Aventurine to question if this is the end, as if life has lost all meaning, in the face of overwhelming nihility, would that mean he’s dead?

Luckily Acheron immediately disagrees, stating that this is merely a manifestation of IX, not the end (he’s not dead guys idk how anyone can think that). However Aventurine still questions if his death has been determined, but Acheron doesn’t promise it. She mulls over his plan and and Aventurine asks her why she thinks he did it, and Acheron believes it was to find a secret deeper than the dream “deaths: the Real Penacony. He wonders how she found out, and Acheron says it’s the trailblazer’s identity which allowed her (and Aventurine) to come to this conclusion (we don’t yet know how this happened for either of them yet, but 2.2 should give answers).

They continue, Aventurine reveals that he believes the barrier the family built using the power of the harmony was not just to keep death out but the nightmare that is the real dreamscape. That the Memory Zone is simply a vast island built atop a violent ocean with the barrier keeping whatever nightmarish secrets from washing ashore. In order to break through this barrier and find the real dreamscape, which is why he kept killing himself earlier in the dream, but to no avail. When Sparkle gave him the hint, he realized it was referring to Firefly, someone who had seen the other side and survived it, even if she was unable to let others know if it. It wasn’t proof of the families wrongdoing, but it was suspicious enough for him to try and get Acheron to kill him, rather than try and find the Meme to recreate Firefly’s death.

Acheron points out just how insane this plan was, that if he hadn’t gotten lucky and crossed path with her, it wouldn’t have succeeded. Then, she commends him for playing it perfectly, pitting her perfectly against him and creating a plan that would be beneficial for the IPC no matter what happened, as even if he dies that would be great leverage. However, Aventurine disagrees with that last point, he truly can’t guarantee the IPCs success or even his own survival, that if she hadn’t drawn her blade it would have all be pointless.

She’s doesn’t let him continue along this line of thought, what-ifs are pointless and he earned his ticket to the dreamscape. What matters now is what happens next, and Acheron asks him if he can return from the abyss (Childe reference?), but more importantly, she questioned if he has ever wavered, as even a gamble as seemingly insane as the one Aventurine just did seems to have not shaken him (from her POV, we know how terrified Aven was but everyone else minus maybe Ratio does).

Aventurine tells her perhaps the most fundamental aspect of his character; he gambles simply because he has no other choice, betting on everything because he has nothing else to lose. Acheron tells him to wake up from this “dream” (aka find the true dreamscape), and she presumably goes to leave.

However (and this is my favorite part of the scene), he asks her one more question before she leaves, thinking she might know the answer as a pathstrider of nihility, “Why are we born in this world if it’s just to die?”

Her response is the best possible way you could answer this question. Acheron is an emanator of nihility, but she doesn’t think life is meaningless. The feeling of emptiness and pointlessness envelops everyone equally and that’s exactly why the nihility is pointless. It doesn’t matter that nothing matters, and we aren’t born into this world just to die.

Aventurine still worries though, after all if the dice of fate will always roll to the same conclusion, then destiny is predetermined, so why struggle? Why does it matter?

Her answer again is not one he would expect, but one that absolutely makes sense. Acheron says the answer has been with Aventurine throughout his entire life and journey on Penacony, and that he’s already somewhat realized it. Aventurine said himself that sleep is a rehearsal of death, but people aren’t ready to welcome death, which is why they sleep to get a taste of it. Sleep is much like death, a realm of unreality in which anything might be possible within the dreams that define its existence. Death itself is an unreality, and nobody truly knows what it’s like to die, but dreams are the closest we might ever get before the end. Like Acheron says, in a way, dreams are just a preparation for death, a practice before it can be welcomed.

However, much like how dreams can contain anything, even if we cannot choose to experience them or not, life itself is full of choices, regardless of if the ending is determined or not. Acheron understands that there are an infinite amount of things people cannot change before the end, but there are choices you can make up until it. Death is inevitable, but the life you live before it isn’t. This is what the words in red mean, both here and in my opinion, in general.

Acheron reminds the trailblazer to make the right choice when time comes for it, in our first meeting with her. However, I don’t think the path we choose matters, but rather the the fact that we chose at all. Now the next paragraph will include a minor discussion of 2.2 leaks, so skip to the next slide if you don’t want to hear it.

Sunday is getting a bossfight in 2.2, and it’s highly theorized that he works/believes in Ena the Order, especially because it looks like it’s their hand he’s touching in that one animation of the bossfight. Now here’s the thing, Order as a concept Chooses For You. I think the trailblazer making a decision is the thing that will save them and the rest of the gang, as within the face of an entity defined by limiting choice and free will, choosing to well, choose will save them (us?) and perhaps be the thing that gets the trailblazer acknowledged by the Harmony, a concept greater than Order.

Anyways, after she says that, Acheron leaves Aventurine, saying the answer to his question was from his friend.

And Aventurine pulls out the vial from Dr. Ratio

The vial telling him that the only impossible thing in the dreamscape is dormancy (meaning the secrets from before are destined to rise and destroy the “island” that is Penacony.

The vial telling him to stay alive and wishing him the best of luck, which in the Chinese version is:

Ratio answered both of Aventurine’s questions. The physical one, the one that pertains to Aventurines goals in Penacony, informing him of a vital aspect of the dreamscape that will help him win his gamble. But more importantly, he also answered Aventurine’s emotional one. What is the point of living? There is no real deeper meaning but to stay alive, survive and keep on living, because at the end of the day, that’s the only choice Aventurine can make, and that’s the one Ratio wants him to make.

Ratio Gives Aventurine A Reason To Live.

Aventurine says that he has nothing left, his family is gone and he has nobody and nothing to fall back on which is why he gambles. But Acheron proves him wrong, he isn’t alone, she calls Ratio his “friend”, says that he’s the solution to his doubt. Someone caring about Aventurine is what saves his life, he walks into the massive black hole unafraid not because he holds some secret power or technique or trick, but because someone cares about him, and that someone taught him that caring about himself is enough. Aventurine didn’t need the power of an emanator to survive the true dreamscape, he only needed a friend, and the will to keep going that he realized from them.

This is the true meaning of nihility, not that Aventurine says that he has nothing left, his family is gone and he has nobody and nothing to fall back on which is why he gambles. But Acheron proves him wrong, he isn’t alone, she calls Ratio his “friend”, says that he’s the solution to his doubt. Someone caring about Aventurine is what saves his life, he walks into the massive black hole unafraid not because he holds some secret power or technique or trick, but because someone cares about him, and that someone taught him that caring about himself is enough. Aventurine didn’t need the power of an emanator to survive the true dreamscape, he only needed a friend, and the will to keep going that he realized from them. the universe is meaningless, but that regardless of if it has one or not, it doesn’t matter. It’s this realization that saves Acheron from losing herself like other emanators, it’s this realization that allows Aventurine to cross the event horizon of that manifestation of IX, and it’s this realization that I believe is why Dr. Ratio was never acknowledged by Nous: he was already treading the path of nihility without even realizing it.

Now this is where my conversation with @aoxizu comes in, and I’m just gonna paste directly what they said because I think it’s amazing and everyone should read it, more importantly it’s what inspired this slideshow in the first place.

Ratio tells Aventurine to live despite everything because that’s the only thing he can do. It doesn’t matter how absurd life is, or how meaningless it all seems, choose to live anyways, because all you have are choices, and it doesn’t matter if they lead to some grand outcome or future or whatnot. To Ratio, life doesn’t, and shouldn’t care about that. Existence doesn’t need to make sense to be worth it, and that’s a sentiment both me, the characters and the og poster share.

Acheron is a lot like Ratio, she chooses to live despite having discovered the meaninglessness of the universe. In an existence seemingly black and white she chooses to paint the world red with her choices, accepting its reality and choosing to forge her own path rather than succumb to the madness. That’s why she says in her trailer, “there is no other choice but to move forward” and that’s because there really is no other choice, the universe doesn’t have some grand plan for anyone and you can’t turn back time to change anything, so all you can do is move forward.

My contribution! I’ve already kinda started but I do want to talk about how Ratio could be treading the path of nihility, but I’ll let this amazing post finish.

So yeah, amazing post, and I don’t think I could reword what they said in a better way than they did. Bringing up the philosophical aspects of this scene makes me really happy because they are so prominent, but most people aren’t really aware enough to notice. Absurdism is one of the driving inspirations behind the dreamscape, and it’s nice to see someone else besides you (see: my slideshow about Penacony and its American influences for an elaboration on this) bring it up. Honestly I think that philosophy fits Ratio far better than any of the Ancient Greek stuff you try to slap on him. Sure he obviously has the inspirations, but he’s closer in spirit to philosophers from the 1700s to now than them, a reinterpretation of Greek scholars rather than a copy of them.

And this is where my idea that Ratio is a pathstrider of nihility (and he doesn’t even know it yet) comes in. He doesn’t view knowledge in the same way that pathstriders of Erudition do; knowledge for knowledges sake has never been something Ratio has cared about. Knowledge means something to Ratio because it allows people to better themselves, not because it has some sort of inherent value. That’s why he’s so determined to spread it, he wants everyone to reach their fullest potential, and dedicates his life to doing so. Regardless of if the universe has meaning or not, that doesn’t mean people can’t try and live their best lives, and that’s the philosophy Ratio truly believes in.

Moreover, this is why it’s so meaningful that Ratio is the one to help Aventurine, he’s teaching him something Ratio himself learned long ago when he got rejected by the Genius Society. Despite all of Ratio’s intellect and qualifications, he will never be good enough for them because he simply doesn’t view knowledge in the way they do. But instead of this meaninglessness (nihility) consuming him, Ratio dedicated his life to doing what brought him meaning and validation rather than searching for some hidden answers from the universe (specifically Nous).

And it’s not like he just accepted it happily. Ratio still wants their acknowledgement, and it still hurt (and hurts) him a lot to not have it, which is why I think he unknowingly strides the path of nihility. To Ratio, his view on knowledge is simply how knowledge is, and the fact that Nous will never perceive it in that way because his philosophy is more nihilistic than it is erudite is something Ratio might never come to terms with. But that’s ok. The point is that it’s ok, Ratio doesn’t need to be acknowledged or to understand the truth of the universe to be happy or do well for himself. Our universe might mean nothing and yeah that can and will suck, but existence is more valuable than some grand cosmic plan, and even if you don’t realize it, choosing to live is enough.

Continually, this reminds me of the conversation Aventurine had with his hallucination self, in which he told real Aventurine that him and Ratio are very similar. In a way, they are, both struggling to find meaning in their lives, and Ratio helps Aventurine find meaning in his without really even knowing how. Sure the note was meant to keep Aventurine going, but Ratio caused Aventurine to come to a conclusion that probably won’t find Ratio for a while. He helped Aventurine overcome nihility without even knowing it, without Ratio even realizing that THAT is the thing he has been struggling with, and the path he has been walking the whole time.

I really hope we get to see Ratio again, and at the very least I want a story quest for him because I want to analyze his brain under a microscope. Him and Acheron need to meet asap I want more Ratio content idc if everyone else in the fandom hates him I love him and he’s my pookie bear and I will write 3039493494 things about him when it comes to me UGHHHH. Anyways I didn’t know how end this so this is the ending yaaayyy! I hope you liked it and if you have any thoughts let me know!

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Og post over! That was a long ass read and past me was absolutely cooking up a storm, oh god did this age well and I was right about or close to right about a lot of shit haha. Anyways I really do hope you enjoyed reading this, and this will hopefully provide some needed context for my next posts on this subject. Also feel free to repost this onto other sites I’m very proud of it

#honkai star rail #hsr #Dr ratio #acheron #aventurine #penacony

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ofmdrecaps · 1 month

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08/14-15/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Con O'Neill; David Jenkins; Rhys Darby; Madeleine Sami; Rachel House; Kristian Nairn; Samba Schutte; Vico Ortiz; Ruibo Qian; Dominic Burgess; Fan Spotlight: Our Flag Means Fanfiction; BearNecessities OFMD Affirmation Cards; Love Notes;

== Con O'Neill ==

It's Con's birthday! He's on his way to San Jose for the next GalaxyCon and sending some thank yous for all the birthday wishes! Happy birthday sir!

There's also a birthday video, but I ran out of video space! Thank you to @thedowneyheart for uploading it to tumblr! Visit them here!

Also Samba sent some love Con's way!

Img Sources: Con's Instagram / Samba's Instagram Stories

== David Jenkins ==

I forgot to include this last time! Our buddy Jemaine is asking everyone to watch the new episode of Time Bandits that he wrote that came out on Apple TV on the 14th! Chaos dad's on it! Are you? (I'm late watching them).

And today he reposted one of our favorite messages:

Source: David Jenkins' Twitter

== Rhys Darby ==

Rosie posted some super cute family pictures! Apparently Theo's been making donuts!

They were also out at the new Rhett & Link' premier of Wonderhole! Is that a Spanish Jackie's shirt we see? 👀

Source: Rosie CD's Instagram Stories / Getty Images

= The Cryptid Factor Live =

One of our beyond amazing and kind crewmates @sconesfortea was so sweet to allow me to share their many photos and videos of Rhys and the Cryptid Boys! Please check out their tumble posts below for pure Cryptid Chaos! Yes that is Buttons doing the worm!

Part 1

Part 2

Source: @sconesfortea's Tumblr

== Madeleine Sami ==

Mads is sharing some love for some fam and a new video on Deadloch!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Prime Video AU & NZ (@primevideoaunz)

instagram

Source: Madeleine Sami's Instagram

== Rachel House ==

More BTS from Time Bandits and Rachel's episodes!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rachel House (@rachelteaomarama)

instagram

Source: Rachel House's Instagram

== Kristian Nairn ==

Kristian's on his way to Galaxy Con San Jose as well!

Source: Kristian Nairn's Instagram

== Vico Ortiz ==

More OFMD S2 BTS from Vico on their patreon!!

Source: Vico's Patreon

== Samba Schutte ==

Woohoo! Samba's new romantic comedy Advanced Chemistry has been acquired by Good Deed Entertainment and will be released in theatres on Sept 3! Congrats Samba! Lots of love from the OFMD cast too! Deadline Article

Source: Samba's Instagram

== Nathan Foad ==

You guessed it-- Nathan's also on his way to GalaxyCon San Jose!

AND he found some old bts that he decided to share on his instagram stories.

Source: Nathan Foad's Instagram Stories

== Ruibo Qian ==

Our Pirate Queen apparently had some photos done-- but has laryngitis right now! Wishing you a swift recovery queen!

Source: Ruibo Qian's Instagram

== Dominic Burgess ==

Dominic is out with the Palm Royale crew, celebrating Jeff Toyne, a music nominee for the Television Academy!

Source: Dominic Burgess' Twitter

== Fan Spotlight ==

= Our Flag Means Fanfiction =

Another episode of Our Flag Means Fanfiction this week in honor of Con's birthday! Several of our magnificent crewmates, hosted by @ringasunn! Check them out on their Linktree!

Source: Our Flag Means Fanfiction Instagram

== Bair Necessities Affirmation Cards ==

Tonight I'd like to add a new fan spotlight to the mix - OFMD Affirmation Cards by our lovely crewmate, Mik aka bairnecessities! She has been making OFMD and other fandom affirmation cards for a long time-- some of you may even own some of them or recognize them from David Jenkin's Instagram shares! Mik makes such gorgeous and uplifting artwork, and she was kind enough to allow me to share some of them and link to her work over the next few recaps. Please absolutely check her out on the various socials, there's such lovely, kind messages in all her spaces <3 Instagram / Twitter / Linktr.ee / Etsy

A couple selections from the Season 2 Deck:

She's also got a beautiful expansion deck that's just come out, featuring a lot of our favorite secondary characters from Season 2!

OH! And did I mention, she's going to be at GalaxyCon SanJose this weekend? You can actually pick up some of her new expansion decks there!

Source: BairNecessities Linktree

== Love Notes ==

Hey there lovelies! Well here we are, going into Friday again! (Some of you are already there, hello folks from the future!) I truly hope this week has been kind to you. It's certainly been a busy one, and apparently full of birthdays! Con on the 15th, Taika on the 16th - and the weekend is looking even busier with GalaxyCon San Jose coming up! With David being so active as well, it's been nice to see so many people having a great time in the fandom again.

Whether it's jokingly mourning the loss of poor Doug LastName, or adding goofy ass horses to our favorite ofmd pictures-- it's been really heartwarming to see everyone having such a good time. This is what fandoms are for! To joke, and laugh, and have fun. Sometimes to be serious and talk meta too, and part of that is just getting to interact with each other, and play off each others strength and goofiness. I really am so fortunate to be a part of this fandom, it's nothing like I've ever experienced before, and it brings me a lot of hope and joy on dark days. You all play off each other in the best ways, and make this fandom so unique and fun, and even when things seem down, you find new ways to heal and rise again. I know I haven't been around as much lately, but I want you to know I'm still keeping an eye out, and you all are still some of the kindest, most brilliant, and fun people I've ever had the pleasure to meet. Keep shining lovelies, you're doing great out there with whatever you're dealing with.

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danandphilplay · 6 months

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im going to put my answers below bc i know some of these vids are likely not returning to dnp and i do agree with that i just wanted to do a fun poll abt if you could have another of these vids then which would you choose. ofc like ive said before we have no control over dnp uploads and i fully know some of these won’t come back lol

ok first of all i don’t think pinof is coming back and i think that’s been clear for ages anyways like ten is a nice number to leave it. HOWEVER i do think an april fools dapc pinof would be hilarious. answering crafties questions and whatever they send to craft universe dnp.

same with amazingdan BUT maybe there’s a slight chance of reacting to amazingdan. maybe not since so much time has already passed since pinof reactions (four months …..) honestly out of the options i’m not that bothered about pinof or amazingdan i feel like they’re classic dnp content that’s fine left as it is

ok for the pizza mukbang thing i don’t care for it to be a mukbang video lol like the actual thing was the nice sit down talk vibes pyjama pizza w friends maybe this is exactly what dan means abt being parasocial 😭 but that video is nice so i don’t think the actual mukbang part of it is that important it’s more the sit down talk style vid

i think i would do anything for another day in the life but i feel like it is prob peak parasocial content. would it count as phouse tour probably. do i think there will be a phouse tour no bc it sounds like it is still having a lot of work done 😭 and i honestly don’t really care abt it… i think the sims renovation was fun and an insight into their interior design opinions lol and that is enough for me

i put it takes two bc a lot of people want to see the next bit i like the game but not rly enough. idk it’s been awhile since that first vid and in terms of other games and things from dnp i don’t rly mind about it takes two being ignored 😭

i know baking is not a discontinued thing anymore bc HALLOWEEN but BUT i really believed easter baking would be a thing 💔 dapc had so much put into it that i kind of forgot about wanting a baking vid but 💔 i can’t lie i think i got set on the expectation for it. like the baking vids have always been absolute classic staple dnp content but definitely the cinnamon roll one was like the baking vids to the extreme… the full potential AND THE BAKE WAS GOOD TOO. the vid was also pretty popular. so my expectations for easter were a bit high. ok so if this poll is like magically summon a dnp vid 🪄 maybe id consider baking because i just love it so much like irl as a hobby but also then dnp doing one of my fav things too and it being so fun idk it’s some of the best dnp content imo. i would love them to try a series of making food from videogames but no offence to them i don’t get the vibe that they cook a lot…… so i think it might not happen. but dil is turning TEN in september so maybe dnp special dil birthday cake baking vid 💔 pleaese pleasemaybe

i think tumblr tag is totally plausible although ik the april fools tumblr tag thing 💔 bc the twitter vid happened i think they’ll do a tumblr one at some point. there’s so much amazing art on here not just fanart but written stuff video and photo edits so i’d want them to see all of that as well as the funny stuff. this isn’t like top of my list of things i’d want to see but it’s definitely one of the more plausible things

dapc behind the scenes content its either happening or it will never be spoken of

honestly idk if they would do reactions to the super amazing project. bc like what vids would they choose. maybe i can see them referencing it or discussing it if someone asked or in a live but idk about reaction vids.

ok draw my life would be fun and i’d watch them. i’d watch an updated dil draw my life too. they put so much effort into that dil draw my life. maybe an updated one for dil’s 10th birthday will happen? that would be pretty fun.

i think if i had to choose it would be a ditl vid. top 3 would be ditl, mukbang or literally just any sit down talk vid, and another baking video. ditl may literally just be bc of nostalgia i don’t really see it happening again but who knows. again just a poll about which vid you’d want to see if you could magic up a dnp vid i definitely know some of these aren’t coming back or very unlikely to

#dan howell #amazingphil #dan and phil #dan and phil games #dapg #dan and phil poll

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the-orange-tabby-cat · 25 days

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Howdy! September is quite special for lucky cat Tabby because it marks a year since I joined Tumblr, my birthday, and moving out of the country for new land all at once.

I’m cleaning my barn and found some questionable items I've kept for a while and can’t pack with me. Decided to do a yard sale, the price? A fic! I'm a cat, I don't use real money. This is baby's first fic challenge. Now, it's quite simple: you choose between 1 to 3 items from my selling list, send me an ask with your order, and voilá, you are in.

⭐ Check out the challenge's masterlist!

WHAT AM I SELLING?

Choose up to 3 items between the 10 categories (in italics is what you will receive):

Homemade cassette tapes of forgotten lovers - an album

Old books from a dusty shelf - literature genre

Posters that I had in my room when kitten - pic inspo

Travel memorabilia - a place (it can be a city or a more general place)

DVDs I forgot to return to Blockbuster - a quote

Power tools I bought to make DIYs I never did - a profession

Photo album of the barn's previous owner - a situation

*The* one bed - a couple trope

Outfits I’ve grown out of and can't use - a Pedro boy

Plushie collection - a wildcard

THE RULES

1. Send an ask with your order of 1 up to 3 items from August 31st until September 3rd. There are 15 slots for this challenge.

2. Go absolutely wild! Use the items as you prefer, no rules here for it. You are buying them, after all.

3. When you are done, tag me in your fic and use the #TabbysYardSale hashtag so I can find it. Upload your fic until October 31st, but if you need extra time or if something happens along the way, don't worry, let me know!

4. Have fun. Write smut, fluff, angst, you do you. No word limit, It's a writing challenge: I want you to feel motivated by it and beaming with confidence.

See ya, lucky cat 🐾

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sims2packrat · 11 months

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enjatoki's horse ranch stuff

I recieved a PM from Mortire over at GOS, instead of me explaining again I'll simply copy-paste the message :-)

Hej vegan_kaktus! I saw a note that enjatoki's tumblr has disappeared, so I zipped up all the files I have from them. The folder with everything where you can pick and choose is here. Here's the link to download everything in one go. Previews and swatches are included. These links include everything kestrelteen's uploaded, with more recolours, so more complete (though I cannot say if it is absolutely everything). For the ranch items, in set part 3 I have included some personal edits of some items to include subsets. I did not have most of the GTW files la fee verte uploaded, so there is minimal overlap with that reupload.

Thank you so much Mortire for re-uploading! Tagging @sims4t2bb :-)

Edit 2023-10-23: got a second message from Mortire!

Hi again. I was in a bit of a hurry earlier, so I forgot one folder of files - ep13-WellTravelledShelves. I have added them to the main download, and as a separate download in the folder. I should also have mentioned that for the four objects I've added subsets to, I have renamed the mesh files, but not the recolour files, though they were also edited to allow for the new subsets. If anyone have these items already, and just want the updated files, it is important to delete the MESH and recolour files you already have so as not to get any duplicate textures. The following information is only relevant for anyone that already have these items and just want to have versions with subsets. The updated objects are: In the folder HorseRanch-PART2: MESH-EnjaToki-4t2ep14-GrandCountryTable (has been updated and renamed to add my name)- remember to remove all files from enjatoki starting with "EnjaToki-4t2ep14-GrandCountryTable-Rec" to avoid any duplicate textures or missing subset recolours. Subset added to allow separate table and table cloth combinations. In the folder HorseRanch-PART3: MESH-EnjaToki-4t2ep14-RanchDudeHangingClothes (has been updated and renamed to add my name)- remember to remove all files from enjatoki starting with "EnjaToki-4t2ep14-RanchDudeHangingClothes-" to avoid any duplicate textures or missing subset recolours. Subset added to allow separate shelf and clothes combinations. MESH-EnjaToki-4t2ep14-RanchDudetteHangingClothes (has been updated and renamed to add my name)- remember to remove all files from enjatoki starting with "EnjaToki-4t2ep14-RanchDudetteHangingClothes-" to avoid any duplicate textures or missing subset recolours. Subset added to allow separate shelf and clothes combinations. MESH-EnjaToki-4t2ep14-TheWesternPanscape (has been updated and renamed to add my name)- remember to remove all files from enjatoki starting with "EnjaToki-4t2ep14-TheWesternPanscape-" to avoid any duplicate textures or missing subset recolours. Subset added to allow separate wooden boards and pans combinations.

#enjatoki #found

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partnersincrimesuau · 21 days

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Hey guys!!! Lil update on PIC...

yeah sorry I got back like a week ago and forgot to tell Tumblr and DeviantArt... sorry y'all TwT

I was actually going to upload the next page of PIC last Friday but I decided not to because... I'll be honest -

I'm really behind. More behind than I hoped.

Usually I like to be at least 10 pages ahead of schedule. Currently, I'm only 3 pages ahead. If I post the next page, I'll be TWO pages ahead. I'm just not making these pages fast enough... im trying to put as much love and care into the backgrounds and colouring as I can, but they're fatiguing... and as some of you know, I'm also hyperfixating on another franchise at the moment and so I'm devoting quite a bit of attention to it as well...

Does this mean that PIC will end?

Absolutely not. I do not have any plans to stop it. Even if I drift away from the Steven Universe fandom as a whole, PIC is MY story and MY comic, and I wholeheartedly plan on finishing what I started. I dont care if that means I make two pages a year, I'll still do it.

I'm going to try harder. At the minute, I've just got a lot on my plate. I've got a very expensive commission in the works, I've got friend stuff, I've got church stuff, I've got work stuff, I'm collaborating on a couple of FNAF projects (which I will be posting about soon), I'm STILL thinking about starting a youtube channel but I've also got Uni stuff, and of course...

I've got PIC. It's my little escape, and I love it so much. But unfortunately, these pages are taking a really long time to make, and I fear that if I keep uploading weekly, I'll run out and people will get confused.

So all I'm asking of is your patience. I know I'm not very good at keeping up with stuff online, but I do love what I do because it makes you guys happy. I love you all so much and I cant wait to see your reactions to future chapters.

Thank you. Thank you all so much for reading my comic. I'm working on Page 12 as we speak, and I believe I can finish it this week if I balance it with the rest of life stuff.

I think once I get through this week and finish this commission, things will get easier. Then I can FINALLY open commissions publicly like I've been planning since 2020.

Okay... i think thats all i wanted to say. Sorry i kinda went on a bit of a tangent there!!!

Anyways, i love you all so much and I'll see you soon ^^

Lots of love from Jinxy <333333

(Btw I'm online on discord just about every day so please consider the PIC discord server if you'd like to chill and hang with other readers, artists and friends!!!)

#partners in crime #steven universe comic #steven universe #not partners in crime #announcements #partners in crime update

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chthonicpink · 1 year

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Silly Spot doodles compilation

Because I absolutely fell in love with this dork and drawing him is fun as hell! Most of these were all posted on Twitter beforehand and this is a rather lengthy post, there's only one I haven't posted and it's because I fucking forgot to lmao anyways, here's the full thing, starting from the first doodle I ever did of him:

He'd be the only one to go watch that movie tbh

Headcanon that when he was a scientist, his hobby was reading comics and that's why he's so insistent in pestering Miles about the whole nemesis thing

I missed his moles here, I didn't notice them in the references I had at hand at the time! That bagel really hit the spot.

Speaking of which, I love that they were lab buddies. Of course I ship them, can't help but love a girlboss × cringefail dynamic

I needed an excuse to draw his nonexistent ass [slaps]

NO TE ASOMBRES SI UNA NOCHE, ENTRO A TU CUARTO Y NUEVAMENTE TE HAGO MÍA

Lost donut... OR IS IT???

And did you know? This mf is INTP4w3 it explains so fucking much

I've already hit the media limit lol I'll make sure to post the rest later on! I want to keep them here as well and I want to get active again, since Tumblr is amazing for displaying media and I want to talk extensively about my drawings here. I'll do that with the newer ones once I finish uploading the old ones 💕

#my art #doodle #shitpost #spiderman #spiderman across the spiderverse #the spot #jonathon ohnn #olivia octavius #pixel art

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genericpuff · 2 years

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The Uncanniness of Episode 165, and What Could Have Been

Alright, let's cut right to the chase, because this is like, the third time I've had to re-type this entire post because Tumblr has this stupid bug where it deletes my entire post up until the first photo upload every time I hit CTRL+Z to undo something 😒 (I have zero clue why it does this.)

Episode 165 has always... bothered me. I admittedly forgot about it in recent months, as the ongoing degradation of LO S2.2 onwards continues to rot my brain, but after stumbling upon it again, I was reminded of just how strange this episode is.

From the start, nothing really feels amiss. It picks up right where 164 left off, revealing the aftermath of Hades post-pomegranate and his first formal meeting with Hecate.

But it's as soon as we jump out of that flashback and return to the present - Hades standing before Persephone, the pomegranate tree perched peacefully in the background, that things start to get weird, in a way that I still honestly can't put my finger on.

And the spiraling into uncanniness begins with these two panels.

There's this rule in creating webcomics and writing stories - don't show or say anything you aren't intending your audience to pick up on. And when these panels were first released? I can tell you, as someone who was FastPassing back then, these two sets of panels threw the fanbase into an absolute riot. The fairly unanimous opinion from the fanbase was that Persephone had stolen the fruit for herself.

And can you blame them? The way the tree is framed, and repeated, with the camera shifting its focus, lacking the pomegranate in the shot completely, immediately told readers that it was gone. Of course, it wasn't, as was later clarified through the S2 finale and through Rachel's own wording; I believe she later stated that the pomegranate just 'wouldn't have been visible from that angle', hence why it was missing, but again, this is visual storytelling, it doesn't matter if the pomegranate TECHNICALLY wouldn't be seen from that angle, if you're going to remove it from the shot, that means you're telling your audience it's gone. It just feels too intentional, at best I might assume that that was the plan at one point, only for it to somehow end up changed along the way.

And it doesn't help that that scene is IMMEDIATELY followed by Persephone playing 20 questions with Hades.

These questions are all very specific, to-the-point, and hypothetical, concerning the pomegranate specifically, what it's done and what it's capable of doing. She's asking these questions not just for curiosity's sake, but with an ulterior motive - the writing on the wall is clear, she fully intends to eat the pomegranate, but is testing the waters with gentle but hypothetical questioning so she can gauge whether or not it would get her what she wants. Hence why she asks the marriage question - would marriage be enough, or would I have to make the trade with Erebus?

And then, of course, just as she gets the information she needs, she playfully changes the subject.

Hades does not look comfortable here. Some may argue that he's just nervous to have his photo taken with the girl he's lusting after, but again, it seems fairly obvious what's going on here. Hades has just made himself vulnerable* to the girl of his dreams (*i.e. trauma dumped and love bombed on her but that's another topic for another essay) and is now being cornered and interrogated by her. I know it's LO Hades, but I'd like to think he isn't that stupid. The sudden topic change isn't just to get a cute photo of him, it's to throw him off the scent, to make her seem innocent despite all of that earlier questioning.

In hindsight, we know now that she didn't take the fruit. She never planned to overthrow Hades. And while she wants to take things slow and 'do all the things', she does genuinely want to be with him, without it feeling forced. But I can't help but still feel unnerved at the sight of him in that selfie, watching the gears in his head turn, wondering what Persephone's going to do with all this new information after prying it out of him like a rat scavenging for its next meal.

Which brings us to Persephone. We know now that her wrathful side is purely wrath, gifted to her by Eris. Of course, often times her red eyes are applied to any sort of non-default emotion, including lust, but these are also the same red eyes attributed to her trademark appearance as the Dread Queen, foreseen by the Fates.

Again, I need to make it clear, in visual storytelling, do not show or tell anything you don't want your audience to know or infer. Why else would they suddenly draw her red eyes here after asking about the one thing that would grant her that Dread Queen status?

With Episode 165 and its strange toning in mind, let's turn to Zeus.

Zeus wasn't always an antagonist to Persephone. Zeus once supported the idea of Hades getting with her-

-but eventually shifts his opinion, after finding out about the Act of Wrath and Demeter's role in covering it up, eventually coming to the conclusion that Persephone specifically is planning to overthrow Hades. Not him, Zeus, the King of the Gods, nor any other God, but Hades. This suspicion has nothing to do with what Persephone actually did, and it's played off as a misunderstanding during the trial to set the stage for the creation of Elysium, but with the implications of Episode 165 still fresh in my mind, what if Zeus had been right? What if those suspicions weren't entirely unfounded?

Episode 165 feels like a preview for a story we never got. One that quickly and quietly changed gears halfway through and decided to shy away from the concept of Persephone actually being conniving and deceitful. I would love to say that RS set up this foreshadowing in a way that was brilliant, if it had actually paid off. All of the pieces were there, the pomegranate was gone, the stage was set - but instead, we now have Persephone playing house with Hades, hardly even doing a damn thing with her new title.

There is no Dread Queen.

#lore olympus critical #lo critical

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lacecap · 1 year

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Hii!! Absolutely feel free to ignore this but I completely adore shapes and lines (it's become one of my favorite songs since I heard it) and was wondering if u still had one of the beepbox links for it or any of it's variations to listen to it on loop,,? Again feel free to ignore this if you don't want to!!

this is so sweet, thank you so much! there are a ton of variations of this song so i'll link what i have on hand :D in general if i don't link the beepbox for a song it's likely just because i forgot to-- feel free to ask for the url or midi or vst or literally any component of a song ever, i'd be more than happy to share :o)

listed chronologically!

here is the very very first sketch of shapes, just 4 bars of music; not much for listening but i think it might be interesting seeing which part of the song is its "core" and how it expanded from thereon out!

this is where the song first really started forming & i started writing lyrics for it :D rather than two separate lines being sung simultaneously, it was originally meant to be a round! i unfortunately don't have the beepbox link to this one anymore though, so this links to my tumblr upload instead

this is a slightly more fleshed out version of prev, i changed the key and added the little ending tune :o)

this is what you're looking for, the version of shapes that got its own video :D

and this... is something that i started this past summer, but haven't gotten the chance to finish (the mv, that is, the song itself is pretty much done!) https://tinyurl.com/ymeq3o5t <- shortened link in plain text

tumblr's been pretty weird about shortened url links before, so if any of these are broken lmk u__u

#thank u for giving me this chance to officially compile all my little shapes songs into one corner LOL #lalala

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jbird-the-manwich · 1 year

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Hey I was wondering if you had any resources to share related to familiars and magical books. I remember reading somewhere about witches' familiars being trapped in books, not the book's spirit per se but rather a different spirit living in the book or working from the book, something like that? Any and all recommended reading is appreciated

Ohh that's a tricky one. Sorry for the extreme delay. I kinda forgot tumblr existed for like a year or so and your ask was buried under some much less friendly anon messages and I uhhh procrastinate pretty hard with the ask box in that state due to The Horrors.

anyway:

As far as a spirit that lives in a book, traditional american witchlore holds that a familiar spirit may take up residence in almost anything, a book included, that the calling witch desires. It could be you found a reference to this.

In the black book tradition of icelandic countries, specifically, magical books are believed to possess a kind of discrete power of their own, (this is echoed somewhat in american witch lore, but with fewer stipulations) that the magician avails themselves of by hand-copying the entire book to make up their own copy.

in that tradition It's said such books are to be hand copied verbatim, lest the spells lose their effectiveness for the magician who copies one incorrectly, or makes corrections not specified within the text.

There are many of these books now within the public domain, and some contain spells ranging the gamut from making people fart in church to killing ones enemy to making gold. Absolutely one of my favorite currents to read from because of the sheer variety and scope of methods they mention, though, consistent with this tradition is a tendency for spells to contain very specific and often complex instructions, some of which would be quite difficult to replicate faithfully. That said, one text dealing with this tradition of texts that I found just the other night, The Black Books of Elverum by Mary Rustad, is located here: https://archive.org/details/the-black-books-of-elverum

^^that one has a pdf available as well as plaintext, and the plaintext conversion is really quite good, comparatively, and would require very little preprocessing to parse digitally, if you're of that bent.

As I said, many of these books have been translated and are now within the public domain, but if you're after a compendium of works I very much enjoy the Svartkonstbocker, which is a compendium of swedish black book materials by Dr Thomas K. Johnson. I possess a physical copy and don't believe this particular text is within the public domain, but if you're in the market for hard texts, I've found it worth the price of admission.

To switch gears and discuss texts more aligned to my own leanings, a book I often eat in one sitting every couple years when the power goes out that details calling familiar spirits Is Folk Witchcraft by Roger J. Horne. I recommend it fairly frequently, It's a pleasant read, the font could be larger, but it's far from the worst beginner text on spirit work I've ever read.

It contains numerous primers and several spells and orations dealing with the attraction of a familiar spirit. This could be a decent place to look.

If you're looking for something in the grimoire tradition, there's the grimorium verum, which insists that a pact with a spheres ruling spirit must be performed to make the related spells within their spheres function. A pdf edition is available here:

https://nekropolis.dk/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/GrimoriumVerum.pdf

Not my wheelhouse, nor my religion, but it does contain instructions for the creation of numerous tools and a fair few pages of interesting workings, though it is more or less a text concerned primarily with daemons and the pacting therewith.

If you think the reference you found may have been pointing to the grimoire tradition, or if the solomonic tradition is your get, Secrets of Solomon by Joseph Peterson is an interesting read, quite dense for its page count and deals primarily with translation of "the little key of solomon concerning the secrets"; It again is concerned primarily with the ritual conjuring of spirits and the working of solomonic magic, and contains instructions, seals, and conjurations for everything from planetary intelligences to cthonic spirits. I don't believe this particular text is within the public domain, but earlier translations of both the lesser and greater keys of solomon are very easy to find online, should you feel either of these are likely to be the book you had reference to.

Honorable mention for a text that is also not public domain yet, but is dense for its page count and contains several discrete tables concerning different classes of spirits and their attending seals and conjuration information would be The Complete Book of Magic and Witchcraft by Kathryn Paulsen, if only for the extremely 2edgy4u darkness dementia raven way Satanic Panic aesthetic and also the excellent bibliography. My memory is shit, but I believe I must have recommended this one before, and if I haven't shame for me, if only for the sheer amount of information on materia magica it contains.

it also contains references from a number of texts, themselves now within the public domain, including Reginald Scotts The Discoverie Of Witchcraft, to the keys of solomon, to The Book of Secrets of Albertus Magnus. All of which are pretty fun reads.

I kinda doubt I've answered your question as you'd hoped, as I'm honestly drawing a blank for your precise ask, but any one of these texts is a good and fun place to start if you've still not found what you were looking for, book ghost wise.

#witchcraft #book recs #askbox answers

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asukamood · 1 year

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Fond Memories

(Cross birthday special)

***

I almost forgot that October 10th was Cross’s birthday, goodness that was close.

(HOWEVER WHAT I DID FORGET IS TO UPLOAD IT ON TUMBLR.)

This is going to take place in the past, like the early timelines of X-Tale so we can see more of Frisk, Chara, him, and Papyrus being best friends because we were robbed of that.

Enjoy your reading!

***

Warnings: There should not be any, maybe mention of food but apart from that...

Synopsis: “Why do you two have to fight so often? We are all friends, aren’t we?” Papyrus sniffed, making them both panic. “Can’t you two make an exception for once so Cross can spend a nice birthday?”

Chara’s eyes widened. “Wait, It’s Cross’s birthday today?!”

***

Cross was frowning.

Was it him or was Undyne being particularly and unnecessarily demanding of him today? Should it not be the opposite? Since it was his birthday and all?

“Come on Cross, you can do better than that!” Undyne yelled across the field Cross was running on, her voice barely audible with the wind howling in his ears.

The weight of his armor was really starting to bother him, it was so heavy.

“I'm doing my best already Undyne!” Cross yelled back, heaving his body upward in vain effort. It was in moments like this that he sometimes wondered why he let Chara and Frisk convince him that getting into the royal guard was a clever idea.

Well, it is pretty fun when they fight and everything but just doing endurance training like that was so boring.

On his birthday too? Was Life against him after all?

As he questioned his existence, he did not even notice the fact he reached Undyne, who blew into the whistle, signaling the end of the test. Cross’s legs slowed down before eventually coming to a stop, almost giving out beneath his weight. Thankfully, sheer willpower was still enough to keep him balanced and not embarrass himself in front of the captain. That really would have been the worst thing to happen, especially so close to the final test.

“Good work!” Undyne slapped his back with a concerning loud cracking noise that she did not seem to hear. “You can go change back to your civilian outfit now, and don’t forget to take a shower too!” She swayed her hair onto her back, fixing some rebel strands on her face before bidding goodbye and walking away.

Cross heaved a loud sigh before he forced his body to move in the direction of the changing rooms where he could see Papyrus anxiously looking at his watch every few seconds, tapping the ground with his foot occasionally.

Cross would have called out to him, if not for the fact he was absolutely exhausted.

So, he just walked up to him silently, wondering how long it would take him to notice him.

Papyrus had grown taller than him that year, somehow.

Cross was supposed to be the oldest, how did that even happen?

He did not have the time to further dwell on these thoughts as his little brother’s face brightened up with a grin as he finally noticed him approaching. “Brother!” He waved his hand excitedly, Cross trying to repeat the gesture with less energy.

“You took your sweet time.” Chara, whom Cross had yet to notice by that point teased, his back pressed against the wall. “What happened to the champion of tag you’re it?”

Cross rolled his eyes, a little smile on his face. “He’s still ready to kick your ass, idiot.”

“You know you shouldn’t say bad words, Cross.” Papyrus lightly scolded him, before turning to face Frisk, who was hidden behind his tall figure. “You’re not going to say anything to Chara?” He tilted his head to the side innocently.

The last member of their squad finally stepped out of the tallest boy’s shadow, purple and red eye looking his brother up and down before he turned back to Papyrus. “No, I don’t see why I should.”

Said brother smirked widely as Cross let out a protest. “If he’s not going to get Frisk on his back for being immature, then why should I?” He fumed. “That’s so unfair!”

“Quit being a baby Cross.” Chara playfully elbowed him, earning a dramatic yelp. “Just because my brother likes me better than yours do doesn’t mean you have to throw a tantrum over it.”

“That’s not true!” Papyrus and Cross shouted at the same time. The two brothers blinked before turning back to face their common ‘enemy.’

The tallest of them curled his hands into fists, resting them on his hips as if to give his words more meaning thanks to his ‘authoritarian’ posture. “I do love Cross as a brother very much but as his sibling, it is in my duty to make sure he does not set himself on a path he will regret.”

“While I totally think you’re exaggerating on that end part, I totally agree with you on the beginning, Paps.” The shorter sibling crossed his arms around his chest, his arms resting uncomfortably against the metal of his armor he had yet to take off, having been interrupted earlier by the three others. “Besides, I don’t think love can really be compa---”

“Oh my Asgore!” Chara exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air, exasperated. “I get it! No need to get me deaf with your gross speech!” He stuck his tongue out, the pair giving him an unimpressed look.

Even Frisk facepalmed.

At the gesture, Chara gasped, offended. “Frisk! I thought you loved me!”

“Look, there’s only so much one man can take in five consecutive hours of hearing you ramble about how stepping on a Lego should be considered a good enough reason to get in the Emergency Room.”

“WE’RE TWELVE, WHAT DO YOU MEAN A MAN?” Chara shouted back, making Cross wince as he stepped back, rubbing his forehead.

“I love how you didn’t even deny having had that conversation with me.” Frisk snickered, much to Chara’s dismay. However, before he could think of throwing another tantrum or snapping at him with his girl-ish voice, Papyrus held up a hand to his mouth and stopped him, frowning.

He had noticed Cross.

“Are you okay Cross?” At the worried tone, Chara and Frisk also turned toward him, their faces reflecting Papyrus’ expression.

“You don’t look too good.” Chara observed, stepping closer to him, and trying to inspect his face closer. “You alright?”

“Did Undyne go too hard on you?” Frisk questioned too, rubbing his shoulder with a hand. “You know we can talk to Gaster if--” Cross halted the idea immediately, shaking his head no.

Embarrassing himself like that by having to ask for his father’s help was not how he was going to let things happen, that would cost him too much pride.

“It’s fine.” He croaked out at one point, shooing off the two younger siblings who took a step back to dodge his ‘hits,’ if they could even be called that. “I just have a little headache after listening to Captain Undyne screaming at the top of her lungs for an hour... or rather, I think it was an hour.”

“We’ve been waiting for an hour and a half but yeah, that’s fair.” Chara tapped Cross on the shoulder before backing away in his original place, his brother soon following his example.

“But don’t hesitate to ask for something if you need anything, okay?” Papyrus looked at him worryingly and Cross smiled, getting on his tip toes and thankfully managed to pat the other after some rather pitiful tries.

“Thanks Papas but it really won’t be necessary.” Before the other could think of giving the pats back, Cross quickly retreated to the side. Of the two of them, he was undeniably the fastest. “Anyway, what has gotten into the three of you to try and take care of me like that?” Cross raised an eyebrow, slightly amused.

“I’m the oldest, that’s supposed to be my job, I hope you three are aware?” Papyrus shrugged.

“I do not think it is something that relates to age. If one of us is feeling unwell, the others will take care of them, that will always be the case, whether the person is the oldest or not.” He said, quickly followed by Frisk who added his own grain of salt into the mix.

“Besides, you’ve taken care of us plenty before, so I think it’s only fair if we get to do the same now.” Cross smiled.

“Aw you guy--”

“Besides, you look like dog shit.” Chara added with a grin, making Papyrus shout out another ‘language!’ and Frisk facepalm.

Cross clicked his tongue. “You know, I was starting to feel appreciated and felt like we were having a very beautiful bonding moment before you intervened.” Chara gave him a thumbs up.

“You’re welcome for preventing you to cry like a baby.”

“F off, will you?” Papyrus gave him a sideways glance.

“What did we just talk about brother?” Cross threw his hands in the air in frustration, barely holding back a growl.

“I did not even say the word! It was just a letter!” Frisk hummed, looking at Cross’s raised arms. “Is a letter considered a curse word now?”

“Well, no but--”

“Weird, I could have sworn Chara did the exact same thing a few minutes ago...” Said one scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“I told you all Cross was a copycat. "He feigned to flip his non-existent long hair, like the mean girls from that TV show he has been obsessed with for a while, grinning. “But I can’t exactly blame him either, who would not want to be like me?”

“Sometimes, I wonder how you put up with such a diva, Frisk.” Cross ignored Chara and turned to his brother instead, who was seen sighing. “I think I would have genuinely murdered him if he was my brother.”

“Bold of you to assume I wouldn’t have killed you first!” Papyrus frowned at the interaction, genuinely upset.

“Why do you two have to fight so often? We are all friends, aren’t we?” Papyrus sniffed, making them both panic. “Can’t you two make an exception for once so Cross can spend a nice birthday?”

Chara’s eyes widened. “Wait, It’s Cross’s birthday today?!”

“I- HOW DID YOU NOT KNOW?” Frisk suddenly shouted incredulously, attracting the attention of several animals who were just passing by. “Did you just think we were here to pick up Cross from training just because??”

“...” Chara smiled nervously. “Yes?”

A beat of silence passed before Frisk facepalmed for what felt like the hundredth time today. “Idiot.” He flicked him on the forehead, earning a yelp.

The interaction cheered Papyrus up who snickered but that was nothing compared to the loud snort Cross let out at the sight of Frisk insulting Chara for once.

The latter sent him a death glare that he pretended not to notice.

“Anyway, what did you guys have planned for me this year?” He asked nonchalantly, hoping one of them would fall into the trap he set them.

“We can’t--” Frisk began before Papyrus cut him off excitedly.

“We’re going to your favorite restaurant!” Cross grinned mischievously as Chara hissed his name. The taller child raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“It was a surprise, Paps!” His face fell but before it could escalate Cross dragged them all toward the exit.

“Then what are we waiting for? I am starving!”

While on the road, Chara tugged on the birthday boy’s sleeve. He turned around, eyebrow raised. “Hey Cross?”

“Mhm?” He replied, a sort of warm grin on his face.

“Sorry for forgetting your birthday.” He scratched his neck but yelped as he got slapped on the back.

“Don’t worry about it, just don’t forget it next time!”

Then they all walked away, promising that next year’s surprise would be kept this time.

***

“... Hey Cross?” At the call of his name, the soldier turned cold eyes toward Chara.

“What?” He hissed, making it obvious that whatever it was that he wanted, he was going to have to make it quick. Nightmare was not going to wait for much longer.

Chara looked away from him. “Happy Birthday.”

The latter stopped in his tracks; a foot still mid-air as he looked incredulously at him. A few seconds later though, he resumed his walking. “... Thank you.”

#cross sans #xtale au #xtale #xtale sans #xtale chara #xtale papyrus #xtale frisk #utmv #fluff #happy bday #bday

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