#i know its the only art i got done for the whole event but i also posted a 14k fanfic so be nice to me about it anyway

[tolbyccia]

what's yours is mine!

[dcxdpdabbles]

Alfred's Boy Part 5

@donesodone said: I just wanted to know. Is there a continuation of Alfred's Boy in the Works? If not, that's fine. I just love it and want to see it continue.

Bruce didn't realize how quiet Danny indeed was until Wes appeared. He suspected, of course, that no child was removed from their home by a super secret ex-spy if it wasn't a terrible, horrible reason, but still, he was shocked to see the difference.

Alfred's foster son had a weight around him, wearing his sadness like a depressing cloak. It was apparent that Danny was just tired. As if though he hadn't gotten a good night's rest in a long time, even when he was moving about and doing his chores like nothing was amiss.

Bruce will admit that he hadn't realized that Danny was so sad. He had no previous reference to compare him to, so he assumed that the boy was naturally reserved.

If he's honest, he also thought it was impressive how Danny could take anything in stride without so much as a blink.

Finding out his boss was Batman? Another Tuesday.

Tim's photo album of him? Danny appreciates the art behind photography.

Damian burst into his room, covered in bleeding wounds, he just had to have Danny bind? He took lessons from Alfred and appreciated the change to practice.

What he failed to realize was through all those events, Danny had had a lukewarm reaction, as if he had forgotten how to enjoy things.

Now, however, watching him with Wes, he realizes that Danny is naturally bubbly. He smiled wide, talked a lot with his hands, and while the same sass he had seen before was still there, there was more ease in him wielding it.

"Fun Fact: Tango was initially invented to be done between two men, " He hears Wes say, as Bruce walks by the viewing room the two boys were in.

Unable to help himself, Bruce peeks into the room, fighting the urge to lecture Danny. The reason for the lecture is that Danny is currently sitting in Wes's lap, his back to Wes' chest, and both are staring at the book "Useless Information" in Wes' hands.

Not dating his ass.

"So what you're saying is: Tango is gay," Danny affirms, cuddling into the blankets tucked around him, and leaning further into Wes. "The dance of our people."

Wes hums, "If only we could dance."

"Boys." He calls because he really wants to step between them, but Bruce is already doing that against his kids, and he is done being the civilian in Jason's novels. "Would either of you like to go to an opera tonight? I have some box seat tickets a close friend gave me, but I had other plans and didn't want them to go to waste."

Bruce didn't, but a little white lie wouldn't hurt anyone. He could easily buy them before the kids got to the opera house.

Wes's eyes practically sparkled. Bruce knew they would; he heard Wes play some songs from three famous operas the other day while Danny was showering. "Opera with box seats!? I love to go!"

Danny grimaces, clearly not that big of a fan. "Now look what you did, Master Bruce."

"Please, can we go, Danny?" Wes whines, "I'll let you haunt me if we go."

Danny cracks a smile, and Bruce is stunned by its softness. Had he not noticed how empty Danny's smiles have been until now? "Okay, Okay, we can go. But if I fall asleep you can't complain."

"How could anyone fall asleep at the Opra?"

"Easy. It's boring." Steph snips, leaning on the door frame. Bruce hadn't realized she was there. He frowned in her direction, not missing how Wes rolled his eyes.

"Hello, green-eyed monster. How are you this evening?" He said, making Steph eyes narrow. Danny was swinging his head between them, looking confused, but before he could ask, Wes continued, "Want to go with us? Danny needs more people to cuddle, and my visit has an expiration date."

Steph looks taken back, but her whole face breaks into the largest smile Bruce has ever seen on her face in a while when Danny nods, seemingly embarrassed. "It would be nice to have more cuddles. I, ugh, realized I was going too long without them."

Hmm, that's the fifth time the two have mentioned cuddling since yesterday. Bruce knows he ignored Wes's entrance when he got here yesterday, but maybe he should look into it.

If Alfred allowed, of course.

"I'll go get ready!" Steph shouts, racing down the hall. There is a brief pause before a loud "Hey, watch it!" and quick, distant "Sorry, Jason!"

His second oldest stridden into the room, grumbling at the giant front stain on his shirt. A half-empty cup in his hand lets Bruce know Steph bumped into him, making him spill his precious soda.

"Can't get any peace around here," Jason mumbles.

"I can clean that for you, Master Jason." Danny is quick to say, standing up from his seat. Wes lifts his arm to let Danny wiggle out of his grasp, but Jason only shakes his head.

"Nah, it's fine, kid." With one hand, Jason yanks the shirt over his head. Wes drops his book, and Danny's face goes very red. Bruce has a moment of utter horror, but Jason doesn't seem to notice, throwing the ruined shirt over his shoulder. "I was going to shower after some reading anyway. What are you crazy kids up to?"

"O-Oprea," Danny shutters, staring up at Jason with strange emotion in his eyes. Wes looks like a deer caught in headlights beside him.

Jason's face brightens. "No way! I love the opera."

"You do?" We gasped.

"Yeah, though, I'm more of a play guy myself. I love the theater. Once a drama kid always a drama kid." Jason winks and, oh no, Wes looks to be swooning. What's worse, Danny seems to be swooning too.

"Want to come with?" Wes blurts, and Jason considers the invitation carefully before shrugging.

"You know what? Yeah, I love to. Let me go take my shower then get ready. It's at what time?"

"Seven," Bruce answers, stepping in when both boys seem unable to get their tongues to work. Jason nods, and then a wicked smirk grows on his face.

Bruce is instantly weary.

"Let's make this a family event. You guys don't mind, right?" Jason turns back to the boys, shaking their heads like bobble figures.

"The more, the merrier, Master Jason."

"Perfect" Quick as a whip, Jason pulls out his phone and sends a quick message. He leaves the room, but not before calling over his shoulder "I'll meet you in the main doorway at six-thirty."

Bruce's phone buzzes. He pulls it out, reading the message: Hey losers, Danny wants to see the Oprea. The really romantic one. Do any of you want to join us?

He feels a headache coming on. Especially with Wes and Danny looking at each other with shocked open mouths, looking like they were wordlessly expressing how attractive they thought Jason was.

Tim comes sprinting down the hall. Bruce is unsure what he is doing, seeing as his hair is wrapped in a towel, but he is wearing half of a chicken costume as he runs by. "I want to go, I want to go, I want to go! Don't leave without me!"

Wes squints at the open door hallway before laughing that strange, impish laugh of his. "This place is a riot."

Danny pauses before that same soft smile blooms on his face, and Bruce's heart melts. "Yeah, I like Wayne Manor too."

Maybe Danny isn't as happy as before, but maybe one day he will be. Bruce would be content with that.

[cr4yolaas]

blue spring — monkey tie at the exhibit

previous: teach me! | masterlist | next: something sweet

kageyama doesn't expect his friends to be so excited about this. quite frankly, he suspects they're more excited to go out for dinner afterward. nonetheless, anticipation nestles itself within the pits of his stomach.

the events of this morning are still fresh in his mind -- the grogginess lingering in her voice as she spoke to him, the small yelp she released when she fell, the smoothness of her skin when he rushed to inspect her. he's embarrassed, to say the least. he doesn't like being impulsive. but being concerned for her felt natural, overwhelmingly so. it bothered him.

kuroo parks the car in the center of the lot, against kenma's complaints. they all exit out in unison, and at the very front of the building, he sees her roommates huddled together. but not her.

he watches as his friends rush out to greet said roommates, their lives evidently interconnected in some way. slowly, he follows them inside, the dim lighting enveloping them whole. the walls are covered in art, some more intricate than others. and at the very end of the hall, he sees her, standing before what he assumes to be her own artwork.

everyone else is too enamored in their conversations with one another to notice kageyama slipping away to the back. she sees him before he can say something.

"oh, it's you. i didn't know you'd come, too."

"i was forced to, kind of." she laughs quietly at his remark, and he feels his chest bubble up with warmth. at the noise, all the morning memories dissipate. "is this yours?" he asks, pointing to the one she stands next to. it's a delicate painting, the colors soft and blended gently. a two-headed lamb sits in the center. above it is an array of stars.

"yes," she admits. she looks at him, then to the floor. she can't stop biting the inside of her cheek. "i finished it last week. i'm quite proud out it."

"you should be," he blurts out, the statement causing her to lift her head up to face him. "it's uh, really pretty."

the slight upturn of her lips is a sight kageyama's mind welcomes instantly. "thank you."

he doesn't know what to say after that. he doesn't know where to put his hands, how to stand on his own two feet, where to look. he's locked in stasis, and as if sensing that much, she starts to guide him towards her other works. she doesn't speak much, thankfully, only offering him a few tidbits of information about each piece.

he can't stop looking at her.

her hair is done neatly, with a small bow to compliment it. the dress she bears is simple, yet it draws his attention the most. it's different from who he saw yesterday. he has no complaints.

bokuto calls his name from afar, the echo of his voice shaking kageyama loose from his headspace. the rest of the group calls her, as well, and their footsteps fall into tandem as they walk down the hall.

talks of dinner and drinks float around his head as they gradually spill out of the front doors. kageyama admits to himself that he wanted to see more of her work, but he can't bring himself to voice his desires when everyone else is already heading into their cars. it's louder on the way to the restaurant, and he thinks back to the two-headed lamb to tune out the noise.

he's glad he came tonight.

𝜗𝜚 yn is heavily in denial. she has a bad history of getting attached and then pushing people away bc she hatesss being super attached to people. hence why she's very socially inept at times

𝜗𝜚 i hope u guys got the two-headed lamb reference <3

𝜗𝜚 the whole group was huddled like little penguins while they watched yn and kags walk around the exhibit

𝜗𝜚 speaking of which -- yn isnt very confident in her work but she's a pretty prominent figure on campus. which is why she was kinda hesitant to talk to kags abt her paintings

𝜗𝜚 tsukishima is the only one in his group with a car; kuroo and kenma have their own cars but the group loves kuroo's car bc its so spacious despite being an old hand-me-down

taglist: @mfcherry @eggyrocks

[the-lonelyshepherd]

what’s your opinion on the travlottienat s2 sex scene

hi! um category five autism event and i got way too serious about this. however its not my problem.

oookay SO first off obligatory i am a minor BUT we are analyzing this from a narrative/plot perspective and not in a sexual way. theres naked people in art its fine. I think this scene is fascinating from like. not a shipping perspective but a character based one. it shows a lot about travis and it also shows a lot about lottienat (mostly talking abt the character combo and less the ship) and also jackie. yeah, jackie.

Madonna della Pietà, Michaelangelo

To start - even w how it looks, this is a Lottienat scene. Not even from a shipping perspective but because this scene SHOWCASES their "rivalry", the contrast in their characters and how they are perceived to the rest of the team (w Travis as a stand in for the team). It shows how they're both very present figures in the whole yellow jackets situation (shown through travis but can apply to all of them imo). Nat is there with travis. shes physical, shes providing. But lottie is also there spiritually, and against the norm, leading whats going on.

Nat as the physical

lottie as the spiritual.

so despite the fact that natalie is physically there, travis cant (probably physically cant as hallucinations are NOT voluntary) take his mind off lottie. because she can give him something, in his mind, that nat cant. Shes almost an escape - nat is the harsh reality hes living while lottie is the voice that brings him hope that his brother is alive. lottie is someone who can lead in a way that he wants to make sense. and its an idealized version of her in his mind, probably stemming from his issues w authority figures like his dad and the built up version of masculinity in his mind.

And this scene also emphasizes Nat’s role in the Javi situation. Because of this:

The wound on her leg where she faked Javi’s death so that Travis would stop his self-destructive search for his brother, who by all means should have been dead. Why? Because who is Nat but a realist? She’s gotten everything from life thrown at her and came out of it with that attitude, and who can blame her?

But this scene is right after she brings Travis forged proof that his brother is dead. Her guilt is present through this scene, and showing the wound is to emphasize that. layers!!! but travis has a lot of guilt throughout this scene as well - not only because of the supposed death of his younger brother that he as the older sibling feels at fault for but also… the jackie situation.

The Jacke of it all:

yeah this is a jackie scene. not only is it right before when they FUCKING EAT HER but like in spirit as well. Okay so the thing is that jackie is the character who puts the most emphasis on virginity, we all know this, but in the end it's travis that gets the "first time" that she puts so much emphasis on. Yes, jackie and travis lose their virginities to each other, but in this scene travis checks off doing it with his actual girlfriend. That, and he does almost the same thing jackie did with jeff. She looks to shauna's photo, travis thinks of lottie. They have to be outside of their bodies to perform because both of them have hangups (for one reason or another).

It's not that Travis doesn't want to have sex like jackie with jeff, he clearly tries, but he can't do it while thinking very clearly. First by being drugged, then by imagining himself doing something unrelated. And they would've been happier if they hadn't done it - jackie is immediately shunned for it. If you think about it, she literally dies for it. Travis feels like he cheated and did something wrong despite being drugged out of his mind and having no real control over the situation (something jackie didnt know). and then IMMEDIETLY after this scene, there’s the Jackie feast. Not only is she everywhere symbliocally, shes also physically in them now. THE JACKIE OF IT ALLLLL

The Pietà

The Pietà is a reference to the 6th sorrow of mary. for all you guys who arent christian/catholic →

The Seven Sorrows of Mary are seven significant moments in her life:

Simeon's prophecy of joy and sorrow.

The flight to Egypt to escape King Herod.

Finding Jesus in the temple after being lost.

Mary meeting Jesus on his way to crucifixion.

Witnessing Jesus' crucifixion and death.

Holding Jesus' body after his crucifixion.

Jesus' burial, which Mary mourns.

To clear things up here - lottie as mary in this context is not a “maternal” as in motherly way - imo its supposed to be peace and hope, guidance/authority. travis, despite being famous for his daddy issues, is hinted at having mommy issues as well (see: him not getting hugged goodbye by his mom in the pilot while his dad and javi both do)

also, he clearly struggles a lot w masculinity - having a woman in authority doesnt come naturally to him, but in this moment it is his only comfort.

so in the wilderness, there’s a complete power shift from the outside world. in this isolated environment there’s a female majority - specifically, the team, who already (roughly….. it gets messy but ykwim) trust and know each other. they already have a, albeit shifting, power dynamic established. in the normal, precrash, world, it would be isolated to them. but post crash, they are now the majority and the three guys left standing are now forced to assimilate into that instead.

Ben had power - he was one of their coaches and an adult - but with the death of coach martinez, he loses a lot of power 1) because he’s only an assistant 2) hes outnumbered 3) he doesnt want to be in charge of these insane girls anymore. he just wants gay daydreams. let him live.

Then there’s Javi - he’s younger, and none of the girls really know him, but they’re generally nice to him. he cant contribute much though - and eventually he has to contribute all he has - his literal flesh.

Finally travis - arguably the most involved as he is the same age as the team. this puts him on their field as “involved”. He originally has this very built up view of masculinity that you can tell stems from a place of self consciousness/ self loathing as well as a buildup of society’s expectations on him as a teenage boy in the 90’s. He’s supposed to be tough, hes supposed to be in charge, hes supposed to be better. And when hes thrown into this female dominated space it completely falls apart. He’s not the best shooter, he doesn’t have authority or leadership. The only other older male figures are dead or have tried their best to remove themselves from the situation. He has to completely reevaluate everything he knows - Travis has come to learn that there is power in being near and simply being an approximation of femininity.

Travis has come to learn that there is power in being near and simply being an approximation of femininity. Travis has gone from the top (he was never really there, but the built up idea of masculinity put him there in his mind, though even then he had doubts and it came from a negative place) and to bottom of the totem pole - and now he’s rising back up to somewhere in the middle by connecting with femininity, by recognizing women in authority, and also trying to have that hope and spiritual belief that is brought about by these female figures. The middle is where travis can reconcile with the weirder things (ive been in discussions about how travis actually parodies a lot of classic feminine tropes) that clash with what travis should be.

overall this scene is fucking insane. its lottienat its travnat its mommy issues its daddy issues its deadass jackie its an older brothers guilt its religious its a sin its deconstructing the very nature of yourself and those around you. all through the power of weird sex hallucination. and eating someone right after.

if youre still here i love you. please send me yellowjackets discussion asks i love them so much <3 feel free to ask questions and shit, also if none of this makes sense im sorry lmao.

ALSO. special thanks to @periwinklekryptonite who like carried this discussion and came up with like half of tjis. ask him about trans travis or travis in general or maybe pike. shoooo go send him travis questions.

[kandisheek]

If you're part of the Put On The Suit 18+ Stony Discord Server, you may already know that we've been running a server-exclusive bingo for the past one and a half months. And today is the day when we can officially say:

✨ WE HAVE BLACKED OUT THE CARD!! ✨ Great job, team!

This was the first fandom event I've ever run, and I couldn't be happier with how many people participated and created beautiful fics and art for it. And to share the love, here is a masterpost of all the incredible works that people have made.

What's a Reverse Trope, you may ask? You simply take a common fanfic trope and flip it on its head. "There's Only One Bed" turns into "There's Too Many Beds" and so on.

A special thank you to @avengersnewb for her help with organizing everything, and let's get into the fan works!

S1: Good Doppelganger 🔃 Evil Doppelganger

Now this is a whole different birthday. by Lancelot_The_Dragon_Lord It's Tony's birthday coming up, and Steve doesn't know what to give him.

S2: Fast Burn 🔃 Slow Burn

Welcome to the 21st Century by EvilDime Phil Coulson wonders if he should have held back the information about queer rights a bit longer. Captain Rogers does not seem to be taking it well. How to make friends with new teammates by Girl_Back_There Tony didn’t mean for it to happen, but he can’t resist a hot guy in a Captain America suit. Especially when said guy is eye-fucking the Iron Man suit.

S3: Twice Serumed Steve 🔃 De-Serumed Steve

Perfection, Scientifically Speaking by EvilDime When Steve injected himself with the serum in a desperate bid to keep it out of A.I.M.'s hands, he had expected something familiar like more muscles, greater speed, further heightened durability. Or even no change at all, since the first dose had already been designed to make him perfect. Steve had been wholly unprepared for what he got instead.

S4: Fake Break-Up 🔃 Fake Relationship

The Inheritance by laiwrites Without waiting for an answer, Steve approached, laying the spread out on the polished oak desk and setting their places as if they were in the dining room. He was in the middle of drawing up a chair when Tony said, "Darling, I believe we must divorce." On accident, Steve scratched the chair legs against the expensive parquet flooring. "It is too early for this. If you must jest, Tony, could you at least wait until after I have eaten?"

S5: Can't Forget Anything 🔃 Amnesia

Remember (when your dreams have ended) BirtheV If Tony Stark were a better man, he would take responsibility for his actions. But since Tony is not even a good man, he's going to take the easy way out and forget Steve Rogers ever existed. Only then will he be able to live without this grief that's killing him. It turns out brains are rather fickle about what they remember and forget. Things can always get worse.

T1: Empty Nest Fic 🔃 Kid Fic

mirrors a still sky by laiwrites Four snapshots over several decades of Steve and Tony growing old together at their house on the lake. Based off of an AU where they make up and get married after Civil War.

T2: Too Hot To Cuddle 🔃 Huddling For Warmth

Beating the Heat by KandiSheek It's too hot to do anything but lie in bed together. Steve and Tony find ways to entertain themselves.

T3: Hate At First Sight 🔃 Love At First Sight

If You Tame Me by KandiSheek They've been together for barely a month when Steve gets a dog. Which would be all well and good if the dog didn't hate Tony on sight. How the hell is Tony supposed to make a dog like him anyway?

T4: Didn't Know They Weren't Dating 🔃 Didn't Know They Were Dating

Been There, Done That by EvilDime "Steve," Tony interrupts Steve's solicitous stream of concern. "Do we have a date this afternoon?" "Sorry, a what?" "A date," Tony repeats. "My calendar claims that I have a 'Coffee Date with Cap' at four o'clock." There's silence on the other end of the line. Then, hesitantly: "Like, a date-date?" "That's what the calendar says," Tony confirms. In which Tony and Steve lost only a week's worth of memories during a mission, but it turns out it was a somewhat important week.

T5: Lie Serum 🔃 Truth Serum

(No) Touching by Naivelittleprincess "I hate you," Steve whispered with a softness better suited to a different set of words. Tony only hummed and paused in the middle of his rant about pineapple on pizza to plant a quick kiss on his lips. "I hate you too, winghead. Now, listen—this is important and it makes my hot, Italian blood boil."

O1: Presumed Alive 🔃 Presumed Dead

Sanguinary Revelations by FestiveFerret Tony's pretty sure his brand new relationship with Steve is the best relationship he's ever been in. Until he learns something surprising about his new beau.

O2: There's Too Many Beds 🔃 There's Only One Bed

Sometimes, There's too many beds. by Lancelot_The_Dragon_Lord With the others Avengers moving way, Tony and Steve are left in the tower alone, with far to many empty beds. Tony falls back into bad habits, and Steve's just being Steve. This always end well, Right? Romcom Fantasies by starkparade Tony runs into Steve at the airport, and when the hotel Tony booked in Washington DC abruptly cancels his reservation, Steve offers him to stay the night at his place. It sounds like something straight out of Tony's romcom fantasies starring Steve, except Tony is convinced that Steve is in love with someone else. Situation Normal: All Fucked Up by KandiSheek Tony had a foolproof plan. Step 1: Get Steve into bed with him. Step 2: ? Step 3: Live happily ever after. Sure, it could use some work, but success was guaranteed. No one is more shocked than him when it doesn't work out quite like he planned.

O3: Free Space

Friends by EvilDime Shopping for a coffin is not where Steve expected to make a friend. And he almost doesn't.

O4: Ruin-It 🔃 Fix-It

Close It by starkparade Steve had to make the hard call to prevent the nuclear blast going off inside the wormhole from reaching the island of Manhattan. As a result, Tony Stark never made it back. Steve did what he had to, and yet his guilt is eating him alive and he can't figure out just why he is so affected.

O5: Too Much Communication 🔃 Miscommunication

The Opposite of You by KandiSheek Tony has a lot of opinions about the kind of person Steve should date. Steve doesn't quite know how to tell him he's already made up his mind.

N1: True Hate's Kiss 🔃 True Love's Kiss

What if.. Tony was where Rhodey was by Lancelot_The_Dragon_Lord Tony is following the Quinjet, and gets hit by a stray laser by Rhodey. He falls.

N2: Abstain or Die 🔃 Fuck or Die

Swingin' Party by Naivelittleprincess It’s his sister and his best friend’s wedding, and Tony is not allowed to have sex with his ex-husband.

N3: Divorce of Convenience 🔃 Marriage of Convenience

Fools Rush In by betheflame “So you’re getting a divorce of convenience to then get a marriage of convenience, but really nothing about your actual marriage has changed?” “Pretty much,” Tony affirmed. “You’re fucking nuts if you think this’ll work, pal,” Bucky said. "Fucking nuts."

N4: Found Foes 🔃 Found Family

This Meeting Could Have Been an E-mail by laiwrites In an alternate universe where Iron Man is one of Captain America's fiercest enemies, the two of them find themselves on opposite sides of a battlefield as usual. Only, this time Cap has a proposal.

N5: Lovers to Friends 🔃 Friends to Lovers

The sunrise over the cliff face by Lancelot_The_Dragon_Lord Steve is proposing to Tony. Or is he? It's Not You, It's Me by EvilDime “Tony,” Steve said slowly. “Is this the Talk I think it is?” Chewing on his lip did not make this any easier. Resigned, Tony slipped his lip back out from between his teeth and faced the music. “Not the way you’re thinking, Steve. But, basically? Yes.”

Y1: Everyone Has Powers AU 🔃 No Powers AU

Waiting On A Miracle by Naivelittleprincess [An AU inspired by Encanto, featuring Peggy as "Abuela", the team as her adopted foster children with special gifts and Tony as the odd ball without any powers.] "I don't know why you weren't given a gift, Tony," Peggy had raged. "But that does not mean you go around ruining everyone else's life!" "I wasn't. Steve wasn't happy with Sharon!" "And he won't be now. You've made sure of that. Howard was right! You are a miserable child! I should have never let you stay here."

Y2: Virgin Tony 🔃 Playboy Tony

Darling, don't be afraid. by Lancelot_The_Dragon_Lord Tony Stark is a virgin, always has been. It's not for the lack trying. He's just scared to be vulnerable.

Y3: Monstercuddling 🔃 Monsterfucking

All Wrapped Up by KandiSheek Tony gets caught by a tentacle monster, which sounds terrible but actually isn't. The creature just... holds him, for a while, before the rest of the Avengers show up and rescue him. Finding out just how depressingly touch-starved you are via wholesome tentacle kidnapping has to be the pinnacle of humiliation. Now Tony needs to figure out how he can repeat the experience with less tentacles and more actual human contact. And also why the hell Steve seems to be the only one on the team who isn't down for some casual Tony cuddling.

Y4: Undercover in a Straight Bar 🔃 Undercover in a Gay Bar

Fruit Punch by Naivelittleprincess Tony's days of being a playboy might be over, but that doesn't mean anything when he has to teach Steve a lesson.

Y5: Last Kiss 🔃 First Kiss

Forever the Name on My Lips by ralsbecket Tony jokes about how the final kiss they shared was all love and morning breath. A full grin spreads across his face as he confesses, “The only thing I regret in my life is not brushing my teeth that morning.” Don't Look, I Think We Made The Sun Cry by Naivelittleprincess As long as they are together, death is but the next adventure.

[evorathesylvurr]

i cant believe no one else in the limbus fandom is also into neopets.

"evora what does this mean" it means i know too much god damn neopets lore.

spoilers that go up to violet dawn walpurgis! you have been warned.

yi sang seems like the type who would have a kacheek or two

kacheeks are known for their friendly disposition. theyre also one of my favorites but thats unrelated. he'd also probably have a eyrie.

he'd be the type who has done all the plots. even the ones before he joined. (how? don't ask.)

faust is a crazy aisha lady. look. look. as an aisha enjoyer, i get to claim this one as one of us. aishas whole thing is being really smart.

faust strikes me as the type who would enjoy the battledome honestly. theres so much strategy that she probably cant have the faust hivemind tell her what to do.

don quixote spends neocash to have extra slots so she can dress up all her little guys. she chooses team altador every single time and also her favorite is a gelert.

don probably has event exclusive items but she probably got them off of her friends. also she has every limited time pet.

ryoshu would probably have a WONDERFUL time on neopets so long as she doesnt get her account frozen lmao. girl do not post your art. girl the neoboards arent ready for it. girl your spyders.

yeah all of her neopets are spooky themed or red/phantom/halloween depending on what they can be painted. you will never get her to admit it but her favorite neo is her jetsam.

meursault would play if only because he is autistic and so am i. maybe a shoryu (takes a second for info to load)

meursault knows the ins and outs of the neoconomy. like, jellyneo is in his head.

hong lu has a uni. i was going to give a uni to yi sang for the whole wings thing but unis fit hong lu so much better. this man spends so much money on neocash i do not care if hes actually been cut off from his rich family funds. he is using his salary for his silly little digital unicorns.

he shares don's enthusiasm for the game because i said so :) no i think this small little thing might be really healing for him if his family is shit. neopets makes me cry every now and then like for real because its so warm.

heathcliff picked neopets up because of ▢▢▢▢▢. his favorite is the lupe but he also quite likes acaras.

he takes SUCH good care of his neopets. he doesnt even put them in the lodge. he does his daily games to get his neopoints, goes to buy them food, feeds them, grooms them, plays with them, etc. they have perfect stats but theyve never seen a day in the battledome.

ishmael has a flotsam and thats it. no but she actually mostly has maraquan neos which means shes limited to customizing them :( her favorite is her maraquan vandagyre.

ishmael customizes her neos as best she can. they have the best enrichment tanks. ishmael is also insane at destruct-o-match. do not competitive 1v1 her in destruct-o-match you WILL lose.

rodya has a kyrii and a ruki. she has extensive lore for her neos and you should NOT ask her about it.

rodya is active as hell in the neoboards and she helps everyone with their fairie quests so much. rodya shop wizard extrodinaire. we love you.

sinclair is a pound adopter. his lore is his bruce came from the pound and now they go around adopting pound neopets. every single neo aside form his bruce was a pound adopt.

sinclair does those pound rescue touchups you see every now and then where they take a pet in the pound, give it a new paint job and/or lab zap, and return them to the pound so they have a better chance at getting a forever home.

outis plays neopets too because i said so. average scorchio and grarrl enjoyer though.

enjoys a good chia flouring. she uses her fucking paycheck to chia flour small kid's neopets (she doesnt do it to the other sinners she might be mean but she knows for a FACT she will not hear the end of it for MONTHS)

gregor's main neo is a blumaroo actually :3 i could have given him a buzz or a ruki but that is a cheap blow and i actually think it's cuter to give him the little bouncy guy :3

he enjoys playing the minigames and he leaves his pets in the lodge :( but its ok theyre having fun at the lodge.

[chevvy-yates]

103.1 TECHNOI⚡︎E FM

A fictive/headcanon radio station fit for Cyberpunk 2077 presenting German ebm artists. It is Ryder's overall favorite station he likes to listen to every day.

The first of two spotify playlists with a collection of songs I imagine to be one of Ryder's favorite radio stations (in my headcanon) he listens to when he e.g. drives around in the city or got it running in the background in his apartment. Had a hard time chosing the word 'Technoise" for one of them, yet I went with this one for the more ebm, industrial and dark wave focused tracks. I think it does fit better to the overall 'Technoise lore' (see further below) than the hard tech stuff on the second playlist. Some of the artists are already in business since the 80s/90s and especially Faderhead I would have loved to have in the game as he did a whole EP named '2077' dedicated to Cyberpunk when it came out. Overall these songs sound very 'tech'-like and each of them has this base of a repeating beat or melody and even words that stick to your ears. Some of them have actually lyrics, too, some are English, most in German.

—

109.6 HELL BUNKER FM

Mostly a hard techno playlist Ryder listens to, especially when he's working out. Most of these songs get played at 'Chrome Chamber Rave' a fictive/headcanon event occuring every 1st Saturday per month at the 'Hell Bunker', located in the underground of the Dark Matter Bld. Japantown.

This one is for the more hardcore ravers. When you listened to the other one first then for this one you may understand my decision why I've splitted it up. The beats are harder, there is much less to non lyrics and singing – all is focused on beats, repetition and other sounds. Wanna work out? Take this list if you like it. However, I've placed a few more 'melodic' ones in between so you can take a little break from the harder tracks. These are mostly by the artist 'Klanglos'. Also placed some with opera singing (Venezia, Hardtechno Anthem, Bella Ciao, Fortuna and Ameno) as it is the kind of techno Thyjs surprisingly will find good (because Ry will definitely listen to his music at home and even drag soldier boy to CCR).

—

All cover artwork done by me.

⚠️ READ: Please do not repost/reupload any of my art (the cover pics) here or to any other platform, or I will be forced to do anything to get it annihilated.

Why two?

There's two of them as I wanted to separate the (hard) techno beats from the more ebm (electro body music), dark wave and industrial ones which I also minimized to German (and one Austrian) artists only. I like the idea it is a station that plays only German as I've read in one of the many lore books that 'Technoise' is a German music genre:

"Technoise and its various derivations dominate much of the German scene. If you're hip, you already know about Technoise. If not, listen up. Technoise is quite popular with the discerning young punk; it was popularized by Germany's own NetWerk actually, you've got your Overlay style from London, Jazznetic from Rotterdam and Echo from Frankfurt. In addition, there are people producing Frock (Fractal Rock) all over the place. The good thing is, Technoise is quite easy to produce. You only need a small computer, some software and you're ready to buzz. Those of you with a message might miss the political attitude, but you're missing the point. Technoise is strictly for partying, tripping and dancing. People meet and dance up to the runner's point. Maybe that's a political statement in itself, oder?" — Eurosource Plus The New Eurotheater Sourcebook for Cyberpunk

Now I do not know how exactly the 'Lore Technoise' does sound as I can imagine it very well having more rock elements (as they speak of 'overlay style from london' (like punk back then swapping over to Germany in the mid or was it late? 70s -> German punk bands formed but also the New Wave came to exist, spread into the goth genre and so on, also Industrial so both ways; rock and electronic elements etc.) so I may have my own headcanon for it, while others maybe interpret it differently?

I definitely see some political messages in some ebm and industrial songs as well but a lot also are focused on something else less political. And if we go pure (hard) techno, it's definitely just for 'partying, tripping and dancing'. I can't say if it will stay like this, if I delete some songs or add new but for now I think it's good. If you want you can follow one or even both playlists. I would be happy about it though I know it's not everyone's music taste. ;)

And yeah ofc I placed Ryder into the covers, it's playlists for him, so yeah. If I ever do it with my other boys I'll do that the same way.

–

I'm also working on a list for Chrome Chamber Rave that will be even longer and have more songs by the artists that are already on Hell Bunker, but it's more for personal reasons as I started to dive so deeo into it I also searched pics that help me imgine how the location looks etc. Maybe I'll make another post for it, maybe not.

[shuttershocky]

It really is something how beloved Shimousa is when if picked apart it wasn't even that good.

WAIT before you all throw your shoes at me, know that I fully agree that Shimousa rules. It's the only FGO chapter I really want to see animated and done right. I also just don't think it was that good.

Shinjuku had the stronger narrative arc for its primary protagonist (+ antagonist) Moriarty, Salem made better use of its setting with some fantastic paranoia and the surprising introduction of the outer gods into Type-Moon, and Seraphix (the CCC event) was just Nasu showing off his skills by using the structure of the ballet Giselle and making Meltryllis follow Giselle's footsteps while making something completely different while Shimousa was a straightforward "beat these seven guys and then the boss" adventure. If it wasn't for Agartha existing, Shimousa might have actually been the worst part of Epic of Remnant. All of its strengths would have been vastly improved by being in a different, more visual medium (see: the manga version and its sick art), as the format (and just the prose + dialogue in general) just couldn't capture all the cool shit it was trying to show you.

Yet it's the most popular, and it's just so damn fun. Musashi's charisma is among the best in Type-Moon, and everything about her just clicks. Her character design is simple and yet instantly recognizable, she can turn on a dime between being the dashing hero and the goofball oaf, and most importantly, she dual wields swords. (That's rad as fuck.)

Musashi became so iconic they're literally making a whole game about samurai so she gets to appear in something else after FGO killed her off. What a star.

This part probably doesn't apply to as many people, but if you're like me and like a lot of old Type-Moon it was also just really great to see TM do dark fantasy / horror again. Shimousa went MAXIMUM chuunige: servants get horrifically corrupted beyond the point of saving and their eyes weep blood, Musashi's duels take place in a field of skulls underneath a blood moon, there's a terrifying scene where Musashi beheads Lancer of Purgatorio, only for him to keep laughing and fighting while his head reformed from warped flesh from his neck. We even got a new EMIYA remix out of nowhere. What the fuck.

Shimousa ruled so hard. I want an anime so bad, but at the same time I don't know if I can trust an anime to do it right now that I've seen what the manga did with it.

[barrenclan]

do you have any advice on comic-making / executing a story? i have one all planned but idk where to start now that its time to actually write / draw it out ;;

Sure! Here's some excerpts from a script I wrote awhile ago about making a comic, especially a Warriors-based one (though it mostly applies to any comic project).

"Off the bat, and before you make any bold moves, I do recommend a good amount of planning. But since you've already got that part done, the real best place to start is to just start. It sounds easy, but working up the nerve to really begin your project is what stops 99% of people from any creative endeavour. Don’t worry about quality, perfection, readership when you start your comic - those will come along the way. You should form your structure and lay down your foundation, but at some point you just need to start.

I am, at heart, a writer. I love and enjoy art, but writing comes easily and quickly to me, and I have years of practice at it. So for scripting, I wrote individual chapter summaries and a full script before I started TDS. But I know some comic artists who write the script as they’re going along! Generally, if you’re someone who wants more structure, you’ll probably want a full script. If you’d rather be more loose with your comic, chapter summaries and ideas with dialogue on the day would be for you. It can vary from project to project, too; for PATFW, I've written out full summaries for each issue, but I don't write the story itself until I begin to work on the issue in full.

Motivation is a tricky question, because most of creative motivation is intrinsic, and that is simply not something that you can gain in any easy way except real passion. It’s that feeling you’ll have if a story connects with you in a meaningful way, one that can’t just be rushed into. But I think extrinsic motivation can include things like setting reasonable and achievable goals for yourself. Promising to yourself that you’re going to upload one page every week, or do all the lineart for a batch of pages on Sunday, or that you’re going to write one sheet of your script every time you have an hour of free time, can help you stay on track and get used to the rigor of committing to a large project.

Lastly for this post, I cannot stress HOW important a buffer is. For those of you who don’t know, a buffer is just an amount of pages you’ve completed prior to posting your current page. For example, when I would post page 50, I would have already completed pages up to 59. Buffers are critical because they allow you to make room for unexpected or time-consuming events in your life without sacrificing your comic. They help you maintain a schedule, which as I already discussed is important for motivation and consistency. There is no “correct” amount of pages for a buffer, either. I personally work about ten pages ahead. I know people who work entire chapters ahead of posting. There are some people who only have a few pages in the hopper before they post. There are even those who finish their whole comic before posting any of it! It’s all up to you and how much you decide to do."

I hope any of that was helpful!

[semiferalstreetcoyote]

ok i wanted to do something for croma week rlly bad and since i'm not that confident in my art skills i wrote a fanfic :) its only about 2k words, i've never really done this before tho so i hope it turned out ok lol (ignore that it’s a day late)

“Did Lord Death really need to rent a venue this far away?”

“Maka, keep your fucking eyes on the road!”

“I wouldn’t need to keep looking back and forth if you read off the directions like you were supposed to!”

Soul grumbled something about the ‘straightforward’ instructions under his breath in reply. When Maka glanced at him, his dirty sneakers that he had insisted on wearing were smudging the dashboard and he was very clearly watching a Minecraft parkour video. Despite the lack of space in the back, she was regretting giving him shotgun privileges. She could have made room somewhere. Overlooking the trunk was too generous a move.

In the rearview mirror she checked on her passengers. Kid sat in the middle seat – the ‘bitch seat’, as Patti refused to stop calling it. Liz and Patti sat on either side in matching white dresses. Their outfits had been painstakingly planned out by Kid weeks in advance. On each side of his chest he wore a perfectly positioned white boutonniere.

“Kid,” Maka asked into the mirror, “why is your dad going to all this trouble? Couldn’t we just do this on school grounds?”

“He mentioned something-or-other about wanting to do ‘something normal’ for the student body. I believe all of this is wildly unnecessary, but… you know Dad.”

“Ah.”

“Maka, that’s – that’s the turn. You’re missing it. Get the – no, the sign with the balloons on it. Maka!”

“I got it! Stop yelling in my damn ear, Soul!”

The venue that Lord Death had chosen was rectangular and beige, with large cardboard letters that spelled ‘PROM’ adorning the entrance. They weren’t lit up and so they loomed in the darkness above the students. Even though the little parking lot, too, was dim, it was clear that most of the spots were taken.

“Maka, your clock reads eight-o’-four,” chirped Kid from the back seat. “Prom started at eight o’ clock. Your clock is fast, right?”

Soul sighed. “Calm down, Kid. Ever heard of being fashionably late? It’s cool.”

“I don’t see what’s ‘cool’ about being late.”

“Yep, that checks out.”

“Frankly, I don’t need somebody who wears Air Jordans to a formal event lecturing me on what’s ‘cool’ and what isn’t.”

“Both of you please shut up.” Maka swerved into a free space at the end of the lot and the jolt, thankfully, quieted the bickering men.

Black Star and Tsubaki stood outside the entrance and greeted the group when they arrived, by leaping up and down and waving, respectively. Soul ran ahead and ended up in a headlock, his friend shaking him around like a dog with a toy. Maka chuckled under her breath. Black Star was Soul’s reason for showing up at the micro-event. Neither of them could miss such a cool, super-cool gathering of coolness.

As soon as Maka stepped inside, she was snow-blind. Had Lord Death decided on ‘the color white’ as the theme? White streamers, white paper lining the floor, and was that a cutout of a polar bear in the corner? It had to be. The disappointment that hit Maka did not seem to affect Soul and Black Star in the slightest. Both of them trotted off to explore. Tsubaki, now separate from her friend, crept up to Maka.

“Hi, Maka.”

“Hi, Tsubaki! How did getting Black Star up here go?”

“He tried to wear one of those dollar sign necklaces. He… has a sense of style!”

Maka grimaced. “He sure has one.”

“Crona is already here, by the way. I saw them in the window while we were waiting for you.”

Maka would have been content staying at home studying the whole night. Crona was her reason to go. Prom was nothing more than an excuse to see the people you adore, after all, and the more time she spent with them, the more her affection grew.

“Really? Where are they?”

“Over there.”

Tsubaki pointed to what appeared to be a snack bar. Crona stood crooked beside a wide punch bowl, observing the dancers on the floor. Tsubaki giggled and threw Maka back to the present. She had been staring.

“Tsubaki, look at them. Look at their bowtie. They’re so cute, I’m… my hands are so sweaty. Ew.” She laughed to herself.

“They really do look nice. You go talk to them. I’m going to say hello to Liz and Patti.”

“Got it. Wish me luck.”

“Good luck! You’ll do just fine.”

Crona spotted Maka after she was already speeding toward them. They jolted and offered an awkward wave hello.

“Crona! Hi! Is it okay if I give you a hug?”

“Oh! Th– that’s fine!”

Maka threw her arms around them in a bear hug. She wasn’t sure if the lavender smell on them was the work of false fragrance or a real plant in their pocket, but she loved it all the same. Their jacket itself was soft. Very soft. She buried her forehead into their shoulder.

“It’s so good to see you!”

“It’s good to see you, too. I, uh… missed you.”

“God, you see her all the time. You saw her two days ago, dumbass.”

Maka forced a smile. “Hi, Ragnarok.”

“Ignore him,” Crona whispered. “Do you like the decorations? It was mostly Marie and me setting them up.”

“They’re nice. I’m, uh… not sure I understand the theme.”

Crona lit up and snatched a solo cup from the table beside them. They filled it with the punch and handed it to Maka.

“Try it. It’ll make sense, I promise.”

“...Oh, it’s coca-cola.”

Crona pointed to the cutout of the polar bear. Up close, Maka could see that someone had draped a scarf around its shoulders.

“Oh my God, is the prom coca-cola bear themed?”

They nodded vigorously. “Marie came up with it after Lord Death bought nothing but white decorations.”

“That’s adorable! I… don’t think anybody’s going to get it, though.”

“Yeah. That’s why I’m over here, so I can explain it to anyone who doesn’t know.”

Maka squinted. “Your plan is to be over here, pouring soda for everyone the whole time?”

“Um… yes?”

“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather tag along with me instead?”

Maka saw Crona begin to blush. The abundance of black blood let off a gray color instead of the typical red. Crona looked back and forth; the confidence that they once held had evaporated into the stuffy room.

“Are you sure that I wouldn’t bother you, or anything?”

“Of course you wouldn’t bother me. Actually, I’d really like to spend time with you.”

Crona agreed, thankfully, because Maka’s face burnt and she was not entirely sure what she would say if they had any other doubts. Together they said hello to the chaperones – Marie, Sid, Stein, and Naigus, each of them commenting on the secret theme and Crona’s involvement – and bounced between Tsubaki’s group and the snack bar. Despite the attractions and the people to spend time with, Maka’s attention remained consistently fixed upon Crona.

They had been engaged in this routine for an hour until the dj’s cacophonous dance music was abruptly replaced by some 80s love ballad that Maka couldn’t remember the name of. From the snack bar, they watched groups break off into pairs or cluster at the back of the room.

“The music’s quieter now,” noted Crona.

“Yeah. It’s so that everyone who brought a date can, well… have their date. It’s the whole reason couples come here, anyway.”

“Oh.”

She took a deep breath and wiped her palms onto her dress. “Do you want to dance with me, Crona?”

Crona froze, their mouth open, a small pretzel still in their hand. “Are you- are you sure that you want to? With me? I - I’ve never really done this before and I don’t want to ruin–”

“I’m sure. I’ve kind of been hoping that I’d get to dance with you since I got here.”

Crona’s whole face bore smudges of gray, like charcoal. They scratched the back of their neck and, with great care, held out their hand for Maka. She took it.

“Awh, your hands are sweaty, too!”

“Oh. Sorry.”

“No, it’s okay! I don’t mind, I promise.”

After a few failed attempts at a traditional dance, the pair decided that the best course of action would be to follow the precedent set by the other couples and rock back and forth holding each other. Maka could hear Crona’s heartbeat even over the music. Every once in a while they asked for some form of confirmation – was Maka comfortable, was she still okay with it, and so on – and each time, she reassured them.

“I’ve been having a really good time with you,” she whispered during the song’s closing solo.

“Yeah. This is really nice… thank you for dancing with me, Maka.”

“Mhm! Like I said, I really wanted to.”

Crona just smiled and pulled Maka closer. What was once a loud growl of dozens of people talking throughout the room had died down to a distant humming. She could focus on them, their texture, their smell, everything. Nobody else existed.

The song changed from classic rock back to modern pop and the roar started up again. Maka looked around at the groups of friends reclaiming the dance floor, and among them, she spotted Black Star and Soul dancing – perhaps they thought that they were on fire and they were flailing in fear. That would explain quite a bit.

“These idiots,” she scoffed.

“Hey, Casanova,” Ragnarok sneered, “Why don’t you take your lady friend upstairs?”

“Oh, no, they said not to go up there.”

“Come on, I’m trying to do you a favor here!”

“Ragnarok, shut the fuck up.” Maka looked from the vile little ghoulie back to Crona. “What’s upstairs?”

“Oh, it’s just the roof. Marie said not to let anyone up there because someone could fall.”

She side-eyed Black Star, who was doing some sort of dance that involved clenching his hands into fists and wiggling his arms very very fast. “Did she name any names?”

Crona seemed to see, too. They winced. “I guess that rule was probably for him. It’s so loud in here… we can go up there, if you want. So we can hear each other better. I don’t think that would be against the rules.”

They snuck through the stairwell door after Crona revealed its location – obscured behind one of the bear cutouts. Outside, nothing could be heard of the party except for a muffled beat. Nothing could be felt except for a cool night breeze. Against the horizon, turbines whirred valiantly in the darkness. Both of them sat down side by side in the middle of the roof.

“This is much better,” sighed Maka.

“Mm.”

“Are you okay?”

“Just happy. This past…well, everything has been really nice. Thanks for hanging out with me, Maka.”

“Of course. You don’t have to keep thanking me.” She grinned and nudged their shoulder.

“Sorry. Habit. I just don’t know how to say it. Being with you at the DWMA has been… I’ve been happy. Especially because of you. You’re amazing. I really… I really like you.”

“I really like you, too. You’re one of the bravest people I know.” She was smiling. Her face hurt from it. “Hey. Crona. Look at me, okay?”

“Hm?”

Maka leaned in. She waited, in case Crona wanted to pull away, and when they only leaned closer she held their jawline and kissed them. A second later it was over, and she was staring into their eyes again. Those eyes sparkled like lightning in the desert.

“Hi.” They said after a sizeable trail of stammering.

She giggled. “Hi.”

For a time – there was no way to be certain whether it was minutes or hours – Maka leaned against their shoulder and the two of them spoke in whispers while they looked at the stars. The kiss seemed to give Crona a second wind of courage and they had their free arm caressing Maka’s.

“The others and I are going to go to my place after this and watch a movie,” she said. “I’d really like it if you came.”

“Are you sure they wouldn’t mind?”

“Are you kidding? They all like you. Even Kid.”

“Mm.” They smiled. “I’ll come with you, then.”

A coyote cried out somewhere in the distance.

“All of this really has been great. Even the shitty music and the coke bear theme.”

“Your lips tasted like coke when you kissed me.”

Maka laughed. “Well, there’s worse things, I guess.”

It was almost midnight when Soul and Black Star lost their energy at the dance. They were some of the last to leave apart from the chaperones themselves. What this meant was a lot of barefoot waiting in the car for Maka, Crona, Kid, Liz, and Patty.

“Okay, we’ve gotten through… fourteen songs waiting,” sighed Liz. “Any requests for the fifteenth?”

“I don’t think I know any more songs,” said Crona.

“Really? That’s tragic. Liz, play something classic,” Kid ordered.

“Classic or classical? I can never tell with you.”

“Wait, hold on!” Maka gripped the steering wheel. “Here he comes!”

Soul walked across the parking lot, his tie undone and his shoelaces spilling over the pavement. He was a mess. He staggered to the shotgun door and opened it, only noticing too late how it was occupied.

“What? Crona? Huh. Would you mind moving over?”

“Sorry, Soul. You snooze, you lose.” Maka smiled. “You’ll just have to sit somewhere else.”

“Wh–? There’s no more seats. Where am I going to sit?”

“Well, there’s always the trunk.”

[communist-ojou-sama]

as someone who only knows blue archive from art and toki's wiki page (after being lured in by her eyes and hair vents), i genuinely am very curious about your thoughts on himari-toki-rio!

Oh thank u thank u! As a disclaimer I don't actually olay the game :p I've just watched videos of all the main story arcs, but theres a whole lot that I like about the deeply strange relationship those three have going on.

So for a bit of story summary, in chapter 2 of the main story Rio is the main antagonist, kidnapping the girl around which the story revolves because while she doesn't know it, the girl in question is a biomechanical superweapon and the princess of the nameless priests who want to bring an end to the world as we know it, and she wants to destroy this girl before she can realize that destiny.

In order to do so she has apparently built an entirely new city under the existing city in which the story takes place, enlisting entirely robot labor without the knowledge of the General Student Council of the city, with Toki, her personal maid, as her sole confidant. But Rio's secretiveness and overconfidence backfire. When she attempts to put Aris, the princess in question in a machine she built to destroy her, the second personality within Aris is able to hack into the control system and seize control of the entire mechanical city, threatening to turn it into a staging ground for the very invasion Rio was aiming to prevent. But before that happens, Rio uses her automated security systems to slow the protagonists down, and Toki goes out all on her own to fight the entire main cast, in a bespoke mech that Rio designed and had constructed for her, and fights against the protagonists to the bitter end to buy time for Rio. (Sorry this is all necessary context)

So Himari, on the other hand, is on the protagonist side, she's the only person at Millenium academy who's acknowledged as Rio's intellectual equal, but she's got the exact opposite personality to Rio's cold, calculating, conservative approach. She's totally confident that the threat inside of Aris can be neutralized and fights to save her, and it's her hacking skills that allow the main cast to defeat the nameless priests when they hijack the city.

In the aftermath of this event, Rio disappears into hiding, not even telling Toki where she's going or taking Toki with her, and so with nowhere else to go Toki begins working under Himari instead.

Himari and Rio are long-standing rivals who disagree about everything but have grudging respect for one another's intellect and talent, which is fun on its own, but going by minor appsreances from Rio (via surveillance drone, shes still in hiding) imply that she's genuinely very sorry about what she's done, and theres a scene much later where Himari rips into Rio for abandoning Toki after all the girl has done for her.

ALL OF THAT SAID

Whats really making me ill is a prospective day when Rio finally returns, how will Toki react? And how will Himari react to that reaction? Will Toki immediately accept Rio's apology and return right away to Rio's right hand? And if she does how would Himari feel? Would she beg her not to go? Would she plead to her to remember how shed been betrayed, to no avail?

Or the contrary? What if Toki's so hurt that she's not willing to associate with Rio right away? Due to some things I don't wanna get into Himari's attitude toward Rio has softened, and I'm not unconvinced Himari doesn't have feelings for Rio herself, is that why she got so angry on Toki's behalf, because she felt abandoned too? The more I think about it the sicker I get

[brown-spider]

Hi! I really love your Spidersona Sunny, they're such a mood. Ngl they crack me up with how done they already are with the whole hero gig😂 and I was curious about something.

Do you think Sunny and Miles would get along? They seem like they would be great friends for lots of reasons, like their shared love of art and how similar you said their worlds are. Also maybe a shared kind of disillusionment with heroing, cause let's be real, there ain't no way Miles is coming out of any of this even slightly okay. Highkey think he was a little depressed before he got jumped by hundreds of spider people and after having the friends and mentor he was desperate enough to give up his passions for, only for them to gaslight and betray the hell out of him, plus whatever fucked up shit that's for sure happening in Btsv, it's gonna get so much worse. That and I think Miles would find Sunny's ability to juke the canon, kinda like he does, so awesome. Deadpool joking about Sunny avoiding plot trauma by running off screen is everything. They just say, "nah, fam I'm good" and just leaves🤣

Miles: If you teach me how to juke canon I'll watch Deadpool for you.

Sunny: Deal

I feel like Miles could make friends with anybody tbh 😂

Miles and Sunny's attitudes towards heroing are a bit different, i think. Miles stepped up to the mantle after building up confidence that he deserves it, that he can be someone ppl rely on. He's outraged by the idea that Spiderman as a symbol of heroism/hope can't "always" win or can't do "both." He also has bit of pettiness around the lack of reward/freedom/gratitude for being Spiderman; it comes with the territory of being a teenager who does selfless deeds on the daily only to get grounded or have his roomate not bother to dial 3 numbers or be told that he isnt allowed to stop his dad from dying-

Ahem.

Whereas Sunny doesn't have a sense of duty or optimism towards being Spiderman. They don't WANT to be someone people rely on, they NEVER believed that one person could "always" or "do both", they're resigned to the things happening around them.

Sunny doesn't know about canon events, courtesy of their Peter not telling them because they freaked out at the mere concept of a multiverse and want nothing to do with HQ outside of removing anomalies from their own dimension. Deadpool makes 4th wall breaking jokes but Sunny sees it the same way you and I would react if someone pretended to break the fourth wall; its just a joke. Like "haha, what if we were in a simulation." Of course, ever since they found out about the multiverse, those jokes became much LESS funny to them 😬

So yeah, Sunny dodging canon doesn't come from a determination to live up to what they think Spiderman should be, or out of defiance of The Way Things Are like how it is for Miles, its the exact opposite. They're avoiding responsibility and expectations, they've decided that nothing they do will make a Real difference except to make them More Depressed when they inevitably fail.

If Miles told them about canon events, their response would probably be something like "......... I wish you hadn't told me that." Because what are they supposed to do?? Not only are they being told that Fate has guaranteed certain tragedies occurred to hundreds of thousands of heroes WAY BETTER THAN THEM- but ALSO that those same far-more-skilled-heroes have dedicated themselves to making sure those tragedies continue to happen. So tell them, what the heck are they supposed to do??

They wouldn't do anything. But they also wouldn't stop Miles. They hate the concept of fate and would hope he breaks the algorithm with his friends and saves the day, because its way easier to place their faith in people who can Actually make change than to get involved and get themself hurt.

[eliza-styx]

The grand Kömsko (König/Gromsko) timeline & masterpost

The time has come to sum up the lore and history of the ship that stole hearts of many by complete accident and wormed its way into the subconscious of many Polish shippers in the cod fandom. This post is for you, if you wanna participate in our little cult but struggle a bit with realising what headcanons may be appropriate for Gromsko, if you’re not Polish yourself and some König ideas that we think make sense in relation to this ship.

It all started on the fateful day of December 9th 2022 when Ghostytoasty  made the most random joke that was exactly the snowflake needed to start an avalanche of events

It led to Orin pitching an idea of enemies to lovers story for these two and my own brainworms picked it up to basically draft the whole fanfic in the conversation, at which point Shiba promised to make art for, if I actually wrote it.

Well, two days later, a child was born, the very first Kömsko fanfic to be posted on AO3

Shelter Me

written by none other than me aka ElizaStyx with the beautiful cover art done by MizuShiba

And thus the ship became reality.

It gained interest on twitter with artists like @/620_ne1 and @/Capitan_LX among others posting their own fanart of the pair

Shiba, of course also kept creating more  beautiful art of the couple

Encouraged by the small cult that spawned amongst the people of the ghostsoap discord I started working on the sequel fic, a humorous and fluffy take on the pair dealing with being in love while also working for the rival factions

Carry You

meanwhile, Ghostytoasty got their own inspirational angst juices flowing and wrote a beautifully poetic MCD fic

The warmth that lingers as a shattered heart bleeds

Somewhere along the way, a side channel dedicated to Kömsko spawned in the discord and we begun to fill it up with the various headcanons and ideas that are now listed in a twitter thread by Capitan_LX but to sum up some facts to start your own juices flowing

Gromsko basic headcanons:

- born 11.11.1990, on the Polish Independence Day - brought up in roman catholic faith with very strict, religious parents and a younger sister we named Judyta, definitely was either an altar boy or sung in the church choir - wears a cross around his neck since childhood - history nerd, knows everything about history of Poland and will ramble all night long - has two music listening modes: Sabaton or Polish pop like Doda, hates disco polo - very patriotic, brought up basically brainwashed into believing in God, Honour, Fatherland above all else, had dreams of a winged hussar and that’s why he joined the army (but also dreaming of men, huh?) - struggled coming to terms with his sexuality because the catholic church teaches that homosexual love is forbidden, used to say very offensive shit in his youth but definitely had grown since then - swears in Polish even if he speaking in a different language - calling people idiots and other names is his language of love - never recieved gifts as a kid, cries every time König gives him something and  König keeps showering him with gifts - knows English, Russian and German but doesn’t let on just how much German he understands because König loves to whisper sweet things into his ear that he thinks Gromsko doesn’t understand

König basic headcanons:

- born 15.08.1994, on the day of Assumption of Mary which is obviously a big religious holiday in Poland - is an only child, brought up by a single mom who struggled to make ends meet and worked several jobs but would give up anything to care for him, though often was absent overworking herself - severely bullied in school for being tall, awkward and having no dad, called slurs - became a bookworm to escape reality into fictional worlds - keeps a journal of his thoughts and the books he read - daydreams a lot and in the evening writes down many stories that he daydreams about during the day in his journal but thinks they are silly and never showed anyone until Gromsko came around (Gromsko adores them) - his love language is gift giving and he will look for excuses to give gifts - listens to heavy metal and death or black metal, loves Rammstein - gets into Behemoth and other Polish metal bands because of Gromsko - brushes his teeth at least three times a day, never smoked because it’s bad for gum health - decides to learn Polish in secret so Gromsko doesn’t know he understands when he calls him names - will listen to Gromsko ramble about history all night long - anxious mess 24/7, has severe panic attacks sometimes but Gromsko knows exactly how to ground him and calm him down

[joezworld]

The Headboard [Shitpost]

So, I just want to preface this with: I'm probably sorry for this.

That being said, I put 45 whole minutes into this, so it's not like I can't post it.

Also, the art is by the very wonderful [NAME REDACTED], who definitely doesn't want their name associated with this.

(This image is here so the joke isn't spoiled by tumblr embedding the first image in the post in links. Also so I don't have to look at it.)

----

Tidmouth, Present Day

It started innocently enough. 

A “Twitch Streamer” - someone who played video games live on the internet - had contacted the railway, asking if it would be possible to charter a train. He explained that he was planning to do a live event with his fans, and as most of the video games he played were about trains, it seemed like a “fun idea” to do so while onboard a real train.

While it may seem unusual for a media personality to charter a train, on Sodor this wasn’t exactly unusual. Money was money, and trains were often chartered for sporting events, railtours, and film and television productions; while it was for a different media spectrum than usual, the NWR didn’t see anything wrong with operating a single charter train for him. 

They even did their due diligence, consulting some of the younger members of staff. to make sure that this individual hadn’t done or said something morally reprehensible, and that his content wasn’t something shocking or provocative.

It should be noted that, while incredibly tech savvy, the specific youths that the head office inquired to (which included Richard Hatt’s own children) had never actually heard about this particular “streamer” before. As a result, they did some cursory searches of his available videos, and watched a few of his live streams. 

Nothing that they saw stood out to them, but that was because they didn’t know where to look. 

--

A few weeks later

The box showed up with the post only a day before the charter was to take place. The charter would have its own special headboard, and the streamer had had one made specially for the service, so its timely arrival was a relief. 

“-eard about it,” Said one of the fitters, as he carried the box into the sheds the next morning. “From my nephew, he watches ‘im. Said it was some sort of collaboration video with a bloke who does metal forging online. Certainly feels heavy enough.”

“Looks big enough too.” Siobhan followed him through the door. “We might have to mount it up high.” 

Henry rolled his eyes hugely. Of course Gordon had been selected to do the Charter, and he’d been as insufferable as ever for the last few days. “Must you do this while I’m still here?” He yawned. “It’s too early to hear him go on and on about fitment.”

Gordon had apparently not been asleep, as Henry had thought. “Henry, if you are indeed so bothered by the early hour, maybe consider not taking the Flying Kipper? I’m sure Marina would be honored to take it more often.”

“How dare you-”

“Oi!” Siobhan shouted. They’re a hundred years old an’ yet I still have to mother them. “You, shut up. You, don’t encourage him.” She pointed to each engine in turn. “We’ve got to make ‘im spic and span in time for this shite, so no arguin’. Understand?” 

Ominous threats were left unsaid, and Gordon and Henry quickly shut up. 

Behind Siobhan, there was the sound of tearing cardboard, and then a confused “Eh?” 

“What?” 

“That’s an… odd choice of, well everything to be honest.” 

She looked in the box. “Isn’t that a… burger chain or something?”

“I think so.” The man turned his head as he pulled the headboard out of the box. “Why’s it on a headboard? An’ what does that word mean?” 

“I don’ know.” She reached into a pocket and pulled out her cell phone. “Ah, great, no service. Fuckin’ Vodaphone.”

“No wifi?” 

“It’s on the fritz, an’ IT works normal hours.” She turned to Gordon and Henry, who were steadfastly pretending that they weren’t curious. “You two know what this means?”

Henry laughed to himself. “No, but what a… jaunty colourscheme that is.” 

Gordon glared at him. “And what is that supposed to mean?”

“It looks silly! The letters look like they belong in a cartoon or somesuch!”

“But what does it mean, Henry? You don’t know anything?!” Gordon was indignant.

“I haven’t the slightest clue, but I assume that this is some kind of in-joke for whoever is chartering the train.” 

“A joke?! Siobhan! I will not be party to someone else’s sense of humour! Have Henry take this train!” 

By now, most of the shed was awake, and Gordon was promptly drowned out by his ever-so-supportive friends. 

“Oh no! You spent all week going on and on about this train!”

“You’re not getting out of it that easily, Gordon.”

“What’s this? Karmic retribution for how much of a pain in the buffers you’ve been? On Sodor? Who could’ve predicted that?”

“Well I certainly am not taking it.” 

“Och! Ye canno’ take a feckin in’ernet joke? Wha’ kind of a stick in tha mud are you?”

“Just wear the damn headboard!”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure your picture won’t be spread far and wide on the internet or anything!”

Gordon turned a bright shade of red and wheeshed steam at them all, which did absolutely nothing except make them louder and more insistent that he take the train. 

Biting her lip to keep from laughing at the engine’s absurdly angry expression, Siobhan helped the fitter put a ladder next to Gordon so he could mount the headboard at the top of the firebox. 

“If this turns out to be some obscene prank,” Gordon stared at them through narrowed eyes. “I will make it my mission in life to make you regret it.” 

“Good wit’ that, Bluey.”

----------

Later

The cleaners came and went in a flurry of polish and rags, and Gordon sparkled from end to end whether he liked it or not. Not a person he asked knew anything about the headboard, which only made him more suspicious that someone was keeping something from him. 

“I promise you that we’re not.” The Fat Controller had made his way over to the sheds at the urging of everyone who had spoken to Gordon that morning. “I assure you that this person is merely an… internet personality. If this is a joke, it’s harmless.”  

“But sir!” Gordon protested. “Nobody is even willing to find out! What if this is all just a joke?”

Stephen smiled kindly. “Nobody can look anything up right now - someone in Suddery was doing some digging last night and cut through a major communications cable - half the Island has no telephone or internet service today, us included.”

“Well, that doesn’t ch-”

“And, if it is a joke, even one at your expense, I expect you to be pleasant and composed for the railtour like the express engine you are.” He finished firmly. “If that is the case, we will deal with it as it comes, and you can tell me that you were right until you are blue in the face. Understand?” 

“Yes sir.” 

“Excellent. The train boards at nine sharp, and I expect you to be as pleasant as you possibly can be.”

Behind him, there was a murmur of “that’s expecting a lot, isn’t it?”, but the culprit was too stone-faced to be picked out of a lineup, despite dual glares from man and engine. 

----------

Eight Thirty. 

Gordon collected the train from the coach yard, and pulled into the platform with all of his considerable grace and pomposity on display. He was serene, he was calm, he was not the butt of someone’s-

“Oh” Two platforms over, Tornado stared, not at him, but up, at the board, looking for all the world like someone had smacked her upside the smokebox with a heavy object. 

“What.” He said, his fears instantly solidifying, and then transforming into anger. 

“Oh no.” She said, not paying any attention. 

Before anything else could be said, Donald rattled through the station, a heavy stone train from the Little Western trailing behind him. Tornado’s guard blew his whistle and waved his flag as the hoppers rolled by, and before Gordon could ask her what was wrong, she left in a great hurry.

His scowl formed and then instantly deepened. I have been made a fool of.  

He stayed this way, simmering angrily for almost ten minutes before Siobhan came out, a trainee fireman in tow. She walked down the platform, explaining the specifics of main line firing to the young man, before realizing that he’d stopped dead in his tracks. “Somethin’ wrong lad?”

“You do know what that means?” He said, blushing scarlet. 

“I knew it!” Gordon whistled angrily. “It is an obscene joke! What does it mean?! Out with it, boy!” 

The young man went pale underneath his blush, and shook his head back and forth in terror. “Oh no, no no no, no way.”

Siobhan wasn’t sure if she should be upset at the apparent obscenity, or in stitches at the idea of it happening to Gordon of all engines. “Lad, seriously, wha’ is it?” 

“I’m not saying it at work.” He said in a small voice. 

Gordon looked thunderous, and Siobhan decided that the headboard needed to come off before anything else was said. 

Of course, this was Sodor, and trouble reared its head at exactly this moment. 

The charter train was quite short, and Gordon was somewhat further back in the station than he ordinarily would be. This meant that when Oliver puffed in with a passenger train from the Little Western, he stopped ahead of Gordon on the platform. His passengers disembarked, streaming out of Dulcie and Isabel towards the stairways for the under-platform tunnels. 

It was half term, so quite a few young people were on the train, and as they walked down the platform, they all did the same thing: they looked at Gordon, looked at his headboard, looked at the platform or their phone, then quite violently looked back at the headboard. Some even stopped in place, and one girl just barely managed to stifle a shriek that otherwise would’ve echoed throughout the station building. 

Then the cell phone cameras came out. 

-----

In the station cafe, Stephen Hatt’s phone ‘pinged’ - the first time it had done so all morning. 

Ah! He thought to himself. Service is back. 

He immediately began paging through his rapidly growing backlog of emails and news alerts, before a business news article caught his attention.

That better not have been an obscene reference… He thought to himself as he typed in the seemingly innocuous phrase. 

-

-

-

His phone almost fell out of his hand, as he flailed and struggled to close the obscene tab he had just opened. 

Shoving aside another patron, he flew through the door of the cafe, his top hat just barely staying on his head. There, across the platform, Gordon was surrounded by a crowd of helplessly laughing teenagers, looking angrier than he’d ever been. 

“SIR!” He boomed, having seen the man exit the restaurant. “I TOLD YOU! I TOLD YOU THIS WAS A JOKE AT MY EXPENSE!”

[haikyuufanfictions]

Wrong Sized Skirt

(**ART IS NOT MINE**)

{Pairing: Koushi Sugawara x Fem! Reader}

TW: Overstimulation, Pet Names, Clit Abuse, Orgasm Denial, Dom! Sugawara, Sub! Reader, Sugawara being a cheeky asshole, Sugawara is a simp for you~

Summary:

Sugawara comes home to a unexpected surprise, and he pays you back with the best sex you can remember.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You don’t even know how you got there, or rather, you do, you just don’t care to remember. The feeling of his finger tips against your puffy clit and swollen cunt are all your mind can focus on. “Jesus fuck, Koushi~” You moan, the pleasure of his menstrations overwhelming your senses, the ones that work anyway. “You’re so sexy darling, y’pussy so pretty.” Sugawara groaned into your pussy, his voice practically in you, causing your clit to tingle with the vibrations of his voice. 

“I want you to count just how many orgasms you have tonight, and then double that is how many you’re going to have next time. Kay, sweetheart?” 

He asks you tauntingly, his voice dripping with honey and aphrodisiacs, making his words seem like a question, asking if you would please count for him, but it is really a demand. A demand you are going to meet without question, even if it will result in you passing out from pleasure the next…you don’t know when, just soon. You just know it feeds his sick desire to watch you come undone under him, but if it feels this good, you couldn’t care less. 

Sugawara leans his cheek against your inner thigh, chuckling as he watches your pretty pussy suck in 2 of his digits, soaking them with your slick. You whine as you feel your high coming in, about to hit you. Your whines rise in pitch and you suck in a heavy breath preparing for the impending orgasm. Only…it doesn’t come. You feel his fingers slide out of you and you lift your head up, confusion written all over your cute face. “K-Koushi?” You whimper, oh so pathetically. “Sorry doll, but you only get to cum on my dick tonight. I was just preparing you for the main event that was soon to come.” Sugawara stood up, his thin, tall figure looming over yours, laying on the bed in a disheveled, aroused mess. You watched as he finally took off his jeans, the ones he wore to teach his class of adorable little kids. His cock sprung out in all its glory. Sugawara smirked as he saw you slightly drool at the sight. He kicked his pants off his ankles and lined himself up with you. He just stood there, watching you buck your hips in need of him. Sugawara licked one of his fingers and started his rapid fire assault on your abused clit, still sensitive from his previous endeavors. 

A loud and pathetic mewl fell from your lips as his fingers rubbed and stimulated the nest of nerves. His favorite part of this whole thing was almost here. Sugawara waited until you were just about to cum, your heavy breathing and high pitched moans and whines were a dead giveaway. He chose the moment in which you only needed one final push over the edge, and he shoved his entire cock inside of you, bottoming out in a mere second. He instantly hit your g-spot, making you cum. You screamed his name so loud your throat felt itchy. “Baby? I just put my dick in you, and you're cumming already?” He said, suddenly taking on an innocent facade, acting as if he hadn’t done it on purpose. Your legs still shaking from your orgasm, you try to sit up to wrap your arms around his neck.

He starts thrusting at a turbo-like speed, not wasting a second. Your eyes rolling back into your head, back arching, toes curling. This man knew every single part of your body like his own, and he knew just what to do to get you a moaning mess. “Hah~. You really should wear that skirt more often if this is what it leads to. Fuuuucccckkkk~.” Sugawara moaned out to you, moving your thigh against his chest. 

That’s how you got here. You were trying on some clothes that finally came in the mail. They had accidentally sent you the wrong size, so the skirt was a bit too small, being instead of loose and flowy, it barely covered your ass and was skin tight. Sugawara had just come home from work when you were trying the clothes on.

“Feels so good Kou- SHIIIIIT~” You sobbed out, your voice sounding broken because of your tears and moans from the pleasure you were getting. You came again for the 4th time so far, next time was going to be intense.

 Sugawara was nowhere near done with you.

By the time he finally came deep inside of you, filling you with his thick seed, you had had 11 orgasms, each stronger than the last. “How many times did you cum pretty girl?” Sugawara asked, pulling you close, spooning you after he had finished cleaning you both up. “11 I think.” Your voice soft from exhaustion and being very vocal with how you felt. Sugawara looked your body up and down, admiring how he had turned you into his canvas, painting you with hickeys and love bites, bruises that were all shades of red and purple, one was even turning blue. “So that’s 22 orgasms I have to get you to next time then, baby.” Sugawara hummed against the back of your neck. Your breathing had slowed, you were fading out of consciousness. You nodded and mumbled about how you loved him and wished him a good night and sweet dreams. He smiled warmly, still lovesick and amazed at how he could call you his, this perfect being, the definition of divine. “I love you too. Sweet dreams, my love.” Sugawara fell asleep cuddling you, snuggling his head into your hair. “I guess I have to plan for tomorrow then, how will I get her to 22?” 

Was his final thought before falling into the embrace of sleep. Dreaming of the next day to come.

[petriform]

my chiptune album "Veneer" turns 10 years old today

this was a big one for me! i'd started performing Petriform shows a little under a year earlier, and had figured out the direction i wanted to take my music at that time - the intersection of drum & bass and chiptune, which i'd taken to calling "hybrid chip" or "chip hybrid" or something similar - not that it mattered. what sealed the deal was that not only was it what i had the most fun producing and performing, it seemed like what the audiences i was playing to responded to the most (at the time, i'd been performing songs from "Relentless Eventful" and some early "chip hybrid" odds and ends from my first explorations of FamiTracker). so i was on the come-up, and had a clear vision toward something that seemed like it was going to come together really well.

and it did! "Veneer" is by most metrics (nebulously) my second-most successful album. by a very thin margin, it's the #1 most-downloaded item on my bandcamp. its release kicked off what would be my most active year of live performances, and took me to places i cherish to this day (my first 8bitsf and 8bitLA shows were both "Veneer" era).

so how do i feel about it now? you know that splatoon concept art, the "inkling development process?" with "Veneer" i feel like i was the second squid from the left. maaaaybe the one in the middle. i was throwing a lot of stuff at the wall, and what stuck was yet to be fully-refined. my vocoder, previously debuting on "Brown Plaid" less than two months earlier (yes, i released two full-length albums nearly back-to-back and very suddenly had Nothing™ cooking) made its chiptune debut here on the very first track ("Intercontinental Drift") and then... did not appear musically on the entire rest of the album. 👍 "Intercontinental Drift" has some fun polyrhythmic stuff at the end, which i hadn't done much of before, and that solo sounds close to something i'd bust out today, just with less interesting instruments and programming. on the rest of the album, there's pianos, amen breaks, supersaws, you name it. a (very) loose thematic concept and leitmotif bookends all but the first few tracks, trying to convey the imagery of the album art - the core of a planet surfaced with the faux wood veneer(!) of retro electronics.

so what from this album has endured? "Vanilla Extract" and "Coastal" lasted several more years than the rest of the album among my live setlists, and even those got phased out eventually (though "Vanilla Extract" remains my third-most performed song, despite not being in almost five years! i'm playing in seattle tomorrow; i should fix that...). "Coastal" in particular was such a signature song for me that it got a reprise, a new arrangement, and was the soft concept of "Dither Beach" six years later. all but two songs from the album ended up getting performed at some point, though by the end of 2015 they'd been phased out in favor of newer material (namely the stuff that would form my self-titled album and "Don't Worry, You're Great!"). on the one-year anniversary of the album's release, i played a six-song set with only one of those songs being from "Veneer." the "Veneer" era was 2014 - 2015, and that was it!

every album i've done since "Veneer" has been better than "Veneer", but it still has a particular charm, i think. it's the last release of mine that really committed to the whole "chip hybrid" thing; that went away around the same time most of the album did - late 2015. it's the first release that coincided with my growth as a live performer. it's "Veneer!"

listen to / download "Veneer" on bandcamp here