#i like penny and i like rhythm games

[yxorul]

(lol exams are next week but Penny is more important 🙏)

Anyways, had a try on giving Penny a Team Star outfit very Eeveelutions themed, clearly. Complete with LED masks, yay :D

Yeah, I gave her a car too (her Starmobile is a bit smaller than the others though but the platform she stands on is wider) fitted with rhythm game pads

The moment I saw the clip of Penny shredding the dance floor in the DLC's epilogue, my immediate thought "Yep, this nerd goes to the arcade and plays every single rhythm game available"

I also just find it funny at the thought where in the middle of the Cassiopeia fight she'll just pause the battle and forces the player to play a rhythm game with her lmao (she for sure uses her own theme as the music for rhythm game match)

[kuroshirosb]

Does anyone else think of custom battle music for their verses.

Like not really custom but u listen to an instrumental and u like awe this would be good for (insert character battle)

[rwby-encrusted-blog]

What do you think would be the first game jaune and weiss would show to penny? (Jaune x weiss x penny au)

Penny: What are we doing this game night?

Weiss: Well, we wanted to play a game that would test the reaction times and coordination of your new Body, so we brought a variety of games.

Jaune: Just Dance, Twister, Some fighting games.

Penny: That sounds very fun! Which shall we start with?

Weiss: I'm always partial to Just Dance.

Jaune: Then Just Dance we Shall!

~~~~~

Weiss: You've been Dancing for a while! Are you getting Tired?

Penny: I am slightly winded, but this is Quite fun!

Jaune: Penny, You're really Killing it!

Penny: *Stops suddenly* What?

Jaune: I mean you're doing really well, getting into the rhythm! Not literal Killing in this instance!

Penny: Oh! I recall hearing that at some point before ... I seem to have lost 'The Rhythm' as you put it.

Weiss: How're you feeling?

Penny: I will finish this song and move on to the next game!

Weiss: Good Idea. You could probably use a break.

~~~~~

Jaune: Wow, you really picked up on how to play this quickly!

Penny: Combat examination was one of the preliminary functions installed onto my mindset in my previous body. I am not displeased to learn I have maintained the majority of it's effects.

Weiss: *Got K.O'd about six minutes ago* Yep. You are both very, very good at this game, while I am not.

Jaune: You chose a character that had middling speed, and Bulk, with not a lot of range, but lots of damage when Her melee attacks land. A difficult character for a novice.

Penny: You also seemed unable to determine when characters had moments of invincibility coming out of dodges, or certain Counter abilities.

Weiss: Okay, so I'm bad and picked a bad character.

Jaune: Unskilled with a difficult character. It's different.

Penny: I will 'go easy' on you in the next round- RIGHT NOW!

Jaune: *K.O'd* Wow! Good feign into a Counter Penny!

Penny: Thank you!

~~~~~

Penny: What's that one?

Jaune: Which one?

Penny: "Mario Party Superstars*

Jaune: Oh I didn't mean to bring that one! It can be fun-

Penny: I would like to try it!

Weiss: I mean ... Jaune? It can't be that Bad, Right?

Jaune: I guess not ...

~~~~~

Penny: I am sorry for Overreacting. Thank you for arriving so quickly.

Firefighter: It's our Job Ma'am. Maybe next time, just try a boardgame.

Penny: That sounds like a good Idea. I have been wanting to Try Monopo-

J+W: *Covered in soot* NO!

[cosmerelists]

Who They’d Date in Stardew Valley: Stormlight Edition

If the Stormlight characters played Stardew Valley, which NPC would they choose to date? 1.  Adolin: Dates Leah

Adolin: Something about the red hair...the artistry...the bisexuality...

Adolin: Oh wow! I’m just dating Shallan in the game!

Adolin: ...awesome. 

2. Hesina: Dates Harvey

Hesina: I just can’t resist a small-town doctor!

Hesina: This one charges for medical care, though. 

Lirin: T-The monster!

Hesina: Great mustache, though.

3. Rlain: Dates Sam

Rlain: Of all the NPCs, Sam is the most musical.

4. Renarin: Dates Sam

Renarin: Y-Yeah, guys who know rhythms are the best, aren’t they, Rlain?

5. Veil: Dates Haley

Veil: Like I said. I like dumb women.

6. Shallan: Dates Elliot

Shallan: Such a fascinating deconstruction of gender roles!

Shallan: He writes! Plays music! Has long hair!

Shallan: He’s basically a hot ardent!

Kabsal: 👀

Shallan: No.

7. Taravangian: Dates Shane

Taravangian: It is the only logical choice.

Taravangian: Early birthday, easy loved gifts, perfect for dancing with at the first Flower Dance.

Taravangian: Anyone who does ANY planning would choose Shane!

8. Nale: Dates Krobus

Nale: The only character with a dependable schedule and no questionable activities.

Lift: Doesn’t he just sit in the sewer all day?

Nale: Dependable.

9. Rock: Dates Abigail

Rock: Ha! Like I could resist someone who literally eats rocks!

10. Tien: Dates Sebastian

Tien: He likes hunting frogs!

Tien: I think we’d get along great.

Tien: Frogs are basically lurgs, right?

11. Moash: Dates Alex

Moash: An accomplished athlete. Trains to be stronger. Knows the pain of familial loss...

Lopen: Is the only character who goes shirtless!

Moash: ...shut up.

12. Szeth: Dates Emily

Szeth: Finally. Someone who treats rocks as sacred.

13. Jasnah: Dates Penny

Jasnah: If I were to waste time in this game, I would clearly choose the scholar who spends the most time in the library. 

14. Kaladin: Dates everyone

Kaladin: Wait...there’s a dating mechanic?

Kaladin: Syl told me the bouquets were symbols of friendship!

15. Dalinar: Dates nobody

Dalinar: I do not believe it would be right to date someone else when I am married to Navani.

Navani: Dalinar...it is literally a game.

Stormfather: No, no, I’m with Dalinar on this one.

16. Navani: Dates Maru

Navani: I don’t know...something about this scientist woman who occasionally makes things explode...

17. Gavilar: Dates the Wizard

Gavilar: Secret, arcane power? Yes please.

Navani: That’s not even a datable character!

Gavilar: Bah! Like I wouldn’t mod.

[magicalgirlagency]

I know this is a magical girl blog, but since you've mentioned indie games, I wanna know which ones are your faves? I assume the list isn't a big one, considering how you dislike horror games...

Pizza Tower (has Horror elements, but it's overrall bonkers and with a bitchin' soundtrack! An update with The Noise as a playable character is in the works!);

AntonBall (and its upcoming sequel, AntonBlast, which it's more close to the Wario Land 4 experience than Pizza Tower);

Captain Wayne: Vacation Desperation (it's not out yet, but it's basically DOOM combined with One Piece);

Freedom Planet (I like how it started off as a SonicTH hack, only for it to grow into its own thing. Things get intense in the sequel!);

Spookware (WarioWare but spooky! And with graphics similar to Paper Mario, too!)

Thunder Ray (it's Punch-Out!! but waaay more intense! Like Shonen manga kind of intense!);

Fight Knight (DOOM combined with Punch-Out!! Also has an intense Shonen manga vibe);

Cosmic Boll (A colorful Beat 'Em Up with Sonic-y designs. Most likely discontinued/cancelled);

Kyle & Lucy: Wonderland (Yet another game with Sonic-y aesthetics and gameplay, combined with Felix the Cat. Looks like it has been discontinued/cancelled, sadly);

Friday Night Funkin' (the fact that this game has managed to help Newgrounds stay relevant after the death of Flash is quite an amazing feat!);

Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore (What if CD-i Zelda were its own original thing? And what if it were actually good?);

Pulling No Punches/Punhos de Repúdio (this one's brazilian! A Beat 'Em Up where you fight against antivaxxers with Bolsonaro as the Final Boss!);

Spark the Electric Jester (Sonic, Kirby and Ristar all combined into one);

Hazelnut Hex (a short but sweet Cute 'Em Up);

In Stars and Time (a monochromatic RPG about being stuck in a timeloop);

Cavern of Dreams (N64-styled Collectathon where you play as a cute baby dragon);

Super Lesbian Animal RPG (used to be a MLP fangame, but had to be altered due to copyright issues);

Them's Fighting Herds (same as SLARPG, but as a 1vs1 Fighting Game à la SkullGirls);

My Friendly Neighborhood (okay, this one's actually Horror, but it has heart and passion put into it);

Cuphead (the amount of dedication and research put into the old-timey visuals is admirable. Even the Netflix series is stylish!);

Hades (the Greek Mythos kid in me V I B R A T E S);

Berserk Boy (Mega-Man lookalike with soundtrack composed by Tee Lopes!);

Penny's Big Breakaway (by the Sonic Mania devs! And Tee Lopes works on the tunes, too!);

Undertale (well, duh. Deltarune didn't captivated me as much, though...);

Hollow Knight (not a big fan of MetroidVanias, but this one's got beautiful visuals);

Melatonin (think Rhythm Heaven, but dreamier, pastel-colored and more grounded in reality).

And that's all I have so far right now. Might update this list if I remember something else!

[rivalkieran]

ramble to/tell us about a random kieflo headcannon!

oh shit [shuffling through my notecards] uhmmmm. in terms of their preferred videogame genres I think florian dabbles in a little bit of everything but has an express interest in glitch hunting and speedrunning and the like. penny has complained about her skipping past important events for timesaves and florians response has been "its fine its not real". Does She Know?

as for kieran... rhythm game MANIAC and it is ENTIRELY florians fault. before actually properly becoming friends with the other league club members I dont think kieran was much of a video game guy bc of the general lack of access to them but then florian introduced him to project diva because. hatsune miku (florian likes vocaloid by the way). and kieran was like. "oh so I just have to hit the buttons in time with the music? pssshh. sounds easy I could do that" and then It Was Not Easy. he is nothing if not stubborn though so to prove a point to himself he threw himself at the thing until he did get kind of good. and then he was like. actually this is kinda fun. and he has not looked back since <3

[fruitcoops]

Hello my darling Eve! An image popped into my head the other day of coops like practicing for their first dance at their wedding, could you write a fix about this if you are interested 🥰🥰

This is in the top ten fluffiest prompts I've ever received and I love you for it. God bless. Coops credit goes to @lumosinlove!

“If I go lay in the driveway, will you run me over?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because.”

Remus pulled a face, half-hidden by the refrigerator door. “That’s rude.”

“It would be more rude to run my fiancé over with a car less than three months before our wedding,” Sirius noted as he wound his arms around Remus’ waist, leaving a kiss on his shoulder. His hair was still damp and curling at the nape of his neck, caramel turned mousy brown from the shower. “We’ve already sent out the invitations. It would be a lot of work to cancel it all this late in the game.”

“I wouldn’t call off the engagement if you ran me over.”

“Well, you’d be dead, so I think it’s implied.”

Remus snorted, but went willingly when Sirius guided him back to rest against his chest. Sirius gently took the carton of heavy cream from him and set it on the counter; he smiled when Remus’ fingers laced with his own and gave a squeeze. “You are so cozy.”

“Sore?”

“Mhmm.”

Sirius kissed the freckle at the peak of Remus’ ear. “Want me to rub your back?”

More weight rested on his aching muscles when Remus leaned his head back, but Sirius couldn’t bring himself to mind. The soft light of the kitchen shadowed his hooded eyes and dimmed the bright amber to true gold—it took his breath away, sometimes. Remus was just too handsome for his own good. “I need to finish dinner.”

“How much time do you have?”

“Five-ish minutes.”

Sirius cuddled him closer. His phone kept up a steady stream of music on the countertop, but the only rhythm he cared about was Remus’ steady pulse beneath his hand as they swayed in place, hardly moving more than an inch in their comfort. It was all too easy to rest his cheek in sandy curls and imagine a not-too-distant future where they would dance in a different context, one far more public than their kitchen. A future with their friends and family surrounding them and the weight of matching rings on their fingers, still cool from the newness…

“Penny for your thoughts?”

Sirius smiled to himself. “I want to dance with you like this at our wedding.”

“Just like this?” There was a smile in Remus’ voice as well, sweet like honey.

“Ouais. I’ll hold you like this, and then spin you like this…” Sirius guided him around until they were face to face, chest to chest, with Remus standing on his tiptoes. “And then I’ll kiss you just like this.”

The kiss was soft and chaste—butterflies tumbled through his abdomen and he cupped the side of Remus’ face in one hand, his fingertips sliding over his the short-cropped sides of his hair. “Sounds pretty good to me,” Remus murmured into his mouth. “What if I hold your hand like this, and put my arm around your waist like that?”

Sirius laughed as Remus slid his hand down from the small of his back to give one side of his rear a firm squeeze, smacking him lightly on the shoulder. “You’d do that in front of Celeste?”

“She’s seen worse.”

“You’d do that in front of Jules?”

Remus hesitated, then sighed. “Buzzkill. Don’t think I won’t cop a feel at the first opportunity, though.”

“Technically, your arm belongs over my shoulder,” Sirius pointed out. “So there wouldn’t be anything to feel.”

“Biceps, back muscles, pretty hair…” Remus kissed him once again around his playful smile. “I can be creative. And why can’t I put my arm around you?”

“Because I’m leading.”

“Says who?”

“Says me, the better dancer,” he laughed with a kiss to Remus’ wrinkled nose. “I was forced into dance classes throughout my entire childhood. This is my chance to show off.”

“So it’s all about you, huh?” Remus teased, pressing their foreheads together.

“I’m the captain,” he whispered. “It’s always about me.”

Remus whacked him on the chest and pulled away with a roll of his eyes to grab the carton off the counter again. “Not that your ego needs any more boosting, of course.”

“That’s what I keep you around for.” Sirius snuck up behind him as Remus began pouring the cream and gathered him up in another hug, nearly sloshing the cream over their stove.

“Hey!”

“Dance with me, mon loup.”

“But dinner—”

“But practice.” He pressed close to Remus’ back, rocking them back and forth to the rhythm. “I hear it makes perfect.”

“We already had practice today, and I have the sore muscles to prove it,” Remus grumbled, though he set his spoon aside and turned to drape an arm over Sirius’ shoulders. “Is that good enough for you to show off, captain mine?”

“All yours,” Sirius said into his lips as they stepped away from the stove. It was easy to dance with Remus—there were a few stepped-on toes and laughing stumbles, but he was as graceful on land as on the ice. Oh, and Sirius loved him on the ice, all long legs and perfect footwork. Remus may not have been stuffed into suits for an unfortunate number of ballroom dance classes, but he could hold his own in their kitchen on a Tuesday night.

“We still haven’t picked a song,” Remus said quietly.

Sirius hummed, dipping him back a few inches just to see him smile. I’d dance to anything with you.

[puppianqueen]

WarioWare, 4 and 10!

4. (Personal headcanon / interpretation of characters, in any sense)

answered quite a bit of this already but i do have more to offer considering at some point i replaced my brain with a nonstop dialogue generator

most things i could say about the volts are more projection-adjacent but i still have some fun ideas about them and game hardware

i think 18volt would collect different models of rhythm game controllers, as a sort of parallel to 9volt's collection of earlier nintendo history. he ends up making like the mario universe equivalent of the planetclue/kkclue videos on rhythm games and their controllers/dance pads i think

9volt's dream 3DS pattern is either the New 3DS Mario Maker one or generally any of them themed after older consoles. he probably was able to score one near the end of the system's production life (so sometime between Gold's launch and late 2020) i think 18volt's favorite 3DS pattern would be the Year of Luigi 3DS XL. 5volt's would be a lot more subdued in color, probably with the matching theme if it comes packaged with one

not directly volt related but ralphie from Gold is a lot quieter in person than in online play. he does in fact Lock In when he needs to

i think about this everytime nintendo consoles are brought up in context to anthro characters but is the mii system still the same there or does it have like animal feature options

10. (1 series character gets a plush or figure, who is it?)

smooth moves penny plush. mr nintendo my DMs are open and i vastly undercharge services for other peoples' approval

[marypsue]

This isn't exactly a Sneak Peek Sunday, because I'm not planning to finish and post this ever, but I found this thing abandoned in my WIP folder and it made me cackle in several places, so I figured I'd toss it up here so it could maybe make some of you cackle as well.

...

Nobody wants to say it, at first. No respectable news publication or government spokesperson wants to be the first to stand up in front of the world and say, “A wizard did it”.

But a wizard did it.

It’s the only plausible explanation. It couldn’t really be anything other than magic. Or, possibly, extremely advanced genetic engineering on an unimaginably massive scale and inconceivably short timeline. Which is to say, indistinguishable from magic.

The fact that there hadn’t been – or shouldn’t have been – any wizards in the world before it changed in the first place does present a minor dilemma, of course, but that doesn’t change the fact that a wizard did it.

…

In the immediate aftermath, Bree’s ears do that white-noise whine thing that TV shows always use to show a character was standing too close to an explosion. It’s high, insistent, and really friggin’ annoying, so of course it won’t stop. But it does blessedly begin to fade enough that she can also hear the sounds of people, coughing and groaning and pulling themselves up off the floor all around her.

Bree is perfectly content to stay where she is, sprawled out flat on her back on the floor. Floor is good. Floor is friend. Floor won’t betray her by suddenly vanishing out from underneath her like legs did. Floor is more supportive than Bree’s last six boyfriends put together. Bree and floor are perfectly happy together, and Bree’s not going anywhere.

“-ee! Bree! Hey, are you alive?”

Bree blinks, and is mildly surprised to find that the ceiling is still up there. A strand of flyaway brown hair flutters past her eyes, between her and the stylish pendant lights with the full-spectrum bulbs (for better colour accuracy), and Bree watches it waft back and forth in a pleasant daze. The voice repeating her name over and over is almost as annoying as the fading tinnitus, though at least it varies in pitch and rhythm.

“Bree? Hello, earth to Bree? Do you have brain damage or something? Oh my god please don’t have brain damage.”

Bree opens her mouth to say something along the lines of ‘I don’t have brain damage’, but all that comes out is a strangled noise. She sits up, coughing out what feels like a solid plug of crap from her throat, and sneezes, rubbing the heel of one hand across her streaming eyes. Her hand comes away streaked with black, and Bree sighs. It had taken twenty minutes in the bathroom that morning to get the wings on her eyeliner even, and now it’s taken ten seconds to destroy them.

“Ugh,” she pronounces, after some consideration. “Seriously, Les, I’m good -”

There might have been more to that sentence, but Bree will never find out. She’s stopped almost mid-word by the sight of the best friend she has at the Haus of Ergo, and doesn’t really recover in time to hide her reaction. Well, in for a penny, in for a pound. “Jesus, Lesley, what happened to you?”

Lesley bites her bottom lip, nervously tucking a perfect loose ringlet of almost luminously white hair back behind one ear. An ear that is significantly and noticeably pointier than it had been that morning when Bree and Lesley had got their morning coffees. Also much, much greyer. As in a colour that skin should not be, unless the owner’s very, very ill or very, very deceased.

“Um,” Lesley says, offering Bree an awkward smile. “So do you know that game with, like, the dragons -”

“And the dungeons? Dungeons & Dragons? That one? That what you’re getting at?” Bree demands, too fast. Lesley’s smile gets more and more watery with every word out of Bree’s mouth, and Bree has to force herself to stop, take a breath. “Sorry, babe.”

Lesley’s smile warms slowly back to full amperage, its usual blinding whiteness only emphasized by the dark, purple-grey complexion of the face it’s now set in. Bree isn’t sure if it’s just her imagination, or if it’s also a little sharper of tooth than usual. “No, it’s okay. We’re all a little stressed out.”

“No shit, Sherlock,” Bree mutters to herself, gingerly reaching a hand up to touch the back of her head, where she remembers her good friend floor kissing it when she went down. Apparently floor is not quite as good of a friend as she’d thought, judging by the starburst of pain that pulses through her head when her fingers make contact. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” She grins at Lesley. “No brain damage?”

“No brain damage,” Lesley agrees, smiling back. “But uh.”

“Whoah,” Bree says, surveying her surroundings. “I feel like Alice down the rabbit hole. Am I concussed? Are my pupils weird? Why’s everything look so big?”

Lesley rolls her bottom lip between her teeth. The lip is noticeably purpler than the rest of her face, but Bree doesn’t think it’s makeup. And yeah, the teeth are also definitely just a little sharper than normal.

“Uhm,” Lesley says, tugging on one of her curls and letting it bounce back like she always does when she’s nervous.

“It’s because you’re small, short stuff,” Karl’s snide voice says, and Bree tips her head back to see him leaning his crossed arms against the back of her office chair, looking down at her with a faintly amused expression. For a second, Bree can’t spot the difference – he’s let his truly sad man-bun free to hang in limp platinum-blond curtains around his face, and he might have contoured his cheekbones this morning. But then Bree realizes Karl’s got ears to rival Lesley’s, and that’s when it clicks that something truly fucked up is going on.

“Lesley,” Bree says firmly, turning back to her friend and pretending Karl doesn’t exist, which is easier said than done, “what the fuck.”

Lesley shrugs one shoulder with an apologetic expression. Bree follows her line of sight down, down to where Bree’s own feet are stretched out in front of her.

“Oh son of a bitch,” Bree sighs. “I’m a fucking hobbit.”

…

“Technically, actually, I think the term ‘hobbit’ is trademarked by the estate of JRR Tolkien,” Rafe says, in between bites of pistachio ice cream.

“Halfling?” Bree asks.

Rafe shakes his head. “Wizards of the Coast, dumpling.”

“Okay. More importantly: do I look like I give a solitary flying fuck,” Bree asks sweetly. Rafe gives her an assessing look, and she snatches the carton of ice cream from him. “The question was rhetorical, assface.”

“Always so hurtful,” Rafe says, apparently unruffled, sweeping his tail deftly out and snagging the ice cream back out of Bree’s hands. It’s not fair that he’s mastered having a whole new appendage so quickly. Bree’s only shrunk a couple significant inches and she’s still struggling to figure out how it all works. “Always so vulgar. Remind me again why we’re friends.”

“That’s my ice cream you’re eating,” Bree points out.

Rafe shrugs, popping another spoonful into his mouth. The TV behind him blares on, the announcer going over the statistics of who mysteriously changed species that afternoon (pretty much everybody), what happened (probably a wizard did it, though the announcer’s doing a great job of dancing around it), and what happens next (nobody has a clue). Bree ignores it.

“I deserve it,” Rafe says, after swallowing down the mouthful of ice cream. “For the emotional trauma I’ve had to endure.”

“Oh, like you’re the only incredibly stereotypical gay suddenly-a-tiefling in New York,” Bree says, grabbing at the ice cream. Rafe pulls it effortlessly out of her reach, and Bree glares up at him on his perch on the kitchen island.

“No, peanut, the emotional trauma of having to live with you,” Rafe says, before taking pity on Bree and lowering the ice cream into her arms. Bree barely manages to resist the temptation to shove her entire face into it and inhale. “Hey, slow down! Leave some for the rest of us.”

Bree flips him off.

When she finally surfaces, she says, “I think it fucked with my metabolism. Either that, or changing took a lot of calories. I’m frigging starving. I know second breakfast is a meme and everything but I would kill a man in cold blood right now for a good loaded baked potato.”

Rafe raises an eyebrow, but thankfully doesn’t say anything.

“Well, what about you?” Bree challenges, because apparently she’s a masochist.

Rafe hums in the back of his throat, glancing up at the ceiling light as he runs his tongue over his teeth. It strikes Bree again how much pointier they are than before.

“Not a baked potato. Red meat,” he says, at last, consideringly. “I could go for burgers?”

“Oh fuck me yes,” Bree says, and then considers. “Wait, d’you think anywhere would even be open?”

“Not a chance, lovebug,” Rafe says serenely. “Although, who knows? They keep chain restaurants open through every natural disaster imaginable, I’m sure the corporate overlords of the local McD’s don’t give a damn if half their employees suddenly sprouted new limbs.”

“McDonald’s it is, then,” Bree says. “Get your coat, I’m buying.”

“You’re going in your bathrobe?” Rafe asks, and it’s Bree’s turn to raise an eyebrow at him. “Right. If I say one word about your sartorial choices I will wake up without eyebrows.”

“And don’t you forget it,” Bree says. “C’mon, before I start thinking you don’t really need all of that not-so-secret Oreo stash.”

…

There’s a giant troll at the intersection beside the McDonald’s nearest the apartment, smashing up taxis with what looks like an uprooted stop sign. The deafening honking is even worse than usual. Bree and Rafe wait until the troll’s back is turned, then slip past to the restaurant, heading straight for the self-serve order stations.

“Twenty McNuggets,” Bree says, then reconsiders. “Wait, no. Forty. And an extra-large fries.”

Rafe nods, and then says “Ow! Fuck,” as his horns bash against the order station pillar.

There’s an ominous rumble from the troll, and Bree and Rafe both turn to look, but the troll thankfully is still outside, still occupied with the taxis. The noise from outside’s just gotten louder because of the guy who just walked through the door. He’s built like a brick shithouse and dressed like a Medieval Times threw up on a science fiction convention, with an impressive red beard and a huge-ass sword with a dragon on the handle. Bree wonders if that armour’s real tooled leather or just Worbla foam.

He looks surprisingly human. Bree looks and looks, but can’t find anything to indicate otherwise.

“Hail and well met!” the human dude calls, and Bree and Rafe both stare at him. The door shuts behind him, with a little hiss of displaced air and a sad jangle of chimes. His brilliant smile slips a notch or two, but he recovers quickly. He seems to be one of those people who’re just naturally irrepressible. Bree hopes his armour’s not Worbla; it won’t do him much good if he gets into it with that troll, and she has an overwhelming feeling that he’s going to. “I have travelled far, and I am in need of sustenance!”

“Yeah, hi, welcome to McDonald’s,” the server behind the counter says, poking her head around from the kitchen. The enormous tusks jutting up from her lower lip seem to be giving her some trouble, but she valiantly tries to sound impossibly bored anyway. “What can I getchu?”

“A flagon of wine and your finest sausage, please!” the human dude pronounces.

Rafe nudges Bree with his elbow and mutters, “Is this guy for real?” Bree shrugs, and Rafe sighs. “Buddy, read the fuckin’ room.”

“Yeah, we don’t got wine,” the customer service orc drones, not looking up from the register. “Pepsi okay?”

The human dude looks, for the first time, like he’s a little out of his depth. Finally, he takes a tentative step forward. “May I sample this…Pepsi?”

The customer service orc looks him up and down.

“Tell you what,” she says, finally, clearly taking pity on him. “I’ll ring you up for a fountain drink, you give it a try, if you hate it you can get water instead.”

“That sounds amenable!” the human dude booms, perking right back up again. Bree honestly can’t believe his energy.

“Wow, when you commit to the bit, you really commit, don’tcha?” the customer service orc says, with a glance over at Bree and Rafe. Bree recognizes the please-tell-me-you’re-seeing-this-too look instantly. Rafe just shrugs, and the human dude only frowns like he’s confused, so the orc shakes her head and turns back to the register. “And we don’t have hot dogs. You wanna build a burger, or…”

The human dude suddenly looks so lost and utterly forlorn that Bree can’t handle it. “Man, just get a Big Mac,” she says. When the guy looks even more confused, she says, “It’s…fried ground beef on a bun. Trust me, you’ll love it.” Maybe she’s just playing right into his stupid bit, but this conversation is agonizing and if she doesn’t get her chicken nuggets in the next thirty seconds, cannibalism is seriously going on the table.

Although, does it still count as cannibalism if you’re no longer the same species? How do they define cannibalism in fantasy worlds with lots of sapient races, anyway? If it can say, “Don’t eat me!”, you shouldn’t eat it? Does that apply to parrots? What would a parrot even taste like? Would parrot nuggets taste good? Right now, Bree is just about ready and willing to find out.

“Big Mac it is,” the orc sighs, tapping the little touchscreen on the register. Bree hears a crack, and the orc slams her forehead down on the counter with a sudden and unexpected bang that makes Bree jump. “Oh god damn it! That’s the third till today!”

“I’ll pay for any damages,” the human dude says, a little too quickly, like he’s used to having to offer to pay for damages. Bree catches herself wondering what his deal is, and slams down on that like a ton of bricks. She wants no part of this circus and nothing to do with its clown.

The guy reaches down to his belt, unclips a beautifully-tooled little leather pouch, and opens it up to reveal a clattering handful of bright gold coins. “Do you accept draneiri, or…?”

The customer service orc looks from the human dude’s bag of literal gold, to the busted screen of the register, back to the human dude’s bag of literal gold. Then she buries her face in her hands and leans her elbows against the counter and just stands there like that for what feels like a very long time.

When she finally surfaces, the first thing she says is, “Are you planning on paying for your meal with that, too?”

The human dude’s smile dips another few notches. “Ye…s?”

The orc’s face goes straight back into her hands.

“Look, I got this guy’s meal,” Bree says, stepping forward. “And the chicken nuggets. I agree that this day has been irredeemably bullshit, but please, before you go into the back and have a well-earned nervous breakdown, please can I just get my dank nugs. And then we will get out of your hair. Pinky swear. Thanks.”

The customer service orc slowly straightens up, running both hands over the hairnet holding back her long, dark ponytail. She looks down (very far down) at Bree, and asks, “Are you two friends or something?”

“I just want my chicken nuggets,” Bree repeats. “Everything that has happened here has been an impediment to getting my chicken nuggets. I only wish to remove said impediments so that I may obtain my chicken nuggets. Do you need a minute? Because I’ll come back there and make them myself, if you want. I’m not heartless, I am just very, very hungry.”

Both the orc and the human dude stare at her. Bree’s pretty sure Rafe is also giving her a Look. None of them seem particularly impressed, or like they intend to do anything about feeding Bree anytime soon.

She pulls out her credit card, and gives it a little wave through the air, before setting it down on the counter.

“Please,” she repeats, and adds, “Thank you,” as an afterthought.

“Thank you,” the human dude says, very seriously, meeting Bree’s eyes and resting a hand on her shoulder. Bree edges backwards. “For your kindness and selfless assistance, you have earned my gratitude, and the eternal friendship of Valentine Cross.”

Bree points at him, opens her mouth, looks over at Rafe, finds no help from that quarter, shuts her mouth, looks back to the human dude, who still hasn’t taken his eyes off her face. “Valentine Cross? Is – is that – you?”

The human dude – Valentine Cross? Really? Like, really? – stares at her. “Yes?” he says, like it should be obvious.

The orc takes Bree’s card and swipes it without a word.

…

“You totally got grifted,” Rafe says, as they leave the McDonald’s, Bree’s arms full with the big warm brown paper bag full of chicken nuggets. She’s already eaten her way through ten of them. Should’ve ordered sixty.

“Read my lips, Rafe, I don’t fucking care,” Bree says, and shoves another nugget into her mouth. She looks left, then right, for cars or the troll, swallows the masticated chicken lump, and adds, “It cost me five extra bucks to get my damn nuggets in my facehole. And that guy got fed. If that’s a grift, that’s a pretty sad grift.”

Rafe glances up the street, along the trail of destruction the troll’s left in its wake. It seems to have settled in at the next intersection, and is gleefully bashing in a billboard advertising a new smartphone. It’s kind of weird, now, to see so many huge images of human people overhead shilling for various products, and then look down and see…people who really don’t look like that anymore everywhere. There’s probably some kind of metaphor in that, but Bree has a sneaking suspicion that it might be kinda racist, so she leaves the thought where it lies, half-formed.

“Oh, no,” she sighs, and Rafe turns to look, just as Totally-A-Normal-Human-Pinky-Swear Valentine Cross’ shiny dragon-sword catches the light as he raises it to strike the troll. “I can’t watch this. It’s gonna be like those YouTube videos of cute fluffy stuffed toys being put in a pressure vise.”

“How did he get over there so fast?” Rafe muses aloud. “Big guy like that, he’s pretty light on his feet.” He narrows his eyes, thoughtfully. “Gotta be pretty agile…”

“Can you please thirst over someone normal for once.”

“Sweetheart, look around you. This is as close as I am ever going to get to someone normal, ever again. You should just be grateful I’m not ogling the troll.”

Bree looks sharply over at Rafe. “Are you ogling the troll?”

Rafe sighs. “Ah, ye of little faith. No, peanut. I am not ogling the troll. Come on, though, let’s get back before it turns your new best friend for life into a sticky red smear on the pavement.”

But it doesn’t. Bree looks back, just once, over her shoulder, because morbid curiousity gets the best of her and also hope springs eternal. The troll does not seem to have smashed would-be hero Valentine Cross into a million tiny pieces yet, though would-be hero Valentine Cross appears to be getting a run for his money. They go back and forth and back and forth until Valentine’s sword chops the stop sign in half. Then it turns into a wrestling match, and then Bree and Rafe turn the corner and Bree can’t see any more.

She kind of vaguely hopes Valentine doesn’t die. Not only would that suck, but it’d be a waste of her five bucks. And a good eternal gratitude. Those aren’t easy to come by these days.

…

The Haus is one of those businesses that could afford – in every sense of the word – to take a few days and let its employees adjust to their new physical realities before coming back to work. So, of course, it doesn’t. Oh, Marina Ergo herself goes into seclusion and doesn’t reappear, but Karl makes it abundantly clear by email that she fully expects everybody else to come to work and create fabulous sartorial creations she can slap her name on.

Sometimes, Bree really hates her job.

She hates it even more when she walks in and discovers that now, instead of a foot taller than she is and twenty pounds lighter, they’re all two feet taller than she is and fifty pounds lighter. Oh, and sporting ethereally beautiful features and pointy ears.

She damn near turns right back around and walks out. None of her clothes fit anymore, everything’s too tall for her to reach, she thought her colleagues made her feel insecure before, and also Karl is here. All she’s doing anyway is the graphic design for the fall/winter lookbook, and that she could have worked on from home. There is literally no good reason for her to be here right now.

Then Lesley catches Bree’s eye from across the room, shooting her a relieved smile and a wave. Bree sighs, squares her shoulders, and forces herself to walk the gauntlet over to Lesley’s drafting table.

“Bree! Oh my gosh, I’m so glad you’re here,” Lesley sighs, and then does a double-take. “Is that your bathrobe?”

“It is in fact a kimono,” Bree grumbles. Okay, so it is a bathrobe. But the fabric is a really pretty embroidered satin, and it was cropped before, which means it isn’t dragging on the ground as she walks. And it wraps at the waist. Bree wasn’t exaggerating when she said none of her clothes fit.

It’s not even exactly like she’s just gained weight. More like what there already was of her kind of got…squashed. All her proportions are different. And she’d looked wistfully at her shoe rack before heading out, but there appears to be nothing to be done about the feet.

Lesley grimaces in sympathy. “Ugh. Yeah. All my skirts are too short now. And my pants are all crop pants.”

“You’re making it work though,” Bree says, trying not to let the green leak into her eyes as she takes in Lesley’s tight cropped jeggings, floral-print stilettos, and white peasant blouse.

“Nothing compliments a complexion that’s grey,” Lesley complains, flicking a lock of spider-silk hair with a mournful look. “I don’t know if I’m even gonna be able to get a new foundation, unless I go to a costume shop, and my colour’s so uneven. And my hair’s gone so fine, it won’t even hold a curl.”

She lowers her voice, looking around before trying to crouch down to Bree’s new height without being obvious about it, which produces a kind of gymnastics that Bree watches with silent amusement. “And Karl’s having a field day. He’s being an even bigger douche than usual -”

“So that’s why you’re glad to see me? I make a more obvious target?” Bree grins, to show she means it as a joke, but Lesley still looks hurt. “Chill, Les, I know you’re too nice to let the thought cross your mind. What’re you working on?”

“I wish you wouldn’t put yourself down,” Lesley says, as Bree turns her attention to the cutting table to avoid meeting Lesley’s eyes. “But I really wish you wouldn’t cast me as the villain to do it. I think we’re friends. I hope you do too.”

Bree doesn’t have anything to say to that.

…

Karl is, as Lesley said, being an even bigger douche than usual. By the time lunchtime rolls around, Bree is in desperate need of a break.

“Let’s go get food,” she suggests to Lesley, who lets out a long, heartfelt sigh.

“Thought you’d never ask,” she says, grabbing her bag from the hanger by her drafting table. “What d’you want?”

Bree considers.

“I don’t really care what it is, so long as there’s lots of it,” she says, finally. “You got a preference?”

“I dunno,” Lesley says, a thoughtful frown creasing her perfect brow. “I’m kind of really feelin’ mushrooms.”

“Oooh,” Bree says, visions of garlic butter already dancing in her head. “Yes.”

“How about that – one vegan place?” Lesley suggests, and Bree makes a face.

“Yeah, but the next bus isn’t for fifteen minutes. Are you sure we’ll have time?”

Lesley flashes a brilliant, sharp-toothed grin. “No, it’s okay. We can take the train.”

“What, really?”

“Yeah, that’s how I got here this morning.” The wattage of Lesley’s grin cranks up a few kilojoules. Or is Bree thinking of amperage? Lesley’s smile gets brighter, anyway. “No more claustrophobia! Actually, the dark underground tunnels were kind of nice.”

“Okay,” Bree says. “We take the train.”

…

“Okay, this is kinda nice,” Bree admits, looking out at the lights flickering past through the otherwise absolute blackness of the tunnel. “Very chill. Little bit cozy, even.”

“Right?” Lesley says. “Like, I think this is how I’m going to get around the city from now on. And it’s so convenient. I’ve been missing out.”

She starts to say something else, but she’s interrupted when a jarring thump shakes the train car. The lights flicker, the car jolting forward and nearly throwing both Bree and Lesley to the ground.

“What the -” Bree starts, and the car jerks to a lurching halt, all the lights going out and plunging the entire car into darkness.

There’s a general rustle and mutter around the car, people shifting in their seats and collecting things that had been thrown around when the car had decided to become a mechanical bucking bronco. They stand – or, in Bree’s case, sit because they can’t reach the hang-straps anymore – in the dark for a handful of heartbeats, before the dim red glow of the emergency lighting kicks in.

“What the fuck,” Bree grumbles. “Oh, it had better not be another troll -”

Lesley sucks in a sharp breath, her pale, silvery eyes almost seeming to shine in the dim light as she stares over Bree’s head, out the window. Bree follows her gaze. All she can see is – maybe a faint blur of motion out in the dark.

[pastel-player]

Round 1 Results Part 2

We continue :3

MATCH 9: Racheal Fox is Eliminated!

(Art by @dragonairice)

Racheal is older sister of another of my OCs- often having to be the most down to Earth of her family. She’s studying astronomy in college and loves to learn about the universe at large. She’s a huge nerd, but she’s quite mature and very protective- she needs to be, considering who her brother is.

MATCH 10: Howdy Dowdy Donna is Eliminated!

(art by @samthecookielord​)

Donna she has 7 guns. Howdy Dowdy Donna is my West of Loathing protagonist! She’s a beanslinger who is filled to the brim with love! She cares a ton about the people around her and always tries for a peaceful solution! She also has Alice as her pardner, who’s she’s stayed very close with. She also didn’t disappear because I said so. Well she sorta did but it was for like. A month.

MATCH 11: Callie Carter is Eliminated!

(Art by Dragonair again :D)

Callie Carter is a fairly normal teenage girl- with the exception that she has an odd relationship with time itself. She lives every day twice- think groundhog day, but it’s like. A second try for every day. Because of this, her reactions are pretty reserved- which in turn with her rather monotone voice, leaves people viewing her as somewhat emotionless. Despite this, she puts a lot of effort into making the most of her gift and using it to help those around her.

MATCH 12: Kitsune is Eliminated!

(Sam again)

Kitsune is an OC for the cartoon Unikitty! They’ve spent most of their life caught between two worlds of opposite extremes. One far too bleak and depressing for them to find comfort in, and the other too loud and chaotic for them to feel at home. They live on the outskirts of both, studying magic and trying to find balance.

MATCH 13: Penny Nicholson is Eliminated!

(picrew: https://picrew.me/image_maker/1414503)

Penny Nicholson is my Shadow Taint save for Shadows Over Loathing! Poor girl has been haunted by strange dreams of unknowable forces since she was little, and it’s only through the events of the game that she starts getting answers. She sorta ends up losing herself to it, but she doesn’t turn full-on evil. She basically just becomes a friendly, albeit slightly unhinged fish woman.

MATCH 14: Night Catcher is Eliminated!

Same picrew lol

Uhh yeah I don’t actually have a picture of her in her normal form but that’s okay lol. Night Catcher is a DuckTales 2017 OC that was made for a fanfic concept. She’s a pure evil villain and also a literal nightmare demon. Evil devious woman, she has not made eye contact with a sympathetic motivation, go off girl.

MATCH 15: Rhythm is Eliminated!

(It’s Sam. Again.)

Rhythm is an Animation Vs. OC! They’re from a fairly flashy Rhythm game, primarily centering around EDM and other electronic music! They often find it easier to express themself through their music, rather than talking. Since discovering the rest of the internet, they’ve started exploring different kinds of music and forming new bonds!

MATCH 16: Santa Hat is Eliminated!

(You’ll never guess)

Santa Hat is the father of Nightcap! He’s a child psychologist who works as the student counselor for a school. He loves tinkering to make all sorts of things- primarily stim toys. He also collects model trains. He’s a very warm and welcoming presence, who’s always looking at the emotions of things.

Aaaaand that’s it for Round 1! Cannot wait to see what goes down in the next round :D

[arcaeda]

toa anniversary munday!

Celebrating TOA and the people who contribute to make our group what it is.

Repost, don't reblog. Only fill in what you feel comfortable sharing!

Happy anniversary, TOA! Here's to many more years spent together.

Name: leon!

Pronouns: he/him mainly but they/them? also sick

Birthday (no year): aug 30th whats up my fellow virgos

Where are you from? What is your time zone?: i'm from good old virginia but ive lived in a few different state. i currently live in illinois (insert peace sign hand emoji here) i'm also central time! midwesterners make some noise

Roleplay experience: my first experience rping was when i was like 12 or so. i started off doing cringe ass rp in deviantart group chats (if anyone remembers those). i didn't start doing (cringey attempts) @ legit para rp until i was 15 or 16 where i used deviantart and tumblr interchangeably. i experimented with panfandom rp for a bit and then a little while after that i found toa!

Got any pets?: my two chihuahuas who are brothers bae and skippy! i post them in gen media sometimes (bae is the white one and skippy is the one that looks like a frito)

Favorite time of year: autumun girlies rise up

Some interests and things you like: video games and animanga, mostly. i like (mostly j)rpgs, visual novels/otome games and rogue-lites. i used to bingewatch 30 episode animes in one day when i was younger LMAO. nowadays i mostly just stick to reading manga with my favorite genres being shoujo & josei. i don't stick to the new anime seasons anymore so these are some oldies, but my favorite anime of the past would probably be kaitou saint tail and nana. the newest anime i've probably enjoyed and actually remember is akatsuki no yona.

Some funfacts & trivia about you: im gonna be real with you all im terrible @ sharing fun facts about myself. uhhhh idk i guess i've swallowed whole pennies and dimes before as a child. i also ate a whole tube of toothpaste on christmas day and puked it up later..... i ate a lot of weird shit as a kid apparently

What non-Fire Emblem games do you play?: uhhh most of my main interest in vidja games is fire emblem, but actively rn i play like mobage and rhythm games on the side. other big interest games for me would probably be the botw series (not neccesarily zelda overall but), persona 5, ffxiv a LOT in the past, hades…. i cannot think of anything else off the top of my head LOL

Favorite Pokemon type & Pokemon: blaziken you are my favorite little guy. my favorite type is probably electric or ice though.

How did you get into Fire Emblem?: i saw fire emblem awakening at gamestop and remembering marth from smash bros decided to buy it

What Fire Emblem games have you played?: there are some i've only read the script for, but for actual games that i've played : geneaology, shadows of valentia, blazing blade, some of sacred stones, path of radiance and some of radiant dawn, awakening, conquest, three houses and engage!

First Fire Emblem game: awakening

Favorite Fire Emblem game: geneaology will stick with me in my heart until i die, but like i also really did enjoy engage. she's climbing up there boys

Any Fire Emblem crushes? 😳: SIGURD FIRE EMBLEM I AM BEGGING YOU I WILL BE YOUR DOG BARK BARK WOOF WOOF

If you’ve played the following games, who was your first S support? Who would you S support nowadays?

Awakening: chrom bc i didnt realize how s supports worked (though i did already like him when we married). my first marriage by choice was with lon'qu. i usually play f!robin, but if i do m!robin i marry cherche teehee

Three Houses: claude my beloved

Engage: alfred. hrk

Favorite Fire Emblem class: i fucking love mage knights so much. so glad engage brought them back

If you were a Fire Emblem character, what would be your class?: villager LMAOOOO but nah for real i think i would probably be a cleric, not by choice but because it would be the only thing i excel @ in universe. (my ass weak as hell)

If you were a Three Houses character, what would be your affiliation?: golden deer rePRESENT WOOOOOO

If you were an Engage character, which Emblem would you Engage with?: sigurd for completely totally normal reasons. marth if you forced me to choose someone else

How did you find TOA?: on twitter! and i am so glad i decided to apply hehe

Current TOA muses: veyle and caeda!

Who was your first TOA muse?: sigurd! i wrote him here for around two years i think, but i also had prior experience writing him before toa teehee

Do you think you have a type of character you gravitate towards?: i definitely think i gravitate towards the parental figure therapist type.

What do you believe you enjoy writing the most?: i love writing idiots who mean well the most i think (looks at sigurd and my very old tormod muse)

Favorite TOA-related memory: everyone swapping and trading letters of their mun name in the discord server. also anything 0 days since our last food discourse related

How do you pronounce TOA? 🤔: toe-uh! since the day i was born

Got any delusions that didn’t see the light of day that you’d like to share? 😉: (barking and growling at you) i am thinking of bringing back timerra after i recover from top surg tho.

[a-tale-of-legends]

yaknow what since im obsessing over sims and stressing over ignoring animal crossing; what's all of your ocs fave video games? (or just genre works too!)

Ooooh that's a good one. I don't play a lot of games IRL so. Just mostly the genre here

Jin - Hmmmmm, I can see Jin using video games as an outlet for their anger when they were younger. Essentially those beat em up games that don't really require strategy and just beating things to a pulp. It's very cathartic.

Kohaku - Doesn't usually play video games, but she would like those survival/scavenger games. She already does it irl, so it comes easy to her.

Kenji - I think Kenji has a wide variety of tastes when it comes to video games, despite his appearance. I think the only thing he doesn't really care for or stomach are those war games n horror. His top faves would be jrpg and general turn based rpg's ( so think omori and undertale). Racing games are also very good.

Aiko - Fighting games,I think. Like smash, or street fighter. She would really enjoy those.

Beryl - Beryl has two older siblings, one of which is a more avid gamer than they are, so any equivalent to Smash or Mario kart is something they would absolutely enjoy. They have a guilty pleasure of beating the others in said games: you can't blame her! She's a younger sibling, they deserve some victories.

Danica - Indie horror is a favorite, surprising no one. But she actually tends to lean towards more cozy games. Think stardew valley or animal crossing.

Kiran - Puzzle games are something that Kiran gravitates to! But if I'm being honest, he's more likely to listen to video games soundtracks while working ( or napping) than sit down and play a game. He's more of a watcher than doer.

Alexis and Elliot - they have most experience with group party games ( with Cheren and Bianca) and absolutely love rhythm/ music games. Surprising no one lol.

Eva - Hmm. This one's hard. I have no doubt that Eva plays video games but not sure if I can place a personal favorite for her. She kinda just goes with whatever.

Wayne - Anything sci-fi. This kinda goes for movies too. Specifically stuff with cool aliens n stuff.

Jude - Horror lol. Indie horror, they think those are more compelling than triple A games.

Dante - Also horror, but don't tell anyone.

Ames - Hmmmmm. Another hard one. Really shows my lack of knowledge here lol. The best I can describe it is like ...funky? Funky little games, if that makes sense.Ream weird but endearing ones. Maybe Undertale like her brother. Yeah.

Ray - is very good at puzzle games, but also games in general??? The type of guy who you call to do a hard level for you. Actually now that I think about it, he would like Hollow Knight.

Naomi- Cozy relaxing games! She would find games like stardew valley amusing.

Carol - MYSTERY GAMES!!!! Ghost trick would be a fav. Also otome games, ironically.

Luca - I think he would really like the pokemon equivalent to Mario kart!

R.B- Doesn't exactly know, she's still figuring herself out in terms of her likes and dislikes. Penny and Luca are helping her with that. Right now she just goes with whatever.

[chthonic-cassandra]

You know I gotta use this opportunity and ask all my dear Dracula peeps. So; H, M, V, Y for the ask game, if you'd be so kind 🖤

H: How would you describe your style?

I got asked this question before in a different ask meme and I never know what to say. (If anyone else feels themselves able to describe my style I'd be very interested.) I think I do a lot with variation in sentence rhythm and length in a way that clearly fits within a fanfic idiom but isn't only influenced by that. I think I use imagery and atmospheric detail judiciously, to the point that I tend to give the impression that there is a lot more of it in a given fic than there is. I tend to write physical objects as having a lot of symbolic weight. I feel like there are some very characteristic ways that I narrate internal dialogue or emotional experience, but I am not sure how to describe those.

There are some epithet-like things that I think I do with adjective-noun collocations, and also some ways that I use tense that I think are influenced by studying ancient Greek. I'm getting more requests for this question, so I'll keep thinking about it.

M: Got any premises on the back burner that you’d care to share?

Everything else is on the back burner right now until I finish Compromise.

I have these Xena fics on concubinage themes that I've mentioned before here a few times and that I really want to get to work on, and also a little Vanessa Ives/Hecate Poole (Penny Dreadful) fic set towards the end of S2. Those are the things that I think I'm realistically most likely to work on in the foreseeable future.

There's also a ton I want to experiment with in newer-to-me vampire canons, including a Drusilla and Spike meet Dracula in 19th century London thing that would probably be pretty comedic but I don't know if I care to spend enough time with BtVS to get the voices down. If I had more time and energy there are so many things I would want to write.

V: If you could write the sequel (or prequel) to any fic out there not written by yourself, which would you choose?

Oh this is a hard question. I've gotten a lot of gifts in fic exchanges over the years that have sparked my own imagination, like @melusineloriginale's Broken Music about Margaret of Anjou and Anne Neville (wow that was a while ago), or Nobody's Angel by tiboribi which is a fascinating exploration of the character of Anna Engel in Elizabeth Wein's Code Name Verity, who is a character I've always wanted to do something with myself. But I'm not really sure.

Y: A character you want to protect.

My 120 Days girls. Cecile de Volanges. Clarissa Harlowe. (If you're noticing that I have intense emotional reactions to young 18th century women you'd be onto something.) Miriam Lass from NBC Hannibal. Sometimes I have this feeling about the Dracula protagonists, but it's not so intense at this stage in my life.

[libellule-ao3]

Life Links

10. Diego Caplan / Dance with the Death

Summary: After a delicate question from Jae, Diego remembers his last duel.

Rating: T+

⚠️ Warning⚠️: Canon-typical violence, death.

Chapter index - previous chapter (MC)- next chapter (Poppy Pomfrey)

A/N: At the time I wrote this (March 2021), Diego was portrayed very superficially in the game, the connection between the dance and the duel was unclear and I didn't like him very much (it's improved a bit since then). And yet, the chapter dedicated to him is one of my favourites in this series. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

“How did it feel?” says Jae as he lights a cigarette, lying on a deck chair facing the English Channel, shimmering under the moon. Inside the house, Chiara examines Penny, very weakened by months of deprivation and servitude.

Sitting on the ground, Diego dives into his memories, his eyes riveted on the sand that he lets slip through his fingers.

Triumphant Diego Caplan greets the jubilant crowd who chants his name and applauds his victory. The stronger the opponents, the better the show, the greater the glory of the winner, so Diego feels deep gratitude for the worthy duelists. They are partners who contribute to his legend. Caplan keeps his English championship crown and complacently poses for the front page of the Daily Prophet. A myriad of flashbulbs crackle. He runs a hand through his dark hair and gives a dazzling smile to the photographers... The hysterical audience shouts his name and reaches out to touch him. Diego savours this moment of glory, preceding another evening of unbridled sex washed down with champagne.

Suddenly, crazy shadows eclipse the lights of the arena. They move around, enveloping the crowd and blowing a wind of panic before spreading out along the walls. In an instant, death eaters block all the exits and one of them materializes, alone, in the arena. A mask preserves his anonymity. The only visible piece of flesh in a dark mass of loose clothing, a large hand clutches a fir wood wand. A tough, determined and intimidating character.

Diego’s smile fades. The wizard had expected this. They had warned him that this would happen. Diego Caplan’s resounding success has upset Voldemort and his followers. He represents everything that these supremacists abhor. He is a half-blood who fraternises with everyone, regardless of their extraction. That such a wretch should have the impudence to dominate such a demanding discipline of witchcraft is an affront to all purebloods! They cannot tolerate it. The champion has become a target to be slaughtered on the altar of their noxious propaganda.

In a sharp voice, the stranger demands a duel without delay, notwithstanding the fatigue of a man coming out of a confrontation. Completely disloyal, but any negotiation is futile. So the champion accepts the challenge of this challenger, whose malice vitiates the air like a poison. Then Diego focuses on his opponent. The world no longer exists. In his ear, his heartbeats the measure of the eternal refrain of his life, and his whole body prepares to dance.

The two wizards greet each other.

The duel is a subtle dance where you have to impose your rhythm on your opponent, so Diego takes the initiative. Both men use their magic. Attack, dodge, riposte, protection, feint, offensive, parry.

Usually, each movement improvises a complex choreography where the fighters become artists. Dance of life. Terrible as it may be, no one can deny the grace of a confrontation between two valiant and self-respecting fighters.

But there is no beauty in this raging dance, oozing hatred and contempt. Diego struggles to read the sequences of his opponent, whose wand whips through the air, casting spell after spell. Merciless. Disturbed by this outpouring of hatred which is foreign to him, Diego Caplan loses his rhythm. A misstep threatens.

The most unforgivable of spells is cast. The sorcerer nimbly dodges the impossible to parry spell. With horror, Diego sees in a morbid slow motion, the green lightning strikes a woman who falls dead, her face frozen in an eternal expression of fear. Dumbfounded, he becomes deaf to the terror of the audience taken hostage.

Then Diego understands. This is not a duel, a dance, or even a show of strength. It is an execution.

A shudder runs through him as his brown eyes take in the assembly of tense, tearful, trembling, or emotionless faces. One dodge and one of them will fall. The sorcerer resigns himself to the last will.

To look his first and last enemy straight in the eye.

The champion discovers the hard face of a fifty-year-old with a murderous aura, as inflexible as his wand. An emerald gaze devoid of pity pierces him.

What will the world remember about Diego Caplan? As an example of Pureblood superiority? Or a martyr who will exalt the spirit of those who oppose You-Know-Who? A final thought flies to his loved ones.

The fir wand moves without trembling, faster than the blink of an eye, while something inside him rises like a powerful and devastating groundswell. The rage to live. The man is lively. A privilege of youth, Diego is more so.

“Avada Kedavra!”

Death is a demanding dance partner who does not easily accept to be led. But Diego Caplan is a particularly skilled dancer.

The spell strikes in the chest. The enemy collapses. After a moment of stupefaction, when the entire room tries to understand, comes chaos. The ceiling of the arena collapses with a bang. Spells fly everywhere, shrill cries are heard, and wizards flee. Taking advantage of the confusion, Talbott Winger, Auror and Voldemort's opponent, grabs his arm and drags him out of the arena to teleport them to safety.

Then, under the aegis of Annie and Jae, he joins Chiara in France. The lycanthrope needs a benevolent guardian during the full moon and he needs the balm of a kind-hearted friend. It is an obvious choice to bring these two exiles together.

“Well, Diego? How did it feel to kill someone?”

Diego returns to the present time and watches the smuggler make smoke rings with his mouth. Jae keeps his thoughts to himself, but he is afraid for Annie, who evacuated him against his will to save him. He fears she will be scarred forever by war and Death. Diego understands all this better than anyone, but his friend doesn't need to know everything.

After a few months, he can say without lying. “It doesn’t matter, since in the end necessity has erased everything.”

Jae frowns, puzzled. “Even if it was Barnaby’s father?”

[raindrvq]

what mobile games would the RTC kids like ! bc,,,, bc yea,

ok so yknow how in what the worlds needs in the proshot ocean sings "angry birds, candy crush, hes a real sweet kid but his brains are mush" for rickys part. that got me thinking abt what other mobile games she and the choir would play bc i love playing games on my phone so boom headcanon time

ok so ofc all the choir would have one of those apps that allows u to play with your friends, like gamepidgeon but i dont have an iphone so im saying plato + on plato u can play w 2+ ppl 👍

ocean- she claims to be better than ppl who get sucked into their phones and all that but plays like sudoku and those brain teaser games but rage quits when she can't figure it out and won't use hints bc she "doesn't want to cheat"

constance- she likes all those simulation games w the cute animals, yknow the ones. restaurant sims and house decorating games, just cute calming little games. probs also played a bit of episode, and definitely got into mystic messenger. she'd stay up late just so she wouldn't miss a chat. also likes adorable home and any of those games where u have like a pet to take care of. she makes sure to log on everyday so that her pets survive

noel- ok i had a bit of a hard w him but im feeling like,, creepy puzzle games? like those mystery games where u play as like a detective or smth along those lines. also mayb design games

mischa- projecting here but solitaire. not just normal solitaire but all the different versions too (is this bc i have uhm, 189 hours on Solitaire Grand Harvest alone, yea yea it is). also like, pool and games like that. likes action games and shooter games too yknow.

jane/penny- has all of the papas to go games (definitely paid for them all yup mhm /s). i feel like she'd like idv bc the aesthetic seems fitting for her but the creators n most players suck so like, if she didnt have to deal w all that she'd love it (i used to play and lemme say the chat was,,,,,,,) i like to imagine her n the rest of the choir playing n shes the hunter and just sneaks up on everyone and scares the shit outta them. also would probably download the games from weird ads for shits n giggles

ricky/savannah- so obviously she plays the classics like mentioned before yknow geometry dash, subway surfers, pokemon go, all those. but also rhythm game player, like it just makes sense. likes those cat merge games, or rly like, any cute cat sim. would probs like uh crk or smth that game was fun. also rpg fan

[galpalaven]

for your infamous mc!: performance, fans, and development!

Performance: What are they thinking and feeling while they’re performing? How do they act on stage?

Penny is very strict with herself about being stone-cold sober when on stage precisely because she loves the feeling of being on stage.

Most of the time, it's exhilarating when she's on stage. She drinks in the warmth of the lights, the rumble of the guitar and the drums and the bass under her feet as it travels from the ground up to the top of her head. There's a release in singing that she wishes she could bottle and just eat whenever she needed a high or a destressor. She has no nerves -- there is just her and the pounding rhythm of the music. Her and her voice and the energy of the audience as they soak it in and give it back to her tenfold.

She was born for the stage, babes.

Fans: How is their relationship with their fans? Do they go out of their way to interact? 

She's got a bubbly, funny personality so she definitely has a great time with the fans. She likes to interact on social media when she can, and she'll grab drinks with people sometimes after shows if they really want.

The cheating scandal may be touching her from the outside of the fandom, but her fans know that she would never cheat, and so the loyalty of her fans is still pretty strong.

Hopefully it stays that way. She doesn't plan to antagonize anyone if she can help it -- she'll just avoid Blake at all costs.

Development: How did you come up with your character? Is their design still evolving? How do you think they might develop through the story?

GOD Penny actually was originally a character I lifted from another game forever ago. She was a very different person there, and now Penny is an entirely different, unrecognizable entity compared to the other character.

She's also one of the main characters of the novel series I'm working on! Penny's design is pretty set, as is her personality. I've had her for about 5-6 years now, so she's probably not going to change much overall!

Infamous OC Ask Game