#if this doesn’t motivate the players to go all out idk what will

[mssi]

top 2 in la liga both dropped points this weekend..yeah barça can definitely still win the league it’s not over until it’s over

[always-just-red]

Hi! Hope this finds you well. Saw the request and wanted to ask for a Yandere Sylus with player reader. Like Sylus knows Mc is a player and he is a game character. When mc was gone for too long, Sylus gets impatient.

If you can do it, of course. If no, ignore this. Wish you writing ideas and inspiration

Hi! Hope you're well too, anon! Sorry for the long wait on this one, got really stuck with it and wanted to make sure I did it justice-- it was such a cool idea! (Also I know L&D has the microphone feature but I wanted to have fun with the limited communication of the player here, so no it doesn't, actually!! 🥰)

Fourth Wall

Sylus x Player!Reader 🩸

Summary: L&D is getting more and more real with each update. This is a new update... right?

Genre: idk really?? real world player x character

Warnings/Additional tags: yandere themes, player!reader, gender neutral, fourth-wall breaking, non-canon, swearing, mild threat, possessiveness, manipulation, Sylus is a little OOC here (we all know he's a sweetheart really!!)

| Word count: 1.5k | Masterlist |

Disclaimer: Characters belong to Love and Deepspace. All work is my own, so please don't repost or plagiarise!

Your phone lights up with a notification.

Sylus: Are you in a good mood, sweetie? The weather’s nice, so let’s go out.

It makes you smile, even though you’ve seen it before. You haven’t played Love and Deepspace for two weeks or so, and you’re already thinking about how many dailies you’ve missed— more specifically, how many diamonds you’ll be short of going into the next event. You had a couple thousand saved, you think? It’s probably fine.

The truth is, you don’t really have time for it these days. Escaping reality with fiction is fun, but it’s just that: make believe. Reality’s still waiting for you on the other side, and recently? All that escaping has finally caught up to you. You have a real life. Responsibilities. Yay!

But you are in a good mood, and the weather is nice, so you’ll log in for old time’s sake. Your finger hovers over the app, but something makes you hesitate. You’ve got some emails you should probably get back to, first. Oh— and weren’t you supposed to call your friend, too?

Another notification:

Sylus: Take your time, kitten.

A new one? It’s just text on a screen, but you’re reading it— Sylus’s voice in your head—and you just know it’s dripping sarcasm. Before you have any time to dwell on it, your phone lights up with more notifications.

Sylus: I’m going to count to three.

Cute. He’s not actually going to—

Sylus: One…

Oh.

Sylus: Two…

Really?

Sylus: Three.

Ok.

You tap on the app, weirdly motivated by the time pressure given that it’s coming from a man who doesn’t actually exist. He smirks at you knowingly from the kindled moment you’d set as the loading screen, his crimson eyes playful. You’re not particularly patient either, so your fingers drum along the surface of your desk as you wait, your gaze caught between his and the slowly moving loading bar.

Come on… come on… It finally loads, and you enter the game with another apathetic tap. Sylus stands, waiting— a dark figure framed by the otherwise light and dreamy aesthetics of the Destiny Café. You smile to yourself; it’s just gone lunch, and you half expected to find him sprawled in the usual armchair, fast asleep.

He crosses his arms. “The countdown worked, huh? What are you— five?”

You scoff and give his head a flick. He chuckles, running a hand through his hair as though you’d struck him hard enough to ruffle it. It’s kind of cool that you get some unique dialogue when you’ve not logged in for a while, although… have you missed an update or something? The animation feels smoother. More lifelike, now you think about it.

Sylus stares back at you, his lips playing into a subtle smile. His arms are crossed again and he tilts his head like he’s enjoying your scrutiny. “Something wrong, sweetie?” he asks.

Not really. You zoom in with a practiced sweep of your fingers so you can get a better look at him. His eyes flit downwards, over you— equally shameless— and then he’s meeting your gaze as he steps forward, closing the distance. He can’t see you, but you still can’t bring yourself to look away from him, and you’re not really thinking about the animation anymore.

He lifts a finger to poke at the screen, as if he’s caught you daydreaming and wants you back. You poke him, too: a softer, more affectionate boop on the nose. You can’t help laughing to yourself as his face screws up beneath the touch. This game is getting a little too real.

With a sigh, you zoom out so you can set about collecting your daily log-in rewards. Sylus seems fine— standing idly by as your attention drifts about elsewhere. He knows the drill. He can wait. Speaking of waiting… it’s also been a while since you’ve seen the other guys, and you’re struck by a pang of nostalgic fondness. You might as well say hi while you’re here.

You hit the button to change who you want to meet in the café.

It doesn’t do anything.

Weird. You hit it again. Then again— no change.

Sylus is holding his chin as he regards where your finger aimlessly meets the screen. It’s like he’s looking at… the button? “Oh dear,” he sympathises, “that feature appears to have stopped working.”

You don’t really hear him, honestly. You’ve never had a bug like this, and you’re determined to overcome it with sheer, stubborn persistence. Is it your phone? You test the theory by jabbing Sylus’s chest, and he glances down, apparently feeling it. You try the button again. Then six more times.

Sylus wanders closer to you. “You’re hurting my feelings, sweetie. Am I not enough for you?”

Ok but why isn’t this working? You’re still trying the button; your hope has turned to frenzied disbelief.

“Stop.”

A single syllable, concise as a punch and just as effective. You do stop.

Sylus’s voice is lower. Darker. “Good,” he praises, but he doesn’t sound happy. “Someone’s gotten bolder in their absence, it would seem. I do hope you haven’t forgotten to whom you belong, kitten. Although—” his smile is different than before— “I’d be more than happy to provide a… reminder.”

It’s an innocuous word but not the way he says it. Threats are just intimate promises and he toys with the fact like a crow enamoured by something that catches the light. He’s not going to grow tired of it for a long, long time.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he says, sensing you gawping. “Did you really think I wouldn’t figure it out? What all… this is?” He indicates the space around him with a wave of his hand. “Quite frankly, I’m surprised the others still haven’t grasped it.” He reconsiders. Smirks. “I misspoke— I’m not surprised.”

Does he mean the game? The other LIs?  

“Honestly, kitten,” he continues with a tut and a shake of his head, “you’ve been far from a gracious host. I’m not a plaything, you know. Well…” He’s showing teeth with a sneer. “Not the sort you can throw away, anyhow.”

God, are you really being scolded by a video game character for having other responsibilities? The worst part is that you actually feel bad. You do care about him. You wish you could tell him you care about him.

“Are you even listening?” he sighs.

Shit. Yeah. You can’t say anything he would hear— as far as you know— so you give his hand a poke. He casts his gaze downwards, stretches his fingers with a contemplative flex, then raises his hand so it can be nursed by the other. Is he protecting it from you? Or is he protecting you from it?

“If we’re to keep playing this game of ours, I think it only fair we lay down some rules,” he states. “Firstly—” because it isn’t up for debate— “you will come here every day, just like you used to. I have nothing to do, you see, and if you leave me to my own devices I might just have to find a way into that captivating little world of yours. So I can… investigate what’s keeping you from me.”

Investigate. Another innocuous word he wields like a weapon.

“Secondly,” he continues, nodding towards the broken button on your user interface, “you had better stop seeing the others. Ignorance is bliss, after all, and we wouldn’t want to worry about them connecting any dots, now would we? Besides…” He approaches you again, leaning in close. “I don’t share what’s mine.”

Your breath is caught in your throat and you’re so glad you don’t need to speak. You don’t think you could; if you tried to get words out they’d be unintelligible.

“So,” Sylus drawls, filling your silence, “how about it? Still want to play?”

This time it is a question, but only because he knows your answer. You’re struck by a flash of inspiration, and you communicate in one of the few ways you can— navigating the in-game menus until you can get your message across.

There’s a ping. Sylus retrieves his phone from his pocket, and after a moment of scrolling, he smiles. You can’t see his screen, but you know what he’s looking at: a grumpy crow with an animated bead of sweat and a dispassionate gaze to go with it. That it? it asks.

He still looks far too smug, so you beckon him over with a relax time interaction, watching your character’s hand outstretch on your behalf. He steps forward, linking his fingers with yours, and this animation you know. You tug him closer, except… he doesn’t budge.  

His eyes are fixed to where your hands are linked, and he runs a thumb over your skin as though he’s savouring the touch.

Did they change the animation?

“Oh, sweetie,” he sympathises with a click of his tongue. He looks up at you— holds your gaze as he presses a deliberately slow kiss to your wrist. “This is going to be fun.”

[larsnicklas]

What is that people don't understand about Barky?

eh i think it's less that he's misunderstood as it's.... idk. that he flies very under the radar by choice and tends to be overshadowed by flashier personalities. on purpose. i guess if there's one thing i'd say — with the caveat that none of us know the guy personally! — i don't really think he's shy at all, which is how he was described a TON when he was younger. he speaks when he has something to say and has always had yappers in the leadership group to balance things out lmao. but he's so funny!!! and tbh the older he gets the more he lets his personality show on camera i think lol

i, a longtime nicke enthusiast, am used to basically all of this and even drawn to these traits, and therefore voraciously consume every longform sasha interview/piece that is available to me in order to kind of get a grasp on what makes the guy tick. here are a few of my favorites + a few highlight videos for fun!

SASHA MINI PRIMER ⬇️ aka an incomplete but lovingly curated collection of required reading/videos/essential moments below the cut!!!

📰 Sushi With Sasha: Barkov jests that all being captain really means is, “I have to open my mouth sometimes.” [...] The fact Barkov cracks wise about his quiet ways, though, is in line with a defining characteristic — knowing how to pick your spots, both with the puck and one-liners. “Yeah, that’s exactly it,” says Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman and fellow Finn Olli Maatta. “Definitely not the loudest guy in the room, but when you get to know him he has almost like a sneaky sense of humour.”

🎥 32 Thoughts: Barkov Reminisces About Panthers Magical Playoff Run (he is so cute in this. hair fluffy. smiley. sweet.)

📰 Q&A: Sasha Barkov is home in Finland and discusses his love of chicken wings, Jaromir Jagr and the Miami Heat: How fast does that car go? Well, 65 is the speed limit, right? So, 66. But I think it would hit 200 if you really pushed it.

🎥 Aleksander Barkov Shootout Goals But They Get Increasingly More Impressive (what it says on the tin)

📰 The NHL’s new Patrice Bergeron? Panthers’ Aleksander Barkov fits the bill — ‘He does everything right: Affable as always, Barkov, despite his short offseason, looked noticeably more jacked than he’d even been during the Panthers’ tremendous playoff run. He smiled and extended his hand before discussing his motivation to captain the Panthers back to the spot that had been so grueling to get to in the first place.

📰 Barkov Keeps His Cool: It’s right after one of those long days of work at the rink in November that Barkov, known better around the locker room as “Sasha,” has me on his car’s speakerphone as he works to traverse through a bit of traffic around rush hour. In the background, vehicles can be heard zooming and honking around him. But just like he does on the ice, the Panthers captain is keeping his cool. As he maneuvers through congestion with his foot tap dancing on the pedal, he doesn’t talk much about his extension, but rather of the first time he attempted to traverse the highways of South Florida as a fresh-faced, 18-year-old hockey prodigy during his rookie season in 2013.

🎙️/ 🎥 The Hockey PDOcast Episode: Aleksander Barkov's Defensive Impact and How He Does It (analysis of barkov as a player with accompanying video clips)

🎥 Panthers Celebrate Captain Aleksander Barkov (this video is so fucking funny to me because joe t.hornton just talks for ten seconds about how big sasha is. which. yeah real.)

📰 Dwyane Wade crashes into fan at Heat game -- Panthers star Aleksander Barkov: Barkov said he would like to see Wade at a Panthers game this season. The Panthers play at BB&T Center in Sunrise, which is 35 miles north of AmericanAirlines Arena, where the Heat play. Barkov predicted Wade would get a standing ovation from Panthers fans and said he wouldn't let boards stop him from trying to see Wade during that game. "I'll try my best to fly over him," Barkov said.

🎥 Ask Me Anything | Aleksander Barkov (this is where he says his dream golf quartet is his ex bf his current work wife and his dilf mentor)

📰 Q&A with Sasha Barkov: Fast cars, Miami sports and his first move as NHL commish: Yeah, the palm trees were cool and he really liked the ocean. But he also liked to drive. To do that, he needed to head to the DMV and get himself a Florida driver’s license. “I don’t have a car but I have the license,” Barkov said during his first training camp with the Panthers in 2013. “I failed the first time because I didn’t understand the questions.”

🎥 Laine and Barkov go to town on Finnish chicken wings (literally just a minute long video of them eating chicken wings LOL)

🎥 ALEKSANDER BARKOV VS. PAVEL BARBER | HockeyShot Shootout Challenge! (silly trickshot video... fans throw rats at sasha and he's like thank you :D... it's like an artificial sheet on the beach, sasha is very cute)

[howlsofbloodhounds]

might be a controversial/unpopular opinion but i headcanon that any classic variant of sans has some sort of superiority complex going on. maybe not exactly that, but they're some flavor of self-righteous, i guess?

OKAY LISTEN. i'm not saying sans is a bad guy or anything (i love him very much i swear). canon sans is written really well in the sense that he's intentionally very vague and mysterious so we can speculate a lot on his past and intentions throughout the story. idk, maybe my reading is completely off but sans appears to me as a lovable asshole, especially to someone who is a child (frisk). he likes playing around with frisk - yeah it's harmless but still his advice tends to be vague, especially when it comes to battle tips lmao. just imagine in-universe how terrible his advice comes off to a child.

and like, the restaurant scene. sans is intentionally acting all blithe about letting a child die on his watch, under a promise - like i know it's supposed to be a funny off-hand comment to the player, but in-universe again he addresses this to a child. it's just- lmao this guy has some problems for sure.

i think being self-righteous is just tied to his role as a judge as well. he's always 'right' in his judgement, because that's what he is. i think it's just interesting to explore that particular aspect of sans' personality, that he acts in what he thinks is right, and he's always right, isn't he? maybe that's why i tend to enjoy undertale stories where sans somewhat assumes the role of the antagonist - it creates some fantastic dynamic with people around him who it seems like he never really connects well.

~ crowshipping anon

Crow!! Yayy!!

And I honestly kinda vibe with this interpretation honestly. I haven’t completely finished playing all the Undertale games myself (curse my lack of motivation 😭), but I watched a few playthroughs here and there, and it seems like something that could make sense.

Especially when he’s given such an important position like a being a Judge, his opinions and judgements are likely taken seriously by Asgore.

And the thing is, you can also make an argument for this with our most popular classic variants; the Murder Time Trio. Murder justifies what he does as being better that he does it instead of the human, justifies it with that he will eventually stop the human.

Really, he may even argue that his current actions don’t really even go against his job as the Judge; he has judged that the human must be stopped, and he has to do it because he’s the only one who can. I’ve even seen some ideas going around that maybe he views himself as the Angel from the Prophecy, having judged that the Underground will be free by death.

Horror is the entire reason his Underground started eating humans, and he is also the reason that the Core is damaged beyond repair. He didn’t want to sacrifice himself for the Underground, and he survived the event that took his eye, yet he still judged that Undyne and Alphys had to pay for their betrayal—and in doing so he decided that the rest of the Underground would be doomed to starvation or eating people.

He decided to trick Horror Papyrus into eating human meat even though Papyrus very clearly did not want to, and Horror doesn’t seem all too guilty about it—even as Papyrus goes out of his way to prevent Horror from eating humans at his own request.

I’ve even seen around by bigger Horror/Horrortale fans than me that Horror’s reasons for starving himself may not even be entirely selfless—such as for a moral reason or wanting others to have more food than him. But rather because he views it as beneath him and he won’t go “that low.” How canon that is, im not sure, but it’s interesting.

Then meanwhile there’s Killer. He sneers at Swap and threatens to kill him if he ever attempts to compare himself to Killer again, he holds the beliefs and mindsets of his human that were taught to him very closely and looks down on anyone who views things differently with contempt—especially if they attempt to “force” him to view things differently.

Things like mercy or kindness or hesitation are seen as weakness and things to take advantage of in his mind. Even himself is not free from this nihilistic, fatalistic, violence and apathetic driven worldview—-looking down on himself in Stage 1.

He will go out of his way to prove himself and his views right, even if that means doing exactly what Chara did and coercing/provoking someone into killing, attacking, hurting, etc, either themselves, others, or even him.

This is exactly what he was supposed to be, and it’s pointless to try and change or hope for anything more than what he or anyone else deserves. He probably finds Murder’s attempts to justify his genocides absolutely ridiculous. And Horror to be absolutely hypocritical. (Which is why Color’s specific way of approaching Stage 2, wanting to show him a better life—something new—rather than trying to change or fix him, worked so well.)

[pinazee]

Psy vs. Psy

I genuinely think that if they were going to bring back any psych villian, Lindsay Leikin would pose the biggest threat. She knows Shawn isn’t psychic, she has adequate motivation to target him personally, and has the skills to prove he’s a fraud and do it slyly as she is also highly skilled in deductive reasoning (she did manage to get them to the counterfeiter to begin with so she has legitimate talent). She could even orchestrate it from prison. Maybe her parole was denied again so, like, what else is she going to do? Plus, she’s kind of nuts. Faking being a psychic with the FBI is a whole other level of bold compared to a local precinct, then she met a counterfeiter and was like yes please, more crime, then killed him when he tried to run, slept with Shawn that same night, then tried to take him hostage when she got caught. Its just a shame she wasn’t a bit more charismatic or eccentric. They had her play it as a very normal girl swept into a life of crime because of a guy (probably because she was a “love interest” for Shawn) when the receipts show she was an absolute lunatic (look at her face after they found the guy she killed. This bitch is smiling).

Also, she just kinda gave up when she was caught. I wish she’d have been screaming “he’s a fraud!” as she was taken to the car or even had a heart to heart moment with Lou Diamond Phillips because she did betray him after all. Idk, i just wanted more. (But i think maybe the writers recognized this and thats how we get Declan later??)

Gus is basically siri at this point. Between the archeology, safes, online poker, the law, tennis players, space, comic books, of course pharmaceuticals, and now studies tender from all over the world- its a smaller list of what Gus doesn’t know. Gus clearly likes learning. I’m surprised he never thought of becoming a teacher or college professor, to try to pass that love of learning to the next generation. Though i guess we see he’s not that great with people surprisingly, considering he’s a successful salesman. (OH MY GOD WHAT IF THIS WHOLE TIME GUS ACTUALLY HAD LIVED UP TO HIS POTENTIAL AND BECAME AN INTERNATIONAL SPY. He knows all these things because of his job, psychs only been able to stay open because Gus can fund it from his spy job, joining psych was a good front but he was also lonely from never getting to be himself. I kid, i kid, but its a fun idea for me haha)

No fucking way shawn doesn’t know what a drill is. Henry definitely would have beat that kind of man stuff into him. The military time too. I just felt the need to point this out. its like the show itself is dissing my boy and i have to defend him lol

I love when Gus is proud and smarmy over shawns talent. Look at his face here. My boy about to prove you wrong.

And do you think Shawn is actually afraid of competition or do you think he learned at an early age from his father that he didn’t have value unless he was the best? Huh Henry, huh???(Weekend warriors “you don’t want to be a loser” comes to mind)

Henry trying some reverse psychology here. I can’t tell if its because Henry is actually concerned for Shawns safety like he said he wasn’t in the previous episode, or if he’s still taking it personally that Shawns using the gifts he “gave” him to be psychic. Probably both. We know he was really bothered by his motorcycle accident, so i wonder if he’s been kind of spiraling, and adding up all the crazy situations he’s been in. (Which, i don’t think Shawn tells him about. i think Gus calls him like a weekly report haha) I think the fact that shawns cases are becoming more dangerous he suddenly doesn’t like the idea of him being a detective, well a detective this way at least, because i think in his mind he’d be safer if he was an actual cop where he had a partner with a gun, and back up, and rules, and training. I mean we know he wouldn’t be, (look at what happens to Lassie and Juliet)

I just wanted to gif this because it’s one of my fave jokes in the episode!

Mildred to the rescue! Im not entirely sure how this worked but it did and thats what matters haha

*Appropriate reaction is appropriate*

[noneuclideanwhimsy]

Hey!! This is really random coming from me since I usually yap to u abt catcf, but im rlly curious to know what the other fandom I keep seeing u post about is, something involving a G-man?? Idk what it is but it looks rlly cool :3 could u maybe explain it to me? Feel free to yap as much as u want.

Thank you for asking, I love rambling about my interests and this particular fandom is my special interest so I really love rambling about it :]

Anyway. Half-Life is a video game series released by Valve Software, the first game came out in 1998 and was about an experiment going horribly wrong at a research facility called Black Mesa. On May 16th 200-, 27-year-old theoretical physicist Gordon Freeman (this is our player character btw) did what his higher-ups told him to do and shoved a suspicious crystal under a beam. This resulted in the Resonance Cascade, the inciting incident of pretty much everything that happened since in the series, in which a bunch of portals to a borderworld (basically a universe that can serve as a bridge between other universes) called Xen opened and aliens started coming out of them and wreaking havoc on Black Mesa. Then things got worse somehow with the military showed up, but not to save the BM staff but to shoot everybody on-sight to cover up the incident. Gordon grabbed a crowbar and started fighting his way through all of the aliens and soldiers, eventually making his way to Xen and killing a creature called the Nihilanth, who was keeping the portals open and invading Earth with an enslaved species called the Vortigaunts because it wanted to get away from the Combine (we’ll get into what the Combine are and why they’re so scary in a bit). Then Gordon gets saved by the G-Man.

Since you asked about the G-Man specifically (and since he’s my biggest comfort character and I love him to death), I’ll explain what we know about him. He looks like a mostly ordinary human authority figure, just a tall man in a blue suit, if a little uncanny and with glowing eyes. The term ‘G-Man’ is old-fashioned slang for a government agent and is what the fandom calls him (I sometimes say G' for short) because it’s his name in the game files (it's not his in-universe name, he doesn’t have one to our knowledge). However, he’s strongly implied to be a far greater force than any human government just assuming a form humans can comprehend. He’s widely considered to be the greatest mystery in gaming; nobody knows exactly who he is, what he is or what his motivations are, the only things we know about him is that he more or less controls time and space and ensures the story of the games happens as intended with minor nudges in the timeline and by ‘hiring’ important people. Nominally, he answers to a group of even more nebulous ‘Employers’, but his goals don’t always align with theirs and he occasionally deviates from their orders.

Anyway, the G-Man says that him and his Employers are impressed with Gordon’s work liberating the borderworld and preventing further invasion of Earth, so he offers Gordon a job under him. Gordon accepts, and the G-Man puts him in stasis outside of time and space for about 20 years.

In this interval, a whole lot of things happen on Earth, mostly to do with the fact that this is when the Combine choose to come a-knocking, attracted by all of the interdimensional disturbance caused by the Resonance Cascade. The Combine are a nightmarish parasitic collection of alien species that cannot innovate on their own and therefore seek to invade and assimilate as many worlds as possible in order to steal their existing innovation. The Seven Hour War happens, and that name kinda speaks for itself. It ends when Wallace Breen, the former administrator of Black Mesa, strikes a desperate bargain with the Combine in exchange for humanity’s surrender, and so they keep humanity alive and establish an oppressive, dystopian regime on Earth with Breen as its puppet leader as they slowly drain Earth of its resources, turn humans into brainwashed soldiers and try to replicate the teleportation technology that caused the Resonance Cascade.

However, as it often is with humans, not all hope is lost: a handful of other Black Mesa survivors including scientist Eli Vance and his daughter Alyx Vance start a Resistance against the Combine, which includes teaming up with the now liberated Vortigaunts, who now live on Earth and are even more oppressed under the Combine than the humans are (poor guys can’t catch a break).

Half-Life 2 was released in 2004 and is about Gordon Freeman being returned to the post-Combine Earth after his stasis and teaming up with Alyx and the rest of the Resistance. A lot of humans see Gordon as a saviour figure come to liberate humanity for a second time after he already saved them from one alien invasion, which also paints quite the target on his back for the Combine. Quite a few things happen in this game: a Resistance member named Judith Mossman who wants to protect Eli and Alyx is manipulated by Breen into betraying Gordon’s location to the Combine but Gordon gets away and they get Eli instead and ship him off to torture prison, which Judith did not agree to. Alyx and Gordon then storm the torture prison to rescue Eli where they find Judith and figure out that she‘s been working with Breen and Alyx obviously doesn’t take that very well. They find Eli and go to escape with the Combine’s half-finished, clunky replica of a Black Mesa teleporter, but Judith panics and sends herself and Eli to Breen’s headquarters in the Combine Citadel instead. Alyx and Gordon reroute the teleporter back to a Resistance laboratory and make their escape, but the teleporter, being a half-finished, clunky mess, proceeds to explode and bring down the whole torture prison.

This explosion also messed up the teleportation process and Gordon and Alyx only made it back a full week later, when they find that the blowing up of the torture prison has sparked a full-blown uprising from the humans, who now have solid proof that the Combine aren’t untouchable. Gordon and Alyx join the fight, wanting to storm the Citadel and rescue Eli for real this time. They fight their way there but ultimately get captured, coming face to face with Breen himself, who tries to get them all to surrender. Judith then decides she’s had enough of Breen’s nonsense and backstabs him, setting Gordon, Alyx and Eli free. Breen attempts to make an escape using a Combine portal, but Combine teleportation devices aren’t exactly known for their stability, so Gordon destroys it before Breen gets there and Breen falls to his death in the elevator. Before the whole Citadel can explode and take the whole surrounding city with it, the G-Man freezes time and appears once again to save Gordon (and possibly also Alyx), putting him in stasis once more.

This is where things get a little messy, because instead of using another full game to wrap up this story, Valve decides to release the sequels via smaller expansions called ‘Episodes’; at least three were planned, but only two ever came out.

Not a whole lot happens in HL2 Episode 1, the most notable thing is that the Vortigaunts all team up and use their powers to pull Gordon (and possibly also Alyx) back out of stasis, which the G-Man isn’t pleased about but does let them go. The rest of the episode is everybody trying to get the sparkles out of the city before the Citadel blows up, which they successfully do.

HL2 Episode 2 is where the plot picks back up. The Resistance find out that the Combine are trying to use the leftover energy from the Citadel explosion to send a call for reinforcements to their home universe, something they can prevent if they launch a rocket into space from a Resistance base called White Forest, so that’s Gordon and Alyx’s next destination. They do have to stop for a bit when Alyx gets stabbed through the back by a Combine-made creature called a Hunter and almost dies, but Gordon helps some local Vortigaunts save her life, with the minor caveat that Gordon’s and Alyx’s fates and souls are now forever intertwined. The G-Man also appears here, telling Gordon that Alyx was originally meant to die at Black Mesa but he defied his Employers to save her life. Then he tells the still unconscious Alyx to tell her father to ‘prepare for unforeseen consequences’ and, as usual, mysteriously disappears.

Alyx wakes up and they make it to White Forest, where they receive a message from Judith informing them that she’s also been busy since she left the Citadel. She somehow managed to uncover the Borealis, a research ship that went missing many years ago from Aperture Science (Black Mesa’s rival research facility, they’re very unhinged and have their own games, the Portal series) and is thought to have incredible technology on-board. Most of the Resistance is enthusiastic about finding the Borealis and using its technology against the Combine. However, Eli, upon receiving the G-Man’s message through Alyx, reveals to Gordon that he’s heard these words before and that he’s certain they mean another Resonance-Cascade-level disaster is inevitable if they use the Borealis and decides they should destroy it instead. Then there’s a big battle with Combine forces as the Resistance try to launch the rocket. They’re successful, and the Combine fail to call for reinforcements. Then Gordon, Eli and Alyx go to board a helicopter to the Arctic where the Borealis is located, but before they can do that, they’re interrupted by a pair of Combine Advisors bursting through the wall. Advisors are creatures with powerful psychic capabilities, unlike anything the Resistance has faced before, and while they eventually retreat and Gordon and Alyx survive, Eli is killed in this struggle.

For a very, very long time, this exact cliffhanger was the end. HL2 Episode 2 came out in 2007 (which is also the year I was born, funnily enough). Half-Life 2 Episode 3 still does not exist, and neither does Half-Life 3, to the point where it’s a meme in the pc gaming community that Valve can only count to 2.

What does exist is Half-Life Alyx, a VR-only game with Alyx as the protagonist that released in 2020 and technically takes place between the first two games but also does a lot of cool wacky timeline things that would take a separate post to explain because this one is already getting absurdly long. Another thing I didn’t mention is the HL1 expansions, which are a handful of shorter campaigns released between 1999 and 2001 that tell the stories of other characters who survived Black Mesa and are also questionably canon due to being made by Gearbox Software, who got a few Valve canon things wrong. There is so much more to talk about here but, again. This post is very long and I would understand if you didn’t even read this far. If you did, thank you very much!!! I love my silly anti-nihilist video games about the indomitable human spirit standing in the face of forces beyond its comprehension, and it brought me great joy to get to yap about them for 14 paragraphs straight. Thank you again for sending this ask ^^

[stardewsnail]

Shane N/S/F/W Alphabet

Snail’s directory here

Shane’s master post can be found here

- NSFW alphabet requests are closed

Letters remaining: A, B, D, H, I, R, S, T, Z

A- aftercare

B - body part

C - cum

His cum is thick, and there’s no shortage of it. He also has range—beware the splash zone. When Shane orgasms he also grabs on to something—hands knotted in the sheets, dull nails digging into his partner’s back, hands pressed hard over his eyes. It’s the only time he gets a little loud. 

D - dirty secret 

E - Experience

Shane is experienced—he was an all star gridball player and I hc that he played in college too and could have gone pro if not for an injury. He’s definitely had a dry spell since moving to The Valley. 

F - favorite position

Cowgirl. Especially if his partner has breasts—he goes feral watching them jiggle and bounce right there for him to grab and play with. Will grab his partner’s hips and hold tight while he thrusts up into them. 

G - goofy

I think Shane has a good sense of humor but wouldn’t enjoy outright goofiness. Also if it’s early in the relationship he’s likely to take it as mocking him due to his own insecurity (both about not having the body he used to and because he finds it hard to believe somebody actually likes him. 

H - hair

I - intimacy 

Early in a relationship or in a hook up he really tries to hold back on the intimacy as a self defense mechanism (if he’s sober). Once he’s past that, it gets a lot more intimate. He wants to make eye contact while he fucks, he wants to cradle his partners face in his hands as he kisses them, he wants to treat his lover tenderly and then rock their world. 

J - jack off 

He jerks off with spotty regularity due to the alcohol lowering his sex drive. Isn’t really one to savor it tbh, he only pulls up something to look at sometimes.  

K - kink (anatomy specific)

He’s got a thing for panties—touching his partner through absolutely slick underwear, rubbing his cock on the fabric, sliding them to the side when he fucks them. Really wants his partner to watch him take their wet panties around his cock and jerk off but a little too embarrassed to ask.  

L - Location 

He isn’t too adventurous as far as locations go. I think the wildest he’d get is on a table or counter top. 

M - motivation 

 He finds confidence insanely attractive because he has none. It lends itself to him being more submissive in the bedroom (he follows instructions very well

N - no

Aside from all the illegal things I think feet kinda freak him out. Idk why, just a vibe. Nothing that would be dangerous or could put his health at risk either, and absolutely nothing is going in the back door. That is firmly an exit only in his mind. (If his partner wants it up the ass though, he is reporting for duty.)

O - Oral

He can give like nobody’s business. He wants to be drunk off the taste of his partner. He also prefers giving because then he himself is less visible. He’s a little insecure about his body so unless it’s a quickie where he’s getting sucked off with only his pants unbuttoned he’s going to be a little self conscious. 

P - pace

Fast and hard—this man gets so needy when he’s fucking his partner. Of course he varies as the situation demands but when he gets going it’s almost animalistic, no thoughts just thrusting. 

Q - quickie 

He likes sex and he’s not overly picky, especially when he’s been drinking. A quick hook wasn’t out of the norm before coming to The Valley. However, a quickie is a lot more fun with a partner than a stranger. 

R - risk

S - stamina 

T - toys

U - unfair 

I could see Shane being in the middle of the road. He likes making his partner cum so he’s not withholding too often. He does, however, enjoy being edged. 

V - vocal 

Mostly grunting and low moans deep from his chest. While he’s not the most vocal, he is the most turned on by a vocal partner. He’s also more than happy to provide ample praise 

W - wildcard 

He doesn’t have a gag reflex. Do with that what you will. 

X - x ray 

Shane is broad, with the kind of big forearms that come from years of helping out on Marnie’s farm. He’s stocky over all with a good bit of chub—more of a strong man build tempered by beer. His cock is thick. Girthy. Average length and uncircumcised. 

Y - yearning 

Alcoholism lowers testosterone and therefore libido, so he’s on the lower end while drinking. Once he switches to cola and actually has a partner it jumps up higher than it’s been in years and he’s honestly a little unsure of what to do with himself. 

 Z - zzz

[soullistrations]

okay watched the next ep and--

baby bachira oh my gawwwwd

i have a sneaking suspicion that has grown over the course of the series that the anime is moving at a faster clip than the manga. ….may need to check it out.

okay my brain is braining beCAUSE yeah! reo’s dilemma WAS foreshadowing for bachira a bit i think! the last match drilled into the viewer that evolution is the name of the game. and it manifests differently in each character, but it boils down to willingness to do what must be done to survive, and ruthlessness to cut out the things that keep the player from becoming their best self—and oftentimes those things are aspects of themselves that are holding them back (i mean, the visual of isagi completely dismantling and rebuilding himself every time he incorporates something new into his playstyle is just so striking), but with reo and nagi, reo turns into a casualty of nagi’s evolution.

because nagi just kind of went along with reo but now he’s making his own decisions and desires and he doesn’t need him anymore, he cut out the part that was dependent on reo. but i do wonder—if reo had shown a similar ability to evolve, to keep up with nagi instead of clinging to the dynamic that, as he saw it, had gotten them this far. if reo had mirrored his ruthlessness. would nagi have picked him in the end?

the team picked chigiri because of the three other players he was the only one to quote-unquote ‘evolve’ alongside his opponents in the match, and barou earned his team’s respect by wrenching his evolution from isagi’s teeth, but. reo, despite being a really solid player, despite being smart and attentive and all the things he thought he needed. he still played right into their hands because he didn’t even realize the corner he was backed into by their tactics. they read him because he hasn’t changed, not the way isagi and nagi have, and that’s why he got left behind.

so then it’s really interesting that nagi’s last words to him are ‘what are you even playing soccer for?’ and then the next episode is about what bachira is playing soccer for, and it’s—also about another person. bachira's motivations, imo, are a lot more nebulous than reo's, and obviously their circumstances and characters are far from 1-to-1, but bachira, despite being solid and smart and exactly what isagi needed at the time, isn’t. he isn’t playing for himself really, just like with reo. i don’t know if he’s as ruthless with himself as he is with others. he’s chasing a monster but has he actually fully embraced the monster within himself? or does he have to be willing to kill the monster? ugh idk i’m losing the plot here but do y’all get what i’m saying? the whole reo and nagi thing really highlights that bachira is at a crossroads too, and even though he told isagi to come steal him back, even though isagi’s goal this whole time has been to get back to bachira, this upcoming match is just as much a test for bachira as it is for isagi! and i really WONDER if what they do during the match is going to have an impact on whether isagi picks him at the end of it.

[sigurdjarlson]

Ooooh!! Pls tell us how they are dropping the ball in TWW. I’d like some tea ☕️

So like I do like some aspects of TWW but imo Khadgar’s fakeout death and Dalaran falling was done quite poorly

Like if you’re gonna kick the expansion off with what we at the time assumed was a major character death you could have at least…had more than 2 characters care about it

I think that’s what bothers me the most? Alleria and Anduin express genuine grief. Mostly Alleria though. Jaina does for a few seconds. And then no one else in the game like ever mentions it.

No members of the council of six, no Medivh, no citizens of Dalaran who may have liked him, nothing.

Turalyon doesn’t say one word about it :(

It just doesn’t work because his death has 0 impact on anyone except Alleria. No one even MENTIONS it except her and Anduin

We have Alleria’s vengeance arc that personally I think could have been much more impactful

For a successful fakeout death you gotta make it impactful, emotional, etc.

And you do that by showing the grief it causes other characters and the effects it has on their actions or what the absence of that character does in general

They do this with literally only Alleria which imo probably doesn’t work for some people either

Like lbr most players haven’t read Beyond the Dark Portal. Their friendship in the game exists mainly in some flavor text and what they try to throw in there in the beginning of the expansion. A little bit in Legion (which was years ago)

They do nothing to make new players attached to Khadgar before killing him (they’re probably like who is that Lmao) or even just refresh the bond some current players who aren’t obsessed with him like me have with him

There’s some very sweet text between him and the player character in the beginning quests (“I’m glad to have you by my side.” I’ll give them that)

For god’s sake Dalaran falling doesn’t seem to do much of anything. Think of Teldrassil (regardless of the shit writing that led to it) how they have you desperately try to save civilians and ultimately be overwhelmed by the smoke.

They show how significant of a loss this is in various ways, show the refugees, suffering, etc

You get a few stragglers from Dalaran who express very mild grief about it imo. Most of it is “it’s a shame we lost so much knowledge” which is very valid Dalaran was full of it but like…where’s the emotional impact bruh

Then of course they give us Khadgar back

On one hand I’m happy he’s not dead. The cinematic was very sweet.

On the other…what was the point except to make Alleria make some impulsive grief fueled decisions?

Literally what was the point of any of that when no one cared and it did not impact much of anything significantly alskdkslf

Personally I think they should have drawn it out longer, really let the loss sink in..but to do that they’d have to actually acknowledge he died lmao

I still don’t like how he got one shot by Xal either. This man can hold his own with Gul’dan and various other powerful characters.

You could have let it be a fight that she just ends up winning but have him actually get to fight. He deserves that.

Idk I just think it was all written very poorly and mainly for shock value. It didn’t do justice to the character but I suppose I should just be happy they let him live

Idk this expansion in general doesn’t really make you feel like anything happened. it leaves you in a lot of ways going “what was the point…of any of that.” By the end of it?

Xal is fun in a way but she’s also very..one dimensional. Some people find that refreshing to be fair. Just someone straight up evil for evil’s sake. I think it’s a bit lazy that she doesn’t have much of a motivation except that.

And they try SO hard to make her the Uber powerful threat and she’s ~so cunning~ but to do it they nerf other characters and make them make dumb decisions and that’s also lazy :|

Like don’t get me wrong there’s some strong aspects to the expansion. (Especially in side quests. We got some real good side quests this expansion but the main quest itself is lacking in some serious ways particularly in regards to how it started)

Mostly I just don’t like that no one cares Khadgar dies. It drives me nuts lmao.

Literally being Medivh’s ass in. That could have been painful. The character he has the closest bond with.

Legion era writing I miss you…

They wanted a Varian’s death situation (except surprise he’s alive) but it didn’t work because none of them put any effort into having other characters react to it except Alleria ._. They rushed it and just kinda dropped the ball.

We got some good stuff. I like the Earthen, Neurbians and Kobolds. I like the Magni stuff with him, Dagran and Moira

I really like Faerin and some other new characters too.

It’s just..I have more examples of them dropping the ball but my brain isn’t working lmao. Mostly I’m mad at how they handled Khadgar and Dalaran which was supposed to kick off the expansion

Also why Thrall in the loading screen (which implies he’s gonna be a big character this expansion) with Alleria and Anduin when he literally doesn’t show up until the end and does absolutely nothing but bring the horde fleet

I guess we should be thankful they kept Metzen on a leash there. It could have been all Thrall all the time but I just think it’s kinda funny like they just threw him in there for no reason (Metzen probably)

I also do hope there are consequences for Anduin bailing on his kingdom. I love him. I totally get it but you can’t tell me his people aren’t gonna lose complete faith in him after he runs off AGAIN Like that.

I don’t mean he should be punished for having completely reasonable reactions to trauma just that..decisions do have consequences especially in regards to running a Kingdom

He’s gonna need to work to regain their faith in him or at least he should have to but idk if Blizz will do that. Like this should severely weaken his people’s faith in him as a leader.

[interstate35south]

silly little essay on the new story mode

literally do not post on here ever but the new dislyte story mode just. i have thoughts and the public shall hear them

lemme preface by saying: i thought it was MOSTLY good. like the majority of it to me was well done and enjoyable, it’s the end that gets me, partially bc What the Fuck but also bc it exemplifies a larger issue i’ve noticed w the stories

suffice to say, unknown collection spoilers from here to “and so anyways”

ok. ok. i see the rationale in the whole twist villain thing HEAR ME OUT

if i had JUST started playing and this was my first exposure to gaius’ character then yeah! its a fun concept, who doesn’t love a good betrayal yk!! but it’s just SO poorly executed it kills me. like it was truly a retcon, the character built up by static shock and the bounties does not at all match the character in unknown collection. perhaps i’d be less appalled by this had they built this up/left hints as they developed him, but they DIDNT. “but that’s what makes him a good twist villain!” he had the potential to be a BETTER twist villain if it became obvious to the players before the characters (dramatic irony my love). furthermore, they didn’t exploit the plausible motivation gaius had (hannah) and instead opted to just steer him in an entirely new direction. there’s mentions of a wish, but they’re not expanded AT ALL. ok hawkmoth go off

and this is all to say, i do not think he should’ve been the twist villain! in fact, i don’t even think hyde should’ve been (wouldn’t be much of a surprise)

this is a half baked thought but i think a much better twist villain would’ve been fu shi. THERE’S a guy w a consistent motivation, but the player actually SEES him sink further and further into depravity to achieve it, like he goes from what, stealing research to human experimentation. i feel like extinction wouldn’t have been that much of a leap

AND SO ANYWAYS

this brings me to the larger issue: continuity. it’s notoriously inconsistent. i fear that they’re not going to extend this storyline going forward in any way it deserves, and that’s disappointing to say the least! a lot of story events open such interesting doors lore-wise but then hang them out to dry. a bunch of the event stories aren’t fully resolved within themselves, and sometimes, in cases like lone star or bloody hunt, it works out fine. but in others, like sea and song, it creates this huge problem and just leaves it hanging there (what is going on w anna guys). i have no eloquent way of saying how come 90% of events aren’t really ever narratively significant again meanwhile there’s FOUR successive accro/bremis events. guys. it leads to a lot of missed opportunity plot wise, and it just kinda saddens me a bit.

all that said, on a positive note, i enjoyed all the cameos!! i loved MC and sachiko’s friendship and idk if i’m just easily entertained but the “gamble for your life” trope being applied to pictionary was so funny to me

[the-meme-monarch]

Can you explain Strange Someone Frisk’s motivations a bit more? I don’t really understand how they could go from being a nice supportive kid to tampering with things in DR

well frisk Does appear to be nice and nonviolent even without the SOUL’s control (sans saying “even when you ran away you did it with a smile” and seemingly feeling guilty for taking more than one piece of candy (the bowl tipping over and the narration saying “you felt like the scum of the earth”(unless that’s just chara trying to guilt them/you)) and we know from deltarune that while the SOUL controls what frisk and kris do, where they walk and what they say, it doesn’t control how they say things, like kris saying things sarcastically/confusedly/as a joke when it’s a choice they don’t particularly agree with (like the “perish” being said enthusiastically, or saying they’d go to the festival w ralsei or noelle and not sounding like the Actually Want To).

and similarly to kris ithink ss frisk feels. lost. without the soul. in the context of the au, frisk doesn’t remember anything before falling into mt ebott. idk it’d they even remember their life before that day. idk if they even had one. they maybe convinced themself that they were literally made for their role, and didn’t exist before then. maybe them causing problems through the secret bosses is them trying to get the SOUL’s attention, bc the SOUL’s influence is all they know, and they know the SOUL is here now.

they’re messed up in a similar fashion as jevil and spamton (and presumably the other secret bosses we have yet to meet) but where as they were Told by frisk about their roles as characters in a story, and jevil’s method of coping being that he’s “free”, and spamton’s is by trying to escape, frisk was made aware by their firsthand experience, and has turned to telling the secret bosses. and well, while i don’t know Why frisk would let this knowledge upon them when they’d been previously kindhearted, maybe it has to do w like. their life being entirely upended by the game ending and being shunted out of that universe as a result. maybe they feel cheated. maybe they feel that doing good isn’t worth it. maybe they feel like they can’t do good without the SOUL telling them to do so. maybe they don’t even realize or think that what they’re doing is causing harm, maybe they think that telling them What’s Really Up is a good thing. they did actually help spamton, for a time.

think that makes flowey’s plea for the player not to reset, to leave the game alone let frisk have their happy ending, kinda. ironic. not that resetting Would Have done them any favors either.

also if i was made fully aware that my life was little more than a means to tell a story i think I’d snap a little bit too. my life is a game maybe I am tired of being nice, maybe I do just want to go apeshit. maybe I’ll cause some problems on purpose

[leolingo]

ok but cellbit(q!cellbit????? idk) has mentioned that he has scars and implied having scars from the moment cucurucho used the chainsaw on him if i remember right

what do you think would be q!roier's reaction to seeing the scars for the first time??

(are we still talking about fed!roier? lol im choosing to assume so bc its fun)

tbh its hard for me to go down this tangent because we dont know much at all about the federations motives. one thing i do believe though is that the brazilians are the only people (as of right now) who cucurucho is willing — or is allowed, depending on how high up his position within the fed is — to kill, since theyre not actual guests. the only other instance of it hurting other players that i can remember is that one time with slimecicle, which i dont think was particularly serious lore.

that being said, i think roier would be upset. at least a little bit. maybe with even a twinge of guilt, over his indirect involvement and compliance, though he doesn’t have enough wiggle room to do anything about it. i think, if there ARE fed agents in the island, they’re probably way down the chain of command. i believe cucurucho itself may hold more power than those posing as players and because of that they’re relatively helpless in the face of what the federation chooses to do.

finding out about cellbit’s scars and death (canon to me. i have yet to think about a more concrete lives system within the qsmp but yeah) could very well be roier’s tipping point! it could be what sends him down the spiral of finally questioning his mission and his role in the island in the first place. we know by now he’s a very careful planner when it comes to interpersonal affairs, and that he can hold a mean grudge. his slow but sure retaliation against both quackity and spreen over events from the first couple of days reflects this. he’s also extremely devoted to protecting the people he considers close. these two aspects of his character, the way i see it, could lead him to turn against the feds in the future!

he wouldn’t just leave, though. I don’t actually believe he could. the feds have eyes everywhere and being IN the island only poses as a threat, no matter what side you start on. roier would actually work to dismantle them from the inside — he’d probably fill cellbit in and share his intel, bc god knows he could use the extra brainpower, and then they’d work together to bring them down, somehow.

ultimately i think that cellbit’s hurt, to roier, would be the last push on a long line of bad faith decisions from the federation. between the constant threat to the eggs’ lives and the unexplained disappearance of players, roier’s change of heart had been a long time coming. the impact of cellbit’s scars just speed up the process.

[summonerscenarios]

Hi there! This is my first time submitting requests and stuff and I'm not sure if you're still doing these but if you do, Cthugha and Akiha Gongen dating a tsundere MC?

Welcome, welcome~! Apologies that your first request took so long hun but I'm still learning more about these two. With that being said I hope this was well worth the wait (also idk why it was so hard to pin down a tsundere personality but i gave it a go lmao)

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

Cthugha

From the offset things are heated - literally. Your attitude comes off as hot headed to those who make a habit of stepping on your toes or bothering you with something longer than a few words. Cthugha’s whole protagonist spiel almost certainly ticks that box, so it’s safe to say that things don’t necessarily end the most amicably. It’s not as though you intend to come off so callous, but it’s hard to get used to someone who’s so outwardly expressive and loud (though at this point you’re sure you should already be used to it considering just how many big players have been pushing your buttons with their attitude since you first appeared into this world).

That seems to put a bit of a damper into his mood, and you almost feel bad for the old one since he doesn’t seem too used to the whole friend making thing, much less someone who makes no attempts to be welcoming to people you’ve just met. That thankfully doesn’t last for very long before he’s springing right back into action, seemingly emboldened by some internal motivational speech as he seems more determined than ever to earn your respect and trust. You almost swear you hear something about character archetypes and story arcs, but if it makes him happy you’ll humor this dragon transient just this once - besides, Ryota’s always telling you to give people a chance and not to cut them off so quickly.

When you start hanging out more and more often you begin to learn more about him, namely the lack of interaction with others for millenia longer than you’ve been alive, alongside his penchant for treating everything like a hero story arc as a way to mask his self consciousness with a heroic bravado. Once you begin getting past all of that you slowly begin to get a feel for what he’s really like; Cthugha tries really hard to be someone that people can look up to and fawn over, and time and time again it’s rarely ever ended as well as he’d hoped. And yet despite all of this you’re one of the first people to give him a chance, the one person who at first acted brash and hostile in an attempt to ward him away. You’re not sure if it's that or just the fact that he’s so set on wanting to impress you, but those feelings of tolerating him morph into something fonder, something that you can’t quite put your finger on until it’s staring you in the face.

The first time those walls of yours finally melted Cthugha was absolutely smitten, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that he’s down bad for you. It wasn’t as though he’d done anything particularly funny or outlandish, but it must have tickled you the right way as the sudden snort of laughter has him freezing in surprise, almost not believing his eyes and ears when you chuckle and lean up against his side so casually. You must not have realized what you were doing at first until you’d caught the therian looking at you, your face turning a pretty shade of pink as you straightened back up, doing a poor attempt to hide your face as you try to deny it in the first place. It’s such a small glimpse into what you’re like beneath that rough exterior, but Cthugua is absolutely in love, squirreling away that little image in his head like a CG to cherish later.

There are a few times where he fumbles, and worries that he’s locked himself out of your route by doing something to upset you; where he begins to doubt if you really enjoy spending time around him. He’s not used to opening up but you can see the change a mile away whenever he gets like this - Cthugha’s nowhere near subtle when he’s worrying, and the more he gets worked up the clearer it becomes before you have to all but drag him to sit and calm down before he ends up burning holes into the floor from the constant pacing. These times you’ll need to ease up on the tsundere attitude to offer him some reassurance - sure it’s not the most aptly worded but if it comes from the heart in your own way you’ll have him blubbering and cuddling up to you in no time looking for comfort.

When one of you gets flustered over the others actions it almost always triggers a chain reaction. It’s easy to work Cthugua up - he’d made the move to hold your hand once and he’d burned up so bad that you’d spent a good few minutes having to physically cool him down before he nearly ended up setting the place ablaze. Both of you are still getting used to affection - you because you’re still learning to open up and express your boundaries more confidently, and Cthugha because he’s got to be really careful to curb that explosive personality of his and outlet it in a way that doesn’t cause such a physical reaction. Needless to say that being in a relationship with the old one is a learning experience in and of itself. Give him some time though and once he’s finally got it under control you’ll be hard pressed to get him away from your side - Cthugua loves spending time with you, even if it’s just being in your general presence if you’re not in the mood for being doted on. 

Akiha Gongen

The trope of opposites attract couldn’t be more applicable than you and Akiha Gongen, even before a relationship blossoms. Akiha is open and inviting, almost always beaming brighter than anyone you’ve met and eager to please and make people happy even if it’s at his own expense more times than not. This rarely ever helps him in the friendship department, as you’ve seen first hand that he struggles to interact with said friends thanks to his rule and generally emboldened vibe. You on the other hand couldn’t be more different - people should be put off by your harsh and usually rash personality, and you make very few attempts to curb your tongue around people who haven’t earned your respect and friendship. And yet time and time again people flock to you like moths to a flame, lured in either by the people they see in you or some otherworldly force that somehow gravitates them in your direction. 

It’s frustrating, but there’s a small mercy in the fact that Akiha isn’t one of them, or at least doesn’t go outwardly proclaiming it every time you see him like some of the others do; maybe it's that which gives you pause, your usual icy tone leveling into something a little calmer. And it doesn’t go unnoticed either - the Summoners are shocked when they see you around him, watching what took them a good few weeks to accomplish happen within a matter of days - your trust is not easily earned, so the fact that he manages to get you to warm up to him so fast is a testament to just how lovable this big guy is.

Your bluntness and generally walled off demeanor doesn’t deter him in the slightest because he knows that beneath all of that initial coldness is such a warm and bright spirit, he just needs to figure out how best to earn your trust so you feel comfortable showing off that side more often! At least that’s what he reassures himself once he starts making a habit of spending time with you. It’s hard enough not to fall for that warm open act, but the fact he’s trying so hard to make a constant effort to win your attention and affections only makes it all the harder to not find yourself smitten with the tengu - not that you’ll willingly admit it.

His smile is infectious when he’s happy, and when you start going out rest assured every single one of those smiles is directed at you. It’s flustering to be under that much constant attention, but your embarrassed grumbles to stop looking is only met with even fonder looks content just to see you preen under the attention. 

One of Akiha’s biggest weaknesses however is his concept of personal space when it comes to affection - when he gets too happy or excited the first thing he’ll want to do is pull you in for a hug, burying your face into his chest and cuddling you every chance that he gets. If you’re the kind of person who’s alright with affection this is fine, but it certainly takes some getting used to. The first time he let it get the better of him you’d brought him a gift - only a small trinket that you’d happen to spot in the shop window that made you think of him - but it’s as though you’d given him the biggest declaration of love with how he reacts. There’s no time to react before he’s scooping you into his arms, practically twirling you around and almost sending the gift flying as he all but smothers you in praises and thanks for such a thoughtful present. Thankfully he learns quickly, but it gets to the point that you can always tell when he’s yearning for affection, the none too subtle puppy dog eyes wearing away at your stubborn spirit before you finally cave and give him the all clear to be free with his affections.

[intoafandom]

Ok bruinsblr, it’s been a few weeks and i think im finally ready to say some stuff.....

Firstly, if it wasn’t ABUNDANTLY CLEAR, i was in denial, probably more than ive ever been in my entire life. I’m only NOW starting to feel it as I type this out (which i KNEW would happen and its why i put off making this post).

It doesn’t feel real. It feels like someone took the script and ripped it into a thousand pieces. It feels like it wasn’t supposed to happen that way at all and that there was something evil force flipping the scales. It feels like everything just suddenly disappeared, like all of the sudden everything just freaking stopped and everyone just disappeared. I feel like I haven’t seen the team in YEARS even though its only been a couple weeks. Everything just feels gone.

Yall know ive been posting about oneus (and onewe) waaaay more often lately (and its not just because they came back with new music and ravns been active). Again, ive been in denial and oneus (and onewe) are my helpful distraction. Cuz otherwise ik i would’ve been a total complete mess. 2019 still feels worse to me because, again, I haven’t let myself feel all the emotions tied to the elimination. I haven’t thought about bergy or krech, I haven’t thought about the free agents, or anything else relating to it because if i do ik I’ll probably break aaaand im not ready to go down that road yet.

I’m happy about the regular season, probably more than I’ll ever be about another season ever again. Everything that happened was so surreal. Linus’ goaie goal, the bench clearing for Bergy’s 1000th point (and the fact that i got to go to the game where they honored him). The winter classic at fenway and JD killing it in LITERALLY every way possible. We got pooh bear, we got meth bear, we got everything. There were so many milestones, so many players who had the best seasons of their career.

I kinda feel like im in limbo. Like I don’t really know what to do with myself. Cuz i literally haven’t watched ANY other playoff games and it all just feels so weird. And i guess that’s the word that sums everything up for me. Weird.

I think when the season started, we all could feel that this was the last dance. And now that its over, I don’t know how to feel or what to do. I don’t even know how to post about the bruins rn. Cuz everything just feels so freaking weird and disconnected. I think im just detached from reality. I’m in my own little space where none of the painful emotions have fully hit me yet.

And now i feel like i don’t really know what to do with myself. Because since 2018 this has been a hockey blog (with a few other things randomly thrown in). The past 5 years have been hockey hockey hockey, and ive been posting about the same people for so freaking long.

And like...I don’t really know what to do now because im pretty 100% sure that some of those core people are going to be gone. Dynamics are going to change, and im someone who HATES change.

Honestly, at the beginning of the season/the end of last season, I was almost completely checked out of bruinsblr. That was the height of all the drama (iykyk) and the team got crushed in the playoffs + all the sh!t canes fans did to pasta. I was sick of lb’ing because i just wanted to watch the games in peace without having to see all the hate. I was sick of missing cute cellys just so i could type “BERGY YOU KING” before anyone else. I was exhausted.

But then this season came along and it was like all the joy from 2018-19 (my first year as a hockey fan) all came back. I was lb’ing the way i used to, without focusing on notes or followers. I was just enjoying it. Enjoying the games, enjoying the moments in real time. I didn’t make as many edits, I didn’t force myself to make them when I wasn’t motivated.

I enjoyed the season the way i was supposed to. As a fan rather than...whatever the fvck this account is. And it was amazing.

All this to say, idk what is coming. Idk what this off-season is gunna be like and idk what next season is gunna be like. Will I still lb? Maybe. Will I still edit the bruins? Maybe. Will I still post about the bruins? Maybe. Probably.

But am I going to obsess over the wags anymore? No. Am I going to screenshot things from insta and post them here with the caption “omg player xyz is so funny/cute for this!” No. That’s stuff I feel I’ve grown out of. Don’t get me wrong, i still love jd and cmac and bambi carlo and all the others, but i dont feel like posting about their personal lives anymore, especially when yall can just go to their instas and see it RIGHT THERE.

Here’s what I know though. I still love the bruins. I love their friendships and the team dynamics. I still love hockey, i still love sports. And this is still a fan account (duh its literally called IntoAFandom). I’m still going to post/talk/rant about it all. I’m still going to be a reblog queen and im still going to follow the tags like ive always done.

But I’m also telling you that I’m going to he posting a lot of oneus and onewe now. I feel like im moving into a new stage and they’re a part of it. So if you dont like it, this is your out. I wont get offended, kpop isn’t for everyone (hell, i used to ACTIVELY avoid it the entire time i was in high school and for a couple years after I graduated too).

Basically, I’m going to do what makes me happy now, just as I started doing this season. I’m going to do whatever I’m in the mood to do and I’m not going to force myself to do anything. Im going to watch the bruins and im going to continue to be a fan of them. I still love them and i still love the team. But im also going to love oneus and onewe and im going to stop holding myself back.

Yall know i loved marvel for the last 5 years too, but i think a lot of you probably know that I haven’t been into it lately, but that’s a post for a different time lol.

All this to say im growing. Im exploring new things, finding new loves. And its fun. Im learning korean (why am I lowkey good lol), I’m writing a book, i finally got over my fear of talking to people (yay me).

I feel like im starting to look at the world in a new way, a way I haven’t looked at it in a long time. And it’s making me happy, honestly.

This post took a weird (theres that word again) turn, so I apologize, but i feel like this is all connected somehow. I don’t know what this account is going to look like in a few months, but I guess thats the fun of it all.

Thanks for reading, sorry for the typos (ik there’s gunna be some but I’m too lazy to proof read this oop).

Thank you to all the friends ive made on bruinsblr (Liv and Sarah, thank you❤️). This isn’t a goodbye, because lets be real lol. But I guess its a new beginning? Idk. But yeah.

[alyjojo]

The Person On Your Mind in September 🫏 2023 - Capricorn

Whole of their energy towards Capricorn: Death

You already know this is over with, so do they. This person cheated on you, or with you, they see you as Queen of Wands or potentially “the lover”. Either they stopped talking to you to work things out with a Queen of Cups, or they may have been cheating and left altogether. It’s possible this is switched too, someone chested and then left, I just can’t tell who came first. Queen of Wands is usually the lover of any sign in a 3rd party reading like this.

Feelings: Queen of Wands

Cut and dry, either you are the lover and they’ve left this connection behind, because they didn’t want to make it official and leave the other person - or you two have split up 10 Pentacles because they were fking around behind your back. Could be work too, if they cheated with/on you at work. If this lover is not you, Page of Cups is very new, flirty energy, and The Devil is obsession, lust. I don’t think it went very far with a Page, but they have messages on their side so you’ve found something.

Intentions: Page of Swords

They want to tell you the truth about the how’s and whys everything became what it was, why they felt like they had to leave, or they want an explanation from you if this is all switched. In their head, they want to make things right, even if it’s admitting they’re wrong. Or that’s you.

Actions: 7 Swords

In action, they’re avoiding you like the plague, they can’t think of the right thing to say, and apologizing “isn’t right” because they’re not actually sorry. They weren’t happy, they were flirty or someone else was, and they wanted to give that connection a try. The Tower is something they’re aware they’ve caused you, they don’t want to answer for it, and don’t want to fake it for the sake of telling you what you want to hear. Or that’s all switched. Even the messages have you both moving on. Do they feel bad? No, but maybe it’s “how” something was done, could’ve been better in their mind. Or yours.

Messages:

Their side:

- Adrenaline Junkie

- Sneaky Messages

- Going in different directions

Your side:

- Shy 🙈

- Moving out, Moving on

- Leave them on READ

Possible signs:

Capricorn, Gemini, Aquarius, Scorpio, Pisces & Virgo

If you’re dealing with:

Strength, 7 Swords, 7 Wands show you keeping your composure around other people who are probably very defensive with you, friends, family, whoever. Everyone will have an opinion and you’re giving this the time it needs to become yesterday’s news, but you’re also avoiding people because you don’t want to hear it either. You’re not concerned with what other people think about what you’re doing.

Aries - wants to fk, all of the time, they’re obsessed with you 💯 Could have serious issues with drugs or alcohol, be careful.

Taurus - abandoned you in the past, or you did

Gemini - making peace because they need money, they have hidden motives & secrets

Cancer - being nice to each other while also proving which person doesn’t care more, but you’re both doing it so…good luck with that

Leo - rushing in too soon due to a lack of proper leadership or doesn’t know how to lead, maybe tried and failed at something, could be work related

Virgo - a player, but could be a good time for like…a week

Libra - feels like all of the pieces of this situation fit perfectly into place, for you or them either way

Scorpio - reuniting after a long time apart (or feels like it), they are SO happy 😁

Sagittarius - leaving this behind and verbally cutting off heads on their way out, could think you’re a vengeful bully or that’s switched

Capricorn - wants the drama to end but doesn’t want the whole relationship to end

Aquarius - loves you, is proving it, and wants another chance or a new cycle for the both of you

Pisces - getting all fired up and burnt out just as quickly due to indecision, or ignoring them? Could be missing a message or not responding, whether it’s on purpose or not, idk. Could be this person.

[pappioboio]

RP Fights (???)

(I’m just basically writing down a thought that’s been on my mind for some days now, if not a week or two.) Now, I’m in a bunch of Discord RPs and I’m always a fan of a good fight, especially because a fight can end up getting people to go beyond their ‘limits’ when it comes to their writing and ends up with them getting better. However, some people I know have pointed out a divide between “Good Fighters” and “Fun Fighters.” a ‘Good’ Fighter is someone capable of beating anyone they face off against in an RP fight, no matter the disadvantages they might be facing, no matter how badly the odds are stacked against them, they can always find a way to succeed and beat their enemy, some of the better members of this category can also pretty much turn any fight they’re involved in into a stomp in their favour. (a Stomp being a one-sided fight that ends quickly and results in a pretty painful or humiliating defeat for whoever lost.) Whereas a ‘Fun’ Fighter is an individual that can always make fighting them FUN, even if they’re not that great, even if they mess up with their grammar and sometimes are just clearly going to lose, they’ll make sure the fight is fun for everyone that’s involved. My idea is as follows: The “Best Fighters” are people that can combine BOTH aspects, resulting in someone who can make a fight fun and entertaining, but is also 100% capable of beating you if need be. Now, they don’t combine ALL the elements together, but they can take the best of both worlds and use their fights to do something that everyone involved in a Roleplay is already either trying to do or contributing towards at the end of the day. Telling a Story. A lot of people I’ve talked to while RPing on Discord seem to forget that even when fighting others, at the end of the day a Roleplay is STILL a Roleplay, even if players are fighting one another, the characters still keep their motivations, their personalities and their character traits, that fact doesn’t change just because the two players are going to fight. A lot of people seem to forget that part, focusing solely on the Combat abilities of their characters during a fight, but the ‘Best’ Fighters can actually tell a good story in a fight. my friends for the most part don’t agree with me on this last ‘category’ being composed of the best people in terms of RP Combat though. tl;dr if you can beat people really easily no matter what then you’re good at fighting but are prolly not focusing on storytelling as much, or at all. if you make fights fun but aren’t really that good at actually beating people in fights due to your writing skills, you’re still able to try and tell a story but people won’t really consider you a ‘good’/’great’ fighter. if you can do both IMO you’re basically in the top tier, but according to many of my friends you’re still worse than someone who only knows how to fight good and has yet to learn how to combine fighting good with storytelling (it is not an easy thing to learn though imma be honest so props to anyone TRYING to learn!) might follow up on this in the future idk