#in past games it’d be like ‘work on a car with your teen and teach them to drive’

[tricoufamily]

i wish ts4 packs would stop making such a huge part of the gameplay “this makes this part of the game easier! gain skills 10x faster! never get hungry! make $5000 every minute!” the game is already too easy please i don’t want a magic tree i want a clinically depressed man in a band who lives in the world’s shittiest apartment in gotham city i want him to suffer

[twokinkybeans]

Stark On Ice 6: Epilogue [Starker]

Read here on AO3!

-

Chapter 6: Epilogue

Peter sighs as he laces up his skates and pulls the zipper of the Midtown Ice Arena-themed vest a little higher. He already hears the loud, happy noise coming from the locker rooms. It’s not like he didn’t teach any classes during Celebrity Spin-Off, but it’s good to have more time for his students again.  “Mr. Parker, hi!” Peter turns around to see a young girl emerging from the locker room with a big, broad smile on her face. “You have to check out my double axel. I finally mastered the landing!” She’s beaming with happiness, and it warms Peter’s heart to see her enthusiasm. Before the TV show, she’d been nearly there- just… Just the final details had needed some work. “Don’t show me before you finish a proper warm-up though, go skate five laps first and do the regular routine. Can’t wait to see it!” His encouraging words reach her, and with a big smile, she sets foot on the ice to prepare herself for today’s class. Slowly, more and more students drop in, and before he knows it, the ice is rather filled. The next hour simply flies by.

-

Tony stares at the man presenting the current progress of the new project. Tony isn’t sure he even heard a word the man said. He never quite realized just how much he despises working as the CEO of Stark Industries. It’s tiring, having to make stupid business deals all the time. It’s not like the results are any good. He never really cared, but… Oh well. Ever since he started to care for Peter, he’s begun to care for other things in his life too.  A slight smile plays on his lips when he remembers Happy’s face when he gave the man a raise that doubled his salary. He earned it, and Tony is done with being a greedy billionaire. He wants to do something else. His fingers itch to throw everything he has overboard and make a run for it. He doesn’t know what he’ll be heading for, though. He has no plan. No idea. He’s never done something else, so how is he supposed to know?

“Mr. Stark, I would-” “Wait,” Tony sighs and shakes his head. “Look, boy, it isn’t you. I bet your presentation is wonderful and that the progress is going according to plan- few bumps here and there, yada yada. I, however, won’t be in charge of this deal.” The surprised echo going through the room is everything. Tony eyes the man’s name sign and grins.  “Michael, you’ve been working hard on this project. You know the revenue streams better than I do. If you want, I’ll leave you in charge to execute any decision related to this project.” The boy in front of the other people has a hard time to keep from crying. His eyes teary- filled with the recognition he’s been wanting so much. “T-Thank you, Mr. Stark, I don’t know what I did, but I would very happily accept the offer.” he stammers. Tony smirks. “It’s yours, fella.”

Michael takes a deep breath before he continues his presentation. Nervous but bold when he tells the clients what his plans are. Tony nods to himself. That was the right call. He made someone very happy here, and he doesn’t have to bother with it. He realizes he finally starts to trust people again. His employees. His friends, too. All because of Peter Parker with his ever-be-damned innocent puppy eyes. He wishes he could see Peter again soon. The boy is immensely busy with teaching and catching up with his YouTube channel and own training. Even though Celebrity Spin-Off may have eliminated them for the race - leaving Clint and MJ to win - the bookings for Dancing On Ice have been off the charts. Everyone wants to get a glimpse of Peter Parker with their own eyes. Tony wishes he could spend more time with his boyfriend, but he’s immensely proud of how the boy is doing. He’s famous, famous for being himself and the thought alone has Tony feel proud.

They haven’t seen each other in three weeks now. But Tony intends to surprise him tonight. Happy happily volunteered to be their chauffeur, and the restaurant had been more than excited to rearrange some tables to squeeze them in. Ned and MJ are a part of the secret plan, too, making sure Peter has the night off from something else.

-

“So, I’ve been meaning to ask you something for a long time now.” “Oh?” “Why aren’t you pursuing the Olympics? I may not be a professional, but I know enough about figure skating now to see you have the potential.” Tony’s voice is gentler than usual. Peter presses his lips together and casts his gaze down. The man knows he’s treading on thin ice and it has Peter feeling understood and more at ease simultaneously. He knows he doesn’t owe anyone an explanation. A simple “I don’t feel like it” would suffice. Peter wants Tony to know, though. He’s his boyfriend, for fuck’s sake. 

“My parents… They were rather famous pair skaters—multiple Olympic gold medals. My mom, she… The stress of having to upkeep her physique, athletic capabilities, relationship, and me-” Peter pauses for a short second, taking a deep breath. “It drove her to a massive panic attack during a show and she fell. Broke her ankle. Couldn’t skate again on the same level. It drove her insane. She got behind the wheel, drunkenly so, and crashed herself and my father into a tree in Ohio.” Peter’s voice wavers, and he shakes his head slightly. “I don’t… I don’t want to end up like them. I want to enjoy the sports. She grew to hate it. I couldn’t… I need this in my life. I can’t bear the thought of losing it. I’m good here. Shows, teaching. It’s still professional, and yet at the end of the day, I can still have a game night with Ned and stuff my face with a way too big pizza.”

Tony nods. Unsure what to say. Peter gives him a faint smile. “You don’t have to say anything. It’s been fifteen years now. Although it’s something I carry with me, it’s not… It’s not something that I’m allowing to dictate my life. Honestly, I’m having a grand old time, Tones.” “I’m so sorry, though,” Tony whispers and opens his arms. Peter hums appreciatively and crawls into his lap- straddling the thickened thighs. All these months of harsh training show on Tony. “I wish they were still here to see what an amazing young man you’ve become.” 

Peter scoffs, but his gaze betrays his pride. “Thanks,” he whispers and kisses Tony’s forehead. “Now, what about your parents? They left a mark on you too, didn’t they?” Tony shrugs. “My dad’s a prick. My mom never knew how to deal with that. They died before I could properly build a bond with her.” “How’d they die?” “Suspicious car accident. It’s never been confirmed exactly what or who did it.” “I’m sorry…” “Nah, honestly, as much as I miss the idea of them- I don’t miss them. They were never there for me when I needed them. I wish I could’ve had loving parents, but hey, at least they left me with a multi-billion-dollar company.” “I always forget how rich you are.” “Wanna be spoiled?” “Ugh, no. We’re good like this.” “Good.”

The both of them fall silent for a good minute after that. That is until Peter cocks his head and innocently brings his drink to his lips. “So-” he starts “-MJ and I have a plan for a new video for our channel.” Tony knows by the tone of the boy’s voice that it is something that Tony won’t necessarily like all that much. Or maybe he will. It’s about him, that’s for sure. “Oh?” He simply says. Peter chuckles. “Well, we figured it’d be fun to star you as a guest? People will love to see more of us skating together, and the fact that you’re Tony Stark only makes it better.” “What about MJ?” 

Peter’s smirk widens, and he grabs his phone that had been facedown onto the edge of the table. Tony groans. “Oh God, you got it all planned out, didn’t ya?” “Of course I did. Who do you think I am? MJ is in charge of all our social media and editing, but I? I make the scripts. Skating is much more than just a simple dance, eh? It’s a choreo. A story.” “Sure thing.” Peter scoffs and shakes his head as he scrolls through his phone, probably to find the right document or whatever it is he wants to show his boyfriend. “Thought I taught you more these past months,” he jokes. Tony chuckles.  “I’m still very much a rookie, Pete. Your world of figure skating, I- haven’t figured it out yet.” “Oh God, that’s the worst pun ever.” “Shush, I’m having an ice day.” Peter snorts and shoves his phone forward. “Maybe my choreo will shut your mouth.”

Tony can’t help biting down his lower lip as he spills his last joke. “Axel-lent.” Peter sends him a death glare after that, but the playful sparkle in his eyes betrays that he loves the convo. He nods at his phone, and Tony takes the hint. Dropping more jokes would be overkill now. (Yes, he knows more puns, and he won’t ever admit to Peter that he stayed up until 3 am a few nights ago to Google them).  He squints his eyes at the screen, cursing under his breath as his fingers slide down the screen to lower the brightness. As much as he doesn’t think he’s that old yet, his eyesight doesn’t agree. Peter, if he even noticed, doesn’t comment on it.

“I- Is this Romeo and Juliet?” “Well-” “MJ IS PARIS?” “Isn’t it romantic!” “Romeo and Juliet never came off as romantic to me, to be frank. Those teens had an unhealthy obsession and-” “Tony, I love Prokofiev’s music. You’re gonna have to bear with it. Be glad I didn’t cast you as Juliet.” “Did you steal this from that Netflix show? I know Justin’s a hottie, but-” Peter blushes a bright red, and Tony grins. “Does that mean you agree?” “Yes. Of course, I agree. But no, this choreo is very different. They were pair skating for the competition, and we’ll be making a little play. On ice. Plus, it’s not even the same song.” “Alright, alright. Agreed on Prokofiev.” “Good.”

Tony smiles as Peter continues to explain the rest of the choreo to him. The costumes he has in mind. Tony doesn’t like admitting things to himself- especially not when they’re good feelings. But he has to confess he likes this. Peter. Skating. Even acting, in a way. It unlocks a part of him that he’s never quite experienced before. Obviously, his job allows for minimal creativity, but it’s nothing, absolutely nothing, like this. 

-

A little over 11 months ago, the broadcasters asked Tony to participate in Celebrity Spin-Off; an annual TV series where celebrities get paired up with a professional figure skater and compete against each other. Well, he’d laughed in their faces, wondering why they’d even ask. Were they really that stupid? He had better things to do. “If you can find me a male skater who lets me lead, I’m in,” he’d scoffed sarcastically to brush them off. 

He’s still not sure why they took his answer seriously, but they had. Tony Stark doesn’t back out of a promise, though. So, here he is, lacing up his skates to record a YouTube video with his sweet, enthusiastic, now 22-year-old boyfriend and his bestie; dressed in a silver-lined tight suit to play Romeo out of all possible characters.

He’s never felt more alive.

(Especially not at 7 AM)

[loveforpreserumsteve]

Those Who Fall: “APTF” Story (Modern Domestic Stucky AU)

Thirteen:

As they all got through breakfast with repeat stories they heard from the previous night about that day's school activities, and suffered through Ethan's fart jokes -- Steve and Bucky both gave Luke a disapproving look for teaching him that. Even if it was a rite of passage of sorts since Steve definitely remembered finding fart jokes to be the pique of comedy gold. Plus, it managed to make Wanda smile, so maybe it wasn't the worst.

While Steve started placing the dishes into the dishwasher, a car horn honked. His brows furrowed and he walked over to the window. Gazing down at the driveway, he spotted the red sedan and his heart leapt. Yes, he was confused, but happily confused.

A thump came from the dining room followed by a, "Shit."

"Hey!" Steve reprimanded as Luke raced through the kitchen after picking up the knocked over dining chair to the deck door. Nearly knocking over Wanda in his haste. "Slow down!"

"That's my ride," Luke explained, pulling a jean jacket on over his Tangle inspired pink, purple, and yellow tie-dyed shirt.

"I gathered that much," Steve placed his hands on his hips, "There's no need to go through the house like a tornado!"

Leaning in, Bucky whispered into Steve's ear, "I'd move through the house like a tornado for you."

Rolling his eyes, he swatted Bucky's abdomen. Purposely ignoring his husband, he was glad that he didn't need to tell the teen to apologize as he said, "Sorry, Wanda." Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he told his parents, "I'll be home by curfew."

"Whoa, wait!" Steve exclaimed while Bucky added, "Home by curfew?"

"I need to go, my ride's waiting," Luke looked between the couple with wide eyes and his hand on the doorknob. When neither men faltered, Luke explained, "Tonight's the Powder Puff football game and then the spirit bonfi--"

A knock on the deck door behind Luke interrupted him. Luke's dark olive-brown complexion blanched and he just stood there frozen for a full three seconds before a girl called out, "Luke?"

Giving his dads a pointed look, Luke instructed, "Be cool."

"Always," Bucky draped his arm around Steve's shoulders while the petite blond deadpanned, "We're the coolest."

Luke hesitated, just looking at his dads as though he had lost all faith in them. But he couldn't just ignore his friend, so he turned around and opened the door. Bucky and Steve leaned over the island counter to see out the door better. Even Wanda was trying to see.

What Steve could see, was long brown hair and a matching tie-dyed shirt. So, it was obvious that she had been there at Harley's on Saturday when the teens tie-dyed shirts. Steve stood on his toes, trying to look over Luke's shoulder to get a better look.

"You ready to���"

The girl trailed off and Luke looked over his shoulder. Quickly, the three at the island tried to seem natural, like they weren't spying. Of course, Luke knew better than that.

As Luke took a step to leave the house, the girl took a step forward. With nothing else to do but take a step to the side, Luke did and the brunette entered the house. A grin was on her sun-kissed face as she looked over the three in the kitchen.

"Hi, I'm Cassie," she greeted.

"I'm Bucky," the brunet introduced. Pulling Steve closer, "This is Steve. We're Luke's fathers."

Gesturing to Wanda -- who was leaving the kitchen -- Bucky informed, "That's Wanda."

"Nice to meet you," Cassie tucked her hair behind her ear. Giving Wanda's retreating frame a glance before directing towards the men, "I've heard a lot about you."

"All good things, I hope," Bucky easily joked, giving Steve's shoulders a squeeze.

Cassie awkwardly giggled. Looking to Luke, Steve and Bucky looked at him, too. He looked as though he was holding his breath. Steve felt for him. Remembering how much Sarah had embarrassed him in the past from just loving him and wanting to get to know the people in his life. In hindsight, Steve understood that she didn't mean to. And even though he knew that he probably embarrassed his kids the same way that Sarah embarrassed him, Steve couldn't help but want to also be a part of their lives.

"Well, we should get going," Cassie finally said after a moment.

"Yes," Luke loudly agreed, herding the girl out of the house. As he closed the door, he gave Steve and Bucky a look.

"Have a good day at school," Bucky lowered his voice, so he wouldn't embarrass the teen.

"Love you," Steve added, with an encouraging grin.

Luke shook his head and finally closed the door behind himself. Bucky took the opportunity to turn towards Steve. With the kids in the living room watching some morning cartoons before they had to leave and Wanda probably getting dressed, they were alone. Instantly, Bucky took the opportunity to snake his hands down to Steve's ass.

Giving the globes a firm squeeze, Bucky nuzzled his face into Steve's neck and gave him a sweet kiss below Steve's ear, "Have I ever told you how good you look in purple?"

Chuckling under his breath, Steve thought about the first time Bucky had ever complimented him for wearing the color during their first Valentine's together. Then, he thought about all the presents that Bucky had bought him over the years ranging from boxers to socks to t-shirts to sweatshirts to the very button down he was currently wearing, all in varying shades of purple.

Steve stroked the back of Bucky's neck and teased, "Maybe once or twice."

Pulling back, Bucky playfully narrowed his eyes at the petite blond. Redirecting his gaze from Steve's eyes to his hair, Bucky asked, "What are you gonna do for Wacky Tangled Hair Wednesday?"

"Uh," Steve scoffed, "I'm wearing purple."

"Mmm," Bucky hummed, agreeing, as he let himself check Steve out.

Playfully, Steve shoved at his shoulder. Glancing at the clock, he realized the time and easily removed himself from his husband's grasp. Walking through the dining room to the living room. Turning off the TV, the kids complained and Steve said, "Sorry, but we gotta go."

Wanda was making her way downstairs dressed in the new pumpkin orange velvet sweater and black overalls that they had bought over the weekend. Relieved, she said, "Perfect timing because I just peed."

Steve smirked at that and helped Sophia and Ethan with their bags while Bucky picked Holly up out of the play-pen. Since the pair had been nervous leaving Wanda at home by herself considering how she had shown up in their care and the bruises were still healing, she had been going to daycare with Holly. Becca claimed that it was a huge help to her and even talked about paying the teen for being there. When they asked Wanda about it, all she had done was shrug and claim, "Gotta know how to take care of a baby; it'd be silly not to help."

"You're not going to do anything with your hair, papa?" Ethan asked.

Before Steve could answer, Bucky snickered and hid himself behind Holly. Sighing, Steve aggressively rubbed both hands over his head, mussing the strands. That seemed to shut Bucky up, and Steve looked at the kids and asked, "Better?"

"Better," Sophia giggled, leading the way downstairs to the garage.

"Good," Steve good-naturedly rolled his eyes as he followed the eight year old and six year old.

While the kids climbed into the van, Steve turned to kiss Holly goodbye and kiss Bucky goodbye too. Bucky checked Steve out once more, especially the erratically tousled blond tresses. Even exaggeratedly biting his lower lip as though he was forcing himself to keep his hands to himself.

Steve smirked, "Have a good day at work, babe."

"You, too," Bucky smiled, kissing his husband's forehead, "All I'll be thinking about is you."

"Whatever gets you through the day," Steve chuckled, climbing in behind the wheel and waving at Wanda in the other vehicle's passenger seat. Once Bucky finished buckling Holly into her car seat, Bucky looked over at Steve, and blew the blond a kiss.

[briteboy]

WOW I’M FINALLY DOING THESE CHARACTER ASKS I NEVER ANSWERED SORRY

this is literally so long RIP me

33. Do they own any objects of significant personal importance?

rooney - “So...this is going to sound bad, but during my childhood, I spent my summers in France, and whenever we’d take trips to Paris I had this habit of stealing little knick-knacks from different shops...often little tourist-y things, kind of just a challenge for myself to see if I’d get away with it. I always did, and I kept it up throughout my teen years. I know, it’s bad. I lost most of the stuff, but I still have a lot of it and they’re all special to me even though I got them by very immoral means...gimme a break, I was a kid! Oh, and I also really treasure my grand-mere’s family recipes. And my tea garden, of course.”

gianni - “Truthfully, I don’t tend to value material things...I try to minimize my attachment to personal belongings so that I’d be able to get up and go anywhere with a moment’s notice if I wanted to. That being said, however, I do have quite a hefty collection of books that I’d probably miss if they were to perish in some disaster. I also have an incredibly unorganized collection of personal writings that I’d hate to part with...even though I can’t even begin to sort through them all in the first place.”

santi - “letters...a bong shaped like an elephant...but most of the important things stay in my head.”

39. Tell us about one of the times they got injured?

rooney - “When I was five I climbed an apple tree and fell about 10 feet and landed right on my back. It knocked the wind out of me and then an apple fell on my head and I had a bump on my forehead for a month, much to Audrey’s amusement. I’ve also suffered a lot of twisted ankles due to clumsiness.”

gianni - “I used to do a lot of sports in my youth, so injuries were like second nature to me...I must’ve broken every extremity at least once. They probably never healed right, either, because I was never one for resting.”

santi - “just one? well...i got into a pretty bad car accident once. no wait, okay okay, how about the time i wiped out so bad at the skate park that i broke my toe and the bone was literally sticking out? that was pretty good. or the time i broke my...nah nevermind, no one wants to hear about that. just take my word of advice: be careful in the cowgirl position, folks”

58. Do they ever have nightmares? If so, what about?

rooney - “I used to have a recurring nightmare where I’d be in a car that was driving except there was no driver. Every time I’d panic and take the wheel, except I didn’t know how to drive...I don’t remember anything past that, just that every time it happened, I woke up with my heart racing. I probably stopped having those dreams when I actually learned to drive, haha!”

gianni - “I periodically have dreams where I’m sucked into the couch into an alternate dimension. Some of them have turned into nightmares, but most are just bizarre.”

santi - “ha.”

(lmfao this b*tch)

65. If they knew they were going to die, what would they do/say?

rooney - “Probably just...‘I love you.’ No matter who I’d be saying it to...I’d just like to think the last words that leave my lips would be full of love. Unless, of course, I was brutally murdered by some serial killer. Then it’d probably be ‘Vete a la verga culero.’”

gianni - “’It’s all happening.’”

santi - “‘hey...wanna see a dead body?’”

32. Pet peeves?

FIRST OF ALL I’M SO GLAD YOU SENT THIS FOR BB FIONA OMG ;__; I CRY

anyway fiona’s pet peeves are line cutters, bad liars, commercials, when someone uses up all the peanut butter and forgets to throw the jar away, when people sugarcoat things or skirt around the truth, and when people call her fifi. do not ever call her fifi.

57. What D&D alignment are they?

OOOOOH FUCK YEAH fiona would be...honestly i think she’d be lawful evil lmao. or chaotic neutral. somewhere in between the two.

60. What is something that they’re sure to laugh at?

fart jokes 100%. 

4. What is their most embarrassing memory?

santi - getting caught streaking in boarding school and sub-sequentially losing a bet to drako. or spilling coffee beans all over himself in an attempt to impress a cute waitress at the bakery he worked at 🙃

gianni - when he first met rooney’s parents he had just begun learning spanish and tried to say he was embarrassed for spilling a drink on himself in all his nerves but accidentally used the word “embarazada”, thinking it meant embarrassed. so instead of saying “estoy muy avergonzado” (i am very embarrassed) he said “estoy muy embarazada” (i am very pregnant.) rooney’s dad had a good laugh out of that one.

rooney - most of rooney’s embarrassing moments are borne from her clumsiness. one time in middle school she tripped over thin air in front of her crush and rolled all the way down a hill and got a black eye from hitting her face on a rock at the bottom. she’s beauty she’s grace

lou - lou is one of those people who refuses to be embarrassed because she hates showing weakness. so if something embarrassing happens to her she’ll shrug and brush it off even if she’s secretly dying inside. often she’s always one step ahead, so if anything, she’ll be the one to catch you in the act and embarrass you.

7. Which of their relationships have impacted them most positively?

rooney - i think it goes without saying, gianni. audrey and her parents, and maisie and mars as well because she's learning the ropes of parenting through the way audrey interacts with them. her bffs 5ever, eli and cosmic <3 also idiot boy santi because in a way she is a lot like him, though not as lost. they help each other out when they’re in similar mindsets.

gianni - rooney of course, his parents, his bb boy santi ;-; all of his old dorm mates at boarding school, and his little one on the way (same goes for rooney)

santi - gianni, rooney, avey, his family even though he would fake his death in order to avoid them, his old dorm mates, eli and yes-- even miyu, lion-hearted girl, la pelirrojita, and.............fiona, above all. ;_____;

lou - fiona, her mother, audrey (and the rest of the wallace fam, but especially audrey because she works at the bakery with her), and.........orejudo.

20. Fears?

LMFOADSKGJKD 420 PLS I H8 U...i already did 4 so u just get 20 SORRY

santi has...a lot of fears. lmao. in fact, they kind of dictate everything he does, in case you couldn’t tell by his debilitating anxiety. rejection, failure, loneliness, disappointing his loved ones, confirmation that he really is as terrible a person as he thinks he is...and hurting the people he loves. that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

8. What’s the weirdest thing they’ve ever eaten?

rooney - one time her grandmother made her eat tripe. never again. she also used to eat bugs for money and candy when she was a kid.

gianni - he’ll try literally anything at least once, so he’s eaten a lot of weird shit. one time drako dared him to eat haggis. no ragrets

9. Describe the way that they sleep.

rooney - constant cuddler. she attaches herself to gianni’s body and makes it impossible for him to turn in the middle of the night. it’s okay, he doesn’t mind.

gianni - he spreads out and takes up the entire bed and somehow messes up the sheets and the covers in the process. rooney doesn’t need that much space when she’s constantly spooning him anyway tho

10. What is their favorite food/kind of food?

rooney loooooves egyptian food and middle eastern food. she always looked forward to taking trips to morocco when she lived in spain because they had the best food. she also has a weakness for lebanese cookies. and gianni is a big fan of indian food...but his mama’s lasagna has always been his favorite ;-;

19. Are they right or left handed?

both rooney and gianni are right handed! but gianni is trying to teach himself to be ambidextrous...emphasis on trying.

21. Favorite kind of weather?

rooney - sunny, blustery days where you can hear the trees whispering.

gianni - he loves the scorching heat of summer like nothing else.

30. Sunrise or sunset?

rooney - sunset

gianni - sunrise (he’s weird)

31. Are they more messy or more organized?

both rooney and gianni are messy people...that’s why their house is so cluttered. RIP

45. Do they believe in ghosts?

rooney and gianni both believe in supernatural things. rooney’s a lot more into it and will believe superstitions whereas gianni is a bit more practical, although he also accepts that there won’t be answers for everything and some phenomenons are just unexplainable. 

51. How do they usually celebrate their birthday?

rooney usually throws a star wars party because her birthday is may 4th. it’s usually her, gianni and santi, but also sometimes eli, miyu and audrey as well. last year they marathonned the OT and played a star wars drinking game (take a shot every time luke whines lmao)

gianni takes his bbys on a camping trip every year for his birthday, as you saw last year hehe

86. Do they like sweet foods?

rooney definitely has a sweet tooth. but she has a unique taste in desserts and likes to try new things, especially from different cultures. and if it’s too sweet, she won’t like it. gianni doesn’t really, but he does make an exception every time he visits the wallace’s bakery.

24. Do they prefer either hot or cold weather more?

santi definitely prefers hot to cold. he tries to preserve summer for as long as he can. it makes him feel like a phoenix starting anew.

36. Least favorite smell?

santi’s least favorite smell is probably the weird smell your pee gets after you eat a lot of asparagus. also artificial candle smells that are so sweet they’re gagworthy.

64. Upon seeing a slice of chocolate cake, what is their first reaction?

he kind of gets grossed out because it reminds him of that scene in matilda where the fat kid eats the entire chocolate cake. but then he’d probably eat it anyway because hey it’s cake!

28. Are they happy where they are currently?

santi - NO lmao. well...it fluctuates. it was good for a while...now he’s stuck again.

lou - she wants to be happy but she won’t let herself be because she feels an impending sense of letdown. she always gets let down.

29. Are they a morning person?

santi - hell fckin no lmao

lou - not if she can help it. both she and fiona hate waking up in the morning to get fi ready for school. but they suffer for the sake of education

30. Sunrise or sunset?

santi- sunset, always sunset (i think i answered that before but whatev)

lou - sunrise. she’s only seen one once in her life, so it’s a pretty special time to her. but referring to the last question, she’s not a morning person, so...

31. Are they more messy or more organized?

santi is messy as fuck. but we knew that. lou tries to stay as organized as possible, but sometimes she just gets overwhelmed and lives in the mess for a little while.

32. Pet peeves?

santi - when you only get like one wonton in your wonton soup, remembering something specific that’s just on the tip of your tongue but never quite getting it, that level of drunk/high where you start to feel yourself coming down and you realize just how lackluster everything is again.

lou - talking in circles, bullshit, repeating herself, family feud episodes that don’t feature steve harvey as the host, dirty dishes and bad reception.

33. Do they own any objects of significant personal importance?

already answered this for santi aheh

but lou treasures the few baby pictures she has of fiona because she wasn’t able to afford a camera or even a nice phone at the time. ;-;

34. Least favorite food?

santi - lobster. he fucking hates lobster. also those cheap chocolates with the cherry inside, blech. also not a fan of mushrooms.

lou - PEEPS. she ate too many one easter as a kid and now she gags at the sight of them. oh and tomatoes.

35. Least favorite color?

santi - grey, but not silver. he likes silver.

lou - chartreuse. and most shades of green. she only likes one very specific shade of blue-toned green.

36. Least favorite smell?

already did this for santi ohoho

as for lou, she can’t stand the smell of bacon. it’s too overpowering. it’s fine at first but then it gets to be too much, and she doesn’t even care for bacon anyway. also that garbage smell the periodically wafts through the air in the city, especially when you’re driving through new jersey lmao

37. When was the last time they cried?

santi? who tf knows. he’s always crying. he’s probably crying as we speak. lou, though...she hates crying. it makes her feel vulnerable. if she cries in front of you, it’s the real deal. especially if u make her cry...then wow. ur a monster

38. Were they with anybody the last time they cried?

U ALREADY KNOW THIS ABOUT SANTI. but lou...probably not. she’s kind of a loner, especially when showing that side of herself :{

[comicsinkcorporated-blog]

Dead Static Drive dev Michael Blackney interview

CI: Several people have described this game as Grand Theft Cthulu, do you feel that’s accurate?

MB: Hah yes - that's actually something that I started because I wanted a quick way to pitch the game. It's a game with a lot of mechanics similar to the GTA series, but it's set in a world of nightmare horror.

CI: What genre would you classify your game as?

MB: That's a tough one! I'd hate to ruin the experience, so I'll say that it's got action, adventure, survival, narrative, driving, and horror.  I think probably calling it an indie game is a good classification, since it's possibly more of a blend of other genres.  That's been something I can do because I'm not under the same pressures as studios.

CI: How did development for this game first come about?

MB: I was teaching at a game development college and I was working part-time so I'd have the flexibility to work on my own projects and work as a hobbyist.  I'd been building my own engines in C++ and was working on something fairly large - an open-world, streaming engine that supported modern graphics and physics, and I wanted to build something out of it.  I'd been working on the engine for about four months and it was getting quite good, but still I had so much to do before I could start making a game with it, and working on making the tools was taking up so much of my free time.  

And then along came Unreal Engine 4. It was announced, and announced that all developers would have access to the C++ source code.  Professionally and as a hobbyist, I've worked a lot with Unreal, and I'd worked on two unreleased UE3 games at Transmission Games in Melbourne (Sin City and Rotorhead).  Knowing that I could skip past so much of my own development to immediately working on my open world game idea meant so much to me that I grabbed UE4 as soon as I could and started to tinker.  So DSD started as a hobby project to just learn the new Unreal!  But what I started making was so much fun, and such a culmination of game ideas that I've always wanted to make, that I had to keep going.

CI: What were your inspirations for this game?

MB: Oh, so many things!

Gas stations and empty car dealerships.  Driving through the outer-suburbs and leaving town altogether.  Late nights at a local gas station, standing around with other teens because there's nothing to do in town.  Horror movies, especially the ones I grew up with in the 80s.  Illustration and graphic art that focuses on simple lines and isolation.  

I've sort of thrown together all the parts of what I find romantic and interesting, and tried to make them gel.

CI: What exactly is Dead Static Drive about? Is there a traditional narrative?

MB: It has a narrative, but at its heart it's a survival game.  Right now it's quite open in what you can choose to do, so what narrative is there isn't dragging you along - depending on where you choose to travel, you'll be exposed to different parts of the story.

CI: Have there been any unexpected difficulties faced during the development process?

MB: Mostly finding time and funding for the project! I was teaching when I started, and it took me two years to leave my job and work on the game fulltime.   Also, though, I had my daughter in late 2015 and having a new kid is not a time when quitting work and hobby projects can be the #1 priority.  A lot of people don't really talk about it, but new parents have it quite hard after the kid enters their life, and there's lots of adjustment and learning that you need to make.

CI: Where exactly does the name “Dead Static Drive” come from?

MB: I won't go into specifics of what it means in the context of the game because I'd rather that come out when playing the game - but I love titles that have a rhythm to them like No Man's Sky or Red Dead Redemption.  They're fun to say, and they can evoke a mood that reflects the game well.

CI: This game has several horror elements going for it. Do you think end product will lean more towards action horror like Resident Evil 4 or physiological horror like Silent Hill?

MB: Yes, there's definitely horror - and I want there to be more of a brooding undercurrent of horror.  What I'm doing is different to both those games, but I love RE3 and I love Silent Hill and I hope what I make is an exciting complement to both.

CI: Do you have an estimated release date? And if so do you have any plans for a physical release?

MB: I think it's unlikely that I'll be able to manage a physical release, though if I'm able to, it'd be great to have a limited run.  I'll likely just be digital, though.  There's not a release date yet, but I'll be really vocal about it when there is!

CI: Lastly is there anything you would like to say to the readers?

MB: Go and find short stories by T E D Klein, because they're fantastic.