#my BP is already too high

[climbontotheshore]

can’t tell you how excited I am that more TV (incroyable) adaptations are being made of video games

bc I absolutely suck at playing video games

I don’t have the patience to git gud so I can enjoy the storyline

[thedustyleaves]

Sorry if you’ve answered this before, but I really love how your illustrations have such a cohesive color palette, how do you pick your colors to have a certain theme without looking monochromatic?

(In your breakdown on the saloon/western BP illustration, you mentioned that the overall color was reddish brown so you added blue to the main group to set them apart. But like how did you decide on which reddish brown colors to use for the flats?)

Thank you!! Your art is really expressive and the colors always work so well in the illustration. I’m always in awe of your pics

That’s an excellent question! My drawings actually start out pretty monochromatic because I tend to put most of my effort into the lighting and shading part to help differentiate where I want people to look.

For all of my pieces, I want my characters to be in focus. So no matter what, I always have to keep their main colors in mind and make sure their outfits and the background don’t clash with them (Kain’s red hair tends to be a problem, pft).

For my flats, I generally work with two main colors that tend to contrast each other and then I mix a lot of neutrals around them. (Sometimes the main colors are in the light and shading itself, but I’ll just focus on the flats!).

Sometimes, I will change the hue of their colors. So while Kain has bright orange hair, I will dull it down if it overwhelms the piece or doesn’t fit with the tone - like I did for the cowboy drawing - but never so much that it no longer looks like him.

With the cowboy drawing as an example, if I strip it down to my flats, it instantly becomes very dull and monochromatic. I really enjoy working with these colors because they’re easy on the eyes (or my eyes specifically) and I can see the difference in subtle hues a lot better than if they were very high in contrast. I like working with subtleties when I want background characters to become a single unit but still be separated as individual people.

When I picked the colors for the background, I wanted to separate the characters from the walls. Therefore, I kept the walls red and gold, and the characters brown - they’re still within the same warm-colored family, but they’re far enough away from each other that they don’t become one with each other. I also like to not have clothes from different characters blend together, so overlapping colours can't be the same. I made one coat lighter than the other, the glove warmer than the dark jacket, and so on.

(their coats are also in the same realm as the green/gold colour of the details for the curtains and the frames on the walls)

For the paintings I actually chose to put a bit of blue and green in to help create some interest for the main characters and keep your eyes around that area, as it matches the blue they’re wearing, just a whole lot darker. It also makes them pop just enough so they look interesting against the wall, but not enough to overshadow the main characters

I know, because of the way I work with layers, that when I add my overlays, I automatically brighten and saturate the colors a lot. It’s a lot easier for me to saturate something “dull” and move it into all kinds of hues than saturating something already high in contrast and then trying to force it into a new color theme.

But because of this, I usually have to go back and change the colors I work with constantly while the overlays are on. Since the overlays don’t know what sort of materials they’re laying on top of, everything gets lighter and washed out, so dark skin tones, hair, and clothes have to be corrected one by one afterward. If I were to remove the overlays after I corrected it to make it feel like a dark blue outfit on Raki, it’s basically just a black void now; but with the overlay, it’s a dark blue outfit. Before that, he simple blended in with the background too much and he didn’t feel like he was a part of the group either. 

I always try to put down colors how I imagine they’re going to look like, unaffected by light, but I’m also naturally drawn toward more earthy and warm tones, so all of my color choices will tend to lean that way.

Here’s another example of main colours vs. neutrals; the main colours are red and green/turquoise, with dark browns and greys to encapsulate them, and gold for accents or to make certain things pop (the chair, Dakon’s dark coat, etc.).

I never want them all to wear the exact same color, but I want them to feel connected and be in the same 'colour family,' so Dakon and Kain have nearly the same dark red/brown, and Christie and Raki have nearly the same 'bright'/red.

The blacks and browns, I’ve kept warm as well, so they stay within that realm of red. I also make sure that none of them are too close to Kain’s hair since he’s in the middle of the piece, and I want your eyes to be drawn toward the middle, and his orange hair helps with that.

The paintings I basically do not care too much about, as long as each individual painting has a single dominating colour. I mute them down with a darker overlay and ensure they don’t have strong shadows and light, so they get pushed to the background, so despite being a bunch of different colours, each painting feels like a solid color and they’re still cast in the same light as the rest of the piece, so they feel like they belong in the same room.

I try to help move the eye around the piece as well, so I keep the big painting sort of in the same realm of red and brown as the main characters, because it’s so big it shouldn’t dominate with a new color and force interest toward it. The blue/purple ones melt in with the background as they’re close to the turquoise background, but without disappearing, the yellow ones work sort of like the gold accents and blend in with the frames, and the green paintings at the top give the illusion of a monochrome fade, so everything gets more eerie and green as the image goes up - there’s also a subtle green fade that affects the gold accents from the top down, to enhance that effect.

This is just a few examples, if there are any pieces in particular you were thinking of, and it’s neither of these, just let me know, and I can break those down as well!

Thank you for the question; I hope I answered it somewhat, and thank you for the kind words! <3

[thatblvckboyy]

I fear my post r gonna be like BP comebacks so here's a ff and I might delete this acc cuz of mental problems so if I do plz find another page

Kim jiwoong x male reader

Smut ff

You're a High School teacher at a very popular High school called Credarness High School and you work as a English Teacher. You also have a boyfriend named jiwoong and he is a Mafia Boss a hot one at that.

It was near evening time and you just finished making food as you would be sitting in the living room area marking your students English Exam paper.

After about an hour or so, your boyfriend jiwoong came in with a very musky and pleasurable scent as he would lock the door behind him and immediately walked over to you ,from behind and started kissing you out of nowhere, he did this for a few seconds.".my sweet little boyfriend has been so busy ... Why do you take a break ~" jiwoong said in a low and seductive tone" babe I have to finish marking these papers"

"It's Friday and you have the whole weekend and I promised you to behave" he said as he left tender kisses on your neck " babe stop! Let me finish this then you can have me all weekend "

"No can do I want you and now" with that he lifted you up from the sofa leaving the papers and pen on the table in the living room making his way to the bedroom with you in his arms held bridal style and layed you on the bed. After struggling to remove your clothes and his you were now bent over on the bed as he teased your hole with his dick before shoving it in "mmhh ohhh... Angry!! " you groaned gripping sheets as you felt his crotch fill you up with it's warmness

"See you always love my dick so why were you saying no" jiwoong said as he grabbed both of your arms pining them on your back"just relax.... And let it all out" he continued his rhythmic assault on your hole chasing his own pleasure enjoying the sweet solicit moans your pretty moans, music to his ears.When it came to jiwoong dick and his persuasive acts your body always submitted to him and his touch

Intense sexual tension in the air, nothing but the sounds of your flesh slapping against each other and your moans filled the room. There was Something about jiwoong bending you over and fucking the life out you, was just pure ecstasy. His hands on your hips digging deep in your skin as he his cock moves in and out of you hiring all those good spots.

" ahh I'm honan cum babe"With one final thrust his spilled his seed in you" ahhh! Oh yeah so gooood" he laid on top of you, the warmness of his seed was such a good feeling.He laid on the bed and pated the space next to him "come here babe I wanna cuddle you"you willingly obeyed and went and laid on his chest" remember you said I'm yours all weekend so finish those papers tomorrow and then we can some fun okay"

"What! Come on not fair you're always in control I wanna be in control too" you whined

"What would you even do if I gave you the slightest bit of control... Huh" he chuckled as he caressed your back "come on just one day babe please" you begged even though you always loved bottoming you wanted to feel what it's like to be in control "just sleep, I'm tired" he yawned

"Babe.... How about we go to.... " before you finished your sentence you heard him snoring " asleep already.... I guess I'll tell you tomorrow " you said as you yourself began getting sleepy and eventually fell asleep

[sinfulstarskitten]

BP House 2.1

Jennie bites her lip at that. "Good. Since your poor dick is aching for some attention right now, I'll allow you to relieve it. Which one of you want our Y/n's big juicy cock?"

Jennie unzips your jeans and pulls them down without warning, showcasing your huge dick forming a tent in your boxers. The tip is already wet with your precum and you turn red in embarrassment. Rose moans at the sight. "I want to feel his cock between my boobs Unnie! I want him to see them bounce and cum all over them so I could lick them up!"

Lisa shakes her head. "I'd take him in my mouth. I'm already so hot and bothered imagining his hot warm dick filling up my mouth. I'm good at sucking, I'd give him a great time. I'm sure I can take all of it in my mouth. I won't flinch when his hot ropes of cum fill my mouth, I'll swallow all of it."

You moan at her words, but Jisoo has something to say- no, show you.

Jennie turns in your lap to give you a good view of Jisoo as the girl slowly slips off her silk nightgown. Your eyes follow the fabric as it falls off her juicy round breasts, covered in hickeys, her lean flat stomach and finally down her bare pussy. You gasp as Jisoo giggles and falls back on the sofa.

"Lisa darling, would you show Y/n what he'd be missing out on if he refuses me?"

The younger girl licks her lips. "Gladly Unnie."

Lisa slowly pries Jisoo's legs open, revealing her pink juicy pussy, dripping wet with her juices. Jisoo is very flexible, as her legs completely split apart.

"See that, Y/n." The older woman purrs. "My pussy is clenching

around nothing right now. It's all tight and wet and ready for you-" Lisa couldn't help herself at Jisoo's words and bent down abruptly to catch her unnie's breast in her mouth. You watched in wonder as the younger girl climbed onto Jisoo's lap, sucking her nipple as Jisoo broke out into moans.

"Me…" Rose whined. "I want attention too-"

Jisoo grabbed Rose by the arm and pulled her down the couch. "Lick my pussy like the good little bitch you are."

Your mouth goes dry as Rose obeys, pink little tongue lapping up Jisoo's juices and swirling around her clit.

Jennie pouts at you, brushing long strands of your hair back. "My poor baby boy. My girls forgot about you and started playing with themselves. Guess Mommy has to take care of you today."

Jennie pulls down your boxers, allowing your big cock to spring up. Your tip was soaked in pre cum, begging for attention.

"Would you like Mommy to jerk you off while you watch my pretty little girls?"

You nod vigourously, desperate for Jennie's hands on you. You take in the lewd sights in front of you. Jisoo had her head thrown back on the couch, letting out the loudest moans as Lisa played with her breasts and Rose sucked her pussy. Jennie's thumb rubbed your tip and you forgot about the girls instantly.

Jennie grins at your reaction, her hands stroking you in languid strokes. You groan as she starts pumping you, faster and faster. you buck your hips into her hand but she pushes you down immediately.

"Sit still." She commands. "That's an order."

You're so fucking turned on that you could feel yourself getting closer to your high.

"I think- I think I'm close." You say breathlessly and Jennie giggles.

"With only my hand? Oh baby imagine how you'd take my pussy like this. Such a good boy." She bends down to kiss your lips. "Mommy likes you very much. I'll go easy on you this time, I'll let you come. Come in my hand like the manwhore you are. Our little fuck toy."

You go fucking mad at her words, and before you know it, you're shooting ropes of cum into Jennies eager hands. Suddenly you feel lips on your dick and your eyes fly wide open. Jennie is still looking down on you, so its not her. You look down at your dick to find Rose on her hands and knees, cheekily lapping up your cum.

"I've never tasted it." She smiles shyly, looking up at you with pretty brown eyes. "It's so thick and warm. Is it okay Unnie? Was I being a bad girl?"

Jennie licks her hands. "It's okay baby. Be sure to ask next time okay?" Jennie turns to you. "Look at my greedy little bitch, she just tasted Jisoo and she already wants a taste of you."

You felt your dick hardening at Rose's licks, and Jennie did too. Frowning, she stopped Rose by grabbing her hair.

"You can play with him tomorrow, we all can. Go to bed now."

Rosie whines. "But Unnie, I'm so horny."

Jennie smiles, leaning down to whisper something in Rose's ears. You watch as the blonde whimpers, clenching her thighs together. "Oh please do Unnie, I'll be waiting."

Jennie pulls back, grinning wickedly. "That's my baby. Now be a good girl, kiss Y/n goodbye and head up to your room."

Jennie kisses your lips, as if to show Rose what to do. But the mischievous girl leaves a sloppy kiss on the tip of your dick instead, causing it to twitch. She giggles and rushes up to her room.

"Cheeky little brat." Jennie chuckles. "She usually listens like a good little bitch but she's rebellious know that you're here. I'll have to teach her a lesson tonight." She licks her lips.

Jennie kisses you again and you melt back on the couch, enjoying the taste of her lips. She pulls your boxers back up.

"Get cleaned up baby, and go to your room. Rest up tonight and think about what you want to do tomorrow. The girls will be waiting."

You watch as Jennie gets off your lap and walks towards the room Rose disappeared into. You could swear she was shaking her ass a bit more just for you. You wished you could have gotten your hands on them while she violated you tonight.

You look a Jisoo and Lisa on the couch, and shudder at the obscene sight. Jisoo had her eyes closed, breasts glistening with saliva and painted with new fresh hickeys. Down between her legs, evidence of her orgasm dripped from her thighs. Lisa looking tired, was lapping it up to clean her.

"Your dick was huge oppa." Lisa murmured against Jisoo's thighs. "I want to try it next."

Jisoo whined in her sleep. Lisa chuckled.

"Maybe he can take more than one tomorrow Unnie, don't worry."

"Good night girls." You gulped. You stood up, pulled your pants back down and headed to the room that was supposed to be yours. You passed Rose's room, freezing for a moment as you heard loud slaps and screaming moans from the room. You were tempted to take a look, but you forced yourself to walk to your room.

Once you were in, you took the coldest shower you possibly could, but that didn't work. You had to jerk yourself off in the shower, thinking or Rose's soft small breasts, Lisa's plump lips, Jennie's ass and Jisoo's dripping cunt. You came quickly, hoping that would keep you sane for the night.

But as you climbed into bed naked and drifted off, you knew your dreams would have your cock hard in no time.

[is-the-snake-video-cute]

I recently switched my bp to a pvc enclosure and my humidity is way too low. I use a ceramic heat bulb and I have read that those can suck out the humidity but I have already invested a lot of time and money into installing it. Are there any other ways to increase humidity without switching heat sources?

I use ceramic heat emitters for almost all of my ball pythons - most heat sources will affect your humidity at least a little bit! It's not necessary to switch heat sources unless you just want to.

Here are the best ways to increase humidity:

Picking the right substrate. Any humidity-retaining substrate will work; I used to recommend cypress mulch but I've recently switched almost all my snakes to coconut fiber (both because it's more environmentally friendly and because it just works better). Coconut fiber, husk, or any similar substrate is easy to rehydrate by dumping water into the corners every so often and holds moisture very well. It gets dusty if it gets dry, but you really shouldn't let it get dry.

Big water bowls. Aside from your snake needing to drink, having water out will release water into the air as it evaporates.

It shouldn't be a concern with a PVC enclosure, but make sure your enclosure doesn't have too much ventilation (which allows humidity to escape). This is a bigger issue with enclosures with screen tops, but make sure you're not leaving the doors open for too long or anything like that.

Regular misting. Misting is a band-aid solution and I don't like the spikes and dips in humidity it causes, but if your humidity is way too low, then regularly misting the enclosure with a spray bottle of water can help things get sorted.

Ensure your snake always has access to a humidity hide. They're easily made by cutting a door into the lid of a container big enough for your snake to curl up inside (I use cheap food storage containers and plastic tool boxes) and filling it with damp sphagnum moss. These ensure your snake always has an area with very high humidity they can retreat to if they need.

[yerimbrit]

WWIB > prologue (wc: 0.5k)

warnings : mentions of death, rosé from bp is yn's older sister

for as long as y/n's known haerin, she's always been quiet.

it started in the second grade.

everyone in y/n's class had already gotten picked up, except her and this other girl that she'd never even heard a word from.

y/n knew that her sister chaeyoung would be late to pick her up, she told her that she had an exam to make up that day. that was okay with y/n. she had to be good for her sister; she already had enough on her plate due to being in her final year of high school while having to take care of her.

y/n's parents had died in a car crash when she was in kindergarten, but she was too young to remember them aside from little bits and pieces of things in the house that hinted at their existence. their room remained untouched since the incident, although some nights she could hear her sister crying in it since her room was next to theirs.

with no one to talk to, and growing disinterest in the fabric of ms. choi's dress, y/n was bored. and the other girl drawing in the corner of the room didn't seem like she was leaving anytime soon. y/n guessed she was used to this.

so obviously she approached her.

"whatcha drawing?"

startled, her hands instinctively went to cover the paper. this made seven-year-old y/n frown. why was she hiding her pretty drawing?

"nothing," the girl mumbled, then turned her face to look at her. "why aren't you going home?"

"why aren't you going home? i'll tell you if you tell me!"

that was a fair exchange.

"my mama has to work. so i go home later than everybody else..."

at this point y/n had taken the seat next to her. she didn't know when chaeyoung would be here, so it was worth sitting down.

"sis is taking a test."

the girl widened her eyes. "what about your mom and dad?"

"my parents aren't here anymore..."

"like..."

tears welled up in y/n's eyes. "they're- they died."

she started sobbing. ms. choi was about to go to her, but the quiet girl got flustered and handed her a pack of pororo themed tissues, instantly ceasing her tears. the teacher watched in disbelief.

"what's your name?" y/n asked after sniffling a piece of snot back up.

"haerin."

"cool, i'm y/n!"

the two of them were inseparable after that. from the rest of elementary all the way to now, where they were starting your third year of high school.

it became a regular thing, for y/n to either come over to haerin's house or for her to come to hers. chaeyoung had gained another little sister, and haerin's parents considered y/n a part of their family as well. although haerin's mom wasn't at home most of the day for work, and her dad wasn't at home at all for business... whenever they reunited for christmas or another holiday, they invited her and chaeyoung to spend it with them.

y/n couldn't imagine a life without haerin.

growing up together... it was inevitable to have developed a small crush on her, no? except this wasn't a crush.

no, she was in love. terribly. and she knew it.

masterlist | next

a/n : sorry for the.......... five month wait 😭😭 once i'm free i'll post the first chapter (though idk if this time will take longer than 5 months. jk prolly not)

taglist: @idkwhatim-doinghere101 @nnewjeansstuff @airice @yeetaberry127 @multiliker @saysirhc @shozeu

[quibbs126]

Can Black pearl and timekeeper fanchild? :0

Ah, we finally get to her. Well, this is Tuna Melt Cookie

So basically, her character is that she runs a game show. I think at the time I was watching someone talk about Total Drama, so she's something like Chris from that show. Including being a sociopath who doesn't really care that about the well being of her contestants and thinks it makes good entertainment. And considering she's got two gods for parents, her show is probably even more extreme. She's not as bad as someone like Shadow Milk though, and she probably has some actual friends

She probably also has a mermaid form, but she generally likes staying on land since there's more Cookies there to watch struggle

Also fun fact, her covered eye has black eye lines instead of white like her other one. Which would have been more cool and unique if Shadow Milk didn't already do that (also fun fact, I actually knew someone in one class in high school who actually had different colored eyelashes and eyebrows. One side was blonde and the other brown, apparently she was just born with it. I've wanted to mention it since Shadow Milk but never found the right time to say)

Anyways, on to her name. So Tuna Melt isn't exactly a name that fits with the likes of Black Pearl and Timekeeper, but I like it anyways. And my canon explanation is that Timekeeper picked it because it was funny

Anyways, so the name comes from the fact that is has fish in it, like Black Pearl sort of is, it's a sandwich that involves bread because I keep thinking croissants are bread, and the cheese fits with Timekeeper's color scheme

Tuna melt:

So Tuna Melt's generally red and yellow color scheme comes from the food. I think I was originally planning on making the red blue, but I experimented with red and asked a Discord group which looks better and they said the red. Also it somewhat sets her apart

The thick yellow lines in her hair are supposed to be a reference to the very thick slices of cheese that I kept finding when I looked up tuna melt, not to mention it fits with Timekeeper's color scheme. The rest of her hair I guess is the tuna

The white sparkles are supposed to be a reference to Black Pearl since she has those in her hair and bottom of her tail, as well as the bottom of her legs having the gradient. Also, it works with her flashy game show host aesthetic

Her little jabot (I think that's the right word) is another reference to BP, with the frills being like an upside down version of Black Pearl's shell and the brooch being like her gem

The coattails on her outfit were also supposed to be a reference to tuna fish tails, since I thought the design just needed a little bit more pizzazz. That's also why she has the gold leg thing

But yeah overall, she's another banger design to me, and I hope you enjoy her too

[owmylasagna-blog]

Ed is Thicker Than Mud

Warning: Character development arc may take a couple years to take full effect.

Some random musings on post-BPS Eddy growing pains.

You can also read it over on AO3.

Each mechanical tick of the outdated relic of a wall clock reverberating through the office makes his skin crawl. Wriggling uncomfortably, the naugahyde of the chair releases a series of unnatural whines of protest beneath the restless teen. Don’t they know precious moments of his youth are slipping away with every infuriatingly useless second spent shedding dead skin cells in this room? It doesn’t help that his jeans are still damp. He’s pretty sure his new sneakers are wrecked too.

If being detained wasn't bad enough, they’re probably on the phone with his mom right now, and he isn’t exactly looking forward to his folks tearing him a new one over tonight's chicken francaise. Just as he imagines the yelling match his mom and pop are gonna inevitably start the loose doorknob rattles behind him.

“Here we go,” Eddy grumbles into the collar of his long sleeve polo. He slumps down into the armchair.

The door groans on its hinges, open and then shut. Footsteps click in time as the middle aged man slowly makes his way around the office furniture and sits. All the while Eddy keeps his eyes planted on the linoleum tiles between the desk and his feet. He feigns disinterest as a manila folder and a few slips of paper are shuffled.

“So. Edward McGee…”

Eddy squints, not exactly appreciative of the pause for dramatic effect, nor the emphasis put on his last name.

“Would you care to explain why you're in my office, young man?”

“No.”

“No ‘you don’t care’? Or no ‘you can’t explain’?”

In response, Eddy crosses his arms and slouches even further into the depths of the worn leatherette, the heels of his sneakers squeaking as they skid forward. The principal sighs.

“The silent treatment won't get you very far-”

“You know what I did.”

Boy was this interrogation a bunch of bologna.

“Yes, I certainly do. I’m well aware of the damage to school property you’ve caused, not to mention the cost required to repair it. What I want to know is why.”

“Principal Howard, I didn’t-”

“We’ve already heard your excuses. This is your last chance to plead your case as to why you felt it necessary to tamper with-”

“I didn’t tamper nothin’!”

Eddy shoots to his feet, looking the principal in the face for the first time. His heart thrashes against his ribcage.

“I find that hard to believe.”

Yep. Totally pointless.

The teen and the man exchange steely glares before the elder shifts his gaze behind the younger.

“Please sit, Edward.”

Rolling his eyes, Eddy parks his keister back down, resuming his previous slouch. He watches as Principal Howard leafs through the papers on his desk. Most are a familiar shade of detention slip blue, some more faded than others. It’s a suspiciously sizable stack considering he’s only been in high school for three months. Sure, his track record hasn’t been… great. He’s never been the morning type. Missing homeroom three out of five days in a week will do that. As does skipping out on a detention here and there. Compared to junior high, though, Eddy considers himself a freakin’ angel so far. Barring today of course… just his luck.

But the slips have Eddy curious enough to raise a brow at, sitting up a bit straighter in an attempt to sneak a peek. He’s caught off guard when the name written on the top edge isn’t his own. Well, not entirely. Eddy’s muscles flex with immediate recognition, flashing a fierce look up to find the intent gaze of the older man peering down his sizable nose through his glasses.

No ‘effin way.

“You remind me of your brother.”

Eddy sputters, feeling the air rush out of his lungs. It makes it hard to speak. His brain fills with static. It makes it hard to think.

“Wha- you- you can’t-”

How’s he allowed to say that?

“Before I became principal I taught at this school for many years. Don’t think I could forget a kid like that so easily. Bright, creative, one might say underchallenged, but misguided, difficult, trouble prone. Unfortunate really. I didn’t have much control of the situation then nor the authority. But things have changed, except for the fact that I’m tasked with ensuring another McGee boy doesn’t slip through the cracks.”

“Cool headed” is an accolade foreign to Eddy. It takes every fiber of his being to bite his tongue, stopping himself from spewing expletives that will land him right back in the hot seat for the umpteenth time. More than anything he holds back to prove that he isn’t anything at all like…

“Which is why I’m requiring that you join an extracurricular student activity effective immediately.”

“WHAT!? WHY?!” Eddy finally blows his top. It’s a relief to scream.

“You need discipline, structure, responsibility, teamwork - whatever it takes to preoccupy your idle hours.”

“Believe me, Teach, the mathletes don’t need me screwin’ up their squared roots or whatever.”

“Then choose something else that interests you. D’you like sports?”

Eddy shrugs. Lately, nothing really interests him. Let alone anything school related. Not even marathons of The Ed Sullivan Show or wearing out the grooves in A-tom-ic Jones can seem to pull him out of this slump. And he sure wasn’t jumping at the opportunity to get towel-whipped by the meatheads, that's for sure. The thought of the foot smell that wafts from the locker room like a thick miasma alone makes him shudder.

Eighth grade graduation, the start of high school, and the abysmal summer between them had been a strange fog. Beyond his two best friends, Eddy avoided the other cul-de-sac kids like a plague. Oh yeah, this was cruel ironing as Double Dee put it. All that time vying to get their attention? Ever since they got front row seats to his bro’s assholery on full display, they’d been acting real nice. Too nice.

The remainder of seventh grade, after the groundings ended, was filled with an unprecedented number of invitations to movie nights, birthday parties, and sleepovers. Even though he’d sworn off the scams it somehow felt like he still needed to perform every time he made an appearance. Suddenly, everybody wanted to get to know him more. And that scared Eddy: what if there wasn’t more? He felt he hardly knew himself these days.

“You have until the end of the week to decide, so start asking around. And when you do find a team or club, I will personally speak to the coach or teacher running it to ensure that you are immediately enrolled and actively participating. Do you understand?”

The principal receives a noncommittal grunt as a response. He’s more stern the second time.

“Do you understand, Edward?”

Eddy finally gives a reluctant reply, hoping that this is the end of the conversation and he’ll be off the hook.

“Yeah. Capeech.”

“Good. Because this sort rebellious behavior will not be to-”

“And it’s Eddy.”

The balding man blinks a few times, brows twitching.

“Well, Eddy, another stunt like today and I bring your parents in. Capeech?”

Having his own phrasing thrown back at him makes Eddy feel even more patronized than he already is. Which is saying something, considering this whole freakin’ ordeal feels like it was designed by the universe or some malevolent god to humiliate him to no end.

“Yeah…”

Double doors fly open when the compact teen barrels through. He’s moving fast, on a mission, so focused on getting as much distance between himself and this stupid school that he hardly notices the two figures sitting side by side on the stone stairs anxiously awaiting his release. The leaner of the two jumps to his feet, calling out through the bothersome crack his voice has acquired thanks to puberty.

“Eddy!”

He whips around, jabbing a finger square between Double Dee’s eyes. The taller boy flinches back at the accusatory appendage.

“I aint talkin’ to you, snitch! Let’s go, Ed.”

The eldest of the bunch complies to the command, joining Eddy by his side. Edd huffs, shaking his fists, and with an indignant stomp of his sneakered foot is hot on the trail of his two friends. Seeing as there is a nasty storm cloud over Eddy’s head Ed opts to not ask too many questions. Instead he shares the exciting news:

“Double Dee and me saw two squirrels fighting over a nut while you were gone.”

“Sad story,” replies Eddy, inflection flat as a sheet of paper.

Meanwhile, the speed walking boy approaching from the rear isn’t so quick to change the subject.

“Come now! You can’t seriously think my intention was to smear your academic reputation!”

Eddy keeps stomping the pavement, hands shoved deep into his jacket pockets, and rolls his eyes in disbelief. The balls on this guy…

“Eddy, please,” Edd pleads, finally gaining, “The entire first floor was flooded. Given my proximity I responded in a manner that anyone in their right mind would. Honestly, are you suggesting I had a plethora of options?”

“Bull! Ya coulda kept your big. Mouth. Shut.” Eddy snarls through gritted teeth, shoulders tensing up to his ears.

“And be a complicit bystander? I think not,” replies Edd with a pout.

“Why do you make it out like I wanted that to happen!?” Eddy spits back, keeping his sights focused on the cracked cement.

“Who says I’m blaming you? It’s causality. You flushed an entire cafeteria tray and its contents down the toilet.”

“Ain’t my fault the lunch sucked mega balls! And why’s the school got plumbing from the Dark Ages? You saw that casserole.” He throws up two skeptical air quotes, “Would have been better off eatin’ rubber cement.”

“I think I saw it move,” Ed adds excitedly, grinning ear to ear.

Ed had eaten his serving of casserole with much relish, though, not before dunking it into his trusty thermos o’ gravy. It’s too bad that Eddy turned down the offer. The mental image of the subpar cafeteria slop alone makes both Edd and Eddy’s stomachs churn, let alone the gusto with which Ed manages to devour it.

“Yes. Well. I must say I was glad to have packed a garbanzo salad sandwich today based on the looks of things,” the teen in the beanie admits, punctuated with a nervous chuckle.

Eddy can’t help but look his friend in the face despite the stubborn front he’s working so hard to put up. Edd’s got a small smile but otherwise he looks ill at the recollection of the foul lunch offerings, his tongue peeking out through the gap as it presses against the back of his teeth. The husky boy cracks his own smile and stifles snort at his pal’s pathetic expression.

“Food so bad, even the crapper couldn’t stomach it,” Eddy throws in just for a kick.

It works - at least he and Ed chuckle over that and Edd shakes his head incredulously - burning off some of the uncomfortable tension that has been growing since the afternoon. The trio continue walking a few yards in the direction of home, lulling their arguing for just a moment to the sound of gravely footsteps, rustling leaves, and the jingle of Eddy’s wallet chain thumping against his thigh.

Sidewalks aren’t exactly wide enough to walk together in a line so it's unavoidable that every now and then, if they don’t split off into a triangle formation, that they bump shoulders. Eddy feels his shoulder nudge into Double Dee’s arm, then awkwardly clears his throat and sniffles against the chill fall air.

“I thought you weren’t talking to me,” heckles Double Dee with a pretentious sideways smirk.

Before he knows it, Eddy feels the back of his neck burning. For that alone he gives the wiry and historically uncoordinated teen a solid shove, causing him to stumble over his own two feet and step squarely into a soggy pile of street gutter leaves. The feeling of cold damp permeating through his shoe upper and soaking into his sock makes the boy yelp and shudder in disgust, a shiver running up his spine.

“Wet!” Edd wails. He shakes his sodden sneaker like a cat that's stepped in water and skips to catch up.

Of course Eddy laughs at Edd’s theatrics, very openly, which just sets Ed off to join him. Reveling in his buddy’s harmless misfortune, Ed throws an arm over Eddy’s shoulder which the shorter teen roughly shrugs off.

“Very good. I’ve received my comeuppance.” Edd sighs, wincing as his sock squelches with every other step.

A few tsks of disapproval are made by Ed seemingly out of the blue. Edd and Eddy are surprised to see their happy-go-lucky Lump looking uncharacteristically forlorn.

“How sad it must be to be a squirrel without a nut. What cruel, hostile world we must live in where there are not enough nuts to go around.” Ed punctuates the thought with a heavy sigh.

“I’m lookin’ at a nut right now.”

“Oh yeah?” Ed perks up, head whipping violently in search of it as though he can rectify the injustice he’d witnessed.

“Yeah, TWO of ‘em!“

Just as he says it, Eddy’s fist finds its way to the tall redhead’s vulnerable groin with an empty punch.

“DOH!”

Edd puts a bit of space between himself and Eddy.

“Fear not, Ed. Every squirrel has their day.”

“Good for them,” Eddy growls, his earlier gloating soured by envying, of all things, a fuzzy rat.

Seeing as his vapid positivity hasn’t exactly resonated with Eddy, Edd decides to take a more direct approach.

“So, what punishment has befallen you? Another detention.”

Eddy’s brows drop down over his eyes with a snarl. He sees a pebble a few steps ahead and when he reaches it gives it a good solid kick. It skitters wildly into the street.

“No.”

“Suspension.”

“No.”

“Disintegration?” Ed chimes in.

“I wish.”

“You’d make a fine puddle, you would.”

“Thanks, Ed,” Eddy rolls his eyes, shoving his chin down into the collar of his jacket.

He nearly jumps at the shriek-like sound of Edd’s gasp. It looks as though he’s doing a decent impression of that weird painting of the screaming guy.

“Good lord, please don’t tell me you’ve been… expelled!?” Edd can hardly say the word.

“No! Worse! I gotta join some bogus extracaricature.”

Double Dee’s hand flies, grabbing Eddy’s bicep. The sudden physical contact makes Eddy reflexively flinch.

“What a relief! You had me worried for a second.” An offended look on Eddy’s face does worry Edd and he realizes it’s because of the grasp he has on his arm. He swiftly releases it, putting his hand in his jacket pocket.

“Ah- A generously lenient outcome considering the extent of property damage. Participation in a peer activity? Hmm… Why, you could always join me on the junior debate team. What you lack in research skills you certainly make up for with your argumentative temperament.”

“Kill me already.”

Eddy sags under the weight of such a nerdy proposition.

“Oh, it wouldn’t be so bad.”

Craning his neck, Ed peers down curiously.

“Join me! We could always use a uh-” Ed pauses, counting on his fingers, “a third member on the team. You could even go by Mr. AV-Eddy.”

With a rough tug, Ed’s head snaps down to match his short-statured friend’s eye level, Eddy’s fist full of the pilling and frayed green jacket collar.

“Call me that at school and I’ll shove an 8 millimeter where the sun don’t shine.”

“Norway?”

“NO way. Don’t even try it.” Eddy threatens before letting go of Ed.

“You got it, Mr. Cool Guy I’d Never Ever Call AV-Eddy, uh, sir!”

To show his deference, Ed removes his monobrow and swears it over his heart.

They keep walking. It’s about a half hour trudge back to the cul-de-sac, but it sure beats the torment of the public school buses. Bottom of the food chain means getting the crappiest seats, or worse even, becoming completely separated. Much better to brave the biting wind for now: Eddy’s ears and nose are already ruddy. Come winter they might reassess.

It’s hard not to think he might be cursed: born with the dark mark. Maybe somewhere down his family line there was some cardinal sin committed that’s the root to all this. If he has to place bets it was probably those damn pilgrims that sold Peach Creek to the Kankers, the lot of inbred nitwits. Eddy sorta gets why his brother is the way he is. He knows deep down his parents treated him different from the jump. That he’s had it better, at least in some ways. Despite his bad luck he’s technically the lucky one. But there is still so much he doesn’t know. Stuff that when he brings it up mom just starts blubbering. He won’t even bring it up with dad. So teachers thought he was smart?

Over the last year, Double Dee has fretted over Eddy’s drawn out silences. Just like the one now. He can’t help but read far too deeply into whatever might preoccupy Eddy’s mind so much to leave him speechless. A more contemplative and reflective streak could be good for Eddy. Except Double Dee knows from personal experience how quickly things can go south inside the echo chamber of one’s own thoughts. He chews his lip as the worry gnaws away at him.

“Eddy? Was there… anything else you wanted to talk about?”

Eddy sniffs his running nose again, scowling. He shrugs.

“S’nothing. Everyone at this school’s got it out for me.”

The feeling of a gentle hand between his shoulder blades makes the back of his eyes burn. Dammit. He blinks hard, sniffing even harder.

“Not everyone.” Double Dee earnestly assures. Ed wraps another arm around him in a lax half hug and this time Eddy doesn’t shrug him off. Instead, he leans in.

“Okay, okay. Fine. Almost everyone.”

And that’s good enough for him.

[seat-safety-switch]

Every afternoon, I hear a really bad-ass four-banger exhaust scream. It sounds like there’s a race car going down my block. Every time I hear it, I think that the kanjozoku – Osaka’s feared Honda Civic street racers – are getting ready to tear up my street and start a street fight with the cops. Our civilization will finally honour the small-displacement economy street racer in the way that it must in order to survive. As it gets closer, I realize it isn’t a high-revving Honda at all, but instead something industrial and rude.

And then they turn the corner and it turns out to be my middle-aged neighbour, Heng, who owns a 1995 Kia Sephia with a hole in the muffler. He’s not going fast, but he’s also not embarrassed of the meaty shriek either. Once, he saw me mowing the lawn as he went past, and dumped the clutch to give it a quick rev-up, making a sound that was not unlike a lawn tractor winning the Indy 500. I am already jealous of his expensive, modern car, which features amenities like “mirrors” and “overhead camshafts,” whatever those are. Why does he have to rub it in that way?

I don’t say anything. I can’t. He’s too fast, and he’s definitely too loud. Whatever I yell is just drowned out by the wall of sound generated by the muffler-less Ford/Mazda BP engine. By the time I can hear myself think, he’s turned the other corner and parked the car. The only thing I could do is to sabotage his car somehow: but how do you sabotage a car to make it quieter?

To answer my question, I turned to AI. Sorry, I mistyped that. I turned to Al, my former mechanic buddy who lives at the bar. Medical reasons. Anyway, Al suggested going onto eBay and picking up the cheapest turbocharger I could find. Heng wouldn’t mind having the extra zoot of a turbo, his iron-block four can easily take wastegate pressure without an intercooler, and Dodge applied to the government to have a turbocharger legally described as a kind of muffler. It’d keep the cops off of our block, which would make the $65 I passed to Shenzhen Farm Supply a work of philanthropy.

The next time I saw Heng, he was pulling a savage one-tire-fire down the street, the open differential straining to keep up with the mighty puff of additional air. He was genuinely fast now, and did not need to be loud. He did a perfect autocross tripod turn around the corner, and dropped into hyperspace as soon as the wheel straightened out. All I heard was the pleasant whoosh of a wastegate and the roar of a badly-worn wheel bearing, which was inaudible over the previous exhaust noise. I probably saved his life, I told myself as I returned to my garage. There’s no reason to have such a loud car in this day and age, I chuckled while firing up the open headers on my daily-driver Volare and watching the visible edge of the nitromethane flames play on what was left of the hood paint.

[12timetraveler]

Long post incoming. A couple pictures at the bottom but more photos to come I promise. Posting under the read more just so y'all don't have to deal with scrolling the whole thing.

Tombstone Redemption was a lot of fun and a lot of stress.

On the first day my friends and I decided to spend the day exploring and having fun and save the actor stuff for the second day. Mostly it was just exploring shops, finding all the red dead special items we wanted to buy, and just people watching. It was quite hot but we managed to keep cool for most of it and enjoy the town.

I ran into one Hosea cosplayer who was super sweet and seemed very excited to see Bessie. That was a big highlight I saw him a number of times throughout the weekend and he always made me smile. He seemed a little shy so I didn't get to talk to him too much which was a shame because he seemed so sweet. But I didn't want to push it and make him uncomfortable.

On day two I woke up early and got dressed and left the hotel around 9:30am to go line up for the autograph session. I expected it would take a couple hours but I did not realize just how long it would take.

11 hours.

I was in line. In the Arizona heat, for 11 fucking hours. Sometimes in shade, sometimes not.

The line stretched down the road and around the corner and around the lot of an abandoned motel. The autograph session didn't officially start until 11am. So already I was lining up an hour and a half early and I was so far back it was insane.

There were also people who hadn't gotten their autos the day before who had passes to get them first, and that held up the line quite a bit.

But I was determined. And honestly I still thought we'd be in line for maybe a couple hours. Oh how wrong I was.

Within about 5 hours we had only moved up maybe a third of the length of the line (honestly that is probably generous.) We started taking shifts out in the sun, the others going into one of the nearby restaurants to drink water and eat a little food.

Some time after noon I started feeling off. I was just not right. It's kind of hard to explain but I just was so tired, a little dizzy, a little nauseous. Just off. Nothing notably concerning but just not right. Assumed it was just heat and lack of sleep.

But I also began having panic attacks because I was starting to worry I'd never get to the front of the line. That I'd never get to meet Curzon (or any of the others but at this point if I only got to see Curzon I'd be happy.)

I'd calm down from the panic attack and then I'd start feeling off, then I'd get back into my head and start another panic attack, then I'd calm down and feel wrong again. It was a bit of a cycle.

After a time I finally asked my friend to wave down one of the paramedics that were passing out water because it occurred to me I have a history of high blood pressure and I was feeling some of the symptoms of my bp rising. My friend's dad walked me over to the paramedics who took me into the ambulance and checked me over.

My BP was the highest I've ever seen it. Something like 198/128. Not ideal.

The paramedics kept me in the air-conditioned ambulance to keep an eye on me and make sure I was okay. My BP went down pretty easily in the ambulance and I started feeling better. I just needed to get out of a sun, away from the lines, somewhere cool to just calm down and cool down. So I went back out to the line, though I was told very firmly to stay in the shade. So I wasn't really in line so much as I was standing in a shaded spot near the line just chilling with whoever was taking a shade break.

The line started making some progress, we finally moved into a shaded area, and I rejoined my friends in line. I was feeling optimistic that we'd get through the autos before the Q&A, which we had tickets for.

But then the line seemed to stop once again. And with the door leading into the saloon where the autograph session was being held in sight, they halted the line and told everyone they'd be back after the panel. Some of our line friends saved our spot in line, and we headed to the panel.

It was nice to sit down, though the hall the panel was held in had no AC so it was toasty. The actors were delightful, very humble and sweet and funny. Curzon hardly said a word, as per usual from him. But I did get to stand up and ask my question, which I directed at Curzon, and he gave a very sweet answer about how he loved filming the intimate moments he had with others in camp, like Dutch. (Video to come of this)

The panel ended and the actors filed out of the building first, walking down the isle and giving high fives to those they passed. Curzon was a little distracted, but my friend and I called out his name to ask for a high five. He stopped. Grabbed my hand in both of his, and kissed my hand, giving me a little smile as he continued out.

Well I of course melted into my seat, falling over on my friend and absolutely losing my shit. Ben seemed amused by this and gave me a little pat on the shoulder as he passed (which unfortunately was my only interaction with him at this con 😭)

I lost my mind. I can still feel Curzon's hands clutching mine, can see him so clearly leaning down and lifting my hand to his lips and giving me just a sweet little kiss on my hand, giving me a little squeeze before letting me go and continuing on. Just thinking about it now makes me want to absolutely sob.

After that the actors got on their trolly to get back to the saloon. So we hurried out to get back to the line.

And we waited probably another 30 minutes, maybe more, before we finally got in.

I started in Bens line but my friend needed to leave and we wanted to meet Curzon together so we jumped over to his line. He was so sweet to her, joking with her dad and giving her big smiles. He asked permission before wrapping his arm around her, which was very sweet, and we took some pictures and he gave her a hug, and then she had to leave.

Now it was just me standing there staring at the man who has been the center of my hyper fixation for two+ years at this point. I was a stammering, stumbling mess as I told him how much Hosea meant to me. How many friends I've made because of the character, how much I love the character. He asked what I liked most about Hosea and I told him it was Hoseas wit and cunning, as well as his kindness after everything he's gone through. (I was definitely too shy and flustered to say it was because I think Hosea is incredibly handsome). He asked me to go tell "the big guy" that, since he never listens (he was referring to Dutch).

I bashfully told him that if he couldn't tell, I was dressed as Bessie. He let out a little scoff and nodded like it was obvious, which made me smile (it was probably obvious from the picture I was carrying as a prop and the giant print I had him sign, but I kind of like to think maybe he'd heard rumors of the silly lady dressed as his wife. Or maybe he saw my Instagram posts idk.) He wasn't rude about it at all, just a little amused huff and a smile.

I had him sign a few things, and he took so much time and care to sign them all. Finally it was time for the picture.

I will post my pictures once I get home and can get them on my laptop. I'm not... Horribly thrilled with them. I was using my nice DSLR camera and maybe I should have just used my cellphone. The lighting in the saloon was terrible and my face is positively glowing with sweat. But hopefully a little editing will help. God I hope so.

He was very sweet, pulling me close for the picture. He liked to say "outlaws for life," to help people relax and smile more.

After the picture we talked a little bit more, I can't even completely remember entirely about what. I discussed a little server I have with some friends where we basically just moon over Hosea. He asked where I was from and I told him. Apparently he has some connections to Utah (I won't go to into it, but he's out this way quite often apparently. Man likes to travel.). Finally we started wrapping things up as folks started lining up behind me to see him. He asked me if he could give me a hug which I of course said yes to. He pulled me into a big, tight hug, and we probably spent like 15-20 seconds just squeezing each other tighter and tighter. He didn't loosen his grip until I did, and when we stepped back he said something like "I could feel all your energy in that hug."

We said our goodbyes and I moved on to get out of his way.

After that I floated around to a few of the other tables, but I could feel myself really fading now that I'd seen Curzon. I went and saw Rob Bogue (Red Harlow). He was an absolute sweetheart, and his handler (the person who you pay for autos and stuff) asked if I'd ever play a remaster/remake/re-anything of revolver. I told him absolutely and that I'd actually tried to get my hands on revolver before the con.

After him I went and saw Sam (Mary-Beth). She was a ray of sunshine. So sweet and chatty and just happy to see folks. Her handler gave me some water and they let me kind of hang out at the table for a bit (I was sweating more and more and after I admitted I had been in the ambulance for a bit they were super worried for me). She was in love with my dress and had me do a little twirl so she could see it better.

Then I went to see Kaili (Susan). I didn't get a picture with her but she had no line so we just chatted. I told her about the guinea pigs, particularly our sweet Susan. Then we gossiped about Curzon a little which was fun. They're buddies and she seemed so happy to see someone who loves Curzon/Hosea so much. Then she asked for a hug and I love hugs so I was all for it.

I was about to head out when I spotted Mick and I knew I had to go see him, plus he took card and I was out of cash. He was so funny oh my god you guys. I introduced myself and we chatted a little. He grabbed my fan and started fanning me and was like "MaryJane I'm your biggest fan!" Then he had me open my parasol so we could take a picture under it XD he made me laugh during the picture and it's honestly such a cute shot. He was just so sweet and funny I loved chatting with him.

At this point I knew I was just done. I hadn't gotten to meet so many of the people I was excited for. Not Ben or Peter or Alex, Jo, Gabriel (ugh my heart I wanted to meet him so bad), Steve not to mention Rob himself. Ugh I missed so many of them that I'm so sad about. But I knew I needed to just go back to the hotel and breathe, shower, relax. Plus, money. 😅

So even after the day going so long, basic spending all day in line in the desert sun, having to sit in the ambulance, having many panic attacks, and only eating one meal, ugh today was still heaven. Just for those last couple hours interacting with Curzon. He seriously was so sweet and genuine and made me feel so special. And that hug was one of the best things I've felt in a long time. God I needed that. He gives great hugs. 100/10 would recommend. And he smelled so nice and clean, no overwhelming cologne or anything, just crisp and clean. God I could have stayed in that hug forever but I didn't want to hold up the line.

All-in-all, today ended up being very good. Absolutely nothing went like I expected but it was still an absolutely incredible experience. I just wish I hadn't frozen up so much, and that I'd been able to find the words to express just how much Hosea means to me. Because I definitely didn't do it justice.

But at least I didn't cry in front of him like I thought I would. Now I'm just laying on my air mattress listening to sweet music and thinking over it all, making sure I get it all written down before any of it slips my mind. There are things I'd do again if I could but honestly I'm so happy with how the day went, and the convention went.

[controlvariable]

myth's game writeup of 2023

i waited until the new year to finish this in case i managed to beat a game during december. i did not. ANYWAY.

this will contain new games as well as games i only got around to in 2023. light on spoilers but be warned

Octopath Traveler II (2023)

as far as i remember, this was the first new game I played this year, and god did it deliver. I've been a fan of octopath since the first one came out on switch in 2018, counting it as my favorite game of all time, so to have a sequel after all this time was thrilling. it did almost everything octopath 1 did and better. new path actions, day/night system, branching stories, fucking boats?? incredible.

my biggest gripe has to be the new hidden classes. I started with throne so getting inventor 10 minutes after my chapter one did definitely fuck up the progression a little bit. I think I preferred ot1 hidden classes. while the dungeons were underwhelming, the boss battles really make you fight for these secret techniques, something absent in 3 out of the 4 hidden classes of octopath 2.

overall: 4/5 BP.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed (2023)

xenoblade 3 as the end of the klaus trilogy really didn't sit well with me, for reasons that don't belong on my review of its dlc, but future redeemed fixed nearly every problem i had with base xc3 — both story and gameplay wise. it ties every xenoblade game and even some of gears and saga into a neat little 40 hour bow, and is truly a love letter to the entire series. I can only think of one problem I still have with it. the fucking menu music.

where do i even fucking start with this one really. relatively speaking, I'm a new xenoblade fan, having started xc1 in march 2022 during a harrowing experience with adhd meds, and since then it had kinda consumed me. I finished it in about a week, went on to watch xenoblade 2 because I had heard the gameplay wasn't great, and got my hands on xenoblade 3 day of release.

overall: 5 dance apples.

Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023)

as someone who was not immune to the hype surrounding botw, I had high hopes for the sequel. hopes that were painfully, slowly, fed into a trash compactor over my playthrough. this is another game I got on release day, lining up outside gamestop in the heat, and lets not forget that it's the only first-party switch game with a price tag of seventy bucks.

the game plays like a tech demo. I have a lot of love in my heart for it. the story was better that botw, the world was more expansive than botw, but the problem here is that everything it does is directly compared to breath of the wild. it doesn't get enough time to shine, because we're in the exact same world as 6 years ago, but instead of pinkish black malice we have blackish pink gloom. i much prefer the runes to the zonai abilities, and the sense of wonder that permeated breath of the wild is replaced by a sense of nostalgia that just doesn't appeal to me much.

all of this isn't to say it's a bad game. I think it's a great game, honestly, but a great game that wasn't meant for me. I've seen the insane shit people do with ultrahand, but it just... isn't my style.

overall: 441/1000 korok seeds

Pikmin 4 (2023)

it's pikmin. i dont have much to say about it. it was a lot of fun, loved that part where i bulborbed all over those guys. im not a gameplay reviewer, at heart i mostly talk about story, and a game like pikmin doesn't have much for me to comment on. good fun. lived up to expectations. probably wouldn't replay.

overall: 7500 sparklium

Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood (2017)

oh, stormblood... the rage you still fill my veins with. I'm not going to spend too long on this one because I have better things to do with my life than shit on an expansion everyone already hates, but let me make it clear I actually do have reasons for disliking it.

having ala mhigo built up since the very start of a realm reborn, only to have half of the ala mhigo expansion take place halfway across the star, was very disappointing. the monotony of the three areas in gyr abania compared to the three far east areas was very disappointing. the treatment of the people of the steppe and honestly that entire segment in the main story quest was very disappointing. hien, as a character, in his entirety, was very disappointing.

I will say it had strong parts. the 61-70 quests for several jobs were the strongest in their entire story (see: dark knight). the dungeons started to get more interesting. it gave us the quest Child Labor, which is hilarious and I'll never be finishing it because I want it there forever.

overall: 1/3 WHM Lillies.

Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers (2019)

ffxiv immediately got better the second 4.0 was over. even the patch quests instantly shot up in quality. it's not even funny. the lead up to shadowbringers was the most fun I had had with the game since a realm reborn, and all of the first was heartbreaking to go through even though I was spoiled on That Character's Identity.

the duty trust system (is that what it was called?) made dungeons much more fun. getting to go through hell with alphinaud alisaie and thancred made everything 10x better, even if it was a lot slower. the story, again, heartbreaking — ryne's arc in particular felt like being stabbed by thousands of little needles while trying to play. in the best way, of course. and amaurot... amaurot. getting to quote our favorite knight in there was my 8th umbral calamity.

shadowbringers also marks when a lot of your job's functionality is really unlocked, so doing the level 80 raid series was genuinely a ton of fun. and again the thousands of little needles. i cried at least 7 times during the main story.

overall: 85/100 kenki gauge.

Katana Zero (2019)

possibly my favorite game this year. the protagonist, zero (or as i like to call him, katana from zero,) ticked all the boxes for a character I'd be absolutely obsessed with. true enough, i fell in love. the fast-paced gameplay, the diegesis of gameplay elements which would typically go unquestioned, and the care that seeps through every dialogue choice all solidify katana zero as one of my favorite game experiences ever. I'll leave it at this, because I encourage everyone to at least give it a try.

overall: Yes, that should work.

Fire Emblem Engage (2023)

this is one of the few 2023 releases on this list that I didn't get on launch, because at the time I had relatively little interest in fire emblem as a series. then I made a lot of friends who enjoy it, and in october, bestie sen decided to buy it for me as an early birthday present. everyone say thank you sen.

considering this is my first fire emblem game, i have absolutely no deeper insight into how it matches up compared to the others, and plenty of people more eloquent than me have already talked about that. what I do know is that the gameplay was surprisingly fun as my first tactical rpg, and the story was passable. all the characters were appealing in one way or another, and I'm still mad I had to choose between marrying kagetsu or fogado. they're both my husbands at heart.

overall: I didn't internalize enough of this game to come up with a clever rating.

Fire Emblem Engage: Fell Xenologue (2023)

I was expecting the dlc to continue the main story, so I put it off until I had finished the base game. in hindsight, I regret it, because I'd love to have brought the winds and twins with me to fight their evil versions and alternate universe dad. the story was... alright. I really liked all the small battle interactions between fell characters and our party members which they would've known. I instantly recognized fogado in chapter 1 because I am in love with him by the way.

overall: i dont know. 1¾ dragonstones

with 2024 upon us, I'll probably be writing reviews for games as I play them. I'm trying to use tumblr more as a social platform instead of just reblogging. we'll see how that plays out. if you like any of these games (yes, even tears of the kingdom) please talk to me about them! that's all for now. look out for my mangled thoughts on SANABI and Nier: Automata next :)

[dtmsrpfcringe]

You- Wah, woe is me, stop sending me hate. I don't deserve it! Also you- Creates a blog devoted to hating on people who, as far as I can tell, don't even interact with you.

Hypocrite, much? You shall receive what you project. This is how the universe works.

Love, someone from a different fandom.

PS- Y so angry bro? Being so negative is not healthy. Little wonder you had high blood pressure, if that was true. You'll give yourself a stroke with all the anger you channel. I'd hate to know you irl if this is all it takes to set you off online. Your life must be chaos. I am so sorry. Truly. Peace to you.

if saying someone is wrong is hating on them, then you have got to go outside and get some human interaction. Saying "wow this is false stop saying this shit" is way different than someone telling me they hope my child dies. If you're from a different fandom then stay the fuck out you clearly don't know what this fandom is like. The person that didn't know they weren't supposed to post a convo with David from a comic con got a good amount of death threats, people speaking out against Neil gaiman have been threatened. It's ridiculous.

Also yeah I had high BP issues but it's due to the fact that my pregnancy was already high risk due to past medical issues. Maybe shut the fuck up.

Honestly...you sound very familiar....a little too familiar. If you are who I think you are then I hope someone takes your phone and gets you the medication you need

[annachum]

If Namor x Shuri were to actually become canon

I can totally see them having a slow burn former foes/rivals/political allies to lovers dynamic

Like :

. Being political allies had them work together in diplomacy and international relations related matters and such and find that they have even more in common than one may think

. Namor got his eyes opened to even more types of surface dwellers and realizes that....not all of them are like the Spanish colonisers that killed his dad 🤯🤯🤯🥺🥺🥺😭😭

. Namor eventually admitting that he feels guilty for inadvertently causing Ramonda's death ( THE ANGST )

. EVERYONE IN TALOCAN KNOWS THAT NAMOR IS SMITTEN WITH SHURI AT FIRST SIGBT

. That received mixed feelings from the Talokanis ( some are more hesitant, some others just joined the shipping boat )

. Shuri at first doesn't feel exactly the dame way yet gradually became torn between her growing attraction to Namor and tormented from even THINKING of forgiving Namor who inadvertently caused Ramonda's death ( THE ANGSSSTTTTT )

. The two eventually start to wear elements of each other's home domains' clothing at times in front of each other. They told their cohorts that it is ' to persuade Wakandans/Talocans even more ' YET ALL THE TALOKANIS KNEW HE AINT SLICK and some Wakandans picked that up too.

. Nakia understands how Shuri feels throughout the whole thing and tries her best to support and watch over her through the whole thing

. Riri ( who became an online friend of Shuri's after BP 2 ) was all like a hype woman like, ' GIRL THAT DUDE IS MF DRAGON AND HE LITERALLY GAVE YOU HIS MOM'S BRACELET '

Shuri : (in a facetime with Riri )Uh, Riri, we are just political allies, NOTHING MORE.

Riri :Yeah? Well, uh, how do you explain you SUDDENLY wearing more green jewelry that I see on your Instagram posts, hm? Care to explain?

Shuri : * face red * Uh.....

. Both suddenly found even more common ground in their shared hatred for Valentina Fontaine aka Madame Hydra

. Namor : Valentina is what us Talokanis call (in Mayan ) a piece of rotten fish

Shuri : * laughs loudly * Ku, I think she looks like a pig in some freaky Kardashian wig?

Namor : Are the Kardashians like.....the land people's version of nobility or something?

Shuri : * proceeds to show Namor some pics and clips of Keep up with the Kardashians *

Namor : * grimaces and laughs * Such vulgar behavior and dress style! And land people actually LIKE these stuff?!

Shuri : Yeah, well, SOME. Not me. I just heard stuff from some others and just laugh about it.

Namor and Shuri : * both roll over with laughter *

Aneka : * from a distance watching and excitedly filming the interaction *

Okoye : * watches with Aneka yet shakes her head with exasperation and being like ' I'm watching you, sea dragon man ' and trying to help Ankea contain her suppressed laughter *

. Thor ( whom I think that Namor will be friends with sometime after BP 2, or they are friends already before that )basically becomes a hype man for Namor and offers some advice on how to ' court a mortal lady '

' You should swim up to the shore, send her flowers, and just write love letters '

' Uh, wear more purple jewelry? My friends in Wakanda LOVR purple jewelry. '

' Maybe show her that you are actually good with kids!'

Namor : * groans * Thunder man, I appreciate your advices, yet Shuri is not like your lover Lady Foster. Plus, I have an army of nieces and nephews from both sides of my household tree that reside in different parts of the ocean and they ALL have a way to drive people nuts.

. And then when, after some time, Namor and Shuri FINALLY got together

Riri, Aneka and Thor just high five each other

Okoye just goes ' Hurt her again, and you're good as filleted ' to Namor

M'Baku basically just TRIES to challenge Namor in ' a series of challenges to prove that he is worthy of Princess Shuri ' yet Shuri was all like, ' Well, he passed them all before, has he not?' with a big smirk on her face.

🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯

[starlightiing]

Are you doing okay?

Hi anon!

Thanks for checking in on me! Yes, I'm doing okay. I'm actually really doing decently on my new medication (one of them, the other I will start Tuesday, fingers crossed)!

It takes some time for the gabapentin to build up in my system but I have already noticed a difference in the tingling/pins and needles all over my body. I was getting them in my hands, feet, up my arms to the crook of my elbow, up my legs to the crook of my knees, up my neck, around my lips and sometimes at the base of my skull and I felt like a prisoner in my own skin tbh. Never would have imagined it was paresthesia, but since I'm doing well on the meds so far, I have high hopes for it going forward too! Along with the iron supplements I'm taking for my anemia, I should regain some strength as well.

With the beta blockers, they'll slow my heart rate down (I have a high resting, it runs in my family). The problem is, my blood pressure is normal so the doc was concerned about it dropping too low. That's why I'm not starting until I have a BP cuff (on tuesday) to be able to check on my BP while I'm on the drug and know if it's right for me!

It's a lot all at once but it's not necessarily bad things. The worst part is working through the anxiety and I'm doing it! I'm not always great (last night I had to lay in Alex's lap and she had to pet me a little bit while we watched a pokemon movie to distract my brain because I was doing really poorly) - but I'm grateful to have people like her around when I need them in moments where I can't manage it myself. I've been doing really good managing it by myself though, even if it's tiring me out.

And I have a therapy appointment soon again, so that always helps too!

So yeah, lots going on but not necessarily bad things. In fact, good things! Help for my symptoms so I can feel better!

Thank you so much for asking! I am working every day to be more positive about things and work through the tough stuff. I'm just so excited that more symptoms will be gone soon. Having a racing heartbeat all the time is exhausting and annoying and anxiety inducing, and constantly tingling and having weakness to the point you can't raise your arms allllll over your body is also anxiety inducing and it drives you a little mad. These things will be fixed soon, so I am grateful!

<33333

[torra-and-the-toons]

Do you have any interesting headcanons about the characters' families (the eds and the other kids)? I sometimes see more similar, recurring opinions, so I'm curious to hear any unusual or left field ideas.

I think I pretty much share the fandom headcanons, but honestly I'm not sure :0

I def think all three Eds have some form of abusive parents. Ed's parents are neglectful of Ed, and often listen to Sarah over him. Sarah gets a really nice room while Ed has the basement. When he doesn't do well in school they don't even try to work something out with him, they just send him to his Aunt. That coupled with my headcanon that Ed is Autistic, I just don't view his parents in a good light. They don't seem to want to help Ed through his learning disability, instead they seem to have already accepted failure.

More under the cut, for length

Double Dee's parent are just never there, as we've seen, only communicating with their son through sticky notes. They still have such high expectations of him with little interaction.

Now with Eddy, I get the feeling that his parents are the reason his bro ran away. They might seem fine on the surface, but I think there's a hidden layer of manipulative behavior going on here that could be very damaging. His own father's biggest concern is that he becomes a figure skater. HIS GREATEST CONCERN is over what his own son wants to do with his life like it's not his god damn job to support his kids in whatever they want to do.

Not only that but let's look at eddy's bro, shall we? We don't see any trace of him in the house besides his room. There's even a scene, I think in BPS but I could be wrong, where we pass a line of family portraits in Eddy's house and we see silhouettes of Eddy, his mom and dad... but no bro. His brother's room is also sealed off via wall paper from the rest of the house?? Like they were trying to hide it. His room is sealed off with bricks. Bricks over the window, which yea could be his bro being edgy, but the heating vent? I feel like his parents were the ones responsible for the bricks, to keep his bro from getting out of his own room. Especially after they find the heat vent bricks after pointing out that the vent could lead to an escape. Something not quite right is up with Eddy's parents, and I hope to be able to explore that in my fanfic tbh.

As for the other kids, I have less opinions on.

I saw a headcanon about Kevin's folks that they're split, and Kevin lives with his dad, I liked that one.

I feel like Rolf's family is very matriarchal, with how much he talks about his nana/ great nana etc.

Jimmy's family seems like the chillest of the bunch if they're actively supporting their son playing dress up and buying stuffed animals. In my version of their adult selves where Jimmy is NB, they actively support their kid with all their heart. Probably the best parents in the whole cul-de-sac.

Jonny's folks are probably hippies, life-loving folk who are just along for life's ride. They aren't bad to their son, but some people might see their carefree ways as such.

Let's be honest, the Kanker's mom is probably a hooker which is where the Kankers themselves learned that kind of behavior. Probably how the Kankers were born too lol. (for the record I don't have a negative opinion of sex workers. Do what ya gotta do n all that, queens and kings!)

Anyways this got so much longer than I anticipated, I hope I answered your question lmao 🙈

[nd-babblinggoblinfromthevoid]

Seeing some other users pop up who also have pots, and reading their past and current struggles has inspired me to write a little about my experience. (From what I remember anyway.)

Just in case, tw/cw pregnancy loss is mentioned.

My symptoms started right smack at 13. I had always been slightly heat sensitive but not enough to really think about it. Then I turned 13 and it was like I was burning constantly. But also, even when I was hot, my extremities would still sometimes be ice cold.

I fainted in the shower, daily. I almost always felt it coming beforehand. The sudden dizziness and weakness. It was my normal routine to feel that, lie down, black out, wake up, then resume my shower. (Usually 5-15 minute black outs)

I knew something was wrong, but I was a young teen. My thoughts were "too scared to address it" and "I'm just being a baby" and "What doctor is gonna believe a teenager these days". So I suffered through it.

It was horrible. My teen years were riddled with unnoticed tachycardic episodes brushed off as "you're out of shape" and "just push past it". Meanwhile i felt like i was dying.

I know teenagers biologically need more rest, but i was chronically fatigued and of course, "lazy teenager" label got thrown at me constantly. I tried to stay active, productive, but it got harder and harder. (Not knowing I also struggled bcuz of audhd but that subject is touched on in a previous post.)

When I really branched out into life and into the workplace at 18/19, it hit me that this wasn't going away. This wasn't a weird teenage thing i was experiencing.

I could work, but was significantly more exhausted than my coworkers and the only one ever to stop a lot, Cool down, rest. Drove managers nuts because "you're too young to be this way" was said to me constantly.

Through a few job changes in my early twenties it got harder and harder to work. Exhaustion. Overheating. Tachycardia. I fainted at work idk how many times during a really bad streak.

On top of pots brain fog, I'm audhd (which i didnt know until mid-late twenties) so my brain just doesn't brain for me and all I had going for me were labor jobs. That's all i had. That's all i knew i could do.... and i was slowly becoming unable to do that.

I didnt push to see a cardiologist until i got pregnant with my first child. I was terrified. That pregnancy exacerbated my pots and i thought that pregnancy was going to kill me. If it didnt, then giving birth would. My resting hr was regularly in the 140s/150s and i was fainting/near fainting all the time.

But i saw a dick of a cardiologist who nearly immediately dismissed me as a hysterical pregnant woman who just had anxiety. Even in our first consult appointment he was already very not hiding the fact that he wasn't taking my concerns seriously. Even after I told him these symptoms weren't just popping up during pregnancy. That it'd been most of my life. (In one ear out the other let me tell you)

I suffered horribly through that pregnancy not knowing i also had pots so my heartrate and blood pressure were bonkers whenever i went to appointments, not knowing that i only had high bp bcuz they'd check it after I'd sat down in the lobby, stood up, then immediately sat down in a room. Which as y'all know fucks hr/bp and all that without being pregnant. But we didn't know. And the only dr I'd seen, dismissed me.

I thankfully got through the pregnancy and all was well. My symptoms went back to pre-pregnancy intensity. Life, a loss in between, and another full pregnancy happened. This time my pots didn't overly act up. I only struggled bcuz that baby was a biggg one.

After recovering from my 2nd birth i thought for months about everything. My health. My life with my kids. How i was sick of not having answers. Sick of how that first dr treated me. So i told my primary all of this and she sent me to the same heart institute, but a different dr.

NOW THIS DR LET ME TELL YOU.

From the GETGO the vibe was different. He listened. Talked with/to me not AT me. Actually listened with the intention of listening and absorbing the information, not listening with the intent to say whatever he was already wanting to say and just waiting until i stopped talking (like the previous dr)

He took me seriously. After info dumping my 16 years of suffering he was already ready to get testing done and scheduled and i nearly cried when he left the room because HE LISTENED HE TOOK ME SERIOUSLY.

I had my testing done (tilt and breathing) and he saw me for the followup but they hadnt gotten the results back so he pushed the dept for the results and one hour after that appointment, he called me and said basically "yea you failed the test almost immediately and your results were consistent through the whole thing so I'm proceeding with the diagnosis of pots"

He explained the basic no cure but you can try xyz to help and you need to listen to your body when it's having symptoms dont ignore it to your detriment. All that.

I hung up. And cried all evening/night. Happy tears. Tears of relief. I got my answer. I was listened to. I actually got through it. But also tears of grief. For the girl who suffered. For the young woman who thought she was gonna die during pregnancy/birth.

I'd had (and still slip into sometimes) a harsh mindset of self hate for years. Why am i so lazy. Why am i so weak. Pathetic. Etc. It just spiralled all the time and pots + audhd is a shitty mix and to be approaching 30, with answers I've wanted and needed for half of my life.... I just... uff da! It's a lot.

I was diagnosed February of this year. So it's still kind of fresh for me. I'm still trying to find what works for me officially to navigate it. But I definitely am trying to give myself grace for all the years I thought everything was my fault. Or that I just wasnt trying hard enough.

I'm sure I've missed some things but my memory of my life is really patchy from audhd and trauma. But I think this covers the bulk of it and feels good to info dump about life when, for most of it, I bottled everything.