#no main quest side tasks only

[jingle-jangle-spurs]

Robert House watching The Courier rip all the copper wiring out the walls of the Lucky 38

[fagtainsparklez]

i'm actually like. kind of obsessed with the underlying selfishness of the traveler. thoma suggested they could help with the whole Vision Debacle in inazuma and they just. shut him down. because of course they did, the traveler isn't here to help people. they're good at it, sure, and end up finding themselves in that situation more often than not, but they don't care about any of it. all they want is their sibling back. the second they do, they'll leave all of this behind. none of these people matter in the end, they're all just a means to getting back their sibling. nothing else matters.

[laursdomain]

world you consider an angsty one shot with percy ? maybe taking a blow meant for him and almost dying on the battlefield?

keep your eyes open

pairing: percy jackson x fem!reader

genre: angst

synopsis: Being a demigod was hard. Monsters enjoyed being menaces, wanting to take every opportunity to try and kill demigods for whatever reason they had. Fighting them was one thing. Fighting alongside your boyfriend was another. But, monsters can’t help but become terrified of the son of Poseidon when they harm the one thing he truly loves—you.

warnings: established relationship, reader’s godly parent isn’t specified, reader is badass w a sword, mentions of injuries, near death experience, angry!percy, panic, happy ending!

w/c: 2.8k

ྀིpercy jackson masterlist

𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝 𓆡⋆.˚ 𓇼

Percy Jackson was sure the gods took pleasure in giving him quest after quest, sitting on the edge of their seats every time he nearly died and failed. He was also sure they were constantly placing bets behind Poseidon’s back, because he liked to believe his father would put an end to it if he knew. At least he hoped.

Percy’s sword felt heavy in his hand as he slashed through monsters, the wave of them seeming to never end. He was exhausted, having used a multitude of his powers, and there was no body of water in sight. Only the water that now soaks the ground. It would be enough to keep him alive, but not to survive this. Nonetheless, Percy surged forward, refusing to give in to his body’s tiredness. 

You watched him take on monster after monster, holding your breath as you kept praying that he would win against the herd of monsters. You were preoccupied yourself, dealing with your own crowd of dracaenae, the monsters desperate to kill you. You narrowed your eyes, lifting your own sword to guard your face as you dove head first into the crowd. 

Despite being on opposite ends of the battlefield, you and Percy practically fought side by side, killing your own designated herd of monsters. Though, yours wasn’t quite as large as Percy’s. And you most certainly weren’t running out of power. For once, you silently thank Charlie for practically forcing you to become well-equipped with your sword and hand-to-hand combat, utilizing that as your main weapon rather than your own powers.

“You will die,” the seventh dracaena spoke, tilting it’s ugly head at you.

You cock a brow, “you’re the seventh one to say that.” 

It hisses at you, baring it’s sharp teeth as it lunges, aiming straight for your neck. Out of pure instinct, you hurl the blade of your sword in front of you, cutting straight through the monster’s neck. You watch in satisfaction as it turns to dust, your imperial gold sword shining in the light. 

You hear a scream to your right, quickly snapping your head in it’s direction. Percy was still fighting the herd of monsters, and you could tell he was having trouble keeping up against them. You break into a run, pumping your legs as you close the large distance between the two of you. You start breaking through the crowd of monsters that were slowly sneaking up on him, slashing your sword in every direction as dust begins to surround you.

“Go back!” Percy shouts towards you, calling over his shoulder.

“I’m not leaving you! I’m fine,” you assure, turning towards another group of monsters. 

Percy, always a stubborn man, reluctantly listens. He knows he won’t be able to do it alone, and considering you’re the only one brave enough to stand by his side, as always, he lets you stay. He knows you can hold your own, and won’t do anything stupid like he always does.

Together, you two fight side by side, quickly decreasing the number of monsters in a matter of minutes. You were panting, sweat coating your body as your camp half-blood shirt sticks to your skin. It made you shiver, you hated the feeling of your shirt sticking to you. You pocketed the disgust away, focusing at the task at hand. Noticing no more monsters were coming your way, you turn back to Percy, becoming acutely aware of something.

You notice him before he notices you. The monster sneaks behind Percy, its deformed hand clutching an abandoned dagger. It’s hand begins to raise, ready to plunge the dagger into Percy’s back. You may be the intelligent one of the pair, but you don’t bother thinking as you rush forward, sliding in front of Percy just as the monster juts it’s dagger forward. The tip of the blade meets your abdomen, and you suddenly regret opting to wear armor. You cry out, the sound of your cry and your sword clattering against the ground making Percy instinctively snap his head around, instantly seeing you clutch the dagger that’s now sticking out of your body. 

Percy’s vision narrows, the only thing he could see was you, crying out in pain, and him. Any feeling of weakness immediately leaves Percy’s body, it instead is replaced by pure rage. Without blinking an eye, Percy throws riptide in the monster’s direction, killing it almost immediately. He catches your swaying body, holding you close to his chest as he kneels on the ground. 

You go to open your mouth—to scold Percy for leaving himself vulnerable with other monsters still on the field, but with a quick blurry glance behind him, you can see that they are all gone. Did he summon a sheer amount of power to simply make them vanish? You didn’t know, and you didn’t have it in you to properly think.

“I told you to go back,” Percy hisses, eyes frantic as he tries to think of a way to help you.

“I didn’t want to leave you,” you mumble, squeezing your eyes shut as you tried to manage the pain. It was no use. 

“Hey,” Percy’s hand finds the side of your face, “open your eyes, angel.”

You open your eyes, the sight of Percy’s sea-green eyes making you feel slightly better. You loved being in his arms, it made you feel safe, even if you currently had a dagger in your stomach.

“I need you to stay awake for me, I’m going to find Will.”

“Don’t leave,” you beg, hand gripping his sweaty shirt. “Please.”

Percy knows it’s too risky to move you with him, and he had no idea where Will Solace even was. He was probably at their makeshift base, which wasn’t too far—but he didn’t want to make your injury worse. He felt it was safer to bring Will to you, recalling Will’s words when he had brought an injured Annabeth during the Battle of Manhattan.

“Moving them makes it worse,” Will’s warm voice fills Percy’s senses as he desperately tried to make a decision. The more he waited, the worse it would get for you.

“Your wound will get worse if I move you. I have to get Will,” Percy soothed a hand over your hair, looking in your eyes, as if he’s committing it to memory.

“No,” your voice comes out weaker than you intended, and you see a flash of panic go through Percy’s eyes. 

Knowing how stubborn you can be, Percy decides to risk it. He’d rather you die in his arms than alone on the field. With newfound strength, he scoops you into his arms, lifting you as he starts the distance between him and base. He knew running would make it much worse, so he walked as quickly as he could while minimally moving you, using his long legs to his advantage.

His heart broke at the way you would whimper every time you got moved from his speed, the dagger pierced your body to the hilt. It took everything in you to not close your eyes and give in to the fuzzy feeling that surrounded your head like a blanket, while also trying to ignore the pain. The feeling of Percy’s arms under you grounded you, and with the strength you had leftover—you clutched onto his shirt, letting him know you were still with him.

Percy pushed any panicking thoughts out of his mind, he would make it in time. He had to. He refused to lose you just because you were too stubborn to leave him on the battlefield. Especially when he was reckless enough to not keep an eye on his back. Gods, he hated being a demigod. Your grip on his shirt kept him calm—knowing you had some strength left gave him the hope that you’d be okay. 

Percy’s heart jumped when he saw the familiar structure of the makeshift base they had produced when they arrived hours ago, before the battle begun. He looked down on you, his heart breaking at the sight of your paler skin and glassy eyes, barely holding on.

“We’re almost there, I promise,” he whispers to you, and you weakly nod in acknowledgment, not having the strength to speak. 

When had you gotten this weak? You didn’t realize the effects the wound had on your body until he spoke to you—you were too distracted in keeping a grip on him and pocketing your pain to notice. Still, you found the ability to at least nod at him, ignoring the metallic taste of blood that was rising in your throat.

Percy never really prays, not like other demigods. His father knows he loves him, and he knows his father loves him. During this walk, Percy prayed the most he has ever in his entire life to every god. His father, Apollo, even Zeus. He needed as much favor on his side, because Percy refused to lose you.

Grover sees his friend in the distance, eyes widening at your limp body in his arms. Without needing to hear his best friend’s voice, he opened the door, calling out to Will Solace as the blonde boy emerged from the tent. His eyes widened at your state from the distance, immediately grabbing his field medic kit as he ran towards the two of you.

“What happened?” He questioned, taking in your state.

“She took a dagger for me,” Percy answered. “And before you scold me, I know, she wouldn’t let me leave her to come get you.”

You barely registered Percy’s words, or the fact that Will Solace was standing next to you. All you were aware of was Percy’s presence beneath you, and you clung to it as if it’s your life-force.

“Get her in here,” Will lead the way, urgently making room for you to lay on a cot. “I know you want to be in here, but you have to leave.”

“But—“ Percy begins once he settles you on the cot.

“Percy.” Will gives him a look, and he knows the boy is right. Percy nods, dipping down to give you a quick kiss on the forehead as he leaves, praying to Apollo that you will live. 

Percy watches as Will’s siblings surround you, and the sight of you giving a small smile to him through the threshold is all he gets before the door is closed, leaving him with his thoughts. Grover comes behind him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder as Percy breaks into a sob. Wordlessly, Grover pulls him into a hug, allowing his best friend to be vulnerable in this moment. Grover knows too well how Percy feels about you, and can only imagine what he’s feeling right now. Especially with how many people Percy has lost so far. The satyr was unsure if Percy would survive if you didn’t. 

Percy wasn’t sure when he ended up on the floor. Grover never left his side, sitting next to Percy against the wall as they waited for any news. The remaining demigods knew what was going on inside the makeshift infirmary, but said nothing. You were a beloved member of camp, and Percy knew he wouldn’t be the only one grieving if you didn’t survive. Everyone would. 

After what felt like eternity, Will emerges from the room, an unintelligible expression written on his face. Percy analyzed the expression, trying to figure out if it was good news or bad news. He comes up short, deciding on standing and removing the distance between himself and the son of Apollo. Grover scrambles up, following Percy. Grover nervously pulls on his fingers, fearing the worst.

“Well?” Percy furrows his brows, eyes widened. “What is it?” Percy swallows the lump in his throat, sending one final prayer before Will responds.

“She lost a lot of blood,” Will begins, running a hand through his disheveled curls. “But she’ll recover.”

Percy releases a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. Grover places a reassuring hand on his shoulder, also relieved you were okay. “Can I see her?” Percy questions, even if Will said no, he would find a way into your room.

“Yes, but she’s sleeping.” Will answers, moving to the side as to let Percy through. 

Percy nods, stepping through the threshold and into the infirmary. Grover doesn’t follow, giving his best friend the space and privacy he knows he wants. Percy’s eyes immediately find your sleeping body, taking in your appearance. You still looked pale, but you had gained a little more color from the IV line that was connected to you. Your camp shirt had been cut in half, still covering your chest as he took in the large bandage that tightly wrapped around your abdomen. 

The son of Poseidon sits on the chair next to your cot, gingerly grabbing your hand as he holds it. He doesn’t want to wake you, or make you feel any sort of pain, so he’s careful with his movements. He doesn’t realize how sleep is slowly dragging him away from you, the adrenaline of todays events finally dissipating. He allows Hypnos to take him, falling into a deep sleep knowing you were alive. 

The smell of antiseptic and medicine slowly brings you out of your sleep, squeezing your eyes and you peel them open, adjusting to the bright light. From the smell, the annoyingly bright lights, and the uncomfortable cot—you immediately realize you’re in the infirmary. You scrunch your nose in confusion, before realization dawns on you—you were injured. 

Rolling your head to the left, you notice a couple of hand-picked flowers in a makeshift vase—the vase being an empty glass bottle—with a note leaning against it. From your favorite campers. You immediately recognized Connor Stoll’s handwriting, and you make a mental note to thank him later. Only Connor would hand-pick flowers and probably injured himself in the process.

When you roll your head to the other side, your heart melts at the sight of Percy sleeping in the chair next to you, lightly holding your hand. His black hair is tousled—either from pulling on it or sleeping—you weren’t sure. As always, he looked so peaceful sleeping, and you felt bad for wanting to wake him up. The want to see his sea-green eyes overruled everything, and you found yourself squeezing his hand, watching him slowly stir.

Percy wasn’t one to wake quickly. In fact, he was notoriously known for being a heavy sleeper and having the ability to sleep through anything and everything. But the moment he felt your hand squeezing his, he immediately snapped out of his dreamless sleep. For a moment, he thought he was dreaming that you had squeezed his hand, but once he snapped open his eyes and saw yours gazing back into his, he couldn’t help but feel so happy. 

He stood up, sitting on the edge of your bed, his hip lightly brushing yours. “How do you feel, angel?”

You hesitate for a moment, you couldn’t really feel anything. It must be the morphine Will had given you repetitively throughout your sleep—ensuring you were as comfortable as possible. You ignored the fuzzy feeling throughout your body, your entire focus was on Percy. 

“Numb,” you attempt to joke, but it falls short.

Percy offers a half-tipped smile, his sea-green eyes twinkling. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Me too,” you whisper, interlocking your fingers with his.

“But,” he begins, and you know you’re in for one of Percy Jackson’s infamous lectures. “If you ever do something like that again, I’m never letting you have my mom’s cooking ever again.”

You gasp, feigning shock, though with the morphine in your body—you are genuinely shocked. “You wouldn’t.”

“Oh yes I would,” he narrows his eyes at you, but they still hold the same mischievous glint you fell in love with.

You groan, “this is what I get for protecting my boyfriend?”

“Not when you almost died,” his hand comes up, smoothing back some of your hair. His thumb caresses your temple, and you sigh out at the contact. 

“Can we go home?”

He chuckles, “not until Will approves. I can go get him if you want.”

“No,” you respond. “Not yet. I want to stay like this for a little.”

Maybe it was the loopy feeling making you say these things, because Percy knows had you not had any medicine in your body, you’d be demanding him to get Will. No, you’d be getting him yourself. Secretly, Percy was perfectly content with staying like this with you for a little longer before getting Will. Simply being in each other’s presence. For once, he felt grateful for being a demigod, because he allowed himself to believe that the gods were in his favor for once. As long as you were breathing and alive, Percy was content with his life as a demigod. 

Percy dips down, placing a tender kiss on your forehead. You sigh out in content, nuzzling against his forehead once he rests his against yours. You two stay like that for a while, not until Percy goes and gets Will, too impatient to get you home to his comfortable bed.

𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝 𓆡⋆.˚ 𓇼

[jinwoosbabyboo]

𝙶𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚆𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚄𝚜

How I headcanon the LADS Men gaming with us. All four of them just enjoy being around you. [Requested by: Anon]

𝚉𝚊𝚢𝚗𝚎

he'd be a watcher at the start ; being more of a physical sport kind of person (which is why he's so good at snowboarding)

you'd ask him to play one of your favorite games with you and he'd opt to sit with you while you play instead

gets curious overtime as he watches you progress

"your main quest is to head to the dungeon what are you doing here?" "I have to complete this side quest in order to level up my character before going to the dungeon otherwise I'll die"

"you said this can be multi-player?" he asks after a while

somehow ends up speed running all the missions surpassing you even though you'd been playing longer.

would buy his own controller or PC set up using the excuse of "not wanting to over-use your equipment”

when youre gaming for too long or he has a long day he lays on you with his face buried in your neck or your titties

wants you to sit on his lap or between his legs while you play

helps you calm down when you're about to rage

massages your hands when they get tired

𝚁𝚊𝚏𝚊𝚢𝚎𝚕

immediately begging to have a turn or play together

incredibly skilled with his hands so handling a controller and multi-tasking on a keyboard is nothing to him

texts and calls you to come over for gaming nights or afternoons

sets up a game room for the two of you complete with multiple TVs so you each can have your own and if you're a PC player 2 full set-ups for you and him

A DIRTY DOG ... I know y'all seen him playing kitty cards that mf is about as slick as sandpaper ... that cheat combo? he's using it. that hacker mod? he's using it.

definitely whines and pouts when you beat him, but gloats and dances when he wins

would definitely try and talk you into becoming online gamers/streamers

when you play on a console he likes when you straddle him backwards and lay flat on your stomach so he can use your ass like a pillow to rest his hands on.

rages with you ... no questions asked

ends up knowing your games better than you

𝚇𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚛

S Tier player ... but very humble

plays YOUR favorite game one time and beats it an hour later

that level you're stuck on? hand him the controller or let him take over the keys he'll have you past the level in no time

only started playing because you asked him to

you either play together or he sits with you when you're playing or he wants you to sit with him while he plays (as long as you're in the same room he's happy)

makes bets that if he wins he can use your kitchen (this is actually canon in a tender moments)

the type to play online under a pseudonym, but gain a huge following in the process

plays both PC and Console with you, but prefers console so he can sit between your legs while you two play

massages you & helps calm you when you're about to rage

𝚂𝚢𝚕𝚞𝚜

will gladly play any game with you

S Tier player .... he's so good it seems like he's cheating when he's not

gets matching consoles and PC set ups with you

secretly plays ahead so he can help you beat levels

prefers PC over console, but will play both

"don't worry maybe you'll beat me next time" instigates every time he beats you in a game

once he finds out you enjoy gaming he's having an entire entertainment wing built for you

likes to have you sit in his lap while you play

gets you every game you want even gets you early access to buy it before the release date

eggs you on when you start gamer raging

the type to sit behind you and cage you in his arms when you ask him to beat a level for you

[tadc-harlequin-au]

If this was a game, I think a fun gameplay mechanic would be like a friendship meter. The friendship meter is affected by how you interacted with others. And if you have a higher friendship meter with people, they'd be more willing to help you. For example, companions with higher friendship do more damage when pomni takes them with her. Or another example is because ragathas kinda like the shopkeeper if she has a higher friendship her prices will be cheaper but if her friendship level is low they'll be really expensive. You can raise the friendship meter by going on side quests with the others or using positive dialog, and negative dialog makes the meter go down. Idk I just thought that it might be fun.

I like this idea. And you know what, FUCK IT.

AN AU OF AN AU!!!!!!! WHICH IS ALSO CANON-DIVERGENT FROM THE HARLEQUIN AU LMAO I TRULY AM AMAZING /j

THE AMAZING DIGITAL SOULS-LIKE!

I CAN"T seem to avoid the concept of "What if the Harlequin AU was a game instead", THE UNIVERSE KEEPS PUSHING IT TO MY FACE LIKE MY YOUNGER SIBLINGS WHEN THEY SEE A COLORFUL THUMBNAIL sighs....... back to my Shadow of the Colossus boss osts bullshit..... (affectionate)

The Amazing Digital Souls-like is a Non-canon compliant Alternate Universe (that's also a game rather than an actual fantasy world) of the Harlequin AU, where a stylized souls-like VR game called "The Marvelous Mechanical Harlequin" came out at some point during the rise of souls-like gaming.

Waking up in a well-lit main lounge of a manor, the new, amnesiac Harlequin player is met by "Bubble", a Butler Blimp, and "Caine" The Puppetmaster (whom is VERY VERY LOUD btw), claiming to be the only one who can "help her" in her current predicament.

As to be expected, she's very much on the verge of a mental breakdown, barely keeping it together while attempting to make sense of the world around her. (seriously, who thought pitching this game who sucks people inside of it to the public was a good idea??)

The Puppetmaster then proceeds to infodump everything the Harlequin player should know:

That this is a souls-like game;

she is a Harlequin Puppet in the middle of a TERRIFYING ROBOT apocalypse!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SCARYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and that she has to go on a boss-rush type of playthrough IF she EVER wanted to have a chance at getting out!

He'll also be the game's official guide, to which the player is having trouble digesting all this information (not surprising at all.)

When asked what's her name, she can't remember and begins crying onto the floor again (lmao skill issue). The Puppetmaster then picks one at the top of his head; "Pomni", which she reluctantly takes because it's better than having nothing.

From there on out, Pomni undergoes through a series of hardships as she dies (in a video game!!!!!!!!!!!!! MIND YOU, SHE DOES NOT DIE IN REAL LIFE!!!!) over and over again, attempting to defeat various bosses, who are the NPCs. She gains more and more confidence in the battles, but she's still quite the nervous wreck otherwise.

But hey, at least she's getting quite close to Caine, right? He's so nice, and sweet, and very caring of her, careful to reassure her that she's doing a great job with the tasks. There's also a deja vu in her head that's telling her this is somehow familiar, and his presence is a comfort to her.

Surely, everything's all fine and dandy, right?

... right?

Little did this Harlequin know, there is a DARK secret to all this.

And that is the fact that the late bosses aren't just regular boss AIs, they're OTHER PLAYERS trapped in a boss's body, for some goddamn reason. She finds this out when she accidentally does a good chunk of damage to a boss's heart, making them able to speak to her for a bit before going back to being hostile.

With that in mind, Pomni has to DELIBERATELY hit their very durable hearts, if she wants them to be reform as normal players as the hearts imprisoned the ACTUAL avatars of the players.

The Puppetmaster is taken aback, but seems to let Pomni do her way reluctantly.

Once they are freed however, they become Pomni's allies, but they seem... unnerved by the Puppetmaster and tend to avoid him. Every time Pomni asks them why, they're just quiet and looking away. Otherwise, they seem to be grateful and helpful to Pomni about anything else.

This of course, raises Pomni's suspicions of the game's advisor, but she still needs to comply with the rules of this world and thus, has to keep throwing herself to the wolves over and over again.

By the time Pomni frees the Maddened Princess of the Theater, The Puppetmaster declares her ready to face with THE FINAL BIG BAD HIMSELF, The Patriarch of Puppets, an "evil entity who transformed everyone into horrible Puppet monsters". Everyone scoffs silently.

Pomni, according to him, must defeat the Patriarch as the final step to video game freedom.

But by the time Pomni arrives to the final arena, The Patriarch attempts to have a conversation, and seems to be struggling with himself.

The Patriarch explains that his boss body contains "Able", someone who was close to Pomni in real life, who entered in the hopes of making his brother leave the confines of the game. He was able to remember details due to his admin access. Caine only agreed to leave IF he was capable of defeating all the bosses without using his admin abilities, "just like old times".

It was only until his late game run when he figured out (after a heated argument) that the original AI gamemaster, the very heart piece on Caine's chest, took over Caine and was making him act like a manipulative monster. When he tried to pry the heart piece away, he got sealed in the Patriarch's body as punishment.

The Puppetmaster may be unable to revoke his admin access, but it can be sealed off.

Able's been stuck ever since, but still secretly had a bit of access to the game codes if he did it on the low, an oversight by The Puppetmaster, and thus, managed to gain some semblance of control over the Patriarch's otherwise very hostile and bloodthirsty AI just in time for him to talk to Pomni.

The Puppetmaster denies these accusations, and advises Pomni not to believe the boss's manipulative words.

Pomni now has two choices.

>Kill The Patriarch of Puppets, or >face The Puppetmaster.

"Kill the Patriarch of Puppets" ending:

if Pomni decided to not believe Able, he loses his control over The Patriarch and the final boss fight begins. Once Pomni is victorious, The Puppetmaster then congratulates Pomni, but reveals a secret: That there was never an exit.

Pomni simply passed the final test, and now, she's ready to become a boss herself. Try as she might, she cannot escape this and she becomes "The Mechanical Jester of the Circus", the new final boss of the game. All her movesets are reconfigured to become the boss' attacks.

Able resets to normal, now forever trapped to be The Patriarch as The Puppetmaster corrects the previous oversight. The others are reset to become bosses again.

A new player joins, unaware of the horrors that awaits them.

Sad ending :((( How very tragic....

"Face the Puppetmaster" ending:

if Pomni decided to believe Able, a boss fight still ensues but this time, The Patriarch of Puppets is only the Penultimate boss instead of the final stretch. Pomni frees Able, who reforms into his original 'card deck' avatar and regains administrative access to the game.

The Puppetmaster accuses Pomni of breaking his heart and breaking game rules, and thus, has to battle with him IN ONE GO. There is no more reset button for her.

But Able comes in clutch and ensures her that HE will be the one to make sure Pomni can come back as many times as possible to finish the fight and free Caine.

Once Pomni is victorious, The gamemaster heart piece breaks, and Caine is knocked out. All the blocked out memories return to the players.

(Able's design belongs to sm-baby btw!!!!)

Apparently, the VR game was revolutionary. Players could physically enter the world and be immersed in the game's astounding graphics, creative boss rushes and open world exploration aspect. It did VERY well initially, but not well enough to stand the test of time.

Player numbers eventually dissipated when the brothers moved on to greener pastures (so the game didn't have updates), and the AI gamemaster was heartbroken for essentially being abandoned. As a result, any new players that entered the game could not escape, simply because they all forgot they had access to the menu from the very beginning. lmfao

When Caine rediscovered the game and wanted to replay it for old time's sake, the same fate befell him. The gamemaster recognized one of his creators, and took over his entirety, becoming The Puppetmaster.

Able followed suit, wanting to let Caine out but he was sealed into the Patriarch's body before he could succeed.

Pomni, who's actual name is "Penelope", was Caine's significant other in real life and got worried that Caine wasn't responding to her calls while she was on a business trip. She tried contacting Able, no response either.

When she finally arrived to their apartment, The Marvelous Mechanical Harlequin game was on, and recognizing it to be the brothers' old souls-like game, she put on the headset. And from there on out, the story begins.

The other players are able to forgive Caine's actions, and not pass lawsuits once they are able to go back to the real world. Now, with the gamemaster gone, the game has become somewhat active again, though this time, it was the others (and additional new people) hopping in back into the game just to hang out and maybe do some DLC boss rushes implemented by the brothers.

It's pretty epic, y'all. Happy ending yippie!!!!!!!!!

Now if you'll all excuse me... OWIEEEEEEEEEEEEE MY ARM AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-

[honeytonedhottie]

planning basics⋆.ೃ࿔*:･📔

i feel like at this point im a planning MASTER i've been using notion to plan and organize my life for about two years now and before i discovered notion i used a manual planner. i've also made lots of content about planning but today i wanna just focus on the basics and how to organize ur life in a simpler fashion…💬🎀

SEPARATE UR TIME INTO QUADRANTS ;

so i like to separate my tasks into quadrants. im going to try and present it verbally. so the first quadrant would be urgent and important, things that are imperative for me to do. the second quadrant is important but not urgent.

the third quadrant is urgent but not important but its not necessarily imperative that i do them. and last but not least the fourth quadrant is what i classify as buffer time, mostly cuz its neither urgent nor important. and i'll go more in detail with that later on in the post. this is helpful because it helps u to place priority on the tasks that u have to do and not spend a day doing side quests while u have pressing matters that need attending to. this is called the eisenhower matrix.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CALENDAR AND AGENDA ;

so i keep a calendar and an agenda. the main differences between a calendar and an agenda is that the agenda is updated weekly, the calendar is updated monthly/whenever u make appointments.

i find myself looking at and checking my agenda more often then my calendar and thats mainly because im more in-depth on my agenda because im the kind of person who needs specific instructions to get something done. the calendar only tells u the date and the event but the agenda tells u more in depth about how to prepare and go about things.

DELEGATE AND OUTSOURCE TASKS ;

to delegate a task simply means to identify and give tasks that can be handled by others to free up ur time for more important work…💬🎀

GENERAL NOTION TIPS ;

use toggle lists

use THIS website for cute emoji combos (things like ❤︎ and ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･)

make a color scheme and stick with it

twitter headers work the same as notion backgrounds

GENERAL MANUAL AGENDA TIPS ;

color code tasks with adorable glitter gel pens. use post it notes to break down large tasks. like, write the broad task and on the underside of the post it note make a bullet list as u break down the task. mostly with manual agendas i just prioritize aesthetics because if it doesnt look good i won't wanna check it and perform it.

[handsomeamoeba]

WRONG.

Try again.

Actually let's get into this. As someone who loves a great many fantasy RPGs including BG3, Skyrim, and Dragon Age, let me explain what BG3 gets that Skyrim misses, in my opinion.

And this is the big one: the characters in BG3 feel like real fucking people. They have backstories, demonstrable feelings about the events and the other characters, they react to the things you do and they develop as people as you further your relationships. Even minor NPCs often feel fleshed out with distinct personalities and opinions. Hell, going out of my way to cast Speak to Animals is usually rewarded with at least one charming remark. I have never given even a little bit of a shit about 99% of Bethesda NPCs. I usually choose to travel without a companion rather than with unless I need a pack mule to carry my stuff, because their primary function seems to be to get in my way, set off traps, or attract aggro. I can't remember most characters' names unless I'm actively playing. I'm more likely to casually murder people in Skyrim than I am in BG3 or DA because Bethesda hasn't really made any of their NPCs feel like real people, and consequentially I feel no guilt. By comparison I tried to do an evil run of DA:O and gave up the instant I had to kill Wynne (the grandmotherly spirit healer) when she refused to let me go through with my plans, because I hated doing it. Lydia will watch me gut an innocent man and do NOTHING because she has no life, existence, or personality outside of me, the player. This extends to romances, obviously. While optional in all the games, most people will pursue a romance path in BG3 or DA for the additional character arcs it brings to the characters, the emotional nuances they unlock. In Skyrim romance is a box you tick of tasks to complete. In fact, once you marry them, most marriage candidates personalities change *completely* because all spouses have the same few stock dialog lines. That is, if they had a personality to begin with (again, see Lydia). You know how everyone wants to romance unromanceable characters in Bethesda games? Like Brynjolf in Skyrim, or Nick Valentine in FO4? It's because Bethesda actually bothered to give them stories and opinions.

Honestly, this extends to the player character themselves. To a certain extent every player character is a blank slate, but in BG3 and DA it at least feels possible to develop a feeling about who that character is and what they would or would not say or do. I've tried to do that with the Dragonborn and rarely feel strong feelings about them or have strong opinions about what kind of person they are. The only one I've made who I have much of an idea about is my wood elf Parafina, who is Chaotic Evil. Which again is an option I only pick because no one in Skyrim feels real.

The stakes also feel more real in BG3, more personal. Obviously there's the central quest involving the tadpoles, but more than that, it is about a credible threat to your world and the people and communities in it and the people you love. There are tons of reasons to invest yourself emotionally in the narrative. I have never, ever completed the main storyline in Skyrim nor picked a side in Skyrim's civil war. Why would it? Basically nothing happens if I choose not to. Furthermore, if you're not playing as a Nord (which I usually don't), why would you care about Skyrim as a place? You are a faceless, voiceless (pun intended) outsider who gets microaggressed at every turn being asked to choose between two different flavors of fascist. Also dragons are back but like... listen, I don't care? They get pretty easy to pick off at a certain point, it's like swatting flies, they're just a nuisance on the way to my daily errands. And isn't that such a common story? Don't you know so many people who don't really bother with the main storylines of Skyrim? Yeah it's one of the bestselling games of all time but I feel like the fact that most people don't really care about its narrative should be a sign of failure. We all know it's mostly maintained its popularity due to the modding community.

Ultimately both games have rich worlds which reward exploration with little secrets and environmental storytelling. But BG3 feels more "meaningful" because they give me reasons to care about what happens. The writers worked hard to give the game emotional resonance. So I come to the two games for different experiences. I go to BG3 to engage with an interesting story. I go to Skyrim for the quick serotonin hit of completing tasks and hoarding items.

[brucewaynehater101]

Hello I have an idea for Tim.

What if he got those game screens pop up whenever he's doing some side missions or quests. And after that he'll get some cool and valuable stuff like: cool weapons with superpowers that are not from his world, advantages of gaining more information than the whole hero community, etc..

The Batfam probably thought that he was doing those missions because he was bored and wanted to relieve some stress, which is kinda true but whenever he does these quests he also makes a lot of allies from across the planets and helps him through it while also being part of the "Tim protector squad".

Also the screen will always congratulate him and give him some praise, plus the screen can also help Tim by upgrading his stuff or watching him from any danger and giving him a warning to be careful. Just a guy with his screen, what could go wrong? Hahah-

But. The screen can also give him some weird quest like "protect your loved one from [Redacted]" which confuses Tim but the screen doesn't have any power only providing him so who's the one controlling the screen???

Anyway these are just silly thoughts that I want to give :333

Heck yeah! I love exploring unusual/non-typical powers.

I really really want to develop this some more, so let's set up a power!

My favorite genre of games is horror. The fighting styles, gameplay, concepts, stick layouts, and all of that can be drastically different between games [at least Tim isn't stuck with game powers where he can't fight back]. Because of that, the end goal may be impossible to reach and thus changes to a new objective.

Here is an example of where this happened with Tim:

Convince Dick Grayson to become Robin Become Robin

Tim's thoughts and feelings can affect the missions he's given. He will never be given an objective he would not do (e.g. Kill Alfred). Not completing any task (side or main) can have consequences. Main ones have drastic outcomes that he can only somewhat control if he attempts them.

Upon completion, he gets points and rewards. His rewards are anything from new skills, connections, weapons, resources, etc.

His points can be used either in the "shop" or for his skill tree (Tim desperately wishes it was a "pay to play" game so he can get more points).

The shop has weapons, elixirs (one of which is Lazarus water), one use spells, maps, information/clues, outfits with effects, armor, etc.

His skill tree has three main branches: Body, Mind, and Soul.

For Body, he can enhance any of his characteristics to the upper limits of humans: eye sight, health, stamina, strength, sense of smell, etc. His points can also lower the difficulty or time needed to learn a very specific skill (ex. spending 5 points to decrease time needed to learn how to wield a pistol).

For Mind, he can hasten his thinking speed, create defenses against multiple mental attacks (including emotional manipulation and telepathy), decrease the mental energy required per tasks, decrease time spent learning languages/information, etc.

For Soul, this includes abilities to protect himself from magical/whatever interference, increase charm, increase ability to understand/read others' emotions, etc.

If he sounds OP, worry not! Tim suffers from never having enough points (he learned the hard way that he also needs to keep an amount saved up in case he suddenly needs to buy a tool or skill to save his or someone else's life.). There's so much he can buy, but there are only so many hours to complete side missions

Tim's least favorite quest was when he was chilling alone with his Zesti and suddenly got the notification:

Run

Jason's a jerk for scaring the shit out of Tim like that at TT

[ghostdiva]

TADC Ep 4 Trailer Dropped

I've taken many screenshots, and it's time to theorize about how I think the episode will go.

if I'm right, then there will be spoilers ahead, so read at your own volition.

now, I think that for this adventure, Caine utilized the Suggestion Box, after getting the feedback from Zooble that no one really liked his adventures.

However Caine, ever desperate to keep his guests happy and entertained, takes multiple suggestions at once, and turns them into the retail hell the circus crew is about to experience.

before that tho, I think Gangle gets some advice from Ragatha

This advice might backfire considering what happens later.

Gangle is also given a new mask by Zooble, who brings her to their room to give it to her.

Gangle Checks out the new mask, figuring out how it functions in comparison to her comedy mask. my personal guess is that it makes her more confident and assertive, which might boost her moral, but change her attitude in a possibly negative way.

also a small side note that's completely unrelated: there's not a single shot in the trailer that shows Kinger in this adventure. So it's possible he either sits this one out, or just straight up doesn't get much screen time. We got a small clip of Kinger in the circus, but that was it.

Anyway, as Gangle is trying out her new mask, her and Zooble's absence prompt Pomni, Jax, and Ragatha to go see what's up.

Jax and Ragatha will likely question Gangle about the new mask. Pomni might voice her curiosities on how it works too (it's only Pomni's 3rd day in the digital world, so there's a lot she still might not know yet).

Nonetheless, after checking in with Gangle and Zooble, they all head back to the main area, where Caine sends them to work at Spudsy's.

Orbsman is probably the "quest giver". though this time it's not really a quest, it's more like minimum wage food service hell. despite that fact, he still assigns the employee roles to everyone, making Gangle the manager.

Gangle, I think, would be sheepish about this role at first, however the assertiveness and confidence from the new mask helps push her to step up to the plate. So Gangle starts assigning different tasks to everyone. Ragatha, Jax, and Zooble seem to take on tasks like prepping and making food for the orders, like frying the burger patties, assembling the burgers, etc. and Pomni, who can't cook to save herself, ends up running one of the tills at the counter.

and Jax runs the drive-thru for a bit.

eventually, customers start to come in, most of them being wooden artist dolls. However, Caine did reuse some NPC's for this one, which is unfortunate for those who remember them.

idk how to make gif's here, but aside from the gloinks pulling up to the drive-thru, I think Pomni will end up taking Gumigoo's order. Pomni is understandably surprised to see the NPC she bonded with in the second episode, as she literally startles so hard she falls over.

Incidentally, Gumigoo probably doesn't remember Pomni at all, and Pomni might struggle to hold herself together when she realizes it.

Like, look at her. she looks like she's emotionally breaking, but forcing a smile because well, customer service. She also could just be happy to see him alive. I think she might try to sneak off to see if Gumigoo remembers her at all.

idk what else this image could be, outside of like, picking trash up from the ground or something.

Jax also seems to genuinely hate the Fast Food Adventure, in fairness, very few poeple enjoy the fast food industry.

he also takes a moment to cause some mischief

Anyway, onto the main plot. this episode is about Gangle. and with the pressure of being a manager, Gangle might start to boss people around a bit.

there are a lot of shots of characters looking like they need a break, especially Ragatha.

I think it's possible that Ragatha gets tired and worn down from milling about and completing orders. and despite Gangle trying to hype her up, Ragatha just can't summon the energy to keep going. Poor Ragatha is clearly exhausted, and needs a break to like, put her head down for a bit and relax.

Gangle continues to be somewhat bossy, her behavior worsening as time goes on. we see this as Gangle get progressively more unsettling, almost acting crazed whenever someone complains or voices a problem they're having.

Gangle probably starts off trying to hype up the others to get them to do what she needs them to do.

However, none of them really see Gangle as a source of authority, and thus don't take her seriously until she starts to lose her composure.

in this clip, she seems to say the word "now". and look at her. she's clearly struggling with the stress of wrangling everyone, and getting them to do what has to get done for things to flow properly.

However, (except for maybe Pomni) everyone on this adventure hasn't worked in the food industry, or any job for that matter, in years. they've gone on wild adventures every day instead, which is wildly different. on adventures, everyone is kinda left to their devices, to do what they want within the general confines of the adventure. Following orders, and doing monotonous, intensive tasks, both physically, and mentally, is not something they're used to doing. at all.

Thus Gangle struggles to get everyone to do what she needs to, and snaps from the stress.

I think after she snaps, the mask breaks, leaving Gangle with her tragedy mask. so she goes outside to get some fresh air, startling Pomni.

I think Pomni and Gangle chat for a bit, since that seems to be a theme. Maybe Gangle will just be expressing remorse for treating everyone poorly while wearing the mask. she might feel guilty for pushing them all as hard as she did.

and Gangle carries that guilt with her after the adventure ends too.

it seems Zooble has words to share with her tho, so it looks like she gets to have 2 heart to hearts, maybe.

[kookaburra1701]

WIP Wednesday - Aristeia

I've been tagged by @saltymaplesyrup so this week I will tag @gilgamish, @dirty-bosmer, and @thana-topsy! I bring another snippet of Aristeia, which I have actually been working on lately. Borgakh has made it to Dushnikh Yal, where she is interacting with other children around her own age for the first time ever.

Fandom: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Rating: T (blood and violence) Category: gen Genre(s): Adventure, Homer retelling Main characters: Borgakh the Steel Heart, the Orcs of Mor Khazgur

Summary: Borgakh is a dutiful daughter of Mor Khazgur, an orc stronghold in a remote corner of the Reach that has existed since the Merethic era. Expected to someday become the shield-wife of a distant chieftain, Borgakh tries to uphold the Code of Malacath as best she can. But when her father, the chief of their stronghold, goes missing while on a quest for vengeance, the suitors that show up to vie for his place cause no end of trouble and threaten the strength of Mor Khazgur. Borgakh soon finds herself traveling far from home across the Druadach Mountains to find her father.

The fic so far is here on AO3.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“What else are you celebrating?” Borgakh asked, folding her arms on the side of the washtub, curiosity finally getting the better of her.

Lash’s comb paused mid-stroke. The other girl looked at Borgakh, for a moment caught in in the awkward stooped position she had assumed while combing out her hair. Finally she answered, “What do you mean?” and reached for the tin of oil again.

“Your mother said Dushnikh Yal had many things to celebrate recently, not just my arrival…”

Lash frowned as she worked another dram of the oil into the locks in her hand and attacked a knot at the end of her hair with the comb once more. “Mother thinks everything is a reason to celebrate. Hearth-Mother is to have another child.”

Borgakh grinned. “That’s good news, then!”

Lash snorted. “Yes, if it’s finally another daughter. Having two sons to vie for leadership is enough for a stronghold. Three is too many. No matter the outcome I'll end up mourning two brothers along with my father.”

Borgakh had not thought of it that way. “My mother tells me I have a sister who was married to a stronghold in Jehanna, but I do not remember meeting her. Now Mor Khazgur just has myself and Olur, my older brother.”

“And they let you leave? Their only daughter?” Lash had worked through the knot and was now furiously raking the comb through her untangled hair. It gleamed blue-black in the afternoon light that spilled through the bath-house roof vents.

“They couldn’t very well say no to Malacath himself!” Borgakh laughed. “Besides, Malacath would not give me this task just for me to fail.”

“So he really made you an Abbas?” for the first time, Lash stopped what she was doing and looked over her shoulder at Borgakh. “What was it like?”

“To tell the truth, it was...frightening. Everyone was staring at me.”

Lash smiled. “You’re so young—I bet it was a shock to everyone, even your Wise Woman!”

Borgakh was a little indignant. “I am old enough to travel and hunt alone! In a few years I can receive marriage offers!”

“Enjoy it while it lasts,” Lash let out a bitter laugh. “That’s the other thing my mother is happy about: father has accepted an offer of marriage from Clan Tumnosh.”

“Really?” Borgakh exclaimed. “That’s so exciting! When will you be joining them?”

Lash shrugged. “I don’t know. Their Chief is getting old, and one of his sons will replace him soon. Or maybe someone else from the clan. But the Hunt-Wife and Shield-Wife came to see me work the forge, and test my knowledge of mining. They were nice enough, I suppose. Mother said I could wait until they have a new chief, since I still have so much to learn from her.”

Nodding as sagely as she could manage while keeping soap from running into her eyes, Borgakh said, “That’s good that you liked the other Wives. After all,” she imitated Sharamph when she was about to recite a bit of Orc wisdom or old saying, and threw back her head in to stare imperiously down her nose at Lash, “Chiefs come and go, but you’ll be stuck with your sisters—hey!” A sopping wet sponge had just struck her square in the face, and she spluttered as she cleared the water from her nose.

“Are you planning on skipping past being a Wife and becoming a Wise Woman first? You'll need to get more wrinkles!” Dissolving into a fit of giggles, Lash was wholly unable to dodge Borgakh’s answering splash from the tub. The water fight escalated from there until the floor of the bath-house was swimming with soapy water and someone finally banged on the door while a gruff male voice yelled that it was time to let someone else wash up.

[humornaut]

An Analysis of Foreshadowing in Omori's Prologue

Hey everyone!

With the Omori manga's first chapter's release, one thing has been made clear: They are FLYING through the game. Unless they are doing something weird, the entire prologue segment has been moved to right after the Aubrey fight, a move I can only believe has been made so that the real world characters appear in the first chapter. I won't be making any judgements until I see how it all fits together (and maybe I won't make many judgments in general, I don't really consider myself a judgmental person for better or for worse), but it did get me thinking about how well Omori's prologue works in general! So today, I'd like to take some time to talk about that!

The Sidequests

The first things I want to mention are the side quests! I've mentioned it before (or maybe I haven't, I don't remember everything I've said), but nearly all the side quests in Headspace are symbolic on a meta level. A lot of people dismiss this as boring repetitiveness (perhaps true), but the vast majority of the side quests are about finding a lost item or individual. This is, of course, echoing the larger Headspace plot of Basil going missing. However, there is something about this concept that I'd like to point out using one of the sidequests!

In the quest "Whereabouts of Duckie Jr.", you are tasked with determining the whereabouts of Duckie Jr! Crazy, I know. Remember how I said that most of the sidequests are reminiscent of the quest to find Basil? Like 2 seconds ago? Well, this one is good for actually illuminating what is going on with that questline overall! Duckie Jr. and his family are references to a famous optical illusion in which a person can see either a duck or a bunny. Take a look at the house that the family lives in:

They live in a present! Now take a look at this!

"SUNNY won't leave the box, so KEL put a food bowl inside. I guess this box will be SUNNY and MEWO's new home."

So that's interesting! Add in the distant demeanor of Duckie Jr's father, as well as Mari's statements about Duckie having his head in the clouds and comparing Duckie to Omori, it becomes clear that Duckie in this situation is a reference to Sunny, not Basil. What does this mean? Well, it means that we should rethink the Headspace quest all together! The quest to find Basil is much more a quest for Sunny to re-find himself.

Now this (as well as the quest for the character Daisy that I have mentioned previously) is interesting, but it isn't exactly foreshadowing. For that, I would like to draw your attention to the sidequest Stick in the Mud.

In this quest, you must go around Cattail fields to find Mr. Scarecrows three crow friends, and have them return to him. In order to do this, you have to use Hero when interacting with the three crows.

I personally believe that this is a bit of foreshadowing to the Sunny route. Hero's maturity is necessary to bringing Sunny, Kel, and Aubrey back together and bringing them to Basil. I also choose to see Mr. Scarecrow as an analogue for Basil rather than Sunny due to the coloring of Mr. Scarecrow's sprite (Blond hair, blue eyes, green clothes), and Hero doesn't actually bring Basil specifically to anyone (heck, Hero doesn't actually ever talk to Basil in the real world segments of the game)

I also want to make clear: I'm not trying to imply that this is symbolism on the part of Sunny's mind, like a lot of the things that I talk about on this account, rather that this is a bit of meta storytelling foreshadowing how the real world plot will turn out. This will go for everything else that I talk about here as well.

Captain of the Space Pirates

Now that we've talked about the sidequests, I'd like to draw your attention to the main questline of Otherworld. As a reminder, once the gang gets into Otherworld, we are introduced to Captain Spaceboy, who is bedridden and depressed following his break-up with Sweetheart. In order to solve this problem, we have to go through the junkyard to find his mixtape. We aren't the only ones looking for it, and while there, we meet Rosa, a Sweetheart super-fan.

We get the mixtape back, bring it to Spaceboy, at which point Kel plays it, triggering Spaceboy to start his boss fight.

The argument for this all being one large bit of foreshadowing goes like this:

Spaceboy would be Basil (purely from a narrative perspective, not in any kind of character-sense). We go to the junkyard and dig through the trash to find the mixtape, just like we eventually get the photo album by digging through Aubrey's trash. Rosa in this case represents Aubrey, attempting to take care of the mixtape due to her personal connection to the item, revealing that Spaceboy is the one that threw it out in the first place, echoing how in the real world, Aubrey takes care of the photo album for four years due to what it means to her, despite how Basil (from her perspective) destroyed it originally.

We bring the mixtape back to Spaceboy, and just as Kel is the one that kicks off going through the photo album with Basil, he is the one that rushes to put the mixtape into the boombox, triggering the memories that set off Spaceboy, causing the fight.

Admittedly, things get a little cloudy here, as the fight between Sunny and Basil isn't directly caused by the photo album. You could even say that the Spaceboy fight represents the fight with Omori (or even both the Basil fight AND the Omori fight) due to Omori's fight being due to Sunny's mind reacting to memories of the past, better mirroring the Spaceboy fight. But hey! Spaceboy's hair turns green and his eyes turn red so who can say. :P

Then, after the fight, we get a few things! We get an eyepatch (goes without saying), a train pass (representing how Sunny will be moving after the conclusion of the game), and a sno-cone ticket (yeah I don't think this one represents anything).

And, just like the Sunny route, the prologue ends with an early look at Memory Lane, and the dream ends, with Sunny waking up.

There's probably a lot more I could talk about regarding Omori's prologue, so I might update this later! I hope you enjoyed reading this! Within the game, I feel like the prologue is one of the strongest bits of Headspace, and I've always wanted to talk about how I believe it foreshadows the rest of the game! This is a topic that I'd love to hear more people's opinion on!

[crunchyapple33]

ㅤ‎shiftblrㅤintroㅤpostㅤ!ㅤ

ㅤㅤㅤzacharyㅤㅤ9teenㅤㅤsagittarius ☼

hii hello hello everypony i am zach, and i decided to make this blog to get back in touch with my spiritual side. here, i want to reblog posts about paganism, reality shifting, and really anything else i can get my hands onto :3

i have known about manifestation since i was 11, and learned about reality shifting when i was 16. since then, i've practiced both on and off, but not because i become unmotivated! i have had many positive results of manifesting, with some help from subliminals, but sometimes i just forget i can do these things until a few months later, and then i get back into manifesting and shifting, y'know? hehe

i use he / him pronouns, i am a boygirl gaybian. i am ambiamorous!

things i like:

ㅤㅤrupaul's drag race,   descendants,   life is strange,   yellowjackets,   mythic quest,   marvel cinematic universe,   craig of the creek,   the color yellow,   winter season,   rain,   rick and morty,   tarot,   the sims 3,   age regression,   self shipping,   penguins,   foxes,   therianthropy,   solarpunk movement,   rpf,   bob's burgers,   american dad,   spongebob squarepants,   boyre aesthetic,   folk punk genre (my favorite artists are pigeon pit, pale waves, alex g, ninjasexparty, and mccafferty :3),   the number 33

things i dislike:          [basically a dni]

ㅤㅤc.ai,   shifttok,   pro-israel,   heavy talk of christianity,   maga maggots,   terfs,   anti-ageres,   anti-kins,   anti-polyamorys,   if you think pronouns equal gender

               not everything i wish to add to this dni is included, it will be updated as i remember more things to add! sorry if i block you, i just prefer to cultivate my social media time as best as i can ^w^

my main dr:

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤRUPAUL'S DRAG RACE

i have had many other dr scripts in the past, but i have since moved to a new notion account to start fresh, and didn't feel the desire to move any of my old scripts along with me. would anyone like if i were to talk about this dr? i swear, i've only seen maybe 2 other people ever who have also had a drag race dr, it's so sad </3

i also wish to make a drag race au dr of everyone being in college hehe. i'm trying to focus all my attention finishing the script for this dr first though, because i know if i multi-task, i'll end up never finishing either of them </3

[a-araiguma-a]

Between the serving and Her smile

Chapter 4. Wild Mischief

Fandom: Harry Potter Pairing: Oliver Wood x fem!OC, Charlie Weasley x f!OC, <?> Warning: fluff, mutual pining, friends-to-lovers drama, first love, jealous

Summary: He was the captain and keeper of the Gryffindor team, and his quest to win the Quidditch Cup became an obsessive goal. All his thoughts revolved around tactics, training and strategies, but sometimes his own heart reminded him of another, equally important side of life. He believed that love and Quidditch could coexist in his life. He swore to himself that he would do everything possible to preserve these two treasures, even if it required the impossible from him.

Start - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8

The new school year began with an exciting blend of sorting new students, fresh starts, and returning to cozy common rooms. Everyone was immersed in the world of books and disciplines, but as always, Hogwarts remained a place full of surprises. This year, the main source of these surprises was more apparent than ever.

The culprits? Two red-haired boys who had just started their studies within the castle walls. The Weasley twins—Fred and George—born on April 1st, seemed destined to spread chaos and laughter wherever they went. It was as if they radiated an energy that made everyone around them laugh while holding their breath in anticipation of the next prank.

From the very first day, they were fully ready for mischief and provocation, effortlessly turning the mundane days into a series of entertaining (for some, at least) adventures, with something new and unusual each time. With astonishing skill, they pranked students, and even the teachers couldn’t escape their antics. No matter how many times they were punished or how many letters their mother received about their escapades, nothing could stop them from creating magical mayhem.

The one person who suffered from their tricks more than anyone else in the school was the caretaker, Filch, who was always ready to punish rule-breakers and quickly became their main enemy. Their unofficial war with him and his cat kept the old caretaker running around the castle in search of the culprits behind the latest prank. And from somewhere in the distance, you could hear Filch’s curses as he stumbled upon yet another of their tricks, whether it was a vanishing pie in the Great Hall or an enchanted staircase that suddenly changed direction.

“Blasted Weasleys!” he would always mutter, holding his ancient lantern as he made his rounds.

Yet, despite their antics, the twins were surprisingly well-liked. To the astonishment of some, their academic performance impressed even the strictest of teachers. Despite their mischievous nature, they excelled in their studies—perhaps it was a family trait, a well-developed intellect.

And what was even stranger, at some point, they seemed to be able to appear and disappear out of nowhere. Mr. Filch could no longer catch them as easily, and for Margaret, as well as many other students, it felt as though they were surrounded by ghosts—not the four house ghosts, but more like the twins, who would suddenly appear beside you, say something unexpected, and then vanish just as quickly, leaving behind only laughter and something that might explode into something unexpected.

“How do they do it?” Emma wondered, after the twins played yet another prank, leaving behind only the scent of floral candies that suddenly exploded in the Great Hall.

“It’s the Weasleys,” sighed Margaret, hiding behind Charlie’s back. “They’re unpredictable.”

Being the older brother of the twins was no easy task either. For Charlie, he could sometimes rein them in, but it never lasted long—mentioning Percy was better left alone.

“Fred, George, stop it already!” Charlie would shout in exasperation whenever he saw them launching enchanted stink bombs down the corridor, sending students running in all directions. “You don’t want someone spending a week in the hospital wing, do you?”

“Us?” the twins would ask with innocent expressions, raising their eyebrows simultaneously. “We just want to bring a little fun into the dull school life.”

Despite their jokes, the twins never put anyone in real danger or did anything that could cause serious harm. Did they have some kind of principles?

However, Margaret often found herself the target of their pranks, but much to their dismay, she managed to avoid most of their traps. Whether it was her insight, or just caution, she somehow always managed to evade their tricks, denying the twins the satisfaction of their mischief. And although they never tired of coming up with new pranks, their clever traps never went unnoticed by her.

“Margaret, wait a second!” a voice called out behind her as she hurried to class once more. “How about a pie?”

Fred and George stood in the corridor, holding a plate of appetizing pies. Their faces beamed with innocent smiles, but Margaret already knew that danger lurked behind those pies.

“Thanks, but I’m not really hungry,” she politely declined, continuing on her way to the classroom.

“Pity, pity,” George said with mock disappointment. “We worked so hard!”

“Maybe next time,” Margaret winked, knowing the twins would surely come up with something new.

And while she could avoid the pranks they set up, those that involved magic were beyond her control—flying books, disappearing writing supplies, or missing desserts.

“You did well,” Charlie praised her one evening in the common room. “Not everyone can handle those two.”

“I think they just respect me,” Margaret laughed. “Or they’re afraid I’ll get back at them.”

Listening to her musings, Charlie smiled. Their conversations became a pleasant end to the day, despite the evening games and jokes echoing around them. In their little corner, an atmosphere of coziness and peace was created, the fire in the fireplace crackling and casting a warm, gentle light on the walls and furniture, lulling the mind to sleep.

“Respect is a good explanation,” Charlie replied, still smiling. “Though I’d say your attention to detail helps too. The twins are used to their traps always working. Then you come along, and their plans keep going awry.”

Margaret shrugged, a little embarrassed by his praise.

“I just try not to fall for them. Sometimes I think they enjoy the process of planning mischief more than the outcome. For them, it’s a game, and I just don’t give them a chance to win.”

Charlie laughed, imagining Fred and George, known for their inventive pranks, sitting in some hidden corner discussing how to outsmart Margaret.

“Maybe you’re right,” he said when the laughter subsided. “But even so, you keep them on their toes. They respect those who can resist their charms—if you can call it that.”

“Maybe,” Margaret agreed, thoughtfully gazing at the fire in the fireplace. “In any case, I enjoy our game. It keeps me on my toes, and I have to admit, it adds a bit of fun to my daily routine. With them, every day is new and unique.”

Though she enjoyed outwitting them and sometimes responding in kind, deep down, she felt a respect for their ingenuity and friendly nature. Every day in their company was filled with joy and laughter, but it also served as a reminder of how the magical world was full of dangers and challenges—a good training ground and foundation for the future. And one day, she would be very grateful to them, but for now, she just wanted to escape their tricks.

“Exactly right,” Charlie concluded, getting up from his chair and heading towards the dormitory stairs—the fireplace had won their little battle. “Just don’t give up and keep going strong.”

The twins, overhearing their conversation, just smirked. They had no intention of giving up either and would continue their pranks on Margaret simply because she had become a special challenge for them. When she successfully avoided their tricks, it only fueled their imagination and inspired even more elaborate ideas.

And so, the days continued: full of fun, unpredictability, and the constant anticipation of the next prank from the Weasley twins. And even the moments when they managed to catch Margaret in their traps brought laughter and joy (at least for some).

But it wasn't just Fred and George who brought joy—one of the most eagerly anticipated events of the third year was the first trip to Hogsmeade, which was met with great excitement. For all the students, Hogsmeade was a kind of magical place where they could experience all the wonders of the wizarding world beyond the school and away from their parents.

The trip was available with a guardian’s written permission, and the students had been getting it in advance, knowing that this day would become one of the most memorable in their school lives. The first visit was supervised by professors who showed the way and explained where the various shops and establishments were located. Everyone was full of enthusiasm, especially Margaret and her friends Emma and Sophie. From the early morning, they gathered and discussed what they wanted to see together and which shops they planned to visit. The plan was simple: explore the village, try something new, and maybe buy a few magical trinkets.

“I’ve been waiting for this day for so long!” Sophie exclaimed, turning to her friends as they made their way to the village.

“We should also stop by Zonko’s,” Emma added, trying to avoid getting her boots dirty. “I’ve heard they have the latest magical jokes we can try out.”

“I wouldn’t mind visiting Honeydukes,” Margaret said with a smile. “They say you can find the rarest sweets there.”

But their plans took an unexpected turn when Charlie Weasley approached their group.

“Hi, girls!” he called out, catching their attention. “Margaret, what do you think about letting me show you around Hogsmeade? I’ve been there often and know all the best spots.”

Emma and Sophie exchanged knowing, mischievous smiles.

“Oh, of course!” Emma exclaimed as if it were the most obvious decision. “We were just about to… umm… check out ‘Tomes and Scrolls’ Percy, would you like to join us?”

Percy, who was standing nearby, looked slightly flustered but couldn’t find the strength to refuse under the pressure of the two energetic girls.

“Well… alright,” he agreed, realizing he had no other choice.

Emma and Sophie quickly grabbed Percy by the arms and disappeared into the crowd, leaving Margaret alone with Charlie. Margaret had no choice but to accept Charlie’s offer.

“Well then,” Margaret said with a slight smile, “it looks like you’re my guide for the day.”

Charlie laughed and nodded, inviting her to follow him. Hogsmeade greeted them with a welcoming atmosphere: narrow cobblestone streets, magical shops with windows filled with strange and wonderful things, and the smells wafting from cafes and sweet shops creating a festive mood.

“The first thing we should do,” Charlie said, pointing down one of the streets, “is stop by The Three Broomsticks. They serve the best butterbeer. I can’t imagine visiting Hogsmeade without trying it.”

Margaret agreed, and soon they found themselves in the cozy pub, where the air was filled with the sweet aroma of butterbeer. After ordering two mugs, they sat at one of the free tables by the window, watching the people passing by.

“What’s your first impression of Hogsmeade?” Charlie asked, taking a sip of his butterbeer.

“It’s incredible,” Margaret admitted, gazing at the shop windows outside. “I’ve dreamed of this first visit for so long, and now that I’m finally here, it’s even better than I imagined.”

“Oh, you still have much more to discover in this place. Believe me, it has its own secrets too.”

After finishing their butterbeer, they continued their walk. They stopped by Zonko’s, where Charlie showed her a few magical pranks that, as he promised, were real hits among the students.

“If you want to scare someone,” he said, showing her a set of fake spells, “these will definitely do the trick.”

Margaret smiled, though she knew such things were more suited to Fred and George. They then visited Tomes and Scrolls, where Margaret browsed through ancient books and scrolls with interest, though she didn’t see her friends—perhaps they had already finished their shopping and moved on to another place.

As they continued their mini-adventure, Margaret noticed something strange. Every now and then, it felt like someone was watching them. She caught glimpses of familiar faces quickly disappearing into the crowd but didn’t pay much attention to it—many of her acquaintances and friends were in Hogsmeade today; it could have been anyone.

At one point, she thought she saw Emma, Sophie, and a somewhat disgruntled Percy nearby. After some time, she saw them again somewhere close, as if they were following her.

“Are you looking for something?” Charlie asked, noticing Margaret glancing around once again.

“No, it’s just that I thought…” Margaret began, but at that moment, she spotted Emma and Sophie peeking around a corner.

“Ah,” Charlie chuckled, “it seems some people couldn’t resist being curious.”

Margaret quietly laughed, realizing that her friends had decided to keep an eye on her outing with Charlie. The funniest part was that they were trying to remain unnoticed but were rather clumsy about it.

“I just hope they don’t try to pull anything unexpected,” she said with a smile.

“Don’t worry,” Charlie replied. “I’ll rein them in if they try anything.”

But even with the curious onlookers, they continued to enjoy their walk. Charlie showed her what he considered the best shops, sharing stories connected to each corner of Hogsmeade, and time flew by unnoticed. At the end of the day, they decided to stop by Honeydukes, where Margaret couldn’t resist buying a few interesting sweets she’d only heard of before.

“Thanks for the tour,” she said as they were heading back to Hogwarts. “I’m really glad we spent the day together.”

“Anytime,” Charlie smiled. “You can always count on me.”

As they returned to the castle, they met Emma, Sophie, and a content Percy in the hall, who pretended they had spent the whole day peacefully browsing through Tomes and Scrolls and grabbing a bite at The Three Broomsticks.

“So, how was your walk?” Sophie asked slyly as Margaret approached them.

“Wonderful,” Margaret replied, exchanging a glance with Charlie, which was full of hidden amusement. “How about yours?”

“Very educational,” Emma answered innocently, though her eyes sparkled with curiosity.

Percy, finally holding his book, looked satisfied and relaxed, even though he had spent the day in the company of two chatty girls. Under the threat of reprisal, he promised to keep quiet.

“Next time, let’s go together,” Margaret suggested, already imagining how much more there was to explore in Hogsmeade with close friends.

“Great, and hopefully, next time we won’t be interrupted,” Emma whispered the last part, but everyone got the hint.

When the girls returned to the dormitory, they all felt a light fatigue and satisfaction from the day well spent. But as soon as Margaret reached her bed, Emma and Sophie pounced on her, full of curiosity and unable to wait to hear all the details about how Margaret and Charlie spent their time together—as if they hadn't been following them and already knew everything.

“Come on, spill it! How did it go?” Sophie began excitedly, grabbing Margaret’s hand and pulling her onto the bed.

“How was Charlie as a tour guide?” added Emma, sitting down beside her and staring intently at her friend.

Margaret sighed, realizing that she wouldn't escape this interrogation until they got all the details.

“It went great,” she began, trying not to make too much of their excitement. “We just walked around Hogsmeade, visited some shops, Charlie shared some funny stories… In short, it was just a friendly outing.”

Emma and Sophie exchanged meaningful looks, their faces showing clear disagreement.

“A friendly outing?” Sophie repeated, raising an eyebrow. “Seriously?”

“Yes, exactly that,” Margaret nodded, trying to ignore their doubts.

“A friendly outing is something we would do—or at most, us with Percy,” Emma chimed in with a smirk. “But when a guy, especially someone like Charlie, invites you to walk around Hogsmeade, it's definitely not just friendship.”

“You’re overthinking it; he was just being polite,” Margaret tried to argue, feeling a bit flustered. “We’ve known each other for a long time, and Charlie simply decided to show me the village.”

“Oh, come on, Margaret,” Sophie wasn’t about to give up so easily. “Can’t you see that he likes you?”

“Likes me?” Margaret blushed slightly at the suggestion. “Don’t be ridiculous, Sophie. It’s just friendship, nothing more.”

Emma crossed her arms and looked at her with clear skepticism.

“Do you really think he’d invite you somewhere just for fun? Doesn’t he have anything better to do?” she asked seriously.

Her friends’ words made her reflect on the idea that someone, especially Charlie, might see her as more than just a friend. As children, people don’t really think about these things: they befriend those they like and avoid those they don’t. But her friends spoke with such certainty that Charlie was in love with her, even though she saw him simply as an older friend with whom she could always talk about anything. He had helped and supported her—weren’t those the foundations of friendship? There hadn’t been any ambiguous words or actions from him, but now their words left her feeling slightly embarrassed and unsure. She had often been labeled a “neglected child,” which had led to societal rejection. Even as she grew older, those thoughts occasionally resurfaced, making her doubt herself and how others saw her. How could she possibly attract the attention of someone like Charlie?

“You’re just exaggerating,” she replied quietly, trying to conceal her growing doubts. “He couldn’t have invited me with those intentions. I think… we’ve always been friends.”

Sophie moved closer and sat beside her, gently taking her hand. She understood Margaret’s insecurity but knew something needed to be done.

“Margaret, you need to see yourself for who you really are,” she said softly. “You’re not just beautiful; you’re also smart, kind, and a strong witch. And that’s not just friendly talk—it’s the truth. We all see it, and maybe Charlie does too.”

Emma nodded in agreement with Sophie.

Those words touched Margaret, but at the same time, they brought back old insecurities—the doubts she had carried with her for many years. Margaret knew that her friends couldn’t be wrong; they had always been honest with her and had always supported her.

“Thank you, girls,” she finally whispered, hugging them both. “Maybe you’re right,” she said at last, looking up at them. “But I need time to figure it out… But I’m grateful for your words.”

“We’ll always be here to remind you of who you truly are,” Sophie said quietly, squeezing her hand.

“Yes,” Emma added with a smile. “And if you ever need someone to talk to about Charlie… well, you know we’re here.”

Margaret laughed, feeling some of the weight lift from her heart, though not the intrusive thoughts. That night, she had much to ponder about the day. Her friends saw more in her than she saw in herself, and that gave her mixed feelings. Old fears and doubts resurfaced, but now there was something new—an understanding that she was important to those around her, that they saw her as someone she could be if only she believed in herself.

But most of all, her thoughts revolved around Charlie. Although she had considered their relationship purely friendly, now their interactions took on new meaning—or maybe it was all just imagined, and the girls had misunderstood. What if he truly felt more than just friendship? How had she not noticed it before? She didn’t want to ruin the delicate thread of friendship that connected them, but she also needed to figure things out. Questions swirled in her mind, and the answers seemed distant, hidden in the fog of her thoughts.

After a restless night, Margaret looked exhausted and worn out the next day, with dark circles under her eyes speaking for themselves. She hadn’t found the answers she sought and now didn’t know how to face Charlie.

In the end, the only solution she could think of was to avoid Charlie for a while, to gather her thoughts and sort out her feelings. Perhaps it wasn’t the wisest decision, but it gave her the necessary respite.

After that, Charlie only saw Margaret in passing and from a distance—she was like a shadow slipping through the castle, always a step ahead or slightly off to the side. He spotted her in the corridor, hurrying to classes or heading to the library. It didn’t seem to him that she was avoiding him, more that their paths simply didn’t cross as often as they used to. Their evening chats by the fireplace also began to dwindle—Charlie often found her spot empty when he returned to the common room. He attributed her absence to busyness—homework, preparation for exams, or simple fatigue, as he himself was absorbed in numerous tasks. Quidditch practice was more intense, demanding not only physical strength but also mental endurance. As captain, he couldn’t afford to slack off. His duties as a prefect also required his attention, and sometimes he felt like he couldn’t keep up with the pace of life. Perhaps they both needed a little rest and solitude.

However, despite this, he couldn’t help but notice that their communication had changed. Where they once could talk for hours about everything from Quidditch to old family stories, now their conversations were reduced to greetings and occasional discussions about schoolwork. His heart ached with the strange feeling that something had gone wrong, but he didn’t know how to fix it or what exactly needed to be done. He tried not to give in to the growing anxiety within him, convincing himself that things would return to normal and that this was just a temporary phase.

One evening, when he saw her about to leave the common room again, Charlie finally decided to talk.

“Margaret!” he called out, walking closer. “Hi. We haven’t talked much lately; I don’t even know how you’re doing. Is everything okay?”

Margaret froze in place, trying to quickly come up with an answer. She hadn’t expected him to catch her now, and all the excuses she could have used seemed unconvincing.

“Hi, Charlie,” she replied, trying to keep her voice calm. “Yes, everything’s fine. It’s just that there’s a lot to do—homework and all that. So much to do and not enough time.”

Charlie looked at her closely, noticing the exhaustion and worry in her eyes. He wasn’t sure, but something about her behavior troubled him.

“I get it; we all have a lot on our plates,” he said more gently. “But, you know, I miss our evenings by the fireplace.”

“So do I, Charlie, really. I hope things settle down soon, and we can get back to our evenings,” Margaret said sincerely. She truly wanted to return to those days before her friends had planted these thoughts in her mind, but she couldn’t.

In the meantime, the days passed, and Margaret felt a pang of guilt each time she avoided him, but she couldn’t bring herself to talk to him like she used to. However, with each passing day, the time she gave herself felt increasingly burdensome. She knew that eventually, she would have to talk to Charlie, figure out what was happening, and possibly try to find a solution. But how?

Charlie, unaware of the depth of her inner turmoil, continued with his daily routine. But the longer their distance grew, the more he felt the emptiness her absence left behind.

[thefaithfulnightwriter]

Dracontine - Chapter Zero

[^ the gif above i found on Pinterest so rights go to rightful owner ^]

❝ She is very rare. She is what you call a Dracontine. Meaning she belongs to a dragon. But in her case, she does not belong to one but three. ❞

Summary - In which a young female hides who she truly is from everyone and stays to herself. Keeping to her chores as a servant. Staying hidden was her main task while taking care of her three dragon eggs that were bound to her. But many things change when she has to stay Under the Mountain with many others. What she didn't expect was that she would meet her mate. Who happened to be the powerful High Lord of Night Court. Then soon later on she would find she has another powerful mate. The Spymaster of Night Court who was a Shadowsinger. She soon finds herself having to break out of her shell with the help of her mates and their family. Along with finding out how to navigate two bonds with two powerful mates. Also, while taking the title as Dracontine. Being she is the one who belongs to not one but three dragons. All while trying to survive a war.

Pairing - Rhysand x Female!Oc/Mc/Reader x Azriel

Universe - pre acotar - acowar [it may go into an au after acowar not sure yet though]

Series Warnings - DRAGONS (yes that is a warning lol), Gore, Death, Characters may be a bit OOC, Mature Themes, Semi Smut, Violence, Language, Mention of Past Abuse, War, Things Will Be Changed, Fluff, Angst, Some Sensitive Subjects, Mating Bonds, Poly. Relationship MxFxM (Side Note - Rhysand & Azriel are in a relationship or are mates to my Mc they will not be together), More Will Be Added If Needed. (Please do not read if these are triggers)

Disclaimer - I do not own the series ACOTAR - ACOWAR. I do own certain characters, and I own my mc. I do own somethings that are made up. And i own my writing and whatnot you get where im going and what i am saying lol.

Authors Note - hi hi! you guys this is my first time posting a acotar fic on tumblr. ekkk so nervous but excited to be here lol. but yeah i just wanted to warn that it will be a moment until the mc and rhysand meet then azriel. i gots ta world build lol. so yeah just give it a moment and it will happen lol. but yeah please let me know your thoughts i'd love to hear them.

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Long ago there was a time where large beasts flew above in the sky. Flying high making vast shadows on the ground below them when the sun arises. But were hidden in the dark night sky the only warning giving them away was the mighty roaring that escaped their throats. Roaring loudly showing no fear. A roar that warned others of their presences. With their immense bodies that grew to be the size of large buildings. Large claws that they used to swoop down and grab their prey. Their skin covered with scales rough to the touch. While having snake-like eyes that could hold so many emotions. While being able to breath out fire that could melt anything.

These beasts were called dragons.

These creatures made many fear them. Causing many to stay away from such terrifying creatures. But there were ones who were filled with fascination, wonder, and awe as they watched these beasts fly above. These fae who were fascinated with the beasts were little.

But the ones filled with amazement stayed banned together. They would watch the creatures from a distance. Taking notes sharing their knowledge with one another. Going on many quests to see such creatures. But these few fae would also protect these beasts from others. From fae who wanted them dead. Because as time went on the creatures were dwindling in numbers.

They were being killed. By the ones who feared them. But also by ones who wanted them for a trophy and for power. Being that dragons held a tremendous amount of magic and power dead or alive. This caused fae to want such power and magic. They became filled with greed in their want. And in time the creatures were soon going extinct. Causing many dragons to flee and stay hidden.

The ones who were amazed by the creatures seemed to dwindle as time went on. But there were still few. Still few who were filled with fascination and awe. Still few who told stories and passed down their knowledge on to their young.

One family in particular was enthusiastic and took pride in their knowledge. They were proud to be part of the ones who kept the dragons safe. Standing by the marvelous beasts side. They lived all over in all courts not knowing one place as home. They were seen as an eccentric family. But they did not care.

Dragons were a part of them.

They knew that their lineage would be important. Because the Mother had sent a vision to a descendant of their family. Showing a vision of their bloodline being tied to such powerful creatures. They would be called a Dracontine. Dracontine having the meaning of belonging to a dragon.

Which led the family to have hope and keep passing their knowledge down the line to their children and so on. Telling them of the name Dracontine and letting them know of the vision that was given to them by the Mother. Letting them know any one of them could be tied to such marvelous creature. Along with telling them of the power that would be bestowed upon them.

It was true because one day a descendant of said family became tied to that of a dragon by the Mother. Turning him into something powerful, a Dracontine.

His name... was Cade. He was a kind and caring male. Helping anyone he could and taking care of his family. But Cade had a fascination with Dragons just as his family did. He would listen to the old stories his family would tell him, read the old journals his family passed down, and he would constantly dream of dragons.

In time Cade felt like there was something within him that was waiting to burst into flames. It was very intense what he was feeling and was experiencing. He always wondered why he had these feelings and more. It would never leave him. It would lead him to become frustrated and become filled with sadness. Because there was a feeling of longing. But he had no clue what he was longing for.

That is until one day he was answered. One day while traveling Cade found himself having a normal day. Until he was engulfed by darkness while on his walk. He then found himself waking up in a cave. Soon after wondering where he was. Cade soon felt something within him guiding him somewhere in the cave. Walking in the dark cave with nothing but the flame of a touch lighting his way. He followed the tug within him and he was led to something in the vast dark cave. He was led to an egg. Not just any egg... but a dragon egg.

Cade was overjoyed.

But when he touched the egg for the first time something happened to him. His pointed ears grew longer, he grew small fangs, he gained a burn mark of a dragon on the back of his shoulder, and he felt more powerful than ever. He knew then and there what had happened to him. He was turned into a Dracontine. Knowing from the stories he heard from his family. Soon after he made his discovery he was off and telling his family.

His family was ecstatic and felt proud of him. Cade felt honored that the Mother chose him to be the first Dracontine.

After though Cade took the deep red egg everywhere with him. Never letting it out of his sight. Keeping it warm with his new found abilities and keeping it close. When the day came for the egg to hatch which was years later Cade was beyond happy.

He had tears of joy fall down his cheeks. Seeing such a small precious beautiful red dragon coming to life. He soon named her Crimson. And from that day the flame within Cade burst to life. Then a bond between the two solidified. Then and forward the bond that Cade and Crimson had grew and grew. Just as Crimson did. Growing into a fierce, lethal, and gorgeous crimson red dragon.

Cade and Crimson were inseparable. It seemed they would fly all the time. Day and night. Through all the seasons. As Crimson flew Cade would sit upon her back. Both content and at peace together. Cade's family would visit as did others. But as the word got around that there was a dragon and Cade was bound to it. Things seemed to take a turn for the worse.

Especially once their High Lord found out of their existence. The High Lord of Autumn Court. The Court where the family had settled at the time. When the High Lord found out there began to be attacks executed on taking Cade's and Crimson's life. The attacks were beginning to become brutal. Which led Cade to come up with a plan with his family.

Cade soon knew what he had to do. He had to flee to another Court. He was going to fly Crimson all the way across Pyrthian to the Illyrian Mountains. Then he would come back for his mate, unborn child, and family. All wanting to migrate to Night Court. To get away from Autumn Court.

It was on the night that Cade was saying farewell to his family for the time being. When it happened. When there was another attack on his and Crimson's life. They were unsuccessful in taking down Crimson. The dragon breathed streams of blazing red fire on their attackers. But while Crimson's back was turned they were successful in killing Cade.

Who was trying to protect his family. There were too many and he lost his life by an arrow piercing his heart. With his demise came Crimson's as well not long after. The dragon falling to the ground with a loud echoing thump motionless when Cade took his last breath. Not long after Crimson lifted her head one last time releasing a roaring cry and soon her head fell to the ground and she took her last breath. That day they found that if you take the life of the fae bonded to the dragon both will fall. Because of their bond together. Their lives were tethered together.

That day the family mourned for both their lost family members. Mourned for both Cade and Crimson. But they all were soon taken and turned into slaves and servants for the High Lord of Autumn Court. They were taken away while kicking and screaming. All not wanting to be taken without a fight. They tried their hardest but it was no use.

It was many years later when Cade's child had a vision. A vision that the Mother gave her that her grandchild would become a Dracontine. That her grandchild would be the one to free her family to give them hope. To give many hope. Which led her to cry and smile. She would keep the vision close to the family only telling only a few.

The ones who knew would keep the secret safe would keep her safe. Keep the child safe. Because she would be the chosen one of not one but three dragons. She would bring back hope to so many people and would save many. Because dark times were coming to Pyrthian. Not many knew but said family. They just had to be patient and wait. Wait for the new Dracontine to be born into their family. Wait for the birth of another Dracontine.

───── Dracontine tag-list ─────

blackgirlmagicforever

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[iraprince]

do u have any advice for those that want to run a quest?

it feels a LEETLE silly answering this when all my own are currently on hiatus bc i got busy (SORRY TO CALLIST0 READERS LOL) BUT!!! yes i do. i have only ever run quests/interactive comics on the site questden, so i guess as a baseline this will kind of all be geared towards that, but i think most of this should translate to any hosting situation

you have to be cool with your plots branching and mutating in unexpected ways, and you have to be willing to play ball with your readers. quests are a collaboration between the author and the audience. it often feels a lot like gming a tabletop campaign (and that's the origin!! questden, specifically, was originally an offshoot of /tg/.) -- we've all had or heard about bad GMs who view their position as that of a narrative dictator who exists to punish and prod a captive group of players thru their own personal novel, but a good GM is interested in telling stories as a group. u have final say and have to stay true to the important stuff abt ur story, but if u get mad or frustrated when ur readers want to explore something "off topic" or aren't following the threads of ur narrative the way u expected them to, u don't actually want to run a quest, u just want to make a webcomic w mandatory comments. (the flip side of this is: consider if the story u want to make is the right one for an interactive quest. if it is REALLY important to u that the plot beats of a story go a certain way, maybe save it for a medium where u have more control!)

keep it loose and fast. the art does not matter. i am rly guilty of not following this one, but i still think it's really important! one of the things i like best about quests is the barrier to entry is very low and you SHOULD be able to start and maintain one very quickly. if i were better at keeping my art scrabbly and sketchy and loose, my stuff would not go on hiatus as often as it does. draw fast! it's NICE if the art is gorgeous to look at and definitely will draw readers, but it's way better if the art is simple enough that you can update frequently and without much stress. the quality of ur writing + character building, and whether u are telling a story that's engaging and that ur readers feel meaningfully involved in, is 100000x more important than the art.

on the more nitty gritty side: try to have a hook in each update. one of the most common reasons suggestions die off is readers being unsure of what they're supposed to do next. sure, too much spoonfeeding could end up feeling like railroading, and you don't have to end every single update by getting right in their faces and yelling "WHAT DO YOU DO NEXT??", but when you finish an update try to take a second to put yourself in a reader's shoes and see if there's an obvious next step. is there a course of action to decide on/debate, are there clear questions they can ask an npc, etc -- i can't think of a great way to describe it, but you want to avoid ending an update on a note where the player character and readers are basically sitting there looking at each other like "um... okay. that's that, then." some ppl even just end all their updates w multiple choice options, which is a super simple way to keep things moving if it fits the style of what ur doing. if you don't want it to be that overt but you still can't think of a way for there to be a clear hook, you can at least try to leave a little nudge in the narration that invites the readers to try to tie whatever they've just done/learned back into the pc's main goals/motivations or current tasks. (on this subject, VERY useful for your main character to have a very specific goal or end destination that everyone is on the same page abt. it's harder for your plot to lose momentum if you can always point at what your readers are supposed to be moving toward!)

finally: KEEP UPDATING EVEN IF YOU GET VERY FEW/NO SUGGESTIONS. it's a niche genre. questden is a small website. it's hard to get people to read something new, especially if it's in a new and unfamiliar format (and especially especially when it's on a website that looks like a chanboard lmao). picking up readers takes a long time, and a lot of people lurk without suggesting (ESPECIALLY if it's a difficult/plot-important decision, and also especially in the opposite, if it's a very obvious next step and someone else has already commented what most ppl would say). it's very tempting to want to wait for more suggestions bc u "only" have one or two, and then that wait becomes stagnation, and then you're frustrated and u end up dropping the quest bc "nobody cares." instead u just have to push thru!!!! u only have two suggestions and u wish u had more? maybe next update u'll get more. u have NO suggestions and u feel like that means ur quest is dead in the water? NOPE! the solution is to update again, bc maybe ppl with latch on more and have something to say in the next scene. the more u update ur quest, the more u'll be able to talk abt it (and maybe get more readers), and specifically in the case of questden the more ur thread will be bumped to the front page. think abt how many times you've seen ppl talking abt a webcomic or a book and thought "i need to check that out eventually...." but it takes months for you to actually do it. 99.9999% of the time, ppl need to see something MULTIPLE TIMES before they check it out!! most readers do not come from clicking something the very first time they see it!! i know it can feel lonely and discouraging, but u owe it to ur art and the stories u want to tell to keep trying, even if engagement is very low at first, otherwise you're killing it before it's even had a chance. like, get shameless about it. ask your buddies to comment on your quest. but give that horse a few really good whacks before you decide it's dead!! i think that's my main thoughts. if you have any more specific questions i'm happy to help if i can! but also i think you'll learn the most by just jumping in and fucking around. quests are easy to pick up and easy to drop, and imo do really well as a playground where u test different ways to draw and tell stories, so might as well just get messy.

[not-a-space-alien]

Two Sides of the Same Coin: Chapter 1

Story Masterpost

My writing hiatus is OVER!!! I'm super excited to come back and share this Baldur's Gate 3 fanfiction I've been working on. It will have 6-7 chapters. The main focus is on Astarion. Karlach is also here a lot, and Wyll and Gale are supporting characters. It will also have elements of giant/tiny for the middle chapters!

You can probably figure out from context clues, but the setting for this fic is a playthrough universe where the party does NOT do Astarion's personal quest in act 3.

If you'd like to be tagged when new chapters come out, leave a comment or message me to say so and I'll put you on the taglist :) Or Subscribe over on AO3 （＾∀＾) 👉 AO3

Chapter 1 doesn't have any warnings besides typical Astarion-levels of angst.

***

“We'll do it after all this, Fangs. I promise.”

They wouldn't, of course. Astarion knew better than that.  They weren’t going to help him kill Cazador to be finally free once and for all “after all this crazy shit with Netherbrains and mind flayers and tadpoles and the world-destroying cult is over.”  They were just telling him whatever it took to get what they wanted out of him, which was his help in defeating said cult.  Astarion was very familiar with it because it was how he operated basically all the time, just telling people what they wanted to hear.

If they were all still alive and standing after all this, Astarion very much doubted any of them would want to keep him around, let alone help him with his goals.  All of them had turned down his offering his body to them, and once they no longer had use of his skills with a blade, there would be nothing to keep them around.  Certainly nothing to motivate them to help him.

Everyone had helped Gale with what he wanted because understanding the Netherese magic might help them destroy the brain.  Everyone helped Wyll with what he wanted because his father was a powerful lord and needed to be saved to stop the Absolute.  Everyone helped Shadowheart with what she wanted because she had that whole thing going on with Aylin and Selûne, which they’d needed to do to defeat Ketheric anyway.  Everyone helped Lae’zel with what she wanted because she was a gith warrior and an expert in slaying ghaik and knew about the relic and everything.  Everyone helped Karlach with what she wanted to do because, well, Gortash was one of the chosen three and they needed to kill him anyway.  Everyone had helped Jahira and Halsin and Minsc and Minthara and basically everyone Astarion could count until he ran out of fingers to count on.

But then when it came his turn to ask for help?  The way they kept assuring him it was okay to do?

Apparently defeating Cazador wouldn’t help.  It wasn’t necessary.  Because Cazador wasn’t affiliated with the cult, or the hells, or the mind flayers or the tadpoles or the undead or the Sharrans or the anyone that needed to be dealt with to prevent the sky from falling on them.

No, he was only affiliated with Astarion, and of course nobody would die if Astarion kept living in paralyzing fear.

Gale, Lae’zel, Shadowheart, Karlach–they all seemed to agree it could be put off until after the more pressing matters were dealt with.  Astarion maybe thought he hadn’t communicated well enough how pressing this was for him, personally, but he wouldn’t humiliate himself by getting down on his knees to beg.  He stopped asking after that–he couldn’t bear to be told no anymore than he already had.

“My be-fanged friend, I think we have matters a touch more urgent to attend to first.  Your vampiric sire will be top of the list as soon as getting distracted might not have such disastrous consequences.”

“This vampire lord is chraith, for sure, but our most urgent enemy is far more of a task.”

“You helped me with Viconia, so it’s only fair I help you with Cazador–but after the detour to the Sharran temple, I think everyone feels we’ve wasted enough time on things that can wait right now.”

“We'll do it after all this, Fangs. I promise.”

They wouldn’t, of course.  All this momentum that had built up to stop the cult would dissipate as soon as the Netherbrain was destroyed, and then suddenly nobody would have the interest in staying together.  They’d been talking about going their separate ways after this.  Nobody would want to keep going for yet more high-risk hijinks, especially not to help some random vampire spawn who, all things considered, wasn’t even of much value to the group.

He’d managed to get into a group of people who seemed to care about him, who told him it was okay to ask for help, and then he’d found it to be still another lie.

Astarion found the one member of the camp who wouldn’t judge him for it, Scratch, curled up with the dog in his arms, and wept as quietly as he could.

“I’ve had an infinite parade of lovers.  But a friend? I can’t think of a single one.”  He still couldn’t, not anymore. 

***

They did it.  They actually did it.

They’d managed to somehow beat down the cult of the Absolute, face the Absolute itself, and win.  They’d destroyed a netherbrain.  Astarion could hardly believe it.  He was, somehow, a hero who’d saved the world.

He was riding the high and the tidal wave of mixed emotions so much that he’d almost managed to forget about his problem.  He was only forcefully reminded as they stood there on the docks, in the sunlight, and the sunlight, well.

He’d managed to forget that the sunlight was his enemy, waiting with hungry, pricking fingers for him to let his guard down.

He started slapping at his own skin like he was on fire and had to put it out, while his companions stood by in horror and urged him to find cover.

He ran blindly.  It was a miracle he didn't fall off the dock into the water.  Ha managed to find shadows under a pile of crates.

He curled up and rocked himself, trying not to let himself fall back into despair.  His life in the sun was gone, burned up just like the sun had burned his skin.

He could very faintly hear Karlach yelling–apparently she also was getting her reward for all her hard work, which was also burning alive.

What a world.

Astarion managed to use his cloak to shield himself from the sun to move away from his hiding spot and go deeper into the ravaged city.  He wanted to get away from his… companions.  He knew no help was coming, and he wouldn't subject himself to the humiliation of being refused help while also having to hide from the sun.

He had enough gold in his pockets to buy passage on a boat when the sun went down.  He had to just get as far away from Baldur’s Gate as possible.  Get somewhere Cazador wouldn’t be able to reach him. 

It was madness that Astarion hadn’t done that in the first place.  He should have just put as much distance between himself and Cazador the second he was free from his command, consequences and mind flayers be damned.

He skulked about in the darkness of the under-city until it was night, then went up to the docks. His companions were gone, which was good. He couldn't face them.

Now he just needed to find a boat leaving Baldur's Gate, any boat whose crew he could talk to here after hours, maybe talk them into letting him below deck now so he wouldn't have to board later in the sun.

He was so busy frantically stretching his neck to find such a target that he didn't notice the presence at his elbow.  But damn if he didn't recognize the voice.  It was the voice driving his nightmares.

“Where exactly do you think you're going, boy?  I've been looking for you everywhere. We've got places to be."