#parallel play ftw

[moookar]

:DD <3333

[shmoomer-blog]

Do other people on the schizo spectrum find it easier to be with a group of people rather than being one on one? In a group I can pretend I’m watching t.v. or I can zone out. But being with one person requires me to pay attention and talk and try to act like I’m present and it’s draining and then I feel guilty for being weird.

[iamnmbr3]

Let's consider what we know:

We know that unicorn wands are especially loyal.

We also know hawthorn wood wands are difficult to master.

We know that Hermione's wand worked reasonably well for Harry (far better than the blackthorn wand for example) even though he never won it, presumably because Hermione is loyal to Harry and cares deeply about him and wanted him to have her wand.

Given all this, the fact that Harry instantly is able to use Draco's wand without a problem and that it feels "friendly" in his hand - even more so than Hermione's wand - strongly suggests that there is more at play than simply winning it.

It suggests to me the following:

1) Harry and Draco are similar, compatible people and given their similar temperaments and the ways their storylines have paralleled each other Draco's wand is a good fit for Harry...just as Draco himself is. Drarry ftw.

2) Draco cares about Harry and didn't fight back that hard when the wand was taken. He wants Harry to win. He trusts him. And he might just love him. The wand's friendliness is also a reflection of Draco's feelings for Harry at the time. Drarry ftw AGAIN.

3) Only because of these other two factors was Harry able to win the wand. He took it in a relatively nonviolent manner (probably the best way to win a wand of this core) from an owner who cared about him and who wanted him to have it.

tldr: drarry sweep

[twoturtlesinabathtub]

My bf downloaded it for me so I can play when I get home....True love 💜

Caved. Bought Veilguard. But by the time I get home from work and start downloading the damn thing I probably won't even get to play before bed. I blame Reagan for this.

[aphverse-confessions]

things i want from ms s7:

- michi returns and crashes the aarmau wedding

- vylad has his main character era where he has to play detective and figure out what's wrong with his family and what exactly went down on starlight because everybody is too traumatized to say what happened (dante & laurance are the watson to his sherlock)

- the shadow knights return for one last slay

- jenny returns and oddly enough becomes besties with aphmau (jennymau toxic yuri ftw. come on, aphmau literally saved the world, she should be allowed to cheat on her fiancee with women as a treat)

- MORE TRAVIS AND AARON INTERACTIONS. the parallels are there! they could bond over being cursed souls and their messy relationships with their (deceased) fathers.

- kimcinda becomes canon. fight me. lucinda and kim are gfs. also emmalyn leaves kim's body and moves onto the afterlife with kenmur and mcd aphmau.

- nana reveals her past and her real name to the rest of the cast. she finally leaves behind her "kawaii~chan" persona, and searches for who she truly is, possibly going on a quest to track down her family with zane.

- make garrance at least implied or give garroth any boyfriend. we deserve one genuine mlm relationship that isn't just played for laughs.

- teony and ivy also return bc i said so.

- zack has a redemption arc and reconnects with aphmau ofc.

- ein's mom shows up as a villain, seeking revenge for her son's death. but when she sees how hurt and sad everybody is, she feels bad and doesn't have the heart to hurt them any further. she also finds out how much pain and suffering her son has caused to everybody, and begins to feel guilty because of how she raised ein.

- ein's ghost haunts the cast and possesses several characters. they eventually have to appease his spirit because it's the only way to get him to leave them alone and put his soul to rest. ein's spirit has very long conversations with all of his enemies — aphmau (they find out they're half-siblings which makes them both feel a mixture of disgust and sadness), aaron (they finally find one thing they can agree on, they both hate their dads, and put their rivalry to rest), blaze, daniel, dottie, rylan, kacey, katelyn, kai, gene, zack and his own mother. [+possibly an ein backstory in flashbacks/animation to finally explain his motivation in detail]. ein finally moves on to the afterlife (HELL ofc).

- elizabeth starts off as the main villain of the season. you think she's gonna do evil stuff and kill people like michael and ein did, and then BAM — halfway through the season she has a reluctant change of heart and semi-redemption arc (with zack's support) and ends up an anti-hero instead. she reunites with her family. katelyn is not happy to see her at all and is still very angry at her. but kacey warms up to her much quicker surprisingly and they spend quality mother-son time together.

- all in all pretty peaceful season with depressing undertones. it's like early, slice-of-life mystreet and late, dark mystreet fused together. there are a lot of red herring villains (michi, ein's mom, elizabeth), but none of them actually do anything evil and all of them have a change of heart. nobody dies.

- the void consumes everything. but the cast ends up creating a new dimension (with the help of the void paradox cast!) and uses the realm breaker to transport themselves into it just before the mystreet dimension is consumed and dies off. the series ends with aphmau and co swearing to build a better world in the new dimension they have created.

.

[some-pers0n]

Op what’s the ship you’re obsessed with? I’m curious now

These two idiots

Why? Short answer: their personalities reflect each other well and are really fun to watch interact

Long answer? Well... I guess you can read on

Engiemedic is something I still honestly struggle to describe. Funny considering the staggering amount of writing I've done in their name, but I suppose it's only natural to find it hard to define what you love.

I think one of the reasons they click well for me is that they're one in the same in many regards. I wouldn't say that they're "two halves of a whole", as both can exist and do fine without the other, but they flourish when together. They can properly be themselves.

They're two sides of the same coin in terms of presentation. Engie is more reserved and subtle about his nature and tries to keep up a good face. Medic doesn't care. Medic is brash and says exactly what he thinks, while Engie will oftentimes hide his emotions to try and win favour in a scenario. They're also obviously both scientists who study in fields that, while different, are very much similar. Something something...the flesh and the machine are not enemies but rather one in the same.

The enable each other, albeit in small ways at first. Medic influences Engie to get more in touch with his creative (i.e. maniacal mad scientist) side. He encourages him to indulge in every stray thought, whether it may be good or bad. Meanwhile, Engie gets Medic to lean more in-touch with his human side.

I don't think Medic has ever really been with another person, romantically or otherwise. Maybe that's just headcanons conflating with my thoughts (I like writing him as being a romance/sex-repulsed aroace)(cause projection ftw), but I never saw him as the type to get with anyone before Engie. Why would he? None of them understand him. Because he often comes off as rude, cold, and is generally pretty reclusive most people kept their distance. Good! He never cared for them either.

In Engie's case, I think he dated, but they never lasted long. Engie can't really keep up the facade of normalcy for too long. He's had boyfriends and girlfriends before, and while they were sweet, he never clicked with them. There was something fundamentally different about him that made them incompatible, despite being a pretty good boyfriend all things given. He never found a person who got him. Understood him, god complex and all.

It's why I think Medic and Engie work so well. I think them being together, doing experiments and whatnot, is what they love most. It's something they've craved. To be understood. To be seen, heard, and accepted. To be loved for who they are down to their very core.

I also just think they're fun lol. It's fun to watch these two pair up and do experiments. I love seeing them work on weird and wild projects, gossiping and chatting the entire time. I've mentioned before that I think they'd do parallel play sometimes, where they just work on separate projects.

I dunno. They click for me a lot more than, say, Heavymedic or Helmet Party. I think it's mainly due to how well they work with each other. They compliment one another perfectly. They're one in the same in many cases. They see each other as gods. Together, they create miracles. They defy the will of nature and physics. This spark, this feeling of innovation and creation, it is there when they work. When they share ideas. When they hole up in Medic's lab or Engie's shop for days, sustaining themselves on snacks, coffee, and beer, all to create some affront to mankind.

They make me think love is real. I don't know how else to describe it. I think of them and I think that, whatever they have, it is potent and strong. It's why I like the QPR angle a lot as well. It's something different. Something hard to define and unfathomable to a lot of people. Most look at them and see them as one thing or the other, but they themselves know the truth: they're partners, and by god do they love each other.

I dunno. I think every interpretation of them is valid and good, whether they be friends, romantic partners, or in a QPR. I just find myself gravitating towards the QPR one 'cause I think it's fun and, as previously mentioned, projection.

I just think they're great and perfectly flexible. You can make fluff, angst, humour, hurt/comfort, whump, etc and etc out of them so incredibly easily. I just also think they're cute and sweet and them holding hands makes me think that everything is going to be alright with the world.

There's a lot of nuances I could go on and on about, but honestly I think it's better to just glance over my silly goofy fics of them to get a better understanding of my perception of them. Speaking of which, man I need to get back to that...

[mattapparentlystumbltourneys]

Virtual Character Tourney - Round 4 - Bracket III - 2

Propaganda below (May contain spoilers!)

Holly propaganda:

Due to a pay dispute with Holly's original actor, Norman Lovett, Holly was instead played by Hattie Hayridge during seasons 3-5. This was explained briefly in the show as them having gone through a "computer sex change". This makes Holly canonically trans do not @ me.

holly is the silliest most specialest ai ever. she has an iq of 6,000 but sometimes it seems like his iq is more like 6. they're possibly transgender (do computers have gender??) (i am panicking over pronouns while writing this propaganda) - holly goes from appearing like a man to appearing like a woman with no real explanation(??) and nobody questions this (the show is from the 90s btw). he's hilarious and sometimes lies to the crew for no reason other than 'its a laugh, innit'. shes everything to me <3

Holly is the computer of Red Dwarf, a Tenth Generation AI hologrammatic computer who appears as a floating head on a screen. Can be downloaded onto various other devices. also literally transgender.. meets a female appearing parallel version of itself in a parallel universe and then goes through a sex change after falling in love with her. transgender computer ftw

HAL 9000 propaganda:

One of the most iconic AI villains

"I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that."

[reitheist]

bucchigiri ep 10 thoughts:

shindo is doing the absolute most 💀 chill out sweetie we all know you're evil

matakara seeeeeems back to normal but he's def not. zabu is gonna catch on I think

so is ichiya taking over matakara like a full possession thing or is it a 'warped' version of matakara

more catboy storytime let's goooooo

ok since reading that one utena greek choir post about these segments I've been trying to look harder into them. basically, the customer is arajin and jasmine is matakara. arajin is figuring out he wants matakara in his life, but matakara is already too far gone off the deep end of despair and inferiority to care (ie. 'seeing other customers') also might have something to do with ichiya 'shopping around' bodies to fight senya with, witch matakara or shindo being the customer?

ahh it's still matakara he's just very emotionally fucked up i see

oh shit is marito finally gonna have something to do again?

the monster thing is backkk

my prediction is matakara is going to beat kenichiro maybe?

ichiya's smile is pretty and so evil I'd let him possess me in a heartbeat

mint chocolate chip ftw

holy shit the fight animation here is so good

arajin DO SOMETHING

the lighting in this scene is very pretty. the colors in this show are always top notch

aww marito cares in his strange way

zabu is a good friend to matakara, but matakara is letting his fear get in the way and being an asshole as a result. direct parallel to arajin and matakara's friendship fallout.

komao standing up for zabu hell yeah

does this school have any staff? besides the cat teacher, I mean

matakara's eyes are so empty it makes me sad

LMAOOO he couldn't even keep ara in class

i think this is supposed to be a little intentional character moment for arajin here. at the beginning, he wanted to have an average highschool life and rejected being absorbed into the delinquent social hierarchy for as long as he could. now, he's running from normal school responsibilities and intentionally embroiling himself in a conflict for matakara's sake

so is it mandatory that the merging mark thing has to be near/on the ass or

as sad as I am for matakara I am very excited for him fighting merged with ichiya

senya fights with punches, ichiya fights with kicks

matakara, mahoro is not gonna be on your side much longer if you keep kicking the shit out of her brother (how is mahoro going to play in the finale I wonder? if she isn't completely sidelined, that is)

senya FINALLY shows up and we don't even get to know what he's gonna say until next week ughhhh

pretty good episode, but not quite as tight as the last two felt imo. feels like this was mostly setup for our final two episodes. I expect matakara is going to face kenichiro next episode and win. senya is gonna explain the whole deal with ichiya to ara next time, as implied by him appearing at the end. (though im not sure I have a clue where he's been all this time? just hiding?) I think it'd be a good beat for senya's story to resonate with ara and lead to him resolving to help (ie. fight) matakara

edit: just saw the after credits hmmm. they're def gonna play up ken's emotional duty to protect matakara next episode as they facedown. maybe ken is going to bring up matakara's brother? interesting.

[gabby-i-guess]

Parallel play ftw <3

[ssaalexblake]

No but.... caos narrative parallels mean Lilith to Lucifer = Zelda to Blackwood 

Blackwood is literally a straight up satan metaphor for zelda, and her disillusionment towards him ultimately leads to her actually abandoning her religious zealot ways towards the real Satan (Zelda does not react to the knowledge that Lucifer will bring about the apocalypse, she is immediately and blatantly angry at the idea of Sabrina as his bride, and that’s an important distinction in her development.)

It’s not a coincidence that the Zelda from episode one of the show, super religious fundamentalist, willing to do pretty much anything to get Sabrina to give herself to Satan, lives through all that disgusting trauma Blackwood put her through and then pretty much immediately turns on the man she’s worshiped gleefully for literal centuries despite how messed up we’ve been shown the church’s customs are.

It’s all connected through narrative parallel. Blackwood wasn’t that shitty by accident, he’s narratively meant to be Zelda’s own personal Satan when viewed in the perspective of how much of a horrific abuser satan’s been to Lilith for millennia. 

In a church the priest, which Father Blackwood is, is literally meant to be a parishioner's link to god, they are God’s vessel to the believers, we’re introduced to Blackwood as a Satan mouthpiece, and as the show slowly peels back more and more of how horrible the church of night is, and therefore Satan himself is, we are simultaneously shown the same about Blackwood.

It wasn’t a misstep to have him portrayed as the utter scum on our shoes in season two, for one, his behavior in season one hits A Lot of textbook abuser profiles, and for another, his degradation was in direct proportion to how we, the audience, learned about some of the more horrifying and misogynistic practices of this church which prides itself upon being a force of female liberation. 

I mean, think what you will of the plot, but it did not come out of nowhere that Blackwood was awful, they legitimately said the second they introduced him that he was a Satan metaphor when they told us he was high priest, and then they told us, the audience, through Blackwood aka Metaphor Satan, that Lucifer lies to get what he wants! As early as episode two! When Blackwood like to Sabrina to get her to sign the book, and then attempted to pressure her into it via threats when she does show up to her baptism after his reassurances (again, behavior we also witness from from lucifer). 

(ok... p sure most people watching would also be familiar with Satan being a big liar even before watching the show but... still... narrative evidence isn’t a bad thing)

So really, the reason Blackwood is so awful in season two is legitimately because he’s a straight up Satan metaphor from the get go, and we don’t get to see the depth of Satan's awfulness till season 2 either, and being a Satan stand in??? Traditionally not a personality commendation. 

[ruinenekami]

I’m curious, what are your thoughts on Jessica from Umineko? (For the ask post you reblogged)

Yess, the sun of Rokkenjima!

How I feel about this character

SHE.NEEDS.MORE.ATTENTION.

She may seem like your average tough looking, actually sweet, girl that has a crush.

And I can def get behind that some people may see her as "bland" ( I mean, have you LOOKED at the entire Umi cast? Full of crazy, I can tell you that) Compared to them, she seems rather standard.

But I think that's her charm. I like how this type of character is broken down to its bare essential, that she isn't just this hyper, always positive type of gal. She isn't always satisfied with the kind of life she has, despite having some of the more "normal" parents out of the cousins. She lives pretty much double lives, one at school and one on the island.

And I think this is also where the parallels with other characters come into play. After reading ep. 7 again, I felt like she and Kinzo share a similar kind of backstory (before WW2 mind you). Both were forced to become someone they are not and in the end had to lead two lives to at least feel some kind of happiness.

Though in Jessica's case it is more mellow and not as depressing, but still an interesting connection. While hers was acceptable, his was definitely not.

Then we have her and Sayo. Putting in different personas entirely just to have that sense of belonging.

Also, she has brass knuckles so that's a plus!

All the people I ship romantically with this character

JessiKanon ftw! And maybe some small JessiSayo as a treat.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Not something I would consider an "OTP", but I love her interactions with the cousins. Really livens up the place along with Battler.

Sayo/Shannon as mentioned before.

I also like to see her and Ronove interacting more, esp after they have battled together. Would be sparring partners to each other.

And how could I forget her and Lion! She is def the type that would like having a sibling, mostly bc she wouldn't feel out of place on Rokkenjima along with Sayo. They also have comedic potential. So much stuff tbh!

My unpopular opinion about this character

I genuinely can't think of one!

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon

Her and Sayo confiding more with each other. I know their struggles and positions aren't comparable, but it would have been at least a bit more bearable. In Sayos case, she would confide about her crush as at that point she didn't know the real truth behind her existence.

[sometimes-sleeby-octopus]

I got more about the au lol

TSP FTW

also I’m mostly focusing on Stanley/The Narrator again sorry but also not sorry lol I love them

Mention of the Zending and Skip button endings which are kind of disturbing so be safe and take caution if need be

Sandbox au part 2 (yippee!!!)

- Optional story line: Everyone forgets the sandbox was an addition through a glitch/forced reset

- This makes new variations of other ending and generally new ending appear

- Examples are as such:

Skip Button Ending Variation 1 (The Button Repair Ending)

- The button still skips more and more time but now Stan and Narry have the tools to fix it

- However it still takes time and anguish (Narrator’s new physical form makes it more painful to watch)

- It takes multiple attempts because of “god awful code writing” (no shade to creators!!! just for plot convenience and nerdy reference lol) which is hard to alter

- Stanley has to lure the Narrator out of a stress stupor but everything turns out okay

- Perhaps they have help from outside forces? (Curator, timekeeper, etc)

Skip Button Ending Variation 2

(The Remote Control Ending)

- The narrator decided to add commands other than a forward skip

- Leads to lots of shenanigans

- They pause for a while until a kind player frees them

- Players are not bound by the commands (narry had a feeling this might happen)

- As Stan and Narry mess around with other buttons including the volume and input settings, they eventually skip back to a time before the sandbox element was coded

- The memories comes flooding back before the world resets again (no one remembers the ending anymore)

- Perhaps a new character called The Innovator plays a part

The Extended Cut Baby Game Ending

- Now with more material and free reign, the narrator makes a story game about the baby and the puppy

- It keeps freezing since it’s a game in a game

- Story parallels Stanley and Narrator

- The baby “Lee” represents the narrator and the puppy “Tor” represents Stanley

- Ironic reversal in name and personality leads to a funny fight between Stanley and Narrator on who represents who

- They recognize the story about a quarter of the way through

- Ends with Stan and Narry appreciating each other

- Optional funny bit where the baby and puppy kiss at the end and narrator cuts the lights (“Whoops, didn’t mean to show that! I mean, nothing to see here! …oh god…”)

- Awkward! They go their separate ways for a moment (But they both wanna kiss anyway for my own entertainment)

The Zending Variation 1 (The Tending)

- Stanley jumps off the unfinished staircase through delirium caused by outside forces (maybe the innovator?)

- Narrator summons a mattress to protect him

- Stan gets out unscathed

- They mess around with different jump and landing combinations (ex trampoline, or big bucket of plushies) until Stanley has a bad fall on accident and really hurts himself :(

- Really traumatizing for Narry who blames himself

- Narry tends to Stan’s wounds and takes care of him

- They talk it out and everything’s okay :)

The Zending Variation 2 (The Mending)

- For whatever reason (maybe the same induced delirium from Variation 1) the narrator falls off the stairs this time

- However the narrator is not fully human in the physical sense so him injuries don’t really affect him as much

- Stanley is mortified and takes care of the Narrator despite it not really being necessary

- They watch the lights together in the nice room as they rest :)

- Optional path: Perhaps they remember the original Zending ending and they officially resolve the conflict around it

[greatvaluegirlfriend]

akdjflasdjl dimension 20

have now watched all of the dimension 20 campaigns with the og 6 cast... will now rank according to my personal opinions and also with the knowledge in every campaign i cried and laughed hysterically at least once. no direct spoilers.

5. fantasy high: sophomore year. this is probably the hardest i've laughed at a campaign, but the live aspect of it made it harder for me to watch personally. while there were so many good connections, things just felt a little more rambly and sprawling than the other campaigns. that being said, hoot growl, i will protect ragh and his mom with my life, and im always a little shrimp 4. the unsleeping city, chapter ii. this one gets on top of sophomore year purely because of the adoration i have for the characters and recency bias, though i can easily see this one and fantasy high going back and forth depending on the day. this has the same problems as sophomore year in terms of i feel like they kept in a lot of the little nuances of actual play and it gave it more of a halting and less smooth feel. but... mommy and daddy crew ftw. cody walsh and iga really shine as new PCs. 3. a crown of candy. i appreciated the brutality and the story of this campaign, and the characters were awesome (shoutout to siobhan, ally, and emily for creating some of the most well-rounded characters that broke my heart and made me grin equally). however, this one gets docked because i probably won't rewatched. what an emotional rollercoaster (can also see this one dropping as it won't be getting the rewatch as soon). 2. fantasy high. this one WILL be getting the rewatch soon because when going through highlights there are just SO many delightful moments as these characters start coming into their own. most of all, as far as a high school setting, this campaign stayed so true to it and the interpersonal relationships and interactions made it so beautiful. shoutout to episode 2. 1. the unsleeping city. these characters are probably my favorite PCs, NPCs, and setting. you can just tell the love that brennan has for New York, for his players, and for the story. it all is woven together so sweetly, and the vox phantasma/populi parallels throughout...... GOD so good. i love you, rat jesus and kingston brown is my dad.

[master-sass-blast]

For the ask game

🌹 & 🥷

OH GOD YOU SENT THIS BACK ON DECEMBER THIRD I'M SO SORRY DSLFJDSLKFJDSLFJKDSLFJ

🌹(What’s the most romantic thing someone has ever done for you?):

Uuuuuuuuh...

I feel like my bar for romance is wildly detached from society's bar for romance. Because the first thing that came to mind is that my husband knows that I like to be in the same space and sit together while doing different things (parallel play ftw), so he makes a point every now and then to come out of his studio space and sit in his chair next to me and check in, chill out, etc. And it always melts my heart because I love inhabiting the same space as him.

Or when he makes my bed for me, if he happens to go to bed before I do. Or when he comes out of his studio just to give me a few kisses, then heads back in.

I like the little things.

🥷(Tell me a secret.):

*everythoughti'veeverhadleavesmymind.jpg*

Fuck idk. I have ADHD so I overshare anyway.

It took me like five minutes of staring into space but I thought of one! So, there's several fics of mine that have some facsimile of "it came to me in a dream" in the tags or "explanation" of why this fic came into existence. All those tags are true! I have a lot of wild, very vivid dreams that I remember after I wake up, and the ones that get turned into fics do involve the main characters in said fics, along with the concepts that the fics explore! Case in point, the first part of Only Here to Sin came from a dream where I was getting harassed in a club by a guy, and made out with Sevika under the guise that we were pretending to be girlfriends!

The secret to my very vivid, memorable, horny dreams is antidepressants lol. I've always had weirdass dreams, but they became easier to remember (and a lot hornier) after I started the medication I'm currently on for anxiety and depression.

[mattapparentlystumbltourneys]

Virtual Character Tourney - Round 3 - Bracket III - 3

Propaganda below (May contain spoilers!)

Vanellope propaganda:

Vanellope is the glitch that won't die and she has a lot of fun being that

Holly propaganda:

Due to a pay dispute with Holly's original actor, Norman Lovett, Holly was instead played by Hattie Hayridge during seasons 3-5. This was explained briefly in the show as them having gone through a "computer sex change". This makes Holly canonically trans do not @ me.

holly is the silliest most specialest ai ever. she has an iq of 6,000 but sometimes it seems like his iq is more like 6. they're possibly transgender (do computers have gender??) (i am panicking over pronouns while writing this propaganda) - holly goes from appearing like a man to appearing like a woman with no real explanation(??) and nobody questions this (the show is from the 90s btw). he's hilarious and sometimes lies to the crew for no reason other than 'its a laugh, innit'. shes everything to me <3

Holly is the computer of Red Dwarf, a Tenth Generation AI hologrammatic computer who appears as a floating head on a screen. Can be downloaded onto various other devices. also literally transgender.. meets a female appearing parallel version of itself in a parallel universe and then goes through a sex change after falling in love with her. transgender computer ftw