#playing games and completing pretty puzzles and reading good books

[stolenbythewestwind]

there is something inherently tragic yet freeing about knowing that, even though you didn't get what you needed when you were younger, it's still possible to build that life for yourself as an adult.

you're not trapped or destined for loneliness. you can always build. again and again and again, as many times as you need to. the love and the freedom and the kindness and the connection, it's all waiting for you. you'll get there.

[hillbillyoracle]

How to Create Downtime Menus

As a lot of my posts are, this one was inspired by a conversation with my partner. She seemed to think some of my ideas were helpful so I thought I'd write them up and share them here.

I use a combination of these ideas to do two things - redirect myself when I get stuck doomscrolling/freezing/obsessing and redirect myself when I'm stuck on the "must be good, must be productive" hamster wheel and can't seem to stop doing chores until I'm fucking exhausted or have pushed/hurt myself. Knowing you need to stop is one thing - knowing what to do instead is another.

Not all of these will work for every person at every time. Pick one or two that seem interesting and give them a whirl.

Habit of the Month

This is a small habit I can do in about 5-10 minutes a day. These are sometimes habits that I want to audition for my lineup or just want to focus on as a way of rebooting a given area of my life. Physical habits have been things like stretching, a walk, putting on moisturizer, drinking water, making tea, etc. Emotional habits have been things like stream of consciousness journaling, bullet journaling, recording myself venting, etc. Spiritual habits have been things like meditating, altar work, reading sutras, tarot readings, etc.

If I'm stuck in a loop and I haven't done that task yet, it serves as an easy win that feels moderately meaningful to accomplish. This is easier to do than longer or less interesting tasks.

Side Quests

These are little challenges I'd like to accomplish that are 100% fun and completely optional. They are specific and can me completed within a given time frame - usually a month. They usually aren't the most meaningful to keep them more fun and so I'm not letting myself down if I don't opt to complete it.

They've been things like:

The Minor Expert Challenge - read three books in one subject

The Kanopy Critic Challenge - use up all of my Kanopy credits that month

The Regal Freegal Challenge - download all the albums/songs I can on Freegal that month

The Monthly Playlist Challenge - create a playlist of the month where each song represents something about each day of that month; like a playlist diary

The Reverse Tarot Draw Challenge - pick/list a tarot card you best think represents each day of a given month or other time period; like a tarot card diary

The 100 Words Challenge - learn 100 words in a foreign language

As you can see, I prefer things that are pretty low energy friendly so I can work on them on days I'm super tired. Just little chronic illness things.

Alphabet Lists

I use these for my cleaning routines actually but I also have been trying them with my downtime. The way it works is you list out the alphabet and choose one self care or hobby task you'd like to do for each. They don't have to start with the same letter, it just serves as an easy way to limit how many you pick and keep track of what you've done. It's satisfying to cross off the whole list.

Tasks I put on these are things like

A - paint my nails

B - crochet a charity hat

C - write 5 letters for Letters Against Isolation

D - send a letter to a friend

E - play a solo rpg

F - play a solo board game

G - complete a puzzle

etc

They're fun tasks I'm not currently doing as often as I'd like but chill enough that it doesn't matter when precisely I do them more often. I try to pick tasks that are roughly 30 minutes to an hour long though some definitely take longer. I like to complete these roughly monthly but I try to complete a whole list before I start it again. Anything I just did not feel like doing and kept skipping gets scratched out and I rewrite a new list with new item to replace those. And I start again.

Whenever I'm like ugh I don't know what to do with myself, I try to pick at least one thing on the list and give it a try for 5 minutes. If I don't like it after that I can just put it away and pick something else.

10x10

10x10 lists are a different take on a similar idea. It's a list of 10 things you'd like to do at least 10 times in a given time period. Mine tend to be on the seasonal or annual timescale but maybe you're intense and prefer a monthly one. If I don't complete them in a given time period, I just continue with it until I'm done. Better to complete it on an altered timeline than not at all.

For me these tend to be slightly bigger tasks that take a little more planning or energy. I'm not totally sure why I use them this way since you could definitely use them for smaller tasks but that's just the space they occupy for me.

So examples of what would be on my list would be things like:

Grab a hot chocolate from the coffee shop (x10)

Complete a PokemonGo event (x10)

Have a spa night and watch a movie (x10)

Do something extra nice for my partner (x10)

Try a new game (x10)

Find a geocache (x10)

etc

Filing up a little 10x10 grid is pretty satisfying. Much more so than anxietying myself into my bed for the equivalent amount of time.

Seasonal Bucket Lists

I really enjoy making these though I really struggle with the current season (Spring) given my allergies. There's this idea my partner has told me about in DBT where you try to recall positive moments to help "build a life worth living". I think seasonal bucket lists are really good at helping with this for me. I look back on the seasons I made these lists way more fondly than the ones I didn't.

They generally center on seasonal activities I don't want to miss out on. So for summer that's stuff like going for a night swim/skinny dip, getting 5-10 good cloud photos, playing a yard game (like cornhole), seeing a street concert, etc. I also try to take pictures of those (if they don't already involve them) so I can reflect on them later and enjoy the residual happiness.

Conclusion

The point of these isn't to overwhelm you with options. It's just to have enough ideas prepped that you can find something no matter your energy level or time you're working with.

Remember - rest and enjoying yourself is necessary for human health. Folks how get good rest and experience flow states more regularly tend to heal better. People who spend time on what they enjoy are often more enjoyable to be around.

It's never a waste of time to make yourself happy.

[mrsmidnight15]

Cod MWii x (gn)Reader Sfw & Nsfw headcanons

Characters: Valeria Garza, Cap. Jonathan Price

this is a bit short cause im still getting back into writing, ill hopefully be writing longer stuff soon🎉( @sleepiexx @sheeluvsme you two are entirely to blame for this😭)

all nsfw will be at the very bottom together!

🩷valeria🩷

Because of her line of work it can be hard trying to find fun things to do together out and about without risking being seen unless you're out of the country or dressed up but Valeria has no problem coming up with things to do with you inside or in enclosed outdoor areas.

She's a smart woman and her gears don't stop turning off work. If you can play chess be prepared for total warfare, she will wipe your ass clean off the board regardless of your skill and can go for as many rounds as you're willing. However if that isn't your thing there's still plenty of other logic, mystery and puzzle games to play together.

Loves dancing, if her favorite song comes on she's immediately on you, pulling you to the floor and teaching you the steps if you don't know. If you're physically unable to then she will put on a show, completely mopping the floor. If she's feeling cheeky or you're especially shy she will start dirty dancing to try and fluster you.

💕john💕

Whenever John gets home on leave he always dedicates the first couple days to relaxing with you, he always feels horrible having to spend so much time away from you and it's his own sorta way for making up all the lost time.

turns into a total cuddlebug, and if you aren't cuddling he's still finding someway to stay close or in physical contact with you. Rests his head on your lap if you're preoccupied with an electronic or book, playful kicks and footsie under the table while you're both eating dinner.

LOVES taking baths with you, thinks it's the perfect time for you guys to just unwind and take care of each other. goes feral when you wash his hair and scratch his scalp, if you want to rile him up all you need to do is give a couple light pulls. Tries to make you laugh by building up shapes on his head with the bubbles. insists on drying you off himself when you both get out.

NSFW

Valeria

DOMMY MOMMY

although i don't think she has a mommy kink the dommy part still stands

she loves the feeling of being in control of your pleasure, taking and giving it as she pleases

Likes restraints, not only for the power it gives you but she also enjoys knowing that feel safe enough to be so vulnerable and exposed just for her

A bit possessive, loves having you repeat her name while you're seeing stars. Asking you who you belong to, making you swear no one else will ever see or feel you like this even though she already knows the answers

one of her top kinks is for sure overstimulation. Gets off on how far gone you get, solely reliant on her to keep you grounded and well. absolutely loses it in a good way when you first start squirming, simply using her weight to keep you pressed down and pliant

Will not stop until you're writhing and begging her, mocks your whines and pleas for mercy while cranking up the vibrator pressed to your sweet spots. she's really good at reading you though and always knows when to stop before it starts to become uncomfortable or needing of safeword

John

he tends to prefer domming most of the time, just enjoys having you let go for him and have fun and gets off on it too

Won't be opposed however if you ever feel like taking the reigns, he's pretty cool with most things and trying stuff out as long as your happy

manhandling kink for the win, goes both ways depending on if you or him is the bigger one

If he is, which he's quite used to being, he loves taking you up against a wall. likes having you a bit closed in, forces you to focus only on him. enjoys having your full attention to himself

If you are, he likes positions where you're on top or over him. likes being able to have a good view of you while still pressed together and the pressure of your weight is very calming to him as well

Sucker for dirty talk, likes when you do it too but if you're too shy or don't have the capacity for it he'll gladly talk the whole way through. About how good you look, how perfect you feel around/inside him. when he's close to cumming he voice gets growly and low, whispering sweet things in your ear as you both come undone

[berriweb]

╰┈➤ ❝ GRAVEYARD SHIFT SHENANIGANS ❞

: ̗̀➛ ft. johnathan ohnn (the spot) x gn! reader

: ̗̀➛ warnings. y/n is strapped, johnny gives second hand embarrassment

: ̗̀➛ note. if you were the one getting robbed instead, i didn’t proof read this so if you saw a typo no you didn’t

only the restless and the crazies are awake at 3 am, and the only thing that those have in common are that they both have nothing better to do with their time. what does that make you?

The streets were quiet.

If you were lucky, every so often you’d hear the sounds of a car speeding down the road (likely well above the speed limit) or groups of people shouting and ranting while searching for a cab or an Uber after a long night at the bar across the street. It was rare, however, and you were more often than not left alone with your own thoughts to drown out the sounds of the fluorescent lights above you buzzing unnecessarily loud and the quiet pop songs playing on repeat from the speakers mounted in the ceilings.

Anyone else would run from the idea of being left in such a dull and lacking environment, but for you the nights spent sitting idly behind the counter waiting for the rare human interaction was necessary to keep your lights on and your ass out of the streets.

When you’d first heard the corner store was looking for a new employee to work the graveyard shift after the last worker quit due to a recent attack from a rouge villain that left him too paranoid to run the store alone, you were heavily against the idea despite your friend’s insistence that it was good money and she knew you needed it after hearing your previous complaints about your current job not being enough to cover both your bills and your meals. Knowing how prevalent crime could be, especially considering the part of town you lived in, who in their right mind would accept that job offer?

Luckily for you, you didn’t seem to be in your right mind. After a few convincing words and a quick interview with the grouchy owner of the store, you were welcomed with somewhat open arms and after two weeks of half assed training, you were successfully spending nearly all of your nights running the corner store after the sun went down.

Now it’s been two years, and as much as you love the security you feel knowing that you’re good at what you do, it can tend to get a bit boring on quiet nights.

You’d take the silence over the nights where you’d get visits from shady men coming in to withdraw a questionable amount of money and drug addicts who’d harass you for a few dollars to get a fix or were just completely off their rocker.

To make up for the lack of entertainment, you popped in an earbud and put on a podcast to drown out your thoughts, mindlessly flipping through the same magazines you’d been looking through for the last 4 hours of your shift. At some point celebrity drama had become more boring than the silence so you resulted to working on the puzzles and mind games on the back, so consumed in a sudoku game that you almost didn’t notice the sound of the scratching of metal and the small rusted bell jingling as the door to your store creaked open. As soon as it registered, you set the book down, sitting up, alert and ready as you eyed the new customer who had the pleasure of gaining your attention for the next few minutes they’d been in.

If there was one thing your shitty training had taught you it was to keep an eye out and be observant, more often than not the creeps came out at night and the last thing you wanted was to end up on the news with a bad id picture because you didn’t notice a man entering the store with a gun cocked and ready.

As a result, you’d gotten pretty good at profiling some of your customers and taking note of things that most people normally would pay no mind too. This man was no different.

Your alarms went off the moment he walked in, but you weren’t exactly sure which red flag set it off. Maybe it was the way he was dressed, in a big blue brown coat covering most of his upper half with the collar popped to hide his neck, topping it off with a brown bucket had covering most of his hat and what you thought were sunglasses. Maybe it was how you couldn’t tell what the glasses were due to his head being tilted down and his gaze locked on the floor and his own two feet. Or it could’ve been how you couldn’t get a good look at his bottom half aside from what you believed were black spotted white pants due to how quickly he scurried to the counter, his entire body tilting under your gaze as he seemed to be really shifty and refused to meet your eyes.

The only physical feature you could really make out about the person was that they were really, really pale and just from your angle you could tell he was a decently tall man.

“How can I help you?” Were the first words you chose to utter to him, trying to get an idea of what he wanted and why he seemed to be so nervous and fidgety, outlined by the way his hands messed with the hem of his coat.

“I- um,” he cleared his through, and you could sense the nervousness in his voice. His tone was light but held weight like he was hiding something or was guilty of something worse, “where is your restroom?”

What were the odds that he actually had to go? You’d had your fair share of people with the same mannerisms asking for the same thing and majority of the time they were using in the restroom, leaving you to pick up after the mess of tissue and needles, or worse, they’d leave behind, but something in your gut told you that wasn’t the case, and you couldn’t refuse him service based on a hunch.

Reaching behind you without taking your eyes off the man, you opened a drawer and pulled out a rusted keychain, clearing your throat and holding it out for him. “In the back, first door on your left, try not to make a mess,” you instructed and nodded your head towards the open corner in the back of the store.

With a small thank you, the unknown man quickly snatched the key from your grasp and made his way to the back with haste, though not without you notice the strange texture of his skin for the brief moment your fingers touched, and not without him eyeing the ATM machine he passed on his way back.

What was his deal?

A few minutes had gone by since he went to the back. You’d paused your podcast and sat silently, your gaze constantly shifting from the front doors to the back as you waited for him to reappear. Your negative attitude might have been uncalled for, he may have just been a regular guy who stopped at the first place that had an available bathroom, but you knew better than to be that hopefully. Moments later after you’d returned to your magazine, you heard a door open and footsteps, followed up by buttons clicking and pointed beeping noises. When you looked back, he was out and standing in front of the ATM, hesitantly pushing buttons.

You couldn’t tell if he was trying to make himself seem busy on the machine or was really anxious about pulling money. It could’ve been the case that he was taking out a lot for something that wasn’t exactly legal. Drugs, a sex worker maybe? It was none of your business, so long as he kept it out of your store.

You turned back to your magazine to avoid him noticing your constant staring, but about a minute later you perked up at the sound of a loud screech, silent curses and the sound of loud banging. Your senses heightened as you turned around again in your chair, and it took a moment to process the sight in front of you. The man had managed to climb on top of the machine, or at least that’s how you assumed he got up there, jumping up and down on the machine in a hurry. It was hard to piece together until you realized that the machine was now halfway through the ground, courtesy of a large black gaping hole that you were certain wasn’t there before. What the hell?

Your hand reached for the drawer under your register faster than you could process, being far too use to this drill. Your hands searched the drawer without your eyes leaving him before pushing it closed after discreetly pulling out your weapon. It wasn’t often that you needed the gun, but it’s better safe than sorry.

Quietly, you stood up from your chair and left from behind the counter, sneaking up on the man by tiptoeing through the aisles. Assuming he was a criminal, he wasn’t very good at keeping an eye out as he hadn’t noticed you creeping up on him from behind until you were mere feet away and turned off the safety, raising your arms with it pointed at his head. Unnecessary? Maybe, but you weren’t dumb enough I charge unarmed, not if he could be a serious threat.

“Freeze!” Yikes, maybe that was too officer-ey? Your tone was assertive, but your assumption that he could be a hero deflated and was thrown out the window as he reacted far too slow, turning around nearly jumping out of his (pants?), letting out a scream that could put a little girl at Disneyland to shame. His arms flailed and he lost his footing on the ATM, falling over only for another portal to open on the ground and swallowing him whole. He reappeared in a portal on the ceiling behind you and you jumped, turning around just in time to see him fall through, his torso hitting the top of a shelf and sending all of the condiments falling before he hit the ground. You couldn’t help but wince, that had to hurt, but kept your grip on the gun firm as he struggled to his feet.

Leaning against a display to pull himself off, he mistakenly put too much faith in the rickety stand and it toppled over, bags of snacks matching the other items scattered on the ground. He let out a groan of pain and when he stood, somewhat fully as he seemed to have bad posture, you watched the now broken sunglasses fall off of his face, or rather lack thereof, his hat falling to the ground.

He had no face. Where it should’ve been, there was a large, black gaping hole with no way to see anything inside. In fact, it wasn’t just his face, as you soon came to realize that he wasn’t wearing pants, those dots were his skin. He had no human distinguishable features, what you had assumed to be pale skin was actually paper white, decorated with black hopes all across his legs, seemingly his entire body. His coat still remained, but you were willing to bet that his torso was covered in the same holes as the rest of his body. If not for the humanoid figure, voice, and his clumsy personality you wouldn’t have known he was human, assuming he was.

“Wait wait wait! Please- pLEASE don’t shoot! I’m not dangerous I swear I’m a good guy, well I’m not because I’m robbing you but I’m not really robbing you-” as he seemed to start to ramble on, the confusion started contorting your face and he seemed to notice, laughing nervously with his hands still raised as he took a step back. “See, I’m not really a criminal but because I look like this now no one will hire me and I have to resort to robbing stores to support myself, you know?” As he spoke he attempted to shake an empty can that his foot lodged itself in, leaning down to pull it off while keeping a hand up which reminded you that you still held him at gun point.

While you were still only beginning to process what the hell was going on, you hypothesized that the more stressed or worked up he seemed to be, the more out of control his holes became, as the seemed to shift and swirl on his body more and more as he continued to rant. “I’m kind of like my own Robin Hood, you know the whole steal from the rich give to the poor? Except I kind of am the poor, at least I am now. I used to have a good job at Alchemax before they turned me into this, but I can thank Spider-Man for that too-” Alongside that, they popped up far more often, proven by how he suddenly toppled into another, emerging from the wall next to you and hitting the floor head first, wincing as he stood up, this time without the can, it instead falling from a different hole that appeared next to his head, hitting him square in the face before disappearing into another hole.

Without realized it, your arms slightly lowered and you resulted to watching the poor man’s sad attempts at controlling his mutation/power, finding it both pitiful and amusing. “But that’s besides the point! You really shouldn’t shoot me I swear I’ll be out of your hair, which looks great- by the way, as soon as I can I really don’t mean any harm!”

Pulling his arm out of a half closed hole, he suddenly straightened up, managing to stand in one place without being thrown around like a rag doll. Silence remained as you seemingly stood still and stared at him for what seemed like an eternity but was only a few seconds before you pursed your lips, looking down as a hand came up to your mouth to muffle the sounds.

“What- what are you doing?” He questioned you, and while there was no expression on his face you had a feeling he was looking at you with a puzzled look, only for his question to be answered when you suddenly doubled over, the muffled snicker turning into chuckles, which lead to giggles up until you were howling with laughter, hardly able to catch your breath. You left him standing there thinking you must’ve lost your mind. “Why are you laughing?!” You could only respond with more cackling, leaning against a wall and inhaling deeply to make up for the lack of air you could consume.

“What’s so funny?! This isn’t a joke!” He sounded both surprised and slightly offended, which you felt slightly bad for but given his methods you couldn’t help it, and by the time you started to calm down as he stupidly stood there, the pieces seemed to finally click on everything he was telling you, from what you knew anyway.

“Are you sure?” Were the first words that left your mouth, and he seemed baffled by your reaction. “Yes I’m sure! What’s your deal? I’ll have you know I spent a lot of time planning this out!” You highly doubted that.

The holes were definitely hard to get your mind behind, but as your brain tried to process you suddenly reminded the can while a portal, unbeknownst to you, opened up behind you. Where did it go?

BANG!

A sharp pain raced through the back of your head and the man’s hands went up to where his mouth would’ve, or rather should’ve, been. “Ohmygosh I am SO sorry, I swear I didn’t mean to!”

“Yeah, I figured!”

Reaching up to feel the back of your head, a throbbing pain settled in, but luckily no blood so you deemed it safe. You didn’t have to see it to hear the apologetic tone in his voice, and after that entire fiasco you could only feel bad for the poor guy. He clearly hadn’t been built for a life of crime, but unfortunately decided that it was his path.

“Listen,” you got his attention by showing off you lowering the weapon, before nodding your head up towards the ceiling and giving a pointed look to two corners of the store. “The cameras in here are really old, they don’t have audio and the video quality is horrible. I can edit the footage to an extent before I leave, but if the time gap between the frames is too long it might get suspicious and I’m not losing my job over you.”

You slowly raised your weapon as you looked back at him, turning the safety back on. “I’m going to act like I’m holding you at gunpoint and threatening to call the cops, all you have to do is snatch the gun when I ‘accidentally’ drop it, kind of switch the roles around, you get me? I can get you some money from the safe before I call the cops but you have to be quick-”

“Wait, hold on, you’re helping me?” He asked incredulously, his shoulders falling as he pointed at his chest. You resisted the urge to roll your eyes.

“I am, you honestly don’t seem like a bad guy and it’s not coming out of my paycheck, so long as next time you try to pull this you don’t do it here.”

If he had one, his jaw surely would’ve been on the floor. “I can’t even begin to thank you, you’re a saint! Is this a trick? I can’t repay you for this-” he started on again, but you cut him off be gesturing towards the weapon again to remind him of your words before dropping it.

Luckily for you, he was able to catch on pretty quickly and took the gun. His acting was mediocre at best, but you doubted anyone would look at the footage closely enough to notice how amateur he seemed as he pointed it at you, he hadn’t even turned the safety off. He demanded you take him to the safe before you reminded him that the cameras couldn’t hear him and there wasn’t a need for the menacing voice, to which he sheepishly apologized. After letting him stuff his pockets with as many of the bills as he could fit, you yelled to stop him before he could race out the door.

“The gun. I need it back.”

“Oh, yeah, right…” he chuckled and left it on the counter, taking a few awkward steps back. Your curiosity got the better of you and you leaned forward from behind the counter. “You did a whole lot of talking but I never got your name.”

Flustered, he seemed to point at himself as if he were confused on why you were asking him, but replied, “I am…the Spot.”

The same feeling bubbling up in your chest as you eyed his stance and the sudden voice change, you brought a hand up to your mouth, and his shoulders fell yet again.

“You’re seriously laughing? Again?!”

“No! No, I’m not,” you tried to defend, but the giggle you let out before clearing your throat and biting back a smile said otherwise. Luckily you were able to control it this time. “It’s just- what kind of awful parents have the honors of giving you that name?”

“It’s my villain name! Not my real one!” He hissed.

“Then what’s your real name?”

He looked at you puzzled, possibly wondering why you wanted to know so much, but at the same time it’d been a while since anyone had shown genuine interest in him so he obliged.

“Johnathan.”

“Johnathan,” you repeated slowly, as if you were resting out the name in your mouth, making his stomach warm up with an indescribably annoying feeling. “Alright, Johnny. Have a good night. You might want to get lost before the cops show up.”

He turned around as if to leave before pausing yet again, turning his head back. “Wait, I never got your name?”

“Then I guess you’re going to have to come back another time to find out.” Bold, and completely not your style, but something told you that you and Johnathan were going to get along nicely. “Preferably not to rob me though, and without making a big mess I have to inevitably clean.”

You gestured to the mess of food and other miscellaneous items that had fallen off of mostly toppled shelves, and Johnathan gave a sheepish apology. “I’ll be back.”

“I’m counting on it.”

He disappeared into the night, or rather a black portal that opened under his feet once he stepped outside, and you were once again left sitting behind the counter and alone with your thoughts, the sounds of distant sirens getting louder every second, only this time you had something to look forward too the next time you clocked in and the Spot had a new motivation for his newfound criminal activity.

[general-cyno]

hiiiiii <3 🙇 about zoro🃏☔️🔍

HI! 🫶🏼

🙇 - a headcanon about <insert character>?

about zoro... I've been thinking about a few AJSJ.

this is mostly inspired by one of the manga's early color spreads, but basically it's that zoro's actually pretty good at board games and puzzles esp those that require mathematics, and sometimes robin invites him so they can play or solve a few.

this one's more in line with canon lol, that while he's the reserved type compared to other straw hats, he doesn't mind physical affection at all as long as it's from people he likes/is friends with and occasionally he will initiate but it's completely random. no one can tell when he's gonna do it or with whom but he's more likely to do so when drinking. (the weekly joint baths with luffy are also canon in my heart).

LAST ONE I SWEAR this was lowkey a fic idea I was musing. I haven't read all the SBS so idk if this has been brought up before but I had this brainworm that zoro doesn't really talk about kuina (at least not aside from vague mentions or references) though he cherishes her memory dearly, so the idea was that he asked franky post enies lobby to include a place on a corner of the sunny to make a small shrine in her honor. he lights candles and leaves offerings in it (one of the few times he willingly asks sanji to prepare something), esp around her birthday or the anniversary of her death. sometimes he sits there in silence for a while with only wado, and on some occasions the straw hats will keep him company. usually brook, luffy or nami.

🃏- who has the best hat?

lmfaooo seriously tho, it's a tie between ace, sabo and big mom. gotta say I unironically like big mom's design a lot and her pirate hat is so funky I love it.

☔ - scene that made you cry the most?

listen. listen. I'm a crybaby ok and OP is filled with a lot of heartbreaking scenes BUT it's probably the flashback to noland and kalgara, and all the scenes where the folks in skypiea put their hopes in luffy to ring the bell and bring back the light of shandora again. I adore skypiea so much. robin's backstory, ace's, corazón's and oden's deaths made me sob a LOT too.

🔍 - what do you think the one piece is?

hmm I'd say my favorite theory rn is that one about it being a comic book depicting the adventures of joyboy! it sounds kinda goofy but this r/ddit post explains it really well.

[littlemisskittentoes]

get to know kittentoes!

this is such a fun way to strengthen connections around the little pod of us that interact in the same fandom space! so a MASSIVE thank you to @happiness-of-the-pursuit for thinking of me to tag!

without further ado, get to know me better under the cut!

First Set

Last Song: Valerie by Amy Whinehouse

Last Film: the new Mean Girls movie!

Currently Reading: okay, this is kind of like, a two part question--

fic-wise: the PJO AU (by Rhys, Manu, and Beas ! and i'm also doing an in-depth portfolio crawl through Sarah's ao3 !

outside of fic: i'm working my way through volume five of Lore Olympus, and reading Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica, and of course, i fall asleep every night to the RWRB audiobook, so that's a constant bip

Currently Watching: i've been informed that i'm supremely late to the game, but i just finished season one of True Detective! and, of course, i'm staying tuned for the weekly episode release of PJO

Currently Consuming: some good old h2o! the last thing i ate were some sugar snap peas!

Currently Craving: an aunt of mine makes these really really tasty salads with different sprouts and seeds, fresh tomato and cucumber from her garden, some avocado, and her own dressing. an Aunt Paula salad would slap right now

Second Set

Were You Named After Anyone?

Yes! Sarah comes from my paternal great grandmother, my middle name comes from my maternal great grandmother!

When Was The Last Time You Cried?

Mmm, two or so weeks ago i got into an altercation with one of the feral cats i take care of while trying to capture them to go to the vet. it did not go well, and i felt awful that i scared him

Do You Have Kids?

i do not! i was in a four year relationship where i took on a kind of 'step parent' role from the time the child was a newborn onward. so, i do occasionally see her. but outside of that, no. and i'm not someone that ever pictures themselves changing that

What Sport Do/Have You You Played?

sigh alright, so i played soccer as a very young child-- not great at it. tried basketball for a bit-- also terrible at that. went for volleyball-- gave a girl a concussion trying to serve overhand. FINALLY, i started cheerleading and ended up as cheer captain for a number of years!

Do You Use Sarcasm?

i think so! i'm pretty sure i use some dry humor occassionally

What's The First Thing You Notice About Other People?

probably smile, or if they have a more general welcoming aura/body language!

What's Your Eye Color?

brown!

Scary Movies or Happy Endings?

as much as i'm an absolute hopeless romantic, my go to is actually horror! i'm an adrenaline junkie and LOVE to be scared! i can easily be pursuaded into a romance movie though

Any Talents?

i'm actually a very confident public speaker. i still have some of my cartwheels and splits from my cheer days. and i'm decently okay at keeping up my score during jeopardy! lastly, i'm pretty good with some watercolor paints and a micron pen

Where Where You Born?

Northern US!

What Are Your Hobbies?

i help run a local poetry open mic night, i'm fairly active in my local bdsm scene, and i have a constant revolving door of hobbies i entertain for about a week and completely forget about (most recently it's been crystal 3d puzzles, painting book edges, and making shrinky dink earrings)

Do You Have Any Pets?

so many... i live with my parents at the moment, and they have one dog and eight cats! we also care for a colony of feral cats that live on our property

How Tall Are You?

5'3 (1/2)" ! am smol gorl

Favorite Subject in School?

english! i was also a massive studio art nerd though

Dream Job?

you know, all through undergrad and my master's program, i always said that i would have loved to have been a manuscript editor. i even had an internship helping edit poetry chapbooks! but now that i've found myself in a sphere where I get the privilege of beta-ing for a handful of friends, it feels like that skill set is already able to be used and stretched. so, i'm not super sure! maybe something with animals?

alright!! sending out a no pressure tag to some of my beloveds @inexplicablymine @read-and-write- @affectionatelyrs @gayrootvegetable @anincompletelist @leojfitz @leaves-of-laurelin @matherines @wordsofhoneydew @hgejfmw-hgejhsf @user-anakin

[eyeofgender]

I had this wonderful dream a couple nights ago and the concept was so good that I want somebody to do something with it but I can't do much because I'm not a writer or a video game maker so I'm putting this out here in case someone else wants to use it.

So this dream was of a video game that was a sequel to a children's picture book.

The game (and the book) had two protagonists: a guy that looked like a wizard and a cat-like creature. I don't know if the guy was actually a wizard, but he sure was dressed like one: long robes, pointy hat with a wide brim (but not as tall as classic wizards, more like Snufkin Moominvalley's hat), big grey beard (not super long, but wide). He wasn't much of a "wise old man" type of wizard either; he was pretty casual and friendly, and I think a bit younger than most classic wizards.

The other protagonist looked sort of like this.

He looked like a cross between a house cat and a polecat with lemur hands (complete with opposable thumbs) and a bit of a cocky personality. He was a completely sentient creature, and could speak. He mostly moved around on all fours, but could waddle on two legs if he needed to use his hands for something. I only drew a few spots, but he had spots like a leopard all over his body. He was larger than a house cat, and certainly longer. My dream didn't provide names for either of the protagonists, but it did provide a name for the creature's species. I don't remember what it was, but it started with an E, so I've been calling him an ergo.

The game starts with these two living together in a small house in a high fantasy medieval town. The wizard left the house for something, maybe groceries, and disappeared, because he was dragged off on a fantasy adventure by a group of heroes. The ergo goes searching for him. After some shenanigans around town, he is somehow directed to look in the magical forest near town. The ergo is reluctant to go there, because he and the wizard got lost in there as kids, which was the plot of the book. There is a flashback to a scene from the book, where the two of them have an enounter with an enormous troll.

The vines are not the troll's hair; they are in the foreground framing the shot. Most of the image was in shades of green. Even the troll was a blue-green and looked like moss growing over stone. This flashback was animated completely differently from the rest of the game, meant to look like it was pulled directly from the book, because it essentially was. The images used were images from the book, redrawn so that they could be animated. It was very heavily stylized, and looked like something out of a Cartoon Saloon movie.

Throughout the game, perspective would occasionally shift back and forth between the ergo on his quest and the wizard on his, until they finally reunite over halfway through the game. The game was in 3D, 3rd person perspective, with either a free camera or a top-down view. It was most likely a free camera, but maybe it switched back and forth, being free camera when playing as the ergo, and top-down when playing as the wizard. I think that could make for some really creative and interesting puzzles if used in an actual game.

The book was a heavily stylized children's picture book, the pictures looking like something out of a Cartoon Saloon movie, or perhaps Hilda. The plot was of these two protagonists as children, lost in a magical forest and trying to find their way home. Perhaps that's even how they met. The video game was made many years after the book by the same creator, and was meant for the adults who had read the book as children.

[thescrump]

Through It All: A Sonamy Story - Chapter 8: "Hanging Out"

Sonic weaved through the vibrant streets of Emerald City, his senses alert for any signs of danger. The city hummed with life as colorful signs flickered overhead, and the chatter of pedestrians filled the air. Neon lights cast a mesmerizing glow on the bustling crowds. As much as he enjoyed spending time with Amy, he couldn't completely let his guard down. He couldn't shake the feeling that Eggman was up to something, even though things had been quiet lately.

As he approached the designated meeting spot, Sonic noticed a few standard Egg Pawns lurking nearby. "Ugh, these guys again. Always in my way." he muttered under his breath. With a flick of his wrist, a series of his signature Homing Attacks took care of the robots in no time. “How annoying.”

With the Egg Pawns defeated, Sonic finally reached Amy. She greeted him with a warm smile, and the two set off to explore the city. The two friends strolled down the streets, taking in the sights and sounds of the bustling city. They chatted and caught up on what had been going on in their lives. The two friends strolled down the streets, taking in the sights and sounds of the bustling city.

"So, Ames, what have you been up to lately?" Sonic asked, breaking the comfortable silence between them. "Not much, just hanging out with some friends and practicing my hammer swings," Amy replied with a smile. "What about you, Sonic? Any new adventures?" Sonic chuckled. "Well, I've been reading this book Cream told me about, 'Shattering Mirror.' It's about this ancient artifact that has the power to distort reality and the crazy things it does to the people who chase after it. Pretty wild." Amy smiled. "I remember reading that. The mirror sounds like something Eggman would be after." Sonic grinned. "Don't worry. Besides, I'm more interested in hearing about your life than Eggman's latest scheme." As they walked, they stumbled upon an arcade. Amy's eyes lit up with excitement as she grabbed Sonic's hand and pulled him inside. "Let's play some games, Sonic!" Sonic laughed. "Sure thing, Ames. What do you want to play?" "How about Puyo Puyo?" Amy suggested, pointing to the colorful puzzle game. Sonic shrugged. "Why not? But be warned, I'm pretty good at this game." Amy smirked. "We'll see about that." The two spent the next few hours playing games, laughing, and enjoying each other's company. Sonic was impressed by Amy's gaming skills, and he couldn't help but feel grateful to have such a great friend. "You know, Ames, I always have a good time hanging out with you," Sonic said, smiling. Amy grinned back. "Same here, Sonic. It's nice to take a break from saving the world and just have some fun." As they left the arcade, they were met with a sudden downpour. The rain came down hard, quickly soaking them both. Sonic cursed under his breath as he shook the water from his fur. “Wish I had an umbrella for us to share.” Amy giggled as she watched him, and then grabbed his hand, pulling him towards a nearby awning for cover. They stood there for a moment, watching the rainfall in sheets around them. Sonic looked down at Amy, who was shivering from the cold rain. He couldn't let her get sick. "Hey, Ames, let's run for it," he said with a grin. Amy looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean?" she asked. Sonic didn't answer, he just took off running down the street, Amy close behind. They moved through the city streets, in a strange, frantic dance. As they ran, they could hear the sound of the rain pounding against the pavement, their laughter mingling with the sound. They weaved in and out of the crowds of people, who were all seeking shelter from the rain. Sonic led the way, occasionally looking back to make sure that Amy was keeping up with him. They continued to run until they reached a small park, which was deserted due to the rain. Sonic paused for a moment, catching his breath, and then turned to Amy with a grin. "Hey, Ames, check this out!" he said, pointing towards a nearby tree.

With a burst of speed, Sonic ran towards the tree and leaped into the air, grabbing hold of a low-hanging branch. He swung himself up onto the branch and then looked down at Amy. "Your turn!" he called out. Amy hesitated for a moment, unsure if she could make the jump. But then she took a deep breath and ran towards the tree, her Piko Piko Hammer held tightly in her hand. With a burst of speed, she jumped towards the branch, her hammer swinging through the air. She missed the branch by a hair, but Sonic reached out and grabbed her, pulling her up onto the branch with him.

They both collapsed onto the branch, panting and laughing. The rain continued to pour down around them, but they were both warm and dry on the branch. Sonic looked over at Amy, who was snuggled up next to him, and felt a strong sense of warmth and contentment. He nearly drifted asleep. They didn't have to be fighting Eggman or saving the world to have a good time. Sometimes, just spending time with someone you cared about was enough. Sometimes, the simplest things bring the most joy. He wrapped an arm around Amy, and they sat there together, watching the rainfall in peace.

Eventually, the rain began to let up, and the two of them jumped off the branch and made their way back to Amy's house. As they said their goodbyes, Sonic felt grateful for the time he had spent with Amy. As he walked away, Sonic couldn't wait to see what adventures he and Amy would have next. He truly didn't know what to do next.

[pbandjesse]

I just got done washing my hair and I am feeling the best I've felt all week. I don't have a lot of energy still but I still really had a good day.

My mouth and all lip are doing better. The double bandaging helped. I'm going to try to sleep without one tonight, as the swelling seems to have gone down. But I think I handled this pretty well and it kept my tongue and fingers away from it which I think helped keep it from getting infected which was my main concern with how painful it was.

And I slept a little more deeply last night. I fell asleep easier and slept better. But when my alarm went off I was dizzy tired. This doesn't always happen but it feels so unsafe. Like I can't get up and drive. I just remember looking up at James and saying I can't do it. And they said that was okay and shut the blinds and I went back to sleep until 830. Which was later then I planned but it was fine.

I would get dressed and felt a lot better. I was moving kind of slow but I knew there wasn't a ton to do at camp so I didn't feel to bad. I had left Alexi know and I would still get there an hour before she did.

I was happy to be at camp once I got there. I had brought a box of games we were getting rid of and it was like Christmas. Sarah and Elizabeth got to pick some and Sarah particularly likes puzzles and I was glad she was able to get one. And Elizabeth got the handheld retro video game game boy thing and she would sit and play Mario (with Sarah's help) me I was just glad I could give them something fun.

I would have my bagel and struggle with my stupid bandaid lip. I ended up just taking it off to eat. Which was painful but at least wasn't as annoying.

I would be pretty bored for a while. I was desperate for something to do. I sent some emails. I looked at some documents. But for a lot of the day I just read my book about yellow fever. I have been enjoying reading time appropriate books so I can have more background for programs. But also it makes me feel like I'm being lazy? I know I'm not but it's hard for me to not feel like I'm being productive.

When Alexi and Heather came in I finally was given a few small tasks. Some more emails. Some collecting of documents and printing and stapling and organizing. But nothing took very long.

I would go up to arts and crafts and put away the stuff I brought the other day. I collected some trash. I went for a little walk. It was not as windy today and the sun felt nice. It was a beautiful day.

Joe would request that I sweep the lodge. It didn't seem very dirty when I got over there. I would spray down the bathrooms and do a general sweeping of the main room. But I don't like I wasn't doing much but it was a task at least.

I would head back over to the office. I made a stop at my car and found the rocks I had collected with Sarah a few weeks ago. I drew on them to mark where I want to drill them out for fire making. I need to find some masonry bits. I don't think I have any but that's not a terribly hard thing to get.

I had lunch and put a new bandaid on. We had a lot of jokes and laughs today. Sarah had made strawberry oatmeal and when her and Alexi were saying what kind of oatmeal they like I just said I only like baby oatmeal and Heather practically whipped around and was like what!!! Me too!! Love having things in common with Heather she's so silly.

Alexi is starting to have returning staff interviews. And it's been nice seeing who wants to come back. I did some organizing of documents for her for that. And it was nice to feel like I was accomplishing something.

I would read for a couple more minutes. I wasn't in a rush to go. I was nervous about talking to the detectives tonight and I had come in late. But after 4 I collected my things and said goodbye to everyone.

I decided I really really wanted pasta salad from whole foods. I let James know that was my plan. And I headed there. There must have been a really bad accident on the highway because the gps took me a complete back roads way and it was actually a really fun little ride. I got to see lots of old houses and nice trees and it was all different. And I got to whole foods at like 445.

I found three different ones. An orzo with feta and olives, a tortilini, and a mozzarella. When I got home James made me a plate with all three of them and it was a fun little meal.

I was really happy to be home. I was a little stressed about when I should leave to go to the police station.

But I ended up not having to worry. Because at 530 the detective called me and said they were going to see the victims, my neighbors, at their house and they could just come to my apartment. Works for me.

So me and James tidied up the boxes and made the living room presentable and less stressful for me. James also told me that Margret at work, who is direct neighbors with the two victims, told James about it and James got to tell her I was the main witness. Since she knows them I might have James take a note from me to them.

When the detectives came I went downstairs to get them and walked them back up here. I was really nervous. It was a man and a woman. They were bother nice. The man was surprisingly short and to woman was tall and had a no nonsense aurora. They both loved Sweetp and Sweetp was being very sweet and I was proud of him.

I was nervous though and started explaining what I saw right away. He had to stop me to get his recording device set up. And then I ran through everything I remembered and tried to focus on my memories best I could. I feel bad that I didn't get an video or remember the type of suvs. I also tried very hard to remember any of the license plates but I can only remember the last digit. The detectives said I was a really good witness though and I really helped. I don't know how what I shared will help find the people who did it. But I hope they find some cameras or something and my clues I gave them can narrow it down. I told them please reach out if they need me. And they gave me the numbers of the victims because apparently they wanted to say thank you to me. The older man has been in the hospital until today under observation. That's so scary I really hope they are okay.

I think I will make them a card. That's something nice I can do tomorrow.

After the detectives left James made me a little fake chicken patty and they had a little pizza. I put some more water in the fishtanks. I looked around the apartment for things I could maybe start to pack but then I lost steam. And went to take a bath instead.

I accidently half filled the tub with just cold water. So even though I only used hot for the rest it was never exactly a hot bath. James filled two kettles but that only helped make it a little more comfortable. I put oil in the water because my skin has been so dry and itchy. I double washed my hair. And felt pretty nice.

Now we are in bed. Watching videos. Talking about the move. Being nervous about big changes. It has been good. I feel happy.

Tomorrow I am going to go paint pottery with Callie after work. I'm really looking forward to seeing her. And I hope the rest of the day is productive and fun. And I hope you all have a good night sleep. Until next time!

[jentlemahae]

i hate it when there’s a mystery element in a tv show, e.g. who is gossip girl, who is a (pretty little liars), who rules westeros (game of thrones), and then throughout the show they sprinkle in some clues or whatever and the hardcore fans are able to piece the puzzle together and create a plausible theory of what the ending will be. and then the writers think they have to shock the audience by doing something unexpected and it always completely ruins the entire show

during season 1/2 people guessed that gossip girl was eric or nelly yuki and tbh that adds up. the writers did actually plan for it to be eric but they scrapped it really early on bcs people figured it out. but imo if they couldn’t find a gossip girl that made logical sense they should have just left it as a mystery. was it even that necessary to have a reveal? when you rewatch the show there are sooooo many times where gossip girls identity doesn’t make any goddamn sense. gossip girl being any of the main characters doesn’t make any sense. i don’t think there’s anyone who likes the ending to gossip girl, and especially not the guy who plays dan who is very vocal about how much he hates it

YES !!!!! i absolutely hate it and i think it’s an example of such lazy writing !!!! i love when im reading a book or watching a show with a mystery and im able to solve whatever’s the puzzle, i think if your audience is able to follow along and pick up on the clues it means that you’ve done a good job writing

before i started gg, i didn’t know it was dan but i knew it was one of the main guys so i always kept my eye on it and it genuinely doesn’t make sense for it to be any of them. also, the fact that everyone just forgives him immediately is beyond me cause he/gg caused them so much pain and sadness over the years so everyone forgiving him right away is just stupid. also dan was a very interesting character in the last two seasons for me and making him gg is just lazy and boring. i agree with you, a reveal was not even necessary and i think it actually would’ve worked better to leave the identity unknown and just have her say she’s done with the group and wants to move on to someone else, or something along these lines. the ending totally ruined the show and made it such a disappointment honestly

[drifting-pieces-blog-blog]

if Marc plays video games, would he play assassins creed? If so, how much do you wanna bet he has to stop playing assassins creed after trying to play origins because Steven would be geeking out over all the history involved in the game whilst also pointing out all the inaccuracies?

Alright. So the thing about Marc and video games is....MARC IS STILL USING A FLIP PHONE.

Okay, let's do this. Because I have head cannons and you will now hear them. Keep in mind, we are dealing with three men that have hyper focus problems.

Marc uses a flip phone most likely because of being a mercenary. Old habits and all. Burner phones, changing out sim cards, travelling countries and having to unlock phones... It's a pain. Now, we know Marc is, or was at least, a fan of things like star trek and star wars and NASA. He probably thinks futuristic things are way cool and all, but he also hasn't exactly had the time or opportunity to stay up to date in all the latest tech.

So when it comes to computers, Marc probably just finger pecks at it and hopes Google gets him what he needs.

That being said, I also bet Marc LOVED old school arcade games. Pinball, probably a champ. Space invaders? No one could kill those aliens like him. Pacman? He has the top ten high scores under "MrkSptr".

Give him a coke and a roll of quarters, come back in ten hours and he'll be standing at the same machine with a crowd, zeroed in and eyes bloodshot as he destroys every rail shooter game in the arcade.

That being said, if you give him a modern video game, he's the kinda player that some how manages to glitch out the game after just five minutes with the controller. I don't think he has the patience for longer games. He needs a quick fix and long story driven games, even if they are pretty to watch and have so many more mechanics, they just don't cut it for him.

STEVEN on the other hand.... He would be insufferable to watch play a game like assassin's creed. He'd geek out at first then slowly get more and more upset at all the inaccuracies. What does that wall of hieroglyphics say? It just says some random words about 'this is ancient text'. The pyramid is facing the wrong way. That one NPC keeps walking around and is wearing the wrong color robe and it's driving him crazy. He wouldn't even play the plot. He'd just wander around trying to look at everything and be upset at the world barriers. "Open sand box? Not that open! I can't even cross over into lower Egypt!"

He would absolutely KILL it at puzzle games. "Myst" is a joke to him. He beat that in a day. Escape the room games? Was the room even locked? He's out in ten minutes. Solve the puzzle box? He's flying through those so fast you aren't sure if the game is glitched or he's seeing the code.

He would be dangerous with these games though. Layla would find him after three days sitting in the dark staring at a screen trying to solve the next puzzle game. They'd have to take them away from him.

JAKE. Oh no. Oh no no no. Jake is a rage player. You aren't sure if Jake is having fun or not. He's been yelling at the screen for twenty minutes and it's only getting worse. He won't stop playing though. If he rage quits, the game wins.

He isn't going to beat the game because he's good at it. He beats the game out of sheer force of will. Somehow he finished Resident Evil with just his hand gun and no upgrades. He's been pecking away at the main boss' final form for over two hours and my god he's going to do this. Steven's read the hand book gamer's guide and is having a panic attack because Jake refuses to go unlock the special super weapon if he'd just complete one side quest, but Jake isn't here for that. He has a mission and he will do it start to finish as the gamer gods dictated.

He cannot play games like Zelda. All the side quests just enrage him. He eventually reaches a point where he will scream "FINE. YOU WANT ALL THE MISSING BUGS?! LET'S DO THIS" and next thing you know he's 100% completed the game. He somehow even managed to collect the one bug that was glitched out and no one else has ever been able to find.

He will finish the game, set down the controller, and never touch that game again. He defeated it. There is no reason to even consider replaying it. Did he have fun? Yeah, it was a neat game to play. But you'd never know it from how utterly enraged he gets just thinking about how he had to dodge all 100 lightning bolts in a row to unlock the one special weapon.

Now racing games? Those are a different story. He's scary good at the realistic ones. If you took him to an arcade and put him in one of those sitting down ones with the pedals, he'd destroy it with a perfect score.

Give him a nonsense game like Mario Cart where he has to fight other people and he may not win, but you will be sorry that you did. Vindictive and vengeful, he will collect every damn red, blue, and green turtle shell and make it his life mission to see you get blasted by every single one of them.

[gible-love-nibles]

Eternal Diva Fic (Part... 2!)

I'm probably gonna keep these descriptions short because. I dunno what to say. I'm formatting this at the same time as Part 1 (on Sycamore Sunday lol) so I don't know what your guys' reaction to that part is at this moment.

Either way, enjoy!

Trigger warning for death related to illness and implied falls to death (everyone turns out to be fine, though that's not said until later)

Word Count: 1.3k / Previous / Next

I flipped between watching the opera and (trying to) read the provided pamphlet about the premise, the performers, all of that.

Apparently, the show was based on the legend of Ambrosia, a kingdom that found eternal life.  The story went that the queen of the kingdom loved music above all else (which certainly made it a good fit for an opera).  However, she fell gravely ill one day.  The Ambrosians who adored their queen tried everything they could to save her, but she passed away.  Just after she died, they discovered a cure: The Elixir of Eternal Life.  The people all drank the elixir and hoped one day, their queen would come back to them, reborn as someone else.  The opera followed the story one-to-one.

There were other tidbits I skimmed: the opera’s writer Oswald Whistler, who dedicated the show to his deceased daughter Melina; the main performer Janice Quatlane who was a student at Gressenheller University; and the strange machine that was being used to play the music, the Detragan.  

But something was missing from the book.  It mentioned that the opera and the Detragan were part of an exchange between Mr. Whistler and the inventor.  But beyond that, there was no mention of who commissioned “The Eternal Kingdom” besides the fact that they built this opera house themselves.  

It was odd.  Mr. Whistler seemed like a pretty big name in the business if this was his first opera he had written in years.  Certainly, you would want to attach your name to someone that big, even if it was just to leverage yourself.  And the fact that they built the Crown Patone was brushed aside so quickly didn’t sit right with me either.

…I was starting to notice there were lots of little details around this event that didn’t have a clear answer.  Like puzzle pieces that you couldn’t quite fit into place.  This seat being by itself, the complete silence about the opera’s commissioner, the unusual design of the theater… 

“Oh, what am I saying?” I tried to snap myself out of it. “You’re out at an opera!  When was the last time you did something like this?  And you’re going to see that pleasant professor again.  You’re overthinking this.”

But while I was thinking that, something caught my eye on my left.  By the time I turned to look, it was already almost gone.  The only thing I saw was a dark, furry… something.  Was that a tail?  A dog’s tail?

Now I knew I was thinking too hard about all of this.  There was no way someone would bring a dog in here.

I turned back to the stage right at the finale.  Pretty soon, the last note of the opera was sung and the performance ended.  As the lights came on, the audience was quiet.

An oddly familiar voice cut through the quiet and started to clap vigorously: “Bravo!” That got the crowd to politely clap, but it was clear no one’s heart was really in it.  Once it stopped after a bit, the same voice spoke up: “Professor, why aren’t people clapping?”

It finally hit me who that voice was: it was the boy who tagged along with Professor Layton in Misthallery.  Luke Triton!  And the professor was here with him.  

That revelation wasn’t allowed to sink in though, as the lights swiftly turned off again.  After a moment, a spotlight illuminated a lone man on stage.

“Ladies and gentlemen!  Welcome to my theater, the Crown Patone!” He greeted the seated audience. “You are truly fortunate.  For tonight, you will witness a miracle.” The crowd really began to clap; clearly, everyone was really here for the game of eternal life.  I had almost completely forgotten about it.

…But even from my seat in the balcony, I could tell something was wrong.  The man moved way too stiffly, and he even needed to be pulled back up from the torso like a puppet on strings.  Whoever this was was not our host.  

“As was promised when you purchased your tickets: tonight, one person from the audience gathered here will receive… the gift of eternal life.”

I told myself before that I would leave after the show and go find Layton.  But now-- with all these unanswered questions and our host decidedly not making an appearance-- I couldn’t pick myself up out of my seat.  I wasn’t going to play the game, but I was going to try and get to the bottom of this.

“However, there is one condition.  All of you gathered here are going to play a little game.  The rules are simple.  The prize for the lucky winner?  Eternal life.  But those of you who lose will lose your lives!  You must admit this is a small price for those who’re desiring such a big prize.”

That definitely caused a stir in the crowd.  I guess they thought the prize would be determined by a drawing or something along those lines.  Certainly nothing like this.

It wasn’t long until people started jumping out of their chairs and running towards the exit.  However, they found their way blocked by a group of men wearing white face masks.  Then the aisle floors gave way and people dropped down like sacks of potatoes.  After a bit, the floors closed again like nothing had happened.

I just sat and watched in horror.  I was frozen in my seat.  I tried to tell myself that those people were fine, that nothing had happened to them, that the whole threat of death was empty.  But it felt hollow.

However, the night’s wild events were just getting started.  A man’s voice cut through the tension.

“Fear not!  I am Inspector Grosky of the Yard!”

Inspector Grosky was standing next to the masked man on the stage.  It seemed like the inspector had the other man cuffed.

Grosky was definitely a hard man to forget.  He helped us during the investigation in Misthallery… when we got him to stand still.  Otherwise, he was off like a bullet train, solving crime or whatever else needed solving.  

He might jump to conclusions and be hard to keep up with (quite literally), but he was reliable.  Seeing him here in the theater was a great relief.

“My finely honed investigation showed something suspicious would happen here in this theater tonight, and I am here to put a stop to it!” Grosky continued. “Ladies and gentlemen!  No one will lose their lives.  I, Inspector Grosky of the Yard, have arrested this diabolical criminal!”

“Are you quite sure of that, Inspector?” Another voice asked.  I sprung up out of my chair at the sound.  It only took the sight of a tall top hat to know who it was.  Professor Layton was indeed in the theater with Luke.

But that just brought the question of “why didn’t he want to sit near me” back into my mind.  It wasn’t like I particularly minded one way or the other; I really wasn’t hung up about it.  What bothered me was that Layton wore his reputation as a gentleman quite proudly, and leaving a lady to sit by herself certainly wasn’t something he would do.  Questions upon questions, and none of them were getting answered fast.

I got snapped out of my thoughts by a shout from the stage and the whole theater beginning to rumble.  There were mechanical sounds from above.  Looking up, the roof was pulling away to reveal the starry night sky.  And the inspector was flying towards it.  

The “man” Grosky arrested turned out to be a puppet, and an inflatable puppet at that.  The balloon glided up to the opened ceiling, but got stuck on a spike and popped.  I grimaced, and my hand unconsciously went to my stomach watching the inspector get dragged around by the flailing balloon.

But with a little chuckle, a new voice over the theater speakers asked for our attention. “Ladies and gentlemen!  Without further interruption… let us begin our journey to eternal life!”

[ghnbear]

Indie rpg games (/--)/

hey!today i brought some of my favorites games!!! mostly (or all of them) are rpg and have an pixel design. those are my favorite kind of game, but they aren't very famous....... I would appreciate some recommendations as well. (´ﾟωﾟ｀)

1. Limbo

Sensible... and have a lot of puzzles, but it's fun.

2. Heartbound

this one isn't complete yet, but the uncompleted version have a lot to offer already. I love the history and the characters, also the universe its very beautiful. I love the office part and the character in the office (ToT) I love this one, and I am very excited to play the complete version

3. Iconoclast

this is a very long game. you can spend like days playing, and really put a effort to it. I love the characters as well. if it was a book, it would be my favorite. the history is very good as well. IT not requires a high processor, so you can install in every computer. (　・３・)

4. Papers, please

this one isn't a rpg. It acctualy have a very interesting context, so, briefly, you are a employee working in a border of a country. there a lot of politics issues going on, so if you made a mistake and allow an entrance of a danger person, you gonna die or have drastically consequencs. Also, your family suffers with you choices. I love this one so much! it's fun, and take a lot of effort to do the right choices. your actions have real consequences, and you can achieve different ends as well. ( *´・ω)/(；д； ).

5. undertale

undertale is pretty famous. It's an rpg where a child falls in to the underground, where lives "dangerous monsters" but when you start exploring and understanding that place, you figure a lot of things. there's 3 possible endings (I guess) and it's also a game of "actions have consequences" I played this one so many times. (*´；ェ；｀*)

6. Shovel Knight

Love this one! it's the most simple of this list, but is also pretty long. rpg, and in pixel, the proposal of this game is explore, fight and win against some enemies. you can play with different characters, and the world is very big, so exploring it its fun. Takes time to finishing it, and it's very comfortable to play. (゜o゜)＼(-_-)

7. Hotline miami

violent and have a awesome soundtrack. there are two volumes, both are great, but the first one hits different. It's nice to play when you got a frustrating day, to overcome you anger and.... you know... (-.-)ノ⌒-~

8. one shot

I love thiissss, but the last time I played was several years ago, so I don't remember very well. bur I do remember that it felt great. ( °∇^)］

mother 3 or earthbound

the last of the list... the first of my heart.

this is a nitendo game, so you can play on your phone if you install a emulator to snes. The room is easy to find online ＼(^-^)／ love the characters and it have a great history. I played more then one hundred times, and I always cry (even though it's not a sad game)

this is it!!! thanks for reading ＼(^_^)／

(;_;)/~~~

[catscatscatsleep]

Jan 1st : my cousin has cancer

Jan 2nd : my bf said he won't have sex with me cuz he's scared that I'll get prego

Jan 3rd : maybe i shouldn't write a one line journal if I only wanna talk about my bf

(he was so tickley and cute today (⁠♡⁠ω⁠♡⁠ ⁠)⁠ )

Jan 4th : my bus broke down so I rounded up 2 girls who live near me and got a cab to uni

Then i got stopped at the gate because I wasn't following the "dress code" which lead to a whole lot of administrative bullshit now I am forced to wear ugly clothes. obviously.

Jan 5th : skipped uni cuz i didn't have a lotta classes and didn't wanna deal with the "dress code" .bought a chill game and only got out of bed to make and eat food . best day of this year so far.

Jan 6th : wore clothes which loosely confirm to the "dress code", my fault for being born as a woman.

Went to bf's house after college Lotta kissing then cooking and eating followed by a heavy dry humping session then he drove me home

Jan 7th : pretty uneventful.have uni on Saturday so horrible dress code , lotta coding went home played dreamlight valley.sleep.

Jan 8th : finally Sunday. Finished my assignments helped friends with their assignments.played all day till it was time to sleep,got Anna and Elsa!!!!

Jan 9th : went lil late to uni cuz the bus was late .bf wore short to play sports*drool*.

we have hoildays coming up so our teacher decided that to give us an assignment which would require us to talk to a lotta ppl our age so we had to do it before the break and I had to talk to so many strangers it was horrible,but it's over now.

Jan 10th : went to uni and did jigsaw puzzles online then looked for good vampire books,failed, helped my friend do an assignment then there was some celebration which consisted of a series of un rehearsed and repetitive performances followed by a "DJ" sesh where everyone "danced" me and my classmates watched from very far away. Atleast the picture of us sitting on the stairs is good ig.

Jan 11th : woke up stayed on my phone. impulsively baked cookies then spent the whole day mostly fishing online. Then my bf infuriates me by telling me he's watching clips of a sitcom with his buddies which I would love for him to watch properly because it's awesome but that's " too boring" or "too slow" meh meh meh meh meh.

Jan 12th : i didn't do anything important.finished reading "king of battle and blood". Toasted bread played my game and though i would stay up all night and play but just slept like an old person :]

Jan 13th : It's be days since I took a shower but I just played my game and toasted bread again.

Jan 14th : day of festival was woke up but loud festive and cinema music around a bon fire went out of my room and my father was awake so we both went to check out the bonfire and music.

Came back home and mom told me I had to do the colouring of the rangoli.then food, shower, food, ride your wave(movie), food, top gun maverick (not a tradition it just kinda happened) and food again then sleep.

Jan 15th : woke up and had to do another rangoli the food then shopping for clothes cuz "dress code" i hate uni :\ ,Burger King then home.

i was also do this thing where I waited to text my bf the same amount of time he took to reply to me so we weren't talking much but he did not notice so ig I'm the idiot. Showed him my dressess thought I'd model some for him but he didn't even see them fast enough so i didn't. Atleast he talked to me at night i.e. he was replying fast enough to hold a conversation.

Jan 16th : woke up late than usual still had to do rangoli for the last day of festival so no more. Fluffy food, the rangoli, pineapple, shower, food, more sleep, bread(i don't not know how to use broil), dreamlight + tamako market, dinner, dreamlight ,

Ahum January is over and i completely forgot about this

So i just decided to dump this here

[starlight-time-machine]

Week in Review

03/31/2024 – 04/06/2024

Sunday

Week 8 of missing Cipher Academy

Girl Meets Rock continues to be cute, and I love that Rin continues to be weirder and weirder.

The Undead Unluck chapter made me emotional because it felt like I was reading a Cipher Academy chapter again… Shiritori with any language in the world would’ve been right up their alley…though perhaps it’d be a little too straightforward for them. But here it’s great to see Nico go toe to toe with a Master Rule while not being a Negator yet, and I’m looking forward to seeing the creative lengths that Tozuka will push this fight towards.

Dandadan fine.

Magilumiere pretty good…it’s nice to see Midorikawa and Makino interacting platonically, that’s not a duo I ever would’ve seen coming. Midorikawa getting a moment of vulnerability is soooo cute.

Chainsaw Man good! Always love getting some gay ass devils.

Monday

Hmm

Tuesday

Continued my Undead Unluck manga reread, though I didn’t get very far – I was basically crying the whole time I was reading, and then I went to wash and moisturize my face so I didn’t want to read more and mess up my skincare. But I did get to the loredump about Remember, which I’d completely forgotten… I don’t know how I feel about everyone in Loop 101 regaining their memories, if I’m being honest. I kind of liked the bittersweet tragedy of Loop 100’s deaths driving Fuuko forwards and giving her the determination to overcome anything in her path, and I wonder/worry about the current versions of everyone being erased/overtaken by their past memories (especially with characters like Julia). I suppose the 101 characters will only be recalling their past selves and the 100 characters have definitively, in their own perception, died, so there is a sense of finality there. But then with all this talk about souls, maybe not… Well, a super happy ending wouldn’t be so bad either.

I’m starting to work through my library backlog again, and the first was a super short book from Jacqueline Wilson, Worry Website. I thought I’d never read it before, but when I was going through I was struck with an intense familiarity with the illustrations and some of the story beats, so I must’ve read it at some point in my childhood. For what it is, it’s pretty cute – just a collection of stories about a few problems that kids could relate to and maybe get some catharsis from seeing them resolved. I liked getting a sense of the connections between the kids in this class with the tidbits of lore dropped here and there, as well as seeing Mr. Speed get his own little romantic arc in the background. I wonder if some of the problems were a little too easily resolved to be useful/satisfying to kids going through the same thing though? And then there’s that one really sad and realistic one that just doesn’t get much of a solution at all lol…but again, it’s for pretty young kids so I can understand Wilson wanting to keep things relatively light.

Wednesday

I played a little free game called Cureocity, and it was…okay… I feel like I can’t harp on it too much since it’s so short and free, but the puzzle aspect of it felt pretty clunky and unintuitive at times, and it didn’t expand on it much throughout the few puzzles it had. The story was also pretty whatever and bare bones, hampered by its lackluster translation (I can tell they’re trying, but it keeps getting tripped up). The best thing about it is the art, and not much else. 3/10.

Reread some more Undead Unluck…namely the rest of the Ragnarok Arc…and yeah, I cried the whole way through. Seeing characters like Feng join the fight…everyone united in their desire to protect Fuuko and send her off to the next loop…her having to witness all of their sacrifices…AKIRA SHOWING UP ONE LAST TIME TO BE THE NARRATOR… It does a really good job at being completely devastating and being the strongest motivator possible for both Fuuko and the reader to want God dead.

I read some more because I couldn’t bear to end things there. And I’m so glad that one of the first things Fuuko does this loop is saving Akira from his fate ahhhhhhh now I can imagine him drawing manga for his mom and growing up happily… Thank you Tozuka…

Thursday

DunMesh with a side of stir fried tofu and preserved duck egg today – YES WE GOT THE LAIOS CHILCHUCK SENSHI “I LOVE YOU GUYS” HUG!! It’s funny whenever we cut back to Kabru’s party and see just how absolutely dogshit they are at adventuring. But then getting the insight into Kabru and his perspective on the world is really interesting for how much of a foil he is to Laios. Where Laios understands monsters and their patterns, Kabru understands humans and their personalities and motivations. It’s fascinating to watch him explain his process, and then see him connect the dots in his mind in order to manipulate Shuro to let them tag along.

One thing I was thinking about while watching the episode was, I guess, a slight disappointment with the anime adaptation. It’s objectively excellent, and Trigger is probably one of the only studios who could even hope to bring the manga to its full animated potential, but I think it just speaks to the strength of the manga’s art and flow that leave it the platonic version of the story for me.

Friday

I needed something to watch while eating dinner, and I remembered that I was still watching through Nisemonogatari, so I booted it up and was met with the infamous toothbrush episode lol I truly don’t really know what’s happening here (as someone who’s already confessed to not understanding most of Monogatari as a whole), so I’m just going to move on.

Yayyyy Nymphia made it to the top three of Drag Race! I had a feeling they’d give her a win this episode to make her seem like better contender in the face of the other two “four win” havers, and I’m glad it’s because she’s finally opened up and let us see a little bit of who she is. Watching Ru direct the girls in the photoshoot was surprisingly really fun – I wish they would do more modelling/photoshoot challenges because I feel like that’s an important part of a drag queen’s skillset in today’s media age, but I guess it’d be too short in terms of content so they relegate it to mini-challenges most of the time. I’m looking forward to the lip sync tournament next week – my prediction is that Mirage will win the whole thing.

Saturday

After five whole years, I finally got around to watching the Aqours movie, Love Live! Over the Rainbow (this should give you a good idea of how long I can let things set on my watchlist without touching them lol). And it was…extremely mid. Just a room of writers finding any flimsy excuse to introduce conflict but not Really, and have everything be solved by an idol concert at the end. Tsuki’s character was completely pointless and perfunctory – just someone to clickbait the audience in the trailer, to guide the girls around Italy because she conveniently happened to live there, and to hold the camera for them while they perform. Mari’s marriage was also so obviously trailer clickbait – after running around Italy and doing Anime Slapstick Hijinks for like twenty minutes, the whole thing gets resolved by, you guessed it, an idol performance. I don’t know, I used to really like Love Live, and Aqours is my favourite group, but recent managerial decisions have made me so disillusioned with the franchise, and this just reeks of a movie written with corporate holding a gun to the writers’ heads. 3/10 because at least Believe again is a banger.

[ivesambrose]

Pick a gif which tugs at your heart and/or evokes a long lost memory or a dream. 💙

To book a personal reading with me DM or email me at jovescorpioreadings@gmail.com 💫

1.

2.

3.

1.

You've prayed for them, manifested them into your life. You've asked and received.

They've broken tradition in some way. Either in their family, social group/community or they will be the one who breaks your usual type.

A very good listener. Has a penetrative gaze, their facial expressions are actually very emotive. You'd actually find it fascinating.

Anytime they're stressed they'll go and take a walk or be out in nature. They gather inspiration from there as well. They value they quiet time but they also work well with others. They know several people likely but trust very few. Probably have this same set of close friends for the past several years. They don't really open up easily but their aura is comforting. Pretty non judgemental and grounded.

A leader / has latent leadership qualities in a group setting. (can have a strong Aries or Mars influence in them)

Might be into puzzles, board games, putting things together.

Experimental and changes their look often. But they pull it off brilliantly.

Looks really good in red and / or white.

Strong morals, strong sense of right and wrong. They could be going through something but it's not easily visible on their face. Could have an air rising (gemini, libra or aquarius) or can keep a poker face.

Very attractive. Since they do change their appearance often they have definitely bleached their hair at one point. Fair skin with a sun-kissed glow / tan to them. Broad - strong shoulders, narrow waist, strong legs. Might have played sports or is good at sports. This is someone who learns things relatively quick given how attentive they are.

I'm tempted to say they have daddy vibes. Yes even if they identify as female. They have the BDE.

Ambivert but leaning a little more towards the introvert side. However in social settings they do handle things well given their confidence regardless of how shy they can be. However once you get to know them they'd be very quirky and funny around you. The kind to randomly do a weird tik tok challenge but for you/close friends/cuz they felt like it and not the camera

Cinematography, cinema, editing, photography.

Well travelled, street smart and knowledgeable.

They love hoarding knowledge, you'd be surprised.

You'll meet them when you leave a place/location or situation that's been causing you stress and giving you more anxiety and repression than peace and progress. Highly likely during travel or once you've relocated to some place.

2.

Sensual. So damn sensual and captivating. They look unreal sometimes honestly it's intimidating.

Something about their voice is downright so enchanting and sexy. You can't help but feel attracted to them, it's almost annoying how drawn you feel. (possible lilith rising, could have scorpio and taurus or capricorn placements) I mean I wouldn't be surprised if they sing, have an asmr channel, are a speaker, spokesperson or representative etc

Very dreamy, rather spiritual as well. They definitely have faith in something that they feel is above them. They seem a little prone to really vivid dreams as well as nightmares. Might even be a bit clairvoyant or Clairsentient.

Secure in their business and career might own a business actually. Thing is there is a lot of goals they want to accomplish. But they're not the kind to stall it, they actively go for it. They don't care, they'll achieve it. Especially if you tell them that they can't, then they definitely will. However their ambitions aren't the shallow kind, they really do want to leave a mark or simply express themselves for how they are on the inside.

Either they look like a complete softie, care bear, mom friend or they look like a siren or what Christian Grey thought he was or they have the aura Eric Draven had in The Crow or Maleficent carries. There's no in between. They switching positions like that Ariana song.

They have the most kissable lips.

Highly likely have tattoos because they love the sensation of getting inked.

Tall, lean, Dark hair, dark eyes, beauty spots, really nice hands. Look really good in every shade of blue and green, black (definitely black) and even certain floral or geometric prints. They may also like wearing accessories a lot.

For some reason I saw a crown.

Emotional and intense, they need a creative outlet of expression or they shut down. Like, I kid you not they need to at least once completely lose themselves in something then come home and pass out on the sofa.

Expect a lot of thoughtful random gifts and display of affections from them. They're a bit possesive, I almost feel they can be a little bratty but oh when they look at you, they have eyes only for you. Talking to them is finding a best friend from a life you have no knowledge of but yet it feels right.

Sincere

Trust

Romantic

Passionate

Beach baby / loves the water. Doesn't really like the cold as much.

They may have a pet? They seem to be very good with animals.

You'd meet them when you feel really good about yourself, you'd be really feeling yourself or would have achieved something. Making travel plans or setting your next goals it might even be night. It'll feel perfect actually, right it happened at the right time. You'd be getting signs though but I feel you'd be preparing yourself for other exciting stuff to take proper note of them and boom it happens.

3.

An explorer, a seeker, a student who wants to keep learning, keep being a ray of sunshine in everyone's life.

They seek their soul family/found family or would really want a family of their own someday. Very good with kids likely or at most, very patient with different types of people.

Honestly if they were a Pokémon they'd be bulbasaur.

Regardless of their age they're very youthful, the inner child is intact.

They might dress very vintage or old school. Very laid back actually. Also something about walking barefeet on wooden floors came up. They look they belong in a old photograph / polaroid almost. I'm not getting much on their looks besides they look like they belong in a painting or old polaroid. They feel like home, they feel like laying in a field and relishing the golden hour, they feel the the type whose hand you'd hold and run off with. Red and browns are definitely their color, they pull of the muted tones really well. (almost thought of Taylor Swift's Willow music video)

Might have a strong aquarius and capricorn influence in their chart as well.

Their upbringing may not have been in the best conditions but they've worked very hard or are working very hard to improve their quality of life or give back to their family in some way. In some way they've turned their life around. They did a full 180. Crazy.

Deep voice. Warm whispers.

Honey in tea.

Carnations, lilies and red grapes.

They'd like to celebrate the little victories in their life with you. They get happy over the simple things so much, I can just feel my heart melt because of this person and their smile. They're so affectionate and kind and it's making me tear up almost. Wow.

Also they smell really nice. Flowery notes maybe?

They love touching foreheads.

Might play an instrument or paint.

Honestly, I kid you not. They feel straight out of a fantasy book. The closest characters I can think of is Westley from Princess Bride, Aurora from Maleficent and Belle from Beauty and the beast.

You'll likely meet them when you've shut out something toxic in your life. You may not even be looking for love, this might be after a break up even, you may even be escaping a situation or be away from a gathering and be around New people / faces you aren't as familiar with when this happens. Your anxiety will ease around this person. You might even had a passing thought or dream of this scenario before it happens but you'll brush off the thought thinking that isn't possible or something, then you'll be in for a surprise regardless.