#prism's projection hours

[descendant-of-truth]

Ohhh this scene. This one's a doozy

Nine is right to call this out about Sonic, of course. While he's definitely grown since the start of the show, he's never really been able to move past his tunnel vision and tendency to project onto the others.

He never thought to ask Nine what he wanted not because he doesn't care, but because he didn't think he needed to. He inherently assumes that the people he's working with are on the same page as him until told otherwise - in fact, it wasn't too long ago that he was similarly thrown off by Shadow in that very room.

(Love Shadow being used as a sort of "test run" for these kinds of conflicts by the way)

But here's the thing. While it's true that Sonic didn't really think about what Nine wanted and just assumed they were going to stick together no matter what... the same is true of Nine.

Look at how confused Nine looks when Sonic talks about coming back to Green Hill and restoring it:

Nine didn't ask what Sonic was wanting to do by repairing the Prism because he thought it was obvious that they were going back to the Grim together. I don't think it occurred to him that fixing Green Hill was even an option, or at least not one that he considered in favor of his original plans.

And just like Sonic, it's not that he only cares about himself - he went out of his way to engineer coconuts and (presumably) palm trees because he knew how much Sonic missed them. It was really sweet!

But, in what's becoming a pattern in this show, he doesn't understand why those trees matter to Sonic. They're not just cool plants, they're a reminder of home. And as Sonic aptly puts it at the start of the show, home is where your friends are.

I love that the conflict here is that both of them were convinced they knew what the other person wanted/would be okay with, because they think it'll naturally be the same thing they want, and then were both completely unprepared to handle a conflict of interest. It feels so natural and makes perfect sense with how they've been written up to this point.

But see, while I think it's pretty clear that Sonic and Nine fell into the exact same communication trap, I think it's going to take longer for Nine to realize his own fault in any of this.

Sonic spent the entire second half of that conversation looking devastated, and he's made it clear throughout the show that he's quick to feel remorse when he realizes he's hurt someone. In all likelihood, he's going to put all of the blame for that argument on himself, decide that Nine was right about everything, and leave it at that.

Nine, likewise, doesn't strike me as a particularly self-reflective type. He'd probably try to justify not needing Sonic to himself before anything else, and with that in mind, who else is there to make him see the situation with more nuance?

If I had to pick, I'd guess Shadow - our resident "smacking people in the face with their own flaws" extraordinaire.

Why would he bother with any sort of mediating between the two? Well, the funniest reason would be that he finds Sonic's self-pitying and Nine's self-righteousness equally annoying, but I'm inclined to assume any sort of confrontation between him and Nine would be a little more dramatic than that. (He might still use that reasoning as justification though)

Anyway I gotta cut this post short before I go too far into speculation territory or else I'll be here for another hour and this took long enough to write as is, case in point I love me a well-written and believable conflict

[differenteagletragedy]

Baxter is a daaaaddy

In which @orion4ever generally requested fics with Daddy Baxter and I decided to write a novel -- this is a series of short little shots of Baxter and MC having a baby and watching that child grow up.

(Note: the baby's name is maybe the corniest thing I have ever done in my entire life but I stand by it and now it is my truth.)

"Do you think maybe you've taken enough tests?" Cove asked, standing next to you in his bathroom.

You looked down at the counter at the neat little line of pregnancy tests. There were different brands, different prices, but they all had the same result.

You were pregnant. With Baxter's baby. And it was NOT planned.

"What are you going to do?" he asked after you didn't answer his first question.

"I'm going to tell him," you responded, trying to project more confidence than you felt.

You and Baxter had been back together for a while at that point, and you'd been living together in Prism Vista City for a couple of years. Your relationship was great, and you absolutely wanted to marry him and have children together. But the plan was for all that to happen in the future.

Life, however, had a different plan.

Cove hyped you up as you collected all the sticks, wrapped them up in the bag from the drug store and threw them away. He kept it going as you walked out to your car to drive home, telling you about how great it would go, how Baxter would be so excited, how you'd be the best mom -- the sweetest words from your sweetest friend.

You tried to keep them in your mind as you made your way back to the apartment. When you made your way up to the front door, you paused, taking in a breath, then went inside.

"There's my girl," Baxter said sweetly, glancing over from the kitchen. The smells wafting through to the living room told you he was almost done cooking dinner.

"Hey," you answered, a bit less enthusiastically than normal.

It wasn't that you thought he'd be mean about it, or disappointed or anything. Not really. It's just that Baxter's original disappearing act left a bigger impression on you than you liked to admit, even now. Logically, you knew there was no chance of him running away. But still, those old feelings were resurfacing and it made you a little uneasy.

"What's wrong?" he asked immediately, dropping what he was doing to move to stand in front of you.

"Nothing," you said automatically -- you hadn't planned out how to tell him, but you didn't think the doorway would be a great place.

"I know you better than that," he chided, then repeated, "What's wrong?"

His eyes were boring into yours, and it just slipped out.

When he heard those words fall quietly from your lips, he froze. For what felt like forever, he didn't make a sound. He didn't move.

Then he pulled you into a bone-crushing hug.

All the emotions you'd been trying to hold in let loose, and you started sobbing on his shoulder. He held you, stroking your hair, whispering how much he loved you until you were able to calm down a bit.

He leaned back just enough to look at you and asked, "Are we doing this?"

"I want to," you said, certain of that much.

A wide grin broke out on his face -- not one of his usually little lazy smirks, a full-on smile.

And that's how you and Baxter started on the journey of a lifetime.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"If A goes into C ... then ... no, that can't be right," Baxter said, staring out at all the wood pieces and hardware bits laid out around him.

You were about six months along, your tummy was getting rounder, and he had you sitting on the rocking chair in the room you'd been converting to a nursery like the dainty princess he'd been treating you as for the past several months.

He was putting together a crib for the baby. It was not going well.

After you became pregnant, the two of you had decided that it might be time to find a nice little house in the suburbs, somewhere with a yard and a little more room. Baxter took the task on, spending hours upon hours researching and making calls and talking to the bank. When he found some real contenders, he'd taken you out to see them, and that's how you found your new home.

And yes, he'd assured you, the ice cream truck came down this street.

Looking down at your boyfriend reading a packet of assembly instructions like it was the most indecipherable text known to man, you couldn't help but laugh.

"I do believe we're missing something," he muttered, not hearing you.

This had been going on for an hour, and he hadn't gotten anywhere. Baxter was beautiful and sweet and graceful and so many good things, but he certainly wasn't a handyman.

"Ok, that's enough."

He looked up when you stood, then got up himself, moving to you.

"You should be resting, darling," he said, putting his hands on your waist. "Sit back down, let me take care of this. Please."

"I'm pregnant, Baxter, not helpless," you laughed, snaking your arms over his shoulders and pulling him closer.

He smiled -- he had been making quite the fuss over you since you'd told him the big news, but he didn't mind a bit. He actually enjoyed it very much. After all, you were giving him the greatest gift -- a family -- and the least he could do was pamper you while your body created an entire human being.

"I like taking care of you," he reminded you. He placed a kiss on your forehead, and another on your temple.

"Then stop messing around with this stupid crib and mess around with me instead," you said.

He raised an eyebrow, but your remark wasn't a huge surprise. Pregnancy hormones were intense, and after you got through an unpleasant first trimester, you'd gotten pretty ... fiesty.

"What kind of man would I be to deny the mother of my child something she asks for?" he asked.

"No kind of man at all," you replied, pulling him down for a proper kiss.

If Baby Ward ever asked where their antique crib came from, you'd have to come up with a good answer. "Your dad couldn't figure out IKEA instructions and your mom was too horny to help him" just didn't sound like a great story to pass on.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

You were exhausted, more exhausted than you'd ever been in your life by far. If you'd been in any another situation, you would have passed out a long time ago and slept as long as humanly possible.

But the sight of Baxter standing in your hospital room, cradling your newborn baby girl with such a look of love and devotion on his face was enough for you to keep your eyes open.

"She's perfect," he told you softly. "Absolutely perfect."

The baby, who you still hadn't named yet, gave a little coo, and you'd swear if he wasn't so intent on holding her so carefully he would have melted right into the floor.

"Daddy loves you," he told her, using a mix between his normal fancy voice and a baby-talk tone that he'd been using throughout your pregnancy when talking to your tummy -- it was equal parts adorable and hilarious. "Daddy is going to take care of you and mommy forever and ever, you little angel, daddy's little princess ..."'

He went on like that for a while. It could have been the exhaustion, but you thought you saw actual hearts in his eyes once.

After a bit, the baby started crying. Baxter swiftly handed her to you, and you started a breastfeeding attempt. He stayed right by your side, helping you angle her around and move her head to try to find the best latch. Once you'd found it, you smiled up at him.

"I think I know what her name is," you told him.

"Oh?" he asked. "Do share."

"Penelope. Penny for short."

He smirked at the reference to one of his old favorite sayings, then looked down at the baby. He studied her for a moment, then looked back to you.

"Penny Ward," he said, giving you a quick kiss. "One of the two lights of my life."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Penny ... baby, please ..." you cried, holding your six-month-old daughter in your arms as she cried right along with you.

She was teething, a sharp little top of a tooth poking through her gums, and she didn't care for the feeling one bit. You'd tried everything -- teething rights, soft frozen foods, tylenol, walking, sitting, lying down. Nothing was working.

"Daddy's home," you heard from the doorway. Baxter had been off working a wedding, and you hadn't heard him come in over the sound of Penny's screams.

He walked directly to you, still in his self-designated work uniform of a black shirt and slacks, and took the baby from you.

"I've got her," he said, rubbing her back lightly. "Why don't you take care of yourself? Bed, dinner, a bath, perhaps? What do you need?"

You leaned against the wall, still crying yourself and not sure how to respond. You watched as Baxter kissed Penny on the cheek and moved with her across the room in a little waltz. He'd done this since she was born -- she liked being walked around, but why would Baxter walk when dancing was just as easy?

She settled down a bit in his arms -- a daddy's girl, through and through.

"Can I take a shower?" you asked. "Then I can get her to sleep while you get ready for bed."

"Absolutely not," he told you. "And miss an evening with one of my favorite girls?"

"You worked all day," you reminded him. "You need to rest."

"I think we both know I've got quite the knack for burning the midnight oil."

The two of you had a bit of a stare down, but you were too tired, and Baxter with your baby in his arms was too sweet.

"Ok, fine," you finally said. "I'll take a shower and lay down for a little while, but you come get me soon so you can go to bed."

"Absolutely," he said in a way that actually meant "absolutely not."

Still, you wandered off to change out of your vomit-stained shirt and hop in the shower, completely drained but completely aware of how much you'd lucked out with Baxter.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

You'd been with Baxter for a long time. You'd seen him at his highest and at his lowest, at his most confident and in the depths of his self hatred.

But you don't think anything quite compared to the Baxter you saw in front of you -- the Baxter who was standing in a hospital room, watching his four-year-old daughter wailing with a broken arm.

He had taken Penny to the park while you got some work done, and she'd fallen off the swing and landed funny on her arm. That was all, a normal childhood injury. Of course it was difficult to see your child in pain, but you could tell Baxter was also blaming himself.

"I've got you, sweetheart," he said softly, standing by the bed. He had one hand on her head, holding it against him, and the other was grasping the hand on her uninjured arm.

"You've got to be a brave girl, ok?" you said. You were kneeling in front of her, careful for the doctors who were at a small table by the bed, preparing to anesthetize her so they could set her arm in a cast.

"But it hurts!" she sobbed. "I want to go home!"

Baxter tensed a bit, and when you glanced up at him you saw tears in his eyes. Still, he did his best to hold it together for his pride and joy.

"I'll tell you what," he said, gripping her hand. "You just be brave for a little longer, then tomorrow we can do whatever you like. Movies all day, candy for breakfast, a toy store shopping spree -- just name it."

You glanced at him again. This girl could take this guilt trip for a major ride if she wanted.

Penny's sniffles slowed down a little as she looked up at her father. "Can we play princesses?"

"We'll be the prettiest princesses in all the land," he replied with no hesitation.

That seemed to make her happy, then the doctors were ready. They put her to sleep, then ushered you and Baxter out of the room while they got to work.

"I'm so sorry," Baxter gasped, all the emotion falling out of him now that his daughter wasn't there to see it. "It happened so quickly -- I should have been closer, I should have caught her ..."

"It was an accident," you told him simply as you pulled him into a hug. "That's all. It's not your fault."

"But it is," he argued. "I was there, I was taking care of her. If she'd fallen differently, if something else had happened, I don't --"

"Stop," you cut him off. "There's no reason to think like that. You're an amazing father. This was an accident. Don't beat yourself up."

He buried his face against your shoulder, and you felt the wetness of his tears. Penny was his world, the thought that he'd put her in danger and inadvertently caused her pain was killing him.

"You're a good father," you repeated. "If I was the one with her at the park, would you blame me?"

"Of course not," he scoffed.

"Then why can't you give yourself the same consideration?"

An age old question about an issue that Baxter was better about, but still struggled with. He held himself to an impossibly high standard, one that he'd never expect anyone else to meet.

When he failed to answer, you hugged him tighter. You told him again how wonderful he was, how much Penny loved and adored him. As you were singing his praises, a nurse came out of the room and told you that they were all done.

After a while longer, the little girl was discharged and sent home with a pink cast that gave you some warm and fuzzy feelings of your own childhood. After sleeping in the next morning, she felt better when she woke up, and your little family spent the day as princesses, complete with tiaras, tutus and wands. And you were the prettiest in all the land.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Oh my god ... oh ... my god."

"Amazing, right?"

Penny, now a precocious ten-year-old, sat on the floor in the bedroom you shared with Baxter, holding an old photograph in her hands. She looked absolutely entranced, which made sense, considering what the picture showed her.

She'd heard of Baxter's infamous monochrome phase. Her aunts and uncles had made plenty of remarks about it over the years -- Uncle Terry was able to paint an especially vivid picture.

He didn't have many pictures at all of himself when he was younger. He'd cut ties with his family years ago, so any photos there were out, and he'd gone through that lengthy phase where he didn't really let himself have friends. He didn't really like being in photos then, although you had managed to snap a couple of him during that summer in Sunset Bird.

And so your daughter had in her hands a picture of Baxter, all of 19 years old, in all his black and white glory.

"Oh my god," she repeated.

The man himself appeared in the doorway then. He'd been about to announce that dinner was almost ready, but seeing the scene before him, he stopped.

You looked from the photograph back up to Baxter, taking in all the changes that the past two decades had brought. The black and white hair was gone of course, and he'd long been able to wear actual colors. He'd put on a few pounds too -- after all, he wasn't 19 anymore. The smirk though, that was definitely the same.

"Dad, can I be honest?" Penny asked.

"Always," he answered easily.

"You looked ridiculous. Like really. What were you even thinking?"

"I don't know, I think there was a certain charm there," he teased, leaning over her to get a better look at the picture. "I wonder, do you think I could pull that off again? Perhaps a trip to the salon is in order."

"No."

"Oh, come on," he continued. "It wasn't nearly as bad a look as you seem to think. After all, your mother liked it well enough."

"Gross," she cried, standing up and placing the photo on the bed. "I'm going to my room so I don't have to hear this. I'm traumatized."

You laughed as your dramatic daughter did a full-body shake to emphasize how scarred she was. After she was gone, you turned to Baxter, who was grinning at you.

"It wasn't that ridiculous, was it?" he asked, knowing that it, in fact, was that ridiculous and more.

"It's what's inside that counts," you told him, going in for a kiss.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Look up ... more ... keep your eyes open, I've almost got it."

After a moment, Penny pulled back and examined Baxter's face. She nodded, satisfied at the look of the eyeliner she'd applied on him.

She was 16 now, and she'd developed a flair for the dramatic like her father had when he was a teenager. Instead of a monochromatic look, she preferred dark colors and heavy makeup. She'd also grown out of her "ugh, parents" stage early, which was why she was letting Baxter take her to a concert.

It was a metal band he liked, and when she heard him playing it in the car, she liked it too. He found tickets to a show they were doing nearby, and you encouraged him to take her on a daddy-daughter date.

That's why you were gathered in the bathroom together -- she had to put a little makeup on him so he fit in.

"I've got some leather pants I'm going to wear as well," he told her. "And for my shirt, I was thinking perhaps I skip it and instead put on a matching leather vest. What do you think?"

After 16 years of living with Baxter, Penny was no longer bothered by his constant teasing. She went on with her business, smudging the eyeliner before beginning to apply a dark blush.

"Whatever you want, dad," she answered. "Whatever you wear, I'm sure you'll be the prettiest princess in all the land."

Baxter was already thrilled to be going out with her, but after hearing the old callback to her favorite childhood game, you could see he was melting.

When the makeup was done, he got dressed -- not in the leather ensemble he suggested -- and you waved them off as they left for the concert.

After they returned home that night, Penny was ecstatic, and so was Baxter. You listened as they went on about how great the show was, and how excited she was to experience her first mosh pit. A hint of anger flashed across her face when she mentioned a guy who was too rough and nearly knocked her down, but then she smiled when she told you her dad had taken care of it.

"What did you do?" you asked suspiciously.

"I took care of it, darling," he answered, giving a quick wink to Penny

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Years later, you found yourself taking in a familiar site, something you'd seen hundreds, if not thousands of times before.

Baxter was standing in front of you, nervously smoothing out his suit.

"Do I look all right?" he asked.

"As handsome as always," you told him.

He smiled and leaned in for a kiss, then ran his hands down his jacket again.

It was Penny's wedding day, and you don't think you'd ever seen him look as anxious as he did then.

He had planned the wedding -- of course he had. While he always took his job seriously, doing his very best to give his clients the best experience he possibly could, this time was just different. He went above and beyond, pouring himself into every detail to ensure his daughter had her dream day.

You and Penny had had to convince him to bring on a partner of sorts, someone to execute everything during the actual wedding so he could enjoy it. But you'd watched him keep a close eye on everything anyway, totally read to jump in if needed.

But right now, his mind was on something else. The reception was about to begin, which meant it wasn't too long until the father-daughter dance.

And Baxter was taking that dance very seriously.

He watched the newlyweds take their first dance, grabbing for your hand as you both looked on with pride. It was such a special feeling, knowing that your child had found someone who meant as much to her as you meant to each other.

Before you knew it, the music changed and Penny found you in the crowd gathered around. She gestured for Baxter to join her, and with one more tug at his tie, he walked towards her.

Watching them dance together was always so lovely, but it was a little different this time around. A lifetime of dances came to mind -- Baxter and Penny dancing around the kitchen when she was a cranky infant who refused to go to sleep, them dancing around her bedroom in their princess gear. You remembered him teaching her the basics of ballroom dancing as she prepared for her first school dance so she'd feel confident. He'd showed her all the trendy dances that were popular when you and her were kids, and although she pretended to die of embarrassment, she did laugh after he taught her how to Dougie.

You wondered how many more chances you'd get to see them like this, and you felt your breath catch in your throat. Things had changed so much, and they only kept changing. It was a bittersweet feeling.

As you were getting lost in your thoughts, you met Baxter's eyes as he moved Penny around the dancefloor. Instead of getting caught up in the uncertainties of the future, you let your heart swell with love.

Against all odds, you'd created a family with him. After a number of chance meetings and a couple of false starts, you'd built a life with him -- you'd put decades of blood, sweat and tears into it. And it was beautiful.

When Baxter led Penny by you, she stuck out her arm and snatched yours, dragging you into the dance as well. He laughed with delight, content to stop the more elaborate routine to wrap his arms around his two best girls and sway together.

"We did good," you told him quietly, glancing over at your daughter.

"We certainly did."

[the-valiant-valkyrie]

okay. actually compiling my thoughts in a way that is (hopefully) more organized in regards to my EOD/phoenix hypnosis au. putting it beneath the cut because idk how long it's shaping up to be

this concept is an alternative take on ieytd3 in regards to the telekinetic implants being the main focus, and prism being an important component. however, the robot agents are of minimal importance

prism does end up making the same tenative alliance with zor, getting the kinesium to work on her projects, and develops her first robotic agent. however, unlike the canon of 3, zor takes a sudden interest in robutler's behaviors… how humanlike they are

they immediately change their plans, scrapping the KBOOM project while it's still in its infancy, commandeering robutler for personal study. by proxy, roxana is forced to remain in zoraxis, having gone from an independent scientist working on her personal projects, to a reluctant scientist working on zor's latest scheme

the scheme in question? well, if kinesium can do such a great job turning unthinking metal into an obedient assistant, then surely with some tweaking, it can turn any meddlesome agent into a compliant weapon.

of course, zor doesn't want just any meddlesome agent. they'll get around to sweeping the rest of the agency's operatives out from under their feet later, of course. but their patient zero must be the phoenix. they'll settle for no less.

one kidnapping, nonconsensual surgery, and a few test drives later- with a scientist as great as prism helming the project (even if against their will), zor gets their wish.

zoraxis' perfect rendition of the phoenix is cold, calculating, completely expressionless. the mirth and looseness of their usual conduct has completely disappeared. they do not speak, nor do they communicate in sign. nobody but zor enjoys engaging with them, really

phoenix has forgotten what it means to feel fear. self preservation and pain response still applies, of course, but nothing beyond that

prism hates it. she feels like a fool for letting zor bait her with kinesium so easily… now she's lost access to the only successful robot agent she's ever built, and the only agent capable of putting a stop to zor's plans has become their unwitting underling. she's the only one with the will to stop this, but SHE doesn't know what to do!

… thankfully, though, she stumbles into her saving grace practically on accident*. key memories, engrained so deeply in the phoenix's mind that they could never be erased- only forgotten and repressed, at best… so long as they're prompted to recall them in very specific ways, phoenix can be temporarily coaxed back into lucidity

*needless to say, relaxing in her office to some slow summer swing became a hell of a lot less relaxing when the phoenix suddenly bolted upright and made a mad dash for the door… she managed to wrangle them down before they blew the both of their covers, but only just barely

phoenix… is on the fence about working with roxana. but she's the only one taking care of them when they fade back into mindless compliance, so they really don't have another choice… not to mention, they're stuck in the same rut, really… both of them working for zoraxis against their will, in a sense

whenever they get time to themselves- when phoenix isn't out doing zor's dirty work and terrorizing the agency- prism feeds them stimuli to 'wake' them up. certain songs on the radio, a series of key phrases, the taste of their favorite sandwiches… whatever trigger they have at their disposal, really

occasionally, phoenix will remain lucid longer than either of them expect them to… sometimes they find themself needing to pretend to be mindless for up to hours at a time. it's terribly stressful, certainly… but phoenix has gotten good at it after a while…

they don't test their luck around zor, though. they have a feeling they would tell immediately… and they really don't think they would like whatever punishment the doctor would have in mind for breaking out of their mental restraints

[likeawildthing]

I just wondered, what's your evening closing routine?

Absolutely! Since daylight savings time, darkness has pretty much aligned with my work schedule. And I work from home most of the time so work/home boundaries are super important. Since I started working from my couch, even more so. I started a short closing routine to transition from work to evening — it mostly involves the senses and soft, warm vibes.

Put laptop, mouse, accessories away in a basket so they aren’t visible until tomorrow.

Close all the blinds and curtains, even if there is a little residual light left. I am embracing night and declaring the transition for myself!

Change into evening clothes — soft, cozy, usually fluffy, different from daytime soft and cozy clothes to signal night.

Turn the lamps on. Always anti-overhead lights, I have lamps throughout the bottom floor of my house. They emit a super warm glow throughout the bottom floor. Even when I go to bed, I use lamplight and not overhead light.

Light a scented candle in the kitchen while I’m cooking.

Turn on music — I have been favoring post-modern jukebox, jazz, and Christmas carols during the holidays. The music stays on while I cook dinner, eat, and do clean up.

Bring candle into living room. Think about time to or from winter solstice. To me, thinking of it in these terms has reminded me of the seasonality which has made the darkness easier to bear. Tomorrow will be two full weeks of longer days!

Have a variety of soft blankets to snuggle with.

Embrace the low activity time of year. This is a season of scaling back, resting, and regenerating for most animals. Why not for us, too? I like to try to fill this time with things that bring me joy but might take less energy than, say, gardening or jogging.

Only then do I get on my phone and I engage with online. This is the point that I might scroll, watch tv, or listen to a podcast. If I am reading or working on a project, I will put the fireplace YouTube video or Netflix channel on.

This might only be 20 minutes if dinner is short. And you can adapt it any which way , less or more. As simple as cozy clothes, a light, and a song. The general idea is engaging your senses, embracing night, and connecting mindfully to the idea that this is a season with purpose. That reflection has ultimately been the practice they has changed my mindset and kept SAD at bay this year. In the week leading up to solstice, I lit a taper candle for an hour each night.

A few other winter practices that keep me engaged with nature:

I watch the sunrise or early morning hour for about 5 minutes out of my eastern facing window.

Because I work at home most days, I choose to work in my living room which is sunnier in winter. I also have a simple prism that refracts rainbows on sunny afternoons — I call it gay o’clock.

I open the windows for 15-60 minutes every morning if it’s above 0. Even if it’s 20, the fresh air is invigorating and helps the house feel less stuffy. If it’s too cold, I put bird tv for cats on YouTube for an hour or so. Bird song really does engage our parasympathetic nervous symptom and reduce anxiety, even if we only listen for 5 minutes. A sound app can also do this for you!

When I am driving I tend to take the scenic route even if it adds a few minutes to my trip.

I take advantage of the nice days and go out when I can.

[klbwriting]

Broken Prism

Chapter 15

Fandom: Red Hood

Pairing: Jason Toddxfemale!Reader

Warnings: none

Summary: Jason and Bruce finally talk and YN and Jason finally take another step

Jason stayed two days at Wayne manor before finally leaving his old room. He knew he needed to talk to Bruce, but he hated the idea. He didn’t want a lecture from his ‘dad’ but he kept repeating the part of his poison induced dream in his head. The video Bruce was watching. He remembered being 12, just starting his tenure as Robin, that was even before Dick had shown back up to work things out with Bruce. Jason had wanted to be normal, play sports at school, but he never knew how so Bruce took him out to the basketball court on the grounds to show him.

Jason had been nervous; Bruce was a pretty demanding taskmaster in training so he thought he would have to suffer the same learning basketball. He was surprised when instead of having to run a mile or do dozens of pushups before starting Bruce just showed him how to dribble correctly. For the next two hours they played and for the first time since Bruce took him in, he felt like a kid, not a vigilante. He had no worries that day, it was the best day of his life. That was the video in his dream that Bruce watched, the video where he really felt like he was Bruce Wayne’s son and not just his ward or his charity project. He hoped that Bruce remembered that day, that he really thought Jason was his son still.

“Jason, are you feeling better?” Bruce asked as Jason entered his office. He motioned for Jason to sit, and he did, stretching out, trying to seem casual. He saw the trace of a smile on Bruce’s face and frowned. Bruce knew, he always knew. Jason was putting on a show, pretending this whole thing didn’t terrify him but it did. The guy could face down Poison Ivy, Two-Face, Penguin, any of them without an ounce of concern but in his dad’s office about to have a heart to heart and he was ready to hide in a closet. He shifted in his seat, trying to think of a good answer. “Be honest.”

“I feel physically better, but mentally, I’m fucked,” he said. Bruce looked like he wanted to comment on his language but thought better of it. Jason appreciated that.

“What’s on your mind?”

“I had a dream while I was under and I killed you,” he said honestly. Bruce’s eyebrows went up, but he nodded.

“Common theme in dreams is killing of those around you. I understand your inner self wanting truly wanting to get rid of the Batman legacy…”

“I didn’t kill Batman. I killed Bruce Wayne,” Jason said. This surprised Bruce. “And I think its because I didn’t want held down by the memory of you being a shitty father.” This struck Bruce. He knew he hadn’t been a great father to his sons. He tried his best, he was too strict with Dick, too loose with Jason, yet unable to separate Jason from Dick in his mind, and he hoped with Tim he was doing better. He tried to let Tim be his own person while guiding him, not forcing him into a box like he did with Dick or Jason. “Do you remember when you taught me how to play basketball?” Jason felt his heart warm as Bruce’s eyes lit up with remembrance.

“Yes, you were good after you stopped trying to throw the ball as hard you could at the hoop,” Bruce said. “I don’t think I saw you smile so much after that.”

“I…I want to rejoin the family,” Jason said, almost whispering as the words hurt to say out loud. “But I have conditions.” Bruce sat back. “You can’t tell me not to kill.”

“Jason…that is fundamental to how the Bats operate. You cannot go killing anyone you get mad at…” Bruce began but stopped himself when he saw Jason gripping the arms of the chair, ready to bolt. He took a breath.

“I didn’t say I was going to kill anyone and everyone. I don’t even do that now. I shoot to injure mostly. But if I ever see Joker and have a shot, I’m taking it. I’m doing what your cowardly ass couldn’t. And if someone threatens YN they are dead, I don’t care if its someone like Ivy or you even. Someone hurts her they die. You have to live with that if you want me around,” Jason said. He was sitting up straighter, ready to flee if Bruce didn’t agree. Bruce stared at him long and hard, trying to reconcile who this Jason was with who Bruce wanted him to be. The thought of losing Jason again, especially when he could actually save him this time was too much.

“Fine,” he said. “But I have conditions also.” Jason sat back a little again, listening. “You need to see someone, talk to someone. I have a doctor that we all speak to when in Gotham, Dr. Thompkins, she is great. Or, if you’d rather I can find someone else that doesn’t know our history.”

“Ya, YN told me I should get therapy and she’s probably right. Don’t know who is really qualified to treat a zombie’s mental illness but sure I can talk to this Dr Thompkins,” he said. He looked down. “I’m not giving up my territory, I won’t try to take more, that’ll cause some problems, but I’m not letting crime get how it was in North Gotham.” Bruce had to take a moment again to think. Being a crime lord wasn’t what he hoped for any of his boys, but he had to admit Jason was doing a good job there and maybe he could eventually convince him to relinquish power and instead of being a crime lord he could be a protector again. What Bruce didn’t understand was Jason already was the protector, just not in a way that Bruce could understand.

“Fine, but maybe someday we can revisit that conversation?” Bruce said. Jason nodded. “And I would like to offer you to live here again. And, if she would agree YN is of course welcomed to live here also. I have a room for her any time, and you can have your room if you want it.”

“I don’t know if she would want to move in, but I’m willing, would be nice to have a proper bed again,” he said. He couldn’t wait to find Pride and Prejudice and read it in the tub. The silence that fell between the two was awkward, and Jason wanted to bolt.

“I’m sorry Jason,” Bruce said softly. He looked to his father surprised. “I failed you, more than once.” Jason sighed.

“I failed you too,” he said. Bruce shook his head.

“No, you were the child, you are supposed to fail and I, as the parent am supposed to support you after that, but many times I didn’t. I let my anger and my judgements dictate how I treated you. I failed you long before Joker got to you,” he said. Jason sniffed, feeling some tears coming to his eyes. Maybe it wasn’t him, maybe he wasn’t always the failure.

“Um, ya, no worries. I forgive you,” Jason said. Bruce nodded. “I’m going to go get some things from around town. I’ll be back.”

“You can put your gear in the cave when you get back, we will get a stand for you,” Bruce said. Jason nodded and headed out the door. He needed to get his gear, collect from his guys, and then he was going to see YN.

You had left Wayne manor that morning, needing to get some work done. You had spent the day catching up on contacts, reporting to Jim, and just trying to keep your mind off Jason. You didn’t want to bother him too much with all the shit he was going through at the moment. He needed space, not you. At least, you told yourself that. He was a hard read even for you sometimes and the last two days that he spent at Wayne manot he had been keeping his thoughts to himself. When you were there, he was quiet, sometimes you guys watched TV, or read together, but there wasn’t a lot of talking. You wanted to know what was going through his head, was he going to stay with Bruce? Would he disappear again? Did he want you to even be in his life anymore? Something had happened while he had been sleeping and you weren’t sure what, but you worried he looked at you differently now and you weren’t sure you liked that. Now that you were home, in your room, you weren’t sure how to distract yourself until you heard a knock at your window. Red Hood stood there, geared up like he was on patrol.

“What are you doing?” you asked, opening the window and letting him in. He looked at your door, so you went and locked it before he took off his helmet. You stared at him again, enjoying the color in his cheeks, the almost red tint to his lips, the brown of his eyes. They could be green in a moment, or maybe even blue, depending on the mood he was in.

“I wanted to tell you that I talked to Bruce, we um, I think we worked some things out,” he said. You smiled wide and sat on your bed, patting for him to sit. He sat next to you, and you saw him look at The Outsiders gathering dust on your nightstand, his post it still attached. “Thanks, I want to finish it this time.”

“So what did Bruce say?” you asked. He took a breath, seeming to be gearing up to something.

“He offered me a doctor, to talk to. I said yes. He offered to let me move back in, I said yes. He offered for you to move in…” Jason trailed off and you looked at him, wondering what he thought about that. “I told him I wasn’t sure; I don’t want to force you to deal with all my shit all the time.”

“I’d have to let my roommates know and probably help them pay for this place until someone else can move in,” you said. You didn’t tell Jason that Bruce had offered again for you to move in and you had agreed this time. It would be a good move not only to make sure that Jason didn’t vanish, but also in terms of your job. That Batcomputer had so much information on it you could use and there was built in protection there. Plus, you could go to fancy parties and listen in on the goings-on of the rich and morally corrupt of Gotham. It was a win-win.

“Are you sure you want to get that involved?” Jason asked. He looked worried and it warmed your heart to think about him being concerned for you, caring about you so much.

“Jason, I already told you I am in this, I am your soulmate, and I don’t want that to change. I’m not going to run from you, I’m not going to leave you,” you said, and you felt him sag in relief, moving to hug you close. You held him to you, fingers tangling into his hair.

“Thank you,” he whispered against your neck, and you shivered a little at his breath on you. He pulled back and looked at you and you saw his eyes flick to your lips. You took the chance, leaning in and catching his lips with yours. You felt an explosion in your mind, fireworks going off in every shade as he kissed you back, gripping your back and pulling you closer to him. You wanted the kiss to keep going, to see where it would stop, or if it would stop, but an alarm went off in his helmet. He looked towards it and then back at you. “Duty calls.” He smiled at you, pressed another quick kiss to your lips and put on the helmet, waving as he darted out the window and grappled into the night.

[mayakern]

hello!! if you don't mind me asking, what was your professional art journey like? (esp the earlier years) was MonsterPop! your first big project online? were you still taking client work when you opened up your shop? you're a very inspiring artist and I hope to be in a similar position as you one day! thank you so much for your time!

oh boy this is a doozy! and also a lot of this involves devin bc our success is completely intertwined

i went to art school (MCAD) from 2009-2013. i majored in comic art but had a secondary unofficial focus in illustration, specifically product design, and i interned at paper bicycle (the company of my product design teacher) my senior year, the same year they opened up light grey art lab. i mailed out a LOT of tarot decks. they didn't have a label printer so this took forever.

during that time i took some freelance illustration and comic gigs and also created some comics that got an amount of traction online (mostly on tumblr but i also got an io9 article written about me iirc). i also started making monsterpop (in 2012 i think?).

in 2012 i ran my first kickstarter to crowdfund an anthology of some of my short comics (how to be a mermaid, the little robot girl, fairyfail) and got my first taste of proper self publishing. sadly this was before i created redden (which was my senior thesis comic) so it wasn't included. i didn't have label printer so mailing out the books (i think i sold around 200) took forever and i ended up throwing a pizza party with my friends and having them help me.

after graduating i moved to the LA area in search of work. it honestly sucked ass and most things didn't pan out but eventually (2014) i got a remote job contracting for gaiaonline and i moved right back to minnesota bc i absolutely hated LA.

i met devin (my wife) 20 days after moving back to minneapolis. in 2015 i ran a kickstarter to fund printing the first volume of monsterpop and people bought almost 400 books. it was insane. i was dying under the stress of trying to mail it all out those packages and didn't own a label printer yet. between having to hand write the addresses, being both dyslexic AND slow, and getting headaches from the fumes, i could send out a max of like 10 packages a day. once again i was planning to throw another pizza party to have my friends help me out, but devin swooped in and got 100 packages done in just a couple hours and when i tell you that no one has ever done anything sexier for me in my life, i truly mean it.

at the time devin and i were both broke living paycheck to paycheck. gaia didn't pay well and the patreon money i got helped, but wasn't that much. i took some freelance/commissions and got some store and convention sales, but i was making around 22-26k and was constantly overworked. devin was in significant credit card debt and was barely scraping by between managing a gas station and school. i started making my very first skirts and then at the end of 2015 my arm, the thing that made me what little money i did make, gave out.

i couldn't draw anymore. this could have literally ended my art career, but instead devin stepped up. they took a look at all the things i was already selling in my store and figured out a way to repackage/bundle the items together in a way that was fun and appealing. and people actually bought the bundles! at that point the vast majority of my sales were at conventions and i wasn't very good at selling online, but that was the beginning of a new era. devin started working with me part time to manage the online store and go with me to conventions and things started getting better. at some point during this saga we finally bought a goddamn label printer.

by 2017 devin started working with me full time. we also got married and moved across the country to upstate NY. in 2018 we got a CPA and became an SCORP and monsterpop became a finalist for the prism comics award, which scored me an invite as a guest at SDCC. i really wish i had enjoyed that experience, but unfortunately i was dealing with some Bad Medication Issues and was extremely sick the whole weekend. otherwise it was great tho and devin had enough fun for the both of us. this is also around when i officially stopped taking freelance work. prior to that i'd only been taking a couple jobs a year, but the store was finally making enough that i could stop.

in 2019 i made the difficult decision to end monsterpop. this came with a lot of heartache but it was the right thing to do. i am much better now for it. i think 2019 is also when we became an SCORP.

we hired our first employee (lindsy) in, i think 2021. it might have been the end of 2020. and in 2022 we hired our second employee (ariel), who had been modeling for us already for a couple years bc she is our very close friend and actually the reason we moved out to NY in the first place. in late 2022 we started working with ash, who now manages our product supply chain and also is patterning new garments for us.

there's probably a bunch of stuff i've missed but this is roughly it! neither devin nor i were able to succeed until we started working together. our strengths and weaknesses complimented each other well and somehow things just worked out.

and if you take away nothing else from this, please leave with this info: if you sell and ship any amount of product online buy a goddamn label printer

[definitelyunhingedagentphoenix]

lend me your roxana prism hcs. i crave her.

Yyeeeeesss I have been waiting.

Okay so Roxana never sleeps. Typical scientist stereotype. She gets so into her work that she forgets to eat and sleep. Honestly had it not been for Robutler she might not have survived her last few weeks working for Zor.

She enjoys drinking in a social setting and her and Reginald were the party animals of the EOD. They were good drunks though. They didn't get mean or aggressive or annoying. They were the types who would get up and sing karaoke together. (Okay so maybe a little annoying.) And were always down for a good time.

She's superstitious as all hell. Knock on wood, throw salt over your shoulder if you spill it, never say "it's quiet" while on a mission. That kind of thing. And most of all, she never tempts fate. She knows that it's a little irrational but she can't help that feeling. Especially in a job where things can go so wrong so fast.

She hates scary movies. Hates them. But a good murder mystery? She eats that shit up. But she's more of a video essay, five hour long YouTube video kind of person. (To her pleasant surprise, so is Agent Phoenix so they watch them together.) (Also I do not care what time period these games take place in, they have self-driving cars and telekinesis implants, they can have YouTube)

Speaking of Agent Phoenix, she hated them at first. Or at least that's what she told herself. That was just incase Robutler (or any of her robots) managed to off the agent, she wouldn't feel bad, but truly she never hated them. The whole point of her robots was to save human lives. So how could she justify taking one?

They bonded quite a lot after the project KBOOM ordeal and Phoenix managed to bring a lot of her humanity back. She spent so long alone in a lab, only talking to her Robots and Dr. Zor that she thought she had lost a piece of herself. Agent Phoenix made her realize that she never lost it. She was just ignoring it.

She talked to Fabricator a lot too. That was odd. They are both so driven by their ideas and creations. Honestly she loved working with Fabricator. She only wished that she could do it again under the EOD instead. But she knows how unlikely that is.

She still hates the EOD as a whole but she missed Reginald a lot.

She never wanted kids but Agent Phoenix needs a parental figure so she fills the role when she needs to. She enjoys that much at least.

I can go on but then this will be like 10000 words long lol.

[ask-dr-prism]

[EDITED] Information about Dr. Prism

Name: Dr. Roxana Prism

Place of birth: Furnace Creek, CA Nationality: American Date of birth: October 4th, 1927 Height: 5’7 (170 cm) Eyes: Brown Hair: Black Dominant hand: Ambidextrous Status: Alive, Missing, Alive. Flavor profile: Salty Favorite Color: Cyan Zodiac: Libra MB Type: INTJ-T Weapon of choice: Kinesium/Robots Preferred Pronouns: she/her

BLOG RULES:

Strictly Safe For Work. Simping is.. tolerated but just don’t take it too far pretty please :3

If you want to start something in a specific timeframe of the IEYTD universe(i.e. during the setting of the game, post-IEYTD3, au, etc etc) do specify, but that’s completely allowed!

Actions performed in [___], dialogue in blue , and OOC in ((___)) or specified in the tags

Do pay attention to the “inbox!” if it says “closed,” either refrain from sending an ask or at least send it if you don’t expect a quick response!

It’ll sometimes take me a bit to respond, so if you don’t like that… just cope.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Details to know about this version of Prism:

Doctor Roxana Prism was a scientist working for the agency known as Enhanced Operatives Division. A brilliant scientist, she invented many advanced works of tech for the agency, such as the famed telekinetic implant for their field agents. With her intelligence, she started working on projects of her own. One such project was her biggest yet: she was designing robots to replace human field agents. She presented this idea to Director Morales, leader of EOD. He gently put down this idea, calling it a little too ambitious. Prism, however, was too prideful to put her works aside after countless hours of work. One day, she was promised a spot at another agency- Zoraxis. She would be able to continue her work on her robots, and blind to their malicious intent, she willingly accepted the job. Soon after, she learned that the CEO of Zoraxis, a cunning adversary named Dr. Zor, had sabotaged her work, she grew angry and soon went to stop their plan of destabilizing a large ore of kinesium. This worked, and now she is free to work on her own projects. Who knows what she’s up to now?

[smartzelda]

Grim Loneliness

By: SmartZelda

Summary:

Set just after the events of Sonic Prime Season 2, Nine returns to the Grim to build the paradox prism—another step necessary to create his new world. However, as he waits for Sonic and Shadow to arrive, the minutes turn into hours. Make no mistake, Nine knows Sonic's arrival in the Grim is inevitable, but until then he seems to be feeling...lonely something.

Rating: Teen

Category: mlm

Fandom: Sonic the Hedgehog , Sonic Prime

Relationships: Sonine , Chanine

Additional Tags: post-canon, canon compliant, Shadow is mentioned mostly but he's there, Sonadow if you squint, Chilitonic (Sonic/Chaos Sonic) if you squint, practice kissing, kissing, Nine is kind of bad at feelings, mom said it's Nine's turn to be in a love V, to be honest this is mostly Nine character study, first kiss, unreliable narrator

Words: 11,993, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Link to Fic:

Happy New Years Eve, everyone! 🥂

I've been working on this fic since the Sonic Prime Season 3 teaser came out. I started working on it like a man possessed, and then it took a while because of general business in life and writers block and yeah...

But it's out! Finally! It's been a while since I've posted anything, so I'm happy to get one last thing out before 2024 (and for a new fandom too).

If anyone is actually reading this bit, before you read the fic just be aware that this entire thing was outlined without knowledge of the second s3 teaser or the s3 trailer, and was not changed to include anything from either of those after the fact. Also, Chanine is the name I choose to use for the ship Chaos Sonic/Nine the fox.

ㅤ

....Oh yeah and you guys can blame Chaos Sonic for the length. Sometimes the spirit of a dead robot copy of a blue hedgehog takes over your body and forces you to let him do things and it expands your fic

[study-with-aura]

Thursday, February 8, 2024

I hope everyone is having a wonderful day and looking forward to the weekend! My friends will be staying with me again tomorrow night so we can be at our cookie booth again early on Saturday morning. We will probably watch a movie like we did the last two times and then go to bed. All three of us stay very busy throughout the day, so I think that makes it easier to want to go to sleep instead of staying up and talking until early hours of the morning.

Tasks Completed:

Geometry - Reviewed areas of regular polygons + read about Cavalieri's Principle + practice + learned to find volumes of prisms and cylinders + practice

Lit and Comp II - Reviewed Unit 17 vocabulary + read chapter 14 of Emma by Jane Austen + started writing on my short story

Spanish 2 - Practice with possessive adjectives + practice with translating and answering questions related to daily routines + studied vocabulary

Bible I - Read Deuteronomy 33-34

World History - Watched a presentation on Matthew Perry and Imperial Japan + answered questions

Biology with Lab - Learned about the recycling of matter + answered questions + continued working on my endangered animal project (saola)

Foundations - Read more on persuasiveness + completed Lumosity daily brain workout + worked on the conclusion and edits of my inspirational speech + practiced speech out loud

Piano - Practiced for two hours in one hour split sessions

Khan Academy - Completed High School Biology Unit 9: Lesson 6 + completed High School Geometry Unit 9: Lesson 2

CLEP - Watched Module 9.2-9.3 lecture videos

Duolingo - Completed at least one lesson each in Spanish, French, and Chinese

Reading - Read pages 76-98 of Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley

Chores - Put away the dishes + took the trash out

Activities of the Day:

Ballet

Pointe

Journal/Mindfulness

-

What I’m Grateful for Today:

I am grateful for the recycling of matter because without it, life could not sustain itself.

Quote of the Day:

Everything is connected. The past. The future. The beginning and ending.

-Warrior Girl Unearthed, Angeline Boulley

🎧12 Romances, Op. 21: No. 5, Lilacs - Sergei Rachmaninoff

[nights-nonsensical-ramblings]

And in the last few hours before the next episodes of prime drops I have finished THIS!

based on the question of what happened to the Master Emerald when the prism broke we have a Knuckles with the ‘magical cryptic guardian’ vibes pushed to the MAX!

This is the part of Knuckles that’s THE Guardian. The side of him that’s wholly and fully connected to the Master Emerald

This boy got a star and moon aesthetic and is out to puzzle everyone with his impossible knowledge thanks to the m.e

[mynonsenseistingling]

WIP WHENEVER FINALLY

I was tagged by @ghostoffuturespast and I fully intended to post what I was working on that day, I just need to put another hour into it and I could show it off. Instead, 2 weeks of just about everything getting in the way of the 1 hour.

Without further ado, I present This Thing

I am once again captivated by the need to make something inspired by the video game series Dishonored. After 3 bonecharms, a rune, a stand for Corvo's mask and the framed map of The Isles, I just needed to make one more thing. This one specifically has been in my projects folder for 6 or so years, it's based of the deck prisms .

Now, you can just buy deck prisms and brass arc stands but we make things around here. I'm fairly sure none of them in the game are actually deck prisms and the person who designed them didn't know what a deck prism was. Some of them are chunks of silver and a deck prism is glass. So I decided to cut up a piece of wood into an interesting shape and stain it red. It makes for a nice curio.

The base is teak with 7 coats of danish oil, which gave it a wonderful luster. The arc and screws are steel that I'll brass plate. I also need to make 4 nobs for the screws as well as 2 pads for holding the wood in place.

[mongoose-bite]

I have found the best NPC. I love kobolds. Look at this stylish little guy! He's still got the weird dog nose they gave them for 5th edition but I am still delighted with him. I miss my kobold sorcerer. This is like seeing him for reals. Also, while I try to remain vague, there are spoilers unavoidable below. Shulkie don't read this.

So we finally get some answers regarding the prism. Now I know why it was confusing; there were multiple things inside. The only mystery now is why the Sharrans were after it. I tried very hard to kill the Emperor twice. Faye feels like eating the tadpole was the worst decision of her life, but eventually I took the hint and we still remain on its side.

Faye hates that manipulative thing, but I on the other hand am now pretty curious about a squid run. Ngl I always thought illithids were kind of hot, but my inner lorebeard was always 'no it would never make sense for them to fuck.' Thank you, Larian, for suggesting a way to reconcile these things. They're in that sweet spot between 'humans with a coat of paint' and 'what would even count as sex with a sentient rock half a mile across' where it's an interesting challenge, but you've got some places to start.

I, and Faye, still don't really believe its story, but there's no point accusing it of lying. So she humours it, but burned inspiration to keep herself from tadpoling further, and did not offer to hold its hand.

We arrive in Riverton and immediately I feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of NPCs chattering. I often don't like city areas in games. Too much going on. I got used to it after half an hour of mindlessly running around and eavesdropping.

Once we arrived in the city Faye started spending money like it was water; to be fair, I needed to gear up Jahira a bit, but a lot of it went on fucking around, metaphorically and literally, because while Faye would never have the nerve to take up the twins' offer by herself, Halsin had invited her out to the woods the night before, and he makes her adventurous, as long as he's with her. That did escalate quickly though, and then again when we went to the circus and aced the dryad quiz. Quicksave unnecessary. She has zero fashion sense and he doesn't see the need for clothes at all; they're fucking perfect for each other. They both project noble gravitas in public and are horny dorks in private. I am pleased with my pick.

What I think is interesting is the story Halsin tells you about his previous experiences with drow. Faye was just 'oh that's awful,' but Dyce would know the feeling. He's enthusiastically consented to things because his other options weren't that great. He'd get it, and probably reevaluate some things himself, which is frankly an impressive feat, because he doesn't do introspection much; these characters are so well-written. That experience might have been formative for Halsin, and feeds into how he approaches relationships, as much as he doesn't like the word. His 'feel free to make other people happy too,' would have Dyce all 'same hat!' as well, which was not something I expected from this character. Sluts with layers.

Speaking of bad options, I spent a good five minutes back and forthing on Raphael's offer before realising he'd told me where he kept Grabthar's Hammer, and luckily Faye was on the same wavelength. Have I also mentioned how much I love Laz'ael? Her 'why you make this difficult? But I think that's admirable' is adorable. Exchanging a queen for a prince feels like a sideways step rather than a forward one, but it proves she can move.

At the time it didn't occur to me that Raphael was talking about somewhere in the Hells, cause I am dumb, but I'm guessing one of his neighbours will sell him out, although who knows what she'll want in exchange.

Next stop, lower city.

[the-valiant-valkyrie]

okay. picture this for me:

the aftermath of project KBOOM from zoraxis' perspective… yet another grand failure to be added to the pile. yet another grudge to hold against that unstoppable agent phoenix. all of that is bad enough in its own right.

… but as if it couldn't be any worse, prism needed to survive as well. it's salt in the wound, really. it wasn't as though she was close enough to zoraxis' inner workings to have any key information. zor's hardly worried about that. but they know prism is smart- technology wise, at least… she's a useful asset to have. an asset they don't want the agency to have back. that matter was supposed to be tied up with the KBOOM test run at the factory, but by some miracle she survived that, and the ensuing confrontation to the volcano.

someone needs to finish the job. normally, zor would send the hit team to take care of any loose ends… but, that's for serious threats. prism is far from lethal- now more than ever, when severed from her robots. there's no need to jump through hoops and call in reinforcement. not when they can send the fabricator in a matter of seconds, and have the whole ordeal taken care of.

tracking prism down is a non issue, really… she's hasty, sloppy- leaves an obvious trail to her direct location. she doesn't even know she's been followed. it's the easiest target fabby's ever been sent to eliminate. all she has to do kill her.

… but she can't do it.

she can't bring herself to do it. and the worst part is she doesn't even know why. prism is far from the first person she's killed with her bare hands, nor the most innocent, nor the one she's had a personal connection to prior to doing away with. so she doesn't know why she can't just… do what the doctor told her to do.

(she does know. she does know why. it's because prism is so weak… from the helicopter crash. from the burns the lava's closeness left on her skin. it's because prism is helpless. completely alone and gutted at the loss of her beautiful machines, curled in a ball and sobbing into her hands.)

(it's because she looks at prism and sees solaris. hurt. defenseless. terrified. a woman who lost everything. a woman who should have died.)

stuck at a crossroads between her own indecision, the last thing fabby anticipated was prism noticing her. blowing her cover in front of the target she was sent here to kill was just about the worst thing she could have accidentally done. especially since it limited the time she had to think over her two options.

so she does what she does best. lies. spins the most believable story she can about being so concerned for her… about breaking protocol to seek her out… about having no idea zor planned to use the kinesium on her factory that way. and maybe it's just because prism is stressed beyond thought… maybe it's because she's exhausted, or desperate. but whatever the case, she… believes her.

but she can't just kill prism now (she could. she easily could). and since she can't kill prism, she can't go back to zoraxis (it would be effortlessly easy to return to zor having done what she was sent there to do). the doctor would be furious (only if she didn't do her job).

thus begins the pair's impromptu 'road trip', of sorts… they don't exactly have a destination in mind beyond 'keeping off of zoraxis and the agency's radar'. but, you know what they say, it's about the journey and not the destination.

the two of them take turns driving, keeping on the road for hours and hours on end… they can't afford to stop at hotels. they can't afford it financially, mind you, but spending too much time out in public is a risk in itself… too many financial transactions will leave a paper trail…

so they sleep in the car. they eat in the car. and neither of them have seen a shower in weeks. the both of them are debilitatingly miserable- splitting chips and jerky and lukewarm cups of coffee for every meal of the day. but it beats whatever zoraxis would do if they got their hands on them. it isn't as though they can be picky…

prism… is mainly overwhelmed. she hasn't gotten a chance to breathe and fully process what it is that's happened to her. she's miserable about her robots, but the stress barricades a lot of the grief. without a chance to mourn, her healing process never starts. she's miserable, of course… but she blinks back the tears. keeps her eyes on the road. neither of them can afford her losing her composure.

… after long enough she starts to think about everything with a little more clarity… puts the pieces together in her mind. she's overwhelmed, but she isn't stupid. it's only inevitable she wraps her mind around the fact that fabby was probably lying… at least, lying about the KBOOM project's true intentions. but, well... neither of them have the time to think about that right now. for as much grief as fabby has probably caused, she also went out of her way to help her- at the expense of her entire zoraxis career. that's worth something, isn't it…?

the fabricator spends the entire time stressed out of her mind… it's obvious that she is stressed, of course, but she makes sure prism doesn't know what it's about. she assumes that fabby is just scared about zoraxis potentially catching up to them. which, to be fair, she's not entirely wrong about.

… but what she's really terrified of is herself. her instinct. the voice in the back of her mind telling her how easy it would be to pick prism off. then she could get her job back. then everything would go back to normal. then zor would love her again.

fabby could tear her throat out while she sleeps. she could slip some poison into her coffee and not even have to get her hands dirty. if she did it right, prism wouldn't even know. she wouldn't even feel it. she wouldn't even have to suffer.

... she always reels herself back in… even if that means stepping out of the car when they should both be sleeping, and smoking until she can't feel her lips. it helps… to an extent.

regardless, prism is none the wiser.

[vtuberconfessions]

INFORMATION ABOUT THIS BLOG HERE, PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING CONFESSIONS, ASKS, OR FOLLOWING!!!

Rules (for submitting confessions):

1. No gore or anything violent

2. Do not use LGBT-phobic or ethnic slurs

3. Add a trigger warning when discussing something serious or mature content (i.e, allegations, thirst-posting)

4. I will allow submissions of confessions and asks regarding drama, however there will be a limit to how much will be posted after a certain while, so it doesn't take up 90% of the submissions posted

Rules (for shilling Vtubers, AKA submitted candidates for Vtuber of the day):

5. No shilling ANYTHING related to current Vshojo, Wactor, Project/Production Kawaii, Vreverie or Nijisanji/Anycolor/VirtuaReal talents (charzu was posted before I decided to add Kawaiipro, and I will not take it down unless she does something shady herself) Here's a list of the Blacklisted vtubers so far:

Here's a list of reasons as to why the agencies on there are blacklisted:

6. Vtuber you shill MUST be over the age of 18

7. Vtuber you shill MUST have already debuted and consistently post content (no pre-debut, long hiatus, or graduated vtubers)

8. If any Vtuber you or I have shilled and has been posted ends up having allegations of sexual assault, grooming, inappropriate behavior, etc, please let me know, and the post will be hidden until they can be proven false, or deleted entirely and have their current and future identities blacklisted from the blog

9. You MUST provide a link to the main platforms they stream on. If they mainly only stream on one platform a lot more compared to the other, then it's fine to submit only that

11. Content creators who had a large following and created content LONG before they started using a vtuber model under the same name (i.e, JaidenAnimations) do not count

10. PNGtubers don't count, only L2D or 3D Vtubers

12. No mentions of a vtuber's past life when shilling. Be it my post or someone else's ask. Especially if they are a graduated corpotuber. The reason being because it's important to focus on their current achievements than their past ones, and because it could be disrespectful if they graduated for controversial reasons.

Other:

This account is 16+!!! My likes contain tumblr-friendly lewds and there will be strong language used occasionally!

Mute "#mod posts" & "reblog" for non vtubers otd or confessions

Mod uses She/Her pronouns

You may refer to Mod as "Alice"

Mod has very controversial opinions on certain things she will try to keep away from this blog, but just know she doesn't identify with the left or right, both are annoying in their own ways

Mod's oshis are (stars are kamioshis for the corpo group or branch):

(Hololive EN)

Gawr Gura, Takanashi Kiara ⭐️, Hakos Baelz, Nanashi Mumei, FuwaMoco, Nerissa Ravencroft, and Shiori Novella

(Holostars EN)

Gavis Bettel ⭐️, Goldbullet, and Machina X Flayon

(Hololive JP)

Houshou Marine, Haachama, Takane Lui, Inugami Korone ⭐️, Nekomata Okayu, Ichijou Ririka, and Usada Pekora

(Holostars JP)

Minase Rio⭐️

(Nijisanji EN)

Rosemi Lovelock ⭐️, Petra Gurin, and Maria Marionette⭐️

(Nijisanji JP)

Igarashi Rika ⭐️, Hyakumantenbara Salome, and Kaburaki Roko

(Phase Connect EN)

Pipkin Pippa ⭐️, Tenma Maemi, and Ashelia "Lia" Rinkou

(Phase Connect JP)

Kaminari Clara, and Ayase Yuu ⭐️

(Idol HE/Genesis)

Nikki Rei ⭐️

(Idol EN)

Rin Penrose ⭐️, and Roca Rourin

(Vshojo)

Matara Kan ⭐️, and Henya the Genius

(Ex-Prism)

Shiki Miyoshino, Sara Nagare, and Ami Amami/AmiAmi aka Phoebe ⭐️

(Misc Indies/Smaller Corpos)

Ryugon Daimonji ⭐️, Yumemi Tobira, Misumi Harawatsu, Charlotte Suzu ⭐️ Penelope Wiseman ⭐️, Liora Walkryia, Serina Maiko ⭐️, Kou Mariya, Vee-Sensei, Ky0resu, and Sayu Sicronisity

(Note: I enjoy a lot more vtubers than these, these are simply the ones who are my absolute favorites)

Also, if you're an anti or hate vtubers fuck off. Vtubing was built on weeb culture, which includes lolisho, and you have no right to call yourself apart of the community.

[rainbow18]

Sonic, Nine and Protagonist Centered Morality.

Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t make this post to say people should be calling Sonic [Insert Insult Here], just that a lot of the things people, (specifically Nine’s detractors) complain about Nine doing also applies to Sonic.

1. Being a “Traitor.”

To make sure there aren’t any misunderstandings on what makes a Person a Traitor, let’s look at the definition.

Sonic Told Nine that 1. The Surprise in The Grim is probably cool and 2. he couldn’t wait to hear more. 3. They will go after visiting Ghost Hill.

Sonic technically didn’t say the words that he will go but He said the lines directly after Nine made it clear that He wants Sonic to SEE what’s in The Grim. Plus as we all saw and Heard, Sonic not only refused to go, He dismissed Nine’s feelings about The Grim. So Sonic can’t use the classic “Technically I never said I would X” excuse.

Plus when using exact words, From Sonic’s own mouth, their plan was to 1. Visit Ghost Hill. 2. Look at Ghost Hill’s Shard. 3. Look at The Blueprint and finally 4. They will go to The Grim. (No mentions of Fixing Green Hill or specifying that he wants the prism fixed in Ghost Hill)

While it can be argued that Sonic meant he will focus on The Grim after The Original Green Hill is restored, with the possibility that The Shatterverse will vanish, Sonic might not be able to keep the Promise. So even when using Sonic’s meaning, he’s still guilty.

Yet with exceptions, most fans only hold Nine accountable for being a “Traitor,” and say “Nine betrayed Sonic”. In fact, more than one person actually forgot the deal/plan that SONIC proposed and went back on.

2. Wanting X to live in an environment that isn’t X’s preferred one.

Both Nine and Sonic wanted the other to live in their preferred place.

Nine directly stated that he wants to live in the Grim on multiple occasions and he wanted Sonic to stay with him.

Nine can’t travel between the worlds on his own. Making him stuck wherever Sonic leaves him. Even if Sonic takes Nine back to The Grim, Nine will no longer be able to survive there as there’s no food or water.

Plus unlike when Sonic asked Thorn to give up The Green Shard, Sonic doesn’t try promising to come back to The Grim and help Nine live there. (While it can be argued that it might not have worked, at the time Sonic threatened to take The Purple Shard, Sonic hadn’t yet broken his promise to go to The Grim.)

Also Quite a few of Sonic’s lines can give off the impression that Sonic was hoping for Nine to live in Green Hill or Ghost Hill.

When defending Nine to Shadow, Sonic described Ghost Hill as Nine’s Reality. (Though it can be argued that Sonic meant the Shatterverse in general.)

Sonic talked about how He wanted Nine to see Green Hill.

Sonic described Green Hill as “Our Home”, albeit this was likely intended to be a sign of Sonic projecting Tails onto Nine.

Sonic discussed how he was hoping Nine would befriend the prime characters.

Several fans stated that Nine was foolish to believe that Sonic would accept The Grim and claimed that he forgot what Sonic said about The Grim.

However not as many called Sonic a fool for forgetting that The Grim is the only place That Nine feels safe and happy in and as I showed above, Nine did remember, it’s actually SONIC that forgot his words about The Grim.

3. Being “Selfish” and/or “a Hypocrite”

While in The Grim, Nine made Palm Trees because he remembered how Sonic mentioned them previously. Nine specifically said “SONIC’S gonna love this”. Nine wants to make the perfect world in The Grim.

Things Sonic sacrificed for Nine and/or Nine wanted Sonic to sacrifice.

The Original Green Hill, which is already gone and the entire shatterverse might die if it comes back.

Sonic’s comfort zone, which doesnt really count much because Sonic can use his powers to leave any time he wants and because of the different time zones, He can be gone for hours without Nine noticing.

Let’s recap everything Nine sacrificed and/or Sonic unintentionally asked Nine to sacrifice due to not thinking things through.

Nine’s safety and well-being.

Nine’s happiness.

Nine’s Shard, AKA Nine’s only way to survive in The Grim.

Nine’s life.

Nine’s comfort zone.

Sonic also rarely considered what Nine might want and only hoped Nine would change his mind. Yet for the most part, only Nine got deemed “Selfish and/or Hypocritical”.

4. Risking Others Lives.

Nine refused to save The Original Green Hill, which means That The Prime Characters will stay in whatever state they are in for who knows how long. Sonic refused to leave The Original Green Hill be, which puts the Shatterverse at risk because Ghost Hill, New Yoke, Boscage Maze, No Place and The Grim all are a piece of the original.

Originally it appeared that Nine was just sad after screaming that he is real. Nine didn’t completely snap until AFTER Sonic unintentionally revealed that he didn’t consider that Nine might vanish if the prism is fixed nor did he make any precautions to prevent it from happening.

Sonic doesn’t think things through much so he doesn’t realize what he’s doing. But his dialogue when Dread and His crew were chasing him had caused suspicions that the idea that everyone and everything will vanish to be part of the originals had crossed his mind, at least briefly.

Sonic’s line was “ You guys are gonna feel really bad about this when you think back and remember how awful you guys were treating me when I’m only trying to help”. While it’s possible that he meant “You guys will regret it eventually when you hear/learn my side of the story”, it can be argued “Why mention “Help” if He’s not helping them? and/or why not specify who he’s helping?”

Especially back when Ghost of a Chance first aired, most only acknowledged how Nine stopped Sonic from saving His Prime Friends, while not as many mentioned Sonic’s potential mass Genocide.

5. Why they did what they did.

Nine has been traumatized, bullied, ignored and he grew up under a dictatorship. So it makes sense why he hates New Yoke and He wants to live in The Grim because it’s the least likely to remind him of his trauma. Nine wants to save The Grim from Sonic.

(New Yoke was identical to Green Hill until The Takeover. No Place has Pirates, who often commit Piracy and Dread’s crew was considering Committing Murder on more than one occasion. Boscage Maze and everyone there is really wild.)

Sonic has shown signs of having PTSD from when the Prism broke and he also appears to be going through the 5 stages of Grief. Sonic wants to save the Prime Characters from Himself.

They both had difficulty understanding each other and in communication.

Yet, only Sonic’s issues are acknowledged by everyone while Nine’s issues weren’t. Instead, plenty even developed a case of “Self Serving Memory”.