#so much shits I have been through since the start of 2024 damn it

[lonelynight13]

Animation reel 2024

I'll take a break for a while so I'll leave this video here see you next month :))

[ashtonisvibing]

"You have both of our lives in your hands!"

Fandom: Life Series/Double Life SMP

Alternate Universe: None (Canon Divergence)

Ship(s): Slight mention of Grian x GoodTimesWithScar

Character(s): Grian, GoodTimesWithScar

Warning(s): None

Originally Published: February 4th, 2024

Word Count: 1,601

Author's Notes:

seasons skirmish gift for dusty_daffodil on AO3

first time writing... anything for mcyt, let alone the desert duo. but i certainly tried! :D

if you liked what you read, consider giving this a reblog, please! it'll let more people see my work!

[plain text: if you liked what you read, consider giving this a reblog, please! it'll let more people see my work!]

Full Story:

The sound of a pickaxe whacking against stone was the only sound that carried through the tunnel Grian had started to make for himself. Nearly a month in and neither him nor Scar had any sort of diamond equipment, not even a measly hoe or shovel. And with how wreckless Scar was being, Grian was fed up with using only iron armor as protection. He had such a huge chance to not end up with one of the few people here who had no regard for their safety. How did he manage to luck out as badly as he did? Well, what’s done is done now. All he needed to focus on was making sure they didn’t lose their first life already.

“Damn it, where are the diamonds??” Grian huffed, resting his pickaxe on his shoulder as he looked back up at the makeshift stone stairs that was his mineshaft. He couldn’t see the outside with how deep he had gone. “I’m almost out of torches, too. I’m surprised I haven’t found much coal down here, either..” He looked back at the stone in front of him, gently fiddling at the red, yellow, and blue feathered wings where ears should have been. A forcive habit for whenever he was thinking. “I should probably get back to the sur- Gah-!”

The avian dropped down on one knee as he clutched his chest, using his pickaxe to prop himself up. A sharp, burning pain shot from his heart and spread around his chest. He was far too familiar with this pain by now, even if it was usually slightly dimmed down. The phantom pain of his soulbound partner taking damage. And judging by how impactful it was this time…

Grian tapped the glowing green heart on his chest, revealing his health and hunger bars. And he was suddenly down four hearts. Okay, maybe Scar just fell while dealing with his cats, nothing to- “Shit-!” Another wave of pain, another three hearts lost. What was his partner doing up there?! He quickly grabbed a piece of steak out of his side bag and ate it in hopes of keeping his hunger up. It must be night time right now, why else would the two be taking so much damage

And suddenly, after another bout of pain… One heart left. The avian was panicking now. His face was pale and breathing quickened, almost to a degree that it felt like he was choking on his own air. This was it, they’d be losing their first life. And then it wouldn’t be long until they were down to red, and then completely losing. He started to scramble out of his mine shaft. His hearts were slowly regenerating; Scar might have gotten a moment of peace and was eating. But that didn’t mean the danger was over. Since it was currently night time, he could get swarmed by zombies, or blown up by a creeper. He could simply fall off a cliff.

Grian just hoped he could find his partner in time before anything happened.

The avian decided to stop by their base first, calling out Scar’s name into the dark oak trees around him in the hopes that he’ll get a response. But he wasn’t getting anything. Scar could be on the other side of the area for all he knew. At the very least by now their hearts were almost full. Grian just had to hope that it would stay that way until he found his partner.

“Scar-!” He was quick to rush through the entrance of their base, eyes darting around frantically in the hopes he’d spot a glimpse of his friend. “Scar, are you here?!”

“Grian!”

Running through the entrance was the man himself. With that stupid without-a-care smile on his lips, his hand waving to his partner before stopping right in front of him. “Oh man, you’ll never bel-”

“Scar, we just almost died, what the hell were you thinking?!” Scar was used to Grian’s frustrated yelling by this point. There was no shortage of silly and, to everyone else, stupid ideas from the salesman, especially now that he had acquired those huge gray cats. And considering that yes, he almost got the two of them killed, he wasn’t surprised that the other was so upset.

“Oh Grian, you would not believe how many monsters can appear in the jungle!” Scar laughed a little as he headed over to the cat pit, pulling some bamboo sticks out of his backpack. Grian was quick to follow him. “I just wanted to grab some snacks for the kitties, and suddenly I’m getting swarmed by skeletons and spiders! Good thing you had some food on you, I completely forgot to grab some before I left.” He chuckled, about to jump right into the pit, before his partner grabbed his arm to stop him.

“Scar, I really don’t think you understand. We. Almost. Died. And for what, just because you wanted to feed your cats?? They don’t even need to eat!” He threw his hands up in the air to try and add more emphasis to the situation. His feathers were getting really ruffled trying to get the other to understand the situation.

“Well- I didn’t think you’d be so upset by this.” Scar huffed a little, deciding to just toss the bamboo sticks into the pit in the hopes that the felines would just eat them themselves. “Sure, we almost died because I got caught by monsters, I’ll admit to that. But guess what? We didn’t! So no harm done!” And there was that confident smile, one that could either quell the avian’s worries or just make him more annoyed by how sure Scar was in whatever he was saying. And unfortunately, it wasn’t the former.

Grian took a deep breath, through the nose and out through the mouth. He couldn’t let himself just blow up on his partner. His singed pants remembered the last time that happened. “Okay. I don’t think you quite understand the situation here. The two of us?” He punched Scar’s arm, hard enough to remove half a heart from their health. The other responded with a “Hey-!” as he rubbed where he was punched. “We’re linked! I wouldn’t be upset about you running off to who knows where at whatever time if we weren’t! But any damage you take, I take, so whenever you go off on your silly little adventures you’ve got both of our lives to worry about. I just-” The avian let out a sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Why do you constantly put yourself in danger, hm? Is it just to prove some sort of point?”

Scar was completely taken aback by Grian’s words. He hadn’t even thought that his own little adventures would upset his friend so much. Sure, this wasn’t the first time he’d gotten them so close to death. But it’s not like he ever did it on purpose. Yet the avian was upset all the same. And when Scar gave it a second of thought, he was right to be upset. He could always be a little more careful, a little less reckless. He could try to not go out at night, or start fights with the other soulbound people here. He could try to be a better friend.

“You’re… You’re right.” He chuckled a little, fingers running through his hair. “I really haven’t been the greatest friend, huh..? But I’m gonna start doing way better. And I can start by- By getting rid of these pesky cats!” And like he did only a couple of minutes before he tried to jump into the cat pit. And like last time, Grian stopped him. But this time it was more out of confusion than anger.

“Wha- Scar, I didn’t- You are the most… Bullheaded person here, aren’t you?” Despite his words, there was a small smile trying to form on his lips. Oh, he was trying hard not to be amused by his friend’s antics that never made sense. It was certainly a tough task. And Scar’s laughter wasn’t helping in the slightest.

“And here I thought you hated the cats. Have you warmed up to them, my friend?” That cocky smirk was on his lips as he crouched down a little to meet Grian’s height.

Grian hated his friend’s cocky nature. He hated how he never thought things through, how quick he was to jump into anything. How he always made a bad situation seem good. And how his smirk could easily bring a red blush to the avian’s cheeks.

He was quick to turn his head away so that said cheeks wouldn’t be visible, trying to hide his fluster as he crossed his arms over his chest. “No, not at all! I just- You’ve cared for them since day one, it would be stupid to get rid of them so soon!”

Grian’s stubbornness to always be right was the funniest thing to Scar. And who was he to deny his friend’s needs? He chuckled as he put his hands up, surrendering to the avian in front of him. “Alright, alright, the cats are staying then! Now, for my first decision as the new and responsible Scar, I say we go to bed. That way the day will come and all the skeletons and zombies and such will burn away.” Despite his attempt to hold it back, the avian let out a little chuckle as he looked up at his friend. Always the one for the dramatics. Another thing he “hated”.

“That’s the greatest decision you’ve ever made.”

[luv4aria]

warnings: slight mentions of abuse, cursing, suggestive behavior. anddd i think that’s it if there’s anything missed lmk.

a/n: this is so lazily written i swear i didnt try. but i’ve been obsessing over hayden christensen a lot lately so why not write abt one of his characters hence why im going to be writing abt sam monroe :) i will be making this a series and trying to update every week at best. again if u see any grammatical errors um this was written lazily saurr yeah.

paring: fem!reader x modernau!sam monroe.

the second i got home she was screaming. why i don’t know and frankly, i didn’t care i just needed to stay out of her sight. as i tiptoed through my house up the stairs she yelled.

“what are you doing. do you see how dirty this kitchen is. come down here and clean it”

i hesitated.

“now.” my mother demanded 

as i made my way downstairs she hit me. not that i wasn't used to it because she had hit me all the time it was just that she hadn't hit me in a long time. i fell to the ground and she repeatedly slapped me and yelled at me to get up. i started to tear up. “no,” i thought i couldn't cry now not in front of her so i blinked back tears and got up trying to compose myself i tried to keep my voice as steady as possible.

“where are the dish rags” i asked

my mother marched around the kitchen slamming the cabinets as she searched for a dishrag. the second she found one she threw it right at my face.

“the kitchen better be clean by the time i wake up” my mom ordered and with that, she walked upstairs once she was out of my sight. i broke down. i believe i cried for a good 5 minutes before i finally got up and started cleaning.

after about an hour had gone by i was finally done with the dishes my fingers were all pruney but as i looked around the kitchen the only thing i had to do left was sweep i don't know why my mom was complaining about the kitchen being dirty. so i swept for what felt like hours. once i was done i put the broom away and made my way upstairs past my mom's room i stopped and put my ear up to her door and heard her snores.

she was asleep “thank god” i murmured. i didn't want to hear her mouth anymore. as i made my way to the end of the hall i stopped in front of my room door and opened it. i let out the heaviest sigh ever my room was dirty i swear shit just piles up i swore to myself i’d clean it up tomorrow knowing damn well i wouldn’t. i stepped over clothes, hangers, shoes, and other shit that was on my floor and sat at my desk swiping everything off of it with my arm was not my best idea because once everything hit the ground it made a loud thud sound like a body had hit the ground. i stayed silent for a second listening to see if my mom had gotten up and she hadn’t i opened the desk drawer and pulled out the small voice recorder my dad had given me before he died. i pressed play and started talking.

“hello, future y/n today's date is march 30th 2024.” i paused for a moment. “so today was quite boring until sam asked me a question. yes, sam monroe asked me a question. the boy i have been crushing on since the 7th grade talked to me today. he asked me if i liked rock i said yes even though i couldn't stand rock music. he then gave me a flier to a gig he and his band had. and then told me he would be really happy if i went to go see him and his band of course i happily took the flier and told him i’d be there he beamed and then got up from his seat because class was over. i still could not fathom the fact that he asked me out!! okay, i need to calm down but that's pretty much it for now hopefully i get to suck his dick or something..i kidding! of course i am im not okay buh bye.”

and with that, i pressed stop on the recorder and quickly put it back in my desk drawer i then walked over to my bed lifted the mattress, and grabbed my packet of cigarettes and my lighter. as i walked over to my window i lit my cigarette and put it up to my lips taking a slow drag from it. then i heard footsteps. it was my mom i knew it was i quickly put the cigarette out and flicked out onto the street and then i pretty much sprinted to the bathroom and brushed my teeth. the footsteps stopped. guess she went back to bed.

after i finished brushing my teeth i checked the clock it was already nine o’clock guess i should go to bed now i threw on an oversized shirt and walked over to my bed. i stared at my ceiling for a good 10 minutes thinking about the day i was about to have tomorrow. then i slowly fell asleep.

[jo-harrington]

2024 Resolutions - From Me to Me

Hey, it's my blog and I'm gonna use it the way that I want to.

2024 Writing Resolutions, by difficulty: - Finish SMVerse (Easy) - Finish AASB (Intermittent) - Start and Finish STFF (Hard) - Finish the two weird RPFs (Hard and they're not even long you just have bad object permanence when it comes to what's-his-face) - Hey maybe I work on the TVD Fic from 2009 that I obliterated from the face of the internet? (Fat Fucking Chance) - That one thing only Meg knows about and you're not gonna talk about it or think about it until you finish two of the above fucking fics you dumb bitch.

Fun Resolutions: - Take one of your irl friends you don't get to see much out to lunch. - One fun day for yourself every month. - Going to two concerts (EASY you already have the tickets) - Play with those miniatures (Jesus Christ don't just let them sit there) have fun. - One remarkable meal a month (whether you cooked it or you bought it, food is life) - Start being more of an outward bitch, it's fun (you're too fucking nice Jo. Nice and kind. Just kind from now on. No more Mrs. Nice Bucket.) IRL Tasky Stuff: - Post all the shit you wanna sell to Poshmark like you said all of 2023 and then took out of storage and never freaking did. - Finish adding that handful of patches to your patch jacket - Embroider that pumpkin pie you bought supplies for back in 2022 that you never ever did. - Work on those flower sculptures that have been sitting around since October and you never worked on. - Finish organizing your bookshelves (actually getting a head start on this. Should be easy to finish by EOD Monday I think so can you follow through on it this time?) - Get those damn food storage containers you've been talking about for a year because you can't keep wasting plastic bags for your flour like that you idiot.

IRL Existential Stuff: - Have better work life balance (lol Jo you're so funny, watch you do this whole situation again where you don't eat solid foods for a full week by end of February you dumb bitch I'm watching you) - Take mom to see lighthouses before she dies because she's so convinced this is the year. You really need to do it so so she can't say it's your fault even though she went to Lake Geneva with her friends instead in 2023. - STOP. EATING. BABY FOOD. (Seriously I'm really worried about you again. This is how you ended up you know where you know when.)

[kitchfit]

Year In Review: Viddy Game Pt 4 (Happy Mario Day!!!)

Oops! All Mario! To prepare for the release of Super Mario Wonder, I wanted to play through as many of the Mario games I never played before as I could. There are a few wayward titles I missed, but I’m sure I’ll end up playing those sometime in the distant year of 2024. Damn that sounds like a fake year. I hinted in earlier reviews that this was something of a nightmare to accomplish, but that was just me being silly. They’re Mario games! All of these were pretty fun.

Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga

I started out my Mariothon with the story-driven series I had never actually touched. I’ve played all the (good) Paper Mario games, but I’ve never touched the other side of the plumber’s rpgs. The combat was a refreshing change of pace after all those Final Fantasy games. It’s almost as much of a rhythm game as it is turn based, which makes it very engaging. I also like what it adds to the Mario World. Luigi has been characterized in several of the RPGs and his own spin off series, but having him along for the entire ride in this story driven game makes him somehow more endearing to me than he was before. I like to imagine this takes place right after Super Paper Mario, and Mario is making sure his best bro is safely right next to him after the shit he went through.

The Bean Bean Kingdom feels like a suitable alternative to the Mushroom one we’ve grown familiar with. A lot of the older games had introduced other Themed Kingdoms, like the Jewelry Kingdom in Yoshi’s Safari or Sarasaland in Mario Land, which is based on types of tea. And Mario Odyssey would assert the entire world being organized into these Kingdoms, so Bean Bean fits right in! It’s super fun to explore the fresh areas with a familiar aesthetic. I only wish these Bean characters would make more appearances outside of this game. I guess they show up in the other Mario and Luigis, but Reggie knows what I mean. Put Prince Peasley in Mario Kart, coward!

New Super Mario Bros

When this game released I had no idea that 2D Mario had been put on hold for ten whole years. From my perspective Super Mario World had only been released earlier that year in 2006, on Nintendo’s brand new console, the hand-me-down Game Boy Advance I got from my cousin. So when my friend showed me New Super Mario Bros. on his Fancy DS Lite in 2009, I wasn’t that impressed. This one didn’t even have the cape, or the Tanooki suit from Mario 3! I was not impressed. What it did have was a fun as hell competitive mode that I could play with my friend via DS download play (which is an awesome system they should bring back), so I never felt the need to seek out a copy.

Playing it now, the game is a lot more distinctive than I gave it credit for. While the world themes are based around the generic grass, ice, fire, etc. themes the Mario games always recycle in some way, the level designs give a good sense of cohesiveness, and the new power-ups: the tiny mushroom, Mega Mushroom, and Blue Shell significantly alter how you approach the level. When you’re tiny, you get a higher jump and can get into hidden paths, but touching Anything Will You, while Mega Mario can ignore everything and cause as much carnage as possible. The Blue Shell lets Mario continuously slide and kill anything in your path provided you keep whatever initial momentum you started with, making this game the singular moment the red plumber stole something from the blue hedgehog. The low-res 3D artstyle felt dated when I first saw this game, since I wasn’t enjoying the industry norm of changing every franchise to 3D. “Give me my pixels, damn you!” said 8-year-old Kitch. I now find it really charming, especially compared to the later entries in the “New” series. There are a lot of original enemies in this game that never show up again. I need everyone to look at the Snailicorn immediately.

Super Mario 64 DS

I was always told this was the inferior version of Mario 64 due to the limited control scheme. Instead of full 360 movement, you are now cut down to 8 directional movements cycled on the d-pad. However, I played this game on the 3DS, and the analogue stick made those 8 directions flow seamlessly. The other change is the addition of a Run Button, one that I was not aware of until futilely trying to race against Koopa the Quick. That’s right, for the entire fight against King Bob-omb, I had just assumed this game ran like shit, or that Yoshi was intentionally designed to be extremely slow until I happened to hold down the b-button as if this was some kind of. 2D MARIO GAME? In 3D??? It’s a sensible change, but one that is only communicated by experimenting with the controls, which someone who has already beaten the original game 3 times wouldn’t really think to try. And since there’s little need to ever Not Run, holding that button down for the ENTIRE GAME started to get annoying towards the end.

Otherwise, it was really nice returning to this classic. The calm atmosphere in exploring the Mushroom Castle and revealing its little secrets makes it genuinely unmatched as a hubworld, and the levels, while mostly generically themed, cram tons of personality into such small areas. Realizing how tiny levels like Cool, Cool Mountain and Big Boo’s Haunt are actually startled me, since I spent so much time as a kid exploring the nooks and crannies of those areas. There are also a lot of new stuff hidden across these levels that either unlock or are accessed by the new playable characters. Each of them have their own movement speeds and abilities, but none of them really play as well as the Mario Himself, so changing into them was mostly situational. I loved the new boss fights that unlocked them, though. Adding Goomboss from Paper Mario into the OG 3D Mario made me really happy. I’ve still never 100% this game, but if I go back, I might actually make sure it’s this version I complete.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

The awaited sequel to the GBA game, I hear absolute jackshit about this game when people talk about the Mario and Luigi series. I assumed it was the runt that came between the beloved classics of Superstar and Bowser’s Inside Story, but that isn’t true at all. In fact, I think I like this game more than Superstar. Since it’s on the DS, there’s a naturally higher fidelity with the pixel art, the premise is more interesting, and it adds a new layer to both the combat and overworld movement in the form of the BA-BIES. Since there are two new X and Y buttons, you get Baby Mario and Baby Luigi as additions to your playable characters, meaning at any one time you are juggling Four Whole Mario Bros. all for the price of One! The game is noticeably more difficult than Superstars, nothing too crazy, but I did die a lot more. Or I am just Bad At Games.

Like the previous entry, this game is oozing charm out of every bodily orifice it has. Mario and Luigi are characterized extremely well as they step up as babysitters. It warmed my heart everytime Luigi purposefully goofed up to make the babies laugh or whenever Mario shouted “BA-BIES” in concern whenever they were in trouble. It may be the most overt personality he’s ever really shown. The time travel mechanic isn’t super in-depth, the present time basically acts as a hub world, but we get some more of that Sweet Mario Lore as they explore the Days of Mushroom Past. Autocorrect wants me to say Pasta. We get to see Baby Peach and Younger Toadsworth at some point after Yoshi’s Island, an E Gad pre-ghost fascination, and also these alien freaks who look suspiciously like Fucked Up Toads. What does this mean for them? Are Toads themselves descended from aliens, or vice versa? Will we ever get to see “Toads In Space?!” Some kind of… “MARIO GALAXY???” Only the future can tell.

Super Mario 3D Land

Nintendo was able to put a 3D Mario on a handheld in the last generation, so I guess the new hurdle was an ORIGINAL 3D  Mario on the Three Dee Ess. This serves that purpose well. I could honestly end it there. The level design is well executed around the controls that are based on Galaxy, and it translates really well. They brought back the Highly Acclaimed Tanooki Suit that lends itself nicely to 3D platforming, and also seemed to be a selling point of the game? A lot of the Goombas and Koopas are now wearing the tanooki suit, and even Peach gets to show off the fit at the end of the game. You can’t play as her though, it’s just there to tease you. Luigi is an unlockable character with his own set of remixed levels, but that’s really it.

And that’s the thing, this game is fun, but it’s also kind of… Nothing? If you’ve played 3D Land, tell me: Where does it take place? The Mushroom Kingdom? That’s probably a good guess, but there’s nothing that really shows that, is there? There’s little to no cohesion between the levels. The level select is a linear screen with a multicolor background. You’ll be playing a water level immediately following some weird toy-themed level with absolutely zero context. Where are we? What’s happening? No one really looks for a story in a Super Mario game, but the lack of any real context makes this game super forgettable to me. It’s just a selection of random levels, and a Lot of the levels are repeated with slight differences. Why? TELL ME REGGIE. At the very least we get these cute letters from Peach showing her own adventure escaping Bowser. That would’ve been a fun to play, but this game won’t let you go Girl Mode. Oh well.

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins

This is one of those “underrated Mario gems.” Maybe the only one. Super Mario Land is pretty mediocre, so I’m not surprised its sequel fell by the wayside. It’s super creative for a GB game, and because of the power of Cool Internet People, I got to play this in color! Lucky me :) The whole game takes place in a magical theme park that was maybe created at the end of one of the Mario Parties. Did anyone else make that connection? I know one guy did. They go ham on the level designs: an area that makes you tiny so Mario is battling ants, a bubble ride that takes you into space to fight Pig Creatures, a mechanical Mario; at one point you go inside a whale. It’s wacky! The enemy design reflects this too, there’s a bunch of Weirdos, like the Pig Creature:

The goal is to find those 6 Golden Coins in each world to unlock the Mario Castle, with the caveat that Mario will lose all his coins upon a game over and have to track them down again. You only have to repeat the boss fights however, so it’s not a complete wipe. My Boy Wario is introduced in this game, and he really does come across as this supernatural, corrupted parody of our portly performer that the commercials for this game made him out to be. But the official word is he’s just Mario’s childhood rival that was upset they didn’t name a castle after him. Don’t worry, Wario! I’m sure you’ll get yours soon.

Super Mario 3D World pt 1

This one is just stellar all around. It makes 3D Land look like a tech demo in comparison. Every level showcases a degree of creativity on par with Galaxy while keeping 3D Land’s linear design. Every part of this experience is just so damn satisfying, the new power ups, targeting the tops of the flagpoles, riding on Yobbo the Swimming Yoshi, and you can go GIRL MODE. My biggest complaint about 3D land is that they teased a playable Princess Peach without actually ever giving it to you, and now I refuse to play this game as any other character. Except when the game makes me play as Mario or Toad to get all the Green Stars. Also the GREEN STARS.

The secondary collectables have never felt as necessary as it does in 3D World. They add an incentive to explore the levels or find an extra challenge that are actually Worth searching for. I don’t remember if they really gave you anything, but I still liked finding them. 

Also the MUSIC, the ost slaps so hard in this game. We’re moved to a new setting in 3D World, and the soundtrack and aesthetics match that vibe. It’s unique, it’s bOMBASTIC. There are two new power ups in the form of CAT and CHERRIES. The cat can run up walls, while the cherries can make a double of your character. The former is generally the best playstyle for most of the game a la the Tanooki suit, while the latter works as a fun challenge that gets really creative with its limits as you control two or three or six characters with one controller. There’s even a bonus mode at the end based on Galaxy where you can. Guess What? GO GIRL MODE EVEN HARDER. I haven’t done it yet but hey. I Am Going To.

Bowser’s Fury

This is one of the few I actually 100% completed. I was on a Dollywood trip with some friends and after the festivities ended at Guy Fieri’s Shitty Arcade and Ripley’s Wacky Wonderworks we stayed in the cabin and chilled out. I didn’t have a ton else to do while everyone was resting so I got really into Bowser’s Fury. Our first taste of what may be Open World Mario. It’s fun! Mario is stranded in the middle of a lake with wildly clashing aesthetics that somehow just works. Light blue dominates the eyes hampered by the slimy black of the magic ink polluting the water around you. There are small yellow islands dotting the lake and floating in the air. And when you get to these islands? Cats! They’re all cats! There are cats on the ground, cat ears on the goombas, Cat Koopas, Kitty Boombooms, everything is a cat!! Even the grass is cat fur! You have cat to be kitten me, right meow! It’s a place so suitably weird for the Mario universe, I could easily see Lake Lapcat being introduced in one of the earlier Paper Marios.

Gameplay wise this is just a big Mario Oddysey world with more… direction? The lack of a real swimming mechanic in Bowser’s Fury makes the ocean a fun place for movement and little else, though there are occasional challenges for Yobbo the Swimming Yoshi to run through. It makes Lapcat feel like a massive hubworld of sorts, with no divide between it and the level, It’s as if in Mario Galaxy you could walk straight from Rosalina’s Observatory directly onto a new planet without going through the Domes, if that makes sense. It’s short, but super fun for what it is. You get all the power ups from 3D World to play around in less linearly designed levels, and it lets you stock up on them through an inventory system. Bowser Jr. follows you around and acts cute! Mario and Bowser turn into Kaijus and you have a Godzilla vs King Kong style boss fight. I guess Mario would be King Kong in that analogy… Nintendo may need the help of John Kirby once more…

Super Mario Sunshine

I had never heard about this game’s existence until I was like 15. My friend told me it was one of her favorite Gamecube games growing up, and I did not believe her. Every description she gave about Super Mario Sunshine sounded like she was messing with me. “Oh yea it’s the game where Mario goes on vacation and he like, gets framed for vandalism? And you have a water gun and you clean paint.” Fuck off with that, you’re not getting me! I thought it was a running joke she had until I looked closely at Mario's trophy in Brawl that referenced the same name. Huh! 

Anyways this is my first time actually playing it on the 3D All-Stars collection. I started it when it was released, but I reached a point where I had no idea what I was supposed to do until my cousin who grew up with it told me I needed almost every shinesprite to beat the game. ALSO WEIRD. The other 3D Marios let you go at your own pace and pick and choose which levels you want, but here all but the last levels are required. I guess this is because Sunshine is more “narratively driven” and they want you to watch how each world changes through your actions. I can appreciate that! Mario 64 experimented with that a bit, like the tower appearing at the top of Whomp fortress in Star 2 or King Bo-bomb’s corpse appearing at the bottom of his battlefield after you coup de tated that fucker. Sunshine, however, has levels like Noki Bay where each level has Mario tackle the source of the pollution, or Gelato beach where you make sure a hotel is suitable for reopening and even get to celebrate at the end.

The controls on the other hand. My cousin described them as “lovably janky.” Mario no longer has the long jump, which startled me every time I tried to long jump, which was a lot cause I have the memory of a housefly. Wall jumping is harder to pull off as Mario does not automatically turn towards the wall like other Mario games, so you have to time it perfectly, and Mario’s overall movement is very awkward. I never felt like he jumps the exact distance I expect him to go. This is probably to make the player more reliant on Fludd, the aforementioned water gun that can let you hover as well as two other fun, but useless abilities. Fludd is very fun to use, but they take it away from you during the platform challenges and it reveals just how janky Mario is in this game. I guess it also makes them more satisfying to complete. Still, since these levels are required, I probably would have given up ever beating the game if I played it as a kid.

New Super Mario Bros 2

This is a similar case to 3D Land. It seems the goal of this entry was “put a 2D Mario on the 3DS,” which was a less impressive goal given the OG New Super Mario was already playable on the 3DS. It’s much prettier, I guess. The big name of this game is “Coins.” Coins are everywhere in this game. There’s a new power-up, the Golden Flower, that lets you turn blocks and enemies into coins. Another power-up that gives Mario a coin every step he makes. There are Golden Koopas that produce coins when thrown. There’s a counter on the home screen that shows how many total coins you’ve got, and the game notifies you every time you reach a “Coin milestone.”

Yea I’ve never cared about collecting coins in Mario games. It’s not like they unlock anything that matters in this one, they just congratulate you every three minutes and if you get One Million coins you get a new title screen. That’s kind of cool, but not something I would actually care to try and get. What I’m left with is the most standard 2D Mario game to exist. The Tanooki suit is here, but like 3D Land, you still can’t go Girl Mode. Unless you count Luigi. Genderfluïd King. Despite this, I do find myself coming back to this one quite a bit to carve out some of the bonus worlds. It’s slightly harder than the other games in the “New” series. Maybe if they leaned into that, like the OG Mario 2, it would be more memorable. Wait, this is the 3rd New Super Mario game. Why is it called 2? The hell?

New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe

As the final entry in the “New” series, it makes sense that this is the most polished version of that game style. The world designs are still based on the tried and exhausted Grass, Desert, Snow, etc. aesthetics, but here there are a lot more unique level designs or some that are SO COOL aesthetically, like the level based around a Van Gogh painting. I wish there were more levels like that, but in THE LEAST, this is the first New Super Mario game to introduce CONTEXTUALIZATION. This is something I’ve been complaining about with these new mario games. Super Mario World (the best one) has a beautiful map level-select. When you’re in Donut Plains on the map, the level reflects that design, taking place on a field, and when you go in a cave, THE LEVEL TAKES PLACE IN A CAVE. Imagine that. It’s such a simple thing that adds so much to the experience. You are actually traveling through a world, not just choosing random shit off a menu. U Deluxe’s map isn’t as cool as World’s, but it was still immensely fun to discover all its little secrets, and made me realize how much I missed World’s map design. Maybe I should play that game instead.

There is one unforgivable sin in Mario U specific to Deluxe. There’s an original playable female character in the form of Toadette! Girl Mode! Finally! And it SUCKS! It’s not actually that bad, but playing as Toadette gives you access to Peachette, whose existence replaces all power-ups in the game while playing as her. So Girl Mode is actively worse to play than any other mode, except funny rabbit mode. But that’s only if you want to be a funny rabbit. She’s meant to be “easy mode,” which is a bit demeaning given she’s the only female character, but I get the desire for an easier way for kids to play the game, I just wish it didn’t lock you out of all of the power-ups. Speaking of which, there are a Lot of power-ups in this game, but a lot of them are hidden for some reason, like the Propellor Hat and Penguin suit, which I found 1 and None of, respectively. Why are they in the game if I can’t use them? These aren’t collectors items, they’re funny little costumes that are supposed to be FUN. WE’RE ALL HAVING FUN HERE.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

FINALLY they’re letting Mario be WEIRD AGAIN. The artstyle of the New Super Mario Bros. games got heavily criticized after this one was announced for being “soulless” and “boring,” but I wouldn’t say that. Because I don’t think it’s true! They’re vibrant and colorful games with an obvious ton of talent and heart put into them. I would, however, describe them more as “corporate.” Homogenized and Marketable. Mario and Gang have been kept to their models in every game since the DS and everyone has clearly been exhausted by it. Wonder is breaking the trend, and Mario looks fucking Weird.

He’s so much rounder, his clothes have a different texture, and his eyes are bigger and brighter. His eyebrows are clipping through his hat! He looks like a plastic toy brought to life, which is not an insult. All of the characters are brilliantly animated to pull off this new look, and I refuse to try out embedding videos in Tumblr so you just have to trust me. It’s not that I want Mario to stay like this, but I DEFINITELY want them to Keep Being Weird Like This.

The weirdness doesn’t end at the artstyle. There are three new power-ups, the Elephant Apple, Bubble Flower, and the Drill Shroom, the last of which is carried over from Mario Galaxy 2’s Spin Drill in terms of gameplay. The Bubble Flower lets you capture things in Bubbles and lets you jump on them for extra air time, and the Elephant Flower turns you into a Fucking Ele Phant. Twice as big, can swipe things with your trunk, can carry WATER in your trunk. Truly the Mario experience we’ve been missing. There are also the most playable characters than there have ever been in a mainline Mario game. Peach, Toadette, AND Daisy in her first playable appearance. THREE FORMS OF GIRL MODE. Nintendo knew what my main Mario complaint was before I ever thought of it.

The main draw of this game, however, are the additions of the Wonder Flowers. There are no levels that stand out against the other, more standard levels like the New Super games, because literally every level in this game is FANTASTIC. The Wonder Flowers are an extra challenge midway through any level that changes it into something WEIRD AS HELL. Maybe the level speeds up and slows down rapidly, maybe you have to dodge walking Piranha Plants as they sing an acapella stage performance, maybe you turn into a Goomba yourself and have to avoid being eaten by a predator. It can be literally ANYTHING. Every level is exciting to go through because you want to see what NONSENSE those crazy bastards have come up with. 

Not to mention the world design. The Flower Kingdom is BEAUTIFUL and similar to the Beanbean Kingdom in terms of cohesion. There’s another country right next to the Mushroom Kingdom with a new botanical aesthetic we’ve never heard of before? That makes sense! It feels perfectly natural for it to be part of this universe. This is another of the three I went to the effort of 100% completing, and some of those last levels are HARD. I gave myself a migraine on the final badge challenge. Also BADGES. They’re cool. Some provide an extra movement option and others make movement actively worse as a way to challenge yourself. Some are just fun! It adds a neat level of replayability to the game as you experiment with them all.

You also get a fantastic reward for completing all the levels. It is. SO Stupid. Extremely dumb. And I have never been more satisfied with a completion reward in a Mario game.

Super Mario Galaxy

To end out my Mariothon, I celebrated with another playthrough of my favorite game featuring a space-faring plumber, Super Mario Galaxy. This was the game that made me fall in love with the series, and in my eyes, still has not been beaten by other Mario titles in terms of atmosphere (PUN). It is just so fun to exist in the levels in these games in a way I can’t say about other Mario titles, except maybe Odyssey and 64. I could follow the objective, climb on the honey walls as Bee Mario, or hop across apples and pears so large they’ve become planetoids and have a great time, fantastic even. But I could also walk around Honeyhive and Deep Dark and look around the scenery and play around with the controls, which are restrained, but refined compared to the previous 3D Marios. Most of the purple coin levels are designed to do exactly that. Galaxy is by no means a sandbox game, but it retains those elements from Sunshine and 64.

Maybe that feeling just comes out of nostalgia. This was at one point the only game I would play on my wii for months on end. It’s like comfort food to me. One time I heard a local cafe play the Galaxy main theme on the speaker as I was walking by and I just. Paused for a bit, leaned against the brick exterior and soaked in the vibes. Listening to that pristine orchestral track whilst watching people come home from a full day of work, or following the actions of a cat decided whether or not to eat a bug running for its life. There’s probably a copyright issue they were violating, but who cares, Fuck Nintendo.

There is one thing that I know isn’t just nostalgia. The older I get the more I appreciate the storybook section of Galaxy. Every few worlds you complete, you’ll get a notification that Rosalina has a story to tell you, and you’ll hear a chapter out of her children’s book detailing her past. It has a melancholy vibe and it’s a genuinely beautiful and heartfelt story with a gorgeous handpainted artstyle:

Supposedly, Koizumi (co-director on the game) snuck this feature in without Miyomoto’s knowledge, and he hated it. When he discovered it after the game was released, he was upset enough that to this day Nintendo has not let Koizumi direct a big release. Apparently, he thought it ruined the game’s tone. I don’t know if I believe that, and I don’t feel like fact checking that shit, but if so, I’m glad Koizumi got it past the guy. It elevates the game’s overall story to an absurd degree in my eyes, providing Galaxy with one of the best endings in any video game I have played.

My ONE criticism. MY singular gripe. Is the title itself. “Galaxy” has always bothered me. “Battlerock GALAXY?” “Loop de Loop GALAXY???” Miyomoto sir, those are SOLAR SYSTEMS. And tiny ass solar systems at best. Sometimes just singular planetoids. But obviously Super Mario System or Super Mario Tiny Ass Planet isn’t as Marketable as- What the fuck was that? Wait, hold on. Sorry guys. Computer, ENHANCE.

What the fuck is this? I’ve always noticed it there in the background, but… I’ve never considered… is this Earth??? The surface of the Mario Planet? Are you telling me all of these “galaxies” are simply a collection of stylized MOONS??? Do we ever actually leave the outer atmosphere? Well, maybe. Looking at the skyboxes of a few more worlds, it seems we do actually bounce around a few other planets, but they’re nearly always there, holding our bee-themed satellites in rotation of itself. That makes more cosmological sense, I suppose, but I’ll stand by that Super Mario Satellite wouldn’t have been too horrible of a name if Nintendo wanted some fucKING ACCURACY WITH THEIR TITLES. HAPPY MARIO DAY EVERYONE. The big MAR10. I totally planned for this to release exactly today, and it’s not just because I put this whole project on the backburner while I focused on my Real Life Job. Thank you to everyone who has been reading these (I see you). I’ve repeated before that these reviews are mostly for me, but the few people that have been leaving likes did motivate me to keep going. I’ll be posting more things on this blog in the future, but I’m not sure I’ll do the Year in Review thing in this manner again. Look forward to more of my ramblings! Or don’t! Skim them in mild interest! Don’t read them at all! Either way, wahoo! Yippee! Yahaha! And Have A Blessed Mario Day.

[iguessricciardo]

The shock I felt today seeing so much Daniel hate on my OWN dashboard. Damn like what the fuck. I admit I enjoy hate scrolling and I sniffed out some blogs talking shit about Daniel and blah blah but to see it on my own dash from people I enjoy following..praying for Daniel to flop compared to Yuki…where the fuck did all this “support young drivers” come from. How do they know there isn’t already a pre determined agreement with Liam for AT 2024? Why would he stop his stint in super formula if he could continue what he’s doing now and start the season fresh with a new car. Is Daniel just supposed to keel over and admit defeat and give others a chance?? Give me a fucking BREAK. I think going into AT knowing it’s a shitty situation is NOT the same as going into McLaren thinking it would be all sunshine and rainbows. It just always feels like there’s specific outrage at Daniel that’s rarely directed at other drivers. It’s so hard to draw the line between us being optimistic/delusional versus actually seeing the point and what path this could lead to for him. But damn there’s no reason for people to be so damn mean and cunty.

i feel you but honestly after the hell we’ve been through last season i genuinely stopped giving a fuck about anyone’s opinion. they’d write think pieces about what should and shouldn’t happen but if anything remotely close happens to their favorite driver suddenly the rules have changed lol. so yeah im gonna choose to enjoy my little gremlin and his big smile every weekend and leave all the negativity with them lol bc sooner or later something will happen to their favorite driver and guess who won’t give a fuck? as a sports fan since basically i was born, just enjoy the things you like and ignore everything else.

[jtargaryen18]

Wait,I just saw an ask you answered about Waves That Beat on Heaven's Shore,for real? Seriously? You will continue it in 2024? It's 1st January already where I live as I was reading that and honestly it's the best news I could've ever read this New Year. I miss Waves so much,you have no idea ❤ I smiled,I giggled,I blushed,got butterflies in my stomach and I cried over Waves 💔 It's just so,so beautiful 😢❤ It's probably my favourite story ever and I'm so grateful to find it in my lifetime. I love it more than any romance/drama books I've ever read,they don't compare. AHIAR would be my number 2 favourite. I've probably re-read it more than 20 times. I even tried to "continue" it,in my personal notes,that I will never put out or have anybody read it except for myself (don't worry,I know that's wrong since the fic is yours,it's your work and property),like putting my own imagination and thoughts on how the story will continue,think of it as fanfiction of a fanfiction. And honestly,it's shit compared to your gift for writing. Trying to come up with suitable plots in my personal fanfiction of Waves made me realize it's actually really hard to write a story and even harder to write great ones and it made me appreciate writers like you more 🙏🏼 No pressure,as we all understand that real life always comes first no matter what. Only we ourselves know how busy we are in each of our personal lives'. Hell,I was busier in 2023 than I had been in 2022 or previous years,and it'll probably be busier and packed for me in 2024. You don't owe anyone anything and like someone already said to you here,no one's sponsoring or paying you,it's art and you should enjoy what you're doing,instead of feeling like you're pressured to do it ❤

And like the Waves anon said,even if you can't continue it,that's okay too ❤ Like the Waves anon,it'll be my 2023 Holidays gift wish as well. Even if you can't,I'll still love your other works and will keep an eye out for your future works ❤ Thank you so much for everything! ❤ For all the adventures you brought us through and all the feelings you gave us through your amazing stories! ❤ I really am grateful to find you and blessed myself with your talented writing 🙏🏼 Happy New Year to you and your family! ❤ Have a blessed New Year and may all your wishes and dreams come true in 2024 ❤ All the best and all the love in the world for you ❤❤❤

First of all, Happy New Year. 💕 I hope 2024 is good to you.

This note had me tearing up. It really did. Thank you for this. I mean it. 💕💕💕 And it resonated with me so much because...

You read correctly. I am picking Waves back up. I got sick over the holiday at the end of the year. I was there with the laptop after we got the kids down and I knew I wasn't going to be able to sleep (cough). I went through all my files and I found the next chapter I'd started for Waves, so long ago. I really got upset at myself because after I read that, I went back to my notes. The outline. I love the story because it lets us keep up with Steve and his girl from Rage. I also have this twist in Waves that I was really proud of and I want to write it, damn it. So this is the year we're going to do it. 🙏

Also I wanted to say, don't dismiss your own writing so easily. I'll bet you're a good writer and I hope to get to read your work someday. 💕

Thank you so SO much for this. From the bottom of my heart, thank you 💕💕💕

[yesterdayiwrote]

I think he didn’t choose Haas or Williams because after his pretty disappointing and lacklustre time at McLaren (overall), he sees them as even further steps back considering how far behind everyone else on the grid their cars are. Plus it’s an ego thing, like he’s “too good” for the back marker teams and he probably still expects to be paid a significant salary (even tho McLaren is footing a lot of the bill next year rip), cause they damn sure wouldn’t be able to afford his regular one. In a way, Haas and Williams have become branded as the “end of career” teams for those that have already had a previous seat elsewhere on the grid. Like yeah they need to get their act together, but it’s not like they’re shit on purpose. It would still give you opportunity to maybe help improve the team, or even jump ship the following year. But then again, after all the shit he’s had to go through with McLaren since last year, maybe he just wants a break from it all. Wouldn’t blame him

I think he’s maybe looking at the immediate opportunity they present rather than looking at the long term. That Haas hasn’t looked bad in some tracks this year and it’s not so much of a disaster anymore and Williams still has a way to go to catch up but looking at what Alex has produced again there’s opportunities. A p12 in one of those cars will always be lauded more than a p12 in a McLaren. He would only have to be producing the same results as he already is to be looking impressive again and that could help him get his confidence back.

But instead of playing it cool, he made a public comment that he wasn’t interested and so now he’s burnt two more bridges. Add those to McLaren and Alpine and then add in the fact that Merc/Ferrari/Red Bull are unlikely to give him a first team seat and Alpha Tauri passed on him this year, that leaves Aston and Alfa Romeo as the only teams he seems to have a realistic chance of getting a seat with and they don’t have spaces immediately on the horizon. Even if he did want to sit out this upcoming season, he’s shrunk his opportunities somewhat for the future.

I wonder if his sponsors have had a hand somewhat, and don’t want to lend their name to specific teams which has stifled his chances. Williams or Haas would have been a pay cut for sure but I think writing them off is a big mistake.

My guess is he knows it’s slim pickings for 2024 as well and the sabbatical line is a bit of PR coming into play. That way he can dabble next year and then say he’s found a great new opportunity for 2024 as a new start if one arises. It does mean he probably won’t get a proper send off though which is a shame. He had his scripted series in the pipeline, maybe he’ll commit time to that. He could hypothetically make more money from treading the media circuit than he gets driving.

[365-betterdays]

april 8, 2024 | 12:18am

hi there! you haven't missed much here. i've been spending a lot of time with my friends and my partner. to start,

march 21-23 - i went to vigan with friends. to be specific, thalia (ofcourse, she deserves to be mentioned first. i love that bitch) , -redacted name bc i hate her- , russ, gerah, ash, yana, and mj ! it was fun. the whole trip felt like a turning point for our friendship. we had loads of fun ! lots of laughs, loud noises. we were basically autism, if autism were a group of people.

i had been breaking my back for research. my friends are included, i struggle opening up to them about how much of my soul is slowly dying due to the paper. will open up, but maybe next week.

year book pictorial ! dam i looked semi-like shit. it was a comical experience, so i don't really mind. it was a character developing-ish moment. mj and thalia had my back after i bawled my eyes out over how unready i was. after the breakdown, i was rejuvenated back into being a bad bitch. especially after finding out the class prude student cried over how ugly she was. i haven't gotten that bad yet lol.

joined an outreach program. *i fed the other half* ... i'm joking !

been doing well in school, i haven't had a single absent since March 7, 2024.

i've been recommended to do community service, no suspension for two major offenses: cutting class and leaving school premises without consent. it's honestly fine. i'll be going home from school much later, 4:30pm. i think?

i think i gained some weight. about 3-4kgs. it's all good. i can bounce back with just less eating. we're good. i'm fine (?)

found a special place in my heart for thrifting. oh god. i have no money.

i've been spending more time in hotels with my partner.

taste in music? i've been listening to lovey dovey music. my relationship is in one of its best states - we've been communicating more and dealing with our relationship in a healthier way.

i've been finding myself more lately. but like, "FINDING" finding myself. i've been setting more boundaries and standards for my relationships with other people and for myself. i love it !

more more more gifts from my partner. after the shit i've been through? i deserve this. :) i love malik so much.

finals and grad coming sooon ! college better watch out.

planning to focus MOOORE this summer on myself. i want to spend more time with friends, family, with malik. look at the mirror more often. find what feels comfortable. find my way back home.

cancelled a trip to elyu. i was too damn tired from pagudpud. 12+ hours sitting on a bus did something to my soul. i FELT my ass turn purple.

mj and yana are a thing now. (a thing i love)

ise went by my house last week asking if she could climb my roof. it was fucking crazy. the bitch's dating a mf sex offender. she also used my name to cut classes. crazy !

speaking of, i've been setting more boundaries diba? emphasis: no more squeezing myself into situations where i'm not needed or looked for. no more forcing myself. i know, it sounds kinda icky. this whole statement sounds like i'm screeching "nO mORe Mr. NiCE gUy" in an icky icky voice. but yeah jokes aside, i'm genuinely proud of myself for this one. no more being a push over. more hatred, but atleast?

malik's been helping me out more often. thankfully. i'm so grateful.

people from the past had been reaching out to me lately. it's kinda crazy.

i love legos now. wowowoweee!

went to manila. moa, rizal park, the national museums. you name it! i also had been going to tags more often with malik too.

i didn't know this list would go this far. you did miss a lot.

[ladygoofball]

A Shady Love Poem from the office of Cassandra Apparently

For Apparently, Nobody. Fuckers. If you want Inanna's story? You'll keep reading. If not, feel free to scroll on by and accept my little written kiss sounds

kiss muah muah lovie lovie thank you for the time.

I just love pushing the boundaries of what is possible because the only thing I've ever been good at is fantasizing a better life for myself. I'm just nobody though, don't quote me on that.

To clarify it is to the same audience as my Battle Worn Boots poem. I'm tired of figuring out the meaning of words. You might say I've been chasing some wild geese for crumbs. What the hell do I know though? I'm just a lady! An American at that!

Another application? In this economy?! Come on. I've done thousands over the course of 7 years, and I'm pretty sure that is not hyperbole but I can't look in my emails without feeling a sense of disgust in my own behavior. Call it an official Strike Declaration.

The offices of Cassandra Apparently calls that? Witchcraft. Ereshkigal's crypto-testimonial (free of as many negative effects to the environment as humanly possible so better than crypto currency) is below the cut. The vibe? Keep that li'l diddy on repeat.

DATE OF PREDICTION: Basically all of 2024 so far. Assholes.

First off? Fuck you for questioning that authenticity. That needs to be said in no uncertain terms. Call me Absolute Truth, if you dare. I won't accept that in writing that needs to be told TO my face. That's where my self respect is, raise the bar any higher and I'll be happy to take this shit elsewhere tyvm (thank you very much in american gods damned english)

The spirits told me?

CALL THE PROJECT CASSANDRA!!!

I knew They'll say "No, that's too good to be true!" The bots will prevent the word from Reaching you. I did it anyway. That's too bold? Cool now I have to code switch to flirting because characters are limited and have to jump through hoops to prove I'm not trying to do that with any real ass person right now.

I say? I'll keep knocking until I get answers. As politely as possible until it might get to be too late. That's called good cyber security working out of courtesy to save something worth fighting for, Your Honor. What if there was a better world that I could show you?

I keep them begging. Yearning for the definition of the word. I am a Lit'rary thirst trap on the world wide web. I'll be Miss spider for a second and keep going anyway.

Oh...yes? GIVE IT TO ME, PLEASE!!!!

Bitch, "please"?

Just "please"? Not even dolling it up for me?

THE queen of 2020 hindsight? Come on.

You know what, now I have to start laying some ground rules. Call them boundaries, a steel sword in a marriage bed, or whatever. That's why I'm so activated anyway, I'm now in military generational trauma land Your Honor.

Yes, it is kind of your fault...but Yes it is kind to know people care. No, I'm not really that angry but Witness Ereshkigal cannot rest this case until it she knows it has been WITNESSED. Inanna does not come out for just anyone. /genuine.

I just have to set some HARD LINES IN THE SAND. I call that: building a wall with just imaginary bricks and mortar since the economy is collapsing and border walls are a poor concept in real life anyway. I call that Quality American Craftsmanship, a dying breed. I watched "Adventures from the Book of Virtues", I know when something is just a lesson and when something is direct. That was how I went to sleep thanks to good ole public television.

Rules for Conducting Business with Cassandra Actually, if you want to come into her house and beg her forgiveness for not listening to her sooner.

For the Camp Records: No, You don't personally have to, but someone should at this point for fuck's sake.

Rule 1: JUST PLEASE?! If this elvish paradise isn't enough for you, then hand me the keys. I'll drive US somewhere better, eh? We can call that Manifest Destiny without slaughtering native peoples and not endangering anyone in the process for being too on the nose. If that's not possible? I get it, but somebody has to try to get something better for me and for the record? I'm very happy to do it by myself thank you very much. My grandmother owns her own building. It's in my blood to seek the best for myself. Noni would approve, and she calls me frequently to provide tech support for her because she can't work a computer to get tenants. I don't have a single aspect of what I do on this WWW that is not exploited by someone, so that's why it has to be like that.

Rule 2: Do not do me the discourtesy of keeping their names from my shit list. If they bother any of you, bring them to me. I'll show them a way around a word or two. I've written thousands just for myself and nobody gets to see that before I am finished.

That last song probably got old by now, so you know what? Let's throw in another one to change the audience and the tone without putting words to what I'm doing for once in my gods damned life.

Rule 3: If I swing and I tell You to Duck? Then, bitch you had better get Quacking. That's not putting too much emphasis on the timeline, that's running out of funds to write checks that I can't cash if I wanted to because Nobody says it is not safe for me there. My entire Organization is on the line. I still honor the value of words, which is a craft that is apparently lost on these ghosts.

Rule 4: I may have been here for a while now, but I do NOT make time for anyone who can't get their damned facts straight. Even if it hits them over the head with ACME's Anvil. Bugs Bunny ass. That's not my problem, Your Honor. That sounds like a pissed off spirit. Too bad the art of Necromancy is dead in this place. If only a wizard knew how to Divine the cards as well as we can. A shame, really.

He must not be a master of the school of Divination like he claims to be!

Rule 5: I do not have time and will not make time for anyone who cannot get their facts STRAIGHT. It's the only straight thing about me, all these facts that I have are the definition of the straight and narrow.

He says that the way I hit it makes him forget his words? Try harder than that!

He says I must be celestial with all these angels singing in the chorus? Try harder than that!

The tone shifts away again? She can't keep doing this, but They say "Third time is the charm!"

Bozo Apparently asks: WHO THE FUCK HEALED YOU? WHO LAID HANDS? WHO CHARGED? THE GOOSE GIRL?? Over 400 hours, assholes. And weeks of playing with wild geese on the internet. 3 different runs through the Holy Narrative and I refuse to play through Act two until my eyes stop burning and my psyche is healed. I know how to play a video game or two and I know far better ones I can spend my time with. Ask Matthew Mercer who my last man might have been. Call that? Rune Factory 4 approves.

Did you say: Only a General could get them stepping this fast?

Bozo says: It could have been too late, sorry I'm a bit rushed! The economy is collapsing and industries I keep trying to get into are shutting me out faster than I can count how many weeks my unemployment checks. It's not that bad, all things considered, but if I was more than a half inch away from losing my familiars with no other options to save them I would not call myself Witch.

Bitch. Fuck a closing paragraph.

Wait, one last recommendation? Watch "The Social Dillema" and tell me I'm looking too into subliminal messaging online again motherfucker. You might as well add the Lizzie Bennet Diaries youtube series to your media diet too, while you're at it.

[thepetiteninja]

Welcome to 2024

Hello again!

My most recent post was from 4 years ago. And so much had happened since, so I guess it's time for another update. I'm writing this for me who will be reading this entry after a few years, maybe when I remember to dig up my old tumblr account again just because I felt like reminiscing.

So anyway, I'm turning thirty this year. That hasn't sunk yet because more than anything — I'm getting married this year too. It's still to the guy I have been writing about years before. We're turning 9 years this 2024, and are tying the knot this October. He proposed to me two years ago. On top of the Singapore Flyer, 11.11.22. Damn, what a date.

But the past few years weren't all about butterflies and happiness. These past few years were actually some of the worst ones of my life so far. I'm in debt. But fortunately on a good payment plan now that I haven't missed. I risked a really good job to pursue hosting full time — that only lasted for 3 months. Then shifted industries because I wanted to still give myself a chance. And so now I'm still hosting but for e-commerce livestreams. Got promoted twice in a year. I'm now a trainer. But I still do copywriting on the side because it makes good money. At least now I've flipped it up. Doing my passions full time then writing on the side. I'm tired though, to tell you the truth.

Mind-wise, I'm confident. I know what I can bring to the table and what I'm capable of. I don't second guess myself too much now. I still work hard and multi-task. I know my worth. I know my strengths. I learned my lessons well. I've been through difficult times and now I've gained stability. I know I'm ready to fly. In a smarter, more mature way.

Life-wise could be better. Because the wedding is right around the corner, everything I'm earning is being poured to it. So you can say I'm still living paycheck to paycheck after all the great things I take pride on. I'd like to think I've planted a lot of seeds that I'm just waiting to harvest soon. Hopefully the wedding turns out great, so I could finally enjoy the fruits of my labor completely. To be honest tonight, dinner was just a pack of pancit canton and cup noodles. It's petya de peligro and I don't know where to get tomorrow's fare to work. But I'll get by. After a day, salary's gonna come. I really hope it gets so much better soon.

So these things, y'know. It's entirely great but minutely terrifying. And every single time God proves to me that there's guidance from above. You won't believe how many conveniently unexpected blessings I've gotten over the past tumultuous years. I can't even comprehend how I've weathered through all the moments I worried about. But I'm here, sitting on my couch, safe, satiated, typing whatever comes to mind. It's these reflective, peaceful pauses that makes you realize that despite the chaos, I'm actually okay. Barely breathing but pushing on.

I'd like to think future me who would be reading this somehow, someday, would look at me and say: "just wait, it's going to be better". Because I would be saying the same thing to myself who started this blog 10+ years ago. It had gotten so much better. Crazier, but better. I wish future me would say, "babe, we're a millionaire". But more importantly would love her to say, "we still love what we do". No matter what that looks like.

So there. I think that's an ample update about how I am now. And hopefully in a few years tumblr would still be here so I'd be able to read all this again. It's a good self-therapy shit. And also I just missed writing my thoughts like this.

Ok, I'm just rambling now. Until the next update!

[heartshapedcreaturefromcriptoon]

Oh my god... Micheal.... You literal little whiny asshole pussy baby fuck boi bitch... Was garnering a small and obnoxious cult following for your discount Shaggy 'I am not a Negro' Rogers and The Reluctant Weresmurf looking ass and also meeting your girlfriend through your work on that pilot not actually goddamn fucking enough for you to just move on? Your involvement with Hazbin Hotel as a project is over with and you're clearly still bitter about that. Angel Dust is not your character anymore, nor was he ever Ashley's. Your relationship with this series and interaction with it's fanbase should've been long finished by now, you should not have been consuming any new media having to do with the series proper moving forward, and you certainly shouldn't be name searching yourself, goddamn fucking monitoring the comments on new releases for this character that you even admitted yourself that you no longer have anything to contribute to (nor should you want to) screen grabbing these opinions that you no long get the right to have any opinion whatsoever on, that you shouldn't even be snooping around to see or care about (because you're no longer involved and have foregone all attachment for, allegedly) and start behaving out of nowhere as if you're a freaking reddit incel because your fangirls ostensibly gave their public opinion that was already kinda hidden in youtube comment or twitter replies or whatever, that you had absolutely no right to be looking at, of how this other man preforms better than you. Shaming these people who are most likely girls publicly, on twitter where people can see it.

"The Tweet" is still clearly visible via quote tweet and if you still felt any type of way about people constructively critiquing your performance for a character that you should nor longer have any say in or attachment to, you should've drank your baby bottle baja blast and been quiet, dummy.

Then maybe instead of publicly tweeting your feeling regarding a fandoms opinions about your [performance in a project you're no longer involved in Micheal, you should've taken a tip from Rob Paulsen and call PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE GET A LIFE FOUNDATION. Or at least find another legacy voice actor who's range you could try to be a little copy cat of so maybe people wouldn't be finding your little discarded animaniac schtick so annoying.

And this is what you get for ether naming searching yourself or your old characters, and then invasively screen capping other people's shit to whine about their constructive opinions about a project your no longer involved with and thus, should no longer be having any negative effects on you at all...

Now, if you're so asexual, why did you just make this poor fan publicly suck your dick and little blue balls, man? You really think you're Jared Leto ... 30 Seconds To Micheal. The parasocial manipulation here is so creepy. Your the one who's reaching by thinking others making constant disclaimers they loved you before stating their constructive opinion was apparently "tearing you down". 'The Cult of Kovach' is so real. 💀

It wouldn't be so "hurtful" if someone stopped making their eyes moist by crying over opinions on something they stopped working on a long damn time ago and since when when is making constant disclaimers of love before stating constructive criticism "objectively ripping into another person for no reason"?! The asexual blue smurfycat proved in his absolute shitpost of a "Closer" cover that he shouldn't be playing a Sex Worker because he can't take singing about fucking seriously for shit, while Blake Roman can. Maybe because Blake has actual Sex Appeal and is objectively pretty too. Now fuck this person for making me actual reference Doug Walker's content in 2024 and while we're at it? Fuck Lackadaisy for their disgrace of even having someone who actually still works at Channel Awesome on their payroll. Among other things 💀

Again, how is making constant disclaimers about how much you love a pubic figure before stating a constructive critique "talking shit", Silva? People who work in animation are just as oversensitive and immature as their followers and Micheal was the only one here acting like a creepy little mouth breather by making his fan cult apologize to him and I don't give a fuck about actually saying that and I don't need to abbreviate it ether. 💀

The only one showing their actual face in their icon is the only acting like a goddamn fucking professional here, of course of course, but I just want to ask, like, where was all this professional energy that Ashley and Micheal should've been exhibiting in defense of Medrano, whom they have to fuck for there meet cute, once they both found out their new (and actually transphobic" employers, had rejected there old employers new studio's five thousand dollar donation? No quiet dignity or grace about anything in Furry Hell. Fuck Micheal. 💀

[bangfantanfic]

Our Own World: Chapter 5

Warnings: N/A Type: Hybrid/Yandere/Fluff/Angst Authors Note: Once again, incredibly slow update!! Writers Block is kicking my ass. I have started writing other stories too, so everything is all over the place. I hope you enjoy!!

editied: 21/03/2024

TAG LIST: open. ​

Since the lockdown, your two shopping trips a week have become your only alone time. One person per household was allowed out to do any grocery shopping needed, this rule had been put in place to combat the spread of covid. Every trip to and from the store you dragged out, driving a little under the speed limit, dragging the soles of your feet as you moved painstakingly slow through every single isle of the store. You bought unnecessary items, and too many snacks, and waited in the longest serving line. Just for some peace away from them. It wasn't that you hated the men, hate was too strong of a word. You didn't even dislike them, you were just uncomfortable still. The constant touching, clinging.. it was a lot. 

You had grown closer to everyone-- even Yoongi who often looked at you like a bug on a wall. You spent most of your time with Seokjin and Namjoon, occasionally with Jimin, Taehyung, and Hoseok. Yoongi and Jeongguk spent most of their time together, and while you had eased up the ‘rocky ground’ with Yoongi, Jeongguk continued to ignore your existence as much as he could. Namjoon had tried to get the youngest hybrid to warm up to you, or to at least acknowledge your existence but his attempts were all in vain. You wished you could say you had gotten comfortable with them all, you had become closer to them after all. But you hadn’t. Every time a tail brushed across your skin, every twitch of an ear, or animalist urge they acted on had your skin crawling and begging you to run away.

“Oh shit-- Crap, I’m so sorry!”

You grunted, the bars of your shopping cart hitting your ribs and promising a tender bruise. Jaw clenched you glared up at the red-faced attacker. The male was slightly taller than you, his head showing signs of hair regrowth from a close shave, and his cheeks chubby and flaming red in embarrassment. Dressed similarly to you in sweatpants and a hoodie you doubted was ever his size. You raised an eyebrow at the man who hung his head in shame. 

“You should be more careful.” You warned him, your sharp tone making his already pink cheeks turn fiery red. The tone that left your lips surprised even you, slightly embarrassed that you had let yourself be so lost in thoughts.

 He nodded, his bony fingers itching his scalp. “I know. I just don’t know my way around the store, my brother usually does the shopping.” He explained weakly. “I haven’t been here before.” 

You bite your cheeks, nodding in understanding. You had Jin with you on the first few shopping trips, he helped you learn the layout quickly. He didn’t have anyone there to teach him how the store layout. You pitied him.  You had finished your shopping, collecting everything from the list the boys had sent you. You were wasting time at this point, picking things from shelves and throwing them into the cart, knowing damn well it will never get eaten. You were just desperate for a few moments of peace and space from the men you were basically trapped with. This was the perfect excuse to be out of the house a little longer. 

You sighed heavily, your hot breath getting caught in the material of your mask. “I can help you find everything.” You offered, adjusting your fogged-up glasses. 

Relief seemed to flood over his face, his head bobbing eagerly. “Please…”You nodded, moving your cart around so you were beside him leaving a gap between. 

“Read out your list and I’ll lead the way.” 

“Welcome home.” Yoongi drawled from the kitchen. He was leaning by the coffee machine, mug in hand waiting. It looked like he had just woken up, his dark hair sticking up in every direction, his face still puffy with sleep. A crumpled black shirt and shorts from the day before still on, he must've fallen asleep without changing. 

You narrowed your eyes, dropping four bags onto the grey marble counter and shaking out your aching arms. The hybrid just watched in amusement, unblinking yellow eyes following every tiny movement you made. His lips stretched into a grin as you spread out your thin arms, dramatically gesturing to the bags before you, silently asking him 'Well?', with an eyebrow arching upwards. 

“Did you get the lamb?” 

Your jaw dropped, disbelief flooding your features. This asshole stood, sipping his coffee when he damn well heard your shitbox of a car pull up the driveway, and instead of giving you a hand, instead of asking if there's anything left in the car to grab, all he cares for is the fucking lamb? You were sure you were about to burst a blood vessel, but instead of kicking and screaming--or possibly even throwing the giant jug of milk at his head, you gave him a dismissive look, beginning to unpack the bags. 

“Sorry, but they were all out.” You had spent a ridiculous amount of time walking the meat section of the store, desperately trying to find anything lamb-based, and nothing. You even asked the workers who all gave the same answer, sold out. You ended up settling for steaks, excited for the meal you had tried so hard to convince Yoongi to go for instead. 

His eyes narrowed, setting the mug aside. “Did you go to the butcher next door?” He scoffed, crossing his arms, eyes darting between you and the bags. 

“I didn’t have time--” Your lie was cut off by a loud voice, followed by thundering footsteps. 

“Y/n!” 

The deep voice was quickly identified as Taehyung's. Unlike the hybrids, you weren't able to distinguish who was who by footsteps or smell. Thankfully the men all had unique voices so you were able to figure out who was who without too much thought, but that was practically useless unless they spoke before launching themselves into you. Taehyung had been the most handsy with you thus far, so it wasn't too hard to figure out who was hanging from you. Scent has always been a strong sense that the majority of animals have, meanwhile, humans have a rather dull ability to pick up smells. Scientists had put an obsessive amount of effort into ensuring hybrids had an accelerated sense of smell, allowing them to protect their owners to the maximum! Until they were outlawed that is. 

Your return home had sent a shock of chaos through the house, Jeongguk was first to pick up the unfamiliar new scent in the house, Namjoon following soon after. They knew Yoongi was downstairs, so if it was an intruder Yoongi would have alerted everyone by now, still the unease had settled into the four men. The smell was offputting, an overwhelming scent of lime filling the house. Taehyung had been the first to run to find the scent, his eyes narrowing when he found it had been coming from you all along. He didn’t mean to throw his body against you so forcefully, and thankfully he had caught his hand on the counter before your body could make an impact to it, an arm wrapped around your waist for added protection.

“Taehyung, watch it!” You huffed, pressing a hand to your chest. You could feel the fur of his tail brushing up against any bare skin it could find, the same nauseous feeling filled you like every other time fur managed to find its way to your skin. You didn't need your poor ribs being hit again. 

The hybrid huffed, having to hold himself back from burying his nose in your neck. “You stink.”

You rolled your eyes, beginning to unpack the shopping. “Nice to see you too.”

The first time Taehyung had met Y/N had gone less than smoothly. The whole ordeal had been incredibly stressful and still is. Taehyung had found the stranger pretty, even with her hair knotted to hell, and the bags under her eyes looking like she had never known a day of sleep. Her glasses were sitting dangerously low on her nose, threatening to fall on the hard floors and crack. He had wanted nothing more than to push them up the bridge of her nose and smoothen out her hair. He couldn’t do any of that. Even now. Taehyung couldn't remember all the times he had to dig his nails into his palm to keep his hands still, to not reach out and touch you all over. It got trickier as the days dragged on. Whilst you had grown somewhat used to the touches, you weren't thrilled or comfortable with it.  It was hard for Taehyung to accept that you weren't as instantly comfortable around him as he was with you, he wanted you to return his touches. Instead, you went stiff, robotic movements as try to go about your day before he interrupted with his love. He was thankful you reacted the same way to the rest of the hybrids in the house, and it wasn't directed solely toward him. Taehyung was sure you would get over your discomfort soon enough, you couldn't be spooked by your soulmate forever. 

God, it had been so hard to concentrate on your words when all he could hear was ringing. 

Tearing himself away from your skin was like ripping off his own skin.  The animalistic side of his had already grown attached to your scent and it was demanding to be back in the safe aroma. Your scent is now associated with being home. With the feeling of safety and love, and so now, poor Taehyung couldn’t understand why you so smelt wrong. The smell of another person, another man, lingered on your clothes. It was frustrating Taehyung to no end, he wanted you to burn the clothes and take a long shower, scrub away the lingering smells of the outside world so he could replace it once again with his scent. 

Taehyung watched mopily as you moved around the kitchen with easy, teasing banter with Yoongi coming with ease as you placed away all the groceries. The familiar pool of jealousy in Taehyungs stomach began to whirl making him feel nauseous. You seemed most comfortable around Yoongi and Taehyung hated it. What was so great about the overgrown cat? What was so special about him? 

Yoongi seemed to catch onto the younger male's jealousy, his nose scrunching up at the foul smell that filled the room. Nothing smelt worse than jealousy. A smirk stretched over the elder man's lips, his brow quirking up at the monkey hybrid, almost daring his friend to try and do something. 

You were still incredibly uneasy around Yoongi, nine out of ten times he had an unreadable expression; dark, void— calculating. He seemed to be prepared for every situation that could be thrown his way. But he had opened quickly, much faster than you had honestly expected. He was quick to make jokes, tease you, and annoy you to your wit's end. Your similar personalities had made it easy for you to find some comfort around him, not shutting yourself as quickly. You happily engaged in banter with the hybrid. Despite the comfortable bubble you both had made for yourselves, you quickly noticed he kept his distance, his tail tucked away every time the two of you were in the same room. It had taken a while for you to pick up on the habit, and you had quickly realized he did it because of you. He was considering your discomfort. The stress that overtook your brain after realizing he was hiding parts of himself away when you were in the room had your stomach churning. Had you offended him? Said something without thinking? That wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for you. Your mouth never knew when to shut the fuck up. 

It turned out, Yoongi knew of your hatred of animals. Your brother had shared the stories of you screaming and sobbing like you had witnessed a murder whenever a dog's tail would touch you. He had been trying to make you feel comfortable, and God, did that make the guilt in your gut grow. You were so focused on your discomfort around the men, that you hadn't taken into consideration that you might be making them uncomfortable for something they can't help.  

“Y/N, dinner is ready!” 

You peeked over your phone, smiling at Jimin who was leaning so far over toward you, you were worried he was about to drop and crush you. It hadn’t taken you long to pick up how affectionate Jimin was. The way he clung to his brothers, always seeming to have a hand on someone. Jimin had been one of the first of the hybrids you got comfortable with, Seokjin being the very first and Jimin following very closely behind. He would bring you warm drinks and sweet snacks, and ask you questions about your job hunt, what University had been like, and hobbies you had. You genuinely liked to be around him. The 'friendship' you had started to develop with Jimin and Seokjin was very different from that of Yoongi, the level of comfort you felt compared to was very different. 

The only downfall to being in Jimin’s company was the giant, bushy tail that always found its way to you. He was always quick to apologize, and you would feel the guilt begin to burn in your stomach, especially after your realization with Yoongi. So you had started to put a conscious effort into your facial expressions, trying to hide the annoyance or disgust that would usually coat your features when their tails made any contact with your skin.

“Who cooked?” You asked worriedly, reaching a hand out to the boy in front of you. He readily grabbed your hand, helping pull you up into a sitting position. He made no effort to let go of your hand, his eyes crinkling as he laughed at your skepticism. 

“Yoongi and Tae, I promise it’s good.” You narrowed your eyes, looking for any hint of a lie before you nodded pulling both your bodies off the cosy sofa.

 “If I die, I’ll haunt you.” 

Jimin laughed, rolling his eyes. “I wouldn’t let you die. Not under my watch!” 

Stilling holding hands, Jimin pulled you to the kitchen. You couldn’t see it, but the others saw it very clearly. The smug grin on the silver-haired male, the tightened grip he put on your hand. “I found her!” He sang, gently pulling you over to a chair, and helping you sit down before snagging the seat beside you. 

“No shit.” Yoongi snorted, dropping into his seat at the opposite end of the table. You grinned at his bitter attitude, before looking up at Taehyung who was beginning to place large bowls of salads and other mixes of food that matched each hybrid's diets along the middle of the table, and a large plate being passed around the table with the steak you had bought that morning. 

Taehyung looked down at you, a tiny smile on his lips as he placed an empty plate with cutlery on top in front of you. You mouthed a thank you to him before turning to the large feast ahead. You weren’t sure where to start, or what exactly each dish was made up and Jimin must’ve noticed your slow start compared to everyone else who had already started eating. He scoffed, nudging your shoulder lightly before he began to pile your plate with steak and a small side of a fruity-looking salad. You couldn’t help the questioning look you gave him. It wasn’t a common combination. 

You had been too fixated on teasing Jimin for his choices of food to notice three pairs of eyes narrowing in on the hybrid who hovered over you, nor did you notice the smug grin on his lips. He was proud of the attention you were giving him, all focused on him and nobody else. His brothers didn’t exist to you at this moment, you were all for him. 

[thelittlestcheshire]

Self Para 008: I Don’t Pretend to Know the Challenges You’re Facing Word Count: 2024 words When: July 2020, in the early hours of July 19th during Ches’s birthday trip Note: I decided I’m going to queue up and post one of the old self paras I never posted, Feel free to skip it, since it’s a past event and stuff. TWs: Rape (mentioned / discussed), Anxiety Attacks, Alcoholism / Drinking, Hangovers, Vomitting, Death, suicide (not exactly but there’s a definite apathy towards the idea of death this as well so better safe than sorry), murder (her mother)

There was a loud thud as a purse landed on the suite’s floor as Ches stumbled through the front door. She knew she shouldn’t have gone to galaxy edge before closing for drinks, but she was desperate to feel good. Yet, no matter how much she drank today, she didn’t feel the happiness that tended to run through her veins. She felt worse and worse. Even the sight of the balloons in the living room from Emmett and his girlfriend didn’t bring any sort of joy.

It was her fault her mother died; she should have been here instead of Ches. And the more gifts she received, the more she thought back to why her mother was dead. If she hadn’t gone to get gifts for Jonah... it felt like the room was spinning as the thought came back. Wait, no, the room was definitely spinning.

“Hey Ches, sorry I needed to- fuck.” Zander had just come out from the living room, likely taking her up on his offer to hide, but his attempt to avoid people is forgotten by the time he reaches her. “Come on, let’s get you to bed.” There were two of him by the time he wraps an arm around her to support her. “It’s been a long night.” He starts to lead her to her bedroom, and it’s hard to keep her feet under her as they walk. But he saves her from crashing to the floor and manages to get her on the bed.

“It wasn’t a night.” She slurs at him as she rests her head against her pillow. “Sky and I, you know. Club 33.” She knew the look on his faces even through the intoxicated haze. She knew he wasn’t happy about this. “I’m okay.” She informs him, starting to sit up. The room begins to move again, and for a moment, she feels like she might just be sick. She moves quickly, barely making it to the toilet before she vomits. Zander quickly behind her to hold back her hair. “See, fine.” She gets out weakly as she flushes the toilet.

“Definitely not fine.” He disagrees as he smooths out her hair. “I’m staying with you tonight, at least until you feel better.” It’s obvious she had no say in the matter, and she doesn’t waste the energy to protest. She slowly gets up, nearly falling face-first as she attempts to reach the bathroom sink to brush her teeth. He’s there in an instant to keep her from tumbling. Perhaps he had a point. She accepts the assistance as she brushes her teeth and doesn’t fight him as he leads her back to the bed and messes with all her pillows to ensure she’s propped up on her side.

“I hate you.”  

The words just slip off her tongue. Not how she genuinely felt in the slightest. Zander doesn’t seem to take offense. However, he just runs his fingers through her hair. “I know, I know. I’m the worst. Time for you to sleep.” He whispers back to her. She frowns, but she shuts her eyes, anyway. She’s not sure how long it takes: perhaps it’s minutes, maybe it was hours, but eventually she falls asleep.

—

Opening her eyes felt like literally crawling out of a grave when she finally does wake up, the only light shining was from a phone beside her. “Turn that damn thing off. It hurts,” Ches grumbles, the man beside her laying on top of her blankets complies. “What time is it anyway?”

“4 am, give or take.”

Zander’s answer only causes her to groan as she fixes her pillows the way she likes them. “Shit. No wonder I feel like I was run over by a freight train.” She continues to adjust her pillows, settling into a comfortable spot as she rolls over onto her back.

“No, I think that’s thanks to Club 33.” Zander gives her a pointed look. How did he even know she’d gone drinking there? That she had a membership at all for that matter. “I could pay for the entirety of my college tuition with how much you’ve spent on this trip. Couldn’t I?” There was something about his tone that feels off, that despite his words, it wasn’t the Disneyland trip he was frustrated with at the moment. “You’re spiraling again. The fancy trip, the mass text about Leo, the drinking. Fuck, everything that’s occurred since you came back to Luxor. Spring break, prom, open house. What’s going on?” Of course, he’d notice things weren’t right. Her luck couldn’t get any worse, could it?

“It’s the tenth anniversary of my mother’s death.” The excuse slides off her tongue quickly. But even in the dark, she could make out the look on his face. He knew she was lying, and yet she didn’t change her tune. She couldn’t. After what happened with Lucy, she wasn’t going to tell anyone about that ever again. “Zander, that’s all there is to everything. Drop it.”

He opens his mouth as if he had something to say, but he quickly shuts up. After a few seconds where it looks like he’s not going to push, she takes a breath. But her relief is short-lived when he finally speaks. “Has anyone ever mentioned you crinkle your nose when you lie?”

“I do not!” She protests immediately. Did she really have such an obvious tell? “I’m not lying. That’s really all there is to it. Please.” The word sounds like a plea, and as she hears it, she can’t help but dread him picking up on it. She didn’t need to give him more to question when he was already treading into territory she couldn’t stand to think about. How could she discuss it again? She barely got through it with Lucy.

“Okay, I just have one more question then. Why is your father spending so much money on you lately? Taking the entire school to Disneyland, a suite just for you to hide in, him showing up to graduation. Your Club 33 membership cost could be a household’s entire annual salary, There has to be a reason he’s tossing money at you so aggressively.”

The question causes her blood to run cold. What was she supposed to say? That his father suddenly saw the error of his ways became invested in her life. The lie didn’t even seem plausible, let alone believable. The entire truth hurt too much to think about; she didn’t want to get into the reasons. The best she could offer was the truth, without any details. “He feels guilty.”

“About your mom?” Zander’s voice is so soft, and as the slight hint of guilt starts to leak into it, she can feel her heart starting to break. He was too good to her, too safe, and he doesn’t even hesitate as she moves closer to him on the bed and tries to crawl into his arms. As she starts to sob, he just accepts that right now she needed someone to hold her. “I’m sorry, Chessie. I-”

“It’s not about maman, Zan. When I was home I had to attend his dinner parties, and his VP, he-” She can’t even finish getting the words out as she starts to sob, as the panic sets in and she clings tighter to him. The thought of that evening made her wish she could carve off her skin as if it’d erase the memories of that night from her mind. The more she remembers, the harder it feels to gasp for air, and the faster she breathes as her eyes rapidly search for the nearest escape route.

“Ches, hey. It’s okay, you’re okay.” His voice is gentle as he starts stroking her hair again. For a moment, she goes completely still as she tries to remind herself this was Zander. “You’re safe, I promise. Nobody’s going to hurt you here.” She focuses on the sound of his voice as he tries to comfort her, and slowly, but surely, oxygen is easier to catch. The fear was still lingering; the urge to flee and never look back was overwhelming. “You don’t have to say anything, okay.”

“Look where not saying anything got me, Zander.” She snaps at him, the words just coming out suddenly. “He fucking raped me, and I have to- no, I’m expected to just stay quiet and move past it. Sometimes I’m not sure if the money is because my dad is upset it happened or to keep my mouth shut. You know, he was the one who made me drop the charges.” She still could remember that talk with her father. She could shut her eyes and picture it as if it was five minutes ago still, her father pacing around the living room in their penthouse looking almost as disheveled as he had at her mother’s funeral, practically begging her to let him handle this behind closed doors because he didn’t think she’d survive a trial. “Said he thought I’d kill myself if we went to trials, he handled it behind the scenes.”

“It’s out of love, either way, I think,” Zander says gently as if he’s not sure he’s supposed to speak at all. Honestly, Ches isn’t sure she wants him to talk either. The last time she’d discussed it, she hadn’t felt any better. In ways, she felt worse - guilty for burdening Lucy with something so heavy she couldn’t explain to anyone else.

“I know.”

The words are hard for her to get out, even if it’s the truth. She knew that her father loved her, even when it sometimes felt like he didn’t care nearly enough. Perhaps, in its own fucked up way, this was his way of showing he cared. Her father’s actions weren’t out of ill intent.

“I’m sorry that you’re going through this, you had a horrible year.” He wasn’t wrong about that, the more she thought about it, the more she realized seventeen had truly sucked. “But, you can’t destroy yourself in your attempts to cope. I can’t figure out how you got back without hurting yourself. That’s an issue.”

“It’s not a deal-breaker.” As Ches continues to calm down slowly, the realization she’s trembling begins to dawn on her. “I don’t care if I die, you know.”

“Well I do. Lucy and Avery do, and Elliot would be devastated, so that’s not an option, for starters. So this shit needs to stop.” Zander’s voice is firm, almost like when Logan had no other choice but to scold them. “I can’t imagine what you’re going through, but this isn’t the answer, Hailey.”

For a brief moment, she considers saying something about her first name, but she doesn’t. She was too drained to fight with him over it. The use could be tolerated for one night. “You can’t tell anyone, Zander. The only person who knows is Lucy.” She says instead as she pulls herself out of his arms to lay in bed again.

“And your therapist?”

“Doesn’t know anything either.” She shuts her eyes as she says the word. Of course, she didn’t go to her therapist about this; it felt too painful to revisit, too heavy to bring words to at times. “Just promise me, Zander.”

“I promise I won’t tell anyone.” She can feel him moving on the bed beside her to start to get up as he says the words, her arm quickly reaching out to stop him. “But, I think you need to talk to your therapist. And-”

“Okay.” She agrees. “But, can you stay? I don’t want- I can’t be alone right now. Please?” The boy stops trying to move at her confession, the admittance she needed someone there. “I think being alone is a bad idea, and I don’t think I can ask Elli to-”

“I’ll stay, as long you need me to.”

She doesn’t say anything as she moves her arm back to her side of the bed. For a moment, she wonders if he’ll question it, but soon the only noise is the sound of his phone unlocking as the two settle into a comfortable silence.

[tchalla-rogers]

Avengers: Shutdown (Part 1)

Steve Rogers x Stark!Reader

Series Masterlist | This is Book 2. If you want to read Book 1 - Avengers: Inevitable, click here!

Unknown Location: 2024

“How many times do I have to ask for a damn cheeseburger? How hard is it?” a voice boomed from a distance. Your eyes flickered open slowly, the bright light causing them to shut closed again. A groan fell from your lips as you heard a chuckle, more than likely from the same person just ranting. “Ah, Sleeping Beauty is awake again.”

“What-?” your voice cut off as your fingers brushed against the cold cement beneath you. How the fuck did I get here?

“Yeah, I bet you’re thinking ‘how the fuck did I get here’, aren’t you?” he muffles, his mouth being stuffed with the food he was once complaining about.

You finally started to sit up, your hand immediately rushing to your head as it began to aggressively pound. A metal bowl full of what looked to be a pale, wretched blend of ingredients sat across from where you slumped on your stiff bed. The feeling of hunger began to creep in as the food started to look increasingly more satisfying to your stomach. Your body plopped to the cement floor, slightly whimpering as you reached for the metal bowl.

“I’m surprised they’re not here yet.” Your eyes immediately darted up, settling on a figure taking a few bites of the same food as you. He notices how you scarfed it down, lumps of the food pouring down your chin. “Take it slow. If you eat all that shit at once, you’re gonna feel sick.”

You wiped at your chin, slowly placing the bowl down. Your eyes wandered around the room, glass surrounding your quarters and the man’s across from you. There was no doubt this glass was as strong as it needed to be.

The man in the quarters across from you was dressed in a simple white shirt and pants, his hair rather groomed for someone to be locked in a cell. Your eyes scanned both living quarters separated by a bleak hallway, noticing the similarity between the beds and another discrete room that you could only hope was a bathroom. You then inspected your own self, dressed in the same unadorned white shirt and pants. “Where the hell am I?” you muttered, finally standing up. Unfortunately, your legs fell out from beneath you, grunting as your knees crashed against the cement.

“Yeah, I could’ve told you not to do that.”

“Yeah?” you rolled your eyes, finally making eye contact with the mysterious man who so desperately was seeking any sort of conversation. “Then why didn’t you?” You retreated to slumping against the wall, fatigue taking over your body.

He moderately shrugged, a grin taking over his charming tan face as he slid the metal bowl of slop away from where he sat. “I’ve seen you knocked out on that shitty bed most of the time after they’re done. That was the one source of amusement I’ve gotten for the last few weeks.” You rolled your eyes quickly, mind churning and wondering just how much time had passed. You couldn’t help but feel unsettled by his constant use of “them”.

“How long?” You were rather surprised when he actually heard you, your inaudible voice leaving in fear of the answer.

“How long since...what?” The man stood up from where he sat, retiring to his bed that had no sheets anywhere to be seen.

You pulled yourself to your own feet, using the sleek glass wall around you for shaky support. You heard his muffled sigh as you dragged your feet back to the bed placed against the wall. The bed was so stiff, yet felt a little more comfortable than the floor you were just sitting on. “Since I’ve been out?”

“Hmmm...well, you were always in and out...any time you would finally wake up, they’d come and grab you like that.” He snapped his fingers for emphasis, then glanced down at the floor beneath him, fingers gliding across the cement where several lines were engraved. “32 days in this shithole. Which...doesn’t count the days that I don’t remember. And I could be way off.”

Your mouth and brain strived to work together as the news hit you like a brick. “Do...do you know what they’re doing?” You were too weak to even make it to the glass that separated you from the hallway and the other prisoner across from you. As much as you desired to bang on the glass to get some attention from whoever “they” was...your eyelids were already striving to close once again.

The man snickered, head reclining into the rigid pillow once again. “I know that we have something they need.”

“And...what is that?” you sighed, attempting to readjust on the damn bed that could never be comfortable no matter how you were spread across it.

“Everything to take down the Avengers.”

Germany: 2024

Steve hastily rushed to close the curtains to his shared apartment, biting his lip as the living room filled with darkness and disappointment. “Will you ever just listen?”

The woman who he was speaking to rolled her eyes, legs spread across the couch as she lounged and aggressively typed on her laptop. “Oh, trust me...I do. I just don’t see the harm in bringing in some light.” Steve scoffed, running his hands down his face and beard, scratching his palms.

“They have eyes on us,” he retorted, gently pushing her legs off “his” side of the couch and immediately plopping down before she attempted to prop them back up. “You’ve left as many traces as crumbs from those Valley of Nature bars.”

“You know, Rogers, I’ve worked with you for two months. I’ve learned to take the blame for my little fuck ups here and there. And you know what? I think it’d be nice for you to own up to being no fun,” Virginia grumbled, placing her laptop on the coffee table and standing up from the couch where Steve rested. “We wouldn’t be half as far as we are now without my help.”

“I’d be perfectly fine, actually.” Truthfully, Steve wasn’t so sure about that. Virginia could skillfully hack into government systems to get the intel he needed. She was never sloppy when it came to that, but there was no doubt she had fucked up sometimes when it came to Steve’s incognito techniques. “You make the most mistakes between the both of us.”

Virginia knowingly grinned at his statement because deep down she knew that Steve needed her skillset. “Please, spare me the lies. The one time you attempted to hack into the database, you sent the Feds to our little motel that we had to ditch.”

“That was onl-,” Steve’s words quickly cut off with a harsh knock at their front door. He aggressively shushed Virginia without her uttering a word as she crept towards the door that someone had just knocked on.

Virginia’s fingers wrapped around the doorknob and she soundlessly looked through the narrow peephole. A gasp fell from her lips causing Steve to readjust in his seat, but she already was opening the door wide.

There stood Tony Stark, a suitcase placed next to him and adorned in an expensive suit that didn’t fit his disheveled appearance. Tony lightly smirked at the duo in front of him, not asking to enter the apartment as he stepped in with his suitcase rolling behind him.

Steve moved his hands to hips and rolled his eyes as Virginia wordlessly closed the door behind the billionaire. It seemed like it was silent for quite some time, but it had only been a few seconds as the ex-Avengers failed to start the conversation.

“Well...if you both are just going to stare at each other, I’m going to go get some work done.” Virginia walked past both of them and swiftly grabbed her laptop to make a hasty exit.

When it was silent once again due to Virginia’s departure, Tony finally spoke up. “Rogers…” he trailed off, eyes inspecting the apartment where Steve was residing. Tony’s eyes immediately landed on a picture frame that he could only recognize as Steve with his daughter. “Nice place.”

Steve licked his lips, dropping his hands from his hips. “What are you doing here Tony? How did you find us?”

“I should really be asking you the questions here.” Steve watched Tony plop on the couch and kick his shoes off, groaning once his feet could finally breathe. “Look, I can blame you for a lot of things. What happened to Y/N is not one of them.”

“So…then why are you here?”

“I think you can put all the blame on my neighbor for giving up where you both were.” Steve’s face scrunched into anger and then quickly to disappointment, sighing once it all registered in his brain. “It’s only common sense to include her own father into...are you going to sit down or what?”

Steve strode to the other side of his couch, feeling uneasiness flood his veins. When he finally sat down, Tony emitted a relaxed sigh, stretching out more.

“As I was saying...it was only right to include me in this, Cap. You can’t fill in every gap by yourself.” Tony leaned over to grasp the Nature Valley bar placed on their coffee table. “Oh, I just know you hate these things,” he chuckled to himself and placed the bar back where he picked it up from.

“Tony, you have to understand that sometimes…” Steve drifted off, trying to formulate any words but coming up with nothing.

“I’m a liability?” Tony finished Steve’s sentence, watching the man across from him quickly shake his head. “Just say it.”

“No...no. Tony, it’s just...safer...with less of us. The more of us we have out here, the more of a chance we’ll be spotted and everything goes down the drain.”

“Us? As in the Avengers?” Steve nodded, causing Tony to straighten up. “Well, while you were frolicking around the world with my neighbor, I think I learned some things that can help us find Y/N.”

Steve groaned interally, knowing that Tony was not backing down from the fight. After what happened back in the U.S., he told himself to include Tony. It was only right since he was your father and Tony was one of the smartest members of the Avengers. Then came the lingering thoughts of Captain America and Iron Man being spotted in another country, raising red flags. There was no going back now as Tony was lounging on the apartment complex’s prehistoric couch that probably hadn’t been repaired in years with his suitcase not so far from where they both were.

“Now...do you have an extra bed?”

[themculibrary]

Magic Themes Masterlist

Links Last Checked: February 21st, 2024

Amateur Theatrics (ao3) - galaxysoup T, 26k

Summary: In which Thor’s primary problem-solving method (a mighty blow from Mjolnir) fails to have the desired effect on a magical artifact, and his secondary method (a mightier blow from Mjolnir) proves to be actively disastrous.

Better Teamwork Through Dragon Hunting (ao3) - LulaMadison G, 21k

Summary: A fill for this prompt on Avengerkink: "One big redemption arc later, Loki is no longer the enemy, but Thor is pretty much the only Avenger to trust or like him. When Odin requests the Avengers' presence on Asgard he orders a very reluctant, resentful Loki to do it instead, since Loki has a very unique knowledge of the secret paths between the Nine Realms. Unfortunately, Loki generally takes the ... scenic route between dimensions. So he has to guide six egotistical, volatile superheroes through the Nine Realms and all its otherworldly dangers, and somehow get them to Asgard alive.

Thor is delighted - inter dimensional road trip! Magnificent quests! The perfect bonding experience for his BFFs and little brother! Everyone else ... less so."

Bewitched (ao3) - panda_shi bucky/tony, steve/tony, pepper/tony M, 32k

Summary: Tony doesn't think he'll ever want to be very comfortable with the team, even after Thanos. So when he ends up fighting an alien that can alter your body's chemistry, when Tony starts thinking that being around Barnes is the only thing that can make him feel safe -- well, fuck.

Catch and Release (ao3) - Like_a_Hurricane loki/tony, jane/thor E, 387k

Summary: Here unfolds a tale of war, desire, and warring desires.

After the invasion of New York, Tony figures out Loki’s game, and he lays out an ultimatum that he realizes the trickster can’t escape from, maneuvering Loki into agreeing to be an ally, rather than a foe, if only when the time comes.

A god’s sworn word is a promise that the god cannot break, but once Thanos’ head is parted from his shoulders, all bets will be off: no protections, no alliance, Loki free to do whatever he pleases, so long as he can still evade recapture at Asgard’s hands. So it’s simple, Tony tells himself: trust the war, not the god.

It should have been simple. It was doomed to be anything but, because infatuation has no place in a war-zone, but Tony is prone to impropriety at all sorts of slightly impractical times, or he wouldn’t have wound up with the god of lies in his bed so frequently in the first place. Practicality and safe-distance plans are all going wrong, and Tony likes it too much to stop.

Cried For Love (Can’t Stand It) (ao3) - Potrix bucky/steve/tony E, 7k

Summary: Bucky braces his hands on his hips, and tilts his head to the side, expression caught somewhere between anxious, confused, and nervous. “Well, shit.”

“Yeah,” Steve agrees, worrying at his bottom lip, and rubbing at the back of his neck. “That can’t be good.”

Evil Magic (ao3) - kuro steve/tony G, 1k

Summary: Tony is an evil sorcerer, Steve is a knight that has come to vanquish him. Things don't quite work out as planned.

Falling Into You (ao3) - sabrecmc steve/tony M, 53k

Summary: Tony and Steve end up as fuck buddies after the events of The Winter Soldier until Steve calls it off. When Loki's spell wipes all of Steve's memories since the last time Loki was in town, Tony decides it will be so much easier to just not tell Steve they had something of a relationship. Spoiler: It isn't.

Or, how Steve fell in love with Tony and forgot about it, and how Tony fell in love with Steve and realized it.

If I could conjure worth a damn (I wouldn't have friends like these) (ao3) - lyra_wing steve/tony T, 8k

Summary: The Avengers are at Hogwarts. Tony's building non-regulation broomsticks, Steve's dealing with a mysterious Time Turner accident, Loki's sneering at the Muggles, Thor's wielding a Beater's bat, Darcy's commentating at Quidditch matches, Fury's teaching DADA, everyone loves a drink at the Three Broomsticks, and Bruce has a secret.

Magic-Man and the shrinking spider (ao3) - wolfypuppypiles steve/tony T, 18k

Summary: When Tony and Peter encounter a barely sane villain they're given a gift neither of them asked for but maybe could use after all.

Peter turns into a toddler whenever he's upset and Tony can't help but think that he's the most adorable cherub in all the world.

No Trait As Much As This (ao3) - KandiSheek steve/tony M, 27k

Summary: Tony gets hit with truth serum. It's a terrible time for everyone.

On the Count of Three (ao3) - Potrix bucky/steve/tony T, 2k

Summary: Tony whines. “Truth spell?”

“Truth spell,” Bruce confirms, giving Tony’s arm a consoling pat.

Pint-Sized Parker (ao3) - flyingonfeatherlesswings tony/stephen G, 3k

Summary: Tony is called away from a meeting to deal with a now toddler-aged Peter Parker, who went snooping around in Stephen Strange's spells.

The Couple Who Slays Together Stays Together (ao3) - AuroraWest loki/stephen M, 5k

Summary: Stephen undertakes a dangerous spell. Loki has a bad feeling about it. And while Loki loves being right, being right about this doesn't give him any satisfaction whatsoever.

The Scales of Evil (ao3) - Awkwardly_social loki/tony T, 4k

Summary: "So, um, aren't you evil? A doer of bad things?"

"It varies from time to time"

"So, just in case, on a scale of one to ten, ten, being the worst evil imaginable, like murdering puppies or something like that, and one, being you'll spit on my hotdog or rickroll me, where are you right now?"

"Maybe a three."

"Cool! Let me know if it gets above a six"

The Underwater Basket-Weaving Society of America (ao3) - thisiswhatthewatergaveme loki/tony E, 130k

Summary: Loki's crash landed, which is great. Only what do you do with a powerless, power-hungry ex-god looking for retaliation?

the weight of a human soul (ao3) - shatteredhourglass bucky/clint/steve E, 9k

Summary: The life of Steve Rogers and his one hundred and ten year-old boyfriend who died once, and his thirty five year-old boyfriend who has died three times this week alone.