#that'll do donkey... that'll do...

[bunkernine]

ok question before i drop these chapters this week, cuz i realize im not confident but, since the demigods can be conceived without actual copulation, do you think beryl/jupiter, ezperanza/hephaestus, or aphrodite/tristan fucked crazy or did the lost trio just appear

3 days, only true bunker9 stans will see this

im trying to think what the "else wise" would be. jason's a literal stork. leo appears in the fire. piper rises from the seafoam. lol. zeus is pretty fond of doing weird things to women, and i doubt tristan waited 9 months for piper. leo is questionable tbh. more in tags about my specific thoughts, but i wanna know what u guys are thinking

[johnslittlespoon]

no one encourage this path of brainrot because i will end up writing 3000 words of john and his metaphorical wagging tail when he sees his gale, john and his obsession with the smell of gale's aftershave, rubbing his face on gale's pillow, john and the way he follows gale wherever he goes as though there's an invisible leash between the two of them, john and the way he almost barks out his laughs, john and the way his teeth can't help but sink into gale's neck, collarbone, shoulder, hip, thigh, john and the way he pretends it doesn't do things to him when gale nonchalantly praises him, pretends gale can't see right through him, john and the way he spills over gale's hand when gale calls him a good boy on a whim, john and the way he seeks it out every time gale's on top of him after that, john and something something collar something dog tags something pretty pup something something uhhh rutting up against gale's thigWHAT who said all that that's crazyyyy dude

[todayisafridaynight]

dudebros like mine cuz to them he’s like the sigma paterick bateman “he’s just like me” dude and get mad when u try to tell them he has feelings for daigo but they hate daigo cuz they think he’s useless. i do think the hate for daigo has died down from a few years ago thank god people are more understanding abt his character now

i do remember years ago people either being dismissive of daigo or just not liking him and thats fine you're allowed to do with that a character so w/e. it is cute though that i also do think people are starting to come around to. acknowledging what daigo's had to deal with at least LOL

the bit that did irk me when i saw it back then though WAS just blatantly misinterpreting mine's character to fit the 'patrick bateman' archetype without looking into him beyond that. that was bonkers

[hellmastermiller]

I like the implication that Operation Snake Eater still happened so he's legally required to make up a new story about how he lost his eye every time he's asked about it in the comment sections on John1935MREInfo

this is fucking hilarious lmao please. i need a tag for this whatthe hell

[natandwandaseries]

Me looking at the Halloween drawing getting fed up with the details and just accepting it is what it is:

[feckless-youth]

I love being on tumblr because no where else can I genuinely chuckle at jokes with a group of people that are completely incomprehensible to anyone who hasnt been here for like 10 years.

[feinstone]

lying in bed staring at the ceiling n listening to the new BPM album on loop has put me in a State and i hope my ttrpg group is prepared for the energy i will be bringing to the session in 2 hours

[mcflymemes]

PROMPTS FROM SHREK *  assorted dialogue from the 2001 film, adjust as necessary

two things, okay? shut... up.

you didn't slay the dragon?

some of you may die... but it's a sacrifice i am willing to make.

they judge me before they even know me. that's why i'm better off alone.

how will you kiss me?

that wasn't in the job description!

what is so funny?

let's just say... i'm not your type.

pick me! pick me!

i've got a dragon and i'm not afraid to use it!

now really, it's rude enough being alive when no one wants you, but showing up uninvited to a wedding?

it's a compliment! better out than in, i always say.

you can't tell me you're afraid of heights.

let's do that again!

what's that? it's hideous.

only a true friend would be that cruelly honest!

well, technically, you're not a king.

the battle is won.

so where is this fire-breathing pain in the neck, anyway?

hey, don't look at me. i didn't invite them.

it's on my to-do list!

you're meant to charge in, sword drawn, banners flying!

that's not the point!

huh, celebrity marriages. they never last, do they?

that'll do, [name]. that'll do.

you're going the right way for a smacked bottom.

well, that's not very nice. it's just a donkey.

where are you going? the exit's over there!

i have to save my ass.

what kind of a knight are you?

i was talking about the dragon.

man, this would be so much easier if i wasn't color-blind.

we can stay up late, swapping manly stories, and in the morning... i'm making waffles!

whoa, look at that. who'd wanna live in a place like that?

that... would be my home.

i think i need a hug.

you're a monster!

we were forced to come here!

you know, you're really quite a decorator!

it's amazing what you've done with such a modest budget!

i like that boulder. that is a nice boulder.

you know, not everybody likes onions.

everybody loves cake!

i don't care what everyone likes!

have you ever met a person, you say, "let's get some parfait," they say, "hell no, i don't like parfait."

end of story! bye bye! see ya later!

parfaits may be the most delicious thing on the whole damn planet!

it talks?

i'm not the monster here, you are!

now tell me, where are the others!

eat me!

i've tried to be fair to you creatures, but now my patience has reached its end.

all right then! who's hiding them?

oh you're going to love it there.

men of his stature are in short supply.

it's getting him to shut up that's the trick!

hey, what's your problem [name], what you got against the whole world anyway, huh?

i'll find those stairs.

look, i'm not the one with the problem, okay? it's the world that seems to have a problem with me.

do you think he's maybe compensating for something?

hey, where're you going?

oh man, i can't feel my toes!

take a look at me. what am i?

doesn't that bother you?

man, i like you. what's your name?

you're so wrapped up in layers, onion boy, you're afraid of your own feelings.

there you are, doing it again!

oh... oh this is all my fault.

you can't do this to me! i'm too young for you to die!

you gotta warn somebody before you just crack one off, my mouth was open and everything.

believe me, if it was me... you'd be dead.

i steal from the rich and give to the needy.

man, that was annoying.

i was sent to rescue you.

i'm supposed to be rescued by my true love!

your job is not my problem.

you love this woman, don't you?

i don't want to rush into a physical relationship.

like that's ever gonna happen!

why are you following me?

stop singing!

it's no wonder you don't have any friends!

[toptophat]

Nothing is ever going to beat that time when SEGA fucking MURDERED their blue rat, to me, but "Greek Demigods in Hell's Kitchen" is very close

The fact that this is directly after Castorice's animated short too is VILE!! The tonal whiplash is insane!!

That short made me fucking cry, the Trailblazer needs to hug her every single day

Anyways, Would Mydei be the equivalent of Gordon Ramsey? I can just see bro calling everyone "you fucking donkey!!!" Or "what are you, an idiot sandwich??" And asking where the lamb sauce is. When the dish is a kid's meal, bro is the tyrant of the kitchen, that kid must get a PERFECT dish or else the neko gets it

Castorice would definitely be the staff member that apologizes more than she should, but she definitely means well, also do not put her in front of a Karen, she's too sweet for that nonsense. Overall, she's just happy to be there!

Phainon is the protagonist

Cipher acts like a cat, I fucking knew it!! (She definitely pronounces n like ny-) She's really adorable and would volunteer to be the waiter solely so that interaction would go like this

"Ok, I hope you enjoyed your meal, nyow that'll be $165"

"$165???? LAST TIME I CAME HERE, IT WAS $65!! This restaurant is a fucking money vacuum!!"

Cipher walks away

"oh you're right, it is $65! The extra $100 was for me, nyahahahahahe"

Aglaea is like Mr Krabs (minus the greed) and Anaxa would be like the food reviewer from Ratatouille, doubting their talent until he tries their food and feels like a kid again. It'd be really funny if Aglaea and him were rival restaurant owners and when one of them gets a better rating they just dance in front of the loser's restaurant, Aglaea has won the most but whenever Anaxa wins he TWERKS in front of the door with no fucks given

Mem is obviously the mascot, she was so adorable and I want her as my tiny little stand, in fact I want a colony stand of multiple Mems (which is not only beneficial because she's really strong but colony stands benefit you because you can multitask, and if one of them gets hurt, it won't have a huge effect on you unless it's a notable fraction and they're great for stealth and can even cover wide ranges- and now I got distracted again 😅)

Where was I? Oh yeah! Hyacine is probably the only normal one there, poor thing is just minding her own business having to deal with the crazy ensemble, she just wanted to make some casserole and omelettes damnit!

And Phainon is the protagonist

(ok that's a little mean, I really like Phainon, he just gives anime protagonist and it's funny) but yeah, he's the type of person who passionately encourages everyone when hope seems lost, when there's a bad review, the guy looks like he's been stabbed, there's even blood somehow? When it's time for a food critic to arrive, you better believe we're getting a flashback or internal monologue. But whenever there's a risk of anyone being kicked out, he won't let that happen

Obviously it's April Fool's Day so it ain't gonna happen, but could you imagine?

[cordelianewman]

I do hope you had the best Father's Day today, because you absolutely deserved it. Just got the kids down to bed, or well, Rosalyn is knocked out. Colton is fast away playing a new video game that I may or may not have bought him that'll keep him busy for hours until he falls asleep with the video game controller in hand. I'm leaving the cleaning till the morning. I was going to ask to escort me upstairs but I fear the poor adorable donkey we've rescued is feeling a bit homesick possibly, and hearing him cry crushes my heart so you might end up cuddling him tonight than me and my fancy lingerie. @cagenewman

[destinygoldenstar]

"Well, if you underperform now, you might end up hurt later."

"Hurt nothing! I'm hurt enough! Packages landing on my head, tea parties, dancing lessons..."

DO NOT TELL ME THIS IS A RAGGEDY ANN REFERENCE. I KNOW THAT.

I've never seen anything Raggedy Ann related. So idk the context for when this line appears in there. I just know it's from that.

What I'm more interested in is what this line says about Ragatha as a character.

Because, reference or not, it would be an asspull if this line was literally just there to be a reference or nothing else. A good writer would still make the line something the character would genuinely say in that moment.

For example: In Shrek, when Shrek says "That'll do Donkey, that'll do."

That's a Babe reference.

But even people who don't know anything about Babe will still understand the line here, because it sounds like something Shrek would genuinely say in that scene.

So because I trust Gooseworx's ability to write, I will believe the same here.

This line sounds like, to me, that Ragatha grew up as someone wealthy and princess-like. Tea parties. Dancing lessons. Packages on her head to practice perfect posture. (Yes, this is something those people did.) These were stuff she was exposed to, and by the sounds of it, she didn't enjoy any of it.

She seems much more interested in the wild thrilling life unfitting of a girl like her. She likes horror. She plays sports. She had horses. That was where she felt the most alive and free. Either she fled that rich and snotty life when she grew up, or she stayed there and remained miserable, being forced to be delicate and, well, like a precious doll.

Or maybe she's a doll cause she has kids. Idk.

I also believe that taking these into account, the reason Ragatha is such a people pleaser who needs everyone to like her to stay sane, is because while she was kind and friendly, she never received that love and care and kindness growing up. Snotty family. Snotty peers. Her kindness was invalidated as something that had no impact on anyone.

So, in a digital circus where everyone around her is abstracting, and Jax is there being the worst offender as someone who invalidates her over and over again, it makes sense why she would take up her desperation to be loved and seen as a good person to eleven.

It becomes a pedestal that, ironically, makes her a WORSE person.

I CAN'T WAIT TO BE COMPLETELY WRONG.

[infravioletsea]

Shrek 5 predictions:

Shrek's daughter (who I will be calling Shrendaya from here on out) wants to go away to a human college but Shrek (despite his human in-laws) doesn't want her mixing with humans. Queen Lillian is inexplicably missing, presumed dead.

The secondary protagonist is the son of Prince Charming, who he calls Junior, but prefers to go by CJ (because he thinks it's cool). He's got little to no personality except for being "awkward" where his father is confident

The main antagonist is the ghost of the Fairy Godmother. Her main motive is looking for a MacGuffin that'll bring her back to life so she can take down the Shrek family.

As part of her plan, she enlists CJ to seduce Shrendaya so she'll get them to the MacGuffin. Unfortunately, he starts to catch real feelings for her, despite their total lack of chemistry.

Shrek is apprehensive of CJ at first, which puts a strain on his relationship with Shrendaya who thinks he's being humanphobic. Eventually he and CJ have a heart to heart which is around the time that he decides to abandon his Fairy Grandmother's plan

This is when it all comes to light, leading to a third-act breakup and Shrendaya singing a sad ballad cover of an Olivia Rodrigo song. This scene exists as a soft launch for Zendaya's music career

There is a scene where Fiona injures herself in a martial arts fight because her joints aren't what they used to be.

During a fight sequence, there's a scene where the Shrek Family stand back to back while the camera circles them like that one group shot in the first Avengers film

There is a scene of someone flossing. I don't know who, I'm leaning Donkey but the thought of him doing anything bipedal terrifies me.

There is a singular cameo from Puss, in which he has a litter of kittens and is struggling with fatherhood. He's also "let himself go"

There's a brief Arthur cameo. There is a "this will ruin the tour" joke

Shrek's son is "openly gay". This means that near the end, he is seen holding hands with an unnamed background human man. The critics lose their shit over this, despite there being so much queer coding in previous movies (Doris, Big Bad Wolf, the whole plot of S2, etc.)

Donkey and Dragon are in a rough patch. There is a sexy evil girl donkey who exists solely to tempt Donkey into having an affair. She has boobs and eyelashes. Dragon kills her at the end.

Regardless of canon, the dronkeys stay at the age we last see them, and exist mostly as marketable plushes

Shrek is insecure about getting older. His arc is about how if he loves his kids he should let them go and recognise that the world has changed

There is a True Love's Kiss at the end between Shrendaya and CJ. Neither of them change into a human or ogre respectively.

Said kiss happens when Shrendaya punches CJ and says "THIS is for betraying me. And *this* is for everything else"

There is a dance party closing sequence. Possibly to a Charli XCX song.

The Snow Queen is set up as an antagonist, but is killed off early on, as she's about to break into song. Someone inevitably makes a snide "Let it go" comment

The fart jokes are cranked up to 11. A LOT of them are about how Shrek Is Old Now

There is a mid-credits teaser for another sequel or spinoff.

If they're teasing Shrek 6, they'll set up Rapunzel as the main antagonist

[johnslittlespoon]

Ok going anon for this one lol. So your posts about edging made me think of the opposite like I have such a kink for John coming too early like he is so turned on by Gale he can’t help it. (Thinking of one of those 5 things fic too like 5 times John finishes too early). This also feeds into my John praise kink which is my favorite like what if John just comes from Gale praising him? Gale would find it super hot and delight in making him come untouched or come in his pants. I’m just so into needy!desperate! John.

YUPPP yuppp this shit lives rent free in my head oh my god. needy desperate john is everything. i agree 1000%– with other people john's been with, he's been balanced, doesn't get worked up by specific tiny things, doesn't feel on the verge of coming in his pants from a stray look.

but with gale? the slightest thing sets john off, and sits at the front of his brain all day, getting him more and more flustered until they're finally alone and any restraint is out the window. (he's literally galesexual)

the first time it happens, john is mortified, tries to cover it up with his usual loud–mouthed confidence, cracking a joke when he recovers, but gale is just like fuck. fuck, that was hot. they're probably proper making out for the first time, and john's pressed to the navigator's table in an empty plane, and gale tugs at his bottom lip with his teeth so briefly, but suddenly john's spilling into his own briefs with a ragged moan, fingers digging into gale's waist.

the awkward "oh." from john when his vision comes back, and gale's breathy "did you...?" and john's reluctant nod. gale groans against his lips, pushes back into the kiss hard, pressing his hips against john's, head spinning with how hot it is that he got off on so little.

and the praise kink would for sure feed into it, it's such a thing for both of them– and as much as gale likes being praised too, there's just something about watching john absolutely glow when he sweet talks him, telling him how well he's doing, how pretty he looks; gale can't get enough of the reactions he gets from it.

but one evening john's deep in that pliant, floaty headspace, probably on his knees between gale's legs, face warm and flushed with a mouth full of dick. gale's just barely rocking his hips, hands petting at john's hair, being so soft and sweet with him, murmuring about how he's doing so good, taking him so well, so pretty on his knees for him.

and then he tugs gently at john's hair to get him to look up, admiring the hollow of his cheeks, the pink of his lips around him. groans low in his chest and rumbles out "oh bucky, such a good boy for me." and john whines loud around him, eyes rolling back before they snap shut, hips bucking up against nothing as he comes untouched, thighs shaking where he keeps his hands firmly in place because he hasn't been told he can do otherwise.

gale barely keeps it together as he watches his jaw go slack around his cock, quickly pulling out to jerk himself off, rambling out praises as john falls apart beneath him, painting the prettiest face and lips to the tune of john's raspy broken whimpers as he trembles between his legs, curls all wild and knuckles white with how hard he's gripping his thighs. it's the hottest thing gale's seen and he definitely leans into it in the future, wanting to see if john can get off without a single touch, just by listening to his voice.

[hozaloza]

Is anyone curious about my SBG Ponyverse story

uh

The lore is interesting. Like, there's hybrids and cows Wow so interesting/sarc

shut up😡 anyways, here's some random doodles I made (not exclusive to sbg bc in general, it's a sort of add-on to the mlp universe)

Here's Noah! In this au, he's Jacob's son, and they're both Crystal Ponies!... It makes more sense if he was colored in, but for now bear with me </3 Crystal ponies are more ancient, therefore look more like older horse breeds in our world. Hence, why his tail is like that. Crystal ponies should be extinct, so Jacob and Noah are currently in hiding rn (they opt for the they are donkey route since it's easier that way).

Next up, uh, Naomi!

Like the rest of her family, she is a cow! Cows usually live in the southwestern regions of the land, so their cutie marks are often related to farming and stuff. But some have other talents as their cutie marks! (Like Ben! He's got a musical cutie mark!)

Next two are post storyline Maverick (no spoilers, take a wild guess), and an oc I made for this au LMAO </3 (i'll design her human form eventually)

Again, won't explain Mavey, but I'll gladly explain Altha. She's Maverick's nurse post storyline, and she's a zebra! Zebra's don't get cutie marks like other horse like creatures do....instead, they get em tattooed! Most zebras tend to follow the path of medicine, and Altha wanted to take it a step further and study modern techniques. Some zebras tend to go this path, and she followed right through!

Lastly, my favorite one besides Altha....Mary! And technically what I imagined Changelings to look like

On the left: Mary in her disguise. On the right: Mary's true form before reforming. There's some backstory that I made for Logan's parents in this au, and that'll be explained another time if y'all want it! But basically, long story short, Mary and James did NOT want to be associated with their kind anymore. They retired from their hive group and moved out far to live a peaceful life. They wanted Logan to grow up a normal life (like how his parents would have wanted), but also wanted to ensure he didn't get hunted down if ponies found out his origin. So, they disguised themselves as an elderly unicorn couple raising their grandson. It was easier for Logan to possibly pass as normal in the dark since he took a more pony appearance in his true form, but Mary and James? Look at Mary's proper form, that does NOT look like a horse. So, disguising!! Logan was born reformed btw, bc his papa.

Oh and yes, his parents are a changeling and a unicorn. Part of the reason why the grandparents retired out.

Anyways, they always made him take the form of his unicorn form, and it didn't matter if he was alone or not; he wasn't half a changeling, he was a unicorn. That was that.

It never really harmed Logan, just made him more confused on his past. WHY was he like this? And why did his grandparents dislike their heritage?....besides the love sucking and eating part.

Anyways, that's all I have for now (as in art....I got TONS of lore I wanna discuss...lol...)

[mscutino]

╰─ ✧*̥ 𝐌𝐂 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐔𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 爱

═════════════════════

╰─ ✧*̥ CH. 3 • Peru | Leon S. Kennedy

═════════════════════

WITHOUT A HITCH

October 21, 2011

Lima, Peru

══════════════

Leon made sure to remove the incessant voice in his ear and shoved the earpiece into his pocket.

When he walked in, his eyes dragged across the room before landing on you. You sat back, head down, and just barely catching him as he walked your way.

He was tall, wide, and stoic. Even dwarfing the room with his intimidating demeanor. Yet every step he took was quiet - purposeful.

"Leon," you stood, quickly jutting your hand out to meet his. "I'm -"

"Y/N L/N. Cyclops." His interjection wasn't meant to come off as rude, but it left your eyebrows raised in surprise. He didn't follow up with anything else, just shaking your hand and taking a seat.

The wood groaned under Leon's weight, and the room seemed to get a bit dimmer with him here. Something was off about his demeanor. His eyes seemed to beg for sleep, and his posture curled into himself.

You followed suit and took a seat, clearing your throat before speaking again. "Glad we're familiar. Hunnigan should be coming through soon. I'll get us a drink," you suggested, while taking out an earpiece for Leon to speak to Hunnigan. With the earpiece followed a black folder, the D.S.O. logo decorating the front.

Leon remained silent.

Instead of waiting for his response, you were already up and leaving. It had been less than a minute into the rendezvous and you were already seeking for a way out. The room had an unspoken tension that even left Leon shifting in his seat.

In an attempt to distract himself while you were gone, Leon fumbled with the items on the table. It only took a glance at the earpiece for him to recognize it.

Condor One '04

It was his old one. The writing on it took him back to missions with Hunnigan. Without a second thought he fit it into place, tapping in.

"Condor One? Long time no see," Hunnigan smiled on the opposite end.

"Long time no see, Roost." Hearing Hunnigans voice after so long was like a wave of relief. The familiarity sending Leon back in time. "It's just me right now."

"Ah, so you've met Y/N. Recognize her?"

"Sure," he lied. His memory failed to remind him of brief passerby's in the office with you or short conversations in the hallways. But tonight, that wasn't what he was focused on.

"Y'know, I'm kind of disappointed in you," Leon jokingly sighed, a playful hint in his words.

Hunnigan could only laugh. "Oh, how so?" Her smile could be heard through her words. It was amusing to hear Leon hadn't changed from the sulky boy he was last time they spoke.

"Couldn't do so much as to tell me about my assigned partner; had to do the work myself." Though his words were half-joking, and he knew Hunnigan had next to no reason to reach out, he figured maybe she'd warn him at the least.

Hunnigan sighed, an audible tsk coming through, "I figured that was Jill's job."

"Well, don't leave me out of the fun now," Leon stretched back into the chair, sparing a glance at your figure only a few feet a way.

Hunnigan struggled on the other end, no words fully being able to describe you. There also wasn't much she could share anyway. You were truly a special case.

"Well, she's a great shot. I can tell you that much," Hunnigan sighed, the sound of her nails tapping against her desk coming through softly.

"Besides that, she's as stubborn as a donkey and has an attitude that'll even give Jill a run for her money."

Just the idea made Leon scoff in amusement. "Didn't take her as the type."

Leon turned his gaze to your figure walking back to the table. You set down the drinks before tapping into your earpiece. "Cyclops to Sentinel? We're online."

Sentinel? Leon's eyebrows rose at Hunnigans new call sign. A sentinel was meant to be a soldier or guard who stands to keep watch. As the name suggested, Hunnigan was on watch no matter what. She had eyes and ears everywhere.

Holding the warm cup in his hands, he stared into the dark liquid, mulling over Hunnigans new callsign. "It's fitting."

"I'm sure she won't mind if you keep using 'Roost'," you shrugged, paying no mind to the tone in Leon's voice. It wasn't like he had an issue using Sentinel, but the reassurance of her old name just stuck better.

He took a sip of the drink, immediately taken a back by the order. He shot you a curious glance and a raised brow. It was made just how he liked it.

"Courtesy of Hunnigan."

══════════════

You lost track of how long you'd been in the cafe. Hunnigan spoke about a lot without speaking about anything. It was like following leads that only dragged you into circles.

"The intel we have is limited, but come tomorrow we will have a hit planned," Hunnigan assured you both.

"I'd like to get this done sooner rather than later," you sighed. Being a sitting duck in the mountains for three weeks had definitely taken its toll. If you weren't impatient before, you were now.

"Nothing you're not capable of," Hunnigan smiled on the other end. It felt more like she was trying to convince herself, but her effort is what counts. "I'll send coordinates to you both when we have a more precise location. In the meantime, you've been provided some of his more personal files."

Leon shifted the documents in his direction and flipped his way towards the files Hunnigan was referring to. The files were pages long and entailed all of Chavez' personal matters. Even his family.

Hunnigans voice came out again, and much more serious. "Use it however you seem fit."

You noticed how Leon's jaw tensed, and his brows dropped a bit further down. His eyes seemed to look through the paper instead of at it. He hovered over the page a few beats longer before responding back to Hunnigan.

"Thanks Hun, we'll take it from here."

"Thanks Hunnigan, talk soon," you tapped your earpiece, ending the call before turning to Leon.

"You seem excited, no?"

Leon set his cup to the side, leaning onto his elbows. He stared at his hands in thought before a sigh left his lips. He had something weighing on his mind. "You know," he began looking back up to you, "I found it weird your file was next to empty."

It was a weird comment, and your head tilted in confusion. "I don't follow."

"Your file was empty," he repeated, but this time with more conviction. "Even Jill acknowledged it." He hoped mentioning Jill would've sparked a small reaction out of you, but you still stared through him - almost bored.

Unsatisfied with the direction of the situation, Leon sat back up. "I think I'd be familiar with the supposed best sniper the D.S.O. has to offer, no?"

You shrugged, still nonchalant about the topic. "You flatter me."

"You running from something?"

"You questioning my integrity, Kennedy?" You narrowed your eyes onto him, the lights from the cafe no longer reflecting in your eyes.

"Handsome spotter by the way."

Your back tensed immediately. It felt like a frog was caught in your throat, and it took all of your self-restraint to not claw at the hives forming on your neck. "Excuse me?"

Finally. Leon started to get momentum. "Elliot Hughes? Codename Havoc? That's your spotter right?"

A void opened up in your gut. In an effort to keep up, you could only swallow the doubt and nod. "He's not up for grabs. There's plenty of other spotters on the market."

"It's impressive. You two have been partners for how long now?"

"Since '03."

Leon feigned surprise, looking at you incredulously. "Eight years is impressive.” Before he continued to speak, he pulled a crumbled mess of the file Jill oh-so-graciously lended him.

A file you were oh-so-graciously familiar with. "How do you have th-"

"Courtesy of Jill."

Instead of a feeling of uneasiness, fury began to boil in your gut. Jill would've never ratted you out. Leon mocking your previous words earlier only fueled the fire.

He turned the paper to you, before pointing at it in accusation. "You didn't join the D.S.O. until 2009." His finger traced down the short sections before landing on a portion reserved for an agents prior history, all of which was redacted.

"Care to share what you were up to beforehand?"

"I don't understand what this is about Kennedy," you breathed through a clenched jaw, "but if you insist on riding my ass about everything, why don't you ask Hunnigan?"

What you didn't know was that Hunnigan had been working overtime prior to the rendezvous to avoid Leon, and was even going as far as to leave a trail of misinformation away from you. Hunnigan knew Leon would be the first to raise the flag of suspicion.

You leaned back against the old chair, crossing your arms and tightening your features. You'd be dammed if you let anything slip. "I'm just here to do my job, and I suggest you follow suit."

Leon's jaw ticked, the shadow only visible under the dim lights of the cafe. He had one last question to ask, one last blow to the chest.

"You're lying about Elliot, aren't you?"

Your hands found purchase on the sides of the chair, gripping the little life left in the seat. "What could I possibly be lying about?" you scoffed.

"Elliot Hughes is a dead man." Leon slammed the file down with his palm, shoving it in your direction. "The D.S.O didn't even do you the favor of pretending he's your spotter."

It was so much information so quick. You couldn't hide the fear or frustration in your face anymore. The least you could do was stay silent.

Even as Leon returned to leaning forward onto his elbows and stared at you with a nasty glare, you sat silent. Anything you said now could be and would be used against you.

The tension in the room was suddenly overwhelming. The chairs were too close, the AC was too low, and the lights were too bright. The new claustrophobic feeling on top of the raging fire and burn of bile set off your fight or flight.

"So, do I need to ask you again?" Leon muttered. It was obvious he had gotten deep under your skin, but that was the intention. Leon would stop at nothing to sniff out a rat.

"Don't bother," you stood quickly, almost sending the chair falling backwards. "We're done here."

You moved quick, leaving your drink to get cold and the earpiece in Leon's hands. His eyes only followed to acknowledge you leaving. The sound of the door chiming music to his ears.

"Y/N?" Elliot's voice came through nervously, a tinge of worry in his words.

He watched you storm out of the cafe and race across the town square - fumes practically spewing from your ears.

"Pack up. We're leaving." Nothing about your tone seemed negotiable, so Elliot just nodded to himself and got to work. Disassembling the rifle and packing away excess gear.

The mere idea of another agent figuring out your true dealings with the D.S.O sent your stomach falling into itself, but now that Leon of all people caught wind of it, it was even worse. One wrong move on your part, and he'd have it all coming down in no time. Perks of being a government lapdog, and not to mention their favorite.

Elliot caught himself before asking anything else, tapping out of comms. "Hunnigan is going to be pissed."

══════════════

Loud footsteps boomed across the foyer, into the elevator, out into the hallways, before stumbling into the hotel room. You couldn't help but reach up to hold onto the tips of your ears to cool off the heat of humiliation.

"Fuck, Fuck, Fuck this," you ripped the earpiece out of your ear. You needed to leave before Leon ratted you out. All of Jill's efforts to help you out, and Hunnigans begrudging attitude to join would be in vain.

Barely tripping over your own feet, you threw your suitcase onto the bed. Yet, before you could even begin packing the earpiece lit up in your hands. It was tempting to ignore, but if it was an emergency? If it was Elliot? If it was -

You put the earpiece back in place, tapping in. "This is Cyclops."

A puff of air blew through the speaker. "It's just me."

"Am I supposed to be jumping for joy," you bit before stuttering out another breath. "Sorry, Ell."

On the other side of the line, Elliot fiddled with the hem of his shirt. He was back in his own room, and the thought of you a few hours prior had yet to leave his mind. "I just wanted to check in on you," he said quietly.

A brief silence hung over the both of you before Elliot spoke again. "Before you ask, I haven't packed."

"Don't worry about it," you sighed, reaching up to rub your temples. "I'll talk to Hunnigan about it tomorrow."

"Ok."

"Goodnight, Ell," you didn't spare another second before tapping out of the call.

This time you took the earpiece and chucked it across the room. You couldn't help but continue to seethe through gritted teeth. It almost hurt to breathe. The urge to dissolve into the floor was stronger than ever; however, the closest way to achieve that would be wallowing in the bed sheets.

You dropped the suitcase back onto the ground, carrying your limbs over the stretch of the bed. Just the mere idea of suffocating in the soft mix of linen and cotton was enough to distract your mind from tomorrow. Tomorrow, when you'd have to speak to Hunnigan.

Tomorrow, when you'd have to speak to Elliot.

Tomorrow, when you'd have to speak with Leon.

Before you could let the bed envelop you and your thoughts, your eyes caught the flicker of the towns lights outside. It was a moment of peace, however fleeting. People were now shuffling their ways home, dragging along drunk coworkers and friends. Some people looked to be on dates, cuddled up to keep warm. Others focused on closing down their stores, calling and telling loved ones they were on the way home.

Normalcy. Oh, how I envy you.

[galaxyseclipse]

I have many, many a thought about the Direct from this morning, mostly summed up with adhkbgf;uerbnsdba

^ that is a slight exaggeration, as not much really stood out to me as "yes I need to purchase this thingy for $450usd immediately", but still exciting!

I'll start with the games since that's more of what I personally care about

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Mario Kart World looks really really cool! a little sad it seems they removed Inklings, but it was probably for the best, there's a massive amount of enemies you can play as now(how does a goomba even drive, man?). Interesting angle with the basically open-world-ness of it, where you can go off-course and drive between tracks during Grand Prix. I also love the more cartoony art style with this game and especially some of the character renders.

like look at this, he looks like a Sonic! I love it!

Speaking of Sonic, they've also managed to do the "car, plane, boat" thing Crossworlds is doing lol. I was wondering if the releases would overlap and compete with each other too much, and now they're basically the same thing lmao. I'm not super worried about it, since they are technically for different audiences, and even though Mario's probably coming out first, Sonic will be on more platforms; including Switch1, which people already have

also the outfits are freaking adorable, almost every one I saw for Peach, Daisy, and Rosalina was an instant fave

look at them

my only real concern with this is performance, though considering some of the other games they revealed will be on this thing, hopefully that won't be an issue

oh yeah, it also looks like they removed the kart customization, probably in favor of the costumes. Good change imo, it just added unnecessary extra steps to starting a race, and I honestly couldn't really tell a difference while playing

not super stoked about the $80usd price tag tho... it's says that's just msrp, but that doesn't usually change ever

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Drag x Drive is probably the best idea for a "dual-mouse tech demo" I've ever seen. But if you think about it, it makes sense! Get players to test out using both mouse-cons by making them drive a wheelchair and play basketball

The animation transition between "hands on wheels mode" and "hands in air mode" looks a little janky, but that might just be from the controllers swapping to and from mouse mode, it's not a big deal as long as it's only visually a little choppy

it kinda makes me sad that this game will probably go the way of ARMS, with like no one playing it and it being abandoned less than a year after launch. or maybe it'll surprise me and become a massive hit.

I hope it's the latter just because it is such a unique concept

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The Duskbloods... looks like a FromSoftware game ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

idk really anything about those, but it looks pretty! I like the more urban environments instead of just "field, decrepit castle, more field, and cave"

and I think the main character might be a vampire? weirdly topical for me rn lmao

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I didn't play Kirby Air Ride much, only a couple times when my sister's friend brought their copy when they had sleepovers. New one looks cute! Didn't get like any gameplay, so idk what that'll look like, but if Sakurai's in charge it'll probably be close to the original

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Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment... looks like a warriors game lol

I kinda hope with the story they don't to what they did with Age of Calamity and do all the time travel shit(aside from Zelda going to the past in the first place, obviously) and let the characters that have to die die(none of the "and everyone lived :D!" shenanigans)

but I would get to play as my queen, Mineru, so I think that's a win at least

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Donkey Kong Bananza looks cool. First 3d DK game in like forever I'm pretty sure. I think the revamped design looks pretty good here, though I will say I don't really like how the fur is rendered; it's a little too shiny for me.

This is another one that I'm worried about performance with tbh, what with all the literally everything flying everywhere; but again, considering what else they're putting on this console, it'll probably be fine.

the website is... hard to scroll through tho I'll be honest. it's fun and quirky, but a little difficult to look at, and no "reduce motion" option

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none of the partner showcase games really stood out to me tbh, other than to show off how powerful this thing's gonna be(I know they are downgraded a little bit, but they still look really good)

I feel like I'd be crucified if I didn't mention Silksong or Deltarune in some capacity though, even if I haven't played either of those series

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The "Switch 2 Editions/Upgrade Packs" thing was something that I was kinda expecting, with two pretty big games coming out after the release but also releasing on Switch1.

I am glad they're not just making you pay for fancier graphics and better frame rates, they're putting some more stuff into the games to make it more worth it. Even though Splatoon3 isn't listed, I wouldn't be surprised if they did that one too. It would be a massive missed opportunity to not allow for mouse-con controls. My guess for why it wasn't shown is that they're still working on the additional content(dlc wave 3, baybee!!)

I can't find a price... which is concerning

but, the BoTW and TotK upgrades are free if you have NSO Expansion, probably just because they're simpler upscalings

if they're too much more than $10-$15 I don't see them doing super well, especially since they aren't essential to playing the game on switch 2

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oogh, I think I'll just leave this one here for now, I'll go into the console itself later