#the real stars of c3

[david-talks-sw]

The OTHER type of Star Wars fan

We've already covered (through this longer post and this addendum) that research shows George wasn't that involved or interested in the derivative material of the Star Wars franchise, also known as the Expanded Universe (EU). Aside from approving a few points, he let Howard Roffman and Lucasfilm Licensing handle it.

He is the first to say that he ain't as knowledgeable about Star Wars lore as we fans are.

Thing is... he's also not as passionate as we are.

Recently, I was watching some Q&A videos of George R.R. Martin, the author of Game of Thrones... and it occurred to me:

Martin is what most Star Wars fans wish Lucas was.

Think about it.

He's a talented writer who likes to focus on morally "gray" characters and complex political plotlines,

who created a series of novels for a mature audience in which his narrative merely asks questions and lets the reader draw their own conclusions,

knows and engages in the lore behind his creation and will often respond to those lore-heavy questions, and has gone on record stating that canon is the glue that holds a story together and keeps it coherent.

Contrast that with George "continuity is for wimps" Lucas, who:

Wrote a movie franchise which is also, partially, political... but he makes it for kids, and he's explicit about how this is thematically a clear-cut story about how the conflict of "good vs evil" is really about "compassion vs greed",

with flat dialogue, boring cinematography,

and whose approach to lore and canon can be summed up in his answer to how Anakin got his scar:

"I don't know. Ask Howard [Roffman]. That’s one of those things that happens in the novels between the movies. I just put it there. He has to explain how it got there. I think Anakin got it slipping in the bathtub, but of course, he's not going to tell anybody that." - Pablo Hidalgo’s set diary, August 2003

And as a Star Wars fan, I will admit that some of his casual retcons felt disrespectful, growing up.

"Boba Fett is NOT Mandalorian?!"

I had the same reaction when I saw an interview of Kathleen Kennedy stating she was a fan of Star Wars... from a filmmaking perspective. That seemed like such a finagling cop-out for me, at the time.

"Just say you're not a real fan, God!"

And it's easy to divide it in two camps, like that. You have 1) the fans, who will delve into deep lore, and you have 2) the average moviegoer.

But looking back on it... holy shit, that is actually a completely valid way of being a Star Wars fan.

Yes, Star Wars is a transmedia franchise, it's books, it's video-games, it's deep lore, it's lightsabers and Jedi and Sith and bounty hunters and Ewoks and Jabba and High Republics and Tython and Revan etc.

But before it was that, Star Wars was a filmmaking revolution. A juggernaut of innovation for the silver screen that inspired most of today's filmmakers.

So, sure, George Lucas isn't an avid lore-loving Star Wars fan like you and me. But he is a movie fan.

"I'm not that passionate about this story. I like it, it's fun and I enjoy doing it. But it's definitely not my life. I'm a bigger movie fan than I am Star Wars fan. I like making movies. At the end of nine years of making Star Wars, I was not ready to continue it. I was completely burned out on it. I was more passionate about raising my kids than making movies and especially making Star Wars. So I made other kinds of movies and TV shows and advanced the technology I needed. It's not a matter of passion. My passion is for filmmaking. I'll go and do filmmaking that is easier to do, where you can realise your ideas better. And nine years is a big part of your life, and to commit to another nine years, I didn't wanna do that right away." - EMPIRE, 1999

And you can tell this, when you watch the Star Wars films.

There are honestly so many homages and interesting filmmaking techniques, peppered throughout the six films, which only a nerd for cinema history like George would know how to implement.

C3-PO being based on the droid from Metropolis (1927) is a perfect example of this.

And that's interesting.

Because there's essentially this entire other dimension to the films, where it's not just the story unfolding, but to filmmakers it's also a series of techniques that make them go "I wonder how they did that!" or homages that make them go "OH! I know where that's from!" like we do when an comics characters appears in live-action.

Here's other examples:

CINEMA HOMAGES

All of Star Wars is absolutely littered with homages to cinema history.

I mean, you may already know this, but Flash Gordon is what George originally wanted to shoot, but the copyright holders said they only wanted Fellini to direct it (ironically, George wasn't artsy-fart enough for them). So he decided to write Star Wars instead.

As such, the inspiration from Flash Gordon is also present visually and spiritually throughout the two trilogies.

"It was like a Republic serial, a 1930s-style matinee adventure. The idea was that you came in, saw Episode IV, had missed the first three episodes, and wouldn't get to see the rest of it." - Starlog Magazine #300, 2002

The dialogue that a lot of people refer to as "campy" and "flat" is actually a mix of George being an experimental filmmaker who doesn't give much of a fuck about dialogue (and is by his own admission, not the best at it)...

"I'd be the first person to say I can't write dialogue. My dialogue is very utilitarian and is designed to move things forward. I'm not Shakespeare. It's not designed to be poetic. It's not designed to have a clever turn of phrase. [...] I just wanted to get from point A to point B. This film doesn't lend itself to that sort of thing because it's not about snappy one-liners.  I think that Lethal Weapon-style dialogue is overused, it's a necessary aspect of high action films where you have to have the smart retort. You have to say "I'll be back baby" and stuff. It's not my style. It takes away from the integrity of the movie. [...] I'm aware that dialogue isn't my strength. I use it as a device. I don't particularly like dialogue which is part of the problem." - EMPIRE, 1999

... which is convenient, because it helped him simulate the dialogue of 1930s matinee serials, such as Flash Gordon.

"Let’s face it, their dialogue in that scene is pretty corny. It is presented very honestly, it isn’t tongue in cheek at all, and it’s played to the hilt. But it is consistent, not only with the rest of the movie, but with the overall Star Wars style. Most people don’t understand the style of Star Wars. They don’t get that there is an underlying motif that is very much like a 1930s Western or Saturday matinee serial. It’s in the more romantic period of making movies and adventure films. And this film is even more of a melodrama than the others." - Mythmaking: Behind the Scenes of Attack of the Clones, 2002

But beyond that, literally it's everywhere.

The scene where Palpatine ascends to being Emperor as Anakin slaughters his political rivals parallels the final scene in The Godfather, where Michael becomes the Don while his goons do the same thing.

This video compiles all the tributes beautifully. Check it out.

Even The Clone Wars has whole episodes that are direct homages to cult classics. The Zillo Beast episode is a clear reference to Godzilla, the episode The Wrong Jedi is inspired by The Wrong Man, etc.

"CINEMA VÉRITÉ" CINEMATOGRAPHY

I've already written a whole post (one of my favourites) showing how his fascination with cinéma vérité documentaries is reflected in the cinematography of all six Star Wars films, and it's part of what makes the entire franchise feel so immersive.

You can check it out here:

KUROSAWA

We've gone over how he's a big fan of Akira Kurosawa, and how big an influence Hidden Fortress was on both the Star Wars trilogies...

... but so is the mise-en-scène and the way George approaches production design. The reason Star Wars feels so "lived in" is also a lesson George learned from Kurosawa, which is that by making everything just a bit off-kilter, a bit dirtied-up and imperfect...

... and yet keeping it all consistent, in a way, you manage to make the film feel grounded and immersive, no matter how alien it is.

"[It] may sound odd in a movie like this, but credibility and realism, even in the most unrealistic situation… to sorta create that sense of realism is very important to making the story work and making you feel like you’re actually in the environment that transports you and gives you the suspension of disbelief that you need in order to enjoy a movie. [...] Kurosawa used to call it “immaculate realism” which is to make it slightly off-kilter, slightly eccentric, like things are in real life. Even if it’s a very predictable situation, give it that little funny edge that takes it away from that and makes it realistic. And I had to struggle very hard, in the Star Wars films, to make them appear to be realistic, even though they’re totally fantasy." - The Phantom Menace, Commentary Track #2, 1999

POST-PRODUCTION & VFX

Another one of the more impressive aspects of the first Star Wars was the dogfights and the trench raid of the Death Star. The camera pans with the spaceship, the dynamism of the cuts. The space battles is what made George creat ILM in the first place.

He was determined to do the opposite of what 2001: A Space Odyssey had done with that opening scene where the space ship moves into frame slooooowly...

... so he gave the team a collection of WWII dogfight footage to give them ideas.

(note: this was the same approach he would take years later with Dave Filoni, when teaching the latter how to edit and craft dogfights in The Clone Wars)

The attempt to film the trench run eventually led to the creation of the first motion control camera dolly.

Best analogy I can think of, when describing George's approach to Star Wars, is the following:

An avant-garde esoteric contemporary artist - y'know, the type who puts a blue dot on a white canvas and calls it art - creates a comic.

Why? Because he wants to make this one art installment for a gallery exhibition. After that, he intends to move on to other things.

But the comic is really good! And like, its audience quickly expands beyond just gallery visitors, no, everyone likes it.

Suddenly, the comic develops a cult following, and the entirety of comic book geek culture has zeroed-in on the artist and they're all asking him to make more art! And he makes more! And more!

Then he stops for two decades, moves on to other art projects, raises his kids. Years later, he discovers new ways of drawing, and he's like "I'm making a Prequel to the comic, y'all wanna see it?"

Everyone cries out gleefully: "Oh God, yes! Finally! Show us!"

But this motherfucker makes a manga.

Why? Because he feels like it.

And of course he does, he's just creating art, right? He discovered the graphic tablet, so he's having fun with it, because he's always innovating and pushing the envelope with his art.

And the movies are fine, by manga standards. But by comic book standards, they obviously suck! The comic book audience is mad. They wanted another comic book, not a manga. Why is it in black and white? Why is read right-to-left? This comic sucks!

(And arguably, they have a point... as a savvy businessman, he's made a whole lot of money off this comic, he built a media empire out of it, and instead of giving them what they want, he made something else)

But again... this guy isn't a comic book illustrator, and has been very explicit about saying this.

He's an artist who - for a very specific project - drew a comic.

Many things can be true at once:

the fact that these creative decisions didn't always hit their mark for the average moviegoer, or fans of "Star Wars, the space fantasy movies and expanded universe" (usually the lore-loving geeks like myself)...

... and the fact that they were meticulously and carefully crafted in a way that fans of "Star Wars, the revolutionary film" (aka fans of cinema and filmmaking) can appreciate.

There's a spectrum of the fandom, and there is a spectrum in the way we can appreciate Star Wars. Which kinda reminds me of that scene in Chef (2014) where Carl goes on a rant explaining the intricacies of making his chocolate lava cake to a food critic.

It's not just undercooked chocolate.

It's molten.

Conversely, it's not just flat, campy dialogue. It's an homage to the 1930s matinee serials à la Flash Gordon.

It's not just boring cinematography. It's a reproduction of cinéma vérité documentary-style camera work which effectively grounds the film.

Having considered all this, when I hear that Tony Gilroy or Kathleen Kennedy were more in the latter camp, I go "fair enough".

First of all, because like it or not, so was George. He clearly didn't give a single crap about the comics and books, besides signing off on minor plot points. He's not a "sci-fi movie director", he's an experimental filmmaker who makes movies set in space.

But secondly, because - aside from children - it's clear the audience he was targeting was these cinema-savvy folks who'd get his references and would be inspired by the filmmaking techniques.

Not the fans or the critics.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - new entries upset the rankings

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

April 2024 Wk 2

Ongoing Series - Thai

City of Stars (Fri iQIYI) ep 11 of 12 - Like most Thai BL pulps, this show doesn’t have much story to it. But I'm discovering that what it does have I actually really enjoy. I love that the gay boys got to play matchmaker for a change and I like how just GAY they are. It's nice. Refreshing.

We Are (Weds GMMTV iQIYI) ep 1-2 of 16 - University ensemble BL featuring PondPhuwin, WinnySatang, AouBoom, MarcPawinPoon. I like it. It’s old school Thai BL, but having fun with itself and its tropes. I’m not expecting much, so I don’t mind it waffling. All the couples are comfy. Chemistry is okay. Friendships are nifty. I like Pond's floppy hair. We fine. 

Two Worlds (Thurs IQIYI) ep 5 of 10 - What an extremely bloody episode. And bad guy turned out to be very bad indeed. And now pretty much everyone is dead. Nice kiss. Of course. 

Deep Night (Thurs iQiyi) ep 6 of 8 - It’s cute, they happy, not a ton happened. Random gratuitous bathing. As you do in BL. And I still think the sides should just end up in a thrupple

Only Boo! (Sun YouTube) ep 2 of 12 - Oh they very cute. Also very silly. 

1000 Years Old (Thurs iQIYI) ep 9 of 12 - No. NOT THE GUITAR. YES abandon guitar for the sniff test! Love this for them. And me. My most favorite trope defeated my least favorite trope. VICTORY!!!  

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Unknown (Taiwan Tues YouTube & Viki) ep 8 of 11 - It’s just so good. Baby went away, grew up, and learned how to become a temptation... and a husband. 

Gray Shelter AKA Gray Currents (Korea Thurs iQIYI) 1 of 5 eps - SooHyuk, only just surviving, reunites with YoonDae, his (brief) younger stepbrother who feels abandoned. They end up living together. The younger brother is played by Lee Jae Bin of Choco Milk Shake. OMG. STEPBROTHERS TROPE. Lucky me! Two in one season. Yay!!!! It's Korea so great visuals too. I shallow but yeah, this is great.

Living With Him AKA Kare no Iru Seikatsu (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 1 of 10 - Kindly Ryota goes off to uni only to find his new roommate is his childhood bestie, Kazuhito. Kazuhito doesn’t have a girlfriend and Ryota tries to help him figure out why. Same director as Old Fashion Cupcake. It’s utterly charming. I am charmed. Also the framing is gorgeous (of course). Very stylish.

Love is Better the Second Time Around AKA Koi wo Suru nara Nidome ga Joto (Japan Weds Gaga) ep 6fin - I don’t know. Kind of a flat ending with the leads apart for most of it. I enjoyed this show but it never really hit with me. 

Summation

After a teen betrayal and resulting separation a reporter reunites with his first love. That love wants him back. I enjoyed the authenticity of a reunion romance explored in Japan's quintessentially contemplative yet surreal way. The juxtaposition of the tenderness of the sex scenes with this Japanese style of authenticity was oddly elegant but all in all this still fell a little flat for me. There's nothing objectively wrong with it, but in total the narrative felt sluggish and the main couple were just... stiff (in the wrong way). Frankly, I'd rather just rewatch Tokyo in April is. 8/10

Love is like a Cat (Korea Mon Viki) eps 3-4 of 12 - What is going on with this show? No, I get the plot. I just don't get the show or why I’m watching it. Annoying. 

It's done, but I suck

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps

To Be Continued (Sat C3 Thailand grey) ep 7-8fin - I can't for the life of me find the final 2 episodes. Haven't had a real hunt, but yeah. No dice so far.

It's airing but...

Takumi-kun Series 6: Nagai Nagai Monogatari (Japan Furritsubs) eps 1-? of 10 - I may wait and binge it.

Lady Boy Friends (Thai WeTV grey) 16 eps - reminds me a bit too much of Diary of Tootsies only high school. Not my thing. DNF unless it turns a corner and is truly amazing.

Kiseki Chapter 2 (Sun iQIYI) 6 eps - It’s so boring DNFed at 2.

Close Friend Season 3: Soju Bomb! (Weds iQIYI) 6 - The problem with situational comedy BL is it must be situational, comedic and a BL. This show gets 1 of 3 claims correct. 33% is not a passing grade. Dropped at 3.

Memory in the Letter (Thai WeTV) - only 4 eps, tell me if I should bother?

Next Week Looks Like This:

4/18 At 25:00 in Alaska AKA 25 Ji Akasaka de (Japan Thurs Gaga) 10 eps - Yuki lands his first starring role in a BL drama alongside superstar Asami (previously his senior at uni). Said superstar suggests they form a sham relationship until filming concludes. As they actually begin to fall in love, the spotlight begins to burn. I think I've seen this before (joke) and also the trailer doesn't inspire confidence.

Still to Come in April

4/25 Boys Be Brave! AKA Roommates (Korea Thurs Viki) 8 eps - Trailer Jung Ki Sub is Kim Jin Woo's slacker friend - and secret crush. So when Ki Sub crashes at his place, his heart tingles to be near him everyday. But as the short stay turns into permanent mooch, how long can Jin Woo keep his true feelings under wraps and hold back from confessing?

4/26 My Stand-In (Thai iQIYI) 12 eps - adaptation of Chinese novel "Professional Body Double" by Shui Qiang Cheng. Stars Up (Lovely Writer) and Poom (Bake Me Please) directed by the same team as KP (not a recommendation IMHO - my biggest criticism of that show was the clashing directing styles). This one looks complicated, lemme try: Joe is a stuntman for famous actor Tong. Joe falls in love with Ming but Ming sees Joe as nothing more than a Tong-replacement. After learning this horrible truth, Joe dies. Joe then wakes up in the body of another man also named Joe. He manages to rebuild the same life as before—with the same people eventually re-meeting Ming. Ming wants Joe back but Joe doesn't understand why. But Ming seems to know what's going on and wants to give him some kind of explanation.

I'm exhausted just trying to describe the plot.

Knock-Knock Boys (Thai WeTV) - 4 college friends conspire to help their friend lose his virginity. Familiar faces like Seng (yes, Billy's previous pairing) and Best, news here. But will it actually air this month?

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

NOTE: It looks like one of my personal favorites of last year Unintentional Love Story is getting a spin off!

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENT

Sniff test turning into a make out sesh? Please and thank you. City of Stars

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are a bother.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly

If ya wanna be tagged each week leave a comment and I will add you to the template. Easy peesy.

[hitomisuzuya]

First, thank you everyone for your continued support. I have been having a hard time lately, and writing on Tumblr has really helped. Btw, I got Scara's C3. Now, I love him. I love him so much with every fiber of my being, but this time he was such a fucking shit. I mean, for real, I went in with nearly 25k in primos and omg he drained me down to fucking 9k before I got his con. And to top it off, I pulled Baizhu's signature instead of Scara's. Like god, I had an easier time pulling the Polar Star for Childe. All I wanna do is spoil Scara and he won't even let me do that. At least Childe let's me spoil him.

Then Scara turns around and pops 50k off with his burst for me. How can I stay mad at him?

Yes, I have been playing Honkai Star Rail. I love it. I will write only for Aventurine, right now. Like hell, I am weak for that man. I will write girl smut too cause damn, Acheron and Kafka, holy shit I absolutely will write for them. My very favorite enemy is the dinosaur cook with the chefs hat🥰 Even though it's a bitch to fight😭

CAT CAKES!🥺

Who even read all that?😂 Anyways, a poll before I open requests next week. The choice is yours, guys. What's on deck next?

[remjl]

CRITICAL ROLE C3 E89 SPOILERS

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Finally! Some team bounding time and conversations! Can't wait to see how their missions will turn up. I was under impression that Imogen will re-think her choice and will go to assassination mission to save Liliana, due to her attempt to convince them to take her as a prisoner... Well, technically she still can reach out and warn her. This scene between Temults was heartbreaking. I hope that assassination will fail, to be honest. There is still chance for Liliana, I am sure.

Fearne is going to meet her real father. Can't wait for see this reunion.

Imogen and Laudna convo... A lot has been unpacked, however Laudna hide the truth about reilora whose power she absorbed. However, I dont think she lied, just choose her words carefully with this symbiotic thing. Also, it kinda unfair, since she indeed has no choice considering her mental state at that Bor'Dor moment and was practically pushed by Orym and partially Ashton to this path, which Imogen is not aware of. Probably, this current railora in question shouldn't be a big problem due to time his body will spend in hole. However, Laudna should trust Imogen more, this woman can handle this, she is ok with dead warlock in her head, what could be more romantic?

"I am not a sweet girl!" - is this as sign, that Laudna is starting to fight her trauma/sweet voice in her head and try create some boundaries after this talk?

P.S. Delilah probably was sitting in Laudna head with a boal of pop corn whole this time. She is a sucker for a good star-crossed lovers drama.

[thechaoticfanartist]

Pose Meme C3 - Grim as B and Palpatine as A

Pose Meme

Get his ass Grim!

Tag List (let me know if you want to be added or removed) : @padme--amygdala @soclonely @mrfandomwars @jgvfhl @starlonkedd @andorlorian @togrutanduin @jedi-valjean @one-real-imonkey @traygaming @keoxus @veiled-in-stars @sentineljedi @spicysucculentz @amelia-song-pond @it-was-rose @thejediprincessqueenofnaboo @veradragonjedi @arrthurpendragon @shrinkthisviolet @thebrainofocto @forloveofcodywan @mandalorian-general

[sergeifyodorov]

who's in a playoff spot?

entering December 10, 2023

So... are the Flyers for real? The average team has played just over 26 games. If the playoffs started today, these would be the first round matchups:

Eastern conference:

Bruins - Lightning (A1-WC2)

Panthers - Maple Leafs (A2-A3)

Rangers - Red Wings (M1-WC1)

Flyers - Islanders (M2-M3)

Western conference:

Avalanche - Coyotes (C1-WC1) *

Stars - Jets (C2-C3) **

Golden Knights - Predators (P1-WC2)

Canucks - Kings (P2-P3) *******

A star * indicates a matchup that has not changed from the previous week. A star ** is added for each additional week.

Capitals and Hurricanes out and Lightning and Flyers back in in the East; Blues out and Predators in. The West, so far, has been stickier than the East -- much like the Leafs-Lightning situation in the Atlantic last year, there's enough of a gap between the 2/3 seeds and anyone who might be in the wild-card spot that the Kings and Canucks have been stuck near each other for a while, and forgiving an especially hot or cold streak, they might not move. Meanwhile, the Bruins and Rangers have been sat at their spots atop the division for a long time, but everyone else below them has been scrambling.

[ashes-onthewind]

Okay, I'll give you mine if you give me yours (my genshin has to update first so I can look in it)

:0000 aw hell yeah!!

I've not been playing super super long (I only just got my first five star) but I had to get to hard pity to get him so I've got a lot of fours :D currently pulling for haitham and sethos :D clorinde seems like a waste to me but ye

Very sad I lost my 50/50 on baizhu ;-; I wanted my silly transmasc man (hc) but I got diluc :c

Okokok so! The characters I have are:

Aether (currently electro but I <3 dendro traveller), lvl 65

Kaeya - level 60(/70) - I <3 this man, he's my go-to guy for running :3 he's not on a ton of my teams but I like him

C3 Barbara - level 60 (/60) - I don't understand the Barbara hate :( she's sweet and a pretty decent healer

Beidou - level 50(/50) - AURGH I love her. I only got her very very recently but!!! I'm in love already :3

Lisa - level 60(/60) - my first electro character<3 I love her with a large portion of my heart :D she sucks as a hyperbloom trigger but she's fun :3

C3 Yaoyao - level 60(/60) - part of my first team (dendro aether/Lisa/Barbara/Yaoyao) and sososososo sweet I luv her

Diluc - level 53(/60) - will forever be pissy with diluc for not being baizhu but he seems okay

Yanfei - level 50(/50). - luv her, sometimes I use my hyperload team (Yanfei/Beidou/Barbara/Yaoyao) with her but she'll probably be replaced by diluc :c bc 5star pyro > 4star pyro

Xiangling - level 50(/50) - pretty damn good, now that I have Bennett I can use a Bennett/xiangling pyro core :3

Lynette - level 40(/40) - yumyum for exploration bc of her e skill!! Never really played her in combat tho tbh

Amber - level 40 (/50) - blech. Awful. My first pyro character but. I actively avoided her bc her application SUCKS ASS. Idk I just really don't like her

Ningguang - level 34(/40) - LESBIAN!!! Also s h i e l d

Faruzan - level 20(/20) - triangles make my brain happy (it's one of my neurospicy things) so her Thing being triangles is !!!!! Hehduehdjbf!!!

Gorou - level 20(/40) - I project onto he so hard he so me frfr never played him in combat tho -<-

Mika - level 20(/40) - yeah he exists I forget about him a lot tho :< never played him

Freminet - level 20(/40) - penguin bby! So enby coded let's be real

Layla - level 20(/40) - RARWHM NOMNOM I love her I NEED to build her her skill is so SCRUMPTIOUS and shE aurgh I love

C2 Collei - level 20(/40) - played her for a few minutes when I first got her :v unimpressed

Xinyan - level 20(/40) - never played her

Noelle - level 16(/20) - never played her

Bennett - level 1(/20) - did a play test with him on the team and :D he! Lil guy!! I needa build + level him hehe

[laulauccfinds]

Very Berry Generation 1 - CC LIST

POPPY AND TOFFEE’S CC LIST

SKIN DETAILS

Skin Tone: https://chimaerae.tumblr.com/post/187039824329/eezo-shot-skintones-palette-eezo-shot

Skin Overlay: https://inspiredmoodlet.tumblr.com/post/158330639003/someday-skinblend-i-updated-my-skinblend

Skin Redness: https://imadako.tumblr.com/post/117255677276/skindetailfacemask-01downloadmediafire-for-all

Nose Mask: https://pyxiidis.tumblr.com/post/171138927821/to-the-bone-nosemasks-by-pyxis-because-everyone

Hairline: https://anastacialove.tumblr.com/post/175649448764/organic-hairline-by-pixelore-i-couldnt-for-the

Eye Bags: https://tamosim.blogspot.com/2015/10/ts4-basic-10-eye-bags-set-for-all.html

Tattoos: https://simmingmango.tumblr.com/post/163757372950/dainty-tattoo-set-i-felt-like-theres-not-enough

Eye Sparkle: https://sim-4-cc.tumblr.com/post/176038540642/plasmafruit-tree-so-ridgeport-wanted-some-more

Aveira Eyes: https://aveirasims.tumblr.com/post/158107357256/rachirdsims-eyes-15-recolor-today-i-bring-you

HAIR

Brows WMS Recolors: http://wildlyminiaturesandwich.blogspot.com/2018/05/brow-recolours.html

Ruby Hair: https://helasims.tumblr.com/post/180760780964/stephanine-sims-ruby-hair-comes-in-all-3-wms

Ombre Overlay: https://noodlescc.tumblr.com/post/180083843724/seasons-long-wavy-hair-ombre-overlay-accessory-i

MAKEUP + ACC

Eyelashes: http://kijiko-catfood.com/3d-lashes-version2/

Eyeshadow: https://meemayplays.tumblr.com/post/120168321791/tear-line-glow-eyeshadow-i-wanted-something-to

Eyeliner: https://twinksimstress.tumblr.com/post/152660693241/the-yai-liner-because-yai-not-a-collection-of-10#notes

LaulauPlays Blush: https://simfil.es/1881575

Gloss: https://dangerouslyfreejellyfish.tumblr.com/post/165585227501/lustrous-lipgloss-teen-elder-male-female

Real Lips Revisited: https://pictureamoebae.tumblr.com/post/147259113679/real-lips-revisited-release

Skin Details: https://pyxiidis.tumblr.com/post/171902140901/about-face-skin-details-by-pyxis-a-set-of-subtle

Nails: https://laulauccfinds.tumblr.com/post/166988446352/down-in-simsland-thrift-shopping-tons-of

Rainbow Nails: https://simlaughlove.tumblr.com/post/163327412088/sll-rainbownails

Beret: https://sims4marigold.blogspot.com/2015/12/beretunisex.html

Rain Hat: https://toxicfruit.tumblr.com/post/175242389027/flw-pwr-hat-its-one-of-the-hats-that-came-with

Accessories Tops: http://wildlyminiaturesandwich.blogspot.com/2017/03/accessory-tops.html

CLOTHES + SHOES

Arcade Skirt: https://simfileshare.net/download/674077/

Mei Overalls: https://foursimscc.blogspot.com/2019/01/mei-overalls-recolor.html

Anacletus Top: https://tiptoptab.tumblr.com/post/181747252425/anacletus-top-tiptoptab-i-recently-bought-a

Baggy Sweatpants: http://puresims-blog.blogspot.com/2018/03/baggy-sweats.html

Babey Tee: https://plumbino.tumblr.com/post/182409307609/babey-tee-hello-2019-i-thought-the-baby

Bella Cardigan Accessory: https://maxiematch.tumblr.com/post/181620793671/twikkii-island-recolour-21-colours-white-mesh

Pajama Pants: https://quiddity-jones.tumblr.com/post/168905440052/fleece-your-heart-out-new-tank-top-mesh-and-pyjama

Liney Shorts: https://plumbella.tumblr.com/post/175610648711/irisensatah-liney-shorts-huge-thanks-to

Ombre Sequined Gown: https://rusty-cc.tumblr.com/post/182399244087/ombr%C3%A9-sequined-gown-by-marchesa-notte-5-color

Bobby Socks: https://imadako.tumblr.com/post/156530303831/girls-school-uniform-setdownloadmediafire

All star Shoes: https://sssvitlans.tumblr.com/post/159295739339/heypixels-low-top-all-star-conversion-by

Converse Shoes: https://love4sims4.tumblr.com/post/145096549908/pxelbox-converse-by-pxelbox-some-simple

TOFFEE

Cats and Dogs Eyes: https://noodlescc.tumblr.com/post/167593794944/glossy-eyes-for-cats-and-dogs-my-glossy-eyes-made

Skinny Cat Whiskers: http://www.pickypikachu.com/2017/11/skinny-cat-whiskers-and-brows-non.html

TART’S FAMILY CC LIST

SKIN DETAILS

Noodles Skin Tone: https://noodlescc.tumblr.com/post/157420201179/noodles-berry-skin-colors-here-is-my-set-of-berry

Skin Tone: https://chimaerae.tumblr.com/post/187039824329/eezo-shot-skintones-palette-eezo-shot

Skin Overlay: https://inspiredmoodlet.tumblr.com/post/158330639003/someday-skinblend-i-updated-my-skinblend

Male Skin Overlay: https://inspiredmoodlet.tumblr.com/post/141124469713/folie-a-deux-a-skinblend-i-made-a-skinblend

Heihu Skin Overlays: https://heihu.tumblr.com/post/168522486651/i-did-a-little-spring-cleaning-of-my-blog-and

Skin Redness: https://imadako.tumblr.com/post/117255677276/skindetailfacemask-01downloadmediafire-for-all

Eye Bags: https://tamosim.blogspot.com/2015/10/ts4-basic-10-eye-bags-set-for-all.html

Nose Mask: https://pyxiidis.tumblr.com/post/171138927821/to-the-bone-nosemasks-by-pyxis-because-everyone

Skin Shine: https://dangerouslyfreejellyfish.tumblr.com/post/165104610246/3k-followers-set-heres-a-few-items-ive-been

Hairline: https://anastacialove.tumblr.com/post/175649448764/organic-hairline-by-pixelore-i-couldnt-for-the

Tattoos: https://simmingmango.tumblr.com/post/163757372950/dainty-tattoo-set-i-felt-like-theres-not-enough

Eye Sparkle: https://sim-4-cc.tumblr.com/post/176038540642/plasmafruit-tree-so-ridgeport-wanted-some-more

Aveira Eyes: https://aveirasims.tumblr.com/post/158107357256/rachirdsims-eyes-15-recolor-today-i-bring-you

Aveira Eyes Heterochromia: https://rachirdsims.tumblr.com/post/158043689473/eyes-15-recolor-today-i-bring-you-a-recolor-of

Body Hair: https://luumiasims.com/post/160374208324/body-hair-v5-body-hair-is-back-and-even-more

HAIR

Brows WMS Recolors: http://wildlyminiaturesandwich.blogspot.com/2018/05/brow-recolours.html

Berry Brows: https://noodlescc.tumblr.com/post/169791566849/adult-eyebrow-recolors-frost-rainbowcy

Berry Facial Hair: https://noodlescc.tumblr.com/post/182986799224/base-game-facial-hair-sorbets-and-elderberries

Elle Hair: https://greenllamas.tumblr.com/post/184483916429/elle-hair-greenllamas-an-old-wip-that-has

Elias Hair: https://vevesims.tumblr.com/post/186049778634/elias-hair-full-18-ea-swatches-custom-thumbnail

Island Living Berry Hair: https://noodlescc.tumblr.com/post/185806446464/island-living-ep-hair-recolors-sorbets-and

Andre Hair: https://clumsyalienn.tumblr.com/post/619439974502268928/andre-x-wilfred-hair-commissions-these-two

Katheryn Hair: https://simstrouble.tumblr.com/post/189124618780/katheryn-by-simstrouble-a-simple-edit-mesh-from

Tiny Living Berry Hair: https://noodlescc.tumblr.com/post/611134159300214784/tiny-living-hair-recolors-sorbets-and

Lyla Hair: https://dogsill.tumblr.com/post/619561503690031104/lyla-hairs-these-hairs-are-named-after-lyla-from

MAKEUP + ACC

Eyelashes: http://kijiko-catfood.com/3d-lashes-version2/

EA Eyelash Remover (scroll down to find the mod): http://kijiko-catfood.com/3d-lashes-version2/

Eyeshadow: https://meemayplays.tumblr.com/post/120168321791/tear-line-glow-eyeshadow-i-wanted-something-to

Smokeshow Eyeshadow: https://newcresting.tumblr.com/post/190260602297/smokeshow-a-soft-smokey-and-winged-out

Savvy Eyeshadow and Eyeliner: https://grimcookies.com/post/618986221656588288/savvy-x-grimsavvysweet-and-myself-are-so-happy-to

Eyeliner: https://twinksimstress.tumblr.com/post/152660693241/the-yai-liner-because-yai-not-a-collection-of-10#notes

Bye Liner: https://twinksimstress.tumblr.com/post/612145980759998464/twinksimstress-the-bye-liner-by-twinksimstress#notes

LaulauPlays Blush: https://simfil.es/2023896

Dirk’s Blush: https://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims4-makeup-female-blush/title/s-club-wm-ts4-blush-09/id/1337237/

Real Lips Revisited: https://pictureamoebae.tumblr.com/post/147259113679/real-lips-revisited-release

Mate Lip: https://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims4-makeup-female-lipstick/title/%5B-powdered-sugar-%5D--matte-lip-colour/id/1357016/

Gloss: https://dangerouslyfreejellyfish.tumblr.com/post/165585227501/lustrous-lipgloss-teen-elder-male-female

Gloss Lip Set: https://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims4-makeup-female-lipstick/title/lipsset23/id/1325006/

Butter Lip Colour: https://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims4-makeup-female-lipstick/title/%5B-honey-butter-%5D--lip-colour/id/1326338/

Skin Details: https://pyxiidis.tumblr.com/post/171902140901/about-face-skin-details-by-pyxis-a-set-of-subtle

Nails: https://laulauccfinds.tumblr.com/post/166988446352/down-in-simsland-thrift-shopping-tons-of

Rainbow Nails: https://simlaughlove.tumblr.com/post/163327412088/sll-rainbownails

Broken Heart Earrings: https://vibrantpixels.tumblr.com/post/187223305382/broken-heart-earrings-i-spent-all-of-today-in

Rainbow Earrings: https://ridgeport.tumblr.com/post/614632757490024448/thefreckledhoneys-earrings-bronte-dress

Piercing Set: https://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims4-accessories-female-earrings/title/piercing-set-n16/id/1382712/

Accessories Tops: http://wildlyminiaturesandwich.blogspot.com/2017/03/accessory-tops.html

Waitress Apron: https://srslysims.tumblr.com/post/146340377877/srslys-accessory-waitress-waiter-aprons-i

Beret: https://sims4marigold.blogspot.com/2015/12/beretunisex.html

Beret Hat: https://casteru.tumblr.com/post/189149555297/backwards-beret-cap-tou-reference-in

CLOTHES + SHOES

Cropped Top: https://maxismatchccworld.tumblr.com/post/183524112570/foursims-grace-top-more-frankenmeshing

Phlox Trousers: https://artupr.tumblr.com/post/185256479230/ridgeports-phlox-trousers-recolor-finally-i

Aphrodite Top PJ: https://joliebean.tumblr.com/post/182787987096/st-valentines-day-gift-a-set-of-clothes

Strawberry Dress: https://joliebean.tumblr.com/post/626451696451715072/strawberry-dress-by-joliebean-mm-version-of-the

Knotted Top: https://viiavi.tumblr.com/post/183155834908/wilder-flora-separated-wildflower-dress-2-tops

Breezer Hoodie: https://blewis50.tumblr.com/post/186796536262/emmibouquet-breezer-hoodie-accessory-top

Cropped Tank Top: https://viiavi.tumblr.com/post/183642969283/papaver-version-two-cropped-tank-top-an-anon

Splattered Bowling Shorts: https://storylegacysims.tumblr.com/post/161461789484/bowling-shorts-everyones-favorite-shorts-from

Vintage Bikini: https://bramblefinch.tumblr.com/post/185347902476/berryconfetti-bramblefinchs-swimsuit-pack-in

Kevin Top: https://aharris00britney.tumblr.com/post/187194346870/axa-2019-official-release

Jumpsuit: https://simsontherope.tumblr.com/post/152474619481/jumpsuit-for-the-sims-4-this-was-ready-for-some

Valentine Tees: https://mousysims.tumblr.com/post/182712684887/bgc-custom-thumbnail-disabled-for-random-18

Sean Sweater: https://aharris00britney.tumblr.com/post/190968756593/axa-springset-2020

Anacletus Top: https://tiptoptab.tumblr.com/post/181747252425/anacletus-top-tiptoptab-i-recently-bought-a

Babey Tee: https://plumbino.tumblr.com/post/182409307609/babey-tee-hello-2019-i-thought-the-baby

Cody Pants: https://aharris00britney.tumblr.com/post/187194346870/axa-2019-official-release

Plain Old Tee: https://love4sims4.tumblr.com/post/184687576553/captainmrbored-plain-old-tee-dyoreos-this-one

Teresa Blouse: https://clumsyalienn.tumblr.com/post/190344642990/rushed-lovers-cc-pack-bgc-all-lods-shadow-maps

Baseball Tee: https://peacemaker-ic.tumblr.com/post/176369563948/baseball-vs-short-%C2%BE-and-long-sleeve-tees-one

Sweatshirt: https://lilisimmer.tumblr.com/post/182825608894/saartje77-sorry-it-took-so-long/amp

Male Sweatpants: https://tukete.blogspot.com/2018/01/male-sweatpants-recolors.html

Pride and Joy Shorts: https://maxismatchccworld.tumblr.com/post/185409613405/simstrouble-pride-joy-shorts-by

Fallon Skirt: https://clumsyalienn.tumblr.com/post/181245667075/christmas-pack-by-amelylina-and-clumsyalienn-you

T-Shirt: https://lilsimsiecc.tumblr.com/post/163258255880/rusty-sims-shorter-t-shirt-25-color-%EB%AC%B4%EB%8B%A8%EC%88%98%EC%A0%952%EC%B0%A8%EB%B0%B0%ED%8F%AC

Liney Shorts: https://plumbella.tumblr.com/post/175610648711/irisensatah-liney-shorts-huge-thanks-to

Chloris Dress: https://ridgeport.tumblr.com/post/171151147007/chloris-a-random-dress-i-made-on-an-impulse-today

Lucas Top: https://aharris00britney.tumblr.com/post/187194346870/axa-2019-official-release

Jacob Jeans: https://aharris00britney.tumblr.com/post/190968756593/axa-springset-2020

Latata Shorts: https://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims4-clothing-female-teenadultelder-everyday/title/trillyke-latata-shorts/id/1419659/

Winter Jacket: https://ivkasims.tumblr.com/post/175379640037/so-i-really-hate-the-jackets-for-adult-females-in

Unholy Jeans: https://mysteriousdane.tumblr.com/post/187641614058/unholy-jeans-i-absolutely-adore-the-new-skiny

Simple Tee: https://ridgeport.tumblr.com/post/183660259057/simple

PJ Bottoms: https://simmiesgalore.tumblr.com/post/182140697672/who-doesnt-love-comfy-pjs-12-color-variations

Cropped Roll-Up Jeans: https://love4sims4.tumblr.com/post/163010549193/rusty-sims-cropped-roll-up-jeans-f-18-color

Danielle Jeans: https://aharris00britney.tumblr.com/post/190968756593/axa-springset-2020

Matt Trucks: https://aharris00britney.tumblr.com/post/187194346870/axa-2019-official-release

Baggy Sweatpants: http://puresims-blog.blogspot.com/2018/03/baggy-sweats.html

Bobby Socks: https://imadako.tumblr.com/post/156530303831/girls-school-uniform-setdownloadmediafire

Anisah Shoes: https://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims4-shoes-female-teenadultelder/title/madlen-anisah-shoes/id/1410315/

Converse Shoes: https://love4sims4.tumblr.com/post/145096549908/pxelbox-converse-by-pxelbox-some-simple

Elelyn Boots: https://aharris00britney.tumblr.com/post/188520988266/simblreen-2019

Cork Slides: https://gladlypants.tumblr.com/post/186643983606/i-put-a-cute-little-cork-texture-on-the-soles-of

Hike Boots: https://nolan-sims.tumblr.com/post/183341235753/nolan-sims-here-long-time-no-see-its-been-ages

Slippers: http://wildlyminiaturesandwich.blogspot.com/2017/10/tartan-jammies-simblreen-2017-treat.html

CATS AND DOGS

Cats and Dogs Eyes: https://noodlescc.tumblr.com/post/167593794944/glossy-eyes-for-cats-and-dogs-my-glossy-eyes-made

Skinny Cat Whiskers: http://www.pickypikachu.com/2017/11/skinny-cat-whiskers-and-brows-non.html

[polizwrites]

PoliZ’s WIP Update - 8 Nov 2023

Another strong week -  though will probably be slowing down for the rest of the month due to Real Life Stuff.  I touched 5  fics (2 WIPs & 3 new works)  for a total of  2403 words, about half of which was on one fic. 

On Ao3, I posted: 

 Love Persevering  - a Stucky oneshot featuring modern!Bucky (kind of?) and ghost!Steve with bonus neighbor!Darcy

WinterIron Bingo Round Robin - November 2023 - established WinterIron relationship Tower fic with a touch of therapy-related angst.   

On Tumblr I posted: 

The Secrets We Keep -  first person alternating POV with mutual pining (and secret identity) Stony.  

I have  19  semi-active WIPs  😬 with my  current  deadlines being  the WinterIron Bingo which wraps on 16 Dec and Stucky’Verse Bingo which wraps on 22 Dec.  

See  below cut for what I’m working on/planning to work on - arranged more or less by bingos/challenges/etc.  As always, feel free to send me   prompts or plot bunnies as well as asks regarding  any of these projects  or any other WIPs I’ve got out there.   Interaction really helps feed the Muse and keep me motivated!

Seek & Destroy Collab

After reading @psychiccatpanda‘s amazing   Morguna and the Green Queen, I  got the itch to explore the Soldier’s POV and talked  Faustie into   collab’ing with me!  We’re working on a new part of the series, and I’ve  contributed about 900 words towards the  2500-ish we have so far.   Going to see if I can squeeze any of my BBB squares into this fic.

WinterIron Bingo  - [WIB_R1]   (Ends 16 Dec 2023)

I have twenty-one  fills completed (including a couple of adoptables) for this brand-new bingo event that I’m helping mod! 

* B column squares for the Iron Soldier badge (complete a bingo with a single work). – Alpha Tony Stark, “That was not my intention.”, James Rhodes, Alpine loves Tony and Blind date.   Need to figure out an angle on this.  

* N1 - Bucharest –  ended up using this for the WinterIron Bingo Round Robin - November 2023, which posted this morning. It’s an established WinterIron relationship fic where Bucky is working with a therapist and getting some guff from Steve about it. My part came in at   361 words. 

* G4 - AU: College Students – Expanding on  Beaten to the Punch with a bit of backstory on Bucky and Tony  to fit with this square. It’s coming in at 408 words and am targeting it to post next Wednesday as a cross over with my WFB  Volunteering Together square.  

* O5 - Gentle – use this poem  as inspiration?

Stucky’Verse Bingo Round 1 - [SVB_R1]   (Ends 22 Dec)

Thirteen  fills, two WIPs and a couple of ideas.

* A1 - Harem - crossover with CABB Secret/Forbidden Relationship - Bucky and shrimpy!Steve are both concubines who love each other more than their lord. I poked at this a little for 71 words.

* B4 - Sugar Daddy -  looking for inspiration - combining with CABB  Nov Adoptable: Sugar Baby.  Possibly shrimpy!Steve and beefy!Bucky?   

* A5 - Haunted Hotel -  Posted Love Persevering  last Friday as a combo with my SRB - Darcy Lewis &   pJBB B1 - Ask the neighbor if they know why your apartment is haunted squares. It features  modern!Bucky (kind of?)   and ghost!Steve (with bonus neighbor!Darcy)  and came in at 1610 words 

* A4 - Fairy Tale Curse  - this seems custom-made for a continuation of Beyond the Beast😁  Nothing written yet, other than some Vague Ideas.  

* C3 - FREE -  probably using this for Chapter 2 of   Half of the Flesh and Blood That Makes Me Whole   - a Bucky POV remix of at least the first part of Take What Was Wrong (And Make it Right), which is currently sitting at  52 words.  I’m expecting at least one more chapter, possibly two, depending on how far I want to take the remix.   

Bucky Barnes Bingo  - [BBB_R5]   (Ends 10 Jan 2024)

I’ve got  sixteen fills,  four WIPs,   and a couple more Vague ideas.

* U3 - Fireplace -  Working on a 1980′s No Powers WinterIron fic set at a ski lodge where Tony’s being wooed by poetry and love letters that Bucky wrote to someone else.   Started poking at this as a crossover with a Love Letters prompt and it’s sitting at 129 words.

* C2 - Yelena Belova–   The plan is to use this prompt in the next chapter of Peresmešnik,  (aka Three Avengers and a Baby), which is currently sitting at 1303 words (600-ish of which are mine).

* C3 - FREE  - the BBB Discord party resulted in a hilarious Mob AU communal story  (mobster!Bucky & clueless!Steve plus Clint&Natasha&Scott shenanigans)   that several of us did/are going to contribute to Rashomon-style.  

* C5 - Marriage of Convenience/Pretend Couple -  next chapter of   Lady Natasha’s Consort and Lord Steve’s Companion.    Got a spark of an idea the other day that might get me a bit further on this fic.  

* K3 - Magic -  Aro!Bucky healing with a kiss idea?

* Y3 - Alpine  - see WIB Iron Soldier combo.

* Y4 - Forgotten Things -   using this for Chapter 4 of   You Can’t Stop It With a Gun  - it’s sitting at  116 words at the moment.

* May Adopted - Insomnia - finally got this filled with The Dead of Night, which also filled a Flash Fiction Friday prompt [#FFF211 An Old Friend] along with my JBB FREE square. It came in at 317 words and will post to Ao3 before this event ends.

* August Adopted: Take the Shot - sounds like a WinterHawk fic to me… maybe cross over with JBB Touch-starved?  Whumptober/Fictober possibilities as well. 

Tony Stark Bingo Round 7  - [TSB_R7]   (ends 15 Feb)

Sixteen  fills and one WIPs, with a couple of ideas in play.  

* S1 - Galaxy - possibly use in final chapter of   Never More to Go Astray ?  

* T2 - KINK: Cock-blocking 'bots -  I still want to combine this with  the  Fictober Day 27: prompt   "I don't know if they will accept this."   

* T3 - A pairing you've never done - I was inspired by @rebelmeg’s  Wingmen and Airmen, Flirting and Flying  to write a remix/spinoff of the first chapter, where Tony flirts with Maria Rambeau while Rhodey and Carol get to know one another better.  No Sensation to Compare With This is drafted at 1096 words and will post on Friday. 

* T5 - Shawarma - possible crossover with SAUB Canon Divergence – Battle of New York-related?

* A2 - KINK: Concubine - possible crossover with SAUB Gentle Dom

* A3 -  FREE  – @SomeSortofItalianRoast and I are looking at collabing on a  Steve/Tony/Scott fic - maybe throw in a Comfortember prompt?  

* R5 - Doppelganger/Evil Twins -   The Flash Fiction Friday prompt [#FFF214 Broken Mirror] got me at least a good start on the idea I’ve been playing with for this square. I posted NamNori on Tumblr and have a general idea of how I want to build on it to also fill my SAUB AU: Crack square. It’s currently sitting at 360 words.

Stony AUniverse Bingo  [SAUB_R1] (ends 15 Feb)

Another brand-new bingo I’m helping co-mod!   Six fills, three WIPs and several  crossover ideas already!

* S1 - Edging - Filled this with Ringing in the New, where Tony makes a suggestion to improve/change up their love life. It’s a crossover with a Flash Fiction Friday prompt: How Do You Use ‘It’? and came in at 324 words - I will post it to Ao3 before the event is over.

* S2 - AU: Crack - see TSB   Doppelganger/Evil Twins

* S3 - AU: Wings - see SVB FREE square

* S5 - Accidental Baby Acquisition - see BBB Yelena Belova

* T1 - AU: Fantasy -  CoffeeOwl shared a really cool dragon!Steve/indebted!Tony prompt in the ACB Discord server that I may be playing with for this.

* T4 - AU: Canon Divergence - see TSB Shawarma above.

* O2 - Omegaverse - I have a Vague Idea inspired by  @kandisheek’s lovely art piece.  

* N2 - Mutual Pining - crossover with CABB Royal Knight?

* N3 - Gentle Dom - see TSB KINK: Concubine above

* N5 - AU: Multiple Identities - Posted  The Secrets We Keep  to Tumblr on Friday. It’s a first person alternating POV ficlet with mutual pining (and secret identity) Stony.   It came in at 314 words and will get posted to Ao3 before the event ends. 

* Y4 - AU: Soulmates  -  @chrissihr  posted a cool idea about Animated soulmarks, where  only your SM sees your mark move - may try to do something with this!  

Captain (America) Bottom Bingo - Round 2 [CABB] (ends 28 Feb 2024)

I signed up for a 3x3 card for this bingo and have four fills, one WIPs and a couple of crossover ideas.

* A2 - Secret/Forbidden Relationship - see SVB Harem

* B3 - Royal Knight - see SAUB Mutual Pining.

* Nov Adoptable: Sugar Baby - see SVB  Sugar Daddy.

Post July Break Bingo  [JBB_23p] (Ends Apr 2024)

@julybreakbingo is running another event to tide participants over with a 2x3 non-fandom-specific card - still working on  potential crossovers.

* A1 - “It’s you. It’s always been you.” - This might fit in with my TSB Doppelgangers/Evil Twins fill NamNori above :: ponders::

* B1 - Ask the neighbor if they know why your apartment is haunted  -  see SVB  Haunted Hotel 

* B2 - Character’s personality is split into two different beings – I’ve never played with Bucky & the Soldier being two different people, but this seems like the perfect opportunity! Will see what might be a good crossover on BBB or WIB (or even SVB)

*  C1 - Touch Starved – another good fit for a Bucky-centric fic. (Steve or Tony or Clint) possibly crossover with BBB Take the shot?

Steve Rogers Bingo - Round 3 [SRB_R3] (ends  15 Jun 2024)

Got my card and requested a few swaps - need to ponder possible crossovers, especially with SAUB, SBV   & CABB.  

* C5 - Exes to Lovers  - crossover with  CABB - "B1 - "All I wanted was for you to be happy."  – Bucky or Tony as the Ex?   SAUB S4 - Arranged Marriage  might be an additional crossover  

* D1 - Multiple Submissives -  crossover with  CABB - C3 - Bath/shower sex  and SAUB  Y1 - Pre-Serum Steve Rogers?  

* E1 - Darcy Lewis - See SRB A5 - Haunted Hotel 

Warm and Fluffy   Bingo  - [WFB]   (no end date)

I got my card from  @warmandfluffybingocards back in February but really haven’t done much with it  - however, I’m picking it back up for some crossover possibilities!

 * O5 - Volunteering Together – see WIB AU: College Students

————

On  other creative fronts:  I am working on a Bela Lugosi  Stuffed With Character figure for a commission and have gotten the requests from two of my three   Marvel Trumps Hate  auction winners - seven figures total!

If  you’re looking for one of a kind gifts for birthdays or other celebrations (besides this coming Christmas), check  out Stuffed With Character    over on Facebook for a full list of my designs (now over 150!).   These soft stuffed figures are  mostly Marvel and monsters, but I have some Star Wars, Star Trek, DC   and Disney figures as well. Plus I love to take custom design   requests  for any fandom!

[kikithefox231]

About me!

Hey! Call me Kiki or Amaryllis! I mainly scream about animation and cartoons here! :D ☆ Status:

Despite the horrors, I stay filled with whimsy! You can pry the whimsy from my COLD. DEAD. PAWS. :3

─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ─── Separate about page ─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───

⋆｡° ✩ More info ✩ °｡⋆

Fandoms: (Bolded + Italicised are the one's I am screaming and crying over right now) Amphibia ✮ The Owl House ✮ Svtfoe ✮ Gravity Falls ✮ Miraculous Ladybug ✮ The Dragon Prince ✮ She-Ra (Reboot) ✮ Ducktales (Reboot) ✮ Pokemon ✮ Over the Garden Wall ✮ Infinity Train ✮ Glitch Techs ✮ Kipo and the Age of the Wonderbeasts ✮ Phineas and Ferb ✮ Milo Murphy's Law ✮ MLP ✮ Warrior Cats ✮ Your Name ✮ Weathering with You ✮ Suzume ✮ HTTYD ✮ Your Lie In April ✮ Exu ✮ Critical Role c3 ✮ Wolfwalkers ✮ Aggretsuko ✮ Genshin Impact ✮ Honkai Star Rail ✮ Animal Crossing ✮ Neko Atsume ✮ Spiderverse ✮ Murder Drones ✮ Nisekoi ✮ Nimona ✮ Zootopia ✮ Sonic Franchise ✮ Littlest Pet Shop ✮ Keeper of the Lost Cities ✮ Tamako Love Story ✮ Spy x family ✮ Percy Jackson and the Olympians ✮ One Stormy Night ✮

The Blorbos ever!!! Marcy Wu ✦ Star Butterfly ✦ Fluttershy ✦ Starlight Glimmer ✦ Cinnamoroll ✦ Willow Park ✦ Miko Kubota ✦ Jesse Cosay ✦ Lake ✦ Hazel ✦ Rayla ✦ Marinette Dupain Cheng ✦ Adrien Agreste ✦ Robyn Goodfellowe ✦ Mebh Óg MacTíre ✦ Leafpool ✦ Hollyleaf ✦ Yae Miko ✦ Sucrose ✦ Lady ✦ Webby Vanderquack ✦ Della Duck ✦ Fearne Calloway ✦ Goldie ✦ Gwen Stacy ✦ Serial Designation N ✦ Chitoge Kirisaki ✦ Miles "Tails" Prower ✦ Amy Rose ✦ Zoe Trent ✦ Penny Ling ✦ Coco Pommel ✦ March 7th ✦ Firefly ✦ Robin ✦ Bailu ✦ Huohuo ✦ Anya Froyer ✦ Mabel Pines ✦ Dipper Pines ✦ Pacifica Northwest ✦ Mei ✦

Characters that are me fr fr:

Fluttershy ⟡ Star Butterfly ⟡ Marcy Wu ⟡ Huo Huo ⟡ Miko Kubota

Socials: AO3 ✧ Amarylily YT ✧ Amaryllis Spotify ✧ Kikithefox Amphibia Sideblog ✧ brb-crying-over-amphibia ML Sideblog ✧ chaton-et-buguinette Glitch Techs Sideblog ✧ glitches-and-techs Svtfoe incorrect quotes blog ✧ incorrectstarvs A Miles a Day blog ✧ a-miles-a-day Hubris Bracket Blog ✧ hubrisbracket Art insp blog (warning: not tagged for mild gore, religion, flashing lights, and etc.) ✧ kiki-screams-abt-art

Tags I Track: #fav - favorite posts/posts I want to find later #my stuff #kiki stuff - both used for tracking my original content #kiki rambles - for stuff where I talk a lot in the notes #tagged - for tracking stuff I'm tagged in #Important!!! - important posts (feel free to block since they will contain topics like mental health and real world news) #funnies - posts that made me laugh #ive been personally attacked - what it says on the tin lol #thanks for asking! - for asks answered by me #thanks for answering! - for asks sent by me #bee bestie <3 - starting to use this tag for posts where I'm tagged by @mell0bee or mention bee bc there's so much and I wanna save them 🥺 Ultimate fav posts! ✪ Amphibia Trio Playlists ✪ Amity’s TRUE Hair Color!!1!1! ✪ PARTNER IN CRINGE!!! ✪ One of the most insane posts on this website (affectionate) ✪ HE'S SO CUTE SHUT UUUUP (picture of Georgia) ✪ Follow your dreams ✪ Leafpool request (spoiler: got kissed on the forehead 🥺🥺🥺) ✪ Princess Joe (of USA) ✪ "i appreciate the (extremely cursed) bee bee." ✪ polyamorous power move ✪ happy robotnik slaughter saturday everybody ✪ IT FINALLY MAKES SENSE TO ME ✪ it's okay fish. don't let this get you down. you are all of you. ✪ AROACE AND TRANS SONIC REAL?????? (NOT CLICKBAIT) ✪ Everything is canon. ✪ cant be mentally ill in PEACE!!! *sobs* ✪ last book that made you cry ✪ disney romcom (on a VERY evil and fucked up train) ✪ LGBT bar so good it made someone gay <3 good for them <3 ✪ POLY PLS ✪ Happy birthday Grimace! *fuckin dies* ✪ y’all are always finding new ways to make fossils fuels. ✪ Bill better sleep with one eye open lmao ✪ CONGRATS ON THE DIVORCE!!! ✪ "AND NOW YOUR BODY SHAMING!!!" ✪ POLY SHIPPING!!!!!! ✪ ALYAGAMI SUNSET FANART IM GONNA GO CRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WAAAAGH!!!!! ✪ GO MILO GOOO!!! ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ (updating soon!)

Likes and Dislikes! ♡ Tea ♡ one-liners that cause me to break down immediately ♡ Extremely specific aus catered to me directly ♡ amvs ♡ Alt/indie music ✘ Confrontation ✘ Heavy gore ✘ Waking up early ✘ Horror movies ✘ Fermented Black Beans

Hobbies!

⟡ Traditional + digital art ⟡ graphic design ⟡ writing ⟡ singing ⟡ sowing

⟡ video editing

⟡ crying over fictional characters

Personal: ✿ I get socially anxious easily so I will try my best to communicate how I feel but just fyi in case! ✿ My memory is horrible so feel free to remind me of something if needed! ✿ I forgot to say this but I’m Asian GAKHSKSJ I’m Taiwanese and Chinese! I can understand and say basic mandarin but I don’t know how to read or write it sadly 😔 one day!!! ✿ I have ADHD so please be nice :’) I’m trying my best

Extras: ❀ I don't mind being tagged in things if we are mutuals! If you're not sure just ask me in advance! ❀ feel free to ask for me to use tone tags or tag trigger warnings for posts! If you'd like me to ID a post let me know! ❀ spam liking/reblogging is welcome! ^^ ❀ feel free to ask my a question! I am not guaranteed to answer it if I feel uncomfortable with it, however! ❀ fun fact: this URL is my animal jam username from ages ago lol ❀ I got called a donut once???

DNI List Please don't interact with me if you post: -nsfw -heavy gore -do not tag triggers -cp -extreme horror

⋆｡˚ credits: purple city divider ⟡ moon dividers

[eyndr-stories]

To Be Alive (FNAF SB fanfic) C3 - Tis Better To Have Loved and Loved Again

In summary:

At long last, the thrilling continuation of 'To Be Human'! There are more shenanigans for Star and co to get up to, and new horrors to be subjected to! Not to mention, Eclipse is still at large and up to no good... As 'To Be Human' is a self contained stand-alone story, one could very well choose to leave the adventure as is! Considering there are some heavier themes in this one (biggest thing here being death, specifically) that's exactly what I would recommend you do if you like everything very much the way it ended in 'To Be Human'. This story is an exploration of a few ideas I wanted to work with left over from the first story, and a way to tie up some very minor loose ends, as well as a return to some characters and a world I had a lot of fun with.

Things To Know:

Reader insert! Y/N is not used and gender is not specified, though the reader does have a blorbo-appointed name (Star)

Non-specified relationships between reader and Sun & Moon, this can be read as pals, family, partners, whatever you like, totally up to your interpretation

Sun & Moon are separate bots and referred to with gender neutral pronouns

The reader and other characters are often in mortal peril! This world is full of Funky Creatures (other than you) and some of them attack and hurt several characters, including the reader character

Some blood and minor gore

Occasional swearing

Death

(as always, let me know if I should add anything!)

Ao3 link: Right here!

Start reading here: Chapter 1

Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4

C3 - Tis Better To Have Loved and Loved Again

     The coughing was not helping your headaches. The coughing was a recent development, and had prompted another round of tests and scans. You met once again with your old nemesis, the weird scan chair. Though it was less of a chair and more of a long vertical bowl with a flat shelf at the bottom. Despite your less than fond memories of the machine, you sat in it very calmly when Moon politely asked you to. The chair hummed and glowed and tickled your brain, and then gave Moon a long complicated readout of information once it was finished with its scan.

     You got out of the chair and climbed up on one of the nearby tables instead. You fiddled absentmindedly with a random tool as Moon went over the information, silently sharing and transferring data with Sun. Sun, meanwhile, was compiling data on another one of the plants from the farm, trying to learn as much about the toxin as they could.

     Moon had almost gotten through all of the data when they and Sun both froze. They stopped what they were doing and looked at each other. Moon turned back to you.

     "Star, would you mind if we ran one more scan? I just need to double check something," Moon said. Their voice was even quieter than usual.

     "I guess so." You hopped down from the table and climbed back up in the chair.

     Moon ran another scan. Sun came over to read the information with them once the scan was finished. You hopped out of the chair and tried to read the information filling up the small screen as well, but the words were too technical and moving too fast for you to figure out.

     Sun and Moon shared another look.

     "Bad news?" you asked.

     Moon turned away. Sun started fidgeting.

     "…Your symptoms are going to keep worsening, and rapidly. The cough, the headaches, the exhaustion. It looks like you're going to start having stomach troubles as well, there's… quite a lot of acid building up in your system. Your stomach is doing everything it can to break down the toxins while the toxins are slowly breaking down your stomach in return." Sun paused.

     "What else?" you asked.

     "…" Sun's hands were shaking now.

     "You have an estimated eleven days left," Moon said.

     "…Oh." Eleven days. Somehow, that didn't seem real. None of this seemed real. It felt like you were dreaming, but not quite. "Huh. That's not great."

     "We're working so hard, Star. We'll find a cure. We will," Sun stated.

     "We're going to work until we can figure out a cure. We won't leave the lab until we do," Moon said.

     "But if I only have eleven days…" You weren't sure how to word this delicately. "If you can't find a cure in time... I don't want to waste the time I have left. I'd rather spend it with you two."

     Sun pulled you into a tight hug. Moon joined in, wrapping their arms around both of you.

     "We can make time for you," Sun assured. "We want you to be happy."

     "I am happy. This past year with you two has been the happiest year of my life," you joked.

     They both laughed, which made you smile.

     "Nevermind that you've only been alive a year," Moon said.

     "It's been a very good year," you told them.

     And so it was for the next few days. You found yourself trying very hard to make the most out of every moment, even though several moments were less than ideal. The coughing fits got bad enough that you'd sometimes wind up throwing up, and eventually started coughing up blood. The headaches left you in bed and miserable for hours on end, at least until Sun and Moon managed to create some kind of medicine that helped tremendously with the pain.

     Those first few days, you were trying so hard to make the most of things and not waste the time you had left, that you were actually only making yourself more upset. That is, until you came to a realization one sleepless night. More of a decision than a realization, really.

     If you were going to die, and there was nothing to be done about it, then that was that. There was nothing to be done, so why worry about it? All you could do was focus on the here and now. So why not have fun while you could?

     You went out stargazing, climbed trees when you had the energy, went to the creek and stuck your feet in the cold water and picked up shiny stones. You even managed to catch a small fish with your hands, though when you proudly held it up to show it off to Sun and Moon, the slippery fish wriggled free and whacked you in the face before flopping back into the water. You still loved nature and the world, despite the fact that it was the world that was trying to kill you.

     You played little songs for Sun and Moon on your ukulele, drew them pictures, made up silly little stories for them, played games with them, made sure they took breaks when they'd been working in the lab for too long. You lived every moment deciding what would be the most fun to do, and then you did it.

     There were still many moments when certain thoughts would become too heavy. Fears about the future, not being here to look after Sun and Moon and fight off forest creatures that wandered a little too close to your home. Thoughts about how you might not get to have another birthday. Thoughts wondering about what it would be like to be dead, if it would be like anything at all.

     But then you would pick up your ukulele or your pens (which were collecting small dents on them as you developed the habit of gnawing on the ends of the pens while you were thinking), bother Sun and Moon, hum a song, or go outside. And you'd feel a little bit better, most of the time.

     Singing was difficult at times, when coughing fits would hit you and refuse to let you be. It was still fun though, and something about it was very calming. You taught Sun and Moon how to sing as well. Moon took to it really well. Some nights, when you had trouble sleeping for one reason or another, Moon would sit with you and quietly hum little songs until you fell asleep.

     Sun, meanwhile, was gradually becoming more and more attentive to your every move. It was getting to the point where if you so much as sneezed, Sun would be tucking you into bed with some warm water and medication and running minor scans on you. This was a little stifling, to say the least. When you mentioned this to Sun, as gently as possible of course, Sun apologized and explained what you'd already known; Sun was just worried about you and doing everything they could to help.

     Sun admitted they might have been going a little overboard, and promised you they'd back off a little. You wanted to say or do something to reassure Sun, make things easier on them and Moon. You knew they were both stressing and worrying over you, and working tirelessly to find that cure. You couldn't find the right words. Sun appreciated the effort regardless.

~~~

     Sun and Moon really were working as hard as they could to find a cure. Your eleven days went by a lot faster than you would have liked. Your energy had been gradually draining away. You were exhausted just moving from one end of your home to the other, and Sun and Moon could hardly be persuaded to take breaks anymore.

     That's why you were confused when, on the eleventh day, they both came up from the lab to greet you. They wasted no time, crossing the room swiftly to help you out of bed.

     "What's going on? Need some more scans?" you asked, even though the acid in your throat made talking uncomfortable.

     Sun shook their head. "We did it. We made a cure. We've run our tests and it works."

     "Most of the time," Moon added. "But there's not a whole lot of time to run more tests. It's safe to give it a try."

     Moon and Sun helped you down to the lab. You sat on one of the tables, elbows braced on your knees.

     "This first dose in an injection. After this they'll be edible capsules, like your pain medicine," Sun informed you as they prepared a needle, ensuring there were no air bubbles in the pale pink liquid.

     Moon wiped clean a small spot on your arm and held your hand. "We should know relatively quickly if it works."

     You barely felt the needle. Your head was swimming, that exhaustion hanging over you like a persistent fog.

     The waiting was horrible. Sun couldn't seem to stop moving, pacing around and going over notes again and again. Moon held your hand like a lifeline, like it was the only thing keeping them grounded.

     Finally, it was time to run a scan and see if it had worked.

     Sun and Moon stood close together, bent over the readout screen. They ran the scan two more times.

     When they finally looked at you, they didn't have to say anything. You already knew.

     "It… It worked, it's clearing the toxin from your system without issue, but… you… it's still… it's not…" Sun couldn't seem to finish their sentence.

     "It's too late. Damage has been done. I'm going to die," you finished for them.

     Moon just stood there, like they didn’t have the first clue what to do with themself. Sun, on the other hand, was in motion. Slow at first, their momentum building as they went, movements growing bigger and shakier. They stormed the length of the lab, swept their arms across tables, knocking a year’s worth of research and documentation crashing to the floor, along with whatever tools and devices were unlucky enough to be in their path. They threw their fists into the scanning chair again and again until it was unrecognizable.

     You had nothing you could say, even if trying to talk wasn’t painful. Tears fell hot and heavy, running down your face, pooling under your chin and dripping onto your legs. Strange. You hadn't cried once this whole time, not when you first found out you were dying, not even once during your final eleven days. It all seemed to be finally catching up with you.

     As much as it sucked to die, to know you weren’t going to get any more birthdays, to be face to face with the terror of the fact that you were going to stop existing and there was nothing to be done about it, and you didn’t even have time. No time to process, to live a life you wanted, do the things you wanted, spend more time with Sun and Moon and your friends, time to exist. Although… even if you did have the time, you weren't sure if you'd ever be able to fully come to terms with something like the loss of yourself. As much as you were you terrified and in deep despair over your fate, the worst part of this was seeing Moon and Sun like this. Knowing they’d be in such misery long after you were gone, and you wouldn't be there to help them through it.

     “It’s not fair. Its NOT FAIR.” Sun's voice fizzled with static as their voice box strained to handle the volume of their voice. Sun fell to their knees, glaring at the destroyed heap of metal and wires and glass before them as if it had all been the scanner’s fault. “All this time and effort and work and hope and everything. What a joke! To find a cure, but it’s just too late. Too late.”

     Moon still stood there uselessly. Helplessly. “This can’t be real,” they whispered. “Even if it is it can’t be like this. It just can’t. There’s something, there has to be…” even as they spoke, they knew there was nothing to be done. They’d already done it all, everything they could have done, and now there was nothing left but the consequence of their best being simply not enough.

     You had to say something. You didn't think there was anything at all you could possibly say to make this better, but you had to say something. "It's really not so bad. Dying now, instead of living and dying later. This way, it won't hurt as much. It would have hurt more to have to let go of me after a lifetime together."

     Moon shook their head. "This isn't about us. This isn't fair to you. We brought you into this world, made you live, just for you to…"

     "You deserve a long and happy and fulfilling life. You don't deserve this," Sun said.

     "I know. But there's nothing we can do about it now." You took a deep breath, fighting back the rising urge to cough. "You two have to promise me you'll be okay, when I'm gone. I won't be able to make sure you're okay myself. Promise me."

     Sun and Moon looked at each other. They both promised. They promised they'd look after each other, and they'd do their best.

     "Thank you." That made things a little easier, you felt. Maybe not better, but easier. You wanted to say more, do more, but you started coughing again before you could. The coughing fit lasted a while this time, and left you breathless and sore by the end of it.

     Sun couldn't seem to look at you, while Moon couldn't seem to look away.

     "You should rest," Moon said, though their voice was flat and hollow, no meaning behind the words, like they'd spoken on autopilot alone.

     You shook your head. "I might not wake up. I don't want to waste the time I have left. I don't want to be asleep when it happens."

     Moon nodded. Sun made a quiet noise and quickly put a hand over their mouth.

     "Is there anything you want?" Moon asked.

     "Can we sit outside? I want to be outside, with the two of you. Just for a while," you said.

     Wordlessly, Sun and Moon helped you up. They helped you to the elevator, though 'helped' was a strong word. They were doing all the work, carrying you between them.

     Outside, the sun was setting and the breeze was gentle. The sky was clear, and the grass was soft as you sat beside the garden, beside your home, beside your family.

     You took Sun's hand in your left and Moon's hand in your right and sat with them as you all watched the sunset. It was a good one, the colors warm and vibrant and wonderful despite it all. You watched the colors start to fade into darkness as the world spun on. It'd keep spinning on without you, not a moment's hesitation to its dedicated path through the cosmos.

     "I love you both. So, so much," you said. It didn't need to be said, but you needed to say it anyways.

     "We love you too," Sun said quietly, all their rage gone.

     "We love you so much," Moon said gently.

     The exhaustion was moving slowly through your brain. Like a wave of rain approaching, inevitably, from over distant hills. The hush of it was building, but it wasn't overwhelming like you'd worried. It was quiet, gentle.

     You stared up at the stars. There were so many stars, and they were so beautiful. You laid back in the grass, still holding the hands of Sun and Moon tightly. You were so very tired. You looked up to the sky, the faces of Sun and Moon looking down at you, the great cosmos beyond.

     Then, the exhaustion, that rain, finally fell over you. You fell asleep.

     You did not wake up.

~~~

     "If we'd known that Star would die from the beginning… would you have still wanted to go through with it?"

     "…If we didn't, Star never would have been at all. Is that worse than loosing them?"

     "I think so," Sun said.

     Moon had to agree. "That's why we're doing this."

     There was a corpse between them. Neither of them could bear to look at it for more than a moment. Instead, they worked around it, getting everything set up, hands careful and purposeful. Eight hands between them, working in tandem. They were almost ready.

     "…What if this doesn't work?" Moon asked.

     "Then we try again. We keep working until it does work," Sun said.

     "We don't have endless time. We can slow the rate of decay but there's nothing we can do to fully stop it," Moon pointed out.

     "It'll work," Sun insisted. There was a tremor in their hands, which they quickly got under control. "It'll work."

     Soon, they were ready.

     The storm outside raged heavily enough to be heard even down in the lab. Rain fell like intrusive static, like the goal of it was to pound clear through the earth and break into the lab, wash away their hard work. There was no force strong enough to put a stop to their efforts, though.

     Sun and Moon stood at the ready on either side of the table. They'd both hooked up their energy output cords to the device they'd built, the one that was now sitting in the chest of the body between them. All that was left was to activate the device with a large charge from their cords.

     They would know at once if it had worked. Just a moment, and then… and then everything would be okay again. That was the goal, anyways.

     Moon looked up from Star's body. They locked eyes with Sun. Sun nodded, unwilling to wait any longer.

     Simultaneously, they activated their cables, flooding the device in Star's chest with electric energy.

~~~

     There weren't words, at least not at first. Experiences were as indescribable as they were all encompassing. They didn't know what was happening, but they sure didn't like it, whatever it was.

     Things did not start making sense.

     In fact, the more time Star had to gather their thoughts, regain things they'd learned, things they had yet to learn, the more they were certain of one thing.

     Something was very wrong.

     Their limbs finally stopped convulsing with electricity. They felt too heavy to move, like the bones had been replaced with lead. There was an ache in their chest, though it was very dull, distant like a memory. Breathe. Star needed to breathe, they reminded themself. They forced their lungs to cooperate, drawing in a long and slow breath. They cracked their eyes open, searching for answers.

     There were two beings here in the room with them. It took them a moment, but the information came to them. It was muddled and mixed with the horrible mess of everything else, but Star clung to it and focused on it. Sun and Moon. That’s who they were. They were… important. Special.

     They were crying, both of them. That wasn't right… that was muddling things up in Star's brain even further. Why were they crying?? They shouldn't be crying.

     Star needed to stop it, whatever it was making them cry. They sat up, forcing their muscles to comply, heavy arms dragging along as they rose. Before they could do anything else, Sun moved. They hit Star like a wall, squeezing them in a tight hug that forced out all the breath they'd just gone through the trouble to take in.

     Moon grabbed Star's hand with two of theirs, Star's fingers cold against warm metal. Moon's other two hands trembled as they braced against the table Star was sitting on.

     Sun was rambling quietly to themself. "It worked, it worked, I knew it would it had to, it worked, you're here, you're alive."

     Alive.

     Star wasn't so sure.

     "How do you feel, Star? Are you in any pain?" Sun asked, pulling back from the hug just enough to look them over.

     Pain… Star wasn't sure. That ache in their chest was back already. Time to breathe again. They pulled air in, pushed it back out, then back in again. It was hard to focus on, there was so much going on in their brain.

     "…Star?" Sun's expression fell into concern.

     Star needed to figure out communication again. As if it hadn't been hard enough the first time.

     The first time… they were remembering things now, though not just their memories. Memories from other people, the ghosts in their brain. These memories were very hazy and difficult to understand, but loaded with information regardless. There was so much, too much information. Knowledge that wasn't theirs, knowledge that was. Memories belonging to someone else. Memories that… hm. Were any of these memories theirs?

     Sun and Moon were moving again. Checking diagnostics, running tests. The space gave Star the opportunity to discover the mechanism sitting heavy in their chest. There were cords coming out of it, thick cables running to Sun and Moon, smaller wires hooked up to nearby machines. Star tapped at the metal. They could feel the vibrations of the tap in their skin where skin met metal. It was weird, uncomfortable.

     Star's vision was starting to darken for some reason. That ache in their chest was pounding now. They still needed to breathe. Star forcefully pushed air in and out, and the darkening haze around the edges of their vision faded. The ache faded as well, slowly, as they focused for a moment on just breathing. In and out, each breath a laborious task, though it was gradually becoming easier.

     "Sun, double check this for me," Moon asked quietly, their tone low.

     Sun looked over the readings Moon was staring at. Sun read them over again. They looked up at Star, then back down.

     "But… they're clearly alive. Look at them, sitting up and breathing!" Sun scowled down at the machine, like they had half a mind to turn it into rubble like they had the scan chair.

     "I know. But these readings… There must be something wrong with the machine. Everything here is saying… they’re dead."

     Dead.

     Ah, Star thought. That's more like it.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - People of Earth we have VERSE rep in 2 Thai BLs! Amazeballs!

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

March 2024 Wk 3

Ongoing Series - Thai

Deep Night (Thurs iQiyi) ep 2 of 8 (10?) - Everyone seems to be a bit of a player and I’m not mad about it. It’s nice to see high-grade flirting, and I really love how very gay the leads feel. Not BL gay. Actual gay. We shall see how it goes, I suspect we are in "messy gay" territory in which case, I predict utter carnage and that this show will drop ranks precipitously for me. But right now? Of all the Thai BLs airing, I'm enjoying this the most. How bizarre. 

I like the side couple (thrupple?) too, despite the prat fall kiss and possible cheating. They very pretty:

To Be Continued (Thai C3 Thailand grey) ep 4 of 8 - oh dear NO honeychild, face masks are gross tasting!

Rule no 966 of the BL world. He’s never asleep. 

Argh Achi wants Ji so bad. Nice mutual kiss tho, despite Ji's baggage. I guess Ji knew what would happen if Achi stayed? But why is he so scared? Just deeply closeted? The backstory is very high school achy and I feel like it explained Achi but not Ji. And the crying in the movie was lovely, so we totally understand Achi's but Ji is just messed up and confused? I admit to being a bit confused too. Why is Ji the one so angry?

On a totally different aside, I really like how the set dressing is done in Ji’s apartment. It looks lived in and not staged. Super rare in Thai BL. I'm reminded of Ai & Pond's dorm room in Love By Chance, which actually looked like a real college dorm.

City of Stars (Fri iQIYI) ep 7 of 12 - Why is it always the pulps that actually trot out the best communication, conversation, consent, and healthy relationships? Yes I'm still wincing over the truly bad acting but I’m enjoying their good relationship. The sex scene was sweet and tender, although the likelihood of rose petals getting stuck places wigs me out. (Flower petals + lube = terrible combination. Just FYI.)

ALL PRAISE VERSE REP! And a bottom who owns it! Yay! 

1000 Years Old ep 5 of 12 - How ridiculously colorful and flirty they all are. There is nothing at all vampire about this show. I’m a bit bored by the restaurant plot but I'm tuning in for the bonkers approach to goth. How dare they be so cheerful with my precious emo youth, but also, how very Thai pulp of them.  

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Unknown (Taiwan Tues Youku YouTube) ep 4 of 11 - oh it’s SO GOOD. Reading the yaoi and crying. COME ON TAIWAN HAVE MERCY. The red wrapping of the hands (red thread, yes yes we get it). The boy who doesn’t want to box for so many reasons. Not the least of which is how unpleasant it is to spar with a lover. 

This is easily the best BL currently airing and it is going to hurt us. But I don't care. I love it.

AntiReset (Taiwan Fri Viki/Gaga) eps 8 of 10 - This show is dangerously cute and I’m scared for everyone involved, including me.

Love is Better the Second Time Around AKA Koi wo Suru nara Nidome ga Joto (Japan Gaga) ep 2 of 6 - Poor baby thrown in all willynilly amongst a pack of queeny bitchy gay intellectuals. I'd be lost too. It's the worse kind of fight, one you have to philosophize your way out of.

Although I Love You and You AKA Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 10fin - They are extremely adorable and it was a very good ending - mature, adult, and bittersweet. I liked it a lot. But I didn’t love it the way I wanted to.

The promise of this show, younger cook courts older divorced office worker, should have been my catnip. I mean if someone pitched this to me in an elevator I would have downloaded it by the second storey. Unfortunately, it did not exactly fulfill that promise, not in the way I'd hoped. Did I still enjoy the ride, yes, but I feel just a little let down. 8/10 

My Strawberry Film (Japan Thurs Gaga) eps 5 of 8 - Honestly now I’m just shipping the two girls getting together. Frankly, I really don't like this show, and normally I'd DNF but there's only a few eps left and nothing else is airing rn.

It's done, ready to binge, maybe I'll finally get to it this weekend

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps

The Servant and the Young Master (Vietnam YouTube)

Began Beginning (Myanmar YouTube) - A Burmese BL? @heretherebedork vouched for it, so I will watch eventually.

It's airing but...

Time the series (Tue Gaga/YT) 10 eps - it's finished now, I dropped it at ep 4. Should I bother?

Close Friend Season 3: Soju Bomb! (Thai ViuTV grey) 10 eps - I'm exhausted by this franchise and the variety pack style of BL. If there is a particularly good couple (or installment) I might watch it, but I'm letting others decide for me.

A Secretly Love (Thai WeTV grey) 10 eps - I watched the first ep but grey is too much work for this inferior of a show. I may pick up and binge if it gets distribution but for now, it gets a DNF from me. KimCop might have held this crap together but Kim without Cop? No thank you.

Lady Boy Friends (Thai WeTV grey) 16 eps - reminds me a bit too much of Diary of Tootsies only high school, not my thing. DNF unless it turns a corner and is truly amazing for some reason.

Gossip

The choreo controversy - Deep Night vs OnlyOneOf. Look, like a musical rift, or a styling photoshoot, there are no new ideas in choreo, I feel like Madonna did this pose too, a long time ago. Certainly someone in the 80s. Or whatever. Anygay, it's an ironic thing to see a Thai BL being called out by a gay-branded Kpop group when both are exploiting eroticized homosexuality for commercial profit... just saying. (HOW DID WE GET HERE?) Not to mention that BOTH are ALSO exploiting the kink community. We live in interesting times, BLabies. In the end, it's a good publicity stunt all round. And I think Nine knows exactly what he's doing (and why he is doing it). Finally: Drama drama drama around coreo? That is V gay boys. Fun fun fun, carry on everyone.

Strike a pose.

You're being recorded for posterity.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Starting

3/21 Two Worlds (Thai IQIYI) 10 eps - One of those "he's dead Jim so time travel" thingames staring MaxNat. I'm over this concept but Asia flipping loves it and I do enjoy MaxNat. Phupha (Gun) and Khram (Nat) love each other but Phupha is murdered. Then Khram is pulled to a parallel world where, 12 years ago, Khram and Tai (Max) were in love. However, Khram was killed by Tai’s dad. Now Tai finds alter-Khram apparently alive. But then there is ALSO an alter-Phupha to deal with. (Phupha is played by Gun Thanawat who was Khom, the repressed butler bodyguard from Unforgotten Night. We like this, we scared of the love triangle aspect.)

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

Forgive me a moment of industry noodling?

Have ya noticed that it's slender pickings right now but it shouldn't be? This is not the mid summer slump nor end of year lull. We should be getting some heavy hitters on first quarter release. (Side eyes GMMTV. Perhaps those painful Japanese acquisitions were a bigger issue than any of us realized?)

Anygay, IMHO, Thailand's BL bubble has popped and sponsor money is drying up. This is my shocked face:

Look, the 2021-2023 level of release and growth (exponential) was never gonna be sustainable, so I'm not surprised. I suspect that in 2024 Thailand will actually produce fewer BLs than 2023 (73, 64 in 2022, and 40 in 2021).

I know I'm sticking my neck out predicting any film industry but... I have seen this kinda thing before and it just *feels* like shrinkage. Thai BL's load has been shot, my peeps. (Not to be crass or anything.)

Oh, don't worry you pretty head about it, it's not going away, just getting less prolific.

Don't we all in our old age?

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

My favorite trope, sniff him!

Queen. (both Deep Night)

King. (City of Stars)

Verse rep verse rep verse rep!!! Can you see me doing a little dance this side of the screen?

(Last weeks summation)

Streaming services are listed by how I'm (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are too much work.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog

If ya wanna be tagged each week leave a comment and I will add you to the template. Easy peesy.

[kyogre-blue]

Upcoming Genshin pull plans, written out to get my thoughts straight.  

I’m going to be pulling for Ayaka, since her skin fixes my issues with her design, and I want Mika as well. The problem is that I’m on 65 pity right now, from the Faruzan and Gorou fishing on Scaramouche’s banner (final result: 3 Faruzan, no Gorous). This means I might get Ayaka before Mika

If I win 50/50, I’m going to switch to Shenhe’s banner because while I hate her design, getting her is more useful than Ayaka’s C1. Ideally though, I’ll either get Mike before hitting the next 5 star, or lose 50/50 afterwards. If I lose 50/50, I’ll keep going until I get Ayaka. If I don’t manage to get Mika in that time, switch to above. 

The next character I want on my main is Kaveh. My guess is that he’ll run on Nilou’s banner, with Baizhu being on the other half. Since I can’t imagine they’ll run Baizhu with Nahida, it’ll probably be Kaveh on Nilou and Nahida banner... I’ll risk Nilou to get Kaveh. I’ve considered getting Nilou in the past, so this isn’t the worst possible situation, though it gets rough if I have to build up pity while going for Mika. 

One thing to consider though is what the last 3.6 character will be and what the 3.7 characters are leaked to be. I am still really wanting Eula and Klee to complete my Mondstadt collection. It’s... possible?? for Eula to run in 3.6, since Ayaka and Shenhe are entirely random in this patch already, though I personally don’t see it as super likely. But we know very little about 3.7 aside from us supposedly getting a Geo catgirl from Inazuma. 

The real threat is 3.8, in case they run Klee again. And possibly Eula in the same patch, at the rate we’re going. 

I am 250 toward a 5 star right now, between pity and saved wishes. Presuming Ayaka and Mika can be secured in 160 of that, it’ll leave 90 for next patch. We’re still due probably about 50 rolls this patch, plus let’s ball park 70 in 3.6... minus 65-ish for Kaveh rolls... that’ll be about 145 at the start of 3.7? Should be enough to guarantee a 5 star in 3.7, and between the 3.7 and 3.8, that should be enough for another 5 star.... 

It’s tight but doable. But man. Why is gacha budgeting so annoying... 

So current expected process: 

Ayaka banner until Ayaka

(optional: switch to Shenhe banner until Mika)

probable: Nilou banner until Kaveh

Eula banner

Klee banner

(Childe C3 if he reruns for some reason)

None of the Fontaine leaks were terribly interesting, but there’s possibility of Geo in there (if a viable Noelle or Ningguang support) and two characters who are supposed to be Mond. I can skip them and wait for the first rerun though. That usually comes up fairly quickly. 

On my alt, things are a lot simpler. I’m planning to only roll for tall men, so skipping 3.5 and just going all in on Baizhu. He shields and heals, and that is perfect. Kaveh is probably a skip for now though, since I don’t even have a hydro to create bloom with, lol. 

[captainsspnanon]

C2E65 - Chases and Trees - rewatch

Columbo or Critical Role….Columbo or Critical Role…. I think Critical Role, tonight!

We got some more good travel coming our way, and then we head into one of the few dungeon crawls of the campaign.  The crawls can be hit or miss with me, but I remember really enjoying this one a LOT, so I’m hoping it holds up on the second watch!

I forgot the nonsense that this DnD Beyond campaign turned into XD How many more bits of this do we have?  I know we’ve at least got the reversal reveal that it was actually Sam, the master debater bit, and then the closing statements bit where Liam goes full movie-i-can’t-remember-the-name-of.  Do we have more than those four?  (not counting the results at the live show, and then the reveal of the actual ‘presidency’)

Aww, Ashley being “I’ll take first watch” and going like anybody? Anybody?  Ready to RP please but I need someone to RP with!

Jester says maybe Yasha was a rock star during her memory loss!!  How much longer til the bone harp?  I feel like that’s AAAAGES away, but oh what a payoff to a throwaway bit!  WAIT JESTER EVEN SUGGESTS THAT SHE PLAYED A HARP

Ugh, the details of the Fields are so visceral and beautiful, it feels so ALIVE and REAL.  The creature scratching it’s back on one of the barbs, the dried out shell of the tortoise providing shelter and for them to explore, JUST SO GOOD.  I am trying to be a bit analytical of why this feels more alive to me than stuff from C3 – even though C3 gets plenty of detail, and I’m honestly not sure?  I know that Matt had collaborators in designing the continent for C3, maybe he feels more set by what was created by other and not as free to improv, whereas C2 he was basically the sole creator and thus could improv whatever he wanted?  Because let’s be real, we’ve gotten plenty of lovely descriptions of stuff in C3, but I tend to find details slipping from my mind.  Eh, it’s probably like Zadash. Zadash had a ton of stuff described at the beginning, but by the end of the campaign, Zadash was just the Gentleman’s and Pumat’s and that was it.  (realistically, it’s probably also because I started with C2 so that will likely always be my favorite and my ‘best’, the same way that people who started with C1 tend to talk about how C2 wasn’t anywhere near as good, and people who are starting with C3 are talking about how C2 is so hard to get into XD.  90% + of the time, your first will be your favorite, IMO.)

(brain going brrrrrr….time to switch to columbo)

(it’s like two weeks later now.  I can watch the first episode of season 4 of Columbo, or head into CR.  Think I’m feeling CR today!)

(wait I’m less than 45 minutes into the episode, what.   I thought I got further than this.  Shame on me!)

It’s within the past few episodes that Jester has really started to notice and become disappointed with Nott’s frequent drinking.  I believe it started when Nott felt she had to be drunk to confront Yeza, and has only steadily worsened from there.  I like how Laura has taken this and progressed it very slowly, to reach a boiling point on this trip with her taking the flask.  (I also appreciate that Laura mentions later in Talks that this is a very bad way to actually deal with alcoholism in real life, but this is a dnd game so bad decisions ahoy!)

I’m a bit sad I spoiled this fight for myself.  I didn’t use the critrolestats heavily when I was first watching C2, so this time around I’ve been going through all the monster analysis and such. Which means that I will click forwards until I get to the next blog post relevant for the episode, skipping the media references/jokes as that’s not my particular interest.  As such, I saw the post for the gloomstalker fight and literally went “don’t they just find the tree and the roc?  What gloomstalkers?”.  And now, here they are! Kicking myself just a bit as I genuinely would have been surprised when this occurred, especially as there is the tension of ‘you see a shape’, ‘you can tell the shape is the big creature, but lying down’, ‘the creature appears to be dead’, ‘there are dark blobs that are on the creature OH THEY’RE MOVING’ like – I would have completely fell for the tension!  As I’m sure I did the first time I watched.

Fucking SAM.  This giant goofball throwing out tactical plays when you least expect it!  Oddly, the moment of having the illusory moorbounder and rider falling behind the group?  It feels much more like Sam doing it than Nott doing it, to me.  Perhaps this is a reason that I’ve struggled with Nott a bit.  Don’t get me wrong, I love her, but she’s sort of the last on my list (excluding the Tealeafs), and I couldn’t figure out why.  With this, I think I’ve got it now.  When Nott does something clever such as this, I’ve been attributing it to Sam, rather than the PC.  Travis does something clever?  That was Fjord.  Marisha putting pieces together? It’s Beau.  Liam making big moves?  Caleb has nerves of steel when he needs it!  Sam making an awesome play?  Good job, Sam.  *shakes head at myself*  THAT has been some damn stupid bias on my part, and I’m not even sure why I’ve done that!  I need to readjust my thinking.  NOTT is the one who made the illusion of the moorbounder. NOTT is the one who had the illusion fall behind, to distract the gloomstalkers.  Not Sam, NOTT.

….I’m SO disappointed in myself that just that realization is having me go ‘oh wow, Nott is so much smarter than I gave her credit for!’ WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME.  

Okay, in at least some fairness to myself, this is actually a consistent struggle that I have with all of Sam’s PCs.  Sam in some ways has the Dimension 20 style of play – improv comedian going for the joke no matter what.   And while I am fully enjoying Dimension 20, I do not in any way get as invested in the PCs as I do with CR, and it’s because the players are always Visible.  At CR, there are a lot of times where you actually forget you’re watching the players because the PCs take the forefront and it’s just like watching them as if they were in full costume and makeup – so to speak.  In D20, the players are at the forefront with all the jokes and references (as well as their style of play and interactions with the DM and other players).  (also let me be clear, this is not WRONG. It’s just different, I thoroughly enjoy both CR and D20!)  Sam is frequently the member at the CR table where it feels like Sam is forefront, and his PC is less visible.  I have this issue with Scanlan, with Tary, with Fresh Cut Grass, as well as with Nott.  And it does mean that I give at least some of the PCs less credit than they deserve (Tary and Nott for the most part.  Mainly because Scanlan IS a joke deliberately for the first chunk of C1.)  I doubt this realization will change things overall for me, but hopefully now I can be aware of it more!

(last bit on this topic – but this also techincally plays along with the stats, with Nott currently having the second highest INT at the table until Beau gets her headband.  Nott IS the second smartest, she just displays it in different ways than Beau and Caleb, and she’s also heavily self-deprecating and robs herself of a lot of her own talents)

I really enjoyed the first part of the combat being non-standard (I canNOT think of the word I want to use right now) with no rolling of initiative, but still respecting the essential balance of turns.  Of course, there is something delightful with all three moorbounders failing their con saves, and then moving this into a more classical combat encounter.

This seems to be around the time where Matt has started using HDYWTDT more regularly, which I’m mixed feelings on.  With the last battle and this, there were multiple assailants, and each one got the HDYWTDT.  While I appreciate having the more detailed descriptions from the players knowing it’s the death blow, there still is something very exciting having the last (or the most important) opponent be the sole HDYWTDT in a combat.  Even though the question serves the same purpose regardless of who it’s for (provide flavor for the finishing move), there’s the level of ‘yay killed the guy’ and ‘HOLY CRAP WE DID IT OMG WE WON’.  That’s the downside of it become a catchprase of kinds, I guess.  Instead of just being a utility statement, it becomes a Thing, and then when it’s used for it’s utility purposes, the Thing feels like it’s being cheapened.

Lol I like that it’s been so long, Liam/Caleb forgot he could cast dancing lights under a rag.

OH GOD THIS IS THE SILLY STRING!!!!  in honor of liam and laura’s birthday – yup, that makes sense.  Fricken chaos twins

I do like how they immediately call Travis out for being the first to fire, but we all know it’s Liam.  Liam is pure chaos, but in just a different way that people tend not to think of him as chaos.

I feel like I eventually need to watch a supercut of all Essek moments, just because every time I hear Matt speak as Essek I always think it sounds wrong, which means that I don’t know what I even think Essek actually sounds like!  Either way, I still wonder why Essek says that they’re doing him proud by making it to the Arbor Exemplar.  It doesn’t seem to feel right, either with Essek deep in deception mode, or Essek slowly warming up to them.  Perhaps just related to the fact that Essek told the Bright Queen that he trusts their capabilities, and the fact that they’ve made it there is proving him right.

Caleb asking Nott if she wants to sleep with vulture!Frumpkin tonight, my HEART.  It really is quite obvious how Caleb shows affection through Frumpkin, and then every moment is just seeing it more clearly.

The beauty of the Wildmother reaching Fjord and saving him from the Uk’otoa dream is two-fold.  Thee-fold.  The first is just the imagery and knowledge that the Wildmother is reaching out to help Fjord, that she is giving him the opportunity to be better than he is and not feel the need to remain with Uk’otoa just for the powers he provides (or at least, the start of Fjord’s journey with this). The second is the rest of the cast reacting as Matt narrates.  And the last is the beauty that you can only see with a rewatch after you’ve watched the Talks, where Travis says he though Matt was referring to Fjord’s mother rather than the Wildmother.  Travis/Fjord’s face in this scene – the widening of his eyes, the slight hint of a smile – with that knowledge, adds a level  of tenderness, longing, wistfulness…..just a soft subtle moment from a misunderstanding that genuinely leads to a much more beautiful moment.

Considering I had much more of a remembrance of a blow up in regards to Tori, I think I completely missed the aspect of this story going over Beau’s self-deprecation and lack of confidence.  She really was so put down when she was with her family.  She gets bailed out of jail, and because of that she thinks that Tori hates her forever, to the point where she’s reluctant/scared to try to find her again because she expects Tori to punch her in the face?  For something that wasn’t in her control?  Either Marisha discusses what she thinks would happen later on down the line, or my brain just added more into it – feelings about being a ‘rich kid’ able to be bailed out, the fact that Tori wasn’t bailed out as well, etc. etc. But in the end, in the truth, there’s a lot more assumptions of feelings by Beau than her taking the time to find out the true feelings that Tori may have had, which parallels quite nicely with Beau’s overall arc and character growth by the end of the campaign.

“I’ve seen you.  I’ve seen you a lot.”  OOOF.  I thought this was from WAY later in the campaign, by around the time they were almost dating!  This early??  And also, right before Obann takes her away???????  That is a sucker-punch to the GUT.  And for Beau to hear that, and then less than a week later have Yasha ‘betray’ the group??  No wonder she got so defensive so quickly.  UGH THESE TWO.

(for the record, Beau’s also in her Jester crush stage at the moment, and has been for a bit though I’m not sure where to pinpoint the start of it, but while it’s a fun pairing, it was never one that I really shipped.  Mostly because Jester really has been so singularly focused on her interest in Fjord, but also because the Beau and Jester dynamic to me has always felt more of a fast bonding friendship – with the roommates and silly conversations and deep conversations and opening up your heart.  If it had become the canon ship I wouldn’t have felt that it came out of nowhere, but I feel like it would have required a solid chunk of roleplay from Laura to smoothly transition from Fjord feels to Beau feels.  With Beau and Yasha, yeah it’s awkward and stilted and uncomfortable at times, but it feels like there’s been mutual interest from the start, even if the interest was more shallow or superficial.  Ashley did confirm in the wrap up that Yasha did go to brothels, so it’s not like she didn’t let herself have any interest outside Zuala, just that I think she shied away from any romantic interest for the longest time.)

Out of the 69 total recorded rolls for Frumpkin for perception on critrolestats, he averages either a 12.8 or a 13 depending on if I made a mistake in my calculation or not (there’s either 68 or 69 perception rolls and I can’t be assed to go through a second time). There are a lot of high rolls in there, but also a lot of low rolls. Still, it’s above average!  I’m team Give Frumpkin Credit.  XD

Beau running up this tree is so fucking badass I can’t even.  I was shocked the first time I went into dnd forums and saw people shitting on monks and saying monks were bad because my experience of monks was BEAU BEING FUCKING AWESOME.

Honestly?  This climbing section would be a great introductory scene for someone for either considering getting into critical role, or wondering what dnd can be like.  You’ve got 1) showing off the skills of a class via Beau not needing to roll to run up the tree, 2) showing off the mechanics of the game by having Fjord and Jester roll, 3) showing off how failing the game can work by Jester falling on a nat 1, versus just clinging to the tree and not increasing on a 9, 4) showing off how you can play with a failure by Fjord using thunder step and Nott and Caleb using feather fall to save Jester from the nat 1, 5) showing off how roleplay is involved with Jester coming up with in game reasons for not being able to progress (her hands are sweaty because she fell, she’s nervous!), 6) showing off how the DM is in control but still will play by the rules, but can also change adjustments on the fly, and then 7) showing off how even if you’re not involved in the scene you can still have fun with Caleb making the decision afterwards to polymorph, and Caduceus reacting to each thunder step damaging the tree.

Liam’s eagle cry is reminding me of a flut-flut from jak and daxter.  ...*goes to check voice credits*  nope not him okay never mind

OMG when Beau jumps from the tree Marisha does the EXACT SAME ARM MOVEMENTS as the Keyleth cliffjump!!

I totally forgot that the actual roc was there because I only remember the bit about the roc baby, but now I’m vaguely remembering.  Don’t they polymorph it and it keeps attacking Jester?  Like as a baby bird or baby bat or something?

[magdasabs]

Speaking of Sam being rested when not 100% fit it seems to be a cultural thing generally speaking if coaches listen to the medical staff. Asllani isn't surprised the Spanish wnt players experience similar issues she did when she played for RM gp(.)se/sport/spanska-krisen-v%C3%A4cker-minnen-hos-asllani-1.82642228

As soon as Kosovare Asllani had finished with her new club Milan, she also dared to tell what was not working at Real Madrid. The Swedish midfield star did not hold back in her criticism of the Spanish big club, Asllani's favorite team since childhood.

- A culture has been created in the club that I would call unhealthy for players to be in. Among other things, I have almost been forced to play injured. The management team has not listened to the medical team, Asllani said in late June.

"Can't sweep under the rug"

Now criticism is being directed again at the environment within Spanish women's football. Due to an extensive player boycott, Spain is basically missing its entire regular starting eleven for Friday's international match against Sweden in Córdoba.

Kosovare Asllani is not surprised that the Spanish players are experiencing similar problems that she herself criticized Real Madrid for. These are things that pervade Spanish football, believes the 33-year-old.

- I definitely think so. There are many points that I recognize myself in. If you want to take the next step in Spain and class yourself as professionals, then you have to look into it. You can't sweep everything under the rug. Obviously, these players want a professional environment, says Asllani.

Interestingly, no Real Madrid players are participating in the national team boycott. Instead, almost half the squad for the match against Sweden is made up of "Madridistas". However, it is unclear whether the Real Madrid players really sided with the association, or whether - as some Spanish media reports claim - the club forced its players to stand up for the national team.

Stands behind the boycott

Kosovare Asllani has been in contact with her old clubmates, but does not want to reveal any details of the talks. However, she questions the fact that the Spanish federation turns a deaf ear despite the fact that as many as 15 players have chosen to boycott the national team.

- If there are 15 players who obviously think it's an unhealthy environment, you have to listen to them. In any work environment, you have to investigate where the problem lies. I think the players have done the right thing. You had also taken that position yourself, you have to show support when the majority of players think it's not a good enough environment, says Asllani.

Just as she herself took the leaf out of her mouth regarding the situation in Real Madrid, she is happy that the Spanish players have chosen to put their foot down. Even if that would mean they don't get to play in the World Cup next year.

- Sometimes you have to fight to make it better for the next generation. It was the same for myself. I could have messed about it and not brought it up, but it was so important so that the next generation could have better conditions.

[sergeifyodorov]

who's in a playoff spot?

entering November 12, 2023

The Canucks lost today; the Oilers won. Long-season one-offs or signs of that mathematician's wet dream (or, should they be a Nucks fan, cold nightmare,) regression to the mean? Who's to say. The average team has played 13 and three-quarters of a game. If the playoffs started today, these would be the first-round matchups:

Eastern conference:

Bruins - Canadiens (A1-WC2)

Red Wings - Maple Leafs (A2-A3)

Rangers - Panthers (M1-WC1)

Hurricanes - Capitals (M2-M3)

Western conference:

Stars - Blues (C1-WC1)

Avalanche - Jets (C2-C3)*

Golden Knights - Coyotes (P1-WC2)

Canucks - Kings (P2-P3)***

A star * indicates a matchup that has not changed from the previous week. A star ** is added for each additional week.

Lots of stuff going on this week -- two Original Six matchups in the East, to start. The Panthers are only one point back of both Leafs and Red Wings, though, and have two games in hand. Meanwhile in the West, Canucks and Kings have stayed facing each other for almost a month now. This is still just early enough in the season (especially given Vancouver's underlying numbers) that we aren't going to pencil them in for a real playoff bracket, but it would be fun to think about! And boring that we already have a matchup set so early into the year.