#the terrible terrible things i want Larry to do to me

[nonpracticinghumanbeing]

Izzy IS about community. He’s ALWAYS BEEN about community in his own messed up way. The Canyon was right and the haters were wrong.

He wanted Blackbeard back because that was what kept the crew safe. He was terrible about it and hurt the man he obviously loves in the process, but it WAS for the greater good. It wasn’t a purely selfish act the antis love to frame it as. He wanted to feel safe again and he wanted the crew to be safe as well.

Hell, he was doing his best to help Edward through his post-breakup depression. He didn’t understand what was going on and was clearly distressed by it but he provided what Ed needed. He *knew* he lacked the emotional capacity to help his captain himself so he agreed to bring him Lucius. I really think he would have just gritted his teeth and suffered through it if Ed didn’t say the one thing that could collapse his whole world.

"Why do we even bother being pirates?" That was what freaked Izzy out so much that he pushed Edward to violence. Not because he selfishly wanted Ed to be close at all times but because Blackbeard the legend was the pillar of his community. That legend kept everyone safe and even if Izzy is a horrible asshole, he *does* care about his crew. He knows the world is a horrible hostile place and he focuses on risk mitigation, even if it means hurting the one person he really cares about.

He really tried to provide that to the crew when Edward and Stede took the Act of Grace. It was a terribly misguided attempt at keeping things under control and it was certainly influenced by his submissive tendencies which make him crave structure and feel safe within hierarchies. He *knows* he lacks Ed's charisma and ability to think outside the box and with such huge shoes to fill it's not really surprising he acted out in anger and in result failed miserably. But he was *NEVER* an asshole just for the sake of it.

Now he realizes those days are gone for good. He's already done everything he could to bring Ed back to his senses, including using *Stede fuckin' Bonnet’s* name. It didn’t work. The realization that his one true safeguard is really gone must be terrible, but it also pushes him to take action.

The moment he realizes the crew are in real danger, he takes things into his own hands. He not only goes against the hierarchy he believed to be sacred but also against the man he *LOVES*. He fucking shoots his beloved captain to save the crew. You don’t get much more *community* than that.

He is clearly struggling. He's just tried to fucking kill himself after being maimed AND told he was disposable by a man whom he's apparently served for dacades. He will have to reevaluate his whole life and he *knows* it. But he puts it all to the side and he does what needs to be done. He took all of Edward’s abuse without complaint it seems but the moment the crew are in real danger, he intervenes. You can’t tell me a community (*any* community) doesn’t need people like that.

It all feels very old-time queer to me. The willingness to make terrible sacrifices to protect one's space. The decision (conscious or not) to be effective rather than liked. The choice to stay alive despite terrible heartbreak and go on fighting.

He's absolutely NOT an irredimable villain. He’s an asshole who tries to keep his little world safe. He’s Larry Kramer getting kicked out of GMHC for being too confrontational and politically incorrect to be palatable to the general public.

[kaldurahms-lover]

Hello, can I request Sal fisher x gn!reader, maybe a one shot about Sal showing y/n his face for the first time

AGH THANK YOU FOR REQUESTING THIS I NEEDED AN EXCUSE TO WRITE IT WJSHSJHS

Pairing: Sal Fisher x Reader

Warnings: use of y/n, fluff, sal's face oops, i kinda fucked up the different tenses but i cannot be bothered to fix it, very minor swearing, not proofread.

Word Count: 773

A/N: takes place when Sal and the reader would be around 17 and have known each other for like two years

Sal knew he had to let y/n see his face at some point. They were the closest friend he had. (Larry doesn't count, Larry's family.) He knew in the back of his mind that it made no sense for the person he's closest to to be the last one in their friend group to see him without the prosthetic, hell, even Neil had seen him (i know in canon only his dad, larry, ash, and dr. enon have seen him. ssssshhh). He had no clue why he hadn't shown them besides his romantic feelings for them, they would never judge him. So when he heard them telling Todd how they felt like he didn't trust them...

"I just don't understand. It's his decision and I don't want him to show me if he isn't comfortable with it. But thats what hurts, is that he isn't comfortable with it. I love Sal, he's my best friend and I would do anything for him, I just can't help but feel like he doesn't trust me. And I know I sound terrible, being upset that someone I care about isn't ready to unpack their trauma with me, but I can't help it."

He knew something had to change.

Y/n was over within minutes, making the quick trip up from apartment 304. Sal ushered them into his room quickly, wanting to do this before his dad got home. They were obviously very confused, sitting down on his bed and asking if everything was okay.

"Do you think I'm uncomfortable around you?"

Y/n was taken aback by his blunt question. "Sal, what?"

"I heard you talking to Todd, y/n."

"Oh. Sal, I'm not upset with you, I didn't mean anything by it–"

He cut them off. "I know. I'm gonna ask again, do you think I'm uncomfortable around you?"

y/n gulped. "Sometimes I feel like maybe you don't. But who you take your prosthetic off around his completely your choice, I don't want you to do it just because you heard me say something to Todd, I want you to do it because you trust me and want me to see you."

"Thats the thing! I don't know why I don't want you to see me. You're my best friend, and I fucking love you, and you should've seen me years ago."

Y/n sighed. "It's okay. I promise it's okay."

Sal doesn't say anything, he just unclips his mask. Before Y/n can even realize what's happening, Sal's hand is the only thing holding his prosthetic against his face. He lowers it slowly, freely presenting his face, every scar, every bit of missing skin, the way it's now much more obvious that one of his eyes is also a prosthetic. His eyes are down, not wanting to see their reaction despite willingly removing his armor.

"Sal..."

"I know. It's not pretty."

y/n put their hands up and moved their head back as if offended. "Not at all what i was going to say. You're so pretty. In a very unconventional way... but theres nothing wrong with how you look. Can i..." Their hands reach out to cup his face, but they keep their distance until they have permission.

He nods and suddenly they're holding him so gently, as if they're afraid he might break under their touch. And as they softly caress his scarred skin, Sal melts. In fact, he gets so lost in the moment that it takes him a moment to realize they're talking to him.

"Sal? You still with me here?"

"Huh? Oh. Yeah. Yeah I'm just... processing. No one's ever really had anything nice to say about me taking this off. I mean they've never had a huge problem but they haven't... they haven't reacted like this."

"Can I kiss you?" The question is sudden, purely formed from y/n thinking out loud. It takes everything in them react at how shocked Sal looks.

"What?"

"i'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything, I don't want to make you uncomfortable or mess up us being friends–"

"No no no, y/n. Yes. Please. For the love of all things good, please."

"Really?"

"Really."

That was all the confirmation y/n needed before their lips were connected. It was awkward, considering the scar tissue and the fact that it was very obviously Sal's first kiss, but it was sweet. When they pulled back, y/n rested their forehead against Sal's.

They smiled. "Hi."

"Hi."

"This what you expected when you asked me to come over?"

"Hoped? Maybe. Expected? Never."

"Learn to expect this every time I come over now."

[nonotnolan]

The Great Gym Shift

Day 15 of life after the body swapping incident that affected downtown Washington DC, and life was still weird as shit.  Some people were calling it the Great Shift-- a government cover-up for a science experiment gone wrong.  I don’t think a two mile radius really deserves a “Great” moniker but I had to admit it was catchy.  Others were calling it a terrorist bioweapon meant to cause havoc across the nation’s government.  That did seem possible, but the terrorists had terrible aim if that was the case.

A few people even said it was a plan to put key politicians into younger, healthier bodies, but... I know for a fact that one isn’t true.  I was there at ground zero when the swap occurred, working as a personal trainer at the gym.  All those desirable bodies, mine included, went to some of the most pathetic white collar workers you could imagine.  Whatever happened, it was definitely an accident.

It’s been a month, and I still haven’t gotten used to my reflection.  I hope I never do, to be honest.  The government is working on getting this whole mess resolved, and I can only hope it will be sooner rather than later.  I’ve never had hair this long, and I am in desperate need a of a haircut.  Since it’s not my body, I’d have to fill out a requisition form, and I keep hoping it won’t come to that.  

One of the first things the Government did was send in the National Guard to put everyone affected into a quarantined hotel area, and then they started drowning us in regulations and paperwork.  I’m still working as a personal trainer... only now most of my clients are lazy office drones.  Those desirable bodies I mentioned?  I’m in charge of making sure their new owners keep them in shape.  I’m slowly losing my sanity.

“Mitch!  What in the hell do you think you’re doing?” I said, walking out into our shared kitchen.  Uncle Sam was putting us up in some very nice accommodations, I had to admit, but my clients-turned-roommates left a lot to be desired.

“C’mon Grady, it’s Saturday,” he said, as if that was supposed to be an answer.  I kept starting at him until he continued.  “Saturday is my self-care day, and today that means Netflix and cookies.  I don’t see what the big deal is...”

“Absolutely not,” I said, holding out my hand.  “Give me those, that is way too many calories for one serving.  We’re sharing those with the whole floor.”  He rolled his eyes and sighed at me, but at least he obeyed me.  I can’t help but feel self-conscious bossing all of these men around, especially when they’re large enough to beat me to a pulp if they knew how to leverage their strength.  The real Mitch was a lanky college intern who had no idea how to build or maintain muscle mass.  Russ would’ve had a heart attack if he was here to see even half the things Mitch wanted to do in that body.

As I walked the plate of cookies out to the common area, I couldn’t help but notice that Larry was still sitting at his room’s computer desk, shirtless and surrounded by a few wadded tissues.  Gross, but... I’ve seen Larry’s old body.  I can’t entirely blame the old pervert.  “Please tell me you didn’t stay up all night watching porn again.”

He just smiled at me, his bloodshot eyes telling me everything that I needed to know.  “So what if I did, Grady, it’s Saturday.  The fitness schedule you made for me says I don’t have to work out today, and a sleep schedule isn’t a part of the body cohabitation contract we all signed.  As long as I still eat three healthy meals today, you can’t make me do anything.  So how about giving me some privacy?”  He was right, of course.  Larry was one of my most frustrating clients, because he knew exactly how to do the bare minimum and nothing more.  Tana was one of the gym’s biggest over-achievers, so seeing his body do a complete 180 had been quite the adjustment.

I knew better than to engage with him right now-- better to save my strength for fights that I would be able to win.  I set the cookies down in our shared kitchen, waved at a few of the other guys, and retreated back to the bedroom I shared with one other man.

Simon smiled at me, and I could feel my frustrations starting to lift away.  “Good morning, Grady.  Rough start?” he asked, looking up from his book.  Simon was a licensed psychologist who happened to be at a nearby Industry Convention when the Great Shift happened, and I was so glad to have his assistance dealing with all of the heated emotions that boiled over during the aftermath.  Furthermore, Simon had ended up in my body.  It was a relief to know that my body was being controlled by someone responsible, even if seeing myself each day came with its own set of weird situations.

"You have no idea,” I said, shaking my head.  “Or rather, you have an exact idea, because you’ve also had to deal with those guys.  I don’t suppose you would be up for some... stress release?” I asked, peeling off my tank top and tossing it onto the floor.

He laughed, quickly setting aside his book and his glasses.  “In this body?  Always!”  Was it weird that I was having sex with my own body?  Maybe, but honestly, our daily hookups felt like one of the least weird things about this whole mess.  I always knew I was an attractive man, and I’ve always been attracted to anyone who keeps themselves healthy, regardless of gender.  Presumably that’s how Simon now felt-- I know that ever since I’ve been in this new Twink body, I have only felt attraction for hairy men.  Sexual attraction seemed to follow the body, not the inhabitant.

“Do you ever worry that we’re complicating things?” Simon asked.  “For whenever the government is able to switch everyone back into the right bodies, I mean.  They’ve told our loved ones that we’re in quarantine, but... how can we go back to normal life when this is all over?”  I understood where he was coming from-- his real body was at least twenty years older, and while he didn’t like sharing too much about his life, I’d gotten the impression he had a wife and maybe a few grandkids waiting for him back home.

Simon clearly had a tendency to overthink everything, and I was now used to offering friendly advice while his warm load was still inside of me.  “Honestly, I think we’re dealing with a stressful situation, and we’re all just coping however we can.  There’s nothing wrong with two consenting adults having sex.  And I don’t know about you, but... if I didn’t try to get a wide range of experiences inside of this temporary body, I think I’d regret the missed opportunity forever.”

He smiled at me.  “I suppose you’re right,” he said, as he sipped on cheap hotel coffee.  “’In sickness or in health’ wasn’t really meant to cover something so impossible.  And I’d rather seek forgiveness than forever ponder what might have been.”

“Glad to hear it,” I said, smiling back at him.  I think we both knew it was a bit selfish, but how else could we be expected to process these strange new desires?  Yeah, I guess I felt a bit guilty having sex with someone other than my girlfriend back home, but... when else would I ever get an opportunity to have sex with myself?  I don’t think there is a person alive who could blame me.

[kadextra]

q!Forever & q!Bad, comedy and tragedy are two sides of the same coin

(little meta rp analysis & appreciation)

Comedy and tragedy- complimentary concepts when it comes to the dynamic that is these two characters.

Their lore together is truly like a soap opera to me in the way it operates, entertaining in how goofy it is- I laughed so much during interrodate. They had a whole elaborate musical prank war over a stolen gun (which neither of them even had, they’re just too dedicated to the bit.) The first thing they say to each other after q!Forever returns from the nether is “You look terrible!” 💀 and my guy gifted a bloody chainsaw as the flower of the day to q!Bad in purgatory 1 which was happily accepted.

Even when the characters show attraction for each other, it’s usually through some ridiculous romcom thing. q!Forever is in love with q!Bad dressed as pink barbie and thinks photos of her are the best gift a person could ever receive?? 🤨 q!Bad daydreams about q!Forever as a lobster with blonde hair and a six-pack??? brother be projecting him onto larry the lobster from spongebob squarepants dude what is wrong with them 😭 sometimes I wonder how they’re able to do all these bits in improv and take it seriously, it’s impressive

The characters are not normal, their relationship is not normal, it cannot be viewed normally. the ccs know exactly what they’re doing in creating whatever *gestures* this is, and it’s amazing. over the top, cute, played perfectly for comedy

But the characters aren’t just that, you can’t have them without the inverse 🎭 like a punch to the gut after all the sillies, they really know how to do tragedy well.

I very much look forward to whenever they’re at the top of their angst game, bc they both LOVE to make their cubitos suffer. to an insane degree. My god these two can’t go 3 days with their characters experiencing some peace and joyful whimsy, they *must* rp their ocs actively dying, horribly diseased, going crazy

And they go hard with it. I’m very serious when I say multiple times during the lore I’ve had to get up and walk away to calm down because it was too intense. super special shoutout to the q!Forever first happy pills arc stream & October 1st q!Bad psychotic breakdown stream. I’ve never been so shocked as I was watching those live, the stamina to do highly emotional rp like that is actually nuts. some of the most angsty mfs on this server fr (the #1 spot goes to quackity though. hey maybe i’ll make a tierlist)

So when Bad & Forever bring the best of their angst ability into serious rp interactions together that Aren’t comedic…? we are in for a treat. that talk they had right when q!cellbit died to the code, the richas rescue mission, the election, voting arguments, post-ron kidnapping, colorblind test/therapy, flower of the day. many scenes that are seared into my mind, but none is more so than The Happy Pills Proposal. goosebumps whenever I think about it… the scene ever. the way it was framed, the lines they said, how it had tense, chilling buildup before a literal explosion. how are these people capable of doing the most silly things and then turning around to stab us in the heart 50 times

So you bet I’m crossing my fingers for a meeting between @v@ & q!Bad. Forever is absolutely killing the role so far. If q!Bad gets involved I can already taste the glorious angst…. since he has specific traumatic experience in also being possessed, & having killed his possessed friends in another life. he recalled the memory when talking about how to save q!Forever last night. fun! *shaking*

anyways that’s all :D love these characters, I had been wanting to do a little meta appreciation post for a while so I thought why not now ^^

[notbecauseofvictories]

what have you been watching/reading/listening to recently? i love your media opinions

I have terrible media opinions, but thank you for asking anyway!

WATCHING My latest fascination is with Netflix's 1670, a mockumentary comedy set in early modern Poland. There's something about a irreverent historical comedy that always finds me where I live---I loved season two of Miracle Workers for that exact reason, plus The Little Hours. Even The Court Jester, though that one is more just because I love Danny Kaye.

1670 is very funny, filmed Office-style with asides and pointed looks to the camera. Nobleman Jan Paweł is familiar, a trusty blend of ignorance, bluster, and unintentional comedy; rounding out the group is his ultra-devout wife, a lazy eldest son, his second son, a scheming priest who wants to climb the Catholic ranks and has a taste for torture, his over-educated over-liberal daughter, and a handful of locals---including Maciej, from Norway, who is apprenticed to the blacksmith on a study abroad program. There's a particularly good scene where his daughter starts crusading against climate change---but the people of the town stop listening when she announces it will happen in 480 years.

"Thirty years sounds more terrifying. We'd definitely do something then," one of them says, staring down the lens of the camera.

READING I think one of the strangest bits of growing older is the realization that the world is growing older with you. For example, I just read Mattie Lubchansky's Boys' Weekend, which is a charming, unsettling dystopian graphic novel in its own right---however, it also forcibly punted me back to about 10 years ago, when I loved Matt Bors and The Nib and was thrilled by the idea that the Sunday funny pages might give way for their 2.0 cousin.

That world has gone away, been eaten up---something the novel touches on, ironically. Still, it's surprisingly affective to think that Lubchansky and I have been moving forward all this time, each in our separate ways. That even now, a decade later, I can pick up a library book and know their lineart at a glance.

LISTENING Lately, I can't get enough of Larry & Joe---a fusion band, made up of a USian banjo picker and a Venezuelan master of musica llanera. Their music is a delight, and dovetails with some of my other favorites. (I do still listen to the album fusing Chinese folk music and Appalachian old-time, and I love that playlist of metal music from many cultures.) There's something that gets me about musicians swapping sounds this way---maybe because it's the same thing that created so many music genres in the first place. And if you've been following me long enough, you know I'm weak for a huge, weird, mess of people making noise.

[gnomishcunning]

could you do nsfw hcs for rolan with a dominant partner? like how would he feel about submitting to someone and would it be nerve wracking or cathartic for him? i love your writing as always ❤️

ik i just published submissive rolan thoughts the other day but i got two anons, so like. please, have some more yall. this man's been floating around in my brainspace alot lately, and i needed to do something about it.

nsfw below the cut, MDNI

rolan's a switch in my mind, but he leans towards being a bratty sub. bdsm isn't a lifestyle dynamic for him, but it's a fun and playful way to flirt and spice up his sex life

submitting is somewhere solidly terribly nerve-wracking and incredibly cathartic for this man: he's been on his feet since Elturel, working himself to the bone- keeping Lia and Cal safe, getting to his apprenticeship, putting up with Lorroakan's bullshit until Tav helps him yeet Larry Pickle out of the tower.

the idea of giving up control is a little bit terrifying, but dear gods, deep down, he's craving the opportunity to just. relax, and give up control. at least for a little bit.

it'd be so nice to be the one who got doted on for once, instead of constantly worrying about others

however, this is rolan, so like. getting him to verbally admit that is a bitch and a half.

a dominant partner would need to be particularly patient, and introduce more and more elements of submission per session, cut through with plenty of sweet ole' regular sex (even if he's bottoming) and reassurance

start slow. just ask him to keep his hands to himself while riding him, either digging into the bed or planted against the headboard. use the opportunity to lavish kisses across his entire body, overwhelm him with praise

hit him with the goodole reverse-dom situation to kickstart his submissive side. be the submissive who insists on servicing their master bc it's their job to make him feel good.

at the right words, probably along the lines of "Let me service you, Master Rolan~" his eyes would squeeze shut, he'd hide his face in the nearest available surface, and whimper as he cums inside you

once you've breached the initial barrier of submission, Rolan's actually a pretty eager submissive - he'll come to you with a lot of different session ideas, and he's willing to try anything at least once. he trusts you, after all

his typical bratty attitude mostly rears its head in the form of his mouth. he's got a special talent for saying the worst possible thing at the most inopportune times, the type of 'tude that's the perfect excuse for a lil funishment.

in my mind, rolan's not a masochist in the slightest (with like, exactly two exceptions to that concept i'll elaborate on later), so you'd wanna get creative with funishments.

overstim is fair game, he enjoys the way it makes his head all fuzzy and the fact he can't speak coherently

edging... might literally drive him insane. he's not a patient man: he can persist insurmountable situations, but when he wants something he wants it. when it's his orgasm? deny him, one-two-three times, use it to build up the tension and the pleasure, but don't needlessly keep it from him.

subdrop is a very notable threat for rolan, so keep an eye on his behavior. if he goes too quiet or it seems like he's retreated too far into his own head, where he's hesitating before speaking? don't be afraid to safeword for the both of you

if rolan seemed needy beforehand, that state-of-mind skyrockets after a session. he's gonna be stuck to your side like a particularly cuddly burr for the remainder of the evening - both in bed, and in the shower

his favorite aftercare activity is probably laying his head on your chest while you read out-loud to him. if you scratch his head and horns at the same time, you'll be treated to a sweet, sweet purr.

[utilitycaster]

If you've read that recent article on polygon about Candela Obscura - "Critical Role’s Candela Obscura fails to differentiate itself enough from its inspiration" (6 November 2023) - I don't know much about the other systems and have trouble being objective about things I love, I was wondering what your opinion is

Hi anon!

I have! I will also admit I don't know Blades in the Dark terribly well, or rather, I have roughly the same BitD knowledge as I have Candela knowledge: I've watched (or in this case, listened) to a actual play show run in it (TAZ Steeplechase) and I've looked at the SRD. The Candela full rulebook doesn't come out for a week, so I really can't judge it for myself. So this isn't going to be objective either, but hopefully it will point out what I think the flaws in this article are regardless of the merits or failures of Candela Obscura as a game.

I think my overall issue is what I said about Polygon on the whole earlier this week: it really feels like their metric is first, is this innovative; and second, "does this reinforce my pre-existing political values in a way that allows me to feel warm and fuzzy and virtuous because I played a fun game/watched a fun show and lets me continue to ignore that I haven't actually engaged in any of that tiresome and inconvenient meaningful anticapitalist action."

I also, for what it's worth, think that this mentality very explicitly conflicts with what Critical Role is doing. I think a lot of people interpret the whole "a group of friends playing games" image as encouraging parasocial behavior (which, frankly, is weird in that while the CR fandom has had a parasociality problem, it's no different than any large fandom - Laurisha shippers or the Twinnies & Husbands crowd are literally just the Actual Play Fandom equivalent of Gaylors and Larries; also like, the pitch for WBN earlier this year was basically "hey, we're four friends playing games" and no one has blinked at that, nor should they have) when I think it's intended to mean "we are friends having fun making and playing the games we want to play; it's great if you'll join us but we're doing what we want." Given that Polygon has shown something of a bias towards those shows that give them early access, I do think it might be that they're just cranky they're not being given any special treatment or catering by an actual play show they've been shitting on for years, and this is simply a vicious cycle.

All that aside, more importantly in this case, I think the article shows a notable lack of Ebert's law: "A movie is not about what it is about. It is about how it is about it." Samantha Nelson, the author of this article, appears to be both incapable of evaluating Candela Obscura outside the context of Blades in the Dark - which is frankly, in my again admittedly limited opinion, vastly overstated as an influence (the Forged in the Dark engine is certainly a strong influence, but that's purely mechanical and also it's still only an influence - more on this later) - and also seems to want Candela Obscura's rulebook to flesh out Newfaire and Oldfaire in the same way that Blades in the Dark fleshes out Duskvol.

The thing is, those wide-open spaces and the vagueness of OldFaire? That's deliberate. The Looper interview with Spenser Starke and Rowan Hall as well as the Tabletop News interview both make this clear. The aim of Candela Obscura is to be very easy to pick up, to not have a bunch of intimidating lore that players and GMs need to know before they jump in (and I say this as someone who, when invited to her first D&D game, was the person who read the PHB and sent the other new players a brief summary of each race and class; I love intimidating lore), and to accommodate a wide range of styles. They considered making Oldfaire much more detailed in the book and then decided not to so that GMs felt more free with the world. Again, my knowledge of Blades in the Dark is heavily skewed by an actual play of it that's explicitly not in Duskvol (which I think is a very interesting commentary, namely, maybe Nelson just really fucking loves Duskvol but no one else gives a shit). I genuinely think they are, as more and more Polygon TTRPG/Actual Play coverage seems to be, barely paying attention to what's in front of them and just deciding based on who put it out.

As I said in my earlier posts I do think Candela distinguishes itself from BitD in a number of ways mechanically. The gilded dice mechanic is obviously one of the biggest ones. The lack of flashbacks - a pretty core element of Blades in the Dark - is another. The fact that scars change your stats rather than dealing a permanent penalty (as Trauma does in BitD) is seen as a flaw, as is the lack of lair-building, but I think these things work in tandem. Blades in the Dark is very much about growing territory and becoming a more and more powerful crime syndicate; while four traumas will take you out of the game the same way scars will, there's a lot more opportunities to heal and I believe you have much more room to take stress. Candela Obscura, as another interview I read states (ScreenRant), is a gothic/eldritch horror game about normal people in unfathomable circumstances. You don't really get much better! You adapt, but progress against these monsters is always a long shot. Candela as an organization has been operating for millennia, and the war seems to be one of attrition, and the mechanics, from what I know from the show, reflect that.

The bit about the criminal crew and the lair is honestly kind of funny to me, because in the TAZ Steeplechase wrap-up I listened to last week the McElroys noted that the lair element of BitD was actually really hard to incorporate and they largely ignored it. Obviously that's not true for everyone, but famously D&D in the earlier editions guided high level play towards running one's own dungeon, and there is a reason that hasn't survived to the newer editions, namely, that shift from being a crew out there doing wild and exciting heists and adventures to painting the walls of your clubhouse and hiring guards is not actually fun for a lot of people.

So in summary: I really don't think the author of this article paid a single scrap of attention to the motivations behind design choices, is mad the horror game doesn't give them a kiss on the cheek and tell them they're So Good at Leftism (the comment about not understanding that the restrictions on scarlet aren't tied to anti-immigrant sentiment is particularly egregious), and generally is like "why is this game that shares some similarities but ultimately rather different goals than Blades in the Dark not literally Blades in the Dark but with slightly more aggressive ghosts."

[that-damn-fouth-chaosemerald]

Hi! I was wondering if I could request a Sal Fisher (Sally Face) x GN!Reader fic with fluff + angst (+ maybe a little yandere?) where Reader is Sal’s cellmate after he gets arrested?

Maybe with Reader trying to get him to open up + talk about why he’s here, what his life was like before, why he wears the mask, etc.

Feel free to do whatever you like with this request and have a nice day :)

—❢ー

×A/N×

Hi! Thank you for the request (I actually really appreciate it bc you guys the only reason why I go up and writing on tumblr! Lol Y'know, I can be a very lazy person...)!

I wrote this one-shot a little bit different than your request. Like he's not a yandere (or at least he doesn't show anything of the signs, but it has fluff, angst and other things. If you want, I can write you just for some Yandere! Sal Fisher :D

But only if you want it-)

I had fun with it while I wrote it, I hope you will enjoy too! ^^

×❢ About my work ❢×

fluff, angst, mention of Larry's death, mention of suicide, cursing, the reader is gender neutral, no proofread •-•, and I think that's all-

Fandom: Sally Face

Character(s): Sal Fisher, Larry Johnson (mentioned), Todd Morrison (mentioned), The Reader|You|(Y/N)

Ship(s): Sal Fisher x Reader

Type: One-shot

—❢—

𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭

(Sal Fisher x reader)

𝑺𝒐𝒏𝒈: Bound 2 by Kanye West

“Bond to fall in love... ♡”

[Credit to the original artist!]

You almost fell as a strong guard firmly throwed you into the cell. They treated you like you were a wild animal.

" Asshole " you thought with an angry look on your face. You didn't want to say out loud, instead you gave to the guard a murderous look. But it seemed like he didn't care about it. He just walked away, letting you alone with your celmate. You looked at the stranger. He looked back at you.

"Hi!" you said with a friendly smile on your face. He reacted nothing. After that he continued what he was doing before: Sitting all alone on the bed and quietly looking down.

You felt awkard and maybe a little nervous. You weren't scared, you were far from that, he just had this feeling around himself what is made you feel weirdly comfortable. You stepped closer cautiously.

"I like your prosthetic!" He looked up at you, but still, he didn't show any reactions. But actually, he was really surprised that you knew this, and he didn't have to explain that it's not a mask. The prosthetic didn't show it, but his lips were apart from each other just a little, because of the surprise. He was still staring you, but no words left his mouth. It looked like he isn't a chatty person. Well, that's fine to you, if he doesn't want to talk, then you won't make him uncomfortable with it.

You walked to the other bed and sit down on it. It was awkardly silent in the cell. "Thanks." the stranger said it quietly. Deeply, you were surprised about he can talk, but you didn't show any of this. "Why are you locked in?" You invisibly facepalmed yourself. You just met a person in prison around 5 minutes ago, why are you asking personal questions already?

The prosthetic hid his voice very well, but you could still heard as he let out a sigh. "Because I saved people." he said without looking at you. You curiously, but still slowly sat down next to him.

"What from did you save them?" you tried to figure out his expressions, but you couldn't see anything.

"From the infestation of Red-Eyes." You looked at him with a confused look, but you didn't ask. "I couldn't save everyone, unfortunately. My best friend, Larry was one of the victims. After he didn't answer the phone, I started panicking and when I found him... All I could see that his body is hung down on a rope. I still remember how his lifeless eyes looking into mines. He was like a brother to me."

You could figure out of his tone that he really missed his friend. You put your hands on your mouth. He must feel terrible. He lost everything.

"I'm sorry" You spoke softly, not to scare him away. "I didn't know that you suffered this much." you said quietly with a sympathetic and understanding tone.

"I think Todd is suffering more, than me." he answered. He looked up at you and took some time with analyzing your face. You smiled back at him softly. You gently placed on his cold hand yours. He looked down at your hands and up at your face again. He squeezed your hands a bit.

He looked into your eyes. You didn't speak, but somehow you told him that it's okay and he can trust in you.

"You know (Y/N), I don't know how or why, but I feel like I can trust you." You gave him a kind smile, not thinking about how or from where he knows your name.

[notstilinski]

Nimona Starters !

Taken from the Netflix movie, Nimona! Some of these have already been edited. You can change them however you see fit! There may be some light spoilers for the movie!

“If you want a happily ever after, you can never let your guard down, because the monsters are always out there.”

“I’m not brooding. I’m just— I’m thinking. This is my thinking face.”

“Wait, what do you mean? You think I’m their favorite?”

“Some of us don’t get the happily ever after we’re looking for…”

“The garbage and the smell of sadness really pull the whole thing together.”

“This one. This guy looks extremely punchable.”

“What? Are you disappointed that I’m not a murderer?”

“They only see you one way, no matter how hard you try.”

“The “old something, something, something, we win.” Terrible plan.”

“Did you see the way they looked at me?”

“Evil Larry. That’s a great villain name! You should totally change your name-“

“I think what you’re trying to say is, “Thanks for saving my life.” Three times, if you’re keeping score.”

“Where’s the drama? The screams of terror?”

“We’re villains. Embrace it!”

“Are you kidding? Does it even matter? It but me!”

“I mean, easier if you looked human.”

“Oh, no…. Let me go ahead and pass this problem onto someone else.”

“I hate to say it, but you make a pretty good bad guy.”

“So nice to hear you guys bonding. Ah, it’s such a shame I have to go. Let me go.”

“Who would protect (Name)?”

“(Name) set me up. They killed (Name).”

“Oh, hey buddy. I’m sorry for kidnapping you.”

“Arm chopping is not a love language!”

“Okay, fine. But when things go south, I’m breaking stuff.”

“It doesn’t matter. You shouldn’t need proof. You know I’m not a murderer!”

“Did I ever mean anything to you? Or was it all just a lie?”

“You believe that?! Then you never knew me at all.”

“They grew up thinking they could be a hero if they drive a sword into the heart of anything different. And I’m the monster?”

“I don’t know what’s scarier. The fact that everyone in this place wants to run a sword through my heart or that sometimes… I just wanna let them.”

“No matter what we do, we can’t change the way people see us.”

“I like it here. Let’s live here forever.”

“I’m sorry. I see you, (Name). And you’re not alone.”

“And what if we’re wrong? What if we’ve always been wrong?”

“Come back. Please come back.”

[sanemifromcriagslist]

BEN Drowned with S/O who is opposite personality to him. Headcanons

Brat || BEN Drowned

Synopsis - How BEN would be with a significant other, who’s his opposite.

Warnings - Dark Humour, mentions of death, mentions of ghosts, mentions of hitting, Jeff. Possibly more?? { Let me know if any are founded please 🙏 }

A/n - I have school in an hour. I hate it.

Word count - 858

↳ BEN to me is such a silly little guy. He’s a goof ball, he’s annoying. He gives off annoying little brother energy.

↳ So for him to have a Significant Other with an opposite personality, they’d would probably give off oldest sibling energy. Essentially, the responsible one.

↳ Definitely teases. Bro would come up behind his significant other, and either pick them up or jump on their back.

↳ BEN has severe ambivert energy. He LOVES hanging out with people, like Jeff and Sally.

↳ BUT, he also likes his privacy, so, bitches better give him that, or they’ll meet with a terrible fate.

{ Do you get it? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) }

↳ So, honestly, his significant other could go either way!

↳ Anyone else think he’d flirt with them, but they’re really bad pick up lines?

↳ “Hey baby, are you noose? Cause I wanna wear you around my neck.”

↳ Dark humour. Definitely his thing. Makes many, many suicidal jokes. You know the abortion version of “Road Work Ahead?”? Yeah, that’s him.

↳ You have so many damn nicknames, and it’s rare you’ll the same one twice in the same day. Jeff once joked he’d forgotten your name and instead called stupid shit to cover it up.

↳ BEN punched him in the gut.

↳ I just thought of this while cleaning my room, but If you take your phone with you to bathroom, he’s using that as a way to come into the bathroom and talk with you.

↳ BEN would sit on the floor next to you, maybe his face is resting on your thigh, or he’s got his arms wrapped around you, while you do whatever.

↳ Definitely a cuddles. So if his significant other isn’t the biggest fan of touch, he’d be a little sad he can’t touch you whenever.

↳ I can 100% image him just sitting, shaking with energy, and you come up and ask him for a hug, and he just practically explodes.

↳ He needs to put his energy somewhere so why not on you?

↳ BEN would adore you if you were shorter than him. Constantly hugging you from behind, leaning on you, comparing hand sizes, standing on tall thing to be even taller then you than laughing at you calling you short.

↳ But if you’re taller than him, he’s so fucking petty. 😭

↳ He constantly be jumping on you, glaring up at you, stand on things, then laugh at you and call you short.

↳ But no matter your height, he’d ask you about how the weather is doing.

↳ “How’s the weather down there?”

↳ “How’s the weather up there?”

↳ Don’t worry though, no matter your height, you can still shove him ☺️

↳ He’s so short either way, like think between 4’10 and 5’4. As much as BEN hates his height, he uses this to his advantage.

↳ “Hey! 🥺 I’m SO small and tiny, you shouldn’t pick on me. 👉👈I’m just so little, no girls like me, so if you’re gonna leave me, just go then.😔”

↳ He’d also be that cringy but funny guy on TikTok who makes those Omegaverse jokes in videos and comments.

↳ “Baby, I am your alpha! You are my Omega! You will submit to me. Because im the Daddy. 😈”

↳ I reckon he’d enjoy the game Sally Face, so while he’s doing a play through, he’d get you to do silly voices for the characters with him.

↳ BEN would love to do Larry’s voice, while you’d be Sal or Todd. He’s Ash cause he wants to be the hot character.

↳ He doesn’t really get angry, at least not with you. He’d just get sulky, and petty. So if you have a short temper, you’d both supple Dazai and Chuuya energy.

↳ Take a guess who is who :DD

↳ Might be a little inaccurate, cause I’m only up to episode 4 of the first season… 😓 Everything else I’ve seen is TikTok and fanfics 🤠

↳ Honestly, the way you to even met would be odd. So I reckon Sally would have been an influence. Whether you’re an innocent civilian or a murderer 👀

↳ Sally’s a ghost, right? And she hangs out with kids, right? Well, maybe you were babysitting a random kid or a younger sibling, and you had taken them to the park. By chance, Sally and insert child you’re looking after, become friends at park.

↳ It’s basically universally known Sally and BEN are the sibling figures if Creepypasta, so either BEN is there or he listens to Sally talk about you two constantly.

↳ Eventually, you two meet and blah blah blah, DATING. 😈

↳ At night, when it’s time to sleep, whether he does or doesn’t, he NEEDS to be touching you. He’ll whine otherwise.

↳ He would cry if you pushed his leg off of you. He’d wake you up and ask if you even love him anymore? 💔

↳ Just slap him upside the head and tell him to go to sleep. Bro would just sit there for five minutes and be hella confused.

↳ If you happen to be a guy, anytime you two would kiss, he would tell you that’s gay. Knowing him, he’d probably still do this if you’re a girl. 💀

↳ BENs so silly ☺️

↳ Oh my god, if your not giving him attention, he’d lick your face to get it. 💀

↳ Basically, BENs a brat, he’d love you either way, fines it fun to tease you! 🤠

thank you!! ♡

[foodfightnovelization]

Interview With A Cast Member, Action Figures and More!

Hey everyone! It's time for another update. As mentioned in my previous post, I was lucky enough to be able to interview an actual cast member from Foodfight! a while ago. Her name is Holly Cruikshank (or at least it was when the movie was in production, today she goes by Holly Ireland) and she did the motion capture for Lady X! So yeah, I didn't score an interview with Charlie Sheen or Christopher Lloyd or anything- but did you really expect that from a small blog like this? Besides, it was wonderful talking to Holly and she made it clear from the start she had only good things to say about working on the movie- a far cry from a lot of crewmembers who unfortunately had a thoroughly miserable time on the project.

For example, this animator (who appropriately titles themselves "tortured artist") talks about their experience on Foodfight! with nothing short of hatred. A large amount of said hate is directed towards the director, Lawrence Kasanoff, who apparently made them clean up his dog's diarrhea and switched up what they were supposed to be working on on a whim, as well as ordering constant do-overs on scenes that had already been done countless times over. This really sounds like a terrible work environment, and as much as I have a sincere apprecation for Foodfight! it's clear there was some incredibly poor direction going on behind the scenes, and that Kasanoff treated a lot of crewmembers really badly. But there are two sides to every story, and in my interview with Holly she speaks of working on Foodfight! with people who were genuinely excited to be there every day and thoroughly enjoyed their time on it. So without further ado, here's my full interview with her, taken directly from our emails with each other (the purple text is me, and the black text is her).

This was a really lovely interview, and I was delighted to talk to someone who was so happy to discuss the movie and share their experience on it in a positive way. Some interesting things to note here are that the show she was doing was a Broadway play called "Movin' Out", and if you look up footage of that show online...

...the character Holly is playing in that show looks INCREDIBLY similar to Lady X! The dark hair, the red dress, etc... is it possible Kasanoff cast her because of how closely she resembled the character he wanted her to play? I can't say for sure, but it's definitely interesting. It's also sweet that she talks fondly of Larry, remembering him being kind, fun and supportive, especially considering how negatively a lot of former crewmembers speak of him. Not that said crewmembers are in the wrong for this- considering Larry's apparent behavior during production I'd say all their comments are justified, it's just interesting to get a different perspective on the matter.

She also mentions filming all the motion capture, then having to come back around a year later to do some more scenes- presumably this was down to either not having correctly captured some scenes the first time (the motion capture technology seems like it was quite temperamental) or script revisions requiring some scenes to be redone. I think it's also a really fun anecdote to share that when she did the motion capture she was in the early stages of her pregnancy- and by the time the movie finally came out her daughters were old enough to actually watch the movie! It really puts into perspective just how long it took for Foodfight! to get released.

I also completely agree that the creative team behind the movie had "an amazing story and idea" and I think it's fantastic she was excited to be a part of "something inventive and unique"- I really do think there's a hidden gem at the heart of Foodfight!, it's just hard to see with the horrible animation casting such a large shadow over it- I don't blame her daughters for not wanting to watch the finished film). Overall though it was a pleasure talking to Holly, she was so enthusiastic about the movie, as well as being very gracious and open to answering all my questions- even telling me to let her know if there was anything else I wanted to ask. A lot of people who worked on Foodfight! had their lives go in very different directions after they finished working on it, and with there also not being many fans of the film to begin with, I imagine this was the first time anyone had really asked her about it. It was really fantastic to get to talk to someone who worked on the movie, but I have other things I'd like to share in this post as well!

That's right, Foodfight! action figures! No, not the plush toys that were actually released and sold off in arcades and carnivals as prizes, these were prototypes that never made it to shelves. These pictures were found in the trademark registration documents for Foodfight! and show off a wide variety of Foodfight! figures and plush toys, none of which have ever been seen before or since.

First off, we have a line of small collectible figurines, based on all your favorite characters from the film! There's Dex Dogtective, Daredevil Dan, Sunshine Goodness, Vlad Chocool, Cheazel the Weasel, Polar Penguin, Maximillus Moose, an Xobyte, Lord Flushington, a Brand X soldier, Hairy Hold, Lady X, Lieutenant X, General X, and a variant of Dex in his fancy tuxedo. That's a pretty wide range of figures, 15 in all! Towards the back, you can also see a set of 5 of these figures packaged up, and on the box we can see these were made by Playmates, as opposed to Nanco, who created the actual merchandise released for the movie. Honestly, the way these figures are designed, the way they have no articulation, and the way they're packaged, they remind me a lot of Homies. You guys remember Homies, right? The little figures you could win in capsule machines (or buy sets of) that depicted various caricatures of Mexican-American culture? No? Well those would've been popular around the time these figures were made, so I wonder if they were an inspiration? In any case, these figures look ADORABLE and I wish they were fully produced, because I'd LOVE to have had a full set of them. They're so teeny and tiny and cartoony, they're adorable. At the very top of the first image, we can also see the packaging for something called "Dex Dogtective's Utility Belt", but since we can't see the rest of it, there's no knowing what it would've consisted of.

Onto the second image, and this is where it gets interesting. These are plush toys of various movie characters, but they're very different to the ones that actually came out (a given, considering these were prototypes and made by a different company). They're incredibly detailed and have hats and coats made out of different textured materials (with Dex's hat being a hard plastic for instance), and are seemingly the kind of plush toy with a hard wire interior so that you can pose them in various different ways. A sign below also says "We're electronic! We say movie phrases!" Again, none of the official movie toys are electronic (but it's debatable if even these were given they're just prototypes). And of course it has to be said, these plush toys look FAR superior to the ones that were actually released. Just for fun, here's a comparison between the prototype Dex plush and the one that was actually released.

I have to admit, I started laughing out loud putting these two pictures side by side. I'm reminded of that popular internet joke (look it up if you're not aware of it) of a character saying "this edible ain't shit-" and then cutting to to them looking absolutely wrecked. With that being said though, it's not entirely fair to compare a prototype to a mass-produced plush toy, and I still find the released Foodfight! toys to be endearing enough that I'm currently in the process of collecting a full set of them. (I'm hoping to collect every piece of Foodfight! merchandise at some point, I'll make a fantastic post showing everything off eventually). Regardless, it's an interesting look into what might've been with the world of Foodfight! toys, and it's fascinating to see them all presented this way- it makes me think of that scene from Toy Story 2 where Woody sees Al's "Woody's Roundup" collection and realizes he was famous. Everything here is laid out in a way that makes Foodfight! look like it was a smash hit. Not in this world though...maybe in some other world.

Anyway, I have one more thing to talk about in this post. Remember a while ago, when I talked about the various Foodfight! websites over the years? It turns out I actually missed one! In around 2008, the Threshold Animation Studios website had a section on Foodfight! containing some very interesting information about the movie. You can view it here: https://web.archive.org/web/20081003194856/http://thresholdanimationstudios.com/foodfight.html

Unfortunately, only the website's text has been preserved, so none of the images have been archived. There's a main page explaining the plot of the movie and a subpage about the cast, but that's not what we're here to talk about. We're here to talk about the Foodfight! Foundation.

So yes, as bizarre as it sounds, Foodfight! was at one point planned to launch alongside a charity organization that helped cure world hunger and feed starving children. As admirable of a goal as this is, it's also insanely ambitious- cursory research will show the Foodfight! Foundation did exist at one point, but I highly doubt it was ever actually active or fed 10 million kids. It's fascinating to see how much of a hit Kasanoff thought this movie was going to be- sometimes it's good to have realistic expectations in mind.

There's one more thing on this website worth talking about- there's a section called Merchandising Program, and on there we see a list of tie-in merchandise they had planned for the movie. We see videogames, (which we saw a clip of at E3 2006- see a previous post for my discussion of that) amusements (Nanco is mentioned here, who were the company who made the actual Foodfight! plush toys released in stores) but...what's this under publishing?

That's right, it's a mention of the novelization of the feature film! The book that started this whole blog! This is the ONLY official mention of the book I've found anywhere on the internet, and it's fascinating to see it acknowledged in an official capacity by Threshold. This still doesn't answer my one lingering question about the book- WHY is there only one copy of it in the entire world? But if I had to guess, I'd say it was commissioned, written, published and printed just for the sake of showing off to potential investors in the project the merchandising potential the movie had. That's the only reason I can think of that there'd only be one copy, and it fits with the prototype action figures we saw above. But how did the novelization end up on eBay? How did the only existing copy end up in a Goodwill in Minnesota? (that's where it was shipped from) I have no idea...

I hope you all enjoyed this post! I know the topics I discussed here weren't particularly connected to each other and don't segue into one another very well, but I had a whole bunch of Foodfight! stuff I wanted to share and I didn't want to just post my interview with Holly by itself, since it was pretty short. So that's it for this round of Foodfight! facts, knowledge, and wild speculation! Tune in next time for something rather exciting...

[charcadett]

Hi! I really like how you write, it’s very good.

Can I request an angsty situation where Rika finds her partner being attacked and jumps in to help them but for a moment it seemed like she was too late and the damage was too severe even if her partner does survive?

Thanks, you’re awesome!

Ohhhh yes I love angst heheh. I hope you enjoy this one! Time to feel some agony Rika, I’m not sorry about it.

CW: Injury and hospitals

Rika’s Partner Gets Hurt By A Pokemon

- After the events of Area Zero, more and more paradox Pokemon have been leaving the Great Crater into general Paldea. To take care of this, the Gym Leaders, the Elite Four (minus Poppy), and Geeta herself are dispatched periodically whenever a sighting is reported. Rika gets a call from Geeta to take care of an unruly Paradox Pokemon. Given that she has dealt with them many times by this point - out of everyone she somehow has the most free time - she’s more than confident in her ability to take care of this. So, she invites you along. Consider it a date with a short work interlude. Plus, you get to see how cool she looks taking this thing out.

- You giggle and lean against her, feigning fear as she wraps you into a firm hug. Rika presses a kiss to your cheek and gallantly decrees, “You don’t have to worry about a thing, not with me here to protect you.”

- As you walk both make your way to the location Geeta provided, you’re laughing and roughhousing. Rika knocks shoulders with you as you try to catch her off guard with a kiss. The two of you are too caught up in each other to notice the shadow overhead until it’s too late. Roaring Moon descends directly towards you with a terrifying cry as you fumble to grab one of your Pokeballs. Clodsire is already out, both it and Rika ready to defend you. Roaring Moon opens its mouth to release a powerful Dragon Breath towards Clodsire. When you stumble to your feet, the movement catches its eye as it snaps its head towards you. You barely have time to blink before the full force of its move knocks you against a boulder with a sickening crack.

- She never wants to feel like that again. Seeing you crumpled against the ground, not knowing if you’re still breathing. It was like her world shattered. Adrenaline-fueled panic had her rushing to your side and hoisting you into her arms to get you far away from the furious Pokemon. When she finally gets you to a hospital, it’s all she can do not to break down when she’s told moving you was dangerous. You’re in critical condition, your ribs are broken, and all she can do is sit here and try to get a hold of someone to do the job she should have finished an hour ago. She should have never brought you along. What has she done?

- Rika blames herself. If only she was faster, if she was paying more attention, if she hadn’t brought you, every single variable is clogging up her head. You would be fine if it wasn’t for her. She finally gets in contact with Larry, who tells her he’ll go take care of the Roaring Moon. After forty-five minutes, Hassel comes jogging into the waiting room. He apologizes for not getting her calls, he has his phone off during the school day. If it wasn’t for Larry dropping by, he wouldn’t have had a clue.

- She doesn’t cry. No matter what, she doesn’t cry, but Arceus, she wants to more than anything. When a nurse steps out of the back with a grim frown, all Rika wants to do is vomit her breakfast all over the clean linoleum floor. “They’ll be okay, but-“ She can’t hear the rest over the relieved ringing in her ears. It’s a miracle Hassel is there to catch the rest of the conversation as she slumps back into her seat. The adrenaline she’s been running on since the encounter with Roaring Moon has been sapped out of her, but when the nurse says she can go visit you in your room, she’s on her feet in an instant.

- Seeing you in that hospital bed, hooked up to machines and engulfed by the stench of blood and chemicals, makes you look so terribly small. You’re alive, though. Hurt, but alive. Finally, she breaks down, gripping your hand like a lifeline as she silently sobs into the side of your bed. Rika’s apology is incomprehensible and gurgled out between rattling cries. You run your shaking fingers through your hair. “It’s okay. I forgive you, it’s okay. We’ll be okay, Rika. I love you.”

- She takes off work to spend every second she can with you so you’re not lonely in the hospital. When you’re finally discharged, she waits on you hand and foot. No matter how many times you voice your forgiveness, it’ll take a long time for her to forgive herself. With your insistence, she starts going to counseling to help work through her mess of emotions. It’ll take a while for you to heal physically, but even when you do, Rika is always checking up on you to make sure you’re okay. She loves you more than anything, and time really does heal all wounds. Both you and Rika will be more than fine in the end.

[rivstyx]

Hey! Could I please ask for a NatM fic recommendation? I don't like oneshots or pwp so Idk where to start tbh

YES of course you can my dear anon! it sounds like you're looking for longer, more plotty stories, so here are some fics that may fit that description:

The Barn Raising by PoetryInMotion (7,463 words)

The Old West's barn has been demolished by a fetch-related accident. When they get a new one, the Western denizens throw a good old-fashioned barn-raising party. Jedediah decides to invite Octavius (and both secretly hope that they can kindle a romance between the do-si-do and the two-step).

some classic fluff. if you grew up a yeehaw like me, you'll love the little touches of Western culture; if not, you can still appreciate how damn cute this fic is

Down Then Left by mournwiththemoon (36,024 words, incomplete)

Octavius is balls deep in the closet and a mild midlife crisis. Jedediah just wants to fix the elevator. AKA the corporate loser x mechanical engineer AU that literally nobody asked for.

modern AU that i'm obsessed with. octavius is a sad divorced sandbag, jed is an obnoxious wannabe country singer, and i love them both with all my heart

He Loves Me Not by orphan_account (25,820 words)

Jed stumbles across a stack of unsent/unfinished love letters from Octavius to an unknown person in the museum. Jed sets out to find out who. Not because he’s jealous. No, not all.

big romcom vibes. it's not miscommunication, but it's not not miscommunication

if this was a cowboy movie (i'd give you my boots) by Liviapenn (10,180 words)

There are secret articles in our treaties with the gods, of more importance than all the rest, which the historian can never know.' -- Henry David Thoreau. This hour I tell things in confidence, I might not tell everybody, but I will tell you. -- Walt Whitman, "Song of Myself"

ok this one only sort of fits the bill, but i love it too much not to rec it. it follows jed and octavius as they walk back from the car wreck in movie 1 and tell each other stories about their pasts

living beyond your years (acting out all their fears) by Riv_Styx (16,447 words)

“Go,” Octavius repeated. “Run. I am with you.” Jedediah did the one thing he never thought he was capable of doing. The thing he would have sooner died than chosen of his own accord. He ran. Secret of the Tomb AU. Octavius doesn't make it out of Pompeii; angry and grieving, Jedediah goes home alone. Meanwhile, for Octavius, his whole world changes overnight. The new museum is thriving on the magic of the tablet, but it's not where he belongs. It's going to be a long way home.

oh look a familiar name!

my heart will stop in joy by HungryOnMain (12,433 words, incomplete)

A temporary exhibit, on display at the AMNH for a limited time, brings forth a vengeful force from the past. Terrible, painful memories bubble up from the depths of the minds of everyone on display. They can be taken, and joy restored - for a price.

dark, fucked up, and utterly addicting. i eagerly await every serving. this one says "hey, forget kahmunrah - what else could tablet magic possibly do in the wrong hands?"

Any Weather (series) by EwokRae22 (151,470 words)

On a lucky break from McPhee, Larry brings the exhibits on a winter vacation north of New York. He has everything prepared, or at least that’s what he tells himself. Because nothing can stop Jedediah and Octavius’s useless and oh-so-tiny longing for each other, not even the snow.

a fandom classic! the series follows jed and octavius through some wild adventures and features some genuinely heart-wrenching twists

Cacoethes (series) by Anonymous (25,927 words)

A deeper look into Jedediah and Octavius's experiences during Battle of the Smithsonian, and a look at what could have happened after the end.

take the hourglass scene from natm 2 and turn the homosexuality up to eleven, and you've got cacoethes - though the rest of the works in the series are definitely worth the read!

hope this helps! :D

[chipadequeso]

i genuinely dont think there’ll ever be another character like frank burns. a man so awful in every sense, upholding racist, misogynistic, capitalist, xenophobic, ableist, homophobic ideals, a classic bootlicker who is happy recognizing he will never question anything he is told and who wants to have more power than others and discriminate accordingly, a careless and terrible surgeon who puts his patients at risk every single time.

you look at frank and the things he incites in you are first, hatred, but then pity. because frank is so pathetic in the way that he does all of this he will never get what he wants because he wants to be respected. he is unable to grasp the idea that his bigotry and hate are not going to let him achieve anything. he wishes to be a fearless leader but he's a frail terrified man who shakingly pulls out a gun whenever his masculinity is questioned. he grovels at margaret's feet and continues to treat her like shit. he stares at flagg with wide eyes and imitates him pitifully. he insults his coworkers, especially those 'beneath' him. And he is constantly whimpering and asking why nobody likes him and why nobody cares about him, despite treating everyone he wants to get loved by in the worst way imaginable. he doesn't comprehend why, if the spirit is right, he is not on the same level as the powerful military men he is shown to be in love with.

and he's so insanely pathetic every single scene from whenever he experiences joy with his stupid smile or he stomps his feet like a child that you would think he could get meow meow'd or something, like characters that get "i hate him (affectionate)"'d but the answer is no because he is just so awful there's not enough reasons to do so. when i say i hate frank i mean it with my heart and soul. larry linville refused to keep going with frank because frank had spiraled too much around his own issues and there was no more development to be done with him.

throughout 5 seasons i grew from "jesus i hate this guy" to paying close attention to whenever he showed up because the actual true anger his mere existence ignited in me is something i hadnt ever experienced before. it's fascinating really. god i fucking hate frank

[birindale]

Since you've done so much work uncovering the origins of Princess of Power, I was wondering if you know anything about this question: WHY DOES SCORPIA EXIST? Out of the named villains in the She-Ra pilot, we had Hordak, who was created by Larry DiTillio (or DiTillio + Straczynski) for the "He-Man's twin was raised by villains from outer space" plot, with an earlier name "Reaper". We had Mantenna, Leech and Grizzlor, who are more difficult to figure out if they were story-first or started as boys' toys. Catra was developed by Justine Dantzer as one of the earlier Princess of Power toy concepts. Shadow Weaver seems to be the same deal as Hordak, just no toy. But Scorpia? It seems like Dantzer and her fellow doll designers were going with Catra as She-Ra's sole antagonist, other characters being good. Her monstrous design with tail and pincers might suggest an origin with the MotU team, but I've never seen concept art. And DiTilio's script introduced her as just another lieutenant of Force Captain Adora's alongside others. It's all baffling.

Hmm!! Good question, I know she was a Filmation original, because her toy rights were in that bundle... My instinct is that she was a creation of Larry DiTillio and/or J. Micheal Straczynski in their efforts to flesh out the Horde. The Mantenna-Leech-Grizzlor trio I'm inclined to attribute to Mattel, since Dave Capper came up with the line & presumably the 'mind-control bat' thing, and they all seem very action-feature-based, you know? Mantenna has bug eyes, Leech has suction cups, Grizzlor's furry... they all say "toy first" to me.

Scorpia, though. Knowing she originated with Filmation, my bet would be that they wanted to introduce more female characters to the Horde. If nothing else, to give Linda Gary something to do. She was designed by Dale Hendrickson, as we can see on her model sheets (god bless Filmation's labeling practices):

(images from MOTUCfigures.com)

But the female characters were sort of his specialty, so it's not terribly surprising he'd take point with supervision by Diane Keener & Herb Hazelton. (Diane Keener, of course, being the one who designed Filmation's She-Ra model).

I don't think I've ever seen any Scorpia concepts either, come to think of it. And people don't seem to ask about her in interviews as much, so there's less information to be had. Hmm... I think our next step would be finding some LD/JMS interviews where they even mentioned her. It has to have come up at some point, right?

[thelarriefics]

FIRST DATE FIC REC: Below are fics that feature first dates. 

📖 Take A Chance On Me by @peachypetalhazz (39k)

When Harry receives two tickets to see one of his favourite bands, he'd expected that his best mate would accompany him. However, it is soon learned that the intentions behind this so-called gift were far more wondrous than he initially thought.

📖 under your bed in new york. by @the28thofseptemberr (33k)

au; spilling coffee onto an ex, being set up on dates, and having a nosy puppy might be all louis needs to find love again

📖 A Hungry Heart by @jacaranda-bloom (27k)

Harry Styles, florist and Great British Bake Off contestant, loves many things. He loves his flower shop, he loves baking, and there’s also that little crush he has on pop star Louis Tomlinson.

But when Louis arrives on set as the surprise guest judge, Harry’s worlds collide. Throw in a cup of cuteness, a teaspoon of teasing, and a pinch of pining, and there’s all the ingredients for an epic love story, or absolute chaos.

Or the one where the Bake Off tent has never been so hot, and it’s got nothing to do with what’s in the ovens.

📖 You be Stunning, Baby, I'll be Stunned by @crinkle-eyed-boo (14k)

Harry and Louis go on their first date.

📖 Butterflies and Delight by @sunshineandthemoonlight  (13k)

The one where Louis is new to Grindr, Harry loves wearing fun, quirky outfits, and Ziam are always around to convince Louis to take a chance at life. Featuring Harry’s terrible jokes, Louis as a single parent, and glittery drawings of swamp monsters.

📖 In a sky full of stars, be my Northern lights by @so-why-let-your-voice-be-tamed (13k)

It's one of those nights there's nothing on the telly that Louis absently scrolls through Tinder. After swiping left on a bunch of profiles he comes face to face with a picture that stops him in his tracks. The picture is..almost sweet. It’s a boy with brown curly hair, wearing a very low cut yellow blouse, paired with a black jacket. He’s got a smile on his face and his tongue sticking out, but it’s not in any way lewd or suggestive. He just looks like he’s having a good time, and something about the innocence of it has him swiping right rather than left.

📖 Crystal Ball on the Table by @becomeawendybird (12k)

Harry Styles is just an ordinary witch from an old-fashioned Boston family trying to survive in her regular job as the fiction manager at a local bookstore and café. Her magic isn't exactly something she advertises when looking for potential new girlfriends, so when Louis Tomlinson arrives in her life like a breath of fresh air, she tries her best to hide how strongly her magic is reacting to Louis' presence.

📖 You come in waves (we crash and we roll) by @rainbowsandlovehl (11k)

Three times Louis makes a fool of himself in front of Harry and one time he doesn't.

📖 Just the Start by @littleroverlouis (9k)

Louis is a fifty-two year old divorcé who has fallen into rut. He never anticipated a forced day of self care, and a chance meeting with a charming salon owner would shake him out of his comfort zone.

📖 We Might'a Took the Long Way by @evilovesyou (8k)

The story of a perfect first date, a mind-blowing first kiss, an interfering lawsuit, a lopsided bowl, flutes of champagne, a little bit of heartbreak, a fated tiktok, and lots and lots of art.

📖 I Roll 'til I Change My Luck by @larry-hiatus (8k)

Dating is hard enough when you're gay. When Louis reveals to his Tinder matches that he uses a wheelchair and has a service dog, things tend to get even more complicated. Too bad the guys on dating apps aren't as sweet and understanding as his best friend Harry...

📖 I want your midnights by @guccistrawberries (7k)

or It all starts with a harmless round of the name game

📖 As Time Goes By by @1diamondinthesun (6k)

Wow. Louis needed to get a grip. They hadn’t even opened the wine yet, and Louis was already fantasizing about cuddling Harry.

📖 We're Getting Better With Time by @haztobegood (5k)

Or, the one where Louis is single, Harry is recently divorced, and they reconnect on Facebook forty years after they first met.

📖 sweaty palms and racing hearts by @onlythebravest (1k)

A short story of two shy, nervous and blushing boys on a date at the cinema.