#totally not have been obsessing over it since july or anything

[bluehairperson]

I'm not immune to propaganda 😔

[hyperactivewhore]

Ships in The Vampire Diaries that make absolutely no sense and shouldn't have happened:

1. Elena and Damon - Julie Plec, what were you smoking when you decided to make them a couple? Damon killed Elena's brother, abused one of her best friends, almost killed her other best friend, attempted to kill her multiple times, and nearly caused her to become a vampire by forcing his blood down her throat. Julie literally had to change Elena's personality in the later seasons because she knows that it would be totally out of character for her to fall in love with Damon. Elena and Damon have one of the most toxic relationships on the show, and I am so mad that they ended up presumably getting married and having children after the show ended.

2. Caroline and Matt - Matt was still in love with Elena and constantly compared Caroline to Elena. I'm not blaming Elena because it wasn't her fault that her ex-boyfriend was still not over here even though they've been broken up for MONTHS and she was in a committed and happy relationship with another guy. Matt was also a hypocrite. The reason he broke up with Caroline was because she's a vampire, but in the third season, he becomes attracted to Rebekah, who is also vampire. So, he never actually liked Caroline and just needed an excuse to break up with her.

3. Bonnie and Jeremy - I love Bonnie and Jeremy. They're amazing characters (more so the former), but I DESPISED their relationship. It just sorta came out of nowhere. They had cute moments, but I just wasn't feeling it. And then the writers had Jeremy cheat on Bonnie with Anna, who'd been dead since the first season. Like, why? Why couldn't the writers just allow Bonnie to be happy? And then they got back together briefly, and I was like, 'Bonnie, girl, did Grams not teach you anything about self-worth and self-love?' So, yeah, that ship shouldn't have existed.

4. Elena and Klaus - So, I don't understand this ship at all, but lots of TVD fans love the idea of this relationship happening. Elena and Klaus wouldn't have fallen in love with each other. Yeah, the actors had amazing chemistry, but the relationship their characters would have had wouldn't have made any sense. Elena murdered Klaus' brother and attempted to kill him and his siblings. Klaus murdered Elena's aunt, killed her, used her as a human blood bag, terrorized her and her friends, and was partially responsible for her brother becoming a hunter. Their relationship (if it had happened) would've been more toxic than Delena.

5. Caroline and Klaus - I never understood this ship. Klaus falling in love with a baby vampire? Huh? He's been alive for over a thousand years. You're telling me he's never encountered another baby vampire with blonde hair and blue eyes and who has a similar personality to Caroline? And the writers dumbed Klaus down in the third season by having him constantly fall for Caroline's tricks. He was so smart in the second season, and his intelligence, cleverness, and ruthlessness made him so scary. In the third and fourth seasons, he's showing remorse to Caroline, a girl who has attempted to kill him and his family multiple times, a girl he hasn't known for very long but seems to be so obsessed with for literally no reason. I just wished the writers could have given a reason for Klaus' interest in Caroline. What made her so appealing to him? What caused him to 'fall in love' with her? Don't give me that 'you're beautiful, you're full of light' crap.

6. Elena and Tyler - Uh... no? Elena and Tyler are friends. Just friends.

7. Bonnie and Kol - I like the idea of this ship. Bonnie is a witch, and it's been confirmed in both The Vampire Diaries and The Originals that Kol loves witches because he'd been one just before his mother turned him into a vampire. But Bonnie and Kol have never really interacted. Their only interaction was a 5-second glance in the hallway. But I love reading fanfictions about them, though.

8. Klaus and Hayley - No. Klaus and Hayley had a one night stand, and if it wasn't for Hope, they'd never speak to each other again. Klaus and Hayley initially disliked one another during the first season of The Originals, but towards the end of the series, they have become family, best friends, and incredible co-parents. Klaus and Hayley love each other, not romantically, but platonically. And that is a better relationship than a romantic one. I guess The Originals taught a lot of people that just because two people have a child together doesn't mean they have to end up with that person. Klaus 'fell in love' with Camille, and Hayley fell in love with Elijah.

9. Klaus and Camille - Doesn't make any sense. At least Caroline was a vampire when Klaus met her. Camille is a human, and Klaus has said it himself that he doesn't really care about humans. So, his relationship with Camille came out of nowhere. I don't see Camille as a carbon copy of Caroline because the characters are different besides their blonde hair and their names having the same first two letters. I just don't understand the appeal.

10. Hope and Lizzie - Hope and Lizzie have a great rivalry and friendship, but Lizzie isn't in love with Hope. Many fans like to point out that the reason Lizzie is sired to Hope is because she had feelings for her while she was a siphoner witch, but those same fans have never watched the last season of The Originals because it was explained that any person Hope turns with her blood will be sired to her. She's the daughter of the original hybrid, after all. And Josie was the one who had a crush on Hope. She even admitted it in an episode to Hope, so...

11. Caroline and Damon - No. God, no. I don't even have to explain why this doesn't make any sense.

12. Rebekah and Matt - Rebekah was infatuated with Matt, but she was never actually in love with him. Rebekah has always wanted to be human and have a normal life for centuries, and she meets Matt, who is the only human in the Mystic Falls gang. She becomes infatuated with him and the idea of normalcy. If Rebekah was truly in love with Matt, she wouldn't have caused his car to drive off of Wickery Bridge with both Matt and Elena inside the vehicle. She'd hesitate and have second thoughts. After she sleeps with him, she never talks about him again and moves on quickly to Marcel, which brings me to the final ship on my list.

13. Rebekah and Marcel - I don't care if the two aren't blood related and that Klaus didn't actually adopt Marcel. Rebekah met him when he was 10 years old and watched him grow up. If Marcel was like a son to Klaus, then I understand why he was so against their relationship. It almost seems like Rebekah was grooming Marcel, and that is just so fucked up and creepy.

14. Stefan and Caroline - I lied. This is the actual last ship I'll discuss. Stefan and Caroline had an amazing platonic relationship. She reminded him of Lexi, which almost brought tears to my eyes. But then Julie Plec had to fuck all of that up and have Stefan and Caroline start dating, get married, only to have Stefan sacrifice himself for Elena. Like, what the actual fuck? Again, they should've just stayed friends.

15. Caroline and Alaric - I lied again. This is the last ship, I promise! Caroline was Alaric's student, and he was like a father figure to Elena and Jeremy. Her becoming pregnant with his children was already weird, but to have them be in a relationship is just disgusting. TVD fans have to remember that Alaric is not a vampire. Stefan and Damon are over a hundred years old, but they look physically young and have the mentality of the ages they were when they turned. For example, Stefan was turned at 17 and still thinks and acts like a teenager! Alaric is in his mid-40s or something, and Caroline was in her early 20s. That's not cool! And having her be in a relationship with Alaric for the sake of the twins is also fucked up because she's not in love with Alaric but is forcing herself to marry him for his children! No!

I'm done.

Damn. I love your opinions anon, this is certainly gonna be interesting.

Damon and Elena: they're a popular ship, I'll give them that, but they're totally an ick for me. Damon killed her brother just because he thought she didn't love him any longer, and he smiled while hearing her cry about it. Not to talk about the fact that he spend three seasons trying to get her to fall in love with him, and once she did, it was in the most disgusting way ever: he literally took advantage of the fact that Stefan was away saving the three of them, to try to make his vulnerable ex girlfriend love him. It's disgusting, and Elena deserved better.

Matt and Caroline: to this day, I still don't know how the hell he managed to pull the most gorgeous girls ever: like seriously, Rebekah, Nadia and Caroline? But yeah, Matt was clearly not over Elena which just made Caroline's insecurities worse. He def shouldn't have dated her at all, seeing he was still hung up in his ex girlfriend.

Jeremy and Bonnie: Jeremy made me so fucking mad by cheating on Bonnie with a literal ghost. Their relationship came out of nowhere, and it was weird as hell. He was still in love with Anna and Bonnie deserved a lot better than him. The way they had them be back together for like two episodes I think was so weird. The writers hatred towards Bonnie is just disgusting.

Klaus and Elena: I actually do see where the shippers are coming from with this ship, even if they realistically wouldn't have lasted at all. He was once in love with Tatia, and I do headcanon he fucked Katherine to make her like him back in her human ages because it would be in character for him, so I can picture him trying to seduce Elena or something similar out of boredom or to spit someone and etc. Fairytale Ending by @livlepretre kinda touches this, and it's a really good dark romance book so I recommend it to everyone!

Klaus and Caroline: eww. This shouldn't even be considered a ship: Caroline said she was terrified of him and was never herself when spending time together, and Klaus literally started obsessing over her out of nowhere. Their dynamic reminds me of that one line Rebekah said to Caroline "I'm only interested in yours (life). Your spunk, your popularity. Maybe even your boyfriend". Klaus having a crush on Caroline was just his way of spiting Tyler. They wouldn't have worked at all.

Tyler and Elena: I wasn't even aware they were a ship.

Bonnie and Kol: I actually like them both, even if I'm more of a klonnie fan myself. Kol would have treated her a thousand times better than any of her ex lovers and with his love for witches, they would have made a great couple.

Klaus and Hayley: Klaus would have without a doubt killed Hayley if she hadn't become Hope's mother. They're family and best friends, but that's all. They do have sexual tension sometimes, but Joseph and Phoebe have chemistry with almost every person on set so.

Klaus and Cami: I do agree that Klaus falling in love with a human is strange, but not totally. His relationship with Camille was toxic at its beginning, and then the famous forced proximity trope became canon for them. Then he fell in love with her, sending her away for her own safety and etc. Like Cami said, Klaus only spend time with immortals to avoid grief, but he was in a sense forced to spend time with her for having her write his memories and he ended up falling for her and etc, but I do get your point.

Hope and Lizzie: People get so obssesed over Lizzie saying a platonic "I love you" to Hope and over hosie canonically liking each other for like a week in their childhoods. I don't think any of those ships could have worked out, if I'm being honest: Hope loved Landon and the girls had their own love problems.

Damon and Caroline: this is... actually a thing??? Wtf.

Matt and Rebekah: yep, Bex couldn't have cared less about him. Matt was everything she couldn't be any longer: human, happy, with mortal preoccupations and able to procreate. But once she slept with him, she literally left him in the dust and never even bothered to call (Klaus and Caroline I'm opposite gender lmao).

Marcel and Rebekah: Charles and Claire had amazing chemistry, but the ship is a big no. Rebekah groomed him, and she was throwing tantrums 24/7 about Marcel loving New Orleans more as if she didn't fall in love with Stefan two years later after his supposed death and well, she saw him grow up and still was attracted to him. This is the only time Klaus was right for daggering her, outside his own reasons.

Stefan and Caroline: I do think it was clear/obvious in the writers plan they were gonna make steroline a couple at some point, but not make them endgame. If I'm not wrong, because people love lying in this fandom, stelena was gonna be endgame but Nina left and etc, so they couldn't do what they wanted and instead steroline and delena were the remaining couples. I can't really tell you what I think of this ship, as I haven't rewatched tvd outside s3/s4 since 2018. But it is pretty funny to me that Stefan died to get out of his relationship, as some people say.

Caroline and Alaric: this is just a big no. Caroline was basically forced to carry his kids, she was turned into a walking incubator without her consent and then Alaric acted as if he did all the job, as if she hadn't raised and loved the twins as if they were her own flesh and blood. And he was literally her teacher once, so just no. They are a complete ick.

[diggingupgrave]

Magnificently Cursed... the blog post ✨

🕰🍂🕯🌿📔🧣🌙

My writing log says it’s been exactly a year since I started writing Magnificently Cursed, my Dark Academia Inuokko Magic School AU! I find summer to be insufferable (my apologies to the sun) so I took an escape hatch to an early fall last year and immediately fell down this massive rabbit hole. Not only did I write the whole fic and make overly-intricate graphics for each chapter… I also made a ton of other content that I simply didn’t have enough time to post! (Fall is but one season… unless you’re me, and it’s two, because fuck summer) So as a little anniversary gift to me, I’m going back through the archives and finally putting everything in one place. 

Let’s start with the character mood boards, shall we? 

Toge Inumaki: 

I wanted Toge to have an earthy/natural, vintage-y feel, while Yuuta was all sleek and new. I’m still completely obsessed with this library-lizard aesthetic for Toge.

I low-key wound up buying a brown sweater after searching online for literal hours just like the one in the upper left so we could twin. That duffle coat still has my whole heart. Lavender mug inspired by Neara 🥺

Yuuta Okkotsu:

The lil ghostie patch 😭 I still think Yuuta would look hot as hell in all these clothes- especially the speckle-y fisherman sweater. Coat game is strong here as well. 

... so is it obvious that I spend too much time on Canva yet? 😅

The Timeline: 

My outline wasn’t outlining and I resorted to making an in-world calendar to make sure the dates were realistic. Each chapter is a different color, and the lines represent what days the chapters covered in-world. The corresponding stars represented each chapter’s posting dates… except the real life dates didn’t line up with the fictional dates (rude), so those thursdays were actually saturdays? I think? I'm actually not 100% sure what past me was up to here, to be totally honest 😅

(also, politely ignore that bit that says “epilogue - december” 💀i’ll get to it when i get to it. I don’t really like the idea of it being *over* so maybe i'll just gatekeep that bit forever)

⬆️ Example of aforementioned “outlining,” which, yes, is unfortunately littered with as many potential tweets as actual organization 💀

Not pictured: the outline for the first three chapters… when i thought this fic… would only *be* three chapters. 🪦

Writing Log:

I wrote all 92k between July 13th and September 13th (including 60k in August, nanowrimo style)!

Honestly would love to know what her regimen was because i immediately went back to being slow and undisciplined. I don’t foresee this coming august looking anything like this, lol.

Also, sidenote, hilarious that I took a break to work on it would make a whole in the middle of this? Because I literally just finished that piece this week and posted it today 😅

The Playlist:

Spotify proving that July 13th commitment! If you start a wip without procrastinating and making a playlist for two hours first... did you really start a new wip?

The playlist was three and a half hours and i would listen to it nearly every day, sometimes multiple times in a day 💀. Listen during a rainstorm for peak vibes.

(other favs not pictured: The Butterflly Effect’s cover of “Lay All Your Love on Me,” Sabrina Carpenter’s “Decode,” Liz Longley’s “Rescue My Heart,” and "Nothing's Gonna Happen" by The Staves) 

Bonus:

(fall baking... toge's fav pumpkin muffins of course)

(my toge sweater knockoff)

(editing buddy... clearly working very hard)

(cider donut cider... for the ✨vibes✨)

(obsessively drinking massive pots of harney and son’s victorian london fog tea as i tried to interpret my own bullshit)

(me celebrating actual halloween like i didn't start in july)

.... ANYWAY (if you made it this far 😅) many thanks to anyone who read/kudos/commented/supported this fic, because (if you can't tell already) i had so much fun writing it.

Currently, working on another longfic rn that's also promising to destroy my life... but you never forget your first 😘

[locke-n-k3y]

As we've gotten the last episode of dungeons and daddies of the year I wanted to take a bit of time to just kind of reflect on my experience with the series and what it's meant to me since I found, this will be an obnoxious long post and will be alot about my past relationship which was in short terms, not good, so please feel free to skip this post, it's more catharsis for me than anything

Up until July this year I'd been in a relationship for seven years, from the ages of 11-18 which is what I am now, over the course of those seven years I had my resolve drained out of me until I had no friends, no social media besides instagram and was steadily pulling away from my family to the point they were like strangers to me. I binded every day and endured constant transphobia and bodyshaming because I sincerely believed we were like soulmates (both trans and both outcasted) and it was meant to be.

This is all of course bad, but one of the most sinister things he did that I wouldn't have expected was he completely disabled ny ability to enjoy things. Prior to our relationship I was a phannie, I shipped Klance, I watched sanders sides religiously, I was a blossoming furry and brony and I liked these things loudly and proudly. And he made fun of and belittled these interests until I stopped participating in each and every one of them, until all my interests were either ones shared with him or ones he deemed acceptable.

And it didn't hit me how hard that followed me out of the relationship until I had to sit down and think about what I was into, and I came up totally blank, everything I liked was either tainted by memories of him or I had stopped engaging with so many years ago I wouldn't even know where to pick it up again.

And then like Mercy descending from the clouds I decided to go back through my podcasts and pick one, just one, and I happened to land on dndads. I'd previously listened to episode one with him but it had been a resounding no on his end so I put it down and never looked back. Until now. I hit play on that first episode and the next two weeks were a complete blur as I binged every ounce of content, after I caught up on the first two seasons at breakneck pace I used my meager funds to sub to the patreon and listened through everything there as well.

It was the first time in seven freaking years I'd been this excited about anything, I was going on walks as an excuse to listen to more, I was obsessively looking for fans on tiktok and posting in the discord. I was stimming more than I had in my whole life and talking again, in a lot of ways it felt like looking at myself again, I cut my hair and dyed it blonde (totally not because of Henry) I started buying clothes that I actually liked because I felt more confident in myself.

And then after unsuccessfully hunting for a community I said fuck it and redownloaded tumblr, somehow remembered the login to this account and I posted some fanart of Scary Marlowe, honestly not expecting anything to come of it, and then it got some reblogs, people liked it and I kept posting and I made moots and I talked to people and just-

I cannot thank the daddies themselves enough for bringing me into this and I cannot thank literally every single person who has ever liked or reblogged one of my posts, especially my moots, enough. You guys seriously made what was shaping up to be the worst year of my life the best year ever, and I'm not like better, it's only been 5 months and I'm very much still shaking off his effects but things are okay, O-A-K if you will, and I'm more confident that like I will be okay if that makes sense? So just like yeah, thank you, seriously, I love this fandom and everyone in it so much and this whole not-a-bdsm-podcast thing really helped me in a very very dark time <3

[kamenstranger]

Before I dive into this review proper I want to give a heads-up that I am about to get into book spoilers and will be approaching this review with the assumption you've read the source material, which the show also expects. Likewise, I cannot talk about the show without getting into spoilers, due to the very nature of it. If you want my one piece of spoiler-free advice; think of it as a spin-off. Cause it kinda is. You'll have a much better time in that "What If?/Elseworlds" mindset.

If spoilers are cool with you, let's jump into it.

So, I was pretty much obsessed with the series in 2010. I was about 17/18 when I first got into the series. The 6th book wasn't out yet, and I can't even remember how I got into the series to begin with. But I believe I ordered volume 1 followed by 2-5 as soon as I finished, or maybe I went all in. I know for a fact I preordered vol. 6 when I finished vol 5. Still have the receipt for it; July 18th, 2010. 10.58 total.

I followed the various video updates on the movie, fan art, fell in love with the game, bought a Smashing Pumkins shirt, and the Anamanaguchi soundtrack was even the first digital album I bought for myself. I was basically just at the right age and state of mind for the series to grab me and have a profound effect with its themes. I think it's something I needed at the time.

But as much as the series meant to me, it's something I mostly moved on from. After all, the book ended in 2010, and until recently I probably hadn't reread it since 2013 or so. My books are in remarkable condition, actually. I mostly kept up with O'Malley's other works, and preordered Seconds when that was announced. Sadly haven't been keeping up with Snotgirl as much as I'd like, but I digress.

So when the show got announced… well, honestly my first reaction was "That thing they should've done after the Adult Swim short" Because, yeah, animation is a better medium for it. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the 2010 movie- one of the best theater experiences because the like 5 other people in the audience were massive fan girls loving all the bits. And there is a lot to love about the movie: its visual gags; the performances; the music selection; the overall direction- seriously, Edgar Wright doesn't get enough credit for how good he is at keying in on visuals. Dude knows how to translate comic panels and mimic the vibe of the source.

But it lacked the depth of the books. There's no major character arc for Scott and Ramona addressing their flaws. Hell, the books weren't even finished yet. There are a ton of great translations from comic to screen, but mostly the superficial. Moments like Scott's meeting with Knives in the alley showing that he's becoming more empathetic and confronting his mistakes are either absent or glossed over. Likewise, Knives' own journey of maturity isn't there. This isn't a complaint mind you, it's not like those cuts are unreasonable. I can hardly blame them for not cramming 6 (and incomplete) books into a two hour film. That just ain't gonna happen.

The biggest advantage in a series as opposed to a movie is the opportunity to properly explore the characters beyond a surface level. I'm not saying anything particularly revolutionary by stating the most universally agreed-upon element from the books is that Scott is a bit of a shit.

However, I think that statement is overly simplifying the situation and the character, one far too often invoked by hack frauds who don't truly engage with the work, because clickbait engagement is more valued than a nuanced analytical one. I won't sit here unpacking the full 6 volumes, you can check out someone like Popculturebuffet for that. But part of what works so well with Scott is that we don't initially know the extent of his baggage- and rightfully so. His worst aspect early on is ignorantly getting involved with Knives in the first place, stringing her along even after becoming enamored with Ramona, and being a bit of a slacker. This is something which is pointed out by literally everyone (sans Stephen) as being shitty. But otherwise, he seems fairly average and even endearing in a way. Scott's an affable character that's easy to like in spite of his very major flaws, and that's a statement that remains true throughout. The reader doesn't even get to simmer much on the scenario with Knives until later- and to some degree, this even applies to Scott himself. He's slightly oblivious to his actions, past and present. A prime example would be that we're initially under the impression that Scott doesn't like to drink, which is mostly true. Mostly.

It's not until volume 6 that it becomes clear he got into a drunken fight with Envy on New Year's, suddenly re-contextualizing that and other events. It doesn't negate how Envy was very much a bitch who treated Scott like complete garbage, cheated on him, and screwed his head up something fierce. She is unequivocally the worse person there. But it adds nuance that wasn't present before. I focus on the event with Envy because it's sort of a perfect microcosm of Scott as a character. Scott "doesn't" drink because of what happened, except on the 3-4 social occasions over the course of the 6 volumes, showing how he has a habit of just flat-out lying in various ways, including to himself. He's aware on some level, but simultaneously suppresses that awareness from memory and even re-imagines scenarios outright (Sometimes with a little help, unbeknownst to him) acting like everything was always fine on his end. This is even more true in his prior relationship with Kim.

Scott's solutions are half measures where he can pretend that he was always the victim in a breakup, or at least innocent and free of blame, thus never growing in a meaningful manner. Hell, that's the reason he ended up with Knives in the first place; he was trying to get over Envy, but not in a healthy manner. Change is seen as scary to Scott, and yet it's inevitable. That is, at least due in part to Envy changing into a hateful person. As such, Scott wants something simple where he doesn't have to put in effort. Knives is naive and doesn't see Scott for the dick that he is, she doesn't ask him to be better because he's already perfect to her naive mind. It's shallow, and a tad messed up, and everyone knows it, including Scott- hence his continued dreams about being alone. He knows it's not, cannot, and never will be serious. He's stupid, but not a monster- but stupidity can be a form of malice if one doesn't change their heart. It's not exactly like the story is even subtle about this. The entire existence of Nega Scott is that you can't fight the past, you can't run from it even if you hate that part of you. You have to confront it and accept it to move on, hopefully changing for the better. To say nothing of how Gideon is what Scott could become if he never owned up to it. That angle is why I felt Scott and Ramona worked. Quite frankly, Ramona is just as flawed of an individual running from her past. She's constantly trying to change herself, but always on a surface level. She's afraid of normalcy, of being stuck in a routine, of being happy. She makes out (Not that much) with her ex, Roxie, in anger because she sees Scott hanging with Lisa Miller and suspects the worst. She (rightfully) gets enraged at how Scott was still with Knives when he and her first went out, thus cheating- yet she did the same with the Katayanagi twins, and possibly Lucas. And, ya know, she never formally handed off the breakup letter to Gideon, so she's kinda doing the same thing Scott did with Knives and her. Ramona's past is just as checkered as Scott's. She's just as jealous, hypocritical, and nuanced. It just takes longer to realize that because she puts up emotional barriers and isn't the titular character/main focus. Neither one is evil, but they've wronged people. Often they've been wronged, and sometimes it's not a clean-cut scenario of easily blaming anyone. For all the great supporting cast, gags, fun references, and so forth, our two main protagonists being flawed yet likable is what makes the series compelling. The heart is two people gradually learning to get over their selves and their mistakes. To stop running away, and accept their faults and one another. Over the 6 books, we see them (albeit mainly Scott) put in the effort to be better, to build and maintain something special, and not just go with what's simple and easy. It's not about fighting the exes, it's about fighting for each other.

That type of character arc requires time for development. So, when it comes to this Netflix series, my biggest hope was simply that they would capture that element found within the books. In the lead-up to the show, there were some rumors about the exes having more to do, and I can see that working. As much as I do think the book does a fine job, Todd and Roxie are the only ones with a decent amount of depth. Matthew works perfectly because his simple backstory is a gag in itself. Lee is a fun character with a tiny bit of backstory, but it's barely there. Gideon I can forgive due to his mysterious final boss nature and his schtick is being the extreme opposite of Scott. But the Twins? They're shafted pretty hard. They're there to fill out a roster. Honestly, though, even Roxie would've benefited greatly from the smallest of backstories ala Lucas Lee. She's perhaps the most interesting because she and Ramona are on good enough terms to have coffee together. Hell, Rox genuinely cares for Ramona, and unlike Lucas Lee, she's prominent enough in the story that a simple flashback could have been the cherry on top of all that.

The other part is streamlining story elements. No surprise there. From the get-go, O'Malley said it was not a 1-1 adaptation, and honestly, it shouldn't be. Some parts should be changed for the sake of convenience, and frankly, the book has some superfluous parts. Does anyone even remember Jason Kim? He shows up like twice as "dude with car" and apparently dating Kim Pine until dorking her housemate. That gives the impression of each character having their own life and drama that we're not privy to, which is nice. But it's also not important to include outside the books. Kim (Pine) becoming self-conscious when Envy is brought up, smiling when Scott stays over, or her dead-eyed expression as she lies during the fight with the Twins. All of that says far more about her, her feelings, her love life etc.

Then there's Knives' dad. Fun in the book, wouldn't take him out. But completely unneeded for emotional and narrative development. Sometimes you gotta look at the source material and realize that even if you like something, tacking on an extra hour for the most obvious whodunit would kill the pacing in an adaptation. (That was a LOTR reference for those playing at home)

However, the above scenarios are a trepidatious path. How does one decide what needs reworking, cutting, or expanding? They're necessary for an adaption, but they're not always obvious. If you're not careful, you can completely undermine or mishandle key elements that made the original so beloved. You risk removing seemingly innocuous moments that add a lot to a character's growth. Above, I mentioned that the Twins got shafted in the book, but there isn't really a good place to expand upon them in the original story. They're not as important as Ramona's growing discontent. It's why Scott's fight with robot 01 is relegated to background gags while we focus on Ramona and Kim. You could put a flashback during the final confrontation with the Twins, but that would muck up the pacing and take away from Kim's far more important character moment in lying to Scott to bolster him. The Twins are just narrative scaffolding holding a spotlight on what we should be focusing on. That's what all the exes are to some extent. Shallow, sure, but only so the other characters get depth.

It's not an easy line to walk. If you push too hard on telling a more original story or focus too much on "correcting" various details, you can negate what were otherwise successful plot points. Do too little and the pacing falls apart because the medium is completely different. Would the changes made still contain a similar level of depth and satisfying character arcs, or would it merely be a shallow reworking of the broadest of strokes? The only way to not lose is not to play. These are the concerns I had in the lead up to the show, which is fairly routine. We also weren't getting a lot of information storywise, aside from that it would be mostly doing its own thing (This is something that should have been emphasized more in marketing) The trailers showed familiar set pieces; that Ramona delivers DVDs for Netflix now, which is a great and absurd change; You saw some of the streamlining by having Scott rent Lucas Lee films, thus inadvertently getting a head start on that and cutting out the No Account Video segment; there's a brief original bit where Ramona talks to Julie about how well the date with Scott went. Most of the setting also looked like it was from the first and sixth volumes, which was a tad odd. But other than that, they were tight lipped about the narrative. Most of the promotional focus was on music, the returning cast, and the animation. All great things unique to this medium that we will get into in due time. Speaking of, let's finally discuss

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

So you know how Final Fantasy 7 Remake emphasized the "Remake" part? Well, we kinda have that here with the "Take Off" part.

I'll just cut right to the chase. Scott seemingly dies in the fight with Patel in the first episode. Episode two is his absolutely absurd funeral. Almost the rest of the episode is centered around Patel wanting to take over the league for himself, and succeeding in doing so, gaining all of Gideon's assets, while the league dissolves once they realize Patel didn't even get Ramona back after winning.

This is uh, certainly a direction to go.

Let's put aside not following the source material and this being an original story. Why should I care about this story? I'll concede that he and Gideon have a great fight. The animation from Science Saru is great, and the voice performances are great: Shoutouts to Satya Bhabha, his delivery is impeccable, hilarious, and a major highlight of the show. But why should I care about these events, this retake? What's the hook? Thus far, the primary purpose of the show feels like a fake out, gags, and fights. I spent the opening of this review going over the emotional weight of the books, that's the anchor. So far, I'm getting moments without substance. Am I supposed to care because I have a prior connection to these characters? This is something I wouldn't figure out a proper description and answer for until the finale. My issues also felt exacerbated by both the advertisements not making the original story angle clear, and also how good the first episode starts off. Because Cera as Scott is truly perfect. Cera was a voice actor before transitioning to the screen, and his performance is top-notch in addition to being a great vocal fit to begin with. So it's kinda disappointing to not have him around for quite a bit. Anyway, the second episode ends with Ramona dreaming and hearing Scott's voice, meaning that Scott isn't dead, he's in Subspace or somewhere.

Episode 3: Ramona Rents a Video.

As if answering one of my questions immediately, the third episode finally gives a hook as Ramona starts playing detective, like Pikachu Columbo. That's the selling point, that this is primarily Ramona's story.

She checks out footage of the Patel fight, showing that someone pulled Scott through a portal (Hence the title of the show, wink-wink.) Ramona then heads to First Cup to get a person of interest list from Julie- which is a pretty damn funny sequence, actually. I'm starting to enjoy the show at this point, and it's kinda wild how much more enjoyable Julie is in both the movie and show compared to the comics. Sure, she's a bitch, but she's a fun bitch due in no small part to Aubrey Plaza's wonderfully riled vocals. After getting the necessary info, Ramona is led to Kim since she knew Scott the longest. We even get a cute story about the poorly drawn Sheep Scott did, which looks hilariously WAY worse in the show.

There's also a key comment from Kim that I think is to make a point for dorks like me. Kim mentions that she was once kidnapped by a guy named Simon and rescued by Scott. That was a false memory of Scott's in the books. In vol. 6, Kim pointed out to Scott that Simon was just a dude she went out with like twice, probably hugged, and Scott beat up. This is one of a number of clues that seem to be here to firmly establish this isn't the same continuity as the books being messed with, and should not be thought of as a sequel if that was a concern.

Anyways, their conversation is cut short when Roxie arrives in the hope of rekindling her former flame. But things go south pretty quickly and Roxie's hotheadedness takes over.

What follows is one of the best fights in the show, equal parts funny and clever. Hell, it starts with Rox drawing her sword and accidentally cutting the sprinkler line. It adds a dramatic pseudo rain that's completely negated by Kim's wonderfully deadpan expression as all the damn tapes in the store become soaked.

During the scuffle with Ramona, a shelf of movies falls on the two which… somehow transports them into various movies? I dunno, we're working off video game logic, I guess Gex counts. It's a sequence that I'm sure was done purely for looking interesting. To its credit, the visual styling is on point. From Japanese historical drama to a post-Matrix early 2000s green filter era, to a scratchy film-grain-heavy WW2 film. The backing track also flows into each film genre. I also love a quick gag where Kim watches the fight on a CRT and fucks around with the rewind and pause feature, allowing Ramona to counter an earlier attack. Roxie gets knocked back into the store, smashes the remote, and gets dragged back into the movies by Ramona. That's great.

As the fight continues, Ramona and Rox begin arguing about their relationship, and we get that flashback sequence! It's a small thing, but they show that Ramona left without a word and how that tore Roxie up. Good lord, someone hug that poor girl, she looks like a sad puppy. In a legit great moment, Ramona has to confront how she treated Roxie, sincerely apologizing for it, which Roxie tearfully accepts it. I gotta say, Mae Whitman really gets to shine in the role more than ever. She's one of those I point to when talking about just how perfect everyone sounds exactly how I'd expect.

After the fight, she hangs out with Ramona and Kim for a bit, being very flirty with both. Kim even smooches her for the hell of it, although both admit there wasn't anything there. But hey, they managed to still get a Bi-curious Kim in here, and in a way that was better than in the books.

Elsewhere, a beat-to-hell Gideon arrives in town, meeting with Julie, an old schoolmate.

I legitimately liked this, there's actual emotional weight going on, there's interesting shit being done, and I'm settling into the show's intent. I like the idea of giving Ramona her own story with a slight focus on how she feels about her past. I think her going out of the way as much as she does for Scott, a dude she just met, is a little flimsy. Again, it's really expecting the audience to care because we, in theory, care about them getting together.

Ep. 4: Whatever.

Things get really fucking meta in this one. Ruling Roxie out as the kidnapper, who didn't even know Scott was alive, Ramona turns her attention to Lucas Lee, who is starting a new picture in Toronto.

Turns out the movie is from Young Neil's screenplay, which "he" wrote back in ep 3, or rather a mysterious "sleep paralysis demon" he saw did. The movie is about Scott's life if he won the fight with Patel.

This toying with the universe thing is getting a little unsettling.

Most of this episode is one big meta gag about making a Scott Pilgrim movie with Director Edgar Wrong. I'm not even mad at this, I'm just completely flabbergasted at what the hell I'm seeing. And this will become a reoccurring bit throughout.

Also hope you like gags about Knives' age cause holy shit they reference this a lot throughout the show.

It's at this point in my viewing process I have developed a headache.

To give some credit, Lucas is fun in this episode. He's more in line with the film version, and Evans actually sounds better than ever, likely thanks to age and simply having more to say. And like with Roxie, Lee has a Flashback. There isn't much more than what was in the book, but I think the presentation is better. Seeing Ramona patch him up after a bad fall, and Lucas arranging his Locker (which is filled with photos of Ramona) as she and Todd walk behind him. Man, that stings.

Needless to say, Lee isn't responsible for Scott's disappearance and with the whole "controversy" regarding him dating a 31 year old actress playing a highschooler, he's hounded off the lot and has to be replaced by Todd, which seems to be a reoccurring thing for him.

Ep. 5: Lights. Camera. Sparks?!

I'm now starting to believe this entire show may have been an elaborate troll towards people obsessed with adaptation accuracy to a fault. I almost want to applaud the sheer audacity of it. Suffice it to say, 95% of this episode is done in a documentary style, and there are a lotta hijinks on set. Ramona is working as Envy's stunt double just so she can have easier access to the set and hopefully get a lead from Todd. Wallace also bones Todd. A LOT. Oh yes, Wallace shacks up with Todd, and Todd is really into it. Wallace, on the other hand, just wanted to hook up with a hot dude, leading to a whole excursion and depressive vegan breaking episode for Todd. Brandon Routh really gets to go full ham here, and it's wonderful.

Some damn funny parts aside, Todd wasn't behind the portal, but it was certainly vegan in nature. Ramona is otherwise back to Square one until Patel, by happenstance, arrives on the lot to fire everyone. Afterward, Patel has a brief confluence with Stephen Stills and Knives, who manage to get an in with him. Since Scott's apparent death, Knives has taken his place in Sex-Bob-omb on Bass (and keyboard) making decent music with Stephen Stills. The importance of that will come into play next episode.

Patel then turns his attention to Ramona. Obviously, Patel wouldn't have any reason to keep Scott around, but it's entirely plausible Gideon, or rather his real identity, Gordon Goose, would as part of a revenge scheme.

Ep. 6: WHODIDIT. This episode starts with probably the best opening gag that I kinda don't wanna ruin despite spoiling everything else. I'm probably gonna be adding "I was gone for 90 %#&! minutes" to my quotes, though.

In any case, this is a fairly straightforward episode. Ramona interviews Julie once again, but it becomes clear that Gideon, Goose, has neither the mental state nor resources to pull something like that off. As an aside, we get a flashback with him as well, showing that he was the school nerd. He supposedly had no fear (No pain) until he aimed well above his status in asking a girl out, leading to him being laughed out of school, which Julie remembers all too well.

It seems like another dead-end, but when Ramona accompanies Julie back to her house, they both see a familiar Robot, the Twins' 01 Robot, which has been making very unsubtle appearances in every episode up to this point; Lee's place; outside the video store; the studio lot, etc. We also have a B-plot with Stephen Stills and Knives making music for a stage adaption of Neil's Screenplay so it doesn't go to waste.

Cute.

It's here where it becomes known that Neil didn't write the script, and upon checking the original file, realize something is off and that Ramona should be informed. All parties gather in Ramona's apartment as she goes over the pertinent information in whodidit (dunit?) fashion, including treating us to another flashback, this time with the twins. It's probably the least engaging of the flashbacks, honestly. Even in this, they get shafted. Regardless, the who and how are solved. But Not the why or where. Where Scott is remains a mystery, but it's likely the Twins know, which is where Ramona intends to check out.

Oh, and the information the gang has about Neil's Script? The metadata says it was written 14 years from now. But just as more questions are raised, another winds up on Ramona's doorstep; Scott, safe and mostly sound. The Twins were in fact behind it, and the robot, and… himself.

Ep. 7: 2 Scott 2 Pilgrim.

Yes, the one who pulled Scott out of Time was himself, from the future; a 37 year old Scott. The how is rather simple and already answered; the Katayanagi twins. Older Scott and them became friends in the future, even starting a band; Pop'n TwinBee (RIP Shatterband.) By the way, if you ever wanted to hear Will Forte sing a hilariously bad cover of Konya Wa Hurricane from Bubblegum Crisis as an older Scott Pilgrim, this is the show for you. I was laughing my ass off at this.

Anyway, the robot was disconnected from a fixed time stream, and being a vegan cause, ya know, robot, is able to create portals. Therefore Time portals. As to the why, Scott showed his past self using a virtual reality machine on the Virtual Guuy[sic], complete with red and black pixel art mimicking the style of the game. Past Scott sees memories on the not Virtual Boy; Defeating the Evil Exes, future marriage to Ramona, their honey moon at Universal… and divorce. Well, technically they're just separated after 13 odd years of marriage. Older Scott has since been living with Wallace and his husband.

Exactly what happened is never stated, just that the pain was so much Scott decided to follow through on a sarcastic comment from Wallace and prevent falling for Ramona in the first place. Old Wallace sums up the mental state of Old Scott to regular Scott, describing it as "Like after Envy, times ten." Which uh, yeah, no wonder Older Scott's a tad kooky.

It's at this point I have to bring up personal stuff, and it's something that I thought I might have to. So, when Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour dropped in 2010, I distinctly remember reading an interview with O'Malley about the ending. In the lead-up to the final book there was a lot of speculation from fans that maybe Scott and Ramona wouldn't end up together (there was a strong case to be made for Kim) maybe it would end badly since both Scott and Ramona have their struggles. Some people even thought he would end up with Knives, which is missing the entire point of her character arc, and also fuck no.

Ultimately we got the ending we did because, at the time, O'Malley was happy, so he thought Scott should be happy. But O'Malley divorced in 2014.

I dislike bringing that up, but that was leading me to speculate (and brace myself) if that would have an impact here. I mean, how could it not? And look, there is a good argument that Scott and Ramona needn't stay together for their journey together to be satisfying. It would fit right in line with the theme that things don't always stay the same. People can grow apart, even the important ones that change your life. I don't like that outcome, but it's not as if it's wrong to consider. Particularly for a story like this.

But I also think there's an element of overt cynicism to that. What's interesting is that the show doesn't go in that direction. In fact, it's actually insistent that Ramona and Scott can't help but be drawn to one another, there's a spark there. We even get a scene of Scott hooking up the 01 robot to the VR, and since 01 is connected across time, he can see into the past versions. The robot seen throughout the show was Scott seeing that Ramona was constantly looking for him, and that's genuinely sweet.

Still, the situation is bad, as Scott is trapped in the future and can't use the Robot to travel for reason.

On Young Scott's insistence, he and Older Wallace meet up with Older Ramona, discovering she was the one who went back in time and wrote Young Neil's Screenplay in a failed attempt to preserve their story and hopefully thwart Older Scott. (Let's not go crossed-eyed thinking too hard about paradoxes)

He's a misguided idiot, but Ramona still loves the moron, even if she has her doubts after her failed plan. But Scott's words of encouragement about his Ramona never giving up on him gives her hope. Importantly, she can time travel with her DeLorean roller blades, which is how Scott can and did get back to the past.

But even after Scott's return and reunion, their problems aren't over, as a force field prevents Ramona and Scott from kissing. Someone is still interfering, and the list of who might as well just be the entire list of exes. Thankfully, Stephen Stills and Knives have a convenient plan: The stage musical is going to have all the exes in attendance, so they've got one big gathering spot to get to the bottom of this.

This is one of my favorite episodes of the show. It's cool seeing older versions of the characters, and frankly, the presentation is just great. I do think that too much of that emotional weight is relying on events from the books for your investment. I know, I know. Can't enjoy a good thing without a critique. Still, this is a great episode, one of my favorites along with ep. 3, and our next and final episode.

Oh, and the end credits has a proper rendition of Konya Wa Hurricane, so that's fucking cool.

Ep. 8: The World Vs Scott Pilgrim.

So here we are at the big finale at the premiere of the Scott Pilgrim Musical.

The thing is, none of the exes seem to be suspect. Gideon is the only one with ulterior motives, but they're not towards Scott and Ramona, he just wants to blow up the stage and Matthew Patel.

But not long after everyone is seated something goes awry. A portal appears and transports all the exes and Scott's friend group (And also Julie and the robot) to a barren land.

The one behind this, and the force field, was an Even Older and very buff Scott (47) He slipped past Scott nano machines as a backup to prevent him from ever getting close to Ramona, but even that wasn't enough. So for 10 years he trained to take everyone out, as it's the only way to be sure. And so our final battle begins: The World vs. Scott Pilgrim. If you listen closely to the track during this scene "Big Bad" incorporates elements of "The Dark One" Nega Scott's theme from the game. That's a nice touch.

Even Older Scott is no pushover, he breaks Ramona's Hammer, and despite a fairly good comeback from regular Scott, he beats him pretty bad. The others come to his aid, Knives attacking with daggers, but Even Older Scott punches Knives so hard he knocks the highlights our of her hair.

Ramona begins handing out items from her bag, cyber broccoli for Todd, a cyber skateboard for Lucas, and a cyber sword for Roxie, just as the sub boss music from the game kicks in. Along with Matthew's mystic arts, they mange to actually lay into Even Older Scott, but that only causes him… to go… even further beyond, and One hit KO the four.

The Twins Robot is ineffectual and even Gideon's not quite the glow-douken has no effect. Even Older Scott just grabs it and turns it against Stephen, Knives, Kim, and Neil. This. This is actually fucking awesome. It's going full Shonen ham.

We're down to just Ramona and Scott, who team up and hit him together, followed by Scott and Even Older Scott literally butting heads. We get our obligatory speech between a younger Scott just wanting to live his life, and Even Older Scott saying he'll just end up where he's at if he does.

And it finally clicked into place what the hell Scott Pilgrim Takes Off actually is. This is like a Shonen spin off story. Your Broly Trilogy, Hunter X Hunter The Last Mission, Naruto Blood Mission. But with an X-men time travel plot slapped on. It's an excuse to play around and do different (mostly cool) shit with a set of familiar characters. Like a movie or OVA, the characterization isn't as deep as the main source material. It banks on you giving a damn because of the familiarity so they can mostly get right to the cool bits and not try as hard or waste time on the re-interpretative parts. Don't think too hard about the misgivings, think about Akuma Scott beating the shit out of everyone while the familiar music you're nostalgic for plays.

And goddamn that's frustrating because that's what they should've led with. All the damn trailers were dancing around the new material and making it seem like an adaptation. To keep on the Anime brand, if people are expecting a "Brotherhood" or "Ultimate" version with a Cast they like, and then they don't get that… well yeah that's not gonna go over well. I can't fault anyone for being mad about that. That's having the rug pulled out from under you. But once you realize what this is, and what it's doing, it's a lot easier to enjoy and be its own thing. It branches off a similar story to the books, but it's not like this is a canonical revision or sequel to them.

That said, just because it's "less developed" doesn't mean this is without heartfelt moments I enjoy. When it seems like Even Older Scott has the upper hand, an even older Ramona shows up to chew old Scott out for not even texting in 10 years, fighting people in the past rather than fighting for them, all because of one rough patch. It's funny, but it also confirms the biggest divergence. This is a world where Scott was never kicked out during the Roxie chapter, a world without Gideon's "Glow" mental manipulation, and presumably Scott never faced his inner demons because of it. This also means Ramona didn't run off after the twins' defeat because the glow wasn't affecting her mentality, and thus she faced her own. That one line snowballs into a lot of stuff not happening for their character growth. That- that is an interesting concept.

This all leads to a poignant scene where Ramona questions her older self if she should even bother. What's the point if it ends up like this? Maybe it's best to just keep moving. But, that's also Ramona's thing, isn't it? Running away from what she loves, which is presumably (along with his own stupidity) what set Older Scott down a spiral in the first place. In a scene that parallels Scott's own understanding within the books, Ramona comes to realize she's ran all her life.

In the end, Ramona chooses to stop running and embrace herself, quite literally. Both Ramona's combining into, as Scott puts it "Super Ramona" Able to see the situation for what it is, one Scott still in many ways a dumb kid, the other Scott just a sad mess. She simply sends Older Scott back to his time with the hope he'll straighten out. Meanwhile, the nano machines are still a problem with current Scott. But that's nothing a super form can't overload with a determined kiss. Daww.

Before things go back to normal and because she'll have trouble saying it later, she tells Scott she loves him, and that she tends to run away from what she loves. But who she was in the past isn't who she is now. She just needs help remembering that.

Everyone returns to the theater to enjoy the rest of the musical, and Patel's demon girls subvert Gideon's plans. After the show, he and Julie are apprehended, but Matthew instead begs Gideon to take all his crap back. He has no idea how to run a company, is stressed out, and has lost billions. All Matthew wants is to continue the stage show.

We then get an epilogue. Lucas Lee takes up a job at Second First Cup; Todd has returned to being a Vegan with coaching from Roxie; The rental store Kim worked at closes down; Wallace takes a vacation to Paris where he meets Mobile; Knives continues performing with Sex-Bob-Omb as their keyboardist; Ramona gives up delivery work and instead returns to being a stunt double.

We end on Ramona coloring her hair once again, before heading out and meeting with Scott and the others, as Plumtree's Scott Pilgrim plays us off.

Only for a mid-credits scene to show Gideon and Julie plotting revenge. Oooo.

And that is Scott Pilgrim Takes Off.

s'allright, innit? Okay, joking aside- I think I'm gonna have a hard time conveying my feelings on this one. But I still have three more things to talk about before we get to my final thoughts.

First off, the voice acting is great, shockingly great. I'm a person who is very much of the mindset that you should hire voice actors for voice roles BUT, in this instance, I can understand why. It's incredible they got everyone back and how well they work. I've already given my praise to Cera, Bhabha, Plaza, Whitman, Routh, and Evans in the story portion of this review. But I'm drastically overdue to talk about Winstead's performance. I think this was the one people were most curious about because in the movie there was this aura of Ramona feeling more "cold" in her personality. This was due to the original direction they wanted to take that version, and sadly it meant we didn't quite get a more angles. Here? Yeah, this is pretty great. We hear Ramona full of regret, angry, annoyed, sentimental. It's a much more well-rounded version. My one nitpick is Winstead needs to work on her battle cries, it really stands out in the Roxie fight opposite a veteran VA like Whitman. But otherwise, this is how I imagine Ramona sounding. And I'd be remiss if I didn't bring up how anytime Ramona has a vulnerable moment talking about Scott, she genuinely sounds smitten. The Future Ramona (the first one) in particular stands out to me. That's a version of the character that's older, clearly hurt, and weary, but still very much in love. I can't help imagining that being applied to scenes from the book. In Vol. 5 the part after The Twins are defeated and Scott returns. That scene always tears me apart when I read it. I'm fairly certain if I heard Cera and Winstead's performance of that it would rip my soul out. So maybe it's best we only have this original story. So yeah, I'm happy to see that she fits right into the role better than ever.

Another performance I've yet to mention is Ellen Wong, who is just as perfectly energetic as she was in the film. It's a shame we don't get to hear her do a somber Knives in this setting, but it's hard to complain with how pleasant it is hearing her chipper over the top excitement. Alison Pill's Kim Pine is as sardonic as always, and much like Routh and Evans, I think she's even better now. Johnny Simmon sounds exactly the same, no complaints, 10/10. Jason Schwartzman is an experienced VA, so no surprise he sounds fine. He doesn't get to stretch out much since Gideon isn't super prominent here. Although episode 6 did show a lot of range and potential for what you could do with him. Maybe next season? Similarly Brie Larson's Envy doesn't have a whole lot of screen time, but she's equal parts charming and manipulative. Honestly, for a small as the role is, it made me realize just how much Larson is good at the role and how that level of emotion is often subdued in roles elsewhere. Honestly, I hate to say it, but Mark Webber's Stephen Stills is probably one of the weaker performances on the show. It's not even that it's bad, it's fine and works- except for the animation. That's the one caveat. There are a couple of moments where Stephen Stills is pantomiming, and the voice doesn't match that energy. Truth be told, I even sorta have a similar issue with Kieran Culkin's Wallace, which I swear looks like the syncing was off in the earlier episodes. The saving grace is that Wallace has more scenes than Stephen Stills and therefore Culkin got more opportunities. This is sorta the area I mean when I think it's best to get trained VA. It's a completely different medium and hard to jump into immediately.

I don't wanna end this segment on a downer, so I'll once again mention Will Forte sings Like a Hurricane. OH, Segue.

Soundtrack

So I did not know what to expect going into this. I mean, I was a fan of Anamanaguchi, but I hadn't kept up since Endless Fantasy, sans the Miku single- which is really good by the way. And Joseph Trapanese I was most familiar with from his collaboration with Daft Punk on Tron Legacy, so no worries there. But I did wonder how well a chiptune heavy sound would work. As much as I dig it, it's a very upbeat vibe. Even some of Anamanaguchi's more dramatic tracks have a charming bubbliness to them. How would that work within a series? Well, the short answer is they don't have as much chiptune going on as you would assume. There are a few that incorporate chiptunes to a limited degree, others a bit more, but most not at all. The vast majority of the OST is more traditional fair and Synthwave, and in a way, it sorta mimics my own evolving tastes. I still listen to Chiptune stuff, but I'm also really big into synth music nowadays. It feels like a proper bookend to my late-teens early twenties listening to Anamanaguchi, and later Dance with the Dead and Midnight Danger, and now Anamanaguchi's synth offerings. One of the tracks, Yet Another Winter Again (Calling back to the first stage in The Game) has a Redbook audio sound with a hint of Chiptune, but not the NES/GB Anamanaguchi is known for. It sounds like a SNES. In fact, I would compare the track to something you'd hear in VA-11 Hall-A. So even when there are chiptunes, we're branching out quite a bit in both sound fonts and style. Of course, there are a couple of vocal tracks as well. Like the movie, there are universe songs for Sex-Bob-Omb. They have a unrefined roughness to them, which is perfect for a small unprofessional indie band. As for some of my favorite tracks, the aforementioned Yet Another Winter Again; He's You; And They were Roommates; Blame it on the Goose; Big Bad; Bad Guys; Knives & Kim; and God Only Knows. I'm sure that'll change as time goes on. I'm really digging Lucas' flashback music, and Fond Memories, nice parallel between those two. In fact there's quite a few pieces that, in tandem with the animation, do a lot to sell those heartwarming (or wrenching) moments.

Animation.

Oh right, the animation. So, if you read my Castlevania Nocturne review, you know I went on a slight tangent about how I think it's silly that they labeled it an anime despite it being produced and partly animated in goddamn Texas. It was just a label because they're embarrassed to call their super serious animation what it is because they think anime sounds more mature. I swear some people still think it's 1985 and Vampire Hunter D is the wildest shit cause blood.

Funny thing about Scott Pilgrim though, it's just straight-up animated by Science Saru. I'm not here to get into semantics, because then we'll be asking if Batman TAS counts because Sunrise. I just find it funny. At the very least Takes Off certainly fits the bill more than Nocturne does. But back on topic, it's fucking good. I mean, I don't think that comes as any surprise. Science Saru has made a name for doing really impressive work from Devilman Crybaby, to Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, and the shorts Akakiri and T0-B1 for Star Wars Visions. Not to mention supplemental work for the Garo anime, OK-KO, and Adventure Time. So Scott Pilgrim is perfectly in their wheelhouse, and they do an incredible job capturing O'Malley's illustrations while adding their own unique flare to the styling.

Sadly Tumblr's gif size limit means I can't easily showcase some of the fights as much as I'd like, but suffice it to say the level of fluidity and cinematography is astonishing. Again, episode 3 is an amazing showcase in itself.

To say nothing of how expressive everyone is in the show.

Also this is a weird one, but I think with the exception to episodes 5 & 7, each episode has Ramona going through a bleaching and dye routine. It is bizarrely satisfying to watch, like the tea making in Samurai Jack.

Final Thoughts.

Takes Off was both a confusing shock and a pleasant surprise upon first viewing. It's impressive in its existence, and has moments that I fucking love. Like the Shonen it emulates, it does also come off as a tad superfluous or melodramatic in many respects. But it is fun to bust out old toys and play with them again. The fact that in 2023 I'm seeing a new work related to Scott Pilgrim is fucking incredible. I'm happy that this exists, I'm happy to hear the cast together again, and happy to hear some great music tracks. And I do love the characters of Scott Pilgrim, I love the performances in this show, I love numerous parts of this show. But, I also think it's fair to say what I love most aren't these characters. And that's okay. Those characters should remain in the series that ended in 2010, while these are easily malleable versions for an animated series to have fun with. Maybe you could never capture or replicate the exact magic of the books again, so it's better to just do your own thing. Takes Off was, in the end, a fun time that I think works best when you know what you're getting into. Once you're armed with that knowledge, I think you'll find a show much easier to appreciate.

All that said, as backhanded as this is going to seem, I still think the nicest thing that Takes Off did was get me to re-read the book series for this review. I got to re-examine a profound series from the perspective of a 31 year old, but still find all that I originally loved as a 17 year old. When it comes to adaptive works, no matter what, the nice thing is you'll always have the originals to go back to. You change, maybe your tastes change, and certain things hit differently or don't hold up when you go back. But it's nice to revisit. I think nostalgia can be a poison. Too many people get caught up in wanting to relive the exact moment, to be trapped. But I think it's more fun to see something you love still remain a love even after so much time has passed. I'm happy with how I felt as a teenager reading a story about emotional growth. Some personally, some apart, and others closer. In my 30s, I still appreciate that, and it still affects me and resonates. But just because I cherish that above all else doesn't mean I wouldn't be interested in more Scott Pilgrim. And if O'Malley and Grabinski wanna make more people sing 80s anime songs badly, I'll be on board for that alone.

Or Roxie flirting with every woman. Seriously, she's so much fun.

As always, thanks for reading. Reblogs are appreciated and you can find me elsewhere on the worldwideweb at: Bsky Ko-Fi

So does Gideon still have his exes frozen somewhere, or is that another difference?

Oh, and now that we have a Netflix Series, can we get a Nendoroid Ramona? There's been like no high end merch since Mondo in 2017.

[someinstant]

I was tagged by @bright-thorn in a quick get-to-know-you game, and what the heck. I've got time before a meeting, so let's do this!

Tag nine (9) people you'd like to know better!

Last song: "Doo Wop (That Thing)," Ms. Lauryn Hill. Today was our first day back in the classroom for pre-planning, and I have a million things I need to do before I have kiddos in front of me on August 1st. And because one of the things I have to do is check transcripts for all of my rosters-- gotta make sure that my seniors aren't missing any graduation requirements, gotta keep an eye out for ELL and 504 and IEP and gifted services, gotta check that no new transfers have duplicate credits, or aren't placed correctly-- I was working my way through a lot of old favorites today as background music. Stuff that would keep me awake and focused so I wouldn't miss anything critical-- and that I knew well enough for it to not be distracting. So The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill fit the bill and was my last selection of the day.

Currently reading: Oh, like four different things. The City of Brass, by S.A. Chakraborty, which I started reading ages ago and then got distracted by life, so I've started over. A Memory Called Empire, by Arkady Martine, which I started reading during the early summer of 2020 and absolutely adored-- and then both my parents needed major surgeries within the same week, and a week later my gallbladder gave out on me-- and in the chaos and haze of am-I-dying-or-is-my-gallbladder-infected, I couldn't concentrate on it. So I've started it again as well, and it's so brilliant. I love it. But it does take me immediately back to that godawful summer in a very visceral way, which makes me somewhat uncomfortable. A couple of historical murder mysteries. And I've just started The Anarchy by William Dalrymple, which is about the role of the British East India company in South Asia.

Currently watching: Literally? I've got the replay of Stage 3 of the Tour de France Femmes on right now because I couldn't watch it live. (Stupid having to work for a living.) In the greater sense, I've just finished watching The Law According to Lidia Poet on Netflix, which hits all sorts of buttons for me, because I do love a good period mystery show-- especially if it's not set in the UK. Plus the costuming is fabulous. I'm two episodes into the second season of Shadow & Bone, but-- eh, I dunno. I really am only interested in one or two of the storylines, so I'm not sure I'm going to finish it.

Current obsession: I am so sorry to everyone who has suddenly been thrown into my rabid cycling fandom, especially if you started following me for, like, Andor stuff or whatever. I'll be somewhat normal again soon, I promise, and will only occasionally reblog GIFsets of Wout van Aert doing Wout van Aert-ish things until it's time for the Vuelta. What you have to understand is that this is not a new thing for me: I've been following men's pro cycling in the form of the Tour de France since I was... twelve? Thirteen? That's when I got seriously into long-distance cycling for a while, there. And while I'm nowhere near as fit as I used to be and the week-long cycling journeys my dad and I used to do are now well out of my reach, I still watch cycling obsessively. It used to be just the Tour de France, and then I started following riders and related folks on various social media platforms, and then started listening to podcasts, and then I started watching the other Grand Tours, and the past several years I've also gotten sucked into watching the spring Classics, and now I've also fallen down the rabbit hole of women's pro cycling, too. And as an obsession it is at its most all-consuming every year during July, which is when the Tour is on-- and I live blog the whole thing. (Not on this platform, although I've considered it.) Like, I do detailed narrative stage-by-stage write ups. The document for this year's total recap wound up being 46k words long, so. Yeah. Definitely an obsession, and it's one that everyone around me just has to kind of learn to live with during the summer every year.

And if you would like to answer these questions yourself, please consider yourself tagged! I love learning things about folks.

[jfleamont]

20 QUESTIONS GAME

Thanks @practicecourts for the tag!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

13

2. What's your total AO3 words count?

15,980

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Mainly HP.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Rain (179 kudos), Hand Cramps (87 kudos), Rules Don't Apply (86 kudos), Do You Want To Know A Secret (72 kudos) and I Saw Her Standing There (56 kudos). Hand Cramps and Rules Don't Apply are for another fandom, though (Julie And The Phantoms).

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Always. Always. Who doesn't? They literally make me so happy, they're all so nice and kind!

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Definitely All My Friends Are Gonna Be Strangers, since it's set right after Halloween 1981 and it's from Remus' POV.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Either I've Just Seen A Face or I Saw Her Standing There. They're both get-together fics so I'm sure James and Lily were rather happy about that.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No, thankfully!

9. Do you write smut. If so what kind?

I don't, but I'd love to. I just don't feel confident enough at the moment so I suppose I'll wait until I have more fics under my belt.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

No, I even struggle writing outside of canon so crossovers are out of the questions (for me, at least).

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of and I'd be surprised if that happened. I'd be a bit flattered, though, not gonna lie (I absolutely don't condone it, of course).

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but I've considered translating some of mine in Italian (my mother tongue). However, I physically cringe if I really think about it because I don't think I can write fiction in my mother tongue. It feels foreign to me (lol). It doesn't come naturally.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Nope. I'd love to, though!

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

Honestly I have no idea, because I've been in so many fandoms in my 27 years of life but I guess Jily. It's weird to think about it because I've been a HP fan since I was a kid, and I had always been fascinated by the Marauders but for some reason I never thought about reading fics about them, and I've created stories in my mind set in the HP world but with different ships or OCs, and their dynamics were exactly like James and Lily's (enemies to lovers, soldiers in the war and so on). It's like my subconscious was trying to tell me something. I got into Jily fairly recently, in late 2021 and usually I hyperfixate on a fandom or ship for 5-6 months max, but i'ts been over two years and I'm still as obsessed with them if not more. Jily has been the ship I've been looking for my whole life.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

It's either my 7th year get-together canon fic I'm Looking Through You (I've posted the first of three snippets in August 2022 and I haven't worked on it since March) because it has angst and canon-typical violence and they're exhausting to write, and I have written maybe 3k but I expect it to be at least 12k and I've never written anything over 4k and I don't think I'm capable; that, or my Muggle AU All Things Must Pass, which is sad as fuck because James dies in it and I have only written two scenes and I wept like a baby (also, this is supposed to be a long one too, 10k at least, and I don't think my heart can take it right now).

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue, I think. I love writing it so much, I'm usually very proud of it and I've gotten a few compliments about it.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Literally everything else. I don't know how to write descriptions, they feel forced most of the time and the few times that I write something I like rest assured that it took me hours to make it work.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

That's technically my whole thing since I'm a native Italian speaker lol; I also speak French and Spanish and when they randomly appear in a fic, I can tell when they're written by someone who isn't fluent. I don't mind it though. I'd probably feel comfortable writing dialogue only in Italian, but I suppose I could try with the other two languages.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Either The Chronicles of Narnia in 2008 or something, or One Direction in 2011 (I hate myself for it now, because I don't like fics about real people).

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

Ah, this is hard! Should I say Rain? I'm really proud of it because it was a real challenge, but I have a soft spot for my Blackevans friendship one-shot Do You Want To Know A Secret? and I've wanted to write a sequel to that for the longest time.

I'm tagging @kay-elle-cee, @nodirectionhome-ao3 @jamesunderwater @startanewdream @annasghosts and whoever wants to do it! I don't know if you've already been tagged and it's okay if you don't feel like doing :)

[bombshelllblonde]

heyyyyyy im backkk!!!!!!!

invading ur ask box again lol, sorry!!!!!!

this might start being a thing

ANYWYAS

i totally forgot to mention last time hiw muvh i love lenny, mary-beth and hosea and tilly and MOLLY O SHEA omg

the drinking mission w lenny is one of my favorites, and I LOVE PLAYING DOMINOES W TILLY MY GIRL SHE IS THE BEST

AND SADIE I LOVE HER SM

Like yea gurl!!!!! kill the o driscolls!! kill them all!! avenge ur pookie!!! rahhh!!!

Mary-beth and kieran are my blorbs. my pookies. my babbygirls. my schmookums

molly o'shea that woman that she is i love her so so so much

i feel so bad for her tho w her fights w dutch :(

speaking of dutch, idk i have like a neutral (slightly negative) view of him???

i dislike how he treats molly, and w how he treats mary-beth?? (inst dutch also like 40-50 and mary-beth like 20-smth? idk im probably rlly biased in this lol)

ALSO another reason dutch be chosing Micah the rat over what is his basically adopted son??

im definitely biased in this but wtv lmao

but he hasnt really done much so i dont hate him, but i dont like him either

moving on, do yk if theres any way to explore blackwater + south of it while playing as arthur? i wanna get all the dinosaur bones and legendary animals !!

i replayed the 'americans at rest' mission, yk w bill (i think) javier and charles at the bar (towards the beginning of the game)

its so fucking funny i cannot

arthur walks in, uses his amazing charmer skills (LOUD INCORRECT BUZZER) and then bill runs in, punches a guy therefore starting a bar fight, HERE COME CHARLES WITH THE STEEL CHAIR, arthur gets his ass kicked and then kicks ass and nearly beats the guy half to death

yk when jack grows up and tells epople abt his dear ol uncle arthur that uncle lore drop boutta be CRAZYYYY

did i mention charles throwing a chair? its my favorite part could you tell

i have a pretty neutral view of john marston ig, i kinda hope he steps up and gets the stick outta his ass, starts being a father to jack or smth but im trying not to get my hopes up lmao

thats it for now!!!! hope u have a nice day!!!!

(thanks for responding to these btw! lmk if im bothering u tho, ty for letting me ramble abt my hyperfixation lmao)

okay lsitennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn rdr2 has been mt hyper fixation since July of 2022 when my brother in law gave me his old ps4 and the game and i don’t think ive shut up about it since i started playing. My entire personality is rdr2. And my current outlet/therapy is writing my rdr2 fanfiction

it’s gotten to the point where my family has literally started buying me cowboy/outlaw stuff. when I was a teenager i loved owls so everyone got me owl things. now im obsessed with cowboys at 26 years old and every gift I receive has something to do with outlaws

My sister got me a cameo of Roger Clark talking to me as Arthur for my 25th bday and literally nothing has ever topped that. It was the most amazing gift ever and now I have a video of Arthur Morgan saying my name and talking to me about my horses!!!! It’s so amazing I watch it all the time

unfortunately there isn’t any way to explore blackwater as Arthur unless you get like mods or something. the AI immediately roll up and the bounty hunters shoot him dead if you try to get into west Elizabeth

do you know how to play dominoes??? Literally ive only ever played 5 finger fillet in that game because i cant fucking play dominoes or poker bc i don’t know how

also Tilly is amazing just wait until later in the game. there’s a mission that really solidified the love i have for Arthur being the protective older brother

Dutch is sooooo complex and i think that’s why i love him so much. i won’t get too deep into my feels for him just yet bc i want you to keep going without me saying anything but once you get farther into the game we can talk about him!!!

Hosea and Dutch are literally my gay fathers. I love them so much. Their love for each other literally makes my tummy flip I love it so so so much

Also I’d let Charles hit me with a chair too, tbh. Love of my life

I never disliked Molly but I didn’t like her either, I think she’s just too much of a loud mouth. Felt like to me she could have not been in the game and it wouldn’t have changed much. Idk

And John’s complexity we can talk about after you progress a lil further. I honestly don’t want to spoil anything or give it away unless you don’t care about spoilers. But I’m just gonna stay quiet until you let me know 😂😂😂😂

[raincitygirl76]

I’m looking for book recs for a 9 year old girl going into Grade 4 in September (Canadian system). My niece, who likes Harry Potter, Enid Blyton, mermaids and unicorns. She’s read all the Harry Potter books (I think my sister read her the later ones, as the vocabulary is more advanced). She’s torn through Blyton’s Malory Towers and St Clare’s boarding school books, which were out of date already when my sister and I first read them as kids.

My sister doesn’t want to get my niece started on the Famous Five and other Enid Blyton series because she doesn’t have the old paperbacks sitting around in the garage, would have to buy the books. I don’t want her to get started on Enid Blyton other than the boarding school books she’s already read, because of the truly astounding racism and sexism in the adventure books. Blyton’s penchant for Romany and black villains has aged…poorly since the 1930s when she was first published.

I would also be interested in finding something other than Harry Potter to entertain my niece, on account of JK Rowling being…herself. Niece’s Harry Potter obsession seems to be diminishing naturally now she’s read (or had read aloud to her) all 7 books and seen all 7 (8, possibly?) movies. But it has not yet been replaced by a new literary obsession, so she’s reading very little right now. Even though she’s supposed to practice reading over the summer. So I’d love to see if I can find books along similar lines to Harry Potter without putting more money in Ms Rowling’s pocket.

An offline friend of mine suggested Julie Sykes’s Unicorn Academy series. A boarding school where the students get their own unicorn when they enrol, which combines my niece’s boarding school fixation with her unicorn and mermaid fixations. But they’re listed as ages 6-9 reading level. My sister would prefer to get her into slightly more advanced books, if possible. Say an ages 8-11 or 9-12 reading level, since Niece is already 9.

Sister asked me, because she knows i read fantasy, but I don’t think anything I read would be suitable for a 9 year old. Nor do I think she would be remotely interested in anything I read. She has typical 9 year old girly girl interests. So I’ve decided to consult the wisdom of the mighty Tumblr. Any suggestions for books with a fantasy element which would be intriguing for a “tween” l, and are rather more challenging than the 6-9 age tranche will be gratefully accepted.

Also, any recs for books and series that have ethnically diverse characters and aren’t totally heteronormative would be nice. That’s my preoccupation, not my niece’s. She and her 6 year old sister are growing up in a pretty conservative exurb of a large Canadian city. Most of the other kids they know are also white with a cisgender mom and dad. There’s a sprinkling of East Asian families in their neighbourhood and school catchment area, but other than that it’s all very pale and monochrome.

Older Niece’s Grade 3 class last year did contain one black boy. But he and his older sister are transracial adoptees from Alabama. Yeah, apparently Alabama (and probably other similar states) exports healthy black infants to white Canadian and Western European adoptive parents. Presumably most white adoptive parents in Alabama do not want a healthy newborn unless it’s pale. I’m not saying all white adoptive parents in Alabama are racist. I’m sure there are some who aren’t. But statistically speaking, if social services in Alabama are adopting out healthy black newborns to white families in Canada, the UK, Norway, etc, it suggests there is very little demand for black babies locally, even the holy grail of healthy and newborn.

As for me hoping to find something she’ll like that isn’t heteronormative, my sister and her husband were cool with past girlfriends, I’m not trying to combat active discrimination by them or anything. But I’ve been single and not really looking for a few years now (major health issues, just don’t have the emotional bandwidth to consider actively dating). So Auntie not being straight hasn’t really come up often. And I’m much happier single at the moment, don’t want to enter into a new romantic relationship solely to remind my nieces that not all families look like theirs, LOL!

Also, Niece is a girly girl who likes mermaids and unicorns, and sometimes wears a dollar store tiara to school. However, she is also very athletic and physically active. And she likes strong, decisive heroines like Elena of Avalor (Disney TV series), Elsa and Anna from Frozen, Mirabel Madrigal from Encanto, and Raya from Raya and the Last Dragon (all Disney movies). Niece is a woman of action.

Many thanks in advance for any recommendations you might be able to provide.

[azurelyy]

I posted 758 times in 2022

That's 758 more posts than 2021!

349 posts created (46%)

409 posts reblogged (54%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@delirious-donna

@sneetsnoot

@tired-biscuit

@nightingaleflow

@justmyownreality

I tagged 628 of my posts in 2022

Only 17% of my posts had no tags

#ask away - 237 posts

#azurelyy scribbles - 115 posts

#ask game - 99 posts

#azurelyy friends - 76 posts

#naruto fanfiction - 54 posts

#azurelyy writes - 41 posts

#azurelyy moots - 35 posts

#delirious writes - 33 posts

#azurelyy faves - 28 posts

#azurelyy.100event - 27 posts

Longest Tag: 69 characters

#not 100% certain if it’s good i write like i’m from the 1970’s though

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Hey! How are you doing? I saw that your requests are open and I was wondering if you'd be willing to write something smutty for Jiraiya? Maybe he comes home to his girlfriend and they've been missing each other so much? Thank you so much ❤

Hi, Nonnie! I am okay. Got COVID over the weekend and despite being triple-vaxxed, it totally kicked my ass. Am slowly getting over it. I hope you're doing good! <;3.

Not gonna lie, I saw Jiraiya's name and blacked out. This was the result. Hope you enjoy! (I am tagging @sneetsnoot because we share this Jiraiya obsession lol)

Title: Eight Hours & Sixty Days 🍋

Pairing: Jiraiya x f!reader

Warnings: Size kink, "Daddy" kink, age gap, praise, orgasm denial, dumbification, female masturbation, unprotected sex, cookie monster!Jiraiya, soft dom!Jiraiya, slight infantilization, aftercare

Word Count: 4.5k

Eight hours and sixty days. Eight hours and sixty days since Jaraiya the Gallant last kissed you, last touched you, last talked to you; but to you - as you watched the sixtieth sun disappear behind the horizon, as the sky faded from navy to black, as the snow turned blue from the absence of the warm glow of the brightest star - it may as well have been a lifetime. You sighed, releasing the heavy ball and chain that tugged at your heart, as you stood from the chair on your balcony and entered into your little apartment. 

See the full post

329 notes - Posted July 7, 2022

#4

Hiii! I hope you're doing well ♡ congrats on 100 followers!!

For the event , can I please get #7 of the smut prompt with shikamaru and a female reader?

Ally, you deserve so much better than me! 🥺 I am so sorry this took me forever. Obviously I didn’t plan this event very well lol. I am hoping the length of this one will make up for how long this took me. 

Hopefully you like it! 🖤 I had a lot of fun writing it, and it’s actually my first NSFW for Shikamaru! I know, crazy. Oh, and as we discussed in our DMs, this has Prompt 10 since Prompt 7 was taken! 

Words: 3.5k

🍋 Prompt: “Oh, how we’re going to hurt each other.”

Warnings: NSFW, enemies to lovers, semi-public sex, closet sex, oral (f!receiving), wall sex, unprotected sex. Mentions: Sasuke, Ino, Naruto, and Sakura (NaruSaku)

See the full post

389 notes - Posted September 12, 2022

#3

Hi, congrats to 100 supporters ayyyyy👏🏻You deserve it love!

Can I propose smut prompt nr 7 with Kakashi and a fem reader? And maybe a jealous friends to lovers thing?

I hope this is ok, again congrats!!!

Hi! Thank you so much! 🥺 You are too sweet.

You can propose anything with Kakashi. 😏 I, once again, went feral writing for my favorite Sensei... lol. I hope you enjoy and thanks again for requesting something!

P.S. Sorry I am kind of mean to Genma?

Words: 3.8k

🍋 Prompt: "You should be kissed. And often. And by someone who knows how."

Warnings: oral (f!recieving), soft dom!Kakashi, over-over-overstimulation, orgasm denial, jealous!Kakashi, face sitting, rimming, dumbification

The fire’s flame flicked across your neck, hugging each curve delicately the way he wished he could as you leaned in to the chestnut haired man next to you, your plump lips curved into a cunning smile with wild eyes, like little monsoons. Kakashi convinced himself the reason he was burning up was due to the large bonfire just a few feet in front of him, but the longer he glared at the way Genma’s hand rested over yours on your knee, he wondered if he was being completely honest with himself.

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400 notes - Posted August 15, 2022

#2

Rain Rendezvous ☁️

Literally nobody asked for this but I had to get it out to the universe. I really hope ya’ll enjoy! 

Pairing: Sasuke x f!reader

Warnings: fluff, mentions of adult content, minor NSFW hints, soft sasuke, minor heartache, comfort fic, slow burn

Word Count: 6.5k 

Sasuke cursed under his breath as he ran along the muddied, contorted path. The field surrounding him was pitch black, the only illumination coming from the chaotic bursts of lightning in the distance, showing that this long forgotten path was leading him to one of the smallest villages he had ever seen.

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437 notes - Posted June 24, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Hear me out… Dilf!Nanami who is obsessed with your tight little babysitter pussy, who can’t help himself from tasting you when he comes home from work to find you cleaning dishes in his kitchen. Those thigh-high socks are for him, right? That short skirt is so he can glimpse your peachy butt when you bend just a little too far over the counter, yeah?

Dilf!Nanami who is going to force you to answer that call on your phone whilst he eating you out like a starving man. Who is going to have you gushing on his mouth whilst you explain to your boyfriend that you’ll be home late…

Dilf!Nanami who is never going to let you go now he has tasted you on his tongue.

🧁 anon

Oh my lorddddd, 🧁 Anon... You have truly slayed me!

I am sorry this took so long. I wanted to make this into a full fic but I think my headcanon format will work best for this one. <3. This is my first time writing for everyone's favorite Daddy, so hopefully I portrayed him well.

NSFW beneath the cut - Minors DNI!

Warnings: NSFW, cheating, oral (f!recieving), finger sucking, dilf!Nanami

This truly was never his intention.

Had he admired your body from afar for months now? Yes.

Did he torture himself every day by imagining the way his teeth could drag your cat-patterned panties down your thick thighs? Yes.

Did he often find his hand wrapped around his cock after you called him 'Nanami-san' at the end of your shift, your voice all sleepy and raspy due to the short nap you took on his living room sofa? Again, yes.

See the full post

488 notes - Posted September 3, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[nuagederose]

“i will sit like a bird on a fence. sing you songs with a happy ending.  swoop down and tell you  that it don’t make sense to attack  the very thing you’re defending.” -nick cave, the cannibal’s hymn

unquestionably the drawings i have always wanted to make, represented in my old friend, my personal sketchbook—we’ve been through so much since mid-july 2018, i’m ready to retire her and put her in a safe place 🖤

i’m recovering from anorexia: had it off and on throughout my teen years after my grandpa and my cousin passed within a few months of each other. i was also still very much the new girl, too, coupled with a sense of isolation i still feel to this day (just for some perspective: that was the year i started making my cartoons). because i’m naturally bigger, you wouldn’t think that but we come in all shapes and sizes.

you wouldn’t think of it as an addiction, either—you’re wasting away rather than poisoning your body—but when you’re meticulously obsessing over calorie counts and how round (or not) your tummy looks to the point that’s all you can think about, it could not be more obvious. even now, nearly ten years since the start of my recovery, i still feel the temptation to starve, to be at the mercy of the numbers on the scale and the incessant shame in an equally obsessed society.

for these, i took inspiration from total badass of an artist zdzislaw beksinki and his surrealist horror paintings because i couldn’t think of anything else to better represent living with anorexia and also a temptation to cut: you’re just kind of in your own world and it’s not pleasant because you’re at war with your body and your mind. you reach for help, and you feel like you’re imposing. moreover, you realize you can relapse at any time. and much like his paintings, they were cathartic (and oddly fun?) to make because i can’t believe after the whole rouse of it all, i’m still here.

at its worst, i weighed 139 pounds, which sounds fine, normal even. but for me, it was hell on earth: i was cold and feeling sick all the time, i was gaunt, my hair was falling out, and i was ready to pull the trigger, whether it was by a noose or overdosing (didn’t help matters i was unhappy at school and i wanted out more than anything in the world, but it was like everyone i talked to about it told me to “lighten up and toughen up”).

(i also didn’t realize it was such a big cornerstone of my art, too, from the dramatic, uncanny colors to the flyaway hair to recurring motifs like nooses and body horror. plenty of artists have been called “crazy” or “tormented”, including one of my idols syd barrett, and in the world of psychedelic art, it’s easy to assume that. but like another idol of mine, pj harvey, says, you don’t have to be crazy or tormented to be great: just have a story to tell.)

ig: badmotorartist

[divergent-one-1984]

Organized Crime Ring in Astoria, NY, in a neighborhood under the jurisdiction of 114th PRECINCT and in apartment buildings managed by CENTRAL ASTORIA, LLC. I have been the victim of TARGETED COMMUNITY HARASSMENT SINCE SUMMER 2016 because of my race and gender, I am an African American woman (because of a rumor / gossip mill started by staff at NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION while I was employed there from 2014 to 2016 I was made the victim of targeted psychological harassment). Due to the illegal access and leaking of private, personal, confidential information by wiretapping / cloning / hacking of personal devices and illegal surveillance in my residence. This includes leaking of confidential medical information ((HPV, strains that can cause cervical cancer and an Abortion) - 2 PEOPLE WHO ARE CONSTANTLY REFERENCED IN THE DAILY PSYCHOLOGICAL HARASSMENT I HAVE BEEN SUBJECTED TO FOR ABOUT 8 YEARS NOW - DEVIN ELTON THOMPSON and WILFRED SHAWN KIRKALDY (Post 4 - DEVIN)

This post will focus mostly on DEVIN ELTON THOMPSON. I will have a separate post for WILFRED SHAWN KIRKALDY. These people are constantly subliminally referenced to me through the use of various psychological abuse tactics to constantly remind me of thede people. These 2 men are from my sexual past and I believe I was made a target because of an STD, specifically HPV, which I was diagnosed with in 2008. I believe someone (s) at NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ILLEGALLY ACCESSED AND LEAKED MY MEDICAL INFO IN THR WORKPLACE AND TO PEOPLE FROM MY PERSONAL LIFE. Based on the timing of my diagnosis, I contracted HPV from one of the first 3 out of a total of 6 sexual partners I have had in my life. WILFRED IS INCLUDED IN THE FIRST 3, I believe I contracted HPV from WILFRED. I was diagnosed 6 months after we ended our sexual relationship in JULY 2007. We had a long term relationship over the course of 4 or 5 years, all of the time I was faithful, considering his sexual history and some of the behaviors he engaged in while we were together I cannot confidently say the same for him even though he claims he was faithful. I only had 1 sexual partner prior to him, and he had 4 children with 4 mothers by his mid 20s, so while I don't really know how many partners he had because the number he told me could have been a lie, but I think just this statement says enough about his abundant sexual history. Sadly, WILFRED is like a living breathing stereotype; a black man, an athlete (basketball player) with a promiscuous lifestyle and multiple children with multiple woman (common in Jamaican culture of which he is a descendent). DEVIN is kind of also, with exception of multiple children with multiple women, but he checks the other stereotypical boxes regarding promiscuity and black athletes.

In retrospect, DEVIN has been subliminally referenced in my psychological harassment as far back as 2015 / 2016, while I was still employed at NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, so we are talking about 8 years of subliminal messaging to remind me of a person from my past with whom I have had multiple negative interactions with. I did not have the whole picture when my harassment started, hindsight is truly 20/20. Noone would know about DEVIN to reference him as part of a sick twisted subliminal mind game unless they were in my personal email, chats, instant messengers. etc because no one at that workplace knew anything about me and him because I did not talk about my personal business like that, except for one person employed their via GOOGLE HANGOUTS, ABDOULAZIZ BARRY, aka BARRY aka AZIZ, someone who I thought was a friend, and I did not even tell him everything, I don't even think I mentioned DEVIN by name, gave him a nick name "El Salvador", if BARRY was an obsessive stalker who was interested in finding out exactly who DEVIN was he probably could have GOOGLED and found out, I would imagine DEVIN might be the only Jamaican man playing basketball in EL SALVADOR, CENTRAL AMERICA, so probably easy to narrow down, if you are that interested in men I have dated in my past, which BARRY should not have been since we were just friends and he was a married man, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. There are mentally ill people who can develop unhealthy stalkerish controlling interest in you no matter what their marital status is.

People are often quick to say stupid things about women, like we are mad or bitter or still want to be with someone after they have moved on and they are being vindictive or some stupidness like this by speaking on them in an ill fashion after they are no longer together, especially so publicly.

I have never talked about these men or any men I have dated much privately and definitely not publicly, while we were engaged in a relationship and after we were no longer engaged in the relationship so for me to go here there is certainly a reason for me to be talking about these people several years later and it ain't because I want them or feel some kind of way.

I was minding my business living a happily single life in 2015 when this nonsense started happening to me. DEVIN and WILFRED were still acquaintances who I rarely spoke to. I am sick of being psychologically abused with my private and personal information. I am reminded of people from my past I have not had anything to do with romantically since 2007 (WILFRED SHAWN KIRKALDY) and 2011 (DEVIN ELTON THOMPSON), and who basically became acquaintances afterwards, no longer part of my everyday life. DEVIN does not even live in this country as far as I know, since I spoke to him last in 2020. He been living in EL SALVADOR, CENTRAL AMERICA since JULY 2010, with the same women ,ELISSA VELASQUEZ (not entirely sure of spelling of first name, 1 or 2 S, or last name middle S, S or Z?) he has been in a relationship with since I became aware of them in FEBRUARY 2011 via Facebook relationship status and has since become a parent of a cute little girl I met in 2016 when he visited, I think she was around 1 at the time.

I don't care about this man, and I don't want to be constantly reminded of him, him and my experience with him is like a deleted file that I sent to the trash bin. This goes for him and any other person, friend, family member, acquaintance, coworker, ex lover, etc who I have had to cut off because of this harassment.

Our thing was done in MARCH 2011, why am I being bothered with this nonsene by a bunch of people who have no business knowing my personal business to be able to repetitively throw it in my face to re-traumatize and psychologically / subliminally harass me with it. I wished him all the luck in the world with his situation and life because since he talked about this baby thing alot I think he really wanted it and he finally got it, good for you. I am not a hater and people should be able to get the things they want in life as long as they are ethically and morally obtained. It has been time to move on and the fact that I spent so little time with this person and its coming back at me like this to affect my life is assinine and annoying to me. These people need to leave me the hell alone and go develop a life of their own, stay the hell out of my boring past life. Everyday for years these people who harass me on a daily are sick as hell. What kind of adult carries on like this, it makes no sense.

I have been forced to talk about these people, because everyday, multiple times a day I am being psychologically harassed daily by subliminal references to them with the use of various tactics, including the use of doppelgangers, which is probably one of the more disturbing tactics used. This has been going on since 2015 while I was still employed at NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.

I am only talking about them and others to explain the ways I am being psychologically harassed and the tactics used to abuse and torture me and to tell the truth about my life because its obvious there are lies and half truths being told about me. Also, I am just sick of having my life thrown in my face, as if it is something to do, its insane, leave me alone, that experience has been lived already, NEXT. It's as if whoever is doing this to me will not allow me to live my life beyond the year 2015 / age 39 / post NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, I am like stuck on stupid. Any future has been destroyed because I have been blacklisted in the workforce and I am being stuck / forced to live in the past like Groundhogs Day or I should say pergutory because most of the people harassing me are religious nuts, and extremists. The people who started harassing me in NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION are also religious.

MEAN GIRLS WHO STARTED THE WORKPLACE MOBBING AT NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION in 2015

NATASHA LIGGINS-MODELO (Head of the mean girls)

TOLANI ADEBOYE (Head of the department I worked in)

KHADIJA DAVIS

This harassment even involves techniques to try to make me forget the truth of my own life and the truth about what has been done to me and accept the lies and projections that are being forced onto me as well everyday for about 8 years. The key to making this well organized and coordinated group stalking, emotional abuse and psychological torture thrive is misinformation, lies, and secrecy. The opposite of this is truth and transparency, I will exercise this as a tactic to counteract the abuse and expose sick people for who they are.

Back to DEVIN, I broke things off with DEVIN and thwarted subsequent efforts made by him (whether they were genuine or not) to rekindle the romantic part of our interaction. I insisted on being platonic friends, so an argument / lie made about me maybe being bitter or wanting him still or feeling some kind of way all these years later makes no damn sense but this is a classic go to when trying to discredit women who speak up about their experiences. I ended things and was minding my business living my life not thinking about him when all this stuff started happening to me. The last time I spoke to him was maybe 2014 and before that it was probably 2 or 3 years before that via electronic messaging.

Also, I have never spoken about WILFRED or DEVIN publicly on the Internet, and most people would never even have known we even knew each other like that or that I even dated them unless they heard it directly from my mouth because I don't do social media and I have never posted anything about anyone I dated on any social media platform prior to me talking about my harassment and naming people, which has only happened in the last couple of years or so, I have been forced to do this because of this harassment.

This is out of my character, I don't want to do it but since someone thought it was ok to hack my personal, private, and confidential information and spread it out into the world for people to use it against me to psychologically torture then I will return the favor partially in kind, except the information I am telling is based in truth and fact, not lies, half truths, defamation and slander. There are a lot of people standing by and standing for people they should not be snd committing civil and criminal offenses against me. It's sad what a patriarchal and religious society we live in. These people bothering me are sick, they are mostly men and boys, but there are some misogynistic women who bother me as well because most of these people on the daily bothering me are religious nuts, mostly of the Muslim faith from Middle Eastern countries. The other big group of people harassing me are Latino, who are known to be religious on the opposing team lol, There is definitely a nutty religious route to this harassment. There may also be a large population of Latinos bothering me because of DEVIN, if he and / or associates of his has anything to do with me being made a target of this harassment, since he lives in CENTRAL AMERICA, and has been for the last decade+.

Also could be because of one of my past sexual partners who is Latino, LUIS MARTINEZ, I think he is Dominican. Additionally, WILFRED, in addition to JAMAICAN lineage, he also has PANAMANIAN lineage. If these people and / or associates of theirs has something to do with this. I am pretty sure this was done to me because of HPV, which leaves past sexual partners as the main suspects, they have a clear motive to make me a target of this if they are ignorant misogynist with no education regarding HPV. I believe HPV and abortion info was illegally accessed and leaked by one of those mean girls (because NATASHA LIGGINS-MODELO, she may also appear to have close links to Latino community, her married name seems to be Latin to me, she was also very friendly with Latino coworkers, especially MICHAEL TORRES, who was involved in my harassment as well) she did not like me because I would not be friends with her) or someone they know in the staff at NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION or NYPD, since these agencies have close ties because of SCHOOL SAFETY and CROSSING GUARDS, both of whom are employed by NYPD. Speaking of this for a brief moment, this is yet another reason why I know the NYPD has its hands all over this. KIRK DOLPHY who in another sexual partner who met my ex-childhood friend / NYPD OFFICER, also knows a lot of NYPD OFFICERS, I believe this is due to the nature of his work at NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. Also, since 2016, I noticed an increased out of the ordinary presence of police and police vehicles (NYPD and NYS, also Baltimore in one instance when I was walking to the DITMARS BLVD train station in ASTORIA (this is significant because TOLANI ADEBOYE AND ABDOULAZIZ BARRY have ties to the DMV area) being around me when I would travel throughout the city, regular vehicles as well as plain clothed law enforcement in black cars with tinted windows.

As of today you will only see these men, other people, personal information, and my shared experiences with these people on here and Reddit, both platforms I joined specifically to talk about being the TARGET of WORKPLACE MOBBING, and ORGANIZED GROUP STALKING AND HARASSMENT / COINTELPRO / GANGSTALKING / MK ULTRA

DEVIN and I were Facebook friends and communicated sometimes through the instant messenger but I don't think I ever commented on anything on his page and vice versa, nothing that would allude to us being involved in a romantic / sexual relationship. That is the extent of anyone knowing we knew each other via social media. As far as IRL the mutual acquaintance, SHO CLARK, hooked us up, SHO was a friend of my ex-childhood friend / NYPD OFFICER (I had to cut her and her family off due to harassment from some of her family members; this is one of the reasons I know NYPD is written all over this and why I will never get justice, who do I report crime to when the police are facilitating and involved in committing the crimes?).

In attempting to escalate this I filed a complaint with NYS DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, NYC DEPARTMENT OF INVESTIGATIONS, and filed an online complaint with a federal law enforcement agency as well and nothing materialized because law enforcement / government is involved.

This ex-childhood friend / NYPD Officer also knows another man from my romantic past, KIRK DOLPHY, who also works at NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. When I met KIRK IN JULY 2007, he was working at NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, I did not start working there till 2014. KIRK also happens to be of Jamaican descent, the only connection he does not have with DEVIN and WILFRED is basketball, but he checks the other 2 boxes of commonality.

Come to think of it, this ex-childhood friend / NYPD OFFICER has JAMAICAN lineage as well on her mothers side. Her step father / half siblings are TRINIDADIAN. This WEST INDIAN LINEAGE, is a constant theme as well, like the religious nuttery. Most of the people I dealt with in my life (friends and romantic partners alike) were of West Indian descent, so that is part of it.

I met KIRK DOLPHY in JULY 2007; when I met him he was employed at NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. I had introduced ex-childhood friend / NYPD OFFICER to KIRK in person around 2010 I believe, we were hanging tough around this time because I was was unemployed and after I started working in JULY 2010, we were still hanging a bit around our work schedules. I invited her to an afterwork social event KIRK was promoting.

Years later, in 2015 around the time KIRK and I reconnected since I had recently came to work at NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION in late 2014, somehow ex-childhood friend "randomly" met KIRK via a dating app and they were communicating mostly digitally and via phone. Ex-friend / NYPD OFFICER called me to inform me she thinks this guy she met via a dating app is someone I used to date. I confirmed it and I told her she could proceed if she wanted because KIRK and I only ever had a casual sexual relationship so if she wanted to pursue it I gave her my blessing while stating at the same time it might be a bit awkward and weird since we are so close and I just had sex with him like a couple of weeks / month before. She agreed on girl code, made the statement thst we are like sisters and it would be a line she would not want to cross. We all had a good laugh about it and moved on. I think something like this can happen coincidentally, especially in the black community in close proximity looking for professional mates. Black people are a small percentage of the population and if we are in close proximity looking for the same kinds of people, professionals especially, I think its entirely possible for something like this to happen and not be contrived or intentional, but completely random and coincidental, however from the lens of ORGANIZED / COORDINATED GROUP STALKING AND HARASSMENT, nothing is really left to chance, most everything is planned, premeditated, and intentional with the purposes of exerting manipulation and coercive control over the targets life to cause emotional and physical distress. So, in retrospect I don't think KIRK and my ex-childhood friend meeting via a dating app (Tinder I believe) was a coincidence.

A big part of this is to ISOLATE me from not only financial resources but social / emotional support. They could have killed 2 birds with 1 stone by attempting to cause friction between us. Also, since this ex-childhood friend / NYPD OFFICER also knows DEVIN, she could be used as a tool to isolate me from another person in my life.

I am not saying either KIRK or this ex-childhood friend / NYPD OFFICER had something to do with them matching up on this particular dating app but I am not saying the opposite either, maybe one of them did. Its quite possible these two were matched by manipulation of the dating app / their phones, which is some advanced hacking / Internet manipulation that could probably only be done by government, military, and the tech companies that provide Internet services, and tech companies that created and maintain the dating app. Considering, ORGANIZED GROUP STALKING HARASSMENT is goverment sanctioned, I am leaning towards the latter theory. Also, with the goal being in mind of isolating me from as many friends and family as possible it does not seem so far fetched to me.

Another example of personal Internet / email account hacking / manipulation is my Yahoo account was obviously hacked. In the beginning of the HARASSMENT, I had suspicions my personal cell phone had been hacked, but kind of blew them off because it seemed a little ridiculous for snyone to.have interest in me to the point of hacking my phone, plus I would.not think the workplace would have that kind of interest for sure. Noone has any reason to do this unless they are a crazy person with stalker tendencies. Back to my personal Yahoo email.account, Back in JULY 2011, when DEVIN told me he would spit in my face and "f*ck you with an HIV dick" I was thinking this guy is certifiable so I reached out to his cousin MUNIR THOMPSON via email initially, then we had a telephone conversation where I basically told him what DEVIN wrote to me and was inquiring about his mental health and whether I would have to worry about him coming back to harm me in the future. His cousin was apologetic and even expressed that he thought something was off mentally with him. The email exhange we had was tampered with, whereas the responses MUNIR sent to me were deleted, only my email responses were there. This is just one of the reasons of many why I think DEVIN and / or associates of his had something to do with me being made a target of GROUP STALKING and PSYCHOLOGICAL HARASSMENT. It is as if evidence was being erased / tampered with to cover up the truth and anyone who might be able to cooberate actual things that occurred as well as covering up DEVINs mental state making something like what was done to me entirely possibly originating from his actions due to mental instability and cruelty.

People seem to be walking around in a fog, they have no idea what people, entities, the government, law enforcement are doing with their data, especially audio data. I am someone who did not fully engage in social media, therefore logically the majority of the data gathered on me was a combination of all communications on my personal cell ohone, including audio conversations, fraudulent use of government databases, and ILLEGAL SURVEILLANCE and MONITORING. You would not get a glimpse into much of my life or who I was as a person and what I was doing IRL by researching my social media, you would have had no choice but to hack / clone /wiretap my personal cell phone and eventually landline, Internet for not only real time data but historical data as well, that can only be done by law enforcement / governmental entities and corporations that work with governmental agencies. They have access to such resources.

Since this kind of harassment is clearly government sanctioned (what is being done to me is nothing but an offshoot of MK Ultra Cointelpro, FBI / CIA programs, which in public is said to be abolished but obviously is not. A version of this program is being used on private law abiding citizens to silence them / ruin their lives / kill them, conduct psychological and medical experiments on them, etc.)

So, I am not going to go out my way and out of my character to be talking about someone from over 10 years ago on the Internet, when I did not talk about them before, especially in such detail and in such a public space unless I had a good reason too and not for any of the stupid ass reasons people try to say about women. It just does not add up.

Talking about my personal business so publicly is completely out of my character, I have to be compelled to talk about this stuff for a reason, that reason is me being subjected to ORGANIZED GROUP STALKING AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HARASSMENT for about 8 years now and counting. WORKPLACE MOBBING that began in 2015 while I was employed at NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, which has included subliminal references to DEVIN, WILFRED, and a host of a handful of other people, topics, and life events that have had negative connotations attached including verbal / emotional abuse from both DEVIN and WILFRED.

The main reason I am doing this is because I have been given no choice. The only reason I am talking about DEVIN a DECADE+ after I ENDED our romantic interaction in MARCH 2011 is because he is constantly being referenced in my daily PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE / TORTURE / ORGANIZED STALKING / COMMUNITY HARASSMENT, and WORKPLACE MOBBING (when I was in the workforce) So, naturally awhile ago I started thinking, based on my observation and experience, the analysis of the ongoing harassment juxtaposed with my life prior to and the people from my life, if this person is constantly being referenced in my harassment he and /or associates of his probably did this to me. If not, someone related / associated with or unrelated / not associated with to them with access to / knowledge of all of my personal business (ILLEGALLY OBTAINED) used people and life events that have negativity attached to them to repetitively force these people and events onto me mentally to create a brew of negative emotions in me to intentionally induce emotional distress and physical ailments.

While I am also dealing with all of this while taking care of a relative who is bed ridden and cannot live by themselves. I believe this relative was made sick by intentional medical neglect. When I moved out of Astoria, NY in MAY 2018 to try to get away from the HARASSMENT before I fully understood what had been done to me and that I could not escape by moving to a new apartment or go to a new job. My relative was in good health walking around and enjoying her retirement. About a year after I moved out, my relative went into severe physical decline to the point where she was imobile and sick with multipe ailments, extreme weight loss and medical issues they did not have when I left and was living in a rehabilitation center recovering from a surgery when COVID struck, she was basically being held hostage in there until my sibling, who harasses me as well, hatched a plan to get relative out of the nursing rehabilitation center after surgery.

Attached are some receipts of instant messenger / chat exchanges between myself and DEVIN ELTON THOMPSON, which includes verbal abuses I expressed earlier; him calling me a bitch, telling me he would spit in my face, f*%k me with an HIV dick.

If DEVIN and / or associates of his in fact has something to do with this being done to me and encompassing some of my experiences with him, anyone who is around him and cares about him I urge you go get him mental health. He may be suffering from a personality disorder of a malignant nature, little to no empathy and disregard for human life.

I have not done anything to this man and I don't owe him anything, if he believes this his perception is severely off and he needs to try to work it out with a licensed therapist. If you don't shut this down in some way, if he and / or associates have something to do with making me target of GROUP STALKING, HARASSMENT, PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE AND TORTURE you are enabling him and / or associates to continue this bad behavior against me and anyone else they might want to wage this against. If someone commits offenses against another without repurcussions they are going to have an attitude that they can continue bad behavior and it will most likely escalate, possibly to the point where someone can end up dead because of their actions and because no one held them accountable and got him the mental health care they need.

I don't want anything to do with DEVIN ELTON THOMPSON. I have not been with this man romantically since MARCH 2011. I ended things, wanting only to engage platonically if possible, if not then if we need to not engage I was ok with that too, there was too much drama surrounding him and I did not want to deal with it as I have a right, I saw things pretty quickly and decided to opt out, that should have been the end of the story but somehow 10+ years later I am being stalked and harassed by a bunch of people who insist on psychologically / subliminally bring him up on a daily basis.

I want to be left alone and not constantly reminded of him through this psychological / subliminal harassment, abuse, and torture.

I urge someone around him talk some sense into him, if he has anything to do with this, because the people around me doing the dirty work of daily harassment seems to be doing it because they have received instructions from somewhere and for a purpose they deem is justified. This is bull, I need to be left alone, and whoever is doing this needs to be held accountable, criminally, civilly, as well as the sheeple that have been recruited in my daily harassment, and they need intense mental health care on an ongoing basis.

Because of the life I have lived and the way I have dealt with people in a respectful, open minded manor I know the only person(s) who would do this heinous thing to me is someone off their rocker who has developed some kind of stalkerish interest in me or someone(s) from my personal life, a sexual partner who is extremely ignorant and uneducated about HPV and found out about it through someone ILLEGALLY ACCESSING and LEAKING this info. Whomever instigated this and formed a coalition against me to ruin my life has to fit in one or both of those categories due to the dehumanizing, disrespectful, and heinous nature of the harassment, abuse and torture I have been subjected to since 2015.

My thing is if you were this mad about finding out about the HPV ILLEGALLY (because you did not hear it from mouth; with the exception of WILFRED SHAWN KIRKALDY who I called in 2008 after my diagnosis, which was months after we stopped having sex in JULY 2007), you should have went the legal route and attempted to file a lawsuit against me. Although HPV and HIV are not the same thing as fsr as the prevelance / commonality and transmission, and the fact that HPV is way more common than HIV and condoms won't protect you from contracting HPV etc, etc. you probably knew you would not have had a successful / legitimate case, also you would have had to explain how you obtained this information, which was through ILLEGAL means. A lawsuit probably would not have been successful but a person(s) who is a vindictive person and dead set on revenge from a perceived slight will take any route available to them I suppose, legal or illegal.

The person(s) wanted to publicize my HPV to humiliate, embarass, shame, amongst other things but the only thing they have done here is force me to expose them, their poor mental health, criminal deviance, low character / integrity, ignorance, misogyny, need I go further.... I have nothing to be ashamed, embarrassed, or humiliated about; they however do because of what they have done to me.

[servin-up-surveys]

survey #019

(last one, also from last night)

Has anyone ever told you that you looked like a celebrity? Nah, to my memory I've only been told I look like two fictional characters: Mavis from Hotel Transylvania as a teenager as well as Eileen Galvin from Silent Hill 4, which was immensely flattering, haha. Do you have any change on you right now? No; I give whatever coins I have to my mom for Ash's kids to put in their piggy banks. Cutting your hair extremely short, would you do it? Did it years ago, one of the best decisions I've ever made. Have you ever played the game Halo? Nah, not my kind of game. Although if I remember right I think Ryder has officially been exposed to and loves it and I would totally play with him 'n' let him kick my ass... or maybe he just legit could now, I'm a rusty old gamer lady, haha. Do you like your nose? I actually don't mind my nose. A rare feature of mine I don't see a problem with. Kissing someone with facial hair, do you mind? I've never minded it. Granted I've never kissed anybody with a whole lot, but I'm quite certain I wouldn't be bothered. Would you ever like to be a stunt person? HELL no alsdkjfaklwejl Are you a pyromaniac? No. I think fire's very pretty and powerful, but I'm not obsessed with it or anything. Are you one of those people who listen to songs on repeat? Oh, ABsofuckinglutely. I can pick a song and listen to it for hours multiple days in a row if I'm in a phase of really enjoying it. Can any of your friends sing very well? Girt has a great a voice. Off the top of my head, I don't know about anyone else who is exceptionally talented with singing. Do you have piano fingers? Oh yes, heard that since I was a kid. My mom compares my hands to being a lot like her mom's: long, slender, and flow-y. Honestly if I didn't pEEL MY FUCKING NAILS OFF LIKE AN ANIMAL I think my hands would be a pretty feature of mine. Who did you dance with last? Sara. When holding hands, do you intertwine fingers? Usually, yes. Best feeling. Is there a movie that makes you cry every single time you watch it? I don't believe I've gotten through The Notebook even once without at LEAST one tear creeping out. I also know I've cried each time I've seen The Boy in the Striped Pajamas in history classes. I don't think I would EVER be able to get through it without doing so, honestly. I just can't grasp how such human vileness actually happened. Who was the last person you mocked/mimicked? Girt, lol. I can't remember over what though and it was obviously just playfully. If you write, isn’t writer’s block the most horrible thing? Oh totally, it is SO frustrating as a creative person that always feels like being expressive. What is the first letter of the person’s name you last kissed? "D." Do you have any sort of debt? Oh, without a shadow of a goddamn doubt. I've dropped outta college too much not to. I have zero idea what I owe and am scared of the day it's gonna fall on me. Is there an accent you prefer? British. Do any of your friends own an expensive car? I know absolutely nothing about cars dude, I couldn't tell ya. Have you ever been on a train? No, but I'd like to one day. Is there a guy you can talk to about anything? Yep. Have you ever been in a parade? "In," no. Do people say you look your age? Or younger or older? I hear that I look younger. Have you ever sent a celebrity fan mail? No. Is there a friend’s family that makes you feel like you’re family too? LJSKLDJFAL;ISKEJFIOWJEO;AW Girt's mom referred to me as family the day Ma and I came over for that 4th of July party and I almost cried, even though she BARELY knows me. Mom pointed it out when we left though that she loved how she spoke of me. I'm apparently the first girlfriend of Girt's she's ever met and I think that says something to her. What’s something you believe in that others are skeptical of? Ghosts. I obviously don't know with absolute certainty, but I am a VERY firm believer in spirits and their ability to make contact with the living. What was the last YouTube video you watched that you found entertaining? I watched a "Fact vs. Fiction" from Loudwire about Richard the other day, and it was very fascinating. It was the first time I'd heard him speak English and my heart did this funky thing where it turned to soup asodkfojkalljw like the accent is STRONG lad What did the last pizza you ate have on it? Just pepperoni. Do you know anyone unrelated to you that has your same last name? Uhhh I don't think so, no. Do you know anyone who is truly evil? No, I don't think that of anyone I personally know. What was the cause of the worst physical pain you’ve ever experienced? A cyst I had got infected, and it was being drained by applying pressure to it and I literally wanted to FUCKING DIE alksdfa;lwd that hospital staff is never gonna forget that night lmfao Is there anyone in your family who is colorblind, that you know of? No. Are you a Christian? No; I would 100% rather be called a modern Satanist than a Christian. I'm not one because I personally think it is TOO into the "do whatever the fuck you want" mentality as well as OVERLY self-important, among other smaller disagreements, BUT I agree with modern-day atheistic Satanism more than Christianity. What is the name of your favorite book character? Uh, wow, what IS my favorite book character. Well, his original format isn't through a book, but there's one novel about Vol'jin from the World of Warcraft universe, so hey, he's in a book, lol. I think I'd pick him, I loved him so much and tbh his death will probably be one that I'm most mad about, I ain't forgiven Blizz to this day. Who was the last non-relative woman you spoke to in person? A doctor. Do you believe in karma? No. As much as I WISH it was a thing, I just don't. What’s a topic you’ve drastically changed your opinion on? BITCH, A LOT. People change and grow. Some of my most regretted/embarrassing beliefs from a younger age though include being homophobic, transphobic, pro-life, Creationist, anti-BLM because I thought it was "too extreme," etc... I believed awful things. Are you and your S/O Facebook official? Not technically, lol. On my page it says that we're in a relationship, but it's pending. On his, it still says "single" because he never responded to the status change. It doesn't really bug me though, like he's open about us dating and has made it very clear he's invested and serious, so I just don't care what an account on a website he literally never touches (which is I'm assuming why he never responded to the notif) says. This mf probably ain't even gonna change it if/when we get married lmfao. Do you know how to set a formal table setting for a 3+ course dinner? God no, this is a formal tradition that I have neeeeever understood. My mom has always done the table "properly" for meals like Thanksgiving because her mom went to a very proper, all-girls school where she had this format drilled into her head, buuut thank god Mom has never tried to get us kids to follow it. Usually. Sometimes she's picky about it, depending on the occasion. Do you know anyone who works as a lawyer? Well, knew two people. My former best friend Quiata became a lawyer, but we lost contact. One of my cousins is also one, but we all completely cut ties with that selfish fucking family. All of them. Do you have a difficult time relating to other’s emotions? ABSOLUTELY not, I am an emotional sponge. What was the last electronic item you bought? Oh wow, nice timing, Mom came home with a new phone for me tonight, haha. We'll be setting that one up tomorrow, she got home late and wanted to lie down. Have you ever experienced sleep paralysis? I haven't and ABSOLUTELY never want to. The idea of paralysis absolutely horrifies me. Have you ever had a dream in which you died? Multiple. Does the thought of having wrinkles when you’re older upset you? No, it's totally inevitable. I mean I don't WANT them obvs, but it doesn't "upset" me. When was the last time you drank coffee? I've never really *drank* it, just tried it and never liked it. Do you know anyone who’s struggling with addiction? I don't believe so, thankfully. Do you know anyone named Chris? Ugh, KNEW. Literally both of my sisters have dated shitbags named Chris. Do you cook to music? I don't cook, but that's maybe a way for me to get into it, actually... Oh wow, ow, an old memory came creeping back: on mornings Jason's dad was off of work, he loved to turn on old mostly rock music and cook a nice breakfast for everyone, always just singing along. I loved it then and even now I swear to god I feel a physical pain in my chest. I hope he's okay after losing Virginia. He felt like my genuine dad when I was dealing with my parents splitting and hating my actual father. That guy was/probably still is a good, good man. Have you ever told someone you hated them? I have. Favorite thing to do on Facebook? Look at really stupid memes that shouldn't be funny but make my dumb ass laugh anyway. If you could meet one celebrity, who would you want it to be? Mark. When was your last time you saw your dad? I don't think I've seen Dad since... WOW I can't remember. I know it's been months. Have you ever seen a live bat? Yes. Where did your last kiss take place? By my front door. Who’s the last person that creeped you out? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH guys at the 4th of July party GIRT'S MOM'S FRIEND'S DAD (wow) WAS LEGIT FLIRTING WITH MY MOM AND I WANTED TO DIE. Like it was PAINFULLY obvious, but Mom took it like a champ, totally shrugging it off without being rude, and even when I talked to her in the car, she was pretty casual about it and said that "you just have to ignore it" with seniors. Like the dude didn't do anything serious, but still, just as my mom's very close daughter, I was feeling really protective and just uncomfortable. Do you wish someone would call you? No, I'm fine with me and music rn. Do you hate your last boyfriend/girlfriend? Nah, man. I don't like her, but I don't have any hard feelings. She's not a monster, we're just not compatible as healthy friends. That's just how it is sometimes. What do you hear right now? "Ich tu dir weh" by Rammstein Do you feel comfortable wearing tube tops? You couldn't PAAAAAAY me to wear one with this body. I sure wish I was confident enough to wear one and pull it off. Has anyone teased you with the “K-I-S-S-I-N-G” song? Maybe? Idr. Have you ever owned a beanbag chair? Yes. Are you a fan of retro things? Very much! If you’re with someone right now, do you think it will last? In full, complete, genuine, self-aware honesty, I do think it will. I will NEVER allow myself to enter the "oh a breakup simply can't happen" ideology EVER again, but I just REALLY think Girt and I have something amazing. Who was the last person you flipped off? - claims her boyfriend is amazing - the last person she flipped off was her boyfriend (it was playful, shh) oop Is there anyone who did something absolutely hilarious today? oh my god YES I don't feel like elaborating tbh 'cuz lazy but basically my mom made a fucking brilliant typo in a text regarding Girt and me and I - literally - laughed so fucking hard I got dizzy and almost fell outta my chair lmfao Your significant other: have you told them you love them lately? I tell him that a lot. Have you dated someone more than twice? No. Do you hate to use public bathrooms? I absolutely do and will avoid them as best I can. Do you have any tan lines? I literally don't think I ever have in my entire life lmao Ever been so unfortunate to slip on wet rocks? As a matter of fact, i have. One day my dad and I went fishing by the dam and I was traversing the big rocks and slipped and fucked up my shin REAL good. I remember it so well because I had dance recital practice right after it. Like I had fresh wounds on that stage, lmao. I remember crying a little bit while practicing. Does seeing roadkill make you sad, or just grossed out? Oh, it makes me horribly sad. Considering I like getting all up in their business and taking pictures though, uh, it can't gross me out that much, haha. Did I ever tell y'all about the time I almost placed my hand right down on top of fox intes- What do you think is the most saddest sounding instrument? Either the violin or piano. Do you have a favorite species of wild cat (tiger/lion/cougar etc)? Not a STRONG favorite considering I probably change my mind like, any time a survey has asked this. I just love cats, man. What type of a drunk are you? (Obnoxious, calm, emotional, violent, etc) I wouldn't know, never been full-on drunk. I'm more talkative with more alcohol though, apparently, given that's all that's ever happened when drinking before. Are you good at pronouncing foreign words? Only German because I studied it long enough to know how things are pronounced. I might not be able to tell you what all German says, but I could probably pronounce it. No promises though, don't hold me to it, lol. When listening to music, do you usually tap your foot etc to the beat? It's SO wild honestly, I react so immensely little to music, at least in the obvious, external ways. I get absolutely fucking slathered in goosebumps when I listen to music at sometimes very random intervals, but I don't move my head, I very rarely tap my fingers, etc. There is only one movement I've noticed I quite consistently make when listening to music: when laying in bed, I will sway my left leg back and forth slowly. I catch myself doing it a loooot and have always thought it was a weird tick. Have you ever literally cried on a friend’s shoulder? I have, the night my mom bullied her way to getting me to share what I was always doing on the computer so secretively (RP) as a kid. My friend Jenna, who actually created Ruby's sister Flammi, was there and I just CRIED and CRIED on her shoulder because I felt judged and was scared and just that day was A LOT. Has anyone told you that they wanted to marry you/were planning on it/etc.? Jason as well as Girt have. When you were younger, did you have a yoyo? Yep. What was the last video game you played, if any? Shadow of the Colossus. Girt and I are planning to start Heavy Rain when he comes over next, as he's never played it but he knows I love it so basically we doin' that and I'm going to cry all over again bc this game on god made me hurt more than nearly any other. I think only The Last of Us (and DEFINITELY its sequel, that shit on another fuckin level) might beat it. What’s your opinion on people who stretch their ears? Small to medium-sized holes look cool on some people. I personally still wanna slightly gauge my ears, just ugh, I need to learn exactly how and get the materials. Have you ever seen a bear in the wild? No, but black bears do live here, they're just very rare. Has anyone you know gotten mono? My sister Ashley got it, actually. I think when she was in early high school? It was rough. Can you say yes/no in different languages? Only English and German, I think.

[rafescoke]

i’m sooo obsessed with your entire page holy moly. if you’re taking requests can i get kinda an angst one where the reader is with jj and finds out him and kie have been doing stuff behind her back, and the rest of the group knew the whole time? so she ends up getting close to rafe and hanging out with his friends so it eventually ends up with rafe x reader??? sorry that’s so long lol pls never stop writing, i love your fics too much <3

All I Ask ; Rafe Cameron

masterlist

#Part 1

#Part 2

Pairing: Rafe Cameron x reader x JJ Maybank

Summary: Reader finds herself in the arms of her best friend’s brother after finding her boyfriend cheating on her 

Warnings: Cheating, substance, mentions of sex, jealous Rafe, JJ & Kie being an asshole

A/N: Thank you so much for the amount of love I received from my last two works! It has been so overwhelming and I love each one of you with all my heart <3

p.s, my request box is always open! Send random ideas and I’ll turn them into a fic <33

p.p.s, so sorry if this isn’t my best work :(

“Come on, (Y/N), don’t be a party pooper!”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes as she pulled her best friend aside from all the commotion, “Sarah. I’m serious. I feel like he’s cheating on me.”

“He’s not!” Sarah groaned, and when (Y/N) gave her a look, she sighed. “I’m serious. He loves you too much, okay? Look, tomorrow’s your birthday, right? I’m sure JJ’s just ignoring you as a part of your birthday surprise.”

(Y/N) wanted to believe her so bad, but she couldn’t deny the strong feeling growing inside her. Ever since a month ago, JJ wasn’t there for her like always. When she tried to hold him in the van or at the Chateau, he would flinch and scoot away from her. She didn’t know what to do anymore.

“Look-” Sarah cupped her face, her eyes boring into hers. “I promise that he’s not cheating on you. Can you please let this go? How about you go and find him, have a smoke, and then come back to me with the verdict?”

(Y/N) hummed back in response, thinking about what Sarah had just told her. When she first moved to Obx from the city 4 years ago, she had been spending most of her time with the other kooks. When she bumped onto JJ one particular evening while he was too busy mowing down her lawn, that was when most of her happiest days started. 

(Y/N) made her way towards the far end of the beach where JJ and the other pogues were hanging out, her feet lightly patting against the hot sand. (Y/N) took a deep breath when she saw the love of her life laughing on a log, and quickly walked towards him.

“Hey,” she started, sitting on the empty space beside him. JJ shifted, giving her more space, and muttered a quick ‘hi’ back. He offered her a beer, to which she shook her head to, and he shrugged before downing the whole content.

“You’ve got some beer here,” (Y/N) said, leaning forward to wipe the tiny droplet on his chin. JJ hurtled backwards as if on cue, and quickly wiped the stain with the back of his hand. (Y/N) stared at him, being caught off guard, but decided to not create any drama.

“You really don’t have to do that,” (Y/N) muttered, wrapping her cardigan over her tighter. The cold night air swept over her, causing her hair to fall over her shoulders. She didn’t bother to fix it as she watched JJ scoffed, the fire in front of them reflecting on the surface of his blue eyes.

“Do what? Wipe my mouth? Come on, (Y/N), it’s really not that big of a deal,” JJ sighed. He didn’t even bother to hold her hand, to reassure her that it’s really okay, and instead he continued his conversation with John B about some kind of a movie. She noticed Pope looking at their way, but he quickly turned to look at the waves when she returned his gaze.

“Do you want to smoke?” she tried again, this time with her hands on his lap. He didn’t move, and (Y/N) took this as a good sign, her heart fluttering happily. 

It’s progress.

“You sure?” he asked, fumbling with his back pocket to reach for his extra blunt. When he grasped the rolled up herbs between his fingers, he handed it to her, smiling when she scooted closer. He lighted it for her, watching her took a deep huff before blowing the smoke.

“That’s good?” he asked before taking a blow for himself. He felt his heavy mind getting lighter, the weight he has been holding since forever slowly lifting into the air. He laughed, and turned to look at the state of the girl beside him.

“Thank you, baby,” (Y/N) smiled, this time with her head on his shoulder. She saw Pope looking at them with some kind of a heavy look again, but just like before, he turned away before she could ask him anything. 

“Pope?” 

Pope’s attention from the crashing waves turned completely to (Y/N), his eyes wide and his mind panicking. His eyes glanced to the blonde boy beside her for a second, but it settled back to her. “Yes?”

“You’re okay? You keep looking at me. Is there anything that you want to tell me?”

“Me?” he pointed to his chest, and when he saw the look on JJ’s face, he laughed, making an action of swatting his hands against the air. “Oh no. I was just thinking about something else. I guess I involuntarily looked at you.”

(Y/N) laughed with him, her head still on JJ’s shoulder, her eyes slowly squinting against the glowing fire that seemed to be too bright. She turned to whisper to JJ, “Can we go home?”

“Tonight? But It’s Bonfire night. We can’t leave yet,” he protested, glancing at both of his friends for help. Pope, not wanting to spend anymore time with them anymore, quickly stood up from his seat and walked towards the main space of the party. 

“I’m gonna go with Pope, okay? Find Sarah. Go and talk to her? I’ll call you later,” JJ quickly added, standing up from his seat, stirring (Y/N) from her previous position. She sighed, her head still woozy, but she didn’t want to think about the possibility of him cheating on her.

He wanted her first, it’s just not possible for him to suddenly lose feelings for her. The countless times he would tell her that he loves her, that she’s the only girl he will ever mark as his, and now nothing?

She groaned, kicking the sand, all while the muffled music thrumming against her eardrums. She turned to look at John B, the only guy left with her, and opened her mouth to say something.

“Do you see the problem, John B?” she asked, her voice slow. When he didn’t reply, she sighed again, this time standing up from her seat to return to the ongoing party. “This is exactly the fucking problem.”

She didn’t understand; why is everyone treating her differently? What did she do? She sacrificed almost everything to be apart of their group, including her relationship with her kook friends. At that moment, she longed for her bedroom, where she knew she will be totally safe, all cuddled up with Netflix to enjoy.

“If it isn’t the princess,” a voice said from behind her back, and (Y/N) rolled her eyes before turning to look at the source. The tall figure of Rafe Cameron loomed over her, and (Y/N) tried to block his scent of cigarette and expensive cologne. She never really stopped liking his smell.

The Camerons and her family are business partners, and that was the core reason for her family to move to Obx in the middle of July 4 years ago. Meeting Sarah and her siblings for the first time, she couldn’t deny the strong attraction she felt towards the oldest sibling, but she had thought of it as nothing more than a silly crush and tried to focus more on her relationship with a certain blonde boy living on the other side of the island.

“You can take a picture, it’ll last longer that way,” he smiled, and (Y/N) groaned when she could hear the amused tone lacing in his gruff voice. She made to walk away, but was halted by Rafe’s fingers around her wrist.

“Come on, I was just playing. That’s not the way to treat an old friend,” he laughed, letting go of her. He looked around her, noticing her odd behaviour, and suppressed his smile. “Where’s the boyfriend?”

“I don’t know,” she finally replied, and returned the gesture of looking around him. “Where’s the girlfriend?”

Rafe laughed, throwing his head back as his hair messily slicked to the back. “Girlfriend? I don’t do girlfriends. Come on, (Y/N), you know that.”

“Not a surprise,” she said in a singing tone, giving her attention towards the dancing bodies next to the speaker. “Look, Rafe, just say whatever you want to say to me, okay? I’m tired of trying to figure out what people wanted to say to me.” 

“I just want to make a conversation,” he shrugged, chugging down his beer before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. His actions reminded her of JJ, and she quickly looked away when she felt a pang of hurt across her heart.

“Uh-oh, I know that look,” Rafe said, tugging her chin to force her to look at him. (Y/N) grunted, feeling his cold skin against hers, but she let him stare into her eyes before quickly pulling away. “Yeah. It’s that look you’ll put when you’re worried about something. What’s up?”

“Rafe, it’s really nothing,” she sighed, scooting away from the boy. She looked around again, and her eyes landed on a certain blonde boy, and she could feel her heart soaring up again. Rafe’s eyes followed her gaze, and when he saw JJ, he turned to look away.

“I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Yeah, whatever,” Rafe replied, already making his way towards the keg station.  (Y/N) noticed the change in his behaviour, seeing how cold he turned, but decided not to mention it. She was being cold towards him first, so she guessed it was fair for him to be acting that way. 

Rafe didn’t understand how blind she could be. Couldn’t she notice the pattern of the girls he fucked? How they all looked so similar to her? 

He scoffed, sipping from his red cup as he watched her walk towards the boy that stole her from him. Everything was going perfect; they were hanging out almost every day; just her and Rafe, either it was in his swimming pool or (Y/N)’s hot tub. When her father had hired JJ Maybank to mower his lawn, that was when everything went downhill. 

“Cameron,” a voice greeted from beside him, and when he turned to look at the figure, he expressed a sly smirk.

One more person that looked like her.

. . .

JJ’s phone was beside her.

She kept telling herself no, that she should trust him since they are in a relationship, but her brain was yelling for her to go through his phone.

He’s cheating on you.

She groaned, unable to contain herself anymore as she grabbed his phone, looking around briefly before typing his passcode. 

The phone vibrated in her hands as she failed to guess his passcode, and she frowned before the screen. It had been her birthday’s date, so why wouldn’t it open? She tried again with their anniversary date, and again, was met with the same fate.

“What the fuck?” she said to no one in particular, and sighed before trying out random numbers. Lastly, she pressed all 1, not thinking much of it and already accepting her defeat. She exclaimed in happiness when his home screen appeared with his background a picture of a dog.

(Y/N) frowned again, remembering how it used to be a picture of them, but decided to not question it as their picture had been replaced by a dog instead of something else. She went through his Instagram, scroling down the many direct messages, through his Imessages; where he texts the pogues a lot and through his Snapchat, only finding their private pictures in his ‘my eyes only’.

She released the breath she didn’t realise she was holding, shutting the phone off and letting it lay in its previous position. She smiled, secretly cursing at herself for ever doubting JJ. He must’ve been busy with his life, just-

Ding!

Involuntarily, (Y/N) picked up the phone and watched as Kie’s name appeared. She typed in his passcode quickly, trying to see what she needs so that she could try and help her with anything in case if it’s urgent. Her heart stopped for a minute when she saw her text.

Kie: You’re sleeping with her tonight?

Why would she even text him that?

(Y/N) sat up straighter, her fingers gliding across the screen in a swift motion.

wdym?

She watched as the typing signal appeared, biting the insides of her cheeks. She looked at the direction of the toilet again, hearing the blonde boy humming to a Nirvana song. She looked at the screen again.

Kie: You promised me you would be with me tonight

Kie: Just us two

Oh my god.

She could feel the hot tears coming in, but her bathroom door creaked open, so she threw the phone back to its initial position and cleared her throat, looking to the ceiling and randomly muttering words to herself.

“Huh?” JJ asked, looking at the direction she pointed. He saw nothing, and looked back to her. 

“I said white’s not the color anymore. I think I’m changing it to grey. What do you think?” She asked, feeling her throat hurting. She cleared her throat again as JJ stared at the ceiling one more time, his face all scrunched up.

“I think grey’s okay?” He said, but it was more to a question. He took his phone and sat beside her, shielding his screen from her. She watched him from the corners of her eyes, silently interpreting his strange demeanor. 

She cursed when it finally hit her; she hadn’t delete her text to Kie.

She bit her lips, curling her toes and randomly tracing circles on her lap. She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t see clearly, she couldn’t think.

How could she forgot to delete that one, single text? 

“I have to go,” JJ stood up, slipping his phone into his pocket. (Y/N) looked at him, ready to ask if she could follow, but halted her action when he put a hand up.

“I’m seeing John B. Something about, um, Sarah stuff. Just me and Pope. The boys,” he muttered, clearly trying to tell her that he wouldn’t be bringing her to the Chateau. (Y/N) nodded, feeling her heart sank, because she finally understood everything;

The glances he would give to Kie in the HMS Pogue, the brief moments where he would put his hands around Kie’s waist when he tries to slip in between her and someone, the flirtatious laugh he’ll emit when she makes a joke - it all made sense.

(Y/N) used to think that it was all just friendly behaviour and how he had known her longer hence it must’ve been normal for best friends to do that. One thing that (Y/N) likes about herself is how she’s able to guess things correctly - 

But she had never wanted to be so wrong about something before.

“You’re okay by yourself tonight?” 

“Huh?” She finally looked up to him, seeing his blue eyes staring straight into her boring ones. “Yeah. I’ll be fine.”

“Okay,” he smiled, proceeding towards the open window to exit her bedroom. (Y/N) ‘s father would never give his blessings towards this relationship, so he had to enter and exit his girlfriend’s room through the window. 

He hesitated before reaching the seating girl, placing a soft but immediate kiss on her cheeks. (Y/N) smiled weakly in return, not trusting herself to say anything.

How could he?

Ten minutes after his departure, (Y/N) quickly grabbed her father’s car keys before fleeing after a particular black motorcycle. She didn’t even think about turning the car radio on, and her mind was set on only one thing; JJ and Kie.

When she arrived at the Chateau, her fingers trembling and her hair all over the place from the wind while she was driving down the road, forgetting to close the window, she quickly made her way to their usual hanging out place.

Before she could enter the room, Pope’s voice interrupted her actions.

“(Y/N)? What the fuck are you doing here?” he asked, his eyes widening. He looked at her palm around the doorknob, and let out a nervous laugh. “You’re looking for JJ? He’s not here.”

She gets it now.

“Pope, I know,” was all she said before opening the door. 

She felt her world shattering right after she was greeted with the sight of Kie on JJ’s lap, running her fingers through his blonde locks while she kissed him tenderly like  (Y/N) always did. John B and Sarah were right next to him, cheering him on, but stopped when they finally looked up to the looming figure.

“Oh my god,” Kie exclaimed, pushing herself off JJ and fixing her hair. (Y/N) made a look, disgust filling every inch of her body as she quickly walked away from the scene, not wanting to hear any apologies or explanation.

None of that mattered to her; she just wanted to go home.

“(Y/N)!” she heard him yell, but she exited the Chateau as fast as her feet could take her, not stopping to look at him. She cursed when she couldn’t find the right key to open her door, her fingernails clanking against the metal.

“It was a dare!” JJ said, right after he reached her. He watched as she didn’t pay any attention towards him, still fumbling for her keys. “I swear! The kiss was just a dare!”

“Was the text a dare as well?” she asked, finally putting the right key into the keyhole and stepping into the car. JJ cursed and stepped aside, feeling drained and tired from the screaming.

Of course he didn’t send the ‘wdym’. He never like short forms, only using them when he is in the toilet and typing with his left hand. Why didn’t he realised this sooner?

“I’m sorry,” he said, but before he could say anything else, the girl drove straight towards the exit, away from him. 

The worst part of all wasn’t about not having a chance to explain himself to get out of the mess he made, but it was when he saw the pained look on her face. 

“Fuck!” he yelled, kicking a stone and making his way back towards the Chateau. 

(Y/N) fingers scrolled down the many contacts in her phone as she tried to focus on the road simultaneously, and finally stopping when she reached the letter ‘R’ contacts. 

She tapped on the first name under the R letter, putting the phone call on speaker and placing her phone on her lap. She shuddered, suddenly remembering the way she had found JJ and Kie in, but shook her head when his voice filled the atmosphere.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Rafe.”

-

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[charlie-rulerofhell]

An interview with Måneskin: “It's not about out bodies, it's about our music”

Heyo, I'm back with another translation. This time the article is from the German Rolling Stone website who met with Måneskin after their TikTok performance at the Schwuz, Berlin, and posted the interview yesterday. Again there were some interesting questions asked (and the pictures they added to the article are quite nice, though severely lacking some Ethan content, but check it out!).

Again, I hope that no one has already gone through the effort and translated it or is currently working on a translation. Also this is an official invitation, if you stumble across any articles or video interviews in German that you would like to have translated just message me and I'll get to it! (or if you just wanna chat about Måneskin, my inbox is always open :))

Have a great day everyone!

Full article under the cut.

-----------------------------

An interview with Måneskin: “It's not about out bodies, it's about our music”

Jose-Luis Amsler

July 6, 2021

Måneskin are just what this generation has been missing. Passionate, corny, and full-on honest. In an interview with Rolling Stones, the ESC winners explain to us why they would never work in a normal job and why the hype for their appearance is sometimes going too far.

Damiano, Victoria, Thomas and Ethan are entering the nearly deserted dance hall, before they wait on stage in a red-blue spotlight. They are wearing glittering fish net tops, black tape across their nipples, leather pants, heels and make up. The camera men who are filming in portrait format (9:16) suitable for TikTok are whirling up the haze of the fog machine.

Måneskin are [in] Berlin to give a TikTok concert. A TikTok livestream of this scale has not been done often – tension is in the air. The four Italians don't know at this point that due to the stream the few people present are not allowed to clap or cheer. In complete silence and with slight uncertainty the four are crossing Neukölln's club Schwuz. A few puzzled glances are exchanged. Finally,  Måneskin are striking the first chord.

Then the rich sound of Ethan's bass drum is tearing through the silence. It's almost as if someone has flicked a switch somewhere. There it is, the rock star presence that is hovering over everything they do, with an ounce of arrogance (in the best sense of the word). Singer Damiano is dancing lasciviously on his heels, and during an especially ecstatic solo guitarist Thomas is throwing himself down on the floor in a way it can only be done by a passionate 20-year-old musician who had never had to worry about the looming doom of an artificial knee joint [for 'passionate' the interview is using the term 'besessen' which means 'possessed', and although I think it's rather supposed to describe the way Thomas is 'possessed / obsessed' with the music, thus passionate for the music, you never know if they didn't mean to say that the way he dances looks 'possessed' … I mean, they might be on to something here ;)]. Around half an hour and about 120 decibel later, Damiano says their goodbyes with an almost shy-sounding “Okay, bye.” After the performance, we do our interview in the Schwuz.

Rolling Stone: It was a little bit weird, right, when you went on stage today?

Damiano: Yeah, that was really strange (laughs). They only told us after the performance that the audience was instructed to stay silent for the stream.

Vic: But at least they weren't silent because we were shit (all laughing). We are slowly getting used to playing without a live audience. I mean we are doing this now for more than a year.

RS: What do you think about these new kinds of concerts such as the TikTok livestream today?

Damiano: Well, at the moment it is the only option to perform anyway, so it's alright. But of course you cannot compare this to a proper concert.

Thomas: But it's pretty cool that so many people can experience our concert live.

Vic: Also we're gonna start touring again soon. Right now we are arranging some festival and gigs. In December we will be touring Italy and afterwards we are planning to go on tour through Europe. But we don't have anything fixed yet, there is just a lot going on at the moment.

“A lot going on”. Quite an understatement considering the recent journey Måneskin has made through the past weeks after their ESC win. Their singles “Beggin'” and “I Wanna Be Your Slave” went through the roof (also thanks to Social Media) and are currently dominating the international charts – lately they were also number one in Germany. There is barely a radio station that isn't playing the band on heavy rotation [would love to know what stations they listen to, have never heard Måneskin played in German radio tbh :( ], and everyone opening Instagram or TikTok these days is flooded by Måneskin content. Every second a new fanpage with the name of 'maneskin_obsession' or 'damianos_slut' is springing up like a (virtual) mushroom. It sounds like a cliche, but Damiano, Vic, Thomas and Ethan became international stars over night.

“Of course it's nice to get compliments. But sometimes they definitely cross a line.” – Damiano David

RS: How has your life as a band changed since your win at the ESC in Rotterdam?

Vic: I think we don't even notice a lot of what's happening. Right after the ESC we went to a studio in the countryside where we made music the whole day long. So at first we didn't realise that so many things were happening all around us – and that we had so many new fans. We're just now beginning to learn what's going on. We were at Sony yesterday, there were so many fans waiting for us. That was crazy.

RS: A large part of the attention you are getting now is about your outer appearance, your style, your attractiveness. Is that getting a little too much sometimes?

Damiano: Of course it's nice to get compliments (laughs). But sometimes they definitely cross a line. Especially when we just talk about our music or about a social or political topic that we care about. In those moments it's just completely inappropriate to reduce us to our appearance. Sure – when I'm posting a half-naked picture of myself on Instagram I know that I will get these kind of comments. And then it's totally fine, I mean in the end I'm posting the picture to show myself. But sometimes it's not the right place for it.

RS: And also you should be allowed to wear what you want without being sexualised, right?

Vic: Yes, absolutely. We are wearing these outfits because we feel good in them, not to put the focus on our bodies. And in general it shouldn't always only be about how you dress. We are musicians – so first and foremost it should be about our music. But I think it will still be a long way until we will reach that point.

“That the boys are wearing make up does not tell you what gender they are attracted to. Those things should never be equated with each other.” – Victoria De Angelis

RS: But still you are sending a message with your style against stereotypical gender roles. I guess it's also not only coincidence that we are in the Schwuz today, which is normally a party location and safe space for the LGBTQ community.

Vic: Yes, that is all part of the positive message that we try to send. We want to give our audience the feeling that they are free. Free to wear whatever they want to wear, be how they want to be and love whom they want to love. It's unbelievable that there is still so much intolerance in our times. That has always been really important to us so we try to talk about these topics. We also believe that the narrow-mindedness of society is an educational problem. When you grow up with people all around you telling you how you should be, you will never feel completely free. The more people are talking about it, the sooner things will change.

RS: Some artists who are advocating for these topics are accused of 'queerbaiting', that they are only pretending to be a certain way to gain more support from the queer community. Have you also been faced with those allegations?

Vic: Yes, a few times. But of course we never pretended to be anything. Some people accuse of us queerbaiting because we look and act the way we do. But that's flawed thinking. We don't believe that clothes are connected to a person's sexuality. That the boys are wearing make up does not tell you what gender they are attracted to. Those two things should never be equated with each other.

RS: This courage for free self expression that you are conveying is mainly lived by our (young) generation through Instagram and the like. What is your relationship to social media?

Damiano: For me it was almost scary at first. The more we grew, the more people were trying to twist all of my words. But over time you start to understand that with more fame you also get more criticism. The happier you look the more hate you will get. It's not only like that for celebrities. If you are brave enough to show the things that make you happy there will always be people that support you, but they are also those that envy you. Of course, this should never lead anyone to not express themselves openly but that's easier said than done.

Vic: We are also trying not to spend too much time on social media. In the end we just try to be honest with our fans and to avoid negativity.

[caption under the picture of Damiano: 'Is already being compared to icons such as David Bowie']

It's actually surprising how little power a win at the ESC holds in most cases. Almost 200 million people are watching this shining spectacle every year – and still, a few months afterwards it is hard to remember who those people were that got covered in confetti during the award ceremony. It's the well-known curse of a casting show that rests on the winning bands. When just next year a new sensation will come to marvel at, how much impact does a win have then? There are exceptions of course, like Lena who is until this day, 10 years after her win in Oslo, a part of the more famous music scene of German pop music. With their charisma, their unusual sound at least for our modern standards, and their contemporary message Måneskin could become such an exception, too.

It's likely also helpful that the band already had a standing in the Italian music scene prior to their ESC participation. Their first album 'Il ballo della vita' already achieved platinum in 2018, three years prior to Sanremo and the ESC. And then there is also the long way that led the four schoolmates to this point that helped them gain the necessary persistence. Because contrary to what some people might want to believe Måneskin are not a phenomenon that has just been deliberately bred to be this way by the entertainment industry for Eurovision.

“I have worked [in a 'normal' job] for a whole month in my entire life – it didn't really end well.” – Damiano David

RS: You were all raised in Rome, the capital of the catholic church. What was it like to start as a young progressive band in such a conservative environment?

Damiano: In the beginning, when we started as buskers, no one gave a damn about us anyways (all laughing). But of course … Once we got a bit bigger there were a few people who had a problem with us. For example when we went to Sanremo, there were quite many people who thought that the way we looked and acted we shouldn't be allowed to represent Italy. They didn't even want to listen to our music first.

Vic: Especially when it comes to appearance and sexuality, Italy is a little more backward than other countries. The church probably also has an influence there. They are often quite conservative of course, so many people grew up with such a [conservative] mindset.

RS: You once said that the song 'In Nome Del Padre' is an answer to exactly those people. What does the song mean to you?

Damiano: Back in the beginning [of our career] we had to deal with a lot of problems. They didn't want to let us play in clubs because we would take too much space as a band or because they didn't like our (fashion) style or because they didn't want to pay us. Italy isn't a good place for bands. Our musical style was also criticised a lot. Many people were telling us: Don't do that [rock music], you won't get popular with that in Italy, you will never achieve anything with it. Of course those comments were hurtful but they were also a good reason for us to continue with what we did. And we turned our sadness into anger. With that song we wanted to tell those people from back then: Fuck off and look at us, we did it!

RS: Did you ever consider working in a nine-to-five job and live a 'normal' life?

Damiano: Nah, not really. For one month in my life I worked [in a 'normal' job] – it didn't end well (all laughing).

Vic: We all made music since we were kids. It's a huge part of us, that we couldn't just ignore. And the most important thing is that you do something that makes you happy. At least that's what we believe. So we started from a young age to put all our time and energy into music.

Thomas: Yeah, exactly. Ever since we were in school together we always made music. That has always been our main focus and it is until today. We play and play and play because it is the only thing that …  

Ethan: … we live for.

Damiano: Music has also something very therapeutic for us. Even when we are in a bad mood or fight with each other – yeah, that happens, too – then all of that is gone the moment we enter the stage. Maybe that's the beautiful thing about music – that it allows you to forget everything else. You're just standing on stage, having fun with your friends.

From most bands you wouldn't buy such a corny love letter to music. Mostly it just sounds like an empty phrase, a well-practiced quotable line. But when there is something that defines Måneskin and that becomes more and more evident during our conversation it's their uncompromising honesty. The four of them are definitely not lacking a sense of humour but they take their music very seriously. Which should not be taken for granted in a generation that has mainly produced sarcastic cloud rappers and has made cynical twitter comedy a national sport. And maybe Måneskin are exactly what this generation was lacking all along.

Still, the four musicians, all in the age of 20 to 22, are also prone to the constant need for self-expression, that has become an intrinsic part of today's life. This does not only reflect in the outfits of the band (always 'on fleek') and their Instagram profiles, but also in their lyrics. Their latest record 'Teatra D'Ira – Vol. 1' shows a clear theme: The album is an ode to individuality, accentuated by fast and hard sounds.

Sometimes this message fitting for a Disney movie [really? guess I have been watching the wrong Disney movies my whole life …] is wrapped in a contrasting loud and forceful packaging, but never so much that it becomes inauthentic or self-caricaturing [note: I'm honestly not entirely sure what they wanted to say with this sentence since it uses a lot of rhetorical devices that could be interpreted in different ways, but I'd say this sounds the most plausible]. And in the end, the thing that makes Måneskin so interesting is their unification of the spirit of this time – between TikTok hedonism and an omnipresent political statement – with the music of past generations.

“When you are twenty, you start to think about what the future will hold.” – Damiano David

RS: Your musical style is often described as classical 70s rock, but in fact there are many different influences in your music. Sometimes you groove almost into funk, sometimes it's more rapping than singing. How did this mixture come to be?

Thomas: It's just that we all have our own individual influences and then we meet somewhere in the middle. And we always try to stay open for experiments.

Ethan: Yes, we are very experimental in our song writing process.

Vic: We also don't want to limit ourselves to what is regarded as typical rock music. If rap fits better at some point then we just add that in. It just happens naturally without us thinking too much about it.

RS: So why was it still rock music in the end?

Vic: Because it's the style that we feel most represented by. But actually we just play the music that we enjoy playing. That's really important to us so that we can show something real on stage. We don't want to pretend to be something that we aren't or mock those people that really enjoy our music. You should always be proud of what you're doing and never fake anything just to sell more records.

RS: Is there something like an Italian rock music scene?

Vic: There are quite a lot of bands – but the most of them are much older than us or they are more going in the direction Indie rock. There isn't really a young rock scene, which we think is a pity. But ever since we got more famous people are telling us that they started listening to rock music because of us or that they bought their first guitar and such. That's incredibly nice!

RS: So you're saying that you also want to show this style of music to a younger generation. And you capture this contrast quite well in the song 'Vent'anni', which is a typical rock ballad but lyrically portrays the thoughts of today's youth. Where did the motivation come from to write that song?

Damiano: With the song I wanted to show that I'm just a normal guy, a really typical 20-year-old. I experience the same things that other people in my age are experiencing, I'm just doing another job than them. Also I wanted to describe this age as a whole because I think it's a really special age. At 20 you start to think about what the future will hold. I think it's one of the most important stages of your life. Since we (the four of us) are all in the same age, I then started to mix our experiences together. In the end the song shows what it means to us to be 20. There is a lot of good things – you are quite carefree and are looking at life enthusiastically. But on the other hand you're too young to do certain things and too old to do others. Some people are treating you like a full-grown adult, but …

Vic: … not entirely.

Damiano: Exactly. It can get pretty frustrating at times. We wanted to show our audience: Hey, we're also just 20 years old, and we're going through the same things as you. We understand you.

RS: Except that you are the ones who are becoming a world-wide phenomenon right now. How do you want to maintain this honesty?

Damiano: I think that we could just reach this point because we have always been authentic – for better or for worse. Also we are just trying to have fun with what we're doing together. That's something special that we don't want to lose. In the end we're just four friends who started to live their dream. It's actually pretty simple. Of course – we go on stage, we get a lot of attention, we give interviews – but when we come back home we're just four friends.

[gb-patch]

Ask Answers: July 10th

I really let asks get away from me lately. I was super focused on working on that Patreon Moment. With that done I can finally think about doing other things, so here’s a new collection of answers!

Thank you for sending in questions everyone ^^.

For the new Patreon moment, will you be able to reference it in step 4? Or just like a tiny nod to it if you pick certain choices?

There won’t be. I’m sorry if you were hoping for that! The Patreon moment is meant to be entirely optional, it’s not something that gets you extra content in the main game.

Is the new CG artist the main one now? :0 I’ve noticed theres been a difference in the art style recently. Is the old CG artist still going to make art for the game? :0

The original artist still makes CGs for the game sometimes, but he mainly focuses on character sprites.

Are you going to put the NSFW our life moment on a website other than patreon? I would love to get it but I can't use patreon atm.

I don’t know. I'm afraid we can't release the Patreon Moment on a normal game storefront because we can't mix 18+ content with our family friendly game. If there's some other place similar to Patreon where it's not the normal type of full-scale public content releases we'd consider using that, but I’m not sure if there is another site that’s better than Patreon in that regard. I'm sorry.

Out of curiosity, in all of your games so far, which characters in each were the most fun to write? They obviously don't have to be your favorite characters!

Buffalo Seer in AFA, really everyone in XOD/XOBD is pretty equally entertaining to write, The Guide in LoV, and Cove in OL!

idk if you accept "personal" questions, but is there anything you've been watching/ listening to lately

Mostly, I’ve been watching/listening to Authortube videos as of late! It’s people who talk generally about the process of how books become traditionally published and/or share their own experience as they attempt to be published. I don’t have an interest in writing normal text based books, but it’s really interesting to hear about that world. I’m listening to a video about royalties right now as I answer these asks.

Will one of the desserts we get to pick be fudge? That'd be such a cute reference! 

Haha, yeah, it should. Unless I completely blank on it and forget when trying to include the various referential food options.

I don't know if this has been asked previously but what would be the approximate heights for the presets MC can choose from Step 2 ~ 4? Are there any measurement you had in mind? Sorry if I didn't make myself clear kk I've been struggling with my English lately 💀 

I don’t know, ahah. I didn’t have any numbers in mind for that. So it’s whatever you imagine it is!

I noticed a bug with the Patreon moment when it comes to what your character wears. When Jamie and Cove are kissing while my character only had dresses selected, I had both the option to remove the dress or to remove the shirt... Picking one of the options to interact with Cove, after he removed his shirt, it had Jamie remove their shirt followed by ther pants despite only having dresses picked. 

Thank you for reporting ^^

I keep refreshing steam to see when the new doc for xobd will be released. I noticed you haven't posted anything about it in quite some time. Would it be possible to ask about a timeline/potential date? (If it's even this year—) I know you and your team are probably working super hard, I'm just super curious! ~Thank you!~ 

There are more stories done, I just haven’t gotten around to publicly releasing them. Hopefully I will have a chance to spend the time on that sooner rather than later!

hello!! i’m not sure if it’s an update but i’ve just replayed our life and at the end i can’t propose to cove anymore? :(( i’ve actually tried playing twice but the options are not there anymore, did you guys remove the options? i’m sorry if you’ve answered this before!! thank you and have a good one :) 

I’m afraid things haven’t been changed or removed, so I think you might’ve accidentally picked the wrong things somewhere along the way and locked yourself out of being able to propose by mistake. Sometimes you meant to say you want to get married but instead you mis-click and have it so the MC isn’t thinking about marriage or something. All I can suggest is starting from the beginning of Step 3 and making sure to follow the steps listed in the FAQ. I’m sorry for that.

Did yall remove some of the options for when youre making out with Cove in the charity moment? I could've sworn you could grab his bonkadonk and its not there anymore 

This is the same situation as the above. We didn’t remove things and you’re not wrong that there are sometimes those options. But there are various choices you have to make to get those options and it sounds like you accidentally missed something. If your relationship isn’t long-term, you can’t do it for example.

HI IM SO EXCITED I CAN FINALLY GET THE STEP 3 DLC 

Thank you for getting it!

Is Shiloh super totally straight bc I’m very gay and a huge Shiloh fan, would my man make an exception?😩

Sadly, he is one of our super straight characters. I’m sorry.

Hi, I have a very dumb question. In Step 2 does Cove not wanna share his drink with us at the mall (or rather why he stops drinking it) because it's an indirect kiss? Or is it like ...weird to him to share? Because if I remember right he eats off our spoon in the birthday scene right? 

Yeah, he’s awkward about it because he likes the MC and it feels very personal to share a straw with his crush.

Hi! If you don't mind me asking, who is the artist for OL2? Their style is so pretty! 

Thank you for saying so! This is her Twitter- https://twitter.com/redridingheart

Do Beginnings & Always and Now & Forever exist in the same universe? 

Yep! XOXO Droplets also exists in the same universe. It’s one big GB Patch world, haha.

Do Pran's parents regret the way they raised him? Do they feel ashamed of it?

No. They’re the type of people best cut out because they’re not gonna change. Which is why Pran does go very limited contact when he’s an adult.

Hi! I just wrapped up my second playthrough of Our Life, and I absolutely adore it, but I had a question. I went to the gallery and found I was missing 2 CGS (specifically Step 1-3 and 2-3) and I had no clue where they would've shown up. Which moments are those found in? 

You get it by telling Cove about his dad offering you money to be his friend in Step 1 and Step 2. You can’t get both in one playthrough, since you can only tell Cove the truth once. I’m really glad you liked it!

Hi hi! Please, how tall is Baxter and Derek? Love the game so much and I can't wait to see more! 

I don’t know, aha. I think Baxter was around 5′10 and Derek was like 5′8/5′9, maybe. I really am not one who has specific heights for things in mind.

is adult cove a bottom, top, or switch? 

A switch, though would choose the top if he had to pick.

I was wondering if there is a way to transfer save data? Even if through the game files. I wanted to be able to transfer my save data from my desktop over to my laptop so that I could continue playing right where I left off from but I'm not entirely sure how to go about that. 

If you save the save folder/persistent data of the game from your desktop and put it into the game folder on your other device, that could work.

Hi! Is it possible for us to know the date when our life: now and forever comes out on steam? Sorry if you've mentioned it before but I haven't seen it and I'm looking foward to that happening and just wanted to know :) 

It’s gonna be a long time, I’m afraid. There’s no estimate right now.

I started playing Our Life with my sister a while ago, and I think you guys should know that we discovered your secret. >:)

L from death note and Cove are clearly the same person, and this whole game is just an origin story!!

I’ve never seen that show so I’m sorry to say I don’t understand the connection/reference you’re trying to make. I’m pretty out of the loop when it comes to media. I don’t watch movies or TV.

Will OL2 have options for disabled MCs?

I understand if it's too complicated, just curious

Unfortunately, it’s not really something we have a plan for. We couldn’t finish the game if we tried to include every disability and have it be meaningful. It’d just be too much content to create. But if we decide to only include a few, how would we choose which disabilities get to be represented and which are left out? I don’t know. It’ll probably have to be something we don’t include as an option again, sadly. I’m sorry.

playing our life > anything else 

Haha, I’m glad you’re enjoying it.

Honestly, I would like to thank Our Life for helping me come to terms with my sexuality. Before, I never would've actually thought that it was possible to like boys romantically and still be asexual. Almost all of the BL visual novels I've read had unskippable sexual content in them and it honestly just didn't click with what I feel. I'm glad I found Our Life. I love the game, the developers, and this fandom so much. Now, I can safely come out as homoromantic AND asexual (at least anonymously here anyway; my parents are still huge homophobes 😂). 

Aw, it’s great to hear you felt comfortable being yourself in the game! That’s wonderful. I’m really sorry about your parents, though.

Will the demo for OL2 be on android? Really not sure if I could wait any longer than I have to aha 

Yeah, it’ll be available for Android once we eventually release a demo!

Do all these reveals perhaps mean development is progressing ahead of schedule? Please let that be the case I'm already obsessed with Qiu 

No, sorry, aha. Art comes along much faster than script/programming-work for us. It’s gonna be a long time before the game is a finished thing you can actually play. But at least we can look at the beautiful images.

Hey! First of all I wanna say I reallllllyyyyy loooovvveeee Our Life and XOXO Droplets! I have over 300 hours of playtime on Our Life… Anyways, I was just wondering, are the Derek and Baxter DLCs going to come out at the same time? If not, which one do you plan to release first? :3 

They will come out separately and Derek will be first! Glad you like the game.

I keep replaying Our Life to get every possible iteration and I am loving it <3 I was wondering if Cove gets locked out of his confession because MC was talking to Lee, would it be possible to confess to him in step 4? 

Yeah, you can avoid the confession in Step 3 and then get it in Step 4.

Hi, my Cove wears bracelets through step 2 and 3 but I still don't get an option to give him a bracelet? I didn't even know that was possible until I seen someone else ask about it lol 

Hm, did you use the Cove creator? Maybe there’s a bug where using the creator to add bracelets doesn’t fulfill the requirement to give Cove a bracelet in Step 3.

Wait, I'm dense, when does Baxter appear in step 2? Is it from big park firework? I feel so bad since i really love Baxter and waiting to buy his dlc. 

It’s in the Soiree Moment. You have to be just friends with Cove, indifferent, or crushing but not ask Cove to the dance at all. Then while there you can find someone new to dance with. But if you bring Cove to the dance while crushing, the MC won’t wanna dance with anyone else so you can’t get the scene.

In step 2 when we go to the soiree I made my mc go alone and baxter chooses the mc to dance, i'm curious, why did he pick the mc? sorry if this has been asked before! 

Because the MC looked to be around his age, seemed to also be searching for a partner, and had nice legs. A perfect option for him.

I read some of the FAQs, and I saw that we could tell Baxter about the condo that he rented there was previously the mean old grandparents. how do we get the mc to tell him that? 

It happens in the DLC Moment “Late Shift”. If you don’t have a job you instead get a longer scene with Baxter.

I don’t know if you’ve addressed this or not, but are you planning on paying voice actors for our life: now and forever? 

Yeah, we pay our VAs in all our projects.

hey can i ask how you did the moments thing in ol? im trying to get into making visual novels and while im VERY sure its out of my comfort zone and all that atm i kinda wanna know just for the future, bc im p sure it would work well for something i wanna do :O but its also fine if you cant say for other reasons :> 

I’m afraid I’m not sure what you mean. Are you asking how we programmed the screen or something script related? Adding Moments like that is pretty straightforward, though. You just have buttons that open to different labels and then the scripts are essentially individual short stories/vignettes. Good luck with your VN!

Since Autumn becomes gender fluid later in the game, will there be a character who remains as he/him to romance in game? 

OL1 has the he/him LIs, OL2 is all about other genders.

I don't want to impose on your creative plans, but a parrot could possibly make a good pet in an OL-type game? They're pretty long-lived and likely to still be thriving by the end even if the MC got them back in step 1. 

I do appreciate the suggestion, but I’m afraid it’s not likely going to happen. I understand there are technically some animals that could theoretically live long enough to last the whole game that or we could have the MC only get a pet after some years have already passed. But the many things that would have to be considered/accommodated for makes it just something we probably can’t manage adding. I’m sorry.

As time passes will we be able to see Qiu and Tamarack's other stage arts as well?

They are both so cute i can't wait to be friends with them!

Yeah, we’ll show content from other Steps in the future. It’ll be a little while from now, though.

Can you date Cove and still have your family comfort you in the car?

You can’t get Cove’s Step 3 confession scene if you have the family comfort you in the car. But that’s not the only way to date him. You can get together with him earlier in the game or later on in Step 4.

Is Mc always going to be the one walking down the aisle or could Cove do it? Also could you choose to have one of your moms walk you? 

No. Cove wouldn’t want to walk down the aisle like that and the MC automatically respects that. And the MC also gets to have their preferences respected, so it’s up to you whether they want to do an aisle walk or not. You also can pick who, if anyone, walks with you.

Once step 4 is out, will you be able to go the whole game on crush/love without either of you confessing? 

Yes, as long as you tell the game you don’t want to progress the relationship. Even in Step 4 it won’t force you to officially get together.

Howdy, so in Step 4, there will be any Romance with Derek that is not part of any dlc? 

He’s only a friend unless you get his romance story.

Will the step 4 in OL2 be one big step or are you considering moments? 

Step 4 is just an epilogue in both games.

hi kind of a weird question but!! we know tht cliff doesn't start dating again but. wht abt flings? like does he ever do 1 night stands or anything? thank u!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Nope. Cliff has a very small interest in sex. If he’s not in a real relationship with a partner he’s crazy about it simply isn’t something he feels a need for, so one night stands wouldn’t even cross his mind.

sorry if you've already answered this, but i was wondering if there were plans for there to be bonus love interests in OL2 like how we have derek and baxter in OL1.

Maybe! There are side characters who could be given romance stories, but whether or not it will happen depends on funding and how long everything else takes to finish.

I don't know if i'm allowed to ask about ol2 here yet, if not u can ignore this or answer it later. My question is can you date one of them and be good friends with the other? I don't want to be strangers with the other bcs i love them both a lot :<

Yes you can!

what patreon level do i have to be to unlock the nsfw moment? im on the $5 one right now, will that give me access to the moment, or just access to the moment progress? 

That’ll give you access! Tier 2 and anything higher allows the player to download it.