#uh i was testing out rendering me thinks

[scarameownya]

hewwo

[luveline]

HI MLLLL! I absolutely loved your fainting fic with James! Can you write like a part a part 2 or like a follow up where reader starts realizing that James isn’t as bad as she thought and she falls for him as he takes care of her bc he’s really worried? I love them sm 🥹

James takes care of you when you faint

James is acting weirder than usual… sort of… nice? fem, 1.2k

The days after you faint are just as hot, but you come into work. You can’t afford to miss it, and it’s not as though you’ll make the same mistake twice. 

The memory of what happened is hazy at the start. James had just opened the window, the breeze that filtered in cooling your hot skin. You’d felt sick, you’d tried to stand, and your head had gone blank. 

You woke with your face in James’ hand. You can remember it if you think about it enough, his head tilted down toward you, the sunshine on his skin, his soft smile. He’d felt like a different person. 

You’d felt different. 

“Can you send me that information from the lab, please?” 

You glance away from your computer, eyes tired. “Sorry?” 

“For the, uh, Mr. Nguyen?” James asks. “You didn’t send them to me. I can’t do them if you don’t send them.” 

“Right.” You blink away the phantom of his hand on your cheek. “Okay.” 

“Are you feeling alright?” 

That’s all he asks. Every day since you passed out, at various times and in various ways. Are you okay? Are you alright? Is it too hot in here? Do you want to swap desks with me? That last one had been a little patronising. You’d told him to leave you alone. Your desk is right next to the radiator in winter, it’s prime real estate, and you’re not giving it up just because you got a bit hot. 

“I’m fine,” you murmur, turning back to your computer to open outlook. “Just thinking.” 

“About what?” 

“About you not talking to me.” 

“Funny.” 

You drag and drop the paperwork for the tests he’d wanted. It’s easy to render an invoice but you hate doing it because it involves a lot of talking back and forth with clients. James, on the other hand, loves to talk. 

“There, sent it,” you say.

“Thank you.” 

Awkward. You pretend to be busier than you are for a few minutes, stealing company time without remorse. James types up an email beside you, the click of his keys quick and loud in your ears. 

Remus pops a pen lid across the way, scribbling onto a post it note that he sticks on his monitor. You know what time it is from the sounds alone. A half a minute later, Sirius slinks up from the front of the office to wrap his arm around Remus’ shoulders, sing-songing, “You’re coming with me, handsome.” 

“Are you coming?” Remus asks James. 

There’s a lapse of quiet. You stare at your computer, aware of a silent conversation, but not privy to its content. “I think I’ll stay,” James says eventually. 

“Okie dokie. Y/N, do you want to come, lovely?” Remus asks. “It’s not too hot.” 

“I’m fine,” you say, “thanks. Thank you.” 

You don’t feel like yourself since you fainted. You’d hoped it would go away once you had a better night’s sleep, flooded your system with cold water and good food, but you can’t kick it. You have no energy, no want to do more than turn up for work and go home again, and you know what it is that’s making you feel this way, but you can’t admit it to yourself. It crops up in your mind unbidden and you push it back down. 

“Sirius never used to act like that.” 

“What?” 

“Sirius. He was never like that when we were growing up. Love makes him pathetic.” 

Love is a tender touch. Sirius had laid his arm over Remus’ shoulder without any hug or kiss, but it was as loving as either. To touch someone like they need a kind hand. 

Like James had held your face. His arm behind your back as he led you to the break room. 

“Do you wanna come with me?” James asks. 

You hold in a second confused, What? He’s standing now, you hadn’t noticed him moving, his water bottle in hand as he pushes his chair back under the desk. 

“Don’t wanna leave you here and have you smash your head in when there’s no one around. Imagine the clean up.” 

You get up on impulse. You grab your drink, and the back of your chair, and you stand there wondering if you’re about to be dizzy again. Your chest feels tight, but that weight of unconsciousness doesn’t come. 

“Hey,” James says. “Seriously, are you okay? You’re not like you today.” 

There’s a softness in his voice you can’t believe. “Can I eat lunch with you?” 

You wish that you said it to avoid the question. James wrinkles his nose, your heart drops into the pit of your stomach, but then he says, “I just invited you first.” 

“I… have to get my stuff from the fridge.”

“Me too.”

You walk slowly, worried it’s a joke, another stupid joke, but James comes up behind you and his hand graces your shoulder with the barest pressure. You can smell something sweet and warm on him, like jojoba oil. Maybe argan. “Sure you’re okay? You look peaky. Is it the heat?” he murmurs.

“It’s supposed to rain tonight.” 

“You can’t answer anything, can you?” James laughs with a vocal fry that goes straight to your chest. “I could ask you how many fingers you’d have and you’d tell me you have two hands.” 

James walks with you to the kitchen, where you gather your food and warm it in the microwave. He leads you to the break room, and makes sure to choose a table with enough space for you, even while people he’s friendly with beckon him forward. They look at you with unashamed curiosity, but James pretends not to notice so you do too. 

You’re expecting a joke. Aw, look, we’re finally on a date. Or Wow, you know how to use a spoon, I had no idea you were so dexterous. 

“Did you see they’re making a new movie about those aliens? The ones who can hear you everywhere you go?” 

You squeeze your spoon. “Uh, no, I didn’t see it.” 

“It looks awesome. I’ll show you the trailer on my computer after lunch, it looks just as good as the first two. That actress, the one with the really nice eyes is in it.” 

You have no idea who he means. James talks to you like a friend. He offers you some of his papris and he passes you a napkin from his pocket when you get food on your hands. James Potter might actually be a really nice guy. All it took was for you to garner his pity for him to show it. How pathetic you must seem to need it. 

“How do you feel now?” he asks as you clip the lid back onto your Tupperware. “You look better. Do you feel better?” 

“I’m fine, James.” 

“You frown so much I can’t tell.” He butts his knee against yours. “Alright, batten the hatches, I’m gonna carry you back to your desk.” 

“Why?” you ask in a rush. 

“Can’t fall if you don’t walk.” 

“James, don’t try it. I’m serious.” 

“You don’t sound serious. You sound like you want me to carry you.” 

“I’ll report you to Human Resources.” 

“For what? Being helpful?” 

“Harassment.” 

“Fine, but I’m not gonna catch you this time.” 

[morlock-holmes]

Okay, guys, after reading a post by @centrally-unplanned I just took that ACX "AI Turing Test" that Scott Alexander did, and I am screaming, as the kids used to say.

You guys are way, way overthinking this.

I thought I would do better than average, and I guess I did; excluding three pictures I had seen before, I got 31/46 correct.

Not great if you're taking the SAT, but I feel like if I could call a roulette spin correctly 2 times out of 3 I could clean up in Vegas.

So, what is the secret of my amazing, D+ performance?

You have to look at the use of color and composition as tools to draw the eye to points of interest.

AI is really bad at this, when left to its own devices.

For example, here:

Part of the reason to suspect that this is AI is the "AI house style" and the bad hands that I literally only noticed right this exact second as I was typing this sentence. Even if the hands were rendered correctly, I would still clock this as AI.

The focal point of this piece ought to be the face of the woman and the little dragon she is looking at (Just noticed the dragon's wings don't match up either), but take off your glasses or squint at this for a second:

Your eye is being drawn by the bright gold sparkles on the lower right side of the piece. That particular bright gold is only in that spot on the image, but there's no reason to look there, it's just an upper arm and an elbow. The bright light source highlighting the woman's horn separates it out as a point of interest.

Meanwhile, the weird aurora streaming out of the woman's face on the left side means that it is blending in with the background.

In other words, the way the image is composed, and the subject matter suggest that your eye should be drawn here:

But the use of color suggests that you should look here:

That's a senseless place to draw the eye towards! It would be a really weird mistake for a human to make! In fact, I think there's a strong argument that the really close cropped picture of the face of the character is a strong improvement. It's still not a particularly good composition, but at least the color contrast now draws the eye to the proper points.

In fact, I would say that a good reason for my performance not being even better was this alarming statement at the start of the test:

I've tried to crop some pictures of both types into unusual shapes, so it won't be as easy as "everything that's in DALL-E's default aspect ratio is AI".

Uh...

So how about this one:

This is a lot better anatomically and in terms of the use of color and light to draw the eye towards sensible parts of the painting. The lighting makes pretty good sense in terms of coming from a particular direction and it also draws the eye to effectively to the face and the outstretched hand of the figure.

It's also a really flat and meaningless composition and subject matter that no renaissance artist would have chosen. What is this angel doing, exactly? Our eye is drawn to the face and hand, and the figure is looking off towards the left side, at, uh, what exactly?

But then I thought, "Well, maybe Scott chopped out a giant chunk of the picture, and this is just a detail from, like, the lower right eighth of some giant painting with three other figures that makes total sense"

This makes sense as a piece of a larger human made artwork, but if you tell me, "Nope, that's the whole thing and this is the original, un-cropped picture" I'd go, "Oh, AI, obviously.

All of the ones I had trouble with were AI art with good composition and use of color, and human ones with bad composition and use of color. For example, this one:

This has three solid points of interest arranged in an interesting relationship with different colors to block them out. I'd say the biggest tells are that the astronauts' feet are out of frame, which is a weird choice, and looking closely now, the landscape and smoke immediately to the right of the ship don't really make sense.

But again; I had to think, "Maybe Scott just cropped it weird and they had feet in the original picture."

Here's another problem:

StableDiffusion being bad at composition is such a known problem that there are a variety of tools which a person can use to manually block out the composition. In fact, let me try something.

I popped open Krita (Which now has a StableDiffusion plugin) and after literally dozens of generations and a couple of different models I landed on ZavyChromaXL with the following prompt:

concept art of two astronauts walking towards a spaceship on an alien planet, with a giant moon in th background, artstation, classic scifi, book cover

And this was the best I could do:

Not great, but Krita has a tool that lets you break an image into regions which each have different prompts, so I quickly blocked something out:

Each of those color blobs has a different part of the prompt, so the green region has "futuristic astronauts" the blue is the spaceship, the orange is the moon, grey is the ground and pink is the sky, which gives us:

Still way too much, so we can use Krita's adaptive patch tool and AI object removal to get:

I'm not saying it's high art, or even any good, but it's better than the stuff I was getting from a pure prompt, because a human did the composition.

But it's still so dominated by AI processes that it's fair to call it "AI Art".

Which makes me wonder how many of the AI pictures I called out as human made because one of the traits I was looking for, good composition, was in fact, actually made by a human.

[blackleatherjacketz]

If you are taking reqs for fics, you should totally do one where reader is sore from training or something else(😏) and Miguel offers to massage readers legs, in which turns into him eating reader out!

Miguel O'Hara x Female Reader

Summary: Miguel insists on helping you stretch out your hamstrings.

Warnings: 18+ Only!, Explicit Smut, Mature Content, Mutual Pining, Sassy Miguel, Persuasion, Power Dynamics, Dom Miguel, Touch-Starved Reader, Avoidant Reader, Thigh Stretching, Thigh Riding, Thigh Kissing, Vaginal Fingering, Cunnilingus, Miguel Using His Nose *Creatively*

Word Count: 1.7k

Notes: I hope you like this, Nonny! It got a way from me a bit:)

Read my other MIGUEL stories!

“You’re doing it wrong.” His voice is slick like oil as it spreads through the air and into your ears, coating you in its deliciously dark warmth as he approaches you from behind.

“Oh really?” You keep your palms pressed against the wall as that warmth intensifies, stretching the muscles in your calf as you feel the heat from his breath reach the back of your neck. “How so?”

“You’ve been groaning every time you stand up from your chair.” The weight of the mat beneath your feet shifts and bends with each step he takes toward you until he stops just a few inches short, inhaling a little longer than normal before speaking again. “That stretch isn’t going to help your hamstrings any.”

“No?” You keep your back to him, switching legs before continuing your usual stretches to ease your well-earned muscle pain. “Maybe my calves hurt, did you ever think about that?”

“I can help with those, too.” That dark, inky tambre oozes itself around your body, dripping down your torso and into your core as his words blow a few strands of hair away from your shoulder.

It’s only a matter of seconds now before he touches you, before that black abyss takes you under completely; rendering you helpless against his charm that you’ve been trying to ignore these past few weeks. Those innocent looks he stole from you across the room had quickly morphed into longing gazes that kept you up at night, spurning a fire inside that could only be stoked by one thing. You wonder if being submerged in this desire with him is something that could put this flame out for good; or if succumbing to your primal urges would only ignite this chemical reaction into a combustion impossible to recover from.

“By mansplaining my own stretches to me?” You bring yourself out of your own head and lean further into the wall, extending your muscle in a slow, aching release as he stands still behind you.

“I’m not…” he trails off, backing away only slightly. “I’m not mansplaining.”

“Really?” You finally turn to face him and notice that instead of his usual red and blue suit, he’s wearing shorts and a tank top to match your own. A fresh stain of sweat dampens the worn down collar that stretches across his muscular chest, testing your resolve even further as you try to keep your cool with a casual wink. “What would you call it then, huh?”

You turn to walk away from him, stopping only as he instinctively grabs hold of your arm in a quick attempt to keep you near. He steals another glance, stalling your departure with a gentle tug back in his direction, only this one lasts a little longer than those before it. This one allows you to see the varying colors of red, brown and black in his eyes as they carefully study your face, matching the color of that dark, salacious fluid that reaches the very tips of your toes and glues your feet to the ground.

Uh oh.

Now you’re sinking.

“You’re touching me,” you point out, glancing down at his hand before looking back up at his gorgeous face.

“Do you want me to stop?” The boldness of his question forces you to inhale as his fingers encircle your wrist, his calloused fingertips sending a rush of warmth up your arm as they gently pull you in even closer.

Well, do you?

“No,” you whisper, barely able to recognize your own voice as the word allows him to trace his way up your forearm. “No, I don’t,” you clarify.

“Then what do you want?” He asks again, his voice dropping an octave as it vibrates in his chest.

You shiver in silence as his thumb nestles into the crook of your arm, grazing back and forth over its delicate skin like a pendulum, raising the tiny hairs on your skin as he awaits your answer. His lips are closer than they’d ever been before, full and parted as you allow him to alter your center of gravity with another gentle pull. You’re close enough now to smell his sweat as it mixes in with the sandalwood of his cologne, that intoxicating concoction making it that much harder for you to resist sinking down any further.

“I want you to touch me.” You finally give in, figuring you have nothing left to lose with his breath now hot on your cheek. “I want you to keep touching me.”

“Good,” he smirks as if that’s all he’s been waiting for, nodding his head toward the space behind you. “Now get on the mat, flat on your back.”

Like one of his new recruits you follow his orders blindly, surrendering to this inevitable seduction as you cautiously lay down at his feet.

“Now, I know you’re allergic to accepting help from anyone else, but you’re holding back when you stretch, you know that?” He wastes no time in taking your foot into his hand before pushing your leg up toward you, straightening it out just enough to make you wince. “That’s why you’re still groaning every time you stand up.”

“Yeah, maybe you’re right,” you laugh, trying to ignore his pelvis as it presses against you, stretching your inner thigh out even more than you were capable of doing by yourself. You groan again as he pushes your body to its limit, his palm snug against your calf as he extends it up to the level of your head, pinning your opposite thigh in place with his hip. You hiss as a sharp pain quickly follows, shooting its way up the synapses of your largest muscle as he continues to splay you apart.

“Miguel,” you stifle a whimper as he grins, a glint of his fangs showing as that pain burns its way through the rest of that muscle group.

“Oh, it’s gonna hurt before it feels better, mami,” he goads, stretching you out even further as his pelvis grinds against yours, the evidence of his arousal more than damning.

“I know, I just…” You pause as the expression on his chiseled features changes from playful to knowing, his endlessly dark eyes glancing down at your junction before looking back up at your face.

“You’re soaking wet.” He keeps his hand on your leg while snaking the other between you two, testing the polyester layer of your shorts for the moisture that you both know is there.

Words fail as your jaw falls open in disbelief, that smug look on his face interrupted only by a strand of hair falling in front of his eyes as he touches you.

“I know you’ve been trying to hide it for as long as you can, mami.” He rubs your swollen lips up and down over the cloth, forcing that all encompassing heat to burn like molten hot lava deep inside your core. “But I can smell it on you the second you walk into a room; the change in your hormones, the sweetness of your sweat, and even this.”

You moan pathetically as he pulls your shorts to the side, sliding his fingers beneath them to collect your juices and spread them up and down your length. “No panties either, huh? Turns out I was right about you.”

“Jesus, Miguel,” you plead, grasping onto his forearm just to make sure that he stays close enough to keep kindling your flame.

“Your body’s never gonna lie to me about what it wants.” He leans down and pushes his fingers inside of you, grinning against your ear as you nod helplessly in agreement. “No matter how hard you fucking try.”

He presses his thumb against your clit while kissing his way down your neck, shoulder and knee as he continues to hold your leg in its prolonged stretch. His hungry lips leave a delicious trail down the bottom of your thigh that grows more sensitive as he thrusts his fingers in and out of your burning desire with such delicate ease only he could bring forth.

“There’s no way you’re gonna relax enough for this stretch to work,” he teases. “Not like this, anyways.”

He kisses the skin around your hips, releasing his grip on your leg just enough to let it fall onto his shoulder as he lowers himself down your body. “Now, if only there was a way I could get you to relax...” He looks up at you with nearly blackened eyes, reminding you of that onyx slick as it mixes with the sparks and embers his fingers send into your core before he licks a stripe up your dripping wet center.

Without another word, he parts your folds with his nose before tasting your inner layer, savoring the mere taste of your scent as he rubs his face all over it like a warrior with his paint. He allows himself to get lost in your unique flavor, marking himself with your sex as he all but forgets to hold onto your thigh as his tongue traces over every inch of your lower lips. His mouth encompasses you entirely as his fingers continue to work inside you, pumping spark after spark of pleasure up into the molten core of your body before drenching your swollen bud in his sensual spit.

You find yourself running your fingers through his auburn locks as he takes your clit between his teeth, licking and sucking on it with eyes fixated only on you as your hips rock in tandem with the rhythm of his wrist. His fingers pound deep inside you as he hums against your bud, brushing against that bundle of nerves until that flame inside you finally bursts into an eruption of ecstasy you’d never even thought possible. Every nerve in your body ignites in a series of blissful explosions, catching fire the more he devours your raw flesh until you’re crying out and violently shaking beneath him, completely combusted.

That pain in your thigh seems to disappear entirely as a healing wave of warmth coats your skin and muscles, vibrating in your bones as he moans his approval into your well spent sex with one last lick.

“I think that oughta do it.”

[samuelmorgan3d]

Update:

-I've added over 15 new conversations with Mabel, Wendy, Pacifica, Soos, McGucket, Robby and many others.

-I added some sprites in the form of gifs to add a little more movement.

-I've added more animals and monsters that move either during the day or at night.

-I was able to improve the FPS quite a bit

Here is an example of a new dialogue with McGucket:

McGucket: (running around wildly, arms flailing, screaming) Aaaaahhh! Dipper! Dipper! Everything behind me—it is gone! It is just—poof!—vanished into thin air! I cannot see it, so it must not exist anymore!

Dipper: (rushing over, concerned) Whoa, whoa, calm down, McGucket! What do you mean everything is gone? What are you talking about?

McGucket: (eyes wide with panic, grabbing Dipper by the shoulders) Dipper! Do you not see? Only what I am looking at exists! If I turn away from something, it just disappears! whispers What if everything behind us is just… gone forever?

Dipper: (trying to stay calm, but confused) McGucket, that is not how the world works. Just because you are not looking at something does not mean it stops existing. It is still there, trust me!

McGucket: (freaking out even more, spinning around in circles) How do you know?! Have you ever seen behind you without looking?! I turn my head, and—bam!—nothing! It is all an illusion! We are living in a giant lie, Dipper!

Dipper: (facepalming, trying to reason with him) McGucket, listen, everything is still there. It is like… uh, a tree in the forest. Just because you are not looking at it does not mean it falls down, right?

McGucket: (clutching his head, eyes darting everywhere) But what if the tree does fall, Dipper?! What if it is all just disappearing, piece by piece, whenever I am not looking? What if I am the only thing that is real, and everything else is just… rendered when I look at it?!

Dipper: (pausing, narrowing his eyes suspiciously) McGucket… are you trying to say that you think reality is, like, a video game? That it only “loads” what we can see?

McGucket: (nodding frantically, pulling at his hair) Exactly! It is all a trick! The universe is saving processing power by not rendering anything behind us! We are trapped in some kind of simulation, Dipper! A big, glitchy simulation!

Dipper: (half-joking, half-worried) Okay… even for Gravity Falls, that sounds pretty out there. But if that were true, we would have bigger problems than just what is behind us, right?

McGucket: (looking horrified, whispering dramatically) You are right, Dipper… What if I stop existing when you are not looking at me?!

Dipper: (sighing, shaking his head) McGucket, you are always here… even when I am not looking. I promise.

McGucket: (nervous, but slightly calmer) You think so? You really think the universe is not just cutting corners and making us all disappear when we are out of sight?

Dipper: (grinning reassuringly) Yeah, I think so. Pretty sure you would still exist even if I turned around… though I would rather not test that theory right now.

[skyward-floored]

I understand if you don’t wanna spoil this but you could do something with Swamp link and that One character

Or you could do when the Farore cult capture him?

I almost had the One character show up but it didn't quite work out... maybe next time... she'll get her moment... Anyway, Swamp Link gets yoinked and wishes he was somewhere else (small blood/injury warning)

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

Link woke up with no idea where he was.

A groan escaped him without his permission as he slowly woke up, his head throbbing in what felt like the inside of his brain. It took him a minute to realize that he was actually sitting up and not lying down, rather uncomfortable in the position he was in, and Link cracked his eyes open, trying to figure out where he was and what on earth had happened.

His hair was falling half in his face, but he could make out a dim room through it, lit faintly from a torch with oddly green flames. Link squinted, taking in the stone walls and the floor with patterns laid in intricate mosaic shapes, then attempted to stand up, the pounding in his head now at a manageable level.

Something stopped him though, something tight that wrapped around his waist and pinned his arms at his sides, and Link scowled at the ropes he found were keeping him from moving. It seemed that he’d been rendered unconscious and tied to a pillar, and left in an unfamiliar room.

So he’d been captured then. Okay.

...That still didn’t answer the question of where he was.

Link blew a bit of his hair from his face, and tried to think back to what he’d been doing before now. He’d just been traveling, hadn’t he? Headed towards that next temple thing he was searching for. And there had been that lady with the sprained ankle by the road, and he’d helped her stand up, and...

Nothing.

Link scowled again, and began to wriggle in his bonds, trying to figure out if his hunting knife was still at his hip. He could tell his sword was gone, but if his knife was still there, and he could reach it, these ropes would be history.

After a bit more wiggling, Link discovered to his dismay that his knife had indeed been taken from him, as had his pouch and other effects.

And the ropes were even too low for him to bite.

Link grumbled to himself, then stilled as he heard footsteps clicking on the stone. Someone was coming. Hopefully nothing that wanted to eat him.

Three women suddenly appeared in the doorway, Link briefly relieved that they weren’t monsters at least. They were all dressed in green flowing robes that Link was sure got in the way of things, and the two at the sides had hoods over their heads. Even with the hoods though, he still recognized one of them.

“I see your ankle’s all better,” he said as they stopped in front of him, and the woman he'd helped earlier blushed as he stared at her. “Looks like quite the miraculous recovery, you must be so grateful.”

“Silence,” the one in the middle without the hood spoke, who despite her wrinkles and aged voice looked rather intimidating. “We’ve come to test you.”

Link snorted. “You’re already testing me. You know you can’t just kidnap people, right?” he shot back. “And in case you haven’t noticed, things are getting kind of bad and I’m trying to fix them, so it’d be really great if you could just untie me and—”

“That’s not going to happen,” the old woman interrupted. “We’ve been looking for you for a long time, Link.”

Link narrowed his eyes at her, and began to work at the ropes by his wrists. “How do you know my name.”

“What else could it be? I almost couldn’t believe it, especially after some of the things I’ve heard about you. But now that I see you with my own eyes... you must be him,” she said with an eager smile, the green light catching on her eyes.

Link paused in his attempts to untie himself, and cocked his head. “Uh. Him who?”

The old woman stepped closer, the other two staying where they were, and her eyes darted across his form. Link for once was rather glad he was actually wearing a shirt with the way she looked at him.

“The Hero,” she finally answered, a strange light in her eyes. “Farore’s champion, upon who she bestows her courage. Courage she has left for us.”

She suddenly drew a knife, and Link felt a flicker of panic.

“Okay, whoa whoa whoa I’m no hero!” Link yelped, trying to back away from the old woman. “I have no clue what you’re talking about, I’m just— I’m just a guy!”

“Yes, a ‘guy’ with all of the elements of the Hero,” the woman said, taking his face in her gnarled hands. Her fingernails stung where they pressed against his skin. “We’ve waited many years for your return.”

Link looked at her in disbelief. He did actually know a fair bit about the hero and all that, but how had they even clocked him as a candidate so fast? He still wasn’t sure he was the hero. “Yeah, that’s crazy. I’m not this hero you’re looking for.”

The woman gave him a flat look. “Your name is Link, is it not?”

“So? Everybody names their kids Link! I have a cousin named Link! It doesn’t mean anything!” he protested.

"On the contrary," the woman said with a smile, one that made Link's stomach twist. "It means everything."

She snapped her fingers, and the two other women came forward, brushing Link’s hair from his face and holding his head in place when he tried to resist. They were surprisingly strong, and Link couldn’t do anything as the old woman turned his head to the side, raising her knife. Before he could do anything to stop her, she sliced a thin line across his cheek.

Link hissed in pain as blood began trickling down his face, and the old woman ran her thumb along the mark, his cheek stinging at the touch. She pulled her hand back, finger stained with blood, and she admired the red with an almost thrilled expression.

“We’ll have to confirm your identity, just to be certain,” she said softly, meeting his eyes again. She rubbed his blood between two of her fingers. “But once we’ve done that... your courage will be ours.”

Link bared his teeth. “Just try and take it.”

The woman chuckled, then pressed a embroidered cloth against his cheek, staunching the bleeding and staining the designs with red.

“Ah, youth. Come girls, we’re done here for now,” she said as she wiped her fingers on the cloth. “We shall see if his courage rings true, then proceed from there.”

She looked back at Link, then smiled.

“You may as well get used to this, Link. Regardless if you're our Hero, this is going to be your home for a long time.”

Then she and her minions left the room, and Link was alone, green light shimmering off the blood staining his cheek.

He stared after them for a moment, his heart thudding annoyingly fast, and he exhaled, resting his head back against the pillar.

“I really wish I had my knife," he mumbled.

[far-from-official]

Happy Valentines Day!

Transcript:

"Isn't it beautiful out here?"

Scarab had dragged Prismo outside, far away from home. Many storage cubes full of different sampling equipment sat bunched in Prismo's floating blanket, test tubes and containers, stuff Prismo can't identify by just looking at it sat in those cubes.

"'Suppose so."

Prismo sounded a little bored, but he's seen quite a few of these fields in his very long lifetime. Seen one, you've seen them all. A huge, sprawling flower field. Prismo can't identify a single flower here, even if he tried. Which, to be fair, he won't try. The field was colorful, blindingly so. Yellows, reds, blues, golds. Blobs of every shade of green, sprouting out tall where the flowers hadn't invaded. It reached farther than Prismo's eyesight could render.

Scarab dragged him by the (covered) hand out into it. He mumbles different scientific proposals, things he wants to show to the rest of Wizard City.

Nerd stuff.

Prismo only hears the excited tone of his voice and focuses on that. He quickly fell in more toward Scarab's behavior than what he's actually talking about, finding all the little things he recognizes. Prismo leans on the blanket ball, nodding along like he's listening.

Scarab talks with his hands. Scarab trills and clicks. Scarab watches the ground so he doesn't step on too many flowers at a time.

Prismo gets so distracted that he hadn't realized that Scarab had dropped Prismo's hand, instead actively trying to tug the blanket out from under Prismo.

Prismo lets go of the blanket immediately, stammering out a small excuse.

"You spaced out, didn't you?" Scarab trilled, cutting through his needless excuse. He gently takes the blanket from him, and he spreads it out on the ground.

"Uh, yeah. Sorry." Prismo plays with his turban in his own habit, a nervous tic. Scarab moves each cube to be stacked up all nice and neat, taking out what he needs.

Prismo went to his side immediately, curling into him. His turban was pressed into his back with his legs slung over Scarab's hips, his hands occupying themselves by playing with Scarab's jutting spikes around his chest.

Scarab collected samples despite his limited range of movement, gentle with each flower as he plucked out their pedals and cut stems.

Prismo was instructed to hold things occasionally, pick flowers, go get dirt from the side of that hill over there. He carried them out without much thought, too distracted by watching Scarab at work.

He sat cross legged, stuffing flower petals in some book to dry. Gentle as he turns bleeding stems upside down over a vial and then corking it closed. He whips around excitedly to Prismo, showing him the vial.

"I've never seen this before, look!" He got up with a few creaks and pops in his knees and hips, walking quickly to Prismo despite the clicks coming from his knees. To Prismo, it looked like strawberry jam, as it was bright red with chunks of what looks like seeds. He was far more concerned with Scarab's joints popping like they did.

Scarab was rattling off all of his observations, how the liquid was thick and he thought it was because it was a carnivorous plant, evidenced by the dead flies in the bottom of the plant. Prismo nodded while leading him back over to the blanket, his hand wrapped around Scarab's waist. He knew that Scarab would start hurting soon, based on the sounds of protest his legs were making.

Scarab knew it too, little etches of pain seeping into his voice as he rambled. He walked to the blanket and that's as far as he made it, unable to lower himself down.

When Scarab was in pain, it made bending his knees extremely painful, but standing up straight hurt worse. Prismo looked so concerned, petting his waist in circles, nosing into his neck.

"Y-You can help by lowering me down, Prismo." Scarab knew what he was thinking, holding the backside of the clothed hand on his waist.

"Tell me if I hurt you." Prismo braced himself on Scarab's back, holding him firmly. Slowly, carefully, lovingly, Prismo lowered Scarab to the ground, adjusting the position or moved faster based on Scarab's groans and clicks. The flowers folded underneath Scarab, snapping with loud cracks, bleeding stems soaking the blanket.

Prismo moved out from under him, receiving an upset trill. "What's wrong?" He cupped his mask and Scarab pressed hard into it. "Can you..put your knee under my back and your arm under my head?" He quietly requested, reaching up and holding the hand on his mask.

Prismo whispered delicate affirmations, doing as Scarab said. A mellow chitter left him in pleasure, his pain relieved just a little bit. Prismo thumbed his chest, nosing back into his neck. A mumbled "thank you" left Scarab, who sighed with relief when Prismo's hand shifted to caress Scarab's sore knees.

"I'm sorry our outing was cut short���I didn't mean to get up that quickly." He whispered, shifting his hands to rest over his stomach.

"Mmm..we're still out, aren't we?" Prismo grinned, huffing a giggle against Scarab's cold chitin. "Don't apologize. You were excited, it was cute."

"Ah. Don't call me cute.." Scarab turned his head away, Prismo knows he's not upset. Under his mask, he was sure he was burning up.

"Hush. I like calling you it." He said. "I call it like I see it."

Though, Scarab chattered in pain when Prismo shifted to hold him closer, Prismo frowning and shushing him. "I-I'm sorry–"

Prismo shushed him louder. "Don't apologize. I know you can't help it, and I don't mind holding you through it."

"You don't have to, though."

"I want to. Gives me an excuse to cuddle."

"Like you need an excuse.”

[crimsonultra]

It's real. It's happening.

So. Springtrap in Dead by Daylight. After years of hype, speculation, backlash, and one incident that raised hell, he's finally coming to the game, and became playable in the Dead by Daylight Public Test Branch.

And you know what? I have...

Some Thoughts.

The Party Begins Now.

Let's start with the star of the show, Springtrap.

I'm genuinely surprised at how fun he is.

The anniversary reveal stream really didn't sell me on him, especially once I heard the words "fire axe" mentioned. Though, it didn't help that I could barely hear anything anyway, and only ended up hearing every other sentence. I thought he was gonna be pretty boring once I got into the game/heard about how he worked from my friends. And then I had my first round against him.

And I realized "Oh shit, this is awesome."

The fireaxe isn't just a reskinned hatchet, it embeds itself into you and you have to take it out in order to heal yourself. And if he catches up, he won't just stab you-- he'll grab the axe and instantly pick you up, with a lovely little roar. When that axe first hit, it genuinely made me freak out and I absolutely loved it. But what happens if you suck ass overshot it a little bit? Well, then it embeds into the ground and leaves you liable to any sort of effects the add-ons give the axe. Haste, hindrance, oblivious, you can even make it expand over time at the cost of losing it's effect by half. He can also call it back to himself and is so much more heavy than any other projectile in the game as far as I can tell. I'm shocked they made this burnt stick work so well.

But that's not all...

There's also these doors! Oh boy So, these doors were clearly related to his power, they look out of place even in those screenshots and have a camera on top of them. And they do what you expect, they allow you to watch him on the cameras and reveal his aura to the rest of team. They run on a universal battery. Alright, makes sense. And you can also walk through them. Oh, okay, so they serve as a way to go across the map with a cute little cutscene every time you use them. Then Springtrap appears from one of the doors as you go in. Uh oh Yeah, both sides can use the doors, and if you use them at the same time as Springtrap does, you get jumpscared and taken back out to be hooked. I love this. Such a clever way to translate the office/camera gameplay to a game like DbD, and the craziest thing?

It's fun on both sides.

So after I died horribly against Springtrap, I decided to be Springtrap. (After like a 20-30 minute queue. Surprise, everyone wants to be possibly the most requested license in DbD history.)

And even though I got one kill, I loved every second of it.

Chasing people around the map, throwing axes into their shoulders, and catching people on cameras and the office, I'm still shocked by how fun it was.

But now, onto the next part of Springtrap.

The walking iron maiden himself.

I'm Going To Enjoy This.

Similar to the gameplay, when we got our first look at Springtrap's model, I wasn't impressed. The renders didn't endear him to me like the artwork did, it made him look a lot more bland than he looks in-game. I think the lack of torso detail and the lighting in them mainly makes him look too clean. In-game, where the lighting is able to do it's work, he looks fantastic and pretty much exactly how he looked in FNaF3.

Now, as for his animations and voice? Perfect. There are some issues with the animations, but those mainly are stuff like survivors flipping around when picked up or the camera messing up when grabbed, nothing really on his side. And his voice? Oh, I'm so glad they got PJ Heywood back for this. It's a different take on Afton compared to his previous iterations, but it fits Springtrap really well. What should've been his demise became his saviour, and he's LOVING it. I also love the reuse/re-contextualization of lines, dare I say one of my favorite details about him. And his mori? My god. So, it starts off pretty simple at first, he grabs you by the head and stabs you through the chest, bringing you off the ground. After you're up, he walks forward and says a line, and then he appears.

An endoskeleton that's been modified to have a ton of sawblades on it, turns towards them both, and Afton throws you onto it. It blends the survivor up from behind, sending bone, brain matter, and some blood onto Afton's face, before dropping them and letting all the blood rush out onto the ground. Then he gives a jumpscare right before it ends.

Now, I won't say this is what I expected from the Springtrap Mori. I expected a really simple "Jumpscare -> Stab -> Whatever his power is" because that's what I thought they'd do. So when that happened, I was so excited because of how out there it was. I know some people, including a few friends, think it's a bit too strange or that it doesn't make much sense, but I feel it works pretty damn well. Shoutout to Blendo, he makes things so much better.

The Darkest Pit Of Hell Is Open For Business!

Last, but not least, the map that comes with Springtrap. Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.

I won't lie, I was hoping it'd be just the smallest bit bigger. I like walking through it, seeing all the details from the posters to the little plushies Foxy and other random toys that appear throughout the establishment, but it does feel just a little lacking. Even a single hallway to an office that's been broken open to the outside would've worked. The use of the movie aesthetics isn't bad either, the sign is just a tad distracting. Also, they gave Freddy a red bowtie on said posters and I can't tell if it's an honest mistake or something done to show how little the company cares about something as simple as the mascot's bowtie. I got a friend who thinks it's a beta reference so ???

But moving on from that, it's a good map. I'm okay with the idea to use the same aesthetic as Greenville Square, the fleshy mass that breaks through the building is cool and adds to the idea that the place itself is just fucked up, and it's already one of my favorite maps anyway. There's some fun easter eggs, the heads in the backroom follow you, a bloody endo pops out a vent, ovens turn the heat up when you walk past, and Freddy and the Gang try to preform before short circuiting. Strangely enough, there's no real hint of Foxy anywhere besides the crowd poster and his plush. I'm hoping Foxy does make an appearance somewhere in this chapter, even if it's something as simple as him replacing the Blendo in the backroom. Still hoping for a Foxy-Blight skin tho.

You Belong Here.

There's a ton more stuff I probably could've said, and much more stuff that I probably will. The skins, the add-ons, the builds, what Springtrap means for DbD's Future, and how he compares to other anniversary killers such as Ghost Face, Vecna, Singularity, hell even Huntress! But that's for another day. Soon, the PTB will be over, and Springtrap will be locked away. And just quickly, he'll be back. And we have just the place for him.

also i like phantom fear, it's a really funny perk and i like the idea of forcing people not to look at the giant green bunny

[sylvia-forest]

[CN] Shaw's Small Paradise Date

⚡Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for a Date which hasn't been released in EN yet!⚡

[Released Date: 1 FEB 2024]

[This date was translated with the help of Google translate ~]

[Section 1]

Some stuffy and warm air flow disrupted my sleep. I stretched and yawned, fumbling to turn off the air conditioner before slowly opening my eyes.

The sky was already clear, and the faint light leaking through the curtains was blocked by the broad figure in front of me, outlining undulating contours.

MC: Shaw…..

I couldn't help but reach out and poke his shoulder.

MC: Are you awake?

Shaw [sleepy voice]: …..Mm.

Shaw didn't turn around; instead, a nasal-toned response drifted over gently.

MC: When did you wake up? Shaw: Twenty minutes ago. MC: How come you woke up first and didn't even call me? Shaw [in a cold indifferent tone]: Wouldn't it be better to wake up naturally? MC: ……?

Seeing him continuously speaking with his back turned to me, I poked him in confusion.

MC: Shaw, are you on your phone? Why are you maintaining that posture for so long? Shaw: Nope.

...If I can't hear the indifference in his tone now, then I must be a fool.

But this early in the morning, I haven't even had the chance to annoy him, right? I couldn't help but pout.

MC: Can you turn around? It's awkward to talk like this.

Shaw [sulking×1]: Isn't this the distance you wanted? MC: ...When did I ever want this kind of distance? Don't casually slander people…..ugh!

Before I could finish speaking, the next moment, a shadow had already descended heavily upon me, rendering me immobile.

MC: Wha-what are you doing...? Shaw: What do you mean, of course, it is to judge you.

His breath tickled my forehead, making me instinctively wrinkle my nose. This action seemed to be misunderstood by Shaw as resistance, so he chuckled coldly.

Shaw [continuation×2 + sounds a little bit hurt]: I'm asking you, last night I pulled you into my arms twice, and you struggled free twice. What's the meaning of that? Shaw [×3]: Do you despise me? MC: Of course not!

I suddenly felt incredibly unjust. Just as I was about to argue with him, a vague memory flashed through my mind, causing my words to get stuck in my throat.

Last night, I did feel his hands assertively wrap around me.

And then, in a half-asleep state, it seems like... I subconsciously struggled to free myself a couple of times.

Thinking about this, I awkwardly tugged at the corner of my mouth.

MC [testing the water]: Uh, yesterday doesn't count, right? Shaw [in a cold threatening voice]: Why doesn't it count?

My mind raced as I quickly searched for reasons to justify my actions from yesterday.

MC: Because the air conditioning was set high yesterday, it was a bit hot when we were cuddled together... MC: And, um, your arm was a bit too firm and uncomfortable to rest on, so I... um, made a technical adjustment!

Shaw [sulking×4 + feeling hurt]: You mean, you feel uncomfortable when I hold you to sleep?

[T/N]: Call me insane but I'm in love with his sulky and pouty voice *bangs my head on the wall*

MC: I didn't say I felt uncomfortable, it was...well, my body didn't listen to me in my sleep… Shaw [×5]: Oh, so it was just your body instinctively moving away from me.

MC: No! Shaw, why are you like this…

Seeing the situation escalating, I didn't know how else to explain myself. Shaw had already cut me off.

Shaw [smirks]: Okay.

Shaw squinted his eyes halfway and interrupted me.

Shaw [someone is holding a grudge]: It's really my problem that I didn't take your feelings into consideration.

Shaw [finally made up his mind]: I'll pay attention next time.

As the restraints on me loosened, Shaw turned to get off the bed. I quickly sat up and grabbed his arm, blinking at him with a hint of guilt.

MC: Wait, wait, are you sure you're not just saying the opposite out of anger? Shaw: Am I that kind of person?

Shaw raised his eyebrows as he spoke, leaned over, and placed a gentle kiss on the tip of my nose.

MC: …..?!

I stared at him in astonishment, and he responded with an innocent yet subtle smile.

Shaw [reluctantly accepts the current situation + plays the part of a wounded person]: It's just one night without cuddling. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future.

Shaw [lovingly]: Besides, today is Valentine's Day. Why would I quarrel with my dear and beloved?

—

[Section 2]

Something was off. Very off.

After getting up, Shaw went about his morning routine as if nothing had happened. He even "thoughtfully" brought me breakfast from downstairs.

However, my keen intuition told me — this guy was definitely still sulking.

MC: The worst I can do is stay still tonight… Shaw: What did you say? MC: I said, Tonight, you can pull me however you want, I'll definitely stay put!

Shaw: …… Shaw [sighs]: Why are you still worrying about what happened in the morning? I forgot about it. MC: Is that so?

Shaw didn't answer my question, he just raised his hand and pushed the soy milk on the table towards me.

Shaw: Only a three-year-old child loves to pry like this. Hurry up and drink your soy milk, we should go to the antique shop after you're done. MC: Huh, are we spending Valentine's Day at the antique shop today? Shaw: I was just planning to clean up there, but if you want to spend time there, that's fine too. MC: Why clean up today?

Shaw saw that I was still confused, and a familiar teasing smile appeared on his face.

Shaw [laughs + starts teasing her]: Tsk tsk, isn't there someone who dreams of getting rich overnight every day? How could you forget that today is also the fifth day of the Lunar New Year when we welcome the God of Wealth?

MC: !!Welcoming the God of Wealth! We need to hurry and set off, or else we'll be late, what if there's traffic on the God of Wealth's route?

I instantly got excited and quickly finished the soy milk, pulling Shaw towards the door.

With one hand being pulled by me, Shaw used his other hand to grab a couple's beret from the hanger and put it on my head.

Shaw [clicks his tongue + in a low, sulking, jealous voice]: ...Who knew in the eyes of a fool, the God of Wealth is more important than 'lover'.

[T/N]: MC WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!!

—

The antique shop has been closed for less than half a month, and there was already a thin layer of dust in the room.

We quickly divided the tasks and started cleaning with our respective tools.

Before long, the various items in the store were shining with their appropriate luster and colors.

Shaw lit a stick of incense and respectfully placed it in front of the God of Wealth's altar. Then, he found a yellow paper from somewhere and spread it out on the table, picking up a brush to start writing.

Curiously, I leaned in to see what he was writing and followed along with his vigorous strokes, reading each word aloud.

MC: Inviting the Five God of Wealth to descend, humbly requesting... What is this?

Shaw: It's the invocation script for the Five God of Wealth. Shaw: Since we're welcoming the God of Wealth, we should do it properly. We need to specify our wishes, our address, the auspicious date... everything has to be written meticulously. Shaw [as a matter of fact]: Otherwise, how would the God's know who is asking for wealth? MC: Oh, I see. It's like how some people nowadays report their ID numbers when they go to burn incense! Shaw [chuckles]: That's what it means. MC: Then you quickly help me write it, may the God of Wealth bless us to win big prizes every day this year, and even pick up money while walking! Shaw: Why, the jackpot won last year wasn’t big enough?

Thinking of my experience of becoming an island owner and winning an RV last year, I raised my chin proudly.

Reference from his “Four season” event and “6th Anniversary” event!

MC: Hum hum, I am so greedy! MC: Besides, if I won a lottery, it will benefit both of us~

Shaw [in sync with her energy]: Alright, I'll help you write it. Let me keep benefiting from your good luck next year.

As I watched Shaw earnestly write down the whimsical wishes, a hint of sweetness brewed in my heart.

It felt as though some kind of power was truly born from his brush strokes, capable of conveying our intentions to the ethereal Gods.

We spread the invocation script in front of the God of Wealth statue, just after lighting the incense and making our wishes, when suddenly there were two knocks on the door of the shop.

We both turned around and faced Mr. Yan's smiling face. The other person held a pig doll in one hand and made a bow to us.

Lao Yan: Shaw, MC, Happy New Year!

[T/N]: Here Lao Yan calls them little Ling and little MC in Chinese but it doesn't look great in the EN version so gonna go along with just their names only.

Shaw [in a cheerful voice]: Happy New Year to you, old man. What's the matter? Lao Yan: There you go, just this matter in my hands.

Lao Yan had a look of helplessness on his face, and he patted the pig doll in his hand.

Lao Yan: I accidentally washed the doll my granddaughter sleeps with, and just bought her a new one as an apology, but the little girl doesn't want it. Lao Yan: She said this is not what she wants, she doesn't like it. Lao Yan: You young people understand these things better. How about you, MC and you, help me buy one? It's the big New Year, I don't want the little girl to be unhappy because of this.

Shaw and I exchanged a glance, clearly asking for my opinion. I pondered for a moment.

MC: If it's a doll to sleep with, then I know what kind to buy.

—

[Section 3]

Miniature floppy-eared rabbits, chubby ducks, and even anthropomorphic vegetables, insects...

As soon as I entered the doll store, I was dazzled by the dazzling array of dolls.

MC: Wow, this eggplant is so cute!! MC: This long-haired rabbit is so adorable!

I let go of the little rabbit plushie, then hugged a half-sized elephant plush toy, reluctant to let go, I rubbed against it contentedly.

MC: Shaw, this one is so soft to hold!

Shaw stood a few steps away, arms crossed, and raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

Shaw [elongates his tone]: So you like soft ones so much. MC: Huh? What does that mean?

I was a bit slow to react, and Shaw's jaw raised even higher.

Shaw [a hint of displeasure hidden in his voice]: I said, if you think it is comfortable to hold, buy it. MC [burst out laughing]: ….Pff.

— —Sure enough, you still care!

Unexpectedly, without me probing, this guy exposed his tangled thoughts that he had been holding in for half the day.

I found it somewhat amusing, unable to resist teasing him, I winked at him.

MC [starts acting]: Well, it's too soft for me. I prefer something with just the right amount of firmness when I hug it~

Shaw [shocked]: …..

Shaw seemed momentarily stunned by my comment, his lips parted and closed again, before finally tilting his head to the side in silence.

Shaw [clears his throat + pretends not to hear it and starts teasing her]: Okay, aren't you here to choose a doll for Lao Yan's granddaughter? Why are you discussing your own preferences?

Changing the subject again, how boring. I rolled my eyes and showed him the photo on my phone.

MC: I've found the one I want to buy for the kid. MC: I just had Lao Yan took a photo of the damaged doll. We'll buy the same model.

Shaw [having a hard time to believe]: Are you sure? There are so many new models here.

MC: Of course I'm sure. Didn’t Lao Yan say that this doll was for children to hold while sleeping? MC: It indicates that, in her heart, this is the softest and most familiar comfort toy.

I picked up the doll that was exactly the same as in the photo and gestured towards Shaw.

MC: No matter how good the new models are, they can't compare to the comfort of that one that holds a special place in her heart.

Shaw looked at the doll in my hand and nodded.

Shaw: You know a lot about this. MC: This is my experience. Didn’t you sleep with a stuffed animal when you were a child? Shaw: No  MC [happily]: If you have a chance, you can try it. Sleeping with a doll in your arms will make you feel at ease~

Shaw's expression once again turned peculiar, and he chuckled, then walked over to the shelf.

Shaw: I'm too lazy to try, but you seem to really want to relive the feeling of your childhood. Shaw: Why don't you choose a sleeping doll that you feel comfortable with and has moderate hardness and softness? Shaw [starts playing the role of a wounded person×1]: From now on, you will sleep with it in your arms, and you will feel at ease. Shaw [×2]: Well, I think this red panda one is pretty good… MC: Shaw!

Seeing Shaw earnestly selecting a plush toy, I quickly interrupted his soliloquy.

MC: I don't want this red panda.

Shaw turned his head, returning my gaze defiantly.

Shaw [continues with the act×3]: So, which one do you want? The rabbit, the shark, the giraffe, or maybe the eggplant, the bread? MC: Don't want any!

I reached for the nearby keychain, grabbed his hand, and slipped it into his fingers.

MC: I just want this "red panda", is that okay?

In an instant, a faint blush flashed across Shaw's face, yet he deliberately pouted his lips downward.

Shaw [carefully testing her by acting all innocent]: Weren't some people picky before? Why are they suddenly attracted to it now? MC: It's not like I suddenly took a liking to it now. I've been chasing after him for a very, very long time, planning to stay by his side for the rest of my life!

Shaw's throat bobbed heavily, and he looked down at his ring finger, then raised his gaze, staring longer into my eyes.

Shaw: Even if he's very rigid, very stubborn, and his actions are unreasonable, would you still want this uncomfortable little panda? MC: Yes. MC: Because he gives me the most comfort when he hugs, is that not okay? Shaw: Okay.

Finally, Shaw revealed his brightest smile of the day, and with a flick of his wrist, he firmly clasped my fingertips.

Shaw [in a really really good mood]: But I have to remind you, once you're bound to this little panda, there's no return or exchange.

—

[Section 4]

Even though I was bound to this "little panda," I still couldn't resist the adorable onslaught of the shop's merchandise and ended up buying several plushies.

After delivering the doll to Lao Yan's granddaughter, Shaw and I took the other plushies home.

After I got home, I happily placed the dolls on the sofa one by one, then sat among them and turned on the TV.

MC: This is the perfect sofa!

Shaw [feeling jealous]: ?How come it's perfect? They filled the sofa. Where's my place?

Shaw placed the cola on the coffee table, then discontentedly picked up a small dinosaur by its tail and placed it on the floor. He then squeezed in and pulled me into his arms.

Shaw [feeling satisfied with his action]: .....This is perfect.

The TV kept replaying the New Year's gala from a few days ago. I flipped through a few channels but couldn't find anything interesting, so I simply handed the remote control to Shaw.

MC: Is there anything you want to see? Shaw: No, TV programs are boring to begin with, and the Spring Festival ones are even more boring. MC: Shaw, you're holding a renowned TV show producer in your arms!

Shaw [acts like he just realized this fact]: Oh, how about watching a TV show produced by this well-known program producer?

Shaw, while saying so, actually picked up the remote control and switched to Loveland TV, where a variety show produced by [MC Company name] happened to be airing.

MC: Ah, don’t look—— ——

I let out a cry of dismay, trying to grab the remote control from Shaw, but he deliberately extended his arm to prevent me from taking it away.

Shaw: Why not let me see it? MC: It’s not that you are not allowed to read it, but will you read your final thesis in front of relatives and friends during the Lunar Year? MC: And when I saw the faces of these guests, I was reminded of those troubling things during the shooting again...

When Shaw heard what I said, his interest became even higher.

Shaw: I'm not interested in the show, but I'm very interested in the story that tortures you. Tell me?

What kind of person are you!

I hummed twice, slid down a bit, and rested my head on his shoulder.

MC: Just look at this middle-aged man wearing a pink tie. He was fine during rehearsals, but after the official shoot, he always likes to improvise... MC: And here, do you feel that the editing was stiff? It’s because the original challenge content was not what is being broadcast now… MC: One time, the host and the lighting technician got into an argument, and it ended with everyone's supper being spilled...

Shaw chuckled as he listened to me rambling on about my grievances, occasionally adding a comment or two to commiserate. Meanwhile, the program on the screen gradually came to an end.

This day was obviously no different from any other day, but I felt a fresh sense of comfort cuddling up with him like this.

Was it because he was listening to my worries while shooting? Or was it because the little misunderstanding in the morning was resolved?

Is it because we made a shared wish for this year together in the antique shop? 

Or is it simply because today is Valentine's Day, and our moods are just good?

I can't figure it out, and I'm too lazy to think about it. I just hope that this comfortable feeling can continue indefinitely.

Shaw: MC. MC: ….Hm? Shaw [carefully]: Do you feel comfortable like this now? MC: Hey, why are you thinking about the same thing as me?

I nodded contentedly.

MC: It’s so comfortable now. Your chest is so wide. I can lie down wherever I want~

Shaw [in a good mood + his lazy voice×1]: But didn't you notice that your hair keeps rubbing on my face?

MC: Ah? But I just moved down. Shaw [×2]: A bit further down. MC: Okay... like this?

Shaw clicked his tongue and wrapped one arm around my shoulders while using his other hand to pinch my face, moving my head to rest against his collarbone.

Shaw [satisfied]: This is more comfortable. MC: No no, I feel uncomfortable like this.

I adjusted myself with seriousness and then placed Shaw's hand on my waist before lifting my face to look at him.

MC: What do you think of this posture now? MC: You see, my legs fit perfectly on yours, and there's room for your arms too. MC: My arms can move too, and they won't block your line of sight either...

Shaw [chuckles sexily]: How come you sound like you're giving a product report?

MC: Of course, I have to explain clearly why this position is good! MC: Otherwise, what if we adjust into another awkward position that makes both of us uncomfortable? Shaw: Really.

Shaw lowered his eyes and stared at me. After a moment, he raised the corner of his mouth.

Shaw [HIS HUSKY VOICE FILLED WITH MISCHIEF]: But you seem to have forgotten to mention the biggest advantage of this posture. MC: Hmm? What advantages?

Shaw [IN A LOW SEXY WHISPER]: Kissing you is easy.

He lowered his head and easily captured my slightly parted lips.

The kiss was irresistible. The sweet breath blends into a thin mist, which quickly escapes between the lips and teeth.

I widened my eyes, and the next moment, a long leg firmly pinned down my attempt to move.

Meanwhile, that unreasonable hand firmly held my jaw, and each touch of his fingers along the side of my neck sent shivers down my spine.

Under his assault, the original position gradually collapsed. The plushies on the sofa also fell to the ground one after another in the melee, rolling around with the little dinosaur.

When our lips finally parted, I couldn't help but use my free hand to lightly pinch his arm.

MC: Why did you sneak attack again…

Shaw grinned triumphantly, his eyes filled with the satisfaction of a successful ambush.

Shaw [HIS SULTRY VOICE SKSKSK]: Calling it an ambush doesn't sound too good. Shaw [×2]: This is a lightning strike, specifically targeting the unprepared.

The protest I just uttered was swallowed back by him.

This time, it wasn't clear whose body pressed against the remote control. In the corner of my eye, the noisy scene on the screen flickered twice, then turned into a blank screen.

Suddenly, the room became exceptionally quiet, making each other's breaths and every friction of our clothes unusually clear.

The narrow sofa contained two violently beating hearts, and also contained the romance that only belonged to me and him in this peaceful evening.

My hand inadvertently brushed against his ring finger—where I had left a "trapped" mark during the day.

Now it was empty, but I knew there was no need for any ring to lock it down; this person belonged to me.

MC: By the way, Shaw…

I was immersed in the aftertaste of happiness, and suddenly remembered something.

MC: You said, now that we have adjusted the perfect sitting position, can we also find a sleeping position that is comfortable for both of us? Shaw [×3]: You're addicted to adjusting?

Shaw smiled and lowered his head, lightly nibbling on the tip of my nose.

Shaw [×4]: There's no need to adjust your sleeping position. I've already figured out how to deal with you. Shaw [DAMN HIS VOICE HERE WAS SO SEXY]: Tonight, set the air conditioning to 16 degrees. I don't believe you won't snuggle into my arms.

[T/N]: BYE BYE WORLD, IT WAS NICE KNOWING YOUUUU. Man PG do know how to quench our thirst🤭 damn I wasn't expecting the last part to be soooo hot🔥🔥

—

💍Call

[bulkyphrase]

Wanda and Steve or Peter and Steve fics? (not slash)

Thanks so much for the request!

I love Wanda & Steve and Peter & Steve! I've got a few of both. The relationship with Steve isn't always the primary focus of the fic, but there are some great moments with him in all of these.

Peter Parker & Steve Rogers

The Rubble of our Tomb by LovableKillerWhale (@team-cap-for-the-win) (Gen, Teen And Up Audiences, 10,496 words)

Summary: An Avengers battle goes terribly wrong and Spider-man ends up stuck in a collapsing building with Captain America. Nothing brings people closer together than explosions, blood loss and a healthy dose of self-sacrifice, right?

Held Together by Spiderwebs by TunaFishChris (Gen, Teen And Up Audiences, 17,306 words)

Summary: Steve is not coping well in the twenty-first century. At all. Three months after the Chitauri invasion, he decides he's had enough. But just as he's about to end it all, he runs into the new hero in town.

More below the cut!

Super Duper Side Effects by awesomesockes, whumphoarder (Gen, Teen And Up Audiences, 16,261 words)

Summary: The downside of an enhanced metabolism is that it renders most drugs completely ineffective. Captain America accepted this long ago as an occupational hazard. But after Peter sustains a serious injury in the line of duty and the doctors have no way to manage the pain, Steve decides to volunteer as a test subject for Bruce and Tony’s experimental super drug. However, the soldier ends up getting a little more than he bargained for. (Alternative title: Original Drug Tester: Steve Rogers)

Big Brother Rogers by detectivemorse (Gen, Teen And Up Audiences, 777 words)

Summary: Peter "Spiderling" Parker becomes a full-fledged Avenger. But it isn't what he thought it would be.

Other Duties as Assigned by chasingkerouac (@ckerouac) (Gen, General Audiences, 3,291 words)

Summary: Peter wasn’t sure how exactly he ended up playing errand boy for the Black Widow in a department store downtown while she bullied Captain America into a new wardrobe, but if that's where the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man was needed, he wasn't going to leave his SPIDER BRO hanging.

Other Costumes as Assigned by chasingkerouac (@ckerouac) (Gen, General Audiences, 4,968 words)

Summary: It was easy being Peter Parker at school, and Spider-Man out on the job. Being both Peter AND Spider-Man in the same room... that was a little more difficult. Luckily, a certain SPIDER BRO owes him a favor. Well, 'owes' is a strong word. Maybe he can guilt out a favor?

"Spidey On Ice" by Wordsworn (Gen, Teen And Up Audiences, 14,128 words)

Summary: Peter Parker is at a skating rink for his class field trip...and the Avengers are chaperoning. Looks like it's gonna be One Of Those Days...

Steve Rogers Is (Not) A Good Influence by attackofthezee (noxlunate) (@attackofthezee) (Stucky, Teen And Up Audiences, 4,181 words)

Summary: Steve’s left staring at the kid- Peter, his brain helpfully reminds him. The kid is staring back. “So, you’re, like, Captain America, huh?” Peter asks, and he looks a little starstruck but less so than he did when he’d stared at Tony Stark’s jet taking off. “Uh, yeah.” Steve says, staring hard at a spot just past the kid’s shoulder as he shoves his hands as deep as they can go into the pockets of his jeans. “Call me Steve.” “Cool.” Parker breathes, and Steve tries not to think about just how badly this is going to go.   Aka Steve Rogers' American Tour Of Waiting For His Brainwashed Boyfriend To Come Back And Blowing Up Hydra is interrupted when Tony Stark dumps Peter Parker into his lap.

Wanda Maximoff and Steve Rogers

Down in the Worn Out Place Again by adventurepants (Gen, General Audiences, 2,649 words)

Summary: “You don't look a day over 85, Captain,” Wanda says. Natasha smiles, just barely, and nudges Steve with her elbow. “She makes jokes now.” (Post AoU, stories about friendship.)

Full of Wounds and Still Standing on my Feet by orphan_account (Gen, Teen And Up Audiences, 7,221 words)

Summary: The five times Steve looked out for Wanda, and one time Wanda decided someone needed to look out for Steve.

and the woman was young again by Mira_Jade (Gen, General Audiences, 3,669 words)

Summary: For Wanda, it was a healing that came with time.

With Magic We Do Fly by Summer_Sunflower (Gen, Not Rated, 2,269 words)

Summary: In Civil War we see Wanda fling Steve into the air with her magic. They must have practiced that, right? Que Wanda throwing Steve against a wall. Many times.

Full of Wounds and Still Standing on my Feet by orphan_account (Gen, Teen And Up Audiences, 7,221 words)

Summary: The five times Steve looked out for Wanda, and one time Wanda decided someone needed to look out for Steve.

Talks over a Hot Chocolate by psy_ched (Gen, General Audiences, 2,916 words)

Summary: Wanda has nightmares, and she gets an advice from an unlikely ally.

[swaps55]

Mezzo - 10 - Jagged Lines

Pairing: mshenko | Rating: M Tags: Canon-typical violence, trauma, dealing with your problems poorly, body autonomy struggles   Summary: The twists and turns of ME2, through the eyes of everyone but Commander Shepard. Chapter Summary: Horizon.   Thank you so much to @sinvraal for being an amazing beta!

Chapter 10: Jagged Lines | Read on Ao3

11 December 2185, Omega Nebula, Sahrabarik System, Normandy SR-2

Shepard comes out of his briefing with the Illusive Man a different person than when he went in. Cold, brusque, locked on a target only he can see, like a grenade without a pin. Jacob takes up position on the far side of the conference room table. As if that will somehow minimize the splash damage.

“Seems like we got something,” Jacob observes, as Miranda, Dr. Solus, Vakarian, Massani, and even Jack file in and take up places around the table, where a projection of a planet Jacob isn’t familiar with rotates slowly. Only the krogan is missing.

“Colony in the Traverse lost comms an hour ago.” Shepard speaks into the comm. “Joker, I need a course laid in to get us to the Iera System in Shadow Sea. Right now.”

Jack leans a hip against the table, twirling a mote of dark energy through her fingers, about as far from Miranda as Jacob is from Shepard. If squad cohesion is the goal, Shepard’s got some work to do.

“Uh, that’s a tall order, sir. Iera isn’t exactly next door.”

“I don’t give a shit, Joker. Get me there.”

“Yes, sir.”

“EDI, I need everything you have on the planet Horizon.”

“Downloading requested information to shore party datapads.”   

Jacob flips on his own datapad and opens EDI’s freshly delivered file to do a quick skim. For several of the colony abductions, Freedom’s Progress included, comm failure had been the first sign of trouble. But by the time the silence had been noticed, attempts made to raise them, and scout ships deployed to investigate, they had been far too late to even see a collector, much less stop them.

The Illusive Man had set up monitoring programs for virtually every human colony in the Traverse. Seemed like a monumental amount of resources to spend on what amounted to looking for a needle in a haystack.

…Unless you actually find the needle.

“Long range scans from the Illusive Man don’t show anything in orbit,” Shepard goes on. “We’re going to do our damndest to get there before the collectors make their move.”

Pipe dream, Jacob thinks. He skims through the data. “Population’s over six hundred thousand. If this really is the collectors, it’s the largest colony they’ve hit yet. Could mean numbers.”

“We’ll adapt,” Shepard says flatly.

Miranda taps a nail against the conference room table. At the rate she speed reads, she’s probably already through most of the report. “It has to be the collectors. Human colony in the Traverse, independent from Alliance control. They’re a perfect target. This could be our chance to test the countermeasure and gather some intel on what they’re doing with these colonists.”

“And save more people from abduction,” Jacob prods.

“Of course.”

Solus paces back and forth from his spot beside Shepard, three paces each direction. “Countermeasure ready to be tested. However, if seeker swarm density exceeds test models—”

Shepard cuts him off with a scowl. “We’ll adapt.”

Jack folds her arms across her chest. She hasn’t touched her datapad. “What’ll they give us in a fight?”

“We know they have at least one ship capable of taking out a frigate without breaking a sweat,” Jacob replies. “As for the rest, guess we’re about to find out.”

Garrus swipes at the holo projection of Horizon on the conference table, the reticle of his visor flickering as he adjusts the HUD interface. A rendering of the main colony site map takes the place of the planet. He points a talon at something on the southeastern perimeter. It flashes red.

“Since when do independent human colonies have Alliance AA guns?”

Shepard’s iron gaze flicks away. “Since a few weeks ago, apparently.”

“Is Alliance on the ground?”

The gravity well does a somersault. Jacob’s eye twitches. Like nails on a chalkboard.

“Yes.”   

Read from the beginning | Read the rest on Ao3 | The Mezzo Playlist

[clarafyer]

This is gonna be a long vent post so uh yeah

Cw: Detailed description of a shutdown/meltdown

So a few hours ago during the last period of school I had a big shutdown that turned into a meltdown the second the dean asked "Are you done with your work?" (I do my English mainly in the dean's office since she helps 504 kids and my classmates are horrible in English)

Our last unit of the year is a podcast unit. I finally finished the first recording assignment the other day, one that was like 2 weeks late but only a few days late with my 200% time accommodation, and now I have one thing to do. One thing out of all of my classes at the moment. It's another podcast, and is normally due tomorrow. We've had 2 weeks so far to work on it and I haven't even finished the planning sheet because EVERY TIME I LOOK AT THE FUCKING DOCUMENT I JUST SHUT DOWN AND SIT THERE FOR THE ENTIRE HOUR.

The past few days, it's made me cry silently and unmoving in my seat. The dean didn't notice until today, and the shut down turned into a melt down right when she didn't even ask if I was okay, she asked if I finished my work. I was hyperventilating and trying my best to be as quiet as I could as to not be a burden upon the rest of the front office area. I wanted to punch the chromebook, to scream at the top of my lungs, to tear my hair out. But no, I just sat there hyperventilating and sniffling, hunched over the table, apologizing for no reason.

Well, I was apologizing for being a loud mess and not listening to her on how I could write the introduction because naming Princess Diana's charities in the very introduction would be way too obvious (the podcast is Imagined Life, you go through the life of a celebrity, describing it in the second person and only revealing who it is at the end)

I still have the same straight As that I've had all year, but if I don't finish this fucking unit that I hate so much, then my English grade is gonna drop so low because each podcast project is almost 100 points each and is put into the test category on Skyward (tests are worth 30-something% of the full grade.) I don't want to do this unit, I hate it so much and I can't muster up anything to progress on it.

When she would tell me to type it up, I could barely even do the function, I wasn't able to do any of the tasks I had to do the entire period. All I could do was just reach my hand out to the keyboard and then just pull it right back to my face.

I felt so fucking guilty and ashamed for not doing anything, I know I was rendered useless and had to cope and get away from the problem, but I felt like I couldn't do that, I couldn't do that, otherwise I'd be lazy and stubborn and a cry-baby and just having a big temper tantrum.

I remember it so vividly and I think that was one of the worst I've ever had.

I hate this

I hate being like this

I hate masking

I hate unmasking too

What went wrong this year? I thought I was doing great, only a few late assignments before I got my 504, so few meltdowns compared to the last few years, I finally started figuring out why my brain is how it is

Oh

That was where it went wrong. I started advocating for an autism diagnosis and when I got evaluated by the school, they said I missed the communication category and legally didn't qualify for autism-related accommodations. Sure, they said I still was totally likely to be medically diagnosed positive, but all the doubt, all the questioning, all the impostor syndrome, all of EVERYTHING is where this year went wrong.

I don't want to write anymore so if you read all of this, thank you. I don't care if anyone interacts or not, but I really needed to vent and connect with the rest of the autistic community. I can't wait for this school year to be over.

[csleko]

Hollywood Leko

WHAT IF...

THERE WAS A COMIC SHORTS MOVIE...

AND THE STUDIO...

DIDN'T GIVE A SINGLE FUCK ABOUT ADAPTING IT?

That was a random idea I had way back in 2009 as Michael Bay's Transformers movies were rolling out. I've never been a particularly massive fan or anything. Just always "kind of liked" the franchise, so the redesigns for the characters didn't really bother me as much as they probably did certain others. (But I did generally agree with many of the other reasons the movies weren't very good.)

I actually really liked the more realistic designs. The mechanical complexity really sold the idea that these were giant *alien* robots that could turn into vehicles. I was just starting to get into CG animation myself at the time, so the behind the scenes stuff was particularly fascinating. Especially hearing that rendering the enormous Devastator scenes supposedly melted one of the studio's PCs.

But knowing there was a lot of understandable hate for the character designs, I got to thinking about how a similar approach would turn out applied to Leko. More realistic and complex, but less like the original. Like the studio prioritized making it look technically impressive and appealing to a wider audience, rather than making it actually look like the character it's supposed to be.

This was what I came up with in 2009. Just a fun little exercise. You can see a fair few elements made it into the new model. At least from the head and face.

"Good start! Looks a lot like mine, just more detailed. As I would expect!"

"Oh...those are...uh...choices..."

Honestly, though? As cursed as I tried to make this model, I actually really like more of it than I hate. I tested out a render with some slight adjustments to the eyes, and that alone made me almost like it. A few more minor tweaks, and I think I would actually approve it if it were up to me and not a hypothetical corporate producer.

Speaking of that, I posted some WIP renders to Discord while I was working on it, and with them posed the question of who would be the most cursed choice of voice actor for this version of Leko.

After some brief discussion, we concluded that Hollywood Leko would be voiced by Seth Rogan.

[lord-rodentia]

[edit, I accidentally used the wrong ribbon color so I had to make a quick change.]

A rendering test, I figured I would try out a style of render I have been considering for a while.

(Background is a modified version of the ibis preset "Sunflower 01", and FYI, I didn't realize I forgot to adjust the height so the image is taller than it should.)

Since I had a new smudge brush that makes everything look painted, I tried to see if I could render something using it.

Also, I didn't actually remember how Farore was supposed to look so when I actually saw her design I was genuinely surprised to have found out that she has giant golden bands holding her buns, berry colored tights (I thought they were knee-highs), and I didn't register the apron wasn't actually an apron. I also had the triangle spots in the wrong place and apparently she didn't have cute little ribbons along with a pair of leafy bracelets.

BUT SHE GENUINELY LOOKS COOLER AT LEAST???

We also see something new for me, an actual signature since I never did any before. The reason I rarely (if not ever) did it was because I had no idea how to make one so uh.... There's three new things now??? I think??? I never counted. (Not a Puss in Boots quote, I genuinely didn't count.)

[shadow-sandiego-shipping]

Daily Prompts - Day 8

After school

Black Sheep ran to her room, the room she shared with everyone else. It's the first place she thinks to look.

Everyone else had stayed behind in the cafeteria, but if Shadow wasn't there, there were only so many other places he could be.

"Shadow?" She calls out into the half empty dorm.

Mime bomb smiles at her and waves.

She runs up to him. "Hi, Mime bomb! Have you seen Shadow-san anywhere?" The mime smiles wider and points at her bed.

She looks over, there was a note. "Thanks!"

Walking closer to the bed, next to the note was a little origami sheep.

Black Sheep smiles, the little sap abandoned them so he could be all mysterious and leave her a note and gift. She feels her cheeks heating up just slightly, it was kind of sweet.

In the note he wrote he'd be at the beach. It didn't ask her to join him, nor did it imply she would, it was just letting her know where he went.

She breathes a sigh of relief.

That day, professor Maelstrom had made them take a surprise test. It wasn't too dificult. Black Sheep could tell the teacher probably just enjoyed the initial panic on the students faces whenever he pulled something like surprise tests.

That class had been their last for the day, and Maelstrom let them leave as they finished their own test, as opposed to waiting for everyone to finish.

Shadow had left very early.

Black Sheep was close to done with her own test when she noticed him walking out, but she took her time with reviewing everything before leaving.

When she got outside Le Chèvre was there already but Shadow was long gone. Chèvre and her waited for the rest of the gang so they could get dinner before going back to the dorm. But when they got to the cafeteria, Shadow-san wasn't there either.

Graham suggested they get food, Tigress chewed her ear for "being a stalker" and Chèvre told her to shut up. El Topo suggested Shadow might've been tired and she figured he could be right!

Now, she made her way outside.

The weather was nice, a slight breeze in the air. The sun was about to set, rendering the shy with hues of orange and purple.

She spots him sitting in the sand.

Neither say a word when she walks up to him and sits by his side.

She breathes in the sea side smell and feels the heat of the after school sun on her face. She looks at Suhara, whose eyes never left the horizon.

"You're quiet today."

He ducks his face further into his folded arms, supported on his knees. He shrugs.

She smirks teasingly. "Should I call Mime bomb over to translate?" That gets him to look at her once.

"Very funny." He deadpans.

He unfolds his arms and stretches his legs. She gets a good look at his expression.

"Are you ok?" He looked kind of sad.

He shrugs. "Missing home, I guess."

She couldn't relate. For as long as she remembered, VILE was her home. And yes, it was quite literally a tropical paradise.

"Do you... want to talk about it?"

"Do you?" There's another meaning behind that question.

Yesterday, after school, they snuck out in the middle of the night to look at the starts. He then told her about Japan, about karaoke, about his home. He even taught her a couple of words in his native language. But when he asked her about herself, she clammed up on him and refused to share a word. She was afraid it had hurt his feelings. Her suspicions becoming more of a reality until she found the note.

"S-sorry, I didn't." He turns to her with an apologetic look. "T-there are some things I did not tell you about... it... it's a sore topic for me. I got defensive." He looks down.

The hands in his lap fidget with each other.

She looks at the horizon where the sun had started to dip.

"It's a pretty view." She sighs.

He looks at what she's looking, then he turns to her again.

"Not as pretty as you." He whispers.

"What?" Had she misheard him?

His eyes widen and he looks away.

"I, uh... sorry for leaving you all without a warning." He rubs the back of his head. Black Sheep couldn't see, cause he was facing away, but his cheeks were burning bright.

"Oh..." She figures she did mishear him. "Tigress is mad, but other than her no one cares." She shrugs.

He obviously couldn't care less about Tigress' opinion.

"Not even you?" He spares her a glance.

"Of course I care! You're my best friend!" He looks disheartened by that.

She thinks back on the previous night. "Are you mad at me?" He suddenly looks surprised.

"Why would I be?"

"For... not talking about my childhood?"

Only then does he realize how his behaviour might’ve made her think he was mad her.

"It's fine if you do not want to share your past with me, baby lamb. I'm not mad about that." She looks at him expectantly. He sighs. "I did some bad stuff back at home... before I came here. Talking to you about it made me remember it." He rubs his head. His hair was getting long. "I-" His voice cracks. "I'm a bad person."

Black Sheep gasps. "No you're not!" He doesn't acknowledge her. "Shadow... Suhara." That gets him to look. "You don't have to tell me about that stuff if you don't want to. But you're not a bad person. You're kind and you're sweet." She takes the little origami he made for her out of her pocket. "You're amazing."

He frowns, albeit weakly. "That stuff doesn't mean anything. It's just some paper."

"It means a lot to me." She presses the sheep close to her chest. He blushes.

"T-thanks, baby lamb."

"You do need to stop calling me that tho."

He smirks. "Never."

She smiles at him, he smiles back. If either notice the other's cheeks red like roses, neither choose to comment on it.

They rearrange their position to finish watching the sunset, shoulders pressed against each other.

They stay like that almost to the end until Black Sheep's stomach rumbles. Shadow-san starts laughing like a little kid and she punches his arm.

"Did you skip dinner?" He asks between snorts when her belly insists on rumbling non stop.

"It's your fault I did!" She slaps his arm for every laugh.

Previous day // Promps Aquired from Write App. // Next day

[demonfox38]

Completed - Shantae: Risky's Revenge

You know what? I did like that Capcom NES "Little Mermaid" game. You would be absolutely right about that.

Round Two of my "Play More Steam Games" year started off rough. Windows 11 sought to be a prima donna, refusing to render anything but a black screen for two of the games from my Steam library. Luckily, all it took was forcing the executables to run in a higher priority mode through System -> Display -> Graphics, but man. That was a two-hour headache I didn't need.

Of the two games I had tested, "Shantae: Risky's Revenge" won out in terms of priority. Granted, had I known what I do now, maybe I would have tabled this one for just a little longer. It wasn't exactly watching "The Empire Strikes Back" before "A New Hope", but it may have been watching "Attack of the Clones" before anything else!

The "Shantae" series in its current incarnation is a set of Metroidvania-styled games starring the titular Shantae, the often hired and fired protector of Scuttle Town (and Sequin Land) at large. When I say "in its current incarnation", I don't mean to imply any gameplay changes. What I am trying to say is that "Shantae" was both simultaneously notable and niche in its first incarnation. Notable, in that even I—some nobody kid from Iowa—knew about this game. Niche, in…well, let's just say poor sales and the general screwed-up state of the second-hand game market has resulted in this:

Dude, I own a physical copy of "Earthbound", and even those prices make me want to scream. Like, we can talk about how it might be wasteful to have companies like Limited Run Games reprint copies of games, but when this second-hand market the alternative…(Also, who do we have to bribe to get "Power Blade 2" re-released? Because JFC on those prices, too.)

Since the ancient days of the Game Boy Color, the Shantae series has had a more consistent game release schedule, cranking out a new Metroidvania about once every 3-5 years. This started with 2010's "Shantae: Risky's Revenge," the sequel to the aforementioned cult classic. In it, Shantae is tasked with securing three magic seals and recovering a stolen lamp from Risky Boots, her arch-nemesis from the previous game. Alongside a Belmont-esque hair whip attack, Shantae is also blessed with the ability to cast spells and transform into various creatures. Granted, given that these powers come to her via being half genie, you can imagine what a problem that stolen lamp just might turn out to be for her…

Originally, this game was released on the Nintendo DSi, a late-stage iteration of the Nintendo DS known for its implementation of a digital shop. Which, uh…I'm guessing isn't operational anymore. The iteration I played was the so-called "Director's Cut", which generally changed menu presentation and character artwork to use higher-resolution images. It seems like it also preserved a bonus mode that was made for an iOS version of the game, which feels a bit more substantial than just updating portraits.

Given the collapse of online shops, it's just lucky this game is available at all. (More reasons to go physical, right? Well, if game publishers ever put a complete product on their cartridges/discs in the modern era, anyway…)

There are two dichotomies in Metroidvania games that aren't often discussed. For me, these are offensive styles and end goals. See, "Metroid" games typically operate via fast ranged gameplay while "Castlevania" takes more methodical strikes, often keeping within slugging distance of its foes (Charlotte Aulin and arguably Shanoa being exemptions.) Extending from that, "Metroid" games are more rewarding for speed than item collection/map completion, while "Castlevania" games tend to reward meeting extensive collecting goals or world exploration. (There are some exceptions here too for the "Metroid" series, but it's usually more about getting tits and TFO than how many lore dumps or missile expansions you left behind.)

I bring this up because I think it helps to explain how I like my particular Metroidvania mixes and how "Shantae: Risky's Revenge" falls into this spread. See, I wouldn't classify myself as a fast gamer. I'll do weird things, and if I want to prove something, I do them as hard as I can. But, generally, I want to experience as much as I can in one go-around. I want my marks to be high in figuring out how to worm into certain locations or call a game director's bullshit. (Looking at you, Igarashi.) I'm not the kind to grind something over and over again until the speed and efficiency of my gameplay makes someone's pants fly off. I mean, I love watching other people do that, but man. I'm just not wired up to be wired. Plus, I've got hundreds of other games that I want to play in my lifetime, so I want to make what may be my only time with a game count.

So, where's "Shantae: Risky's Revenge"?

Fight-wise, this is pretty "Castlevania." Like, I wouldn't classify Shantae as being as robust as a Belmont, but the melee-ranged whipping and magic spells on a limited meter make it pretty clear that she'd fall on the "Castlevania" side of things. Good for me! Mostly. I mean, she doesn't seem to have that movement trick that Alucard et. al have where you can spam attacks at twice the speed intended by hop-slashing, but she's functional.

Girl absolutely needs that hair conditioner, though. Definitely an item worth saving up for!

Goal-wise? The game's making a cake sandwich, and it's really trying its damnedest to eat it. You can receive achievements for just finishing the game, as well as finishing it with all items, finishing it under four hours, and then finishing it both under four hours and with all items. The ending itself doesn't seem to change all that much, which is a bummer, as it ends where most "Metroid" games begin. Frankly, all you get out of it is a different picture after the credits. But, if that's something you want to tackle, boy howdy. You do you.

In terms of difficulty, the game is…honestly, very strange. Like, I was almost tempted to say that this is a good Metroidvania game for beginners, but then I hit the Battle Tower. Holy crap. One of my Tumblr mutuals mentioned that the Battle Tower is where they bailed on the game, and I can't blame them. It's a timed ascent up 10 flights of stairs filled with monster battles and a whopping 2 minutes on the clock. Like, you do get time extenders in pots between fights, but yikes. That's not something you want to deal with when you're playing late at night to recover from your mind-numbing, soul-sucking existence.

Even that tower's difficulty might not be its own fault. I think the UI for the game's shop is not clear or helpful. There's two different currencies the game uses for items (gems and jams), and the latter is not initially defined with great clarity. Like, when you look at this, what do you think this item costs?

It's supposed to be 1 jam, 150 gems. But, I read that as 150 jams. Like, you get maybe a fifth of that in game max. But, when you're trying to be an independent gamer and not reading guides, that measurement can be very confusing. It should really be 1🫙150 💎, if you're going to involve icons in the mix.

Do your chemistry teacher a favor, alright? Keep your units straight.  

Outside of my computation issues with the shop, I found some of the later levels' platforming to be daunting. Like, I don't know how to say this without sounding weird, but I like Metroidvania games because they generally are more forgiving about platforming than a standard game. You fell? Oh, well. Just don't land in the acid or lava or spikes, and you can try again. Maybe chug some health potions. Here? It's a bit more on "Zelda" rules, so failure isn't the worst it could possibly be. It's just with as many fiddly, narrow platforms as the game throws at you, damage can add up really quickly.

Also, those Monkey Bullet puzzles are exercises in frustration. Slippery friction + precise square navigation = screaming monkey time.

One last weird note I made was on the game's achievement system. I'm fairly certain I got two achievements that I did not meet the criteria for receiving ("Tinkercide" and "Speed Run the Baron's Lair!") Which, hell. I guess if something is given in the favor of the player, why should I bitch? It just seems weirdly implemented.

Screw those two achievements regarding withholding a puppy from an NPC and hurting it, though. Surely, the game can find something better for me to do. Like, collect cats. Another mermaid shooting gallery. Hell, we're halfway to an "Ecco" game. Give me some hoops to jump through!  

It is lucky for the game that it is pretty damn unique and cute, at least in terms of style. Like, the character portraits are mid 2000s Flash animation quality, so eh there, but the sprites themselves are quite lovely. Everything is brightly colored and has a pleasant bounce to its movement. Looking at older "Shantae" footage, it seems like a lot of the animation style was preserved from the GBC game, which I imagine is a lovely touch for fans of the original game.

Sequin Land is a pretty cool setting as well. Like, my issues with this game aside, I can see why the "Shantae" games have become a solid franchise over the past decade. It's got a playful charm to it, something akin to what I grew up with in the 90s in terms of Arabian fantasy. The inclusion of the undead as a staple is a bit strange, but it's played with very well. It's the kind of game that makes you wonder if the link between zombification, civility, and coffee has something to do with adenosine receptors. I mean, I'm not a neurologist, but a part of me wants to take that joke about making coffee for zombies a little too far. It's a weird kind of inspiration, but you've gotta take it where you can get it!

Additionally, the transformation gimmick is simpler to set up than in the previous game. All it is here is holding a button down to cycle through animations until you get the one you need. I'm a simple woman. Give me a game where you can turn into a mermaid, and I'll find my own joy in it. I can bitch about the fiddliness of that monkey all day, but the mermaid? Yeah. Fine by me. (The elephant's okay too, I guess. At least it's good about keeping the undead dead!) 

I'm glad that the "Shantae" series made it past this game. Between the structural issues for "Risky's Revenge" and a bummer of an ending (regardless of your skill, mind you!), it would be a shame if this was the end of the run for Shantae. There are cool portions to it, but man, I can't really recommend it. The writing goes from juvenile to depressing, and the difficulty oscillates quite a bit, so I don't know who the audience for this would be other than previously existing "Shantae" fans. Theoretically, this could have been a great Metroidvania starter for preteens. But, man. I can't see many having the gumption to tough out shooting monkey puzzles and surprise speed-run segments.

Like, don't get me wrong. I've got "Shantae and the Pirate's Curse" downloaded and ready to go for later on. (Risky's not the only vindictive bitch here.) I just don't know if I'd be right up to bat for this particular title. I mean, if you get it as a gift or for under five USD, okay. File it under the "gift horse" idiom. But, I wouldn't go over $8.00 at the very least. I don't want to be one of those pricks that have a dedicated price point for each hour of a game, but I think a dollar an hour here is a fair estimate of overall value. And I got my first (and possibly only) run done in under 8 hours, so there you go. Value calculated.

Which isn't what this game's store owner did! BOOM! LAST MINUTE DRAG ON THE STUPID STORE USER INTERFACE!

Okay, I'm done.