#went from neutral evil to neutral good and now chaotic evil goddamn

[kingchaos20]

Ecchan has gone through quite a journey in FGO.

[katyawriteswhump]

the freak in the penthouse part 5.2

E-rated (for sexual content), accidental millionaire eddie/sex-worker steve. CW: contains references to past abuse

On tumblr: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3.1 Part 3.2 Part 4.1 Part 4.2 Part 5.1 or search #thefreakinthepenthouse :)

On AO3

5.2 We can get buzzed up here!

Eddie lit himself a joint, because his hands were shaking, and returned to sweating over ideas. The chambermaid came and went, and then yet another knock had him jumping out of his skin.

“Eddie?”

Steve! It was only 2pm.

Turned out he’d got a day off. He was through the doors unbuttoning his shirt, before Eddie remembered his notes all over the floor:

“What’s this?” asked Steve.

Eddie was about to invoke the ‘Don’t-poke-the-grizzly’ rule, when Steve—already on his knees exploring—picked up Eddie’s single completed sketch.

“You gotta be kidding,” said Steve. “Is this me?”

“Uuuuh, it’s a fae warlock.”

“Wearing hot-pants?”

“It’s for this goddamn video game I co-created.” Eddie looped a strand of hair around a finger and peeked from behind it, blushing. “You might’ve inspired me, Honey.”

Steve snapped his gaping mouth shut, returning his attention to the sketch. “I dig the pointy ears. And the tail. That could be fun, huh? Seriously, tho’—did you have to give me such a crappy hair day?”

It’s you after a long night of debauched sex. I worship that messed-up look.

“Sorry?” offered Eddie.

Steve stuck out his tongue. “A game, huh? So that’s how you hit the big time. Is this dude a goodie or a baddie?”

Honestly, Eddie hadn’t even figured where his fae warlock fitted in, if at all. His face was still burning, so he muttered: “Chaotic neutral, Sugar.”

After that, the grizzly was pretty much lying on its back asking for belly rubs. So Eddie kneeled down beside Steve and came clean about how he needed fresh ideas but was totally blocked creatively. Apart from doodling fantasy versions of Steve, that was. Fortunately, real life Steve turned out to be a mighty fine listener.

“Help me wrap my thick skull around this,” said Steve, when Eddie’s sob story dried up. “The first game was inspired by your geek-game fantasy world. Your good guys fight goblins and super-powerful evil mages and dragons and shit.”

“And liches,” added Eddie. He never got why people forgot the liches. “I didn’t rip it all straight out of D and D. I’ve pulled a Tolkein too–you know, stole ideas from mythology and olde worlde history and shit.”

“Riiiight,” said Steve. “Like, it’s kinda obvious how you get a new twist. Why don’t you set the second game in the real world.”

“Steve, it’s not sci-fi. It’s a total fantasy game.”

“So what? All this hooey would be waaaay scarier if it bled into the real world. Then your heroes would have to power up with magic juju to protect their friends, younger siblings, and grannies and shit, and… Okay, it’s total garbage. I’ll shut up.”

“You put yourself down too much.” Eddie didn’t hate the idea… and Jesus, his hands were shaking worse than ever now. He totally needed Steve out of that unbuttoned shirt, which slipped deliciously off one shoulder.  “Look, I’ll talk to Dustin and Suzie about it. They’re my co-creators, the brainy ones.”

Steve’s delighted grin tugged a small smile from Eddie. He jumped up, and Eddie scrambled after. 

Steve said, “Hey, why don’t we go out for a drink or something?”

Eddie’s arms, which he’d looped around Steve, grew rigid. “We can get buzzed up here.”

“Yeah, but… I dunno, it’ll be like a date or something.”

A knee-jerk silent scream of horror ripped Eddie’s nerves ragged: “It’s your day off. Go knock yourself out, Babe. I ain’t coming.”

“If you wanna be alone, say so.” Steve wriggled free and backed away. “Or if you don’t want to be seen around with me… Screw it, please yourself.” 

He turned to leave. Eddie literally sprinted around him, blocking his path. “Look, it’s me, not you. I’m a freak, okay? I’m not a fan of the big, bad world right now. I don’t really wanna—”

“You don’t have to explain, man.” Steve wearily pushed his gelled hair from his eyes.

Eddie tented his hands in prayer. “I do. I owe you that. Listen, I believe I’ve got a teeny touch of agoraphobia.”

“Huh?”

“Fear of the great outdoors? Crowded places?”

“Oh.” Steve’s eyes stretched wide. “That sucks.”

“I really, really don’t want you to go. Please, Steve, stay? We can hang out, eat trash—”

“—have sex?” Steve rolled his eyes, faintly snickered. “All right. If the routine ain’t broke, why fix it.”

Eddie’s relief nearly set his knees sagging. In truth, he was genuinely gagging for Steve to stay because Steve wanted to. He chickened out of saying it, though. Instead, he snickered too, steadying his nerve and his shakes by firmly grasping Steve’s butt:

“If you let me indulge a freakshow kink, I got an extra two-hundred bucks for ya.”

…

Eddie leaned forward to whisper his ‘freakshow kink’ into Steve’s ear. Steve bit his lip to the point of pain.

He prayed he wasn’t going to have to remind Eddie about his no breath-play rule. He figured he could be flexible on a few welts and bruises—perhaps because hurting Steve seemed such an unlikely thing for Eddie to ask for. Then he remembered the smashed pillar that first night…

“I wanna play with your ass, Stevie,” whispered Eddie. Huh? That’s not exactly a newsflash. “I got a little something I wanna fill you up inside with.”

“Bring it on.” Steve grabbed a handful of Eddie’s hair, and dived into a kiss, working it mechanically.

Butt plugs. Steve had used them in the past himself, as another way to loosen himself up before impatient clients. He’d stopped, because it always gave nasty-ass bastards nasty-ass ideas: “So you’re that kinda dirty little slut, are you?”

He’d had some real evil shit shoved inside him—metal dildos, ones with weird nodules. Some douchebag Brit aristocrat once nearly did him permanent damage with some great truncheon that felt thick as his arm.

Eddie broke the kiss first. Steve plastered on a very professional smile to disguise how his stomach flipped: “Love it, Eds. But, uh, nothing that stretches me too bad, okay?”

“What?” Eddie actually squeaked. “Shit, I should’ve been plain. You ain’t getting nothing bigger than my tongue inside you.”

“You wanna eat me out?” Steve wrinkled his nose. “I’m pretty sure I’ve said this before— you do realise you’re the one paying?”

“My treat, darlin’, literally—you’re gonna taste so sweet.” He leaned to husk in Steve’s ear again. “I ordered waffles for breakfast. Saved the whole jug of maple syrup.”

“It’s gonna get sticky.”

“I sure hope so, Stevie.”

Steve sprawled belly down on Eddie’s bed, while Eddie trickled lukewarm syrup up his thighs and across his butt. He moaned, splayed his legs, focussing on the smooth drag of the silk covers against his dick. Trouble was, for some reason, he’d still got slight jitters. Heck, he’d had nightmare experiences with hot wax as well as butt plugs.

He glanced back.

Eddie… It was Eddie. Eddie was… one of the nicest guys he’d ever known. Eddie’s eyes were always kind, and…

“All right, Stevie?” 

“Hell, yeah.” He thrust ass up, angling his knees inward so the cheeks split wide.

Eddie began to lick, leisurely stroking up Steve’s syrup-smeared thighs, setting Steve squirming. 

“Mmmmm, mmmmm, Honey-pie.” Eddie sounded so stupidly delighted, he shunted Steve’s bad experiences into the darkest corners of his memory. “You likey?”

“I fucking love it.”

Eddie dabbed teasingly close to the back of Steve’s balls, then lathed back up toward Steve’s hole. He genuinely slurped at the syrup, and the stuttering suction sent each of Steve’s raw nerve-endings wild. By the time Eddie tongued lightly around Steve’s rim, Steve gasped, whimpered—too much sensation, all of it driving him nuts. His dick was as dripping as his maple-drenched ass.

“Can I go deeper?” asked Eddie, voice muffled, breath scorching.

“Jesus, pleeease.” Steve was now begging for real. Screw that, demanding: “Eat me out already!”

...

6.1 on tumblr

Chapter 6 on AO3 tumblr link coming soon!

I've added a hashtag #thefreakinthepenthouse for ease of finding the earlier parts. I can also tag if anybody is interested... please let me know.

Thank you for reading. Likes reblogs and comments much appreciated and will feed the bunnies🐰💕🐰💕🐰💕🐰💕

On tumblr: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3.1 Part 3.2 Part 4.1 Part 4.2 Part 5.1

On AO3 All my ST stuff on AO3

[catharsis-in-a-bottle]

AHSDHFHHJKKHD

THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT. WAS SO FUCKING GOOD. 

[spoilers below if you haven’t seen it and you want to]

Here are some of my (not in any particular order) bullet points. This is gonna be long as hell because, you know, brain dumps amiright

First off, Anya Taylor-Joy’s acting. Is just incredible. In particular moments, you can tell what she’s thinking with a simple hand gesture or with the tiniest raise of an eyebrow. She develops Beth’s signature facial expressions and movements throughout the show, and you just feel like you know her. And during her chess matches, sometimes it feels like she’s staring into your soul. Especially when she gives that badass chin-on-the-hands look and she knows she’s going to win. Powerful energy.

Secondly, I fucking knew I recognized Harry Beltik from somewhere else but my mom didn’t BELIEVE me and then I looked up the actor and he’s DUDLEY DURSLEY, I WAS RIGHT MOTHER, I WAS RIGHT

I love love love how they didn’t make, like, a major romantic plotline. Beth doesn’t end up with a partner - she ends with a bunch of super supportive friends that have her back by the time she gets to Moscow, and like, she has a crush on Townes but they end up being just like super good and healthy friends and I love it?? So much?? Thank you producers

Townes. Just, in general. I really like his character, he’s super nice and his voice is oddly soothing

BORGOV. I LOVE BORGOV. HE IS SO GODDAMN RESPECTFUL. Like, he seemed like a very cold character at first - well-mannered and extremely professional, yes, but rather cold. But when she wins in Moscow? “It is your game. Take it.” I LOVE THAT SO MUCH. AND HE HUGS HER AND STARTS CLAPPING AND THE AMOUNT OF RESPECT AND ADMIRATION AND AFFECTION IN THAT SCENE IS INCREDIBLE. And you don’t see any of that in Borgov’s face when he’s playing. His facial expressions do not change at all. But then his face when she wins!! He’s HAPPY! He’s like, goddamn, I’ve spent my whole life mastering chess, it’s about time somebody fucking beat me! I know I’m repeating myself but just his RESPECT I absolutely adore it

And Beth’s officer-watcher-person in Moscow was all like “ahhh be wary of the Russians! communism!!” but they absolutely did not make this yet another evil Russian show, like please that trope works for plots but it’s about time somebody did something different - they showed the US government as suspicious of the Soviets but then they showed the solidarity between the chess players that Benny talked about earlier (”The Russians work together, Americans work alone” or something like that), and then they showed the kind and excitable people on the streets, and the amount of support they would have had no matter WHO won that goddamn match. The old man she plays at the end. Everyone is a community.

Continuing that - I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the old man with the very puffy white hair, but I loved him too. He sees Beth as the rising star she is, and he respects her. He admires her. The dynamic there is absolutely immaculate, contrary to the dynamic between Beth and the man she beats earlier, the one who walks off and doesn’t even talk to her. We don’t like that man - we like the ones who admit defeat and respect Beth!! I love them!! They are extremely professional, and they show the warm-heartedness that often doesn’t show with all of the cold stares and glares that pass between players during matches.

Joline. I’m so glad she came back. I love her. She’s extremely independent but she comes back for Beth because Beth needs her but she’s also like “I’m not your savior! Get your shit together!” which is fucking awesome. And the fact that the two of them interacted like the best of friends even after years of separation was really sweet to me.

I nearly cried when Beth went back into the school. (I say ‘nearly’ because there were other people in the room and naturally I can’t do that in front of other people. If I was utterly alone, maybe on my own planet, I would have.) Because of all of it. Because of her trauma, because that’s where all the shit began... and the music during that scene. It was hauntingly beautiful, especially when the melody began switching to cello. And then Beth saw all the pictures and newspaper clips that Mr. Shaibel had saved, because he cared about her so much, because he started it all - he’s the reason she’s going to national tournaments, to Paris, to Moscow. And in that scene, we know he’s too old to be alive anymore, and she does too. The whole school scene in general just feels so ghostly and ethereal. 

I love Borgov, did I say that already? I just... strive to exude his energy. I want to be good at things but I want to hold deep, genuine respect and admiration for others who are also good at the thing, because sometimes I just have the biggest fucking ego and I can get carried away. ‘Borgov, Borgov, Borgov.’ A mantra. He wins respectfully and he loses respectfully. 

BETH’S MOTHER (the second one) JUST FUCKING DIED OUT OF NOWHERE?? AND I WAS SO SHOCKED? Which is really an accurate reflection of reality because death often comes out of nowhere, but DAMN I was not expecting that shit

And the fact that the mother just,,,, let her chug a beer,,,, oof

THE ADDICTION. BETH’S DOWNWARD SPIRAL. IT MADE ME FEEL SO HORRIBLE BUT IT FELT SO REAL. Everything about her progression through addiction was just... I can’t find an adjective. But when she just fucking inhaled that bucket of pills as a kid and then collapsed. When that addiction lasted into her adulthood - it’s really impactful and horrible and just so real. She needed proper care throughout this entire goddamn show and she never got medical care, she just got supportive friends - which, btw, that’s one thing that kind of threw me off. Like, she didn’t have withdrawal in Moscow, she went from chugging like four bottles of wine a day to... not drinking at all?? Without withdrawal symptoms?? And I’m proud of her for throwing away those pills but honestly it felt really fast, idk

GIVING CHILDREN TRANQUILIZERS WAS AN ACTUAL THING THAT HAPPENED. I DID NOT PREVIOUSLY KNOW THIS. BUT LEGITIMATELY, IT HAPPENED. HOLY SHIT.

HARRY BELTIK. He was like, awkwardly in love with Beth and that shit didn’t work out but even afterwards he FUCKING CARED. He’d seen his father drink himself to death and he knew that would happen to Beth and he was scared. So he came back, he tried to help her, and at that point (when she had that fucking scary eye makeup, yeah that was rock bottom) she didn’t care much about the outside world anymore. She was angry, and she was closing herself in. It made my stomach clench in physical pain. Which is a good thing. But also not.

Harry Beltik in general just being so supportive and wanting to help her though, like yeah it was very awkward, but they were vibing

AND BENNY WATTS IS FUCKING GREAT. THAT WHOLE COWBOY LOOK, COWBOY CHESS PLAYER, NOW THAT’S AN AESTHETIC. He was concerned for Beth too. He wanted to help her. He wanted to create that American solidarity that he knew the Soviet competitors had, and ultimately he did when he and everyone else called her in Moscow. Benny is... chaotic good? Neutral? He is quite an interesting character, and Beth’s persistent social awkwardness fades away with him because he knows how to interact with her. He’s a dedicated and smart narcissist, and I’m here for it.

The fact that they made me love and hate Cleo at the same time, and also question Beth’s sexuality when she first met Cleo. Like, she’s from Paris. She considers ‘tomorrow night�� to be a very long time away. I love her mysteriousness. But also, she was the catalyst for Beth’s downward drinking spiral before the match in Paris, so like... I like Cleo’s personality, but not her choices in those previous moments.

The music. Did I mention the music? The soundtrack. The orchestrals. That one song that the mother plays on piano that I hear all the time and I still don’t actually know what it is PLEASE HELP. The music is melancholy in the right moments, upbeat in the right moments, intense and suspenseful in the right moments - and also absent in the right moments. There’s tacet. There’s silence. And it’s always been my firm belief that silence can hold just as much impact as sound. 

Just an interesting note, my mom watched the whole show before me and then re-watched it with me, and when Mr. Shaibel showed up she quickly reassured me that he wasn’t a child molester, because quote “it may be a creepy basement but he’s just really nice” so...  I was reassured

I love Mr. Shaibel, and Beth just kept sticking up for him in front of the press and,,, yeah

I hated that bitch from the high school, what was her name?... The one who showed up in the store with a child? It makes me think about the fact that so many kids are just jerks in high school simply because they can be... and occasionally their fuckery lasts into adulthood but oftentimes it doesn’t. You don’t have to be a jerk when you’re an adult, and you don’t have to be a jerk in high school! People remember, people always remember! So, to the bitch from the high school: fuck you for making Beth feel like an outsider and then trying to reverse gears and accept her, cuz Beth isn’t falling for that shit.

The twins, Matt and Mike. They’re so doubtful of Beth in the beginning but then bam, she’s competing nationally, and I adore how the three of them become friends. All those men playing chess in Kentucky in the beginning seem so condescending, but ultimately they show respect because Beth absolutely fucking deserves it.

I enjoy the fact that we never *really* know Beth’s age. It’s just like... she’s 9, she’s 15, she’s 17, she’s... twenty something? Who the hell knows? As many characters say, when it comes to skill level, age ultimately isn’t an important factor. This young woman beats the oldest man with the bushiest white hair in Moscow and age. Does not. Matter. 

The Jesus people lmaooooo when Beth said “because it’s fucking nonsense” I just. Mad respect ma’am, don’t take their money, go be a communist and “sPrEaD tHe aThEiSt AgEnDa”

Wow I really just... wrote all that didn’t I damn wish I could write essays this fast at reasonable hours of the day

Beth’s relationship with her foster mother is so fucking sweet until she fucking dies

And fuck Beth’s legal father. He is an asshole. That is all.

The mother deserved Manuel, she deserved that sketchy Mexican salesman goddammit

As my final bullet point: This has made me want to play chess. This has made me want to get good at chess. You know that thing where you like, download the personality of the coolest character for like a day after you watch something... I don’t do that anymore (maybe), but I want to download those mad chess skills. This has made chess seem so cool. I want to wear a fancy suit and compete with people. I just have to, you know, actually develop some strategy and stop losing brutally against people online. I wAnT tO pLaY cHesS dO yOu HeAr mE

I’m going to stop now, but I just,,, peeps, I love this show. I’m absolutely going to require a re-watch in the future. I just love it. The characters and their development, their relationships with each other, the progression of time and of Beth’s maturity... it is simply incredible. This concludes my brain dump.

[niennavalier]

So

Because roommates are playing in my D&D campaign, I can’t tell them all the fun rants going through my head. Which means you all/the void get to hear them

Basic premise of the campaign (which has actually been going for like 6-7 sessions now? IDK exactly cause we never initially planned for it to go long): the party has found this lost/legendary city that’s hidden in the middle of the desert and invisible to the world. (I watched Road to El Dorado, okay?) There be some shenanigans, but they learn that the crystal which has been protecting the city/keeping it invisible and such is failing. Monsters getting into the city, and the city itself is now faintly visible from the outside, which wasn’t true before. They learn of the existence of other crystals scattered across the world and that they exist to bind Talos (as a result of some big ol’ good vs evil fight from long in the past). His followers plan to “corrupt” and then take the crystals for themselves in order to reverse those binds and let chaos rule again (which the party doesn’t fully know yet, but they have some hints of it).

And at the same time, the city itself is undergoing some shit. Because I wanted to fill out the world as being more than the party and the crystal. So the Mayor left some months back without returning, and people aren’t pleased with how things have been going since. There are whispers and plans of some sort of uprising in order to demand answers (from the young tiefling left in charge of the city who is Not Ready for this sort of responsibility...and is lowkey panicking cause he knows things aren’t good. The party Rogue isn’t impressed with him and honestly yeah, that was the point) and get shit back in order. And the party split last time, half of them examining the tunnel where I plot dumped about the crystals - and a teleportation circle is laying dormant - while the other half went to go see the crystal. 

So I was like “Nice, I can intro the whole uprising thing to the half of the party not in the tunnel and give them some more shit to deal with/give them more of a sense of the current state of the city/etc etc”. And I did that, had them meet this sorta sketch older dude who was in charge of that movement, saw that they did want to fundamentally help the people of the town, and sorta offered for them to join (while also giving the information much more easily than I normally give them, because a lot of my NPCs have reasons to not implicitly trust these randos). I left the second to last session with “So, what do you say?” as a question of whether they wanted to join (whether genuinely or just to learn more of what was up).

And then was thinking of things for the most recent session, which involved some fleshing out of the people involved in said uprising, assuming they would be interested. And instead got the most blase response to a goddamn uprising: effectively just “that’s great but its not our particular goal here byeee”. Which then led to roommate wanting to investigate the room with the crystal (which I knew was basically empty anyway because the room itself doesn’t serve any purpose beyond...being a room) and rolling well on said roll. And then being like “why do I always roll good on stuff that doesn’t really matter?” And I’m like...I’m sorry the room legit doesn’t have anything in it, but also I legit just threw so much plot at you about this uprising because I thought that would be the main point of what you’d be dealing with??

Which was then compounded by them returning to the rest of the party, relaying the random info that I gave for the investigation check (which amounted to just a rough timeline of what had happened earlier) and sorta glossing over the entire uprising that was coming up. Granted, it was mentioned, but more in that people are just unhappy with the current government, not that shit’s about to go down real soon. AKA, in probably about 6 hours from where they currently stand in game...which also lines up rather well with an invasion of the city by followers of Talos...which is actually happening at the same time because one of the people heading the uprising is actually one of said followers of Talos...but they don’t know this because they chose not to look into the uprising at all.

So they have a lot to deal with soon.

Not to mention the other thing that happened. Because one of the first NPCs I introduced to them was this half-drow rogue (Vaerys, who is probably gonna become a PC for me to play the day I finally don’t have to be the forever DM). And they didn’t trust him, because he wasn’t willing to tell them any actual information (his family is being held by followers of Talos to ensure that he does his job: bringing a shard of obsidian into the city to weaken the crystal and take it...or at least not rat them out long enough for them to do the dirty work themselves...so I’d say he has reason to not trust anyone in this place). But he’s been something of a constant to the game so far, because they know he has information that might be useful, so they’ve gone seeking him out before. And same roommate who was looking around the tower made a good arcana check, so I figured I’d use that to let them in on the obsidian shard and how Vaerys is connected to the entire thing. So that happens, they find him, and I figure I’ll throw them a bone and pretty much just have my boy plot dump his backstory (not the details, but the important bits) at them. (to be fair, he chooses to trust them because roommate’s character is naive and so it’s pretty clearly not a deception. Seemed both a little more lenient than usual without being entirely out of character). So now they know about the demon invasion, and that he plans to get the crystal out so that his family is safe and the town isn’t razed to the ground by a bunch of demons or cultists or whatever the servants of Talos decide to throw at them.

Being your typical dumbass good characters, roommate is like “just give us the crystal so we can destroy it and the servants of Talos, and we can protect your family!” To which his response is effectively “How about no, because you’re like, 5 people vs an entire cult and whatever army they’ve gathered, and I’m not risking my family just cause you’ve got an inflated sense of morality. I get that you want to do the right thing - I don’t want these people to die either - but this isn’t a black and white thing, and you definitely can’t kill a whole army on your own”. 

To which roommate responded by essentially quoting Spock (you all know the quote), and I’m internally like “ooh boy, that’s not getting on his good side. ‘Just sacrifice your family so that we can maybe protect this town’. That’s really gonna resonate with him”. Obviously he’s not responsive to that logic, so then roommate goes “I’m gonna try to steal the amulet”

What

“...okay, I think that’s a Dex check in this case, cause it’s pretty small and he’s holding it up slightly away from himself”

Now, keep in mind, I rolled for Vaerys’ stats, so he’s a Rogue at slightly higher level than they are. Roommate is playing a Barbarian. Guess whose Dex was too fucking high for roommate to beat?

Yeah.

So now roommate’s character (and her boyfriend’s character, who was sorta just along for the ride) are now on Vaerys’ bad side, and they have no idea where he is either, because they ended up getting stopped by the bartender in the tavern where they found him. (cause, yknow, people running through the tavern means trouble so barkeep stopped them like “What the fuck is going on. Get out. Now” Especially after roommate tried to convince them all to go chasing after him and failed...although what she doesn’t know is that those patrons are either normal people who were hoping for a normal evening, or people involved in the uprising with much more pressing things on their mind than the barbarian telling them to go on a wild goose chase for reasons they don’t even know to be true yet)

Aaand then they activated the teleportation circle (after relaying all of this wonderful news), two of them went through, and now are stuck on the other side because those were the decided on mechanics of these teleportation circles for this game. While the rest of them are in a city - essentially on the brink of some kind of revolution - which is about to be probably raided by an evil army, with a once-potential ally on the loose and no longer on great terms with them

(because side note: Vaerys also feels like he’d been betrayed by other roommate’s character, who told him that they wouldn’t rat him out to the wizards working on figuring out the crystal - aka another of my PCs who’s getting recycled for this game, and then brought said wizards down to the tunnel where Vaerys was presumably still hiding. They wanted to get help deciphering the walls, but instead shit just went sideways because I warned them that Vaerys might still be in there and I stalled for as long as I fucking could, but then they just went in anyway and I was like “...well, I warned yall. Now there’s a dagger at your side.” So Vaerys is only okay with the party Rogue - because hell yeah neutral characters, that whole solution was actually rather creative. And the sorcerer who just joined the party last session, because he just hasn’t actually met her yet)

(Other notable bit from that part between roommate and Vaerys was her saying that “well if the demons can know if you betray them, then if we take the amulet and smash it, then they’ll know it’s not your fault and your family will be fine!” And this wasn’t exactly how I said it in character but like...these people are chaotic evil. Emphasis on Chaotic. Would you trust them to care the specifics on why things went wrong? Or just believe that if things go wrong, they’ll kill your family regardless? Talos is the god of chaos, after all. These folks ain’t lawful by any means)

Point being: they got a lot to deal with

[thebisexualmandalorian]

Question 1 for Sam, 2 for Cody, 3 for Garbage Cat, 4 for Grey, 5 for Sam and so on!

Under a cut for length!

1. Name? 

Sam, Samson, Samwise, Sammy, Old Man, Handsome Boy, Sweet Baby.

2. Fur color?

Cody is ORANGE.  THE ORANGEST BOY.

3. Any family you know (other than you)

Answered here!

4. Age?

Grey’s almost two!

5. Favorite toy?

Sam likes fishing toys a lot.

6. Nicknames?

BABY BOY, MY SON

7. Cinnamon roll or problematic fave?

The most problematic of faves.  Garbage Cat is made of cuteness and straight-up evil.  She wants to destroy every other cat and also me.

8. Length of fluff?

Short!  Grey has a short, very silky coat.

9. Any funny habits?

Sam needs head bumps all the time.  Whenever he sees me for the first time every day, I have to sit down so he can stretch up and bump his forehead against mine.

10. How old were they when you met?

We think Cody was around eight months.

11. What does their food bowl look like?

Dollar Tree cat bowl with pictures of fish on it, or straight out of the bucket, lol.

12. Indoor or outdoor cat?

We’re trying to transition Grey to being an inside cat.

13. Recent picture?

14. Old picture?

15. Cuddly?

Garbage Cat only cuddles when I pick her up so she can watch mom cook.

16. Ever changed their name?

Nope!  He’s always been Grey.

18. Eye color?

Sam has the prettiest green eyes.

19. How do they express love for you?

Cody follows me everywhere, screaming, and he’ll fling himself into my lap.  He stretches up to try to grab my hand.  He purrs.  He is the lovingest baby boy.

20. How do you express love for them?

I feed Garbage Cat wet food and treats and throw bouncy balls for her. 

21. Any theories on what breed?

Whatever bizarre breed gave Grey a curved, pointy nose and made him smol.

22. Do they ever wake you up?

Sam does wake me up sometimes, lol.

23. How much do they meow?

So much.  Cody loves to squeak at me when he thinks I’m not paying attention.

24. Any hiding spots?

Garbage Cat got her nickname from sleeping in the trash can, but she also likes to snuggle under blankets.  We have to pat the beds to make sure she isn’t asleep under the quilt before we sit down.

25. Do they enjoy guests?

Nope.  Grey can warm up to people, but he gets spooked when they’re new.

26. Lofty objects to sit on?

Sam doesn’t really like being up high, mostly because he’s an Elderly Gentlecat and it’s hard for him to get up and down.

27. Wear a collar? (and describe collar?)

Cody had a sparkly red collar, but it disappeared and I keep forgetting to replace it.

28. How much shedding?

Garbage Cat sheds so much, jesus christ.

29. Do they enjoy brushing?

Hahaha nope, Grey hates it.

30. Ever drink from the toilet?

Sam is far too fancy for that.  (Also we keep the lids closed so they can’t, lol)

31. How do they get your attention?

Cody flings himself into my legs and tries to climb me. 

32. Embarrassing thing they’ve done?

Embarrassing for me or her?  Garbage Cat has no shame.  

33. Weirdest thing they try to eat?

Grey doesn’t really like anything super weird, but he has stolen the breading from chicken fingers.

34. Are they like your siblings, children, or friends?

Sam is my best friend.

35. What time do they eat breakfast?

Cody usually eats around six in the morning, when dad feeds them.

36. Do you cut their nails?

Dude, I don’t want to die.

37. Do you think they understand you?

I look at Grey and I just know that there’s nothing going on in that tiny, tiny head.  

38. Ever make fun of them?

How could I make fun of someone as dignified as Sam?

39. Do you take their picture often?

I take so many pictures of Cody.

40. Ever hiss at you?

Garbage Cat doesn’t bother hissing, she skips straight to attempted homicide.

41. Ever try to scratch or bite you?

Grey would never.  

42. If you try to grab their paw, what do they do?

Sam bites for that kind of offense.  He hates having his gigantic snowshoe paws touched.

43. Do they ever eat bugs?

Yep.  Cody looooves chasing crane flies.

44. Canned or dry food?

Both!  Garbage Cat gets a specially selected diet of grain-free dry and wet food because she is a special baby who’s allergic to at least one grain. 

45. Weight?

We haven’t weighed Grey but he is Tiny.  

46. Ever got lost?

Sam’s given us a few scares.

47. Do you buy them presents?

Yep!

48. Do they respond when you call?

Garbage Cat only responds to the sound of a can opening or a treat bag being shaken.

49. Do they ever see other cats?

Grey has his family outside, and Cody is his Bestest Friend Ever.  He tries to be friends with Garbage Cat and Sam, but that way only ends in sadness.

50. Declawed?

HELL NO.

51. Funniest expression?

The look she gave us the day we brought her home:

52. Favorite place to be pet?

Grey loves head scritches.

53. Worst thing they’ve destroyed?

Sam is a chronic pisser-on of scratching pads, so we can’t have those in the house anymore.

54. Give them a head kiss.

Cody squeaked at me.

55. What time of the year is most exciting for them?

Garbage Cat loves cold weather.  She runs laps when it gets below 70 degrees.

56. Are they good at hunting real prey?

One time, I went out to the back yard to bring Grey in, and he was eating a rat as big as him.  So... yeah.

57. Do they ever attack nothing?

Sam is pretty chill tbh.

58. What are they doing right now?

Just chilling.

59. How long have you had them?

Since October of 2015.  Garbage Cat was my halloween kitten.

60. If you could have them stay as a kitten forever, would you?

I mean... Grey basically is a kitten.  He’s smol and full of energy.

61. Ever baby-talk to them?

All the goddamn time.

62. Favorite napping position?

Cody loves to sleep stretched out on his back, with his paws curled up against his chest.

63. Have you ever stepped on their paw?

YES AND I FELT LIKE A MONSTER

64. Ever tripped you on stairs?

We don’t have stairs but I am 100% certain that if we did, Grey would trip me on them.

65. Any ear hair?

SAM HAS THE BEST EAR TUFTS

66. Favorite view from a window?

Cody doesn’t really like windows that much.

67. Describe why they are precious.

Garbage Cat is so funny, and she has the cutest little mrrps when she’s watching people cook or when she wakes up.

68. Fit the cat stereotype?

Grey is more like a very strange and friendly ferret than a cat.

69. Chaotic neutral?

Sam is Lawful Good.

70. Do they enjoy following/ keeping you company?

Holy shit yes.  Cody always has to be where I am, and I can’t do anything without him getting up to follow me.

71. Are you their favorite human? 

HAHAHA NO.  I barely rank in the top ten, and Garbage Cat only knows like six people.

72. Do they like tv?

Grey will watch bird videos for hours if I put them on.

73. Favorite noise to make?

This horrible parrot-like squawk.  I love it.

74. If they were a Neko Atsume cat, what would their momento be?

A small heart-shaped plush.

[thegreatyin]

U.04 Thoughts...basically a review/reaction. But also not. Because I'm a sarcastic narcissist.

So- I- WOW.

I HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS RN

OH. MY GOD.

(spoilers ahead, be warned!)

(Also, I wrote this on my Kindle Fire, so expect spelling mistakes.)

(Also, this is vry long yes™, so it's under the cut. Read at your own risk.)

First off, I'm gonna clarify - this is my thoughts on the FIRST VIEWING. I'm gonna re-watch it later and think about stuff more then. I haven't watched it a single time after the first, because I needed to write this.

Second...

Ink was portrayed BRILLIANTLY in this episode. This is EXACTLY what he is- only in it for his own entertainment/benefit. He is Chaotic Neutral at best, and Chaotic Evil at worst. And here? He's at his worst. Straight up ELIMINATING the rest of the Multiverse, breaking the natural order of things- all because he was bored. Goddamn, I love/hate that asshole.

I gotta give props to the animation, as well- it was gorgeous. Jakei is an EXCELLENT animator, and this episode was WORTH the wait. I actually paused the episode at certain points just to appreciate how a character breathed, or how good they looked.

While the humor wasn't a prime focus, one always has to give it a HUGE shoutout. The joy, of course, usually came from my own squeals at Error's usual crazy reactions to things (imsorryilovehim) but there were also times where I took a break from my sobs just to laugh hysterically. Lots of them, in fact.

Enough praises though, lets give it a rundown. Skipping over the part that was previewed, we start in Underwap, with X-Tale Alphys. Now, what I noticed here is that Code Frisk seemed a bit surprised at all this- but I'll put that down to out-of-ut shenanigans. Anyway, X-Tale Alphys somehow uses one of the X-Tale TIMELINES to 'quarantine' Underswap, that's the main thing. Here, we also get an explanation for why Papyrus didn't come with them...there wasn't any point to it. Which is kinda a grim start for the episode, if you ask me.

Skimming over the Underfell bit- I don't have much to talk about there, surprisingly - lets discuss Nightmare and Killer and X-Tale Chara. Nightmare got a few chuckles out of me here, I have to say. Mainly from the look he gave Chara after they wanted to get the vial. It was the perfect embodiment of 'dude wtf' 

I find it interesting here that Nightmare says that he 'owns' Chara. I mean- once they get to full power, they could just OVERWRITE him away.

Then again, it won't happen if he kills Chara first. Which he plainly can, dear Lord.

Now, what REALLY gets me in this scene is what Killer said. Because they took Classic's soul, they interfered with the UT Universe, thus making a ripple effect across all the timelines connected to it. This way, Killer knew EXACTLY what was going down.

This makes me wonder- does that mean, currently, all the Sanses in the Multiverse will be aware of the X-Event? Or just the ones closely intertwined with the main UT universe, like Killer's? It's a shame they never touch more on this, I personally find it fascinating.

Anyway, we finally make our way to Outertale, where we stay for almost all of the remaining episode. Here, the Sanses, Swap, Fell, and Sans, decide that they're done with Ink's bullshit. They want to go home, and they miss their brothers.

Unfortunately, Ink went missing, because he's a little shit that can't stay in one place like a good boy. So Classic has to take a break from his beautiful, busy hair-brushing and babysit this douche. AKA, go find him.

While looking, Classic finds a meteor shower, which...has no real importance. I'm not even sure why I included it, it's just a nice moment. Followed up by a fart joke.

Long story short, Sans encounters Outer, who is actually really fucking chill??? And I love?????? Him?????????? So much????????????????

Skipping ahead a bit, Nightmare attempts to force-feed Chara some poor monster's soul, but Chara can't eat that shit. You know what they can eat? Their soul! That's right - Glitchlord, aka ERROR, is here to find Ink and beat the crap out of him.

Little personal note- I love how he goes from basically 0 to 100 in a second. "Sup Nightmare, WHERE THE FUCK IS INK."

Turns out, Ink isn't feeling things, because not even Nightmare, who can sense emotions, can find him. Which means that Ink didn't take his pills today- naughty boy.

It's a shame we don't get more of Outer, tbh- I really liked him. That's definitely one of this episode's flaws. Alas, Killer has to kill SOMETHING, otherwise his name means literally nothing.

Skipping ahead, since I, again, don't have much to say about anything else- the Error and Ink fight.

DEAR LORD, THE ERROR AND INK FIGHT.

This thing is BEAUTIFUL. It's basically a game of keep-away between a grumpy glitchlord, a mad artist, and a smol anger child. Because that's what it is- and it gave me CHILLS. Mainly Ink. He gives me chills. How he looks, the way he can effortlessly throw down everyone WITHOUT his brush, the cut Error gave him- this is what he really is, at heart. Or should I say, without one.

The fight pauses so Ink can give a speach, and now? Now, we have CONTEXT.

Record Scratch.

Freeze frame.

That context.

Ink did this all because he was going to be empty without new AUs. He sided with X-Gaster because he needed something new. Something interesting. Something to fill the emptiness that is eternally there, he did it because he was bored, he did this all to have something new, he did it to play a game that would never end- and I'll fight you on it, that is the most human thing he's done, ever. Period. Never again, I show ship Ink and X-Gaster, we're calling it Creation, you can't stop me, it's sailed, and I'm the captain.

But, you ask, why did he have to be soulless to do it? Because he would otherwise feel guilty about leaving behind Cross- a genuine FRIEND. And if that also isn't the most human thing to do, if you can find a better example I'll write a bad Jerry X Reader fanfic.

(I'm not joking. I will, please pm me if you find something.)

Anyway, the real takeaway here is that Ink successfully summons Satan, AKA X-Gaster. And he proceeds to murder everyone, shove Error in the Anti-Void for being bad, give Ink's brush back, shove Classic back into UT, kill the AUs (no, actually, Error did that, but shh-) and make Cross...come back?

Horray! Start the victory parade!

...but not really. Because, from what I can tell(?), almost everyone is in a 'Quarantine ' zone, probably to wait while Ink and the X-Tale crew break bread and make their new world. Infact, from what I can tell, the only people besides them who aren't there are Error (who's having a fit in the AV), Cross, Dream, Fresh, and Nightmare and Killer, but those last two might just be around because Nightmare blends in with the background WAY too much.

x-Faster leaves, giving Cross the option to join him, and...I hope he doesn't. I pray he doesn't.

But enough of that. Let's talk about 'Valiant Heart' for a second, huh ~?

(Putting a break to pretend like I'm organized)

Tbh, I actually thought that Dream would DIE in this scene. Really - Nightmare saw a chance to get rid of a KNOWN thorn in his side, and he took it. Luckily, Cross saved him, and they both escaped...

But this scene has other things to talk about. First off, it's beautiful. This is the only thing in Underverse (so far/as far as I know) that isn't fully animated, instead shone in quick images and only having GORGEOUS song lyrics. I LOVE this part, and it might just be my favorite out of the whole episode.

Although..... I'm 25% percent sure that Dream and Cross went to X-Tale to hide, and Nightmare and Killer are now left alone in the black space that used to be the Doodle Sphere. Do they stay there? Is Nightmare's castle still existing?? This is like Killer's line at the start- I want insight to this.

For the sake of keeping this (long) thing short, I'm gonna end here, but...wow. Things are BLEAK rn. I can't even theorize any good possibilities - I'm shook. What a way to end an arc.

....or, should I say, what a way to start one~?