#you can be invested in multiple projects at a time… there is so much love and creativity in our hearts…. take my hand………

[badnewswhatsleft]

one of the most fascinating fob takes is when someone says joe and andy should leave to pursue other projects bc its clear andy thrives in hardcore and joe loves and does v well writing guitar-driven stuff. and its like. well ok be that as it may. have you considered. that the four of them are besties 🥰

[hayleythesugarbowl]

spencer agnew!

him and his partner are long distance and he surpises them and shows up

Birthday Wishes || Spencer Agnew x reader

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ masterlist • smosh masterlist  ⋆˚｡⋆୨୧⋆

summary: you and spencer have been long distance for some time now, and he decides he wants to do something special and surprise you for your birthday

word count: 3.2k

warnings: mild language

a/n: ahh i’m so sorry this took me so long to get to but i hope you enjoy it!! i love writing for spencer sm 🎀🫶 also it’s still the 19th where i live so happy bday courtney!! 🎉

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~°~❦~°~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     “Do you think green is my color?”

     “Hello to you too, Spencer,” you spoke into the phone you balanced on your shoulder as you tied your hair up in a towel. 

     “Hey, small talk can wait. This is a fashion emergency,” Spencer’s voice filled your ear as you wrapped another towel around your body, fiddling with the edges to keep it in place.

     “Alright,” you said, “That’s enough Project Runway for you.”

     “It’s a good show!” 

     You giggled, shifting Spencer to your other ear.

     “So,” he continued, “What are you doing right now?”

     “Right now? Well, I just took a shower and now I’m talking to you,” you told him.

     “I don’t want to be one of those guys, but, damn without me?”

     “I’m hanging up,” you giggled. “And like you’d fly hundreds of miles just to shower with me.”

     “You’d be surprised,” his voice took on a teasing tone, “I do have those frequent flier miles just waiting to be used.”

     You and Spencer had been long distance for about two months now. You’d agreed to stay together even though you were going to be moving across the country. 

     You’d met your boyfriend at work about nine months ago. You’d both been working at Smosh when you began dating and it all took off from there.

     First dates, anniversaries, you getting a job opportunity in New York, and now this. Talking to Spencer on the phone no less than three times a day.

     It had killed you to leave him. But you’d agreed that this was the best option for both of you. Spencer was almost more invested in your career than you were and you really appreciated him for being so willing to make things work for you. 

     Now, you set your phone down on the counter and pressed speaker phone as you    began to moisturize.

     “Don’t you have something better to use those on than one shower?”

     “Hey, don’t think this is all about you,” Spencer said. “Your shower has jets. Who wouldn’t fly across the county to use that thing.”

     You laughed, rolling your eyes playfully even though Spencer couldn’t actually see you.

     “Plus,” he continued, his voice becoming more serious, “I’d get to kiss you.”

     And there it was. The one thing you couldn’t do while you and Spencer were miles and miles apart.

     No more forehead kisses after a long day at work. No more long embraces that smelled like him. No touching at all.

     God, you missed him so much. There was only so much that technology could do.   

     You sank down on to the counter, letting your elbows prop you up. 

     “(Y/n), you still there? You’re not watching Runway without me, are you?”

     You attempted a weak chuckle. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

     As if sensing your sudden deflation Spencer asked you, “Hey, are you ok?”

     “I’m fine, Spence,” you said, tracing the pattern of the countertop with your fingertip as you talked, “I just miss you.”

     “I know,” he sighed, “I miss you too. Really freaking bad.”

     There was silence between you before Spencer said, “But hey, your birthday is coming up soon. Any plans?”

     “Not yet.” You shrugged off his abrupt subject change. 

     You hadn’t really wanted to do anything for your birthday, not without Spencer. You  had tried to squander your roommates attempts at throwing you a party multiple times.

     You appreciated her efforts, but you kind of just felt like a quiet evening eating cake in your bathrobe.

     “(Y/n), it’s not every day you turn 68,” Spencer teased, “You gotta celebrate these.”

     “Very funny,” you deadpanned. “And you’re one to talk! On your last birthday you just came to work in your pajamas and made everyone obey that ‘Mountain Dew me’ button.”

     “And that was a party! Some people got seriously hammered.”

     “Sure,” you agreed, “If by people, you mean you. And by hammered, you mean sugar crashed.”

     “Ok, I don’t get shower pics and you’re gonna start correcting me? I’m so out.”

     “Wait,” you stopped him, “switch to FaceTime.”

      You waited for the image of him to show up on your screen, pulling on the towel wrapped around your drying hair. Spencer’s face appeared suddenly and your heart leapt as you took him in.

     He was laying in bed and had his head propped up on one arm, the other holding his phone in his hand as he smiled up at you.

     His hair was tousled and he had his glasses on and he looked so damn sexy that you almost forgot what you were intending to do.

     “Ok, if you want shower pics so badly…” You flipped your camera and began pretending to take rapid photos of the shower curtain behind you.

     “You are so stupid,” Spencer laughed, rubbing his hand over his face before laying it behind his head again.

     “And you’re gorgeous,” you said, flipping the camera back to front-facing.

     “And you are working that towel.”

     You rolled your eyes, walking out of the bathroom and carrying Spencer with you. 

     You plopped down on your bed, just opening your mouth to speak when you heard someone yell your name from the other side of the apartment.

     “(Y/n)! I’m home! And these groceries aren’t going to put away themselves!” Your roommate called.

     “That’s Layla,” you huffed, “I better go before she rearranges the whole fridge.”

     “I’m going to pretend I’m not hurt,” Spencer clutched his chest in mock injury. 

     “I’ll call you later tonight, I promise,” you blew him a kiss and stood up from your bed. “I was just about to get dressed anyway.” 

     And by dressed, you meant your pajamas. 

     “Dang, I can’t believe I have to miss that,” he said. “‘Sure you can’t just put me on the night stand?”

     “Pervert!” You stuck your tongue out at him.

     “Woah,” Spencer held his arm up, “I just wanted to see your choice of clothing. You always know how to perfectly match patterns and textures with the undertones of —”

     “No more fashion speak!” You giggled, “Goodbye, Spencer.”

     “Bye, baby,” Spencer said softly, and the regret in his tone made it hard to hang up. “Love you.”

      “Love you more,” you whispered before ending the call. You slumped down onto your bed, letting out a sigh. 

      “Thank god!”

     You whipped around to see your roommate, Layla, standing in the doorway.

     “I thought I was gonna have to end that.”

     You shook your head at her as she came to sit down next to you on the bed. 

      “You still need help?” You asked her.

      “Nah,” she waved it away, “You lovebirds took too long. If you weren’t so cute together, it’d be hella annoying.”

      You smiled. You loved your roommate, brutal honesty and all.

      “But now that we’re here, can we talk about your birthday?” 

     You opened your mouth to protest and she interrupted you.

     “I know you’re going to say you don’t want to do anything but please just consider it. Your birthday’s in less than two weeks and you still haven’t let me plan a party.”

     “I don’t know, Lay,” you said, for the hundredth time, “I’m just not in a party mood.”

     “(Y/n), you can’t spend the rest of your life missing Spencer and talking to Spencer and thinking about Spencer. I get that you love him but maybe a little party would take your mind off things. And your boyfriend would want you to have a good time. What do you say?”

      Your best friend had a point. You had been pretty preoccupied with Spencer when you weren’t working or sleeping.

     And maybe she was right, maybe a little celebration was what you needed. Spencer had wanted you to do something for your special day.

     Besides, your friend was trying to do something nice for you. And the more you thought about it, the more it sounded like it could be an enjoyable experience.

     “Alright,” you told her, “Plan away.”

     “That’s the spirit!” Layla beamed at you, grabbing your hand before bouncing out of the room, probably to go buy party supplies.

     You laid back on the bed, smiling at the ceiling. You were actually excited for the party. 

     Your phone buzzed suddenly, and you reached across the comforter to grab it.

You had two texts from Spencer.

[Spencer] : wait i was actually serious about the green thing though!! 

[Spencer] : i’m doing a merch shoot tomorrow and i need to know 🙏 

     You grinned at the screen, remembering the first part of your phone conversation.

[(Y/n)] : any color is your color babe 

[(Y/n)] : but actually go with yellow 

     You waited for his reply to come, smiling when you read his messages.

[Spencer] : what would i do without you? 

[Spencer] : k, i better go. i gotta hit the shower myself (jet-less)

[Spencer] : stay tuned for pics 😉 

₊˚ ✧ ‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿ ✧ ₊˚

     Four days. It had been exactly four days since Spencer had stopped answering your calls.

     He only responded to your messages with short, generic texts and whenever you asked if he could call he had somewhere he needed to be or something he needed to do.

     You tried to be rational—maybe he really had gotten pretty busy at work lately—but you couldn’t stop yourself from worrying.

     You looked at your reflection in the mirror,  surveying your party outfit and running a hand through your hair, as you though not-so-party-like thoughts.

     Today was your birthday and Spencer hadn’t called or even sent you a text. You tried not to let it get to you and instead look forward to the party that was probably already starting in the living room. 

     You took a deep breath and went to open your bedroom door, but it flew open before you reached the doorknob.

     “There you are!” Layla greeted you with a smile, “C’mon, let’s get this party started!”

     “Hey,” you put on a smile, trying to not think about Spencer. “I was just getting dressed.”

     “Well, you look hot so let’s go,” she grabbed your arm and pulled you down the hall.

     You were greeted by a decorated room with streamers and balloons and presents and partygoers milling about, talking and laughing.

     You knew about half of the people that Layla had invited and you gave her credit for that—you didn’t know that many people in New York yet. Most of your friends were back in LA.

     You got a sharp pain in your chest as you thought about your loved ones back home—especially Spencer.

     “I present, the birthday bitch!” Layla announced with a dramatic flourish. 

     You couldn’t help grinning at her as all of the guests turned to look at you and began clapping. 

     “Thank you all so much for coming,” you addressed the room. 

     “And thank you,” you turned to your roommate, “for planning all of this.”

     “It was nothing,” she said, “now go enjoy your party!”

     And that’s what you tried to do. You spent the whole evening mingling with people and being wished happy birthday and sampling the hors d’oeuvres.

     You were enjoying yourself—as much as you could, at least. 

     You sat down on a bright yellow chair in the corner that Layla had bought a few weeks ago—personally it wasn’t your taste, but she loved it.

     Kind of like large parties and giant social gatherings that required you to have nonstop conversations with people you hardly knew.

     You pulled your legs up into the chair, sitting criss-cross and hoping no one would notice you taking a quick break from the festivities. 

     “Told you you’d like this chair eventually.”

     You looked up to see Layla standing to your right. 

     “I guess it’s growing on me,” you said.

     She sat on the arm of the chair, pulling your head to rest in her shoulder.

     “You can say your miserable, (Y/n)” she said, “I won’t be offended.”

     “No,” you shook your head on her shoulder, “I’m not miserable, I promise. I’m just…tired.”

     “Spencer still hasn’t called I take it.”

     “Nope,” you blew out a breath, “I’ve given up.”

     “I don’t know,” she said, standing up. “He might surprise you. You never know what the night may hold.”

     “Why the narrator voice?” Your mouth quirked up on one side. 

     She shrugged, “It’s fun and i never get to use it.”

     “Now come on,” your friend began dragging your chair out of the corner and towards the center of the room, “Time to for cake!”

     You shrieked as she pulled you through people before abandoning the chair and going to grab a large cake sitting on the counter.

     Once candles had been lit and people had been gathered, Layla handed you your cake.

     “Alright, make a wish!” she yelled.

     That was easy. You knew what you wanted more than anything else. You didn’t even have to think about what you would wish for when you blew the flames out.

     Everyone began to sing me happy birthday and you let Layla snap picture after picture.

     You knew wishes were stupid and almost never meant anything, but you couldn’t help imagining what it would be like if your wish did come true.

     You squeezed your eyes shut and blew out your candles, only thinking of one thing.

     I wish Spencer was here. 

     All the guests erupted into applause and you smiled, hoping your longing didn’t show on your face.

     But god you wished Spencer was here.

     Everyone finished clapping. The room fell silent for a moment, before—

     “I hope you didn’t waste that on me.”

     You froze. The voice came from behind you. You almost thought you imagined it, until you turned around.

     Because there he was. 

     You blinked, trying to make sure he wasn’t a figment of your imagination. But this was real.

     Spencer was standing in your living room, his hands in his pockets, looking at you how you imagined you were looking at him. 

     “Now that,” he pointed at your chair, smiling, “is my color.”

     And that was all he got out before you were rushing towards him and into his arms.

     Spencer wrapped his arms around you, laughing, lifting you from the ground and spinning you in a circle before setting you back down. 

     The room burst into applause for the second time that night. You almost didn’t notice over the rush in your ears as Spencer embraced you. 

     He pulled back just enough so that he could cup your face in his hands. “God, I forgot how beautiful you are in person.”

     You had so many questions bouncing around in your mind, your thoughts racing. 

     You settled on the one that encompassed all of them, “How?”

     “Well, y’know, there’s some distortion with iPhone cameras so you can’t expect—”

     You interrupted him, “That’s not what I meant.”

     “Oh, you mean the whole me being in your living room thing?” He shrugged, pulling his hands away from you and back into his pockets, “I kinda flew here.”

      Spencer had flown—all the way from Los Angeles—to surprise you. You’d had no idea he was even planning this.

     As if reading your thoughts, Spencer said, “I wanted to tell you so bad, but I also wanted to surprise you for your birthday so I sorta ghosted you.”

     He rubbed the back of his neck. “I mean, c’mon, you know I would’ve spilled those beans.”

     And that explained the not calling or texting you. You couldn’t even feel relieved that he wasn’t mad or breaking up with you because you were so floored and excited that he was here.

     He had done this for you. 

     “Wow, I don’t know what to say Spencer,” you started, wrapping your arms around him again. “As far as gifts go, I’d say you win by a long shot.”

     “Hey, I helped!” Layla shouted, putting her hands in her hips, her grin almost as wide as yours. 

     “Couldn’t have done it without you!” Spencer shouted back before leaning back to kiss you on the forehead, whispering “She let me into the building.”

     You put your head on Spencer’s shoulder, letting him hold you. You tried to memorize everything about the way that he felt in your arms. You didn’t want this to ever end.

     “So,” Spencer said, his voice rough, “How about that kiss now?”

     “I guess since you came all this way…” you trailed off.

     “Good,” Spencer whispered, “Because I’ve been waiting to do this since I booked the flight. Turns out I did find a good use for those miles.”

     And then his lips where on yours and you forgot how to breathe.

     In all the times you had imagined finally kissing Spencer again, nothing was as good as this. This was passionate and starved and full of all of the words you hadn’t said.

     This was different than all of the kisses you’d shared before you’d been separated, you thought.

     And then Spencer mumbled your name against your lips and you were incapable of thinking at all.

     You weren’t sure how long you stayed like this until Layla’s voice interrupted you. 

     “Hey, I’m just as happy as anyone that you’re reunited,” she said, “but please, get a room!”

     You and Spencer pulled apart, grinning like idiots. The whole room chuckled.

     Spencer pulled you to the side as Layla began rounding people up and gathering decorations.

     You caught your best friends eye and mouthed ‘thank you.’

     She just smiled and shooed your attention back towards Spencer, pulling down a streamer.

     You turned to your boyfriend. 

     “Well,” he said, “Before we get that room, want to give me a tour of the place?”

     “You’ve seen most of my apartment on FaceTime,” you told him. “What’s there to see?”

     “Some things can’t be captured over the phone,” he said, his voice becoming more serious. “Some things need to be experienced in person.”

     “Spencer, if you’re talking about the shower—” You teased, nudging his shoulder.

     But you caught his meaning entirely. And you agreed wholeheartedly.

     “Hey that shower is a piece of art! And how little you think of me,” Spencer smiled, continuing, “I was going to wait until you showed me the bathroom before I made that joke.”

     “Spencer?” You got out, through your laughter as you led him down the hall.

     “Yeah?” 

     “I love you so much.”

     “Well, I should hope so,” he shot back, “Otherwise, I spent five hours on a plane—which didn’t serve Mountain Dew, by the way—getting kicked in the back for nothing.” 

     You shook your head at him lovingly.

     “And yeah,” he finished, “I love you too. More than Mountain Dew and Project Runway.”

     You kissed him on the cheek, continuing to pull him down the hallway.

     “I meant to ask,” Spencer broke the silence, “What did you wish for?”

     “You,” you said, pausing. “I wished for you. All I want is you.”

     “I don’t want to say ditto, but I couldn’t agree more,” Spencer teased. “All I’ve ever wanted is you….and maybe one shower.”

     “Spencer!”

     “Six jets! There are six jets in there, (Y/n)! Why does nobody get this?”  

      You just giggled and ran down the hall, leaving him chasing after you. You couldn’t stop smiling. This was the best birthday you could have ever wished for. 

     You rounded the corner, Spencer still calling after you, just a few feet behind you. Right behind you. Here. Yours.

      “Six jets and a heated seat!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~°~❦~°~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ˋ°•*⁀➷ hope you enjoyed my loves!! stay tuned for more spencer fics coming soon 💋🎀

also bonus text convo 🤭 —>

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS

Full HC: MC becomes an author and starts writing memoirs detailing their adventures with their beloved; how do the M6 react? How do they try to help?

The Arcana HCs: When MC writes their love story

Julian

Waaay too invested. Come on. You're writing memoirs about the dramatic, life-changing, whirlwind saving-the-world story that's been your romance? Be still his theatre kid heart

Will ask regularly if you've written anything more and set time aside to read whatever you share with him. Often does so out loud, to whichever patient/clinic assistant/bar patron is nearby

Cannot handle how fondly you describe him

People regularly ask to hear him read the latest installment, just for the sight of the infamous Dr Devorak blushing and stumbling over his words, voice cracking at your loving view of him

This does not stop him from suggesting changes. Specifically, suggesting embellishments. What do you mean the Devil wasn't twenty feet tall? Surely you're misremembering how big he was

Doesn't pressure you to rush your work at all, but is living in perpetual (self-inflicted) purgatory waiting for the story to be finished and to see the book published

Has a spot preemptively saved for it on his library shelf

Coincidentally, half the city plans to preorder it as well

Asra

Their curiosity is killing them, but they value your privacy and creative freedom way too much to ask to see what you're writing

The most he does is offer encouragement, compliments, and help

What you don't see is the sheer level of loving gratitude that they feel about what you're doing. They've accepted your previous memory loss, and have been happy to hold your memories for you

But the fact that you treasure the memories you share with him now so much that you're putting in the hours and effort it takes to preserve them for the future ...

It's enough to overwhelm them, sometimes, which can make them seem distant about the project (though you know them well enough at this point to see that this means they're emotional)

Very good at giving you the emotional support you need for a project like this, especially when you have to relive some of the harder parts of your shared history

Always happy to help you remember the details of how something went. He started remembering things for both of you after you came back, and it makes for some tender conversations

Nadia

Honored. That's mostly what she feels - deeply honored

And a little unsure of how best to support you while you go about your endeavor. Her instinct is to get as involved with it as possible, making sure you have all the resources for success you could need

But she's also aware that this is a very personal thing for you to do, and that the point of it is to write things down from your point of view. This is your project, so she should probably stay out of it ...

Well, offering you her help and "casually" bringing by new supplies every couple days shouldn't hurt

If you didn't have it already, you've got a writing room, strong boundaries around your creative time, only the best ink and parchment, and access to dictionaries and thesauruses galore

Will light up and drop everything if you give her some of what you've written to read over. She's fascinated by your perception of the world (and her) and enjoys learning more about it

She's also extremely knowledgeable about spelling, grammar, and sentence structure, so unless you clarify that you're not asking for feedback you'll get plenty of suggested corrections

Muriel

He's a little ... embarrassed

Don't get him wrong. He loves that you're doing what you're doing, and deep down he'd fight the world to let you keep doing it

But half the time he catches a glimpse of the page you're writing he can see his own name spelled out multiple times in there and it makes him feel much more perceived than he is used to

He feels like what you're doing is almost holy, though

So much of his life was defined by losing his history, his connections, his chance to share memories with a family

And now here you are, putting hours upon hours into documenting the history and family you've built together and found in each other, until your story no longer depends on being alive to tell it

Which is why he'll dote on you while you work, bringing you water and snacks, ink refills and spare pages, making sure your workspace is well-lit and the temperature is comfortable

He wants to honor what you're doing

He's also very interested in reading it, but he's not going to ask. He'll just linger nearby in case you have a question or something ...

Portia

Her first thought is to offer to co-author it

Think about it - you two could write alternating chapters, with the story line switching between your two perspectives!

She's completely understanding if you say no, but she might try to use that to get you to agree to letting her read it as you write it. This is the coolest romance adventure story ever!

Amazing for helping you with the pre-writing creative process. Need someone to bounce ideas off of? Need help structuring your outline or blocking out how much space to give different things?

She's got you. She's quick to notice what boosts your creative flow and will help you get into that groove, whether it's chatting about what you're going to write next or giving you tea and snacks

Her only criticism is that you don't give yourself enough credit in your writing. Otherwise, she loves every word

And by love, that means obsesses. She devours every page you show her and could spend hours telling you why she loves it

It's also a massive boost to her to be reminded that you see her as a main character in your story. It makes her happy cry regularly

Lucio

On the outside, he's playing it cool

Of course you're writing about the adventures you've had together! You two are the best of the best and you've done some seriously awesome things, writing a killer novel about it makes total sense

On the inside, he's scared

He's not an introspective guy. He spends most of his time in the moment, but on the occasions that he has to stop and contemplate himself, he gets insecure a lot faster than he'd like to

And now you - the person who knows him even better than he does - are writing about him. About who he is to you. About what he means to you. About ... who he used to be to you

That's terrifying

He puts off reading anything you offer to show him, and distracts himself from thinking about it when you sit down to write. He's curious to see what you have to say and anxious at the same time

What if you think he hasn't changed that much? What if writing down what he used to be like makes you admire him less?

When he does read it, he almost cries at how loving it is

[leohttbriar]

for the reverse unpopular opinion meme, Worf!

worf is special bc, to me, he is both the funniest and most serious character in ds9, without particularly trying to be both. which i think has something to do with the invested expression of his cultures and all the values he means to represent. sometimes these characteristics are played for the pathos---the intense empathetic feeling you get when you watch him do and say things that fit in a specific heroic poetic. other times it's played for the humor, his honorable presentation in an honorable fight leading him to say things a little out of context, like "death to the opposition" in a baseball game.

but for all the ways he's a character that comments on how one can perform respect for one's self and multiplicities of loyalty, how cultural values of "heroism" might clash with others, how quite often one's acts are a choice--depending on how aware one is of why they are acting a certain way and what they want to project with their actions, the best part of worf is that he really is sincere.

i've compared worf to kira before and i think that's the thing they have in common and why both those characters work so well with characters like dax--the contrast of a loudly resolved person against a willingly variable one. worf and dax are so interesting in their scenes together because this contrast is true of them but they also interrogate that which is surface-level in each other: worf sees in dax someone who can and will commit in many (often brave) ways, and dax sees in worf a breadth of contradictory feeling and expansive experience. many of their fights as characters is refusing to acknowledge they know this about each other--even expect it.

so my favorite part of worf's character (his sincerity) is showcased in my favorite narrative for worf--the fact that he really does spend all of season 7 grieving his wife. he loved her deeply and does not back away from still feeling it, no matter the hurt. and it feels so appropriate to what these characters were to each other, in the story, and it leads to the best exchange possibly in ds9:

WORF: Perhaps not, but I am certain that you will do whatever is necessary to complete your task. EZRI: And how do you know that? WORF: You are Dax. It is your way.

worf is the kind of character that is meant to hold up some sense of resolve in a show and genre that is all about the anxieties of uncertainty. worf, of course, faces a lot of uncertainty and personal struggles (and probably it's the sort of thing that gets more focus in the next generation, which i haven't seen yet, than in ds9), but his ethic purpose among the cast of characters is to be more sure than not--not by means of arrogance but by means of choice.

other characters like this i feel are generally cast as the leaders/captains of the crew, but the difference between a character like janeway or kirk and a character like worf is that worf is not "sure" out of an obvious external pressure to choose but out of internal impulse to be. he is who he strives to be through his striving. he sometimes does and says the funniest things in the show because he doesn't bend to unspoken social demands of propriety, no matter if he senses these demands or not. and he doesn't feel the need to explain himself which makes his one-liners all the funnier. and it's so easy to see why ursula k le guin was obsessed with him.

would like to conclude the gushing by just saying that michael dorn is extraordinary as an actor imo: he has so much makeup on for the character, normally the most out of everyone in any one scene he's in, and still he turns in a Performance, implying so much interiority and perspective, making even worf's most judgy moments inherently fascinating in their distinct and unmistakable personhood.

[ohitsthemindstuffagain]

Okay I still haven't gotten over the obscenity and genius of the opening scene (like that bone masturbation and killing while dance), but lets fucking go.

This film is a tribute to the old productions and to the Marvel cinematic universe as a whole, in addition to consecrating Deadpool as the voice of inner self-criticism of Disney and Marvel. The film acknowledges through its jokes and plot that several mistakes were made, and that at many points it seemed like the studios didn't know what they were doing but that never stopped them from trying anyway.

That's where we start with Deadpool, he doesn't know what he's doing and has lost his way and when he has the opportunity to change studios, he can't wait but recognizes that things haven't been good, admitting that they're making mistakes is a strong point for both Deadpool and Disney (stare back at you). Another strong point is recognizing that even with the mistakes, the stories impacted the lives of many, and we all hold on to these old photographs with love. We refuse to let it die, and we try to make it last. Long live fanfics!

Deadpool goes through the multiverse trying to find a way to not let the plot die and we are with him. We don't want that emotion to die, so we fight about it, and fandoms are proof of how we fight and fight each other. It's difficult to find the best direction at first. The Logans he meets along the way show us how many stories there are to explore, so many universes, so many versions. And the option he finds is practically a mirror that points out to us that there is no mistake in investing in what works well, and that Hugh Jackman can do anything, please, let him do this until he is 90.

At this point things get really interesting and the romantic plot begins, yes, yes this is a romance/action, it wouldn't be a good fic, I mean movie if it weren't (and it's also always worth remembering that these two are lgbt characters from Marvel and Zeus can't stop Logan this time). Enemies to lovers, learning to work together trope etc. And it works wonderfully well, mainly because these two characters can't see how much they have in common and we're not even talking about the fact that they were both guinea pigs for scientific projects that almost killed them. The fights were perfect, and that car scene, well, let's just say a kiss would have been less explicit.

They fight and insult each other, until they realize they need to work together. But for that we will need a little extra strength from the past, after all it was the past that brought us here, all those other films (or even film ideas that never happened), the mistakes, and the losses brought us here, we would be nothing without them (okay maybe we would be less of a problem without them, but still). It's wonderful to see these old faces, and my goodness these people have aged well, except Paul Rudd.

And we have multiple villains, who are very fun and twisted, but the white, bureaucratic villain who was just trying to save time is the best, wait did I just describe a movie producer? A bell rings.

There are moments of reflection, where our protagonists show their vulnerability and dark past, and if anyone here has read any Deadpool comics you know that he has little self-esteem and is always waiting for death, but he is also always ready to fight for those who matter to him, the same goes for Logan.

So our couple joins the past and manages to return to the timeline we're currently interested in, only to be followed by possibly Marvel's greatest villain (who deserves her own movie), acting royalty, with piercing slippery fingers, this is a movie for adults, okay?

And they save the multiverse by joining hands to the sound of Madonna. Which is culturally correct. It couldn't be done any differently, follow the link here for how Madonna influenced lgbt culture, someone did their research when writing this movie, especially with the fact that Deadpool says he is now Marvel's Jesus (which is the only questionable thing of the film, because it implies that Jesus is real, and an anchor in some other timeline, crazy huh).

And like I said, this is a romance movie with action, we end with Wade asking Logan to move in with him. And they are in an open relationship, let me tell you.

PS: high point for the perfect Dogpool (who didn't get into any fights unfortunately) and for the Deadpool variants for giving us that beautiful annihilation scene for no reason other than to show the beauty of annihilation.

[treasureplcnet]

Hello! I adore your Bodies fanart. I was imagining Karl in 1890 and how much havoc he would wreak. Also Henry and Karl would get along very well, I think, and Karl would be a *terrible* matchmaker for Henry and Alfred... I'd love to see your take on any of this, if anything comes to you 😍

HELLO OMG THANK YOU FOR THE EXCUSE TO JUST DROP HOT TAKES INTO THE BODIES NETFLIX TAG <3 all these drawings are very scrappy and i lost the plot and this became more like sharing all my hcs but still :')

now that you have brought it to me i really do think henry and karl would be unstoppable, i think they'd constantly have a fun, back-and-forth banter !!! i also can see karl dropping multiple not-so-subtle hints, and all of the detectives being quite supportive. gently too, considering the period-typical homophobia. i do think sometime along the lovelorn pining looks, he gets tired of seeing them orbit each other without anything happening, and this exchange occurs:

more doodles and crying under the cut :)

i will die on the "karl weissman bisexuality" hill. HE TOLD ME IN A DREAM!!!! it's just a little messier for him because he really likes women and will not figure it out ever. charlotte hillinghead TO ME also has the exact opposite problem where she is very much in love with her husband and doesn't have any incentive (or freedom considering the time period) to explore her sexuality. the way she accepted hillinghead's feelings for henry, and was less rejecting and more devastated over thinking he didn't love her or polly, just read queer to me somehow. an acceptance because she's like that too, yk? (maybe a bit of a reach but i don't get to choose who my mind designates as being bi)

i like to think that charlotte-karl experience a spider-verse mindmeld "YOU'RE LIKE ME" moment over being bisexual but they're not quite sure why they're feeling that way because they have no idea they're bi. if you are me you will understand perfectly

and i am a henry/alfred/charlotte poly truther as well (please see above discord ranting from my dms with a friend lol)

on more notes of just giving whichever character i want the bisexuality card, hasan is bi to me too. i think hillinghead and her bond a little over that shared religious guilt, of having their respective institutions be homophobic, and the feeling for so much of their life that they're different, so there must be something wrong. it helps her empathise with him and they quickly become closer because of it :) possibly also introducing him to queer lit, and maybe some non fiction lgbt history books

and one last final doodle because i think alfred as the only detective with an active love life where he's pursuing someone would make the others pretend like they can be adults but they want to know SO BAD and they also give advice once in a while because they're rooting for alfred :) they're all pretty good at hiding how badly they're invested in this (think iris 'casually' asking hillinghead how it's going and the other two perk up in the background) like i refuse to believe any of them are totally immune to the equivalent of office-gossip

this was so so long LOL i hope any of that is coherent !!!!! a lot of it ofc is my own projection bc i am bi, but it's real to me <3

[cucuumiia]

Just want to say that I am so in love with your art style/OC’s story/characterization of Shane that I have scrolled your blog front to back multiple times, I can’t get ENOUGH 🥹

A while back you mentioned reading lots of good (Shane?) fic, are there any titles or authors you’d be willing to share??

THANK YOUU!!🥺;;;;;; I‘m so happy you enjoy my stuff!!!

Also yes omg let me share the fic that really cemented my terminal obsession with this goddamn depressed chicken guy:

It got everything I need man😩🤌 It hurts me in all the right ways. I love the way they implemented the Dark Shrine of Memory as the main premise. The way Shane‘s written is really close to my personal headcanon of him. Also I eat up every fic that has Shane being an actual dad in it, I have such a soft spot for this. I don’t want to spoil anything more because going in blind gave me a whole rollercoaster of emotions but I can wholly recommend this one!

Another one that I‘ve recently found contains nsfw content and is quite different from the one above but I really enjoy the dynamic between the farmer and Shane. I’m constantly checking in if there were any updates yet so it definitely got me invested:

And yet another I just discovered a few days ago piqued my interest because //shocker// it got a widower Shane👀😭 (why am I like this) and it’s the first fic I‘ve found that explores this premise and I feel so seen🖐😔 So excited to see where it’s going in the future!!:

So yea, if anyone knows some other good Shane fics please let me know!! :] (especially when it’s about him being a dad or getting widowed ) (also lmk if you also like „Memory“ as much as I do ;;; I could gush about it for hours)

[animeyanderetalker]

In no particular order, which five characters from Hunter x Hunter do you believe have the highest probability of being yandere if they were to develop an attraction to someone?

Those are the ones I could think of spontaneously.

I feel like Kurapika would have a good possibility of turning possessive and very overprotective over the person he starts gaining feelings for. The massacre of his own clan has left him scarred and set on revenge so he would be much more careful and paranoid if he would fall in love with someone. He has made an enemy of the Phantom Troupe by killing Uvogin and Pakunoda and also using his Chains on Chrollo to make him unable to use his Nen abilities. He knows that the Phantom Troupe is ruthless and probably wouldn’t be afraid to use you against him and that thought is going to haunt him.

Hisoka just won’t let someone go the moment they catch his interest so god forbid if this menace actually gains genuine feelings for someone. As genuine as he can go at least. He literally won’t leave that person alone and worst is that there’s no way to get rid of him. Threats don’t work and he’s too smart to get caught by the police or he just kills them. Hisoka has no morals and his loyalty lies in what catches his interest. Rejections, insults, threats and tears don’t work on him either. Instead Hisoka is oddly invested in whatever emotion he can squeeze out of you and he’s going to be the asshole who makes you cry on purpose. He’s so persistent and is going to be so annoyingly clingy too so there goes any sense of privacy either. He is terrifying because he has no shame in killing people nor expressing his perverted desires to you.

Start playing freaking Hellfire from Hunchback of Notre Dame for Shaiapouf and his first stages of interest in that person. He’s part of the Royal Guard, he was born to serve the Chimera Ant King and no one else so him gaining an attraction to someone that isn’t his King defies genetics. That is going to be a sting for him, all the more if we’re going with a scenario where Meruem is dead and Shaiapouf already survived. His King was killed by a human, the species that was supposed to be beneath Meruem and his Royal Guards so for Pouf this would be salt in the fresh wound. It’s an utter humiliation and he plans multiple times to kill you only to be unable to do so. There is a paranoia within him because he has failed the one thing he was born for so in a way he’s projecting on his darling by initially forcing them to act like the royalty Pouf is supposed to serve before the genuine infatuation kicks in and he embraces it completely. His paranoia and trauma will never let him let go of his darling, he’s going to be so overbearing and controlling whilst playing their servant.

Pitou is a very similar story to Shaiapouf. Them gaining an attraction for someone goes against their natural instinct to protect the Chimera Ant King yet it’s still happening. Since Pitou is also partially a cat, there is going to be a lot of curiosity involved and much less hostility than with Pouf. Neferpitou’s mind tells them to seek out answers for those weird feelings that their darling awakes inside of them and no one can tell them to stop. Pitou is possessive over their darling and will guard them and the place they’re put in with literal teeth and claws. There is pain and trauma if we once again assume a world where Meruem and Komugi both died so for a while they view darling as a toy to forget those feelings until they realize that their emotions for them are actually sincere. That’s when darling really won’t be able to ever escape.

He has shown a fascination for the way humans work so imagine how obsessed he would be with the person he gains an interest in. It’s unexpected because the only people Chrollo has ever cared about are the members of his Phantom Troupe but that is what makes his darling so precious and special. He yearns to know every crevice of their soul to the point where he feels almost incomplete if he doesn’t as the mere feeling of not knowing becomes a black tear in his being. He’s smart, he is observing and at one point he knows your every habit and reaction yet he’s like a glass with no bottom as he keeps taking everything about you in to engrave it forever in his black soul. You are the rarest treasure the thief has ever found and he’s going to commit massacres to ensure that you never leave his side.

[gffa]

Realizing that I think I've read probably 80% of the High Republic stories is wild because honestly I thought I was barely halfway, but the stories go faster than I expect them to. There's a lot of good I have to say about the High Republic stories, they're surprisingly fantastic at all the moving parts of the story, that through books and comics and audio dramas and multiple authors writing all of it, it does feel like multiple points of view on a singular created universe, they really got their continuity shit together. They're also very easy to read, I can pick them up at any time, and while I have my issues with the whole thing, I will say that more than half of the books have left me feeling like I want more once I've finished them, that I'm definitely ready to pick up the next one. The issue I have though is that I cannot get over that the whole project feels like a palette swap of the prequels story--the Jedi philosophy is the same, the Jedi abilities are the same, the Jedi's interaction and treatment from the galaxy are the same (put on a pedestal by some, reviled by others, they usually make friends wherever they go, the political entanglements are almost exactly the same), the reasons they're drawn into a large-scale battle are exactly the same, the conversations they have about why they've joined this fight are the same, the technology of the era is almost exactly the same, etc. This works great for me in a lot of ways, because you couldn't have handed me a better example of why the Jedi were doing their best in the prequels and how they were good people, I couldn't have asked for anything more to demonstrate my case except for maybe a silver platter to deliver it all on. But it also keeps me from connecting with the story as uniquely its own, because how am I supposed to care about a character when they're so clearly patterned off Obi-Wan or when half the cool things about them are a nod to Mace? How am I supposed to get invested in a character when the majority of their personality is made up of quirks or that they're the bestest ever ever ever, rather than giving them any kind of bite as a person? I have had zero desire to read fic about any of these characters, which tells me a lot about how much I care about them as characters, instead of plot points. Would I recommend these books and comics? I think so, they're fun, I'm genuinely having a good time, but also at least half the reason I'm reading them is so I can quote them for my Jedi Citations project. They often lack any real bite, but that's an overall Star Wars books problem that's not unique to these ones and, eh, lots of people are super in love with these books and I can see why, it's entirely possible I just am too deep into Prequels Brain so I can't get past that basically half of what's going on in these books is a retread of the prequels' plot points and worldbuilding.

[mecachrome]

wahh thank u @scrappyracers for the tag i enjoyed ur answers a lot :') f1 tag game...

Who is your favorite driver?: i am an oscarybro first & foremost <3 he's the only driver i truly rep because honestly i don't think i have the bandwidth for more even if i wanted to/tried!!

Do you have other favorite drivers?: i would basically put alex below oscar in his own little tier and then it's just like [WALL]... but i'm also fond of yuki + lando + lewis and respekt maxv :') the rest of the grid i honestly don't think about 99% of the time LOL not in a bad way but because i barely have enough energy for My Guys as is u know

Who is your least favorite driver?: 😔 i feel bad sharing hateurisms on my family friendly blog. 

Do you pull for drivers or do you like teams as well?: def drivers first but i genuinely like mclaren as a racing outfit so that helps!!! when oscar was still in alp i suffered so much because of it being a deeply unserious team and even back then when the cracks were still forming this was fairly evident because i had a rossi agenda, so i was like wegghhhh i guess i can enjoy a williams stint/swallow down alpine content for him. 😔 and then he replaced [answer to question above which at the time hindered my mcl support significantly] and i got the ultimate driver pairing at a team i'm actually quite fond of ❤️🤍🖤

If you like teams, what team do you pull for?: any1 else papayapilled??? 🧡

How long have you been into F1?: a little over 2 years!!! how i managed to get into this sport via an inactive reserve driver i don't know.....

What got you into F1?: several friends were getting into it & were reading mxl fic & things of that nature and even though i wasn't really invested in any of the ships presented i ended up biting as well... but fsr i was not compelled by most f1 content / barely watched dts and instead got reeaaally into feeder series, i think perhaps because at the time i was fascinated by prospect projections + mapping / modeling career trajectories + the idea of "ceilings" in hockey and was watching a ton of jr hockey so it kind of translated over and i got to enjoy masterclasses like litr the most broken broadcast streams ever of kimi driving off into the distance in adac f4. But anyway... i also watched chasing the dream and became obsessed with oscar from that and the rest was history 😌🐨🧡

Do you enjoy Fanfic/RPF?: i definitely read it!!! RPF Is Fine etc. i've written 2 effwon fics very poorly and that's it but i peruse the 814 archives regularly..... i forever need to be better at commenting and feel very bad about my own shyness but i think this fandom has such a wealth of incred authors whom i am always in awe of x__x 🧡 tho i will say i'm also a stickler for the 4th wall and it mildly horrifies me that 814 are 75% public..... also fun fact 814 is my favorite oscar ship but it's only my #3 lando ship LOL. j(e|o)ndo you are so special 2 meee

How do you view new fans?: well i'm a relatively new fan so 💗 honestly i barely witness or process most fandom discourse wrt: gatekeeping the sport or dts fans or what have you since i do not frequent those circles of the internet (no public twitter / have never downloaded tiktok in my life) so i don't even know the primary arguments!!

If you could take over as team principal for any team, who would it be and why?: i should never be put in charge of anything. now i'm just trying to think strategically like okay where would i want to live but even then i have no idea... 

Are your friends and family into F1 as well?: my family could not care less but def the former !!! 💗 going to my 2nd gp soon with my beloved chirlie friend who has been with me thru k-pop fandom for like 8 years now hehe

Are you open to talking to other fans/making friends?: yes i'm just very shy & have multiple anxiety disorders Amongst other things so pls forgive my neuroticism 😭😭😭 but i love 2 have discussions.... oscar piastri lore is my passion in fact <3

0 pressure tagging @bright-and-burning @piastrisms @miamimaiden @goingxmissing If u would like !!! these r fun qs i like hearing about people's fandom journeys/experiences hehe :')

[kiwi]

Hi! I just wanted to ask for some advice or maybe insight on how kiwi overcomes obstacles.

I'm an aspiring artist but I severely lack discipline. Whenever I'm doing a project I end up getting distracted and obsessively starting a new project. Which results in nothing getting finished and too many projects to do.

How do you deal with keeping discipline/focus?

much love!

im gonna be so real with you anon, i wish that i had a good answer for you. i really do. cuz my life would be significantly easier if i knew the perfect answer to self discipline.

as far as i can tell, mastering self discipline is something that most people work on through their whole lives. im still in my early 20s and dealing with a lot of the same organizational struggles i dealt with my whole time in school, so im not sure how much help i could possibly be. but i'll try!

plenty of my projects go unfinished, and i think the main ones that get finished satisfy one or more of the following:

- it's a commission

- i finished it in one sitting

- it's a project im using to procrastinate on something else

^knowing these things about myself, i find that i can finish more projects by weaponizing my procrastination. by working consistently on a commission project over several days, i can "reward" myself by taking breaks to draw other stuff that i can finish in one sitting, which fulfills that center in the brain that's satisfied by completing something. if im exclusively working on projects that take multiple sessions to finish, its easier to feel unsatisfied, like im not getting anywhere.

you could try putting together your own observations about the projects youve finished- are they focused on a subject you really enjoy? are they small, easily digestible projects? are they all similar, or all wildly different? you might be able to come to some conclusions about the best workflow for yourself that way

last i want to point out that i think it's okay to not finish stuff. it's okay to abandon projects, and no matter how disciplined you are, it's alright to let go of ideas you're not that invested in anymore. i think it's kinda great that you're exploring a lot of different ideas and getting so excited about them that you have to drop everything else, and i hope that your path leads you to ideas that grab you.

until then, maybe tone down your expectations for projects, so that you can call them finished much easier and make space in your brain for the next thing! anyway, i hope this was at least somewhat helpful :') good luck

[villainessprefect]

title: Birthday Mission: Start!

summary: You forced yourself into a time limited mission aka finish Idia's gift before his birthday. It shouldn't be too hard, but you decided to take the harder difficulty setting for this. All you can do is hope that he'll like it.

ship: Idia x gn!reader

word count: 3,512

Read on AO3!

"Are you sure he'll like this?" You ask for what feels like the hundredth time.

Finally, you tear your gaze away from the computer screen and face Ortho. The young robot hovers closer towards you, inspecting the screen. Then his yellow eyes lock onto yours.

"Of course he will!" He answers with an innocent smile. "Whatever you make for him, I'm sure my brother will love it."

"Will he though?" You ask, keeping your question in a hushed tone. Regardless of how quiet you utter that to yourself, you're certain that Ortho heard it.

You return your attention to the screen. The computer you're working with...isn't the best, but it was affordable with your allowance that you painstakingly had to save. It wasn't easy especially when your finances involved caring for a dilapidated building and a monster cat with a black hole for a stomach. It's a miracle that the monitor hadn't glitched for the day- you'd take that as a good sign, but you were still wary thanks to its age.

Thankfully, your project remains safely on the screen. You're careful to save it every now and then and decide to do it, again, despite having done so a few minutes ago. The last thing you want is your hard work to disappear and see that infamous blue screen of death.

Idia's birthday gift had proven to be a challenge, although it had been a self-inflicted one. You decided to go with something a little more unique. Something that he would probably never get as a gift.

A birthday themed visual novel.

Well, that's what you were calling it. With your limited knowledge of programming and adequate artistic skills, it should be able to classify as one.

You let your fingers glide over the keyboard, careful not to press down on any button. You retell the story to yourself as you've been doing so for the past month. It's short and sweet. A celebration of Idia's birthday minus all the in person meetings that he feared. You even excluded the crowd, only inputting the two of you alongside Ortho and Grim.

But, you didn't stop there. You went the extra mile and even made multiple endings. Not too many, of course, there was only so much you could do given your time limit. There was the main, normal route that had the basic celebration. After completing that, there was the option to find a bad ending as well as an extra 'true' ending. The latter involved your character asking if you could celebrate his birthday with him in person. A little fourth wall breaking, but you were certain he wouldn't mind the little touch.

A lot of work had gone into this, maybe too much. But you wanted this project to be worthy in his eyes. Something he wouldn't mind looking at for his future birthdays or just something to pick him up. Okay, maybe you were getting a little too hopeful about what your gift could do, but it didn't hurt to dream a little.

You do your best to hold back a sigh. With Ortho around you don't want to be such a worried downer. He'd been terribly optimistic about your gift, spouting how his brother had his phases of getting invested into visual novels and the occasional dating sim. He was also painfully obvious about his brother's interests, which you were also familiar with. Unfortunately, it didn't help your confidence much. A birthday game didn't exactly meet the same criteria as a horror puzzle solver. As cool as it would have been to implement something like that, even for an ending, your art simply didn't allow for it. All your monster designs ended up being the complete opposite of nightmare fuel. Cute.

Another problem that plagued your mind was the story. Yes, it didn't need to be cool nor in depth, but if you were doing something like this, you may as well go all out, right? It felt lacking in some areas and you could tell where your inspiration fizzled out. You could chalk it up to being under a time limit, but even you know that's just an excuse.

The last thing that really bothered you was Idia finding the 'true' ending. You were certain he'd find it in a snap. It was the response to it that made you anxious. What if he didn't want to hang out on his birthday? You were already bracing yourself to be turned down. It would be fine. Despite how disheartened you would be, as long as Idia is happy on his day, that's what mattered.

"Prefect? Are you okay? You've been quiet for a while now." Ortho tilts his head and you can feel his eyes scanning every inch of your person. "There is nothing wrong with your body, is there? I know sitting in one spot for so long can cause problems."

"I-I'm fine!" You answer. "I'm just...thinking." Worrying more like it. "I just really want him to like this gift. I know it's not the best for a super gamer like him to play. Maybe it was a bad idea to start with..."

You hate the thought of scrapping your hard work. But having to present this to a technological genius? One who lives off games like its oxygen to him? The judgment would be harsh.

"Is my brother rubbing off on you?" Ortho says with a frown before lighting up. He looks back to the screen. The image remains on the title screen, welcoming the upcoming birthday boy to press start.

"This is a beginner's work, you can tell." You wince a little at his blunt words. "But, you can also tell how much effort and care you've put into it. My brother plays a lot of games, mainstream to niche ones. Sometimes the niche ones end up being his favorites! 'They obviously made this as a passion project. Free assets galore. Gameplay is basic. But the story? Not bad. I don't usually look into the lore but it's deeper than some AAA titles. The creator stated they wanted a game with that goal in mind and they pulled it off. I might actually come back to it. GG to them. Literally. Might give them a follow and see what else they do.' End quote."

You blink, surprised to hear the sudden playback of Idia's voice. Hearing him praise a smaller title gives you hope. Doubts linger at your mind but you shake them off.

"Thanks for that, Ortho." You turn back to the screen, a new determination filling your soul. "I'll make sure this is a game he never forgets playing! But now...I feel like it's missing something."

You hum in thought. You hit most of the bases that you could think of when it came to visual novels.

"You do have multiple endings implemented. What about a secret route?" Ortho suggests. "It can be like a dating sim!"

"N-No way!" You feel your cheeks heat up when he suggests that. Asking to spend time with him on his birthday already felt like you were going down that route and you definitely did not want to overstep any boundaries. "I can do a secret route though! I should have enough time for that."

The question is- what would that ending be? Time is ticking so it would have to be short- something funny? Then you're hit with the thought of combining the two and you stifle a laugh. Another one more wholesome comes to mind too.

"Agh! I'm running out of time...!" You whine and run your hand through your hair. Now all the good ideas are gracing you.

"I can help input anything you need. We can get it done on time that way."

"Thanks, but I have to do this on my own. It's...more special that way, ya know? From the heart." You chuckle slightly and feel embarrassed for adding that last bit. You were always a little more defenseless around Ortho when it came to his brother. Maybe that's why he tried to nudge the dating sim aspect into your game.

"From the heart...I think I understand. But I'll still be available to help with coding issues."

"You're definitely my little cheat code when it comes to that." You're grateful that he helped. Accidentally forgetting a semicolon in a mess of code is literally the worst thing. It's no surprise that Ortho found it right away, along with a few other issues in your coding.

"Alright." You take in a breath and slap your hands against your cheeks, lightly. "I have a few more days. But this game will definitely be done in time for Idia's birthday!"

"You can do it, Prefect!"

~...~

Escaping the eyes of predators had been a real nightmare when they were all locked onto him thanks to his birthday. The flashy garments didn't help nor did his outstanding features. If it wasn't his clothes and hair that caught attention, it was the fact that Ignihyde's reclusive housewarden was out and about in public.

Sevens, he really hated his birthday. If it was going to be this much of a trial he would have just slept through it all.

"Brother!" Ortho rushes into his room. He eagerly hovers at his chair in front of his computer, turning it to face him. "You have one more gift to get!"

Idia groans as he forces himself up from his bed. The instant he was set free he lost the flashy birthday outfit and switched back to his usual jacket. His phone had turned on to get the final birthday gifts from the games he missed earlier.

"Can't I get it later? Can't be anything special..." He mutters. Then his gaze drifts to his computer. "Wait. I got all my presents from my online friends already."

"This is from the Prefect."

"EH?! Th-They sent me something?!" He blinks and lets his phone fall onto his bed. For a moment, he thought you had forgotten all about his birthday. He couldn't recall seeing you at his birthday bash. Even if you did try to reach him the amount of normies crowding him was difficult to get through. You'd have to have some immense intimidation states like Malleus to get through that. And you definitely weren't intimidating. Well, a bit, but not in the normal sense.

Still, to think you remembered his birthday and got him a gift. It makes his heart swell in his chest. You remembered and were kind enough to give him something. Digital too! Or so it seems. He hates to think this was some kind of joke, but Ortho wouldn't be leading him on like this if it were.

"Mhm! I think you should play it."

"Play it? What do you mean?"

Idia isn't given an answer. Instead he gets off his bed and shuffles towards his chair. He gets comfortable and finds something- a game already downloaded onto his computer.

"Since when can they make games?" He asks, curious. Ortho grins in response, excitedly waiting for him to start up the game.

Idia finds himself greeted to a visual novel-esque game title. It has a title, start, load, settings, you know, the basics. But what really catches his eyes are the previews of the characters involved in said game. Imitations of you, him, his brother, and your cat. It's adorable, captivating coming from an SR tier artist.

His hands are shaking and he feels as if he has to pinch himself to check if this is real. A game with you and him in it? He isn't sure if his heart can handle something like this. But he'll take a chance. He'll die trying to win this game you made just for him if he has to.

As he dives into the intro of the game, he finds you and Ortho on screen, waiting for him to show up. The background is more homely, nothing extravagant. But he doesn't quite care for that. He finds himself invested in the fact that you both want Idia to come out of his room to wish him a happy birthday.

You're definitely getting points for character accuracy.

Then there are the dialogue options. They range from two to three.

"Oh ho? They're going with multiple routes? I'll conquer them all! ...I'm glad they aren't here to hear me say that."

He continues on with the story and goes for the normal ending. It isn't hard to obtain, all he has to do is let you drag him out of his room for birthday wishes. Despite you not being here, it feels like you are. Like your digital character is truly wishing for his birthday to be filled with nothing but good vibes and the best pulls.

"If only the real you were here..." He mutters.

When he's greeted to the title screen once more, he doesn't hesitate to go back in, especially when it shows 1/4 endings achieved.

"Oh, the Prefect added another ending?"

"Eh? You know about this, Ortho?" He asks, looking at his brother. "So that's why you were AFK the past couple of weeks."

"The Prefect wanted help. Sorry, I couldn't tell you or it would have ruined the surprise."

"As long as I don't get spoilers from you, it's fine. Still, I can't believe they hogged you up for so much time. Sevens, wish that were me-" He clears his throat and raises a hand to cover his face despite only Ortho being in the room with him. "B-Back to the game!"

The next ending he goes for is the bad one. It ends with you and Ortho playing with each other instead of getting Idia out of his room. Honestly, not a real bad ending. His digital brother is having fun with you AND he gets to enjoy some solitude? Poggers.

Although...maybe it is a little bad that his digital self didn't get to see you.

Not wanting to linger on that, he moves onto the next route. And he isn't sure if he should laugh or cry when he ends up going down some dating route with Grim as the target. A humanized Grim at that. One with a disclaimer stating 'please don't tell Grim about this' hovering on top of his avatar during the entire route. Obviously, he doesn't get to date him, he doesn't want to, but he does get to pet his ears. His video game self is definitely a lucky bastard.

Now, for the final route. An extra option pops up during the end of the normal route. He figures it's only unlockable after getting the other endings. It's a little basic, but there's points for trying and getting four routes in one game.

The screen fades to black and he thinks that it may have crashed. He hasn't seen the code yet, but he's certain that Ortho wouldn't have allowed it. But if you added something without his assistance then he wonders if you messed up somewhere. All those thoughts are cast out once a video loads in.

The quality is shitty, barely capturing you sitting in front of your computer with Grim on your lap. He makes a mental note to fix whatever dinosaur of a computer you have the next time he visits Ramshackle.

"Alright, I think it's on."

"I hope it is! I wana nap..."

"In a bit!" You clear your throat and focus on the camera. You put on your best smile and wave. "Happy birthday, Idia!" You chrip. "I hope you survived your birthday trial. I wanted to go, but decided to do this instead. And hey, one less person to crowd you at your party."

"I wouldn't have minded you there..." He mumbles. He takes a quick breath in and puts a hand over his mouth. At least you’re not here to hear that.

"Anyway, we're both here to tell you happy birthday." You poke at Grim who sighs. The feline rolls his eyes and gets on his hind legs, staring into the camera as he narrows his eyes. Idia can practically feel the judgment coming from him, but he could care less.

"Happy birthday, shut-in," he says, unenthusiastically.

"Grim!" You hiss.

"What?" He crosses his arms. "I wished him a happy birthday, didn't I?" You give him a dissatisfied look. And he looks as if he's been told to apologize for something he didn't do. "Have a good one or whatever. When you come over, bring some cake! As the birthday boy, you gotta have a hoard of it. I deserve some for having to deal with ya!"

The cat snickers and jumps off your lap as you shout out his name. You sigh as he runs off to your shared bed where he remains proud for what he's done.

"You just had to spoil it..." You shake your head. Despite the spoiler you go back to wearing your smile. "Anyway, this wasn't recorded just to say happy birthday. I do hope you enjoyed your gift I made. I know it's not the best, but its not bad for a beginner, right?" You let a moment of pride take over, puffing out your chest and posing. Idia snickers at how cringe that looks, especially since this is recorded. You deflate shortly after.

"As a congrats to getting this far into the game, I wanted to ask if we could...hang out." Your cheeks turn red as you suggest that. "I do want to tell you happy birthday in person and hear your thoughts on my game, but I totally understand needing to recharge though! Ramshackle is open if you wana drop by. I promise the only visitors we have are ghosts who promised not to be around for the day. And I know it's not my place, but if you do come over, can you please bring a slice of cake for Grim? It might help you pet him."

"No it won't!" Grim shouts from the bed. "Not unless I get the whole thing!"

You roll your eyes at his words. Then there's an awkward silence for a few seconds before you say goodbye, unsure of how to end this message.

When the video stops playing, the game crashes, kicking him out and back to his desktop. With the last minute addition, you weren't able to test out the playback. Not that it matters since your message got through loud and clear.

Idia remains motionless, staring at his computer screen. Golden eyes lingering where the game had once been and the recording of your person. His cheeks turn a bright red before he buries his face into his hands. His hair starts to flare up; blue tips turning to pink. The color spreads and he dawns full pink hair, even if only momentarily.

"Wh-Why was that cute?! That was like an SSR birthday message! How could they do this to me...!" He whines. He brings his legs up to his chest, clutching them and nuzzling his face against his knees. He didn't know how to react. Such warm and fuzzy feelings were foreign to him. It makes him want to get up and just roll around in bed with joy. That's something he could do to get this out of his system and he's highly considering it.

After all, you made him a game. A game made just for him. If you really were going down his route like a dating sim, you were getting max affection points just from this! He doesn't care how low-tier or beginner friendly this game is. To him? It competes with Star Rogue. Sort of. At least in a more sentimental way. Sorry, that's one game you can never beat.

"Are we going to go see them?" Ortho asks, completely calm while his brother is having a mini crisis.

"I-If I say no it's probably going to lead to a bad ending, huh?" He responds. "The good ending...something like that isn't meant for me. But I can get it just for one day, right? I can pet Grim and spend time with them..." He lifts his face and glances to Ortho. "You should have prepared me for an ending like that."

"You said you didn't want spoilers."

"I don't think spoilers could have prepared me for that." He takes in a breath, calming down, though his hair was still acting up. He's going to have to hide that under his hood for a bit. "Okay...we can go. Just give me a moment to recover."

"Yay! I'll let the Prefect know we'll be over soon!"

"Don't forget the cake when we go! I'm still going to chance petting Grim." He grins. "And the Prefect...deserves a slice too."

You deserve the whole cake and more- and it's not even your birthday! Maybe he can't offer a whole cake to Grim, but he can share. He may lose out on the sweet treat and possibly pets, but it would be worth it.

"You know...maybe birthdays aren't so bad..."

[ask-the-totally-real-peppino]

(I have been trying to write this post for a while, but it keeps coming out like a sob story, and it is really not that deep jkfdgkj

So I am just going to say it, bc you guys know I love to ramble for ages, and I need some opinions

1 year of this blog is tomorrow (or today depending on how long I take to write this kjldfg), and I really do appreciate you all being here - if you have been here since the beginning, or just followed recently - if you've sent an ask, liked, reblogged, shared with a friend, theorised, made fanart, or followed me to my art blog and watched me make (and continue to make) a billion clones, anything; thank you

I made this blog on a whim, only like a week after getting into Pizza Tower, and I had no idea it would turn into what it is now

Of course, in the beginning there were a lot of actual posts, like with backgrounds and multiple characters, and I'd post several times a day if I could - and while I was having fun, it was not ideal - I'd frequently post at 7am after spending all night working on a post then I'd pass out, I'd forgo eating or showering just to draw, and I had wrecked my wrist several times, and continue to push pass the pain just to post

It wasn't just hyperfixation, it was obsession - much easier to realise that in retrospect

I was also medicated at the time, I had been on antidepressants for 3 years, so around April (I think) I ran out of meds and was unable to get more due too third party issues/unable to get in contact with my doctor/etc (and unbeknownst to me at the time, the last two packs I had were expired) - so I am sure you can imagine the sort of affect suddenly going cold turkey on the med that make you not wanna die has on a person - I was not doing great to put it lightly

But I still wanted to continue - so many people had praised me on the frequency of posts, and how excited they were and all this validation - I couldn't let people down! (Also I was, and still am, a disabled shut-in loser with no friends, posting is like the only social interaction I had/have kdfgkgfd)

But I think I did - I intimidated myself out of drawing main posts with how much work they were, started the intermission even though I said I shouldn't, had no script or direction and that I was not 100% invested in to try to motivate myself back into main posts, and it was just easier to draw silly ooc posts than do the thing I really wanted to do instead

Of course, this is not any of you guys' fault - I have always had this issue of starting something, it getting way bigger than I can manage, crashing and then just unable to get going again - I have so many unfinished comics, half-done projects and abandoned askblogs it's not even funny - but it's also like, not the end of the world, if I don't finish things I start for fun - sure, I'll feel guilty as hell for a while, but life moves on

So that being said, I would still very much like to continue the story here - I have been working on some stuff in the background (I even updated Pep's reference in the last few days, with a ton of new stuff), but I still don't think it's gonna be soon - I am doing somewhat better than I was, and I actually have an appointment for with my doctor finally (I will probably have to do some reassessments since they can't just put me back on the meds, after not having them for almost a year, and then I'd have to probably get reaccustomed to side effects etc), so despite it all I am still here

I am not sure if I want to continue the intermission with Bean and Fiend at this time - I know a few folks enjoyed it (mostly bc Fiend kjsdfkj) - but as mentioned previously it was unplanned, unscripted, and I was quickly not feeling it, as I am sure some of you guys were too - the intention was for Fiend to give you guys another hint to the main story, but getting to that point was not fun - I might do a poll on this in a separate post

I also mentioned a while back that I would be cutting down the Big Post into smaller posts, and posting as and when parts were done - but once again, do not expect these soon - (although there is a very late Valentines post coming hopefully soon)

And I think that should hopefully be it for now - I know this is a huge post, and probably still a bit sob story-ish, but oh well - I also know that the hype for Pizza Tower had unfortunately died down significantly, but I'm still working on PT stuff on my art blog @smalltimidbean if you wanna see more silly things (and maybe some lore for here hehe)

It is also the first now, so happy birthday Pep

Okay, thank you, and see you later)

[susurusssecret]

Something I've been meaning to put down into words is the compassion I've witnessed on AO3. On one hand, I'm seeing so many sweet and polite comments on my fanfic, but on the other...

I've been seeing the same person comment on my favourite AO3 author's story asking when they were going to update, when is the story going to be written, how they couldn't wait any longer and they wanted a date for the next update...

Sometimes, life happens. The author could be working their ass off during their day job. Or even multiple jobs. They could be writing a dissertation. They could be starting a family. They could be living paycheck to paycheck. They could be spending more time on other hobbies. They could be moving houses. They could be in college, or in high school, studying for a test, focusing on a project at work, busy taking note of their employee's tasks for the day etc...

Or they could've simply fallen out of progress.

You can't get your angst or fluff or suspense without someone spending hours, weeks or months painstakingly plotting every twist of the story that you're so invested in. And that person still has to set aside very limited time they have on this Earth between work and/or studies to sit down and write.

Either ways, all of these possibilities and even more are signs that these authors have a life outside of writing. For the love of god, please have a little more patience. Every writer wants their works to be of satisfaction! And that doesn't come without a cost: which can come in the form of prolonged writing period.

You can find writers of all kinds typing on their phones on their way home from work. Or even sneaking to write a fluff idea between shifts, scribbling a note for a redemption arc scene they'll write later in the break room of a shop, or taking a break between study sessions to finish typing a angsty fanfic on their laptop.

Time is a our most precious commodity. And these fanfiction writers you hold so dearly to your heart are using their limited time in life to create something that they freely share with you! Write a nice comment telling them how much you love their work! Praise them! Give them kudos! Share their work with friends that love the same stuff! These little things shows writers that you appreciate what they're doing. Even coming back after weeks or months to comment and say that you still love their work is a heartwarming reminder to the author that someone out there cherishes their work enough to revisit it.

Remember: they can always write. But they can choose not to share it with the public either. Fanfiction writers are making the world a better place for me and you by expanding our ideas of our favourite characters.

Choose to be kind.

[bl00dngh0uls]

I just wanted to ask. Why change the name of the fall to the descent? Imagine being so petty that the story you and another person created was so good that instead of making another one because it's that great you just fill in their character and rename everything. It's super copy righted if you ask me. You tried breaking her and her boyfriend up. Then called her multiple times and stepped over her boundaries yet you say it was her who you were scared if you missed a call. She tried helping you and cared for you yet you have the audacity to call it otherwise when you can't talk it out with her or for her to defend herself? I had to make a tumblr just to message you as you took off the anonymous. Those people had no right to say kill yourself and most of those other comments but it's also not right for you to create the same exact story as she put so much time into it. The character your girlfriend made is the exact same as hers was with golden wings just a different name and different hair color. The picture below is something she drew awhile back. Her family said the same thing about you that you were bad news yet she defended you and kept allowing you to come back into her life with open arms. Obviously you two cared about eachother and I hope you could at least talk because you made something beautiful together and now it's just used as a petty trophy. You two aren't bad for eachother you just have bad communication skills. If you block me that's fine but I just had to say I truly loved the fall and it's amazing what you two made.

Honestly, I find it a little ridiculous to have made a tumblr just to message me about this. It’s very adolescent, and I couldn’t imagine being so invested in something that wasn’t your business to go out of your way to message a grown ass adult about why they would place their character in a new story.

Though it doesn’t matter in any capacity, I completely trashed The Fall. Changed the name because same concept, except we’re starting over. New story, new characters, new ideas.

Imagine being told to kill yourself, being absolutely bombarded with messages all through the night, waking up to that bullshit. No fucking wonder I turned off my goddamn anons LMAO are you actually kidding me.

And another reason to not put your nose so far into others affairs, is because you actually have no idea who I am. You don’t know anything about me other than what you’ve been told. I shouldn’t have to come and defend myself for the hurt I’ve endured.

I kept hoping she’d change, as one does in an abusive relationship, and it never happened. Receiving messages from all different people over this, trying to be guilted for breaking something off that was making me mentally, and physically ill. I was so stressed everyday. Getting called aaalll throughout my day to hear her be angry about her job, be angry about people she worked with, be angry about other people succeeding in life, being angry with herself for not doing more, constantly talking about how stressed her piece of shit boyfriend makes her. How he never fucking does anything around their apartment, how he makes her feel shitty for wearing anything ‘revealing’ (oh gods forbid, wouldn’t want to look like a whore, which I was also pretty tired of her internalized, projected slut shaming), how she can’t ever do anything without him ruining it. How he’s made friends leave her life because THEY hated him.

Nothing I said seemed to appease any of these things, because how could it?? You get out of your life what you put into it, and all of that angry, jealous, immature energy she served kept her trapped. I don’t think she ever wants to actually change, she just wants to be pitied, and to be seen as someone who gives and gives and gives, but never talks about all of the mental energy she takes from others. When you’re so locked into the delusions you’ve created for yourself to justify feeling like shit and not doing a fucking thing about it, life can get pretty shitty for you. That’s what’s happening for her.

I don’t have a squeaky clean record of mental health, but I at least care enough about myself to work on things I need to. Not sit in denial, and tell people that they disgust you for bringing up that you may have some fucking issues. Just the fact that she couldn’t accept that we are no longer speaking, and will not be anymore, shows that fucking SOMETHING needs to be worked on. People that don’t care would just let you live in your own little world where you’re the epitome of mentally healthy. Well NEWS FLASH, nobody is.

Thinking she’s excluded from people struggling with mental health is laughable. Maybe if she decides to hop off her high horse, someday she can make healthy connections with others. I’m done being a dumping ground for all her bullshit, and then being absolutely TORN APART VERBALLY for having anything to say that isn’t rolling over, and accepting that I’m somehow always the only problem. Fuck that.

So, now that I’ve wasted my time, and you’ve quite obviously wasted yours, let’s just stop all of this.

If I receive anymore asks from you, I won’t be responding to them, and I will be blocking you, because I’m done. I’m ready to move on from this.

[matt0044]

There’s been a recurring tread in Fandom Discouse(TM) or Fanwank for those who tell it like it is. And it revolves around Redemption Arcs.

These type of stories have been the most controversial on various levels for good reasons. It often comes down to how we may identify with or project onto the character in question and the discomfort it may bring.

Specifically in regards to characters that may hit too close to home. Characters who are very much perpetrators of conflict and violence rather than victims. They hurt others for their gain be they sociopathic or just apathetic to what they wrought.

Many have dealt with these precise people in their lives and will thus have very strong words to say when a character of similar attributes appears to be turning themselves around. There will be some deliberation over how “earned” it felt on a narrative level but either way, they are on a better path in life.

For these aforementioned fans among others, it’s a difficult pill to swallow… if not one they nearly choke on. In their eyes, this character is barely even human but a monster in every sense of the word. They’ve hurt characters they love. They’ve either enjoyed it or brushed it off in indifference.

Where does Chloe factor into this? Well… it fascinates me that we got a circle of fandom that advocates for a character, a female character no less, and their could’ve-been development from Mandy but crossing way more lines.

She’s the inciting incidents for nearly every Akuma in Season 1 and is almost intentional about it. While Season 2 would humanize her and show a likely source of her behavior, I have seen more characters get shit for far less and they would rarely mean the things they say or do when in a mood.

There’s also the, um, gender thing. It have especially been my and others observations that a female character is likely to have a borderline hate campaign against them for either exhibiting a trait that male characters will get a pass for or just… making a mistake.

My Adventures With Superman subverted the very long standing secret identity dynamic Clark had with Lois Lane by having the aspiring journalist put the pieces together fast.

Her reaction to Clark not being straight with her was hardly terribly welcoming, especially given her father being deceptive with her. The Fandom’s reaction was extra less welcoming and overlooked her possible complexes over liars in favor of her behavior.

So… why is Chloe somehow exempt? There are likely multiple factor but I think there's a large one that's gone underexamined.

Obviously there's the feeling of being cheated out of a redemption storyline that Season 2 seemed to kick start. Yet it's not like Season 3 just had her be mean again out of the blue. Chloe is still very much a brat even if Despair Bear, Zombizou and her Queen Bee trilogy had her take a good look at herself.

Old habits die hard. Hawk Moth just took the time in Season 3 to gradually give said habits a clean bill of health.

My observations of Fandom Culture at large leads me to feel like Chloe's case is about less what did happen and was undone but more like what seemed to be happening but didn't. Fandom loves the hypothetical. The theories, the speculation. A lot of it is very personalized even when fans come together to pitch their own takes.

As such, there's a personal investment factor in these malleable concepts that's distinct from engaging in the hardwared canon. It's a sandbox where the material you're working with can be molded into what suits you. Canon can be too often, "Here it is: take it or leave it." Fanon is more accomadating to those who might want to change things.

Bare in mind, I'm not trying to advocate for one or the other here. Fanon depends on canon, warts and all, and a Fandom can't flourish without it period. But sometimes we mistake Fanon for what should happen and ignore the innate placeholder status they have. Thus Canon is seen as an intrusion when, well, it's just the show itself.

Another reason may be because for all the grouching about redemption arcs, we've... rarely seen such backslide let alone one that sticks considerably. We've had our Majin Vegetas and Book 2 Finale!Zukos but rarely have we (outside of specific circumstances and specific mediums) had a redemption arc reverse course.

As such, many seem keen to ignore how organic the journey from Queen Bee to Miracle Queen really was. Her insistence of joining the fray with Ladybug, her tendency to shoot her mouth with a sharp tongue to boot returning more like in Stormy Weather 2, making a Bee Signal of all things.

The ground work was laid for Queen Wasp's return and the soil was beyond fertile. Thus her villain arc for Season 4 and 5 involves tripling down on her banal evil from brainstorming Marinette's fall, getting evilized intentionally and keeping Sabrina from sleeping (boy howdy, was Chloe lucky she didn't go to her dad, A police officer :P).

Now... nobody needs to like this or stop disliking what they dislike. It just would be nice if considering other perspectives and looking beyond one's expectations was encouraged.