#(not really that spoilery at all but just in case)

[greaseonmymouth]

you know, now that all three featherington girls are happily married and have babies and they’ve even bettered their relationships with each other, I’m kind of here for portia getting a chance at romance. let HER have a second marriage and this time for love

[dairsmuids]

a little bit in love with him i can't lie

[light-wynd]

actual footage of me trying to study for exams

[rohirric-hunter]

A while ago I said I wanted to share a massive playlist of all the songs I use for inspo for the Wind Will Set Me Racing 'Verse but I was frustrated because YouTube threw a fit every time I tried to edit the playlist -- well, I think I found a way around that. I don't own all the songs, which is why I didn't do this earlier, but it was simply a matter of organizing the playlist on some other service (I used NewPipe, the app I use to access YouTube from my phone, since I deleted the YouTube app a while ago since it kept on recommending me things I wasn't interested in based on things it was overhearing at work) and then creating the playlist by just adding the songs in order, without actually editing it, on YouTube proper. Now, I have had to close and reopen Firefox twice since I started doing this because it does slowly ramp up the amount of memory it's using the more songs I add, but I'm almost done now -- hopefully I can share it. And hopefully playing it won't crash other people's browsers.

[starshcwer]

I FINISHED REBIRTH

[tea-and-naps-otome]

Finally caught up in nightbringer. Weird that they chose to literally roll credits on a storyline that didn't end. I know that the og game also rolled credits after lesson 20 as well, but that definitely felt like a full story arc with a resolution. In the same timespan in nightbringer, we had the inciting incident at the beginning, some world building, and then some pats on the head.

I'm guessing that the og game only planned to go twenty chapters so the story followed that. I'm also guessing that based on that popularity, a longer storyline was planned for nightbringer from the beginning which is fine! But still shoving credits in the same place felt jarring

[rbrownillustration]

I don’t know how to give a spoiler alert on this website but if I can warn you here it is. This is vague enough though it’s not too much??? Maybe????

Anyways, I saw Transformers: One yesterday and have been thinking about it nonstop ever since. It’s beautiful. Almost perfect. Sensational. 10/10 would recommend please go see it if you have any Transformers love in your bones and even if you don’t. It’s just a good story.

As for the spoilery part, don’t read ahead as I talk about this piece if you don’t want some spoilers.

What kills me about this movie is, yes, Orion and D-16’s friendship, but also Bee and Elita coming together as a team as the four of them. Bee particularly, as it would be assumed he is the youngest and the least experienced in their little group and needs them potentially the most.

I would say there’s a direct parallel you could make between Bee and D-16 throughout the movie. As both of them move from blind loyalty in the status quo to having to accept that the system they live in is set up against them and the power that they trusted is false and vile.

D-16 is a fascinating case of losing trust in anyone and anything because of that betrayal. The movie does a fantastic job of justifying (not excusing) the rise of Megatron and truly emphasizes how tragic of a character he really is, beyond just the violent rebel we’ve gotten used to.

Bee on the other hand shifts quickly to lean on the support and trust of his friends (maybe he is more inclined to as they are literally his only option), and to still hold his faith in Primus and the true Primes, ultimately following Optimus.

Anyways, this illustration I whipped up this evening is in the climax of the film when Sentinel Prime has captured much of the High Guard, as well as D-16 and Bee. D pulls the ballsy move of refusing to kneel to the false Prime. They discuss Megatronus Prime for a bit, Sentinel drawing attention to D’s Megatronus decal. Then Sentinel decides that D-16 should always have a reminder of that dead Prime, and brands a crude likeness of Megatronus on his chest with a laser gun.

Above all else I think that this is potentially the final turning point for D-16. This isn’t the point of no return (see end of film when Sentinel gets his due) but I see it as D-16 losing faith completely in both the true Primes of the past (Megatronus), and the false Prime of the present (Sentinel), leading him straight to the point later where he won’t trust his future to anyone but himself. Not even Orion. I wanted to explore this moment visually so while I was at work the composition for this piece slowly started forming in my head and I knew I wanted to bring both D-16 and Bee into the focal point.

[azalawa-scroggs]

About Eddie Fender and why he was a dick to Miles

I first started this post in response to something, but it got so long I decided against inflicting it on OP. This is very long and very meandering and the form is kinda weird, as a warning. It's also kinda spoilery for Ace Attorney Investigations 2.

When we first start playing AAI2 and are introduced to "Ace Attorney Eddie Fender," it's true he doesn't come across as very likeable. The first thing he says to Miles is basically "Oh, look! Here comes Manfred von Karma," and the game happens three years after the truth about DL-6 came out. That's incredibly low, very petty, cruel even. He does start off as a dick to Miles, unfair on him until he gradually realises he isn't as bad as he thought, and as he starts warming up to Miles we start warming up to him.

But also... I kind of get it.

Like... Imagine you're 19 years old. Your boss just died in a sudden and shocking murder. You inherit the law firm even though you haven't even passed the bar yet. You're grieving as you keep working hard to become an attorney, now without the guidance you used to have. Maybe you even blame yourself a little - after all, you worked on that case too, you were likely there for the trial, you left both Edgeworths to take that elevator by themselves. Had things played out differently you would have been there, too.

Did you think of your boss's son, in the middle of this whirlwind? Probably a little, but you're a 19 year-old law student. You're nowhere near a suitable place in your life to even think about fostering a kid. Besides, Gregory Edgeworth was your boss. Someone you greatly admired and whose death you will never stop mourning, but still just your boss.

(It's unclear how well Eddie knew Miles. Enough for Miles to recognise him instantly, but certainly not as close as Miles and Phoenix were.)

You take it on yourself to continue the work he left behind, to help the clients Gregory can no longer help. For ten years you try your best to uphold the reputation and the values of his firm and name, and every day you witness a little more how corrupt the system really is.

Then, one day, you start hearing about this young new prosecuting upstart. Passed the bar at 20 and already has the legal world in his pocket. Rumours of forged evidence, backstreet deals, manipulated witnesses. Not only is that just like the whole lot of them, the tactics you became so familiar with over the years - no, it sounds painfully, specifically familiar to that one long, drawn-out case, the last one you worked with Gregory. It turns out the young prodigy is the student and protégé of Mr. Perfection himself, the man who never lost a case in thirty-five years, even though he should have lost against you ten years ago if the world was even a little fair. You would hate the boy for that alone, but on top of that he's also the son of the mentor you lost, the son of the man you both used to admire so very much.

And that hurts. That none of Gregory's legacy lived on in his son. That this sweet, kind boy, who Gregory always used to worry about not making any friends, became a parody of all they used to despise.

Perhaps you even get to see him. You catch a glance of him in the courthouse corridor as he passes you by without so much as a nod to acknowledge you, or you stumble upon a picture in the same paper that struck Phoenix Wright so deeply. You see that damn suit. That damn smirk. That damn waggly finger. His features may have something of Gregory but everything in him screams von Karma. He's spent a decade trying to shape himself into him, and it shows.

Prosecutors are a privileged bunch, and the Edgeworth kid grew up into a downright brat. Entitled. Rude. Arrogant. Obsessed with his fucking perfect record. You hear he goes around cutting the salaries of detectives that make a tenth of what he does and insulting the opposing counsel in court. He became the worst of them all, taught by the worst of them all, he is everything Gregory fought against and everything you hate.

Why would you want to associate with that? Why would you ever think he is not perfectly fine where he is, with his cushy office and his cushy sports car and his doubtlessly cushy pay?

A couple years later you hear he's been arrested for murder. Maybe you follow the trial, maybe you only see the headlines after everything, after DL-6 is finally solved. Honestly, that's when you start having a reason to reach out. When, had you been less embittered and jaded by the thanklessness of your job, you might have wondered what it was like for him to grow up in the shadow of his father's murderer. You might have been stricken with compassion and horror at the thought of fifteen years spent in crushing guilt, believing he killed the father he used to love so much. You might have empathised, despite your contempt for von Karma, with how his ward might feel to be so cruelly betrayed, thrice over, by the man who raised him since he was nine, who taught him everything before throwing him away like a piece of used junk.

But you still think of how he was like a son to von Karma, of how he got to spend fifteen years in wealth, following a shiny, easy, corrupt new path while you grieved and desperately tried to keep the pieces of your shared dream together. You think of how uneasy Gregory seemed with the idea of von Karma as a teacher, you think of how eager Miles seemed to follow in his footsteps and how much Gregory would have hated it. You think of the many defendants this boy callously condemned with barely a thought, just like his mentor. Of how he may not have his father's blood on his hands, but with the way he acts you'd think he had his murderer's in his veins. And you really, really don't want to deal with any of that.

You think, somewhat unfairly, that maybe Miles ought to have seen it coming. It's not like it's much of a secret that Manfred von Karma is a piece of shit, and good riddance to him.

Three years later, you actually have to interact with him again. It's been 18 years since you last saw him in his father's shadow, looking at him like he hung the stars in the sky, back when everything was so simple for the three of you. It's been 3 years since the truth about his oh-so-esteemed mentor was uncovered. He still wears the cravat. His brow is still furrowed, his eyes are still piercing.

But slowly, begrudgingly, you talk to him. You start realising he actually has some honour to him. That he's not really the Demon Prosecutor the papers made him out to be, that maybe you misjudged him a little bit, in you grief-stricken, angry bitterness. That maybe he can be trusted, after all, with his father's legacy.

Why would you think he ever needed saving?

[katiekatdragon27]

Guys what is this book and what is the Bill on it? All I know is gay shapes-

A. Sphere: I'm not calling you "Good Boy" A. Square, that court case was SHIT.

Me earlier: Wow! The Book of Bill just came out, that's cool ig.

Everyone recently: *being super active in the tag, watching the movies, relogging and liking my art*

Me: *me carrying some small doodles over* WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE???

Thanks for bringing me back to brainrot by spam-liking all my old posts guys I forgive none of you (/J I LOVE YOU ALL)

More stuff below cut (BE WARNED NEW FLAT-PEOPLE SOME OF IT IS LOWKEY SPOILERY):

A. Square and A. Faux Line: Damn, that circle kinda a hottie- ...

I had this silly idea after my 29374th time watching Flatland that a majority of the first part of the movie is just A. Sphere watching all the shit go down like the worst telenovela you've ever seen. Also, that A. Line was originally going to be the apostle, but... uh... she can't really do that anymore, so he banks all his money on A. Square.

Also, I thought it would be super funny of A. Square and A. Faux Line both crushed on A. Sphere when he first showed up lol. Crazy smooth priest spawns and everyone swoons.

Older Hex doodles too. I love Hex, they're such a real one the whole time. With all the faults of Sphereland, I do like Hex maining in that one. But I also like picking and choosing which things I take as canon in my own work, so you get young adult Hex with their totally not-romantically-involved-with-at-all partner Punto (P. Octagon).

It's been a bit since Flatland happened in this hypothetical, so A. Square's still around. He's trying to be supportive of his masc-nonbinary kid who likes kissing boys, but still has to be annoying with dad jokes and the occasional backhanded compliment. He means well tho.

A. Tesseract: Hello A. Square!

A. TESSERACT OH HOW I'VE MISSED YOU POOKIE <3333. She's probably one of my most favorite ocs I've made (and the one that gets the most art <3) She's also the one I feel the least awkward about shoving into the source material lol. I yearn to work on A Heightlander's Escape again, but we'll see.

I just wanted to draw something cute between her and A. Square. She may or may not be the voice at the end of the movie hmmmmmmmm.

At least A. Square would end up in good hands.

"There is always something beyond. There is always INFINITY."

Just a little doodle of smth I may or may not render cuz I really like how it looks. There is always something greater after all.

Thank you all for the recent support on those old-ish drawing, y'all made my week tbh. I have a new AU cooking for this so look forward to that lol. Have a good one :)))

[persevereforahappyending]

Need headcanons for reader and Sam, if you can have any spoiler free. Or with spoilers I don’t mind. In need of some inspiration.

I have so many!

I don't know if they're spoilery or how spoilery they'd be though. Personally, I'd consider them all spoilers. I can try to be as vague as possible though. But just in case I'll put them under a cut!

So, potential SPOILER Headcanons for No Man's Land

All of these would be for after the series.

Sam always feels safe when you're around and in turn Tara does as well.

Sam sleeps the best when she gets to fall asleep in your arms.

Since you're still active duty you live in North Carolina most of the time but during weekends or time off you drive up to New York.

Sam also comes down and stays with you a few times since time together is so rare and the two of you have to make the most of it.

Sam never thought she'd be the type of person to throw herself in your arms when you got back home after being deployed for so long, but she is and has no shame in doing it at the airport or apartment or wherever you show up.

When you're deployed for the first time after getting together you give her your dog tags.

Sam only wears them when she's really missing you and keeps them tucked under her shirt otherwise, she has them hanging off her headboard where she can always see them.

When you go back to North Caroline or get deployed you let Artemis stay with Sam eventually.

Artemis quickly warms up to Sam once she knows you like her, and she becomes just as protective of Sam and Tara as you are.

You can't tell Sam everything about your job but when you're struggling, she's there for you, even if it's just to hold you.

[snapscube]

okay but actually on the subject of stuff i WAS disappointed about w dawntrail, one huge gigantic missed opportunity has been nagging at me ever since i finished the first half and it's something i kinda expected to happen but REALLY had hoped wouldn't go down the way it did:

(kinda spoilery under the break)

i literally can not believe the worst case scenario of "advertising and lead-up promises a fun swashbuckling rivalry between the scions on different teams but it's actually just one small skit in a dungeon and then they are completely friendly and not at all genuine rivals for the rest of the game" happened

like... i fucking knew it would happen this way. i felt it in my gut. with the way they treat the scions i genuinely did not see a scenario where everyone was not super friendly and generally helpful almost the entire time. but like... MAN. UGH.

I WANTED A PELLA VS. THANCRED/URIANGER SOLO DUTY????? OR LIKE. SOMETHING AT ALL TO MAKE THE RIVALRY INTERESTING AT THE ONSET. i feel the early MSQ is REALLY missing some adventurous BITE to it and that's part of why it feels so slow at the start. like if you watch the trailer for dawntrail i feel like your first assumption isn't that the rite of succession is going to be a bunch of relatively mundane game show-tier challenges? which in and of itself is like, fine and it ends up fitting the theme of the narrative well enough. but UGHGHGHG. i wanted like... some pirates of the caribbean energy?? yknow?? is that crazy??? at least for a COUPLE levels more than we got. once the story hits about level 95 the story picks up and becomes very emotionally interesting but before that it's like...... ogughhghghg. kinda lethargic.

[cowboymantis]

🚦🚦🚦TRAFFICBLR I HAVE SUCH GOOD SHOWS FOR YOU THAT GIVE THE SAME BRAINROT AS THE LIFE SERIES 🚦🚦🚦

I've been meaning to do this post for so long now, but last Wild Life session being everyone having superpowers finally gave me the motivation-

Have you ever heard of Kamen Rider? No? Now you have. Kamen Rider is a Tokusatsu (Japanese practical effect focused genre, in the case of Kamen Rider it's a superhero-type Toku) show that has existed since 1971, but gets new seasons with new characters/worlds/stories every time.

And every now and then, there are seasons that just give me those brainworms like the Life Series does. And I need to share with you the seasons that I especially enjoyed as a Life Series fan 🥺 I don't think there's much overlap in the fandoms, because they're such different ones, but trust me on this one.

Do you like...

- death games

- time loops

- ever repeating death games in time loops

- characters being forced only to watch while their friends are continuously killing each other in every timeline

- people being silly :3

- absolute insanely intense homoerotic drama (it's one of those things I think both fandoms enjoy a lot from what I've seen 🧍‍♂️)

- watchers and eye-themed admins making sure the game is going as planned

- winners and/or last man standing of a battle royale type game never really winning because it will all repeat anyway and they have to compete and fight strangers and friends all over again

- everyone dying, no one ever really winning in this inescapable fight

... then you will love several Kamen Rider seasons! I'm being so vague and try not to say which season is which of those things named. But some also fit multiple. Those seasons I present first all have a very similar theme, like the Life Series.

Kamen Rider Ryuki, Kamen Rider Blade, Kamen Rider Geats, Kamen Rider Gaim.

Fun fact! Any Madoka Magica fans here? The creator of it loved Kamen Rider Ryuki so much, it was one of his main inspirations for Madoka Magica. (Very noticable... /pos) And after that he also created a Kamen Rider season, and that is Gaim. So if you love PMMM like me, oh you will be eating GOOD with those seasons!!

Also, some random imagery from Geats. The command buckle forms (pictured on the left), I just put out of fun bc they have Hotguy or Gigacorp colours, which Hermitcraft fans will be very familiar with 😌

And on the right, one of my points from earlier, eye-themed admins. Not really a spoiler to just tell you that straight up, don't worry. Also I guess you could say at one point there's something similar to the boogey..??

Anyway, the picture on the bottom... Do I even have to say anything? DO I??? WATCHER MOMENT??

I don't have anything to show for Ryuki, Blade and Gaim, I think? Or rather, nothing that wouldn't be too spoilery. Those are seasons that fr you just need to take in and take over your life and give you brainworms.

One thing I can say about them is that they have forever changed my brain chemistry and I think about them daily and whenever I think of them I want to scream . Real

OH UHH yeah Ryuki has a character named Ren wow! So many similarities! Well, actually, I guess I need to show you Shinji, the protagonist. Because if you love the silly idiots of the Life Series, you will love him too. One of my favs ever and he's so so silly. So stupid. Such an idiot. Everyone hates him and wants him dead and he just wants to make frens... His only crime was being too silly...

Now, there are two more seasons I want to recommend.

Kamen Rider OOO, Kamen Rider Ex-Aid.

Okay, this is a bit shorter, so first starting off with Ex-Aid. Another season I love SOSOSO much. Anyway, it is videogame themed yippie!! And there's an insane game master with a god complex whee!! Also uh... The newest Wild Life episode reminded me . So much. Of Ex-Aid. Because of the zombies. Since there is a character here who basically becomes a zombie and continuously dies in the silliest ways only to literally respawn again. So yeag.

Another thing, I love suit designs that, and I genuinely don't know if this was intentional, look like they have moustaches 😭

This season also has my #1 fav Kamen Rider character!! :3 ONCE AGAIN last Wild Life session, I had to think about this character too. Because of Bdubs powers...

Anyway.

NOWWW... KAMEN RIDER OOO...

One of the funniest and most dramatic and gayest seasons of Kamen Rider fr. I love it so much.

Did you pay attention to the OOO poster? The colours? Yeah, people who love Kamen Rider OOO in the fandom will often put a 🚦in their bio or name. Just like a certain other fandom right...

Funnily enough, ever since I've gotten into Kamen Rider a while back, there's often fanart where I can't tell at first if it is OOO or Life Series fanart. Yeah. Shall I show you why this might be the case? Let me pick some random Kamen Rider OOO screenshots:

Those two idiots are LITERALLY desert duo. Like. I don't know what to tell you. It's just insane 😭

And I know, scarian is a super popular ship (personally I don't ship it, I absolutely love their silly dynamics tho and all), and so are them!!!

We got Ankh, a so-called Greeed, being the angry blonde red-themed bird sidekick of the main character Eiji's silly superhero character (Calling it superhero is always so weird- but it's kinda hard talking too Toku-y for people new to it), who is maybe also secretly a little bit messed up. They are the ultimate doomed yaoi too, if you like that lmao? 😭 I'M PULLING ALL THE STRINGS TO GET MORE PEOPLE INTO KAMEN RIDER!!!

On top of that, even with all the drama happening later on in OOO, it has to be one of, if not the funniest season, at least to me!!

There's so much sillyness happening and I just love it..

Also this famous scene:

SO WHAT TO YOU SAY DO YOU DEFINETLY ABSOLUTELY WANT TO WATCH KAMEN RIDER NOW?? GOOD!!

((Sidenote. If you do decide to and are a bit clueless as to where to watch, you can always ask me what who said that nothing suspicious going on here Toei assassins-))

[fatuismooches]

Don't know about other dottore fans, but i love Mr reca dearly and I haven't even played through the new version story yet 😭🙏

Ik you only write for the harbingers, but i would totally not object to you writing for Mr reca because the fanfic area in regards to him is so surprisingly lacking??? (and a lot of it is yandere too :( i get that hes an insane theater kid but i need to cuddle that man) Maybe because of the lack of info around him, but i really need something!!!😩

I miss dottore so so much and Mr reca is just filling in that void for me right now 💔 i love you my weird red eyed dramatic babygirls

I LOVE MR RECA TOO!! 😭🥺🥺🥺 I thought he was very cute since i saw the trailer, and then i kept seeing cute pics of him from the quest and i was like !!!!! And then i finally got to finishing the quest last night and my gosh... he's so BQIDHWQDWQW. He's so cool. He deserves kissies.

Honestly if i get insane enough!!!! I may cook something up!! Actually though i already have a lil story in my head i daydream about..... JUST HEAR ME OUT EVEN IF IT'S ODDLY SPECIFIC - Reca who likes to search for old/barely known films to watch. Comes across a very low budget film reader made with some friends that was honestly quite low quality but the SCRIPT? THE PLOT? MWAH!!! he's obsessed. he needs to meet this genius (you.) and eventually he finds you. only to find out you changed your major from your passion (writing/animation/film or whatever) to something you're not interested at all for certain reasons. And then the rest is him hiring reader as his assistant/script writer and helping them get passionate again 🥺 and he slowly gets insane and doting on you it's cute or whatever <333

Two lines of him from the quest + some HCs i thought were really cute 🥺 (it's nothing spoilery but just in case! it's just him shit talking bad movies and cute assistant director frog moment febuwfew)

THIS LINE. I GIGGLED. WHY IS HE ACTUALLY FUNNY. I think it's cute to imagine him going on to reader about the horrible quality of movies - also, reader plans date nights where said trashy movies are being watched, Reca complains every minute.

THIS LINE TOO ARGHHHHH IM CRYING AND THROWING UPPPPP... THE WAY HE UNDERSTANDS AND TRANSLATES FOR HER IS SO CUTE... HE'S SO SERIOUS ABT HIS FRIEND...

The assistant director is also a camera that Reca uses, so he uses her to keep taking pics of you!!! And then Reca has to insist to her that this is a very important task that he needs her for....... he just talks to her A LOT about you. poor frog has to listen to him be insane about you 24/7.

Just reader befriending the frog in general. She rests on your shoulder frequently and Reca acts betrayed (he's actually so happy!!)

[yamisnuffles]

DATV Spoiler Free Review

I beat Veilguard a couple days ago and have had some time to let it settle in my brain. So, without getting into the nitty gritty and more spoilery things, here are my overall feelings on the game.

The Great:

The world itself. The scenery. It was really gorgeous and felt fully alive in a way that none of the previous games have quite managed. Since it wasn't as open world as DAI nor as narrow in scope as DA2 (nor as old as DAO lol), it felt more vital. Definitely a place where the advances in graphics helped, I'm sure.

The Good:

The companions. I wouldn't say any of them blew me away but they all at least ranged from enjoyable to very good. I definitely had my quibbles here and there but I think they were all pretty solid. As such, though I've only done one romance, I'll suppose they're all good. A bit... sparse in my experience and from what I've been hearing, but nice enough.

Overall, I also think the story was pretty good. Like much in this game, nothing that blew me away, but solidly compelling.

Also, mechanically, the gameplay and the glamour system. It still doesn't feel like DA to me but it was enjoyable once I got used to it. It works well with how I play games. And it was nice to just set looks for myself and my companions and not worry about stats vs appearance.

Rook. I have some definite Complaints, and so this point is probably closer to the good to mid range, but they did a pretty good job with letting you pull in your faction stuff. I'm prevented from saying great because it feels like, even with what are supposed to be rougher dialogue choices, you're limited to being mildly pleasant.

The Mid:

The music. This is tragic to me because every previous game had some really standout songs and DAI especially was such a solid soundtrack. I love soundtrack music. Also because Hans Zimmer! I love Hans Zimmer. But the entire thing felt very generic epic fantasy to me. It wasn't bad but it didn't feel good. The only times I ended up moved by the music was when they lifted DAI songs.

The lack of imports. It wasn't the end of the world but did make some cameos feel really off. And for all the talk of making what few things were imported matter, that really didn't feel like the case at all (unless you were in a specific subset of players). I didn't care too much, but it was just enough to make things feel weird, especially with characters like Harding who are so attached to previous stuff.

The Bad:

The world felt so sanitized. I have no issue getting rid of real life bigotry that makes so sense in the context of the world. For example, the sexism in DAO especially made no sense. That said, there was a lot of in world nastiness that is just... gone. The game does a lot of telling us the elves have it bad but doesn't show it. No one bats an eye at a Tevinter mage running about outside of Tevinter. No one cares about a Qunari in occupied Treviso. I suppose it's not the worst thing in the world but it feels weird, especially when it's so central to Solas' motivations.

This sanitization carried on through pretty much everything. All of the factions are presented as good and heroic, even the ones that are historically pretty shady. Your companions are all pleasant and palatable. They have the occasional minor squabble but even when they almost have actual beef, it's solved super easily. You might get some disapproval for decisions but companions never seem to much care or hold it against you, even on really big things. I don't need DA2 levels of interparty drama but, boy did I want a bit more tooth sometimes.

The Awful:

I can't get into it without spoilers but it did a Thing that Bioware sometimes likes to do that I absolutely loathe. This is definitely personal but it ruined some of my desire to replay.

Overall:

I'd give the game a 7/10 or maybe 6/10, depending on how I'm feeling. It was enjoyable for the most part but it had so many things that felt like splinters. Lots of little things that stuck under my skin and bothered me. Would I recommend it? Genuinely depends on the person.

[silenzahra]

🥳🎉 I'M FREE 🎉🥳

OH MY GOD. I thought this day would NEVER come, but this morning I finally, FINALLY, took my freaking exam!!! Which means I'm free at last, OMG I swear I can hardly believe it 😭😭

Thank you SO MUCH to each and every single one of you who have wished me luck with this, either here on Tumblr or through Instagram (or both! 💖). I'm not 100% sure if I passed but I actually did better than I expected! 🤞🤞

This is me hugging each and every single one of you 👆🥹

I still won't be around today as I'm gonna go to the cinema and the mall as a way of celebrating my freedom 😁 But just so you know, my tags are finally working again! So in case you've tagged me in something during this last week, feel free to edit it so I can be properly notified! (Otherwise I'm afraid I won't get to see whatever content you've tagged me in 😅)

Also, I'll finally have some time to properly think about posting my writing again or not, as I'm afraid the numbers have been affecting me lately and I'm still not too sure about sharing my stories again. I hope I can make up my mind about it soon, but just so you know, I do intend to bring back my first fic to Tumblr as next Friday marks a year since I started posting it 🥰 I'd say it's about time that Anything for him comes back to this site! 🥳

And as a way of closing the circle, today marks a month since I shared my latest story, which takes place at the beginning of Brothership, so I guess that's something to celebrate too! 🎉

I have no idea what's gonna happen in the future with my writing, but just in case, here's the link to said story, and btw, I'll make sure to reply soon to the people who left any kind of feedback on it ever since I posted it! Thank you so much for reading and in case you plan to get to it soon, I really hope you'll enjoy! 💖

This is it for now! I'm taking today off so I probably won't be around till tomorrow. Hope you're all doing fine! Love you sooooo much 💖

[clockwayswrites]

Like Betta Fish Do Part 19

Chapter 15 when on Ao3, Masterpost WC: 2870 CW: WARNING THESE ARE SPOILERY Canon Typical Violence, Blood, Injury,

Danny knew he was smiling like a love sick fool when he pulled back from the kiss, but he really didn’t care. It was still far to nice to be able to kiss Jason whenever he wanted: like when Jason was picking him up for their date.

“So, where are we going and what’s with the backpack?” Jason asked as he handed over the spare helmet.

“Nope.”

“Nope?”

“Nope, you don’t get to know where we’re going,” Danny said.

The flat stare he got in response was pretty impressive on Jason’s part. “Fish, I’m the one driving.”

“That you are,” Danny agreed. While Danny didn’t exactly inherit his dad’s driving habits, it was still better that Jason was the one behind the wheel (or the handle bars in this case).

Jason waited a long beat before giving an exasperated sigh. “Then I need to know where we’re going.”

“Your helmet bluetooths to your phone, right? I’ll pull up the directions and press go. You just have to follow them.”

“The directions it gives for the city are shit.”

Danny rolled his eyes. “Then I’ll tell you the road we need to be on outside of the city and you can ignore it until then.”

“We’re leaving the city?” That seemed to get Jason’s interest at least.

“Yeah, so have a little sense of adventure and trust me, okay? I think you’ll like it.” Danny hoped Jason would like it. He couldn’t top the museum date, but he hoped this at least would still be a good one.

“Course I trust you, koi,” Jason said and followed up his words with a light kiss.

“Koi?”

“They’re good luck fish.”

“Oh, Ancients do you have the wrong person for that,” Danny said, laughing as he put on his helmet. “Now hand over your phone so I can get us going.”

“Bossy.”

“You like it,” Danny said as he pulled up the route to the small town.

“Damn right.”

-

The whole drive was a little magical, which Danny hoped boded well fro the rest of the date. The trees were in full fall color, the wind on the road wasn’t too cold yet, and, best of all, Danny got to spend it pressed up against Jason’s back.

There was no doubt that they were in the right place as soon as the passed the cheerfully painted wooden sign on the edge of town and the large banner next to it declaring it was the Fall Harvest Festival that weekend. The sign spanning the first set of streetlights in the old fashion downtown didn’t hurt either. Or all the stalls and people milling about. Or the smell of food.

“A harvest festival?” Jason asked, the words slightly distorted by the helmet.

“They have a market place set up and live music and food,” Danny explained quickly. Please, please like it. “But it’s really just good timing to make the trip worth it. Really we’re here for somewhere specific.”

“I don’t suppose I get to know what that is either?”

“Nope! I thought we’d grab lunch and something to drink first before we make our way there.” Please think the plan was okay.

“Something smells delicious, so I’m more than down for that,” Jason agreed easily, and Danny breathed a quiet sigh of relief. So far, so good.

Jason’s nose ended up leading them to cider, pulled pork sandwiches, and tornado potatoes- which were a spiraled monstrosity on a stick (as was only right for fair food). They were a little after lunch, which meant that they were able to find a place to eat at one of the many picnic tables set out across the town square.

Danny had to hand it to the town— it was nice. Sure, it was campy and the number of gourds used as decoration was little extreme, but it was all fit together in a way that was just the right level of quaint. Jason started them on an absurd game ‘tourist or resident’ as they ate. If they both agreed resident, they had to come up with what the person’s job or archetype in the town was.

It ended in a ten minute debate if one lady with truly impressive hair worked at the nail salon or florist.

“Receptionist at the law office,” the grey haired lady who had ended up sharing their table cut in.

Danny went beat red at having been caught out in their game.

“Guess or fact?” Jason asked, unbothered.

“Fact, sonny. I’ve been in this town for fifty-three years now, there ain’t nothing I don’t know,” she said with a proud sniff. “Good guess on the baker though, spot on where that one. Make sure you stop by that booth.”

“Will do, ma’am,” Jason said, balling up their trash to throw away.

Danny happily escaped the table with Jason.

“Ancients that was embarrassing.”

Jason had the audacity to just laugh. “Nah. She didn’t mind.”

“She’s going to tell everyone our guesses,” Danny said.

“So what? We didn’t say anything rude about anyone— well, other than that one set of clearly tourists who were being jerks so they deserved it. We’re just adding to the local flavor for this year.”

“If we go down in infamy and get blocked at the boarder next year, I’m blaming you.”

Jason just smiled softly at him. “Already planning for a next year?”

Danny floundered for a moment, opening and closing his mouth before he just shrugged. “Yeah, I guess I am.”

“Good, I like that. Now where’s next on our list?”

-

Next on their list turned out to be a bookstore. Not just a bookstore- one of those bookstores that had been in the same building for a century. Books were stacked on top of books, shelves formed a maze, organization was a myth: in short, it was a fire hazard and it was amazing.

Jason might have been a little in love.

“Wow.”

“Yeah?” Danny asked, shifting on his feet a little as he looked up at Jason from out under his bangs.

“Yeah, fish, this is great.”

Danny’s shoulders relaxed. “Good, then go look around and pick something out to take home, my treat.”

“I could be here for hours,” Jason warned, already starting down one of the narrow corridors.

“Then take hours,” Danny said, smiling indulgently as he followed him. “We just ate, the day is young. If I get done looking I’ll check out with anything I’ve found and just go read on a bench at the festival.”

“Text me if you do that?” Jason asked, tilting a book to see the title better.

“I will, promise, but right now I’ll stick with you.”

Jason reached out and squeezed Danny’s hand, taking them deeper into the shop. Danny followed along for about half an hour, Jason commenting to Danny on some of the things he was finding. He lost Danny what seemed to be the science section, of course, and continued to explore for almost another hour.

He really only stopped his exploring because he stumbled upon Danny in the back corner, curled up under a rosy light in an ancient armchair. Danny was completely engrossed in a book. Leaning against the bookcase, Jason took in the sight. There was a little, warmed part of him that almost ached at it. It was the sort of thing that he wanted to come home to.

After only a minute, Danny looked up, clearly feeling the eyes on him. Jason watched the smile bloom across Danny’s face.

“Hey,” Danny said quietly. “You look like you found quite a pile.”

“This?” Jason said, hefting the stack of books. “This is me being restrained.”

Danny laughed, uncurling and sliding off his seat before he grabbed another book from the end table beside him.

“You found some things also?” Jason asked as they walked towards the register.

“Yeah, a book on local ghost stories—” Jason couldn’t help the amused snort at that “—I know, I’m a walking cliché. And a journal of an inventor that I thought looked cool.”

“Ah, I see you’ve found your young man,” the elderly shopkeep said, putting down his own book. “Have you thought more about the astronomy book?”

“Oh, um, not today, I don’t have that much to spend,” Danny said, nearly mumbling the words.

Jason frowned a little. “I can get it for you, fish.”

“What, no! I’ve planned this date, I get to treat you,” Danny said.

“Alright,” Jason relented. “But only one of my books; you shouldn’t suffer because I’m a bibliophile.”

Danny narrowed his eyes at Jason for a moment before nodding. “Hum, fine, but not the cheapest ones.”

“I can settle on that,” Jason said with a little shrug.

While Danny was fishing his wallet out of his backpack, Jason caught the shopkeep’s eyes and mouthed at ‘Do you ship?’.

‘For your boy, I’ll make an exception’, the man wrote on the back of a business card that he tactfully slid over. Pleased, Jason subtly wrote out his address while the shop keep wrung them up, putting the astronomy book secretly on Jason’s bill. It did look like a lovely old book with the navy leather cover and gold foil. It could easily be a present for the holidays.

By the time they were back out out the street and walking through the market, Danny’s backpack hung heavy with the weight of the books, but he refused to let Jason carry it. Chivalry wasn’t dead, he insisted, which was ridiculous reason but Jason let him have it. The backpack filled up even more as they both bought a few things at the market to be presents (Jason thought Alfred would love the local tea blends especially).

More ciders and then hot chocolates were the drink of choice with dinner— potpie for Danny and fish cakes for Jason. As they ate a band set up in the pavilion in the middle of the square, playing with the setting sun. The light had just dipped below the horizon when Jason stood and offered Danny his hand.

“I will so step on your toes,” Danny warned, but he was smiling as he took Jason’s hand.

“That’s alright, I’ve got sturdy boots.”

They found a spot on the corner of the dance floor and Jason twirled Danny into his arms, earning a breathless little laugh for his efforts. It really was the perfect evening and a much needed break. Tomorrow he could get back to the city and being its protector and to the cases that were nagging at his mind, tonight was just about him and Danny and this odd little town.

-

Red Hood stumbled through the window of his safe house and hit the ground hard. The scream of pain choked off in the back of his throat as his body seized. Bloody fingers scrambled against the worn linoleum.

He needed to call someone. He wouldn’t make it if he didn’t call someone.

His comms were shorted out.

Something had had happened in the fight.

It had been the normal sort of trouble— a new shithead trying to bring new drug onto his streets. It should have been an easy bust. It had been an easy bust.

But then the feeling of burning had burst in Jason’s chest— a molten heat that he had felt so sure would consume him.

He had stumbled. It left an opening. Just enough space for a knife to catch him just wrong under the armpit. A bullet solved his immediate issues, but when Jason had tried his comms, there had only been static.

The staggering trip back to his closest safe house had been agonizing, but he needed to get to a working comm. He needed to get up and get to a working comm.

He got his arms under him. A scream of pain ripped from him as the twisting motion wrenched at the wound. Legs next. Push himself up.

Only a few feet to stagger.

Blood slicked fingers fumbled the comm. No no no— he couldn’t— Jason followed it to the ground as it dropped. He struggled to pick it up and activate it.

“Help.”

He couldn’t hear if anyone heard him. He didn’t even know what channel this comm was tuned to. Desperately, Jason ripped off his helmet and shoved the comm into his ear.

“Help.”

“Hood?”

Oh, it was Dick.

“Hood!?”

He sounded desperate.

Was he hurt? Someone was hurt. Jason had to…

“…help.”

-

Dick all but smashed through the window of the safe house. The only reason he didn’t break the glass was that if Jason was as hurt as Dick feared he was, Dick would need to be able to secure the safe house to treat Jason.

He was lucky that that the security was down.

He was terrified that the security was down.

Now worried of an ambush, Dick crept silently through the window. That was… that was a lot of blood.

“Jason, come on, please.” That was Fish’s voice.

Fish knew? Surely if Jason had told his boyfriend about the nightlife, he would have told Dick he had? What was…

Fish was cradling Jason to his chest, half propping him up. Blood pooled under them. Jason’s helmet was discarded to the side and his boyfriend had a tube of glowing green liquid lifted to Jason’s lips.

“Just drink up.”

Glowing green liquid.

“You’ll— you’ll be fine. Just drink up.”

Lazarus water.

“What the fuck are you doing to him?!?” Dick’s escrima sticks buzzed to life in his hands.

Fish’s head whipped towards him, color draining from his face. “It’s not— you have to let me—”

“Get the fuck away from him,” Dick growled, enunciating each word carefully.

The man slide his finger over the top of the tube, effectively capping it so not to spill. “Nightwing, he’s bleeding badly this can—”

Dick slid his foot forward just an inch, starting to shift his weight. “It can nothing. He would never want to use the Pit again!”

“It’s not— no, it’s not the Pit—”

He lunged.

The right stick hit, buzzing loudly on contact. The guy screamed at the impact, but held onto the vial of Lazarus water.

The guy’s other hand shot forward, Dick blocked with with his arm and twisted. His foot slipped— like stepping on wet sand. Dick contorted to compensate with his free hand.

His hand sunk into the floor.

Holy fuck—

Dick’s other hand was slammed down too, trapping it. No, no, no— Dick struggled against the floor that he was part sunk into, the cracking linoleum shifted slightly, but Dick was stuck.

“Oracle!”

Static answered him.

“What did you do to my comms,” Dick growled, watching as the guy pulled Jason back into his arms. Was this all a trap? Was Jason’s boyfriend sent by Talia or Ra’s and had just been binding his time? Was it all an act? Did the cheeky, laughing, bumbling man that Dick met last week not exist? Was the way that Danny looked at Jason a lie? “What did you do to Jason!?”

“I didn’t! I didn’t do anything, I found him like this,” he said. He used his thumb to part Jason’s lips.

“Stop it!”

He didn’t. He poured in that toxic, glowing green sludge down Jason’s throat, speaking softly in Jason’s ear the whole time.

Dick screamed and struggled against the floor. No, please no—

“…you can hate me. You can hate me and scream at me and hell, once Jason is stabilized I won’t try to stop you doing whatever you need to. But Jason is still bleeding out. The ectoshot will help, but it won’t fix it completely. I need you. I need you to help me sew up wherever he’s bleeding from and, I don’t know, get a transfusion going. I don’t know where things are in this place.” He looked up at Dick from under his bangs and Dick could see in the now glowing green eyes some of the same guy— the same fish that he had met last week. “Please, feel however you want about me, but help me save him. He needs both of us right now, okay?”

Dick didn’t know what to say; didn’t know if he was about to make a deal with the devil.

“Please. If I free you, will you help? Just— punch me after if you need to, just help me save him first.”

That devil was the only thing keeping Jason alive.

Why did it always end up like this for his brother?

“Let me up.” Fuck everything. “I promise, I won’t try anything until after Jason is safe.”

The guy studied him for a moment before nodding. He laid Jason down carefully and reached out to Dick. The buzzing tingled through Dick’s skin again and he was able to pull his hands and feet free of the floor, one at a time.

Dick really wanted punch the guy right then and there.

Jason was more important.

“Get Jason’s jacket off, I think it’s a torso wound— maybe his left arm,” he ordered instead as he moved to the fridge to get a blood bag to start it thawing. “Find it and put pressure on it.”

He could punch someone after Jason was saved.

-----

AN: You should never trust me when I have a character goes 'ah yes, I'll worry about that tomorrow'. But remember, if you pitchfork me, I can't write the rest of this~ I'll try to spare you all and have the next part next week if I can! It will go into how Danny was there too.

Special shout out to @mokulule for making it worse! Trapping Dick in the floor was her idea. As she pointed out- he'll have nightmares about this now. (So sorry Dick.)

But look how cute the first part of the chapter was! That's good, right? Stay delightful darlings, don't stab me!

Due to being shadow banned (likely from tagging) and the new post editor, I'm not longer tagging! Follow the link and subscribe to be notified instead!