#(or even just being trapped in my basement‚ i mean i don't go there often)

[just-a-little-unionoid]

so... maybe this was an impulse purchase but I brought a pig leg to try to make country ham???

wish me luck I guess

[fataleshiftsdreaming]

𝑯𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒐 𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒇𝒕𝒃𝒍𝒓!

I am new to shiftblr and this is actually my side blog for one of my main realities, the Sandman. My main is fataleshifts!

This is where I will be posting about my Sandman DR. I know a lot of people don't shift here, so if you have a DR to the Sandman, let me know!

I already covered the basics on my main account about this DR already. I'm just gonna post what I said there, here, since this is my main for this particular DR.

⋆⁺₊⋆꯱ׁׅ֒αη∂мαη☾⋆⁺₊

This is the current DR that I am obsessed with and currently shifting to (please if there are any Sandman shifters, let me know). Side note: I'm also reading the Sandman comics for the first time so I incorporated some events from the comics into my DR.

Anyways, in this DR my name is Laila. I chose this name because it means 'night' and goes with my identity as the Goddess of Sleep and Death.

My parents are Hades and Persephone. I was born in the Underworld, but I didn't live there for long as I was taken when I was 3-years-old. "Why were you taken?" I'm glad you asked (no one asked but Imma tell you anyways). Alex Burgess once had a lover named Paul. Paul died unexpectedly and this sent him into an indescribable grief. Alex would do anything to get Paul back. He even asked the King of Dreams to bring him back, but only received silence from the Dream King. In frustration, Alex followed in his father's footsteps and attempted to summon Death again. Only this time, he did. Well, sort of. It was a toddler. Death was a toddler. Despite that, Alex asked the child with white hair to bring him back Paul. The child responded clearly, coherently, "He is where he needs to be". This upset Alex deeply. As he was practically sobbing in front of the child, the little girl raised his chin to force him to look at her and she channeled Paul. Creepily, Paul's voice spoke from the girl's mouth as her eyes were clouded over. Alex had Paul back. And so he kept the child close. So close that he would force her to channel Paul so that he could talk to him any time he needed. Alex would reward her with toys, treats, anything she wanted. Until...she could no longer contact Paul.

From being in the mortal world for far too long, I had lost my memories of my identity and my abilities. I could no longer bring dead plants back to life or talk to spirits who passed by. So, Alex got angry and shoved me in the upstairs attic where I was left. Don't worry, I was still fed and clothed. A woman servant would bring me things I needed, and food of course. But that was all the interaction I had received for 9 years until one day I had received a weird dream.

Just to give context, as a child I would sleep walk constantly to the basement door. No one knew why. I would never dream. I dreamt entirely nothing as a child. But I always walked to that door. Every. Night. Then one night, I somehow walked past that door and made it down the stairs and reached the interior of the basement. I remember, very faintly, some man inside of a glass orb. I couldn't quite see what he looked like or figure out why he was there. Before I could go any further toward the man, I was whisked away by Alex who came rushing down the steps, yelling at me to get away from 'it'. Strange I would say. But I soon forgot about it as I assumed it was only a dream. After I was locked up in the attic, I could not sleep walk to the basement. Then that's when the dreams began. I dreamt of an angel every so often. A beautiful man who looked to be trapped somewhere. Somewhere I couldn't see. All I saw was his face and anguish. Years went by like this. I dreamt of only the same thing and I couldn't dream of anything else. I painted this angel. I had drawn this angel. I wrote about this angel. He plagued my mind and I couldn't understand why. I assumed I was the next Joan of Arc. Being plagued by visions of an angel---except, less cool since I wasn't leading a French army...nor was I a warrior. But still. This angel was the only thing keeping me from entirely losing my mind in my isolation.

Context over. The strange dream. This dream was not like the normal dreams that I would have. This one was more vivid, felt more real, and as if I was actually there. I was in some type of basement. It felt familiar. Before me I saw a pale man inside of a glass orb---wait...the angel? I think I know this place. I've been here before. To the right of me, I saw guards sitting at their desk. One reading a book and the other reading the newspaper. They didn't seem to see me. I attempted to walk towards the man inside the glass cage. To my surprise, he looked up. He could see me. We lock eyes. Intense. Heart pounding. Knees weak. Arms are heavy. Mom's Spaghetti (you get it). Anyways, I walk towards him. When I reach the glass, I can see clearly that it's the same man, or angel, that I have been dreaming about for years. The same angel who nearly made me think I was schizophrenic. I placed my hand on the glass. For whatever reason, I felt like I was pulled to him. A connection (soulmate trope you already know). The angel placed his hand in the same place where mine was. I wondered then, "Could I break the glass?" and tapped my index finger. Crack. Tap. Crack. Tap. Crack. Tap---my alarm went off and I woke up in my bed, in the attic.

Sorry, all of this is so long. I have so much lore and put so much detail into this script that I needed to share it with someone! Anyone!

But, yeah, after I had that dream, I will shift into this DR and that's when I help break Morpheus out of his cage and the adventure begins!

If you couldn't already tell, my s/o is Morpheus (Dream of the Endless). Our trope is soulmates (arrest me if you will).

𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈!

[solargeist]

I’m new here and I love everything you’re making already ! I’m just wondering what the story here is?

hello !!!! thank you !!

the story here is uh, an AU of Evo Smp by Grian ! My tag is [here]

i assume thats what ur asking ?

The short version: The story is abt a young man leaving his life behind and joining a bunch of angels, but its not what he thought it'd be like and he regrets it and goes on the run for a long time.

The long version: The angels, known as Watchers, are known to watch players, only interacting to give them new things and updates, or punish them for breaking rules, such as being greedy.

They originally did not like Grian, seeing him as too robust, but over time he catches their (many) eyes, a diamond in the rough... He shows many characteristics of a promising Watcher, he enjoys setting pranks and stalking people, finding entertainment in explosions and traps, and always craving more.

So they start talking to him, they usually don't speak directly to players, only leaving notes, but they talk to him, he's special they say. He calls them the Audience.

The Watchers talk to him often, giving him compliments on his building skills, on his pranks, or they just listen as he rambles abt his life.

Grian is an orphan, I mean he is 25 at this point in time, but he grew up without parents. He has a little sister he took care of, but shes also grown now. Theres a small part of him that has grief over this, that ache, or longing, to have grown up with a regular family, to be taken care of. The Watchers catch onto this, its their job really to notice. They already think of him as a child, but they start acting more familial now, asking if he ate, or slept, or checking him over for any scratches, (much like a mother would--but he swallows these thoughts down, insisting this is how angels are to every player, but its not true, they let him know how much potential he has, so promising ! so special !)

That small part of him really starts to ache and grow.

This isn't the only thing the Watchers do though, they also make a tiny little effort to separate him from other players, quietly isolating him so the transition will be easier. It works, Grian notices his friends not coming around as often, they're probably busy, so he doesn't want to bother them. This goes on for awhile, any negative thought Grian expresses, the Watchers will agree with, in a gentle way... Sometimes people grow apart.. Sometimes you outgrow people.. Its for the better. He festers in these ideas, sometimes just laying on the stone floor of his basement, having not spoken to anyone in days. He looks forward to when the angels come around, even if they're just small floating eyes, sometimes a hand will split through reality and ruffle his hair. (if he leans into the touch, he doesn't realize)

Grian thinks that small aching part of him has outgrown his body.

One day, after who knows how long, the Watchers encourage him to meet up with his fellow players again. He questions why, but they tell him it'll be good for him to go play, theres a portal for them all to go through, a dragon on the other side. Its actually quite nice talking to everyone again, a bit awkward, but they're joking around, and when they find the portal, Grian jumps in before anyone can finish speaking. He was always rather impulsive ! He jumps through and stands alone on a platform, laughing to himself in the dark void, waiting for everyone else to go through. But no one does, the Watchers didn't tell him he'd be alone after jumping through, separated from the group, he feels abandoned. That ache rises again, hurt and anger twisting together, forming embarrassment. The Watchers were right in telling him he doesn't have anyone else to rely on, but them. So he does his quest, he kills the dragon by himself, an arrow between its eyes and it hits the ground behind him, dragging.

Hes sweaty, his clothes are burnt and torn, he's exhausted and he just wants to go home and climb in bed, no matter how dirty he is right now, but before he can go through, an angel statue catches his attention, it slowly moves off its pedestal, having watched his entire fight.

He didn't realize how tall they were off the pedestal, they also wear dark clothes that hide their faces and form, but two large dark wings peak out, its not exactly expected from angels. (Grian is 5'0, every Watcher towers over him)

They talk, and She offers him a place with the Watchers, if he wants to join them..... He's tired, hes hurt, and he's still mad at everyone, how could he say no ? He agrees.

Upon becoming a Watcher and being welcomed into a new world, he gets a haircut, he gets new clothes, and he gets a new room. The buildings rly are beautiful here, he gawks at the architecture, THIS is what he wanted, what he craved, he wanted to do this work too, the tools he could get his hands on has him bouncing on his heels and barely paying attention to the Watcher.

This excitement doesn't last too long, after hes introduced to others and settled in, theres new expectations on him, hes a Watcher now, not just a player, so things are gonna be harder to impress now. The Watchers have to shape him into a Watcher, so they don't let him sleep for a few days, to soften his attitude, they only stop this when he breaks down in exhaustion and tears, but his manners are better like they wanted.

Grian's not allowed to go out by himself, he can't leave the island even if he wanted to anyway, so most of his time is spent within the main few buildings, exploring the halls and library, its a good thing, bc they also make him study a lot, theres a lot to learn abt Watchers and their history, their magic, and their culture.

They don't give him glasses, instead teaching him enchantment magic to use instead, its good to always have Watcher magic flowing through your blood. His eyes are a constant soft purple.

Watchers, being angels, don't rly have to eat, so if Grian wants to eat, he has to ask a Watcher to summon food for him, the fruit tastes good, but anything cooked is always off or completely wrong. If he asks, they'll give him raw ingredients to cook by himself, with supervision of course. (not that he needs it, he is 25 years old and raised himself)

The one particular Watcher that has responsibility over him is named Aether, also known as Watcher Mum, shes the one that makes sure he has food, clothes, and is generally taken care of. She's a lot softer on him than expected, he's so cute ! and tiny ! She can't be strict on him ! She cuts his fruit into little shapes for him, even though he didn't rly ask.

The thing abt having Watcher magic flowing through his body near constantly, is that its slowly changing him. He grows wings, and it hurts so bad he thinks hes dying, they rip out of his skin after a few weeks, splattering blood across his room and bed. Aether cleans that and him up, tending to the wound. She doesn't have worry in her voice when she comments on how bright and pretty his wings are under all the blood. Its moments like this where Grian wonders how much of a mistake he's made, as he stares at the Watchers' extra eyes, and talon hands, he wonders when that'll happen to him, and how much it'll hurt, and how its his fault.

Ah, i'll stop here, its getting very long and I haven't even touched on his run away, or the Listeners, or what Watchers are, or the s6-s8 recovery and relapse arc, or the different timeline connections and his God self he accidentally created and doomed-- i ahve a lot stored in my head *explodes*

[ducktracy]

What are your opinions on Looney Tunes: Back in Action? I personally have a soft spot for the movie nostalgia or not, plus it was my introduction to the Looney Tunes so I'll always love it for that.

I'M DUE FOR A REWATCH! i'd like to give it a fair shake, because i think the last time i saw it was in 2021. i unfortunately am not the biggest fan :((((((((( my stance on the LT movies i think is "i prefer Space Jam [the original] over BiA while acknowledging that BiA is superior to Space Jam in every way".

BiA is not an exhaustive shoe commercial, so that helps immensely. it's clear that it was made by fans of the shorts and there are a lot of deep cut cameos that i really value and appreciate. i think part of my aversion stems from my contrarianism that i've been able to curb PRETTY well in the past few years, but being a child of the early '00s, i grew up surrounded by the Corporate Chuck Jones LT aesthetic and BiA is the pinnacle of that to me--i naturally have an aversion to that style and i've been good at overcoming it (i now love Joe Alaskey as Daffy, but it took me a long time for this to be the case), but BiA falls into so many of the trappings of that era that i really just don't like. stuff like acting like The Hunting Trilogy shorts are the only LT shorts ever made

i also have a hard time taking it seriously, and that is a problem because i felt that this film often tries to get you to take it seriously and i just can't. i said this last year and still stand by it in discussing its "Hollywood pathos":

I THINK PART OF IT ALSO IS LIKE. again. unrealistic contrarianism. sorry but if Daffy Duck were thrust in my lap and i had to go on a wacky road trip with him i would be ECASTATIC. i hate how he's treated as like "uhhhhhh only people who live in their mom's basement like you as a character lol because you suck and are mean and rude!!!!", and i know he's trying to prove otherwise etc but i'm just soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo tired and averse to that narrative. Bugs is amazing Daffy sucks yahoo yippee. it feels like they missed the intent of the originals in that Daffy Does Not Actually Suck and is in some cases exhaustively more competent than Bugs, but he's just so quick to be foiled by his own impulses and vices.

most of my critiques against the movie are moreso in regards to my tastes rather than an indication of its objective quality. i do wish other characters got more screen-time, i think i would like it more... i'm not the biggest fan of the Bugs and Daffy cartoons because they enable a lot of my aforementioned gripes. i've slowly been able to turn around on them and even love shorts like Rabbit Seasoning! but their dynamic always runs into the same trappings and i get rubbed very raw by those trappings. what i want from Bugs and what i want from Daffy, i don't get out of either of them at all when they're paired together. and so i'm obviously not going to like an entire movie centered on that dynamic

i do want to give it another shake though because i may be able to appreciate it more now or, at the very least, be able to suspend my reservations more. but it's just not for me. which is a shame! because, kind of like TLTS, i've tried many times and seen it multiple times to try and understand and see what other people see in it but i just can't. the curse of being too protective of the duck

[dj-of-the-coven]

Thanks for asking @vivi-mire and @goldensunset! To answer your questions, I'll preface this by saying I don't actively seek out character playlists that often, but I like making them. Unfortunately this leads me down some dismal fucking roads while looking for other people's thoughts on the subject.

Possibly to the surprise of some, offline I am known mostly for 2 things: anarchy and music. Music is my life. I have one million other hobbies, and in online spaces I mostly talk about video games, but my true essence is music--particularly rock and punk. My collection spans over several mediums. I have a 2018 Victrola record player that I've repaired by hand, a 2004 CD-radio player, a 2021 cassette-CD-radio player, and a 2007 Insignia MP3 player. Most people around my age ditched CD players by the time they were in high school (no judgement there), but I used mine this morning. I have two books in my bag on cassettes right now. I play two string instruments and have considered picking up a third! I don't say any of this to brag--it's just what I choose to do with my time and money, same as anybody else. The reason why I bring it up is to emphasize that I both know and care a lot about this particular subject. And let me tell you. What I feel when I see the same 6 artists over and over again in every character playlist is not simple haterism... it's pity with a dose of concern.

What bothers me more than the music being ill-fitting for some fictional character is the tangible evidence that most people do not have the means to discover new artists; also, to some degree, the foreboding conclusion that we are losing a diversity of taste. There used to be magazines and independent radio shows, local performances, older kids in the neighborhood you could talk to to find new bands, but the rise of streaming as the primary distribution method has severely limited the ways through which interested parties can discover music. Ask someone you know how they discovered their favorite artists--for real!! Most of the time, they'll answer, TikTok, Youtube, or Spotify. Algorithms. Mathematical processes designed to funnel people into profitable avenues of advertising. These are the things determining the music taste of today's listeners, and it's powerful fucking stuff, to the point that even radio stations have been affected by the algorithms of these unrelated websites. When I was living in Los Angeles, I had to watch the station 106.7 KROQ slowly go from playing 90s grunge and nu metal to running the Arcane theme song by Imagine Dragons 27 times daily, because it was being played to market the show. Everything is morphing into profit sludge! An equation on somebody's computer somewhere determined that this specific pool of artists would be able to turn a bunch of queer 16-24 year olds into a marketable demographic, and thus Tumblr is overrun by the same 8 or so bands in every poll, every uquiz, every embedded spotify playlist. You guys ever heard of Hozier? I've been listening to a rad new artist lately, yeah! It's Cavetown. You should listen to Mitski! Did you hear about Mitski? I think you should listen to Mitski. What about Mitski guys. What about Mitski.

Again, it really doesn't have anything to do with the quality of any of these artists (except for Imagine Dragons, which I'll never hesitate to shit on). I just think it's... odd, and upsetting, that so many people are trapped inside this tiny little bubble of music that has been algorithmically determined for them as the genre they can be arbitrarily sorted into for marketing appeal reasons. It's like hearing someone say they've never seen it rain before. I discovered many of my current favorite artists by browsing through secondhand stores, talking to older punks in my community, renting CDs from the library, reading magazines (I recommend Razorcake), and going to local $5 cover shows held in the basement of a record shop. It physically pains me that this method of discovery is dying. It hurts to think of how few people are engaging seriously with the music scene in the places they live. It devastates me to see so many people being restricted by their circumstances from finding the music that will speak to them, specifically, not every single young, white, very online gay person living in the United States.

Basically--this is not okay. Something has to change.

[mariyekos]

FFVII Rebirth and Gameplay at the Cost of Atmosphere

This is probably going to be part 1 of a series of posts/mini-essays so I'll write more on it later, but while doing one of the Chapter 12 Sidequests in Rebirth, I finally figured out how to phrase one of my biggest issues with this game:

There are several places in Rebirth where they include special gameplay at the cost of good atmosphere. This often, but not always, accompanies either a change or new addition to the plot.

I've put some elaboration on what I mean below. For now, it's only looking at that one sidequest in Chapter 12, though it happens all over the game. But the tl;dr is that sometimes game shoots itself in the foot/misses completely when trying to create a certain atmosphere because it prioritizes a certain type of gameplay that is antithetical to that atmosphere.

The Monsters Aren't Real, and How That Hurts the Atmosphere

The sidequest in question is Lament of the Damned, the sidequest in Shinra Manor where you go with Vincent to explore reports of a crying woman. The thing that got me about this one was the combat trials.

What's in the Game

When you go explore under the manor, both Vincent and Hojo mention deadly combat trials, which is a great setup for some horror and an overall creepy atmosphere. Because wow! If Hojo has no qualms about putting his own experiments to death if they don't prove worthy, that means he's really messed up! (And that Vincent in particular has had an even more disturbing past than we thought). The manor was definitely creepy in the original with all of the monsters roaming the halls and the pop up Ying Yang in particular. There are no more battles in the Shinra Manor (besides Cait Sith's section), so maybe this is their way of making up for that.

Except... in the Remake, the combat trials are just simulations. You don't have to face any real monsters. It's all fake. There are no monsters roaming the halls unchecked anymore, nor are there caged monsters, created for the sole purpose of testing your strength. And this lack of real monsters totally kills the deranged/creepy haunted house atmosphere the original Shinra Manor had.

(Which, to be fair, is already changed by the under-manor laboratory being a huge complex rather than a couple of rooms, which is part of the larger shift in atmosphere done for the entirety of Nibelheim. I won't go into to detail in this post, but while I thought the Cait Sith gameplay segment was actually a lot of fun, I was disappointed by how it killed the vibe too).

Room for Improvement

I personally believe the combat trial aspect would be much creepier and much more effective if you were trapped in a room and real monsters were suddenly let loose on you. Then it would feel like a real fight for your life, and make Vincent's comments about how subjects were disposed of via combat trial all the more impactful. Because simulations can't kill you (or at least, don't seem like they should be able to), so in the simulation verse, there should be no direct consequences to losing. It seems a lot dumber to be killed by a simulation than ripped apart by real monsters. Less scary, though I suppose there's a certain appeal to being killed by the unreal. Still, I don't think they leaned into that hard enough. Maybe they meant to imply that creatures which lost to the simulation would be disposed of either by real monsters or just euthanasia afterwards, but meh. I still think that's less disturbing than throwing test subjects into a room where they either defeat the monsters that have been loosed on them, or die a grisly death. And even if they do somehow die to the simulations, something about it just doesn't hit the same.

Having the monsters only be simulations also loses the disturbing aspect of the basement being inhabited by monsters of Hojo's creation that exist for the sole purpose of testing other experiments of his. Because isn't that messed up? For Hojo to create beings whose sole purpose is to, ideally, be killed by his more successful test subjects? To have to face creatures which may have once been normal animals or innocent civilians who have been twisted to fight but can never be saved, so you must either kill them or die yourself? When the monsters you fight are just simulations, you lose that thought/fear of "oh no, look what he's done to these real living creatures, not only mutating them but sending them to their deaths for his amusement."

When the monsters are fake/just simulations, it means Hojo isn't hurting as many real people, and you don't have to face the disturbing idea of having to put down real beings who probably once had real thoughts and feelings. (Which would've been SO GOOD with the line Vincent has after the combat trials, where he DOES talk about Monsters having feelings. But the monsters you fight aren't real. Not until the very last one. So it doesn't hit the same).

So tl;dr of this section: the fact that the simulations are just that- only simulations, i.e. not real- both reduces the threat level in terms of danger to the character, and eliminates the disturbing realization that Hojo has created creatures who are (if his experiments are successful) are meant to die. Both the atmosphere of the manor and Hojo's character lose out there, imo.

Why the Monsters Aren't Real, or the Gameplay Reason

After beating the combat trials, I came to realize (the likely reason) why they made the combat trials simulations rather than real battles: so they could include combat objectives and so you can take the trials at your own pace (i.e. leave and come back).

Repeating the Trials/Combat Objectives

First, the combat objectives.

There are two types: timers and stagger. If you were fighting against real enemies, having a stagger requirement wouldn't make as much sense, since a real battle should really just be about surviving. Why would you need to stagger them? What would happen if you didn't? Would a monster be more likely to kill you if you didn't stagger it? That's not how it works in gameplay. As for the timer, I could see there still being a timer requirement in the form of these enemies doing some sort of enrage move after a set amount of time, but the stagger one doesn't make as much sense. (For people who don't know what enrage is, it's the idea that an enemy will use an unlivable attack against you. An unavoidable OHKO.)

By making the fights simulations rather than real battles, it then makes sense for Hojo (cough cough the devs) to implement certain specific requirements to progress. It also gives them a better excuse for why you might need to repeat the trials- you didn't meet the combat objectives, so now you have to do it again. Because the trials don't auto-fail if you don't meet the combat objectives, you just don't get to go forward.

But I think it loses sight of the creepy scientist and horror basement thing if what you're fighting isn't real. There is no penalty for not doing the trial "right." If there was an actual enrage at the end of the timer (i.e. if you just straight up lost/died), then that would be terrifying! Because wow, Hojo is willing to kill his subject if they're not fast enough! But no, he just doesn't pass them and has them try again. Which makes him less creepy/insane seeming, because now he's kinder because he's willing to give things a second chance. It's less impactful.

In my opinion, being able to implement combat objectives isn't worth that loss of impact. Because combat objectives don't have to be in this part of the game. Chadley has combat objectives in his simulator. If they want us to do combat simulator stuff, have us do it with Chadley. Don't hurt the atmosphere in the manor to include this dumb requirement, which not only means there's less threat in the form of the monsters not being real, but also kills any sense of urgency because you can repeat the trials as many times as you want, or even come back later if you don't have the time. It's a loss of atmosphere for the sake of gameplay in a bad way. They didn't have to write it like this, but they did. And it happens several times through this game.

Backing Out/Limited Creature Game Logic

Speaking of which...I think it's okay to have the occasional unskippable battle, or occasional battle arena where you have to beat them all to progress/do them all over if you run, but the devs sure don't. If the battles weren't simulations, it would make a lot of sense for them to be one after the other. Battles where you've got to do them all to make it through.

Since they're not real battles and are simulations you have to execute, it makes sense that you can come and go. But I don't think that's the order that concept was conceived in; instead I think the devs went "in order to allow the player to come and go at any time, we should make it so you only have to do the battles one by one, and a simulation would be great for that!" And the game really hand holds you with that. Most of Chadley's simulations have multiple battles in a row where you have to beat them all to proceed, but the ones in this sidequests are all individual battles with individual goals.

Now, I am all for accessibility and quality of life in gaming, and I really like that, for example, you can save basically everywhere now instead of needing a save point. But it's fine to remove a little bit of Quality of Life/Accessibility for a single sidequest where you face a battle gauntlet! I mean, the game already has points where it limits your access to Fast Travel so you have to progress the plot. And like I mentioned before, most of the Chadley battle simulations have multiple rounds too! Why not do that here, where you have to do the battles (at least the 4 simulation ones, I would be fine with stopping before the boss) before moving on? You can save right then and there! You're healed between battles too! It's okay to make things slightly less convenient sometimes for the sake of atmosphere! How cool/exciting would it be if Hojo set 4 rounds of monsters on you in a row, where you had to beat them all or game over? I'd love it. That would raise the stakes. And, it would make for a more unique atmosphere. But this isn't something that seems to be a high priority for Rebirth, which I find unfortunate.

(Sidenote, this happens with both gameplay and visuals. At least in the Cave of the Gi they had runestones instead of Jukeboxes... but they didn't bother to change the Jukebox in Vincent's room for some reason. Or to put it somewhere else if they didn't want to change the model. The jukebox and potion bench are so weird man. They kill the vibe made by the rest of the creepy basement full of coffins and candles. It's supposed to feel old and out of time, but the jukebox and bench ruin it.)

I could also see the argument that the devs made this a simulation rather than a real battle based on the logic that having an infinite number of monsters (for infinite tries to complete the objectives) makes less sense when they're real monsters rather than simulations, but I don't think that matters. This is a video game. There are already infinite monsters in the overworld. There can be infinite monsters here.

Finally, going back to the idea of stagger and time objectives from above...you could technically do those with real enemies too. Have it so Hojo will just send more monsters at you if you fail. Make it real Hojo instead of hologram AI Hojo. Or have the AI be able to detect that the enemies weren't staggered/killed in time! Now that I think about it, there are combat objectives against real enemies in the overworld, so they technically didn't need to make these battles part of a simulation for combat objectives. But I still feel strongly that these battles were made to be simulations instead of real battles for the sake of combat objectives.

Last Thoughts (for now!)

FFVII Rebirth has leaned very strongly into AI, simulation, and advanced technology that had not been conceived/wasn't in the public consciousness when the original was released. At times, the game wants to lean very hard into this new technology at the cost of the atmosphere that made the original so great. It's a different type of horror. A different type of creepy.

Being trapped in a virtual world can be terrifying, but it's a different type of terror to being trapped in the real world. Being killed by simulations sounds disturbing, but it's a different type of disturbing than being killed by real creatures. The writers may have done this because they felt it was an equivalent exchange (hehe), but for me at least, I find what the original did so much more striking.

Full disclaimer, I am not, and have never been, big into sci-fi. Remake and Rebirth lean into high tech sci-fi more than the OG did (which 100% had its own sci-fi aspects! I mean, the villain is an alien for starters, and the evil scientists' actions are central to the plot!), at the cost of some of the more down-to earth horror/other aspects of the original. I find this disappointing. It's a different choice that is sometimes really cool (ex. with so much technology it becomes much more obvious that Shinra has constant global surveillance, which is very distopian), but sometimes worse (ex. President Shinra only being a hologram rather than the real guy in Reactor No. 5 makes him seem a lot less cocky since he doesn't show up in person).

I think Shinra Manor as a whole has absolutely lost the atmosphere that made me love it so much in the original. It went from a grimy mansion to a sterile lab. Both are good settings for horror, but they just don't hit the same. This sidequest suffered from wanting to be part of that sterile high tech lab, instead of the low-tech horror of the original where people/Hojo seem(ed) to be playing god in much more material ways. Which is...a different point better left for another essay.

We'll see if I ever get to writing it, lol. For now I uh. Haven't actually finished the game. I have 91 hours and am only about an hour slash two sidequests into Chapter 12, but I haven't had much free time to continue. Hopefully this weekend I'll be able to push through some more!

[deathsbestgirl]

Oooh, saw your tags and now I'm curious! What are the differences between my thoughts on Never Again and yours? Always open to hearing other opinions-- helps me clarify my own or add to them. :DDDDD

okay like i told you this is just going to be funny now. first because where i diverge really seems kind of insignificant to me, because it doesn't change any of your points or the ~outcome of how i think about never again as a whole. or really, t's about the evolution of scully's position, so it isn't different? second, because i literally need to shout about one specific part. it's so real. so anyway, onward.

the referenced post. most important part quoted below, but read the whole post bc it's good!! (and i really don't know much about the bts or writers but it's cool to learn about!!)

so specifically this is what you say in the context of never again. you lay it out simply and perfectly.

As much as Scully denies her actions aren't "about you" to Mulder, Never Again isn't solely about daddy issues or feeling trapped-- it's feeling trapped by being second best. Romance was explicitly written into the dna of this episode: she takes the rose from the grave-- someone's lasting legacy on their loved one's life-- extrapolates meaning from it behind Mulder's desk, and deflates when Mulder runs off to his vacation that even he rates as secondary to his quest (Mulder missed her entire point: needing his reassurance and reinforcement, needing his speech in the FTF hallway; and Scully missed that he missed it.) When she meets Jerse, she's flattered by his sole focus on her, takes his card, but still plans to leave; Mulder has been calling, but when he reconnects and hides the fact he missed her behind "how's the quest going?", it kicks Scully in the shins and she decides to change plans and meet up with Ed. "The tattoo you deserve" and one night stand with Ed drags down Scully's view of herself, in hindsight-- how did she not see that he was psychotic?-- and the final scene in the basement is tinted with second guesses of her own character: more specifically, what Scully thinks she has the right to ask from Mulder, doubting her own judgment (a theme she continually struggles with throughout the series.) If she sits and remains in the basement, Scully has to accept that Mulder won't move them forward; and she does, choosing to be Starbuck to this (in her perspective) doomed (relation)ship because at least Mulder needs her... which is why The End and Fight the Future hit her so hard, convincing her she has no use in his life, period.

obviously we agree that mulder doesn't get it from the start. you nail what hurts scully perfectly, what she needs from him. i truly think scully could wait forever as long as she knows they're on the same page. and here, she isn't.

but specifically, the part i want to shout about: the bit about scully's judgment, and what she can ask of mulder. like YES. i just don't think i've seen anyone say this and you're just right. you're so right. how often do we see scully struggle with her judgment? i think she does when diana shows up and it's part of the reason she needs mulder to trust her judgment in those circumstances. there are so few times that scully is SO sure about what's happening. she tries so hard to be rational, the voice of reason. but it's like her desire scares her, and i think that's a lot of what's happening in never again. because what can she ask of mulder? especially when it looks to her like he doesn't want her, doesn't need her, doesn't trust her with the x files. why is she there at all?

now, me being nitpicky? idk really. "it's feeling trapped by being second best." i think this is right. it's just that. at first, she was okay with this. because they were partners, the x files are his life. she thought she understood this and accepted it. at the beginning in season one, of course she did! they didn't have a personal relationship yet. everything was all about the work, and in never again, it's all about them with the work shrouding their relationship. scully definitely thinks they have something and she thinks they might be on the same page, but he seems to confirm the opposite. it's just work and there isn't really room for her, or a personal relationship. so she is absolutely reconciling if she can keep on this way. if the work and following mulder and being what he needs is enough...if she even has a choice. and she does, and reconciling her choice to stay with what she wants is the struggle.

so really?? i don't disagree. i just wanted to talk about how being second best became a concern the longer she was on the x files, the more her feelings grew (or maybe the more she recognized them), her feelings scaring her and what they mean for mulder & the x files & her life, etc etc.

SO all of that to say, i actually agree with you. i just love the slow evolution and consistency of their characters & relationship <3 now please share your thoughts on my nonsense!!

[bearyanderexoxo]

♡ ˚ .What The Calamity Trio do when their jealous.♡ ˚ .

Warings: Manipulation, Gaslighting, abuse, toxic relationships.

🕯️🤍🕊️note: I’m back❤️ and here with a new fic💞please enjoy and should I do some work on Miguel o’hara? Please let me know in my inbox!

Anne Boonchuy◟♡

* Anne is someone who doesn’t really get jealous often.

*but she can get a bit pissed when someone else takes your attention and you completely ignore her, she won’t directly tell you or show it. But she will try and distant you with the person you seem to like so much, she’ll start to constantly ask you to hang out with her more often, and if you're ever near them, she'll just start to make pouty faces and start to cling on you more than ever before, And oh. Did I forget to mention she's EXTREMELY toxic when it comes to you and a new person in your life? Shell try to gaslight you in every way possible, Her being a hero makes her think that she needs to protect you and keep you from harm's way. And if it soons becomes necessary, Anne will just lock you up in Pop Pop's Basement so you won't ever have to Experience the harsh world. But if you do end up listening to her, then none of that will ever have to happen! :) She will also her crying is a way she manipulates you, It's very easy since your so naive. "Y/N its okay. I understand- You clearly like them better than me, so at this point just go! Leave me alone." Yes it's very cruel but she has to make you stay with her one way or ANOTHER.

*Shell make up lies and try to frame your new "friend" out of jealousy and anger, she also has manipulative tactics shell use on you, "How come we don't hang out at all anymore?" "All you do is talk about them, I feel like you don't care about me anymore." Yeah, that type of guilt trip thing.Anne will keep on saying stuff like this until you actually start listening to her and stay away from your new friend she feels Threatened by. At the end of the day She'll make sure your hers and ONLY hers. Other than that, She loves hanging out with you and going on adventures.

Marcy◟♡

*Marcy is someone who gets very jealous and possessive , I mean she trapped her friends in a Fantasy land so she wouldn't have to leave them, She seems innocent on the outside. But she's very possessive and clingy on the inside

*She's not cruel, no not at all she's very gentle and sweet when it comes to you. But when it comes to other people.. She's a bit different, Especially to those who Purposefully  try to get close to you. Everytime a new "person" try's to come up in between you and marcy, marcy will make excuses and drag you away from them. And if you dare to ask why she would do all those things, she'll hit you with the "I don't trust them" "They seem really off to me Y/N, you shouldn't be so naive, we don't even know them that well! For all we know they could be a Villain! And try to hurt us." "I care about you." .

*She wants you to think that you need her and only her. IN Marcy's opinion, the only people you should talk to and be friends with whos a non threat is: Anne, Sprig, Polly, Pop Pop, And Sasha. (Yes she limits your communication to 5 people.) Your to scared not to listen to marcy though. She's more Experienced and knows wayy more than you. And without her you would still be trapped in the woods all alone and scared, and of course she constantly reminds you of that if you ever try to doubt her.

Sasha◟♡

Sahsa Is probably the most violent and manipulative one out of all of them. Shes willing to go the extra mile if she doesnt get what she wants.

*If a new person suddenly comes into her way and unexpectedly starts stealing your attention, sasha won’t be afriad to speak up and threaten them. She’ll grab your hand harshly and speak to you privately. Her words spitting venom, you immediately know what she’s gonna say and you turn a blind eye and about to walk away until she painfully grabs your wrist and turns you to her direction . "Y/N, Please stop being difficult and listen to me, You need to stop hanging around them.Their not good for you at all. I know best," "now stay away from them from now on, ok? End of disscussion."

Overall, Sasha is a very controlling/ Manipulative yandere and she’s not afraid to hurt anyone who gets in the way of your relationship with her.

[raspberry-pudding]

3/21/24

It's been a long time since I've updated my blog here. I had so many plans for March and I can't believe it's nearly over. Time moves too fast, and I'm filled with anxiety thinking about all the things I need to get done.

Quitting hasn't been successful, but I at least am feeling better about my situation momentarily. Still, despite my mood and self hatred improving, I have the goal of quitting one day. I guess this calls for a lengthy update since the last time I wrote.

You know the drill, more below the cut.

When I said that I had the plan to preroll some joints and lock them away in my basement -- my smoking has only increased since making that plan. And the weed has never made it to being hid in the basement. It's like every time I give myself restrictions, it makes me go harder into what I shouldn't do. I know I used to be (and still am) that way with food and snacking. But letting myself do anything with no pressure doesn't help either. I feel anxious lately, or maybe the smoking and lack of is where the anxiety is coming from.

I've been hating myself about my failures. It's like I'm starting the cycle all over again. But recently I got a sign that although smoking daily is a problem I have, my problem could be a lot more severe.

Maybe it's the weed currently in my system making me overly paranoid, but I don't even want to mention my relation to this person on the very off-chance my blog is found out. Somehow. And while I'm about to share some criticism of this person, I absolutely love them and do not think less of them.

After talking to them about how much weed each of us smokes, I don't feel like as big of an addict as I have in the past. In fact, my smoking habits feel much more casual compared to them. I smoke 1-2 joints a day, lately it's been back to two joints a day. But, when they told me their routine I was absolutely shocked. I won't go through it step by step, but it's just constant smoking. Almost every one or two hours, and in a variety of ways -- edibles, joints, vapes, dabs, bongs, blunts. Throughout the entire day, from wake to bed. Two joints gets me beyond blasted -- at that point, I'm basically about to pass out. I couldn't imagine smoking the amount they do every single day. Do they even get stoned anymore from it? If I smoke two joints, I feel hungover the next morning. If I smoked as frequently as them, my head would constantly be throbbing -- how is it even possible to smoke that much?? So I feel, now, that maybe I don't have as big of a problem as I originally thought.

Still, although it makes me feel better about my situation, their situation makes me concerned. They say they can do everything better while stoned; but even they expressed a moment of concern over how much they consume. I wonder if they'll ever consider decreasing their usage. Out of experience, though, it's not my place to tell them how to live. Everyone has to go on their own journeys and make their own decisions. No one ever listens to concern or advice -- including myself.

Anyway, this interaction has made me look at myself a little more and wonder again if weed is really my problem, or if I'm my own problem. What I mean is -- am I in my head too much? Or, is my real problem the unresolved behavioral issues? I don't know how to put the words to something that was very clear to me maybe an hour ago.

I think what I mean is instead of placing the blame of all my issues on how much weed I smoke, I think there's some inner work and trouble that I'm dealing with that needs to be resolved in order for other things in my life to fall back into place. I think I need to stop living in my head so much, which is really difficult for me to do, and attempt keeping myself in the present more often. I need to learn how to ground myself and stop becoming trapped in a mental prison of self deprecation. It's so much easier said than done, though. I have so much trouble keeping myself grounded.

Part of me feels insecure. Like everything I'm typing right now is laughable, stoned nonsense. Stereotypical and eye-roll inducing for the audience. And that's probably true, and I expect myself to wake up in the morning without implementing anything I'm discussing now. I don't know how to break the cycle but I feel like I'm constantly trying no matter how many times I fail. Surely it's going to stick one day.

I feel so ridiculous and dumb for doing it, but maybe I should actually look up some advice on keeping myself grounded. I don't really know what to research. How to stop being consumed by your own thoughts? How to stop living in a pit of self doubt?

I'll keep trying to be better every day. It's always at the forefront of my mind. Maybe trying to be normal is going to make me go crazy, though, because some days it feels that way.

Iris🪻

[cupcakes-and-pain]

Charles & Ollie: Chapter 1

Characters based off of this prompt. Fanfic of the beginning of story by @whumpzone here.

This takes place almost a week after Ollie stumbled into Charles since then, Ollie has become Charles’s muse and is very happy that he’s being allowed a place to stay finally. He also deeply fears that he’s going to mess things up and get kicked out.

Masterlist

———

"Ollie? Can you come here?"

Ollie gulped. He'd be waiting all day in fear for Master Charles to get home and see what he did. Even though every bone in his body was demanding for him to run, to hide, to escape, Ollie walked to the door and out into the living room. He went right up to Charles then knelt right next to the mess he made. A few shards poked his knees and he could tell that they were bleeding ever so slightly.

He hoped not cleaning it up yet wouldn't get him into more trouble. Often his previous owner liked to cut Ollie with the things he broke, so he hoped Master Charles would be like that too.

"I'm sorry Master. It was an accident, I promise it won't happen again." Ollie said, the words coming out well-practiced after he had rehearsed them aloud all day. Then he raised his wrists in offering so that Master Charles could tie them, or hit them, or grab them, or do whatever he saw fit. Ollie was determined to obey, as this was his first punishment in this house. Well, a mansion was a better word for it. Everything was so much nicer than the two-bedroom house and tiny basement of his previous captor. And that means there would be much harsher punishments for breaking something.

"Can you tell me exactly what happened? Also stop calling me Master." Charles's voice was as low and calm as ever, always putting Ollie on edge. He could never tell what kind of mood Master Charles was in. He knew that one day he'd be cleaning and then suddenly Master would be grabbing him up and hitting him without warning because Ollie was too dumb to see Master was upset all day. The thought made him tremble.

“W-well Mas- I mean Mr. Charles," Ollie said, feeling very uncomfortable with using such an informal title for his Master but knowing Master preferred it that way. "I was dusting your things and I was trying to be very gentle, I promise I was! But the vase f-fell and shattered. It's my fault, I should've been better. I should have b-behaved."

Master was quiet and Ollie could barely contain his nerves. He just wanted the wait to be over with, for Master to drag him to the basement or wherever and start cutting him open, beating him, making him pay for his mistakes. But Master just stood there, deep in thought, watching him. Those cold, calculating eyes fixed on Ollie's every movement. It made him very uncomfortable.

"You think you should be punished? Even though it was an accident? And you were cleaning too, which is a huge favor that I don't even ask of you."

"Yes, of course I should be punished, Mr. Charles." Ollie pleaded, hoping this wasn't a trap. "I made a mistake and that's n-not okay! I should be better at handling my owner's things, I need to be better."

"Ollie, it was an accident. I need to trust me, have full faith in me, and hurting you for every little thing is counterproductive to that goal. People make mistakes and that's okay. It's expected, even. Do you think I am always perfect in my paintings?"

"N-no, I guess not, but-"

"Shh, no buts Ollie. People make mistakes, from a famous painter to his adorable little muse. So how about we clean about the mess, bandage your knees, and then relax together, hmm? I've already finished all my work for today."

Ollie took a deep breath and nodded as Master helped him up off the floor. After they swept up the vase shards and took care of Ollie's cuts, Master sat him down on the couch with a bowl of ice cream.

"M-Mr. Charles, can I ask a question?"

"Of course, darling. What is it?"

"Will you, um," Ollie looked down, fiddling with his shirt hem. He couldn't bear to look at Master. "Will you ever get t-tired of me and move on to a n-new muse? And, uh, will you throw me out?"

Master's hand reached towards Ollie and he flinched, but all Master did was gently hold Ollie's chin and make him look him in the eye.

"I'll never get tired of you darling. And I most certainly will not throw you out. When I took you in, I made a vow to keep you safe and sound. I plan on sticking to that vow. So please don't worry Ollie dearest, because you're staying right here with me."

If Ollie had heard that from his previous captor, he would have shaken with fear at the thought of staying with them forever. But from Master Charles's mouth, the words filled him with joy and hope. Master would not tire of him, Master loved him. Ollie snuggled close to Master and soon fell asleep in his arms. He was safe, he was unharmed, and he was wanted.

———

Tag list: @whumpzone just ask to be added or removed

[inklingofadream]

Hey for some reason I am thinking once again of your scenario where the Eye loves Jon and is jealous of Martin and so it indoctrinates Jon's new polycult with Anti-Martin Propaganda to show them Martin must be kept away from the Jon at all costs. Do you feel up to sharing some Anti-Martin talking points courtesy of the Eye?

cw for discussions of domestic abuse: lies about it happening between Jon and Martin and the manipulative, controlling actuality of any of the Eye/Jon verses

so if i had any video/audio/whatever editing skills i'd spend way too much time making the evil anti-martin clip show, but a lot of it is the bits where martin's a bit mean to jon without the context or jon's response.

most of this period takes place with jon unconscious, having himself a little coma to recover from all the apocalypse whiplash and stabbing, so by the time jon himself can express any opinion about any of this, everyone's formed very solid ideas of what his Terrible Boyfriend Martin was like, and they're all really sure that it was a situation where jon was being abused and couldn't see it. obviously jon's going to be resistant to the idea at first- they have all kinds of statistics to "explain" why jon's still attached to the idea of Martin, instead of being glad he's dead because martin was The Worst and jon was trapped with him.* stuff like how most ppl have to make multiple attempts before successfully leaving an abusive partner. obviously when jon starts healing from his Martin Trauma he'll Understand

[*completely unrelated tangent, but yesterday i was looking on the wikipedia page for "Faked death," and their list of notable incidents includes this passage:

Timothy Dexter was an eccentric 18th-century New England businessman probably best known for his punctuationless book A Pickle for the Knowing Ones or Plain Truth in a Homespun Dress. However, he is also known for having faked his own death to see how people would react. His wife did not shed any tears at the wake, and as a result he caned her for not being sufficiently saddened at his passing

like geez bud i wonder why she wasn't sad about you dying!]

anything that happens on tape is fair game, with special emphasis on the scenes of jon showing up in s4 like "martin my beloved 🥺" and martin giving him the brush off- jon asking to elope is NOT included, because it implies an agency for jon in the getting-away-from-the-eye thing that's detrimental to the narrative. martin luring jon away from his patron is a talking point, all the little things he expresses discomfort with during s5

a big one is the "plz don't look in my brain" thing, because while that's a p normal and reasonable request usually, why would any of you, beloved jon harem followers of the eye, want to keep your thoughts from jon? Inconceivable! Jail for Martin for one thousand years!

Also, since a decent segment of ppl who end up Eye-inclined are the kind who go into academia and the like, or who at least value that construct, lotta emphasis on how unworthy of jon martin is bc he's a dropout and has never accomplished anything with his life, framing him as like. the stereotypical basement dweller, almost. like he's coasting (jon is SO OFFENDED on martin's behalf about this in particular)

martin lured jon into the lonely and jon was lucky to make it out alive! you could have lost the archivist before he was ever even in your universe! gasp! (who arranged this affair you ask? who benefited? don't worry about it, not the eye, the eye was horrified, we promise)

And a special, starring role for the clip of Jon in Night Night, where Jon's going to keep going with the statement and Martin asks him to stop, but edited down to just "Thank you for not hitting me this time" and the heavy breathing after. It makes all the new Eyevatars absolutely berserk. You HIT the archivist??? you hit the archivist often enough he thinks he needs to THANK you for not??? etc

The version the new eyevatars are getting is basically like. you know those relationship advice reddit posts that go around, where sometimes you can and sometimes you can't tell that the op is twisting around everything to make themselves look as sympathetic as possible? Like, there was a recent one abt "what do i do about my wife trying to use magic on me" that notably left out the reason for the central issue (op not wanting the wife to be friends with a specific guy. like wtf happened. probably the reason is actually "I don't want you to talk/look at/think about men who arent me in any capacity" but he knew that wouldn't play well). It's like those, but ESPECIALLY (from an audience pov) like the ones where the person being talked about finds it and adds in some details and context that flip it completely around so op looks the Worst. The ones that are like "aita bc i technically stole my daughter in law's cherries (but family is supposed to share with each other!)?" with specific enough details for the daughter in law to turn up like "she didnt pick some w/out permission, she physically dug up our cherry tree and planted it at her house. also in the past she's dumped a bottle of ink all over my wedding dress and put a rattlesnake in my shoes". Except jon's the one with all that essential context, so the Eye's version gets taken as uncritical fact.

[heresathreebee]

Waters Brackish and Briny (four)

[Ralph Lamont X Female Reader]

Summary: the first of many strange and unusual occurrences to come in your new home. Previous Masterlist Next

Tags: 15+ | 2k words | hauntings, an argument, physical intimidation 😬, secrets, crying

AN: hey remember there were ghosts in Things Seen and Heard? Personally I hate angst so sorry y'all 😔 I will NOT leave it here for long

SECOND WEEK

Ralph went back to work and the house became empty once more. Empty except for yourself and the house. And possibly a rat or two. You set up traps and finished moving the furniture in the downstairs rooms into place. The previous owners left a decently conditioned upright piano behind when they moved. A few scuffs on the legs and a toy soldier in the strings, but perfectly playable and barely out of tune. Nothing a little warm up couldn't change.

You ate lunch on the piano bench, glaring at the unfinished archway leading to the solar room. Should you sweep first or measure the windows to be fitted for panes? Do you want regular clear glass or some stained glass? Get crazy with it? 

You waste a couple hours playing basic melodies and manage to squeeze in time to do all the measurements for the windows before 3 pm. You take down the paper on the floor most window holes and sweep the dust and leaves and branches outside. You mop till the hardwood floor shines but you hate the white beech wood and add varnish to the To Do list. 

You ring up the Vayle boys you met the day you unloaded your furniture. "Hey Eddie! I was planning on making something for you and Cole as a thank you but I need some supplies first." 

It rained in the afternoon and Ralph came home with mud on his pants. "Baby what happened? Did you fall?" 

Ralph looked supremely annoyed. "One of the kids took a tumble and grabbed me for support. We both went down." 

You know he's in a sour mood but you can't stifle your laughter. You coo at him, looking over the damage to his suit. He's got mud caked on the seat of his pants and flecks of it as high as the back of his neck. You help him strip as much as appropriate with guests in the house. 

Your husband sniffs the vanilla scent from the air and looks at you incredulously. "Did you make cookies?" 

"Yeah," you said, "for Eddie and Cole." 

The boys waved at your husband from the kitchen counter. He gives a lustless wave back and trudges upstairs in his under things. You tip the boys with the rest of the cookies in an old dish and send them on their way home. 

You open your bedroom door to find Ralph butt ass naked and on his knees looking for something. 

"We should do this more often," you tease. 

Ralph looks up and raises an eyebrow at you then notices the position he's put himself in. "Now's not the time for jokes: do you know where the luffa is?" 

You cross your arms. "Well it's not under the bed…" 

"Helpful." Ralph climbs to his feet and his nose bumps yours. "Where. Is. The luffa." 

"Behind the bathroom door on a hook." 

"Why?" Ralph takes three steps towards the bathroom, then quickly retraces them and this time his forehead collides with you none too gently. "And not saving me a cookie? Uncool." 

"Open your mouth." His eyes go dark for a second and you roll yours. "Do it." 

You plant the last cookie in his mouth and flop onto the bedspread. "Go. Shower. I'll clean up the kitchen." 

The house creaks at night. Sometimes the sounds make the hair on your neck stand on end, but you simply squeeze Ralph and drift back to sleep. In the haze of a dream you think you hear something small and glass break a few rooms over but you can't hold onto your memories for long like this. 

Except tonight there is more than sounds. Beneath the smell of your body wash on Ralph's skin, something tickles the back of your throat. It's acrid and raw pulling you from the fringes of sleep into reality fast. You sniff the air and the scent seems to grow ten times stronger. It's like… it's like… 

You shake Ralph by the shoulder. He doesn't stir an inch. The smell is so strong you're choking on it. You grab Ralph and shake him like a doll until he bursts into wakefulness. 

"What? What?!" 

"Do you smell that?" 

"What?" His eyes are completely unfocused, face pinched in annoyance. 

"It smells like…" you turn on the bedside lamp much to his dismay. "It's like gasoline or something." 

Ralph growls and rubs at his eyes. "Exhaust fumes maybe. Ralph! We have to get up– we have to get out!" 

Somehow you manage to drag him out of bed and down the stairs. The smell gets weaker but it's still there burning in your nostrils like actual fire. Your eyes search frantically for that yellow orange flicker in every room to no avail. It doesn't ease your fear. 

"Come on." You push Ralph outside and the man almost falls off the wrap-around porch. His eyes are glued shut, legs shaking as he stands, and trapped in that sleep state. 

You rack your brain for ideas. Is the car on fire? Should you check the garage? Do you have a working fire extinguisher? There's one in the garage by the door but you doubt it's up to date. 

"Ralph baby please wake up, I need you…" 

You cling to his arm and he manages to crack one eye open. "The fuck is going on?" 

"Something's wrong," you stutter, "I think he's here."

Ralph opened his other eye and looked at you. His head swiveled to and fro over his shoulders, trying to peer out into the dark cover of night to find anyone lurking in the dark. His grip on your arm is tight, almost hurts. He looks back at you, puzzled. 

"Where?" 

You didn't know where, in fact you don't know why you said that. He had no idea where the two of you were. For all you know he might not even be a he at all. You've never met them but you're haunted by them. 

You shake your head and focus on the danger of now. "Fumes. I woke up and it smelled like exhaust fumes in our room." 

"I didn't smell anything," Ralph says. 

You growl. "I did. We need to call someone, we can't go back in the house. What if it's filled with gas and there is an open flame somewhere?" 

Ralph looks around then tries to walk past you towards the door. You catch him with a look of disbelief. 

"Did you not just hear a single word I said?!" 

Ralph sweeps your bruising grip from his arm. He keeps walking but he never breaks eye contact with you. He's definitely awake now. 

"If there's fumes, it's coming from the garage. Lord knows you're not going to let me look knowing that," he says stepping past the threshold into the mud closet next to the kitchen, "so we need to call someone." 

He picks up the phone from its cradle and dials 9-1-1. "Unless you have some secret satelite phone hidden in the barn, I'm all ears on how we call someone…" 

He's right. He's being an asshole about it but he's right. You can smell the fumes as you step in, desperate not to be far from him no matter what happens. Ralph plucks the housecoat from the hook by the door and fits it around your shoulders. You didn't realize you were shivering. 

The sheriff comes out tonight and it's half past 2 am. You and Ralph are waiting outside, a reasonable distance from the house in case an explosion was imminent but it never came. Sheriff Laughton brought a fire team and they searched the house. 

Travis–  as he asked them to call him– asked a few meandering questions. Ralph held your hand and answered as many as he dared, looking to you for the questions you could answer better. They both noticed your thousand yard stare but said nothing. 

Travis came back with the fire team and a long, befuddled face. "They checked over every inch of that house and didn't find anything except a broken lightbulb in the laundry closet." 

Ralphie did not return your gaze, instead he asked. "Nothing at all?" 

Travis scratched his head. "If there was something, it's gone now. I might have your cars looked at just in case, there's a mechanic about 10 miles yonder I can give you directions to." 

Ralph's hand smoothed over your shoulder to try warming you up. "No, no that's OK, I have a mechanic right here." 

You slap his chest for teasing you but your weak smile falls not a moment later. How can that be? They found nothing? Had you imagined the whole thing? But it had felt so real… 

By the time you brought your mind back to the present, you found Ralph had moved you to the kitchen and offered Travis a cup of coffee for his troubles. The fire team was packed up and driving off the property, leaving only the sheriff's cruiser out in that empty night. 

"Ralph," you whispered over the sink. "I think we should call Reagan…" 

"No." 

You blinked. He hadn't even taken a second to consider it, just… dismissed you out of hand like you were an annoyance. You crossed your arms over your chest and glared. 

"If you won't, I will." 

Ralph beat you to the phone and blocked your path, you glimpsed Travis standing awkwardly in the door but paid him no more than a passing thought. 

This was about to get ugly. 

"I. Am not crazy." You keep your voice low but the quiver of anger still seeps through. "I know what I smelled. It was real. If you're not going to ask for help, then fine, but do not stand in my way because of your pride." 

Ralph had that look in his eyes– the dangerous look. "Oh, honey, no… I told you– we are not calling Reagan." 

He kept shaking his head minutely, like it was the only thing keeping him from screaming. "That's final. I mean it, baby. I will lock you in that fucking basement if you touch that phone. I will burn this fucking house down before I let you even look at that dial." 

Your jaw hit the floor but before you could protest, Ralph had your arm in a death grip as he began to drag you out into the hallway. He was probably trying to push you to the bedroom but his out of character threat had rocked you. 

"Let me go," you growled, "Ralph! Stop it!" 

Travis called out to you two and you tried to wipe that innate look of fear from your face. Ralph seemed to snap out of it a bit when he realized you weren't alone and he finally released your arm. It didn't stop him from bending over you until his nose brushed yours and in a growl commanded you to go upstairs. 

Now is not the time to cry. Crying right now feels like weakness. You're not sad– you're fucking furious with him right now. But you're not about to make a bigger scene in front of this cop, so you push past him and head for the stairs. 

The blood racing in your veins is making your face hot and head pound. You can hear Ralph follow you up shortly, likely to continue the argument further but you are beyond listening at this point. You turn just in time to see him look at you funny– why are you mad?-- before slamming the door so hard you hear the wood around the lock almost splinter. 

He doesn't try the door. The light of the hallway goes out and you listen to him sigh as he heads for the couch to sleep on. You throw yourself onto your bed alone and cry into your pillow until exhaustion takes you to a dreamless black sleep.

Tag list: @werwulfy @fundamentally-lazy @escape-your-grape @go-commander-kim @mimiscappinisideblog

[bootleg-sara]

Binding of Isaac hc time

Today’s random topic I felt like talking about: Transformative Bosses

A.K.A - Bosses that change appearances based on who is fighting them at the time

I swear this is more interesting than it sounds give me a chance with this one oajvskand

Been thinking about all of their little change quirks, how they work and the like.

(Bosses talked about: dogma/hush, Boss!Blue Baby, Boss!Isaac, The Lamb, mom’s heart/it lives, mom, mother)

((Long post undercut))

I'm going to start off with dogma, as they are the one I am most unsure of. Basically I have no idea what to do with them but it makes sense in my heart that they would be one of the bosses that changed depending on who used them. Riveting start to this post.

I have been playing around with this one idea of having all the kids fight a corrupted version of a tv-static archangel. I have made a list awhile back about what archangels I felt fit each kid best based on their strengths, personality, desires, etc.

Isaac: Ariel

Maggie: Raphael

Cain: Raguel

Judas: Jeremiel

Eve: Jophiel

Samson: Michael

Lazarus: Azrael

Eden (?): Uriel

Lilith (assigned a demon?): Haniel

Apollyon (?): Zadkiel

Bethany: Gabriel

Jacob and Esau: Metatron/Sandalphon

As you can see, there's quite a bit of question marks on this here list. I'm still unsure if I want Eden/Apollyon to even have an assigned archangel, apparently I was debating giving some characters such as Lilith and Esau high ranking demons instead of archangels. A bunch of characters are just, straight up not here. Don't know why past me didn't give them anything. Anyhow, it's an idea I have been playing with. I think its neat but very unpolished.

Another boss I have few ideas for is the Lamb. Much like dogma I don't really know if I want them to change between the kids. They are a soft and kindred spirt who truthfully doesn't like fighting the kids. The Lamb only does so because if they didn't the kids would instead be trapped in the dark room and go out a much more painful death of waiting for the basement to consume them. Despite the everchanging nature of the basement, The Lamb likes to dig graves for the people he kills. Give them a bit more respect than what they usually get here. I may end up keeping them as their own thing like Satan, who knows.

You go over to Hush, who probably changes the least out of the bosses that do have different forms. The big second phase is the same across the board. Always a humanoid figure of something trying to break out of the ground without success. It's first phase is slightly affected in the same way Boss!Blue Baby is, though more subdued in the graphicness. I'll get into BB later.

Hush overall is a very subdue boss in terms of interaction with others. They don't interact at all with the kids. No known goals or wants, seemingly acting more on instinct than anything. The second phase resembles that of someone trapped under ground. Sometimes one can see two giant hands pushing up against the ground, but never strong enough to do anything other than elevate the ground a bit. Not exactly the most comforting boss of the bunch being surrounded by walls covered in screaming faces (Everyone is grateful the faces can't make any noise). Everyone feels the same sensation of constantly being watched when in the blue womb, even before seeing Hush.

The mom fight is pretty basic. The "aesthetics" of the boss fought is dependent on the kid's own parental figure. Some are their mom, others see their dad, simple. Really whatever authority figure they either fear the most or are the most scared of hurting themselves. There's a few exceptions, but not many. The mom fight does absolutely love to shout at their opponent. Very mean things too. The people Apollyon and Blue Baby swap between all the other's fights. Eden does so as well, but most often gets Isaac's mom.

The mother fight functions pretty similar to the mom one. Whatever person you see as the mom fight, you'll see as mother, but in an dying, corpse state. During the first phase you'll only see the head and arms, typically showing some pretty fierce aggression. though once you get to the second phase the body will shot itself out of the wall, dragging behind a giant mass of rotting flesh, it's back covered in the many faces of the many mom fights from the other kids. Everyone has unanimously agreed the mother fight is not worth it and most times avoid it. After awhile the kids started thinking that maybe that was the exit all along. Begrudgingly they choose to try for the alternate route. Unfortunately for them they where incorrect.

Mom's heart and It Lives are quite the interesting duo. They don't have the ability to communicate, though that's not stopping them from having an impact. The kids can either see the heart or the fetus, usually dependent on how much general pent up animosity someone feels. Mom's heart (or just "The heart" for the kids) Shows up for the people who have particularly strong hate towards the world and situation. Mom's heart/it lives is the only boss that doesn't stick with one "form" per kid, and will often change multiple times every time its fought with the same kid.

Boss!Issac is a jerk. They loves to wear little accessories pf the people they fight and taunt them relentlessly. Your sins are the on display for God and your judgement will come. Of course this judgement is coming from that of a false prophet, though in their own eyes they are the holiest figure in this hellish landscape. Boss!Isaac is all about pointing out everyone's little flaws and tearing them apart. And that's when he's not barraging you with tears and holy shots, which he also loves to do. I made a few little doodles of them. Basically they are the closest to the game's counterpart. Just wearing a standout accessory of their opponent. You know, to really dig in just how terrible you really are.

I uh, did not draw Boss!Isaac Isaac form properly here. Oops. He wears a headband with horns when with Azazel. Boss!Isaac despises it.

Finally Boss!Blue baby. Going be getting into some light descriptions of death with some of the kids, so if that makes you uncomfortable then here's your end point.

Boss!Blue baby is interesting. So to get into the basement you do have to "die" in a sense. Each person in here had to have died in a specific way and/or met a certain criteria. While the body goes missing and the kids don't remember actually dying, the process is still required. Blue Baby is a result of this necessity, who has been in the basement for quite some time. While it wasn't until recently when their consciousness separated from their boss form to become their own being (it was bound to happen eventually, just happened to be when the kids were here), they had always taken the form of the person's deceased self. Their blue color came from the most common way the people of the far past arrived at the basement, often through affixation. I also made a few doodles of 3 different blue baby forms.

(Poor Samson was torn about by wild wolves, Judas got stuck trying to run away via a cave tunnel which ended up being to tight for him to crawl through. Basically suffocating himself with breath as he tried to get deeper. Similar to what happened at the nutty putty caves if you've heard of that incident. Don't recommend looking it up if you have claustrophobia or are sensitive to tragic events)

(I don't actually have deaths set up for most of the cast, only a few of them. Still have to work out backstories. Apollyon hasn't died in the physical world at all so they get a random form, BB sees themselves)

There's a few common traits that all forms of BB have, including the blue skin, X's for eyes, a sown up mouth, and some form of wings. What the wings are change depend on where said person died. Some have generic fly wings, while others, like Samson and Judas here, have wings that better represent where they died (the wings of a crow/raven and deep cavern mushrooms respectively). These wings don't have to even be actual wings, just some close approximant. As long as it is growing out of the back, pretty much anything goes.

Boss!Blue Baby has always been the silent type, never felt the need to talk when its looks did all the talking for it. After the split Boss!Blue Baby lost the ability to speak completely. Friend Blue Baby has grown out of their shell more and is more willing to converse with others.

I plan on drawing out most of these bosses at some point. There's just a lot of unknowns right now that need settling

[slashnatic]

NSFW ALPHABET [Vincent Sinclair]

a/n: soo...this is the first time i actually post what i wrote + english isn't my first language (and i feel like there’s still 1000 mistakes in this although i proof-read it like 10 times) so please don't be too hard on me, but feel free to give me constructive criticism :)

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

He definitely takes care of you after. He’ll clean you up, gets you a drink if you want...really anything. You need to go to the bathroom? Sure, he can carry you. You’d rather walk yourself? Well, you’re only allowed to go after he’s given you your goodbye-kiss-on-the-forehead. And no, this is not unnecessary because you'll be back in a few minutes, it’s a must.

Once all of that is done he likes it when you lay your head down on his chest or the other way around and you just cuddle and enjoy each other’s company in a comfortable silence.

B = Body Part (their favourite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Vincent has a very prominent v-line. He never paid attention to it until he realized how much you like it and with that it became also his favorite body part of himself.

He loves the curve of your hips and waist. (Whether you are slim or curvy, he absolutely loves it either way!) His favourite thing is when you’re lying naked on top of him, your head on his chest and one leg laying on top of his in an angled position. He won't stop caressing and squeezing your hips.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum basically)

He both loves and hates cuming inside of you. He loves the intimacy of it, the vulnerability you show each other, but he is also scared of the possible consequences, at least at the beginning of your relationship.

He also likes to cum on your chest and belly.

D = Dirty Secret (a dirty secret of theirs)

Vincent has watched you a lot. At first it was innocent glances he stole, later he would make time to watch you from afar going after your daily tasks and the more he started to obsess over you the less he cared about how wrong it was to basically stalk you. It went so far that he once stood before an barely-open door, watching your every move through the small gap while you showered.

It doesn‘t really matter how long you are together, he still does it sometimes. You’ve grown used to it and now even put on a show for him sometimes, pretending you don‘t know he’s right there.

Another secret of his is that he sculpted your orgasm-face. It‘s weird and creepy, but he doesn’t really care. (I’m referring to the faces he sculpted in the walls on the way down to the basement. You’ll find your face there too, just a bit a part from the others.)

E = Experience (how experienced they are)

Not at all. Vincent has been wearing his mask since he can remember. He didn't even consider pressing his wax mask in some girl’s face. Needless to say pressing your lips on wax isn’t really romantic and with that no teenage girl‘s dream. Aside from that he barely left the house. When he was older he had gotten too used to it. In conclusion: He never even kissed a woman and he didn't have sex either.

F = Favourite Position (their favourite position, could possibly include a visual)

I believe it is called the Sphinx Position.

https://littlepennyberry-files-wordpress-com.cdn.ampproject.org/i/s/littlepennyberry.files.wordpress.com/2018/12/IMG_3071.png?w=768&h=433

He likes how he towers over you. Not even in a dominant way, but more that his frame completely covers yours. Your body is practically buried by his, but in a good kind of way? It’s just whatever ground you‘re having sex on underneath you and him on top of you; you’re trapped in between, there‘s only him and it gives him a feeling of pride. He also loves kissing and softly biting your neck in that position.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

He is quite serious, probably even stiff the first few times you’re having sex. He will get comfortable though and then he‘s a total romantic.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

Vincent is almost never completely shaved. He doesn’t have the time for it and even if he did he doesn't think of it as necessary. Nevertheless he’s still always clean down there, just a bit sweaty sometimes from the heat of the fire in the basement.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? romantic aspect, etc.)

Uh, yes? Just yes. Yes, sex is an intimate thing to him. Yes, he is a romantic.

While he overall views sex as something very intimate, his mask also plays a big role. He’s scared shitless of taking the mask off, but he also doesn’t want to wear it while you‘re making love. Besides the fact that it‘s quite impractical, it also makes him feel worthless. He’ll overthink and then believes you’re only having sex with him and want to be close to him or even want him at all when you don‘t have to put up with his face, that you don’t actually care for him and that he isn't good enough. He knows himself well enough though, so he takes it off before he can lose himself in those thoughts (this doesn’t make taking the mask off easier though). In conclusion he rather has sex with you when he is (as a side affect, but that doesn’t really make a difference) vulnerable and therefore sex really is something intimate to him.

J = Jack Off (masturbation headcanon)

Well, first of all...he thinks about sex fairly often. There are also quite a few pieces of his art that have a sexual touch. (Have you seen the couple on the couch in the wax house? They’re going at it!)

He doesn‘t jerk off whenever he thinks about something sexual, but he does jerk off quite often. When he does it he‘s downright filthy. Lies in his bed or preferably sits at his work bench stroking his member at first slow and then faster and faster, throwing his head back, groaning and hissing and then finishing all over his work bench with his eyes closed, imagining it was your body.

He might as well has a few photos and videos of you. Wether he took them with or without your permission is up to your imagination.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Voyeurism. While he does enjoy watching you pleasure yourself, he prefers watching or rather observing you while he fingers you. He’ll spread your legs and position himself between them so that he lies on his elbows, fingering you with one hand and holding you in place (as much as possible from that angle) with the other, his face right in front of your heat. This also gives him the perfect opportunity to have a taste too.

He also has a praise kink. Telling him not to stop? Oof. Telling him how good he makes you feel? Bigger oof. Telling him how pretty he looks? Biggest oof.

L = Location (favourite places to have sex)

He preferably has sex in the basement with you. On his work bench or really wherever, just not directly where he works. You can be as loud as you want, there is a lot of space and lots of opportunities for whatever-you-wanna-try. Plus the house is quite dirty and so is his bedroom and he doesn't want to be that kind of filthy.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Anything can be sexy to Vincent, it really just depends on his mood.

It might be simple, but seeing you naked is his biggest turn-on. I‘m talking completely bare and vulnerable. No towel because you just came out of the shower. No blanket because you’re in bed. No make-up. Nothing. Just you, you’re body being illuminated by the warm light of the candles in the basement. And don’t talk. For some reason it is incredibly sexy to him just taking you in, so pure and perfect. When he sees you like this he doesn't get horny, he just:

N = NO (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Anything verbal which is respectless and degrading. If you’re into humiliation, that‘s cool. He can spank you, whip you, do whatever you want, but he won’t call you names. Ever. If you call him names he’ll also probably cry.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Vincent loves eating you out. Your taste, your soft moans, you telling him how good it feels... It makes him proud and when he hears those sweet sounds leaving your mouth he forgets all his insecurities for the moment.

It took him a while to discover this though, since he is so insecure. (‘You seriously want that face between your legs?’)

He hasn’t had any experience, but that doesn’t mean that he’s doing a bad job! He knows your body (or the human body in general) well enough to know what will make you feel good. On top of that he’s a quick learner. For everything else he makes up with his enthusiasm.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

He’s rather slow, but still quite rough. He’s a big, strong guy after all.

Also: When it comes to who’s more dominant it really changes with his mood and the atmosphere. He likes hovering over you and trapping you underneath him, fucking you hard but teasingly slow. He likes to hear you whining, whimpering and telling him how good he feels inside of you. You look so beautiful when you stare up at him with big glassy eyes and rosy cheeks. Nevertheless he likes being submissive too, you straddling him, pinning his arms down and telling him what to do and what not to do. He likes being soft to you and he likes being rough to you. He likes you being soft to him and he likes you being rough to him too. He really doesn‘t have a preference.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

Vincent doesn’t like quickies, they are almost a no-go. He likes to take his time, since it's something where he feels very vulnerable. Rushing through it isn’t satisfying for either of you in his opinion. He also feels like quickies lack passion and isn’t that what sex is all about?

Foreplay is also important to him. You start kissing him? He will get lost and he won't let you go. Not even for sex. Your having your romantic kiss now and you will have it a while longer. It doesn't matter how horny you are, you’ll have to be patient.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

Absolutely! There’s basically nothing he wouldn't try, he just needs a bit of time “exploring“ whatever is new.

He also isn‘t actually disgusted by anything, whatever tools, body fluids or other things are involved. He might be a bit confused about some things you want to try out and isn't naturally turned on by it, but you can probably change his mind.

S = Stamina (how many rounds they can go for, how long they last…)

This totally depends on his mood, but even if it’s one round and no more he‘ll want to make sure you are satisfied. If you go for one round it‘s basically a lot of very intense foreplay, petting and all that, but less of penetration. More rounds means more penetrating sex, but will probably include some longer breaks in between.

T = Toy (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

Nope. He knows they exist, but doesn’t bother to get to know more about it. He has two perfectly fine hands and now you, he‘s good.

If you want to introduce some toys to him though he’ll be interested and willing to try it out.

For some reason he really likes buttplugs, no matter if you use them or if he does.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

He doesn’t tease you, at least not intentionally. When he feels like it, he touches, strokes and gropes you, but never because he wants to tease you. It often has the same effect as if he did though.

If you tease him...oh boy. If he doesn’t realize right away that you‘re doing it intentionally he’ll probably react super affectionate, in the sweetest way possible. Once he does realize it he’s confused as to how he should react and he is?? sad?? Like...why are you messing with his emotions like that? You can explain it to him, but he’ll probably never hop on the train and tease back or whatever.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make)

Isn‘t much of a talker during sex, but he does make some noise. He grunts and groans a lot. Whatever you do you’ll probably get a verbal reaction out of him. He surprisingly isn’t even trying to be quiet and isn’t ashamed of it either. He usually doesn’t talk and it’s as if he‘s letting it all out (Charlie Hoyt voice) f o r b a l a n c e.

W = Wild Card (a random headcanon/imagine for the character of your choice)

He loved your taste on his lips, the sound of your soft moans and needy whimpers in his ears, the feeling of your soft skins underneath his fingertips, even your smell. Yes, he loved your smell. The smell of your hair, the particular smell of your body, oh and he loved how you smelled there. He often wondered if this, the way he felt about you, was love or obsession. Probably both, but he didn’t mind. He didn’t mind because he knew you loved him too. And in your own way you were obsessed with him too. Ever since he‘d let you in, you had given your all to show him. And it had only made the feelings stronger, for the both of you. He placed a last light kiss to your heat before hovering over you again to feel your lips on his. The kiss was lazy, almost innocent and to him it felt like he was drowning in euphoria. With your eyelids only half open and a tired, loving smile on your lips you pulled him down to you. And there you two laid, lovers worn out with no energy left from hour-long love making, you comfortable on your back and he on top of you, with his face buried in the crook of your neck, your hand on the back of his head, you placed a kiss to his forehead. It was the last thing he felt before he fell asleep, just this once the first of you two.

X = X-Ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Let’s put it this way: It makes up for what god took away from him.

He’s above average length and very thick. Not big enough for an unrealistic way-over-the-top porno, but big enough to write a letter about it to your best friend if you know what I mean.

Y = Yearning (how high their sex drive is)

As mentioned earlier he thinks about sex a lot, so he’d always be down for it, but it isn’t a necessity. He’s horny quite often, but that doesn’t mean he needs to get off whenever he’s horny. He can ignore it or take care of it himself, no stress. Unless you want to have sex whenever he’s horny of course, then he‘d also be more than happy.

Z = ZZZ (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

He‘s relaxed but won’t fall asleep for a while, so if you do he probably just stares at you and admires you (he even draws you sometimes, but only if it doesn’t ruin the moment).

[protag-rantaro]

"Confusion and Familiarity" Prologue [PART 3]

Written by the fabulous Mod Tai!

Where should I go next? Hmmm...

He looked around and noticed a big door at the end of the hall. Of course, he immediately walked towards the big door, but the moment he reached out- something held him back.

What is this? A deja vu?

Strange, I feel like I have been here before, but that's impossible, right? 

He overcame his own thoughts and tried opening the door, but it was locked.

Seems like I was wrong after all or…? 

He closed his eyes and stopped walking.

That's really not the time now. I should just move on. Next station are the stairs leading to the basement.

Rantaro headed down the stairs with caution and in the basement he found… a game room? and a new person! 

"Sheesh, what a strange place. Didn't expected a game room when we're trapped in here- hmm, but it seems pretty cool. Compared to prison anyway..." he turned around with a sigh. 

"Hm, I'm Ryoma Hoshi, the men called the Ultimate Tennis pro… no longer exists. I'm nothing more than an empty shell" he stared Rantaro directly into the eyes and he backed up a little. 

"Hey, Ryoma? Are you alright? Is there something you want to talk about?" Rantaro asked and reached out his hand, but Ryoma turned around uninterested. 

"No, it's nothing. It's not like me to talk so much… anyway, I'm warning you, little one- it's dangerous to just walk up to a killer like me" and with that he left and Rantaro was completely confused.

I guess, I should try to find out more about him when I get the chance. He seems very interesting like most I already met.

Now, let's see if I can remember the way to the library, because earlier nobody seemed to be in there, but maybe now someone is…?

Rantaro entered the library and looked around curiously. The library was really packed up with a lot of books and that made Rantaro a little happy. 

He enjoys reading a lot and since they probably won't be able to escape that easily he will have enough time to read a few books in here. While looking around he noticed a girl with long brown hair sitting on the ground.

"Hey, are you alright?" no answer.

"I'm Rantaro Amami and you?" the girl turned around and quietly watched him, before standing up from the ground.

"Maki Harukawa, Ultimate Child Caregiver..." Rantaro waited for her to continue, but nothing came.

Huh? That's all?

Maki seemed to have waited as well since she took a long pause before continuing.

"... surprised? I don't look like someone who would like kids, right? Because I don't. They just come on their own. I'm not good at taking care of them and I'm not friendly either..." she played with her ponytail a little before looking back at Rantaro. 

"But Kids are intuitive! If they like you so much to come on their own... they can probably tell that you're actually a good person, Maki!" Rantaro encouraged her and Maki blushed lightly at that comment.

"It's just…! I grew up in an orphanage and got saddled with helping out a lot, that's all!" she tried explaining and Rantaro kept on smiling, while listening. 

"Don't worry! I'm sure we will get out of here pretty fast!" a blonde girl walked around the corner together with Shuichi, who Rantaro parted ways with earlier.

"What makes you think that a group capable of this would just simply let us walk out of here?" Maki asked, not believing any word the blonde girl said.

"If they won't end this then we will! I know we can do it if we work together!" she placed a hand on her chest and smiled brightly.

Wow, she is hella optimistic and-

His thoughts got interrupted by the brown haired child caregiver.

"You're a naive fool if you think you can end all of this so easily" Maki pointed out and Rantaro nodded silently. She was indeed right about that.

Maki turned around to get the book she had read earlier and walked to another corner of the library.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist!" she smiled gently and they shook hands.

"Rantaro Amami and I know being optimistic can be really helpful, but do you really feel like this is going to end so easily? I mean, I asked the others and all of them can only remember their names and talents and I… I can only remember my name, not even my talent. It's like we all have amnesia or something like that" Rantaro explained and shared his observations with them, but Shuichi cut him off.

"... but that's not normal if everyone here has amnesia-" The detective was getting quieter and quieter by the second and Rantaro put his hands to his hips. 

"Maybe, we're all in a pretty abnormal situation then or something simple like brainwashing or group hypnosis...well, it doesn't matter now, does it?" Kaede took a step back in surprise and stared at him, waiting for him to continue talking.

"Well, I just hope we can get along since we won't go anywhere any time soon... sounds suspicious, but I promise I'm not a bad guy or anything" Rantaro ended his sentence, shrugged and left Shuichi and Kaede behind in the library. He still has to meet a lot of other people.

He stopped at a small gate and it seems like someone was already waiting there for him. They stood up from the bench they were sitting on and walked up to him.

"You wonder "who is this?" Yes, I will make that clear first. My name is Korekiyo Shinguji... I am called the Ultimate Anthropologist. However, please call me Kiyo and for anthropology, would you like a simple explanation?" Kiyo asked politely and Rantaro nodded clearly interested in what Kiyo has to share.

"Anthropology studies costumes, legends, folk tales, songs and much more. For example… certain aspects of birthdays or new year celebrations. It's a study that examines the thought behind culture, faith and costumes… and I believe that human beings are truly beautiful. Every aspect of humanity, even the ugly parts are beautiful- to me, at least" Rantaro listened carefully to Kiyo's little speech. 

He was truly interesting, maybe a little bit weird, but still interesting.

"What beauty will I be able to witness in our current situation, I wonder? Kehehee, people are wonderful!" 

"Wow, you sure are something else, Kiyo! But that's good, I'm sure it will never be boring with you- by the way my name is Rantaro Amami, nice to meet you" they both shook hands and chatted for a little bit, before Rantaro decided to finally step through the door he was curious about the whole time.

He opened it and was immediately greeted by a bright light, a gentle breeze and he slowly opened his eyes to see…

"A cage?" Rantaro said out loud. 

To be honest, not surprising.

I mean, I already knew it's not going to be easy to get out of here…, but giving up is not something I ever want to do.

Rantaro walked around and noticed two people in the back of the field. He quickly rushed over there to introduce himself.

"This cage is nothing compared to the universe!" One of them yelled and the taller one looked down in confusion. 

"Oh, ups! I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Kaito Momota, Luminary of the stars! Even crying children adore the Ultimate Astronaut! How about it? Pretty cool, right? I mean I wasn't in space yet, but I'm the first teenager to ever pass the exam!" The purple haired male posed proud and the taller one clapped.

"Wow, really? Don't you need a college degree to even take the exam?" Rantaro interrupted their conversation and Kaito jumped in front of him with a huge grin.

"Actually yes, I had a friend who got me in there, but I got caught in the end and was like in pretty deep shit, y'know? But they decided they liked me and let me in anyway! Cuz I aced the exam, too" Kaito explained and he was a little speechless by Kaito's confession.

"That was pretty damn reckless, but it's really impressive as well!" Rantaro admitted, but he was so impressed that he almost forgot how this could have ended as well.

"Well, sometimes you have to be reckless to reach your dreams and make them reality! Everyone told me it was impossible, but I never gave up and aced the exam. Limits don't exist unless you set them yourself!" Kaito seemed to be an optimistic person as well… just like Kaede earlier. 

Hmm, that can be a good thing, but it can also turn out very bad… I may have to keep an eye on them if things go the way I think they are, but they are very friendly and nice so far.

"Gonta thinks that sounded very cool!" The other one smiled and  clapped a few more times in his hands. 

Third person? Rantaro looked up confused, but simply accepted it. I'm sure there is a reason for it and I don't know about it yet.

"Hehe, Thanks dude! Now introduce yourself as well!" Kaito showed a thumbs up and 'Gonta' nodded firmly.

"Uhm, Gonta's name is Gonta Gokuhara. Gonta's talent is Ultimate Entomologist. Kid Gonta bigger than other kids. Other kids scared of Gonta...so kid Gonta play alone often. That how Gonta came to like bugs, but then Gonta really focus he end up lost in forest" he explained and both Kaito and Rantaro stared at him.

"But they found you and everything was alright, right?" Kaito asked with wide open eyes. 

"Yeah, but took 10 years though" 

"10 YEARS?" for a second Rantaro had to steady Kaito so that he wouldn't fall backwards right out of his slippers. 

Why the hell is he wearing slippers anyway?

"Don't worry! New family took care of Gonta!" Gonta continued to explain his situation and the other two sighed in relief. 

"I hope they are nice people" Rantaro smiled, but Gonta looked confused.

"Not people, wolves! Cuz of forest family Gonta learned to speak bug and animal and as thanks Gonta wanna show new family what great gentlemen Gonta is" he stated happily and smiled proud.

"W-WOLVES?" and again Rantaro had to catch Kaito so that he wouldn't fall. He sighed defeated.

"That's all you heard? Seriously?" Rantaro turned his head to look Gonta in the eyes. 

"I think your forest family would be very proud of you so just be yourself! By the way you two- I'm Rantaro Amami, nice to meet you!" he pushed Kaito back on his feet, they chatted a bit, but after some time Rantaro had to leave these two behind.

Who is still missing? We're 16 students and-

Rantaro didn't know how, but somehow he found a little waterfall and a girl was curiously watching him.

"Yaahoo!! My name is Angie Yonaga and I'm the Ultimate Artist!" She quickly introduced herself with a very positive attitude.

More optimistic people? Oh well, that's going to be hard to keep track over. At least, they are all really nice, I guess.

"I'm Rantaro Amami, you're pretty cheerful, aren't you?" he asked, not sure how to respond to her positivity.

"Nyahaha!! There's no reason to carry bad thoughts with ya! You gotta live everyday like it's big, cheery and fun… so says Atua!" 

"Wow, it's amazing how positive you are- wait… Atua?" Rantaro tilted his head in confusion and Angie laughed again.

"The god of my island, Atua, is always with me, speaking to me with his divine voice… Atua also makes the art, I only offer my body as his vessel! Do you want to offer something to Atua? Boy's blood is also an acceptable offer!" Angie spoke slowly but clearly and Rantaro laughed loudly. 

That's a nice joke-

please tell me it's a joke…

please?

And then he ran for his life.

Some time passed until Rantaro found the rooms for each person. 

Finally, I'm so exhausted, I need a break… 

The moment he wanted to open the door with his picture above it someone stopped him. 

"I'm sorry, but I haven't introduced myself yet- I'm Kirumi Tojo, the Ultimate Maid. Please let me know if you need any kind of help or service!"

"Nice to meet you, Kirumi! I'm Rantaro Amami! I hope we get along well and you don't have to talk so formal, it's not necessary!" He assured her, but Kirumi didn't seemed to care much. 

"Do you have any plan what to do from now on?" she asked and Rantaro stopped in bis tracks.

"That's a tough question… it's more like what can we do… I guess we have to wait and see what happens, do you have an idea, Kirumi?" he thought hard, but nothing came to his mind. 

"As a maid my only desire is to fulfill the desires for others so please think about what you desire for yourself. No matter tge situation, no matter what happens… I am here to serve everyone" Kirumi gently put her hands together and smiled lightly and Rantaro smiled back at her.

Okay, I get big mom vibes from her… hm, we will see how this will turn out later.

Ding Dong- Bing Bong!

[feanor-the-dragon]

Hey I have a question so I live in Wylie TX so Central Texas we normally get hit a little bit like just the edge of the storm I'm guessing it won't be that way this time.... How bad will central Texas be hit and will the two lakes that I'm like right smack in the middle of be a problem... I'm just confused because this is a new situation and we don't have tornados often because of the lakes. (Also unrelated note this is the worst possible time for my dog to have a bladder stone and UTI)

So my askbox ate this until today for some reason, which makes my response criminally late... but, I'm afraid I wouldn't really have known too well anyway. I haven't lived in this part of the US for most of my life and so I'm not familiar with the geography or the weather patterns outside of the part of Arkansas where I live.

Sometimes, that gives me an advantage, cause when the weather service says shit's gonna be bad, I believe them. Others, it's a curse.

Even though it's painfully belated, I do have a bit to offer generally speaking, that should hopefully help in the future.

Even if your house wouldn’t be reached by floodwaters (like if it's on a hill or other elevelated ground), you would have to consider whether floodwaters could leave you trapped, potentially without power. It looks like those lakes are miles apart, so I would imagine that they wouldn't be likely to merge or anything, but I have no real idea of the elevation of the land between them, or how they tend to flood.

As for the severity of incoming storms... get a weather app with a doppler radar and look at it often. Follow the projected paths of storms and weather systems and compare that to where they actually go. Weatherman can be wrong. Computer models can be wrong, often because local geography/topography affects weather in ways that are difficult to account for in a simulation. Computer models have difficulty predicting storm paths where I live due to a "mountain" (just a tall, very wide hill, really) to the west of me, for example. But you can learn your local weather patterns by observation and get a feel for what a storm looks like on approach if it's gonna be a big one, or where/if storms tend to be deflected by local geography.

I use the weather channel app (which sucks, but its doppler works well enough for me), as it shows both the past path of the storm as well as the predicted path, but there are far better ones out there. My boss swears by Weather Underground, which (if I understand it correctly) is more of a grassroots thing that uses a network of weather stations in the yards of millions of private citizens. It generally has the most complete, accurate, and specific real-time weather data (for my area, at least).

As for tornadoes... there's no shame in that being new and unfamiliar, and thus a little frightening. I don’t know if there are tornado sirens in your town, but be listening for those if a tornado watch has been issued for your area.

A tornado watch means the conditions are right for a tornado, a tornado warning means there is a tornado. (I like the Cupcake mnemonic: Cupcake watch means the ingredients are on the countertop, and a cupcake warning means the cupcakes have come out of the oven/there are cupcakes on he countertop). Monitor your local weather service and, when a tornado watch is issued, you should be ready to shelter at the sound of a siren or the issuing of a warning.

If either of those things happens, it is time to bunker down. Go to your basement or, failing that, an inner room with no windows on the first floor (if possible/in a house), preferably a bathroom (the plumbing is supposed to anchor and support the walls, provide better protection) and wait it out.

Generally, bodies of water have a stabilizing effect on weather. I believe that effect is somewhat dampened in the context of large storm systems though, but I don't know enough about meteorology to be sure. There may be an elevated area, such as a ridge or large hill, that shields your town from the worst part of most incoming storms (as is the case with the town where I live as well as the one where my family lives). That's something you could better determine by watching the doppler and comparing the behavior of weather patterns to, say, a topography map. Or people say things like "the ridge keeps tornadoes from getting here" or something like (although I'd be careful to make sure and note which direction such a feature shields you from). Notably, bodies of water do not stop tornadoes! That is a very dangerous myth, and I just had to look it up to make sure. Tornadoes form due to rotation that starts high up near/in the clouds and then stretches down, and so they don't really care what happens near their feet. Never believe anyone who says a body of water will stop a tornado.

When deciding whether or not to shelter, use discretion. I'm more careful about tornadoes than a lot of people who've lived in the south their whole lives, and they think I'm silly to hunker down because a tornado is in the next town over, but I'd rather make someone overly cautious than get them hurt. And I'd rather hide from 99 tornadoes that never get close than end up not hiding from the one that does.

I hope that you and yours are safe and came through the storm no worse for the wear. I am truly so, so very sorry that I'm answering this so very late.

Also, is your doggo alright? Do they know that I, and at least half the internet, love them implicitly? Do they know that they're a good dog?