#ANYWAY. yeah darning looks cool

[natbplease]

two of my socks have huge holes in them. does this mean i finally get to learn darning after following #visible mending for a year

[smile-files]

clover is ace, full stop. i think she's then arospec in some way, like i see it that she has minor crushes on people but has no desire to date said people. like clover's the kind of person to get a crush on some random person they meet once or somebody they see on the subway and they'll think about that person a lot - like oh this person is so cool and pretty and golly gee whiz! - but only briefly. she likes the feeling of having a crush on somebody but can just turn it off like a light switch if she feels like it

[bones4thecats]

Meeting Their Future King Ghidorah! S/O

Characters: Mei Dragon, Red Son, and Demon Bull King Inspired By: My love for Chinese mythology & Godzilla films A/N: This is literally my favorite piece I've ever written. I love Godzilla so much, it was one of the only franchises that I have ever really stuck with growing up so doing this was fun! Anyways, I do hope you guys enjoy this so much! ⚠️ Spoilers/Trigger Warnings for: Mentions of war, fighting, and being imprisoned (maybe slight spoilers for Godzilla: King of Monsters)⚠️ Fanart Refrences: Credits to Nekkyo Usagi on ArtStation

╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗

╚═════ Mei Dragon ════════════════════════════╝

🐉 As a once destructive and head-strong being made only to destroy all that surrounded you, you served the Lady Bone Demon for many years before her imprisonment by Tang Sanzang

🐉 She had sent multiple demons off to the Antarctica to seek you out, and thankfully for her, they freed you with ease

🐉 Landing behind the skeletal-demon, you looked over the enemies she had been holding off more a mere few minutes and huffed, blowing a large amount of smoke out of your nose

"...Uh, Mei? Do you think you can handle this thing?" MK asked.

"I think." She answered.

🐉 You readied yourself, awaiting your Lady's call for you to charge into battle at full-strength. And, when she moved her hand, you launched forward, readying an attack at the Monkie Kids

🐉 Another sight then knocked your back and unconscious from hitting all of your heads against the nearby buildings and floors. Sun Wukong, Macaque, and another dragon then turned to your master and began fighting

🐉 As you opened your eyes again, you reached up and cupped your head. Man did your head hurt from that hit...

"Hey. Are you okay? Sorry if I hit you hard." A feminine voice said.

"Who are you?!" You growled, attempting to form human words again while claws emerging from your larger paw-like hands.

"I'm Mei, uh, descendant of the Dragon of the, oh what was it again? Oh yeah! The West!" She announced, scratching the back of her neck embarrassingly before holding out a bowl of soup to your larger draconian form.

🐉 You cocked an eyebrow and your head while your fellow heads did the same as you. And once you knew this human was of no harm to you at the moment, you groaned and deactivated your dragon form, being covered in a large amount of light

🐉 The large amount of yellow-glowing light made everyone around launch to where you were, and they were all surprised to see Mei talking to a human dressed in gold scale-printed armor with two dragon heads on their shoulders and another on their head like a helmet

🐉 Your cape was being twirled around in Mei's fingers as she asked you questions, some on your childhood, others on your fights and more that you could easily catch with your excellent hearing

"Mei? Who is this?!" Pigsy yelled while the others readied their weapons in anticipation for your attack.

"Oh! This is King/Queen Y/N of the Kaiju! They're really nice! And you should feel their hair! It's so gosh-darn soft!" She said, stars in her eyes as she moved from your cape back to your hair.

🐉 MK then ran up to you and began messing with your hair with his friend, and while this would've annoyed you if it were literally anyone else, you just accepted that they were young and dumb

"Well then King/Queen Y/N of the Kaiju, do you pose any threat against us?" asked Tang.

"No. I could honestly couldn't care less about harming you mortals anymore. With that Bone-Broad is gone, I have free will again." You then picked up your chopsticks and brought more noodles to your lips, blowing on them to cool them out before chewing on them and laying the utensils down in the bowl again and finishing. "You guys are completely safe from my attacks now. Also, whoever made those noodles deserves an award."

🐉 Despite the stoic expression on your face as you spoke, Mei could feel that you were smiling on the inside, you were just stubborn and needed a Nutcracker named Mei Dragon to help you open up!

🐉 And boy, would she open you up!

╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗

╚═════ Red Son ══════════════════════════════╝

🔥 As a former member of Heaven, that being a representative of the Dragon Clan, you were very close with many members. Well, that was until a revolution came and you left the hopeful land and was imprisoned within one of Antarctica's many icebergs

🔥 Over time, the Monkie Kids had been fighting against a powerful demon, one who had been terrorizing China for multiple weeks. But, when it opened another portal in an attempt of sending Sun Wukong away, a rogue fire blast from Red Son accidentally exploded in the winter wonderland

🔥 All of a sudden, the sound of a large roar made everyone, especially Sun Wukong and Ne Zha to look up in shock when a large yellow dragon crawled out from the hole and spread it's wings out wide

🔥 Next thing Red Son knew, Wukong had grabbed him and MK before picking them up and taking them away from the pathway you made when fighting against the demon

🔥 Red Son was shocked to see how you picked up his father with your tail and helped him and the others defeat the demon before sitting down, allowing Mei and the others to pet your nose

"F-Father?! Who is this beast?!" He yelled.

"This is King/Queen Y/N of the Kaijus. An extinct species of demons. They are the final one living, we both go back." Demon Bull King said.

🔥 You looked at the large demon and his offspring and nodded at them. And when you blew on the humans, making them take a few steps back, they saw how gold covered your large and scaly form before blinding them

🔥 As everyone opened their eyes once again, they saw a more humanoid figure standing there. The scales that once donned your figure now laid on your armory, two dragon heads on your shoulders with a third one on your head, a long cape behind you with a long and far more fancy than normal loincloth around your hip, and long H/C hair going down to your mid-back

"Whoa..." Red Son whispered.

"It's so great to see you again, Y/N!" Wukong said, wrapping his arms around you and he twirled you around in the air.

"Yes... it's nice to see you as well, Wukong." You said. "Now put me down before I fry your head."

🔥 Wukong let you down before introducing you to everyone, saying how you were a hatchling when the Samadhi Fire was created and how you were imprisoned by Heaven when you proved to be a threat to the Jade Emperor

"It's so good to have another dragon around! I'm Mei!" A young girl said, lifting your hand and shaking it excitedly while MK did the same just moments later.

🔥 As you met every member, you noticed the large form of Demon Bull King and walked to him before bowing lightly, showing respect to your old ally. He then nodded and poked your helmet before pointing towards his son and motioning him to come forward

"Introduce yourself." He ordered.

"I'm Red Son. The son of Demon Bull King and Princess Iron Fan. You must be... Y/N." He said, holding his hand out reluctantly for you to shake.

🔥 You held your own hand up, making him let out a small questioning noise as you chuckled before saying how he didn't need to shake your hand if he didn't want to, you didn't mind

"I-uh, okay?"

"So, Y/N. Do you mind telling me how it was being stuck in an iceberg?" The Monkey King asked.

"If you tell me what it was like being underneath a mountain." You teased.

🔥 You were an odd one... but you seemingly understood Red Son to a degree despite just meeting. Maybe he could get used to you...

╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗

╚═════ Demon Bull King ═════════════════════════╝

👹 Before Demon Bull King was imprisoned, he was very close with Sun Wukong, Azure Lion, Yellow Tusk, Peng, and Macaque. And one day when they were speaking, Macaque and Wukong began to speak about an old friend of theirs

👹 The others were interested in your story, and they listened intently as the two primate-beings began to explain everything about you. From your species to your accomplishments

👹 And Demon Bull King had to admit, you were a fairly cool founding being

"So, they're kinda like a King/Queen of the Kaijus?" Yellow Tusk asked.

"Yeah! And they're super powerful! They can release these gravity beams from their mouths in their dragon form and they can fly really fast, they're just so cool!" Wukong said.

👹 DBK chuckled as Wukong began to shake Macaque while asking if he remembered if he had spoke to you about the upcoming battle they had with Heaven, to which he shook his head and made the Monkey King sigh and cross his arms in a pout

👹 Maybe the demon bull would be able to meet you here soon

»–•–«

👹 As his brothers swarmed the other parts of Heaven, the sound of wings flapping made Demon Bull King look up and ready himself for battle

👹 A large three-headed dragon stood before him, their large tail swinging behind them as he growled and narrowed his eyes in a reply to the territorial actions of you

"You must be King/Queen Y/N of the Kaijus." DBK said.

👹 You nodded, since you couldn't speak clearly in your monstrous form and stood before walking carefully towards the member of the Brotherhood. Your wings folded in as you lowered your middle head to look at his face clearly

👹 At that moment, you heard a warrior come up behind you and swung your tail, hitting the fighter and sending him flying away at a fast speed while DBK watched in shock

👹 Looking back at him with your right and left head adjusting to look around, you blew on his face, making him nervously look down with a light amount of blush on his face, your eyes and gaze were quite... different to him

👹 A yellow light then made Demon Bull King move his head away while other fighters yelled as they were blinded by your spell

"What in the..."

"I agree with your cause. The destruction that has been brought upon the mortal realm is to much, even for me. I shall help you and your brothers out without any reward." You then cocked an eyebrow at the male, "You're welcome."

👹 A high amount of blush covered his face as you held your hand out, the gold rings, wrist bands, helmets and rest of your armory shining with the constant light changes surrounding you both

"I'll have your back, alright?" You assured.

"Y-yeah." He answered.

[floreanfortescuetruther]

Autumnflower/Florean x August microfic ~ Red gloves

My main account is @yourlocalbadgerscales, I post microfics on @slitherpuffinstories! :3

Florean loved summer. And he hated autumn with a passion. He loved eating ice-cream in the warmth of the sun, he loved feeling the hotness from it on his cheeks as he tilted his head to face the endless blue sky. He loved the coolness of his father’s homemade ice-cream on his tongue as he sat and enjoyed the summer while it lasted.

But when July passed and autumn came, and the cold was on his skin all of a sudden, making his cheeks hurt if he sat outside for too long… when autumn came and made the world dull and grey and wet and cold, cold… ugh, how Florean hated it. The cold weather in the UK was torture for him.

So to be completely honest, he had no idea what had possessed him to step out the door today. He stood next to the road outside of his house, staring gloomily at the cloudy sky, indecisive of where to go. When he looked to his left, he saw a red glove on the empty, lifeless branch of a bush. He tilted his head and went to grab it. Florean held it in his own gloved hands, not sure what to do with it. So he pocketed it for now.

Suddenly, a voice was calling for him. Or someone, at least. He didn’t hear his name, just a slight panting and a “Hey! Hey, you over there!”. He turned around and was met by the sight of a boy his age, running towards him.

“Hey… I’m so sorry to bother you…” The boy seemed out of breath. Florean blinked and smiled carefully at him, letting him take his time. He hadn’t seen this boy before, or at least he couldn’t recall ever meeting him. Would probably remember if I had, he caught himself thinking.

The boy was wearing a red hat with a knitted little ball on top of it, under which a few strands of sandy blond hair poked out, stuck to his forehead. When the boy looked up, Florean noted that his eyes were a greyish shade of blue, like the darkest of clouds that had formed on the sky just now. The owner of said eyes flashed a tiny smile at him, revealing a little gap between his front teeth. The words Florean had meant to utter were caught in his throat, and suddenly he himself seemed short of breath.

“Er, I was wondering, since you stood here… have you seen a red glove lying around? I must have dropped it as I stood here earlier today, and now I can’t find it.” The boy looked past Florean’s shoulder. “Ah, I can’t see it… darn it. I’m really freezing.” He held up the hands that he had kept in his pocket until now, showing off the one gloved hand and a bare one. “It’s so cold today, isn’t it? I usually love autumn, I love the colours of the leaves and how they crunch when I walk on them, and summer is way too hot for me anyways. Oh, am I ranting again? Mum always say I do. I’m August, by the way. August Ollivander. Did you say your name yet? I seem to have forgotten it already, if you did.”

Florean had never felt more warm and fuzzy, not even in summertime. He smiled. For a boy who usually used to rant just as much as any kid, he was awfully quiet. He licked his lips and blinked a few times.

“I’m… I’m Florean. Fortescue.” He smiled warmly. “Nice to meet you, August.”

He was suddenly aware of the red glove he had in his pocket. He clutched his hand around it, but for some reason, he didn’t feel like giving it back just yet. So he pulled his hand out again and held it out for August to shake.

“I like Autumn too”, he lied. “Especially August.” That didn’t feel like a lie.

August smiled even bigger and took his hand, shaking it using his bare hand. It was pale but red at his fingertips.

“We could keep looking for your glove, if you like?”, Florean asked. “Or… we could go home to my place and get you warm again. My mum wouldn’t mind at all, she’ll be thrilled! I was just going home anyways, to eat ice-cream. I live right here.” He nodded towards the house right next to them. August’s eyes flickered over to the house and then back to Florean.

“Yeah, sure!” He laughed softly. “But ice-cream? In this weather? I usually only eat ice-cream in the summer, you know.”

“Oh, well”, Florean shrugged. “My dad says that you can eat ice-cream whenever, and I agree with him. At least you can eat the ice-cream he makes whenever. It’s so good! I promise you.”

August’s eyes widened.

“I knew that I recognised the name Fortescue!”

The two boys made their way towards the house as they spoke. August told Florean about the one time when he was eleven and his dad, a famous wandmaker, had made him find himself his own wand from the shop and had trashed the whole place while trying, and as Florean laughed his heart out, August took his hand and pulled him towards the house more eagerly. It wasn’t what Florean was used to when it came to friends, but he didn’t have the heart to pull away, not even as they entered the house and called for his mom to come to the door.

The rest of the day, Florean caught himself sighing softly, a big grin plastered across his face, every time August looked over at him and smiled at him, his freckly nose all wrinkled up.

[lostinthewoodsomewhere]

Could you rank Jesse's outfits?

Hell yes I can!!!! Strap in lads, I've decided to put this under the cut because it got... long. Thank you so much for this question anon, I'm sorry if it's not quite what you wanted, it kind of ran away from me!!! But please know that I had so much fun doing this!! I'll take any excuse to talk about Control fashion!!!!

Okay, so:

The Director's suit

What can I say, just look at it, 10/10, no notes (well, lots of notes, but all about how much I love it!!!) Absolute perfection!!! The details on this outfit!!! The triangle on the back, the little triangle on the shoes, the cut outs on the jacket, the hair pin?????? It's truly everything to me, and I love it's story significance of visually showing Jesse embracing her role as Director, it's just the perfect example of everything the FBC and Oldest House is!!

(Also, fun fact, the first thing I thought when I saw it was 'oh, yeah, I understand why this is one of Julia Drawfee's favourite games now'...)

2. Asynchronous suit

Again, what can I say??? Look at it, this thing is just gorgeous!! Oh, the details!!! The structure is so beautiful, all the different shapes, the Brutalist nature of it all!! Also her cute little boots, I love them and the way they blend into the leggings!

Also, as someone who would desperately love for Jesse to get a skirt at some point, the half skirt and the way it moves in combat is everything to me, ahhh it looks so good!!!

3. Civilian outfit

I love her original outfit so much!!! It's so simple, yet it manages to be so iconic!!! I remember someone I was watching complain that her outfit wasn't great because it doesn't stand out enough, doesn't make her look like enough of an outsider, but personally I completely disagree! Control is such a high aesthetic game, and Jesse's civilian out so perfectly compliments the aesthetics of the Oldest House through its colour scheme and silhouette! Especially the back of the jacket, I absolutely adore the structure of it, it kind of has a similar energy as the Asynchronous Suit with the sharp Brutalist energy it has. But at the same time, by making it a leather jacket and jeans, it stands out so clearly from the (sometimes unnecessarily extra) formal shirts and trousers/skirts the others wear.

Anyway, love it! Also adore the bright blue of the original jacket!!!

4.Janitor's Assistant

Love it!! Love it so much!!! I adore the rolled up sleaves and trouser legs (whether this is for fashion or practicality, I do not know, but it is aesthetically pleasing none the less). Also, I love the detail that's she's wearing her original boots with this outfit, it feels like a cute visual cue of how comfortable she feels in this outfit/role. Also, the fact that Ahti gives it to us personally for a job well done just, perfection...

(also look at her little hammer and plyers, she deserves them!!!)

5. The Golden Suit

I do indeed enjoy the Golden Suit, I mean, it's a variation of my beloved Director's Suit, and has a lot of the same details I love that one for, but it just doesn't hit the same for me. I think I would prefer if it had a white shirt, or the shirt was a little darker as the greyish colour just isn't quite for me, (though it could be the darn lighting in the Oldest House). But still, I do indeed love it, I mean look at her, she still looks incredible even if its not quite my style!

6. Expedition Gear

You know what, I used to think I didn't like this outfit, but it grew on me as I was looking at it for this, and you know what, I love it now!! Like, to begin with it's one of the outfits that has the ponytail, and I absolutely adore this hairstyle!!! The way it moves in combat is gorgeous, and I enjoy the effort made to give her a high pony style that doesn't make her look like Beth Wilder!! But again, rolled up sleeves, super cute, the zipper/clasp detail on the side, it's all giving practical but fashionable, and I'm so hear for it!!

7. Extradimensional Suit

She's cool!! I mean, this outfit has the ponytail, so that's already a win! It's not my style, or the sort of thing I'm interested in, but I can appreciate it for what it is. The colour scheme is gorgeous, I love all the textures and shapes, particularly the piping around the neck (it reminds me of the mail room/pneumatics!). And as always, she looks incredible in it, so a solid outfit all round, just not one that makes me go feral, you know?

8. Office Assistant

I do very much love this outfit, I think she looks adorable, there's just not that much going on. I do love her little sensible heels, and the fact that the shirt is pinstripe rather than plain, it's cute!!! It's also just, it just is the FBC, it's such a recognisable look throughout the game, so I very much appreciate it!!

(Can you imagine if we got the pencil skirt version too????? Sigh, I can only dream...)

9. Candidate P7

Again, like, story wise this outfit is fascinating- (I've been thinking recently, like, at what point did Darling decide Dylan was a lost cause, and what did that mean for their pursuit of Jesse?? Is there a reason they just happened to have a prime candidate outfit ready for her, exactly in her size???)

Anyway, fashion wise there's not much to say, though I never realised you could run round the Oldest House in little socks, that's cool!! It also looks so cosy, but it has far too many lore implications for that, so unfortunately it does come last, but it's still cool!!

Bonus Round- Pre order exclusives

1.Tactical Response

You do not understand how unbelievably sad it makes me that this was an pre-order exclusive and I can not have it, because I love it so so much, it is gorgeous!!!!!!!! Look at her, she looks incredible!!!! The pony tail, the monochrome, it's like her civilian outfit but just elevated to the highest degree, I love it so muuuuuuuuuch!!!!!!!!!!

2. Astral Dive suit

I feel similarly about this outfit as I do the Extradimensional suit. Not quite my style, but I highly appreciate it, it's beautiful!! Also her hair, ahhhhhhh!!

3.Urban Response

It's cute!! It has a lot of the things I love about the Tactical Response, but the colour scheme just doesn't hit the same! The top is so cute though, I love it!!!!

And, uhhhhhhh, thats it :) If you made it to the end of this, thank you, I am incredibly impressed!!! Anyway, the clothes in Control are incredible, and this is only Jesse's outfits, there's so many other amazing clothes in this game!!! Like genuinely, the commitment to fashion in Control is incredibly important to me, and will always be one of the things I love most about this game!!!!

(I am literally always ready to talk about it, so never hesitate to message if you want to talk about it with someone!)

[saphronethaleph]

Blue, White and Pink Blur

“So… if I invert the second piece, I’d get an inverted waveform,” Tails said to himself, twin tails flicking. “But if I want three… oh, of course, I need to make a three-phase waveform! Circular resonance!”

He looked up at the sound of a screeech as Amy skidded to a halt in front of him.

“Hi Amy!” he waved. “What’s up!”

“Uh,” Amy began. “Is Sonic in?”

Tails scratched his head. “That depends?” he replied.

“Depends?” Amy repeated. “What do you mean, it depends? Depends on what?”

“Why you’re here,” Tails replied.

“You mean you’d say he wasn’t here if I was here for the wrong reason?” Amy asked, then paused. “...actually, yeah, I’d believe you’d do that.”

“Well, I might, but it’s not really necessary,” Tails replied. “If you’re here for the wrong reason, Sonic would be out of the house before I finished answering the question.”

Amy nodded, reluctantly. “Yeah, that’s fair too,” she admitted. “That does sound like a Sonic kind of thing.”

She looked down at Tails’s workbench.

“...what are you doing, anyway?” she asked.

Tails held it up. “It’s a new module for the Tornado!” he explained. “Next time Doctor Eggman, Ph.D (killer robots) tries to stop us, I’ll activate the Unrifler! It makes it so that all the bullets fired at the Tornado stop spinning, so they miss.”

Amy looked like she dearly wanted to ask how Tails had pronounced the brackets, but visibly let it go.

“...anyway!” she said. “That’s neat, but I came here for a reason – I wanted to ask Sonic about something, and then maybe why he never told me!”

“Told you what?” Sonic asked, leaning out the window. “Hi Amy! You’re not going to ask me out on a date, right?”

Amy looked contemplative.

“Would you say yes?” she asked.

“No way!” Sonic replied.

“Then no,” Amy replied, with a sigh. “But – look, uh, this actually is about you, Sonic. You know Surge?”

“Oh, yeah, her!” Sonic agreed. “She’s kind of mean sometimes. Kitsunami’s cool – kinda needs to take a chill pill but I know how hard that can be sometimes. But what about her?”

He looked combative. “Has she tried getting revenge on an uncaring world again? We never did properly stop her, Kit took her off and we don’t actually know where she ended up.”

“No, I just… I met her, and we talked,” Amy replied. “It was weird, we were both just out doing grocery shopping, ended up in the same shop… we both like gnocchi, that was a surprise.”

Amy shook her head. “But, uh… did you know she started as a clone of you, Sonic? She said Kitsunami worked it out in his lab…”

“Oh, he’s got a lab?” Tails asked. “That’s cool. I should do a joint paper with him sometime! I bet there’s something we could put together-”

“-not the point!” Amy insisted. “Sorry, Tails. But I kind of feel like I need to ask, because Surge is a girl and you’re not… is she that much of a clone?”

Sonic glanced at Tails, and Tails glanced back.

“Up to you, bro,” Tails said.

“I guess,” Sonic replied. “And, yeah. I guess the guy who made her did some kind of genetic modification and stuff, but that bit’s right.”

“Huh,” Amy said. “Okay, new question. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“How would that go, Amy?” Tails asked.

“I’m open minded!” Amy defended herself.

Sonic tried not to snigger, not quite successfully.

“I don’t mean like that,” Tails replied. “I mean, how would that conversation go? How do you start off with something like that?”

Amy began to answer, stopped, and looked contemplative.

“...okay, yeah,” she said, eventually. “That would be… but still…”

“Does this mean you won’t want to go out with me any more?” Sonic asked, in a hopeful kind of way.

“What?” Amy replied. “Of course I still want to go out with you, Sonic! You’re the best!”

“Darn,” Sonic said, snapping his fingers.

“But yeah, not many people know,” Tails said, drawing Amy’s attention again. “I know. Sonic, obviously. I guess that doctor who made Surge does, and so does she if she’s worked it out… Kit must know, he had the DNA sample to do the test you mentioned… and then there’s you, Doctor Eggman, and Espio-”

“Doctor Eggman – Espio?!” Amy asked, trying to work out which was more surprising. “How-”

“Eh, the Doc’s equal opportunity evil,” Sonic shrugged. “And Espio? Great voice coach, seriously. But apart from that, it’s just those weird mystical entities I’ve fused with. I’d give you a list but we’d be here all week.”

Amy nodded, vaguely.

“I guess that explains, maybe one thing,” she said. “Anyway, I said I wasn’t going to ask you for a date so… I, actually don’t know what to do for the rest of my afternoon.”

Tails thought for a few seconds.

“I’ve got a prototype Extreme Gear to try out?” he suggested. “It’s pink.”

“Sold!” Amy agreed immediately.

(based on a post I spotted going around, which I apparently can't reblog this to for some reason.)

[runningfrom2am]

serving drinks and saving turtles

summary: kie had admired you from afar for quite some time, never quite getting together the courage to talk to you. that is until you talked to her first.

pairing: kiara carerra x fem!reader

wc: 900 (ish)

tags/warnings: none!

a/n: this is so darn cute oh my gosh. anyway welcome back for day five of obx week, how you get the girl with kie!!

masterlists // nav

requests

join my taglist here

kie had always watched you from a distance, in the least creepy way possible: of course. as she sat on her families dock, reading a book or cleaning their boat, her head would always turn at the sound of your laugh, cruising by on the hms pogue alongside your friends to go fishing in the marsh. she had never seen you without a smile on your face, even clocked in at the country club serving drinks on the pool deck when her parents had dragged her there.

to kie, without a doubt, you were the most mesmerizing, most stunning girl on the island. she was jealous of your friends, who were always around you, who always got to bask in your seemingly endless amounts of positive energy. it was a world she wishes she could be in, but knew she never could.

she had never said a word to you, but it seemed you knew her. everytime you saw her you'd wave like you were old friends; but she chalked it up to just being a small island and you being too sweet for your own good. as a pogue, looking in her direction was something frowned upon by the people surrounding her, but you never minded.

she finally got some time alone, walking down the beach in search of turtle eggs which she knows from years past should be hatching soon. she's lost in her own world, headphones in while she scans the shoreline.

you're coming back to shore, surfboard still strapped to your ankle and held loosely at your side when you see the back of a girl walking down the sand away from you.

"y/n! one more before sunset?" your lifelong friend pope calls out to you, just coming up to shore behind you while john b is catching a smaller wave in the distance.

"uh, one sec!" you smile, unclipping the board and dropping it into the sand. "i'll be right back- swear!"

"hurry up!" pope calls after you as you jog down the beach toward the curly haired kook.

"kie!" you shout as you get closer, but as you notice her headphones, you assume she can't hear you. with a nervous smile on your face, you gently tap her shoulder as you catch up, joining her side.

"oh, y/n, hi." kie pulls out her headphone quickly, looking you briefly up and down. she smiles, but she's shocked.

"hi! what are you doing?" you ask, adjusting the waistband of your bikini bottoms.

"uh, looking for turtle eggs." she answers, subconscious of the subtle shake in her voice.

"oh! i found some yesterday. up here, i'll show you." you grin, grabbing her hand and pulling her up toward the tree line a little ways behind you.

kie's skin burns despite the coolness of your fingers against her hand, still wet with sea water. she misses the feeling as you crouch down, dropping her hand to dig gently through the sand until you uncover the clutch of eggs. "here, look."

she smiles, kneeling carefully at your side to look down at the eggs. she can't help but look over at you, where your eyes are glued to the white eggs in the sand with a mesmerized smile on your face. "they're so precious, aren't they?" you sigh happily, leaning back and clutching your hands to your chest.

"they are." she agrees, gently covering them back up. "thank you for showing me, i want to make sure they make it to the water. i'll check on them tomorrow."

"that's so sweet." you help her settle the sand over the eggs. "can i join you?"

"sure, yeah. of course." kie quickly replies, looking at you again.

"i work at the club until three, hopefully they can wait until i'm done to start their journey." you say, tucking your dripping hair back behind your ear. "i'm supposed to go fishing with the boys tomorrow, but screw them." you giggle, gesturing back to your friends in the ocean.

"i hope they wait for you." kie agrees. "i could pick you up from work, maybe?"

"yeah! that would be cool, kie. thank you." you sigh gratefully. she just nods at you, unable to curb her smile of excitement. "you know, that works out perfectly. i came to ask you if you wanted to grab coffee or something, sometime. you seem really cool." you say, cheeks flushed. kie can't discern whether or not it's because of the energy you used to run across the beach to her, or out of nervousness.

"oh, i'm not cool." she chuckles, shaking her head.

"sure you are." you start getting up as you both hear your friends calling to you in the distance. "it's all about energy, you know?"

you're speaking her language, truly, and it makes her heart happy to hear it. "yeah. i get it." she nods, squinting at the orange light from the sunset over the ocean. "you're cool too."

"thank you." you giggle, brushing off your knees before turning back to your friends. "i'll see you tomorrow, carerra! it's a date!" you call back as you jog down the beach and kie stands up.

you pick up your surfboard again, and kie watches as you fiddle with it for a moment before running back into the water. you're quickly met by a splash to the face from jj which you don’t hesitate to return. kie is sure now that these are her people, and you will make her feel like she belongs.

taglist: @bookishbabyyy @madelynie, @whore-4-drewstarkey, @slut4drudy, @winterrrnight, @totalswag, @sadfury @fullfledgedemo @rafemotherfuckingcameron, @urfaveluvr, @hxnnah-397, @s-we-e-t-t-ea, @saccharinesammie, @redhead1180

[rizatouchesthewalls]

Gotta Catch Em’ All!

trainer!hobie brown x gn!trainer!reader

text that is small is an optional detail!

pls give advice on hobies accent

fluff, headcanons + mini scenarios, pokémon-au

POKEDEX: HOBART BROWN

Name — Hobie Brown

ID No. — XXXXXX

Britain Pokedex — Earth-136

Money — Thief!

Battle Points — 947283

He’s a menace to say the least. Not in a quirky but in a way where he’s actually a national problem.

He likes Fairy and Ghost types. He feels like people aim for physical and elementally strong Pokémon because they’re known to be efficient; but who said that he couldn’t beat them? Snap out of it!

He found Mimikyu one day behind a brush in the woods

Love at first sight fr

He gave it a spiked collar and a spiked-mohawk-headband

He doesn’t use Pokéballs unless Mimikyu is seriously injured and there’s no where to rest at the moment

“It’s just controllin to keep em in there.”

No doubt about it he’s one of the greatest trainers you’ve ever seen

Him being pretty helps too ig

“A-and he just stole from my mansion—!” The exasperated man shouted at you. “Aren’t you trainers worth any good? Use your Pokémon to stop him!”

“Yeah yeah old man, I got you!” You lazily scanned the area and went around the back of the mansion.

Everything’s normal so far until you see a large picture on the porcelain white walls of the mansion.

There was a large “mural” in black, dark blue, and red. In huge letters it wrote: PUNK-MON WINS! Noticing that the thief was still finishing the painting you turned the corner and walked towards him. He had a mask on and held a spray can in his hand.

“Yo—!”

“Ki-ki-ki-kyu!!!” You felt something slash at your leg, causing you to crash to the ground.

“What on earth is that?! Your scary Pokémon just bit me or something!”

The tall boy picked it up. Speaking of which, what was that thing? It looked like a wannabe Pikachu with spikes attached on it’s head. “Good little Mimikyu, beatin’ up stalkers whereva you see ‘em.”

“Stalkers? Huh—hey you mean me! I’m not a stalker!”

He helped you up. “You betta not be a copper.”

You glared at him. How are you gonna trip someone and then accuse them of trying to arrest you? Who is this loser?

He removed his mask.

Suddenly you’re not mad anymore.

“Aha, um… I see we got off on the wrong foot.” You batted your eyes. “Emphasis on foot… what is that thing?”

“This TING!!! Is my baby. My punk bunny. Mimikyu say hi!” The little creature garbled and babbled away.

“Was that ‘hi’ or possessed screeches?”

“Ion even know m’self to be honest.” He looked a little disturbed by Mimikyu, but then smiled. “My name’s Obie Brown, and I’m the number one criminal of rich-heads like this around town.”

“Very cool Hobie Brown. Only problem is that rich-head thinks Pokémon are the cause of all this vandalism and he’s trying to take down all the gyms in this area.”

“Oh!”

“Oh.”

“Right then. WE’RE GOIN TA KILL A RICH GUY!”

“Ki-kyu-ki-ki-ki-kyu!” Mimikyu excitedly garbled.

“WE’RE GOING TO WHAT?! HEY WAIT I WANNA JOIN IN!”

You couldn’t believe you were robbing the house of guy you promised to help. At least it’s not like he needs said money anyway—he has a whole nother vault on a separate island. The goal was to strip the old man of everything he owned in this mansion.

You wedged the metal bar Hobie had lended you inti the crack of the safe’s opening. “Darn. [Poke!Name], a little help here?”

Your Pokémon croaked a little noise and threw an attack at the metal door, which surprisingly made a big enough dent to pull at.

The doors hinges dropped and inside revealed a tomb of gold and stacks of money. Including golden Pokéballs.

“Woah…”

Alright! No more marveling. Here was the hard part of the mission—getting all of the things into the cheap school bags you had stolen bought and throwing them out the window.

Needless to say, it was a rather taxing job. You were constantly on your toes watching out for a stray maid or butler to come in.

“Okay! [Poke!Name], we’re finished. And no thanks to you… You’re lucky I love you.” The moment you slightly pushed the vault door open an alarm blasted. You winced as the painful ringing echoed in your ears. “It must’ve not been triggered when we blasted through it, but opening it does.”

You managed to hurl some bags at the window. But your own escape was more difficult—and you could heart the rapid footsteps coming down the hall.

“Darn—!”

“DOWN HEYAH!”

That familiar British voice! You stuck your head at the window and saw Hobie with outstretched arms.

“JUMP DOWN! I’LL CATCH YA!”

“ARE YOU COOCOO FOR COCOPUFFS?”

“TRUST!”

You anxiously rubbed your arms as you heard the servants working on the entrance door. Who would win: your fear of heights or your fear of jail?

“Open up!”

Darn, darn, darn, darn—

Your Pokémon pushed you out the window. WHAT?

You were falling—you were falling—you were going to meet your death—

“Ya not fallin anymore you damsel in distress.”

You blushed out of embarrassment and got out of Hobie’s arms. “Ahem, thank you.”

He suddenly grabbed your hand tightly and started running away from the mansion. “So, what’s the name? I never caught it!”

You sighed. You really got yourself into some sort of mess. “[Name]. Your new partner in crime.”

“That’s the spirit!”

“I WAS BEING SARCASTIC.”

[lutiaslayton]

Hey guys, I felt like giving you a bit of a heads up: now that the transcription of the Japan-exclusive Eternal Diva novel has been completed, I am now working on its translation. And I thought -- hey, why not share this translation here as I go?

The website's translation is meant to be as accurate as possible and is filled with annotations and comparisons with the Japanese version, but if all we're interested in is just reading the darn novel like it's actually meant to be (read: a story that is actually enjoyable to read), then this translation really isn't going to make that happen.

(Just look at this. This is awful. Translation accuracy: 9/10. Reading enjoyment: WhatTheHeckIsThis /10. Do not recommend.)

---

So yeah, I'm actually working on two English translations 👀 First one is from the website and meant primarily to study Japanese and (sometimes) get the juicy lore, and the second one will be posted here! This second translation will actually be meant to be read like a novel / fanfiction, in the sense that I'll rephrase things and try to make it as enjoyable as can be. It may mean that a thing or two might be changed along the way, but I'll try to keep my creative juice under control and try to stay as close to the original as possible.

If anyone wants to criticise this translation and bring suggestions if you think that I took too many liberties, feel free to let me know so we can rephrase things! It'd be much cooler if this were a collaborative project rather than the work of just one person who might end up putting in her own biases, whether consciously so or not.

---

I can't tell when exactly I will start uploading since I'd like to have some buffer before starting, but when I do, I'll try to have some sort of schedule. Like one "chapter" or so every week, something like that. (The novel doesn't have "chapters," but it does have sections with titles. So I guess we might as well call those "chapters" for commodity.)

Anyway, that's pretty much all I wanted to say -- just a little teaser and some context for something I've been working on and will hopefully start posting soon-ish, and which I'd like to share with you guys as soon as I can! It'd be cool if this could be something I could post while my PhD is slowly ending and my workload is getting heavier and heavier -- just imagine if I had some buffer that I'd just put in my queue, and then boom, a chapter a week while I'm off dying while preparing my PhD defence and whatnot hahaha. No promises, but it would be really cool if I could pull it off.

[kozykricket]

havent been very active on tumblr, for no reason in particular. anyways, as a risk of rain fan, i must clarify my opinions on the SOTS release

i think we can all agree on "the dlc is great content"

but anyways, its clear to me that the devs are people who care and are passionate about ROR as a series and about keeping ror2 going as well. i mean, hopoo and ghor have said as much! and their community manager seems nice i really dont blame the actual DLC team, because like. its always rude to just point fingers at the people who are just doin' darn good work. point fingers at the executive decision makers i think uh, the unification of console and pc code is... well, ill miss the old codebase, but honestly? the fact they've rewritten the games code from the ground up basically... tells me that they're in it for the long-ish haul. that they dont want to just drop ror2. they want to make their own basis that they can cleanly work on and continue this game into its second life of sorts i guess its like a soft reset of development - everythings jank like early access now. but itll get better is the current ror team the best at making decisions for the game? maybe not, but i really dont think they're malicious

its funny though, because the 2 things i was worried about was "oh gearbox is totally gonna mess up the lore with weird inconsistencies and it wont feel right, and they'll add powercreep" but honestly. imma be real, knowing some stuff ghor has said about his intentions behind the lore (shoutouts to Ghor btw, hes done so much for both the lore and the... well, the creation and foundation of risk of rain 2s codebase as a whole. the more i look into ghor, the more i realize he truly is mr ror2) anyways knowing his intentions with certain things, i can say... the Anniversary Update and SOTV actually messed up lore more than SOTS has, lol. the lores well done in SOTV. the non-lore-important logs kinda suck though, they're clearly unfinished. but i think... what they lacked was Time. Time, to complete the clean unification of code ... and for general polish. so i say we give them what randy pitchfork didnt. lets give them time, aight? im not super happy with the idea of a ror2: bedrock edition future, but... i think if the right balancing tweaks are done, then things can look pretty bright. and they do seem to want to listen to the community (though i doubt randy pitchfork wants them to. heck CEOs)

and as for powercreep? lmao we got the opposite, the items are almost too underpowered.

AS for the dlc content, i think seeker is goated. really fun character to play. chef is... undercooked tbh, jank m1. still havent gotten the third survivor, though i know who it is, and seems pretty well done minus the lack of visual and audio feedback / game-feel i think the stages are fantastic, the music is as always banger, and honestly the items are like. really CLOSE to being interesting. like noxious thorn? a green item that plays with debuffs? very cool. but why is it "on taking damage" and. i dunno, instead of adding more stacks of debuffs, i'd make it spread those debuffs to more enemies! knockback fin should be turned into a void of stun grenade if you have both DLCs on, tbh. so yeah, im. cautiously optimistic for the future. dont fall for all of the doomerisms that the youtubers are trying to spread - they're doing that to apply pressure to gearbox, mostly. which is fair, but its also fearmongering kinda. and like actual devs dont seem too concerned for the games future im just hoping that everyone who has been involved with ror2... has a good future. i dont want gearbox to just cut off the ror2 team, and i hope ghor can find whatever he needs

[crabbunch]

For the ficlet thingy, 15. Dearest ache

15- dearest // ache

There is a ravager behind him. There's also a ravager in front of him- Etho sucks in a quick breath and sprints a little faster. The hallway is too small to squeeze past either ravager, but he does have a rusty repair kit, and the ladder to the library is in sight. He can wait down there for the ravagers to forget about him and then sneak back out once they've wandered off.

Etho jumps onto the ladder, but just as he's about to start descending, the ravager who was chasing him manages to clip his arm with a tusk. He yelps, and tumbles the rest of the way down the ladder- his com falls out of his hand and bounces onto the floor beside the ladder.

He lands hard, knocking the air out of himself and probably breaking some ribs, if the shooting pain running through them every time he breathes in is any indication. Etho just lays there for a while, listening to his cards run out and his stumbles build up until his clank and hazard are both at max.

The artifact wasn't that good, anyways; it was just 30 embers. He still has three keys left. He's not terribly disappointed by the failure. He lays on the ground and tries to breathe as shallowly as he can and waits for a ravager or a vex to find him and finish him off so that he can respawn.

...except they can't get in here. The library is a safe place. Etho turns his head slightly to look at Rusty. He can't die in here. If he wants to die, he's going to need to get out.

He's not sure he can do that.

He can't just message Tango, either, because Tango's not even online, and he doesn't have his com.

Etho only has one berry left- no where close to enough to heal with. He sits up, gritting his teeth and ignoring the ache that only deepens in his ribs. He just needs to climb up the ladder and let something maul him and then he can go home, or maybe just run the dungeon again.

He can barely sit up, though. Etho breathes in shallow gasps, but it doesn't do much to lessen the pain.

He's stuck. He's stuck in a safe place, and that means that nothing can kill him, and he's stuck. None of the other hermits were even online, last time he checked- they won't know to come looking for him.

Etho keeps his breathing even, and listens to the distant rumbling of ravagers. His ribs ache so badly.

He can do this, though. He just has to get to his feet and then take a step and then maybe another step and then one more step and he'll be at the ladder and then he only has to climb up 25 rungs until he'll be at the top where he can lie down again and wait for some ravager to hear his pathetic gasping and finally finish him off.

So it's basically impossible.

S-stumble! the dungeon stutters. Etho didn't know it could do that. He pats the floor next to him reassuringly, and then slumps back to the ground, trying not to inhale too sharply when the movement jostles him.

Ssssstumble! the dungeon says, sooner than it should, probably. Etho blinks at the ceiling. Either the dungeon is broken or he's spacing out- he sort of hopes it the second. If it is, he might just die of like, a punctured lung or something. That'd be nice.

S-sss-sss-sss- the dungeon says again. Darn. Just broken, then. He'll be waiting here for ages until someone notices he's missing.

Eeet-ho? the dungeon says. Maybe. He might just actually be hallucinating. That's a little worrying.

Etho? the dungeon says again. Concerning. Etho blinks at the ceiling. His ribs ache.

Etho! the dungeon says.

"Huuhhh," Etho says. "Weird. Is this actually happening?"

Yes! says the dungeon. Yes!

"Cool," Etho slurs. "Hey... why?"

Worried... the dungeon says.

"Yeah, I get... wait, no I don't. Aren't you supposed to kill people? For fun?" Etho blinks.

Kill. the dungeon says. Not this.

"Oh yeah," says Etho. "Cool. Could you- get something down here to do that?"

Can't, the dungeon says with a distinctly mournful note.

"Oh, that's okay," Etho says. "Thanks anyways."

Okay? the dungeon asks. Be okay?

"I'll get there," Etho says. "Just... gotta respawn. Someone will notice I'm in here eventually."

Help? the dungeon asks.

"I don't know how," Etho admits. "I'm just- waiting. Wait with me?"

Yesss, the dungeon agrees. Wait with you.

"Thanks," Etho says. "Yeah... let Tango know I'm here when he gets online? I'm gonna... nap..."

Okay, says the dungeon. Wait with you. Bring Tango.

"Great," Etho says, blinking his eyes shut. Man, but his ribs ache. Maybe he'll be dead by the time he wakes up. Hopefully.

Sleep, dearest champion, the dungeon says, almost tenderly.

"Whazzat?" Etho asks, squinting his eyes open to stare at the ceiling, but the dungeon has gone silent again accept for the occasional distant jingle of treasure and screech of vex. "Okay. Whatever." He passes out.

[manonamora-if]

May Check-In

This is a bit late, because I've been debugging the past two days.

So I bought Tropico 6 during the last Steam sale. If you haven't seen me posting for a while, blame by wish to be a benevolent dictator of a fake Caribbean island.

Onto the usual index:

Recap of last month’s progress

IF Events in the Next Month (I won't do this anymore)

Plan for the next month

Still long post under the break. If you want a mini version, head on over to itch.io as usual!

April Progress

From last month, what did we do:

Play more games: ✅

I started so good, finishing reviewing the SeedComp! entries, as well as the Revival Jam and had started on the Spring Thing... then I got distracted by the TALJ and Tropico... I also need to update @manonamora-if-reviews at some point... It's at least 100 reviews behind.

Finish the Code of Ch5✅ of Harcourt and edit the Ending Chapter ✅

YES! IT IS DONE! I have finally fixed those godamn doors in the maze that were giving me so much trouble. Also MelS has gotten my edits on all the Chapters/files (and was given extra comments because I also fixed some code in previous chapters). He is hard at work dying editing the missing text.

The only thing left for me is to: - add the maze visuals (map, book/letter formatting) - settle on a design for the final maze puzzle (need to so some research) - include the missing chapter/text (waiting for MelS)

Finish fixing The Roads Not Taken. Or An Eggcellent Preparation. Maybe the other parser too (it just needs a smidge of polish).

LOL... This is the shameful failure that is following me around, ringing that darn bell.

Should i give up on it? Maybe one day...

Complete the TALJ entry. ✅

I have been battling this one the whole morning trying to fix so many bugs. But I'm pretty happy about it. For one: it was actually tested by someone (not like last year). For two: it's actually an easy parser (like you can't lose!).

And the idea had been ringing in my head for so long, I had the prompt submitted to last SeedComp!.

But yeah, this had been happening for a while already. And even though it doesn't have the level of polish I had hopped (future me problem with updates), it is probably one of the better one I've made.

Anyway, play Lysidice and the Minotaur (I'll have an official post tomorrow). (and you can vote for it if you want...)

What else happened this month????

Well, the SeedComp! ended, so I had to deal with all the admin, and making the cool stickers for the different entries. That took quite a bit of time... but worth it! Some really cool entries this year, yet again!

Well, this is more of it's been done last month but released this month: Les lettres du Docteur Jeangille has been translated into English, for the Spring Thing (in the Main Garden, if you feel like voting for games). You can find the post there!

I've been also drafting some post-mortems, one for Jeangille and one for Lysidice. They should come out during the month, at some point.

:/ I have to update my website again now...

I wanted to do an entry in the Dialogue Jam, but my idea didn't pan out on time (too buggy for release). Or eer... cough cough... I had enough will power not to do it? Anyway, also I made the Really Bad IF Jam, which starts today!

What’s happening in May?

As mentioned at the start, I'm dropping this section from my check-in. First, it's buried deep in a wall of text, so no visibility (it should have been a separate post, oh well). If people actually check the events out, I'm sure it would be a miracle.

But mainly... a zine has popped up recently, specifically about IF called What's New in IF? (@if-whats-new), releasing weekly. Since it includes events, like the jams/comps/conferences I used to mention here (and it looks more sleek than a Tumblr post), I'll just leave them do all that hard work instead 😅

So yea... as long as the zine is happening, I'm out 😅 Well, I'll drop them links to my jams and stuff I see, because they seem to be looking for help in finding stuff.

The PLANtm for May

I'm playing Tropico, so I'm getting and will probably going to get less stuff done. Which is not a bad think. Breaks are important. Will I go on a break this month?

Probably should...

But if I don't, where's what I hope to do:

Play more games: On my juicy list I have: the Spring Thing, the newly released Dialogue Jam and TALJ, the Locus Jam and Really BAD IF is happening this month too (so more gameses!), and a few non-comp releases I've had my eye on.

Code Chapter 6/Endings: I need to wait for MelS for this, since he's editing my comments. I'll prob look for visuals for the puzzle in the meantime.

Fixing an older games. Instead of new, do something old.

Write the next Chapter/Scene of a WIP, because it would be good to actually do that. And make some actual progress at seeing stuff being done. (I want to write some Razac snippets....)

Let's have a boring month!

~

The 2024 To-Do List:

LOL, I've only done the website! :D

The hopefully maybe easy to handle To-Do:

fix the bugs in EDOC + overall the French version to match (waiting for Adventuron to get the French language)

fix the bugs of TRNT + find a way to add the missing pieces (giving up on the translation)

fixing the interface of LPM and the popups + check animal interactions

figure out the One-Button JavaScrip/jQuery issue...

edit the loading screens of the completed tiny games to include the program/format logo at least.

The 'Need a Bunch of Content to update but it's planned!' To-Do:

Update my website (bunch new title - also I don't think the logo clicky thing work...) + redo my itch page

Finish TTATEH (MelS dependent)

Finish Exquisite Cadaver (half-way mark by this summer - manif)

Finish P-Rix - Space Trucker (main path at least)

Update CRWL (it's been almost two years... I'm ashamed)

The Unlikely But it Would be Dope To-Do

Finish The Dinner as it was planned (and translate)

Finish In the Blink of an Eye as it was planned (and retranslate)

Finish The Rye in the Dark City

Fixing TTTT (at least fixing, maybe try adding some storylets)

And finally The 'It's impossible, but one can wish' TO-DO:

Remaster SPS IH (if I managed to start this after completing the rest... I'm going to eat a whole sheet cake).

Start the IFComp project (2025? Might end up being a ST?)

[weirdo-autumn]

It's time to make a long ahh post on my OC just because

(This is going to be extremely long so be prepared-)

Nao Nishi (尚 二死), pronouns are she/they

they had a bit of a difference appearance, somewhat longer hair and an eye patch

They were more quiet, collected. While she still is, it was much more back then

They don't really care about what anyone says anymore- it's always the same insults repeated over and over again and she just got tired of it all

They love their parents dearly, along with present friends

Lonely as heck but hey, they didn't mind

...okay she did but just a LITTLEEE bit

They were the quiet kid in class, just doing she own thing

But if someone, such as a teacher, would talk to them- she would play a cheerful persona who acted like nothing was wrong

They have *such* a high love for samurai and warriors and japanese history and urban legends and all that- that's why they have her katana- that they got from their parents, hand-made

Also love scary stories

One time she wrote their own for a class assignment and they got an A

The best mark they ever got in her life, usually it's average

They also enjoy things like simply sitting around and listening to the sounds of wherever she is, like in a park, listening silently to the winds and possibly other people around doing whatever

They didn't enjoy talking with people much, because. yeah.

But now, they could talk all day but get embarrassed about it because god did she really talk this much

They have a love/hate for coffee

Things they really hate aren't much but- wasps, loud sounds/noises, getting sick, causing attention on herself, lying about anything to family/friends you know nothing special especially when they're forced to in a situation anyway-

Just two years ago, they lived in Japan with their parents- Liam and Nirako (韮高) ((designs in work)).

Back then, with somewhat longer hair, Nao never had their mask but an eye patch to cover her blind eye that they were born with, and because of that, it caused the people around her to be judged, mocked, and looked down upon.

Some of this madness was spread to their family but everyone's eyes were on and only on Nao.

Which was the absolute worst. But, they somehow managed to keep herself together- those were just complete strangers that didn't know a THING about them or her family, sure it hurt but those words meant practically nothing.

In school it was practically the same, whispers going around, laughter, mockery, same old same old. It was boring. And annoying.

But when someone with the name of Uso Akane (嘘 茜) came by,

" say... wanna become friends ? " he displayed a grin on his energetic face.

That smile.

That darn smile.

It made them sick.

Was it some joke? Some sick prank?

This entire time they've dealt with being alone but suddenly this guy shows up like nothing such a happy figure, does he really think she would fall for this?

" i don't think you're a bad person- " cut the crap, they aren't that stupid.

Everyone has talked about her.

Everyone thinks they're disgusting. A creepy little freak.

Why would anyone want to be friends with someone like that?

" everyone thinks and speaks on what they believe, but I believe you're actually kinda cool. This world judges people too much just for something simple as your eye. " he said, moving his hands in various ways to express more.

...

" you don't deserve that treatment, not one bit of it. "

" so, i'll ask again... " then, he stuck out his hand.

" can we be friends ? "

...

Why did he seem so desperate for a 'yes'?

That's what ticked Nao off the most.

They didn't know anymore if it was all a joke, a prank, or... nothing.

But... it could be...

" ...... fine. "

They wish she said 'no'.

They wanted to slap, hit, punch herself but. They chose this path.

She was just sick of being alone.

That friendship was all a lie yet thet stayed in that spot for so long.

His name is clearly a clue but NOPE. Apparently not.

Nao slid down to the ground, hugging their knees as they couldn't do anything but sit there as they overheard the familiar and other voices inside the classroom.

Go on and on and on and on about their disgusting, annoying, worthless, inhumane presence. A waste a space.

The complete usual for her, really.

It was gonna happen anyway.

And every single person was going to get a piece of their mind.

....... *click*

A year later, everything was back to normal.

Sort of.

Now, their hair is cut short.

Still the same old whispering and talking and mocking but it was less this time around.

Probably because of an 'incidence' that happened just a year back.

No idea what I'm talking about well-

Uso got outed.

By the half-sighted child herself.

Basically, Nao had hid as well as they could and with a tape recorder she bought, recorded every single time they were talked behind her back.

Ended up getting a recording of Uso hitting them across her face and that moment made everything so much better for them once everything came out.

She had kept it all inside.

So many emotions locked in.

They didn't even tell her parents, as too not worry the two more. They... had their own things to deal with after all.

Nao thought it was weird that not a single person found out but, maybe their fake little persona works in ways that even she doesn't know.

A happy, cheerful, just as energetic kid, as every other child.

But she hated it.

Their parents too.

It wasn't them but a mere, hollow, fake as plastic doll.

That no one but their parents truly loved.

Well, at least their dad did.

Nao never once wanted to act like that thing around their dad.

Her parents ended up divorcing, now it's just them and dad.

It was upsetting, but things like this happen- it's life.

Arguments are a part of that life too.

But doing to either of them would make them hate herself more.

But aside from all the baggage, this time around, they've been a bit more confident about herself, like, they simply don't care anymore.

She took off their eye patch ever since school ended, ever since she got up on that stage and gave it their all to the graduating students of their student- that was something for everyone to remember, especially by all the clapping and loud cheering by some people that made an impact on their school life it- it was something.

Those people will certainly never be forgotten, those two students and their teacher.

Nao didn't know whether to call them friends or simply acquaintances but they did mean a lot anyway.

Asahi Sakura had been there from the start- practically glued onto them, while it was annoying, she was genuine the entire time, even though she had to lie between her teeth with the others.

" gosh you're SO COOL!!! " she would squeal in utter amazement.

Then there was Hajimi Matsuno, the one who was the first to find out about what Nao was doing and how they really were.

" you're... something, all right... " he muttered as a nervous, breathless chuckle came out.

Their teacher, Osuka Akane, a kind-hearted women who treated Nao like any other person- with her warm smile and words.

" i may not know what you feel like, but you have every right to feel this anger inside. " she spoke softly, grasping the now broken racket from their hands.

It was the best Nao ever felt in their life, and it was even better to see and hear their dad to be so proud and happier himself.

So things were going well, even better as Nao didn't give a care in the world and acted more cheerful and upbeat- no longer faking it.

And soon, they both would be moving across the country- somewhere where they could move on and live a good future, with new people in their lives- make friends maybe even meet old ones

And certainly, Nao made those few friends.

...And a crush too. But I bet you know that bit already.

[inventors-fair]

Secondary Effect: Modal Flavor Runners-Up ~

Our runners-up for last week are @bergdg, @feyd-rautha-apologist, and @piccadilly-blue!

@bergdg — Clearance Sale

I would never have thought about this kind of flavor, but having both of these options on this kind of card is oddly wholesome? Or should I say, wholesale! Ha. ... But I really like this card, actually. Having these go-wide effects are oddly decent in Limited in the right environment, and having the impulse effect on top of them makes this a great uncommon indeed. I think that it's probably okay at uncommon to make it attacking creatures, and I think the question of what kind of push you can do to make the pump slightly more powerful is...negligible. Which is good! I think that Trumpet Blast vs. Burn Bright effects is super niche, so that's the nitpicky portion of me wanting to make an excellent card perfect.

And the second effect mirrors the flavor pretty excellently as well! I think you can simplify the wording, but I think that it brings up the question of what exactly you want this effect to do. I'm not sure right now if you want nonland cards to cost {1} less, OR if they only cost less if both cards exiled this way were nonland cards. If it's the former, you can say "Spells you cast this way cost {1} less to cast." after the second sentence. If it's the latter, you can say "Those spells cost {1} less to cast if two or more nonland cards were exiled this way." I...think? Maybe the "if" should come first, like Bonehoard Dracosaur. That said, I'd also get rid of the second line of FT, and then...yeah! Pretty darn perfect for the sides of the sale that you described: mad rushes and hot deals. Great work.

@feyd-rautha-apologist — The First Empire

I honestly didn't think that something like this could work. Looking at this, the more that I read, the more I'm enjoying it, and the more that I can't help but feel that this would be too much for a premier product but would be excellent for a supplemental product. Possibly, anyway. The mechanics of myth and truth are interesting here. If I follow the myth, then if someone takes the monarchy it's kinda representative of the kingdom being lost forever. If I follow the truth, the empire doesn't have the same permanence as the myth, but the temporary gains may still be impactful. Isn't that just plain cool?

It's still a lot of text, honestly, and I don't know if there would be a cycle of these things, but I imagine there could be a deciding factor between myth and truth that makes a world of these cards quite flavorful and interesting at the same time. What do choices matter when everything is destroyed to dust in the end? Choices matter because one has an effect that lasts forever and one does not. Like, the enduring myth is a fantastic way of going about these two options, and I love that. Monarch and its related abilities, having been a frustration in constructed sixty-card formats before, is probably not coming to standard anytime soon. I want to still highlight this card as an excellent design exercise and a neat boardwipe to boot.

@piccadilly-blue — Time Gentlemen, Please!

You know, as a translation of real-world action and gameplay mood, this one is a lighthearted play that I feel works oddly well. (For those unaware, the name is essentially "Last call" for bartending purposes.) Either everyone vacates, or everyone goes for another round. That's really the gist of it! Mechanically, this card's quite the upper end of control pieces. If this was printed in a premier set, hell, I'd even start investing in control again. Extra turns allow for big finishers like Teferi to lock the game down, but on the aggro receiving end you get to wipe everything away. Boom goes the readiness for Sphinx's Rev (RIP).

And then we get to this notion of comparable MTG in-world mechanics. The mood is so lighthearted, and the effects would be almost ironic compared to what they usually depict. "Yeah, there are two cards in my deck that wipe the board. One depicts the descent of a corrupted god annihilating the innocent—and one's about a bartender kicking folks out 'cause the night's over." And that's, like, not out of the ordinary for the game. Sometimes Naturalize removes the horrors of the Eldrazi, and sometimes it's a broken piece of pottery. Effects like these are a little more grandiose, of course, and I think it's my own preconceived notions of what massive effects 'have to' look like that's the stumbling block. Maybe we're not going to see bar-themed references in the game anytime soon, but as for levity? I'm not too opposed, oddly enough.

And finishing soon, double-prommy. @abelzumi

[icy-watch]

"I've beaten her before, I'll do it again." AND THEN HE GRABS HIS ARM. look. there was a darn good reason my first impression was that Macky and Wukong failed to beat LBD together before learning he was never involved but sometimes I wonder. but ooh, same arm Macky was holding to get you to release, also physical body language for insecurity and self comfort hmmm, you good Wukong? "Mei was right. I need to stop dragging you into my fights." write this down too Icy, you WILL see this again. *stares at *gets dragged off stage* anyways did I mention how much I love ShadowPeach and how much they affect each other and how well done their fall out is and how complicated and how in need of clear honest communication and being gentle they are and how much care and love there was and *gets dragged off stage again* also the way he jumps off onto his cloud is SO COOL. whatda heck bro, why you monkeys so angsty yet gotta be theatrical and cool at the same time. *looks at your post* Oh Icy, if you want Macaque crying (or possibly eye dripping blood bc of Wukong) you'll get it later :) You know, part of me is also thinking. Sure, Macaque couldn't sit politely on the sidelines for Wukong to do his thing. And they'd probably chase him off with a broom. but the way Monkie Gang was so opposed to finishing the ritual when it was their goal too...yeah they wanted Wukong there so they didn't mess up and being threatened by the bad guy to finish the ritual for a power meant to destroy the one he "served" lotta confusion there. but like, if they did finish it when Macky asked the first (totally get why they didn't) its not like Macky could have run off with the fire or anything like, its not something you can hold. and the golden cicada appearing bc it was "destiny" but that bug is a sign of good destiny not bad destiny which Tang recognized and- *jumps out of my seat* you plan on watching the entire special?! WHOOO haha don't worry about being a naive summer child. There is still hope for Mackadoodledoo yet. Ah, I'm gonna kinda miss his villain arc. Now he's going to be transitioning into a fruit. Next season that is. Kind of hard to overcome anger and hurt when nobody ever talks about the past. Anyhow. On things to pause for. For this special? My hint for you: Keep your eyes peeled on the sky. First 15 minutes is all you need.

*adds it to the list*

You like ShadowPeach? I couldn't tell. /j

👀

[kermitscavern]

STWG Drabble 28/9

Prompt: "I wouldn't remember me either" | WC: 334

~~~

Robin knows how she is. Uncool, unpopular, a little weird, she's in marching band for Christ's sake, she doesn't expect anyone to give her a second look.

She's not surprised by Chrissy's blank face when they meet in the diner. They were each dragged by their respective "second halves," Eddie and Steve insisting they meet now that they're officially going out and the four will probably be spending quite a bit of time together, anyway.

When they sat down, Robin had shot her a smile and a, "hey, Chrissy," only remembering to introduce herself after a second too long of Chrissy's mild smile, and slightly panicked stare as she tried to figure out how to respond. "Robin, by the way."

Chrissy nodded, "Right, of course, sorry! Hi, Robin," She could see the color rising to her cheeks, embarrassment clear. "I've always been terrible with names, please don't take it personally. It's so lovely to meet you!"

Her fake cheer (well, it's not really surprising, is it?) got on Robin's nerves. "Nah, it's cool. I wouldn't remember me either." She said flippantly, shrugging. She was half joking, half not. Mostly, she wanted to make Chrissy uncomfortable.

She succeeded. "No, it's not that, really! I do know who you are, I just really am bad at names. You're in band! You're at all our games! How could I not know you?" How could she not know her? The rest of the cheer team found it pretty damn easy. "I wanted to call you Birdie, but figured it was a little old-fashioned. At least I was close?" She offered, and Robin immediately clocked a fellow anxious rambler.

Well. Darn. Now who was the asshole? "Yeah, you're good, no worries. It was just a joke." She found an apologetic smile working across her face, same as Chrissy's. Well, not a great start, but Chrissy did seem sweet, and she had to admit, "Birdie" was pretty cute. Maybe she wouldn't mind third-wheeling with her as much as she thought.