#Great Buddy Highlands

[kazeharuhime]

Fuzu Blosoma

A rare flower with a fuzzy stalk and petals. It can be found in the Great Buddy Highlands and in the north Wing Alaynan plains. These flowers rarely fruit and go to seed, as most known specimens are male.

[porters-fangs]

aster presents

redacted characters and their buddy/anti-pokémon! pt 1

basically their faves and also the little shits that get under their skin (inspired by @mazyn-ahhhhh who gave me this idea so thank you VERY much)

also thinking of doing a listener edition! so. stay tuned 😋

(quick little preface that erik has already assigned some of these characters their buddy pokemon in a reductive audio up on his channel and so i will signal his choices with a little * since this was a joint effort - aka if you don’t agree then i can deflect responsibility ok thank u)

• David - *Nidoking 🤍

- Magikarp ✖️

• Asher - *Boltund 🤍

- Toedscool ✖️

because what the fuck is this thing

• Milo - *Tyrunt 🤍

im not laughing youre laughing

- Bruxish ✖️

“It grinds its teeth with great force to stimulate its brain.” - Pokémon Scarlet

he’s just mad bc he does the same

• Christian - Dragonite 🤍

cmon

- Slowpoke ✖️

• Vincent - *Hisuian Zoroark 🤍

- Confagrius ✖️

bros coming to drag him back to the afterlife

• Sam - *Zacian 🤍

- Venonat ✖️

• Porter - Sneasler 🤍

“Because of Sneasler's virulent poison and daunting physical prowess, no other species could hope to best it on the frozen highlands. Preferring solitude, this species does not form packs.” - Legends: Arceus

smth about that spoke to me what can i say

- Golbat ✖️

something something vampire jokes

• William - Eternatus 🤍

- Alolan Raticate ✖️

takes him back to the black death 😔

• Alexis - Mismagius 🤍

- Galarian Rapidash ✖️

belongs in my little pony let’s be honest

• Quinn - Necrozma 🤍

emo ass

• Sylveon ✖️

it’s rage bait

• Gavin - *Salazzle 🤍

- Vaporeon ✖️

“did you know vapor-“ no. shut up.

• Caelum - *Flabébé 🤍

- Darkrai ✖️

literal nightmare material

• Lasko - *Swablu 🤍

- Sableye ✖️

just incredibly unnerving

• Huxley - *Torterra 🤍

- Sandygast ✖️

“Grudges of the dead have possessed a mound of sand and become a Pokémon.” - Pokemon Sword

okay. so. traumatising.

• Damien - *Houndoom 🤍

- Squirtle ✖️

he’s very passionate about this

okay part two will be linked here 🫶

[adventuresofalgy]

There had been torrential rain falling and strong winds blowing all through the night, and by the next morning the air was a great deal milder, exactly as the weather birds had predicted.

Unfortunately, however, the wind did not seem satisfied with that welcome achievement, and although the rain had stopped for the moment, and it even looked as though the sun was about to come out, the wind was still blasting across the wild west Highlands of Scotland with considerable force.

As Algy tried to fly around his assistants' garden he noticed that the leaves of the elaeagnus bushes were being blown inside out, revealing their silver linings, so alighting in one of the bushes for a moment, he began to sing at the top of his voice, hoping that he could manage to complete his song before he was swept out to sea…

Please don't be offended if I preach to you awhile Tears are out of place in eyes that were meant to smile There's a way to make your biggest troubles small Here's the happy secret of it all: Look for the silver lining Whene'er a cloud appears in the blue Remember, somewhere the sun is shining And so the right thing to do Is make it shine for you A heart full of joy and gladness Will always banish sadness and strife So always look for the silver lining And try to find the sunny side of life

Algy is singing the first verse and chorus of the classic song Look for the Silver Lining by Jerome Kern and Buddy DeSylva, from the 1920 musical Sally, made famous by the winsome musical comedy star of that era, Marilyn Miller, who performed the lead role both on stage and in the 1929 early sound movie Sally:

[kit-williams]

Cuckoo Anon

Firmly assuming this would be non Canon but this popped in my head and I Must spread it!

Everybody Here is 21+

You know those kinda cheesy romance novels you see in the book/magazine sections of stores?

With handsome, sometimes shirtless, men holding collapsing women in long silk gowns? With titles like The Highlander's Woman or Drowned by Temptation.

...You have to turn your eyes away with a blush as you walk past the book section in your local grocery store.

Astarte romance novels, a Whole new genre has popped up over night and you are Not coping well.

They range in subject and Marine type, Taming the Chaos, Renegade Revelry, His Loyalty Abounds.

Oh lord you are So embarrassed but you can't look away! Or rather you keep flitting your eyes trying to not look, only for them to get pulled back.

The photography for them was honestly immaculate, and that makes you both respect the artist, and loath them all at once.

Good lord, you should just hurry up before Your Astartes gets back from finding his items.

Then again...a quick peak wouldn't hurt. Just for curiosity! In fact you'll Only read the description! Not actually going to read about...that kind of stuff with a Space Marine.

You reach for the shelf.

"Hrm?"

"Eep!" You jump at a familiar grumbling greeting behind you. Whipping around you see your Astarte, with him is a cart full of items he'd set out to retrieve. His posture portrays confusion at your sudden outburst.

Your embarrassment doubles, and your blush erupts filling your face and neck with heat. "Ah h-hey b-buddy! Don't sneak up on me like that! You almost made me jump out my skin! Hahaha." You try to play it off, while blocking his view of the shelves that must not be named.

Your Astartes still looks confused. He tries to peak around your body.

You move to intercept. "Ah hey! Did you find all you stuff?? Great! Great! Let's head home I'm pretty ti-ERD!" You yelp as you big fella gently picks you up and places you to the side.

"Wait No No No! Don't look!" He holds you back just using one arm as if blocking a pet trying to snatch something off a plate.

You can't bear to watch and cover your face with your hands. Maybe he won't understand the titles? Oh please let him not understand your written language! He has eyes doesn't he? He'll clearly be able to see you were eying books about handsome space marines sweeping mortals off their feet. You're pretty sure Astartes can understand Context Clues!

"Hrm..." Your woken from your dooming as your marine grunts again, and you peak through your hands. He's  straightening his posture, and he's-he's got something in his hand.

He'd plucked one of those FORSAKEN romance novels off the shelf, then without another word, places it in the cart.

He then sets the cart in the right direction, and with an exceptional gentleness brings his ceramite clad arm behind your person to usher you foreward.

Curiosity, though baneful to you already, bids you look at which one he'd grabbed. Perhaps he thought you wanted it and were too embarrassed to ask. The thought makes want to melt into the floor.

Until what you see surprises you. The book in question doesn't feature your marine type on the cover, not even a similar faction. But the human model does share some physical qualities with...you??

You glance up at your Astartes as you walk. He glances to you, and...the arm behind you moves from simply nudging you along, to being gently but tenderly wrapped around your form, bringing you closer to him.

You blush for an all New reason, as your space marine continues to proceed to the checkout.

Maybe...maybe those novels aren't so bad after all.

I like to think a lot of these are penned by either people fucking/getting fucked by their Astartes OR are written by Astartes themselves. Oh sure you'd expect the far more SPICY novellas to be written by either noise marines or Chaos space marines dedicated to Slaanesh right but then there's one or two that's being written by a Black Templar with a pen name and a whole god damn author persona because he would rather flog himself publicly naked then let anyone know he's the one writing those erotica level novellas about a Chaos Space Marine seeking redemption and using the power of love as a way to heal, and of course the other series he writes about some mortal and a Black Templar.

Of course I also see the grocery store romance novellas also sometimes being set back home usually just either sticking to a single location but given the scale of 40k that either single fortress monastery or battlecruiser is large enough to contain the plot. Also you bed your britches that for those photography ones that got some battle brother from that specific warband/chapter/legion to pose because if you're going to have a trashy cover and use photographs and not god damn paintings that they use to have then its going to be accurate. (Its the Emperor's Children... both Loyal and Chaos who handle this)((Occasionally the Blood Angels))

As for you dear reader... how cheesy some of these stories can be though sometimes they have a habit of veering off into borderline horror at times with how grim and dark some plot lines can get. Sure if you pick one up about and probably written by a Chaos Space Marine there might be a likely hood of casual sacrifices being mentioned though bless the editors and publishers for making sure those stories are properly tagged. However, even the darker novellas tend to follow the 'power of love' trope, the guy gets the gal, etc. (For better or worse in the case of Night Lord stalker and/or yandere romance/erotica novellas)

Goodness me what started out as one or two books has amassed into a collection... and you don't think you can find anymore to add to it when you clearly get ahold of a story written for an Astartes verses a human. How can you tell? Well besides it being written in gothic and from what you've been able to translate how it is written in a very different style... but far more focused on the mortal. Perhaps like with the different types of marines they've got stories that focus on the mortal?

You can't say only speculate as your Astartis refuses to answer you. But how are you to know he's been writing about you and all the filthy things he would love to do to you. Basing the pair in his books, for both mortals and Astartes, off of the two of you. But who can say... its only speculation.

Tag list: @bispecsual @egrets-not-regrets @moodymisty @bleedingichorhearts @liar-anubiass-blog @thevoidscreams @barn-anon

[redheadspark]

Helloo I Just read your new Oliver Wood fic and loved it♥️ so I thought maybe you could do 3. with Oliver Wood...? Pretty please

A/N - I love this for Oliver! Thanks for requesting this, friend!

Strong and Brave

Summary - After receiving a letter from your daughter, you and Oliver reminisce about your time at Hogwarts as 1st years

Warnings - Just fluff!

“How is she doing there?”

“From what she wrote, she’s having a good time, Oli,”

Oliver hummed as he was polishing his broomstick, which was perched over his knees and thighs as you were in the armchair by the open window, reading your daughters first letter from Hogwarts.  Seeing her familiar writing made your heart soar, reading how she was describing her first day at the Wizarding school and being sorted into Gyrffindor House.  All you could remember was seeing her being sent off on the Hogwarts Express a week prior, her smiling face beaming amongst the steam of the railroad and her hand waving in anticipation.

To hear from her made those restless nights drift away finally.

“She loves being in Gryffindor, already making a few friends in her House.  She even has a bed right by the window with a view of The Black Lake, she loves that,”  You said aloud as you were reading another paragraph, seeing Oliver out of the corner of your eye smile, “So far she likes her classes, but Potions is gonna be tough for her,”

“She’s lucky she’s never had to deal with Snape,” Oliver grumbled as he moved his rag to another part of the broom, “You said she’s making friends?”

“Yes, two of them already.  They eat together at meals and are study buddies: Elena and Harper.  I’m glad she has friends,” You hummed, looking up from the letter over to your husband, “I wanna write to her tonight and send it tomorrow for her,”

Oliver placed his broom, which was now shining and pristine, down on the ground as you got up from the armchair to sit next to him on the couch.  Feeling him wrap an arm around your shoulders to tuck you in, you both were looking over the handwriting of your daughter, trying to picture it all in your head.  Seeing her in crimson robes, walking along the Hogwarts hallways with her friends, it must have been thrilling for her. 

You and Oliver were dreaming of the day she would be off to Hogwarts and make her own memories.  With her inquisitive mind and curious intuition, along with her tender and empathetic heart, Poppy was going to have an amazing time within the Scotland Highlands.  You did miss her around the house, helping you tend to the garden with the herbs, or learning how to fly on her training broom with Oliver watching her closely.  Even seeing her tucked in her favorite nook with her book in her lap, Poppy was part of this home.  

You remembered bringing her home from St. Mungos as a baby, making more space for her in those four walls.  Her energy was needed in that little house, her laughter was etched along the walls and her bright eyes almost illuminated like the sun rays to bring lightness in the night.  Poppy was the best blessing you and Oliver would ever need, especially after barely surviving the Second Wizard War at Hogwarts.  

“She’s a strong one, like her mum,” Oliver explained as he looked from the letter to you, making you blush as you placed the letter on the coffee table in front of you swiftly.

“And she’s quite brave, like her Da,” You added, Oliver rolling his eyes as you poked his side, “Don’t tell me you weren’t brave as a 1st year there.”

“I wasn’t brave! I was petrified goin’ over in those boats and seein’ the castle!” Oliver exclaimed, though you were giggling as he gestured with his hands, “I didn’t know what it was goin’ to be like,”

“None of us did as kids,” You reasoned with him, nudging him in the shoulder, “I remember seeing you looking like a lost puppy when Macgonagall called your name in the Great Hall.  A cute lost puppy actually,”

Oliver blushed as he kissed the top of your head as you kept talking, “Who would have thought I would be dating that lost puppy some time later, then marrying him years and years later.  I consider myself one lucky lady,”

That alone made Oliver peer down at you with the biggest smile on his face, “Did I tell ya I love ya today already?”

“At least twice,” You replied in a giggle, Oliver giving you a sweet kiss while you curled into him. Thinking of all the memories you two shared together, both as friends and then as a couple.  You love every moment with had with Oliver, both the good and the bad.  Your foundation in return was solid and strong, the cracks that would come along were fixed with talks and moments of comfort.  There would be no one else in your life that would fill your heart to the brim, only Oliver.  And now the child you created with him helped in filling your heart even more.  

“I love ya,” He hummed against your lips.

“I love you too, Oli,” You replied, giving him one more peck on the lips before moving out of his hold and grasping the letter quickly, “Now, we need to write back to her!”

“Now?” Oliver asked in amusement as you got up from the couch quickly.

“Of course now!  Time is wasting and we have plenty to tell her!” You explained, Oliver chuckled as he got up from the couch too to follow you back to your small office next to the bedroom.  It was the start of several letters that you would write to your daughter throughout her first year:  telling her about her father winning a  major game in October, gushing in excitement to see her for the Christmas Holiday Break.

Even breaking the news that she’ll be a big sister come next September.

The End.

April Prompt Session

[gothamslostboy]

The Lost Boys except they don’t turn Michael w/o him knowing and a baby cow just randomly appears at the cave

Specifically a highland cow

Marko, Paul, and Laddie just begging Dwayne, David, and Star to keep it

They let Michael decide bc he’s impartial (this is like the 3rd time he hangs out w/them)

He says hell yeah

Michael helps them build a fence around the bluff so she doesn’t fall or wander off

The cow is a girl btw

Everyone lets Laddie & Marko name her bc They are just so fucking hyped

The name Daphne is picked bc she’s a gingerish color and Laddie loves Scooby doo

Marko also likes the show, but additionally thinks the name is pretty

Marko is a cow expert and is the one to handle her feeding

As a group they take turns doing the rest of her care though

Michael just becomes everyone’s friend naturally and turns after like 2 years

Sam comes around to brush and make hats for the cow

This is when he starts to know the boys and becomes buddies

On his 18th birthday he also turns

Everyone is alive and happy

Dwayne asks Michael & Star to help look through all his books to find a way to make the cow immortal

They do it

Sometimes Paul sneaks her off the bluff with Sam and Laddie and takes her to the beach

Those three have a great time and everyone else is freaking out

At first David pretended he didn’t like the cow

He drops that act as soon as she falls asleep with her head in his lap

He becomes her favorite and spoils her with extra treats

He even pitches in to make a safer stair case so she can go between the cave and the surface

They have no idea where Daphne came from but they’re so happy to have her

—— TAGS ——

@britany1997

@silvermaplealder I hope you don’t mind me tagging you but ik you have cows and thought of you when this popped in my head

[ultramagicalternate]

ULTRAMagic Interval Chapter 2

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Master Post - Patreon

“Alright, I’m back with…” Randalph looked around. “Where is everyone?”

“They went to go get ready for the day,” Antonio replied as he started cleaning some of the smaller dishes.

Randalph gave a light shrug. “Fair enough. Anyways, here is Mayhem Highland and Faustus Ashman, two devils I work with regularly. I think they’ll be of great help to all of us.”

The devil dressed in the jester-esque attire gave a dignified bow. “A pleasure to meet all of you.”

“Mayhem and I have been working together ever since the end of the great dispute between the Arbiters of Droom and The Discordant Gods” Randalph pointed out.

“Hey, Will!” the red devil said as went up to him. He had purple, glowing stripes curling up his arms and his eyes were black and purple. “Good to see you again, buddy.” He then gave him a hug.

“Hey, Faustus. Good to see you too…”

“Let me guess; you still don’t fully remember me?”

“It’s all still super hazy, sorry.”

Faustus sat down next to him. “Don’t worry about it, champ. It’ll come back in due time. Either way, I’m hanging around here so we can get this mess sorted out.”

Kyu nodded. “Excellent. Faustus, since you’re here, can you stick around Will while I go do a little research?”

“Fine with me, Mr. #9.”

That made Kyu chuckle. “Thanks. I’ll keep you all posted on whatever I find.” He passed Sam as he went upstairs.

“Alright, I’m going to head out and grab some light groceries,” Sam announced. “Hey, Randalph. Who’s this?”

“Sam, this is Mayhem Highland, a devil I’ve worked with for a long time. Mayhem, this is Samantha Devilfay.”

Mayhem shook her hand. “Devilfay you say? How fascinating. A pleasure to meet you, Sam.”

“You too, Mayhem.” The way he recognized her surname surprised Sam…

“And I trust I don’t need to introduce Faustus?” Randalph asked.

“Hey, Sam!” Faustus cut in. “Good to see you again!”

“Heya, Faustus. Wait, you didn’t bring Mira along?”

He chuckled. “The missus is busy holding the fort, but she’s on speed dial just in case things get too hairy.”

“Got’cha. Alright, I’ll be back soon. And Boyo, I’ll pick you up something to ease your nerves.”

“Thanks, Sam. See you later.” Will turned to Mayhem as she left. “So, Mayhem, what kind of devil are you? Faustus is obviously a fire devil, but I’m not sure about you.”

“Well that’s because I am a chaos devil, a fairly uncommon affinity for devils. And I must say, Faustus has been singing your praises for some time, Will. I’m considering working with you, but first I need to see what you can do before I cast my decision.”

“Does it have to be right now?” Will inquired, a little nervous.

“Oh no no no, it can be whenever you’re ready. If this issue of yours escalates, we’ll obviously have a lot of time on our hands.”

Faustus patted Will on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Champ. Mayhem has got an eye for talent. Also hey, have you gotten outside yet today? Let’s go get some fresh air and catch up a bit.”

Both Will and Antonio went to go get dressed, with Antonio staying over at his house as he needed to tend to personal business. Will hung out with Faustus, walking around and talking. The two had been partners for a long time, but a somewhat traumatic event from Will’s past separated the two. Even if he did not properly remember him, Faustus was happy to be back with Will regardless. He came to view Will as his son after all.

The two were looking towards the valleys below the hill when Sam returned home. “Hey, Boyo! I got you some chocolate milk.”

“The good stuff?” Will asked as he walked up and took the drink.

“As always.” She then handed Faustus a chocolate bar. “Here you go, Faustus. I wasn’t sure what to grab given that I don’t know what they have in Inferno, so I got you one of our favorites.”

“Thanks, Sam. Chocolate with almonds, right up my alley.”

Will was halfway through his drink when he had an idea. “I think I’m going to go for a walk.”

Sam gave him a slightly confused look. “You sure you want to do that after everything that’s happened?”

“I can go with him,” Faustus stated as he helped carry some groceries inside.”

“Alright then, I suppose.”

“Will? You’re still a dullahan, right?” Faustus inquired.

He tossed his bottle into the recycling bin. “Why wouldn’t I be?” Will lifted his head off, causing a ghostly plume of smoke to emanate from his neck.”

“See, a ghost won’t attack a dullahan and his devil, so we should have nothing to fear. You guys call it a curse, I call it a blessing in disguise.”

While still concerned, that was a fair enough assessment that alleviated some of Sam’s worries. The two headed off towards a path through the woods that went all the way to a stream at the edge of the property. Midway through the walk was a large tree stump that served as a resting spot. Faustus really liked it as it created a nice place to observe the forest. It was the beginning of September, so the weather was still nice and the leaves had yet to turn. Things were great up until something at three quarters of the way down the path caused Will to freeze in place.

“Whoa, hey? What’s the matter?” Faustus asked. “Did you see something?”

Faustus looked where Will was looking and saw it. There was a shadowy, black and purple entity standing there. Appearing to be dressed in some kind formal wear, it approached Will, causing Will’s neck to start venting light smoke from the seam where it split. Both Will and Faustus were unsure what to do.

“Run,” the entity instructed.

“Run? Run from what?” Faustus questioned.

Will then saw something terrifying in the distance. His blood ran ice cold as the memory of his nightmare began playing out in his head. There was another ghost, but this one had an aura of malevolence lingering around it. It was gray and ghastly, just standing there… until it started running towards them. Will’s panic kicked into overdrive as he screamed as loud as he could and ran the other way. 

“WHAT IN THE SAM HILL?” Faustus exclaimed as he tried to figure out what to do. Did he go with Will or try to confront the ghost?

Getting a better look at the frightening specter, Faustus felt a similar fear creep into him. He then used his pyromancy to create a cloud of smoke in the hopes of slowing it down. Upon seeing the other ghost jump into the smokescreen, Faustus raced as fast as he could towards Will. Laughter was all around Will as he nearly tripped several times while making his way back to the house. Upon getting inside, he slammed the front door shut, bolted up to his room, and also slammed that door shut. This spectacle caught the attention of everyone.

Sam was startled out of her mind as Faustus came through the front door. “Faustus, what’s going on!? Is Will alright?”

“Hopefully…” he took a second to catch his breath. “...and we’ve got a ghost. A nasty one at that…”

The ghost of a boy emerged from a cloud of mist in the right wall. He looked to be from the 1800s and had blonde hair. “Sam, what’s going on? That woke me from my nap.”

“Trevor, where’s your parents? We got trouble on our hands.”

“One second. Mom!? Dad!?”

Two ghosts emerged from the floor. One was purple and resembled a man from the 1700s. The other was pink and resembled a refined lady from the same era. While overall cheerful, they looked equally concerned.

“Well I say! Those door slams were louder than the first shot of the revolution…” the purple ghost proclaimed.

“Goodness, I hope everyone’s okay…” the pink ghost added.

“Nathaniel, Adelaide? There’s a new ghost,” Sam warned. “Tell them what happened, Faustus…”

After Faustus' retelling of what happened, Trevor could be seen getting visibly angry. “The nerve of some ghosts, thinking they come on to my land and haunt my friends and family!? Dad, let’s go find this intruder. Mom, look after the house.”

“Will do, sweetie,” Adelaide agreed.

“Alright, son, let’s go show this rapscallion one for!” Nathaniel declared with a triumphant laugh as they left.

“Sam?” Kyu called out. “Can you come up here? Will’s freaking out.”

“Coming!” She looked at Faustus. “Can you let everyone…?”

“Already on it.” Faustus then went for the door.

Everybody was on high alert after all of that. Will needed time to settle down, with Sam and Adelaide doing their best to console him. While they watched a movie and played some video games, Faustus and Mayhem guarded the two houses while the others tried to make sense of what happened.

Will finally worked up the nerve to leave his room at around dinner time. Everybody was there in the living room, which made him feel better. “Guys? It was… that was the ghost from my dream…”

Olivia had his communicator ready and was dialing the emergency number. “Don’t worry, I’m already calling Antares.”

“Well that was fast,” Antares’ voice said as Will took the device. “What’s the situation, Private?”

“It’s-It’s the ghost. I saw it. I don’t know if it’s Bethany, but I saw it!” Will took a breath. “It ran after me after Umuka told me to run.”

“That’s not good at all…” It sounded like Antares stepped away for a second. “...alright, Will, this is getting escalated to a full case as we definitely have a type 3 ghost on our hands.”

“Hey, Captain Briggs?” Faustus cut in. “Who’s this Umuka person? I’m not familiar with him.”

“Faustus? Ahem, Umuka is a specter that seems to be connected to Will. He popped up recently and it’s hard to study him given how elusive he is. We’re not worried as he seems to genuinely care about Will, however.”

Randalph spoke up next. “Captain Briggs? I brought Mayhem and Faustus along for assistance.”

“Good call, Randalph…”

Adelaide noticed Nathaniel and Trevor returning. “Oh good, perfect timing.”

“Argh, hold on a second…” Antares requested. “Alright, the ecto-filters are on now.”

Nathaniel heard that as he entered the house and waited a second. “My apologies, Antares. We didn’t mean to mess with your modern science dohickeys. It looks like we got a little punk running around, uncouth and uninvited.”

“Lovely…” Will complained.

“That’s all I needed to hear,” Antares replied. “Will, I’m sending Adrien your way to scope out the problem. Once we know what we’re dealing with, we’ll send in a professional. You should be fine given all the protection you currently have. The way I see it is that there are two possible outcomes: Either this is just a random ghost and we can send ANTIMagic Mania in to deal with it, or it's Bethany and we’ll have to move you to M.A.I.G. for protection.”

Anotnio thought about it, as there was something off to him. “Hold up, this Mania person seems like they could take care of it either way. Why would Will need to be moved to M.A.I.G.?”

“If this is Bethany, then someone set her free. That means that there are other people involved and all that that implies.”

“Oh… oh dear, that’s not good…”

“I know how you feel, Antonio,” Will assured him. “Ahem, roger that, Captain… the other stuff.”

“Haha, very good, Private. Keep your fingers on the emergency line just in case anything else happens and do not hesitate to call. Captain Briggs, over and out.”

There was a moment of contemplative silence that was broken by an exasperated sigh from Antonio. “Oh boy, ain’t this a fine kettle of fish? You know what? It’s Friday and it's near dinner time. I’m going to make some food, who’s hungry?”

Everybody was up for a good meal after everything that had transpired. Sam and Randalph lent their help while Kyu and Buster went to pick out a movie for everyone to enjoy. Will, rightfully nervous, went around closing the curtains. It was to be expected, especially considering he was a bit skittish over the unknown. As for dinner, Antonio went with the tried and true hamburgers and hot dogs.

Sam, Kyu, and Faustus stuck by Will’s side, allowing him to relax as the night wore on. Will was still on edge when bedtime rolled around, so Sam insisted he sleep with her that night. Despite being a couple, the two preferred a little personal space every now and then. Plus they had a good deal of belongings between their rooms. Will was more casual with how he organized his belongings while Sam had everything neatly tucked away in specific spots.

Being wrapped up in Sam’s fluffy, fragrant blankets with her made Will feel safe and allowed him to fall asleep. The two talked until they were too tired to do so. Things were going to be bumpy going forward, no two ways about it. Whoever this ghost was not playing around. Being that brazen was unheard of and spelled nothing but trouble. Thankfully being with Sam kept Will’s dreams safe, but there was a lingering feeling that danger was just around the corner, waiting for the two to let their guards down.

Next: Chapter 3

ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)

[karliahs]

23, 24 & 68 - for the fic writer ask game!

23. Best writing advice for other writers?

hmm I think most good writing advice tends to be "show don't tell" wearing various different hats, and this is no exception, but the advice I think about the most when writing is like: tell it slant. go for the less obvious thing, the less obvious detail, and try to say things without spelling them out explicitly

a lot of new writers reach for cliches, because naturally when you're thinking about how to tell stories you go for the way you've seen stories told before. but things that familiar will just slide right through people's brains.

the ways to write stuff that sticks with people is generally a) anchor things in really specific non-obvious sensory detail, b) let people figure stuff out for themselves, because people feel more about things they put together in their own heads. a lot of the time when I'm improving a draft I'm taking out things I think I said too openly and trying to find other ways to get them across (you can see how this really is just "show don't tell" rephrased, but that's classic advice for a reason)

24. Worst writing advice anyone ever gave you?

I haven't personally been given that much writing advice, but the one that always comes to mind is that thing about using other words for said because otherwise it's boring for your reader - which is obvs nonsense, for reasons that have been said many times

I also see a lot of advice and reactions to stories that suggest the writer should have explained things more/left less things ambiguous, and I really dislike that...depends on the story you're trying to tell obvs, but I think a lot of the time it's better to risk your work being misunderstood than to flatten its impact by spelling absolutely everything out (this is why every horror book has like max 3 stars on goodreads, because it's full of people saying too much was left ambiguous. buddy it's a horror story! that's the point)

68. What, if anything, do you do for inspiration?

fairly standard things I think...with fic obviously engaging with the source material is the best thing for inspiration. experiencing other art is also great, and particularly I think it can be really helpful to engage with art in mediums that aren't your own; poetry, for example, can be really great for inspiring better prose, and I think this is partly why music is so good for inspiring writing

and this one isn't actually actionable, but I always get tons of inspiration when travelling. I was walking in the scottish highlands this summer and wrote like 5 different fics in my head...and then had time to write absolutely none of them down because I was. busy walking in the scottish highlands.

[number-one-toku-robot-lover]

Actually, I'm going to go insane for a second about that episode

X-Bomber episode 8 begins with our heroes landing on Planet Bowling Alley Carpet for repairs after the events of the previous episode. The one girl on the team, Lamia, decides to explore the planet a bit while they're there. All well and normal so far.

She encounters a bunch of weird little moffun rabbit beasts! Her big alien buddy/bodyguard is a bit alarmed by them, but they seem basically harmless. Again, pretty much space rabbits.

Her buddy Kirara runs back to get the rest of the group and, assuming from their urgency that Lamia was in some sort of danger, one of the guys, Shiro, shoots one of the rabbits. Complete with a lovely actual smoking hole in the back of it's head. Great.

Lamia is understandably upset by this, given that these things couldn't possibly be less threatening if they tried. And his defense of his actions is. Interesting.

I'm sorry Shiro, but do you think this is Highlander or something? Blasting anything and everything on sight isn't strategy, it's cruelty.

So, the villain's scheme of the episode is to trigger a volcanic eruption that (they assume) our heroes won't be able to escape...because of the rabbit creatures (Lamia calls them "monmons")

(Yeah, you might want to check that information again, dude)

Horrible. It would be horrible, Heracles.

Well, you'll never guess what our "heroes" decide to fucking do.

Yep! They just start blasting the shit out of them. And then once they're airborne...

And this environmental cataclysm adventure concludes with Lamia apologizing to Shiro for not being on board with decimating the local wildlife. Yay.

[margarettelizha]

|| Character Master List ||

All active OC’s under the cut! I’d love opportunities for RP, asks, or messages!

Margarette “Maggie” Lizha

Also goes by Lady Margarette Theroux, but very rarely outside of Ishgard

Seeker Miqo’te from Ul’dah

Born in Summer ♋️ , 25 years old

Ul’dah socialite turned Ishgardian nobility (she’s still figuring it out)

Married to Lord Olivier Theroux ( @blueberryaesthetics ) | [Fractured Fabergé] in a Jane Austen style arranged marriage plot

Themes for RP: Ul’dah Social Circles | Merchant | Ishgardian Nobility | Kugane | Politics | Formal Functions | Cooking | Fashion | Slice of Life

Carrd (WIP)

Maggie is a non-combat, non-WOL character who makes a great foil for all the super cool badasses of Eorzea. I would love to write with new friends in Ishgard, old friends from Ul’dah, merchants she meets in her line of work, or strangers she meets in the city states!

Jack Deveny

At least, that’s his name right now

Highlander Hyur from ???

Born ????, ??? Years old?

“Not So” Private Detective

Unattached, and he hates to see a beautiful person drinking alone

Themes for RP: Detective Work | Informant | Casual Conversation | “I know a guy” | Noir

Carrd WIP

Combat character, non-WOL

Jack is a charming addition to any room, and will happily chat with just about everyone. I would love to write with contacts old and new, subjects of his investigations, clients hoping to hire him, or old war buddies (Which war? Good question.)

Remember Atrox

Hellsguard Roegadyn from Abalathia’s Spine

Born in the Summer ♋️ , 28 years old

Very legitimate sailor currently in between crews for reasons that are not at all her fault, clearly

Recently broken up and shattered about it

Themes for RP: Life in Limsa | Piracy | Treasure Hunting | Friendly Ear at the Bar | Travel | Theatre

Carrd WIP

Combat character, non-WOL

Remember is a gentle giant very likely to lose her concentration on the battlefield thinking about the pretty healer who patched her up the night before. I would love to write with rival pirates, lady loves old and new, fellow treasure hunters, fellow theatre lovers, and anyone else she might have met while traveling

[deathsmallcaps]

I’ve cuddled this cow, he’s great at cuddling. It’s expensive but

1. It’s safe. Moo has been trained to interact with people safely, as opposed to cows who are chilling

2. He’s SOOO soft guys. Highland cows are sweet but wiry. Jerseys for the win!

3. Great customer service. They do not have an automated service if you call during business hours

4. He visits colleges and other campuses. If you can’t afford a visit, convince your college or place of work to hire him as a mental health visit!

5. If you decide to visit the farm, you can meet his friends! He lives with two teenage steer calves, two horses and some goats

6. It can be held inside or outside. If you decide to visit during cold weather, there’s a whole stall just for cuddling

7. If you have mobility aids, you can totally park close to the barn. There is a small lip to enter the barn itself if you cuddle inside, but Moo is safe around mobility aids (Dogs are discouraged) as long as he can get a good look at them, unlike the calves and many other large animals. My buddy has a motorized chair and Moo eyed it up for a little while and then was chill.

Anyways they’re willing to travel as far as Ohio if you’d like to meet him :)

[kazeharuhime]

Curloa Pinwheria

Thought to be related to the Windia Flowana, but more closely associated with the Pinwheria Magnificentia. Like the Windia Flowana, the Curloa Pinwheria derives much of its energy from the wind. It likes growing in windy places such as the windward side of the Great Buddy Mountains and Highlands, but can be found wherever it can get a decent wind. If it finds its way to a place without much wind, it tends to droop, and may even recede back into the soil.

[how2fit]

Fitness activities have recently become the go-to for finding dates. However, joining a running club for romance isn’t for everyone. So if you want to dip your toe into the world of fitness-based dating before signing up for that volleyball league, ClassPass has you covered. The booking platform is launching a nation-wide “Sweat Your Heart Out” series, which features workout sessions that are actually singles events in sweaty disguise. “Sweat Your Heart Out” classes will take place on February 12 and 13 cities across the U.S. at six different venues, including gyms, workout studios, and even indoor golf clubs. Everyone is welcome, whether you’re looking for love or friendship. The idea is for fitness, sports, and exercise to be that social lubricant for mingling magic. The series launches just in time for Valentine’s Day, but the concept is based on larger trends in fitness and dating. Social isolation and a renewed interest in wellness and outdoor activities in the wake of the pandemic have made running clubs and rec leagues popular spots for intentionally meeting new people. Dating app fatigue has made people seek out activities and venues that bring back meeting people IRL. ClassPass says its own 2024 user data supports these trends: “Community-centric” sports like volleyball saw a big boost in 2024, as did soccer and even ice skating. Dating workout classes can be awkward—how are you supposed to flirt while huffing and puffing? But exercising with a prospective partner can also be a way to develop a relationship, building bonds and even getting you ~in the mood~ (with all that heavy breathing and blood flowing). Plus, ClassPass is hoping to help out with the social aspect of it by providing ice breaker and bingo cards, as well as cards that let someone know you want them to get in touch with you in the future. And if you’re the type of person who says “hell yes” to a fitness dating event, meeting over exercise is also a great way to ensure you’ll be connecting with someone with mutual interests. The venues include four interval training studios: Barry’s in New York City, Fusion Integrated Training in Detroit, Train Moment in Milwaukee, and Shred415 in Louisville, Seattle, Cincinnati, Salt Lake City, Chicago, St. Louis, and Indianapolis. The 12, a gym based in Costa Mesa, California, will also host, and indoor golf club Five Iron Golf will hold events in Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Las Vegas, and Cincinnati. The events will cost the same as a standard workout class at their studios. You can find the full lineup below and book a spot via ClassPass or directly through the studio, If you do, we hope it’s your sweatiest Valentine’s Day ever—both during the class and maybe even with your new workout “buddy” afterward. 'Sweat Your Heart Out' singles workout classes Find the cities, studio locations, dates, and times for all "Sweat Your Heart Out" classes below. Barry’s New York City: 2/13 at 7:30 p.m. Five Iron Golf Atlanta: 2/12 t 6-8 p.m. Pittsburgh: 2/13 at 6-8 p.m. Las Vegas: 2/13 at 6-8 p.m. Cincinnati: 2/13 at 6-8 p.m. The 12 Costa Mesa (Los Angeles): 2/13 at 4 p.m., 5:20 p.m., 6:40 p.m. Fusion Integrated Training Train Moment Milwaukee: 2/13 at 5 a.m., 6 a.m., 7 a.m., 12 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m. Shred415 Louisville  Highlands location: 2/12 at 6:45 p.m. and 2/13 at 12:15 p.m. Hurstbourne location: 2/12 at 5:30 p.m. Seattle Seattle location: 2/12 at 4:20 p.m., 6:40 p.m. and 2/13 at 4:20 p.m., 6:40 p.m. Bellevue location: 2/12 at 4 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 2/13 at 5:15 p.m., 6:40 p.m. Cincinnati: 2/12 at 7:15 a.m. Salt Lake City: 2/12 at 9:15 a.m., 5:45 p.m. Chicago Lincoln Park: 2/12 at 4:15 p.m., 5:30 p.m. Old Town: 2/13 at 6 a.m., 7:15 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 12 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m. Hinsdale: 2/12 at 5:30 p.m. and 2/13 at 9:45 a.m. Northfield: 2/12 at 4:15 p.m. St. Louis: 2/12 at 5:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m. Indianapolis: 2/12 at 5:30 p.m. and 2/13 at 4:30 p.m.

[cheswirls]

pkmn aus are so fun bc you rly can't go wrong.. almost braindead from overthinking so m gonna ramble a bit abt some of the ones i conceptualized then never actually started writing

ONE is the dcmk cast set in johto. aka the 'kaito and shiho are on the run from team rocket bc reasons' fic. perfect excuse to make them a duo bc at the time there was very little content featuring their (potential) dynamic and i decided actually they would make a great tag team if given the chance. shinichi is there too as their benefactor of sorts, traveling w/ them and handling the day to day stuff to keep their faces outta public view (and also bc he has nothing better to do after ran kicked him across the border out of kanto)

TWO is the astral buddy cast, unknown setting possibly irrelevant who knows?? senya's still an amnesiac except its more of a 'small child following after a drifloon' lost in focus sorta thing. she has a buddy (an azelf) that follows her around but its not her pkmn. junko runs into her while disillusioned following a crushing e4 defeat and then proposition to replace a recently-incapacitated e4 member that of she does not accept because she has not earned it (in her eyes). revolves around the event that's left senya disabled, ft rotating cast gunha (good), misaka worst (bad), and misaki (neutral??)

THREE is the atcs pt3 au that follows the events leading up to miyuki taking over for chris as hoenn champion. i haven't decided on the main conflict tho i keep tossing deoxys/meteor onto the table. i DO know that jirachi becomes the solution and there's a lot of digging around to uncover a literal myth(ical pkmn). miyuki fled to kalos yrs ago never intending to return to hoenn, but a plea from chris regrettably changes that. and then he never leaves, poor guy.

FOUR is continuation of an iwaoi au that i also need to finish, where the hq cast is in olden johto before the days of ppl and pkmn living in harmony (i predicted legends in 2020 dhshsha /j) and in the settlement of blackthorn where tooru and hajime live, pkmn are even considered urban legends. they set out with a homemade "pokedex" (literally) as a coming of age task to find ho-oh, but just prior to their leaving, tooru is horribly burned and they're both cast out by the clan, leaving them worse fie wear on their travels. fun little pre-modern johto fic that i should honestly use pla as reference for, esp since there's a subplot w/ celebi where tooru gets sent back to the past in flashes to prevent his family from dying from a mudslide and leaving him orphaned in hajime's strange clan's territory. i had sooo much fun w this one so much like the one above this will def happen one day

AND FIVE :) the op au pkmn ranger origin story set in almia sometime around the turn of the 20th century (and 40 yrs prior so 1860+). revolves around sabo escaping from his homeland in hia valley after an invasion and recruiting the help of ace, leader of a civilized group of squatters making good use of the chroma ruins highlands. both have opposing ways of dealing with conflict involving pkmn, and by uniting their ways of thinking, become the ideal first "pokemon rangers" that all rangers afterwards base their training on. after journeying through the entire region helping ppl when disaster strikes, the two return to hia valley and retake the land with numerous allies, which unites almia together as one region/nation. then they solidify this by building the ranger union :)

[felikatze]

woooo i beat memories of celceta!! it is still. the plot is. the plot sure is.

like okay. open ending because you have to discover knowledge on your own to grow as a person. whatever

but the game leaves SO MANY things just kinda hanging? like the epilogue itself points out that Griselda's whole thing never comes up. Griselda herself seems like she SHOULD be more important when she's really just the map progress npc

and i just could not get into the lategame plot cuz of how skeevy the worldbuilding is. like. so. selray, comodo, the highlanders, and danaan village all DIDNT KNOW ABOUT EACH OTHER? Selray and Comodo should've just been friendly neighbours. Literally what would that have changed except Make More Sense. you can even just go "the villages fell out of touch recently because of the crises they had going on" and. there u go.

like. there's FOUR SEPARATE VILLAGES inside this great forest and NONE OF THEM KNOW EACH OTHER... why. what. hwuh.

also like. the open ending tries to make A Point but tooooo muuuch is unresolved.

for example. in one memory. Dogi is Here. dogi came to celceta with Adol. WHERE WAS DOGI DURING ALL OF THIS? Was he lost in the woods searching for Adol? Did he just fucking vacation somewhere else without his buddy? Did he and Adol pass by each other like Yzma and Kuczo in the diner scene of Emperor's New Groove?

Also, the ending scene shows Adol heading out into the unknown alone - without Dogi. Who he came to Celceta with. God. There is a story all on its own of Dogi trying to figure out what the fuck happened. "I look away for FIVE MINUTES and you SAVED ALL OF WESTERN EUROPA?? AGAIN??" if I were Dogi i would hit Adol with rocks for this

Another thing is I think the resolution to Karna's and Ozma's whole things are really lame... It really did feel like Ozma was being set up to discover some mindblowing secret truth but then it was just like "the sacred beasts are from the primeval lands ig" and then that's that! And Karna's whole thing with Remnos being "yeah Remnos IS actually just naturally better than Karna at anything. But it's fine because he found out he does actually just like playing the harp more." It is Kinda Shit. And the whole reason Remnos chose to stay with Gruda's gang is a bit nebulous to me but that may be because I did not play the game for several months.

Another thing... It really is just the lategame character dynamics that made me dislike the story... I could talk forever about how much I think Calilica should explode. Like yes she is A Kid so she's a brat but the game doesn't have to portray her as being right? Especially after Frieda joins, Calilica and Frieda enable each other to be such dickheads to Duren I hate it.

Like can we pick up on that interesting character bit of how Duren actually lied about being Adol's friend and how guilty he feels over it now that he's actually Adol's friend? Instead of going "haha Duren is so stupid"

Both Karna and Ozma are so much more grounded and mature by comparison that I like them much more... How many fuckin scenes in endgame are Duren saying something, Calilica and Frieda calling him a moron for it, and Ozma going "No Duren's right actually. We should get going maybe." Like multiple. Multiple.

it is also NOT lost on me that the less technologically and magically inclined forest people who are just fishing and hunting and Living Here Regularly, are all dressed to invoke indigenous people, whereas the Super Secret Magic Super Cool Lorekeepers who are Friends With God Allmighty are all dressed European. It is NOT lost on me I fucking see it. And that is Bad. For example, Ozma being the only dark skinned person. And Ozma being the only main character running around abs out. It is racist yes <3 I do love Ozma though he's my favorite of the main gang so I'm especially Meh at how lame his arc turned out.

It really is a shame bcuz Adol having amnesia is SUCHHH a cool premise!! It was really fun to recover his memories and dig into his past to see what inspired him to become an adventurer! But that whole thing... really isn't relevant to the plot, either.

Like okay yes. It was plot relevant insofar the earlygame is retracing Adol's steps and trying to discover what he was doing in Celceta, why everybody is mad at him, and what sort of conspiratorial nonsense he dove headfirst into. And that was ALSO FUN!! I think "everybody thinks Adol poisoned their crops and kidnapped their people" is a fucking hilarious running joke as Adol goes "well I dunno if i did it but it doesnt feel like something i'd do" capped off with one town just thinking that ADOL IS DEAD and freaking the fuck out when he returns because they already BUILT HIM A GRAVESTONE. funniest shit ever.

but thematicallyyyy it did not have all that much to do with anything. Discovering Adol's past before his adventures, learning a bit about his family and his father, had fuckall to do with the plot. Why introduce Adol's disappeared dad only to not do anything with it?

And the way Adol's memories are segmented - only the Far Past of his childhood, and the Recent Past of what he did in Celceta are ever touched on. I understand that it'd be confusing to have random flashes of other games, but... you could just pick pivotal moments from past adventures to define to us who Adol is. And then cap it off with "Adol regained the memory of adventure X" or whatever.

Like. anything man. Gimme something. I love amnesia stories and it started strong but then dropped the ball.

tldr: it leaves too much open to have a satisfying conclusion, earlygame character srcs are not resolved in a way that actually feels significant for the endgame, and the lategame party dynamic just takes the absolute piss

i REALLY LIKED IT for the first half bcuz exploring the forest and the mystery of What Happened to Adol were SO FUN but then it kinda took a nosedive in midgame and stayed middling till the end.

whatever/10 i still like monstrum nox's cast best i think

[aliciavikandr]

The Magic of Coffee: A Journey into the Globe's Favorite Drink

""

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