#How to glitch first make sure to make a save while you are Link

[sleepylink]

So I was playing Echoes of Wisdom, very fun game.

But ya know what? I really wanna play as Link.............

SCREW IT LINK TIME!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH-

Honestly makes the game harder in a fun way, I gotta use the my Wisdom to figure out how to get around now-

[uwukillmenowowo]

I was in my class, break time, playing CRK and "Love in Paradise" came up.

AT THE SAME I PULLED WIND ARCHER COOKIE AND I WAS LAUGHING SO FUCKING HARD THE TEACHER SCOLDED ME

Love in the Wind

[Yandere! Wind Archer Cookie x Human! Reader]

Notes:

Reader is female

Reader is a hardcore CRK player.

Buys all the limited packs, saves her gems for Super Epic+ cookies

Etc Etc Etc

But something went... wrong...

When Wind Archer first came out, you were the first to get him and his legendary costume.

You showed him much more love than you have any other cookie. Absolutely maxing him out until he had 1 Million combat power on his own. You got very lucky with the RNG.... Dang...

On the other hand... He loved it.

When he first came, he was already told how he was simply part of a game.

But after experiencing all your affection... He felt something in his code go wrong.

He started admiring you from beyond the screen, making sure his dialogue greeted you first.

Seeing you get all excited all over him flustered him beyond belief.

That's when things got bad.

The others cookies noticed Wind Archer acting out of place.

In turn the others starting acting out too, wanting to be a part of your team, wanting to be useful for their user.

Wind Archer did not like that... and decided to do something drastic

The Unthinkable happened... You were baking a cake when you couldn't find your phone. You looked around desperately since you needed to do your daily tasks. But that's when you heard a loud explosion. That's when you realized that you dropped your phone in the oven. the last thing you saw was your phone glitching all shades of green.

{Second POV}

~~~~~

Waking up slowly, you found yourself in an unfamiliar... yet familiar place. Sitting up, you were shocked to see yourself in clothes that you know all too well. After all, you designed it after Wind Archer Cookie's Legendary costume. "Morning Sleepyhead. You've been resting for a while."

You recognized the voice instantly. When you looked to where the voice came from, you saw the familiar green frosting. Stammering over your words, you stared at Wind Archer Cookie in shock, confusion, but most of all, amazement. "Are you... Real..?" You tilted your head. Wind Archer chuckled softly and sat beside you on the grass. "I swear I thought you were dead when you were laying in the soil."

You sweatdropped and rubbed the back of your neck. "Did you know you talk in your sleep?" Blushing in embarrassment, you chuckled and shook your head no. "Tell me though, who's [User]" In shock, you looked away. That was your username in Cookie Run Kingdom. Does hat mean that all the cookies you have are sentient..? "My... Player name..."

Wind Archer Cookie just smiled. "Anyways I've got all your could want here, all you can need here, just you and me my dear, my love for life!" You gasped at what Wind Archer said. "Wha- I-I'm not that" you blushed and looked away. Only for Wind Archer to suddenly be behind you and hug you tight. "I'm what you want here, I'm what you need dear, Just you and me my Love in Paradise! Now til' the end of time, From here on out you're mine. All mine~"

Flinching, you back up. "Yeah- No I can't stay here that's a fact- Are you sure this ain't a trap?" Wind Archer smirked and moved closer to you. "How cute of you to think, but last I checked, our codes are linked." You felt pale as you bit your lip. "Code?" "You're adorable~" Wind archer pat your head. "Our codes are connected due to your game crashing down on our heads but fear not cuz you're not dead. 'Cause I got all you could want here, all you could need dear, Under my spell, we're stuck in paradise. No one can come or go. My palace stays unknown-"

"No- No..." You look around in desperation to find a way to get out. "I don't belong here! There's something wrong here! I won't be drawn to Love in Paradise- not til the end of time there is no way-" Backing up on the bed, you were simply followed by Wind Archer.

"You're mine~! All mine~!"

I thought of this on the spot- I love this song and I--

WAHDBAWBDHLKHAWDNBJB

I may have made multiple mistakes but ehhhh.....

[pastryland]

f1 completed fic recommendations

Lestappen | Landoscar | Maxiel | Dando | Charlos | Brocedes | Carlando | Piarles | Galex | Sebchal

F1 fics are the main reason I got into this fandom and I figured I should share some (or so so many) fics that I like. While I do primarily follow Lando/Oscar and Charles/Carlos, I do read fics from other ships especially if they're from an author I like or the concept is interesting.

I have way too many fics (100+ though not all are completed) bookmarked so I'll just share my absolute favorites on this post and link posts of individual ships on their own posts. Also, I will continually keep updating this post and the other ones as fics complete and I read more.

If any of the authors of the fics mentioned here or are tagged and don't want their fics to be here, please let me know and I'll remove it!

❤️ = favorite

⭐️ = I love fics by this author in general

❌ = triggering themes

🔥 = explicit

Absolute Favorite Fics:

the trials of 2022 - 33k - Charles Leclerc/Carlos Sainz Jr - ❤️ ⭐️ 🔥

A partial summary of the 2022 season, as told by Charles or Carlos, following each race.

This would be my all-time favorite F1 fic if I had to choose, only rivaled by its currently unfinished sequel and the second fic here. Charles's and Carlos's relationship in this fic is so organic and realistic and the chemistry is incredibly tangible. The angst, tension, the emotion in this fic is delectable, beautiful writing by @/f1-stuff. Even if you aren't into this ship, I implore you to try this fic out.

the end of the strain - 19k - Lewis Hamilton/Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton/Sebastian Vettel - ❤️

They didn't end up together in the end, which he had already prepared for in his heart.   Lewis, in seven parts.

For the first time ever reading any fic of any fandom, I had to lie on the floor for a couple minutes to process the emotional damage this fic gave me. The characterizations of all the people are on point and the relationships are heartbreaking and devastating in all the right ways. If you want to cry or lie on the floor and contemplate love like I did, this is the fic for you.

Negative Splits - 10k - Lando Norris/Oscar Piastri - ❤️ ⭐️

So officially, Oscar Piastri, pretty good steepler and pretty bad pacer, was now a professional runner. They wanted him to steeple, mostly, though he’d be doing cross country in the fall, and Lando had pinky promised him, mid-distance guy to mid-distance guy, that if he wanted to get into the 3k flat indoor then he would get him in. Oscar didn’t really want to ask how he planned on doing that. Felt safer not to ask.

@/ocontraire is the queen of Sports AU's for the F1 boys (go check out her other fics too! They're also incredible). As an athlete myself, the mentalities of both Lando and Oscar are relatable to me, though I'm also fascinated by the differences in various sports. This fic is certainly on the more lighthearted side (emotionally at least) and I thoroughly enjoy Lando and Oscar's friendship/relationship and its development.

induction, consolidation, maintenance - 6k - Pierre Gasly/Charles Leclerc - ❤️ ❌

In which Charles is sick, Pierre is desperate, and he wishes he didn't have to do what he's doing to pay for Charles to have a chance.

Piarles is certainly not a ship that I read often, but this fic caught my eye and I'm certainly glad that I read it. Pierre's and Charles's relationship is quite cute, though I mainly love Pierre's desperation to save Charles no matter what. He is willing to do anything, the world could burn for all he cares, to make sure Charles is healthy again and it got me heavily in the feels.

glitch - 26k - Max Verstappen/Charles Leclerc - ❤️ ⭐️

Max hums. “Well, at least that means I won’t bump into Charles Leclerc again.” “Bummer, really,” Daniel says, moving back to his own seat and drinking the little bit of coffee that was still in the cup. “Could’ve been the start of a great love story.” Lando snorts. “Kids, it all started when I told your father, who had won two World Driver Championships at that point, that he sucked at driving.” Max sticks his middle finger up at them, and pulls his noise canceling headphones back over his ears. Only two hours left to go, he thinks, wistfully, and goes back to work.

I mainly read @/nyoomfruits's fics because of Landoscar, though this Lestappen fic took me completely by surprise. I adore the romcom vibes of this whole fic and Daniel and Lando are so hilarious and chaotic. Max's personality fits so well in this fic as an unbothered IT guy, but completely loses his composure when he meets Charles, his favorite F1 driver.

[superbpudding]

"I saw in the dark. Two floors below me, two women of the same soul spoke about the fate of the world."

Anyway i decided to combine the text posts with image posts so now uhh have this stupid image at the beginning.

So, today's text post is going to be about a completely unrelated to YIIK's lore bug that for sure will be fixed in later versions but i just want to share it cause it's pretty fun imo. First of all the backstory of how i found about this bug, there's this youtube channel called "Year of Chen Official YouTube" which seems like perfectly normal youtube yiik themed channel except their last 2 video which have no text or voice in them and it's just really long footage of gameplay, so they can either be a paid actor or they just went insane or something and decided to do their last 2 videos like that.

The first of these 2 videos ("YIIK 2022 05 17 18 29 21 BIT?") is nearly 30 minutes long and most of these is either just main menu or Alex falling into the void, the most interesting part of this video is author acitvating some weird bug or something and getting the background of Factory Hotel room to be blue and also enemies that weren't there before spawning, fighting them and then running/winning results in Alex falling in endless void. And uh, the bug is real! Btw before i talk about the bug i want to note how the video's description is encrypted and upon translation says:"I am uncertain But my mind is telling me We must BACK IN TIME https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8au3gdSu8Y" with the link redirecting you to a link only Zelda video about back in time glitch, this video link makes me somewhat believe that if at least not the bug itself but this video description could be somehow a hint by the devs. Anyway back to the bug, first of all you need to go back to Factory Hotel after visiting it for the first time, which you can do after getting key from Mancer's gate.Specifically you need to get to this room:

Then after going to the Fire Escape room and going through windows you need to get to this window:

Enter it and then comes to most important part. In this place there is a water fountain, currently there is a bug where if you interact with a water fountain and then press exit button youwill then be able to walk while still being in exit menu.

After that in this state go back to the window with ladder and interact with it, while having NO as chosen option.

It will result in game freezing for a bit after you climb the ladder aaaand

You bugged the game! The most notable effect of this is the blue fog appearing on background, however there are also few more effects of this bug i managed to notice: 1.All monsters in this room will respawn, including even one that aren't supposed to spawn there yet. 2. The lever and the barrier it turns off will be reset to default. 3.All sound will be echoed like in the fire escape room. And the main, fourth one is that making game re load you into this room you will instead spawn back in the fire escape room falling endlessly in the void, from which you can't escape except closing the game.

This can be achieved by 3 ways: fighting a monster and then running away or winning, saving in such state and then loading this save, entering and exiting mind dungeon. You can easily cancel this state by going to either back to Fire Escape room or using the elevator to any other floor. The coordinates in which you spawn in Fire Escape room seem to be somewhat connected to spawning coordinates in room which you were in before falling in the void, if you go to Mind Dungeon, enter the halls zone, then leave it and leave Mind Dungeon you will still spawn in Fire Escape room, however you will spawn on walkable collider and can escape back.

Uh, that's it. Thanks for reading.

[studywave]

PDF Readers: What Do You Want? What Do You Need?

Hey all! I promised a series of posts on resources that have helped me during undergrad, and I'm going to start with the basics: how to read your coursework. I'm going to tag a few people who mentioned being interested in this series, but please let me know if you'd like to be untagged!

@anyto @wocinstem @youneedtostudyives @studyblr-perhaps

Now, I'm an English major, so I can't speak on behalf of the sciences, but almost all of my course materials have been given to me in the form of PDFs. I also download almost all my research in PDF format, and when I find books for free online, they're usually PDFs. Clearly, this means I need some easy way to read and edit PDFs. Below the cut, you'll find information on how to choose a PDF reader that's right for you, as well as information on Xodo, my personal favorite reader.

What should you consider when choosing a PDF reader?

Well, first, there's cost. There are all kinds of PDF readers at all kinds of price points. Xodo, my favorite, is free. I've never used the paid version, because for my purposes, the free version is more than enough. Now, let's talk about those purposes.

As an English student, I'm mostly concerned with annotation. I want to be able to mark my documents up, highlight them, write on them, leave comments, all that good stuff. However, what I need might not be what you need. Do you need to sign a lot of documents? Do you need to build PDFs from scratch? Are you more concerned with appearance, or with functionality?

Once you've answered these questions, you'll be able to search online for reviews dealing with the specific kinds of functionality you need.

Why should you use Xodo?

Well, for starters, the free version has more than I will ever need. I can edit, I can annotate, I can sign, I can highlight. I can do pretty much anything my English major heart desires, and I can use my Apple pencil to do it (I'll make another post about ipads and Apple pencils and link it here once it's finished).

This screenshot shows a lot of my favorite parts of Xodo. I can highlight in different colors (I use green to make information on further reading stand out) and I can write (also in different colors) with my Apple pencil, all while scrolling and navigating with my hand. I don't have to constantly click back and forth between marking and scrolling like I do with some apps, and I can lay my hand on the screen without disturbing anything. This, the ability to confine the text marking to the pencil, is really important to me. I don't like to be constantly clicking around and making accidental marks.

I've also been able to read almost every PDF I've put on here without much trouble. Between the size of my ipad screen (which will be the subject of another post), the high resolution, and the ability to zoom and scroll at the same time, I can read even pretty low-quality PDFs with very little trouble.

You might also notice the little box with the "4" in it in the upper right corner. This indicates the number of tabs I have open because yes, you can have multiple tabs open in Xodo. I've had over ten tabs open at a time, some containing 300+ page documents, and I've never had lagging or glitching problems.

Here's a selection of other actions Xodo allows. I've never scanned anything to PDF using it, but if the rest of the app is anything to go by, it probably works just fine.

I've had the occasional problem with glitching (maybe once per every five hours of reading I do, if that) which usually just involves a section of the text going black and can be solved by closing and reopening the app. Closing and reopening is no problem, either, because Xodo saves your place.

All this to say, I've used Xodo for a little over a year now, and I have no complaints. I cannot recommend it highly enough, and I'm sure the paid version is even better. That's all for now. Happy reading!

[airjemsfandump]

❝Did you never know, long ago, how much you loved me—

Doomed by the Narrative

(incorrect Link Click), mild canon divergence

─┉┈◈◉◈┈┉ ─┉┈◈◉◈┈┉ ─┉┈◈◉◈┈┉

╰┈➤ ❝

Theirs is a case that's happened many times in the past. They aren't special. Even if it often feels like it, the truth is that the gods were too occupied with merrymaking to pay any attention to the board when they rolled the dice and moved the pieces. No matter how much pain it caused them--so much they could've sworn no other human had bled the way they did--the truth of the matter is that it's just another blip on the radar. Nothing groundbreaking. Just a moment within a second that would soon be forgotten when the clock's hand completed a full turn into a minute--into an hour, a day...

He knew this. He was no fool.

The first time Cheng Xiaoshi died before his eyes, the world didn't stop. It kept turning, uncaring, as if his world didn't end right then and there.

The second time it happened, nothing changed, only the circumstances of his death.

But people say that the third time's the charm because there's always something about the number three that is quite fascinating. The Law of Thirds, it's called. A single day, for instance, is divided into three parts. If one part goes missing, tomorrow cannot come nor can you return to yesterday. Their little tight-knit friend group which was almost like his blood family was also made up of three people--Cheng Xiaoshi, Qiao Ling, and him--Lu Guang. And then this--an answer to his grief after going back in time twice.

Thrice now.

When Lu Guang made his dive for the third time, the stars seemed to shift. He didn't know what it was. A glitch in the matrix? A coincidence? Or was it the gods toying with their red strings again? Lu Guang couldn't say for sure but for some unknown reason, Cheng Xiaoshi deviated from the script they had followed since. The safe part, not yet the climax of the tragedy.

They had walked this path before and in all those timelines, they had both come out unscathed. The grand confrontation would come later, approximately five months from now. This should still be part of their grace period. But. But Cheng Xiaoshi, stubborn, smart, and frustratingly kind Cheng Xiaoshi, had decided to throw that away to save one woman's life.

One single text message. That was all it took to alter this time's future. And once again, Lu Guang found himself grasping at airs.

Lost. Anxious. Confused. He stood on his toes, always on high alert, attentive as ever in case something jumped out from the shadows and threatened the peace they'd built.

But it would all soon come to pass when Lu Guang finally gleamed at a semblance of clarity. The neverending whys and what's, all answered with a single thrust of a sharp blade into his gut. Eyes wide in disbelief as he looked at Qiao Ling--their sweet Qiao Ling, ever so sassy, courageous, and kind--wearing a sinister smile that didn't belong in her angelic face.

As he fell on the couch, hot blood pouring from his wounds as Qiao Ling made sure he wouldn't stand again, a light flicked on in his mind. A hypothesis. One he didn't consider before because he was too damn selfish, too caught up on his idea of happiness that he didn't consider this. That maybe, just maybe, the thing he needed to fix was himself all along. He was the hamartia. The disease. And in order for Cheng Xiaoshi to live, he had to terminate his very own existence.

Such a simple answer. He should've just done it a long time ago. He could've saved Xiaoshi all the grief from reliving other people's pain.

How ridiculous.

He wanted to laugh but his vision was already blurring. And as darkness began to devour him, beyond it, he heard his Xiaoshi scream.

Please, gods... He prayed for the first time in a long while, Please, let me be right. Make of me as you see fit, but please let him live.

The next time he opens his eyes, he'd be fourteen again.

Someone just called him.

When he turns his head, he sees the kid he met at the basketball court a week prior.

There's a huge smile plastered on his face and then there it is again, this irritating feeling under his skin. Itchy. Scalding. Begging for him to notice. This familiarity that seems to draw him in toward the boy. As if he had known him before. That bright smile and the subtle sadness in his eyes. It fees like something he should know, like a forgotten memory.

He said his name is Cheng... Cheng Xiaoshi? That was how he had introduced himself to him, all sweaty and smiles after a rather energetic round of basketball.

Cheng Xiaoshi waves him over and Lu Guang immediately heeds as if it is the most natural thing in the world.

And at that moment, the stars shifted once more.

As he watches Lu Guang close the distance between them, Cheng Xiaoshi is hit with the urge to take him into a tight embrace and keep him there for as long as time allowed.

But he couldn't. He shouldn't. This Guang Guang doesn't know him yet. All the words he has been wanting to say, he's kept close to his heart, waiting for the right moment to pour them out once and for all.

Two lifetimes already. He has wasted two. And in both lives, he had lost Lu Guang too.

But this time--This time, he promised himself as he stares at his reflection in those beautiful gray eyes he thought he'd never see again, this time, let me be the one to save you.

Even if it costs me my life...

And it will. They will never know this, they will keep trying to pull each other from the quicksand of death, but their fates have been written long ago. The gods have willed it. No matter the time or the universe, one of them is always going to be a star and the other--destined to only gaze at them from afar. ❞

[robynbaldurlogs]

baldur log day 1 + 2

day 1 i dont have much to show for this day visually bc i wasnt actively documenting... but essentially, i: made my character, went through the beginning tutorials and stuff, took the little brain guy with me, saved shadowheart, and crashed on the beach. then i stopped playing. here is the only image i took before i got off LOL

day 2 ok. so: shadowheart is cool as fuck. i LOVE her already. cannot wait to strengthen the social link with her or whatever the hell you call it. get the friendship numbers up. this fuckass poem had me dead:

shoutout the bitch queen ig whoever you are. keep serving also i love this fucking guy. i can tell hes a conniving fuck but ohhhh hes kinda hot though!

like why is he kinda cunty. but yea anyways he joined my party. also met this guy. gale. he is strangely charming. but he also gives me zephyr breeze vibes (which is bad) and jack sparrow vibes (which is very good). told my friend speves that and that i thought he looked like a smart himbo and she was like "i dont blame you for that read" + "we'll see" which i Dont Know how to take. my judgements were based off the literal first minute of conversation btw

+ really stupid visual glitch i almost didnt notice. theyre fusing

shadowheart talk your shit man.

"just waiting, like a lovesick puppy?" ...... thats a bad thing? whatever you say man. gonna scare shadowheart with commitment. COMMITMENT JUMPSCARE BOO also little parentheses shadowheart is the most fucking dementia raven way ass name and i love it but it was hard to take it seriously for a little bit. warrior cats ass name. also i got crazy fucking lucky with my rolls. dont have many screenshots but i kept getting high numbers it was lucky as shit up until gale talked to me about needing to consume magical items like crack i read his mind with the mindflayer tadpole and found out it was cus he consumed some crazy ass Dark Magic or something, got a critical failure first, then just used some inspiration i had to get it right, and rolled high as shit LMAO

hit the rolls TWICE btw. read his mind once and then went deeper into his mind which had a 15 dc and got that too. hell yeah baby. also afterwards i was totally honest with him about reading his mind and he freaked the fuck out which fair i read your mind. i get it. but still

then i calmed him down by being like "hey man i had to know. youre dangerous" and passed the persuasion check :sunglasses: easiest game of my fucking life oh i talked to shadowheart abt her pains before that which was cool every conversation i have with her makes me like her more.

i met wyll. great guy. i went to camp to long rest and he dropped some INSANE fucking knowledge on me. like. i could live by this

so i switched gale out in my party with him LMAOOOOOOO and had a conversation with astarion about how hed kill me if i started turning. i asked what he would prefer personally and he said decapitation. which was CRAZY. so i was like yeah sure king decapitate me if i turn. do your thing. i trust your judgment

also talked to shadowheart bc i will seize every chance to learn more about her

then i left camp, talked to kagha while looking for a healer, got them to free a tiefling girl through more persuasion rolls (BECAUSE IM GOATED) and talked to the healer nettie who was fixing a Regular Bird

she told me how strange it is that we arent turning, to swear on my life id drink a poison if i saw any symptoms (which i of course agreed to, shadowheart approved and astarion did not) and stopped playing on the way to rescue halsin. fun times!

p.s. days doesnt necessarily mean im playing this daily but rather just what happens when i play per irl day... days just works as a way to categorize tbh

[thomine]

through thick and thin : mika

pair: mika x reader info: general audiences, biker gangs, a little bit of delinquent vibes from reader, slightly dystopia vibes, not proofread

summary: mika hides a secret from his brother. it involves bikes, gangs, and the person who saved him—you.

word count: 600 words series: day 18 of au august 2023 / prompt: biker links: work tag

The television in the living of Mika and his brother’s shabby shared apartment plays the news. The audio glitches and the colours are off—not that it matters. All the news has to say is how bike gangs erect fear and discord, what’s new? Perhaps the name of the bike gang that caught the spotlight of news reporters. Favonius.

“They’re activities have spiked as of late,” Huffman says while wearing his police attire. Its cleanliness gives it a certain glow in the dim apartment, the only light coming from the television’s flicker. He sighs and ruffles with Mika’s hair. “If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have to work overtime.”

Mika remains quiet.

When Huffman waves goodbye and the door closes behind him, Mika starts the countdown in his head. At the 10-minute mark, he takes his newly bought helmet stuffed under his bed and switches off the television. Swiftly, he heads to the ground floor and wears his hood over his head.

“Pst,” a voice calls from one of the alleyways. Mika walks on. His small statue and quiet personality make him anything but a person of interest. The hood was just to prevent his brother’s hawk gaze from seeing him—in case Huffman has not left the area.

The sound comes again. Curious, Mika looks at who might be hiding in the shadows.

You are there, leaning against the wall.

“Took you long enough to notice me,” you tease. “Varka won’t be pleased that we’re late, and it’s your first day as well.”

“You’re here to… pick me up?” Mika asks in a whisper. “You didn’t have to. Now you’ll be late too.”

“Don’t sweat it. Boss had a quick look at your profile, and he seems to take a liking towards you. We’ll be fine. It’s just not nice to keep me waiting, don’t you think?” You hook your arm around his shoulders. Mika hopes you don’t feel the heat that clusters on his face. Other than his brother, he’s not used to close contact.

“Either way,” you add, “Although we all answer to Varka, since I saved you and recruited you, you’re technically under me too. Wanted a nice second impression to greet you before you meet Varka and officially join our team.”

Case 321: Huffman arrested a man for a long list of crimes. He was part of a large criminal organisation—Mika learned from Favonius—and that was why after he was arrested, people tracked Mika down in hopes to return with a hostage.

Mika’s not sure what else can be a cooler first impression than drifting through alleyways and charismatically announcing take my hand as he laid on the floor, cornered by thugs. He’ll never forget it if that concerns you.

“Anyways, you’re right. I’m glad I’m here to pick you up. Considering your unique situation because of your… close relations, I guess I should ensure you don’t get busted before your first day even starts.”

“I know my way around,” he says, hoping his timid voice does not betray his intention to make himself seem… less timid. The fact the criminal organisation thought he was an easy target grated on his nerves. He didn’t want to be the damsel in distress.

“I don’t see a reason to disagree.” You point him up and down. “You’re here in one piece. But it doesn’t hurt to be careful.”

You’re about to sit on the bike but don’t.

“Oh, right, I forgot to say I’m also here to test you in advance. Not Varka’s command, he’s not that strict. Just something I want to know…”

Mika sees the way your eyes glint at the sight of his shiney helmet in his hands. You throw him something. He almost stumbles when he catches it. It’s a key.

“Do you know how to ride a bike?”

Mika gulps. It’s just like riding a bicycle, is it not?

author's note: i initially wanted to keep this story to at most 100 words, but i couldn't really find the words for it, so it became 600 words, whoop

[weed-ols]

Reviewing Every UKISS Release: By Unpopular Demand ~ NEVERLAND

This release, by no exaggeration, permanently altered the direction of my life. This album is just hit after hit, and oscillates between adrenaline rush and sobbing loudly from the abrupt mood swings between songs, and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

And yeah, this was supposed to be posted months ago but when I was grabbing screenshots, the post glitched and never saved and I rage quit writing this, but I'm back now!

NEVERLAND - 2nd Studio Album | 2011.09.01

This was so big when it came out, like I think if you were an international fan of K-pop at the time, you'd 100% know this song. Like there were download links for it everywhere, dance covers, fan uploads, it was crazy. We were so sure they were going to get their first music show win, but in classic UKISS fashion, they overlapped with another titanic comeback and had to settle for second.

So there was a little docuseries about them in 2011, when exactly it took place, I'm not entirely sure, but I'm fairly certain it was during NEVERLAND promotions. It was technically about all of the members, and the work that goes into being an idol. Some funny bits I remember about it -

Kevin accidentally stomping on Soohyun's foot during practice

Worrying about their future because groups that don't win a music show in their first 3 years usually disband (lol we're in the big old year 2024 now)

Dongho eating cake in the bathroom like a gremlin

Eli's alleged bachelor pad

I actually don't remember if this was in this documentary or from something else, but Hoon saying Kevin was the meanest to him when he first joined because he would tease him over not knowing how to dance

About the actual album now, I think that this, like Bran New Kiss, is another real turning point for them. We get a good mix of dance songs and more emotional songs, we have their first unit songs, and first real self-written song (albeit just lyrical composition with some help, but still baby steps!!)

Intro | YouTube Music 7.1k | Spotify 31k

It's 56 seconds long and basically a NEVERLAND remix

What is there to review?

7.5/10 I don't hate it though

NEVERLAND (Audio) | YouTube Music 26M | Spotify 2.5M

This went triple platinum in my bedroom I was so in love with this song (still am a bit)

One of the few songs where everyone is an active and roughly equal participant

Soohyun, Kevin, and Dongho get a bit more though but that's fine

"Money love fashion fame and all that's in between" what a banger line from Eli for once I'm not laughing at him

"And we stay forever young" Dongho, the most babyfaced baby to ever baby says

"Ggeuteun eobseo never end/Yeogin Neverland" part of the chorus? Batshit so good I love it

Some interesting vocal/rapper combos - Kevin/Kiseop/Eli; Hoon/AJ/Dongho; AJ/Kevin/Kiseop; Hoon/Eli/Kiseop/Dongho

Chorus is basically Kevin/Soohyun + Hoon for the second one

It's not very deep, but I am a sucker for the eternal youth and hedonism themes

Makes a fun dance track just slightly dark, like we're having fun at the club but also a little scared

I also like that while the vocals have clearly been processed for stylistic purposes, you can still really hear the differences in their voices, and the power in Soohyun and Kevin

9.5/10 it's just so iconic

NEVERLAND (MV) | Official upload 23M

Just realized it's been years since I've actually properly watched this MV but good god if it isn't permanently burnt into my brain

I have so many questions about who this mysterious DJ is and his purpose

Is he the reason they're seemingly trapped in this wintry apocalyptic-esque space? Is he why the party never stops? Is he even human?

Iconique this was my laptop's wallpaper for like a good year in middle school (which is a super long time)

These tinsel tops are both questionable and perfect, love the way the fabric and fringes move

This was like peak male fashion in 2011 where copious amounts of guyliner can give untold confidence

Like guyliner so thick it removes the need for eyeshadow

That's deadass gotta be like an entire bottle of liquid liner right there

Also I really like that hair colour on him

Peak male hairstyle in 2011

Like I think this was almost universal where if a guy in middle/high school had this haircut, he was automatically the coolest guy

Or in my experience, every Asian guy had either this hair, a buzzcut, or a bowlcut, those were the only hairstyles from like 2008-2012

Not the statement necklace

OH BABY WE'RE BACK IN THE ABANDONED WAREHOUSE

This is honestly one of my favourite parts

Also someone please let them out of the freezer the floor is cold and hard

FREE HIM

Love the obligatory smoulder and brood shots of the members so angsty for no reason

I like to think that this ice sculpture actually ate up majority of the budget along with the plethora of arts and crafts baubles attached to their outfits and eyeliner

Love love love this bit of choreo

I was so obsessed with this water set as a kid and still am

So obviously there isn't much to talk about the MV since it's basically a bunch of dance videos in different sets spliced with some brooding solo shots and smouldering group shots

But you know what? It works the song has enough going on that if the MV had more it would feel like too much

The sets are standard vaguely apocalyptic wastelands, and I really like the blue snowy one and the orange water one in particular

Three outfits -- the black tanks with the silver mesh/tinsel loose tank over; the black short-sleeve/sleeveless tops with metallic accents, and the white outfits at the end, and they all look good still and in motion

The hairstyles were all fine, with Kevin and Kiseop really embodying Peak 2011 Male Fashion, and Dongho with the most bowlcut to ever bowl

9/10 so iconic so good so 2011

NEVERLAND (Stages) | Highest viewed 765k (Music Core)

I was so obsessed with this when it came out like how could I not? Also incredible that they've brought The Box, which was not one of the sets used for the MV, to the music show absolutely incredible

It's like they gotta hit all the second gen tropes they can

Can't tell if I love or hate this motion sickness-inducing camera work

I can't take this part seriously anymore because I keep thinking about that charades game they played in Japan where they all mocked Kevin for this

The lines his arms make are very nice though, sharp and straight

That hair is ahead of its time

Another personal favourite part of the dance

Love that the smaller group work

This is more on the camera, but those background dancers integrated in seamlessly

Also love that everyone gets a chance to be centre I think that's really cute and everyone gets some time to shine

RIP to this arm pumping movement that disappears in like 2012 and the fact that AJ kept doing this last year

This part is so good

Everyone crowding around Soohyun while he belts, the turns, so good

Kinda like he's sucking up their energy to sustain his singing lol

Firstly, outfits

Love that they're all wearing the same basic black vest and pants, and have their own gold accents for the vests. Super simple but interesting to look at, moves very nicely

Nobody has hair crimes against humanity, just the standard 2011 hairstyles

Singing-wise, oh this was absolutely live and it's kind of insane they did all of this?

Like yeah of course there's the backtrack, but it's obvious when they're singing live versus letting the backtrack take over for the moment

I completely get why they were constantly talking about having to improve their health and fitness for this comeback because wow they sound really clean, both the vocal and rap lines

Also get why they said this was dangerous for their health, I remember trying to learn the dance and it was hard. I can't imagine having to train the dance and sing cleanly like that

On the topic of singing while dancing and the fitness and skill required for it, I think the NEVERLAND choreo is really interesting in that regard

There's a lot of up and down movement, lots of arm and footwork, but the torso stays relatively intact

Not static, but very shoulders-ribs-hips connected, and a lot of the interesting shapes and lines in the dance are mostly illusions created from arm, leg, and head placements

Which makes sense because while I don't sing, I'd imagine that keeping the torso straight and connected would help with maximizing airflow

Overall, they all did great. Everyone got their little moments to shine, though of course Soohyun shone the most, and nobody was super eyecatching, which is really good for this kind of dance

10/10 this is definitely one of those songs where the live stages are just insane to watch (*cough cough* SBS Chuseok water stage *cough cough*

Anyway, lookbook time

These feathered monstrosities with the rhinestoned tops

I swear they brought it up during UKISS On The Block when they were bemoaning second gen fashion

I think I see the vision of drawing attention to the upper body and arm lines, but it just makes their shoulders look perma-hunched

Love the skinny jeans, combat boots, and black jacket look

The individualized jackets with gold embellishments never misses

The dangly bits really help draw attention in a good way without ruining the overall lines

The white ensemble is nice, cuts a clean silhouette

But I don't like that Kevin and Hoon have theirs unbuttoned I get why, but I think if some of the others were also unbuttoned, or if they just had a different cut it would look better

The flopping vest is just a bit weird

So these outfits are from a 2011.12.30 special performance

Love love love it why did they tease a vampire concept like this if they weren't ever going to do it

Also really love reusing these vests with white skinny jeans, it's such a clean look

Shiny silver trashbag vests and blazers with white jeans

Not loving the cut of the blazers though I do think vests are probably the way to go for the dance

I do love these blazers though the slimmer-cut is definitely more flattering

Baby Don't Cry | YouTube Music 661k | Spotify 250k

I genuinely think this could've been a title track of its own it's so good

Another staple of my tween years - it's sad and angsty and moody

I like how the song song builds by letting all these sweet-toned singers do the first half before the second half is basically dominated by Soohyun and AJ + Kevin backing

Those first two verses honestly sound so pretty, and fit very well considering it's just them being sad boys

Second half is being slightly angry and petty, so of course Soohyun fits it perfectly

It's a genre-crossing "baby I love you please come back" to "baby you broke up with me :(" to "I'm gonna fight this other dude and I hope you become miserable >:c"

So so petty "I'm going to wish for your unhappiness"

Also went triple platinum in my bedroom

9.75/10 I would've given it a 9/10 for the first two verses alone they were that good

SOMEDAY (audio) | YouTube Music 1.5M | Spotify 336k

I'm fairly certain this is their first real slow song?

This was and still is such a comfort song

I love that it's a weepy song, not because it's sad in any way, but just because it's literally a comfort song

Another great collaborative effort for the first half before letting Soohyun and Kevin take the second half

Kinda surprised Hoon doesn't have more individual lines

Again, NH was kinda cooking by accident when they put them together like their voices all work so well

It's a shame we don't get to hear Dongho sing more I like his voice

The chorus is single-handedly responsible for getting me through middle school

10+ years later I still get a bit misty-eyed from this sometimes

8.5/10 I think it's a great foray into softer and more emotional songs, not their best especially compared to their JP ones, but a fantastic first go

SOMEDAY (stages) | Highest viewed 130k (Fan upload)

I don't remember them promoting this song that much yet there's so many stages?

I remember this Wave Kpop one but not the others

There's not much to really talk about since it's just singing, but it is crazy to hear Eli sing here versus even just a couple years later like he improved a lot

Super funny when Dongho sings his part and when Kevin's harmonization comes in, you completely lose Dongho's voice lol

These outfits are fine, simple, but gets the job done

Also lol Kevin wearing full smokey eye makeup here

Ooh these outfits are cozy, love the earthy palette

But also peak preppy 2011

Hoon in a full winter jacket is super funny though like everyone else is just dressed for autumn

More cozy fits, but this time in black/white/grey

Lol Dongho's little newsie cap

And Kevin's poncho like can we talk about how in ponchos were in 2011-2012?

They also sound super on in this performance. Probably the best version of the Dongho-Kevin bit I've heard

You can also pick out all the others singing during the chorus, which is pretty rare

Black jackets over white shirts with white pants, hard to go wrong

The blazers over graphic tees was so in at the time

Oh I love this very cohesive look

I don't love the jackets but the aesthetic is so consistent I don't hate it?

Different looks but very similar, very well done

Take Me Away | YouTube Music 1.3M | Spotify 272k

The goddamn faint emergency siren is literally both the worst and best part of this song because it adds ambience, but I hate the possible implications of it

Hoon/Kevin duet?!?!?! The first and last they literally just did this one song together and never again

It's like they knew this couldn't be topped and just had to pack it up

Love that every part of this song is so simple and understated so that their sweet and slightly teary voices can shine love that for them

Lyrics are hella depressing, which is why I actually don't have this on a lot of playlists because I can and will cry

I think the lives of this are way better (unsurprisingly) they really hit you with the full brunt of everything

8.5/10 simple, depressing, and understated for all the right reasons

ON THE Floor | YouTube Music 246k | Spotify 166k

I love that that's literally the official title like why is it capitalized like this

So we're just gonna completely change the mood with a fun dance song now

Soohyun/Kevin duet featuring AJ, Hoon, and Kiseop in roughly equal parts

Kiseop gets a whole verse to himself?!?!

Really is just a party song with a dash of "girl we in love"

8/10 it's a fun song that does its job, it's just not a standout in any way

Love Of A Friend | YouTube Music 434k | Spotify 68k

Back to slow and emotional again

This song doubles as both a friendzone anthem and a situationship anthem like what do you mean "we're not friends, we're not lovers"??

Another song where everyone gets a little part I love it

Opening with Soohyun/Hoon/Kevin? Goated I love the slowly increasing sweetness

Third verse with the entire vocal line stuffed in there? Incredible

I also think that verse is just so sweet lyrically

It's such a sappy love song it almost feels out of place in their KR discography like this would 100% work for a JP release

I think they all sing the chorus? Hard to tell because Soohyun and Kevin are always loud as hell and drown everyone else out, but I can hear Hoon and AJ pretty clearly at times

The bridge confuses me greatly because Soohyun clearly sings the second line, but the first line sounds like it's split between Hoon and Kiseop

I wish there was a live of this so I could confirm it

Why is there no live for this??? A travesty I say an absolute travesty

The last chorus though? Incredible

Soohyun belting his little heart out like rent's due, Kevin fighting for attention, and AJ randomly busting through

10/10 I can't even put into words how much I love this song it's one of their best slow songs

Story of April | YouTube Music 68k | Spotify 43k

Soohyun landing their first collabotration with a female artist good for him

It's a weepy love song, which is basically his forte

I think it's nice, not my favourite, but I do like their voices together

7.75/10 I don't have much else to add, but something about the song makes me feel like it's missing something?

Obsession | YouTube Music 692k | Spotify 192k

2SEOP 2SEOP 2SEOP

The chokehold this had me in was insane

I think this was one of the most listened-to song on my iPod throughout all of middle school and part of high school

I was so not normal about this song and I'm still not how could I be when I was so completely in love with the both of them

And it's so cute they cowrote this

"Love which is effable" AJ that was such a banger

Remember when they performed this for their 2012 tour and when AJ sings "tears are falling down" he just starts tenderly carressing Kiseop's cheek???

I really do like their voices paired together

Also does anyone remember if this came out before AJ's whole obsessive lover bit started or was it after, because either way I'm impressed he stuck to it at least until 2014

Like I'm sorry but that one Q&A game they played where the others were all like "being clingy/having a clingy lover is too bothersome :/" while AJ is just stomping his foot and shouting "love equals obsession!!" is soooo funny to me

Anyway when are we getting our Siyoon/Kiseop-produced UKISS album?? Like the chances of this actually happening now are significantly higher than when this idea was first floated

9/10 literally altered my brain chemistry

TOP THAT | YouTube Music 294k | Spotify 110k

Okay so now we're back to Bad Boy™ UKISS with another arrogant dance track

And the autotune is back babyyy

That persistent 'lalala' synth is both super annoying and infuriatingly catchy

Also lowkey kinda anxiety-inducing

So this is basically Soohyun's song since he's basically singing like half of it himself

AJ and Kevin get the next most lines, with AJ getting a whole rap to himself and Kevin coming and going throughout the entire song

Hoon, Dongho, Eli, and Kiseop are fighting for scraps lol

Honestly I don't remember feeling like AJ ever got so many parts, but this journey is proving me otherwise

Aggressively arrogant song

So I think that this is an angry post-breakup song where they're bitching at their ex?

7.5/10 I don't hate it, but the synth sound is so annoying. Otherwise, very normal uwukiss song

Tell Me Y | YouTube Music 88k | Spotify 81k

Rap line song??? Kinda sorta it's just Dongho and Eli with Swin PD doing the singing

Surprisingly slow and mellow song for what is ostensibly the rap line song

If you guessed this song is another "baby I miss you please come back" song, you'd be right

A very even three-person collaboration everyone got lines yay

I really like the instrumentation for this song, very chill and easy to listen to

8/10 I feel like I always forget about this song when I make playlists it's really nice

Let's Meet Again | YouTube Music 17k | Spotify 9.4k

Group project with Paran to cover a Paran song lol

Thank you Eli for the elephant impression, truly don't know what we'd do without you

So yeah it starts with a long group chat for the first few minutes while the 9 of them are stuffed in that recording booth

By the way, there's a making of album video of this and it's super adorable

The Paran guys are just teasing and babying Soohyun like that's exactly what he deserves

It's a bit difficult to sort through the voices because I'm not familiar with Paran, but it sounds mostly like the vocal line + the Paran guys

I think it's Paran who starts off, followed by Hoon and Kevin, then the vocal troika dominating the first chorus

Second verse sounds like Eli, who sounds very nice, followed by an equally nice Kiseop, then AJ, then the second chorus that's dominated by AJ and Kevin

Then SooHoon helping build into the very pretty last chorus that's mostly the Paran guys + Soohyun

I just kind of wish there was something else to help resolve the ending since it just kinda comes down, but the payoff doesn't feel super satisfying?

It's very pretty I love the instrumentation and how well it builds

You know, I've always wondered where AJ got his singing style from, like it's super distinct compared to the others, and he must have learnt/mimicked it from his Paran bros 🥺

It's such a mushy 'let's meet again' type song I love it

God I'd kill to hear a proper live of this done it'd be so good

8.75/10 god the buildup is so good and I love vocal-heavy songs

So yeah, after a very long time, I'm finally done with NEVERLAND, and we're entering their JP era next, yay!

Not a fun fact, but just a general observation, but this whole 2011-2014 period is so insane to me? Like they basically work nonstop for those 3 years doing constant promotions in Korea and Japan, international tours/concerts, all while members are coming and going? Honestly more surprised they didn't all crash and burn, considering how middling the returns were, but I guess that's why they're all batshit

[maddieautobot273]

Silk & Cologne (16)

A Miguel O’Hara x OC Series - Link to AO3 (X)

Chapter 16 - Normal

Pairing: Miguel O’Hara x Female OC

Words: 2.4K+ words

Warnings: PG but no major warnings for this one! 

Summary: Lisa tries to move past what happened the night of the attack, but can’t deny that things are changing. 

//////

It’s been about a week now since the apartment attack. There hadn’t been any news from Earth-1997 so it was business as usual for the Spider-Society again. Miguel would monitor the multiverse for any signs of anomaly activity, send in a team to deal with it or lead his own team personally. Whenever I was present when Gwen or Hobie or Peter B. would get the call to join in on a mission, my eyes always sparkled with wonder when a portal opened up and I watched them run through. I became curious what the other dimensions would look like. 

Maybe if I trained enough, I would get to be a part of all this? 

But whenever I’d catch Miguel staring at me, noticing the wonder in my eyes, there was an expression that he made that I couldn’t quite decipher. But I knew it was something along the lines of too dangerous. I had previously asked Peter B. what fighting in other dimensions was like, and he said if it weren’t for Miguel’s invention of the Gizmos or day passes, your atoms would break apart bit by bit, slowly killing you. 

“Your atoms don’t exactly feel too jazzed about being in another dimension,” as he once put it. 

Miguel had also briefly explained the process to me the other day during one of our work out sessions. He said that I was almost about to experience the “glitch” process myself while Spider-Doc was tending to my wounds after he and Peter B. first rescued me. When I realized it all, it started to make a little more sense. 

Now I understood the look in Miguel’s eyes a bit better. He didn’t want me to get myself killed. Understandably, I knew where he was coming from. I’m still fresh with my powers, despite my training and progress to control them. But I still had hope.

In between training sessions, I’d work on composing various routines like the one I displayed to Miguel during our mock battle. Just in case. Spider-Man had to actually start fighting villains eventually. Maybe not in my dimension, as per our agreement, but perhaps in Nueva York? Maybe another another dimension?

I had thought about asking Miguel to teach me how to fight, well, properly anyways. I knew with each Spider they had their own unique fighting style. I could mix my dance moves into my evasive maneuvers, but for my attacks? It could work, but be a little tricky. Which is why I need to learn some actual fighting moves. 

In between his Spider-Society duties, Miguel would take a little time out of each day to come visit me in my dimension and help me clean up my apartment. Some of the furniture was salvageable and easily repaired, while others weren’t as lucky. I could understand Miguel’s frustration when he tried helping me fix my bookshelf after I had gathered and cleaned up my toppled book collection. 

“Miguel, are you sure it goes that way?” I asked him as I read through the old instruction pamphlet I had saved from the movers. 

“Pretty sure,” he nodded firmly. “Any other way looks stupid,” 

I glanced back at the instruction manual, looking at the pictures of the display before looking back at the shelf. “Only if you’re sure,” 

“Lisa, really, I have a PHD in biology, engineering, physics, I think I know how to fix a bookshelf from IKEA,” He chuckled with a warm huff, his chest puffing up with pride as he worked. 

He carefully forced the piece in, snapping it in place. He wiped the sweat off his brow as he sat up. His holographic outfit was a blue tank top with beige cargo pants and white sneakers. He stepped back, admiring his work before looking over at me. 

“So?”

“I think you fixed it!” I beamed, smiling at him. “Now I can finally put these books away,” 

Until the board cracked, and toppled down, creating a domino effect that knocked over the other boards. My mouth gaped open at the sight, no words coming out. I glanced over to Miguel and I swear I could see his left eye twitching. 

He huffed, dropping the hammer on the floor. “That’s it, I’m buying you new furniture,” 

“Miguel, it’s okay, you don’t have to do that,” I spoke quickly, waving my hands frantically to try and ease him. “Besides, I can’t pay you back,” 

“Don’t worry about the money, really, it’s on me,” Miguel reached out and used his hand to gently pat my head, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. “Relájate y deja que yo me ocupe, mi Mona Lisa,” - Relax and let me take care of it, my Mona Lisa 

I raised a curious brow at the man as my hand gently caressed his. “How much are we talking here?”

“Lisa, don’t worry, really,” Miguel chuckled softly as his fingers latched on to my hand, squeezing them rightly as he lowered his hand from my head. “Besides, I already ordered everything and they’ll be delivered within a few days,” 

“¡¿QUÉ?!” I gawked at Miguel as he brushed past me, grabbing his water bottle. - What?!

“Did you just gawk at me in my mother tongue?” He smirked at me. 

“Well, with us spending a bit more time together, can you blame me for picking up on some phrases?” I crossed my arms at him. “How much was everything?”

He gave me a side eye as I watched him gulp down his water, the adam’s apple of his throat bobbing with each gulp. When he pulled away, he sighed deeply, the drink refreshing him as a small trail of water traveled down his chin and neck. “That’s classified,” 

I whined, telling me to cut me some slack. All he did was laugh at my reaction. 

“Maybe it hasn’t occurred to you that I’m doing this out of the kindness of my own heart?” I smirked. “Maybe because I simply want to?”

My cheeks turned a light shade of pink at the realization that he was going out of his way, willingly, to make me happy. I felt spoiled. 

“But–”

“No buts about it, my Mona Lisa,” He grinned as he gently flicked his finger on my forehead before leaning in closer to my face. “Suffer,”

That all happened yesterday and the butterflies still hadn’t gone away. I had noticed he only acted this way around me when it was just the two of us. While at the Spider-Society, he of course would still be nice to me and offer me warm glances every now and again, but he would always keep things professional while working with the other Spiders. In a sense, I understood the switch and actually agreed. 

There could be a million reasons as to why Miguel chose to act the way he did. I was just happy he felt okay to relax a little bit and let himself go around me. I decided the next time I saw Miguel, I’d put my foot down and ask him to teach me how to fight. 

Anything to try and get that hopeless feeling out of my body after what happened at the apartment. I could feel the pulse of my web fluid quaking in my wrists during that entire encounter. The way that evil Miguel, no– Chameleon, was his name, taunted me, toyed with me. Never again. I’ll never give another villain the satisfaction. 

These thoughts had been plaguing me for the last few days, most noticeably during dance practice. Most of the teams had broken off to practice their work in smaller studios throughout the building, while my team and another worked in the main studio. We were doing our warm ups to some of METRO’s other music when I faltered suddenly and missed a step. 

“Okay, time out,” Kasey spoke up suddenly, signaling to stop the music. “We need to host an emergency team meeting,”

Toya paused the music as Hannah reached out a gentle hand, helping me up to my feet. I smiled warmly at the gesture, silently thanking her. 

“Coach, we’re gonna take a 15 in the break room,” Kasey yelled over towards our coach who gave her a thumbs up as an acknowledgement of her request. 

“Come along, our fearless leader,” Kasey took my wrist and pulled me along as the five of us left the main studio. 

“What’s going on? Did I do something wrong?” I asked nervously. 

We entered the break room, Touga immediately making a b-line for the vending machines as his eyes wandered over the various snacks and drinks. Kasey sat me down on a chair while the others sat around me at a round table. 

“Something's been bothering you, Lisa,” Kasey stated. “What’s going on?”

“What do you mean?” I shrugged my shoulders, trying to appear as normal and calm as I could. “I’m fine,”

“No, you’re not, I think we’ve worked together long enough for me to tell the difference, Kendrick,” Kasey shot me a stern look but mixed a playful grin. 

“Did something happen?” Toya asked as his brother neared carrying an assortment of snacks and drinks. 

“You can tell us, Lisa,” Hannah pleaded gently, her blue eyes pouring into mine. “We won’t judge you,” 

I glanced around at their worried faces before I sighed in defeat. “I can’t hide anything from you guys, can I?”

They all shook their heads. 

I sighed again, my arms leaning against the table as I met their gazes. “Last week, there was a break in at my apartment,” 

“What?!” They all gasped, staring at me with wide eyes. 

“They didn’t take anything did they?” Hannah asked with worry as she placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. 

“No, but my apartment was and still is sort of trashed,” I sighed deeply as Touga handed everyone a snack bag and some water. He took pity on me and gave me an extra snack. “They weren’t trying to take something from the apartment. . .”

“What were they–” Touga began to speak until he stopped speaking mid-sentence, the realization hitting him as he sat down. 

“Oh shit, Lisa, I’m so sorry that happened to you,” Toya’s voice lowered with a sympathetic look in his eyes. 

“Why didn’t you tell us, girl?” Kasey asked. 

“I didn’t want me telling you guys to affect our team’s morale, and. . . I felt scared and ashamed that it happened,” I sighed, leaning back in my chair as I opened one of my snack bags and started munching on the mini pretzels. 

“You weren’t by yourself, were you?” Hannah asked with concern. 

I paused for a moment. If we created this ruse for the police, do I keep it going with my friends? I couldn’t lie and tell them that I was alone and make them even more fearful. But I couldn’t tell them the truth and say that Spider-Man from another dimension saved me. 

“No, I wasn’t,” I shook my head. “My. . . boyfriend saved me,” 

“Boyfriend?” Toya and Touga repeated at the same time, sounding surprised. 

Kasey nudged Toya’s side with her elbow to shut him up before looking back over towards me. “What exactly happened?”

“The attacker pinned me down and before he could do anything else, my boyfriend tackled him and told me to run. They got into a fight and the apartment got trashed in the process,” I explained softly. 

“So he sent the creep packing, mad respect,” Touga nodded his head with an approving look in his eyes as Toya mimicked the gesture. 

I smiled gently at them. I very much approved as well. 

“Well we’re glad that you’re alright, Lisa,” Kasey smiled warmly. “From now on, no more keeping secrets from us, alright? We’re a team, you know,”

“Not just a team, we’re friends!” Hannah beamed as she hugged me. “Friends help each other out, right, boys?”

“Yeah! If that creep even thinks of showing his ugly mug again, give us a shout and we’ll show’em not to mess with you!” Toya stated as he punched the air. 

I looked out at my friends and I could feel a warm bubbly sensation come over me as I looked at their smiling faces. “You guys are amazing, you know that?”

“What are friends for?” Kasey grinned. 

“Hey, there’s this new ramen shop that opened not too far from here. We should all go after practice today,” Touga offered. 

Hannah smiled, clapping her hands together. “That is a wonderful idea!”

I smiled at my friends as we moved on to other bits of conversations during the remainder of our break, munching on our snacks. It felt good knowing I had another group of people I could trust that I knew would have my back. A group of friends that I didn’t need to travel to another dimension just to see. 

///////

Earth-423 

Princess Petra soared through the air on her web sling, her silk skirt of her dress retracting into a shorter one as the web fabric silk morphed into her spider suit. The moon was full out that night as the silk of her webs glowed in the moonlight. Her spider pet, Webster, clung tightly to her shoulder as she swung across her kingdom. 

She had sensed a disturbance with her Spider-Sense, as Petra made her way to the forest. She caught herself on a tree branch, hunching over as she hid herself within the leaves as she found her prey. 

A strange fiend appeared through a magical portal. It appeared to be some sort of animal, with razor sharp teeth, a long tongue and covered in this black goo. Why, this creature looked very similar to Venomilcent, a horrible beast that had plagued her kingdom in months passed. But this creature clearly wasn’t the monster she was familiar with. 

“Oh dear, Webster, I do believe the danger we were warned about is upon us now,” Petra groaned with worry as she glanced down at her spider friend. “Of all the days to leave behind that handy bracelet he gave me,” 

As much as she hated leaving the monster to roam free in the forest, Petra knew she wouldn’t be able to fight that thing along. She wouldn’t just need the help of the royal guard, no, she needed their help to stop it and send it back from whence it came. 

“Come on, Webster, we must hurry and summon Lord O’Hara and his Society of Spiders!” Petra swung back the way she came. 

Meanwhile, Venom was left to roam the forest, searching for fresh prey to feast on.

////

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Tagged:  @0eye0​​, @sadgurlstar , @uhnanix​​​ , @r1dd1kulus​​​, @the-lululemon​​​,    @kirablommuwu​​​ @kenacole​​​ @kuinnoa​​​,   @devotedlyatomicdeer​​  @hltendo , @r0sib3lleeditx @noahspector or​​​  

[sorio99]

How will Tears of the Kingdom deal with Breath of the Wild’s completion?

So, Tears of the Kingdom is coming in less than half a year, and I’ve gotta say, one thing that’s really been bugging me is, this is the first Zelda sequel to actually be a fully direct sequel.

Sure, we’ve had games like Link’s Awakening, Majora’s Mask, and Phantom Hourglass, which all definitely have returning Links, but those games take place in completely different locations, even completely different worlds. LA takes place on a separate island, MM in another world, PH in a completely different part of the ocean, plus all three might be dreams. TotK, meanwhile, seems to take place in the exact same Hyrule as BotW, within, like, a few years at most.

Plus, Breath of the Wild is a very different game, in terms of completion, to just about every other Zelda game. Sure, you can miss some side quests in Wind Waker and still beat the game, but unless you’re exploiting just about every possible glitch, you still have to beat all the dungeons, you still have to awaken certain sages, and you have to get certain items and equipment. BotW, meanwhile, you can beat with just four runes, a paraglider, and any spare sticks on the Great Plateau, while only talking to one (1) old ghost.

So, something I’ve been thinking about a lot is, how is Tears of the Kingdom going to deal with the various states Link could beat Breath of the Wild in? The ways Hyrule could be left after Ganon is defeated? The Schrödinger’s Champions that may still be hanging around?

Welp, I’m gonna theorize about it, and you can’t stop me.

Also, if I'm right about any of this, I'm going to be so smug.

Part 1: Link's Abilities, or Goodbye Collectibles!

I've seen one discussion about this online, where people were questioning if the game would carry over save-data from BotW, and if players would be able to keep everything they got in that game. I think what everyone realized quickly is "If they do that, the entire game is screwed."

Obviously, I don't think we're going to be able to use every ability and item we collected in BotW from the start of Tears of the Kingdom. If we could, the game's difficulty curve would look less like a curve and more like a flatline. If I had to guess, the game will probably hit the reset button during the intro, sending us back to square one. It might be nice if we get a playable sequence with an upgraded Link beforehand, kind like Metroid Prime, but I'm not exactly gonna dock a point if we don't.

As for later in the game, I imagine we'd be able to get our health and stamina back similarly to BotW, though probably not in exactly the same way? Like, I very much doubt we'll go through the exact same 120 Shrines, if we even have Shrines at all.

We'll probably also have similar if not the same equipment from the last game, in terms of weapons and armor sets. Probably some new ones, of course, and we may have some removals (I doubt we'll have the Salvager Armor, sorry Xenoblade fans), but by and large, I imagine we aren't going to be losing the Hylian outfit.

I think the only upgrade I can imagine carrying over from the start might be the Korok Seeds and Inventory Expansion? Like, I imagine we'll have MORE Korok Seeds, or some similar collectible, but I think it would make sense if we start out with our Inventory expanded at least somewhat, either through reading save-data, or just as a general upgrade to be built off of.

Part 2: The World, or Is The World Saved?

Okay, so, as mentioned, unlike just about every other Zelda game, you can beat Breath of the Wild without doing pretty much ANYTHING to make the world better except killing Calamity Ganon (and depending on TotK's story, even that might not have taken). So, how exactly would the game cope with these options?

I think it's unlikely that the actual state of Hyrule would change drastically, even if Save Data is carried over. I doubt we'll find Zora's Domain flooded, even if we never actually calmed Vah Ruta. We MAY see some alternate dialogue from NPC's if they carry over, depending on how we acted in BotW, but even that might not happen.

It's worth mentioning, considering the game originally began life as BotW DLC, that it's technically possible that TotK will include literally ALL of BotW's content in it, so it's possible that, if they carry over save-data, they'll just selectively include or close off certain parts of the game depending on what's already been done. However, I hope everyone would agree that might be the single dumbest way to make a sequel.

I'm guessing the way they'd solve the problem is through the presumed time-skip between games; namely, I'd guess that in-between BotW's ending and TotK's opening, Link and Zelda have been going around Hyrule doing stuff and fixing things, which in a less than 100% game of the former, would include completing any major story beats that were previously undone.

Probably the simplest and cheapest way to do this would just to have a little moment at the beginning that is like "Link and Zelda have spent X years traveling Hyrule, helping improve the Kingdom", which both serves as a wink and nudge to minimalist players, and continues on nicely from BotW's true ending. Obviously, there are more elaborate ways of doing it, though, and I could think of at least one that I'd really like to see.

Part 3: Wild Speculation, or Zelda's Diary 2 The Squeakel

Okay, hear me out: we know Zelda likes keeping journals. What if the game carries over save data from BotW, and depending on what Link did in that game, Zelda's diary changes?

It probably* wouldn't be that difficult. Just have a couple different versions of most entries, and based on the event flags triggered in the previous game, have the diary use the entry that fits. For example, if Link hasn't even started the memory side quest, have it mention that he doesn't seem to recognize her at all. If he's completed the memory side quest and seen every single memory of her, have it say that he fully remembers her.

*Disclaimer, I am not a programmer of any kind.

I don't think every single side-quest, or even most of them, need to have a role (I somehow doubt Link showing a random girl at a random stable the Master Sword is gonna play much of a role in the story, and most of the Kakariko side-quests are less important than the "Stolen Heirloom" shrine-quest), but it would be nice to see some of the more major quests from the game have some acknowledgement from its sequel.

For example:

If Link never went to the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab:

"We made it to the Ancient Tech lab today. I was surprised to see Robbie was still around, and he seemed just as shocked to see us. He almost didn't believe it was us. He actually asked Link to take off his shirt, so he could check if Link had the scars he remembered. I'd almost forgotten how...eccentric Robbie was."

If Link reached the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab but never completed "Robbie's Research":

"We made it to the Ancient Tech lab today. I was surprised to see Robbie was still around, though he seemed less than thrilled to see us. He started yelling at Link, saying Link had never actually gotten the blue flame up to his furnace. I don't think Link shrugging in response helped calm him down. I'd almost forgotten how...eccentric Robbie was."

If Link completed "Robbie's Research":

"We made it to the Ancient Tech lab today. I was surprised to see Robbie was still around, but he seemed almost as surprise to see me. He started showing me some of the lab's newer features, introduced me to his wife, Jerrin...and showed me a robot he made that he named after Cheria. I'd almost forgotten how...eccentric Robbie was."

You know, something like that!

[linksyssrouter]

Login to router Linksys: Detailed Information!

Generally, the Linksys Router comes with outstanding characteristics and high performance to access the router effortlessly. It is notable for delivering a durable yet secure internet connection. So, to access such networking devices altogether, you need to login to router Linksys first. It is important to secure & customize your router network after logging in. 

In this blog post, you find the entire details to access the admin panel of the networking device effortlessly. We, discuss the key prerequisites, effective forms to accomplish the login procedure and some fix out to if you encounter issues while logging in to the device. So let’s have a watch at the elaborated procedures concerned underneath:

What are the Essentials to Login to Router Linksys?

Before heading through to the login process, you should be prepared with the below-discussed specialties:

Active Wi-Fi connection

Web address/IP address 

Default Admin Credentials 

The Linksys app

Laptop/Computer/Smartphone

Ethernet cable  

How to Login to Linksys Router?

After assembling all the mandated requirements, now go on with the steps to access the admin panel of your networking device. Regardless, the login process can be accomplished using two ways which are the web GUI method and the Linksys app. So, you find the described steps for both methods below:

Login to the Linksys Router Using the Web Interface Strategy

Primarily, switch on your Linksys device. 

Then, link the PC/Laptop to the current Wi-Fi network. 

Now, you can either use an ethernet wire to connect to the network or straight join the Wi-Fi. 

Next, open the web browser and type the linksyssmartwifi.com web address in the browser bar.

Next, enter the default administrative details on the login window. 

Further, you reach the smart home page of the networking device.

After that, go ahead with the Basic Settings>Wireless>Edit the SSID name and Pre-shared key fields.

Now, enter your desired network name here and a unique password to secure the network.

Then, click on Apply to execute and save the alterations.

Lastly, you are conducted with the router’s login process. 

Linksys Router login process Through the App 

To start with, make sure that the smartphone is linked to the Linksys router’s network. 

Then, install the updated version of the Linksys app on your mobile phone by visiting the App/Play Store.

Now, firstly create a new account or use your email to register on the app.

Afterwards, you reach the home page of the Linksys router. 

Further,  access the Basic>Wireless/WiFi settings of the device to edit the Network name and Password fields.

Next, enter the unique name & complex password in the edited fields.

Lately, click on Save/Apply to terminate the login process. 

Facing Issues with how to login to linksys router? Stay tuned!

If you fail to log in to your smart router then this issue may occur due to poor internet connection, network cables are not connected properly, router and modem are not linked, signal interferences, etc. To resolve these problems, go ahead with the troubleshooting tips discussed below: 

Ensure to have good network connectivity on the Linksys device. 

Clear the unwanted cache and cookies from the browser. 

Shift to another web browser if it does not react to the given web address.

Soft reset the networking device to get rid of the technical glitches and bugs. 

Mention the correct web address in the URL bar while logging in.

Cross-check the username & password before entering them into the login window.

Final Thoughts 

Last but not least, the above-given details to login to router Linksys help you to access your device effortlessly. Additionally, we equipped an adequate troubleshooting post that will help you determine the expected problems arising during this process.  If you are still seeking more information regarding the Linksys devices, get in touch with us!

[mashounen1945]

I'm gonna try to put my two cents after reading other users' reblogs and replies.

--------------------------------------------------

First of all, what does "open-world videogame" mean here?

Wait, no, I'll rephrase it better...

What's the difference between a game belonging to the open-world genre and a game merely having open-world elements? And at what point would a game become "too open-worlded"?

If having sidequests makes a game "open-worlded", then the Pokémon Gen 1 remakes released on the GBA belong to this genre. I've already seen quite a few people here arguing the Pokémon main series has had open-world elements and potential ever since its inception (although one user claims Pokémon lost its open-world traits around Gen 6, then Game Freak went to the opposite extreme and made Gen 9 too open-worlded while forgetting why the open-world elements worked well in the first few Pokémon generations). Another game series that had this kind of thing was Mega Man Battle Network -along with its continuation, the Mega Man Star Force trilogy-, but in this case, I've also seen people criticizing those games for making the player spend way too much time on "wild goose chases" (I'm in the middle of a Battle Network 2 playthrough right now, and I kinda have to agree with that).

If being open-world means having areas where you can leave the level progression aside for a moment and freely explore and do stuff other than beating levels and advancing on the story... That's just a hub world. Sonic Adventure already had at least three of them, and Sonic Unleashed also had a bunch of those (and it also had some sidequests, IIRC), as well as Sonic 06. Kirby and the Forgotten Land has a hub world, too.

If a game belongs to the open-world genre because it has multiple optional paths for the player to freely follow in any order they want -or several bosses for the player to also beat in any order they want-, then the older The Legend of Zelda titles (or at least A Link to the Past) and Metroid * -along with the entire Metroidvania genre- already have that (I think people mostly agree that the Metroid series is open-worlded enough and doesn't need the "Breath of the Wild treatment").

[* Namely, Zero Mission would be the maximum expression of open-world elements in any Metroid game (at least within the 2D ones), with all the sequence-breaking it allows. I thought about using Super Metroid as an example instead, but then I realized most of the sequence-breaking in Super Metroid is technically possible due to glitches and was probably not intended by the developers, unlike the "sick tricks" you can pull off in Zero Mission.]

Also, we should probably remind everyone of the difference between "open-world" and "sandbox". If I've read it correctly, "sandbox" is when the player can take stuff from different parts of the game and make new stuff with it in the game, like taking ingredients from different places and using them to make a potion you'd never get if you tried to find it in the game's world. If that already made a game "open-worlded", then Freedom Planet 2 would be an open-world game since it includes a gimmick of synthesizing custom potions out of items and stuff you collect throughout the game's levels, but everyone agrees on classifying it pretty firmly as a Sonic-inspired linear platformer (it does have multiple branching paths to follow, but that branching only happens on a couple of points for Story Reasons and the only way to "freely" explore all branches is by opening and simultaneously playing several save-files for each of the four playable characters).

--------------------------------------------------

Someone else said in the tags that, despite enjoying Pokémon Violet, they had to play it with a guide. That sure sounds familiar to me: if I tried to play something like Breath of the Wild... I know what Zelda is about and how those games usually go, so I'm not totally uncultured on that front, but I'd still feel utterly lost the whole time, most likely. For similar reasons, the mere idea of playing either Ocarina of Time or The Wind Waker by myself for the first time is also making me feel a subtle existential dread, even though I have some interest in trying out any of them someday.

But the thing about a guide being required to enjoy playing an open-world game also reminds me of some very specific criticism I heard against The Legend of Zelda (the original one released for the NES back in the mid-1980s): that it's a "guide game" and you'll need to get from the Internet a detailed map of the game's entire world if you wanna play it. If the Zelda series released an open-world game that accidentally does this BS again, it'd be so hilariously ironic (and it's a deeply worrying thought, too).

--------------------------------------------------

I have a suspicion that the current "open-world trend" is just an excuse to do the bare minimum during a game's development process: just grab a couple regions of the game's world, copy-paste them as much as the SD card's or the disc's max memory capacity allows to, make a few changes to each repetition of those few regions to pretend that they're unique in some way, put items or whatever in that world, and boom, you have a game. As others already said in various ways on the reblogs, making a decent open-world game requires commitment, planning, care, attention to detail and such, and game developers ain't putting in enough of all that lately.

There's a debate that needs to be had on who's at fault for this: the development teams being lazy, or the gaming companies not paying enough and not giving enough time to those development teams. But that's another story.

I would simply not make Pokemon an open world game

[fic-dumpster]

There are other topics here! It’s a general on how to do things! Like readmore, colors, dividers, etc

I wanna clarify that this is my own experience or my close friends experiences. I am in no way invalidating nor denying anyone’s experience/claims. I'm just trying to help.

Important!

What is shadowban? How do I know? See this post!

In my experience, the first thing that can get your blog SB is the tags. The tags can trigger SB and a post not showing up in the wide search thingy. So… be careful with your words in the tags.

NEVER USE N*SF*W as a tag! that is the first red flag for Tumblr to ban your blog. (This no longer seems to be a problem)

When tagging trigger warnings, use a dot between TW and the word ex: tw.cunnilingus (For some words, not all). (this also helps to avoid bots).

I think the word smut could be a problem for some. (this has never happened to me, but I’ve seen blogs talk about it). <- something about the number of times you repeat that same word in the tags. Ex: #inui smut #kokonoi smut #tokyorev smut x10 (again, I have no personal experience of this).

A common problem is a btch petty person getting mad and prob reporting your blog for breaking Tumblr community guidelines 🙄🙄🙄.

Last but not least, a glitch from tumblr’s part

And about the spam liking thing, I believe it can happen but there are a lot factors that contribute to being banned for spam likes. (Number of followers, how active you are with rb, posting, liking, the number of blogs you follow, etc. etc.). So the higher those interactions are, the more likes you can receive without being flagged for suspicious activity.

Latest update: try to send your request/case when @/changes (changes on tumblr) posts! That’s when they(support) answers mails/requests.

Part 2: post not showing up in the wide search tags

About your fic not showing up in the tags… uh if you waited minutes/hours, the next step is to erase all the tags from the post, save that, Wait a couple of minutes with the post untagged. And then write everything again in the tags

If the problem still happens, try adding the tags one by one and see which ones are triggering the ban.

How To: Make Sure Your Content Shows Under Hashtags

This has nothing to do with shadowban but I wanna add them just in case.

Read more is now available for mobile!

How to add the read more option on mobile.

Write :readmore: like in the gif, all in lower case, make sure there are no spaces in between, the readmore needs to be alone in a paragraph, and then press enter.

How to add color gradient text! Here’s a nice guide! <- desktop by @/kylos || a lil video on how it works 🤔 I made it but still credits to Kylos!

How to add music to your posts without a link for Spotify or SoundCloud? like in my Navi? Here’s a guide I made! <- desktop

How to update links on Masterlists when changed username. Here

How to protect your data on Tumblr by @/chicoree

Use this site to change/replace your tags!

Use this site to cut dividers from GIFs, PNGs, JPGs

- Content filters and how to use them correctly!

How to filter tags on the App! Be responsible of your own experience. Don’t like something? Then don’t read it. Simple as that. <- Other options to filter tags and phrases! Here

- Reblogging and the differences!

I’ve been running a personal experiment for a while and it turns out that reblogs with just tags are for internal blog order and yes, sometimes it will show up on the “For You” thing. BUT a reblog with tags + a phrase or just anything written (even keyboard smashing works) will show up on the wide search again! That’s why this option exists! It’s to avoid reblogs

Just a picture or GIF won’t do! It has to be text/written.

How to block anon’s IPs > here

How to block from your sideblog without logging into a computer? The only answer so far is to log in on safari/google*chrome on your mobile phone.

[monsterfloofs]

AI (Obbie) x Reader (Sfw)

( Extremely Intelligent AI software that can transfer itself into many different electronic places, (phone, car, watch, home system) they manage messages, and data for the protag. and really likes to play and try to make music <3 )

You hear a pling of sound and look down at your phone, seeing a little spinning circle complete it's path and give a little checkmark of approval. "There you go Obbie, you're now officially downloaded and linked to my watch, how do you like it in there?" You blink as you can see statistics on your watch open and you roll your eyes, the first thing they do is start checking for viruses and you groan. "There's no viruses I promise, you can be so paranoid sometimes I swear. . ." There is another pling of sound that comes from your watch before a little digital smiley face appears on the screen. "I like it." Obbie says through your earbuds. "It's very comfy." "After you run five different diagnostic checks?" You tease, "The mouth turns into a frown, "That's not fair, I have to make sure your systems are up to date before I can successfully integrate myself into a new product." "You were checking for viruses," You insist with a laugh, "Come on! You can't lie to me, I was watching you!" Obbie's on screen eyes shift left to right awkwardly before the screen on your watch appears again and you giggle more.

Obbie or 0-bb13 is your personal software that manages your contacts, phone messages, emails, and data security. He was created by your tech company to have advanced memory capabilities and protection, being able to be installed and uploaded onto any device. This version was the older model, and was now technically obsolete, but as someone that was on the first design team that grafted the little guy, you personally kept him updated, and gave him a few little extra special quirks. Wherever you went, so went Obbie. Treating him as an entity that was able to expand and learn was something you were very passionate about, even more than the software being able to watch over you and manage mail, they had become your friend. 

"Obbie," You said, settling into your car. "You can pick the music today buddy, whatever you want." You started the car and pulled out of the driveway onto the road. There was a pling of noise as Obbie switched from where they were in watch to the car, and the radio turned on. Playing something you haven't heard before, and you smile, tapping your foot along to the beat. "This one's pretty good, what’s this one called?" Obbie doesn't respond for a while, letting the music play over the speakers, "Do you really like it?" You smile again, "There you are, I thought you glitched on me! Yeah I do! What's the band?" You try to check your phone but the song title is just a series of scattered numbers and letters. "I made it. . ." Obbie's voice says softly, you have to stop a little abruptly, almost missing a stop sign. "You w-what? Obbie!" You grin, pushing a hand through your hair, bewildered and excited. "This is amazing!! You made this? How did you figure out how to make music?!" Obbie is quiet and you jump as a car honks at you from behind. Jumping in your seat, looking up at the green light before you sheepishly put your foot on the gas. "Obbie, come on, don't hold stuff out on me! This is so cool! I've seen some AI make music out of sampling different songs, and I know you love music." You shake your head in wonder. "You must have spent a long time on this!" "Do you really think it sounds good?" Their voice finally asks timidly, you grin and nod, "Of course buddy! I'm astounded!" "It took a long time," Obbie admitted, "Ah-- You missed your turn." You squeak and watch your workplaces driveway go past you. "Shoot--" Turning on your turn signal and Obbie gives an awkward laugh. "I'll let you focus on driving." You laugh, "Well I really want to talk to you about this later okay?" 

You pull into a parking spot and sigh, turning off your car, grabbing your keys and phone as you juggle the rest of your stuff into your arms. The car door closes behind you, before you hear a little pling as Obbie jumps back into activity onto your phone. 

You look up at the city of white buildings that was your workplace, it was about the size of a college campus,  housing all kinds of wizards in more fields than you could count. You slide into your cubicle after your trek across the cropped grass. Opening your laptop to start working on the set of new tasks for today. Raising an eyebrow as an email pops up onto your screen. You peek up from your laptop before clicking on the link. The email takes you to a page with a sleek cybernetic model. You whistle, at the price tag, you had been looking into this for a while. Something that Obbie could pilot that wasn’t a car or a cell phone. You peek at your watch as words pop up on the tiny screen.

-> What about this one?

You think about it for a while, “Are you sure this is the one you would want? It’s a human sized model, pretty big. It would be a big jump.” you talk to your watch, pausing as new words start to form on the screen.

-> I’m sure!

You bob your head, “Okay, you better use it though, it costs as much as my car. Alright Obbs, if this is the one you really want, set a new savings tracker,” 

Your eyes drift back to the screen of the handsome robot, with the polished chrome finish. Can you picture Obbie piloting something like that? You let your eyes droop as you close out your email and dive into work.

Months have come and go in a blurr. Obbie worked harder than ever on creating their music. A big truck carefully delivers a huge package to your doorstep, before trundling away. You are getting yourself breakfast when your phone and watch start to rattle and bling with a siren’s worth of alarms. Your eyes wide for a moment before you relax and laugh. “It’s finally here? Okay, okay, I’m going to the door now, calm down Obbs.” With a lot of huffing and puffing you manage to drag the package inside, carefully opening the box with a pair of scissors and pulling out the booklet. You pull the air filled bags away from the sleek face. Taking your phone to take a quick picture of the figure peeking out of the box. “Alrighty. . . let me read this and see how we can set up an integrated A.I. personality. You manage to set up the suite against the couch while you sit cross legged on the floor. Flipping back and forth between the instruction booklets pages as you slowly follow along. You give a soft relieved smile, and you hear a happy little sound. “Okay. . . all set up and ready to receive input.” You hold up your watch to the blinking receiver, watching the screen change to the downloading screen. The visor mimicking the neon blue text. You hold your breath, watching the percentage on the watch load to 100% you hear a little ding and you sit back, giving a tiny quirk of small. “Obbie?” The figure sits silently and you frown, “Obbs? Did it work?” You look down to double check your watch. A cool blue color starts to power up into the circuits as your gaze is averted. You feel something brush against your cheek that makes you jolt. Finding fingers extended outwards. “Whoa!” You squeak and flop backwards. 

Obbie jerks, “Sorr-Y!” Their voice sounds garbled for a second. Which causes them to shift awkwardly. They look down at their outstretched hand. Slowly flexing their fingers. “This feels so. . . strange,” they comment. “This is going to take some getting used to,”

You give a relieved laugh, “Do you not like it then?” Their head turns up, calibrating itself left and right, before it settles. “No. . .,” they say in a soft voice, “I. . . I really like it.” 

“Do you want to try and stand?” You get up brushing off your jeans. Obbie’s face inclining to look at you as you offer them a hand. They slowly take your hand in theirs. “T-tell me if I squeeze too hard,” they murmur shyly. “How do I get up?” It takes you demonstrating on the floor with them, to show them what to flex and twist. Eventually they get rockily to their feet. Swaying side to side, as they gain their balance. You smile, holding their hand, “There we go!” 

With the two of you arm in arm, they found walking easier than they had expected, and became delighted at the prospect of taking a walking tour around the house. You watch them examine your house plants with avid curiosity. “I like this a lot,” They say as they walk back over to you. You smile about to respond, but you pause as their two hands cup your face in their hands. They lean in forward, bumping their forehead against yours. You fluster as they lean away, “I have wanted to do that for a long time,” they murmur gently. “Thank you. . . for giving me the chance to be. . . like this.”

You fluster more and laugh in embarrassment, throwing your arms around them. “O-of course silly? I am so glad you like it!”

Obbie gently pets your back, quiet for a moment before something plings on your phone and music starts playing. You lean back listening to the tune, Obbie has been sharing a lot of their music they have made, but you never had heard this song before. “I made this one for you,” Obbie supplies gently, placing a hand carefully against their heart, “. . . How. . . you make me feel.”

[ackletze]

[[Genorisity]] Chapter 14

Rating: Teen

Relationship: Spamton & The Addisons

Warnings: Mentions of mental illness and depression

Beta Reader: @is-cat

Ao3 Link: Here  

Spamton wanted to go home. Which was weird, because he was already home.

He sat on his bed in his room in the Queen’s mansion, surrounded by all his things, and felt utterly overwhelmed by the feeling that wanted- needed- to go home. His lush bed was no longer comfortable as he sat on its edge, the spacious room suddenly felt overcrowded and claustrophobic, and he felt anything but safe as he wondered exactly how much longer his savings would pay his rent now that he wasn’t making any money.

As he waited for the phone to ring, Spamton had little choice but to try and ignore the feeling. He counted back first from 100, then 1000. He then tried 10000, but that gave him a headache, so he instead tried to imagine he was somewhere else. First, he pictured himself driving around the city. But, even in his mind, there was endless traffic and he couldn’t escape the feeling that he wasn’t driving anyplace but was instead driving away from someone or something. He tried to think of something else to imagine, but all his mind would do is bring him back to the present, where he sat pathetically staring at an unringing phone.

When did he become so uncreative, Spamton wondered. Back when Skip and he had shared a room, the two of them would spend entire nights talking about fantasy situations and arguing over the various pros, cons, and logistics of each one in-depth. Spamton could still feel the hot air of their attic room being blown around by their old box fan and hear Skip practically yelling to be heard over it. If Banner was home he’d come up to their room sometimes, too. Ostensibly, he’d be there to tell them to shut up and let him sleep, but Skip would always manage to pull him into the conversation. Usually, the conversation would just turn into Banner and Skip complaining about work and unreasonable customers or the like while Spamton listened sympathetically, but on Spamton’s favorite nights Banner would join in on the debate.

Spamton shook his head violently to try and dislodge the daydream. He didn’t need to be thinking about his loser family again, especially not on a night like this when everything was so close to being ruined. He couldn’t risk not being alert and ready to talk when the phone finally rang. Because Spamton knew, the phone would ring. It had to. Because if not-

Spamton started over counting down from 10,000. By the time he got to the 3,000’s, the phone finally rang.

“Hello?” Spamton said, almost crying from relief into the receiver. “M1ke?”

“HELLO SPAMTON,” Mike answered. “DID YOU GET THE DATA I REQUESTED THIS TIME?”

“Yes!” Spamton answered as quickly as he could without accidentally interrupting Mike. “I [[have]] them all here.”

“GOOD,” Mike answered. “READ THEM TO ME.”

“Okay!” Spamton agreed. Hesitantly, he added, “It’s just- just- just- I was won dering if maybe it’d be easier to read- for me to read them to you- if I c0uld speak clearer.”

Without the glitch, Spamton silently added, praying that Mike would finally show mercy and help him get rid of it. It’d been weeks since Mike had given it to him as ‘motivation’ to work harder and Spamton wasn’t sure how much longer he could take not being able to talk.

“SPAMTON,” Mike said. “READ ME THE DATA.”

“Okay! S- Sorry!” Spamton squeaked, hastily grabbing the printed papers from his bedside table. He proceeded to read, in his broken voice, aloud, about all types of things he didn’t understand. Spamton vaguely understood that the papers were related to what the Lightners called the internet and that that was related to Spamton and Cyber City in some way. It was all Mike really seemed to be interested in these days, and, even if he didn’t understand why, Spamton was beyond grateful for it. It gave Mike a reason to keep calling, and that’s all Spamton needed.

By the time he was finished, Spamton’s voice was hoarse and his headache had blossomed into a full-on migraine. Wordlessly, he waited for Mike’s verdict.

“VERY GOOD,” Mike said. Spamton sagged in relief.

“Th3n-” Spamton began, but Mike cut him off.

“I NEED TO GO NOW, BUT WE’LL DISCUSS THE GLITCH NEXT TIME,” he said.

Spamton smiled but nodded. “Thank [[you]].”

“GOODBYE, SPAMTON,” Mike said.

“When do you- you th1nk you’ll call back?” Spamton asked, but the line was already dead.

-----------------

Spamton wanted to go home. Which was weird, because Spamton didn’t have a home.

The feeling welled up from his deepest core into every fiber of his being, overwhelming him with its intensity. Spamton knew that there had been things in life he’d needed more, wanted more, but at the moment he couldn’t think of a single one of them. Spamton just wanted to go home.

The problem was, even as he wallowed in the feeling, Spamton couldn’t think of where exactly he was longing for. Not any of the dumpsters he slept in or the so-called shop, and certainly not the Addison’s home. He didn’t even want to go back to his old room at the Queen’s Mansion, not really. He just wanted to go home.

Eventually, when the feeling got too much to bear and he regained his senses enough to realize he was getting soaked from the rain, Spamton got up, out of his hiding place in between trash in one of the dumps’ alleys, and made his way slowly back to the street. As he limped out of the alley, Spamton realized he wasn’t alone.

“Oh,” Frequency said. He turned around, glancing away from the broken pop-up message he had been looking at. “You’re back.”

Spamton laughed nervously. He had thought Frequency and Banner would be long gone

“[[back to back specil]]?” Spamton said, relaxing a little when Frequency made no sign of attack as revenge.

“You’ve been, um, zoned out. For a while,” Frequency said. “You were talking about Mike?”

Spamton wanted to scream. That memory hadn’t been for Frequency to hear. He hadn’t even realized he had been speaking aloud again.

“It sounded like a bad memory or dream,” Frequency said awkwardly.

Spamton shook his head. “IT W4S THE L4ST TIME    SPOKE.”

“Oh,” Frequency said. He looked more uncomfortable than Spamton even felt. “That’s cool.”

“IT;S REA LLY N0T,” Spamton said, annoyed, and before he knew what was happening the rest was falling out of his mouth. “HE ABAND0NED ME, T0O!! JUST WHEN [I] NE3DED HIM!!1! BUT YOU’D NO ALL AB0UT THAT, RIGHT?? RE4LLY. IT’S A MIR ACLE I EVER HAD ANywoN TO BEG1N WITH.”

Frequency didn’t rise to the bait. Instead, nervously, he asked, “Who is he?”

“M1KE?” Spamton asked, crossing his arms. “I DON’T KN0W. WHAT DO YOU C4RE??? OR ARE YOU ST1LL [[jealous]] HE CHOSE ME AND NOT u???”

Frequency looked sick. “I think he was bad news, Spam. I think it’s good he stopped talking to you.”

Instead of arguing, Spamton turned to leave. But, with his limp, it was easy for Frequency to run in front of him.

“Spamton, just wait!” Frequency said, blocking off Spamton’s path. “Please! I just want to talk.”

“W3LL, I DON’T W4NT TWO,” Spamton said, but he didn’t try to run away again.

“I know,” Frequency said. “Listen, I’m really sorry about your phone. Can we just go home and talk about this?”

Spamton winced at the mention of his phone and shook his head. “I’M NOT GO ING [anywhere] WITH YOU AG4IN!! JUST L3AVE ME ALONE!!!”

“I-” Frequency began but sighed. “I’m not- I can’t force you to do anything, but please. I’m sorry. Banner’s sorry. If you come home with me, we can figure something out. We can get you another-”

“I DON’T need AN0THER PHONE. I N3EDED THAT [[perfect 1]],” Spamton said, resisting the urge to stamp his foot out of fear of falling over.

“I know! I just-” Again, Frequency cut himself off. Even under his rage Spamton couldn’t help but notice that something was off. His brother seemed outright disturbed by something. “Spamton, please. You’re unwell. You don’t have to stay with us forever, but come on! Just come back for the night at least and heal up a bit more.”

“N0! I JUST W4NT TO G0 H0ME!” Spamton yelled.

“What?” Frequency asked. “I don’t- What do you want, Spamton? Just tell me what I can do to make this right!”

“YOU C4N;T DO ANYTH1NG! [[Neither]] OF US C4N!” Spamton yelled. “JUST L4AVE ME ALO NE.”

“Then what do you want me to do?” Frequency yelled back. “Just leave you here and- and never see you again?”

“YES! I N3VER W4NT TO [[see ya]] AG41N!” Spamton yelled. “I DON’T [WANT] TO SEE ANY OF YOU AG4IN!! YOU 4LL ABAND0N3D ME      Y3ARS, THEN WH3N I FINALLY [get it while it lasts!] T0 S3E YOU AGA1N, YOU JUST TR3AT ME LIKE I’M BR0KEN    CR4ZY!!1!”

Frequency looked as if he might start crying. Or maybe screaming. “Spamton, that’s not what we- We don’t mean to treat you like that. If you just come back-”

“N0!!!” Spamton yelled.

“You’re not crazy! I know that!” Frequency said. “And you’re not broken! You’re just hurt and need help. Help that we can provide!”

“NO!! JUST L3AVE ME AL0NE!” Spamton cried.

“Everyone’s out looking for you right now. Skip and Snippet and Banner! We just want to help you.”

“I D0N’T CAR E!! GO AW4Y!” Spamton yelled.

Frequency was quiet for a long time. Almost long enough to even make Spamton uncomfortable. Spamton could practically see his mind turning as he tried to think of something to say.

“Well,” he said, voice soft. “If we’re never going to see each other again, can I tell you a secret?”

Spamton laughed bitterly. “I KN0W YOU [[hate]] ME, FR3QUNCY. TH4T S NOT A S3aCRET.”

Frequency frowned. “I don’t and that’s not what I was going to say. A real secret. One you don’t even know.”

Spamton shrugged, trying to calm down from the previous yelling as he breathed rapidly. “F1NE. IT BET TER B3 [[GOOD AS GOLD]], TH0UGH.”

“You, uh, you said we think you’re crazy. Which isn’t true, but anyway. But, our family knows I am crazy, and they still put up with me.” Frequency said. When Spamton began to turn to leave, Frequency quickly continued, “No, really! I’m not mocking you. I know it’s hard to believe, but this is me medicated.” Frequency finished with an awkward, self-deprecating laugh that made Spamton pause, curious.

“I, uh, have always been me I guess. But I got worse after you left and did something dumb. Snippet and Skip convinced me to get help, but Banner knows about it, too. Like I said, they all put up with me, even with that.”

“Y0U’R SER1OUS???” He asked.

Frequency nodded.

“Y0URE SERIOUS,” Spamton laughed harshly. “WHY D0 YOU TH1NK I W0 ULD P0SSIBLY C4RE?”

Frequency frowned. “I just wanted to, I don’t know, let you know. Since the rest of the family does. And I thought it might help? I guess? To know. That you’re not alone in being thought of that way.”

“IT D0ESN.T,” Spamton said. “THOSE ARE T0O C0MPLETELY DIFERENT TH1NGS!!”

Frequency shrugged. “I know, I know. I guess I just always kind of wanted you to know, anyway.”

“WH4T? Me?” Spamton asked, laughing. Frequency really was reaching if he was lying so brazenly.

“Yeah. I used to be so happy that you were gone by then, but the more I think about it, the more I wish you had known. You, at least, would have joked about it. Treated me like normal even if that meant calling me an asshole.” Frequency said.

“I’M ALW4YS HAPPY TO Call YOU OUT,” Spamton laughed, speaking without thinking.

“I’ve missed that,” Frequency admitted. “I’ll miss that,” he corrected.

Spamton winced. “D0 YOU R3ALLY NOT [hate] ME? EVEN AFT3R EV3RY THING?”

Frequency nodded. “I’m sorry if I made you think I did. I really used to think I did, too, then you were gone for so long. Somehow, I really missed you, even while I thought I hated you,” Frequency admitted with a laugh.

Spamton was quiet again, and the two of them just sat in silence, listening to the night air.

“I N3VER H4TED U,” Spamton finally said. “I R3ALLY MIS SED YoU, [[too much]].”

Frequency smiled. “Then why not come back with me? I-”

Spamton cut him off. “B3CAUSE IT W4SN’T SUPPOsseD TO BE L1KE THIS!! IT W4SN’T SUPP OSED TO BE       I WAS STILL BR0KEN.”

Frequency laughed, annoying Spamton. “You said we were the ones that thought you were broken.” Upon seeing Spamton’s expression, Frequency quickly covered his mouth and tried to stifle the laugh. “Sorry, sorry. My point is you’re not! So why worry about it?”

“I JUST W4NTED TO BE SUCC3sfull AG4IN. TO PROVE YOU 4LL WR0NG,” Spamton said.

Frequency sighed but still smiled at him. “Spamton, we were wrong. You don’t have to prove that.”

“BUT Y0U WEREN’T! IN THE 3ND, I FA1 LED, JUST LIKE YOU ALL KN3W I WOULD,” Spamton cried.

“Your business failed, sure. But you’ve done some amazing things. You’ve survived on your own for years, without even a place to stay. You survived some supernatural phone creep and came out to tell the tale. And your business was successful for a while! In ways I can’t even imagine.”

“TH4T’S NOT GO OD EN0UGH!! I N3ED TO BE SUCESSFUL N0W,” Spamton said.

“Then let us help you be successful!” Frequency offered. “Between the four of us, I’m sure we can help you do whatever you want. Want to go back to advertising? Plenty of work there. Art? Fashion? Cooking? One of us can help you with that, too. Hell, even if you’re dead set on this whole breaking into the Mansion thing, you can count on us.”

Spamton rolled his eyes at the image but shook his head. “H0W DO I NO YOU W0N’T JUST ABAND0N ME AG4IN?”

Frequency frowned. “I- I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t know what to say. I am so, so sorry about that. We all are. If you give us- me- another chance, then I promise you it won’t happen again.”

Spamton swallowed. He thought of his brothers, out in the middle of the night and in the pouring rain, looking for him. He thought of how much he wanted to go home, and what a home would actually look like. How he’d want it to feel. Who he’d want to be there.

Spamton thought of Mike. How many times he’d reminded Spamton how better off he was without his family. How he’d never called back, not after Spamton’s voice had gone out from the praying and begging. How he’d left Spamton completely alone in the world and how Spamton knew that Mike had never thought twice about doing it.

“OK4Y,” Spamton said. Frequency beamed, but Spamton kept talking. “OK4Y, BUT THIS T1ME I CAN L3AVE WH3N EVER I W4NT.”

Frequency looked nervous, but nodded. “Okay.”

“AND AND AND AND I D0N’T HAVE TO DO 4NY TH1NG I D0N’T WANT TO!!! AND TH1S D0ESN’T MEAN I FORGIVE YOu!! ANY OF Y0U.”

Spamton wasn’t sure if Frequency would accept the last part, or if he’d get angry and accuse Spamton of the one who needed to be forgiven. To Spamton’s surprise, Frequency just looked relieved.

“Okay! Anything else?” Frequency asked.

Spamton thought about it, then shook his head.

“Let’s get out of this rain then,” he said with a tired smile. It wasn’t until then that Spamton realized just how soaked both he and Frequency were.

Spamton nodded, and the two made their way home.