#I cannot wait to try these on when I get the game xD))

[epitomees]

((There is something so offputting and unnatural about this, but also imagine getting both punched AND stabbed at the same time by the guy who says I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS!!))

[aspecbuddie]

Hii :D

No pressure writing prompt,

From this list about seeking out physical affection : acting like they're cold to have an excuse to cuddle or share clothes or blankets

Hey!!! Thanks for the prompt!! 💚💚💚 I thought I was going to not do this after a couple false starts and then ended up writing nearly 1k for it xD

“Hey can I uh… can I steal a hoodie from you for the evening?” Buck asks, after a minute of rummaging through his bag. “I must have left mine in my locker.”

“Sure,” Eddie replies, not taking his eyes off the movie. “If there’s not one in my room there should be one in the dryer.”

He doesn’t blame Buck for being forgetful at the end of that shift. It had been a truly awful one – one of those shifts that ends with everyone calling their shrinks to see if they can get an emergency appointment. Eddie already had an appointment with Frank booked for the next day, so he waited patiently for Buck to finish sorting his own out before inviting him back to the house for a movie night with Chris.

Although Chris had only spent the duration of a single movie with them tonight before excusing himself to his room under the guise of having homework to complete. The likelihood of him actually doing homework is low, but tonight Eddie doesn’t have it in him to care. His kid is safe and happy and alive under his roof, who cares if he’s doing his homework or playing video games. Some kids can’t do either anymore.

Buck returns a few minutes later, wearing Eddie’s old, tatty, LAFD hoodie and clutching two fresh beers, one of which gets placed on the coffee table in front of Eddie.

They settle back into quietly watching the movie, and Eddie at least is trying to avoid letting his thoughts stray back to the last twelve hours. It’s about an hour and a half later that he cannot stay sat any longer without thinking about it, so he stands up and starts to head towards the kitchen.

He turns to Buck, about to ask if he wants anything while he’s up, but his best friend’s appearance stops the words in their tracks.

Buck is sat the other end of the couch, where he’s been all night, with his feet up and knees pulled loosely to his chest, the sleeves of Eddie’s hoodie pulled over his hands where they’re hugging his legs. His face is flushed, and there’s something that looks like a tear running down towards his chin. Except, as Eddie studies him for a few seconds longer and notices another one on Buck's forehead, he realises it must actually be sweat.

Out of habit, maybe, Eddie reaches out and feels Buck’s forehead with the back of his hand.

Buck swats his hand away. “Dude what the fuck?”

“Take the hoodie off, Buck. You’re boiling hot, man, you feel like you have a fever. D’ya want me to get the medicine from the cabinet or… uh… I can—”

“Eddie it’s not a fever. I’ll… I’ll take the hoodie off, okay?” Buck swings his legs back over onto the floor and pulls the hoodie over his head, before handing it to Eddie. “Happy?”

Eddie just stares at Buck. “Why did you even put it on? There’s no way you could have been cold when you asked for it.”

“I uh…” Buck rubs his neck sheepishly. “I feel like shit after that shift a-and uh… I knew it would smell like… like this house and… and like you. And… I don’t know it’s just… it’s… it’s…”

“Comforting?” Eddie suggests.

Buck nods.

There’s something about this new piece of knowledge – about knowing that his house and his presence is comforting to his best friend – that eases a small bit of his own post-shift heartache. He wonders if Buck has ever had someone to borrow clothes from before, because Eddie hasn’t. Shannon and Ana had borrowed his clothes during their respective relationships, but Eddie had never been able to do the same – nothing  of theirs would have fit him.

He's strangely glad he can do this for Buck,, although it’s not ideal that Buck is literally overheating just to get a small amount of comfort.

“I’ll be right back,” he says, leaving the room with a hoodie and returning a minute later, handing Buck the new item in his hand. Buck looks up at him with a questioning glance. “The hoodie was too hot so, uh, I thought one of my t-shirts might work better.”

The look of awe on Buck’s face is overwhelming. Instead of saying anything, he stands up and pulls off the t-shirt he’s already wearing – which is sweat-soaked in places. Eddie feels a surprising need to look away for the couple seconds that Buck is shirtless; he’s not sure why, they change in front of each other all the time.

When he looks back, Buck is wearing one of Eddie’s slightly less worn black tees. Buck opens and closes his mouth a few times, but doesn’t say anything. Eddie can’t think of anything to say either, so he does the only thing he can think of, and pulls Buck in for a hug.

It’s strange, for Buck to have the scent of Eddie’s laundry detergent mixed with his shower gel from the station. But strange in a good way, and while the hug is short, it further eases the cloud in Eddie’s head.

The movie is still playing, and when Buck sits back down on the couch, Eddie sits closer to him, only an inch of space between their bodies. When Buck shuffles across and closes that space, Eddie reaches an arm across the back of the couch and rests his hand on Buck’s shoulder, pulling Buck gently closer against him.

“Just ask next time,” he whispers. “Or don’t. If it makes you feel better just… just take the clothes, Buck.”

[blackjackkent]

Jaheira and Minsc Durge Conversation

So this is mostly a present for @springagainafter and @astreamofstars, but I'm pretty sure a lot of people probably don't know that if you managed to not get the Jaheira/Durge scene before getting Minsc, he shows up in the scene as well!

(I didn't get this myself, but found it while looking in the dialogue files after. :D )

So for those interested, here's how some info on how that scene plays out in that scenario.

(Strap in, folks; this is a long one. XD And the dialogue tree is very twisty, but I tried to make it as readable as possible.)

-----

Scene starts out as normal until the player's first dialogue choice:

JAHEIRA: Dark dreams? I think I can guess. Visions of blood on your hands. The blood in your veins, perhaps. For all the gifts Bhaal's children inherit - a peaceful night's sleep is not among them.

There are three different paths in the dialogue here; one of them is the path for Resist Durge, and the other two are Embrace.

The Resist Path

PLAYER: So the game is up at last. MINSC: No game. A serious matter, to rouse Boo from his beauty sleep. (Devnote: Minsc suddenly looms on the player's other side, surrounding them. He carries no weapon, but his hulking presence is threatening nonetheless.) OR PLAYER: How could you possibly know? MINSC: Boo remembers the scent of Bhaalspawn. Like rot on the tongue - meaning no offence. OR PLAYER: What are you doing, Jaheira? MINSC: She is worrying. Which worries me. Which worries Boo. Which ought to worry you. OR PLAYER: My rest was fine, until a looming druid came to pry. MINSC: We do not loom, friend. We tread soft and sure as hunting hamsters. OR (if player has already told Jaheira they're a Bhaalspawn) PLAYER: Is this the reward for my confession? A dagger in the night? MINSC: I think you are still dreaming if you see a dagger before you. She has a sword - two of them, in fact.

JAHEIRA: The dreams alone do not concern me. It is what waking deeds they might inspire. Are you truly your own master? What is it you feel, when father's dreams come calling?

PLAYER: My birthright, in all its vile glory. JAHEIRA: That birthright may well bring you to a bloody end. How many should I allow to go with you? OR PLAYER: Helpless. Like I can deny him nothing. JAHEIRA: Then would you call it mercy, if the next night I never let you wake? OR PLAYER: It's sickening. I never asked for this power, and hope to be rid of it. JAHEIRA: There is one certain way. I hold it in my hand. OR PLAYER: I don't owe you answers, especially not at sword-point. JAHEIRA: And what is it I owe? Should I allow some horror to be born anew, when I could end it here and now? OR PLAYER: Kill me then, coward. I dare you to try. JAHEIRA: Ever the Bhaalspawn's lot. To bring death, or wait for it to find them.

JAHEIRA: This is your father's true legacy. Not his children - but the fear they plant in us. The savagery it blossoms into. (Devnote: considering her blade)

MINSC: But you have reminded us that when evil calls, we might stop our ears with virtuous cotton. Hasn't she, Jaheira? (Devnote: Minsc walks to stand behind Jaheira. IF DOABLE - he clasps her shoulder, as if reminding her.)

JAHEIRA: In another time - with another of your kind - we found a better way. I would dearly like to find it again. (Devnote: Relaxing, Jaheira sighs and shethes her weapons. She steps back [to stand beside Minsc if he's present], giving the player room to stand.)

PLAYER: Tell me what I must do. [Jaheira +5, Minsc +5] MINSC: Well, you cannot understand Boo's wisdom. So I suppose we must listen to Jaheira instead. JAHEIRA: You would not be the first to turn the taint in your blood to your advantage. But there are barriers a Bhaalspawn must overcome, first. OR PLAYER: My path is mine alone to choose. MINSC: But not yours alone to walk. JAHEIRA: Whatever path you choose, I fear it will lead you to the same point. The same enemy. OR PLAYER: And if I embrace Father's power? Grant unto him my love? [Jaheira -2, Minsc -2] MINSC: It would be like swinging a sword by the wrong side. Painful - but it can be effective, too. JAHEIRA: You would not be the first to turn the taint in your blood to your advantage. But there are barriers a Bhaalspawn must overcome, first. OR PLAYER: Your past is not my future. MINSC: Leave the future for hathrans and hamsters to divine. We speak only of this moment. JAHEIRA: Whatever path you choose, I fear it will lead you to the same point. The same enemy. OR PLAYER: 'A better way?' It's too late. My cruel deeds cannot be undone. JAHEIRA: You are what you are, child of Bhaal. But that need not be all that you are. You would not be the first to turn the taint in your blood to your advantage. But there are barriers a Bhaalspawn must overcome, first.

JAHEIRA: Those of your kind. Orin - I am sure you already know that so long as she lives, she will never stop hunting you. It might be that you have to turn and face her - you cannot change that. All you can choose is how you meet her: as another bloodied child of Bhaal, or as yourself.

MINSC: And for this, you will need Boo. He has tasted Bhaalspawn flesh before - and he would not mind another bite.

JAHEIRA: For now, take what rest you can - we will watch over you this night.

PLAYER: To watch over me - or to protect against me? JAHEIRA: I suppose you'll have your answer when you wake in the morning. OR PLAYER: How do I know you won't kill me? MINSC: Are we so faithless? As you wish - while we watch over you, Boo shall be watching over us. JAHEIRA: What more could you need? OR PLAYER: Thank you. For everything. MINSC: Do not thank us, friend. It is not as if we didn't consider killing you instead. JAHEIRA: Sleep well. OR PLAYER: I won't sleep again. Tell me something of the old days, since they're on your mind. MINSC: STORIES! JAHEIRA: I don't think I have any-- MINSC: Have you ever fought with a talking sword? (Devnote: Butting in, blunt) JAHEIRA: Lilarcor. (Devnote: Camera begins to pull out and voices fade as they continue talking into the night.) MINSC: Yes! A mighty blade, but a mouthy one, too. I wonder what happened to it. JAHEIRA: I believe it went over a cliff-edge, buried in an ogre's backside. And it was still talking...

NARRATOR: No more dreams await you in sleep this night. Only the warm knowledge that, indeed - you are not alone.

Awwwww. My feelings. <3 I love them both so much. (Also LOL the bit about Lilarcor. Caden had that sword in someone's inventory for almost all of BG2 and it drove him (and me) stark raving mad. XD )

The Embrace Path

The opening of the scene is very different if the player accepted the slayer form. There are two different possible scenarios here - either Jaheira has not seen the player use the slayer form yet, or she has.

If she has not, you have a relatively calm but clearly suspicious discussion:

PLAYER: So the game is up at last. JAHEIRA: There is one last piece I've been toying with. A terrible and familiar power I've sensed around you for some time. And so I come to ask: what did it take for you to earn that Slayer-skin you hide so well? OR PLAYER: How could you possibly know? JAHEIRA: I've slept beside a Bhaalspawn before. I know the signs - the dreams, the urges... the power. And so I come to ask: what did it take for you to earn that Slayer-skin you hide so well? OR PLAYER: What are you doing, Jaheira? (OR) My rest was fine, until a looming druid came to pry. JAHEIRA: If I must lie awake, then so must you - only fair, considering that you are the reason. I've been sensing something, you see. A formless but familiar dread, which I have only now been able to put a name to. And so I come to ask: what did it take for you to earn that Slayer-skin you hide so well? OR (if player has already told Jaheira they're a Bhaalspawn) PLAYER: Is this the reward for my confession? A dagger in the night? JAHEIRA: You have not confessed it all, I think. There is something in the air tonight - the scent of a terrible and familiar power. And so I come to ask: what did it take for you to earn that Slayer-skin you hide so well?

If Jaheira HAS witnessed the Slayer form, the conversation is considerably more antagonistic:

PLAYER: So the game is up at last. JAHEIRA: Almost. There is but one piece left to play. OR PLAYER: How could you possibly know? JAHEIRA: I don't - not yet. OR PLAYER: What are you doing, Jaheira? JAHEIRA: Distracting you. OR PLAYER: My rest was fine, until a looming druid came to pry. JAHEIRA: Then we shall make this swift. OR (if player has already told Jaheira they're a Bhaalspawn) PLAYER: Is this the reward for my confession? A dagger in the night? JAHEIRA: You have not confessed it all, I think.

In this latter scenario, it turns out these short answers are just giving Minsc time to get into position to mindmeld with you via the worm:

NARRATOR: The ranger's thoughts flit through your own, searching, probing for something specific. Until he finds...

MINSC: ...No. (Devnote: Horror, denial.)

JAHEIRA: There we have our answer. But we might as well hear it from you. So - what did it take to earn that new Slayer-skin of yours?

Both Embrace scenarios reconverge at this point. Player has a number of possible responses based on their actions, but all lead to the same response from Minsc and Jaheira:

PLAYER: This power will save the world from the Absolute. The price doesn't matter. PLAYER: Innocent blood. As innocent as my own: I have no control over when my body kills. PLAYER: Bathing in my dearest friend's gore. PLAYER: Bathing in my lover's gore. PLAYER: Isobel was my doing... the rest of Last Light was an accident. PLAYER: I stole every little life in Last Light.

MINSC: You will answer for this, fiend. And it will be an answer of the screaming sort.

JAHEIRA: Wait. (Devnote: Holding hand up to Minsc, but never taking eyes off player.) You are twice-tainted, yes. But whatever you have done - you might yet serve the good. (Devnote: Relaxing, Jaheira sighs and shethes her weapons. She steps back [to stand beside Minsc if he's present], giving the player room to stand.)

MINSC: What? Evil cannot serve good, Jaheira. That is why it is evil.

JAHEIRA: You know better than that, Stone Lord. We found the good in you - and we found it in another Bhaalspawn, once before. Whatever its source, the Slayer form is a weapon like any other. And if you mean to master it, I know where you must go. To face the other of your kind - Orin. So long as the other lives, neither of you can claim your full power.

PLAYER: Don't patronise me. I can do without your guidance. JAHEIRA: It is not guidance I offer, but a leash. We will help you to control yourself - until you can free yourself of these urges, and use the Slayer form freely. The burden of your blood is yours to carry, but you need not carry it alone. OR PLAYER: And what will become of me, if I beat her? JAHEIRA: Show daddy dear that you alone choose your fate. You are a child of Bhaal - but that need not be all that you are. And when you stand against him, you will not stand alone. OR PLAYER: I intend to become Bhaal's Chosen. So bow, or die. [Jaheira -2, Minsc -2] JAHEIRA: I am truly bored of that phrase. Cast yourself into the dark if you wish. I mean to be there to pull you back - by the hand, or the scruff.

NARRATOR: A spike of rage, quickly muffled - Minsc's mind still lingers near your own, and he does not like what is coming to pass.

Player has three options here. First is one of two conciliatory conversations:

PLAYER: What if I slip out of control again? You will kill me? JAHEIRA: You will be protected. Even from yourself. For now, rest. Sleep escapes me, so I might as well take the watch. MINSC: As will I. Jaheira tells me a debt is owed - even if my heart and hamster do not understand it. NARRATOR: You rest with the knowledge that you are being watched over. Or indeed, guarded. OR PLAYER: Come on, let's go back to sleep. JAHEIRA: You first. I find that sleep escapes me, so I might as well take the watch. NARRATOR: You rest with the knowledge that you are being watched over. Or indeed, guarded.

Second is an intimidation check:

PLAYER: Or perhaps I will take you to my Father directly - as trophies. Roll (Charisma, Intimidation) vs 18 (0) (on Failure) JAHEIRA: No need for such dramatics. I will go with eyes wide open - and the hope that I know you a little better than you know yourself. [Jaheira -2, Minsc -2] For now, rest. Sleep escapes me, so I might as well take the watch. MINSC: As will I. Jaheira tells me a debt is owed - even if my heart and hamster do not understand it. NARRATOR: You rest with the knowledge that you are being watched over. Or indeed, guarded.

But third, and worst, is an [ILLITHID] option which leads, ultimately, to the same place as a success on that intimidation check:

PLAYER: Poke at Minsc's mind to stoke his rage. [Jaheira -10, Minsc -10] NARRATOR: A single prod is enough to send his fury into a twisted spiral, wrapping around you then storming over to Jaheira. MINSC: NO! (Devnote: Jerking his head furiously, mind-meld dissipating) Jaheira, she tried to make me... I almost... (Intimidation success also picks up here) NARRATOR: For a moment, the briefest, weakest moment, Jaheira appears as she truly is. Simply an old woman, uncertain and afraid. JAHEIRA: As you wish, then. We take our leave. I hope you have mastered yourself, when next we meet. If not, we will do what we must. GLO_Companion_Leave (Devnote: Jaheira backs away and leaves, Minsc trailing behind) MINSC: If there is still good in you - find it quickly, says Boo. Or the next time we meet, you will know my rage. GLO_Companion_Leave

FEEEEEEEEELS.

[fantomette22]

Alright! After almost 9hours i finally finish the Shadow campaign of Sonic Generations!!!

Damn what a cool game!

Very challenging too! Damn some lvl aren’t that easy at first. (S rank is way harder to get than in the base game and there’s tons of collectibles). The stages are long (not just 1 mins more like 5!) with multiple paths and variety! You need reflex and to memorize everything.

Still need to finish the base game with Sonic(s) campaign! Should be a good training to be able to complete everything afterwards!

I only played like Unleashed and Colors more than a decade ago so it’s nice finally catching up with this series (besides the movies) when they’re finally doing peak xD damn that’s so good quality content and game! Nicely done that’s what we want!

And yes i did got a little tear too. 🥲 Yeah the next movie in 2 months is gonna freaking end me probably.

The animated prologue is so peak too omfg… guys that thing is a freaking masterpiece wtf

LOOK AT IT!!!!!! Hm

Still catching up with stories and lore too but damn it how i just realised 1-2 months ago how Shadow and Maria backstory was so freaking incredible hello?! I know it’s here since like 20y but wow…

So yeah cannot wait to try to complete everything left in my free time. A nice lil game to pass time.

[self-indulgent-paw-patrol]

Ask game for Chase?

The pupper ever!! Also two other people asked for Chase while I was already working on it XD I'm sorry it's taking me literally days to get them all done, I'm having trouble to think properly on what to say for some stuff in these

My first impression - I'm not tanking this. His car is blue and white, he's a cop and HIS NAME IS CHASE. HMMMM WHERE HAVE I SEEN THIS BEFORE, OH I WONDER--

My impression now - He's precious. No, really. A+ for effort in everything he does but he should learn to relax a little more, just a liiiiiiiittle more

Favorite thing about that character - He's always willing to try new things out of his comfort zone and he always gives it his best, plus his loyalty levels are off the charts

Least favorite thing - He's too much of a people pleaser Istg-- Chase, sweetheart, you're supposed to be a figure of authority XD And this will sound like a dumb thing to dislike but I dislike the fact he's a German Shepherd. I think it's too obvious a breed for police dogs and he doesn't LOOK like one at all for me. When I first saw him without his gear, I was like "Wait is he a Belgian Malinois??? Omg please yes that would be cool to not have a German Shepherd as a Police Dog for ONCE" but yeah my dreams were crushed quickly on my first Google Search on him

Favorite line/scene - It's not specifically the line, but mostly the scene: Have you EVER seen Chase refuse a job or go against Ryder???

I know he ended up changing his mind after that talk with Ryder, but IN THIS MOMENT, he stood his ground and said NO. It's even in his body language: His ears are slightly back, his expression is serious like "don't even try arguing with me on this", his tail isn't relaxed, his paw stomping on the floor to make his point. Notice his frown even deepens as the elevator door closes just before it goes down. This is SO IMPORTANT to me you have no idea, especially considering how much of a people pleaser Chase is and how he holds Ryder as the most important person in his life. We know Chase would do anything for Ryder. But at this exact moment? He was decided to NOT do something for Ryder. This is such a powerful, yet overlooked and underrated scene, as well as character development. It encapsulates perfectly how there's so much more to Chase than any of us knew so far.

Favorite interaction that character has with another - Mighty Movie Skase moment #2 (I think? I counted at least 4 big moments) when Chase goes to check on Skye when she was sulking on the back of the Aircraft Carrier. Her problems there are totally out of his league, he literally cannot relate to anything she's currently going or went through in the past- still he tries to show support the only way he can at the moment, by being there for her, by listening to her. He's a keeper, Skye, go for it XD

A character that I wish that character would interact with more - Marshall and Zuma. They used to play a lot before, but now...? I'm still at the 8th season and I'm seriously missing those fun and slice of life moments

Another character from another fandom that reminds me of that character - Leonardo, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, specifically 2012 series

A headcanon about that character - I think Chase was one of those kind of puppies who just didn't know when to fucking STOP. 24/7 playful baby. Also a natural explorer, always sniffing everything, licking everything, maybe biting, touching, scratching, growling, barking at anything new for a while. Ever curious, always being the puppy to go ahead of the others, "exploring the waters to open the way and make sure it's safe for the others to come after him". On a second note, I've seen one too many people returning adopted puppies for this reason here where I live, because "they're a handful and I wasn't expecting this" 🤦🏽‍♀️

A song that reminds of that character - "Nothing Can Stop Me Now"

An unpopular opinion about that character - Idk why all the hate, even if you're ACAB, it's not like Chase even does a cop job at all XD Have you seen him arresting someone outside from movie verse? If anything, you'd WANT your cops to be like him LMAO

Favorite picture - Y'know how in the first movie Chase was in absolute awe when he saw his new car for the very first time? YEAH, like, he KNOWS Ryder designs and gets them crazy cool stuff, and it doesn't stop him from getting UTTERLY AMAZED every time. Tbh I had the same reaction as them all when I saw that sick af Mustang-looking police cruiser like HOLY SHIT YOU GET THE COOLEST TOYS-- AND YOU GET TO CATAPULT THEM DOWN THE HOT WHEELS RAMP AT TOP SPEED TOO??? Win for life.

[cherrywell]

Epic the musical thoughts as vengeance sage live happens

-ACT TWO (instantly got flooded with notifications)

-Oh no

-hair tuck ody

-HORNS

-slay 💅💅💅💅

-Scylla

-EURY!!! ISTG

-RUN FOR YOUR LIVES *crew panics*

-Eury the Hypocrite

-which one of you shits stabbed him?.

-not the cowsss leave them alone *goes to find my plush cow*

-*finds it and hugs it*

-DAMMIT EURYLOCHUS

-You killed my cow… my favorite cow…

-ZEUS!

-but we’ll die DUH.

-ITS THE BOYYYYYYYYY

-Athena just adopts Telemachus

-NO LITTLE ITHACA BOY YOU DONT WANNA BE LEGENDARY

-dogggyyyy

-BOY

-Xenia bitch

-LITTLE WOLF YESSSS play this at my funeral and if I don’t wake up I’m gone

-istg I listen to little wolf at least once a day

-honestly I have a stupid crack au where Ody and polites are a couple (poly Ody and Penelope) and Circe washes up on the shores of Ithaca and falls for Penelope and ody comes home with his bf and sees a bunch of pigs roaming the castle

-ody don’t doc urself

-TWERKING WINION

-THE BACKGROUND AAAHHHH YESSSSSSSS

-“goddesses can’t die” God Games:👁️👄👁️

-calypso why u gotta say open arms wtf girl

-GOD GAMES!!! ARES’ PART IS MY FAVORITE play that part at my funeral as well and again if I don’t wake up I’m gone

-*yells ares in chat*

-uncle hort

-ARES *yell’s again*

- HE DIDNT EVEN TRY TEQUILA!

-Hera was def side eyeing Zeus

-THUNDER BRINGER THROUGH THE WRINGER!!!

-Athena?…

-VENGEANCE SAGA!! Spoilers beyond this point

-I love you? Not in the way you want me too

-I kinda feel bad for her

-HERMES BAG I CANNOT AHAHAH

-FUCK CALLING THIS THE VENGEANCE SAGA ITS HERMES’ SHOW

-Hermes fucking breakdancing on the raft

-THE BAG UH OH…

-PRINCESSS WINION

-good luck and goodbye! (See my last post)

-he avoided it?! He’s going home!!! (Ik he’s not)

-Poseidon bitch.

-coward

-POSEIDON

-GET IN THE WATER IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS!!! OMFG THIS IS BEAUTIFUL AAAAAA

-is ody gonna “there’s other ways of persuasion” his way out?

-nope

-POLITES AGAIN AAAAAAA WHY JORGE

-the bag…he’s using it as a jet pack

-HAH he can’t die but that means he has to suffer.

-two probably comatose gods

-“Next to my wife” Ahahahahhah XD

-one more saga… oh mannnnn

-fun fact I got into epic when underworld came out!

And wisdom was the first live I attended for epic

[venomcasserolecomic]

Fun fact-- Crook and Brook are named after their mother, River. (However you can also tell them apart by their horns! Also Brook has a wound on his snoot. Crook is also a champion snoozer. Unless he's running Crook is probably napping. Their personalities are mostly base on a pair of mules I knew. I'm still debating if I want Brook to crib as often as the mule he's based on.)

Also this is the last of my backlog. I have pencils done for the next couple pages buuut… not terribly sure when I'll have time to do them. I'm still really busy trying to finish the contest piece. Good news is I'm completely done with 5 out of 15 pages for that though! Every step has been taking about a day each (aka, a day for pencils, day for inks, day for coloring.) which isn't too bad but… I'm also getting closer to the deadline than I feel comfortable with. And my ADHD brain wants to switch focus. XD hah. I cannot wait to be done and able to goof off and game yall.

[thatscarletflycatcher]

Okay so my Molly x Roger playlist became a general playlist instead, I tried to focus more on Molly and Cynthia but I also have this handful of songs that are from Molly’s pov of Roger, plus some that are kind of, somewhat, character studies of Cynthia, and I have none so far from Roger’s pov (wait no, I have one), and nothing that can really describe the story because it’s so specific and big and all in all, it’s kind of a mess and I wanted to ask if you have any song recs that fit w&d that I could add to the playlist? 🥹

Oh, well, now, this is a tough one, because I don't think I have ever made a playlist for characters/stories other than the one for Percival and Nadine... XD

When someone asked fictionadventurer the other day for songs that fit Molly and Cynthia's relationship (was that you?) the first thing that came to mind was Sister Sledge's We Are Family XD so I guess you can tell my help might not be the best in this endeavor :D but I can try?

The whole story is definitely extremely hard to fit within a song. I once watched a fanvid of LW 1994 set to Life is Beautiful by The Afters, and now I think it fits pretty much any slice of life story of the kind, more or less loosely.

For Roger I think there's different songs for different stages, perhaps? His infatuation with Cynthia can fit something like Who Wouldn't Love You? by the Ink Spots... in a deeply unorthodox take I'd use Baba Yetu and Book of Days for his African journeys... and his final realization about Molly would fit a range from classics like Coldplay's The Scientist, to stuff like More Than a Woman by the Bee Gees, My Confession by Josh Groban (or his Hidden Away) or Rick Astley's Let It Rain (which is in fairness, to me, squarely an Edmund song).

There's a bunch of songs that fit Molly's pinning after Roger, like The Cranberries' Empty, Right Here Waiting by Richard Marx, When Can I See You by Babyface, Michael Jackson's You Are Not Alone...

Roger and Molly's is also super difficult to find in lyrics, but the nature motif is so strong I think most love songs that include that ingredient strongly are very fitting? Thinking My Love is Like a Red Red Rose (I love specially the Bill Douglas arrangement), We'll Gather Lilacs in the Spring, How Long Will I Love You by Ellie Goulding, Perhaps Love by John Denver, Longer by Dan Fogelberg and Laughter in the Rain by Neil Sedaka.

Cynthia songs feel like a dime a dozen, but mostly because there's so many angles you can take for that one? from something more flippant like Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and Bitch by Meredith Brooks, to more sad and existential stuff like Coldplay's Clocks or Owner Of a Lonely Heart by Yes (though I prefer the Trevor Horn/Rick Astley version because I'm me), passing through Martika's Toy Soldiers, Chris Isaak's Wicked Game and Jennifer Paige's Crush.

To date myself even further, Avicii's Hey Brother makes me think of the sibling relationships in the novel, but specifically for Molly and Cynthia... Close (Your Shoes) by Rick Astley? XD

And there's loose threads (some memetic ones) like I Wanna Get Married by Dorothy Shay being the Hyacinth "I want" song in a W&D musical XD, Somebody That I Used to Know having big Cynthia/Preston vibes and Sting's It's Probably Me being impressively fitting to Mr. Preston's mindset and creepiness, and a last Astleyian indulgence because Blue Sky by him gives me a very Osbornean sadness.

Those are my recs. As you see, all very dated and very me, but I cannot help it XD

Maybe someone else has better ideas?

[nonsensefromtheabyss]

Hello! I am OK1610 from ao3. I loved Riddle V.I.Z.ion so much! Such an amazing story with great characters! I loved the aliens especially! Your story inspired me to weave my own tale for these characters as well as a design element for Diz (the support beams) for my refs of the aliens (credited in the post)! I cannot wait to read more about them and their pasts!

Any chance we can get a little sneak peak of what is to come?

('Riddle Classified' sounds like a great name btw!)

Hello!! Lovely to see you again!

Literally had to spin in circles at work when you said my story inspired you, was not prepared; I’m honoured <3 and I hope you have fun creating! You art is so perfect!!! I love how the style is still reminiscent of the game art but far more detailed and much more fun to look at—it’s so vibrant! They’re all super adorable (rotating Quiz in my mind rn) and it looks like such a sweet AU—I’m an absolute sucker for stories where things end well (which I don’t think anyone would guess from my own works XD.) Would be super intrigued to know more when you’re ready to share!

(Definite spoilers for my future Riddle School fic below the cut!)

Dutifully adding a tally to Riddle Classified’s column! I swear the title is going to be the bit I decide last with this thing, it’s certainly giving me the most trouble XD

As for sneak peaks, hmmm; it’s a little early in the process for me to feel like I’ve got much that’s actually interesting to share, but I could tell you about the first chapter? It’s post defection, a few years into the V.I.Z.ion Project, and involves Quiz being kidnapped by bounty hunters/pirates. He has to stall for time, turning them against each other as a distraction, while Viz and Diz sneak around and kill off the people stationed at other outposts before picking him up. 

It’s told from the perspective of the pirates, who really have no idea who or what Quiz is, and is set in a snowstorm to really play up a theme of isolation/being trapped. Horror movie vibes. They know something is going on outside, and they know their contacts are going cold one by one, but they can’t figure out why—maybe it’s just the storm like their leader says, maybe it’s something else. They’re stuck with this unknown alien who’s sounding way too plausible when he says the roof might cave in, or there’s something outside, who talks them into telling him the scary stories they’ve heard about rogue soldiers in the area. If they go outside and try to run, they’ll definitely die of exposure, but if they stay? Unclear. And surely nothing out there could be alive. The noises are the wind, just the wind, they’re not in danger, nothing’s getting closer, everything’s fine.

It’s a good opportunity to play with Quiz’s unique skill set of appearing very harmless to manipulate people, gives me the chance to do some exposition on the alien’s species lore, and—most vitally—sets a pretty sinister tone for the V.I.Z.ion crew actually in action! A good jumping off point for what’s to come!

Another chapter I’ve got planned as a definite inclusion (though I don’t know where it’ll go yet; probably late in the collection) is them kidnapping Phil. It’s from Phil’s perspective, and I’ve honestly just been galaxy braining over it for a few nights now; he just barely escapes them when they see him first (runs through populated places they can’t follow, gets on a bus, his dog attacks Quiz when he gets home) and then spends the next few days as Dib from Invader Zim trying to convince his family that Aliens Are Definitely Real And Also After Him. They don’t believe him. One night he wakes up to find that everyone else is knocked out, and the aliens are in the house searching for him. He doesn’t get away this time. Very stressful times for Phil—I don’t think I’ve ever written a non-stressful time for Phil. I don’t think I’ve written a non-stressful time for any of these characters.

With this chapter, I’m hoping to do something with the perspective shift, which is another reason I think it should come late in the formatting. While the aliens are very much villain protagonists in this, having everything be through their eyes will eventually make them familiar—maybe not exactly relatable, but certainly comfortable. The jarring dissonance of exchanging that highly militarised, desensitised perspective to an actually human one—the P.O.V of someone we, the audience, know—when he’s terrified and being hunted by them appeals to me. Particularly as, at that point, I will have written scenes of the V.I.Z.ion aliens interacting with humans from their own perspective, and the difference between what they think and what people think can be thrown into even sharper relief.

I realise I’ve told you about the only two chapters that aren’t from the alien’s direct perspectives, so sorry about that! But I hope they made for a satisfying sneak peak <3 maybe this isn’t what you meant at all… I’ve never actually done a sneak peak before!

[sophieswundergarten]

hi hi!! how are you? I was able to find the ask game on your dashboard yippee! (which I can rarely do with anyone,,it’s usually buried so far down that I won’t know how to participate xD)

If you’re still up to it maybe you could write something with reynie using either 13, 14, or 15? 👉👈 (those were just some that looked interesting but if you have a better number choice that would work with reynie or one prompt you’ve been waiting for someone to ask you then go ahead and do that one!! I’ll be happy to read whatever ^^))

thank you!! I hope you’re having an amazing day!

Hey there, Ember! Thank you for the little kitty cat :)

Stopping in for some more Reynie Angst, I see? Well, who am I to say no?

“What more is there to lose?” Reynie laughed, but it turned into a sob partway through. “You’ve taken me away from my family, you’ve kept me here, you actively try and find any excuse to hurt me. Haven’t you done enough?”

The boy had not been trapped here long, but even so he was still growing. His hair was longer than when he had last seen his family and his clothes did not have much more time before they would become too small for him.

Outside of the cell, Mr. Curtain ground his teeth. “I will ask you again, Reynard: What is my brother planning?”

This time, Reynie really did laugh. A weak, desperate, hysterical thing that escaped his lungs like a panicked dove. “Nothing,” He said, “Mr. Benedict isn’t planning anything. None of us are. We just want to be left alone; to be safe.”

“That cannot be true!” Mr. Curtain roared, face growing purple. Reynie flinched back, raising his arms as if to shield himself. There were a few seconds of silence, and then Curtain spoke again, only marginally calmer. “I don’t believe you. You must tell me what Benedict is planning, or you will never see your family again.”

Reynie retreated to the back corner of the room, settling himself down into a tightly folded position even Kate might have been proud of. “I will never,” He said, “never tell you anything about my family. Even if they were planning something, which they aren’t, I wouldn’t tell you. I care about something more than myself, Mr. Curtain. I care about my family. And you’re never going to get anything out of me.”

[caffetato-the-caffeinated-potato]

From the fanfic game- F and G!

@idk-im-just-here-now ...there is a single braincell between the two of you I swear XD

G: Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

I wish I could write scenes in order, it'd make the revision process so much easier. But sometimes I get stuck on a specific part, or I just cannot get a future scene I'm excited about out of my head, so I jump ahead. When I go back and rewrite, however, I stick to going it in order.

F: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

Hmm, well, there's a lot of very fun dialogue in Ninja-monium, but because everything I've written there is still subject to change, I'll grab something from Two by Two (under the cut cuz it's a bit long)

A thought suddenly occurred to Leo, and he frowned. “Wait. How’re we different species if we’re twins?”

Leo noticed how Donnie shifted awkwardly in his beanbag, looking away from him. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Donnie answered. “Because we aren’t twins. We can’t be, if we’re different species.”

That couldn’t be right. They were twins, Dad said so. And Dad wouldn’t lie about something like that. “But we are! We have the same birthday and everything!”

“We don’t actually know when our birthdays are. Papa just gave us the same one because he didn’t know which of us was older.” 

“Hmm.” Leo thought about that for a bit. Donnie was very smart, and always seemed to know what he was talking about, but Leo still couldn’t bring himself to believe what he was saying. Sure, Donnie was rarely wrong, but there was a first time for everything, right? 

Leo shrugged, shaking his head firmly. “Nah.”

“Nah?” Donnie furrowed his brow, giving Leo a confused look. “What do you mean ‘nah?’”

“Nah, you’re wrong.” Leo gave his twin a large, confident grin.

“We are literally different species-”

“I don’t care what the book says, we can be different species and still be twins.”

“That’s not how it works, Nardo.”

“Says who?”

“It’s basic biology -”

“Then biology’s wrong.”

Donnie just blinked at Leo, staring at him like he was the biggest idiot in the world. Which was honestly rude, considering Leo was clearly right about this. He may not be as smart as Donnie, but he still knew some things. And this was something he knew with his entire being, even if Donnie couldn’t see it.

This scene was one of the first I wrote for Two by Two. Trying to not only keep the twins in character but also in line with 10 year old behavior was not easy. But it was really fun, and I think it turned out really well. Especially for my first foray into fanfiction writing.

[twilightknight17]

On this round of P3R, we’re heading to the red-light district!

But first, I just want to say, Fuuka’s link requires MAX COURAGE to start? Omg. Now I’m assuming Mitsuru needs max academics. Good god. NG+ is absolutely gonna be needed for this.

So it’s now the third (technically fourth) full moon! And now that I’m thinking about the Magician and that whole mess, I think it’s a little funny that no one in SEES, in any of our downtime, has ever questioned, “Hey, what the fuck was that thing that ripped itself out of Orpheus and bodied the Magician in one shot? It might help with some of these slogging battles.” But no. It’s fine. We don’t need to know what that vastly powerful persona was. Whatever. Let’s rock.

Shirakawa Boulevard, despite Ikutsuki’s attempts to talk around it, is where the love hotels are!

I’m pressing X to doubt, sir!

So we’re off to the Champs de Fleurs hotel, and actually other than the weird curtained waiting area and sexy price list next to the front desk, it does look pretty normal? Like, it’s a hotel. It’s got hotel hallways and elevators and stuff.

And then we get to the third floor and the equivalent to the presidential suite.

This is labeled as the Hierophant’s Chamber, and… Lovers is supposed to be here? Did the P3 movies just straight-up skip the Hierophant Shadow and I never noticed? XDDD The Hierophant is very round and kind of looks like a really big guy with a lady with a head made of coral behind him.

Hierophant wasn’t bad, actually, and we get to explore the room afterwards before heading back downstairs. The kids clown on a lot of the décor, but like, the silly round bed would be cool for the novelty, and who DOESN’T want a tub that big???

But when we try to leave, we all get knocked out, and Minato wakes up in a different room, where Yukari is taking a shower.

This sounds very like Orpheus, but it’s definitely not Orpheus, because Orpheus would know that Yukari is not our soulmate!

Yes I will continue being biased. XDDDDD

If you say anything other than the correct answer, you get a “wait, that doesn’t seem right” thought bubble, and the dialogue just loops back to the start. You cannot fuck up the mission and game over on a night of brainwashed debauchery. XD

Minato comes to his senses, gets up from the bed, and Yukari comes out wrapped in a towel. She abruptly realizes where she is, screams, and slaps Minato before running back in the bathroom. And… Yukari? I was literally just standing here. Holy shit. Is this the pre-Kyoto warmup scene? God.

NONE OF THIS WAS MY FAULT???

Fuuka gets through to us, and we go back up to the second floor to meet up with Junpei and Akihiko.

I can only assume Junpei and Akihiko were put in the same room.

No one accused you of anything. Although now I’m giggling wondering what would have happened if I’d brought Mitsuru along instead.

We roam the hotel to find the mirrors we need to break to get back into the suite, and this is weirdly hilarious, all things considered.

But eventually we find our way back into the boss arena, and the Lovers has the perfect design, honestly.

GOD is it a bitch to fight, though. This fight took AGES because EVERY time it cast a spell with a charm effect, people got brainwashed. God forbid anyone other than Minato ever dodge an attack. Jesus fuck. I used every single one of my patra gems and dis-charms. Plus it cast diarama halfway through and of course when a boss does that it heals THOUSANDS of HP back to full health. Just give it salvation if you’re gonna do that.

As a brief side note, I love that when Minato casts the Jack Bros’ fusion spell, he just casually walks “offstage” afterwards and leaves them to it.

But finally, we’re out of here.

...Yukari volunteered so that I couldn’t take her out of the party and ruin my scripted undeserved slap. X’D

Gee, Yukari, I wonder if it’s because no one ever has anything nice to say to him? He just gets treated like the comic relief.

Also, we’re being watched by these dudes.

So when you say “we” do you mean you three, or like… humanity as a whole?

Back to the dorm to sleep this bullshit off, and then we move on with our week!

...christ, dude, I just came to see how you were doing. Can I please have a dialogue option so we can talk about this??? No???? Okay… God, this is Mona all over again. My god damn Magicians are always having problems.

...well, that’s nice. I wasn’t expecting that.

People at school are gossiping about how the school was rebuilt after an explosion ten years ago, and I’m getting texts from my attendant, who I apparently haven’t added to my phone? But at least she texts nicely.

It’s pre-exam week, so all my social links are busy. Instead, my academics are lagging, so I’m studying with the members of SEES who aren’t cranky with me. That means Yukari and Fuuka, and Mitsuru and Akihiko. Akihiko recommends doing a quick workout after every few problems, because then, you’ll power through the next set in anticipation of getting to your next workout!

Everyone I live with is insane. I love them. :’D

Ikutsuki calls a meeting to discuss something important, but before he can get to it, Yukari wants to speak. She’s had Fuuka looking into some stuff from the incident that happened ten years ago, and now she wants answers, because she thinks Mitsuru has been hiding things from us.

Other than the explosion, students were sent to the hospital, even though they were formally noted as just “absent”. It’s the same thing that happened to the girls bullying Fuuka; they fell unconscious and were unresponsive. Turns out, yeah, it was the same sort of thing. And it was Mitsuru’s grandfather, Koetsu Kirijo’s fault.

In greater Persona lore, knowing that he broke off from the Nanjo Group, he probably had access to tech that made his bullshit significantly easier to pull off. At the very least, we know he had the blueprints for a prototype anti-shadow suppression weapon, and the method to create artificial persona-users. But of course, he pushed too far.

(Sorry that these subtitles are kind of blurry. Basically, they gathered up a shitload of shadows and then lost control of them, because of course they did.)

Tartarus and the Dark Hour exist because of all of this. The lab explosion happened because they lost control, and because the lab was around/under Gekkoukan, it ended with the school needing to be rebuilt as well.

Yukari is not pleased with this development. She feels like we’re just being used to clean up other people’s mess. But as Ikutsuki puts it, we’re the only ones who can fix things. Normal people can’t fight shadows.

He also says that no one knows why the Arcana Shadows suddenly reappeared after ten years, but… Well.

No one is okay after this.

Junpei is angry because he feels like nothing he does is good enough, and that all he’s really good at is fighting, which won’t be necessary anymore if the Dark Hour vanishes.

Akihiko goes to see Shinji, who he apparently grew up with in an orphanage with someone named Miki, to tell him that they know how to stop the shadows now. But Shinji still won’t come back to SEES.

Me and Minato aren’t okay because I’ve finally started this guy’s social link, and he’s a dick.

Yukari’s dad was the lead researcher on the shadow stuff that led to the explosion, so I assume that he’s the one who got blamed for everything. Ikutsuki mentioned that the media picked one dude and demonized him.

I think this date is wrong, though. If it was ten years ago, that’d be 1999. Right? :/ It’s also just funnier if the lab exploded like 3 weeks after the Sumaru crisis ended.

But I saved the cat! So everything is not a complete wreck.

Pharos comes back to see me and implies some sketchy shit about my parents.

My parents (and my sister, shush, I’m pretending it’s canon) did not explode, though. So this isn’t their fault.

We’re absolutely friends.

After affirming that at least one person will stick by me to the end, even if that one person is a strange child who keeps waking me up at midnight, I come home from school the next day to find everyone sitting around experiencing the most awkward silence ever conceived.

Akihiko, no!

Thankfully, we manage to talk through what’s bothering the group as a whole (Junpei is still mad at me, I think), and Ikutsuki shows up to suggest that after exams, we all go on vacation to Mitsuru’s family’s summer home on the island of Yakushima. Her dad is going to be there, apparently!

Mitsuru reluctantly agrees, Yukari apologizes to her for being too gung-ho and accusatory the other night, and I think we’re all chill again. Which is good.

…….it’s my last night before exams and my option for study-buddy is Ikutsuki???

Nah. I’m out.

[ika-himee]

Artist Loft vs Himi Jelly Gouache

Out of curiosity, I decided to try the Artist Loft jelly gouache set. (My boyfriend took me to michaels to buy some art supplies to entertain myself during game night because i had a slightly stressful day and didn't feel like playing games lmao, so i just kind of stumbled across it and said, wth why not XD)

Here are my opinions on the set. I purchased the 24 set that comes with the brushes. It retails for about $24-$25. I had a couple coupons ($5 off $15+ and a 20% off) I purchased other things, but had I only purchased that, the set would have cost somewhere around $18 after tax i believe.

On amazon, the Himi gouache 24 set costs about $25-$26 and I think it also comes with brushes. So the sets are pretty comparable.

I have the 18 set of Himi gouache, that does not include brushes (tbh I cannot remember what I paid for it I bought it a couple years ago).

Having used both, I would say that the paints perform similarly and act as gouache should. (I could not find any information on the artist loft set about archival quality, but I scan most of my finished pieces, so it isn't a huge concern for me tbh.

The packaging is identical, the only real difference I noticed packaging wise is that the foil sealing the cups was incredibly difficult to remove from the artist loft set. I literally spent a collective 6 hours over 3 days peeling the foils off because they were stuck (and it would have taken longer had my dad not offered to help).

Content wise, the biggest issue with the set compared to himi was the quantity. Himi gouache cups contain 30ml of paint and the artist loft cups only contain 27ml i believe it is (which is not disclosed on the external packaging like it is with himi). They also seem to stain a bit more than the himi gouache, but probably not much more really. The artist loft set is also a bit more temperamental when it comes to adding water. Just a touch too much water, and the paint became extremely thin and streaky. I mostly got by with just the water left on my brush from rinsing and used that the thin the paint enough to use properly. The himi gouache was a bit more forgiving with the water, though it also gets streaky if you add too much.

Pigmentation was fine and each color acted as I expected it to. I did notice that the gouache skinned over rather quickly (within about an hour of use, the top layer already skinned, which the himi gouache did not skin so quickly when I first got it.) Overall, I think for a house brand, it did quite well and the price was well enough in line with the competitors to make it a solid choice if that is what is available to you (especially if you have coupons and vouchers).

HOWEVER, the fact that I had to spend hours (my fingers are still a little sore btw lol) peeling foils off of the cups before I could even dive into the paints was enough to make me low-key regret buying it. Now that its open and I've used it, I very much enjoy the set, and having 24 colors is great for people that want some variety and dont want to mix their colors. (I default to color mixing all the time though, so I could literally get by with the main 4 paints if i needed to haha, I just like options).

Do I recommend Artist Loft Jelly gouache?

Yes I do. However, I only recommend it if you can get a discount on it. Otherwise, I think you would do just as well getting the himi gouache unless you don't want to wait for it to ship and Artist Loft is in stock at the store. (remember, opening the artist loft cups is a literal nightmare and himi peeled off much easier).

[thelediz]

*pokes head in* So I had a question that I wanted to ask but waited until you finished.

Thoughts ...Sleet and Dingo?

They are my personal favorite things that came from Underground. (Though, through watching it, I gained so much love so so many other characters).

But...DARN IT, I cannot deny that they were written SO BADLY most of the time. At times, I can see what they wanted to do. (Dingo would work perfectly as a redemption tool, whether just for himself...or for Sleet).

I feel like they played their hand too quickly with the Emerald Crisis arc, and realized "Oh...wait, they ARE our main villain's minions. What do we do if they are gone?" so they just instantly pivoted during the same arc to have them return in the end.

And Sleet's inconsistency with how he treats Dingo is very annoying. "Oh, Sleet hates him, see how he tried to get rid of him in Mobodoon?" So then why doesn't he attempt to get rid of him MORE OFTEN? Maybe completely throw him under the bus in the EC arc? Why? WHY!? I can only try and explain this idiot's actions so much before I feel like I am fully defending him. (Which...I don't. He's a complete asshole who needs to be punished for his actions and, more so, for his treatment of his work partner which we are to assume they've been together for a long time).

I get why we didn't get an episode that was for them, to boost their backstory, give us some motives and character arcs, and such. But...DARN IT, would it have been nice to have it. Would it have been too hard to have a throwaway line somewhere that dumps some history for them?

A Mendella effect this show gives me is that Sleet and Dingo work with Bartleby a lot.

In turn...they worked together in Head Games and MAYBE Artifact. Every other episode Bart was in, he wasn't working alongside Sleet or Dingo.

I...honestly feel like this was a huge missed opportunity. Make them sort of a parallel to the Underground trio. Bartleby is the rich one who was sheltered all his life, while Sleet and Dingo had to deal with the harshness of the real world.

Although, I guess I am going off on a different tangent here. Sorry.

But, yeah. What do you think about the two (mishandled) canine idiots? (It is fine if you hate their guts, by the way. I partly hate their guts as well, but in an "I hate you so much, I love you" sort of way)

You like Sleet and Dingo? I hadn't noticed! XD

But seriously, in truth, when I watch the series I don't think about them a lot. They serve a narrative purpose and that's it. Robotnik needed henchmen for two reasons:

He wouldn't be much of an emperor if he's doing all the grunt work himself

The writers need someone for him to speech to and play off. It's no fun to have such a grandious character as Eggman sitting alone by himself in a control room.

BUT IF I WERE TO THINK ABOUT THEM.

I actually really like Sleet and Dingo as individual characters, and at their best (the first episode, Flying Fortress, and The Pendant) I like them as a duo, too. The problem is that their characterisation is entirely dependent on the writer and the scene, and so it's difficult to actually figure out their true characters.

When I like his characterisation, Sleet is just straight mercenary. He's not good, he's not evil, he's working to survive and make money, in that order. And I headcanon him as having real control issues because of it. As a bounty hunter, he can choose his contracts, he can choose how much he risks. But Robotnik strips that away, forces him to follow orders. So he's constantly on the defensive, and always scared. That makes him stupider than he really is.

When I like Dingo, he's sweet, a bit dim, but savvy. He doesn't think past the immediate moment, which is why he needs Sleet, but his instincts are fantastic. He doesn't have much in the way of a moral alignment, because he doesn't think about things too much, but he likes working with Sleet and he knows Robotnik is dangerous, so This Is Fine.

When I like their partnership, it IS a partnership. On his own, Sleet isn't strong enough to be threatening. He has guns and ships, but he needs Dingo to be a functional bounty hunter. On his own, Dingo doesn't know what to do in any given moment. Without Sleet, he can only react to his immediate surroundings.

I like it when they banter and it actually feels like banter. I like it when they're scheming to get money off Robotnik (convincing themselves they have some control over the situation when they don't). They are great characters and a great pair when they're allowed to be.

The problem is that we got maybe three (more like two and a half) episodes of that being the case. More often, they were just Robotnik's evil henchmen, with Sleet being a self-serving idiot and Dingo being his hard-done-by offsider. They served the purpose of doing Robotnik's bidding so he could remain a threat off-screen, since putting him on-screen immediately made him buffoonish.

So, in short: I absolutely understand why someone would love these two. I also understand why someone wouldn't like them at all. And at the end of it, I can only appreciate the intent behind them at their best, and remember that the internet was made for characters like these.

I'm glad people have fun with them, and that's all that matters.

[twistedtummies2]

How do your OCs feel about FNAF? How do they react to the jumpscares?

So, Theodore and Reno are the only OCs of mine who I think would have strong feelings about FNAF. Theodore is a fan of horror games, in particular, and Reno is just a gamer in general: if "Five Nights at Freddy's" existed in the TW-verse, I'm fairly certain he'll have played it at some point. With that said, I think the two of them have completely different opinions. While I don't think either one is the series' biggest, hugest, craziest fan, I think that Reno finds the franchise fascinating. He loves looking into fan theories, is curious about all the lore, and he finds the first couple of games, in particular, to be challenging and genuinely creepy. Plus, it makes for good streaming/Let's Play views, which he certainly has no problems with. Theo, meanwhile, finds FNAF annoying. XD I think he USED to be interested in the lore and mysteries, but it's gotten so wild and overly-expansive he can't even be bothered to follow it anymore. As for the gameplay, he's never really liked any of the games: he admits that when you first play the original game or two, it can be genuinely scary, but after a while the scare factor wears off and it goes from challenging to obnoxious, and the different twists on the formula have only made it more aggravating. NOW, AS TO THE JUMPSCARES...this one, we can use the entire cast for. ;) For the sake of argument, let's presume all of these are the first time these characters play the original FNAF and start getting jumpscared. With that said...

Nakoda: Alright, let'sss check thisss camera here, and-huh. That possster looksss different. Wait? Who is laughing? WHO'S LAUGHING AT ME?! I'm not gonna-(lowers camera to see Golden Freddy)...Mother. (screams and flails and falls over as the jumpscare activates)

Reno: Let's see, now if I can just shut this doo-(gets jumpscared by Chica)-AAAAAAAAGH! (jumps back in his seat as the game goes to static...is stunned for a few seconds...then starts to laugh and applauds) HA HA HA HA! ALRIGHT, YA GOT ME! Alright...whoo, okay! Guess I gotta adjust my strategy. Let's try 'er again, baby...!

Elias: Why do people like this?! This is so frustrating, and-WHOA, THAT FOX IS MOVING FAST! Okay, shut the door, shut-(Foxy jumpscare; Eli yelps and yipes and flees and hides behind his bed...then peeks out, ears flattened back, whimpering like a dog scared by thunder)...I don't wanna play this game anymore. 8'(

James: (checking the cams while Smitty is watching) I see you, ye mangy sea dog! But there shall be no quarter for ye! See, for the clock is almost upon the hour! I have bested you, for you cannot break through my defenses! HA HA HA-(is jumpscared by Freddy) Smitty: Wow! That was kinda startling, huh, James? (pauses) Uh...James? James: (is frozen and paralyzed where he sits, face aghast) Smitty: James! JAMES, SPEAK TO ME! JAAAAMES! Theodore: (jumps back with a sharp gasping noise after getting startled by Bonnie. Sits there for a few moments, just...stunned and pale...then takes a shuddering breath and settles down) Okay, that...that got me, fine, I'll give you that...jeeze, my ears hurt now, ow... Maelstrom: (doesn't get scared, and instead starts cussing violently before rage-quitting after getting trounced by Foxy for the fourth time in a row) Grit: (also rage quits...but instead of cussing and shouting, just sits there...one eye twitching...takes a deep, DEEP breath...and calmly shuts off the game before vowing never to play it again) And finally...Billy. Dear, sweet, adorable Billy-boi. We don't let Billy play horror games. Because while I don't think he actually scares easily, I think Billy IS very susceptible to jumpscares, in particular. He's not used to big, scary monsters jumping at him and screaming, because...well...he's a giant. Usually, if anything, he's the one doing that! So, in a situation where that's a problem...yeah, he'll actually really get scared by the jumpscares. And with an abundance of them, like FNAF...well... Billy: (trembling and whimpering, wrapped up in a big blanket, nursing a mug of hot cocoa) MC: (places hand on Billy's arm comfortingly) Ace shouldn't have tricked you into playing that game. I just talked to him. Billy: (just sniffles and whines) MC: (comfortingly rubs Billy) It's okay, big guy. Bonnie isn't real. He can't hurt you. Billy: (on the verge of tears)...That was not a nice bunny... 8'(

[inkwell-intrigues]

TSTS Annoucement

I was hoping this wouldn't happen. Like, I always knew it could happen -I remember seeing this happen to a bunch of fanfiction writers when I was a kid- but it really sucks.

So, I'm crazy burnt out from writing AND Cuphead has stopped being my current hyperfixation. (I'm also on different medications now- which probably doesn't help.)

Even the thought of Cuphead right now gives me pretty bad stress, because of how far behind I've fallen in writing The Strength and The Sight.

I know I made a post literally a few weeks ago saying that I was back and all that stuff, but... After I sat down and started trying to write I began to realize that not only was I badly burnt out, but also The Strength and The Sight's plot/focus/etc has changed multiple times during the process of me writing it. This has led to a LOT of inconsistencies in terms of the plot, character arcs, and in general, the pacing ended up being all over the place because of it. 

For instance, Chalice is supposed to be one of the main characters, but her role in the story has changed a bunch AND I ended up focusing on her a lot less than characters who were supposed to be side characters- like Ginette. (I love Gin, I swear, but she wasn't supposed to be as big of a focus as she ended up being. -That mainly came about from me getting super obsessed with her character and forgetting my other characters- In multiple chapters, she even overshadows the brothers. Oops. xD)

This all has led me to realize: Even if I wasn't burnt out- I simply cannot continue writing a story that I know has inconsistencies. 

So, does this mean that The Strength and The Sight is over? No. No, it does not.

This post is me announcing that I will NOT be taking a break or canceling the story in the traditional "burnt-out fanfic writer" sense. Instead, I will be REWRITING the entire story- starting with outlining the plot from the beginning in lots of detail and sticking to the plot I set.

This rewritten version will be filled with full-color illustrations, more focused, and A LOT shorter. While mulling over the idea of a rewrite, I realized just how needlessly long TSTS has become. Like, the book which I use as a reference and inspiration, Scythe by Neal Shusterman, is only 102k words, while mine- which is not even halfway done- is 114K. (There are a lot more examples of my word count v.s. other books, but I won't bore you all with those numbers.)

BUT, I don't want to leave you guys in the dark while I begin this intense process of rewriting TSTS. So, instead, I want to continue posting on this current fic as a sort of "journal" of my progress. I know a lot of you guys are writers yourselves, so this could be a super cool opportunity for you guys to see my process and learn some tips and tricks along the way.

My long-term goal is to post a probably 100% finished redone version of The Strength and The Sight when The Cuphead Show is renewed and the new season releases on Netflix. (I'm manifesting so hard, IT WILL BE RENEWED I KNOW IT) Or I'll try and release it if/when Studio MDHR releases another Cuphead thing/game. Whatever comes first.

Until then, I'll be using this as my progress journal. I'll be posting rough sketches (because I'll also be doing updated illustrations!), rough outlines (with redacted spoilers, lol), and more! 

I know this is probably really disappointing. I'm kicking myself quite a bit here and wishing I'd been able to finish TSTS before I got burnt out, but I believe that everything happens for a reason. My hope is that TSTS will be a much better and higher-quality novel because of this rewrite.

Thank you for your patience and I'm truly sorry for all the delays. I promise that I'll do everything I can to make The Strength and The Sight worth the wait.

-- Your Friend, Inkwell Intrigues