#I don't log on here too much...? maybe just 2-3 times a day

[ifshereturns]

I forgor what you said earlier but can I draw your little guy DO YOU HAVE AN OUTFIT IN MIND 🥺 can he be covered in the blood of the queen's decapitated victims-

Of course you can draw him if you feel up to it ♡ feel free to draw him in as much blood as you want always 🥰 hmmm lemme look for outfit inspo, actually

something all white, since he's the white queens assistant, maybe? If that's not difficult, if so feel free to add a little black or lavander in there 😈

[piko-power]

idk what to post so here's me getting excited over an animated hedgehog lol

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 so far is VISUALLY STUNNING. The lighting, the animation and SFX, just, BEAUTIFUL ON SO MANY LEVELS.

Everything about the trailer blew my mind, but I will do a post about my thoughts and theories on it later on. For now I wanna talk about the Blueberry Muffin himself.

Sonic in the movie looked GREAT. He got a small upgrade compared to how he looked in both Movie 1 and 2. (Especially Movie 1)

But he's still the goofy, heroic dork he is, and I'm SUPER EXCITED to see my boy again!! 💕

I don't know what else to post, so I'm just gonna gush over some of my favorite (which I'll admit, are almost every shot of Sonic in the trailer. Just wanna admit that, right now XD) shots of the Blue Devil.

I will do another version of this but with Shadow, but that'll be in the future. Shadow looks INSANE in the movie, so of COURSE I will lose my mind over his design once the post comes out lol

But right out of the gate, we got a really cool shot of Sonic running through a log, I think? Absolutely love the blue glow emitting the entire dark interior. And it gave Sonic a nice glow, too.

I love how determined he looks here, too. There were some scenes in the trailer where it looked like Sonic, Tails and Knuckles were racing each other. I think it's really adorable that the Wachowski Bros. spend time together by just racing through the woods outside of their own house.

This shot looks like Sonic might be in the lead.

Tom: "It hasn't always been easy, but it can't change who you are *points to Sonic's heart* in here."

Sonic: "Yeah. In my lungs."

The pure innocence from this hedgehog is killing me 😭

This is probably after the race? Idk when this is taking place, after all, all we got is a trailer. But I'm just spitballing here, but this is definitely another scene in the series where Tom gives Sonic some profound words for him to remember by.

But anyways, I love this shot of Sonic. You can already tell there is some slight differences with how he looked in the first film and the second film, which I kind of already freaked out over on this post here lol.

His expression complete with his line is just the perfect mixture for this shot. It describes Sonic to me. He's got a heart of gold, but at times he can be just a little confuse but still got the spirit.

He's just a child 😭

Here we got Sonic casually breaking the laws of physics just to grind on a tree branch, because he's just that cool.

Now this shot here? PROBABLY ONE OF MY FAVORITES.

Sonic is up in the air, twirling around with a huge smile on his face 🥺

He is having the TIME of his life. He is just so happy AAAAAAAAA-

Also, I love that Sonic's body, mainly his chest, has become a bit more puffy (since the Knuckles show anyway), but he still has that bean shape in certain shots lmao (Got a bit of Classic Sonic in there since day one XDDD)

I mean, come on. Look at his cheeks and tell me he don't have any baby fat anymore? He's still small! He's still squishy!! 🥺

Anyways badass Blueberry. EPIC callback to the beginning of SA2, only this time Tails and Knuckles are along for the ride. (also love Tails' expression as he jumps off the helicopter.)

I love this particular shot a lot for some reason XD

Knuckles really wants to fight Shadow despite Sonic not wanting to. He wanted to handle Shadow just by talking things out (clearly he has not met the dude) and Knuckles is over here ready to throw hands.

Sonic looks very annoyed here 🤣

I'm just so happy to see Sonic and Knuckles together on screen again after the Knuckles show. I fell in love with their dynamic ever since. Sonic and Tails' bond is truly special to me, but it's Sonic and Knuckles' bond that means SO MUCH to me, and I SERIOUSLY need to write more about these dorks.

This is the face of a hedgehog who was NOT prepared for the horrors that is Shadow the Hedgehog and maybe bisexuality. XD

Pissed off Blueberry.

Sonic is one of those characters where they rarely get upset or angry, but when they, it's badass and genuinely terrifying. I am NOT ready to see Sonic get so upset in this movie.

I know shit is about to go down in this movie, and I know Sonic is probably gonna go feral when it does. And it won't be pretty.

He is NOT happy at all. But at least here he looks kind of pouty.

It's kind of funny XD

"Here. Take my stupid strand of magic hair, just make sure you clean it when you're done. >:("

"What did you do?"

Yeah, no, he's furious. It's actually scary seeing Sonic like this. I have seen pictures of Sonic in rage mode in the comics and yeah, you can say that Sonic's about to reach his limit, if you know what I'm saying. (btw best moment in the Archie comics hands down)

Okay, one last image, I PROMISE-

THIS ONE, is my favorite out of all of them. Everything about this shot is just... I... don't even know how to explain how much I love this.

The lighting. The intensity of this whole scene. Sonic's anger. His powers going up to 100.

Yeah, this movie is gonna drive a little crazy. :)

Of course I'm just getting started on my Movie 3 hype rambles lol. Don't want this post to be too long or annoying-

I'm just so happy to see my comfort character back in action. I'm so happy that EVERYBODY'S back! I CAN'T WAIT DUDE!!!

[mama-qwerty]

Okay. So.

The Sonic 3 trailer.

First of all, I watched this with my whole family, so didn't see it until about 2:30 this afternoon. My son is the one who got me into Sonic in the first place, so I thought it was only fair that I wait until he got home from school so we could watch it together.

We all absolutely loved it, and think it looks like a really fun ride.

I've rewatched it a few times, and a few things stood out to me.

The Race Scene

The little bit at the beginning when the three are having what looks like a race into the forest back home. Maybe they're actually racing or playing capture the flag or some other kind of game to give them some enrichment and exercise (so they don't cause shenanigans). Based on a few other quick shots, it looks like they're having fun.

Now, further into the trailer we see Knuckles kicking off Big Ben, and Sonic zipping up the side of a bridge, much like he did off the log back home during this game. I'm thinking we'll see a parallel of the game at some point, where they maybe need to work together, or just need that connection to home to really focus and get the job done. (I'm guessing they're going after whatever that ship is that's coming out of the water. Maybe. I dunno. The time of day looks right, though.)

Team Sonic Working With GUN

Walters isn't recruiting the boys out of just desperation. He wants to see them in action, wants to know what they're capable of. And he's only going to tell them what he wants them to know. They're not chomping at the bit to join the very organization that tried to capture them (Sonic and Tails) or likely hold them accountable for partnering with Robotnik the last time (Knuckles).

Sonic calls Shadow a "rogue alien", which would be odd if he knew Shadow's true origins. Walters likely told them Shadow appeared on earth 50 years ago and was subdued and put into status, but escaped and now is a danger to the planet. They likely don't even know he's a hedgehog. Which would explain Sonic's claim of not wanting to fight once they realize he's like them.

Which ends badly for all three.

My guess is that line about how "Shadow isn't too different from Sonic" is said later, once the family confronts Walters about who this other hedgehog really is. Walters has no choice but to fess up (to a point) and tell them what happened.

"What did you do?"

Sonic says this line with such a combination of anger and fear and pain that I can only guess that Shadow did something to Sonic's family. Likely Tom. This would cause Sonic to drop all pretense of jovial banter, and get really, really pissed.

I've seen theories that this maybe brings about Dark Sonic, which would be cool, but I have my doubts. But it will test Sonic's heart, calling back to the scene at the beginning that Tom said his heart never changed after everything. If Sonic thinks Shadow hurt (or killed) someone he loves, he would feel very conflicted in how he'd react to that.

Robotnik

Okay. So, he's back, no surprise there, and he's looking really unkempt. Depression does that to a person. I'm eager to see the back and forth that gets him to agree to work with the boys, and wouldn't put it past him to demand the Master Emerald as payment. To which Knuckles will of course refuse, which is why Sonic will give him one of his quills instead.

He likely has no idea about Shadow, as it seems as though Shadow escapes on his own. (Or does he? Could Robotnik have access to whatever containment system Shadow's been kept in, and releases him simply to cause mayhem?)

The group somehow end up at what used to be the ARK for some reason. I take it this is where Robotnik double crosses the boys (shocker!) and chains them up to let Shadow finish them off.

This is also where he meets his grandfather, Gerald. (He calls Gerald Pap Pap, which is a term some people use for their grandfathers, myself included.)

Now, here's where I have a few theories. It could really be Gerald, still alive and running on his anger after all these years. If he stayed at the ARK after the military overran it, that would be 50 some years of solitude, where he's dwelling on what happened, why it happened, and what could have been done to prevent it. He's become twisted and insane, seeing humanity as a plague and releasing Shadow to enact his revenge.

Or, based on how identical Ivo and Gerald look, it's possible 'Gerald' is actually Ivo himself. Maybe a subplot of this is the chaos emeralds, they need to find them so Sonic can be powerful enough to stop Shadow. But maybe they're like the Infinity Stones, and one has the power to manipulate time. Ivo gets hold of it, goes back in time, and proceeds to use the quill that Sonic gave him during their little agreement to work together to create Shadow.

Or the chaos emerald itself was used to create Shadow as well, and that's why he's got so much chaos energy in him that he can't control. He can't find that damn fourth chaos emerald, because he IS the fourth chaos emerald.

Or, Ivo is a clone that Gerald made of himself to continue his research. When the ARK was raided, all of Gerald's experiments were taken, including Gerald IV--that the government named Ivo before placing him into an orphanage.

I dunno. None of these are likely true. But they're fun to play with and think about.

Tails

Adorable as ever. I'm hoping we get some more engagement and action from him.

Knuckles

My boy. Needs an ice pack for that wrist. Just wanna scoop him up and care for him. I hope we see some good interactions between him and the rest of the family.

Shadow

He looks good. Like, really good. I'm not 100% sold on the voice acting, but we've only heard 2 lines from him, so I'm reserving judgment on that. The fight scenes look great, and he's a very formidable adversary for the boys. Unlike anything any of them have seen or fought before. Running on pure grief and anger, he's thrown into a world he doesn't understand, and doesn't care to because it stole his sister from him.

~~~

I found the trailer very fun, and am excited for the movie. And I'm happy to see some excitement for the SCU out there again.

[konniesreality]

Ok so here's my success story

Joined loablr 1½ yrs ago life was normal for me and I was comfortable in my circumstances so I never really applied it, I was always scared if changes so i just read posts after posts from a+p to void to states i overconsumed so much that I forgot what it truly was. I never truly persisted and i didn't even believed it. But then last April my worst luck hit and life started going downhill in every area i could imagine. I failed all my exams, gained weight and started hating myself, my friends left me I was completely outcasted and the worst part i had to keep all my despair to myself because I wasn't allowed to vent. My father lost his job and became super short tempered he'll scold me for everything and for my mum everyday the disappointment I saw in her eyes broke me. I was still skeptical of the law but this time I had nothing to lose...

So first i wanted to manifest my life without void because i had saw the void obsession and i knew if I would start now i too would be omw obsessed with it. So i decided to start loa from the basis.I first read Pink's doubt post i read it till i convinced myself that loa and void all were real. After that I compiled your how i manifest, su's loa basics post,Rosie's void doc and Raven's revision post. I then logge off Tumblr. I made a routine for myself taking inspiration from your post and Rosie's doc. And Raven's revision post made me confident that nothing was impossible.

Every morning I would affirm for void concept and self concept i didn't wanted to get obsessed with anything and struggle more by putting them on pedestal. When I had nothing to do I would vaunt while listening to baejin and Roy's subs. I logged off from every social platform and just completely focused on myself.It's like superrrrr hot here in summers so I would usually take naps in afternoons and that time I used for SATS. And at night I would do breathing exercises and would affirm to wake up in void state.

After 12-13 days i felt such a huge shift in my life like my dad started being super nice to me and mum was actually motivating me and taking me out on walks to cheer me up just like i visualised in SATS!!! This boosted my confidence so muchhhhh!!!! I was sure about my abilities my self concept was also amazing and I was manifesting small things here and there but i hadn't entered void till now. So i read Pink's post again and then Rosie's void doc this relaxed me and motivated me to keep persisting in my new story and the next night i entered the void state!!!!! It was so relaxing and calming and I felt so safe. It was just like how i thought it would be baby blue with sparkling stars everywhere!!!!! I felt so light and happy.... After staying for some time i affirmed for my desires stayed there for some more time and then came out.

Now the fun stuff i manifested

First— i woke up in my room!!!!! But in my old story i shared my room with my parents but here i was in my room that looked exactly like my Pinterest boards!!! Honestly I just laid there for 15-20 min i don't know why but i was crying??😅😅 I still don't understand it maybe because i always wanted a space for my own where i could just release all my emotions and always being surrounded by people i just learnt to swallow my emotions and remain stoic but on this day i just released myself i was so proud of me for sticking through and becoming the success story i wanted to be.okay...... not going too indepth in other things now otherwise it'll become a novel now😆

2) I was my desired weight and had my complete desired appearance. I felt so confident on seeing myself in the mirror.

3) My dad getting his job back and now having a big big promotion for the relentless work he did for the past 20 yrs.He is the senior of the guy who fired him on false charges hihi guess who got fired next😜😜

4) Passing all my exams with A+ and getting into my desired school it's a private school only for rich kids i always wanted to attend one so now I am attending it😎

5) Having amazing IQ and photograpjic memory.

6) We have an amazing house of ours now it is so big and beautiful 😻😻😻 it also has a big lawn outside.

7) Being the popular girl of my school those friends who ditched me are now begging to be in my group but you see I'm the popular girl and not the mean girl so they are not welcomed here 😎🤓😎

I manifested many many more desires and now I'm so so happy everyday is a blessing for me. And I just want to thank you and all the bloggers here you all are a ray of hope in our lives. I love you so much and will always remain thankful to you,Rosie, Pink,Sue and every other blogger who helped me. You all are amazing people and you all deserve the world.

Now I'm gonna deactivate from Tumblr so thank you again. We may don't know each other but you all have become an integral part of my life. I hope Tumblr good days return again and it get flooded with success stories again.

Nd all the bloggers here remain safe and happy and manifest positivity and goodness in their lives.

Sorry it became very long😅 but i hope Konnie you stay happy and healthy always and your blog is just filled with positivity you don't deserve these stupid haters. Thank you again for helping me...

Bye Konnie!

Anon I am so happy for you! I’m so happy I helped you, I’m so happy that you got everything you wanted love! Enjoy your life honey! 💗💗💗

[skyalent]

Witches Can Be Good | Supernatural x Scarlet Witch! Reader - Part 3

Warning: Angst

Happy New Year everyone… although kinda late. I’m not gonna lie I totally forgot about this until I finally logged into Quotev and got notifications on people commenting for part 3. I’m so sorry TwT RisaIceCreamPudding and Arabella from Quotev… but also thank you for reminding me <3

Also do you guys want me to make a masterlist? I don't expect this series to be too long, but if you'd like it, I can make it. Or a taglist. Just let me know with a comment!

Part 1 *~* Part 2 *~* Part 3 (You are here) *~* Part 4???

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Part 3: ...Goodbye?

The brothers were acting strange and Y/n knew it. She didn’t know why because she didn’t want to pry into their minds, but she did make subtle attempts to make them open up to her. Nothing was working so far. 

Meanwhile the brothers were full of all kinds of thoughts. After Sam deemed the DVDs safe and normal they watched the movies together while they sent Y/n out on a solo ghost hunt. 

Dean’s mind was blown over and over again. One, Y/n’s real name was Wanda and was part of the avengers!? Which was pretty damn cool especially with how hot she looked back then (and she only got hotter as she got older). But then both him and Sam found out about Y/n lover. Vision, a robot, but he reminded them of Castiel, as both were learning how to act human. 

While watching they felt like they were intruding in that moment. The way the two confided to each other… Dean wasn’t one for chick flick moments but he could tell that these two were utterly in love with each other. 

But then they witnessed the pain Y/n went through, practically losing everything. She lost her brother, her twin- a mute scream emphasizing her pain. Dean and Sam could relate, having lost each other more times than they could count.

She lost Vision to Thanos, the ugly wrinkled grape that both brothers just wanted to beat up in order to never see Y/n look that upset again. 

Then she herself died, her face oddly calm as she dusted away. But Sam understood. At that point, Y/n thought she had lost everything and had nothing left to live for. Her thoughts were probably along the lines of, at least I’ll be with my brother and Vision.

Coming back to life 5 years later, Y/n was understandably angry as she unleashed her anger on Thanos. But after that Y/n was lost. 

Her brother, gone. Her lover, gone. And as she came back to life she learned that her sister figure, Natasha, was gone too. 

Maybe that’s why they could only sympathize and understand as they watched WandaVision that for once in her life Y/n just wanted to be normal and happy. 

It was quite weird to watch Y/n magically give birth to two twin boys, but they couldn’t deny the amount of love Y/n had for her family. 

And then… 

“Dean isn’t that the witch that gave us the DVDs?” 

Agatha Harkness. Now the brothers knew that the witch could not be trusted based on the way she treated Y/n. 

The next time they see her, Dean isn’t going to hesitate in shooting his gun. 

But then onto Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness… 

“LIKE DUDE WHAT THE F*CK!?” 

First off, Y/n was hot. As in, slay b!tch, get it kinda hot. And she was kinda evil. 

“But think about it.” Sam pointed out, “She just lost her children, who she had for like, a couple days, she lost her husband- although I can see that she’s accepted his death by now. At this point Y/n is just desperate for her family, for love, for normality.” 

Sam wasn’t ashamed to say he was balling tears by the end of the movie. Obviously, Y/n wasn’t dead, but she had gone through so much that it left one question in their minds. 

Does Y/n… still want that normality? 

Because even if the Winchester brothers hated the thought of getting rid of Y/n from their lives, Y/n would never get to live a normal life while being friends with them. She would be stuck in a hunter’s life.  

“We should let her go…” Dean said blankly after a few minutes of silence. 

“Dean-”

“No, I’ve thought this through. That life she wanted. Sam, she’ll never be able to get that with us. Didn’t you see how happy she was with her family? I admit it was kinda f*cked up, but now she has another chance at it again. We can give her that chance again.”

Sam contemplated it, though Dean could see his resolve breaking. 

The Winchester brothers were going to let Y/n go.  

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The brothers had driven Y/n far from the bunker after telling her they were going on a trip. After parking into a driveway, they stepped out, a confused Y/n following after.

“Wait, what’s going on? Why-” 

“Y/n what we do is extremely dangerous, and it’s only going to get more dangerous from here on out.”

“Dean, I know that already. Why do you think I’m here? To protect you guys because-” Y/n attempted to explain but was cut off by Sam. 

“We can’t be associated with witches Y/n. All the hunters know who we are. Once they figure out what you are, even more people will be out to kill us, on top of the supernatural.” 

“Alright I’m calling BS-”

“Sorry, Y/n. But please, this will be so much better for you. We even paid for this house and everything. Don’t worry about it, please.” Dean opened the trunk and took out Y/n’s suitcase, rolling it to the door and passing the house keys to Y/n.

“But guys you’d be even safer if-”

“If you stayed here.” Dean sternly said to Y/n, looking directly into her eyes. She swallowed, her mouth feeling dry. “We don’t need a witch helping us.” 

Frozen, Y/n could only watch as the brothers got back into the Impala and drove away into the distance. Heart broken, tears uncontrollably ran down her face as she wept.

“...but you guys are my family…”

So... Part 4???

< Previous *~* Next >

[frecklystars]

I used to use tumblr a lot, but haven't been on in years. I logged back into my account for the first time in ages and I'm not exaggerating when I say my eyes lit up when I saw that you're still posting.

I remember you. I remember loving your posts, and all the joy you brought me before. I also remember how you struggled before, and I know you're struggling now.

But I want you to know that, from the bottom of my heart, I am so glad you're still here. ❤️

Holy shit. I am so sorry the first post from me that you see coming back on tumblr for years is me recovering from an attempt on my life. I want to say "I'm not usually like this" but I am... like this, now. I have dealt with the most horrific, terrifying forms of abuse in the last two years to the point where I cannot self ship with Tr/nsformers anymore, or self ship just in general, I can't trust anyone without walking on eggshells, I can't function anymore. I don't know if you were here 3 years ago, or maybe you remember me from earlier than that, before I was into TF. but I have C-PTSD now with a lot of really shitty shitty triggers and one major one is TF and it has been really heartbreaking having to adjust to that bc it was a special interest, where I got the most comfort from any of my main F/Os for almost 3 years. Being abused and having self shipping ruined for me is the most horrible thing to happen to me in my life so far. I didn't just lose a special interest, I lost a lot of trust in people that I cared about who betrayed me, I lose so much sleep bc I have nightmares/flashbacks all the time. I live in fear every day. I was stalked both offline and online. I've been trying to focus on Barbie for the last year now since that was the only hyperfixation I was able to actually have again, but that's been slipping away too since [gestures to the Fucking Horrors] and I just, I just have this very firm wholehearted belief that no matter whom I self ship with, any character would want to abuse me just like my abuser did, that anyone could be manipulated and turned against me, bc I was conditioned to believe that. and for the life of me I cannot shake it off. and I got so tired of dealing with this for almost 2 years so I just... tried to end everything on my one year F/O anniversary with the F/Os that I'm supposed to feel safe with. right now I am just very numb and barely existing

I'm sorry you have to see me like this, but my queue is always posting happier and lighter stuff when I'm offline, so rest assured I just make vent posts every now and then, and then I delete them. I'm barely online anymore I just don't see a point. I really wish you could have seen me before I was abused 2 years ago, I was still struggling but I was at least... myself. I haven't been myself since I was abused I don't know if I can really go back to that bc I still haven't been able to leave my situation fully. I am so unhappy all the time. I feel bad for being so negative, normally I try to be more positive especially when I get such nice asks, but it's just been getting worse and I really don't think I can keep holding on that much longer

Thank you for taking the time to send a nice message. I wish I was in a better headspace to reply. I was going to just try to reply at another time bc I am in the worst headspace rn, but I didn't know if I could wait until I was in a better headspace bc I don't know if I'm going to improve at all. I feel so hopeless. but I also didn't want to just let this ask sit in my inbox and have it collect dust for months and months. I wanted you to know I read it and I appreciate what you said. Giving you a hug. I love you. Thank you for remembering me

[hazbinshusk]

I have a question- I admire your work, like-, fangirl type of admiring, and you were one of the reasons why I started writing -first headcannon, chains and tears was inspired by some of your writing (some others too, like irl but mostly yours and theirs), but HOW, how can you write everyday/almost everyday?? Like, life, writing block, just- HOW?? Are you a goddess or something? Because damn I’ve tried but I can’t- anyways, I freaking LOVE your work!! Keep going, you’re a bigggg inspiration

okay, first of all, you're gonna make me cry being this sweet to me <3. The idea that I'm actually inspiring someone else's writing? godly. seriously, thank you soooo much!

but I'm here to tell you right now, I don't write everyday. I wish I could, I really do, but I don't have it in me. What I do for work is so mentally and emotionally draining that honestly, most days I get home and I can't even think of writing. I'll turn my laptop on, and I'm lucky if I get a sentence out before I'm doomscrolling because that's all my brain can handle. I don't even have the energy to answer asks most days.

I do try to write as often as possible, but I end up doing the bulk of my writing on weekends. On a really good day, with the right inspiration, I can write a good few thousand words in a day, which probably isn't a lot, but by the end of the weekend I can have 2 or 3 fics ready to publish (more if they're shorter). Then I set them up in my drafts so I can post them throughout the week.

honestly, I think a lot of that comes down to the support and love I'm getting from a new fandom too. I used to (and want to get back to eventually) write mcu x reader fics and I was so burnt out on them because I would get so little in the way of interaction outside of kudos on ao3 or I would get so few reblogs that fics I'd spent hours if not days on would end up with less than 100 notes. And that sucked, because it felt like I was just throwing this writing I worked so hard on into a void. And I wrote a lot of fics, so maybe people were just expecting them to keeep coming without the positive feedback? idk. I know I'm not entitled to feedback, but it makes it really hard to write without it.

like, I have over 11,000 followers on my main blog (and sure, a lot of them might be following for other fandoms, or haven't been logged into for a while) but I get more asks and interactions on this blog in a day than I do on that one in a month.

so, the support has been a big thing for me, but trust me, I'm not writing every day. honestly, I'm punishing myself for not writing as often as I want. but go it at your own pace because if we burn out we just end up hating that we're not creating. I try to combat that by temporarily ignoring requests and writing my own ideas, but it can still be a lot. my fic count for this month has gone down considerably.

trust me, I'm a mess, but we can still write when we have the time/energy and that's good enough :)

[obey-me-disaster]

Can the obey me brothers survive SCP-3008 (the infinite ikea, but can they even let alone survive a normal ikea /j)

These bitches definitely can't survive in a normal Ikea /j

They have a pretty good chance of surviving SCP-3008. No one is dying this time.

For those of you who want to read more about the SCP here is a link

More important question. Does Devildom has its own version of Ikea?? How would it even be called?? Devilikea? Demonkea?

The demon brothers vs SCP-3008

A/N:For those of you who don't know what SCP-3008 is. It's basically an infinite Ikea that is extremely hard to get out of. There are also monsters under the name of SCP 3008-2 which are basically humanoid monsters, which are either too short/tall with no face and long limbs that get agressive during the night.

Lucifer

He just wanted to go buy furniture to replace the one destroyed by his brothers but the store doesn't seem to end.

It doesn't take much for him to realize something is deeply wrong with the store and he tries to go find an exit.

He tries to go talk with some worker only to come face to face with SCP 3008-2. Even if the monster tries to attack him, it will be killed rather quickly.

Really, the only hard thing to do is finding the exit. The monsters tend to leave him alone as they are too scared to approach him.

I wouldn't be surprised if he started asking 'nicely' where the exit is. All in all it takes him 2 days to get out. Also before reaching the exit he also took all the furniture that he came for in the first place.

A/N: Reading all of this makes me realize that it might not be so weird if this happens in Devildom...for all we know maybe that's how stores function in there...

Mammon

He had a big idea for a new scheme but he needed to buy some thing for it to work and long story short he ended up in the infinite Ikea.

It took him a good while to notice that anything was wrong really. Even during the night, when the SCPs 3008-2 were moving he didn't think something was wrong. When the creatures would start talking to him he would run thinking they were some dept collectors.

He does finally realize what is actually happening and gets the brilliant to just take home with him as much stuff as he can then sell it on the internet. The store has infinite supplies so it's not like it will be missing some pieces of furniture.

It does take him about a week or two to get out just because he went too far into the infinite Ikea. If he had his crow familiars with him he would have been out in 3 days top.

He didn't leave with as much stuff to sell as he liked but he refuses to go back. He barges into MC's room to demand that they sleep together for a while...not because he has nightmares of that place or anything.

Leviathan

He needed a new shelf for his manga collection and it just so happened that he couldn't find it online anymore so he had to go out and buy it himself.

He was focused on finding the perfect shelf that he didn't realize that night fell and SCP 3008-2 came out and it took him a great while to figure out something was wrong.

He was avoinding them the way people avoid Solomon's cooking. The weird bodies proportions? He just thought that's what normies look like. The faces with features on them? Please, he was trying to avoid having to talk with people so badly that he didn't even look at their faces.

The only reason he figured out things was because he couldn't log into his games for his daily login. That's when panic started to set in. He spent a few hours just having a crisis and crying.

After he actually got motivated to get home he used all his experience as an admiral and the one from video games. When he stayed and thought about it, the whole situation reminded him of the 'The one time I got stuck into a supermarket full of monsters' anime.

He doesn't want to even think of all the time it took him to get out...all the lost login bonuses, all the animes he had to caught up on. His social battery was empty too. Once he got home he didn't leave his room for a month.

Satan

He needed even more shelves for his books and maybe some stuff for cats...Lucifer doesn't need to find out about the second reason tho.

He honestly noticed that something was wrong with the place pretty fast but he couldn't exactly figured out at first.

It wasn't until night came that things started to make sense and he realized what his predicament was.

He went full on detective/researcher mode. He wanted to know what those creatures were they are SCPs Satan..

He somehow stumbles across other people that have been trapped there for a while and starts questioning them about the place.

It takes 5 days to come and he brings some of the other people too with him.

With how smart he is you would think he wouldn't ask MC 'Is this how all shops in the human world are?' but he does! When MC tells him no he is both dissapointed and relieved.

Asmodeus

Went in to buy new mirrors cause the ones he has are no longer good enough for his tastes clearly not because Mammon and Levi broke them

He got distracted by all the mirrors and the possible cute furniture he could use for his room. You can never have too many fluffy pillows and soft blankets!

The only reason he notices anything is amiss is when all the lights go out. Even when SCPs 3008-2 come out to get him, he thinks those are just some of his fans that came to see him.

His charm even works on the creatures so he is really in no danger. He even makes them carry his stuff and show him the exit.

He gets out of there the fastest and even gets more stuff than he came for!

Beelzebub

Came to replace some of the furnite he ate back at the House of Lamentetion

SCP-3008 besides being an infinite Ikea also has infinite food so it takes Beel quite a while to notice that anything is wrong. Even when SCP 3008-2 tries to attack him he just eats them.

He would have been way more concerned if any of his brothers were with him but since he is alone he just chills around there. He eats until he had his fill and then goes on to take what he needs.

He accidentally stumbles across some people that have been stuck in there for a while and decides to help them get out.

Seeing Beel easily beating and eating SCP 3008-2 makes them question if they choose the right person to follow

It takes him around a week to get out but he would have been so much faster if he decided not to help anyone.

Belphegor

Goes there to buy himself new pillows, blankets, bed mattress and so on.

He tries to test which one is better and ends up falling asleep.

SCP 3008-2 kind of ignores him since it thinks he is not alive. Since he is pretty aware of what is happening around him even when sleeping he put two and two together and figured out more or less what was happening.

During the day he would wander around, trying to find anything interesting that Beelzebub or MC might like and during the night he is 'testing' the bed mattress and pillows.

All in all it takes him 6 days to come out and he got everything he needed and more. He also made sure to take some of that infinite food for Beel

[colorisbyshe]

do you have any tips for someone who's going to their first concert soon?

Sure!

bring ear plugs/protection with you! they make some just for concerts/musicians. i'll be honest, i don't use them myself but... i'm probably losing my hearing at each concert. this is the most 'ymmv' tip i have here.

wear comfy shoes!!!!!!!! i know you wanna look cute but remember you can just... not take pics of your feet when taking Fit Pics. it's okay

look up the bag policy of the venue the day BEFORE you go to make sure you really got it down pat! most places are fairly lax. i tend to bring a purse is comfortable being worn all show, isn't too heavy, but can fit a portable charger, snacks (to be eaten in line, not in venue), my wallet, and nothing more than that

if you're waiting in line a long time, i recommend bringing a disposable water bottle--it tends to be just enough to keep you hydrated but not too much so you have to pee during the show. you likely wont be able to recycle it tho :( rip

i put pain killers in my purse and take them right before doors so i don't get too sore during the show, this is for standing only. if i'm seated, i don't bother. i do also bring pepto tablets (hidden in my wallet) but that's because i'm old and my stomach hates me

if you'er doing standing/general admission/the pit, get in line EARLY. at least 2-3 hours early, sometimes earlier. snacks, water, painkillers are a MUST here. talk to people in line around you, chances are they'll be near you in the crowd! you can form bonds so you can take turns going to the bathroom, buying merch, etc

buying merch: look up if the the venue takes cash or credit. some places are credit only, some are cash only, some both. if unsure, bring both if you want merch.

sometimes stuff sells out before the show starts, sometimes it's not worth buying it beforehand because you have to hold it all show and risk losing your spot if you go buy it. if seated, this is less of a concern.

lining up tip if you're going in a group: if your group isn't arriving together, be aware of some etiquette. if you arrive first and just one friend is joining you, it should be (probably will be okay) if they join you. if you arrive first and MULTIPLE people are joining you, go back to their spot in line. place holders for large groups are rude as hell. try to arrive at the same time tho. maybe get a meal together beforehand so you can arrive together.

drinks at shows are EXPENSIVE AS FUCK... just... not worth it. do with that info what you will. i know some people pregame in line (watched someone chug two coke and vodka bottles in line for CRJ lmao)... i don't. it's not worth it ot me

CHECK THE TICKET APP MULTIPLE TIMES THROUGHOUT THE DAY. ARE YOU LOGGED IN? DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR PASSWORD?

bring a portable charger for your phone--don't need a massive one but taking video saps battery fast

the only other tip that matters is: read the vibe of the crowd. if peopel are being loud and rowdy, be energetic too! if people are being chill, be chill. don't be afraid to assert your boundaries, hold firm posture against peopel who are shoving, but also... don't be the person who requires others to assert THEIR boundaries. just... be considerate

if you need something extra though, communicate! a moment of peopel backing away from you so you can catch your breath or idk clean your glasses can be communicated easily, just ask "hey, just for a second, is okay if i do X." some people might say no, most won't.

i tend to tell the people around me that if they need me to duck down for a certain song/moment to get a pic, they can just tap on my shoulder.you don't hav eto do that though. my point in mentioning that is to just say--people at shows are just... people. they're mostly reasonable and just need to be spoken to if you have any concerns or questions.

that said: if you ahve any more specific questions or concerns that aren't touched on here, lemme know! i love concert talk and won't get to indulge enough (next show is in may boooooo)

[disfrutalakia]

Can I pick yor brain to theorize a bit? So Blue won today which means they're leading. If we do a bit of math we can conclude that purgatory will end on the 18th (otherwise they could tie or it will last until the 20th which would be a bit more than 2 weeks). That would mean that if Blue wins two more times they win no matter what. The same way, if Red wins 3 more times they win no matter what.

The problem here is: no one has any concrete evidence for which is the cursed team yet. Some theorize is one, some want to be the other. But no one knows.

The Eye said guess or find out or something like it. But we don't know in what to base it. Should we base our guess in lore, in strength, in suffering, in meta?

The closest anyone got to the real truth was ElQuackity being offered to know in exchange for killing someone that day or he would die. Well, he didn't die so there's that. And he talked to the Eye again after that and didn't mention anything about it. So, did they just ignore that plot point or does ElQuackity know now which team is cursed but the audience doesn't?

You could argue that he wanted Blue and Green to tie BECAUSE he knew which team is cursed. He could either want Blue to lose so the cursed wins OR because he wanted the cursed to lose (since that would doom the eggs too).

ElQuackity has not logged since going to Blue so we can't test this theory well yet.

Or maybe the Eye is lying about the whole thing, which wouldn't be a surprise, and no one is cursed.

If by any God forsaken chance Green was the cursed team... F in chat to our eggs, you will be missed. The Gay Ninjas tried their best. There's no coming back from this one.

One of the tweets also said "May the best egg die". How does that work? What is "best" here based on?

The more I hear the Eye talk the less I fear him. Can't he threaten people better? He showed a video of the eggs running away like two months ago. Show them now you half-baked villain, we've known they ran away since the end of the happy pills arc. Do you actually even have them? Forever could do a stone Richarlyson at his home, you're not impressing anyone with this. Just cause your is bigger and has Pomme's beret it doesn't mean anything. (I hope. F Pomchas.)

Also, once again it begs the never answered question: What WOULD happen if they tied? What will Eye do if they don't do anything all day? Like, sure, if cursed loses is bad but if it's before the last day they didn't lose yet. Just that day (technically).

If we go meta, I think they didn't choose the cursed team yet and may do so only based on the results from the event. But that's boring so let's talk about lore and real fun things like that.

For me, the cursed team being whoever had ElQuackity on them is something that has some kinda of proofs, but at the same time wouldn't make that much sense. Like did the eye know from the beginning who would be the teams? And why would everything fall on ElQuackity? And would that mean that cursed team changed from green to blue? If the curse truly is on the person I mean.

And can I be real? The eye guy SUCKS as a villain, sure he is ominous and can see everything but guess what? So could the feds, and the eye plans are a lot worse than theirs which mean they are horrible cause like, the feds are the guy who sent a single worker on a boat to purgatory!! The eye is not what strikes fear really, it's the islanders minds that do, the ones that keep thinking of the what if, what if they lose? What if they are cursed? What if they never go back? I get what they were trying to do with the eye but it didn't really work, he isn't around enough to really strike fear on us. And like, not that we know a lot about the reasons of why the feds do their stuff, but why the egg hates sinners and eggs so much? Is he god? What is he?

Okay got a bit distracted sorry, the whole "may the best egg die" thing sounded more like just a play on words really, but what if the best one is the one who survives? What if the statues really were connected to the eggs and the ones who weren't killed will be considered the best? Doesn't make a lot of sense but honestly cannot think about other possibilities for that choice of words.

The tie also makes me confuses, when it was said they would all die, did they mean everyone including red? Or if not, would everyone just be sent to red and they would win by default?

I'm a believer that there isn't a cursed team really, that it's mostly a mind game from the egg part to see how low the islander can go, to see them running around like rats trying to survive while also hunting each other like wolves, because there are no clues for the players really, like we as an audience can have our theories based on millions of povs, but what about the islanders? they can't do that.

I would like there to be clue drops over the next days since we are so close to the end but, I don't think it will be the case really. I think the curse team doesn't exist and this will be revealed at the end.

[novelgamestudios]

Progress Report 12/3 - 12/9

Hello hello, Jace here!

So before I dive into the progress made this week I want to give a little background info on the process overall. Some of y'all who may be familiar with visual novels or gamedev or both probably know the go-to recommended engine for making VNs is Ren'Py, it just is. And it's pretty dang fantastic, don't get me wrong, but that's not the engine I'm using.

I'm using Gdevelop, which is a no-code, visual scripting engine. I did this for two reasons. 1) Ren'Py has a LOT of functionality that you would expect in a VN already baked in and while that's fantastic, if you want to do some other things or add in other game mechanics, you're looking at learning some code. And I love code, I think it's super cool, but I also have very limited time in my day so I had to pick my battles as a solo dev and no-code engine it is! 2) Ren'Py ONLY makes VNs and I have ideas for at least half a dozen other games that aren't VNs. So if I'm going to learn an engine I want it to be one I can do lots of things in.

I share this because this means that everything we're building into this game, we're building from scratch. So basically if the stuff I share seems kind of basic that's why lol

TL;DR I'm working really hard on this so be gentle and also don't be afraid to maybe gas me up a little 🥺💜

OKAY HERE'S WHAT GOT DONE THIS WEEK!

Brightness slider! I personally have really bad light sensitivity and there's a LOT of games I can't play for more than hour (or at all) because it hurts too much. So I wanted to be sure to include the ability to dim the screen for folks if they needed it.

Dyslexic font toggle! We went with a sans-serif font to begin with in the hopes of making text as easy to read as possible. But just in case we're also adding in a toggle to the settings that will change the font to the Open Dyslexic font. This will change the dialogue, dialogue choices, and the settings menu!

History Log! Just in case you hit the button too fast or didn't really process what was said (or maybe your cat stepped on the keyboard), there will be a log you can pull up that will show the transcript of what you've done so far in the current chapter!

I put together a lil video showing how the brightness and font toggle work! (But not the history log cause all I got down was the code in a test scene and it is... very ugly right now lol)

The brightness slider is fully implemented and the font toggle is well on its way. The history log hasn't been implemented into the game itself so hopefully we won't hit any additional hiccups when that happens.

Thanks for reading and as always our asks are open if you have any questions!

See ya next week!

[baekhvuns]

HIIII BAEKSSSSS I missed you 😔 how are you? Wsp? How's everything?

Man, I've been pretty peaceful I'd say..kinda idk. Maybe the calm before the storm but that's besides the point. I miss your work so so so much 🥹🥹🥹 like rlly, not wanting to pressurise you just GIRL RLLY MADE 2022 SUCH A GOOD EXPERIENCE.

Anyways I've been watching a ton of stuff ofc, found a new pakistani drama 😈😈 well it's kind of the same plot as u wld guess, but I like this one it's like if not a lot then a bit diff frm the same ass dynamic. It's like a first daughter x youngest son the fun part is it was supposed to be, first daughter x first son but he was a jerk and a red flag. So yes...it'd be fun, it's a silly dynamic imo ik for sure there are going to be a ton banters.

ALSO dude these asmr Rps be getting Outta hand 😭 Nah cz i cried. I CRIED. THE ANGST OHHHHH. Some asmr artists are just so fucking good like alanakamakwk i felt like I was in a movie.

Lemme tell u a bit abt it, so the concept was basically, an old bsf comes back into the listener's life not in a bad way or anything just cz the bsf lived farrrrr away.

"do you wanna see the new tattoo i got?"

LIKE OKAY and then we did trace them too and a while later the convo goes deep "i got this tattoo bcz u told me seven years ago, what you don't rmr?" And then he sort of reminisces over the old times

"and that day..I went home, and texted you how much I liked you. And wanted to hang out with you a bunch.."

"that didn't happen I never texted you."

BRO OMG OMG ONWKWJWKW IM TELLING YOU THE FREAKIN TENSION BW ME AND MY HEADPHONES.

And then the best part was the listeners bf calls who also used to be friends with the bsf, and goes "i love you."

In hopes of hearing it frm us too. "Dear...?" Silence.

NO CUZ IMAGINE STANDING IN FRONT OF SOMEONE U ACTUALLY LOVE AND U GOTTA SAY ILY TO YOUR BF WHAT??? OMG.

And then when he comes out to go run errands he talks to the bsf AKA THE ASMR ARTIST I TELL U HIS VOICE *melts*

"we'll see you right?"

"... farewell"

That's the visual representation of me I'm not even kidding. And....he just leaves. LIKE THAT?? WHAT ABOUT US AHHHH *dies*

Nah but yes, I've been obsessed now. At least it makes me feel something 😮‍💨

Ok also no way my old Bollywood obsession is dying anytime soon *listens to bol na halke halke*

Anyways bye bye baeks MAKE SURE TO TELL ME ABT YOURSELF HOW U DOING AND STUFF OK?? OK MWAH ILY 🤭

YOU SENT THIS LAST WEEK AND I JUST KIND OF LOGGED INFBWNDBSK SO SORRY

i hope you’re doing well!! i’m currently sick bc of a heatwave i caught at a wedding 🥰🥰

i’m glad you’re feeling peaceful! AND DHSKDHKW DONT MENTION IT FNDMSKC ITS BEEN 2 YEARS 😭😭😭 maybe my writing bug just dimmed LMFAOOOO haven’t been on here or read anything, ive been in my drafts just giggling and reading but never like posting or writing fbdndb but ive kind of, maybe wanting to write something for fall time which i’m not sure ill post but it’s got me smiling a bit!

WHAT IS THE SHOW TELL ME 🔫

omg i can never get behind asmr, i have this thing called misophonia, i just despise the way the arm sounds make my ears feel fmandksb i just feel triggered BUT U CRIED BC OF IT WHY 😭😭

u gotta send me the link of it bc the voice actor u say… 👁

does our bollywood obsession rly die 😭😭 the new tauba tauba got me going a bit crazy,,, heard the jannat bgm but sad version and iM OBSESSED WITH IT, it lowkey inspired me to think and write <3 got me giggling and imaging stuff <3 in my pillow fbwndbsj

[wrenwrights]

The Disaster of Tiny Living and Too Much Coffee

I have been feeling lost in the Sims 4 for a while now. Stuck in a seemingly constant loop of creating a sim and then deleting the file the next time I log on. Nothing that four cups of coffee couldn't fix.

Literally, I got up, had my morning coffee, then just kept pouring myself more coffee. I fear I may have a caffeine addiction.

I figured this morning that enough was enough, and I'd challenge myself to the Tiny Living build challenge. To anyone reading who hasn't played the Sims 4 or isn't familiar with the build challenge, the Tiny Living build challenge requires players to have a minimum of four build tiles and a maximum of one hundred. I went for the max because I was only halfway through my first cup of coffee.

Once I got the outside done, I tackled the inside starting with the bathroom.

I was super proud of this space. Just off camera, there's my best attempt at a functional custom shower. It's small, but fairly normal as far as bathrooms go.

The Kitchen was relatively the same. I didn't know what style or colors I wanted, yet something about a blue kitchen just made my soul sing. Plus that rug under the sink had me falling in love with the space. Overall, a cute and sensible little kitchen. Don't worry, the rest of the house is pure chaos.

Now, dear readers, you may be seeing that wallpaper behind the fridge, squinting at it wondering if maybe I misclicked somewhere. I haven't. That is the wallpaper I used for the dining room. It was at this point that I was on cup number two of my morning coffee and I'd begun the shake a little. It was really hard to place things because my hands were trembling. I managed though.

I give myself a 2/3 for this dining room. All of the furniture matches except the wallpaper makes me feel as if I'm having a stroke. Also, Wallace, the mini-cowplant on the bureau, looks menacing. Don't put any fingers or small children too close, he bites.

I did the bedroom after I took a break to eat a small breakfast. For some reason, I was feeling purple but lazy. Also, the rug swatch was the Reliable Rug from High School Years, and it blew my mind. I don't build often anymore so seeing all of the colorful patterns and shapes of the rugs was almost overwhelming. I freaking love rugs now.

Also I LOVE that retro mirror, it's my new favorite. That one from the family pack with the light builds is now second place.

The Book Nook was my favorite part of the build. The chair in the corner just looks so soft and warm that I could just sit there and read on rainy days with a hot cup of tea.

By this point, I was on cup number four and so jazzed up I that had to quit and cut my losses. But I'm pretty happy with the effect overall. I can fill the shelves with collectibles, trophies, and pictures.

I don't know how to end this caffinated and equally sleep-deprived rant about my afternoon playing the Sims, but I think I'm going to be documenting more of my gameplay from here on out. This was a lot of fun to create.

[run-aled]

RED VALLEY: SEASON 1 EPISODE 2"The Golden Bullet"

[transcript]

SCENE 1

THE ABRUPT SWITCH OF A TAPE PLAYER RUNNING. A CRACKLING, ANCIENT RECORDING BEGINS TO PLAY

FEMALE VOICE: Aubrey Wood, log number 58. The infusions have begun in earnest now. Yogi and Pooh aren't feeling too chipper. Yogi's only been out of the medibay for 48 hours as it is, I'm confident he'll be back in again by tonight. Pooh's problems are as much down to his attitude as anything else. He ripped out his IV this morning and wouldn't eat. You'd be forgiven for thinking he doesn't want to be here. All the others seem fine, responding well. Not enough time's passed to observe any particular cause for these two reactions compared to the others. And honestly not a big enough pool to draw any worthwhile conclusions anyway. Maybe it's because we didn't give the other guys such stupid names.

TAPE PLAYER CLICKS OFF.

THE KITCHEN, WARREN'S HOME. CLOSE SOUNDS OF WASHING UP.

KAREN: (OFF) What names did the other guys get?

WARREN: (CLOSE) Brown, Black, Grizzly and Polar.

KAREN: She's right, they are less stupid.

WARREN: Indeed.

KAREN: How much more is there?

WARREN: Haven't listened to it all but not a lot. Tape's mostly blank. Maybe they were for dictation, someone transcribes the log then wipes the tape. Maybe they used a different tape for each log, no matter how short. Maybe she lost it.

KAREN: Maybe it was taken.

WARREN: Or maybe it was taken.

KAREN: This is exciting! So what is it, some animal testing thing? That might explain why its a big secret. Can't pour shampoo in a rabbit's eyes these days.

WARREN: You sound sad about that.

KAREN: You know how brittle my hair is. I need good shampoo.

WARREN LAUGHS.

KAREN: Have you spoken to Doug about this? Do you think he'd be okay with you following some eco-warrior who's sending what I assume is confidential material to your home address?

WARREN: I haven't mentioned it yet.

KAREN: Because this guy Gordon told you not to?

WARREN: No, because it's...twenty past 7 in the morning and I'm scrubbing fish skin off a frying pan. I'll speak to him about it later. Gordon's just an old fruit. The whole company is crawling with this kind of guy, little mole men who never see daylight and want to be in the X-Files.

KAREN: Do you want to be in the X-Files?

WARREN: Are you kidding, I'm married to a fucking X-File

KAREN: Ahhhhh!

WARREN: Ahhhhhhhhhh -

CUT.

SCENE 2

TAPE PLAYER BEGINS.

AUBREY WOOD: Dr Thomas wants to keep going with the dietary supplements. I'm less inclined to continue just because they taste so bad, none of them are enjoying it and like I said, Pooh is just refusing now, even when I gave him something he liked instead he wouldn't touch it. Dr Thomas thinks it'll help the infusion process along and I don't know, maybe it would. It shouldn't be necessary though, and if we don't stick to the regimen we laid out then how are we going to prove the infusion's efficacy. I suppose we're both coming from a place of compassion. I want to bring their spirits up, send them in with as positive a state of mind as we can. Ben wants to give them the best physiological shot possible. Bryony will decide.

TAPE PLAYER CUTS.

CANTEEN, DAYTIME. THE BUSY SOUNDS OF LUNCH HOUR.

CASHIER: That's £4.20 please.

WARREN: £4.20? How is that, it's usually, like 3 quid something.

CASHIER: Vegetables are 50p per serving so that a pound...chips are £1 a serving so that's £3…

WARREN: How is that £3?

CASHIER: That's 2 servings of chips.

WARREN: That's 1 serving of chips.

CASHIER: And the pie is £1.20.

WARREN: But that's only 1 serving of chips.

CASHIER: It's 2 sir.

WARREN: How many chips quantifies a serving? Is there a specific number?

CASHIER: I'll take £4.

WARREN: So the price is negotiable now? Is the chip count negotiable too?

CASHIER: Sir…

CUT.

OFFICE, DAYTIME. WARREN APPROACHES A DESK IN A BUSY OFFICE.

WARREN: Hello.

JEMMA: Hi.

WARREN: I'm sorry...this is my desk.

JEMMA: Oh Warren! Hi, I'm Jemma.

WARREN: Hi, hi. Um. So is something wrong with your desk, or...

JEMMA: No, the hotdesking starts today.

WARREN: What hotdesking?

JEMMA: It was in the email from Doug.

WARREN: I haven't seen that email.

JEMMA: Oh. That's awkward! I've taken your desk!

WARREN: Yeah. I...don't know where to sit now. They're all taken, aren't they?

AWKWARD PAUSE

JEMMA: Hmm. I assumed you're meant to be on the road today, that's why there's nothing free.

WARREN: Okay, cool, cool. I guess its fine, if its just today.

JEMMA: Oh no, its every Thursday.

WARREN: What?

JEMMA: It's...every Thursday now. Because of Neil and Doug...

WARREN HAS TAKEN HIS PHONE FROM HIS POCKET, RINGING OUDLY.

WARREN: Sorry.

JEMMA: You should check the email.

WARREN: I will, I will. Hello?

GORDON:: (D) Did you listen to it?

WARREN: Hello?

GORDON: (D) Did you listen to the tape?

WARREN: Mr Porlock?

GORDON: (D) No, I'm the other guy you met yesterday who put his balls on the line sending recordings of highly sensitive material to your house.

WARREN: Of course, of course.

GORDON: (D) Is this a bad time, you seem to have a big boyvoice on.

WARREN IS MOVING QUICKLY THROUGH THE OFFICE AND THROUGH A DOOR TO A QUIET, ECHOEY STAIRWELL.

WARREN: No, now is fine.

GORDON: (D) Did you listen to it?

WARREN: I've listened to it.

GORDON: (D) And?

WARREN: It's really interesting, yes.

GORDON: (D) Interesting?

WARREN: Yes.

PAUSE. GORDON SIGHS.

GORDON: (D) Look, I'm going to be in the car park of the north build at 7pm tonight. I've got a gold colour Vauxhall Astra. Well it's more coppery but I like to say its gold. I call it the Golden Bullet. It doesn't go very fast.

WARREN: Thank you for telling me that but I-

GORDON: (D) Meet me in the car, but I recommend you get to the end of the tape first as you obviously haven't. Then we can discuss how 'interesting' it is.

WARREN: I actually have a lot of other things I-

GORDON HANGS UP.

WARREN: Motherfu-

CUT.

SCENE 3

WARREN, IN HIS CAR.

WARREN: So yeah, it's good, this guy seems to have some background on the whole thing, so...yeah.

DOUG: (D) Seems to?

WARREN: Yeah. He says he used to work for the Seed Vault in some capacity. I think he may have been let go to be honest, he seems a bit bitter about the whole thing.

DOUG: (D) Well it would be useful to find someone who was involved with the project at a managerial level. These guys, they rename, repurpose, restaff these things all the time. If it wins them their slice of the budget they will do whatever they have to to stay in business.

WARREN: Yeah, of course. I will, this guy is just interesting and I thought it would be good to get to know as much about...you know, whatever this is, before I went in all guns blazing.

DOUG: (D) All guns blazing.

WARREN: Yeah.

DOUG: (D) Did you speak to Clive Schill yet?

WARREN: Uh, no. Nope, I tried him, haven't had a response yet.

DOUG: (D) I heard he's the man of the hour in R&D. I'm sure he'd be able to help.

WARREN: I'm sure he can, yep, just want to work this guy Gordon, I like to be thorough. Don't worry.

DOUG: (D) I'm not worried, buddy. You just keep me posted, alright? And ask for help when you need it, okay? That's what I'm here for.

WARREN: You got it. Oh, and Doug?

DOUG: (D) Yeah?

WARREN: Have I lost my desk on Thursdays?

DOUG: (D) Yeah, Jemma needs it while Neil is restructuring. You saw that in the email?

WARREN: Of course, of course. I think I just got the date wrong, or something.

DOUG: (D) Right.

WARREN: Not to worry. I'll be on the road.

DOUG: (D) Okay then.

WARREN: Right, I'll let you go. And Doug, thank you. Again.

DOUG: (D) Don't be soft.

WARREN: Sure thing.

DOUG: (D) Find the money!

THEY BOTH LAUGH.

CUT.

THE TAPE PLAYER BEGINS AGAIN.

AUBREY WOOD: It's 3.43am. Yogi is dead. He was back in the medibay for a few hours and we'd ceased the infusion six, no, seven hours ago. But he arrested just after midnight. Bryony and Ben were already there, I arrived as soon as I heard the alarm. We did everything right, everything we could, but we couldn't get him back. I'm going to sleep.

CLICK AS THE TAPE STOPS, THEN IMMEDIATELY RESUMES.

AUBREY WOOD: Dr Thomas, Dr Halbech and I all concur that Yogi died of a massive hypercoagulation event. If he had had a single embolism maybe he would've survived the arrest and we could have...there was no way we could've stopped it happening. Yogi had no genetic disposition that would invite this kind of scenario, or he never would've made it on to the program. So it must've been a reaction to the cryoprotectant. Yogi was on the alpha course with Pooh and Brown so we've paused their infusions while Bryony recalibrates. This still isn't going to bump the schedule apparently. Teddy Bears Picnic goes live on Monday and I have never felt stupider using that codename than I do this morning.

CUT.

SCENE 4

WARREN IS ON THE PHONE

VOICE: If I could just take the account number, I can help you with that sir.

WARREN: I gave you that just now.

VOICE: I...don't think you did.

WARREN: Not you, the robot person asked me to type it in before I got put through to you.

VOICE: That's your policy number, not your account number.

WARREN: How is that different

VOICE: Your policy number is for your individual policy, the account refers to your department, Accounts.

WARREN: You want a number for the account for Accounts.

VOICE: Yes.

WARREN: Look, I don't have that number, I just have the letter you sent which tells me you're lowering my pension contribution when I requested that I increase it.

VOICE: Yes, with the account number I can access all your policy information and see where we are with-

WARREN: If you need the account number to see my policy information then what is the point of a policy number?

VOICE: Sir...

CUT.

THE CANTEEN.

WARREN: Just the curry and the yoghurt thanks.

CASHIER: Could you lift the poppadom please?

WARREN: Sorry?

CASHIER: Can I see under the poppadom.

WARREN: What do you think is under the poppadom?

CASHIER: I'd like to check please.

WARREN: It's curry. There's curry under the poppadom.

CASHIER: Will you lift it?

WARREN: No. I'm going to draw the line here. I'm not going to lift the poppadom.

CASHIER: Sir, there's a line. I can't charge until I've seen your items and I need to confirm what is underneath the poppadom.

WARREN: There are 5 chips under the poppadom.

CASHIER: I'm sorry, I couldn't hear that?

WARREN: There are 5 chips under the poppadom.

THERE IS SOME QUIET GIGGLING AND A GASP.

CASHIER: Well that's another pound isn't it.

WARREN: It sure is

WARREN LUMPS CHANGE ON TO THE COUNTER.

CASHIER: Thank you.

WARREN: Thank you.

CASHIER: Have a great day.

WARREN: You have a great day.

CASHIER: I will try.

WARREN: Swell. Namaste.

CUT.

DIFFERENT PHONE CALL.

CLIVE: No no no, if you want to talk about anything like crop storage, anything in the Agric sector, you need to go back to before Overhead acquired all those patents. You need to go back to Wheelhouse.

WARREN: Wheelhouse?

CLIVE: Wheelhouse. That was the company that owned all the farming contracts. They had satellite operations around the country, around the world. When we absorbed Wheelhouse we took all those over.

WARREN: Right.

CLIVE: Overhead doesn't just buy patents, man. We buy every other company that buys patents. We own ideas, thats the point.

WARREN: Yeah, I get it.

CLIVE: Yeah, you do! Doug told me you were the next big thing.

WARREN: I don't know about that. Clive...Do you know anything about cryo...cryonic storage?

CLIVE: Hmm. You mean cryogenics?

WARREN: No that's actually the study of...I can't remember, actually. Anything cryo-ey really.

CLIVE: We own a bunch of patents for, like, athletic treatments, like cryosaunas for rich footballers, Olympians, shit like that, I don't know. What's that got to do with your seed vault thing?

WARREN: Well if it was a vault for storing crops they'd have to be frozen, wouldn't they.

CLIVE: Oh right. Yeah, that makes sense.

WARREN: So you don't?CLIVE: Don't what?

WARREN: Know anyone, any teams that work in cryo stuff.

MUFFLED SOUNDS ON THE LINE.

WARREN: Clive?

CLIVE: Yeah?

WARREN: Everything alright?

CLIVE: Yeah man. Look I've got to bounce, good talking with you. Doug was right, you're the next big thing! Let's get a drink or something soon.

WARREN: Oh right, yeah, let's-

CLIVE: I'll email you. Peace.

HANGS UP.

CUT.

SCENE 5

GORDON'S CAR.RAINFALL OUTSIDE. DOOR OPENS, THE RAIN LOUDER, SPLASHING IN PUDDLES NEARBY. WARREN GETS IN, SHUTS THE DOOR.

GORDON: Are you recording?

WARREN: Jesus, I just got in. Aren't you recording anyway?

WARREN RUMMAGES IN A BAG.

GORDON: Of course I am. But you need a copy for your own records.

WARREN: Can't I just have a copy of yours?

GORDON: Now you're being ridiculous.

WARREN PLACES HIS TAPE PLAYER ON THE DASH AND CLICKS IT ON.

WARREN: There. Done. Continue.

GORDON: How did you enjoy the tape?

WARREN: Some horrible things happening to some things with code names that are all bears for some reason.

GORDON: Some things.

WARREN: So you're saying they're people, Yogi and Pooh and Brown Bear and whatever.

GORDON: Well if they were bears, they wouldn't be very good code names.

WARREN: I suppose not.

GORDON: Kind of weird though isn't it. Wood talking about compassion, about doing what's right. But she doesn't treat them like people. They might as well be animals. Pumping them up with their synthetic shit and sending them to their doom.

WARREN: What are the infusions, what's she giving them?

GORDON: I don't know exactly. But we're past the nutritional boosting phase, the training, the fitness, the aptitude tests, the gene studies. We're getting to the real ham of this sandwich, Warren. These are cryoprotectant infusions.

WARREN: But what is that?

GORDON: Getting your subjects in the best shape of their lives is only the first part. You want someone to survive the greatest endurance test humankind has ever known, you're going to want to make sure they're ripped like Jesus before they go through it. But none of that matters if you freeze them so fucking hard ice crystals form all over their body and they end up shredded in the more traditional sense of the word. Then you'll basically just be defrosting a big red slush puppy. So you gradually swap out their regular blood for a synthetic, that doesn't just do all your regular blood jobs but is also crammed with lots of goodies derived from all kinds of crazy shit.

WARREN: Crazy shit infusions.

GORDON: Look, I wasn't there and I'm not a cryo...ologist. But the company's been trying to develop and refine life-extending drugs for years. If you want to follow the money, there is an R&D black fucking hole in this company when it comes to human longevity projects. They're taking DNA from amphibians, those little frogs who get frozen in lakes all winter and survive to seethe spring, cold-climate insects, there's the, uh, rotten egg gas, uh-

WARREN: What?

GORDON: Hydrogen sulphide, they used that as a fucking chemical weapon in WW1, terrifically dangerous, but apparently its loaded with all this crap that protects your arteries and whatever. The stuff in red wine thats meant to be good for you, fucking olive oil, who knows. Anyway they fill their boys, Yogi and BooBoo and whoever, with bags of this stuff, teddy bears fucking picnic indeed, so they're as ready as they'll ever be when they go in the freezer. That's why they're all named after bears, man. They're going into hibernation.

PAUSE. WARREN LISTENS TO THE RAIN.

WARREN: So I have a lot of questions.

GORDON: Are they all about accounting?

WARREN: Not exclusively-

GORDON: Come on, man! I am talking to you about illegal experimentation into human cryonic preservation! If Icould show you the receipts I would but this is what I have.

WARREN: You have to concede that what this is, is two men sat in the rain in a 1998 Vauxhall Astra.

GORDON: I get it, you need more. I'm doing this as gradually as I can because if I showed you the whole jigsaw you head would pop off your skinny fucking shoulders. Here is your next puzzle piece.

GLOVE BOX OPENS AND CLOSES.

WARREN: Another tape.

GORDON: Another tape.

WARREN: This, uh, this won't fit in my dictaphone.

GORDON: No it won't Mr. Godby, but luckily you're sitting in a 1998 Vauxhall Astra. What it lacks in air conditioning it makes up for in a top notch cassette player.

GORDON PUTS THE TAPE IN THE PLAYER. IT BURSTS TO LIFE.

END

[lapeaudelamemoire]

1. Just logged onto Tumblr on my actual laptop for the first time in a long time. The dashboard looks different and doesn't. I'm liking the low-contrast Tumblr blue colour palette option. It's new and old at the same time. Updated and modern yet nostalgic and recognisable still.

2. Apparently this autosaves now, too. I mean, I guess that's a good thing - no more posts just disappearing after you've spent ages typing and then it just crashes. But I hate the little 'autosave' notification that appears at the bottom of the page while I'm writing; it's distracting.

3. I've been anxious all day. I'm busy as hell, but sometimes just thinking on something and an answer comes up, as if served up simply having been sitting on a conveyor belt, the next most natural, unassuming thought; the way realisations sometimes just visit. Except I don't have time to sit with them or really do all that much more with them; just realise them. So they come like 'regular' thoughts and I recognise them, suddenly big, and then they pass again making way for the next thought, crowded out, but still lingering like an afterimage, I knowing they're there. Sitting on it. Smothering it. The pea under the pillow, mattress, cushion that I am sitting on.

/

Maybe my first instinct of wanting to hurt myself or die when I'm stressed or feel like I've done something wrong or upset someone is because that is what happened when I was a kid. It's hard just typing this, actually; I sound just like one of my clients. But it's true, and it would explain a lot. Hearing my mum say she wished she'd never had me or caning me with a switch. That was generally the punishment for doing something wrong, or upsetting her. Maybe my wanting to peel my skin off my face like removing a mask or wanting to peel my skin back off my arms when I'm anxious or feel like I've done something wrong or not well enough isn't just because it's a visual representation of what it feels like to me emotionally, but also because physical punishment and pain is what I expect for having committed the sin of being wrong or upsetting someone somehow. Maybe that's why I hear 'Die, die, die!' in my head when I feel overwhelmed. Maybe that's what was sounding in my mum's head when she hit me with the cane. It feels like it could be. How else do you interpret that, really, especially as a child? Even now, as an adult, actually?

//

The other sticking point for me from and during the conversation with the other student clinician I had this morning was what they said about being concerned about a client having been seeing clinicians at the clinic for over a year and wondering if they were 'dependent' on the clinic, and if they were engaging because they were 'lonely'. Their concern sounded like over a year was too long to be engaging with mental health services. Lawdy, my my. This is the kind of thing psychologists would have been thinking about me as a client, then, most certainly; most definitely.

It really got to me how the mental health model is basically a Fix-It Factory. Get the client to a point where they can be independent and then goodbye, 'independence' being the goal. It's not entirely Wrong, per se, but in my time with my clients on placement I've come to realise - or at least feel - that really, what they're seeking and need is a community. And we are part of that community; we're literally practitioners seeking to provide services to a community, [and] the wider community. That's literally what it says on the clinic bio, and it's absolutely, definitely what it says on my bio, and what I want and aim to do. It's what I'm here for. I'm part of that community, the community. My clients are also part of the community, that community that I'm trying to provide for.

Yes of course the job is to hope that we facilitate people to be able to live their own lives well, and thus to some extent that they won't necessarily 'need' us any more, or rely [solely] on us, rather, but - there's actually nothing wrong and everything right with people seeking out support, from and in [their] community, but even more specifically, the actually studied and designated community counsellors and practitioners of a specific role and job/service, for that specific role/job/service.

Like yes I'm a/we're practitioner[s] in mental health, but I'm a/we're practitioner[s] in mental health within and as part of a community. I'm a mental health service provider, but I'm also a community member. And a fellow community member is coming to chat to me and talk with me about what's going on their lives and the troubles they are having, and - isn't that the most natural thing in the world? Isn't that what a community is for?

I feel like the fucking separation of clean and clear Roles in 'Western' and medicalised societies is a fucking scourge. The way when we say 'relationship[s]' we are often referring to romantic relationships, because that is the most prized and emphasised (outsized) kind of relationship in our amatonormative [also largely here referring to 'Western'] society. If you have troubles, you share them with your friends, family, and romantic partners. You don't share them with your neighbours, and you don't have a concept of a community.

I remember speaking to a client once during what I think turned out to be our last session (before our schedules diverged, not because it was going awfully, at least I don't think), and them noting that they would like to give back to society - which is a common feeling; we all want to feel like we're a member of something bigger, that we're giving back, contributing, a part of something larger than us - and I noted that there was mutual aid, and asked if they knew what that was. They said no. I explained. And they said, they had never thought about community as meaning outside of their family and friends before.

Because we never or at least rarely do, actually. We talk often about 'society' but almost never about 'community'. That seems to be a term reserved largely for parents in locales, probably most thought of like the 'PTA' in 'US' media, or 'Housing Association'-type suburb things, when or if ever spoken about in the mainstream. Else, it's an academic term, an abstracted one that clinics use or companies or businesses or localised organisations specific to a neighbourhood. But we rarely equate 'community' with 'society'. Those seem to be two different beasts.

Talking to my partner and friends is never going to replace going to see a designated, specified, trained and experienced person whose job and role in your life is to aid you in and provide a designated, specific space for you to work through your issues, for that express purpose, and who is separate from your friends and as 'objective' in that regard as possible. A professional.

And so - setting aside for the moment the fact that doing work on yourself takes time, and if you're actually doing Work on yourself that it takes a lot of time - actually, so what if people see mental health services for years? Especially in the world we live in (in this economy? In this society?)?

People are so often in horrible, awful situations for years. Years and years on end, even. And even just a moment of trauma can take years to address.

If someone is lonely g-damn yes please of course come talk to us, that's what we're here for. As part of your community, as part of literally providing mental health services. Go at your own pace. Finding friends is hard. Keeping in touch with friends is hard. Maintaining social connections is hard, especially when and/or if that's something you struggle with. If someone is lonely and I can help them be less lonely by providing them the service literally called 'talk therapy' then damn yeah what's the issue here??? And at a community clinic that doesn't charge a fee? That's literally what it's there for. To help. And if someone wants to pay at a clinic to talk to someone because they're lonely then yeah??? That's their choice.

Which also tangentially enough brings me to the fact that people are lonely in our isolating society, see again above about segregation of types of relationships that are 'allowed' or seen as 'normal' and 'expected' and what isn't; and also, there are plenty other professions where people pay for companionship, whether it's sex workers, host/hostess clubs, escort services, or so on. And actually, also, that those professions are often looked down upon. Fuck the nuclear family puritanist WASPy uptightness, honestly.

And then, of course - it's actually not uncommon for people to see a therapist for years. It does take that long to work on things. And mental health practitioners are themselves required to maintain supervision while practicing. What else is that if not similar?

In a community, what one might really think of as a community, or at least in my imagining, there is someone (or someones, even a group) designated who is turned to by members in the community when they meet trouble. An elder, tribal chief, shaman, healer, oracle, doctor. A pastor, or priest, even. And people in that community go to them throughout their life. There is no thought that goes 'Are they independent if they're coming to see the healer/priest/doctor repeatedly, or even regularly?'.

///

It's tiring looking at everything all the time. Actually, it wouldn't surprise me now, in this day and age, living in the times we live in, understanding the idea that if there was a singular, omniscient G-d, that they might have walked away. Imagine seeing everything all the time. Hearing everything all the time. We see and hear not even Everything individually in this digital age, but one might argue we already see and hear beyond the limit of which we can process things. (And sure, you could argue that G-d is different because they're G-d, but then generally when referring to G-d people are talking about the one whom they also say 'we were made in the image of', so.)

Posts about Palestine. Ads about the V referendum in "Aus". I click on someone's blog on Tumblr on my phone and as I look through their posts there's a sponsored ad for it saying 'Vote Yes'. My SoundCloud stops and I restart the track. It moves to an ad reminder about the referendum. It's been playing for over the last month at least now between tracks switching. I hear it at least once every day I use the app. I go into the city and there are posters and flyers for it everywhere. I pass by houses and apartments and cars that have 'Yes' stickers and posters and flyers pasted up everywhere. More posts about something in the 'US'. Posts about politics in the UK. (These are all colonial/-occupied centres, as one might notice.) Mutual aid posts. Posts about death and assaults and a litany of the rest of all of it.

If there is an omniscient G-d, they must not have a very good time, being the ultimate witness to all (and that's not even counting the probably sensory overload).

Everything clawing for my attention is like a pair of jagged claws scrabbling at my mind, tearing it into ragged edges like strips of cloth you might see become of the bottom of some ghoul's black robe. And I'm sure I'm not the only one.

////

Suddenly my shoulders have dropped, at some point where I'd stopped noticing while writing. I forgot that this is why I'd wanted to speak.

Not to someone, actually - but to this blank page.

I go with my thoughts; to write them out I must discern them, to discern them I must hold them in my view. I ride them and ride them out of my mind and onto the page and then - all this space. Suddenly I am in my body again and not full to the brim with thoughts behind my eyes.

Ah space, you wonderful thing. Empty page, you who receives of me. I speak in my head and hear myself. Turn the thoughts over in my mind. Like leaves of a page a book. I handle them, like leaves from the Destiny Tree.

[2af-afterdark]

Oof, it's been a hot minute since I've sent you an ask... Sorry 'bout that and also for not sending you any New Year's wishes, irl stuff kept me pretty busy lately. I hope you had fun celebrating! <3

...Admittedly, part of the reason for my absence was that I've also been feeling unpleasantly drained by the Nightmare Pass missions, on top of everything else. I feel a little bad about pretty much coming here and complaining, but I'd like to hear your opinion since you have the Pass activated and I'm f2p, so I wonder how our experiences differ.

I feel like the rewards are.. lackluster, in all honesty. The yellow keys are nice, the frame is pretty... And that's about it. Aside from a small bonus of getting some gems after completing the daily missions, there's really not much to look forward to. It feels like there's far too much effort required and not enough rewards.

Not to mention the missions themselves. God, the missions. I hate the way they work with a passion. The fact that you need to log in daily is fine, the fact that you need to grind a bit is also fine... But then there's shit like "claim a likeability reward" which I'd love to do, except I only have one left over from Andrealphus and still half a Pass to get through. I remember you writing that it feels like being punished for unlocking content, and I completely agree. That's exactly how it feels. I am not going to waste all of my red keys in an attempt to get a new L-grade card since I have all S-grade devils maxed out already.

And speaking of wasting red keys! The "special draw" missions also leave a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. I remember making those single-pulls while sighing deeply because, well, it just doesn't feel like all of the resources I'm consuming are going to be compensated. I spend Solomon's tears, both types of keys, a lot of energy (in-game and irl) and most of the time I get... A few boxes of randomised jellies? That I can get extremely easily through other means? At least make them select-type like the ones in event shops, damn it!

Basically, I'm salty and kind of sad. I love the game dearly, but I think I'm going to give up on the Nightmare Pass. Once I hit a likeability reward mission that I cannot complete, I'm out. The frame is pretty, but getting one from an event shop is going to be way easier and less stress-inducing. I don't want to burn myself out (any more than I already did) by trying to complete it.

So sorry for such a long rant, I ended up getting a bit carried away... I'm really interested in how the effort/reward ratio feels like with a purchased Pass. I'm not really active in the fandom (I pretty much only follow you and the official acc, lol) so I haven't seen people speak about it yet. Hopefully, at least some people have a better time with that hell of an event.

— 💛

So, I used my premium pass from the pre-order rewards on the Nightmare Pass so I could study the way it works from a p2p perspective. I must say, the reward you get in p2p are much better. I received many yellow and red keys, Solomon's Tears, Puddings, Books, Coins, etc. I had unlimited auto-fights in the nightmare dungeon so I can grind coins for the shop easily. Over all, the amount of rewards you get may justify the $60 price tag IF you can afford it and you want the card at the end. Also, this assumes they do this within limited quantities. Like, I would say once every few months at most. Maybe very 2-3 months at most. Still sucks you can only get the card if you're willing to pay out the nose for the rewards. I did look at the f2p rewards and... yeah, not worth it. That is a lot of grinding for very little payoff. I was getting 2-4 reward every day because I was getting the rewards for every tier so it felt more worthwhile.

Also, yeah. I have been playing the game less since the Nightmare Pass started because I was afraid of locking myself out of future requirements for the missions. I had trouble with likability (something I usually max out within 2-3 days of getting a new unit), I was afraid to level up characters and their skills, I wasn't promoting anyone, I wasn't doing anything because I was so afraid I would screw myself by playing the game.

That's why I think Nightmare Pass kind of sucks the most. I felt like I was being punished for having played the game up until this point. Some missions were, as you said, fine. Any missions involving pleasing someone in the Secret Club were fine (not the unholy board because some of those I had maxed out already and it was pain to advance them more). Any missions where I had to fight were good. That I can always do. But missions that have finite end points are terrible (there is a max number of levels characters can have, a max amount of promotions I can do, only so far I can go on an unholy board, likability stops at 100%, characters can only evolve 5 times before they are maxed). Those missions suck because I can screw myself by actually having invested the time into the game before the Nightmare Pass is even out. It actually sucked to basically stop playing this game because I was afraid to play and screw myself out of getting Gabriel.

And the missions are kind of sucky too. Because each stage only unlocks after the previous one is completed, it's hard to know what is coming up and easy to screw yourself. Not everyone has 20ST available multiple times. Not everyone hoards their keys to do the multiple draws over and over again. And having 25 stages that can only be unlocked once daily rather than continuously (since the one mission on each day is to login) it means that if you miss a few days, you are screwed. You can pay to unlock the path with Nightmare Coins, but that assumes you have enough (and each reward gets more expensive as you go).

Overall, Nightmare Pass feels like the kind of event that is aimed toward people who dedicate time to the game to complete the rewards, but those same people can easily get screwed if they put in all that effort too early. The nightmare Pass isn't terrible, but it definitely needs some tweaking. It's the kind of event I would only continue in the future if I really want the card/haven't invested so much I screw myself. Honestly, it feels like the kind of event you finish and only debate purchasing the other rewards after you see how far you've managed to get to see if you can justify the expense.

Also, never feel like you can't rant to me. I rant all the time. Goodness knows I rant all the time... I don't do it because I hate the game. It's me trying to point out issues for others and because I want to see things changed for the better.