#I got both his endings several times and I am still unsure on how to categorize him

[thecoffinheld2ppl]

Bugbear/Damien (SSLG) x overworked!Reader

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You've been quite not like yourself lately. You don't go out to the usual spots you like, nor do you hang out with your precious bugbae as much. He obviously noticed that. USUALLY you two are constantly together, and when you're not, you are. You just can't see him (or he is out "feasting"). Quite a lovable stalker. The boogeyman noticed that you're more stressed than usual, but you brushed it off, telling him not to worry. He decided to listen, but now he thinks it wasn't such a great idea.

Midterms. They came so soon, you didn't even have time to prepare. You feel terrible. From one side, ITS MIDTERMS, you wanna study, but you can't brings yourself to do it, due to being overwhelmed. It is constantly on your mind, and yet you can't do anything because of this anxiety. Isn't it strange how we work? We stress abnout something, and yet we can't even start because of the stress. and then end up doing everything the last minute or not doing anything at all and feeling like shit. Why does everything has to be so stressful? To be honest, somedays it's like death isn't as scary as failing. But that's ridiculous. You shouldn't think this way. Perhaps you're just burned out.

*squeak*

Without having to turn your head towards the sound, you already know who this is. It is Damien Bugbear, your partner. Suddenly you are tackled in a hug and spun around!

"i missed youuu" he says in a sing song voice, finally putting you down. "I noticed that something is wrong, need some help?"

you can tell by the look in his eyes, he knows.

As you nod your head in approval, he ushers you to bed and covers you in blankets. "stay here, I'll bring you some snacks"

after a few minutes of just eating and chatting, of taking your mind off of stress, he asks "Why haven't you asked for my help? we could study together you know?" he says, his smile looking....softer? Maybe your is just playing tricks on you.

"No need to stress out. Having problems is normal. Life is meant to be enjoyed" he says, while nuzzling into you. You pet his head (ears) and relax in his presence. "I will help you with the material and then we can summon some evil spirit in potion class :)"

As you two study, he reminds you to take breaks and drink (your preferred beverage). It is certainly better with him nearby. "Don't give up yet, we've got so much to do after the midterms ^w^" he says, looking into your eyes. He knows. "I will always be there to help you, wether it is studying or killing someone who bothers you." *He hugs you again, in a bearhug. "Just hold on for longer. It will be over and will eventually pay off. we still have time, we always do. Just relax and enjoy your life. Don't bother with stress. If you feel like crying, then let it out. if you're feeling rage, go beat someone up ^w^. I want yuou to be happy, and I can't help but be worried when you're feeling not quite like yourself. I will always be here to help you get your groove back. I am always here for you."

[flamingpudding]

Bat dad meet Ghost dad

Several years earlier....

"JAAAAAAZZZZZZZZ!" Danny flew excited through the Ghost Zone with a little kid in his arms rushing past some of his former rogues as he made a B-Line for his sister that happened to be in the Zone too, currently in a deep conversation with Frostbite about something Danny hadn't cared to pay attention to long enough. But right now he had exciting news he really wanted to share with his sister. Even now as adults Danny tented to live out his childishness whenever he could especially when he and his family went into the Ghost Zone.

The Halfa came to a screeching halt as he grined brightly at his sister who looked back at him with a raised eyebrow, slightly amused at her younger brothers giddiness. "What is it Danny?"

"I got a son now!" Danny declared happily holding up a young ghost teen by the armpits into his sisters face.

The 'son' in Danny's hands stared at Jazz blinking owlishly as if the teen boy still needed a moment to catch up with what was going on and Jazz blinked back at the ghost and then at Danny. That was not a child but a teen ghost. Going by the size the kid was probably around 14 or 15 and he looked very much traumatised and Jazz could not tell if that was because of Danny or because of how the teen possible died.

"Danny what did you-" Her brother did not let her finish her question as he started rambling excitedly.

"He is a baby ghost Jazz! Look how young he is! I found him floating around aimlessly, his hunt hasn't even fully formed yet and when i picked him up there was that instant connection! You know the same-"

"Danny."

"I have with Clockwork and Pandora! I instantly knew he was mine! Mine to protect! Mine to guide! When I saw him I swear I just knew, I ghost adopted him the moment I made contact! He is family Jazz-"

"Danny."

"I just know he belongs with us! Look at him and tell me he doesn't have Fenton charms! I am sure Dan and Dani will love him too! He is such a cute little ghost! There is so much I can teach him! I will be the best dad ever to this wonderful little baby ghost! And-"

"Daniel William James Fenton!"

Danny bite his tongue instantly silenced when Jazz pulled out the full name call. Both him and the teen in his arms stared at her a bit shell shocked and in that moment Jazz couldn't help but hide a small amused smile at how similar Danny and the teen in his arms looked when they stared at her.

"Did you explain any of this to him?" She indicated to the teen, who's name she by the way still didn't know. Danny at least had the curtesy to look a little ashamed as Jazz pointed that out and let go of the teen so they could float on their own. She sighed with a fond smile before looking at the teen that looked a bit unsure between her and Danny now.

"What's your name?" She asked them with a friendly and encouraging smile.

"Jason...."

Current time...

Jason was in a little bit of a predicament. Originally he really thought he never would end up in this kind of situation espacially since he didn't think he would patch up things with Bruce any time soon. But we'll here he was...

Life liked proofing him wrong.

Like with he fact that Jason could use a ghost wail in dire situation. And that something like that would naturally call his ghost dad onto the scene since he collapsed after it.

And like with how he woke up in the bat caves med bay with both Danny and Bruce standing over him and glaring at each other. Or at least he thought they were glaring at each other that looked like a pretty annoyed stare in his eyes from Danny and Bruce's jaw was really tense from what was visible and not covered by his cowl.

So all Jason could do was endure at the moment. Aaaaand refuse to make eye contact with any of his present siblings. Mainly Dick because he wasn't sure how to interpret the others' smiles. For a moment Jason wondered if he could hide out in his ghost-dad's castle in the Ghost Zone for a while until whatever storm was brewing with Bruce was over.

There was also a moment in which Jason wondered if there could have been anything done to avoid this... confrontation(?). Before feeling the need to face palm because his Aunt that sort of has been giving him free therapy told him repeatedly that communication was key. He never regretted not listening to her more than he was right now.

To be fair. Communication with Bruce espacially hadn't been his strong suit for a while now before and after his death.

"So you are his Bat-Dad?" Jason did not like the way Danny, his ghost dad was using the word 'dad' right now. Oh good was he trying to challenge Bruce?

"And you are his Ghost-Dad?" Bruce grunted, oh now Jason was sure Bruce was giving Danny a glare, and Danny was getting that protective look in his eyes Jason was all to familiar with from his time as a dead baby ghost.

He groaned loudly sinking lower onto the medbed. Why did these things always have to happen to him? At least he was lucky that his Ghost Aunt and Uncle didn't show up too.

[brailsthesmolgurl]

GIVE ME ANOTHER CHANCE

Here comes another angsty fluffy one-shot request by one of my readers. Featuring everyone's fav doctor, Zayne. Enjoy the story! Warnings: Angst but yes to Comfort

"How can you expect me to do my damn job but also expect me not to be hurt?" You gritted your teeth, eyes shooting daggers into Zayne's side profile. He seemed unbothered by you raising your voice slightly, either he is used to it, or he expected it. Or both.

"Then I would suggest you to quit your job." His words were finalised, no variations in tone or anything. Just a statement, a sentence with a full stop. Your eyes welled up with tears. How could he not understand? To at least give you the benefit of the doubt that accidents would happen in your line of job, but you would do your best to minimise it?

"I won't." You walked over to him and you noticed his head turned slightly to face you. "And I am done with you." You grabbed your bag off of his desk and you darted off towards the front door. Zayne got off of his chair to hold you back but before he could grab your hand, you threw him your statement. "I do not wish to see you ever again. Have a good life."

Zayne was out at a charity event hosted by Akso Hospital, to raise funds for the several orphanages at Linkon City. As usual, he was expected to give a speech in front of the crowd, but instead of being the lead cardiac surgeon for Akso, he shall be giving his speech as one of the biggest donors for this event.

But as of now, his time has yet to come, so he stood at one of the cocktail tables, watching the crowd of unfamiliar faces. Although he is one of the best cardiac surgeons, he was not known to be the friendliest amongst his colleagues so generally, not many people would go up and strike a conversation with him.

He finds his mind wandering, floating from what would be a good post-event dessert to what diagnosis he have yet to complete to you. It has been 6 months since the both of you had contacted one another. Zayne however, had tried to call you after you had left but to no avail. And surprisingly, you blocked him so he had no methods to reach out to you. He could have easily come over to your place, but with Zayne being Zayne, he would not intrude into someone else's property if he was not invited at first glance.

His phone vibrated from the inside of his suit, and he peeled apart the right side of his tailored suit to fish out his phone. He stared at the caller's name for quite a bit. Longer than a few seconds. 'Y/N' flashed on his phone's screen. He pressed the phone to his ear. "Hello."

"Zayne." You were huffing and panting, and he could hear your whimper through the line. "I need... I need your help." You tried to explain, one hand holding the phone to your ears while the other pressed up against the deep gash you have on the side of your hips. "Nobody was picking up... I had no choice..."

Your voice. It was breaking up in between chokes and whimpers and sharp inhales. Zayne knew you were hurt, and this time, it is much more severe than any other times when he was there to tend to your wounds. He knew this was coming. No, not the call. He figured you would uphold your ego so much that you would not reach out to him anymore just to prove him wrong. To prove to him that you could take care of yourself.

But look at you now. He knew that there shall be a day where he would have to treat you when you are at your worst condition. He could imagine you being pushed into the hospital, with tendrils of tubes surrounding your body; to administer blood, nutrients, oxygens and many other fluids that your body requires to achieve a stable condition. His mind got snapped back to reality when you no longer spoke on the other side of the line.

"Stay still." You heard someone talking, unsure whether if it was towards you. "Or else you might end up hurting yourself again."

Your eyelids felt heavy as you slowly opened them, taking in your surroundings. The last moment you remembered was you were at one of the danger zones and you were outnumbered by a couple of wanderers. You managed to defeat them with all of your might and yet they manage to give you a wound so nasty it robbed your ability to stand and walk.

The room that you are currently in does not smell sterile at all. In fact, it smells like a mix of lavender and with hints of coconuts. The room was lit only with lamp decors, the light bouncing off of the pristine white walls, tainting it with a shade of beige. The room is tidy and emits the vibes of a cosy home which reminds you of someone you knew.

"Did the concussion made you lost the ability to listen to simple instructions?" You snapped your head to the right side as you slowly sat yourself up and you could not stop your jaw from dropping mentally. Zayne is seated right next to you, an apple in hand and a knife in another, eyes focused on peeling the skin off of the apple. One of his many acquired skills.

Your palm smoothed over your hip and you winced, facial features scrunched together in pain as you realised how bad your wound is. "What happened?" You choked out, still awaiting for the stinging pain to wear off.

"You called me earlier and through the phone, I could tell that you were terribly injured." He brought the peeled apple up to his face, examining it closely before placing it down and taking the next apple to start peeling its skin off. "So I went over to save you."

"But..." You were embarassed, teeth biting onto your bottom lip. "With what I had done previously... you could have-"

"You called me after six months of not being in contact, and you expect me to do nothing with your calls for help?" He spoke, finally placing the half-peeled apple down onto the ceramic plate, a clink followed as he placed the knife down. He looked towards you, his hazel green eyes are only brown within such a dark room. But you could make out the soft gaze he was giving you. "Does it still hurt?"

Your cheeks were hot, your heartbeat ramping up when he got closer to you. "I will leave once I feel better." He quirked one of his thin eyebrows up, a signal of confusion. "As soon as I can walk, I mean." You turned your face away from him, but this time, his fingers were quick to catch your chin, pulling you back to stare at him.

"I'm afraid that might take a while." He lets go of your chin and pulled down the blanket slightly, enough for him to see the bandage wrapped around your hip, and enough for him to notice the bits of skin showing above your hip given he had to wrap your hips so clothing would only be in the way of his treatment. "Your wounds are quite deep this time around. I had used my evol to freeze and cut out some of the dead tissue but I think rest should be your first priority for now."

"Look, I called you because I couldn't reach out to anyone else okay? I will be out of your hair once all of this," you gestured at your wound. "is fully healed." Your chafed statement made him sighed, his fingers coming up to pinch the bridge of his sculpted nose. "So how long will this take? For me to heal?"

"I'm sorry." He muttered, the voice of his faltered alongside the wind chimes that he had hung by the windows. Your whole body was rigid, staring at the man in front of you, apologising to you out-of-the-blue. "It was selfish of me to ask you to quit your job and to not trust you in protecting yourself."

Your lips could not move, as if you were gagged by his remorse, his guilt, his regrets. Six months passed, and yet you did not took it any easier than him despite you were the one who chose to leave him and to never look back. You were the one who blocked him from contacting you entirely, you were the one who thought that he would at least cared about your passion for your work.

However, as a matter-of-fact, you can never forget about him. You always find yourself taking the long way home, purposely passing by Akso Hospital just to catch a glimpse of him. On lucky days, maybe you could catch him from a far distance, getting off of work. On unlucky days, you could still catch his black sedan car parked within the staff columns.

"When you called me, I expected the worst." Zayne's side profile is the only thing you could see now. "I tried contacting you after you had left, but the dial tone always ends, so I assumed that you have blocked me." Hearing how he had tried to reach out to you, your gut twisted, adding on to the pain that you are experiencing physically. "But I would understand if you would want to rest alone at your house instead of mine. I can schedule to send you back home tomorrow before I head off to the hospital."

"Zayne, I, I just couldn't believe it when you asked me to quit my job..." You trailed off, your eyes drooped as you felt your tears weighing them down. "I thought you would have known better that I am a deepspace hunter and that I will always be putting my life on the line."

Zayne leaned over, his shadow loomed over your figure and he placed his hand on the top of your head, slowly smoothing your hair behind your back. His touch was gentle, soothing to your skin. "And I should have trusted you instead of asking you to quit." You can feel the heat radiating from both of his hands cupping your cheeks, your face probably the size of an egg within his grasp. "When you were away, I find myself thinking about you and your safety a lot."

You agreed, your hand coming up to cup over his. The difference between both of your hands always a surprise to you. "I can't help but to want you as well, Zayne." His thumb caught the tear that streamed down your cheeks and he wiped it off. "I am sorry too, for having to walk out on you and on this relationship."

"Now, you should allow yourself to rest." Zayne's lips curled up into a small encouraging smile. He laid you down onto the bed slowly, hovering over you. "Would you still like me to fetch you back home tomorrow?" The shake of your head made him sighed in relief. "Then you should stay here, where I am capable of taking care of you." He peered down at you, his gentle gaze contradictory to his chiseled facial features. "Not only till you get better, but for the future too." The man then leaned down to claim your lips in a soft and longing kiss.

Tadaa! That is the end for this one-shot! It is fluff just as requested by my reader, so I hope this suffices you guys heart <3

[bonefall]

For context with Floatshimmer she is an 11 moon old, with kits.

goddddddd I just looked at the allegiances, trying DESPERATELY not to get sidetracked so I finish Star before the winds of my mental disorder pick me up and plop me down on a totally different task than the one I'm trying to do,

BUT

Lord it's bad. It's BEE-AY-D BAD. They didn't just make Moonpaw's parentage terrible, almost every choice (besides the expected Night/Sun and Blaze/Light litters) is weird in some way

We've got some new Orphan Warriors in the form of Fluffpaw and Silkypaw in WindClan, and Sprucepaw and Redpaw in ShadowClan.

Floatshimmer was just born 2 books ago, and is a mother as soon as Changing Skies opens up.

Breezepelt's daughter, Appleshine, now has Rustlekit and Stretchkit, making him a grandfather (not the weirdest thing I guess, considering how many descendants Lionblaze has... but still feels odd.)

Rootspring's sister, Needleclaw, now unceremoniously has Starlingkit and Robinkit in spite of having zero insight to who her potential mate is. EDIT: It's Kitescratch. Her first cousin once removed, a character I can't remember her hanging out with. Wasn't Kite one of Root's bullies

BOTH Myrtlebloom and Bayshine, siblings, are having kittens at the exact same time, and the Erins are really bad at remembering first cousins. I'm having That's So Raven visions into the future of shiptease between Moonpaw and Oak/Sun/Hazel and I'm practically setting up the plot hijinks of the sitcom episode hurling myself into action to try and prevent it

SOME CURSORY THOUGHTS TO HOW I'M GONNA FIX IT;

Orphan Warriors are easy for me to fix, I'll just link them up to some existing families. I guess now's a good time to casually drop that BB!ASC is going to end with the canonical "exodus" of several RiverClan cats, so I'm probably going to have both Silky/Fluff and Spruce/Red be fathered by RiverClan migrants.

Floatshimmer is waaaay too young to be having kits, even by canon's standards, but in BB cats start to have kits around 3-ish. I'm not sure if teenage pregnancy is a thing I feel personally comfortable tackling at this point in time, so I might shuffle her, OR take her kits and "hold on" to them so they get born later. Unsure.

I think Peepaw Breezepelt might just feel odd to me because of BB stuff, since he has his first litter with Harestar and Heathertail after BB!OotS. I'll probably end up shuffling Rustle/Stretch to Heathertail's half-brother, Galerunner, but include a little line or something about Breezy-P and The Polycule starting to feel old.

Needlekits......... hm. I could be tempted for the vibe that Needle had kids on accident and Rootspring is stepping in as an uncle parental figure... but ALSO I like the idea a LOT of Rootspring adopting kids one day. I might make them become Root's adopted kids. EDIT: Kitescratch being FCOR is putting the canon pairing in range of Onestar's Exception, so Needleclaw's litter is now even MORE likely to change.

Light's litter with Blaze is expected, that can stay unchanged, though I am starting to consider how to fix the way her character arc was more of a character stumble.

What I'm planning with Sunbeam's litter I can't tell you yet. Not because I don't know what I'm doing with it, but because I love it a lot and I'm grinning just thinking about revealing it. But you can't have it yet. I gotta finish Star. You don't get to know until I finish Star :))))

[zingaplanet]

hi, i adore your blog so much. <3. what are your thoughts on the state of fedal in 2024, especially as we approach (cries) rafa's retirement at davis cup?

Ergh I missed this one sorry! Although this might be prime timing considering what just happened during the retirement. I've been wanting to be as candid on this as possible for a long time and voice what all of their fans are thinking but I'm afraid I might cause quite some pain. So forgive me lovely tennisblr, here are just my two cents:

If you ask me what their relationship is like now, I've got to say I have no idea and I think that's a v telling answer. Fed retired end of 2022 and has been busy doing insane sponsor stuff for the whole year. He still showed up at tennis stuff (e.g., for Andy at Wimbledon, etc) but we can never tell how much engagement he actually has with the players anymore. Hence, even though he mentions Rafa a lot more often than others, I think we need to take it with a grain of salt here because the media sharks are simply pouncing on every opportunity to get a story from this too.

One thing I am quite sad about tho, is how everything after the mega publicised retirement ceremony seems to be a bit too PR-stunty. I get it, the rivalry was a big thing in the tennis world but with that photo going viral and winning all sorts of awards, being used in motivational sports speeches etc - it kinda transcends tennis now. Federer and Nadal have both always been bigger than tennis, but perhaps now that they are getting the attention together, it's getting a bit much.

When they mentioned each other throughout interview snippets all year, only sometimes do we get to see what's going on behind the scenes. Other times, from my perspective, it feels sadly like they have been media briefed after the whole whirlwind about how to make this as positive a press for them as possible without revealing too much. On this, I have to say, Federer is still a maestro - I have never seen an athlete with as much PR talent as him. I work a lot in comms and he is a simple branding wet dream, he says all the right words you want to hear, the same message in many different versions of sentences, but never actually reveals what's going on. Rafa used to be much more of a trainwreck early in his career but he has improved so much with age. He still sometimes, fascinatingly, slipped up tho, and seemingly only during Spanish interviews, when he's a lot more honest. In several of the Spanish tv and radio interviews he did this year, he seemed to hint that on the one hand, Federer is the only one he still speaks to regularly in tennis, but on the other hand, he gives a strange indication that they're not as close as they used to be?

I think it's quite predictable though. After Federer retired, they were now freer to build on the friendship without any of the rivalry hurdles - but at the same time, I think they didn't realise how much the intensity of the rivalry played such a central part in what made "them" special. It's such a push-pull enemies-friends delicate line they've been mastering how to tread all these years. It could be difficult to find footing now that tennis no longer binds them, and their initial obvious differences (you know, the "calm Swiss maestro - passionate Spanish fighter" kinda narrative) begin to show again. I don't necessarily think this means they can't connect without tennis ever again, it's just a bit like your school friends. When you graduate, you no longer have that connection of going to class together or hanging out during recess - but the truest bonds always survived, and after a few rough years, your good friends are still there.

If I'm honest, I think they are at the point where they're a bit unsure what to do with one another but might be forced to play a bit of a part as the media has lumped them "the eternal rivals turned friends fairytale". I honestly feel like the media and public interests might have made it a bit awkward between them. You can see a little bit in their PR stuff - Rafa namedropping Fed a little and sometimes a bit tired when he constantly got asked about Federer in his post-match pressers recently, and Roger doing stuff like the letter. The letter is v generous, heartwarming, and such a loving tribute - and I have no doubt he wrote it himself but it's a v public thing that would've and could've landed better just being delivered in person directly? Or perhaps in a speech for him. But the whole social media stuff seems a bit fishy.

Of course we all don't know what he did or didn't do privately, the same goes to whether this is all really true or they are both just v busy dealing with a big change in their lives (Fed newly retired doing a gazillion sponsor stuff and travelling the world, Rafa dealing with a career ending injury and retirement) - they might simply not have the headspace --or even want-- the other to be such a significant part of their lives at the moment, as these two new things they are experiencing are something uniquely theirs.

The retirement ceremony is a whole other story I could write lots of paragraphs about (don't encourage me!). But I think if we learn something this year, I think it's that athletes unequivocally deserve personal space, and we should never meddle with their personal lives too much.

For the first time in their lives, they will now be fully retired, out of the limelight, able to enjoy all the things we take for granted (like travelling anonymously! or trying out restaurants in new cities)! It's what they deserved after giving us 20+ years of blood, sweat, emotion, and passion on the court and in the limelight. They both owe us nothing. I think if they both disappeared from the spotlight next year (albeit unlikely) or decided to just grow their friendship in private and never appear publicly together again - that is completely their right. We can only show them support and thank them for all the amazing things they did to make our childhood and our lives so wonderful.

[seasaltmemories]

Top AMVs of 2024 - 20 - 11

A more in-depth breakdown of what I am doing can be found here, as well as the past entries here. Today's entries are as follows:

20. Royal Revue by Scoobisms

Audio: One Girl Revolution by Superchick

Visuals: Princess Peach Showtime!

I am always a sucker for gmvs that make use of actual gameplay footage, and Scoobisms pulled off this exact trick with a very unexpected source. It turns out though, that Princess Peach Showtime!’s theatrical setting and variety of outfits/roles for her to try on gives a lot of material for Scoobisms to work with. There is a good balance here with the gameplay footage helping accent the flashy cutscenes while still remaining interesting with little flourishes of internal sync.

This vid is also not lacking at all for personality, and I think the song choice especially helps threads that needle of “fun girl power anthem” while still giving less traditionally feminine aesthetics a chance to shine. A good example is the instrumental break where we get the focus on spy!Peach and all these fun classic espionage scenarios. Overall both Peach and Scoobism put on a great, charming show.

19. Ctrl Alt Delete by ManlyMango (CW: Suicide)

Audio: Did It To Myself by Orla Garland

Visuals: Wonder Egg Priority

I sometimes find I have hot takes when it comes to storytelling in amvs. As much as I try to make sure my prior knowledge of a source doesn’t influence my judgment, I find that compared to clear, linear narratives, I often value visceral, detailed conflicts and emotions even if the exact events are vague. I can’t help but give bonus points when I not only can summarize the video easily, but I feel like we take the time to untangle more complex stories.

Thankfully, plenty of people seem to be in agreement that the storytelling of Ctrl Alt Delete hits hard. I have heard about Wonder Egg Priority’s troubled production/unsatisfying ending, but ManlyMango manages to get to the heart of mess by exploring our protag having to grapple with both monsters and her best friend’s suicide. What she “did to herself” is vague and unspecific (perhaps the fact she didn’t save her friend from her troubled circumstances) but what is important is how clearly it showcases the guilt and frustration she puts upon herself.

And while the music is upbeat and poppy, I love that the ending actively denies us catharsis. No matter what she does, her friend is gone, and we in the audience also just have to sit with that loss. Mango mentioned being surprised with the warm reception it got at several contests, but it really pulls off what could be a convoluted, hard to approach topic with a deft touch.

18. Champagne for the Exes by JazzVids

Audio: Who Do You Blame (Ablainkan Remix) by SAINt JHN

Visuals: Noragami

In comparison, JazzVid’s amv took me a while to get. While the basic premise of a break-up is clear, I was real unsure why Noragami was being used as the source with this song, what motivated her to included a comedy sketch in the middle of the vid, or what purpose the border and text work was for.

Still something about it all together just works for me. There’s a deliberate back and forth between the prideful boasting of the verses with the vulnerability and sincerity of the chorus/outro. And editing-wise, she includes a good amount of slapstick to keep it a fun time, but also plants some set-up and payoff (the fact we don’t see Hiyori’s face clearly until the end for example) that just makes all the disparate elements resonate. It is always a treat to encounter the type of art I might struggle to categorize but that compels me all the same.

17. ToxiCommoner by Spuddstaaa

Audio: You Signed Up For This by Maise Peters

Visuals: The Apothecary Diaries

I am a strong believers that artists should make whatever they want, but it is always exciting to see people explore outsider their comfort zone. Despite being known for more goofy, upbeat vids, Spuddstaaa has spent a lot of 2024 dipping his toe into the drama/sentiments pool and this one is my fave of his experiments.

Outside of the basic premises of the show, I don’t know much about this series or Maomao’s particular struggles, but there still manages to be this engaging underdog narrative to it all. It is nice to see this sorta loser coming of age amv with a female protag, both a bit tongue in cheek yet empathetic. The sparkly overlays really work, as does the dance footage for the climax, and by the end of things I feel the I want to sign up for this gal and all her shenanigans.

16. A Story of Despair and Hope by MarshmallowGoop

Audio: 15 Min Flame by Poets of the Fall

Visuals: Witch Hat Atelier

Although she had worked with some manga elements in the past, MarshmallowGoop said this was her first full on Resolve MMV, and I could barely believe it. There is no fear in using overlays, masks, and animations, to create so many engaging compositions.

The text also deserves special mention. MarshmallowGoops creates some of the most creative captions you might never see if you never consider to toggle them on, but here she goes all out in the vid itself. Not only does she pull from the lyrics of the song, but she also includes the manga text itself, often sync it to strong beats for pacing and dramatic effect. Which for an already tense part of the song, just ups that suspense even more.

She mentions initially wanting to make this vid longer and possibly coming back to this project to expand, but even just this 30 second snippet is such a delight

15. Crossings by AdventLostKaichou

Audio: Stray Italian Greyhound by Vienna Teng

Visuals: Hyouka

There is such a deliberateness to Kaichou’s editing here. Not only does it take a lot of masking to play with the partially coloring going on for most of the vid, but it is used for such delicious slowburn storytelling purposes.

Another commenter mentioned that Hyouka can be a “talking heads” kinda show, and she admitted to really wanting to make sure she didn’t just spend time using the iconic scenes of the show (and it in fact takes us until 1:49 to get some of the more iconic surrealness). So not only does the gradual increase in color help give us some sense of the male lead’s growing feelings, but she also plays with the coloring reverting back to its dull gray haze during moments of repression like at 2:16. By the time we reach the last chorus and the money shots, it is an earned moment of release that really matches the singer’s similarly overwhelming feelings.

The rest of the video is also great of course, but it is that attention to detail and care that makes a concept that could be one-note and cloying really work.

14. Never-Ending Dream by Madmegatex

Audio: Dreamstate by Son Lux

Visuals: Omori

Speaking of tension, this vid is another example of tight, deliberate control. I have never played Omori (although this vid did make me read up on it) so I can’t say how much the cutscenes are just like this or due to her manipulation, but either way, in the hands of a less skilled editor, this could be a very slow and boring vid.

But not only does Madmegatex make use of ever bit of movement and visual interest, but she is very careful in how information is given out. There is a clear structure and rhythm to it, even foreshadowing the central conflict haunting the protagonist. A scene as simple as the protag getting up to play the violin feels as dramatic as any high energy scene thanks to the careful context that has been built.

Despite the oppressive atmosphere dominating most of the vid, the move towards a hopeful conclusion is nice. Its not a clean ending, but it is one the lets you truly breath a sigh of relief, buoyed by the overall pitch perfect pacing.

13. angsty metal by Silent Hero Studios

Audio: Song 2 by Blur

Visuals: FLCL

Silent Hero is a master of just dropping some of the slickest action without any warning, which I guess is true to his name. Song 2 and FLCL feel like the kind of combo that should have existed the minute the anime came out, but whether this is truly the first time this was done, or this is only the latest render, Silent Hero makes it his own.

Not only is the overall flow and all the heavy beats extremely strong, but he is a genius at nailing down a lot of the more understated song elements, such as infectious riff from 1:15 - 1:18 or the singers vocal inflections at 0:51. I am always a sucker for internal sync, and he just makes it look like the easiest thing in the world. By the time it ends, I’m always just ready to cue it up again.

12. NiteLight by Radical Yue

Audio: The Night Out (Madeon Remix) by Martin Solveig

Visuals: Multisource

I can bounce off of big multisource upbeat videos sometimes as I like having something singular to really focus on. But what really keeps me glued to NiteLight is the atmosphere.

The neon aesthetic definitely unites the various sources together, but overall I really like the relaxed pace to it all. There’s a deliberate rise and fall for each drop that keeps the entire vid from just melting into a compilation of sakuga moments. A good example is the two HSR women dancing. While I’ve seen the more dramatic moments of this clip/video, Radical Yue lingers a lot in the flirtation and tenderness. And when the drop needs to drop we can kick into high gear just as easily, with several sweet masks.

Radical Yue mentioned being inspired by "Welcome to the DCC" by TakeshiAMV and Kuroo and how it seemed a celebration of anime in general. She accomplishes a pretty similar goal with this varied and lovely curated source list. It feels like a big party where there is something for everyone to enjoy, whether they are a veteran fan or just got into the medium yesterday.

11. Long Live Shonen by Sean.PNG

Audio: Lost in the Echo - Linkin Park remix by Paul Udarov

Visuals: Multisource

There have been some serious data about the impact Linkin Park has made on amvs. I could pull you up some sources, but I don’t think they’d be telling you anything you don’t already know. So using a remix to update the classic Linkin Park/Shonen formula is the kinda of concept that on its own gets butts in seats.

Best of all, Sean.PNG also kills it on execution. As talented as he is with stringing so many shows together, what really elevates it is how easily he redirects the motion. Some of the struggle I can get when editing action is feeling constrained and stagnant with my flow, but if Sean.PNG ever felt stuck like that, it doesn’t show in the final product. It all flows great without ever falling into predictability, just as comfortable using either subtle masks or basic cuts. Really one of those amvs I was so grateful I got to see on a big screen this year.

[pillowspace]

Sort of a dumb hypothetical I've been spinning my wheels about, but how might have things gone differently if Moon or Eclipse was the injured god Y/N found? That'd might change some lore stuff to explain how and why, I was just thinking about it after the new chapter and meeting Eclipse and wondered what a role-swap would be like

Moon would depend on some things. Is it Sun who's banished from the Mortal Realm, or is Moon still the one banished? Let's say he is still banished. That adds an extra layer of panic, because he has ended up in the realm he's not allowed to be in with no memory of how he got there, and he's frightened that if he does go back home, he'll be severely punished or possibly even killed by the higher gods when they find out. He is filled with anxiety after he wakes up, but also...

He missed this.

He looks around the woods with familiar awe, fascinated by the Mortal Realm's wilderness.

There is an issue here though. If Moon doesn't know what realm travel object got him here, then... he doesn't know how to get back on his own. It certainly wasn't his own pendant, it doesn't work. Moon is hostile towards Y/N at first, but once he tones it down, he convinces Y/N to send a prayer out for Sun to find him. Aaand that's how you could've gotten both blorbos in only the first act.

Let's move onto Eclipse now. Eclipseee... uhhh. For reasons, being trapped in the Mortal Realm could literally kill him, so I'm going to remove a rule to make this work. He is MASSIVE, with legs as tall as you are. He is not getting in your cart, and you wouldn't be able to lift him anyway. So instead, you go home, and return with health supplies. With how ABSOLUTELY STRANGE his body is, uou're unsure if it even helps, but you try to help him right there in the woods. After that, you go into town and pay to borrow a carriage so that you can get him safe into the indoors of your shed. You unfortunately do just have to lie down blankets on the floor and lie him there, as you don't have much else to offer. When he wakes up... now this may be a shock, but he does not threaten you. Not at all. He has gone through too much at the hands of other gods to be frightened by a species he never had much respect for anyway. You are terrified by his presence, but he is grateful, and does you no harm. You know how Sun is stubbornly trying to keep the life debt just a regular debt? Yeah, Eclipse doesn't do that. He immediately seals it into a life debt, pretty much having you own him. This is BIZARRE to you, but Eclipse has been so lonely that he'll literally take company in the form of a life debt, something that any other god would be horrified by. It's honestly a little sad. You refuse to use this life debt, but that's fine. All Eclipse wants is for you to keep him, and I am unsure if he'd even want to return home. There is something important back home, which puts him at a dilemma, but... this one bit of comfort... maybe it's more worth it to stay. TLDR: something is a little wrong with Eclipse

But let's put this into the other angle. Let's put the rules back into a canon state of things. The longer he stays in the Mortal Realm, the sicker and more in agony he becomes. You have to try your hardest to find the realm travel object he used before it's too late. There comes a point where he can no longer even stand, and while you regrettably have to take a break, you mutter reassurances to him that he basks in. If you do get the object to him in time, he'll take it, hesitate, then ask if you'd like to go with him.

There is a bit of lore that contradicts with all of this by the way, so that detail's being ignored. I'm putting us in an AU

[class1akids]

Does Enji regret separating his children?

He seems to not include Shoto in the conversation, and I believe it's because he knows Toya hates Shoto, and it's his fault.

He also parentifies the hell out of Shoto by making him the family hero yet ignores his emotional turmoil of facing Dabi and even now didn't want the rest of the family with him when speaking to Toya especially Shoto.

I am so happy All Might was able to support Shoto, Enji still couldn't step up for any of his children even when his legs gave out.

While Dabi and Endeavor's fates can be argued to have been earned by creating a living hell for the family, the rest of the family got screwed over because of them, especially Shoto now he is dragged by both bloodlines.

I think you have sent several asks along the same lines - sorry, I don't always have the time to answer immediately:

Yes, I think Enji regrets a lot of things. Probably, including separating his kids.

I don't think Touya hates Shouto - if anything he was jealous of him. But I do think that Enji was rather unsure about whether Touya would want to talk to Shouto or vica versa - so I think he was simply tiptoeing around the question. Also, maybe saying that they should use the "extra time Shouto gave them", it is also implied that Shouto has done more than his share for Touya and now it's on the rest of the family. And since the one running out of time is Touya, I think he's the immediate priority.

Shouto being named as family hero was Rei, not Enji. I think actually Enji was the only one who seemed to be pretty uncomfortable with the idea of putting that burden on Shouto.

The family not trying to talk to Shouto about how he feels - I have the feeling that they don't really know how to treat Shouto as youngest child anymore (with the exception of Touya and maybe sometimes Fuyumi)

I guess the Todoroki family narrative shows that in a close-knit unit like a family, consequences for the villains means hurt for everyone. There was no magic cure to have a happy ending when things are this broken, so Horikoshi focused on trying to balance a hopeful narrative around Shouto, Natsuo and Fuyumi being able to move on, with giving a tragic closure to Touya and Enji the consequence where he would have to watch his firstborn son (and arguably the only one of his kids he ever got close to) die again, but with the chance of being there for him.

Yes, it definitely feels like that Shouto is being punished to some extent for his tainted blood and paying for the power born out of greed and jealousy, but at the same time, Horikoshi also gives Shouto the agency and opportunity to rise above his dark origins.

[ravennaortiz]

Companion piece can be found here.

Summary: Gilly has always known you were the one. Even when he pushed you away. For years he tortured himself until one day you came back home to Santo Padre to stay. As always 18+, general themes of the show.

Word Count: 1.6K

"So you gonna get the balls to ask her out or what?" inquired Coco as he slid into the chair next to Gilly who had been watching you play pool with Angel. Gilly sighed as he took a drink of his beer. "I don't know that I deserve her man. Not after how I ended things" he replied remorsefully. "I mean she seems like the forgiving type. Boy Scout and Angel broke that Snowman thing her mama got her and she forgave them. Not like you beat the shit out of her or something heinous" shrugged Coco as he fixed his gaze on his best friend.

Gilly pondered the events of the last few weeks. Coco had a fair point about your forgiving nature. Though he still couldn't look back on that fateful day he had up ended both your lives and not feel like an ogre. "You spent over three grand on a snowman. Don't act like she's not special. We all see it man. Forgive yourself for being an idiot and then get your girl" Coco stated firmly before casting a look over to where you and Angel were laughing. "If you don't make your move soon. One of us will have too" he added with a grin. "None of you are man enough for her" snapped Gilly his eyes flashing with anger at the idea of one of his brothers putting moves on you.

"Simmer down" muttered Coco as he laughed at how easily Gilly had been riled. "Seriously though. We all like her man. She fits in well. Like she's always been around. Gilly rolled his eyes "You just like the free food Coco". Coco shrugged before standing up. "What can I say I'm a simple man. Gilly laughed loudly "Simple is right".

The next morning Gilly woke up with you on his mind. Which wasn't unusual but this time he could feel your presence like you were next to him in his bed. He rolled over breathing deeply into the pillow and could almost make out your scent. The conversation last night with Coco had only spurred his feelings on. He knew he needed to tell you he still had feelings for you. That he had never stopped but he was unsure if you would be accepting. Had too much time passed for him to make amends? Yes you had let him back into your life but he could still feel a wall between the two of you that he wasn't sure he could break through. He got dressed quickly knowing he needed to make a couple stops before he went over to your house.

***

Gilly kneeled down in front of the headstone and pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and dusted it off. He then put the wildflower bouquet into the vase next to it before taking a deep breath. He was more nervous then he expected given that he had been doing this routine every week for several months and speaking to the dead wasn't unusual for him.

"Morning Mama Kay" he uttered as he cleared his throat. "Your little girl is still doing fine, I know you know that" he chuckled to himself. "She sure misses ya a lot. I do too. You always saw the good in me and were the only adult who gave a damn about me. You gave me a sanctuary from war zone I was born into. I hope you know how thankful I was growing up." A burst of wind pushed at him out of no where. "Alright, alright no need to shove" Gilly mumbled as he put his hands up in defeat.

"I guess what I came here to say is I am gonna finally ask her to give me a second chance. I know I don't deserve one and honestly she is still too good for me. I know my lifestyle is.....dangerous but I promise you I would never let anything happen to her." Gilly paused as he collected his thoughts trying to stop the rambling. He could hear Mama Kay's voice telling him to get to the point. Gilly took a deep breath then turned his face up to the sky. " I'm ready to be the man she needs and I just want to know if that is okay with you?" blurted Gilly as he bowed his head and closed his eyes. Several minutes passed before he felt a gentle warmth brush his cheek. "Thank you Mama Kay" he whispered before kissing the headstone and getting up to head back to his bike.

***

Gilly sat waiting for your answer. You nodded and looked down at your mug of tea as you considered what Gilly had told you. The difference of this conversation versus the one that gutted you was not lost on you. He had laid all his cards on the table. He could only hope you had forgiven him for being a dumb kid all those years ago when he had broken up with you hours before getting on a plane for his first deployment. He had been in love with you since that first crooked smile you had flashed his way in eight grade. By your freshmen year the two of you were a couple and glued to each others sides through high school and your first two years of college.

He did his best to tell you he was not the right man for you and never would be. That he could never provide you the life you wanted and deserved. He remembered almost giving in when you dropped to your knees into the dirt and gravel latching onto his pant leg as you pleaded with him. You told him how much he meant to you and that you loved him and wanted only him forever. You denied his words that he wasn't enough or good enough for your love. The tears poured down your face and the urge to wipe them away was overwhelming. He choked back his own sob as he pried you off him and picked you up.

Squeezing your arms just enough to quiet your sobs he drove the final nail home. "Tell me why you can't get it through your head I don't want you any more" he had asked you. He watched every emotion play across your face before you quietly asked "Why? Why are you being so cruel?" He never gave you an answer he just simply let you go and turned his back on you. Your sobs echoed in his head every night as he recalled getting in his car and driving away.

You didn't know this but he only got a half mile down the road before he was sobbing himself. He was only going to stay in the military for so long but each time he set foot on U.S soil his actions hit him like a ton of bricks all over again. He could only blame himself for his loneliness. Which is why he had reached out to Mama Kay. Wanting to feel a connection back home but also wanting to see how you were doing. He had been pleased to get a letter back that was full of warmth, love and a photo of the two of you.

Reaching across the table you took his hand in yours and swallowed hard. If this was going to work you were going to have to tell him a secret that you had harbored all these years. That you had banned your mother from telling him as well once you realized they had reconnected. Gilly watched you closely and held his breath as he watched two tears trail down your cheeks. "I never stopped loving you Gilly. You were always the one for me too. I want to try again too" you started as he smiled happily at you.

"I need to tell you something though first". You were getting ready to hurt him and you hated yourself for it. "I was pregnant." you whispered as you looked down at the table unable to see the pain crush the bear of a man in front of you. Gilly felt like a train had ran him over as his brain rushed to understand. The implication of your words hit him. Not only had he left you while you were in a vulnerable state but something had happened as well. Gilly blinked back tears. Monsters don't get to grieve he thought to himself.

You tensed as you heard Gilly get up from his chair and your heart dropped. You were losing him again. Sobs wracked your body as you felt the pain of both losses all over again. "Shhhh. Its okay" murmured Gilly as he knelt next to you grabbing your hands in his. "I'm not going anywhere. Right here is where I want to be" he added as you cried into his shoulder.

After a few moments you had calmed down some. Gilly carefully used his thumb to brush the lingering tears from your face. "May I ask what happened?' he asked quietly as he met your eyes. You simply nodded as your heart clenched and your stomach rolled at the memory. "I was depressed, scared and angry. The pregnancy was so extremely difficult and we were high risk on top of everything. I was bedridden for most of it in the hopes not working and such would help with the stress and symptoms.

I went into labor too early still, ended up going into cardiac arrest and she didn't make it. She was a tiny little thing and she fought like hell to live but...." you stated just shaking your head as the memories played in your mind. The whirring of machines, panic stricken faces, yelling nurses and doctors as they tried to save both of you. Then the darkness came as you started to fade away. The next thing you remember was waking up to your Mama praying over you as she squeezed your hands.

"I'm so sorry. I know it doesn't mean anything and it won't fix what happened or fix the pain" stated Gilly as he caressed your cheek gently. "This news doesn't change how I feel about you though. I hope you know that". "I will always regret what I did and that I wasn't here for you.

You closed your eyes as you leaned into the tender caresses letting his words wash over you. "I've felt like a failure for so long Gilly. Couldn't keep my man, couldn't be pregnant correctly, couldn't keep my baby alive. I felt like I was never suppose to know love, kindness or grace. Mama always told me I was wrong. She always talked highly of you." you murmured as you thought back onto some of your moms last words.

"Gilly was a scared boy who made a mistake. We all make mistakes. Its how you fix a mistake that matters.

"Your mama was something special. Just like you" replied Gilly as he smiled before leaning forward and gently placing a kiss on your lips. "Let me love you and cherish until death knocks for us" he whispered as he pulled back slightly. "I love you" you murmured before meeting his lips again.

***

Kneeling down at the tiny bear shaped tombstone you gently cleaned away the dirt and weeds as your hands shook slightly. "Sofia, my sweet angel. I want you to finally meet your daddy" you murmured as you looked up at Gilly who had tears in his eyes. "Hi, sweetie. I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me the most." stated Gilly as he moved to his knees and laid a bouquet of flowers down before kissing the tombstone.

[noelle666]

I am still in a process of exploration of Pathologic VN (original post with info about this game is here) and today I want to share some thoughts on Artemy's story and some of his romances.

WARNING! There will be spoilers.

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Originally, as in case with Daniil, I intended to start hetero romance with Lara and basically I did it, but in a clumsy way (I am a bad VN player, remember?) And I would say romance with her is preatty nice and gentle, even a bit funny and very very little spicy in the end of Day 4. I liked her in both original games: in Pathologic she seems pretty humble, maybe a bit unsure in what to do (probably because of her ingame face expression) and in Pathologic 2 I like the story between her, Artemy, Stakh and Bad Grief, I like the way they are bonded as childhood friends.

Maybe I'll try to romance her fully next time, but, to be honest, not sure, because... there is a specific person with a shaved head who crushed me.

Long story short - this is me during Stakh Rubin's romance:

Stakh is a type of person who has very much pain in him, but he works really hard to hide it (but he sometimes fails, like in Pathologic 2 when he acts hostile towards Artemy). In VN writers put some details to his personality to open this inner pain more, and they did it very well, if you ask me: you can learn some details about him during the first plague outbreak, some of his actions towards The Kin people, etc. And when you reach Day 3... boy oh boy...

This guy really literally chushed me with tons of emotions: the scene on Day 3 at the cemetery in front of Isidor's grave is, imo, the peak moment for Artemy and him to, well, basically confess in love and right away become "we", not "you and me". Artemy tells Stakh how he lived and what he felt when he was in the Capital, his fear of reading father's letter and how he remembered "a boy who squeezed his fists and begged my father to let us got to The Capital together while tears came to his eyes".

This route may look like a typical cliche story of childhool friends, one of whom fell in love with another and was hiding it for a long time, and then they got separated for several years, but, honestly, I don't remember I've ever cried that much playing through the WHOLE romance. This poor shaved head made me feel huge desire to protect him and hold in my/Artemy embrace as long as possible. And I also don't want to fail Lara, who said: "Burakh. I just hope you will not break his heart. Again. And if you even try to offend him, remember - I still have my father's revolver". And I cannot do it, my whole being right now protests from other options to try. Pretty much the same situation with Daniil and Block - I don't really want to try another romances cause I found my "comfort zone", I think. Plus the way Stakh got along with Murky... It feels like kids will have another father in their family. Well, I hope for that. =D

[reds-fluff-extravaganza]

You thought I wouldn't appear here too, but I'm a very special gal, so here I am 👁👁

Fairy anon is here babyyyyy 🧚🏻‍♀️

Tbh I was gonna use this as an oportunity to tell you to do a oneshot about one of my headcanon requests, so let's go with my last one, with Reader being Grey's sibling and Glitchy Red being a sweetheart for once (LOL)

... I couldn't find another inspiring pokemon quote that I liked, so have a rare candy 🍬

I hope this is okay! Also thank you for the rare candy I need it today. Also here is the headcanon fairy anon mentioned!

You and Grey never thought you would end up in a Pokemon game, let alone a bootleg one. So when you two woke up in the bootleg world together, Grey was very nervous and a little scared. You tried your best to be brave for him, but even this was a bit too much for you. Over the short amount of time you two had been there, you had met one of the bootleg Pokemon, Shinto, who reminded you of a bootleg version of the Pokemon Hypno. While Grey was practically terrified of her, you became friends with her and you keep trying to convince Grey that she’s not going to hurt the two of you.

Unfortunately, you two have no idea how much time has actually passed since the two of you have been trapped inside the bootleg game, since… you don’t have a way of keeping time in this world, not even Shinto knows. You have figured out a way to communicate with her through the use of the pokedex that Grey had woken up with in his bag, as she can manipulate her pokedex entry, which was new to you but hey, whatever works.

You were playing with Shinto, just having a bit of fun while Grey was just watching you two from nearby. That is, until a glitched figure came up to him, not noticing you and Shinto. He reminded Grey of trainer Red, but very glitchy. He had caught Grey off guard, not expecting anyone else in this bootleg world aside from you, him and Shinto. He decided talking to him, he found out his name was Glitchy Red. Maybe he knew a way to get out of here? It was worth a shot to ask him.

You, on the other hand, had noticed the interaction between Glitchy Red and your brother. You occasionally glanced over at the two, but still playing with Shinto.

“…actually, I’m not by myself.” You heard Grey tell him as he pointed out over to you and Shinto, who had crawled up onto your shoulder. You walked over to the two, introducing yourself as Grey’s older sibling. It was at that moment that Glitchy Red decided that he was going to keep you both safe. Why? Not even he knew. He just had this feeling in the back of his mind that he had to protect you two.

After talking to the two of you for a while longer, Glitchy Red left, saying he would be back again soon. You thought he was pretty nice, or at least to you and Grey. Grey was a little unsure at first, but seeing as he hasn’t done anything to harm either of you, he would trust him for now, but only because of how you trust him, which he didn’t really understand how you could, but he knew he could trust you, and your judgement, at least.

“I think he’s nice.” You shrugged as you, Grey, and Shinto stepped into your little home, Shinto crawling out of your arms and back onto the floor.

“I know you think so, but we don’t know for sure yet, Y/n. We can’t trust him right away…”

“I am aware of that, Grey.” You pat his head and went over to the couch. “But he’s the only one here that we’ve seen that isn’t one of those stupid NPCs! We’ve got to at least give him a chance.”

“Alright, alright.” Grey shook his head and sat beside you on the couch.

“Besides, you know Shinto and I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to you.”

“Yeah… that’s true.” He rubbed the back of his head, sighing softly. “Just… we need to be careful, that’s all.” You only nodded in agreement, taking his words into consideration.

Over the course of what felt like several months, but hey what do you know, you can’t really tell time in this world, you and Grey have gotten closer to Glitchy Red, especially you. He’s a little protective of you, even around the NPCs. Grey has noticed this, of course, and he was a little curious about this. So he decided to talk to him while you were out playing, or rather walking around, with Shinto.

“Hey, Glitchy Red..?” He started, looking up at the taller male, who looked down at Grey with a look of ‘go on, I’m listening,’

“I’ve noticed you’ve gotten pretty close to Y/n.” He swore he saw him flinch a bit, but decided not to question it. “I’m not surprised, though.. because they like you a lot. I guess to be fair though, you’re the only one we’ve seen in what feels like years… and the fact that you keep coming back, it makes them happy to see you.” Glitchy Red seemed a bit surprised by Grey’s words. You liked him?

“…I do like Y/n, a lot. I’ve never… felt this way towards anyone else before.”

“Then, you should tell them how you feel.”

“Are you sure about this, Grey..?” He seemed a bit nervous about confessing his feelings towards you.

“Absolutely sure. I want to see Y/n happy, and you make them happy, Glitchy Red. So you should go for it!” Glitchy Red nodded before he stood up.

“Thank you, Grey, I’ll do it.”

“Great! They should be back shortly.” And as if on cue, you and Shinto walked through the door.

“We’re back! Oh, hello again, Glitchy Red.” You looked over at him as you closed the door behind you.

“Hello Y/n.”

“Come on, Shinto, let’s go and play a game in the other room.” Shinto, at the mention of another game, hopped off your shoulder and followed after Grey, who went to another room. You were a bit confused by this, but you shrugged and sat by Glitchy Red. He looked over at you, a faint smile on his face, which you almost didn’t notice. You always thought he was really cute, but you weren’t going to admit that out loud to him.

“Thanks for keeping an eye on Grey while I was out. I know he doesn’t really need it, but it’s nice to know he’s safe.”

“You’re welcome, Y/n.” He wanted to move closer to you, but he wasn’t sure if his glitches were going to affect you or not, and he didn’t want to risk hurting you. It was silent for a few minutes, not an awkward one, but a nice comfortable silence, that is… until Glitchy Red spoke up.

“Y/n…” he turned to look right at you.

“Hmm?” You looked up at the taller male, tilting your head slightly, as if to give him the go ahead to keep talking.

“I’ve been… thinking about something.”

“What is it?”

“Since that day I met you and Grey… I’ve been having these feelings… ones I haven’t felt in a long time.” You were about to ask him to elaborate until he continued,

“I… love you, Y/n.” You were shocked to say the least. He felt the same way towards you! He took your silence as something bad, that you didn’t feel the same way.

“It’s… fine if you don’t feel the s-“

“I love you too, Glitchy Red.” You moved closer to him and hugged him, which caused him to flinch, as he wasn’t expecting the sudden hug.

“I’m… glad you feel the same way.” He said just loud enough for you to hear before he kissed your forehead and hugged you back. Sure, this was going to take some time for him to get used to, but with you by his side, he didn’t mind it at all. Especially since you weren’t affected by his glitches, which was a good thing for both of you, and eased his worry that he was going to hurt you because of them.

Unbeknownst to the two of you, however, Grey and Shinto had been listening to… most of the conversation, and both were very happy for you! However, if he did anything to hurt you, both would be after him in a heartbeat.

[amelikos]

Some character and episode notes from HZ006, writing them down for future reference! I wrote a separate post regarding Amethio.

- Liko called Amethio by name during her narration at the beginning of the episode. It’s the first time she does and I’ve been really curious about how she would address him. Amethio called Liko “Liko-san” in HZ001 and that was also the only time he called her by name. Keeping track of how characters refer to each other.

- Amethio takes Liko and Roy seriously as opponents (he doesn’t taunt them about their difference in power), which I like. Liko doesn’t feel like she could win just yet (and I like that this is something she actually thinks about and that she doesn’t overestimate herself), but she still wants to battle together with Roy and tries to think up of a strategy. I think they’ll want to grow stronger to be able to protect themselves against The Explorers in the future, so I hope they’ll improve together. 

- Friede doesn’t like being called a professor but he said in this episode that as a professor, the mystery around Rayquaza intrigue him so he wants to investigate. Also, Roy’s grandpa found the Ancient Pokeball on the beach when he was young (so it was a coincidence) but didn’t really seem interested in finding out more about it? Meanwhile, Roy was always curious and had the mind of an adventurer. I am also curious about how Liko’s grandma got the pendant: did she find it randomly or was it passed down on to her?

- It was cute how Lizardon gave Hogator the Pokeball to encourage it to become Roy’s partner! I like the dynamics between these two. Hogator looks up to Lizardon and in turn, Lizardon really watches over Hogator. I wonder if Roy and Friede will have this kind of dynamics as well. They had nice bits already: Friede congratulating Roy for becoming a trainer (and encouraging him several times), and including him in the crew at the end by giving him the task of raising the Brave Asagi flag.

- I liked the whole scene with Roy telling Hogator his feelings, that he doesn’t want to say goodbye yet and wants to keep singing together. And Hogator giving Roy the Pokeball, showing that it wants to become Roy’s partner too. The way Roy sings Hogator’s song in joy after catching it too! It was heartwarming. They are both so genuine and I’m looking forward to their growth. Liko was so happy for them too. Also, I guess Roy is the first trainer on his island? 

- Roy felt unsure whether his grandpa would let him go on a journey. I actually like this kind of hesitation since usually it’s rarely questioned to let kids go on a journey like that in the anime. Roy’s grandpa could see through him and knew that Roy would want to go on a journey, he just wanted to hear Roy’s resolve clearly. He is supportive! Roy used the word “dream” too (when he used the word “plan” before that). I also like the distinction between Roy’s dream and Hogator’s dream. Roy has his own dream of finding Legendary Pokemon, and Hogator has his own dream of becoming stronger like Lizardon. It’s neat when Pokemon have their own wishes like that. Trainers and Pokemon both helping each other reach their respective dreams. 

- It stood out to me that Liko attributed her meetings with everyone to her grandmother’s pendant at the end. Perhaps she sees it like fate? It’s interesting because she takes into account the positive meetings and we know that she is going to meet other people (like Spinel) who are after her because of the pendant. And she met Amethio through the pendant too. There are many types of connections through the pendant. Also, I like when Roy corrected himself and said “our adventure starts here” (and not just “my adventure”), like he is including Hogator and Liko too. Overall, I enjoyed the setup of Liko and Roy’s dynamics. Liko was more assertive than I thought she would be by encouraging Roy to take a step forward and sharing what she learned with Nyaoha with Roy and Hogator. They click together well. 

[carmenlire]

I've had this taegyu idea floating around since january but I'll readily admit that it is extremely similar to httbt so like on one hand I am absolutely a reader who often thinks "man I wanna read what I just read but new" plus it's in an entirely different fandom but on the other hand like it's literally rockstar beomgyu and probably math teacher taehyun (or maybe grad student, potentially gym owner?).

(lowkey i ended up like fully plotting out the fic/recapping my twt thread so i'm putting the rest under a cut lol.)

like whereas alec was a top 40 sensation solo pop artist, very much channeling biggest name in the industry, beomgyu would be frontman for an indie/niche band (honestly i'm picturing chase atlantic 100% whereas alec was like a tswift) but his band still sells out its tours and is somewhere on the charts, making a very respectable sum.

Beomgyu is feeling ennui, uninspired, very jaded but in a more. . . angsty way than alec? i imagine this fic to be darker/more emotional than httbt with A Big Conflict towards the end where one of them severely fucks up in classic fic fashion.

of course, i've already thought of the opening scene and it makes me realize how totally predictable i am because it's an extremely late night/early morning run-in where taegyu are obviously at very different points in their lives but they have A Conversation and it's the first time beomgyu has felt interested/intrigued by something in forever and taehyun-- actually here's a difference-- he actually has no idea who beomgyu/his band is. beomgyu, ofc, likes that. taehyun just sees a hot guy who's a little fucked up but aren't we all.

looking at my twt thread, i talk a lot about how during that first meeting, beomgyu talks a lot in half-truths, unsure if he can trust taehyun and taehyun is just blunt as always, very no bullshit. they both walk away feeling amped up-- beomgyu feels a little bit like he got an ass kicking, a breath of fresh air and taehyun is intrigued in his own way about this guy who's full of contradictions.

they keep running into each other at the park at these really intimate hours (beomgyu clearing his head/going out whenever there's less of a chance of him being seen and taehyun on his morning runs). eventually one morning, the sun is shining when they both look up and taehyun recommends a lowkey breakfast spot he knows nearby.

despite there clearly being something between them, beomgyu isn't in a place to be in a relationship and taehyun is up front about what he wants/needs and they both respect the other. of course, that doesn't stop them from growing closer until they're like best friends.

constantly texting, both of them start to depend on the other-- on their phone calls, a few minutes of stolen time, on finding the most out of the way restaurants with the best samgyeopsal.

everyone around them knows Something's going on even if taegyu remain infuriatingly tightlipped, both of them wanting to protect this thing between them. the secret relationship aspect is a lot more illicit in this than it was in httbt-- there might not be tabloids to worry about but beomgyu's had a lot of years in the business to grow jaded even if he wishes he could be as open as taehyun. There are some growing pains even if they are both fully invested/committed, even if beomgyu loves being with taehyun and can't get enough.

i'm picturing a classic fic blow-up thanks to beomgyu's rockstar past (?) clashing with taehyun's firm stance on open communication and no bullshit (the blow-up is nothing out of the usual for fic but bc i tend to really love Healthy Communication, i've never written this kinda conflict before but i do think it'll actually fit this au setup and not merely be an excuse for angst lol).

anyway, they totally break up over That Mess and cue beomgyu losing it a little. he gets drunk, writes songs about taehyun, implicitly dedicates those songs to him on stage. he hooks up with someone and feels fucking awful.

he ends up eventually (let's be real they'll probably only be broken up for like a month bc i can't do too much angst lol) doing some soul searching/reflecting on the past months with taehyun and realizing the error of his ways (and even as he was doing it, he was kicking himself bc he didn't even mean the words, he didn't wanna hurt taehyun but his mouth just started without his brain and heart's input rip).

meanwhile taehyun is totally heartbroken (while he seems fine on social media he's kinda falling apart irl) but he was always up front about what he needed from beomgyu if they were gonna do this and he won't bend his own needs and worth just to be with beomgyu.

obviously happy ending!!!! and you know i'll have to include some serious established relationship fluff to make up for all the pain :')

all of which to say..... like i know the premise is very similar to httbt and i feel like there's even more of a spotlight on it since it is obviously my most prolific work (which did also come from a chase atlantic song lmao) but there are differences too???? so like i should just write what i want right?? like especially because i'm worried about being too close to my own work, like it doesn't even matter? and there are some key differences? idk :( i just know i really like the idea.

[chambersofthesea]

hi how are you? question for you, do you still want Jess & Rory to be together despite being pregnant with Logan's child? do you think it's fair that Jess changes his WHOLE life just for Rory's sake?

I think the way people view this as some unfair situation on Jess's end is more concerning than the reality of how it would really be, actually.

Firstly, to view Jess's current life as it is as being one that he changed solely for Rory's sake would be false to begin with. Jess didn't change his life for Rory. Rory as a matter of fact, made it plainly clear that she wouldn't agree to his sudden idea to run away together, and in doing so made it obvious that she won't allow him a place in her life as it was back then because of how unsure she was of his own stability regarding his decisions. And I mean, I can't blame her for that? Jess was flighty then. He was still a teenager who was homeless, didn't have a stable income and apart from Luke, had no one else to rely on when Liz was too busy trying to build a new life for herself with a new husband. And Jess as a result of this and his prior reconciliation with Luke, got to a point where he could decide on what he wanted for himself and his own life, which then led to him being the stable, mature adult we managed to see now. During this entire time, we see him go through several meetups with Rory, but even when their last one in season 6 ends on a tragic note, that doesn't make Jess dive off the deep end and become unstable again. This is because regardless of his feelings for Rory or where they stand, whether it's former exes or good friends, Jess's own life is of his making, and it has nothing to do with what Rory chooses to do with her life. And I'm pretty certain that Jess knows this and that Rory would not want to have his life and stability depend on her. We already saw how this went on with Logan, and frankly it's never a long-term solution if the way you lead your life solely depends on your partner.

Which brings me to my next point: I think that Jess would plainly not care if Rory had Logan's child. A lot of fans' obsession with this is so weird and backwards to me because it feels as though you guys push for some weirdly conservative view of life that these characters must lead, despite both Rory and Jess being children to former teen moms. Neither of them have ever known what it's like to have that "white picket fence" American dream of a home life. This is to say that no, I doubt Jess would consider Rory to be any lesser just because she has a child out of wedlock. I think he'd at most feel concern for her and her state, and maybe have some complicated feelings on the parentage of that kid depending on how Logan is as a parent, but I doubt he'd start preaching to Rory about how wrong she is about choosing what to do with her own body and pregnancy. That's frankly none of his business, and Rory was in her 30s by the time AYITL happens. So no, I don't think it wouldn't be fair for Jess to "change his entire life" for Rory because he plainly wouldn't. If Jess wants to be with Rory who would by then be a single mother and Rory would also want that, who am I to say "this is inexcusable" about two characters that are adults?

And lastly, yes I'd still like for them to be together. Rory and Jess are both adults, I think it's time for fans to start treating them as such and realize that these overly simplistic views of what a character "deserves" or doesn't don't matter when that's not what the character in question WANTS. Frankly, I doubt Jess would ever want to have a regular strategic family with anyone, since the way he grew up is far from what is "socially acceptable".

[lunarmourning]

Ok hi i have just one quick thing to ask. Can you explain the times where you've gone into servers and gcs and told greg you were mad at her and then when asked why you didn't tell it???

hi I don't usually like to answer these on my Tumblr especially since the situation has so much more than I could ever explain from an ask (when I say every situation I've been accused of has two sides, I mean it! I know for a fact that a lot of the stories people heard are lacking so much context) and I am really not comfortable airing trauma I haven't fully revovered from on Tumblr but I will answer this one. If I'm assuming what you're referring to right (if I'm not, don't be afraid to shoot another ask! i haven't gotten a lot of explanation of what I did wrong from. anybody. Also I am in no way uncomfortable with someone reaching out to me through dms, I would not be mad at anyone who got wrapped up in this situation for wanting to talk. Even Greg, I promise I would be comfortable with dming with her about if asked). (warning this is gonna be rambley, I just woke up)

I assume this would be when I would talk in a gc about my feelings in the relationship. I would like to explain that the only times I've talked about Greg in a gc were when I was mid breakdown or meltdown (often triggered by Greg doing or saying something triggering and then just. leaving me alone. which, happened several times.). Also, I would never talk with anyone that I knew Greg was friends with. I didn't feel like my breakdown gave me the right to ruin anyones relationship or perception on it. Which is, genuinely, the only reason I never came to anyone from the sunshine cult for support about her in my relationship because of how. many toxic that had been done to me in the relationship (which is the reason I eventually broke up with her after months of consideration, and the reason I blocked her. I felt sick talking to it and kept getting flashbacks. just generally felt uncomfortable and decided the best thing would to put distance. I in no way meant to hurt her through this). So, I talked with friends she didn't know very well (like Pip! hi Pip thank you for being supportive when my ex was being weird about my disability). I would like to repeat, I would only do this mid breakdowns.

About not communicating that I was mad. i literally. did. and tried. so many times. One of my earliest problems in the relationship is that we just didn't communicate at ALL. And Greg kept repeatedly hurting me because of it. It got to the point I was scared of her. I tried multiple times to talk about how the things she was doing was hurting me and every time I would be shut down and given excuses. Like that she didn't know how to communicate (I'm actively getting hurt here and I'm trying to express that. so we would end the conversation, I would have a breakdown alone in my room and she would go to bed. and it would happen again. I would like to say in a relationship where both people [likely,I am unsure if I have It fully yet. still researching] have bpd, that communicating is SO important and the lack of it is why we both feel we were hurt in the relationship. Greg never expressed when I was hurting her so I never knew. And I would like to say that it's valid and I'm so so sorry if I hurt you, but if you had told me I would've stopped in a fucking heartbeat. I told you when you hurt me, you just didn't care.). Or that she was dissociating (which is okay!!! often times I didn't even know and then I would be in "trouble" for trying to make her talk In that. Pls I promise if you had expressed that you would talk about this later and not just use it as an excuse for not talking about it ever I would be okay!!! it's just when every single time on four or more occasions, every time I was trying to express how I was getting hurt from toxic behavior. Also a lot of these dissociations wouldn't come until I tried to communicate so. hm. and this happened every time). So after repeated times (throughout MONTHS) communicating things that she would do over and over again, I kinda. gave up. If I ever told her I was mad and didn't explain, I'm so sorry and looking back that was wrong of me to do. but. I did. i did tell her. and after getting yelled at and ignored for hours to days on end for simply trying to fix something that had hurt me. i gave up. Can you blame me for making a stupid decision with someone who would never listen?

Greg at some point also sent screenshots of me trying to communicate for the final time before I gave up to people without my permission. My friend, who actually talked to me about my side of the situation unlike everyone else, sent me what Greg sent. And I was not surprised to see how much of that conversation was cropped out. A lot of the stories being told about me are half-truths, with things left unsaid to make me seem like a bad person.

(this situation also has a lot more behind it so please don't take this statement as all of it. Both this singular accusation and everything else has SO much context. This is simply me trying to explain one or two situations. Like I said, if anyone has any questions about another situation don't be afraid to reach out. I would be happy to talk to anyone who was willing to listen.)

[periwinckles]

The train back to twelve - chapter 7

Week 3 - Thom

Chapter Summary: Jack and Thom search Cyrus tent, for Haymitch's stuff. Someone might get punched.

When we reach camp most of the day's tasks have already been completed. Sae stirs a pot over the crackling flames of the fire. Two cleaners, likely on their way to the train station shower, hurry past us while a group of campers gather to retrieve their laundry from the clothesline. The bustling end of the day isn't the ideal setting for what we are about to do, but we need to make the most out of Cyrus’ absence from camp.

"I'll talk to Jack first, then we'll decide what to do. Do you mind putting my dry clothes back in my tent?"

Delly nods but looks unsure of herself. 

"Are you sure about that? I don't want to intrude on your privacy. I'm sorry I went there this morning without asking, I wasn't thinking." 

"Why wouldn't you go to my tent? Of course you can go." 

I spot Jack talking to Mr and Mrs Steiner next to the supplies shelter. I need to get him aside before Cyrus comes back from his shower. 

"If you're sure."

"Of course I'm sure, you can go to my tent anytime."

I signal Jack to let him know I need to talk to him and He promptly excuses himself from the Steiners and joins me as I lead him to the far side of the camp.

"Cyrus has booze."

He's quick to figure it out. There is no alcohol anywhere in the district, unless Haymitch Abernathy's house. 

"How do you know?"

"He spoke to Delly earlier and she smelled it in his breath."

And I am so done with him breathing down her neck all the time. It figures he would feel himself entitled to take whatever he wants, whether it's food, valuable items or a place in the council. 

We have two options. We can either wait for him and confront him about it or we can search his tent while he's gone and look for evidence. 

"I say we do a quiet search and then confront him if we find anything relevant." Jack suggests, while taking a quick survey of the camp. Everyone's busy getting ready for dinner. From here I can spot Delly and she's taking her time to shake off her sleeping bag, while partially blocking the view to Cyrus's tent. That a girl!

"It's now or never." I tell Norbert and with a few quick strides I'm inside Cyrus tent, while Jack stays outside and chats with Delly. 

I don't have to look hard, it's in full display next to his sleeping bag. 

"THAT SON OF A…"

"Did you find anything?" Jack asks while getting inside the tent as well, and I hold up my hands to reveal the half-empty bottle of liquor and a strip of three condoms.  I guess old habits die hard for peacekeepers. We all knew their weakness was booze and women and just the thought of him even speaking to Delly…

"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?" 

We hastily get out only to find Cyrus waiting outside, fuming and demanding answers, Delly looking apologetic. I'm still holding the bottle in my hand. 

"That's what we would like to know." I tell him taking two steps to stand in front of him. "Do you care to tell us where you got this?" I do my best to keep myself calm but I've been wanting to punch this guy for weeks now. I'm not sure I'll hold it for the entirety of this conversation.

"We're not doing this here." Jack says with a low voice, holding my forearm and pushing me back. "We're going to the slag heap, all three of us."

"I'm not going anywhere with the both of you." Cyrus snaps back and he's loud enough that everyone's paying attention now. "You two want a word with me? I'm taking Ray as well." 

Ray Thomson takes a step forward but Jack immediately pushes him aside with a warning. "Stay out of this, Ray!"

I get why Cyrus would feel intimidated. He is a former peacekeeper and he's physically fit, but he's no miner and I have several inches on him. And Jack is a beast of a man even in his late thirties, but he’s staying surprisingly calm. I’m glad for it as I’m usually the one with the cool head.

"We just want to talk." 

No one dares to come close but all eyes are on us. He has no other choice but to agree.

"Fine." 

We make our way to the slag heap, away from prying eyes and ears. Cyrus stands with his hands on his hips, donning clean clothes but sporting a fatigued expression. He waits for us to speak first, and Jack takes the lead.

"Someone 's been stealing from Haymitch Abernathy. A watch. Food. Condoms. And that's just what we know for sure." 

The laugh that comes out of his mouth is loud but brief, almost as if he had his energy drained out of him. "And you think I did it?" He retorts incredulously.

"Where did you get the liquor? And the condoms? Were you planning on using them with anyone? OR ARE YOU JUST GOING TO USE THEM LIKE CRAY USED TO?" I shove him and Jack holds me back by my arms, but Cyrus keeps his chin held up high daring me to take a swing at him. 

"OH AIN'T THAT CONVENIENT,” Cyrus retorts, his tone dripping with sarcasm.” LET'S HOLD THE PEACEKEEPERS ACCOUNTABLE FOR WHAT THAT PIECE OF SHIT OF CRAY USED TO DO."

"Calm down, the two of you, just calm down!"

I run my hands through my hair taking a few breaths to steady myself. If there is one thing I always prided myself on is being in control of my temper. I was never one to get into fights or arguments, not even when I lived in the community home. However, Cyrus Johnson might be the one to put my self-restraint to the test.

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