#I hate it with every fiber of my being and I've never even played

[blinday]

.

i’m curious. in the tags let me know a media property that lowers your opinion of somebody’s tastes when you find out they enjoy it, not because it’s genuinely harmful but because it sucks. bonus points if you explain why

[hummingbird-games]

2023 In Review (Indie Games)

Last year's! | 2021

I apologize in advance for how long this might be. As a reminder, I don't bash games here so even if I hated something with every fiber of my being...I ain't sharing. As a second reminder, my more in depth reviews and live blogging has moved to Gem's Game Gems so I don't clutter the HBG's main blog. Okay. ON WITH THE REVIEW!!

DEMOS

Diffraction (Demo)- A rainy day otome indeed. I love the quiet gentleness of this game, the two romance options, and the fact that our MC is a photographer and struggling with her art and stack of life "failures" (because...SAME!!)

Alaris - I was asleep and now I am awake: I came late for the advertised fae and dragon lore, stayed seated and waiting for Fenir zjgjdf. Oh, and I guess the mystery surrounding our MC's abilities LOL.

The Summit Library - When I say I was maaaaaad when I realized I blew through chapter 1 and would have to go back to waiting for more content??? LOL, I was very miffed. Anyhoo, check out this title for the gorgeous art, another intriguing mystery (like what is *up* with the magic in the poor library?? who or what is to blame?? 👀) and of course the lovely characters we've been introduced to thus far.

Of Sense and Soul - I'm a regency romance girl. Like after you strip away the other stuff, I am but a poor woman with simple needs: a good ass love story 🤧💛 It's about the yearning and the slow burn and the will they/won't they/PLEASEEE they...I've never been so charmed by a demo, and the full game is going to be amazing I just know it!

Made Marion - This project is a game I've been keeping tabs on for a hot minute but hadn't taken the time to sit and properly enjoy the demo. I'M SO GLAD I DID!!! It's in early access now, so I'm hoping eventually I'll be able to carve out some time to play, but guysss Velvet Cupcake is doing the Thing?!? No idea which love interest I'll go for first, but I had a fun time meeting the Nottingham peeps in the demo.

Herotome (Super Demo) - Oh gosh. Oh gosh oh gosh oh my GOSHHH. Where do I even began?? (Really the question is where the hell do I end because this is one of those projects I talk about a lot/think about a lot and surprisingly haven't run out of things to say zkjfksjd). Another game I've been following for a while, it 100% lives up to the superhero genre in its aesthetic, the characters you interact with, the music and sound design, and of course the slowly unfurling story. Jade and Mia had come out as my top faves, Warden is still there, like hovering in the backgroud, shhhh but I have a special place in my heart for Griffin too (that conversation we have with her?? I have so many screenshots just so I can go back and reread and sear the words in my brain. Like a weirdo. Yup.)

Celestial Crowns - Stats building, celestial royalty, dating sim where you fuck around and find out your choices directly affect your MC's personality?? I'm sat. I supported the Kickstarter and now I try to practice patience for the full game's release siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiighh.

OTOME/JOSEI JAM

Please note this is a SUPER abridged list for my sanity and I fell a little more in love with these 2 jams with each entry I played...

Intertwine - As embarrassing as it sounds, I've never given much thought to the "red string" thing, and I consume more than enough romance media LOL!! But Van is suuuuuch a beautiful man, the UI for this game is so interactive and lovely, the music is ALSO lovely, just lovely-love all the way around teehee. (Also this game encourages replayabillity so like, do with that info what you will.)

Spring Boy [Demo] - I believe this game is going through a complete rehaul, so my thoughts and feelings refer to the original jam entry I played. The art is bright and cute and it's a super super short demo, but I was intrigued by the other student we meet on our mission to plead with our professor about our bombed exam lol!

Assignment Due: Project Blue - IRl group projects??? Suck absolute ass. Group projects with a guy name Asher?? Suddenly it's my new favorite thing in the world 😁

Cryptid Campaign Manager [DEMO] - Remember the last time I looked over a cryptid dating sim??? Remember how I was SUCH a fool?? Good thing I didn't make that mistake again!! The prologue is such a tease but you get an idea of what the full game is gonna be like, and I'm excited to see where my career involving love (and politics) goes!

Heart Cage [Demo] - Yoooooo I stay my ass far far far away from yanderes (could never get into the trope or the character type). WELP. Guess I just needed to keep searching because I really downloaded this off a whim--well, the whim being one of my fellow dev peers playing and rating-- and proceeded to get sucked in 🤧I thought being a detective would be the highlight, but I guuuueeesssss I was more into the romance options than I thought. Oops.

Evernight - I tried to explain what this game meant to me on the side blog, but words failed me. I still don't know what to say other than I loved it?? Which is like ummm I say I love everything, and yeah I'm easy to please BUT Y'ALLLLLL if you play no other game, play this one. Please. Date a werewolf. Or a vampire. Or a fae. Plz. Also figuring out the mystery of your MC's abilities and past is just delightful, ugh.

Bright Oak (demo) - Anotha one I wrote about on the side blog!!! Play this one!!! The writing is lush and atmospheric and the characters are all delightful and it's another game with a mystery to untangle!

The Faithfulness of the Universe- This one gets the award for most unique all around entry that I played. Theeeeee prettiest pixel art to bless my eyeballs, and this tasty mystery concerning Fate and witch Faustina's future (or lack thereof 👀) and what it all means. As a player I very much want to know what it all means!

A Cup For All Seasons - Another game that needs its flowers y'all. It's short but super healing and super cozy and the voice acting and music really tie the gaming experience together???

The Working Woman's Guide to Burning Bridges - DEMO - It's the way I played the demo twice and I've been thinking about it ever since 😭😭😭🙃 obviously life happens and things come up, plus this was a demo. But. BUT!!! I am on my hands and knees prayinnggg the team gets together again to finish the game. I love playing as a stressed, lowkey bitter hot mess who doesn't have her life together 😂somehow the fictional version is soooo much more entertaining!!!

Keyframes (Spring Demo) - After the game College Craze, this is legit THE college, slice of life visual novel of my dreams. I cannot wait for the updated demo next year, and the Kickstarter whenever that rolls around. And now that the developer is on Tumblr, I've definitely been stalking the account and reading each new post like it's my day/night/weekend job 🤧

Hello Counsel 💋 - Okay I take it back, Evernight is like a 20/10 but Hello Counsel is like an 100/10 👁️👄👁️ This game is necessary for my mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health, alright? The banter ✅ the character designs ✅ the music ✅ the sizzling chemistry between Poise and Salem ✅ I wish this game had more buzz because IT'S SO GOOD!!! (also the dev, Miseri, is who I wanna be when I grow up. I've made it through almost their whole backlog of games and there are no misses and EVERY game is different from the rest and it makes it hard for a toodler dev--ME--to cope LOL)

Candied Hearts - Isekaied into a candy themed game?? Sign me TF UP!!! (Peppermint I love you dearly, you must understand.)

Fully Released & Played (at least 1 playthrough)

The Knight's Dilemma - I don't even know how I originally stumbled upon this??? I just know it had been in my backlog for a hot minute and I was intrigued enough to save it way back when. Y'ALL WHY DIDN'T I PLAY SOONER SKJFHFJFH! There's a couple different endings, I loved the voice direction, AND it's such a simple concept of a game that was just executed beautifully.

Trouble Comes Twice - If I had to make a top 5 list of romance VNs, guess who makes the list?? Guess. Guess guess guess. Have you guessed yet??? LOL! I have been in love with TCT since it's development days and with each passing month, waiting in anticipation, playing the Pateron beta builds, screaming on the main blog about every single thought I had about Jace and Hazel (shoutout to Jace for helping me figure out *me*) Lol if you're curious about said thoughts, those posts are on this blog and not the side blog.

Aelfric the Wondrous - 10/10 would love to forget my first play through JUST to have that experience fresh again 😭😭💛Cute and funny and a wonderful parody type game all around.

A Summer's End - Hong Kong 1986 - Goodness, there's no excuse for why this took me years to finish but anyhoo, I finished, I loved it, I recommend it! It's romantic and achingly authentic and the art is soooo gorgeous I literally can't stand it 😭

The Things You Do For Love - Unhinged yandere manages to entertain and garner sympathy and laughter from Gemini. And that poly ending is chef's kiss too????

Band Camp Boyfriend - There are a handful of games I found and loved before I began my game development journey, and this is one of them. BCB is so dear to me, because of the story and characters but also because of the Dynamic Duo creators and their team behind the scenes. I was never a band kid I was a chorus kid but just as the band geeks loved this game to pieces, us normal folks do too!! Even the boys who I didn't like I STILL managed to find joy in playing their routes (still have a few more to finish at the time of this posting lol, GOTTA GET THE FINAL ROUTE YO). Anyway, this game more than delivered for me and I hope more people keep discovering it!!

Belle Automata: Chronicle I [RELEASED] - While only Chronicle 1 is out at the time of this posting, I already know that the 2nd and 3rd parts are going to be just as amazing???? I wrote about this one on the side blog, so here's my copypaste that still rings true:  

I love TNP (The Nightmare Prince) but Victor’s route hit the sweet spot for me. Maybe it’s the slow(er) burn nature of this route, maybe it’s the reserved nature of Victor and watching him slowly start to care (AND NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THOSE FEELINGS TEEHEE) for me.

A Date with Death - I wrote about this on the side blog--again--. The demo. And then right after finishing a route. And then again where I was fully awake and still managed to sound deranged. No copypaste for that, I shall be nice. But yeah!! Another game where I was screaming at the sky about how much I love it and how I'll never know peace as long as I live.

Our Life: Baxter DLC - I need to offer an official apology to both Cove and Derek because falling head over heels, down the stairs, crashing into the parking lot, falling again but down a manhole for Baxter's infuriating ass was NOT on my 2023 bingo board??? HELLO???? I bought his DLC just to complete my OL collection. Was not expecting to love it this much. Was not expecting to be called to write fanfic and abandon all responsibilities to do this. WHILE DOWN WITH COVID TOO. Allow me to play the song of my people. *Send in the Clowns plays*

Our Cinderella - (this is so funny I'm taking about a side game before the main game LOLOLOLOL) Guys. Guysss. You guyyyysss 🥹if you're looking for a cozy, hilarious, equally oddly and wonderfully sweet short game, this is the one!! You may have your personal favorite Iggy ship (like me) but all the pairings are so amazing and just make sense lol!

Wylde Flowers - This is the only non visual novel game on here but it gets the spotlight because I did NOT spend 90+ hours on this game to gatekeep this beauty. No. It the coziest, the funniest, the funnest, the most addictive Switch game (after Teacup) I've ever played.

Fully Released (& still on 1st playthrough)

Garden of Seif: Chronicles of an Assassin - Life kicked my butt and then sat on me SO while I finally got my grubby hands on the full copy, I still have only played the entirety of the demo. But. We will return to this in 2024 and hopefully I'll have a full review for the next wrap up!

Our Wonderland - I looked back at the side blog and I can't believe it was only THIS year that I started OW??? Because I'd known of the game and the dev for longer than that??? So basically what I'm saying is that I was chicken shit for longer than I've been in love with this world that Developer Carrot has created kjzhhshggj. But OMG to get me, who is scared oh so easily to get hella invested in this clearly labeled horror game??????????????? And even with shit gets super absurd and hella disturbing, I cannot stop playing. At the time of this post, I'm only in Act 4, hence the category above, but it's only because I play each act in a sitting and lose track of space and time and myself. That's a compliment btw.

...

Okie!! That's 2023 in a nutshell! I played a looooot of really good games this year and while I would have liked to talk about them all, I think this list provides a nice overview.

Let me know if we share any favorites!

- Gemini 💛

[notmyprey]

Guys, Im taking this into my own hands. There's not enough Ninjagº (sfw) vore writing, so I shall add to it :)

Context/Content Warnings

Contains: Some (SFW) Vore towards the end, a hella lot of g/t, bad injury (but not like- gory descriptions), and many many personal headcannons. One mainly being I kinda ship Zane×Cole. But if ya wanna see it as platonic, I have written it so it can be interpreted as such too.

This is very self-indulgent if you cant tell....

This takes place between seasons 4 and 5. I've not seen any season past season 10 or 11, I can't remember exactly, so yeah.

Also, important personal headcannon for this fic: Zane kept his more human looking form, not cause I dont like his titanium form. I just like my drawing design I made

Btw it's in first person, so it's hard to tell, but the person who is the pov is Cole-

Fic under cut:

It was a normal fight, honestly nothing special. Just defend the Bounty from a few wannabe villains. That's all we had to do. But it's never that easy, not for us.

Our ship wasn't soaring the clouds today nor parked near the city, but rather parked near a small mountain. We went there in search of a few caves that we were told housed a potentially dangerous artifact. Our plan was simple.

Get in, get out, and destroy the object.

But as we parked, and some treasure hunters flooded the Bounty, we didn't take the time to notice the ground beneath us, or rather lack of. That's where a large pit sat, unnoticed and waiting.

Among the commotion, I started a tussle with one of the bandates near the edge of the ship. She shoved me against the railing, knocking some air out of my lungs. I was quick to retaliate, sending a swift kick to her gut and sending her a few feet backward. Another swift kick, and she was out.

Before I had time to catch my breath, a panicked shout drew my attention. Zane had gotten cornered, 5 treasure hunters surrounding him.

I pushed myself forward, ignoring my still stinging lungs. Of course, they would go after Zane first, I thought bitterly. He was made of metal, and to them, an item practically begging to be sold. This is the third batch of these guys we've run into this week, and I still hated that was how all these treasure hunters and collectors saw him. I hated it with every fiber of my being.

As I got closer, Zane managed to kick one my way, prompting me to, instinctively, punch them, thankfully knocking them out. Now we were 2 against 4. This got the rest of their attention. I smirked. Something about it felt good, watching Zane fight back. It was almost like he was getting back at them in a way, but I knew that was very unlikely intentional. Zane had a heart of gold, with an intent to hurt no one if avoidable.

As these thoughts played in my mind, I didn't notice the large footsteps behind me. In an instant, someone behind me grabbed my shirt. They were much bigger, so much bigger than me. I couldn't even react before I was in the air. They flung me back but kept their grip on my shirt. I was slung forward, then their hand let go, and suddenly, I was flying in Zanes direction. Treasure hunters dove out of the way just before I landed on top of Zane, knocking him and I onto the ground. Due to the way I was thrown, my head took the majority of the impact.

My head started throbbing instantly. All of the aches and pains I had suppressed until now were showing full force. Each breath burned, making me think I broke a rib. I tried to get up, but I felt my consciousness slipping.

My ears were ringing, but I still managed to make out bits and pieces of Zanes' voice.

First, Zane muttered something I couldn't understand. But his next question was one I was all too familiar with.

"Cole, are you ok?"

I could only groan in response. With that, everything started to blur. I couldn't push myself off of him, and I knew the quicker he was back on his feet, the better this would be for the both of us. Thankfully, Zane understood what was happening and pushed me off himself. He didn't give me the grace of placing me down too gently, but I dont blame him. He had bigger problems.

Now that I was on my back, I could see bits of movement, a large figure was starting towards us.

I couldn't see anyone else, Kai, Jay, Lloyd, and even Sensei were all nowhere to be found. My blood went cold, and momentarily, my heart stopped beating. Had something happened to the others?

No matter how hard I fought to get up, how much I told myself I needed to keep fighting, I was starting to loose consciousness. My eyes started to close on their own, and I soon felt myself getting lifted into the air once more by the larger treasure hunter. The last thing I remember was falling. Between the pressure change and my pre-existing head trauma, I couldn't stop myself from passing out before I even hit the ground.

Where is Zane?

I shot open my eyes, a swelling sense of panic rushing over me, but to my surprise, I couldn't see anything. Where am I?

I felt terrible. I think I broke my leg, maybe my arm too. I rolled over, helping relieve the pressure off both of my most likely broken limbs. There was a light far above me, but I couldn't see anything else that would help me figure out where I was. I couldn't get up, I couldn't see anything, I couldn't even speak. All I could do was lie and wait.

For hours, the shadows jumped at me, making my heart race in my ears. I knew I couldn't do anything, and that made the dark that much more terrifying. It was sufficating, how dark and alone I felt. Seconds felt like hours, and hours felt like days. No matter what I did to calm my anxiety, nothing helped. All I could do was lie in the silence and pray someone found me.

"Cole?" I heard Zanes voice calling from above. My heart leaped out of my chest, tears forming at the corner of my eyes from gratitude. He had found me.

"Here." My voice barely even came out.

After a few long moments, I felt the ground beneath me shake, and a loud thud echoed beside me.

"Cole?" This time, Zanes' voice echoed through my very core. My good arm instinctively went to cover up my eyes and ears.

I felt the earth shake a bit more, then a gasp echoed somewhere above me. Slowly, a blue light was brought closer, one I recognized as Zanes eyes. I loosened up upon that realization, unfurling and opening my eyes once more.

It took a moment for my eyes to adjust. I sucked in a quick breath once I could finally see again. Zane towered over me, his meer hand was about as long as I was tall. I wanted to move away, but seeing that about half of me was broken, that was not an option. Slowly, he crouched down. Then gently he put one of his hands down and softly plyed his fingers under me. He lifted me up a bit, then placed his other hand under me as well.

"Cole?" He paused, a bewildered expression plastered on his face, "Cole, can you hear me?" His voice was a wisper now, but even his wispering seemed to completely surround me.

Between the shock of this whole experience and my hurt ribs, I was finding it increasingly harder to speak. I couldn't find my voice. The only thing that came out of my mouth was a pathetic squeak.

His thumb rose and started to brush over me. He didn't apply much pressure, but once he got to my broken arm, I couldn't help but flinch.

Zanes must have noticed that, since his eyes narrowed a bit, something he mostly did when he was annalizeing our 'injury status', as he tends to put it.

"Im going to get you back to the ship, alright?" I was grateful that he continued to keep his voice at a wisper.

I nodded again, to which he started to stand up.

Curling his fingers over me a bit, he suddenly shouts upward, "I FOUND HIM."

This sudden blast of noise hurt, making me return to the covered position I was in before. Zanes shout echoed through the pit, making me shutter in pain a few more times before the noise finally weakened.

Soon, Zane was lifted up, and as a result, I was too. As soon as I was out, noises boomed around me. One question seemed to come through the commotion in unison. "Where's Cole?"

I heard Kai, Jay, and Nya for sure, but Lloyd, I couldn't make out. Did he get kidnapped again? I knew Lloyd was another one of us that the treasure hunters tend to objectify, and that only increased my worry.

I felt Zane move his fingers again, this time unfurling them so that I would lay flat on his palm.

A series of gasps came from the group, and finally, I heard Lloyd. "What happened?" His voice, knowing he was ok, finally allowed my nerves to relax a bit.

"I dont know," Zane sighed in response, "but Cole is not in good condition. He has 3 broken ribs and a broken thigh bone. And his humorous bone is broken as well."

"Zane, now is no time for jokes." Jay piped up.

"The humourus is the bone in the upper arm, I am not displeased with Coles' humor." Zane said blatantly. I could hear the annoyance in his voice. If I had been able to speak, I would have tried to ease the tension, but unfortunately, I still felt too winded.

"Let's get him back then." Nya, the only one who seems to have more than half a brain cell most days, finally chimmed in. It was as if the same thought rung through everyones head, as everyone seemed to simultaneously start back towards the Bounty.

It was so strange. I never realized just how much I would miss the light until it was taken from me. I gazed up at the lamp above me, fixated on its lumosity. Most of my life, I had taken light for granted, but now, I couldn't be more grateful for it.

"How are you feeling?" The unexpected question made me nearly jump out of my skin. Zane must have come back into the room. It was only 15 minutes ago that he had left to take a well-deserved break, and honestly, I expected him to be gone for longer with how much work he put in to get me patched back up.

After I got back on the ship, Zane and Sensei both started to treat my wounds the best they could. With me being small, it was difficult for anyone but Zane to put my splints into place. He was the only one with such precision. Sensei, though he had tried, his hand kept shaking too much to do any good. This also was why they decided it was best for me not to get a cast since they could easily put it on too tight and hurt me more. They decided instead that no one would be allowed to handle me, but Zane.

This was something I found relief knowing. I had already started to imagine Jay coming in here to tease me over goodness knows what and getting too rough. It was strange how a part of me was now afraid of some of my friends. I didn't like it.

"Better." My voice was still weak, but at the very least, I had some painkillers now, so my lungs weren't on fire.

I had been set on top of a pillow, meaning I was a bit higher than I would've been on the bed. It wasn't too much higher than the bed, though it still allowed me a better view of the room. The pillow also meant I was more comfortable, which was a nice contrast to laying on the hard rocky ground in the pit.

Zane dragged his chair closer to me. He once again loomed over me, but in the light, now I was able to make out his face easier. I hadn't realized just how detailed his skin was till now. Even though it's not real, up close, you wouldn't be able to tell.

"Do you remember anything after you fell?" Zane broke the silence again.

"No," I shake my head, "I fell, and the next thing I remember is...." I fall quiet. Even the memory of how scared I felt sent cold dark shivers down my spine. "Waking up." I quietly finish.

"Is there anything that happened between you waking up and me getting there?"

"No..." I felt guilty for the fear I felt. Im sure they all were up on the bounty fighting, I shouldn't be pittied for falling in a hole. And I'm not lying, saying nothing happened since nothing did happen. But on the other hand, a lot felt like it happened. That fear was real. The pain was real. But neither of those should be anyone elses problem than mine.

Zane went quiet. He looked like he was thinking, but sometimes I can't tell with him. We sat like that for a while before Zane finally announced he was going to make dinner.

If I make a little in between part, I will link it here

Days passed. I was under strict orders that, until my bones were healed, I was not to leave the bed, save for when I needed to use the bathroom. It was long and boring. I couldn't play video games, nor could I even play board games. All I could do was watch TV and occasionally talk with one of the others. Zane came to check on me the most, but Jay made a point to seek me out a few times and mock me for my height. He made a point to remind me of the fact that I had called him short, and now the rolls are reversed and blah blah blah. I think he was trying to cheer me up, in his annoying Jay kind of way, but I honestly got tired of listening to him and zoned out most of the time.

The four days I lay in bed were practically tourture. I have never felt more lucky that my elemental powers also helped increase my bodies ability to heal itself. I may have gone insane if I stayed any longer.

Zane came in late on the fourth day of me lounging in bed. Once he announced that I could take both of my splints off, I did not hesitate to free myself from my confinement.

Once I managed to pry the splints off, it dawned on me. What was I going to do? I had been so focused on being able to leave this bed and the pillow that I hadn't thought much further than that.

Zane grabbed both of the splints I had set aside and placed them gently on the nightstand. Then, with a tired smile, he turned back towards me. "So, you're free now." He said with laughter in his voice, "Where do you want to go?"

"I dont know... I didn't think about it much."

"Well, I think I have an idea." A more sincere smile tugged at Zanes face, one that I wasn't sure if it was just friendly or one I should be suspicious of. His palm rested on the bed in front of me, but I hesitated to move myself onto it.

"I dont like that smile of yours. You're not bringing me somewhere to pull a prank on me, are you?" I narrow my eyelids, glaring right into his eyes.

He laughed at my suspicion, "No, no, I promise. This is a good surprise."

I climbed onto his hand, slowly, and still not feeling reassured. I found that sitting down is a lot less disorienting than laying down or standing, so I sit facing him.

I marveled at how large his hand was, even though he now had carried me many times, it was still something I could never quite get over. His hand so large that I could stretch my legs out fully and still have enough room to lay down.

He gave me a reassuring smile, then started out the door.

He carried me down the hallway and past a few rooms before turning into a doorway. I instantly recognized the room as the kitchen, even though it was now so much bigger. There was a delightful smell in the air.

"Mmmm, cake." I take another wiff, "Chocolate cake. " I specify.

"Your nose never ceases to amaze me, Cole." Zanes hand shook lightly as he laughed.

"I'm just that good." I smile, looking up at him.

A timer starts to go off, and with me turned towards Zane, I could see the exact moment he realized what the timer was for. He quickly placed the hand I was sitting upon on to the counter and gently nudged me off with the other. Wasting no time, he headed off, spinning around and rushing towards the oven.

Zane opened a drawer and pulled out two oven-mitts. I knew he didn't need them, and I'm sure he knew as well, but I guess it was a habit he had before discovering he was a robot. I also think that there's also a part of him that loves the oven-mitts since it was a gift we get him often.

Reaching forward, Zane opened the oven, sending a new wave of delicious chocolatey scents my way. I practically shook in anticipation as I saw him pull the source of the smell from the oven.

"One, Two, Three..." I mumbled as he took the tin of cupcakes out. He had made a total of 12 cupcakes. This means that if I take Zanes's portion, I get a total of 4 cupcakes! I big smile crept across my face.

I get up, still a bit wobbly from having sat mostly still for four days, and wander over to the cupcake tin. Zane was taking the cupcakes out and placing them on a rack to cool down faster.

"So I get all of them, right?" I give him the best pleading smile I could muster.

He rolled his eyes with a laugh, "No. You get two. Everyone gets two, or else they may need to make a movie about what happened when one of you got three instead."

Zane always had a way of making me laugh, "But I get your portion, right?" I step forward, closer to him and the edge of the counter.

"Not this time."

"Please tell me you're not giving them to the treasure hunters. You know they dont have a good bone in their body!" I joked.

"Ah, no matter how much I would love to see the look on everyones face at that, no. I am putting them away for when we get back to the city."

I furrow my brow, "But we won't be back to the city for a while! I mean, we haven't found the object thing, whatever it was - yet. And we still need to fix this!" I gesture towards myself.

"We have been looking while you were healing, Cole. Nia thinks she may have figured out where the object is. We're going to go tomorrow to try and retrieve it." My sholders slump. They have been looking without me?

"I thought you guys would wait." I mumble, on one hand, I was a bit bitter about it. They all went cave searching, finding who knows what cool objects and stuff, while I had to sit here and be on bed rest.

But, I could also see their side of it. They needed to get this done. If we didn't find this mysterious object, someone else would.

"Im sorry, Cole." Zane must have heard me muttering to myself.

"Well, at least I can come with tomorrow." I flop down on the counter, forgetting about my newly healed arm and leg. I let out a small shreak at the surprise pain. Zane reached forward to grab me but decided instead to hover his hands, ready to help me if needed.

"Cole," as Zane says this, his expression softened, "you aren't going to be coming with us tomorrow."

My heart dropped, "What?"

"You can't come with us tomorrow, Cole. It's too dangerous, and we can't risk you coming while you're..." Zane paused, considering his next words carefully, "... like this."

"I can still help!" I plea, I can't stay back again. I need to help. I have to help. "I still have my elemental powers! I can move some rock still! What if you get trapped? Then what? I am the Earth ninja! That's what I do! I move rocks!" I could see it. My words were doing nothing to convince Zane, and as I tried to reason more, I found I was grasping at flimsy straws, "I can still help..." I wisper.

"I am sorry, Cole. It's not only me who thinks you should stay. Sensei, he was the one who made the final decision. You need to stay here." Zane gave a sorry smile. "Rest up, maybe once we get back, you will be back to normal, and you can help us figure out what the mystery object is."

I sat there, defeated. I couldn't believe that I was being left behind. How could I keep them safe? How could I save them from the bounty?

The cupcakes started to sound less and less appetizing the more I thought of what tomorrow would bring for my brothers.

I woke up early the next morning. I had to get a good head start. I shuffle to the side of the bed, clinging to the sheets as I made my way down. Finally, once I reached the floor, I encountered my first obstacle. The door had been shut the night before, and I didn't know if I would be able to open it myself. The crack under the door was too narrow for me to fit under, so that wasn't an option. The door had a lever handle, so perhaps I could open the door?

I look around in an attempt to find something I could use to pry it open. The problem now I faced was that I was small, and I couldn't see much around the room. I walked back towards the bed, prepared to have to climb back up it so I could just see what was around the room. Just a moment after I grabbed onto the sheets, I saw something shiny under the bed. There was a clothes hanger under the bed.

I hesitate, the eery and mysterious shadows taunting me. My heart raced, I couldn't seem to look away. If I looked away, then it may consume me, the dark. My reason broke through my anxiety, telling me I had to go into the darkness, if just for one brief moment.

Shakily, I inched forward, feeling for the form of the clothes hanger with my feet. Soon, I felt the cold metal through my clothes. I quickly grabbed it and drug it back out to the light.

I had the clothes hanger, now to put it to use. I headed back towards the door, bringing the clothes hanger along with me. Once I reach the door, I swung the clothes hanger up, stretching my arms out and standing on my tip toes to give myself any bit of extra height.

The hanger caught at the handle, and I pulled down while also moving backward to open the door.

Finally, I was in the hallway. Though it was darker than the recovery room, it had many dim lights that fought off the dark enough for me to feel safe. Besides, the dark was the least of my worries now. I scurry along the edge of the wall, carefully listening for footsteps. I never thought that I would have to be so careful in my own home. But I had to pay attention, both because I dont want to get caught, and also because what would happen if someone didn't see me. The idea that someone could come along and accidentally step on me was one that I ran through my mind as I sped down the hallway.

I stopped at one familiar door. This is what I was looking for, my brothers room. Im sure right now they were still asleep, which was good for me. Unlike my recovery room, I knew that this door had a chip in it.

I believe Kai had said it was from Jay 'borrowing' my scythe. Whatever had happened before, it happened to work in his favor now.

I slunk into the dimly lit room. The only source of light was from outside the window where the moon was now lowering in the sky. Although it was difficult to see, I knew this room at least, and as such, I still found my way around. I creeped along the edge of the bunk beds, careful not to make a single noise.

In a heap on the floor, I saw my long-term goal, Zanes ninja suit. I darted over to the cothing pile, picking up and moving stuff out of my way until I found one of his pockets. I crawled inside, squirming to get comfortable as I did so.

A quiet but relieved sigh excaped my lips. Im going with them, whether they like it or not.

My brothers were too predictable. They woke up late, of course. Nia had already gotten dressed and was ready for them to start their search. Everyone was scrambling to put on their gear. Even Zane seemed to be unprepared, seeing that he didn't notice that his suit was a bit heavier today.

I bounced around any time Zane made any kind of big movement, including running, jumping, and turning. All of those being things Zane apparently does often. When Zane finally sat down to listen to Nia's brief, my head didn't seem to care and just kept spinning.

I couldn't hear much of Nia's ramble, but what I could hear clear as day was Zane. Normally, I tune out a lot of these long, borning, and often too elaborate plans. But today, I found it hard to disassociate. Any time I would finally zone off, Zane would ask another clarifying question. It hadn't dawned on me how many questions he asked before going on a mission. I swear he could write an essay just about the mission brief.

It took a while, but Zane eventually ran out of questions. Now, I thought, we could get on to the fun part.

A cacophony of chairs screeched against the floors as everyone stood at once. Once again, I started to sway and bounce. At one point, I think they were climbing down a rope, but it was hard to keep track. Everything was so disorienting that it was hard to even tell where I was. Were we in the cave yet? Or are we still on land? Did we even get off the Bounty yet? None of my questions seemed to be answered by the lighthearted chit chat that started from the group.

Once again, I wasn't able to hear what anyone else had to say other than Zane, which made it hard to figure out what was being said. The more I tried to fill in the gaps, the harder it became to understand what was happening. After about 15 minutes of me trying to decipher the illogical code, I gave up.

Who knows how long I have been in this pocket now. So far, they haven't seemed to run into any blocked paths, nor have they trapped themselves inside a cavern, which was a good sign.

How much longer will this take? All I wanted to do is get back to the Bounty, tell everyone I was here the whole time, and reassure them I can go on missions still. Maybe I couldn't walk by myself, but I was small and able to go places most cant. Imagine if I was this small when we got locked in the cage that one time. I could have gotten us out. I could be helpful.

We have to be in the cave now. There is a musty smell in the air, and I have to suppress the urge to sneeze every ten seconds. This could not be a worse time for my allergies to rear its ugly head.

We passed a particularly dusty portion of the cave. My heart sped up, I can't be caught now! They will just bring me back and go on without me! I hold my breath, hoping that if I dont breathe in the dust, I won't sneeze.

I had to breathe eventually, and as soon as I caught my breath again, I felt the overwhelming urge to sneeze. It started to rise from my nose and through my mouth. I had to stop it, I tried, doing everything in my power to stop the sneeze.

I breathed out once more, and the need to sneeze wad suddenly gone. I silently celebrated my victory.

I celebrated too soon. My sneeze snuck up on me. It was too late to stop it, so I tried to cover it up the best I could. But it was too late, I felt Zane come to a sudden hault.

"What was that." He asked, I heard the unease in his voice.

Some replies came from my brothers, but again, none that I could hear. My heart beat in my ears. Maybe Zane would write it off as the cave shifting. It does that sometimes, right?

An intense pressure shoved against my side for a moment before quickly disappearing. Zane gave an annoyed grumble above me.

Suddenly, a hand appeared, enclosing me in its grasp. It brought me up out of Zanes' pocket to be level with his face. He made sure to keep me facing towards him but didn't lighten his strong grip on me.

"Cole." The ice in Zanes' voice made my heart skip, I hardly hear him angry, and never is it towards me. His lips were thin, and his eyes were practically piercing through my soul. Normally, I can fight back, spit words, and defend myself. But his grip has become so tight that I was starting to struggle to breathe.

I wheezed a bit, doing my best to keep my composure. With my ability to breathe, slipping now, though, it remained difficult.

"Zane," I gasped in between desperate breaths, "Breathe. I can't."

The moment those words left my lips, Zane hand loosened, and so did his expression.

"What are you doing?" This was the Zane I knew now. He was annoyed, sure, but he wasn't the same as he was only a moment ago. He tilted me back a bit and set me down on his other palm.

"I -" Before I could get the sentence out, Lloyd brought up a finger to his lips. I turned to watch as Lloyd creeped towards a 90° turn in the cave. Just as quickly as he peered around the corner, he retracted his head. Turning back towards us, he wispers something. I couldn't hear it, I can't seem to hear anything lately. I turned to look at Zane, hoping he heard it. One look at his face told me he did.

I started to open my mouth to ask him to repeat what he heard, but shut it when I saw Zane already opening his mouth to reply.

(Start of events in comics here 1 + 2)

I watched as he didn't speak, but rather just kept his mouth open for a moment. One second, I was on Zanes hand, staring up at Zane. The next, I was shoved forcefully towards Zanes face. Suddenly, I was surrounded by a mass that glowed a light blue. Any time I tried to move, tried to reorient myself, I was pinned down again. I felt the confined space push me head first into another tighter tunnle.

The light followed me, and with this light came many new noises. There was a distinct ticking noise, along with the sound of what I assume was gears grinding together. Soon, blood started to run to my head, and my brain felt light.

(End of events in comic)

A few seconds after I thought I was about to pass out, I was pushed into a larger chamber. It was soft, and it had the same blue glow as the other one had before. It was definitely bigger and stretchier than the other two. That said, it was still very cramped. I was forced to lay down, as the ceiling was practically brushing against my hair, and the rest of my body was pressed into the sides of the room. Something about this place was familiar, but I couldn't quite place it.

A series of sporadic movements tossed me about a bit, but comparatively, it was not nearly as bad as it was in the pocket.

What would be my train of thought asking me where I am and what was happening got interrupted with a series of muffled shouts. I instinctively sunk into the rippling soft cloth underneath me, hopeful that it will keep me safe from this unseen danger.

The same sounds of gears and gadgets still were present but much more muffled now. The ticking was still audible too, but I had to strain to hear it.

There is where I stayed for a long time, trapped in the chamber. The pillow-like surroundings kept me in place for the most part, but every once in a while, there would be a bigger movement that caused me to fly into one of the walls. The walls, though, were soft and squishy, making the experience when I wasn't getting slammed into them actually kind of enjoyable.

After a while, the movement slowed down and finally came to a hault. Just as I started to bask in the peace, a loud voice from above brought me back. "He's fine. He's in my storage compartment." I recognized the voice instantly as Zane. I wonder who he was talking about? Who would even fit in his storage compartment? I have seen it before, it's small. No one was that small.

My breath hitched. I am that small. I felt the blood rush to my face as I realized just where I was. It was embarrassing how comfortable I had felt here. I lightly pushed at one of the folds around me, as if feeling it would help confirm.

I tried to push myself up, to put a bit of space between me, and what I now knew was Zane. My efforts were foiled as my back hit the top of Zanes storage chamber, and I flopped back down.

Zane started to speak again, "Is that all of them?" He must be talking to our brothers.

After a brief pause, where I assume someone had responded, Zane continued, "Then let's get moving again."

So they weren't going to bring me back. That was a relief. I can stay on the mission with them. Zane would let me out, and I could finally have some normalcy back in my life.

I felt Zane start to move again, this time, though it was more methodical, and the chamber only swayed slightly with each step. He wasn't making any sort of motion to let me back out. Did he forget?

I lightly knocked at the glowing pillow in front of me, "Um, Zane?" He didn't slow his pace. I waited for a few seconds, but he didn't respond.

"Zane?" This time, I raised my voice more in case he couldn't hear me the first time.

Zane started to slow his pace, meaning he heard me this time. "Yes, Cole?" He still sounded very annoyed with me.

"Are you going to let me out?" I poke at a spot next to me, hoping he would understand what I was getting at.

"No, I am not." He said matter of factly.

I'm a bit surprised. "What?" I scoff, not able to stop the word from coming out of my mouth.

"You not only disobeyed Sensei. But you also put yourself in danger and, by extension, could have put us in danger, and you still have no remorse for any of it." His tone reminded me of how he spoke to Lloyd when he was younger, something that hurt more than I thought it would.

"Im not a kid. I can handle myself just fine." The hurt seeping into my words.

Zane grumbled, a sudden pressure from the outside squeezed me to the opposite side of the chamber for a moment before releasing me once more. "I know you aren't a kid. But you need to listen to me, Cole. You aren't indestructible. You are putting yourself in more danger than I think you realize by being here. I dont want to lose you." He sighed, the previous annoyance in his voice fading. "There are bad people in these tunnels, and if you get separated from us all, it would take is for one to grab and toss you to..." The chamber pushed in again, "I can't lose you, ok?"

I couldn't think of anything to say to that. All the tension and defensiveness in me disappeared in an instant. How could I have been so neglectful. I know he cares about me. That's all he meant, and I should have known.

The pressure once again released, and I flopped onto the plush beneath me. I hadn't realized until then, but I had been tense. It had been exhausting, keeping that grudge. I relaxed, sinking furtherer into the pillow beneath me. Closing my eyes for a minute wouldn't hurt, right? I nestled my head down, and as I felt Zanes speed pick up to catch up with the others, my mind started to wander into the best sleep I have ever had.

[lets-try-some-writing]

Ohhh, salty asks? I'll dabble with 9, 14, and 19.

Most disliked character(s)? Why?

Sari, Russel & his Dad, and Elita-One.

I haaaaaaate Sari so much. I don't even like TFA that much, but I would have enjoyed it more if this little girl weren't present. She annoys me on a spiritual level. She does have a few moments where I vibe with her, but the annoyance overrides the comradery. I know some people will die on her hill, but I am not one of them and even her fascinating lore can't drag me from my hole in the ground.

Russel and his Dad are just annoying and it's not even their fault. They were part of a garbage show that disregarded and danced on the grave of TFP before spitting on it for good measure. It isn't THEM that bothers me necessarily, it's their characterization that murders me. I just can't enjoy them or their presence when they are treated as jokes or just get in the way.

As for Elita-One? I am genuinly sad I don't like her. I generally enjoy her in fandom and I LOVE G1 Elita with every fiber of my being. I can even appreciate Skybound Elita a great deal. But other canon versions of Elita? It's just painful. She's NEVER written well. Generally being too arrogant and stuck up for her own good (TFOne), not particularly notable (TFE), lowkey evil and not in a way I find appealing (IDW comics), or not even Elita (TFA). I just can't vibe with her even though I really really really want to.

Unpopular opinions about your fandom(s)?

This fandom is unreasonably sexual. Look, I totally get it. You love your blorbo. I love my blorbos too and I know that sexual themes/art/ideas have their place. Heck, I use the concept for comedic and angst purposes all the bloody time. But for heavens sake yall, we've got SO MUCH LORE and half the fandom is sitting over here drooling. When I use such themes, I tie it in with either a good story or unique lore. But the fandom just kinda... throws it around for funsies? Idk it just bothers me as a person who cares very deeply about things having meaning and design. Feels a lot like chugging a pixie stick when there's a ton of such themes getting thrown around. I would much prefer a more delicately devised art piece, personally.

The robots are hot, I KNOW. But goodness we've got so much else to play with here people. (Not saying this to rain on anyone's parade. Just my thoughts).

What is the one thing you hate most about your fandom?

Well, I suppose what I hate most would be the strange unspoken division in the fandom. Transformers, thank the stars, is a very unified fandom on almost every front. You might never run into the people I'm about to talk about. But there is a noticeable divide between two rather undefined factions. For the sake of this, I shall dub them the lore purists and the rabid fans. The lore purists get SO mad at everyone who doesn't agree with their takes, those who mess with the lore, or otherwise have views that don't match with canon content. On the opposite side of things, the rabid fans can be kind of unhinged and not in a good way at times. They can become quite vicious when it comes to other people's headcanons and preferences. Both sides fight each other and amongst themselves.

It's not particularly noticeable to newcomers, but I've seen more than a few people trying to fight each other over the net for being sympathetic toward a certain character or for having ideas and aus with 'problematic' content. Even I've been on the receiving end of the unhinged a few times for having sympathy for my fav war criminal. With that said, honestly its easy to avoid getting involved in these two sides to the fandom. Just do your thing and be polite and huzzah, everyone is really really nice.

[sicklyseraphnsuch]

Can you write about Fionna, seeing the Simon petrikov of her world?

"Woah, wait what? There's a university nearby? Since when?"

Marshall shrugs. "Since forever?"

Gary blinks. "Marshall, you graduated from college?"

Marshall smacks him on the arm. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Gary smiles as charmingly as he can. "Well, I mean... With your lifestyle..."

"I seem like an uneducated boor?" Marshall grins with just a hint of menace. "And you would be right. I never graduated. Mom made me take a bunch of business classes that I hated with every fiber of my being. So I dropped out."

Fionna blinks. "How come I never knew this about you? We've been friends since... since..."

Actually, if Fionna tries to think about when they became friends, her memories get a little foggy. Marshall crosses his eyes as if experiencing the same thing. This must be one of the side effects of their world technically being only 12 years old and at the same time much much older than that. Fionna is not 12 years old but neither can she concentrate on anything that happened before 12 years ago. It's... just a little unsettling, if she thought about it for long enough.

So, she does the tried and true method of simply not thinking about it too much. In the same way, she won't think about how it's completely novel to learn about nearby cities as if other cities didn't exist until very recently, like maybe even right now. It's whatever. She's learning about it now, and that's that.

"I... do remember..." Marshall murmurs softly, as if tugging on a particularly stubborn weed. "I snuck in an elective that Mom would have hated. It was about like Mothman and the Loch Ness monster."

"They teach you that in college??" Fionna gasps, her eyes going starry.

"Eh... It wasn't specifically about them but it was about folk lores and folk songs in general. I really loved the professor that taught it. She described like cryptids and encounters of the third kind in this really poetic, almost romantic way. It was kinda weird and like really cool at the same time. What was her name? Petrikov? Petrova? Petri-something..."

Everything in Fionna stops. She can no longer hear Marshall speaking. Because there's no way. There's no way!! Nothing outside of this city - which she knows like the back of her hand - has existed until literally someone "remembers" it exists. Their world is balancing on the knife's edge of already born and currently being made. And now there's a Petrikov here? What? WHAT?!?

Gary gently taps her arm. "Um, Fionna? You in there?"

Fionna grabs Marshall by the front of his shirt. "You have to introduce me to... her? Professor Petrikov is a woman??"

Marshall squints at her, looking markedly more intent. "Yeah. She is."

Fionna should probably note the terrible emphasis in Marshall's tone just now. But her mind is whirling with implications. Simon is here? She has a Simon in her world? A Simon specifically for this world? Holy schmazow.

Gary tilts his head, observing his boyfriend in a way that Fionna is simply unequipped to presently.

"You're... protective of her. That's kinda sweet."

As always, when faced with evidence of his sentiment, Marshall curls into himself, shrugging it off as casually as he can. "I mean, it's just you know... She's a really great professor. I learned a lot from her."

Then as if rousing himself from sleep, a certain awareness enters his eyes. Fionna catches that and wonders if a new part of their world - their shared lore - was just made.

"Yeah, actually you know what... The semester that I took her class, that's when I started playing around with songwriting. She inspired me to look into poetry more. And after her class ended, I dropped out." Marshall nods to himself, kicking back with that patented bad boy smirk. "I've been a vagabond ever since."

Gary rolls his eyes at him. "Some vagabond you are, crashing on my couch."

Marshall winks at him. "You'd be lonely."

Fionna raises a hand. "Let's get back to Professor Petrikov. Can you like introduce us?"

Marshall turn, losing some of his sass as he focuses on her. "I mean yeah. I've been meaning to visit."

Fionna feels her smile stretch so wide, her cheeks begin to hurt. "Road trip!!!"

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #1243: Triple N Progess Run (SSBU X Darkstalkers)

1:25 p.m. at La Shy Guy's Café's Outdoor Diner......

Escargoon: (Takes a Sip of his Latte he Ordered Along with Dedede with a Smile) I gotta say, De, I'm really impressed with your challenge run right now.

Dedede: (Smiles Brightly) I know, right? We're already halfway in the month and I didn't fold even once. I'm proud myself right now.

Escargoon: As you should, my friend- (Raises his Cup Up) cause I'm proud of you myself.

Dedede: (Let's Out a Hardy Laugh Before Raising his Cup Up as Well) Cheers to that!

The long time duo clink their drinks together before taking another sip and sitting their cups back down on the table.

Escargoon: I can't imagine it being easy for you this whole time. I mean, you're dating a succubus model for Pete's sake.

Dedede: ('Sighs Heavily') Hooo boy, you don't have the slightest idea right now.......I love that woman with every bit of fiber of my heart and soul, but God DAMN if she doesn't know how to put up a good fight! I can't even take a proper breather without worrying about what she's gonna do next.

Escargoon: It gotten that intense already, huh?

Dedede: Hell yeah. 'Member I told you the time she flashed me on the first morning of the month? Boy, I tell you that was mere child's play compared to all the other crazy shit she pulled this month. Like that one time I was at the mansion and-

Flashback to Smash Mansion's Living Room

Isabelle: (Smiles at Morrigan While Doing Yoga Along with Her on Their Respective Mats) Thanks again for joining me on my Yoga Session today, Morrigan. I've really been falling behind on them these days.....

Morrigan: (Smiles Back at Izzy) Think nothing of the sort, my dear!~ I'm happy I have the time to do this on my day off from work today. This is so relaxing~

Isabelle: (Happily Nodded in Agreement) Uh-huh. (Turns to Wolf and Dedede, Sittong on the Sofa, Watching TV Together Right Next to Her and Morrigan) You boys are more than welcome to join us whenever you like!~

Wolf: Nah, I'll pass. Never been a fan of Yoga.

Dedede: I've done it once, made me broke my back. Hated it ever since.

Wolf: ('Heh') Old timer.

Dedede: (Glares at Wolf) Boy, don't start.

Isabelle: (Softly Glares at the Duo on the Sofa) Boys, no fighting over there. (Turns Back to Morrigan) Now, where were we- ('Gasps') No way. Morrigan, are you doing-

Morrigan: The Jack-O Pose?

Dedede's eyes starts widening up as he turns to see his succubus of a girlfriend is now doing a meme worthy classic, the Jack-O Pose at pure delight and ease.

Morrigan: Why, indeed I am!~ It's been quite some time since I've done this, so you'll have to excuse me if it looks a little rusty.

Isabelle: (Puts on an Impressed Smile on her Face) Are you kidding? This look perfect enough as it is! ('Sigh') Making me wanna try doing one of my own without falling over again......

Morrigan: I'm sure you'll be able get it down one of these days, Isabelle, my dear. It only takes a few more practice and concentration for your body and soul and more focus put on achieving it to near perfection. (Forms a Seductively Teasing Smirk at her King Looking at Her Right Now) Just so you could use on the man you love and adore~

Morrigan blows a kiss at Dedede's way as her hips starts to move up and down and then wiggle it around all over the place, shortly after. Putting his eyes on a mesmerizing trance, as if it's taunting him to come over and give it a more....."thorough" investigation. Hell, he was this close to getting out of his seat until a few snaps of Wolf's finger appears in front of the ex king's face.

Wolf: Hey. De!

Dedede: (Immediately Comes Back to Reality, Startled) I WASN'T STARING AT IT, I SWEAR!! (Notices Wolf is Staring at Him With a Raised Eyebrow, Confused) ....Uhhhhhhhh- ('Clears Throat') You uh....Need somethin', Wolfman?

Wolf: Yeah. Firstly, I'm gonna have to ask you to never call me that for as long as you live. Second, I'm about head out and get us all something to eat. You wanna come with?

Dedede: ('Sighs in Relief') Nah, I'll pass.....Need to clear my mind for a sec.

Morrigan: Spendid!~

The sound of light, muffled clapping starts ringing into De's ears as he turns to see Morrigan is now making the cheeks of her rear to clap.

Morrigan: You can see if I could stay in this position for twenty minutes~

Dedede: (Eyes Widened in Fear and Under Pressure) On second thought- (Immediately Gets Himself Up From his Seat) I could use some fresh air right about now. (Quickly Rushes Out the Room Without Looking at Morrigan) See y'all in a few!

Wolf: (Sighs as He Walks Out the Room as Well) I'll make sure he doesn't bump into something on the way there. Or faint.

Isabelle: (Watches the Boys Walk Out the Room) Poor De. (Turns Back to Morrigan) You're gonna end up making him have combust if you keep teasing him like that.

Morrigan: That's the plan!~ (Forms an Sinster Smirk on her Face) I love it.

Isabelle: For No Nut November?

Morrigan: For No Nut November~

Back to the Present

Escargoon: A Jack-O Pose AND the clap of the ass cheeks at the same time? That's terrifyingly impressive.

Dedede: My thoughts exactly! (Crosses his Arms Huffing and Puffing) Bet she was smirking the whole time we were out too. Oh, and let's not forget the time me and her went to the park and-

Flashback to the Local Smash Park.......

Dedede: (Sighs Relaxingly as He Leans Himself Back a Bit While Sitting Next to Morrigan on a Bench Together) It always a good time being out here in this weather~

Morrigan: (Sighs Relaxingly While Holding a Firecracker Popsicle in her Hands) Agreed~ (Turns to Dedede) Darling,, are you sure you don't want a popsicle of your to devour as well?

Dedede: Yeah, I'm sure. Ate breakfast earlier, so I don't feel the need to eat anything sweet right now, you know?

Morrigan: (Stares at De for a Brief Second Before Shrugging it Off) Hm. Suit yourself. Say, do you mind holding the stick for me as I eat it? (Hands the Popsicle to De) I don't want to rest my hair getting sticky. (Starts Wrapping her Hair Up into a Ponytail)

Dedede: Sure thing. (Takes the Wrapping Off the Popsicle and Holds it Right in Front of Morrigan's Face) It's all ready for ya.

Morrigan: Thank you, dear.

Morrigan pushes the front side of her hair back a little as she leans over and..."casually" suck the popsicle down back and forth before leaning back a bit to lick it all over with her tongue and sucking it all over again, all while moaning sensually in the process.

This in turn, causes the poor Ex King of Dreamland's eyes to widen up at the entire display in front of him, in pure disbelief, unable to looking away no matter much he wants to. As if his girlfriend wasn't irresistibly hot enough already.....

Dedede: Jesus christ, Morrg.......

Morrigan: (Looks Back Up at her King with a Look Nearly Equivalent to That of Bedroom Eyes) Hmm?~ Is something the matter?

Dedede: Uh- (Comes Back to Reality Before Quickly Turning Away a Bit) N-No! It's nothing. Just.....(Starts Blushing) loving you unconditionally like always, is all.....

Morrigan: (Heart Begins to Melt in Pure Happiness) Ohh~ I love you too, my dear king~ (Looks Back at her Frozen Dessert) And I think I LOVE this treat just as much~

Dedede: Mhmm.....(Sucks his Teeth as He Sees a Koopa, Sitting a Few Feet Away From the Bench, Playing his Saxophone in a Slow, Sensual Sounding Melody) Man, do we really have sit right next to that saxophone player over there?

Morrigan: (Softly Pouts at her King) Dedede! Be nice. (Pulls her Ten Dollar Bill Out of her Purse) He is doing a wonderful job plating that saxophone and will continue to do as such as he wish. (Summons her Bat to Fly Over and Drop the Ten Dollars Down onto the Koopa's Saxophone Case) For you, my good sir.

Saxophone Koopa: (Tips his hat to Morrigan Before Resumes Back to his Playing Session)

Morrigan: (Turns Back to Dedede) Now, be a very good boy and pay him no mind, okay?

Dedede: ('Sighs in Defeat') Yes, ma'am.

Morrigan: Thank you. (Forms a More Seductive Smirk on her Face) Now~ Where were we?~

Morrigan resumes back to her sensual popsicle sulking while moaning a little more louder than previously, causing De to groan in displeasure at trying hus hardest to keep himself and his urges in complete check.

End of Another Flashback

Escargoon: Okay, that saxophone playing in the background, was just asking her to get a rise out of you at that point.

Dedede: Exactly what I was thinking! (Facepalms Himself While Groaning Some More) Oh God and don't even get me started at the time at that restaurant-

Flashback to the Crimsonette Restaurant

Dedede was playing on the piano while Morrigan was sitting on top of it, singing her heart out.

Morrigan: Fill my heart with song and let me sinh forevermore!~You are all I long for, all I worship and adore!~

Morrigan then proceeds to teleport her way to sit right next to her king, startling him a bit. She then slowly leans herself over to him while looking deep into his big eyes with her signature bedroom look, making him blush all over again.

Morrigan: In other worrrrds~ Please be truuuuuue~ (Gently Places her Hands onto Dedede's Cheek) In other words~ I looove yoooooooou~ My darling king~

The pair then share a passionate kiss on the lips as everyone else present in the establishment begins to applaud the both of them right on cue.

End to Yet Another Flashback

Escargoon: (A Memory Coming Back to Him) Oh yeah, Bandana Dee showed me a clip of that on choir practice a day after that. You guys did pretty good up there.

Dedede: (Takes a Bow While Still Sitting on his Table) Thank you, thank you kindly. (Lightly Slams his Hands on the Table) But that's beside the point, boy! I'm at my wits here!

Escargoon: (Gives his Best Friend a Reassuring Smile) I know it's a tough road ahead, De. But try and keep at it until the very end. I guarantee I will be all worth it then.

Dedede: Sure hope it.

'Buzzzzzzzz'

Dedede: (Picks his Phone Up and Check the New Message Sent to Him Just Now) What the?

Escargoon: What is it?

Dedede: Morrigan sent me a five minute long audio recording just now. (Puts on a Bit of a Deadpinned Look on his Face) Who wanna bet it's something lewd?

Escargoon: (Shrugs) Only one way to find out.

Dedede: Yeah, yeah. (Press Plays on the Audio With a Picture of Morrigan and a Few of her Modeling Friends are Laying in One Bed Together)

Morrigan: (In the Recording) Good day, my lovelies!~ This is one and only Morrigan Aensland speaking and the ladies here and I decided do something for all the working men and women out there that is need desperate need of a stress reliever right now. This is also dedicated to a...very special former king of Dreamland that has stolen my beating heart in allll the right ways~ I hope you enjoy the ride, my love~ (Makes a Single Kissing Noise)

The audio went silent for a few seconds until a familiar sound of the saxophone begins to play in the background, follow by the collective sounds of sensual sounding moans from each of the ladies present in the audio, Morrigan especially, who is gradually becoming the loudest and most prominent of them all.

This, in turn, causes the duo's eyes and mouth to slowly open up wide as they are in near speechless in pure disbelief at what they are hearing on De's phone right now.

Dedede: (Starts Using the Napkin to Wipe Sweat Off his Forehead as He's Blushing Up a Storm) Dear lord........

Escargoon: Is.....Is this.....seriously five whole minutes of them moaning?

Dedede: Should've known that would be the case just by looking at this picture alone.

Morrigan: I love you, my darling king!~ (Continues Moaning Along with the Other Ladies on the Recording)

Escargoon: Man, you are not kidding when you say she's going all out.... (Notices Dedede's Hand Hovering on the Phone) Heyyy. De, what are you doing over there?

Dedede: (Quickly Hides his Hands Behind Back While Giving Escargoon the Most Awkward Smile Imaginable) NOTHING! Nothing. I was just getting a any sip of my drink.

Escargoon: (Raises an Eyebrow at De) Really? Cause it looks to me that you were about to pick up that phone and call her.

Dedede: ('Scoffs') So what if i am? I was going to tell her how neat the audio is and compliment saxophone player in the background and....(Starts Sweating Again but More Nervously This Time Around) the ladies on....contributing....with.... their mooooan- (Suddenly Let's Out a Loud, Frustrated Sounding Groan) ('ARGHH') I can't- (Bang his Fist on the Table) TAKE THIS SHIT no more!!

Escargoon: De, come on, you can't cave yourself in now, not when you're only halfway there!

Dedede: (Comically Glares at Escargoon) Boy, you think I don't know that already!? First the pose, then the Firecracker popsicle, the duet, and now this!? (Poinrs his Hand on his Phone with The Sound Moaning and Saxophone Still Playing on There) That beautiful woman is doing too much, man, she's killing me!!

Escargoon: This obviously her way to psyching you out of focus. What you need to do right now is calm down, taking a deep breath, and-

Dedede: (Gets Up From his Seat) Nah, you wanna do I'm gonna do instead? I'mma call her up on my phone, tell her i give up, and have her help BUST. MY NUTS. OPE-

Before De could even dare to finish that sentence and do the unthinkable, he suddenly gets knocked upside the back of his head hard enough into sitting him back down on his seat, completely stopping him from crashing out entirely. And it was all thanks to none other than the legendary Bounty Hunter of the Smash Family, Samus Aran.

Samus: Pull it together and keep it in your pants, De. This isn't over yet.

Dedede: (Starts Panting as He Gradually Comes Back to Reality) Yeah.....You're right......(Claps Both of his Cheeks Two Times Before Putting on a More Determined Look on his Face) This ain't over until I MAKE that succubus sing a melody on the first midnight of December! (Turns to Samus with a Smile) Thanks for breaking me outta that funk, girl.

Samus: (Smirks a Bit at Dedede) Anytime, brother.

The Smash duo then shares a casual high five with one another.

Samus: (Happily Waves Hello to Escargoon as She Finds Herself a Seat) Hi, Escar~

Escargoon: (Waves Back at Samus with a Bit of a Confused Look on his Face) Hey, Samus....What's going on here?

Samus: Nothing too major. (Gently Pat on Dedede's Shoulder) Just making sure this dumb-dumb over here doesn't slip up and fail the challenge.

Dedede: It may be a handicap to some, but I find this strategy far more beneficial than completely doing it all on myself.

Escargoon: (Shrugs) Hey, if it helps, it's help. (Smiles Softly) I'm just glad you didn't throw in the towel yet.

Dedede: ('Sighs in Relief') You and me both, man. And you're right, it has been tough battle so far- (Puts on a More Determined Look on his Face) But I did not fail more than three times to four in the row just to add this year to the tally! I'mma pass me that challenge.

Samus: (Puts on a Proud Smile on her Face) That's the spirit, De. I'm with you 100%. Just don't go back on our word, you hear?

Escargoon: (Raises an Eyebrow in Confusion) His word?

Samus: I made him promise to never take the challenge again afterwards.

Dedede: If I win this one.

Samus: (Gives Dedede a Firm Glare) Um. No. There is no "ifs", "ands", or "buts" in this discussion, De. You're going to quit participating in that stupid challenge whether you win OR lose.

Escargoon: I'm gonna have to agree with Samus on this one, bud. You've already proven yourself to be a man in your own right, you don't have to keep proving that by taking a challenge that's already a meme of itself.

Dedede: ('Sighs in Defeat') Yeah, i guess y'all have a point there...It does starting to get old after while.

Samus: Exactly. Hence why I say it's stupid.

Escargoon: Hey, speaking of which, have you participated in the challenge this year, Samus?

Samus: (Starts Rubbing The Back of her Hair Back and Forth) Yeah, but uh.......

Dedede: You failed again, didn't you?

Samus: ('Sighs in Defeat') Yeah....Last night.

Samus Aran: Mission's a Bust.

Dedede: (Clicks his Teeth at Samus in Disbelief) Damn girl! And you said I'm weak minded?

Samus: (Pouts at Dedede) Hey, excuse me for having The Strongest Momm- I mean, Mom- I-I mean- (Starts Blushing Before Clearing her Throat) The Strongest WOMAN in the World for a girlfriend. I knew what i gotten myself into the day I fallen in her with her- (Glares at Both De and Escar as Her Face Starts Getting Redder) And I am NOT a Bottom!!!

Escargoon: We.....didn't say you were one though.

Dedede: (Forns a Teasing Smirk on his Face).But since you brought it up......

Escargoon: (Quickly Glares at his Best Friend) De, don't start.

Samus: (Glares Harshly at Dedede) Yeah, De. DON'T. Unless you really want me to send you to outter space.

Dedede: ('Clicks Teeth') Man, will you relax already, girl? I was just kidding! You being a Top and/or Bottom doesn't change the fact that you're the toughest Bounty Hunter in the whole town. Especially not to us.

Escargoon: (Smiles Softly at the Bounty Hunter in Question) Yeah, you'll always be cool in our eyes, Samus.

Samus: (Heart Begins to Melt as She Turns Away From the Duo, Pouting) Whatever. (Starts Blushing Once More) You dorks will always be cool in my eyes too....

Dedede: (Snickers a Bit) You gonna give Luigi a run for his money on the cuteness scale if you keep puffing your cheeks out like that.

Samus: Nah. I can never be on par with Weegie's cuteness. Remind me hug him later, will ya?

Dedede: (Smirks at Samus) Give us details on what happened that night and I'll convince everyone in our group to give the greatest group hug he'll ever have in his life.

Samus: (Notices the Picture on Dedede's Phone) Lemme hear that audio Morrigan sent you first and I'll you tell you every juicy detail possible. (Turns to Escargoon) If you don't mind listening too, Escar.

Escargoon: Yeah, I don't mind. I think I'm curious about it too actually.

Dedede: Then it's a deal-deal!

Both Dedede and Samus shake on the respective deals as they enjoy the rest of their chatting together with Escargoon on a breezy afternoon.

@bestpony666

@tampire

@caleb13frede

@meme-boys-blog

[pinkomcranger]

I saw your post about Saga and I 100% agree. I love her character so much and was so happy they avoided stereotypes AND gave her agency. She wasn't there just to save Alan (the horrid magical black person troupe was avoided) she was there for people who meant something to her and they just so happen to work together by the end. Remedy truly wrote a fascinating character and got a great actress to portray her. I'm glad the hate died out from the reactionaries but the apathy from the fandom is just as bad sometimes. I love her personality and I honestly love AnderCase as a ship and incorporating Saga into ships (AndercasexWake is a thing for me lol). I also like them as friends, their dynamic is so damn good I want to see them in future games. However, I gave up writing Andercase because people just ignore it most of the time. The fandom in general kind of feels isolating if you don't like the standard ships/characters. It's discouraging and sad and makes it hard to want to post. I tried again and of course the fic did poorly so I don't bother, reminds me how little people want anything to do with Saga. Even general fics would be awesome if people are squicked by het or don't like Saga and Casey as a ship. The fan space for her and ships/dynamics with her is so small...Drawing her is scary too given someone was attacked over it, so that worries me too and I kind of backed away. There's barely anything of Saga in any fanworks and when women are involved they gravitate to Rose and in some cases Estevez (the Yakuza mod just broke my heart they did not think to add Saga before Rose who has less time and at a point people shipped Casey with Estevex BEFORE Saga like WHAT). I know that struggle you're feeling. Saga and anything with her is a footnote and I know it's not malicious but it sucks. Fandom favoritism does not help, even in the smallness of Saga fandom content only a handful are seen and the rest ignored. I've been there and seen it, it pushes newcomers away. I hope this gets better in the future but not holding my breath. Love Remedyverse/Remedy but the fandom space depresses me which sucks because everyone seems nice to me, just...sorry for the rambling. Just saw a post that resonated with my frustrations.

Do you know the thing that gets me the most about Saga? She was created by a white man. And he, along with the other writers, made SURE to avoid the stereotypes we usually get in black women protags, especially in video games. She has a power, yes, but she's not using it solely to save one person. She doesn't even know she HAS a power until halfway through the game!

She wants to save her daughter first and foremost and then Casey, she tells Alan this point-blank, save my daughter and Casey, non-negotiable, she's NOT helping him otherwise. And you can see that as selfish, but it's not, if it had JUST been herself thrown into the story? She would've been FINE with it, you see her getting more and more excited about the case. She's intrigued EVERY step of the way. It only becomes personal when Alan has the audacity to use Logan and Casey, that's her line in the sand.

Melanie puts so much into making Saga come alive, because as amazing as the writing is, she could've still fallen into the sassy black woman trope, and Melanie doesn't let that happen. I think the ONLY criticism you can give her is that her accent slips, but I really never noticed it. I agree that I'm glad the hate from the dumbass gamer bros, but like you said, the apathy can be just as bad, it's a choice to not say the quiet part outloud.

I genuinely wish they'd just say, she's a black woman, therefore, I'm not interested in her. I only care about the white men. At least be HONEST about it, instead of raving about how fun it was to play as Saga and she's so badass but not backing it up with actions.

I love Andercase with every fiber of my being. I loved them from their first scene, despite knowing she was married to somebody else. Casey is Saga's support, you see her loving to crack her puns to Casey, she even thinks of one and saves it to memory solely to tell it to Casey. Not Logan, not David, but Casey.

They mirror each other, again from their first scene, drinking coffee at the same time. A trait they keep, even as the horror story creeps closer. Casey wouldn't be even a little bit interesting to me if he wasn't paired with Saga. He's the moon and she's the sun.

I'm so sorry you were discouraged to write and post about Andercase, even just as besties. Because their dynamic IS gold, and it echoes even when they're separated. The second Kiran shows up and kicks Saga off the case, she gets over it, fine, she'll deal, but help her find her partner, damnit! I've enjoyed fics where they are just besties, the ones that ACTUALLY focus on them and, you know, doesn't make Saga the driving force for CaseyWake and nothing else.

I think that's one of the reasons it's hard for me to ship Saga and FBI Casey with anyone else, because they're each other's closest interactions for so much of the game. It's hard for me to ship Alan with them because I see him and Saga as the true platonic soulmates of the AW2 cast and Casey HATES Alan. All the way up the ending of the final draft. You can see it in his expression and body language, if he hadn't just been through the wringer and so happy to see Saga, he definitely would've punched Alan for all he shit he's put them through.

Writing a pairing you love, feeling so proud and happy about the work you've done, just to see it brushed aside is one of the most painful feelings as a creator. Fandom is supposed to be for EVERYONE, it's not supposed to be high school cliques that can't interact with each other. I don't ship Alan with Saga's Casey (it's just the only way I see him, heh), but I've seen some AMAZING fan art for them that's made me smile. But you rarely see Saga involved, which makes no sense in regards to her Casey. If it was fictional Casey, that would make sense, he doesn't exist outside of Alan's head, while Saga's Casey is a living, breathing person who spends most of his time with Saga or talking about her.

Yet she's relegated to the bro when her Casey and Alan only have her in common. I can't buy Casey being soft and domestic with Alan to save my life. I see it with Saga, I can see Saga being soft with Alan because she does show that side to him. That's who she is, if you've earned her trust and respect. You can tell Saga is always the "good cop" while Casey is the "bad cop." The only time you see him sympathetic towards Alan is when he first washes up to shore. He's mocking him but holding his tongue because Saga's not going to take that nonsense from him.

You only see Casey show the full force of his anger towards Alan when Saga isn't there to stop him. To say "Yes, THAT'S the actual love story here" is a...choice, one that actively ignores the on-screen narrative. Again, fictional Casey and Alan are a completely different topic and not something I care enough to write about.

NOBODY should be attacked for liking a pairing because what does that do? What does it accomplish except make yourself feel better and superior? Again, it's been a choice to ignore the two main women in the series, which are Alice and Saga. But I've seen quite a few fics where Alice gets to be paired with CaseyWake, while you'll be hard-pressed to find a fic where Saga gets to interact with them. That tells me something that makes me uncomfortable. And that's covert racism.

You can't even make the excuse that there's nothing left to learn about Saga, because that's simply untrue. We know the bare minimum about her family on the Anderson side, and absolutely nothing concerning her father (who is Warlin Door and I will die on that hill). We don't know much about her created family, certainly nothing about David, outside of the fact he likes Bright Springs, and boardgames and doesn't take his daughter to get checked out after she hits her head in the shower. The fact her entire identity ISN'T just Logan's mother and David's wife means so much to me.

You can't tell me it's because she's married either, because how can you say that in one breath and then ship Alan with anyone but Alice in the same breath? It genuinely leads me to think it's simply that she's a BLACK woman. And as you said, seeing people create ships for Rose and to pair Estevez with CASEY, when she's an out-and-out lesbian that Casey only meets near the end of the game speaks volumes.

I genuinely think if you swapped her race, she would be less ignored, and that's extremely fucked up. Saga was created with so much love, care, and respect. A black woman protag that we could get behind and feel represented by. A smart, strong, caring badass, who still retains her femininity, but who has an identity outside of "mother" even though saving her daughter is her driving force, it's not her only one. She cares about her newly found grandfather and great-uncle. She cares about Rose, despite the woman irritating her in the beginning. She worries for the residents of the nursing home. She has mixed feelings towards the CULT. And of course, her secondary concern is Casey. And once she sees how hard Alan is trying, she comes to care for him as well. Why else tell him he's a hero when she has every right to hate him more than anyone else in the game?

She cares about these people she's met, and she knows they deserve to be saved. And Alan is the first to admit he can't do ANY of it without Saga. If the main character of the series acknowledged Saga, why can't the fandom?

I truly hope that you can find the courage to try again with Andercase, or just Saga in general. Because I'm seeing that there are people that love her, and maybe they're not content creators but consumers, and that's now one of my motivations. To feed their hunger because they're part of the fandom too, and they shouldn't be ignored. I promise you, you'll have a fan in me. And sometimes, just one person knowing they love what you create and how they look forward to it is enough. I'm not interested in a popularity contest. You'll never see me in ship wars. I'm here for FBI Special Agent Saga Anderson. This is her story too, to make her the footnote in fanworks is terribly egregious and goes against the very thing Remedy wanted.

If you ever want to ramble, my inbox is always open. If you ever have ideas you want to see in regards to fanfic for Andercase or Saga, I'm right here. Thank you so much for giving me a chance to read about your feelings for Saga and her partner. It means the world to me.

[beevean]

I don't even like Surge, but I did find it annoying whenever this happened

Surge: I literally have no choice but to hate you. Every fiber of my being was rewired for the sole purpose of hunting you down. It's not that I WANT to. It's that I HAVE to....

Sonic: Oh my gosh sister just chill out and get with the vibe!!

Surge: :/

Gee Sonic, thanks for adding pretty much nothing to the topic at hand

Oh, I fucking wish that was all Sonic said.

Sonic is calling Surge's pain a "schtick", something fake and affected, a gimmick. He's saying that Surge isn't special, her pain isn't special, she's just one of many that Sonic looks down on.

This panel has been dissected so thoroughly I could write an academic essay over it, but I just want to point to two parts:

1) "I've made peace with enough enemies to know there is a better way" this is a blatant lie because the only enemy Sonic has made peace with is Blaze, everyone else reformed out of their own volition or thanks to Amy's influence. But you can chalk this up to Flynn not playing the games: what matters is the implication that Sonic is expecting that Surge will automatically "make peace" as well, something that he reiterates in #56:

In an arc that is all about how Sonic has Strong Principles about Giving People Freedom, he's depriving Surge of any agency, expecting her to behave in a certain way.

2) "So I'm willing to chalk this up to 'a rocky start' and let us have a do-over, if you will" you will never convince me that this doesn't sound conceited as hell. He's literally talking down to her, acting patronizing and as if he has any authority ("I'm willing"? Oh thank you, how generous of you, Your Fucking Highness).

Do I need to explain how gross this sentiment is? I don't think so.

Anyway IDW Sonic is a vile person and I want to slam his stupid smug grin into the ground like Lanolin did to Whisper 💖

[nonsubstantial]

APRIL 2024 ART FASCINATION DIARY

This is another post about the art that I've been fascinated with this year. I make these posts monthly, so that I can look back and remember all the things that were keeping me happy and inspired! If you are reading this, then I hope it will be somewhat interesting to hear about. First, a collage of my interests this month, then there are descriptions below.

MUSIC / ALBUM I heard about Everything Harmony by The Lemon Twigs because Vinny Vinesauce liked it enough to feature it on his twitch channel four times within this last month. After checking it out, it quickly became a favorite of mine as well. It's inspired by 60's era rock bands like The Beach Boys and The Beatles, and the two brothers in charge of The Lemon Twigs were basically raised from birth to create this kind of music. They're excellent musicians, but I do have a few complaints, mainly that their band is a four person group that started as a two person group, and it shows. The musicians on their drums and backing guitar are unnoticeable most of the time, or even make their music worse when I really focus on the boring repetitive parts that they play in the mix. I think that it would improve things if we heard the other two members’ creativity shine a little more. On a different note, their lyrics also feel kind of hollow to me, sort of like facsimiles of themes that we heard out of the 60’s pop music that they’re inspired by. Maybe the brothers’ odd upbringing is what makes their lyrics feel like nothing more than dreamy imitations of other lyrics, rather than being something written from their own hearts? In any case, their vibe is really bizarre, but despite all my criticisms I did really enjoy this one album from them. (And actually, their new 2024 album is already out! It’s also fantastic, and I’ll talk about it on my May list.)

FANFIC / CREATIVE WRITING I've been working on a long fanfic for fun since last month, and every time I write a new scene for it I'm filled with a sense of creative euphoria for the rest of the day. It's not always perfect, but there's no real pressure to write something good, so it just ends up being an enjoyable outlet for my passions. Even if I never publish anything, being creative and exploring my own imagination is satisfying in itself, and I wish I had the time to do it every day! (HONESTLY, there could and should be time, if only our society actually prioritized taking breaks for mental health and personal wellbeing over making endless amounts of money and increasingly insubstantial products to be consumed by only the luckiest members of our parasitic upper class. I hate our unsympathetic workaholic capitalist culture with every fiber of my being, and wish that I could fucking end it all, but I digress...) Writing is just so fun. And I'll be working on the same projects for another few months, probably, as long as I can keep on keeping up with them.

REALITY GAME SHOW The finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 16 concluded this month, and I thought it was absolutely fantastic. Now that it’s over, we’re starting back from season 1 and we’re going to try to eventually watch it all! (We actually did finish season 1, right before posting this. It was interesting and groundbreaking in its own right, and it introduced me to Tammie Brown, who is now one of my favorite queens. Then, we started season 2 and I’m pretty sure that this is where the show’s bad reputation got its start, because I really can’t stand any of the season 2 contestants. Too bad, but we’ll keep on watching and see how it pans out anyway.) In season 16 though, there was just so much unique creativity and talent on display, and so many jaw dropping ‘holy shit’ moments, that I think it was one of the best things I have ever watched. It had the hypest final lip sync battle I ever could have imagined, and I had no idea which way it was going to end. In whole, I feel like the show was a wonderful watch, and I’m glad that our friends convinced us to give it a shot.

LIVE THEATER MUSICAL My partner and I were given a gift card to our local theater last year, so we finally used it to go see a live production of Annie! We don't live in a place where live musicals are very common, and I actually hadn’t seen any since highschool, so we had to make plans very early in the year to go watch it. And after having done so, I can say for certain that there is a unique magic to watching a live theater performance. I’m surprised that it was all performed so perfectly, even with children and a dog on stage, and remarkably, it sounded better than any recording I could find online before or after the event. It was so incredible all around that it totally transported me into a unique creative headspace. There were people of all ages there, some dressed up, some appearing more casual, but the atmosphere was delightful and jovial all around. I’m not going to comment about what was or wasn’t problematic about Annie; it’s not really that deep and you can probably figure that out on your own. But I will say that the magic of a live performance depends entirely on the energy in its room, and I was totally swept away by this experience. Without the discount, it would have been very pricey though, so I’m hoping that we can put away a little money to see a different live musical next year.

BOOK / AUDIOBOOK About a month and a half ago, I started Leo Tolstoy's epic work of historical fiction, War And Peace. I love a book that I can get completely lost in, and War and Peace is one of those books. I made it about 1/4th of the way through it this month, and even though it started slow, I’m now sure that it’s going to be an all time favorite. I read Anna Karenina years ago, and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I expected to like this one too, but there was still a sort of learning curve to overcome at the start. After over a month of engaging with it, I feel like I’ve finally gotten over its barrier to entry, and now I’m picking up the pace. Most people have heard of this book before, so let me tell you that its high-sounding title is no false advertisement. It’s a Russian slice of life book set during the Napoleonic Wars, dealing with a huge assemblage of political and philosophical conflicts, and it will have you exasperatedly crying “time is a flat circle!” as you realize that humans today have nearly the same brains and political interests that they had over 200 years ago. It is already a masterpiece, in my opinion, and I’m going to be reading this book for the entire month of May also, so that’s something to look forward to. If you’re interested in checking out an audiobook, I’m also listening to the Maude translation, narrated by Neville Jason, and I think it’s quite good! (That's it for April! But we're already a few weeks into May, so expect more Lemon Twigs and more War And Peace. Thank you for caring about me, and I hope you have a good day! ♡)

[in-love-with-remus-lupin]

omg the fact that you don't hate Dumbledore with every fiber of your being is a breath of fresh air.

I see so many people bashing on him and acting like he is the worst character when voldemort and snape are literally right there. Yeah, he wasn't perfect, but like, he isn't responsible for every bad thing to have happened in the wizarding world, and to say that he is isn't accurate in the slightest.

I saw a short on youtube that showed all the characters in Harry Potter who had ever died, and said Dumbledore was the reason they all died, which is like.... again, not accurate.

People talk about how "he raised all of these characters to die" as if he saw James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, Snape, Lily, Tonks, and everyone else in the mauraders fandom at age 12 and was like, "Yeah I'm totally going to raise these guys up only to make them join my secret society so I can have them all die!!:)" He never forced any of them into doing anything. Arguably, the only one he knew would die was Harry, and it wasn't like he was jumping for joy at that prospect. There are dozens of moments and actions he took to prevent the inevitable for as long as possible. There's literally an entire chapter in OOTP when he talks about his desire to do just that. And in HBP, he and Harry have an entire conversation about the fact that Harry would want to kill Voldemort regardless of whether he knew the prophecy or not.

I feel like people just want to blame Dumbledore for everything, which drives me insane because it erases the blame and mistakes of the people actually responsible for major events.

I know this was long, I'm sorry, haha. I just am so tired of seeing so much Dumbledore hate. Again, he isn't a perfect character in the slightest. But to claim that he's the worst character in the series is just plain stupid.

Here is the short i mentioned above if you want to watch it lol.

https://youtube.com/shorts/3yRPFgZDLiQ?feature=share

I'm really happy to find people who see what a big pile of bs Dumbledore bashing is...they can't even find a decent argument, too busy playing the blame game....what they don't realize is that blaming everything on Dumbledore undermines or downright denies the great sacrifices these people made and it was their decision to risk their lives for the good fight...but no, they were just Dumbledore's pawns and brainwashed to fight for him...I think they have the names mixed up, because it all sounds like Voldemort and his Death Eaters to me...And what exactly was Dumbledore trying to gain, he literally died..and not by accident...he carefully planed his death to get the most out of it in their favour, so he wasn't after the power and control...if he was, he could have had that before Voldemort wasn't even in the picture

And you have already said everything else I have to say on this matter..I'd just like to add one thing :

If anyone's wondering why people are sending me asks about Dumbledore and if I've turned into a Dumbledore's man...my answer is - I'm a ‘Dumbledore’s man through and through’...‘Glad we straightened that out.’

P.S: this is still a Remadora blog tho 😅

[lily-of-the-flame]

I decided to play some Celeste because I never finished Farewell. I last played quite a while ago, so I'm pretty rusty, and I'm at that room where there's a bunch of locked doors and you have to do a bunch of challenges to get the keys. I'm going so much faster than the last time I played over a month ago, which I am going to claim is because I am channeling trans energy. I've quickly caught back up to where I was before and then continued, and where my first time took an hour before I even got rid of the electricity, this time I've already finished four out of five challenges. I think I only managed to complete two of them over the course of several hours before.

However, it's not all good.

You stupid jellyfish. You have caused me endless suffering. I hate you with every fiber of my being.

I use a controller to play Celeste, and my index finger hurts from holding down the trigger.

[darkangel0410]

this might be the best asks of all time bc our DMs are nothing but hater-nation and we are ultimately the correct ones. SOOOOO; 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 12, 16, 18, 19, 24 - i had to ask so many bc your opinions are my FAV lmaooooo but feel free to *not* answer any you dont want!

We ARE always the correct ones - eventually people will realize it 🙄

the character everyone gets wrong

Listen, I have a list of players I'm going to take away from fandom because of crimes of mischaracterization and the list includes, but is not limited to: Matthew (Tkachuk), Jack (Eichel), Trevor, Jamie. Sometimes I swear people haven't ever spoken to a real live boy when they write the convos these guys have in fic

2. a compelling argument for why your fave would never top or bottom

I'll be strong and not turn this into an opportunity for my bottom!Jamie agenda, and instead say: Jack Eichel isn't a top - he wants to be fucked often and well, and would also like a few smacks on the ass before and after, thanks. He won't hesitate to tell whoever's fucking him what they're doing wrong, either.

3. screenshot or description of the worst take you've seen on tumblr

THERE ARE SO MANY WRONG TAKES ON HERE, WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE???? but easily the worst take I see on any given day is every single take about Matt (Tkachuk) and how his dad hates him and how he needs a fake gf because his dad's is ASHAMED of him or whatever the fuck people have decided is the new hot trauma to put him through - they've turned Matt into the fandom crier and I hate it with every fiber of my being

6. which ship fans are the most annoying?

for me, personally, it's any x reader/ yn or whatever writer who doesn't put their shit behind a read more (Also Nolan Moyle is not a dom, like come the fuck on people)

7. what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them?

Crosby, full stop. I cannot stand the way fandom is with him and I can't even watch him play hockey and enjoy it any more

12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

The Knights. Just. The whole roster lmaooo

16. you can't understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)

Rule 63, full stop. I don't get why people write it, why they never put in any actual character work into it when they do, and it gives me homophobic vibes (like in general, as a trope, not a specific fic). Like you change everything about someone, and the way the world sees them, the way it interacts with them, and I'm supposed to believe that every single thing happens exactly the same???? Pull the other leg, it has bells on

18. it's absolutely criminal that the fandom has been sleeping on...

Alex Turcotte, My Beloved - truly he's so pretty and sweet and plays good hockey and is just someone fandom needs to pay more attention to

19. you're mad/ashamed/horrified you actually kind of like...

I don't do shame, but I do find it kind of funny how much I love a/b/o now because I used to absolutely hate it when it first showed up lmaooo

24. topic that brings up the most rancid discourse

Censorship, 1000% because besides being gross on it's own, it's always dragging purity wank in with it and I've seen so much of that shit, I hate it

*

Thanks for asking bestie!!!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️ (choose violence ask game)

[zacksfairest]

Sephiroth - 2, 12, 22 | Sukuna - 5, 8, 21

Send a character + one or more of these question!

(this is long. it's going under a read more lmao)

Sephiroth

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

How so very manipulative and sadistic and malevolent he becomes post-insanity. And it's specifically the juxtaposition between the two that makes it so good. He is the very definition of the fallen angel, God's favorite cast out of heaven for daring to stand against Him. He was Shinra's favorite son. Beloved by all. Shone the brightest of them all. Until he broke beneath the weight of the loneliness and isolation that that favored status brought him. He yearned to belong, he yearned for friends and companionship—until he found out that his best friends were just work friends and they left him behind. And once his mind broke, all bets were off. Humanity is an infestation, and he is better than all of us. He was raised to believe this, but he had the proof of it in his hands upon Jenova's discovery. He is practically a god in his own right, actually. And gods can do what they wish, and use whom they wish. Sephiroth was always hot, but the insane god complex combo who gets genuine pleasure out of pulling the puppet strings of those he deems Less Than is. :) Great. I'm fine.

12. What’s a headcanon you have for this character?

That he fucks and he fucks good. Next question. That is very sincerely my answer, but I'll also build on it lmao The fan base treats Sephiroth as an innocent uwu baby who has never known the touch of a woman (or man) and that's just utter insanity to me. Being a child soldier as he was, despite the power he had even at such a young age, would only have further exposed him to the crassness of his fellow soldiers. And as he rises through the ranks, becomes the face of the war with Wutai, you think he did not take advantage of that fame and fall into bed with even a select few starry eyed people? Please. I also believe that, just maybe, that manipulation sadism that his insanity brought out wasn't entirely out of nowhere. Maybe it simply broke the shackles that kept that part of his personality at bay—but it was there, and would come out at times when he wished for conquest. A soldier without a war to fight can be a dangerous thing at times~

22. If you’re a fic reader, what’s something you like in fics when it comes to ths character? Something you don’t like?

A LOADED QUESTION. But I will persevere. I love to read about General Sephiroth. I love when we get into the military aspect of his position within Shinra. He is the Hero of Wutai for a reason. Not just because of his immense strength and power. He was eventually made a General in Shinra's military, and you don't get that entirely due to nepotism. He has an analytical and strategic mind that absolutely came into play on the battlefield. And I fucking love reading about it. I've only ever read one fic that so very brilliantly executed this exact aspect of Sephiroth. I've been chasing that high ever since. Something I don't like? You already know this, but Fine I will make my stance public. I fucking hate reading about uwu baby domestic virgin Sephiroth with every fiber of my being. This is a SOLDIER who has KILLED PEOPLE and you make him an uwu soft boy. You make him blush when he sees a titty. I hate you. I hate you all. You make my eyes bleed.

Ryomen Sukuna

5. What’s the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?

So, like, technically, the first song that comes to mind when I think about him is SPECIALZ by King Gnu because the two are just so very intwined in my mind—but that is too easy, and I have others. The two that come to mind immediately after SPECIALZ are Nightmare by Avenged Sevenfold and Forsaken by David Draiman. Nightmare very specifically just gives me a bit of a Sukuna POV, tormenting poor souls that have had the misfortune to fall into his domain~ And Forsaken is yet another POV song. Why should he hide any longer? Why should he not give into his hedonistic desires? Curses are everywhere, and he is the most powerful of them all. And he will drag anyone he can into his world where pain and pleasure mingle~

8. What’s something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

Why are you baiting me like this, Melody? I hate. Hate. HATE!!!!! The woobification of Sukuna. That man—creature, more apt, I believe—is nothing but hedonism personified. He takes immense pleasure in brutal torture and murder, in manipulation and humiliation, and, yes, in sex—but dare I say that he would prefer it to be non-consensual. You cannot fix this man. You cannot make him see the error of his ways. Your love will not set things right and make him a good guy. No pussy is that good. And his pleasure will always come first, btw. He is not going out of his way to make you feel good and loved etc. If it's not directly making his cock hard he doesn't give a shit. If I have to see one more reader insert where Sukuna takes care of you when you have your period or when you're sick—and it DOESN'T end in him simply ripping out your throat and skull fucking you—I will eat my hands.

21. If you’re a fic writer and have written for this character, what’s your favorite thing to do when you’re writing for this character? What’s something you don’t like?

So I have not yet written him within the bounds of his character in JJK—but I am still working on that Sukuna!Lemuel fic, so I will count that. Oh, writing Sukuna is pretty much everything I love writing in a terrible male character. He his haughty and violent and loves to play with his food. He gets immense pleasure out of instilling fear in those around him, and drawing it out as long as possible. I have so much fun dipping into that mindset. And he has no conscience! None whatsoever! So he can do whatever he wants! I never have to think "maybe this is too much," because I actually have to ask "is this not enough?" The only think I don't like—and it's not actually not liking, so much as me having to tear through my own inhibitions—is finding the delicate balance of "he is all powerful and currently tormenting someone with Zero power, so I need to find a way/reason for him to not simply rip them in two." It's the hardest part! Sukuna doesn't fuck around. He can and will simply tear your head from your body and be done with it—but I believe the caveat lies in whether or not you are entertaining him or at the very least interesting. Then he'll draw it out. Finding a way to make that so even him drawing it out doesn't result in a wound that is still lethal is yet another difficulty. But! These are fun challenges. So it's not that I don't like writing it, it's simply that it's not as easy to work with like blanket murder and destruction.

[seradae]

The following is an extremely rambling personal post

I came out as a trans woman when I was 32. Before then, I had identified as genderfluid for ages, but it was more how I felt than the way I presented. To virtually everyone, I was a man, and I was okay with that. Sort of.

While I had known GNC and trans folks growing up, it wasn't something I knew much about, and I certainly didn't consider it as an option. Even if I had spent a decade online "pretending" to be a woman and playing one in every game I could. Hell, I even had a name picked out (Erica), but it was fantasy... Right?

I first seriously considered transitioning when I was 18. At the time, I was friends with a whole bunch of furries, all of whom were queer and many of whom were trans (and all the ones I still keep up with have since come out as some flavor of trans). They were able to answer my questions, and ask me the right ones to make me realize that no, not everyone feels the way I do. Not everyone wishes with every fiber of their being that they had been AFAB. Not everyone thinks about whether they're worthy of feeling right in their body.

I spent so much time thinking about it, and frankly I knew it was what I wanted, but I also thought I knew why it was impossible. Why it was a terrible idea. Not because I wasn't a woman, but for two very specific reasons.

Reason #1: My business partner at the time (I was doing the tech startup thing) and closest friend was a massive transphobe. Unashamedly so. His influence left me with a ton of internalized transphobia, and I knew that it would be the end of that relationship. When I came out on Facebook 14 years later, I blocked him that day so I wouldn't have to see the vitriol.

Reason #2: I thought I would be an ugly woman. Or worse, that I'd look like an ugly man trying to look like a woman. In retrospect, this was a dumb reason, and seeing a post to the effect of "if the thing holding you back from transitioning is that you think you'd be an ugly woman, you're already a woman" was actually a huge part of what spurred me to finally do it. I never liked my face, never liked my skin, never liked my body. Untangling the body dysmorphia from gender dysphoria is still an ongoing process for me, but I feel better about my body now than I ever have before.

So, I'm 32 and I'm a baby trans woman. I don't know shit, but I have an incredibly supportive wife to help me explore myself and learn who I am. I have all these wonderful resources, and things are going well. But I am absolutely full of regret that I can't shake.

Every day, I oscillate between two states: wishing I had transitioned earlier, and knowing that I wouldn't have the life I have now if I had. I knew I couldn't rewind time and change things, but I still felt guilty. I have a wife and kid that I love and wouldn't trade for anything, but I kept thinking about the opportunities I missed.

I thought often about what it could've been like to experience my first makeup (aside from some simple gothy eyeliner and black nail polish) as a teen. Sleepovers with girl friends. Shopping for clothes that would've made me feel comfortable and happy.

I'm sure I would've faced hell, but I already was. I was a depressed kid, bullied throughout my school years, the first out and proud bisexual in a rural high school, fat, and awkward as fuck. But I could've hated myself less, or at least differently.

But a few years in, I don't feel these same regrets anymore. I might not be a teenager, but it doesn't make those firsts any less special. I get to experience them with my loving wife. I get to experience them with money, which is a far cry from my childhood. I get to experience them with the knowledge of how far I've come, and that I fucking made it.

I didn't think I would make it to 18. I didn't think I would make it to 21. I knew I wouldn't make it to 25, for sure. And now I'm closer to 50 than I am 21, even if I've got a ways to go. While I can't see the future, I can say that if I don't make it there, it won't be at my own hand. That's not something I would've been able to say before.

I still think about the "what if"s. It's impossible not to. But I don't regret my transition timeline anymore. I am living my damn life and I'm living it well. It's a good time to be me. Every day is; even the hard ones.

[karolinesvrsion]

— CLARA REID

because i love her so much i've decided to make my girl clara an official character profile YAY

official faceclaim: malia baker

full name: clara michelle reid

birthday: april twenty-fourth

zodiac sign: taurus

canon facts about clara:

- lesbian.

- she was named after clara barton and loves her name sm.

- biggest flex is that she skipped first grade.

- definitely that one kid in class who reminds the teacher to give out the homework. sorry y'all.

- plays baseball and literally solos.

- has a younger sister named helena who also plays baseball AND solos.

- in a modern day, she'd be taylor swift's #1 fan. also listens to the regrettes religiously because she has a fat crush on lydia night.

- like she definitely stands on her bed and sings "thats what makes me love you" using her hairbrush as a mic, basically having a concert for her stuffed animals.

- was also heartbroken to find out that lydia and dylan broke up and called herself a "child of divorce."

- she's that one friend that always has EVERYTHING. need a hair tie? she has one. wanna write something down? clara has post-it notes and a pen. she has everything in her backpack.

- loves the number 172 for no reason.

- tried out gymnastics in like first grade and hated it.

- has reading glasses but never uses them.

- absolutely LOVES learning/talking about greek and roman mythology. bring up the topic and she'll fall in love.

- LOVES POETRY. watched dead poets society and cried at the end. (her favorite character is definitely meeks.)

- absolute GOD at uno. she wins almost every game and loves seeing vance get mad bc he lost.

- laughs at the worst times— especially if it's quiet.

- terrible at keeping secrets literally don't tell this girl anything she WILL tell donna and helena.

- draws on her arms during math class because she loathes the class with every fiber of her being.

- has a grey cat named holly even though she's more of a dog person.

- her favorite avenger is definitely natasha but her favorite superhero is scott lang. idc.

- definitely stole her moms makeup and pretended to make makeup routines.

- told helena that her parents found her on the side of the road and they felt bad for her so they took her. (based off my own experience.)

— okay that's all for rn but i'll definitely add more later. go listen to clara's playlist right now for a kiss 💋

[spells-and-liquid-luck]

Ghost Of You- Wolfstar

Warnings: It's sad.

I've completely taken inspiration from the Song Ghost Of You, I don't really post song fics, but I did make it into my own and I'm really proud of it.

(Sorry I've been away, but what better way to say that I'm back than with a fic that will make you sad. In case nobody as told you today, I love you!!)

Remus still couldn't process the fact that while he slept, Sirius' arms weren't wrapped around him. He sat up with an exhausted sigh and closed his eyes. Running his hand through his hair, he came to realize how suffocatingly quiet it was in what used to be their shared apartment. He remembered how loud Sirius was in the mornings. His long messy hair, the sound of him singing while cooking breakfast and almost burning the food if he wouldn't step in and help. The memories began to flood his mind as his eyes welled up with tears. He walked slowly in a depressed manner to the coffee machine as he would usually do in the morning. The coffee began to brew as the smell filled the kitchen. The same aroma that filled the dorms when they had all pulled all nighters to study and occasionally kissing Sirius' tired face as sleep slowly crept over them.

The coffee cup that Sirius's lips touched every morning caught Remus' eye, he looked at it with a burning rage that his beloved was not gulping down as if it were a life source. At this moment he hated magic, he hated the Dark Lord, he hated the people who put him in that dreadful place. He gripped his mug almost to the point of breaking it and painfully drank the liquid that usually filled him with joy as it had a hint of chocolate in it, but to him not even chocolate could kill his pain.

He began to space out at the thought of Sirius seeing him like this. The comforting words that he would say. Telling him that he'll be alright.

The thought of Sirius really being gone hit him in waves. It hit harder as he began to tidy up the place. Sirius' Led Zepplin shirt being draped over one of the arm rests of the sofa made Remus choke up once again. He pulled it tightly to his chest as if Sirius himself was still wearing it. He inhaled the faint smell of his cologne that was still trapped in the fibers. He remembered that that shirt was the one he wore when he ran away. He could still see the hurt in his eyes.

Graduating from Hogwarts was supposed go be the gateway to freedom. Sure, everyone thought they were too young and dumb to be so much in love, but looking back, Remus knew better. Sirius Black wasn't just his best friend, he wasn't his companion to pull pranks with or run around in their animal forms with. Sirius Black was his soulmate.

He took another sip from his coffee and earned up the the record players that had been collecting dust since he got taken away. He ran his fingers through the crate of vinyls that have been wasting away for the same amount of time. His favorite record was always the first and closest to the record player for easy access, just the way Sirus had left it and Remus decided to play put it on.

The lyrics to his favorite songs, as upbeat as they were, they didn't make him feel like dancing, let alone even sing along. He thought that maybe it would feel like he's still around somehow, but still was too quiet, too empty.

Remus knew that he had to swallow the truth, he might never see Sirius again. Thinking about it made him begin to cry. He'll never be the same without his star, and he'll never dance like he did with him. His soulmate.