#I haven't even scratched the surface of this game

[em9art]

With all the Hades 2 hype, I decided to finish the first game. The problem is I've already beaten it. Twice. But it's not over. The story keeps going when you beat it. To what end? I don't know. I do know the Switch is killing my hands if I play for more than 30 mins, so this will take some time…

[rad-roche]

answering an anon ask about mouthwashing's ending!

aw, thank you! i'm glad, i love thinkin and posting about these sorts of things.

as for why the game does that, i think for exactly the reasons you describe! it's just open-ended enough, which sticks with an audience. i think if the game ended just at the second birthday party with curly bleeding out and jimmy shooting himself, people wouldn't be talking about it quite so much! but that little scrap of hope is so tantalising. personally i'm of the belief that curly wakes up without rescue, and, unfortunately, dies, but i've seen lots of interesting discussion around his potential fate. i think it fits what the game's been putting down so far, in that in 'atoning' and placing curly in the pod before committing suicide, jimmy has yet again fucked up in a way that can't be recovered from. he is a selfish, stupid man, who can't even die in a way that benefits anybody but himself.

i think the marketing material foreshadows this, too. this is the steam synopsis

Who could have known what good ol’ Captain Curly was capable of? Guess he thought his crew dying alongside him was only right. But some men can’t even kill themselves properly.

just off the cuff, if you subscribe to the same theory as i do, there's something here with the life support pod and womb imagery, i'm sure. i'll need time to check things and chew it over, but there's for sure something in jimmy being haunted by a grotesque parody of pregnancy, curly's dismissive attitude towards jimmy raping anya and how that decision snowballs directly into the miserable fates of the crew, and being placed into a life-giving chamber, against his will, to slowly die. you see the vision here right

by the by, before i forget, my pet theory is that pony express never actually folded and curly just told them that to alleviate his guilt at their firing

[soundwavefucker69]

got told on tiktok that i was gatekeeping for pointing out that dudebros acting like Leia surviving in space was brand new information that had never happened before in canon, and that you shouldn't act like experts when you don't even know about the force unleashed. i'm not gatekeeping. i'm kicking you out of the fandom. you, the dudebros, are adam and eve, and i, better, more intelligent, the spokesman of the gays, am the angel at the garden of eden. i'm in charge now and you annoyed me.

[mojavewastes]

I neeed to finish skyrim but i also need to finish tears of the kingdom but i also need to finish death stranding but i also

[cloudedcurses]

How do you think Gojo spoils his partner? Gifts, affection, anything they want?

Dating Gojo will include:

⥽ an: I decided to make this request or maybe a head-cannon? I dunno, I think my answer will get through a bit easier. I'm also scratching the surface here. It'll include so much more. ᡣ𐭩

⥽ incls: S.Gojo,ᡣ𐭩.

ᝰ incls cursing. 18+ MDNI

I have mentioned this before: He is a crazy strong sorcerer with unlimited abilities. If you've seen the show, you'd know he teases people who are of a lower rank than him—essentially everyone.

He does tease you... a lot. He loves to play pranks on you, from a tack in your chair to a random picture of a penis in your pocket he drew for you personally. (He may include poor Megumi in his shenanigans...) Satrou's childhood was shredded the second he was born. Before he could even walk, he had a bounty and was a target.

He didn't have much of a childhood. From training too perfect the six-eyes to constantly being the strongest and beholding that said standard. So, with this...when you two go on a date, the dates may be more on the childish side. Maybe a date to an amusement park, the circus, or something along those lines. He's a cannon gamer, so there's a chance he'd take you to a gaming cafe or an arcade. You will never have to pay for anything. Every date will be covered completely by him, him alone. When it comes to you, money doesn't matter to him, your happiness does. Mall dates are his favorite, going window shopping alone gives him a rush and dumps on his savior ego.

He watches you precisely, checking your body language because he knows when something has caught your attention. Before you can even ask to go into the store, he leads you right inside and sits by the dressing room. He loves watching you wear things. He enjoys seeing the boost of confidence it gives you, how you spin and strike a pose in the mirror, accepting that said item looks good on you before you ask for his opinion. Satoru is an honest man, if something looks bad on you, he'd tell you flat out. He scrunches up and shakes his head, holding his nose as if it stinks or something childishly along the lines. When something looks fantastic on you, It's purchased immediately. He sees into the dressing room with his six eyes, knowing good and well it looks good and already buying it before you can attempt to buy it yourself.

Now, Your Amazon wishlist? Brought.

He did that when you two were simply dating, before even being official.

He found your Amazon wishlist one night and purchased everything.

Imagine your surprise to have packages keep coming to your place back to back for either a week or close to a year.

Car issues? Gone.

The second your car starts to give you issues, he buys you a new one. Make it easier for him and point to a car that you'd like to have..' one day'. I'd like to mention trips as well. You don't go to Kyoto, but you go everywhere else. Paris, France. Seoul, South Korea. (Briefly) New York City, USA. London, England.

Places you've heard of and some you haven't. All you'd never ever imagine yourself going to.

He's your white knight that saves you from the darkness of the world.

If you've got a sweet tooth, you've got bonus points too.

─────────── MDNIજ ─────────────

Alright, Imma rip off the bandaid here. I'm a believer that Gojo would date someone who's slightly bigger than him, someone's a fan of sweets just like him. He practically needs it to just..exist. Unless you've got a strict diet or high metabolism, You're gonna gain weight around him while he's a lanky man. He also fancies things with you that you'd be surprised he'd want.

He wants to fuck you on a moutain of money, seeing the dollars cling to your sweaty skin.

He also wishes to fuck you on a bunch of gold. Bricks, coins, and more...he wants to see your blissful reflection on a brick of gold, pleading for more. The next thing? He wants to fuck you with candy around! Those candy bikinis or gummy panties? He wants you in it the second he sees it.

Chocolate syrup, gummy syrup or caramel.The taste of you is sweetened by the taste of candy. There's nothing better to him. Gojo has a high libido and stamina. He goes for hours and maybe longer, he gives you his all...showing you just how powerful he is to you. You think it's over...just for him to come back for more. Your body is his ultimate addiction. He uses sweets to keep him powerful and his mind sharp...but you? You are the best sweet in his life.

Just know, even with the strongest you get to experience, very few get to see...and that's when he's the weakest. After the sun is in the sky, peeking through the curtains of his expensive penthouse in the massive city. You see just how adorable he is...and admire him for just a little while.

[ch0wen]

Cover - Part III | Tangerine x Fem!Reader | 18+

warnings: smut mentioned, (minors dni), cursing, & violence

to catch up - Cover - parts one & two

———-

Tangerine's large hands wrapped around the diner's ceramic mug full of his muddled-grey tea. Warming himself while also trying to still his shakiness. He was having a tough time attempting to conceal his nerves. He avoided eye contact to retroactively stall the dreaded discussion.

“So,” you started, “Tangerine and Lemon. Fruits. Why choose from that category?”

Across from you, the man looked physically and mentally relieved that you hadn't leaped right into the hard questions. A smile wriggled under his mustache,

"When we were younger, Lem and I loved to watch American cinema. We would get inspired by a lot of ‘em. We played the games they did, tried out the sports, and picked up similar traditions.

One day, during a rare, hot English summer, I suggested starting a lemonade stand. My brother reacted with, ‘lemons are too tart! No one even likes sour drinks. I don't want to sell rotten lemons,' and I would remind him that you can turn a sour lemon into a sweet delight with a little bit of sugar. Shit, you should've seen his face when I ended up persuading him and he tried our first attempt at a batch. We got the measurements so wrong!”

His eyes shone as he spoke. He seemed to have been slowly opening up. Laughing into his hand and playing it off as a scratch to his face before dropping it to the table's surface. He was earnest as he told of his boyhood. Intriguing you with his storytelling, and leaning toward him as he continued on.

"Anyway. He would tell me that I'm like the sugar. That I make things better. But frankly, I can be a rotten arsehole to him. And by now, maybe he has forgotten about those silly childhood praises, but I never did. Those were the times, especially at the beginning of our career, when he made me feel wanted. He's good at that. He doesn't even require me to be the sugar in our brotherhood. He's naturally a genuinely good man.

I do need to tell myself I am useful, and deep down, I may not believe that to be all true. But he reminds me. He’s good at making people feel understood and cared for. He is true to his codename. He's a lemon, and everybody loves ‘em.”

Absentmindedly, you played with his finger twitching on the sticky table. He curled his hand properly around yours to hold.

———-

The hours passed and the diner went through waves of people. Coming and going, in and out, like clouds in unsettled coffee. Breakfast rush, stillness, then lunch chaos. To the both of you, the other was the focal point. Everything else just felt like a static buzz.

“I can't help but notice that you haven't asked the question. Basically the entire point of this morning."

"I didn't want to force it out," you finger at the sugar packets, like skimming a mini record collection. Attempting to downplay your interest. “I wanted us to get there without having to press it.”

A grateful hum of, “You are a peach," transitioned into a sigh, "but I suppose you deserve to know that I am a contracted assassin."

———-

It was only half past two in the afternoon when you both emerged from the diner. You made sure to avoid the eyes in the queue of the waiting patrons. The large tip, Tangerine thought he dropped into the checkbook unseen, should at least ease the hostess's agitation about your prolonged stay. You stand facing each other on the bustling city sidewalk.

The silence felt heavy after hours-long conversations. You studied each other. Your chance to fully take him in, in a different perspective, a new light. You were wary of how to leave this after the time you just spent together. The things he depicted. The part of himself that he had fanned out. He seemed to have bore it all. How do you grapple with that while having to part ways?

Tangerine didn’t keep you speculating. His handsome face sported a pleasant smile as he stepped forward to hug you. The embrace lasted only a moment, but it felt that he didn’t want to let go -

Like he was trying to hold you still. Keeping all those secrets that he poured out over the cooling cups of coffee between the two of you. Pressing them in close and sealing them behind tight lips. To him, when you walk out of his sight, you’ll take his story with you. The moment that he lets you go, the truth gets out. Exposed are all the mysteries on the inside and his safety. The scary reality is that he potentially jeopardized his and his brother’s lives to answer your curiosity.

Except, that was just your mind racing again. Tangerine's hug lasted for a minute and in a beat, he was pulling his shoulders back to look down at your face. And then he pulled you in for a kiss, the breath-stealing and tangling your hand in his hair, kind.

———-

The date with Tangerine was like an omen that you wouldn't be able to get the pair of assassins out of your life. Every day, something happened that would remind you of them. One of your little students would ask for a bandaid. You'd hear a song that played in the diner or a familiar theme song that Lemon definitely was humming. You’d find yourself grinning.

Little reminders would pop up here and there. Until one-half of the duo started turning up here and there when you’d least expect or anticipate it. It was a gradually natural formation of a budding friendship with Lemon and an eventual relationship between you and Tangerine.

Your romance with the latter was like any 2000s Rom. Com. daydream, except for the consistent reminders that you were dating a killer ——

Your boyfriend would show up unannounced with fresh flowers and a splat of blood on his neck peeking out from under his collar.

Written-out jokes from Lemon were handed over with a roll of his eyes but the ghost of a smile on his lips. Signaling that he has already heard the ridiculous gag that his brother came up with.

He’d be up early and missing in action during the day, but made up for it by staying late on date nights.

He always found time to call you between the sporadic periods of action while on the job. Just hoping to chat about your day so far or what he wanted to do to you later. Your mind runs with what exact situations he was calling in the middle of, whenever he was out of breath or your conversations were cut short with crashes and shouts.

You could sense when he exerted too much energy after those particularly long workdays. He tended to be quieter, or his body weight pressed impossibly closer on top of yours as his cock pushed in deep, or when Lemon would physically need to drag him into your apartment and throw him onto the couch.

Regardless of his fatigue, once you got each other going - either by massaging his sore neck, his rough thumbs grazing over your exposed thighs, or knee rubbing against his bulge as you bandage up a cut - He basically reverted back into stealth mode. Targeting his focus on only you. It felt like he existed to get you off. Wanting you to come on either his mouth, fingers, or pounding dick. He may have been exhausted but he wouldn't lose stamina until you were finished.

Nine times out of ten, whether after a hotel rendezvous or candle-lit dinner over a pack of instant potatoes and Kraft Mac and cheese, you’d find yourselves snuggled up in bed. You were always left stated after a good fuck from Tangerine. Hands, tongues, and whispers danced in the shared tranquility of your space. You were making special memories with the limited time you found with him.

———-

It went on like this for years. Each day felt like you peeled away another layer of a fruit's skin. Discovering a new trait or trick of your boyfriend's. You anticipated something exciting when he flung open the apartment door or your bedroom window. He never ceased to thrill and fulfill your every need.

And that one Tuesday in Spring was no different. He strode up to your car after class let out, seizing your waist from behind. A spin to your hips in his grasp had him close enough to breathe into your ear,

"Fly out to France with me, yeah?"

———-

[loveisalwayswise]

My favorite part of my 2nd playthrough of Veilguard is deliberately triggering all the companion banter in the game. There's SO MUCH, I haven't even scratched the surface.

[clementianos-blog]

From the beginning, Tim and Steph had a kind of chemistry in their lack of chemistry. They were very different - backgrounds, perspectives, family influences, etc. About all they had in common was that they were only children with family troubles, but even those similarities were abundantly different once you scratched the surface even a tad.

But what I find interesting, and seriously questionable, is how their actual relationship comes about. Steph repeatedly makes choices that aren't the best while "trying to help" and Tim repeatedly has to correct her. He's more-or-less acting like a conscience to her. I guess you could look at this as being that strong part of Tim's personality that drives him to help others. It's why he's Robin. Unlike his predecessors (and successors), the main reason he became Robin was to help Batman; helping everyone else was a secondary (and Batman's primary). To Batman, Tim's Robin is the "I'll help you so you can help everyone else." It's ingrained into him to see the shortcomings of others and he intrinsically wants to help.

There are multiple moments in which Steph is ready to walk away from a lowlife thug who is vulnerably facing certain death - and Tim explains why they need to help. But that's a major theme in the Batman comics in general, so it doesn't really fit the bill of what we're talking about here in a way that is unique to Steph and Tim.

But this does:

Steph is willing to steal two Zesti sodas from a convenience store after she and Tim cleared out the bad guys. He sees no problem in taking the Zestis as long as they will be compensating the store for them rather than stealing. He probably thinks "we COULD go to another, open store, but I'd rather help this one out" or even "best to be seen as little as possible" etc. It doesn't really matter. What matters is that he anticipates that she's thinking about stealing them. He asks "this your treat?" to put the burden on her since she was the one who offered to pick them up.

This could also be his subtle and not-enough way of pushing the "this is not a date" vibes he's been lazily humming out at her lately. Which brings us to the scene that follows this directly:

Tim has been emotionally cheating on Ariana for quite some time, relying on Steph for the emotional pick-me-ups and help-me-outs as well as leading her on. He's reflected on this a few times and even tried to do something about it several times before this point. But here, he is pretty open about his resignation.

This is the kind of thing teens do a lot - really, everyone does it at some point or another. We redefine our understanding of the world, of our morals, of our personal resolve to suit what feels nice. Exactly this is why it's a very good piece of advice to write down your goals in distinct, objective terms and keep them visible to you when you make them. If you say you aren't eating sweets for a month, be specific about what that means. If sugar in your coffee is an allowance, then say so. If desserts, pastries, jams and jellies, and candy are not allowed, then say so. Without being specific... we start to think things like "Well, a blueberry muffin isn't really a sweet (even though this one is covered in sugar crystals and tastes sweeter than the candybar I had last month)."

I'm not really cheating on Ariana. I haven't held Steph's hand. I haven't kissed - er, I haven't intentionally kissed Steph.

The problem is often that we don't see the danger of this stage. Just like Steph saw no danger in stealing two Zestis from the convenience store, Tim sees no danger in letting Steph treat their outings as dates. It's just a buck. It's just a game. It's not serious. No one's getting hurt by it.

And this is a problem for the exact reason Tim gives Steph.

What Steph did was so small, so simple, and seemingly so harmless. The shopkeeper probably would have handed them a case of Zestis each for what they did. But the shopkeeper isn't there.

Steph has Tim here to help her understand why it's wrong to compromise even an inch of her integrity.

What Tim is doing is so much worse. SO much worse. There is no justification, no excuse, and no good reason other than "this makes me happy right now."

But unlike Steph, Tim doesn't have a... well... Tim to put it in perspective. To help him see why it's wrong. Why it starts like this, and soon he'll be bending all the rules.

Instead, Tim has a Steph who is the one dragging him into this quagmire where he's blatantly cheating on his girlfriend and cannot see it for what it is.

And yes, it's clear he can see that it's wrong - just like Steph knew that taking the sodas wasn't really right. But just like with the sodas, neither of them recognized the action for what it truly was: stealing/cheating. Once put into that context, Steph immediately pays. If it were simplified like that to Tim, he would cut it off. The end. No more. I'll either say goodbye to Ariana, or I'll say goodbye to Steph.

But he sees something else: he feels happiness, he sees two happy girls, and he thinks, "No one's getting hurt here. It's not really right but it's not like I'm, you know..."

It starts like that. And soon you're bending all the rules.

TimSteph has a lot of positive qualities to it, but the fact that Steph's a project of Tim's - to build into an upstanding citizen from the rough place she's been raised - means that he needs to stay in the role of her pillar of morality. If he doesn't, as we see, then he falls himself.

Tim managed to say no to the Zesti, but the apple was just too tempting.

[cryoux]

Alhaitham with reader who has chronic pain (from Eleazar)

Pain was a constant thing in your life. As far back as you could remember, you'd felt pain every day of your life. Sometimes, it was on the surface, manifesting in an itch that hurt to scratch but was agonizing to leave alone. Or it could come as a pounding headache, threatening to knock you to the ground with each new wave. There was even pain in your very bones, the supposedly solid structure of your skeleton suddenly feeling brittle and frankly useless. 

Pondering thusly: if you felt pain each waking hour and even seeping into your sleep, did you really feel the pain at all?

It would be nice to consider these fascinating questions, maybe write an essay about it - if only you could find yourself mobile enough to hold a pen.

Today, it was your wrists. Stiff, brittle, useless. There was no hope of doing anything today, or even tomorrow, for that matter. It was all you could do to lift a cup of water to your lips. Archons, you hated this feeling. Most days were completely fine, you could almost forget about the lifelong agony, the torture of merely existing. Not this time.

Still, you refused to wallow in bed. Instead you unwrapped the binding bandages over your arms, closed all the windows, locked the door, and tried to do anything to pass the time. Solitaire, a game of chess (playing as two nonpartisan people, of course), cleaning dishes (you only broke two!), and sweeping until the floor was spotless. At some point, you'd stupidly tried to wash the floor on your hands and knees, only to be stuck there in agony for fifteen minutes.

Useless. You felt so useless, not only to yourself, but everyone around you. Constantly asking for deadline extensions, unable to finish in-class assignments, incapable of doing the simplest household chores. Here you sat, here you stayed, and only here you allowed the silent tears to fall.

A knock on the door startled you, and you reeled in shock before hurriedly wiping your eyes dry. Could it be your research partner, wondering why you hadn't met with them today? Or maybe it was your neighbor, who saw all the closed blinds and wanted to make sure you were alright.

For some reason, the actual answer surprised you more than the other two unlikely events. You rolled the sleeves of your jacket down before you opened the door and peeked out, but it appeared there was never a need for the secrecy. There at the door stood Alhaitham, solemnly meeting your gaze. 

Though he didn't speak, you could feel the questions burning into you. You both loved and loathed how easily he could read you; it made for easy communication on your part, but you could never hide anything.

Maintaining the silence was a simple task. You turned away from him, retreating into the darkened house without even closing the door - you knew Alhaitham would take care of it. Did you particularly want him here right now? No, not like this. Not with how vulnerable you felt.

"You didn't call for me."

You flinched at the sudden rumble of his voice. There was more intrigue than concern in his voice, while his expression gave nothing. The only thing that you could deduce was that he wasn't entirely happy with you.

"No, because I'm fine." A lie. Both of you knew it, and Alhaitham sighed to indicate as such. 

"You're not fine. And frankly, it's insulting that you'd assume I would believe that." He wasn't mean about it, he was simply telling you to cut the shit. You knew he wasn't truly insulted; there were plenty of other things to stroke his ego.

You scoffed. "Maybe I am this time. You can't dictate how I'm feeling." The argument was ridiculous as you said it, and you could hear the exasperation building in Alhaitham.

"Your bandages are off, meaning you haven't left the house, nor do you plan to. The blinds are all closed because you don't want to risk anyone seeing you right now, the chess board is one move away from checkmate, you haven't put your books away," Alhaitham strode through the living room as he pointed out each miniscule detail that you had long since given up on. "The counter is wet," he nodded toward the kitchen, where water was sitting all over the counter, "There's this bit you forgot to clean up," he lifted a small piece of the porcelain plate that had met its demise earlier that day. "And there is a straw in your cup." He finished his little walk through, circling back around to stand in front of you. You couldn't quite meet his gaze. "Shall I continue?"

The more he had pointed out, the worse you felt - seeing as you couldn't, he would have to clean most of these things. Adding chores to his schedule was the last thing you wanted to do. You shook your head, unable to keep the words in any longer.

"I didn't mean to leave everything out. I was just trying to pass the time, and everything I tried went wrong. I couldn't even stay asleep long enough for a nap, and the bed isn't made, the laundry is still outside, the floor is half clean, I broke two dishes not just the one, I dropped my hair brush in the bathroom, I can't make food for myself, I'm-"

You were silenced by a firm grasp on your aching wrists - firm, but not the slightest bit harsh, and you dared to raise your eyes up to meet his.

"Honestly," he huffed, "You're impossible." How had he known where you were going with that? How could he tell you were spiraling before even you realized it? Alhaitham gently tugged you to the couch, sitting you both down. The sleeves of your jacket were gently rolled back up, exposing the horrid sight of them. You tried to pull your accursed hands away, but to absolutely no avail. Instead, the green of Alhaitham's Dendro vision began to glow, and a faint light emanated from his hands on your wrists.

Within moments, the pain in your arms began to ebb, and you felt warm as sunlight on a lovely spring day. Shocked, you stared at where he held you, watching the scaly appearance of your skin reverse its effect ever so slightly. What in Teyvat was this?

You opened your mouth to inquire as such, but he silenced you almost immediately. "I encountered Tighnari today. He recently wrote a comprehensive analysis of The Withering occuring throughout Sumeru. Eleazar is linked to it almost directly; it seems he even has some firsthand experience." Alhaitham never met your gaze, as if he was just a little shy. "Since dendro seems to temporarily reverse the effects of Withering, I thought I should try…" in a rare moment of uncertainty, he paused. "...something."

His words were truthfully the only cure you needed.

After a bout of silence disturbed only by internal thought, you cracked a smile. "So you thought if you infused your hands with dendro, you'd take some of the pain away." These words seemed to be correct as Alhaitham's green eyes narrowed, almost reminiscent of a pout. How cute.

"It was only my hypothesis." He grumbled.

"Well it was correct." Your smile was soft, as soft as the grip he had on your hands. Beneath the layers of sarcasm and apathy, every now and then a spark of emotion would shine through, and you lived for each one of those moments, where you could finally see Alhaitham's humanity once more.

[randomshenaniganery]

Mairon to Finrod (info dump time)

I am going to draw Oleander when im not busy but I did want to show why it took me three days to finish up everything

Me diving into the outfit design and slso Finrod's opinion on the boys its in the bottom tho skksks

ALSO ALSO if u make vespersonas i will be friends pls let us lore dump together

real name: ??? I haven't picked one akskkaskskaskas

Age: 29 (they pretend they're older as Vigil)

Height: 5'7 cm

Gender: enby

Sexuality: Asexual biromantic

Weight: 73 kg

Traits: Street smart, scrappy, observant, liar liar pants on fire

Skills: Swimming, sewing, sword fighting (shield user), puzzle solving, running,

Weaknesses: when they don't want to do something they'll be stubborn about it, can't jump very high,

Backstory timeline:

Has had Fractum Anima for at least 2 months now (same as all Vespers)

In the surface their job was being part of a group of private guards, they mainly escorted people or goods

Ran away from home due to domestic abuse at the age of 12 before joining the guard for training

Worked there for 17 yrs before they got diagnosed and went under

Met Cirrus they were like okay weird but whatever if there's a lunar ichor alternative we gotta try that, saw Cirrus punishing that dude went nope try again later, they did try again later and got the Cirrus grew bored of you route with Ark

Set the pleasure den on fire by using the lotions and oils that were left in the room. Fun fact if you dry lotion on fabric it's VERY flammable and since they don't have synthetic fibers in this game, plus considering what kind of ingredients they'd be using for lubrication, lotions and oil; it's really easy to set things on fire.

After running away and grabbing a new face, they broke into their old room and left their medallion before returning as 'Finrod'

met Oleander while avoiding the guards because they were feeling antsy

became Vigil and is balancing new work, how do I kill Cirrus thoughts and I might need to steal lunar ichor when it pops up in the market.

Habits & hobbies:

Whenever Finrod gets too overwhelmed they use pain to calm their mind, to them pain is clarity. So, sometimes when Finrod stews on bad memories they'll end up harming themselves in some way to force themselves to calm down

Really, really quiet when it comes to pain, crying or having a crisis, high pain tolerance basically which is good because of their flare ups

Sometimes Finrod doesn't really laugh even though something is funny so they learned to fake laugh as a way to show they find something funny

Whenever something is really funny to them they have the habit of covering their mouth

When they're unsure, nervous or feeling awkward they'll scratch their nose

Doesn't have a tell when they're lying cause they do it so much

Finrod has the habit of bringing everything they think they need with them at all times (matchsticks/lighter/strike-a-light/flint, knife, scissors, needle and thread, bandages, map, a magnifying glass, paper and ink) this is because of having to live on the go for their job. scouting behavior etc.

When Finrod is happy/relaxed/calm they'll start humming or singing this applies to games, when they have their plan all finished and they're confident they'll start singing to themselves

In a fight Finrod will throw themselves at people like a battering ram if needed, not that they're big but that they're good at knowing how to use their momentum and weight.

Likes massaging/caressing/tracing their friends' hands as a way to soothe themselves

Can finish dressing up and arranging all their things in under 4 minutes (habit from being a private guard on the go)

Name stuff:

Chose Mairon for their first half because I thought it would be appropriate since this is their first go at the mountain. Finrod is their second go because of how Finrod died and the betrayal stuff that happened to him.

Outfit Design:

Mairon's Clothes

Wanted it to come off as simple and formal more reminiscent of their time as a private guard. The most color you'll get from them is their belt and matching cuffs. Very neat appearance more npc looking since they want to blend in. They use the standard black mask in the game as well.

Finrod's Clothes

I gave it more color because Finrod had to ditch their old clothes due to the fire, it's a mix of things they grabbed or bought after the fire. They kept their belt and cuff because it's sentimental and also just useful to them. Although they wear more colors It's mostly dark shades so that they don't stand out in shadows. A lot of their body is bandaged and when they met Oleander half their face was bandaged under the mask too.

Opinions on the boys:

REaLLy wants Cirrus dead doesn't care if they get hurt in the process

Slowly growing an obsession over Oleander but they're very good at hiding it, their banter helps calm them down

Likes to mess with Kier otherwise neutral but i think storywise they haven't met

Francesco reminds them of a friend from the surface they bump into each other time to time

[blackjackkent]

As with Patch 5, I have compiled my favorite Patch 6 patch notes (the exciting ones and the hilarious ones) so you don't have to.

First of all, the Highlights section has some VERY nice QoL changes:

"You can now dismiss a recruited companion from your party while speaking to the companion you want to replace them with." (Fuck yes, this is such a small annoyance but it really adds up over time.)

"When a dialogue triggers automatically, the game will now try to prioritise your avatar character as the main speaker." (I spent literally like half an hour trying to ensure Hector got the conversational lead when walking into the vault with the Stone Lord for my liveblog post, so this fills my heart with DEEP joy.)

"The Elixir of Hill Giant Strength now applies its effects when thrown." (HUGE deal for Hector's party in my liveblog, as @zenjestrr has pointed out to me - Jaheira can hurl it onto Hector, Karlach, and Minsc together!)

Some general happy-making improvements (some for things in Act 3/epilogue that I haven't gotten to yet but which sound very positive):

"Your partner now has a few different kisses! They're brand new, unique, and randomized."

"If you sit on the stool in Shadowheart's camp corner, she will now react to you with a line based on your relation with her."

"Improved the cinematic scenes in the Elfsong Tavern to feel more intimate when you and your romance partner decide your future together after defeating the Netherbrain."

"Reworked the reflection scenes that take place after wrapping up the defeat of the Netherbrain for characters without romantic partners to better match the scenes for those who do have romantic partners, and to bridge the gap into the epilogue."

"Added a new cinematic scene to support the combat encounter that occurs after you choose whether to side with Nightsong at Sorcerous Sundries or not."

"If you romanced Lae'zel, grab a red dragon and saddle up - you can now join her in the rebellion against Vlaakith, even if you are not gith yourself."

"Increased the number of valid methods of knocking Minthara out to recruit her."

"Tooltips for spells requiring concentration now more prominently display a warning if you are already using concentration to maintain another spell."

And now the bits that just made me laugh. XD

"If you Long Rest with only alcohol as camp supplies, you will now get the new Hungover condition for 10 turns."

"The Long Rest camp supply menu is now better at pulling supplies from inside containers in companion inventories. Stop hoarding the cheese, Wyll."

"The owlbear cub will no longer gobble up Auntie Ethel's Hair before you can take advantage of the bonus it grants." (???)

"Creating harmful surfaces beneath NPCs will now trigger a crime reaction."

"Scratch can no longer equip certain weapons. Like the Everburn Blade."

"Jaheira could be in bad shape by the time she arrived at Moonrise Towers since she already had to fight. Now she's smart enough to heal up before she goes there, which we're hoping lets her last at least an additional second in combat."

"Fixed dice roll sounds playing if you have the 'Hide Failed Perception Rolls' setting enabled while exploring. We asked the narrator to quieten down when rolling the dice for your immersion."

"Fixed a bug causing player characters to get deleted from the game after stealing the Blood of Lathander."

"Enemies are now less likely to summon a Skeletal Involucre in range of a Spirit Guardian that will immediately destroy it."

"Nere's Legendary Action now correctly triggers when he is attacked, rather than when he attacks. Cut him some slack - being a True Soul is a lot of pressure; we'd all get confused in his shoes."

"Told Fezzerk to stop throwing his bombs on himself and his allies."

"The Apostle of Myrkul's Finger of Death spell is now treated as a Level 7 spell instead of a cantrip."

"Fixed Steel Watchers sometimes hurting themselves with their own attacks."

"Invisible characters who have something to say in a dialogue will now remember to actually show themselves."

" Throwing NPCs into a chasm will no longer trigger their crime reaction dialogue while they're mid-flight."

"Jaheira could have access to two types of Wild Shape in certain circumstances. We've toned down her blatant disregard for D&D rules."

"Fixed NPC heads occasionally detaching in Forced Turn-Based Mode."

"You can no longer place a corpse into its own inventory."

"Items can only be sent to specific companions in camp if a party member is in camp at the time. Stop sending every +1 dagger to Gale, he's not that hungry."

"NPCs should be a lot less eager to engulf themselves (or their allies) in flames now."

"Fixed NPCs using an incorrect throw range when they can't move. This sometimes caused them to, say, throw explosives on their own heads."

"Fixed NPCs sometimes successfully landing jumps that shouldn't be possible. Like through ceilings."

"You can no longer trade with sleeping characters."

"Fixed overhead dialogues still playing above the souls of dead characters - represented as blue wisps - in the epilogue camp. Lae'zel will no longer urgently proclaim 'Repositioning!' when you make her little wisp move around."

"Killing Omeluum or Blurg of the Society of Brilliance will now break your paladin oath. Because they're nice and you're not."

"Picking up fish from the beach at the Emerald Grove is no longer a crime. They take their vegetarianism very seriously, those druids."

"You can now no longer spawn infinite fish at the Emerald Grove beach. No wonder that bear smells."

"Told Art Cullagh to please stop singing during the combat when Isobel's being abducted."

"You can no longer trade with Voss when he ambushes you at the base of High Hall."

"If you escape prison and then return to your cell and close the door without being noticed by anyone allied to the arresting guards, you will no longer be considered a fugitive."

"Fixed a bug where a status could carry over from the final battle to the beginning of the epilogue, potentially killing the players."

"You can now clean your body and clothes in a fountain in the House of Hope's boudoir. Sometimes it's nice to freshen up before a big event."

"Fixed Scratch not feeling like playing in camp beyond Act I after partying too hard at the camp celebration."

"Minthara no longer speaks more about Shadowheart than Shadowheart does about herself."

"You'll no longer see text telling you that Gale approves of something if he's not even nearby to see what happened."

"Jaheira's memory in her old age was failing her, and she could tell you about Minsc twice if you left her in camp but advanced her quest multiple steps. Now she's much better at remembering what she told you, and will only prompt it the once."

"Good boys Scratch and the owlbear cub will now play together in any camp, not just the main one in the wilderness from Act I."

"Cerys will now leave your camp after the camp celebration in Act I. We know it's sometimes hard to ask the last person to leave the party, so we've done it for you."

"Fixed Rugan being upset with you for trespassing after saving him from impending doom. You're welcome, Rugan."

"Florrick now looks appropriately grimy and sweaty after escaping Waukeen's Rest."

"Lae'zel will no longer become hostile towards you, thinking you left the inquisitor's office in Crèche Y'llek while waiting to fulfil Vlaakith's orders, when you only jumped on one of the platforms in the corner."

"Fixed Smythin in the Goblin Camp sometimes getting stuck in a cowering animation. He's a little braver now."

"Rugan is no longer 'too busy' to thank you after you free him in the Zhentarim Hideout."

"One of the teenagers in the Crèche Y'llek will now tend to his cleaning tasks. He may or may not have been chastised for shirking his duties."

"Fixed a bug with Bernard in the Arcane Tower not giving you a reward if you previously befriended the squirrel in the Emerald Grove."

"Fixed a couple of goblins in the Goblin Camp not really doing much at all if you free Sazza."

"Rotated Barth and Remira near the Emerald Grove gate so they would shout in the right direction."

"The nurses in the House of Healing have remembered that they are capable of speech and will now react to crimes properly."

"Dame Aylin now permits all players to behold her radiance in the cutscene when ascending from the Shadowfell rather than just the one who freed her."

"Isobel and Marcus will no longer stop their epic confrontation at Last Light just because someone commits a petty crime nearby."

"In rare cases, Jaheira could be Frightened in the combat with Ketheric and end up so scared she doesn't show up to resolve the conflict in the Shadow-Cursed Lands. She now overcomes her terror."

"Bards can no longer say they saved Jaheira's Harper scouts when they did no such thing."

"Fixed some guards by the fountain at Last Light who were trying to speak each other's lines."

"Now you can convince Ch'r'ai Har'rak to go away in different ways."

"Mayrina will no longer still be Bloodless in Act III if Astarion bit her in Act I."

"Wyll no longer leaves the party when you commit a crime in the High Hall. With the city in ruin, the petty crime dramatics seemed a little extreme."

"A few more people around Baldur's Gate will notice if an article has been printed about you in the newspaper."

"Lumbar will no longer react as if you didn't pay for the privilege of hitting him if the single strike had different damage types." (Ah this explains why Hector got that weird reaction. XD)

"Vicar Humbletoes will no longer do a weird shrug before praying."

"Prevented Karlach's death scene from triggering if a solo player chooses to detonate while playing as Avatar Gale."

"Fixed Lae'zel talking inaccurately about Ptaris, for example suggesting he's dead when he's... literally right there."

"Auntie Ethel will no longer send you a letter written by Zevlor in the epilogue."

"If you part ways with Shadowheart and hide in the Underdark as a mind flayer, she won't forget and think you've spent the last sixth months together in the epilogue. Classic Shadowheart, always forgetting things."

"The Emperor will no longer send you a cheerful letter in the epilogue camp if you ate his brains."

"You can no longer invite the owlbear cub to live with you and Halsin in the epilogue if you do not, in fact, live with Halsin."

"Fixed avatar characters incorrectly getting assigned the Dream Guardian's skin colour in Character Creation on controller."

"The fish barrels in the Underdark, that clearly look like they have fish in them, now actually contain fish instead of tarts."

"You can no longer casually go walkies in the middle of a chasm in the Decrepit Village in the Underdark."

"Removed a platform in Grymforge that looked like it was accessible and was tricking a few of you into trying to jump on it to access the Gauntlet of Shar."

"You can no longer disappear into a couple of rocks near the mephits in Grymforge. Sorry."

"Added a new animation for Cranium Rats. They can now stand up on their hind leggies."

"Corpses thrown from your inventory now look dead rather than alive. As is right."

"Fixed missing sounds in Active Search. (We found them hidden under some rocks in Act I.)"

"Fixed a basket of onions claiming to be a fruit basket, and other issues with lying baskets."

"Gave the dogs at the Sword Coast Couriers names. Because they're the best boys."

"Lae'zel no longer slides or teleports away during her Epilogue dialogue."

"Made general improvements to Boo's animations. The hamster is a little less jittery."

"Fixed the goblet flying out of your hand when talking to Jaheira at Last Light. We knew you were suspicious of it, but you don't have to be so dramatic."

:D

This is a tiny fraction of the full set of changes/improvements/fixes listed in the patch notes and once again I am tremendously impressed. As I said last time - this game has a breadth of scope and ambition that repeatedly takes my breath away and I am mindboggled at the amount of work being put into it.

Very excited to finish out Act 3 in the coming weeks!

[obviousniklr]

Haven't drawn these characters in a long time 😭

But here's some of my Modern OCs

• Team Skull

A seemingly normal adventure team doing missions/jobs, but under the surface they have a much darker agenda in operation.

Fynx the Red Panda. The leader of Team Skull. He's a conniving and clever red panda who takes what he wants, does what he wants, with a seemingly charming yet deceiving demeanor. He vows to reawaken the power of the Red Zircon one day and reign supreme over every mobian.

Scratch the Raccoon, a selfish and aggressive punk who is very loyal to Fynx. Being the only one who picked him up when nobody wanted him, and gave him a prosthetic arm, Scratch vows his life to Fynx believing that he would have a glorious life under his rule.

And Timothy (Tim) the Tiger, a strong but gentle bodyguard of Fynx. When they first met, Timothy owed him for helping him out on a family disagreement, and saving his life from a near-to-death accident. Now, he ventures with Fynx to repay him but was it the right choice? Knowing Fynx' true intentions now, Tim regrets it. He wants to be set free from his grasp but unfortunately, he knows how dangerous Fynx could be, that he can slit his throat at any moment and leave him to die alone, so he's trapped being his bodyguard. Forever silenced until someone breaks, or pulls him out to safety

• An update on Iyro's Black Quartz look.

Oh right, I haven't told it yet here, but Iyro used to be in a delinquent group called Black Quartz. He joined mainly to have friends, but when he realized they were doing bad deeds, he starts feeling doubtful about his decision. He wants to leave but he doesn't want to let the members of the group, those who needs his strength, down.

• K3io brothers

Three brothers who only rely on each other. After their mother died from an illness 6 years ago, Ron has been trying to keep his brothers safe, and well sheltered, taking on random jobs to offer help. Now at the current time, they work as a guild team in Stone Guild, taking on many kinds of jobs in the wild.

Ron, the eldest of the three, is very reliable and assertive. Always looking out for his brothers. Has a knack for card and board games, and is somewhat bashful towards women.

Ry, the middle child, is a rowdy and thrill seeking doggo. He likes everything cool and daring. He even wants to be a hero one day and beat-up bad guys. He can get in trouble at times, injuring himself, being a bit reckless which leads to Ron scolding him alot for doing something stupid or dangerous. But over all that fiery passion for something exciting, he still cares about his brothers. Worries about Ron whenever he overworks himself or blames himself for not earning enough, only for the next day Ry surprises him with money to buy food (yet Ron also doubts Ry could've stolen it), and looks out after Rio whenever it's just them too, eventhough he prefers to do something else, he still cherish Rio and gives him candy.

And lastly Rio, the youngest of the brothers. Eventhough he wasn't able to experience abit of school like his brothers did, he still likes learning about the world around him. He has an imaginative mind and an optimistic and warm heart. Eventhough he doesn't know the harshness of reality yet, he still want to help his brothers on their work so they can eat yummy foods, and see them all happy together.

A bit of an Easter egg but here's Ron in the Future as well.

In the future, Ron decided to move to a corporate job instead. Though seemingly impossible since he stopped schooling at an early age, he found his chance when he saw a project hiring people without a diploma and just basing their qualifications on their capabilities. Ron studied hard and managed to get a position. Now he works at the same office Alan (Juliet's dad) works in.

(an explanation to the last pic) When Bony went to Alan's office to deliver him a letter of consent for his daughter, since she does work in their guild afterall, for a group camp/expedition, she coincidentally recognizes a familiar blue dog. Same can be said to Ron when he saw Bony. They haven't since each other in a long time since the brothers left Stone Guild. After that reunion, they decide to catch up, see what the other's lives has been up to.

[greetingfromthedead]

11. Jaws

Series: Mermaid!AU Depth of Despair

Pairing: Vash x GN!Reader

Word count: 2.2k

Author's Note: I am happy to announce that Depth of Despair is back to weekly uploads for chapters 11 - 15! I apologize for the long break, but with life being busy and my mental health being what it is, I am incapable of juggling two ongoing series (Apple Blossoms being the other) at the same time and since I really don't want to drop either of them, I have settled on writing 5 chapters of one of them and then switching to the other + break weeks between as necessary. It's not ideal, but I hope yall will put up with me ❤ If there are questions, I am more than happy to answer! ❤

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The voices of the merpeople tangle themselves into the minds of the seamen while they chant commands in a cacophony of haunting melodies. Guns drop to the slippery wooden deck as the sailors become entranced by the mesmerizing sounds. One can barely hear the scratching of nails against wood as the predators claw their way on board. That is until everything falls silent as a grave.

Out of nowhere, a massive black shadow appears under the water's surface. It circles the fishing boat, occasionally coming up enough to breach the still surface with its spines that protrude out from its back. The sirens grin a sharp toothed smile as they watch their meal shiver in fear. The men on the boat are unsure of what to do, their own voices quieting down now that there is nothing to drown out. Vash hears his heartbeat in his ears, blood rushing through his veins as he waits for the attack.

A giant black serpent's tail suddenly slams over the side of the boat, crushing a railing that splinters into pieces. The wet scales glisten, reminding Vash of a dark moonless night. The fishing boat rocks from the impact, a few sirens falling back into the water. The boat starts to keel the other way, a few of Vash's men losing their footing as they all turn just in time to see a black haired man pull themselves over the edge, his body transforming from being covered by massive scales to a human form. He slithers up to the front of the deck, keeping himself upright with the help of a massive trident. He looks imposing where he stands, but his face isn't filled with malice or anger. Vash thinks he might even see something resembling a smile.

"Blondie, it's you again," the serpent speaks, almost playfully.

"Nicholas, wasn't it?" Vash replies, remembering the day you snatched him from his own pier to save him from the man who now seems to toy with the lives of all his men.

"Indeed. And you aren't even drawn to me," he smiles more obviously. "Unlike your crew."

Vash hears more clanks and thuds as his men drop their weapons, their eyes solely focused on the frightening merman in front of them.

"Let them go," Vash commands.

"Why would I let a meal go just like that? Haven't you slipped from my grasp enough times by now?" The merman's voice is cold and menacing, but Vash hears something more in it—a playful note that doesn't seem to belong there. "Why don't we make a bet?"

"You want me to play with the lives of my men?" Vash is in shock, but none of the people around him seem to understand what the conversation is about; they look enamored, captured by the voice of the creature from the deep.

"Didn't you come here for a reason?" Nicholas asks, his gaze sharp as a blade.

Vash's eyes widen in surprise. He shouldn't be shocked that the man before him knows all about your situation, but for some reason he is anyway. It fills his chest with anger and fear. Without even intending to, he takes a long step forward, his hand reaching for the sword on his hip.

"Now now, hear me out first," Nicholas scolds him. "How about we play a game? Do what you came here to do; succeed, and I will allow you, your crew, and… your loot to get out of here alive. Fail, and you will all become fish food."

To emphasize his point, Nicholas flexes the muscles along his long tail that has coiled around the boat, making the planks complain via small cracks and squeaks.

"Why do you do this?" Vash asks, mistrustful of the siren.

"It gets so boring living in hiding all the time. I don't often get the opportunity to play with my food." Nicholas licks his lips. "But don't get me wrong. You are food. You will not succeed. Without your little guardian angel, you will not escape my jaws a third time."

"What are the rules of your game?" Vash asks, forcing himself to be calm in the face of death.

"I grant you your crew, as much as their scrambled brains will allow, and you will get to show me what you're capable of. To give you just a touch of a fighting chance and to make things more entertaining for myself, I will stand down, and so will everyone else who is here. But if you come across any others, they are free to rip your flesh from your bones. Sounds good?"

Vash walks closer, up the stairs to the landing where the siren perches. He stretches out his gloved hand to accept the only line of hope he has to save everyone.

"Alright, I will take those odds," Vash says with as much confidence he can muster up. Failure is not an option.

Nicholas takes Vash's hand, sealing the bet with a firm handshake and a crooked smile on his lips. "I'll be rooting for you, Blondie."

Vash's head swims with everything he just heard. The remarks and comments alluding to facts he did not know. His heart still pounds loudly in his chest as he turns away from the impressive siren to look over his ship and men. He doesn't have time to dwell on anything he just heard. All he is focused on now is to save you, whatever it takes.

The ship rocks as Nicholas slides back into the calm waters. One by one, the other merpeople follow his lead, diving back into their environment. Vash sees numerous shadows lurking beneath the surface, waiting for him to fail. He doesn't quite understand why he was presented with an opportunity to save everybody, but he has nothing to lose. If Nicholas lied, everyone will die. If he fails, everyone will die. So he has one goal and one goal only as he watches his men snap back to reality, getting hold of their own minds and bodies again. Their hands shake in fear, and their eyes are wide with terror as they look around, realizing that they did not dream this.

Vash takes a deep breath, steadying himself before starting to dish out commands and instructions to his disheveled men.

The sun shines through the tree branches, caressing the back of your neck and your cheek as you sit on the edge of the pier. The water laps gently at the wooden planks below you, the sound a soothing rhythm against the backdrop of birdsong. A playful gust of wind ruffles through the linen material of the puffy sleeves of your shirt while you close your eyes and take in the peaceful moment. Your heart leaps with joy as you feel at home.

The rustling of grass alerts you to Vash's presence as he struts down the bank of the river until his footsteps echo hollowly on the wooden dock. You don't turn to look at him, choosing to keep your eyes closed until you feel his warm embrace envelop you. Lazily, you lean your head back to nestle between his shoulder and his neck, causing the flower crown he placed on your head earlier to nearly slip off, catching it just in time before it falls.

"Careful," Vash says with an amused tone, pulling away from you just enough to place a kiss on your cheek before sitting down from his squatted position without letting go of you.

"I am! I would never want to lose it!" You speak with a smile, turning your head to see the soft expression on his handsome face. He leans in, touching the side of his head against your temple, making you face forward again as his hug tightens around you.

His long legs spread out to either side of you, framing you in a protective embrace. You look at your own legs, the pants rolled up to your knees to avoid getting them wet. You lift your feet out from the river, water droplets on your skin catching the sun. Vash settles in, resting his chin on your shoulder as he keeps his head against yours, his contempt sigh tickling your skin. You flex your feet and toes, feeling a cool breeze against your ankles.

"I watered the roses. Just a few more days until they burst into bloom," he murmurs against your skin as he presses his nose more into the suppleness of your cheek.

He keeps his left arm around you, the right one untangling itself from your body to gently run along the length of your arm, his fingers tracing along your elbow and down to your fingertips until he cups your hand in his before lacing his fingers with yours.

"What a beautiful day," you sigh with happiness as you both bask in the warmth of the sun and the joy of each other's company.

The smile lingers on your lips even as the brilliant sunshine gets duller, a veil of clouds obscuring its rays. Even as the crisp air gets murky and dull like mist, it doesn't dampen the joy in your heart. Even as wisps of blood appear, bright red, in front of you before disappearing, Vash's upturned lips and brilliant blue eyes are all that you see.

The growling of the changelings doesn't even register in your mind as they fight each other for a place around you. Their sharp teeth leave marks on your skin as they ravage your body, drinking deep from your veins, but you are too mesmerized by the scene in your head to feel any pain. You are lost in the world of your imagination, completely detached from reality. A reality that is cruel, dark, and hopeless. You feel a sense of peace and freedom in your mind, a place where you can escape from the harshness of the world around you. The only place where you have not been tied down to become a buffet to these creatures who want nothing else but the magic in your veins. Your reality is a merciless nightmare that will never end. Draining you dry will not kill you; ripping the flesh from your bones won't do that either. You are doomed to remain in eternal suffering, but it is a fate you would choose again and again if it meant that Vash is safe.

You are glad that the last moments you spent with him, you got to see him up close. You got the chance to memorize every detail of his face, from the curve of his lips to the angles of the tiny wrinkles around his eyes that show up more when he smiles. You never want to forget a single thing about him; he is always on your mind. Even now your mind conjures him up, swimming closer with a knife between his teeth. The image is so lifelike, so true, it's like you could reach out and touch him if your muscles had a single ounce of strength in them.

Hissing and screeching erupts all around you as the changelings scramble away from a blade that slashes through the water with unnatural speed. A large shadow blocks out the dim light of the distant surface, a silhouette with a sword in their left hand. The blade glints for a moment as it slashes again, making the little changelings scatter in fear. It all feels so real, yet it cannot be true. As Vash's worried face comes to view, you want to close your eyes. It is too good to be true—an impossible scenario that you would rather not have in your head. You don't want to feed into unreasonable hope. He should never come here.

Despite your wishes, you can't look away. Vash's free hand cups your cheek to pull himself closer so he can press his lips to yours. It is hurried and brief, over before your brain can catch up. Bubbles escape his mouth as he breathes in the salty ocean water, and he looks relieved. You keep telling your fuzzy mind that none of this is real. It cannot be. But his touch feels so vivid, so tangible, that you can't help but wonder if it actually is. Hope, that is so dangerous, blooms in your chest. Your mind keeps fleeing from you no matter how hard you try to focus. Moments of almost clarity are quickly replaced by darkness as your thoughts slip away.

Through the fog of your mind and feeling like your body doesn't belong to you, somehow you still feel the binds being cut. No longer do the ropes dig into your flesh as they anchor you to the mass of rocks. Relief wants to wash over you, to knock you out cold, but still you try to convince yourself that whatever is happening, it is not as it seems. Vash couldn't have come to save you. He shouldn't have.

Your body gets dragged into a new restraint; something else locks around your waist as you get pulled away. Through the haze of your eyes, you see the faces of children as they come out from their hiding spots. Their dark eyes narrowing with anger as they hiss in frustration. It feels so real.

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[deadlandsqueen]

Found you through your tiktok and I genuinely would love to hear you talk all about sun wukon as much as you want

Ahhhh! That makes me so happy. Genuinely was getting overwhelmed in comments cause so many wanted to hear XD

The thing is it's all about where I would start- *presure in on staring at the universe like "how did I get here?"*

-cause I could easily direct someone to watch something on him (Like Overly sarcastic production they are the goat of explaining who this little guy is and they have an ongoing series which focuses on more of the exciting tales).

But also I feel I haven't scratched the surface of adaptations. I know about the famous ones like Dragon ball (which I do find funny that Goku is not the first anime Goku there's another anime where it's jttw but pretty anime boys), and Lego Monkie kid.

However to go more obscure outside of America, one of my favorite adaptation -just from premise alone- is a Korean drama where Sun Wukong and Demon bull king are roommates ( A Korean Odyssey).

And there's like one thing from overly sarcastic Monkey King video that I could even add to is The Lumberjack scene (Which has no affect to the story and really you can argue there was no need to bring them u0 (Or maybe they are JUST ion The monkey and the monk)) But I got attached to that scene for the sheer potential of a Lumberjack who lives down the mountain from the immortals (aka Wukong's soon to be Mentor, Master Subhuti). Just a regular dude living his life them BOOM Monkey.

(I drew this after I read about him. Man was singing a poem and Wukong confused the man for being an immortal. beautiful)

Im so sorry for just dropping this but again Thank you I don't want to make you read a novel. There's almost a temptation to make a video on my thoughts but for now I'm trying to make some Jttw content that can express my love for this little guy. But I can say this if you know about how Wukong Scratched his name out of the book of the dead then you'll what my next animatic will be on (hopefully i just scribbled my thoughts out today so it's in pre-production)

I have a lot of thoughts get I still feel like im missiing so much. BUT IM GETTING THERE!

Also I cant talk about Black Myth Wukong. 50% of it is me dying in game. 30% staring at pretty visuals, or 10% me whining that I cant climb stuff even though Im monkey so I should have the right to climb or the last 10% is me finding a character, grabbing him and trying to make a character of them cause i think they're neat.

Im so sorry again for this novel but thank you again XD

[bridgeportbritt]

SimDonia Prepatory Gymnasium | Hallow Slough, SimDonia

Chantel cheers: We're the best! Our teams too cool! We got the class to rock this school!

Victoria sighs loudly

Eric annoyed: Vick, what is your deal? That's like the twelth time you've sighed since we've been sitting here.

Ella: More like twelth hundrendth!

Chantel cheers: We're the best, so score them points. You win the game, we'll rock this joint!

Victoria: Ugh, you guys! I just feel like we're not talking enough about prom!

Eric, Ella, and Chantel groan in frustration

Chantel: Okay, ya'll are not even watching me practice, are you?

Eric: Vick, what do you mean? I feel like it's all we've talked about since school started.

Victoria: We've barely scratched the surface! No one has their outfits picked, we haven't secured an afterparty, Ella hasn't even gotten security clearance to go! Time is of the essence, people!

Ella: It is literally months away.

Victoria: 153 days to be exact.

Eric: But, who's counting?

Ella: We have exams, college admissions, I'm on bridesmaid duty! What exactly do you want us to be talking about that's so important?

Victoria: Well, we could start with dates. Ella, I'm assuming you're going with Luca. It's just a matter of time before he asks you.

Ella: Uh, yep, I guess so.

Victoria: And Eric?

Eric: Uh... I was thinking of asking my friend, Mckenzie. You guys remember her, right?

Ella: How could we forget?

Chantel cheers: And a 1, 2, 3, - should I just stop?

Victoria: Chantel! We're the only two without dates to prom?

Chantel scoffs: As if I'm worried about getting a date to the prom.

Victoria: You're not?

Chantel: No! Getting a date is easy. I could get one right now if I wanted.

Victoria: Yeah, okay, Chantel.

Chantel: You don't believe me? Watch this.

Ella: Here she goes.

Eric: This should be good.

Chantel: Hey, you!

Victoria: Oh my, Watcher. She's really doing this.

Student: Uh, me?

Chantel: Yeah, you. Your name's Lee, isn't it?

Lee: Uh... yes.

Chantel: Chantel. You going to prom with anyone?

Lee: Oh, uh... no.

Chantel: Wanna to go with me?

Lee: With you? Really. I mean, sure. Why not, I guess?

Chantel: Cool. I'll send you the deets on Social Bunny.

Lee: Cool! I'll see you then.

Chantel: See? Told you. No big deal.

Eric: Wow, I can't believe you just did that.

Ella: I can.

Victoria: Okay, yeah. I'll give you props that that was pretty ballsy. But, that's not going to work for those of us who actually care about who we go to prom with and have specific people in mind.

Eric: Like who?

Victoria: Like I'd tell you guys so you can hunt him down! I'm going to trust in the Watcher that he will come to me with an elaborate promposal, we'll go in beautiful matching outfits, win prom King and Queen, and live happily ever after.

Ella laughs: As you deserve, Vicky.

Chantel: Yeah, yeah. That's all great. I wish the best for you. Now will you guys actually watch me cheer? This is gym period, right?

Ella, Eric, and Victoria groan in compliance

[pythoria]

something about bg3 i find fascinating is just How Many characters are good and compelling. Usually with most media, be it games or tv shows or movies you have one or 2 characters you get attached to, but with baldur's gate i love almost every single character in their own way.

Astarion is instantly charming and witty, he's the sassy vampire who most people find themselves drawn to, but he's not the only compelling character by far. Gale takes some time to grow on you, but after you actually see how his story unfolds and maybe even romance him, you start understanding that he's just as hurt and sad as any of the other characters, groomed from a young age and misunderstood because of it. Astarion sees himself as just a body to be used, but Gale also thinks he's worthless deep down, especially after losing the bulk of his magic. He's passively suicidal and thinks his abuser is worth sacrificing everything for, and needs the whole camp to yell at him for being stupid to realise he might deserve to live and even, get this, find happiness.

Shadowheart's story and ending isn't talked about a lot, but it is HEARTBREAKING, and both endings for her are the only ones that actually brought tears to my eyes. In a similar way to other characters, her bad ending gives away a lot about her character, almost more than her good ending, and without spoiling it, i'll just say: it's impossible to make her character evil. she will always be governed by a sense of good and justice, and the only thing that goes wrong for her is being misguided and unable to turn back. Whatever she does, she does it because she thinks it's good and just.

I can't go in depth about every character, although they are all incredible, but honourable mentions for me are literally all the villains. Gortash is instantly compelling, and how could he not be with a voice actor like That. Him and Orin are also incredibly visually interesting, as well as their personalities being so magnetic. Ketheric is deeply tragic in his own way, act 2 is practically dedicated to his shattered family and it's so fascinating to see the shards of a broken man scattered across a broken, cursed land.

Raphael has the best theme song by far, he's overflowing with charisma, he speaks in riddles and verse, he's the perfect devil. He draws you in, you almost start to like him, and then you arrive at the House of Hope and the illusion both shatters and builds even further, because his lair is by far the best map in the entire game. You find out he only ever wants to sleep with himself, but that he's terrible in bed according to his succubus. You see people's lost souls pop in and out of existence, and you can only watch them beg for reprieve, but cannot interact. You see debtors crawling around rabidly on all fours, or worshipping his toilet, or sitting in front of his budoir, endlessly bound to watch him and his succubus through the peep hole but never allowed to join. And then there's the final fight, with its incredible song that everyone should experience for the first time in game.

So many compelling characters and i could write an essay about each one. i've barely scratched the surface, and i haven't even mentioned all the origin characters. it's just insane to me how detailed every story is, how they all have their own individual arcs and motivations and they're all fully fleshed out, and feel so god damn REAL. Yeah, bg3 should get GOTY, but honestly that's not even enough. The voice actors need oscars, the composer needs a grammy, and so on and so forth. what a game.