#I should drop some of the designs in the mean time. because the three stories happens in different times

[artist-heart83]

Everyone should make their guess of which one come out first because they’re being worked at the same time.

[vexwerewolf]

Should I read homestuck

tl;dr: no

actual answer: yes, but with some extremely important caveats.

Firstly, because Adobe shitcanned Flash, you can now no longer experience Homestuck in the form it was intended upon release... unless you download the Unofficial Homestuck Collection. This act of unbelievable, nay, saintly generosity by Homestuck's most dedicated fans allows you to experience Homestuck as it was intended - as close as is humanly possible.

"As close as is humanly possible" is the key phrase here. One indelible part of the original Homestuck experience was UPDATE! Homestuck would sometimes go weeks or even months (and later, years) between updates. I wasn't on Tumblr back in the day, but at the peak of Homestuck, even if you knew nothing else about it, you'd know when an update dropped because Tumblr's net traffic would increase something like three to fourfold. People would go apeshit bananas about whatever new revelations the Huss would drop on us.

You also need to realise that Homestuck is a product of its time and while its takes on sexuality and gender identity was pretty progressive (for its time), Huss did use the r-slur a bunch.

While we're on the subject of the author, Andrew Hussie (of whom my current understanding is that they have not changed name but go by they/them nowadays) is, in the most diplomatic possible terms, a very unique person. They are, at times, a visionary storyteller with genuinely fascinating ideas. At other times, they come off as kinda spiteful towards their readers.

Without meaning to dip into spoilers, some story beats seem (in my opinion) almost intentionally calculated to upset, irritate or mock certain fans. It never rises to the sheer vicious contempt that Steven Moffat had towards Sherlock's fanbase, but it does leave a bad taste in my mouth whenever I go back.

Additionally, and this is where a sort of birds-eye-view spoiler is unavoidable, the story suffers from the Game of Thrones pitfall of repeatedly increasing its own complexity by adding new plot threads without resolving existing ones, eventually leading to fatigue on the part of both the reader and the author. The arcs of a lot of characters just straight up get abandoned, while a couple of characters take an unnecessarily large amount of screen time.

There's one character in particular that the author openly states within the narrative (the author exists within the world of the story. It's... a whole thing) that they favour, and whose behaviour the story is warped to accommodate. You'll know exactly who I'm talking about almost the moment they show up.

Another reason I say that it's not really possible to read Homestuck as it was originally intended is because a lot of the shit that happens in it fits into the zeitgeist of the internet at the time any individual update was written. There's a whole section in the late middle third that is inextricably and very specifically tied to how it was like to use Tumblr in 2012.

Additionally, a lot of things have soured with time. There was the whole Hiveswap debacle (it was first announced in 2012. We got the first act in 2017. We got the second act in 2020. We do not even know if the third act will ever come out.). There were the legal threats. There were the Epilogues and Homestuck 2, which were... how do I put this? Not universally liked. There's been nearly a decade of discourse since Homestuck ended, and a lot of things haven't grown better with age.

All of that being said.

You should read it.

I cannot express to you just how big an impact Homestuck has had on internet culture. Even people who claim to hate Homestuck unconsciously use slang that it invented. Its unique ideas on storytelling, character design and narrative chronology have, in both subtle and unsubtle ways, changed the way millennials and Gen Z tell stories.

A lot of people were inspired to tell stories because of Homestuck - one example I always give to Lancer players is that Kill Six Billion Demons started as a comic on the MSPA forums (before it was homestuck.com, it was MS Paint Adventures), so Homestuck is in an indirect but demonstrable way responsible for the existence of Lancer. The sunglasses that Gideon Nav from the Locked Tomb wears have been explicitly stated by Tamsyn Muir to be Dave Strider's. Toby Fox made music for Homestuck, and worked on large parts of Undertale while living in Andrew Hussie's basement.

We also know someone in the Bluey creative team is a Homestuck, because...

There are subtle but direct references in Bojack Horseman, Hazbin Hotel, Steven Universe, Adventure Time - and those are just the ones that it's easy to prove! In a more general sense, I think there's a lot of cartoon series, movies, games, etc. that would either be very different or wouldn't exist if Homestuck hadn't happened.

It's certainly influenced my work.

I think, being very cautious to manage your expectations, that you should read Homestuck. At the very least, a lot of things people say on Tumblr will start to make, if not sense, a different kind of nonsense.

[snottertooder]

Why this red hood design is bad for Red hood as a character

My 2 cents on how this red hood design is harmful for his character and falls into the stereotypes that are put on him (aka Classism aka Angry Robin reckless Jason ) I will be looking at this from a logical stand point as an artist so if you like smth about this design power to you. A characters design is supposed to be both realistic AND fit the characater aesthetically which neither do here. (Ex: Superman wearing neon red undies is not realistic but it’s his trade mark)

1) Domino mask

Quick and easy, making the eyes of the Domino mask red instead of white intigates anger, literally screams “I see red” really drives home “pitmadness jason” “angry Robin jason”

2) Muscular Build

We see muscular builds in characters who are brawlers, who are more strong than smart, heros, crooks, henchmen,villains. Jason falls into none of those Categories, It makes him out to be more of a brawler type like the hulk rather than someone who uses weapons (or guns 🙃 like he should be)

I don’t see any point of him having muscles on his arms as he’s more like Nightwing, he trained like dick and fights similarly to him. I’ve seen people say he’s the least athletic Robin which? I’m just going to assume it’s because of this design choice of him having bigger muscles because Bigger = Slower.

The addition of the muscles also makes him look older which takes away the real tragedy of Jasons story which is that he’s so young, he died young, he fought Bruce at the age of 18. Making him look older takes away his “innocence” (aka the tragidy of his character). Basically Adding muscle isn’t beneficial for his skills set + paints a different picture of his character at first glance (he looks like a brawler rather than a duelists + he doesn’t look agile + he looks older)

3) Clothing

Bandages- he looks like a brawler, or a boxer type character, again focuses more on fighting red hood than his actual character: a planner “I’m 5 steps ahead of you” under the red hood Jason. It screams Reckless Jason who throws punches first asks questions later, and paints him in a different light (also they are SOOO UGLY with his gloves)

Vest- looks really cheap and thin, literally looks like something you would find at a Goodwill bins but drop immediately from the weird texture. Your telling me your a trust fund kid with a Billionaire daddy and a Mother figure who’s a princess but can’t get a proper vest?? Also the hood is soo on the nose, just because he’s called red hood doesn’t mean he needs that. Bring his helmet back.

Pants- it doesn’t look like it in the picture but 99.9% of the time they are drawn as sweatpants and sometimes they’re even adidas like he’s being sponsored to wear them. Again very cheap and he looks so goofy next to other hero’s who have proper gear on. It’s giving I woke up like this. Give him proper pants.

Symbol- this is more personal opinionated but I hate him having a symbol, the current one looks weird and what is that even supposed to be??? Why would he put that on his shirt?? It looks like a the Red heart on converses expect like possessed and angry (weird choice making the eyes look like that but okay….) I prefer him having no symbol at all, I genuinely think he’s popular enough to live off his red helmet alone, let it be his symbol, or a simple R like in three jokers (also nods to his Robin costume) but lowkey im grateful bc seeing the other options this was definitely the best……

Final synopsis: this design leans into the caricature Dc likes to put him in but also has some Fanon Jason todd mixed into it. He looks angry, stupid, and poor. looks nothing like who he is at core and strays soo far from his og design (again a brawler rather than a dualist) he looks lazy in it and it genuinely looks like he picked up his outfit at the nearest Walmart. I am not against seeing Jason in new costumes and played around with his design but when it strays so far and makes his character look completely different I don’t see the point of changing it in the first place.

Anyways save me Under the red hood Jason and Three jokers Jason 🙏.

[lordshroom]

Happy One Year Anniversary to 2012 Good Genes! WOOOOO

I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported the comic! Whether it's writing a comment, leaving a like when a new chapter drops (or spamming likes as you binge it), or just reading it. Thank you <3

Hard to believe I've managed to semi-consistently update a comic for a whole ass year. When I started this comic, it was a means to force myself to learn how to draw the turtles and just force myself outside my comfort zone: dynamic posing, perspective, shivers backgrounds.

I thought I would run with this idea for a few months, get bored, then move on to something else. A fate that has unfortunately fell many of my previous projects.

But then I started recognizing the same few blogs liking the new updates. I got a few followers. I got a few comments. Every note felt like something special, a sign that people actually wanted to read this story.

So I kept making the comic. One of the biggest shifts in mindset came from when I met Gavin Smith, an artist for the IDW series, I asked him how long it took him to draw a page. He said, "It changes depending on the page. Sometimes it takes three hours sometimes it takes three days." My priorities shifted from "Get the comic done as soon as possible before I get bored" to "make the comic you want to make". The comic went from this to this. I missed coloring, so I started coloring. But I always liked inking more than coloring, so I started inking the comic pretty soon after.

This does mean the comic takes longer to get out, and that bums me out. But I don't mind taking some extra time to give the pages some zest because, well, you guys. If you're going to take the time out of your day to read the pages, I'm going to take some extra time to work on them.

My dream job has always been to be a writer. I've fluctuated between writing books, movie scripts, comic scripts, and a bunch of other stuff.

When I was little, I would imagine elaborate 2012 fan fiction. I never wrote any of this down since I was deeply embarrassed by my fascination with TMNT. It was a boy's show, and I was a girl. On top of that, 2012 became my lifelong hyperfixation. I didn't even seek out an online community for 2012, the closest I ever got was the forums for the show on the Nick site I watched the episodes on.

In high school, I realized who the hell cares and started entering the online community. I watched Rise and 2003, bought the IDW hardcovers, and started getting the figures.

Then in college, I said, "screw it," and started writing a fan fiction on AO3. It did not perform well. I tried to tell myself that I should write for myself, but it was hard to find the motivation to continue so I moved on.

Last summer, I started working on my original story and considered making it a webcomic. I watched a bunch of videos about making comics and wanted to try it out. Now, all the advice for making your first comic is to "make it small so you actually finish it!"

I did not take that advice.

The idea for 2012 Good Genes was old, like, fan-fiction-I-made-in-my-head-in-high-school old. It was different from the current comic. That old version took place post-season 5 with a bunch of OCs and Donnie being mutated into something more bug-like. I went with a retelling of "Vengence is Mine" so I wouldn't have to worry about designing any new characters/ environments, and I those handful of episodes as a blueprint.

2012 Good Genes was supposed to be a learning exercise and became something so much more with your support. That support got me to work on another fanfiction on AO3, which got so much more love than I was expecting. It was so touching that people liked my writing enough to read it without any silly pictures.

So I'm going to say it again, thank you. Thank you so much for a fantastic year. I would not be where I am today without your support.

And if you managed to get through all my rambling, here's an update!

"The Invasion!" will have four more pages which I'm still drawing. After that is an original episode that I want to take time to write a script and design a character before I start posting updates, so in the meantime I will be working on drawing some stuff for my asks and working on the next chapter for "Perfect Son".

[stariikis]

𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 | 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 003

synopsis ; based on the Chinese Drama, 'When I Fly Towards You', in which you, a going-on-high-school English genius named Huang Yuting meets the Mathematics genius of the 10th grade, Nishimura Riki, underneath the rain.

There’s a wee little chance that Yang Jungwon isn’t the type of person Moka thought he was. Hell, she’d even thought he had a completely different face. 

“What on earth do you mean you’re Jungwon and he’s Riki?” Utterly speechless from the shock, Moka stares straight at the boy in front of her, mouth agape. This can’t be, not after the countless times she’s praised Jungwon’s name to all her classmates, after the way she even bragged to everyone about how she knew him. 

In reality these praises and compliments should have been directed towards Nishimura Riki instead? She can’t wrap her mind around this newfound truth. 

“Didn’t you say you already knew our names, though?” Jungwon teases, childishly sticking out his tongue at her. “Weren’t you so insistent that me and Riki didn’t need to introduce ourselves, because you already knew who we were?” 

Lips curling into a smirk, he leans back and tuts at her. “Aish, so this is what happens to people who refuse to stay humble…” 

Has there ever been such an instance wherein Moka was this close to running over and snapping someone's neck in half? Her chest tightens, rage engulfing her. She hasn’t been this angry since Yuting’s cousin ruined her favourite pair of designer shoes.

“You- you’re the one who lied and said your name was Riki when we were late!” She stutters out of the pure exasperation filling her. 

Jungwon merely sighs infuriatingly in response, “No, I didn’t. The senior looked at the notebook I was holding and assumed my name was Riki. And so did you, apparently.” 

The lilting voice complemented with a face entailing a smug expression — it’s all too much. Sunoo sits back and watches with his mouth agape as Moka walks straight ahead and drops all her collected firewood into Jungwon’s lap. 

“What are you-“ 

“Since you like to run your mouth so much, why don’t you do some extra work?”

Sunoo brings one of his hands up to cover his mouth, shooting Moka an impressed look she doesn’t return, which results in him dropping about half the firewood he’s collected.

“You don’t understand how embarrassing this is for me…” You groan, frustratedly pinching the bridge of your nose and flopping down beside Moka. She shoots you a sympathetic look and smooths a hand over your back. 

“No, no…” she chuckles darkly, her usually ever-present smile slowly fading away. “No, I think I do.” 

You look at her, slightly confused, and you wonder just what has been going down between Sunoo, Jungwon and your best friend. However, when it comes to Sakai Moka, it’s best never to question what goes on. 

“I called him Jungwon! I called Nishimura Riki by his best friend’s name.” You sigh. If only that idiot Yang Jungwon had come clean about his true identity. Humiliation wouldn’t be flooding through you as you crumple helplessly on the ground, wishing and hoping and praying that Riki forgets about the entire situation. 

All of a sudden, just outside their tent, there’s a clang as a lantern is placed on the ground and flickers to life. You swivel your head around to exchange a confused look with Moka, who just frowns and shrugs. Then, a voice hums their names, so quiet that it’s impossible to tell where it’s coming from. It seeps through the thin polyester tarps of the tent and, though it may be the cause of a wild imagination, seems to reverberate within the three walls. 

This can’t be. Your mind flashes back all the way to when your classmates, with the iconic flashlights held under their chins, told spooky stories passed down from senior to senior. Entities that haunt you from the depths of the nearby forest; souls that have been trying to seek new residencies for years but to no avail. 

Moka shudders beside you, a trembling hand coming up to grip your shoulder. “Please say that’s Jungwon. Even an unredeemable brat like him would sound like heaven right now.” 

“Uh,” you mutter under your breath, “Suit yourself. I’m hoping it’s Riki out there.” 

“Hey girls!” Kim Sunoo’s easily distinguishable voice rings just outside and Moka instantly releases her hold on you. She still looks uneasy as she tosses her pigtails and mumbles something about how she knew it. 

As you peek out the partially unzipped opening in the tent, it’s an amusing sight to see Moka fiercely marching up to Jungwon and kicking his shin without a moment wasted. 

“What was that for, you idiot?” 

“I should ask you what you did this for!” 

You almost don’t notice it, but Riki glances at you with an exasperated smile and starts to walk away, hands stuffed in his pockets. And you have no idea why that makes you as pleased as it does. 

Crack. 

“Woah!” Moka shrieks and sharply jumps backwards, her hands shooting up to cover her ears. “What was that?” 

You’d laugh at her, but you also flinched backwards into the terrifying darkness upon hearing the sudden sound. 

Sunoo smiles sheepishly and mumbles, “Sorry, I stepped on a twig.”

“Why are we here again?” Moka whines, crossing her arms and shining her torchlight backwards towards where they came from. 

Jungwon sniffs and begrudgingly agrees. “For once, I’m with Moka, what made us have to trek through the woods?” 

You and Sunoo look at each other with a half worried and half cheeky expression. Truth is, once you were out of the tent, he whispered in your ear an elaborate plan to run off and spend the night away from the campgrounds. Just for fun. You don’t know why but you willingly went with him, and now Jungwon and Moka are complaining while Riki walks somewhere off in the distance. 

“Um, yeah, Sunoo, why?” You toss the question back to him with a mischievous grin and run off to join Riki. Betrayal washes over your new friend’s gaze but you’ve already left him with the two most difficult in the group. 

“Hey, why are you walking here alone?” Shining your flashlight onto the path ahead of you because Riki has been walking in the darkness the whole time, you tilt your head and question him curiously. When he purses his lips even more and looks away, you sigh. “Maybe you’re just anti-social, right? Have you even said a word to Sunoo yet?” 

He doesn’t respond. 

Well. Maybe this was a bad idea. You cringe inwardly from the awkward silence that ensues. 

“Umm… here, take this,” you swing your haversack over your shoulder and open the front zip. “You shouldn’t be walking around in the dark.” 

Even as you hand over the small torchlight, Riki just looks at you without saying a word. You begin to think you shouldn’t even have tried. Because if he really wanted you around he would be having a conversation with you, right? He would actively answer you. He wouldn’t just stare at every falling leaf, or the muddy ground, or anywhere but you. 

Promptly giving up with a huff, you close your bag and heave it onto your back again, walking away as quick as you can. Another moment spent with Riki and you might just go out of your mind in frustration. 

But just as you stride off, fingers wrap around your wrist and hold you back. You stifle a scream, nearly breaking your neck off as you turn to see who it is. And surprisingly, it’s Riki. And surprisingly, there’s a look of remorse shadowing his gaze. And most surprisingly of all, he opens his mouth and starts to speak. 

“Sorry.” His voice is deep and very very quiet. 

You take a deep breath. 

“Stay with me.” He suddenly becomes very interested in his deteriorating white shoes. Wait, how do you know that his shoes are… 

You rub your forehead. You’re looking down as well. This isn’t going very well, is it? You readjust your grip on your backpack, unable to keep track of your breaths. Why is it that your legs suddenly feel extremely restless; you can’t stop your head from racing with thoughts? 

“Is that heavy?” He asks, remaining expressionless. And before you can say anything, he reaches over and lifts your haversack off your shoulders. Clasping the torchlight you gave him between his left pinky and ring finger, he slings it over his back and coolly continues walking. 

Normally, this kind of action would amuse you to no end, but why is it that your shoulder-blades still tingle where Riki barely brushed his fingers against you?

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@enwonz @laylasmother

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[clarafyer]

HI SO MY FRIEND AND I DROPPED SOME BANGER LINES IN A ROLEPLAY JUST NOW WITH THE TRUSTED VOID DWELLERS AND I AM STIMMING SO HARD RIGHT NOW I AM SHOOK

TW: Mentions of death, choking, threats

"Before you, someone had your act covered. But she was killed by the hag. She was made into a display even, to try and scare us off. Oh boy, Tenebris did not like losing her talent."

“And yet, he gained someone infinitely more competent and most definitely more skilled in the craft."

"Yeah, yeah, feel free shut up about yourself already."

“You need to have a strong ego to be a great musician, Malorie.”

"And you have to be focused to be a great aerialist, Mamon."

“That explains a lot; you keep getting distracted, chasing dead ends when going after the witch.”

She snapped, dropping down and yanking at the silks, bringing down the support beams in a loud, creaking crash. As he looks at the site, she's gone, before he hears her voice once again, behind him as fabric quickly wraps around his neck.

"I will not hesitate to put you in your place, puppeteer. This fucking job has been one of the ONLY ones I have been assigned for the past YEARS. And I've three hundred more years of this contract than you. I have worked harder than I will probably ever see you. I have earned my place among these acts. You? You were given it." With every growled word, the silk's grasp on him became tighter.

"Am I clear, Mamon?"

“I will respect you and your seniority when you do something worth respecting. You mistake hard work with accomplishments. Sisyphus may toil endlessly working hard, pushing that boulder uphill, but that doesn’t mean the struggle is commendable if he makes no real progress. I may have been given this spot by mere talent alone, but I’ve made more strides towards my own goals in my brief time here than you have. But sure, you are clear in the flawed point you present.”

There was deafening silence, before she yanked, pulling him backwards as the tension released.

"Your point is heard as well. I'm getting back to work, now. Oh, and just so you know, I hear the boss is considering putting on a show in a month's time. Perhaps you should prepare one of your scores for it."

The false Mamon Malorie was strangling falls to the ground as its form turns back to one of the villagers. Mamon is dancing with the corpse of the lady he killed, doing a waltz. He pulls the corpse into a dip and her head falls off. “What did you think the try outs were for?”

"Coward. Good day." She made a quick gesture, shortening the silks back to just barely showing out from her sleeves before walking off.

-----

The whole context isn't there because I am NOT pasting the entire roleplay, but god damn I am so proud the finishing lines we did, I HAD TO SHARE.

Mamon is my friend's character who is the newest "act" in Tenebris' circus (the trusted void dwellers.) But he is a 2 year old character revived for the new version of the story. He is the puppeteer, while Malorie is the aerialist. The other acts have FINALLY been figured out, I just need to redesign an old character of mine and design 2 new characters.

Also the hag is Flora and in case not everyone knows, she cheated death by insanity and that REALLY fucked things up in the afterlife

[ploppythespaceship]

Star Trek: Prodigy - Season 2

I've finally caught up with the second season of Prodigy, and despite my annoyance with how it was given to Netflix, barely promoted, and dropped all at once... I'm happy to say it's another great season of Trek. It's not perfect, there were definitely plenty of things that annoyed me, but overall it's an even stronger outing than the first season that cements the show's place as my favorite of the modern Star Trek shows.

I cannot stress enough -- if you passed on this show because it's animated, because it's a kid series, because you don't like the modern Treks, anything like that, you owe it to yourself to at least give it a try. I desperately hope we'll get a third season.

Full spoilers under the cut.

What I Liked

I'm a sucker for convoluted time travel plots, so the main arc of this season was right up my alley. I was glad to see the more interesting story lines of the first season weren't abandoned, like Solum and the Vau N'Akat -- instead, they take center stage.

The timeline and all the paradoxes were honestly so complex I'm surprised they went for it on a kids' show, but I had a blast with it. Like all time travel plots, it does fall apart if you poke at it too much -- but that doesn't matter! It's fun, and it's there to facilitate the characters and the universe.

It's also just a relief to see a season that's actually long enough to properly tell the story it wants to tell. This is a full twenty episodes, meaning there's actually time for the major plot beats to breathe, time to develop the characters, time to explore their relationships. This seems so basic that I almost feel I shouldn't be pointing it out at all, but modern TV seasons keep shrinking. This is an example of how to do it right.

As a life-long Janeway/Chakotay shipper... my heart is happy. Even if they don't officially hook up, there's so much there.

Also, this show does better by Chakotay in a handful of episodes than Voyager did in seven years. He has an honest to goodness character arc. We actually learn what tribe he comes from. We get a glimpse of why he chose to join the Maquis. He gets to actually be cool.

In general, I like how to legacy characters are handled in this show. They're included purposefully, with meaningful arcs and relationships, but still very clearly playing second fiddle to the cast of new characters. That's exactly how it should stay.

Dal has a solid arc. Last season he learned how to step up and be the captain, and this season he learns when to step aside and let someone else take charge. And frankly I love that for him.

Overall, the characters are as charming as ever. Rok and Zero are easily my favorites, and the rest are a ton of fun. Admittedly, Maj'el took some time to grow on me, but she eventually did -- and her budding relationship with Zero is utterly adorable. I love how it's never really pointed out or harped on, it's just shown through their interactions.

What I Didn't Like

Unfortunately, the animation is still not great. I don't typically watch shows with this animation style, so maybe it's par for the course, but even after two seasons -- forty episodes! -- I find it odd and distracting. The main issue is that characters and voices don't match. The lip sync is often fairly off, and the vocal performances are often much more expressive than what's on screen.

Also, while the vast majority of the character designs are great, there are definitely more stinkers this time around. The Doctor looks atrocious. Wesley is a bit terrifying. And Zero's corporeal form is so bland and uninspired that I was relieved to see them return to a metal suit again.

You can definitely feel the hands of the writers contorting events to make sure that all the same characters are the protagonists again. They're not really naturally set up to be involved in these events, and I wish it felt a tad more natural. (If we do get a season three, it looks like they're better set up for a new story line, so I hope this won't be an issue going forward.)

For the most part, the blending of serialized and episodic works quite well. But two episodes in the first half of the season definitely don't work for that -- the racing episode, and Zero receiving their corporeal body. The overarching plot has been established with a fair amount of urgency, so stopping for these unrelated one-offs felt incredibly out of place. Thankfully, the second half of the season did much better with this, finding ways to weave the individual episode plots into the overall narrative in a less jarring way.

I do not like how Wesley is characterized in this show. I think having him come back is fun and his role in the story fits well, but writing him as a wisecracking jokester simply does not suit him. Wil Wheaton is also somehow a worse actor now than he was as a teenager, so his performance makes me cringe. He's easily the worst part of the season for me and the one thing I will dread on rewatches.

While the voice cast is largely excellent, I did find Jankom's voice to get grating after a while. Jason Mantzoukas always seems to go straight to 110%, when many scenes call for slightly softer deliveries. It genuinely sounds like he wasn't in the same room as everyone else, and it makes his lines really stand out. Jankom has always been the least interesting of the main cast, but this season made me actively start to dislike him, and it was purely due to the performance.

I was NOT expecting the end to tie directly into the Mars attack, and I'm curious to see where that can go next season. I think that era of the Federation's history is ripe for exploration, and I hope this show will get the chance to do that.

[rayfishandchips]

Torchwood as a call of cthulhu run: ideas

So last time I thought the dw episode "the giggle" can be a great coc story if the kp do some little adaptations and add some eldritch.

BUT. You know what would be even better? Torchwood.

Torchwood is literally about a team of regular humans fighting alien threats, defending humanity, and ending up tragically. All the team members have a distinct responsibility within the team. No need to really ADD san dropping stuff, just rearrange the original alien enemies and turn them into similar but cthulhu-appropriate stuff. Torchwood stories would make great coc material, and it works all the better with non-torchwood fan pls.

The easier running plan would be to just use the core plot. But this might mean losing some of that torchwood feels in terms of in-team dynamics.

Another possible plan would be like this. (note: handouts are info given only to one pl. The players can't directly access each other's handouts.)

Jack: major npc, because you can't give away all that backstory to a player.

Ianto: depends, especially if kp plans to play that cyberwomen plot line.

Handout 1 (HO1) Gwen. Give pl info and say the HO1 player joined the agency (torchwood) because they came in with pizza to investigate. Basically just the Gwen backstory.

Handout 2 (HO2) Owen. Give the pl the Owen backstory, lost wife to alien pest and joined on Jack's invitation.

handout 3 (HO3) Tosh. Same thing, give the pl the Tosh backstory.

usually I prefer HO games with 3 players (it's big enough to form a team but still managable) but the kp can also have Ianto as a HO4. The other three characters don't have backstories locked so tightly and directly to plot, so I would suggest keeping them as HO characters, but again it's all up to the kp. It is also up to kp to decide exactly how much info HO contain.

Note that players don't have to necessarily choose their professions based on the original character their HO is based on. For example the HO2 pc can choose to be a nerd police officer instead of a doctor. The HO determine the most basic backtory and team goals so the basic torchwood team characteristics is kept, but HOs should not restrict pc generation in any way (if they do restrict pc design then it's not coc anymore it's just torchwood rp).

So now there's a lot of possibilities. See torchwood as a organization of investigators united for one goal. pc can have a huge range.

I would personally insist we have Jack as a npc because this is going to be so fun for the players. As captain he can help keep overall plot more or less in check, and other torchwood members (pls) doubting him is literally canon plot. Helpful major npc that seems to be concealing info? Classical. Fun team interactions ensured.

If kp would like to include that "Owen kills Jack" bit somewhere, make sure one HO (preferably HO1) contains the info that Jack can regenerate.

I should write this one as a complete module someday and run it. If it works I may be able to release it somewhere.

[writingrenna]

Hassel x GN!Reader

"Where The Heart Is"

A story where you start to actively pay attention to the specific brand of weird Hassel throws your way.

I admit, I didn't finish most of the friendship quests because I WANT MORE OF HIM, WHY DO CHARACTERS JUST DISAPPEAR/BECOME GENERIC NPCS WHEN THEY'RE DONE BEING IN THE STORY?? I want to truly engross myself in his backstory, so I'll be taking things slow. Don't mind me, just dragging out the inevitable </3

I WILL be taking advantage of his rematches, thank you very much.

ALSO this takes place three years after the end of the game so your expy has time to be hired and get to know Hassel, you work as one of the academy librarians!

Tone/Ending: Slightly Angsty At Parts, Wholesome, Romantic

Warnings: If you're sensitive to rough family situations, be warned! Hassel is very firm with no longer associating with his family and it's hinted at that his childhood wasn't the best, but the story doesn't dwell on that yet, I'm exploring that more later

Also, beware the movie and Hassel's painting sections, especially if the Iron Giant makes you sad

Word Count: A little bit over 5,000

^^^>

"You're... really sure about this, huh?" You say into your mug.

The steam from your tea gently tickled your nose as you considered what he said. The two of you were standing at the back of the staff room, both leaning against a window each on opposite sides of the bookshelf. The rain was fairly loud, but it served more as a gentle white noise to your conversation than anything.

"Yes, I simply cannot imagine an outcome that would make reaching back out again worth it."

You couldn't see his face, but the sadness in his tone was evident, so you took note of that.

"Ah, I know how that feels." You say, remembering some sour relationship conclusions where the other person reached out again or seemed to linger a bit more than they should. But his story... holy Tauros, it was something else.

"Well, do you think you're happy here in Paldea?" You begin. "I mean, would you consider seeing more of the world from time to time? Maybe even visit your home region again?"

He paused, taking in your question. He then huffed a little out of his nose, although it didn't seem to be out of annoyance.

"Well, I have lightly entertained the idea of just visiting my homeland again, but I just..." He paused. "Something is holding me back."

Your face dropped from attentive neutrality to one of sadness for him.

"Hey, no, that's valid of course! I was just wondering where you stood, you know? Like, after escaping all that and starting anew here? I'll stop asking if you like, though."

He immediately rebutted your offer.

"Nonsense, my dear. I do not mind your curiosity. I am aware my familial ties are... strange."

You can almost feel him stare into his mug in self-reflection, the one with the hand-drawn Gossifleur design a student made him that he had printed on. The one he proudly owned and tearfully showed off to every member of staff who happened to walk by if he had it at the time until the entire combined workforce of both the academy and the league knew about it. His favorite mug...

Him speaking up snapped you out of your trance.

"Ah, and about your first question. Truth be told, I do not have enough time to even imagine seeing more of the world, much less experience it. Between the academy and my duties with the elite four, my schedule is simply swamped! I sadly do not even remember the last time I had an extended break."

You frowned, looking down at your own mug. The one you spun yourself after classes on a day that Hassel had done a lesson in properly handling clay, donated courtesy of Brassius. He gave you a chance to throw down and de-stress as he cleaned the rest of the classroom since you had an especially rough day reorganizing books in the massive entrance hall. It wasn't perfect, but it was your own pride and joy, one he had cried upon seeing you finally use one spring morning.

"Oh! But do not pity me, I really and truly do love working with our students and giving it my all in the league. My classes remind me of the joy and wonder one feels while appreciating the beauty the world has to offer, even during those darker days. The future is bright for all our students! And these dragon Pokémon..." He paused. "They were always there for me despite my family's less-than accepting stance on my life choices. I have nothing but praise and gratitude to show them all."

You smiled, looking down a little as you let his words reverberate in your mind. You were going to ask him another question, only for him to completely derail your train of thought.

"Besides... there are many a thing here to make me feel well and truly at home."

You could hear a great warmth in his voice when he said this. You pondered on this, wondering if he meant to hint at something there when you notice the rain had stopped.

"Hey, the rain's gone!" You said before departing from the window. You stretch, careful not to accidentally spill the contents of your mug as you do so. You then walk forward a bit, looking over at your colleague as you do so.

You can't help but pause, however, at the way he stared longingly at the mug.

His eyes were transfixed on the last bit of tea left, swirling the liquid in his hands. His usual piercing eyes were replaced with a far more softened gaze, pupils large and unfocused.

He glanced up at you, smirking, although it was out of contentment. You couldn't help but focus on his blush. He was obviously thinking about something, but what ?? The way he stared at you from below his eyelids, refusing to lift his head more, but still giving you his undivided attention made you feel... strange.

'What is this man thinking?'

Despite taking in every little thing you could about his strange behavior, the moment really only lasted a few seconds before he chuckled softly, sitting up straight himself.

"Ah, well then." He softly intoned. "We should probably head out. Would you..."

He rubbed the back of his neck.

"...do me the honor of... of letting me walk you outside?"

^^^>

The rain-kissed streets of Mesagoza smelled fresh, and the warmth in the air left you without the need of a jacket, so you decided to forego wearing it. Hassel seemingly felt the same way, taking his coat off and draping it over his right arm before gently placing his left dominant hand over top it, as if caressing it. He took a deep breath, eyelids closed and fluttering.

"Ahh... smell that evening air. The world has been rinsed clean and emerges anew!"

You smiled up at him. He truly did seem to appreciate every little thing this world had to offer, good or bad.

"Hah! Yeah, I love the smell of rain. Very cozy, makes me feel all peaceful and stuff."

You suddenly remembered something.

"O-oh! And did you know? The word describing that comfy smell of rain after a dry season is 'petrichor'!"

He looked at you, head tilted down and to the side at you, his wide eyes showing his astonishment.

"I did not! Thank you for enlightening me, I now know a far simpler way to describe this feeling."

You beamed up at him, eyes closing momentarily as you grinned a toothy grin. When your eyes opened again, his face had an enchanted smile. That blush... it was back.

A coincidence, surely.

You decided to pretend you didn't notice.

"Oh, hey! It's a nice evening. Would you like to take a little walk?"

You bow slightly, looking up at him and offering your hand. He flinches slightly, eyes widening again as his face erupted in a deeper hue.

"Uh, y-yes. Yes I would."

He hastily grabs your hand and moves to face forward, avoiding your gaze. The man was probably in his early-to-mid 50's or 60's, but his voice audibly cracked. You didn't mention it, however, much to his relief.

^^^>

Here you are, splashing and kicking about in some puddles. You brought rain boots with you to keep at the school because the weather seemed to change at a sneeze in Paldea, but you really didn't mind. You loved the rain. You also loved having company, even super posh and serious company. You called for your companion.

"C'MON, HASS! WHY NOT GET YOUR PANTS WET THIS ONE TIME!?"

He was leaning away, seemingly trying to protect his suit jacket.

"Er... I would rather not have to deal with dry cleaning for a few minutes of rebellion..."

You understood, although a part of you just wanted to see the man act like a child again. So you walked off to stare out into the distance, 'hmm'ing to yourself as you came up with an idea. This worried Hassel, who backed up a bit.

"My dearest, what is on your mind? I'm not sure I feel comfortable with your suspicious little 'hmm's..."

You let out a mischievous little cackle before turning your upper half back towards him. His nervous smiling face screams 'oh Arceus, save me!', yet he remains glued in place. He seems ready to bolt at any second, however.

"Oh, nothing." You start, turning to walk toward the man, whose nervous smile wavers a bit to being more worried.

"But I will break you."

He lets out a shakey noise, but he remains.

"Ah, well, it is alright. No need for, um, breaking." He grins. "I am quite content simply watching you enjoy yourself."

He seemed genuine. You groaned.

"Oh, I am still breaking you, sir." You point a finger at him, waggling it a little as you turn and walk away, although you don't retract it, simply shaking it to your side. "Juuuust you wait."

He 'hmmph's, shaking his head in amusement.

"I see, I am..."

He mumbles an 'Oh bother...' under his breath before continuing.

"...interested... to see whatever you have planned for the night."

You freeze. You didn't actually stop to think about when you'd "break" him. But tonight definitely works.

"Good. Cause it's gonna be WIIIIILD."

^^^>

It certainly was not nearly as wild as Hassel expected. Here you were, popping popcorn as he sat under a blanket fort in your living room. A part of you expected him to be giddy, feeling that childlike wonder take over.

But the logical part of you predicted his bewildered expression, silently staring up and around at the neon lights you hung about the dark room.

"So." he began. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

"Oh, I wanna remind you of what it's like to be a kid again! Let loose, man!" You did a strange little shimmying dance as you said this.

His eyes widened, although it was different than before.

"Really now?"

"Yes, really!"

The popcorn was finally done, so you put it in a large bowl before going over and putting it on the floor beside him.

"It's movie night now! Your choice..." You said, holding up several cases with classic movies.

The Little Primarina, The Pyroar King, even Revavrooms were available for him to choose from. He carefully looked them over, his usual neutral expression on his face as he seemed to seriously consider which movie to watch. It was kinda funny, your stomach compressing a little to hide a laugh that was threatening to come up. He didn't seem to notice however, instead pointing to one, looking back up at you in the process.

"That one looks promising."

^^^>

He chose poorly. Or at least, he chose one he wasn't prepared for. You watched as tears spilled from his eyes, him constantly shaking his head and whispering "no" over and over with the covers pulled up over his nose. The Steel Ultra Beast really did a number on him, watching the mysterious entity (who we now know as Celesteela) sacrifice itself to save its new friends from an Ultra Wormhole a secret branch of the government tried to seize, but instead caused to collapse. He yelped when it said to itself "Palafin." He couldn't bare to watch the climax, sobbing pitifully while squeezing his eyes shut, looking down and repeatedly chomping down on the blanket you two shared.

"It's Ok, Hass..." You said, rubbing his shoulder.

You had tried to warn him, but in all fairness, it'd take a lot of effort to properly warn anyone of the emotions involved watching it without spoiling the entire movie.

He leaned into you, his eyes still closed, tears still managing to escape.

"Th-thank you, my dearest..." He sniffles.

You felt bad for even having it as an option, but then again, he seemed to enjoy it despite the... sorrowful conclusion. You gave him a little while to let it all out, holding him tight and rubbing his back as he bawled his eyes out into your shoulder. You were so sucked up in comforting him that you almost forgot-

Gasp!

You sat up abruptly, although you hold onto Hassel so he's still lying on you.

"The ending scene!"

He's teary-eyed, but he looks over to the TV screen.

"The ending has not happened yet?"

"No! Or at least, not the true ending."

You smirk and look down at him like a Purrloin caught stealing but absolutely not regretting it, although his eyes are still sad. Either way, he kept watching, when...

"It... it is rebuilding itself?"

"Yeah! I mean, the movie never got a sequel, which sucks, but hey! Open-ended bittersweet endings are one of my favorite kinds!"

He seemed to feel slightly better, sniffling a bit as he sat up and wiped his nose.

"Ah, I-I see..." He said, slowly calming himself down. He took a few deep breaths before turning to you.

You feel the need to apologize.

"Hey, sorry I, uh, brought that movie out in the first place."

He looked at you, a weak smile on his face.

"Do not apologize, my dear! I can see why you and many others consider it a cult-classic. It was a marvellous story despite the turmoil in my heart. Perhaps even partially because of it."

He seemed hesitant to say the next part, sitting with his legs up to his chest.

"I, um, had a fantastic time with you tonight."

He turned to look at you, eyes sparkling due to the light of the TV.

"Really, I did."

There was so much warmth in his tear-stained face.

"I'm glad! I just wanted to see you let your guard down, haha!"

"Ah, I see..." He said, eyes darting to the side as he turned away, contemplation on his face.

The two of you sat in silence for a moment as he thought on what all just happened. You decided to close your eyes, lightly humming a tune to yourself. It wasn't one that existed, or even made sense really, but it was your own little melody.

"Ah, I have always wondered, is that a song you like?"

"Hehe, nah, just a melody I made up one day."

"Oh. It is very pleasant." He smiled.

"Thank you!" You smiled back.

^^^>

He had gone home later that night after you forced him to stay for pizza and a few episodes of a show you used to watch. He went for a salad instead, not wishing to feel sluggish on his way home, although you got him to eat one singular solitary slice. All-in-all, it was a very good night. You got him to smile and laugh again despite watching such a sad movie just an hour before.

It was now Friday, three days later. You knew he'd have something special planned for his students today, as he did every other Friday. You wondered what it'd be as you reorganized the shelf housing the Occulture Magazine again. You idly wondered how accurate the entries were when you heard a bell.

"Oh, classes are out already?"

You had already kept up with what the students in the entrance hall were up to that day, since there weren't many there to really pick up after, so really, all you had to do was a final check of the catalog you started earlier so you could pop by and see what Hassel had done that evening.

It took a bit over 30 minutes to wrap everything up, but you finished, signing out of your work computer and making your way over to the art room.

When you reached the door, you heard a familiar tune. You wondered what it was, before suddenly realizing something: it's the tune you hum! He remembered it? Has he hummed it before?

You entered the classroom, prepared to ask him how he remembered the erratic tune so well when you decided to see if he was in a state to even be distracted. Hassel was sitting at a desk, adding various dots with the aid of a thin paintbrush to a canvas he had. You assumed it was glitter or stars.

He looked up at you, neutral expression turning into a huge grin.

"Oh, my darling! Come over here! I have something I'd like to show you!"

You did as he said, coming over as he himself stood up to meet you at the other side of the desk.

He held up a painting, and by Arceus was it gorgeous. It was of Celesteela, flying into space, a content look on its face despite the doom looming over it.

"I used this as an example for today's lesson." He began. "I was inspired by our movie night earlier this week. I thought of the many pieces of media that make one feel things, the images and words that truly stick with you that came from another mind, how we often analyze and relate to them. So I decided to base this Friday's special on that very concept! Everyone was allowed to draw and paint their own favorite scenes from the movies, shows, and games they enjoy."

You nodded, still taking in all the details of his painting. He based it off a real photo of Celesteela, a sorta modern "glow up" of sorts that make the familiar scene truly pop.

He continued.

"This piece was meant to represent the acceptance Celesteela showed during the climax of the film. How it smiled despite facing what it thought at the time was oblivion. How it..." He swallowed and blinked harshly a few times. "...it would do anything for... the ones they lub... w-without he... hesi-"

You put a hand on his shoulder, smiling. The man looked back down at you, obviously on the brink of tears as he swallowed and sniffled a bit.

"Heh... I suppose you wouldn't need my analysis, seeing as though that tape of yours was so well-loved."

He had taken note of how the label on the tape wasn't perfectly pristine.

You scoffed, playfully rolling your eyes.

"Yeah, well..." You continued to look off to the side. "I like it when things make me feel things."

He softly laughed, a few stray tears finally escaping. He closed his eyes while leaning his head back for a moment.

"Yes, I can tell. You seem to enjoy learning about descriptive words and how specific they can get..."

He trailed off before wiping his tears away, finally looking down at you again.

"Well, speaking of, would you like to... accompany me at my booth for the academy's upcoming fair? It would be nice to teach people more ways to express themselves and how they feel about the things they consume. It is truly saddening to see people keep their opinions to themselves simply because they do not know how to accurately bring their thoughts into the world. And as a self-proclaimed 'word nerd', your area of expertise would be an excellent addition to my own inspiration station, alleviating the frustration they feel and helping them dig up what they feel inside."

You blinked. Hassel, the Hassel wanted to work with you? You thought he was far more articulate than you, often gnawing at what he says in your mind and trying to emulate that vibe in your emails. I mean, you often said "lmao" in real life. Having an interest in words sadly didn't make you a wordsmith of any sort. Did he see something in the way you speak or express yourself that you didn't?

"I'll d-do it."

Woah, how nervous were you? Or, rather, how eager were you?

Hassel's golden eyes shone as he grinned, ecstatic at your 'yes'.

"Ah, do not worry, my dear! You will do amazingly, I just know it."

Looks like you're gonna need to break out the thesaurus.

^^^>

It was the afternoon of the "Treasures Within" fun fair. Hassel's booth was really fun, he'd do his usual demo thing while also personally helping people start their artistic journeys when they didn't quite know where to go after each session. His advice came from a place that personally helped him cope and start his life anew in his past, although he didn't delve into just how it helped, only that he understands the struggle.

As for you, if someone wanted to articulate exactly how they felt about a piece of art or music, you'd hold a "mind unraveling" session, where you picked out certain themes they repeated or tried to go deeper in until they felt confident in describing what it is they feel with words that felt right. You thanked yourself for having the forethought to read up and watch a bunch of impassioned speeches online ahead of time.

It was a month of you hiding your anxiety from Hassel, but you can tell he knew, as he not-so-subtly tended to your every unspoken need, such as making tea whenever you were too busy reading, or having a comfy spot prepared whenever you came to his room to discuss your plans. He would even manage to check in on you more often than usual despite needing to tend to things on his own end.

Nothing could really get past him, could it?

As you were finishing up helping a kid who wanted to express just why he loved a drawing where Regieleki and Xurkitree became friends so much, you turn to see Hassel already looking at you, a familiar fond smile on his face.

"I would say today was a success, no?"

You pause for a split second, although you're not sure why. You respond, however.

"Oh yeah, for sure! I'd say we make a great team, even!"

Now it was Hassel's turn to pause, although his is far more noticeable. Jolting slightly, his mouth suddenly presses together into a tight line as a blush erupts on his face. He pretends to not realize this, although he looks tense.

"I certainly agree, my dear-"

His voice momentarily rises in pitch as he abruptly chokes and doubles over at the end, turning away. It sounded genuine, although you wondered if it'd have happened if you didn't say what you did.

You couldn't help but look back on all his odd behaviors around you lately.

"Um, yes!"

You turn to a vendor.

"I'm..."

You momentarily turn back to the man, pointing over your shoulder to the stand.

"I'm gonna go get some juice. For you, specifically."

You then turn and leave without another word.

^^^>

It was night. The fun fair has long since been cleared out in Mesagoza, but the two of you were nowhere near the town anymore. In fact, you were on top of the lighthouse on Poco Path.

Your eyes were closed, taking in that sea breeze. You cooed softly as you felt the gentle wind cut through the otherwise muggy night. Despite the humidity, it felt nice, reminding you of summer nights as a child.

Your train of thought came to an abrupt halt at this realization, however.

What was the weather like where Hassel used to live?

You opened your eyes, slowly turning toward the man, who also had his own closed. He had a calm smile on his face. You didn't want to ruin it, but you couldn't help but feel bad. He left all that was familiar to him due to circumstances he couldn't control, at the hands of his own family, no less. You wondered if he had any particular places, feelings, or things he missed, but you decided to ask a different question.

"...hey, uh... Hass?"

His smile widened for a split-second before he responded, eyes still closed.

"Yes, my dear?"

You didn't know how to begin.

"Does this weather make you think of anything?"

His smile fell to a neutral frown as he thought.

"Hm. What do you mean?"

How do you ask this question without annoying him...?

"L-like, this weather reminds me of summer break, when I'd open my window past my usual bedtime and stare at the stars. Does this weather make you feel nostalgic in any way? Like, sentimental and peaceful and stuff?"

You look down, stretching the bottom hem of your top a little. "It's just an intense feeling I'm getting, sorry."

He takes a moment to ponder this question.

"Ah, no worries. We often feel the need to relate with others in regards to our intense feelings and emotions. But to answer your question, it does, yes."

This answer both relieved and confused you further. He seemed fine answering, but it was somewhat vague. You decided not to push it, however, just glad he didn't take it the way you thought he might (not that it'd be wrong if he didn't want to answer it at all.)

"Right on, man. Right on..."

You turned away and stared back out into the distance. The silence that swept over the scene felt loose, fluid, running through and around the two of you like some unknown substance.

You weren't sure if you should add anything onto the conversation, but his voice decided what would happen instead.

"I... have a confession to make, actually."

You froze.

"Yeah?"

He took a deep breath.

"That feeling you often speak of, the one where you feel a lightness in your chest and peace wash over you. A peaceful sadness, even, I do not really feel when I think of 'home' anymore. I feel nothing. "

You take his words in. It made sense, really, but it made you sad beyond belief.

He continued.

"Yes, that feeling of longing, a-and belonging, I know it may be hard to truly grasp, but trust me when I say I am fine with my decisions, that I cannot say I regret leaving my old life behind even if I do miss certain aspects of it from time to time. The negatives here far outweigh the positives there."

You nodded. Honestly, this convo was all your mind needed to extinguish your curiosity for a good while. He left home, and he's content with his current life, no matter how much he may miss certain aspects of it. No elaboration needed.

Except, there was some elaboration needed, only it was needed elsewhere.

"Oh! And your confession? Or was that your confession?"

He paused, body tensing as his grip on the handrails tightened. His breathing became slightly labored as a blush creeped onto his face.

"Um, well..."

He mumbled an "Oh dear..." to himself before continuing.

"When I said I have things here that make me feel at home, I meant the connections I've made. I love the people in my life far more than I love my family. I still care for them, yes. I can confidently say I love them, but I cannot say I actually like them."

He wasn't looking at you. Your mind was swimming with possibilities for what he planned on saying next, although you had the faintest idea...

"I... am very fond of you, too. I often find that I feel that peaceful feeling around you in particular."

He swallowed, eyes stinging with tears he tried desperately to blink away. He was holding his composure quite well, actually. You subconsciously held your breath.

"My darling dearest, I cannot hide how I feel for much longer, no matter how hard I try... I think... I believe I am... falling in love with you."

Your mind went blank as you stared up at the man, heart and stomach dropping in an instant. His eyes have closed yet again. His shuddering shoulders and shaky breath gave everything away, however.

He lifted his arm, covering his eyes as you continued to stare wide-eyed at him.

"I am so very sorry, my dear! I-I hobe you do nod feel cornered by my conbession!" He sobbed. "I shall make my leab ib- ib you wish do be aloooone! BWUHH-HU-HU-HU-HUHHHHH!!"

You could barely understand what he was saying. He had already started to walk away when you finally closed your mouth. You weren't even aware you were gaping at him, the confession shutting your senses down despite halfway expecting something along these lines at this point. You guessed actually hearing him say it was different to speculating quietly to yourself...

"W-wait! Mr. Hassel!"

You grabbed his free arm, stopping him from getting any further. His cries continued, however.

"I-I'm sorry! I was just so shocked, I-"

You look down, still processing the feeling of your heart pounding in your chest. You hadn't even realized you were shaking so much until you realized how oddly... weak your grip on his arm felt.

"I-I jus-"

He took a few rapid half-breaths before stopping you.

"You do nod h-hab do gib me a resbonse! Nod now, nod eb-eberrrrr!"

You considered this. Truthfully, the idea of giving dating Hassel a shot didn't seem half-bad. You looked up to him, admired his skill and his strength despite everything he's been through. Not to mention, you admittedly found the man kinda cute. His personality just struck you as so sincere, taking his work and emotions very seriously. He's a very honest man, so he must truly love you. You'd definitely feel secure with him...

"...you're right... about the me needing time thing." You began. "B-but once I sort my feelings out, maybe we can get to know each other some more?"

He was still trembling, breath catching up with him as he hyperventilated. But a few seconds later, while heavily panting, he could respond.

"I-I would lub that!!"

He had turned to you, eyes still closed, head still tilted back, but he grabbed both of your hands and gently brought them up a little closer to himself. As he finally caught his breath and started breathing at a normal pace (aside from the large, shallow breaths he took), he slowly opened his eyes, looking at you, blush ever present on his face. His eyes sparkled with an intensity you'd never seen before as he smiled, the bottoms of his eyes crinkling as he did so. For a split-second, he looked like a young man again...

The two of you stood there, a tranquil feeling coming over you, when you heard him start to whimper. His mouth wobbled for a second before he suddenly started bawling again, causing your eyes to widen. You then let out an odd chuckle.

"Oookay, big guy. C'mere."

You took him into a hug, causing him to cry even louder as he let his overwhelming emotions out.

^^^>

It had been a few weeks. You were thinking back on everything that had happened. The moment you realized 'maybe he feels stronger feelings toward me than I thought.' How he went along with your weird plans despite having better things to do, how he looked out for your well-being by going above and beyond for you and truly understanding your needs, how he always praised and incorporated you into his work...

You absent-mindedly flip through some pages of Occulture Magazine. It really didn't seem too realistic now that you actually had a chance to sit down and read through it, but strangely enough, that wasn't really what you were thinking about right now.

You stand up, putting the book back on the shelf, a smile on your face as you make your way to the art room. He was on break at the moment.

You approach the open door, leaning against it and knocking, catching his attention.

"O-oh! Hello there!" He quickly clears his throat. "I'm very happy to see you! What brings you here?"

You look around, making sure nobody was there to hear this.

"Hoooow about... we go see a movie this Saturday?"

^^^>

A/N

I KNOW THIS STORY IS A LITTLE ODD! Like, he seems to be madly in love with you already, to an obvious degree, but this is the first time you take note of anything, right? Well, it's one of those "Oh yeah, there were signs" sorta situations. The pottery night you had with him was a small hint that he was already looking out for your well-being well before this and giving you special attention, but you just didn't think much of it. Plus, he's quite emotional, you imagine that once he finds a friend he feels safe around, his even more complex feelings come out. Which, true, but also HE DOES STUFF AROUND YOU THAT HE ONLY DOES AROUND YOU BUT YOU DON'T NOTICE CAUSE HE IMMEDIATELY CHANGES HIS BEHAVIOR ONCE HE REALIZES YOU'RE NEARBY. You defo noticed that behavior change, but again, he changes a bit around close friends already, and you didn't really have a point of reference for what his "normal" is (yet)

Sorry, I just love the pining dude genre, gimme some more oblivious love interests for male characters, please! Your gender still isn't stated, I just wanted Hassel to be the one to be super soft and like "Yes please notice me" while you're like "Huh. Cool. He just asked to take me to a new café. So anyway, how about some more weirdly specific words?" IT'S SUPER CUTE AHH

Also, speaking of, the story was gonna have them going to a café instead of a walk, and him talking about some beautiful customs and traditions from around the world and bringing up the Applin thing as a super duper totally subtle hint at his feelings, but you'd genuinely not know of that tradition before, so you'd just see it as a neat little cultural tidbit, but then I was like "bruh they just had tea", so I changed it to them spending time together like kids cause I thought it'd be cute if you got through to him to get him to experience things from a childhood he couldn't enjoy (even if it is more based on your own childhood, you're trying! Consider the night they shared here a test run). No worries, in future installments, reader will begin to fully understand what he went through growing up (I tried to make their questions less about his family and more about his life in general, but of course, the two are forever linked.) The idea of the little fair came randomly, based on the fact that all the gym leaders seem to have some career where they express themselves (even Larry with his "normal old job(s)," although obviously it's all more complicated than that), plus the entire game has frequent themes of people finding where they fit in life, what they wanna do, their dreams/goals, things like that. It's pretty interesting, actually, I can't articulate myself well tho so RIP I guess

ALSO ALSO not gonna edit this one cause the Tumblr app COULD NOT HANDLE IT LAST TIME so yeah

OH YEAH I HAVEN'T SEEN THE IRON GIANT IN 66 MILLION YEARS SO SORRY, I JUST TOOK WHAT I REMEMBERED AND POKÉ-FIED IT, I'm just going to use the excuse that the legends of the Ultra Beasts go WAY back, so the Celesteela in the movie may look simplified by comparison due to them not having a complete picture of it compared to the characters in S/US/M/UM. The movie doesn't even say its name, simply referring to it as the Steel Ultra Beast because nobody knew their names yet

[gay-jesus-probably]

Ngl my best friend and I are doing a kind of rewrite of totk for fun and like. We had a more nuanced story in around thirty minutes, and I kind of want to work on it more. Here's the thing though, it's so easy to write this as a good story because it has so much potential, and it's like you said!! Taken at face value it's so boring!! I'm genuinely so frustrated with this!!

I know, right? Something I've noticed is that like literally anytime I mention the story being kinda shit, it takes like maybe a minute for people to look at the existing setup and think of something more interesting. Like, I briefly complained about the boring writing in a youtube comment, and I've seen three different people reply to that with more compelling takes on the story using very minor fixes. There's just so many bad decisions in the writing, I have no idea how the fuck Nintendo thought this was acceptable.

I mean goddamn, even putting aside all of the Everything with the imperialism in the memories, the memories existing at all is a horrible decision! They seriously made a role playing game where 95% of the story occurs in the past, where the only involvement the player has is our character being namedropped a few times. It worked in BOTW, because Link was there the whole fucking time, and also the memories WEREN'T the story - that was everything leading up to the actual plot kicking off! If a player just totally ignored the memories, the only real consequence was that you didn't really get to know Zelda! If you ignore the memories in TOTK, you are missing the entire fucking plot.

It's such an easy fix too, I mean ffs if the ancient past is where everything interesting is going to happen, just send Link and Zelda back in time together. Link can actually interact with the story and characters, he can develop his own beef with Ganondorf instead of them literally having nothing to do with each other beyond other people saying they should fight, and it'd fix the gaping plot hole of literally all the Sheikah tech being gone - none of it's been built yet. The story could take Link through working with the Sages, finding a way to heal the decayed Master Sword - fuck, he could even wield the ancient Master Sword in its place while he's in the past! They fight Ganon, seal him away, then for the grand finale Link and Zelda return to the modern day Hyrule shortly after they left, and discover it's basically an apocalypse kicking off, because why would Ganon bother to just wait for his enemies to get ready to stop him, he can just go apeshit the second he's free of the seal. This works in story, but also excuses the finale having some railroading - the chaos of the apocalypse stops Link from going off track, ensuring the devs don't need to put in the entire BOTW map just for that one finale sequence. Link retrieves the formerly decayed Master Sword from wherever he left it to heal for the last ten thousand years, and then him and Zelda go fuck up Ganon together, for real this time. Bam, problem solved. Link's in the actual plot, Zelda gets to actually exist for more of the story than just the ending cutscene, there's a reason for the map being completely different, and the Sheikah tech isn't just retconned into non-existence. Fuck, they could explain the runes being gone as just Zelda dropping the Sheikah Slate in the chaos before being yeeted into the past, or the slate being hit by Gloom and destroyed as well. Also, the expanded list of monsters and old monsters having different designs to include the new horns makes sense; they're ten thousand years in the past, of course things are different. Yeah it'd suck that we wouldn't really get to see the characters from BOTW, but... come on. They barely did anything with them anyways.

Alternatively, they could just do the story in the past with Zelda as the player character, if they're that hellbent on ensuring Link isn't allowed to do anything. It'd be a really cool twist! They wouldn't even need to change the gameplay that much, it's been years since the Calamity and Zelda's been travelling around with Link the whole time, it makes perfect sense that she would have learned how to fight over the years, and Link teaching her would give her a very similar fighting style.

It would have been so easy to give the game a more interesting story, it's just embarrassing that they fucked it up so badly.

[smimon]

The other promised personal post, this one about my self-discovery that I completed last year and in the result gained a weirdly powerful feel, like when Eragon found his true name if you know what I mean

Three main paths: art, brain training, isolation.

1. Art

Art was something I always loved, of course all kids do art but I never stopped. I kept making up characters and settings and stories and theme songs and game designs. I did my first zine at like 6 years old lol.

Living in capitalism meant that the most attractive stories were beyond my reach for financial reasons, so out of disappointment I decided to start telling my own stories, as if that was hard. This was all very early in my life and I believe I was always meant to be an artist and storyteller, and the skills I gained only helped me later.

Like when things started to get more difficult around middle school. When family started demanding and gave nothing back anymore. When the only protector I had left me alone to pursue a career, repeating that if they can handle it, I can too - but I was still a child.

When it was forbidden to talk, feel and hurt, I kept creating. Losing myself in fiction, which years later turned out to be much less fictional than it seemed. Most of my writing was about myself this whole time. I was scared someone might find out so I concealed the message so deep that I alone couldn't see it anymore.

And new stories kept coming, I kept drawing, the XP I gained brought improvement. Never completing anything but always creating something new, finding endless joy in rotating the blorbos in my head. And this continues until today.

Many many times I had doubts if it's all worth anything, a devil telling me I should drop art. And always some inner force pushing me back to the drawing desk. So many times I had to ask myself the question: why do I keep making art? And finally, very recently, I have found the answer.

I am an artist. Artists make art. It's that simple.

2. Brain training

Similar to other body parts, brain can be trained. Solving puzzles, finding patterns, learning, math, there are many ways.

For me it was trying to understand my family.

Recognizing patterns level hard. Predicting what will happen. Inventing ways to protect myself. Teaching myself to do things no one would explain to me but everyone demanded me to know.

School was easy compared to this. Studying gave results in a short term, sometimes it was even fun. Teachers noticed and behaved as if it was their success. Other kids' parents noticed and started bullying their children to get the same results, because if I can do it, why can't they? They were not abusive enough to trigger a similar mechanism, but abusive enough to make their children hate me.

But I haven't noticed. I had a few friends and did not even notice everyone else was against me. This was my elementary and middle school, and then at high school the level was much more even so I could be more invisible.

All the time I tried to figure out my family, and they kept surprising me. All the time I could get good grades, and felt like this is the only thing I am good at.

But as Master's degree approached, I had to accept this can't continue forever, that I am not smart enough to get a PhD. That after graduating I will have to start a job, live a normal life, do things I never learned. I was sure I will die within months, but hey, it's been years already and it only gets easier!

My true victory came just a few years after. I have finally realized there is no way to understand my family because they are simply irrational.

That's it! I am free now! High-fiving all the mathematicians who proved a problem to be unsolvable because hey, that's an accomplishment too!!!

3. Isolation

Introverted by nature, I don't like to spend too much time with people, especially the same people over and over again. Especially my family. Three days is my limit.

And I was tied to them all my life. So when I finally moved out, the sudden experience of freedom overwhelmed me. I did not want to give it away until I get saturated with how good it feels to be alone. Also, gaining distance feom my abusers allowed healing to start. But before that, long hours of remembering and understanding and grieving. Gaining courage to finally meet myself, discover who I am. Forget who I was supposed to be. A journey of self-discovery that brought peace and hope and skill and confidence.

But I am still human. Humans are social animals. I need some contact every now or then or I go insane.

For a few years, I used pokemon go. Going to raid hour every week. But everyone was busy playing so the contact was very shallow.

I started going to fandom conventions trying to relive the same kind of wonder I felt as a teenager. It is different this time, of course. I got used to the fun parts. Nothing seems as impressive as earlier. But even then, I felt like this is my place, and my kind if people. I only needed a way to connect.

Then Käärijä happened, of course. Suddenly I had a thought: the biggest fandom convention in the country doesn't have much to offer for me, but maybe I can do something crazy, maybe I can make this event a bit more me-friendly. I returned to fb after years of break to ask on groups if there are any Käärijä fans willing to meet up.

And they were. It only gets crazier from there.

I started talking to some of them. One suggested a Frank fanclub because we all had some Frank gadgets. I designed a sticker. I designed another one. I organized three meetups, day after day. People came. I made friends. A group chat was founded. Was it me who did it?

Then another crazy idea. Make more stickers. Repeat this at other conventions. And so my convention tour started. With many many stickers.

And then I start a daily Käärijä sketchbook. And then I find friends through the stickers. And then I find friends throught the art. And then the friends warm my heart and break it open and put a foot inside so it doesn't close back too soon.

And I realize I am not alone.

Okay?

So I am an artist, I stubbornly forced my way through my early years and ended up with a pretty cool job, and now I get just enough money and independence to decide how to spend time with people who are in general pretty amazing after all ✌️ still no idea what I want next but I am really happy I made it to here

[talenlee]

Decemberween '23 — Smogon RBY Afficionados

This is pretty funny when you consider last month I wrote three thousand words about how I think Smogon has a fundamental problem in terms of its game design toolkit. Wa hey anyway.

I’ve talked about how when it comes to any given internet niche you run the risk of running headlong into the cursed distinction between ‘pronouns in bio :)’ and ‘pronouns in bio :^)’. There are a whole lot of spaces on the internet where you can always find someone who knows way too much about it and is happy to infodump to you about it, and for the increasingly pointed niches, those interests are usually represented by a truly sweaty nerd or some detail oriented queer person. It is in this space that I wish to proffer to you two people who make interesting material about Smogon.

Not only Smogon, but the part of Smogon focusing on a game mode which has three Pokemon that probably are 100% represented. That’s right, Red Blue Yellow, the oldest metagame of all, and the weirdest.

Let me show you the work of Plague Von Karma and Big Yellow.

Plague von Karma is a delightful channel if you’re into vtubers wearing plague doctor masks talking about thirty years of gameplay history. Which I guess I am. And statistically, so are you. Plague Von Karma’s channel is more brisk, with a lot of shorter videos designed to introduce you to the history of this game, documented in distinct ideas rather than long, broad overviews of a variety of topics.

The Rise of TobyBro | RBY Bytes

Watch this video on YouTube

This is also just coincidentally, an examination of when I engaged with the period of time, and therefore periodically I see people I know mentioned by name. Well, knew. I was a teenager. But like, I was there when the TobyBro arose and I hung out in chat rooms with Cat Gonk and it’s an incredible story to see as the narrative of the TobyBro endures for decades.

I mean, as a game designer I would have something of a problem if my game lasted that long with a generic piece like that but also, y’know, Chess got away with it, and we’ve never needed a Chess 2.0 (aside from how Pokemon is Chess 2).

If you look at the videos of Plague Von Karma, there’s a quantity of videos that are kind of meant to get you up to speed for what RBY is like, and why it’s like that, and when you understand those things you can approach the format more wholly. It’s not exactly positioned as ‘behold, I, an educator am here to get you involved in this format’ but it really feels like a good place to start that doesn’t involve reading the Smogon forums, which are…

Lively.

BigYellow is a lot more into these long form, dense and humour-driven kinda memelord treatments of the RBY OU format. It’s not quite a guide to getting involved – I mean, there’s really nothing to it beyond ‘you should probably have Snorlax, Chansey and Tauros on your team,’ but it’s still approached with a conversational mien and… like

it’s funny?

I think these videos are really funny. I watch them because BigYellow is charming and talks about Pokemon in a way that’s charming even as they talk about a format of Pokemon I think looks horrendous to play. I have the nagging suspicion that sometime I’m going to drop some joke somewhere in one of my videos and well after it’s gone up realise that I’m just copying this ginger Irish person who’s half my age and funnier as well.

Ice Type Pokémon in RBY

Watch this video on YouTube

BigYellow forwards what I think is one of the healthiest visions of Pokemon in the Smogon play space, where you should only ever consider the game to be a series of spaces you move between. If you want to play a Pokemon, don’t try and drag it into the ‘proper’ format, but rather look around for the formats where it is playable, then see if you can find a way to play that format. Charizard doesn’t have to be in OU for you to enjoy playing it, and if you start looking at Smogon tiers like playgrounds with some bumpers around them, you start to see some really cute, interesting metagame spaces to play around in.

It’s a diagnostic treatment of the tiering system. The game is not there to be proscribed, but described. There are ways the game works, there are ways it doesn’t work and some of the ways it doesn’t work result from silly people with weird grudges against Jumpluff.

But alright, sure, what if I’m not interested in a twenty-five year old Pokemon metagame that’s built out of emulators that are designed to implement bugs properly? Well, what if I told you that BigYellow also did videos about fight games? Oh, no? That’s not exciting? What if I told you there’s a 45 minute long video about the history of brown bricks in lego?

The Brilliant History of Brown Lego

Watch this video on YouTube

Yeah that’s right.

And I watched the whole thing.

And really, you probably will too, right?

I just can’t tell you what this channel’s identity is, not really. It’s BigYellow, who makes a game that I think sounds awful sound amazing. It’s about Lego. It’s about nostalgia. It’s about Guilty Gear Strive and how sometimes the weather being too severe shuts you out of playing the videogames you intended to play. It’s ultimately an insight into how one person who’s interested in stuff expresses that interest.

And that’s really cool.

Also, and this isn’t really important, but if you’re like me and you notice when you’re hearing voices that aren’t just More Americans talking about things, these reminders that the world’s culture does not actually stop at the edges of the mainland USA, then yeah, here are some channels discussing a Japanese game from places like Ireland and… I’m guessing Australia? But maybe New Zealand? I’m not about to say where or when.

The world is not a place where we intrude, it’s a place we share.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

[dkniade]

who was the first genshin character who caught your eye?

Thank you for the question! Since you asked, I’ll talk about how I got attached to some characters I like near the beginning

(slightly suggestive in first bit)

I will be completely honest and say some time before I finally convinced myself to download the game in early 2021, I saw a greyscale fanart of a smug & shirtless Kaeya. So visually speaking, I suppose it was his face that first caught my eye… haha

(I didn’t know his name back then so I described the fanart to a friend who played the game. I must’ve seen a full-colour illust of Kaeya too before that.)

Friend: what colour

Me: blue

Me: uh.. it’s “Kaeya” I think…?

Friend, jokingly: OF COURSE IT’S KAEYA IT’S ALWAYS KAEYA

Still, I didn’t start playing the game back then (I’m the type to do a ton of research on a game to see if it’s worth investing my time into, and even back then the artifact system felt complicated) and only read a few reader inserts of him. And drew fan art.

Shortly after (or before?) I started playing I went onto the Chinese wiki and read his entire backstory since I didn’t have the patience to unlock them by Friendship Level, and here we are. I really started appreciating Kaeya after that, and I think last autumn/winter I thought, “Kaeya was able to succeed and rise to such a high position in the knights despite all the hardships he went through, so I should be hopeful too.”

This piece was from a long time after, when I finally got to Act III of the Prologue. (I was a very casual player. Maybe even back then I had doubts about the game design.) Maybe I was moody when I did the sketch, but it was pretty fun to colour it haha (I’d like to try colouring like this again)

Before I started playing, I was also interested in Venti (because a friend liked him) BUT ALSO because of Circus-P’s Venti fan song “Last Words” (ft. Len Kagamine & Fukase). I thought it told the story in an interesting way. (I’m a VOCALOID fan so I like narrative music videos.) Even cried watching @gierosajie’s fan animatic to the song (wait hold on it’s This Artist I just realized- If you see this, I’d like to say it’s still a wonderful animatic❤️). I must’ve also watched the official cutscene animation “The Boy and the Whirlwind” and thought it was cool too.

But in terms of official character art, I think I was aware of the game around the time the 1.3 first Lantern Rite began, meaning 1.2 was just tying up, and I must’ve come across the key visual of Albedo and thought “I don’t know if that’s a man or a woman but damn their hair looks nice.” Watched the 1.2 trailer and thought Dragonspine looked cool. Eventually I also read his backstory on a wiki and got interested in him.

2.3 dropped and I did his Story Quest near the end of the event, and thought he was very polite and felt the quest was intimate (because of how he showed interest in the Traveler). I didn’t get the chance to personally do the event back then so based on the trailer I had a loose theory Albedo lost control just like how he said he might (at the end of his quest) and the corruption turned his Vision from Geo to Cryo and something about Kaeya’s lineage and Kaeya freaking out that Albedo knows about it, haha.. Eventually I learned of the three Albedos plot and waited for basically a year before watching the play-through itself, and here we are (again).

Inevitably, I find myself intrigued by characters who went through trauma, and how it shapes them in the past and affects them in the future… It’s interesting to see what they’ll do, how far they’ll go forward despite that.

[dracarialove]

📄 F it, I'm posting my finished fics here, too 📄

*Check the 'rouge's heart' tag if you haven't read previous chapters

[Chapter 9: Love]

'Kiss him...' Rouge's conscience whispered again.

Her heart was racing, both of them frozen in place as they stared at each other. Shadow was starry-eyed for the first time in his life as he waited for the bat's next move; his chest rose and fell with each unsteady breath. What passed was a moment of tension between the two, a second of Rouge hesitating to get any closer.

Finally, she pushed away her doubts and gave in to the romantic want, leaning forward slowly in case Shadow decided to pull back. Her eyelids lowered as her gaze dropped to his mouth, her glossy lips puckering slightly. The hedgehog stayed still long enough to comprehend her action, then closed his eyes and leaned into her kiss.

Their lips met in the calmest motion, yet they both experienced a flurry of emotions like never before. Rouge felt a shiver rush through her body, the anticipation of kissing Shadow melting away as her desire was finally realized.

Even if it didn't go anywhere from that point – even if the hedgehog still couldn't see them as a couple – the pressure was gone the instant they connected. Rouge would be able to accept the rejection with grace if he chose to shoot her down.

Meanwhile, Shadow's heart rate was spiking quickly, the rapid pulse thumping intensely in his chest. He kept a chill demeanor, sitting mostly still with his lips pressed against hers, but his mind was muddled with questions all the while.

'Is this really happening? What does it mean for me and for her? For us? Will there be an us? What would that be like? Could I even do it? Would I be good enough for her?'

His anxiety grew the longer they kissed, leading Shadow to break it when he couldn't bear the nerves any longer. Pulling away from her was like being sucked through a vortex that brought him back to reality, his eyes opening to the blazing sun above and Rouge's calmed expression. She smiled and broke the silence first.

"I was starting to think you didn't like me." Her expression turned coy as he chuckled, Shadow letting a smile stick to his face as well.

"I might like you too much for my own good," replied the hedgehog.

Rouge shifted to push herself up, no longer hovering over him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Her new beau sat up straighter, taking the bat's bare hands in his gloved palms and helping her stand. "It means... I haven't really felt like that... ever."

Rouge looked into his crimson eyes, her cheeks flushing pink. "Oh... I'm surprised."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because you seem like such a lady killer!"

Shadow laughed a little fuller, more genuine than his previous chuckles, though the sound was subdued compared to anyone else's laugh. Rouge was almost giddy that he was opening up so much, and squeezed his hands.

"You know, I think you should visit my club," she suggested.

Shadow lowered his eyebrow, intrigued. "You own a club?"

"Club Rouge – really obvious it's mine."

"Hm, yes, very modest," the hedgehog teased, his first instance of witty banter.

Rouge took a couple of steps backwards, pulling on Shadow's hands. "Come on, we can have some drinks and I'll show you around."

The hedgehog followed her back to their beach spot, where they both dried off before packing up to leave. Rouge put her sun dress back on, and together, they climbed into her car to head off towards the downtown area.

***

Rouge knew the club would be quieter with the sun still hanging high. It would give her the chance to offer a proper tour without being bombarded by her staff for assistance with the evening crowds. She parked in front of the building, pulling into her designated spot between the other employees' vehicles.

With one hand, Shadow lowered the sunglasses he'd returned to his face, leaning forward to look up at Club Rouge through the windshield. It was a tall building – three stories high – and the outside was colored a cool gray while a neon red sign spelled out the club's name in curvy letters.

Pink and blue lights shone through every window, faint strips of purple glimmering in the sun where they overlapped. The hedgehog imagined it would be much more colorful at night, and considering Rouge's personality, he was surprised to not hear music thumping through the walls.

"Looks nice," he commented, leaning back again and lowering his hand to the inside of the door. "Is it open all day?"

They stepped out at the same time, Rouge answering his question while closing and locking the doors. "No, I have someone come in the morning to get everything ready for business; every day, sure, but the doors open at noon."

"Noon?" replied the hedgehog, the two of them approaching the building together. "You must get a lot of business to keep it running for that long; I assume you don't close until late?"

The pretty bat looked over and smiled at him, pleased with Shadow's interest in her business. "That's right! 3am is when we start shuffling people out. Most of the partygoers have left by then, so it's good enough to get things decently clean before the sun rises."

The man nodded, impressed by Rouge's level of responsibility to run a club while doubling as an agent and hunting for jewels. She seemed so put together, knowing what she wanted and making it work, handling everything easily even when inconvenienced.

"So how often do you come around?" he asked as they neared the door.

"Usually once a week to check on everything. I have pretty great staff, so I don't have to worry about much; and if they do need me, they call. But every now and then, I'll come by for a drink or to mingle with the party animals."

She was grinning just talking about it, and her palm soon landed firmly against the large front door. Electronic music seeped through the cracks the second there was an opening, Shadow realizing just how thick the walls must be to contain what was a relatively loud beat.

The bat led him inside, where the bright lights of a casino lobby filled every inch of his vision, thankfully not so aggressive in the middle of the day, and lessened further by his dark shades. He heard her greet a bouncer nearby, her voice quiet as the hedgehog's ears adjusted to the energetic tunes resonating from the speakers above them.

"Shadow, you okay?" she suddenly asked, leaning towards him.

His gaze met hers and he realized he'd been zoning out a bit. "Yes, I'm fine."

She smiled tentatively, but accepted his answer, continuing on across the carpeted floor. Ahead of them were a number of tables made for various games – blackjack, roulette, poker, and billiards all occupied the center of the lobby.

Along the walls were numerous slot machines, all blinking with bright colored lights and high-pitched sounds that beckoned patrons to play. There were a few Mobian customers sitting at the slots, as well as a group of hedgehogs that chatted loudly over the music while playing a game of pool.

Rouge waved to them and asked if they were having a good time, her tone friendly. The dark hedgehog watched every one of the men smile and nod, some removing the cigarettes from their mouths to compliment her; a few of their gazes seemed to be stuck to the enchanting owner as the couple passed by.

Rouge brought Shadow to the bar straight ahead, which was being tended by a dark green fox. He smiled when he saw her, greeting his boss before they even reached the cushioned stools, then looking at Shadow while grabbing a martini glass.

"Welcome to Club Rouge," he said in a calm tone, his voice youthful, then turned his attention back to the bat. "What'll you have today, Rou?"

"Just a strawberry margarita would be nice," she answered, plopping her curvy figure onto one of the seats. Looking at Shadow, she asked, "What would you like? It's on the house."

He was still a bit off-kilter from the sights and sounds around him, almost missing her question before forcing himself to focus. "Oh, uh... the same, I guess."

The fox's silver eyes glimmered as he piped in a chipper tone, "Two strawberry margaritas! Not trying to get hammered today?"

Rouge laughed while he took her glass and began preparing the drink. Shadow could see a certain shine in the bartender's eyes that suggested he might have a bit of a crush on the older woman. And the quiet man couldn't blame him; he was falling for her himself.

The bat responded, "For once, no. Just showing my new friend around the club. He hasn't really been around the city, so I've been taking him to some fun spots in town."

"Ahh, you're lucky," the fox said to Shadow, starting on the second margarita. "Rouge knows every bar and club within five miles! Not to mention all the great places to eat."

Shadow made eye contact with the bat, who was leaning one cheek into her palm and smiling dreamily at him, and said, "Yes, I've been learning a lot about this town since I met her."

"Cheers," blurted the tender, placing their drinks on the bar top. "Remember this: of all the night spots in the city, Club Rouge is the best."

Rouge smiled at the fox and raised her glass, then turned to Shadow while taking her first sip. He also accepted his margarita, nodding at the bartender before drinking a bit. The cold sugary mix was sweet against his tongue, the strawberry taste strong over a hint of alcoholic sting. Before he could say anything about it, the young barkeep spoke up again.

"So, Rou, you look nice!" His hands were resting on the bar, arms straight out from his body.

"Thanks," she responded, lowering her glass. "We were just at the beach."

"Wow, beach day." He looked over at Shadow. "Sounds like fun!"

The stoic hedgehog felt an awkward energy coming from him, assuming things would end up being uncomfortable if they stayed at the bar. So, he answered before turning to Rouge, "Yes, the weather was very nice. I don't mean to cut things short, but perhaps I could get that tour now?"

"Oh, of course!" the bat replied, jumping up from the stool. Her dress flowed back down to her knees and she looked over her shoulder while taking a step towards Shadow. "Thank you for the drinks, Jay. I'll be around if anyone needs me."

"S-sure," he said, raising one hand to grip the back of his neck and watching them walk away.

As the pair left the bar, Shadow savored the feeling of Rouge's bare hand against the back of his arm, the clapping sound of her sandals quiet in comparison to the techno music filling the building. They made their way to one corner of the room, where sat a set of winding stairs leading to the second story. Before they reached the bottom step, she pointed out a couple of doors next to them that beared restroom symbols.

"First floor bathrooms, if you ever need to go." Her tone was matter-of-fact, even business-like as she pointed again to the lobby behind them while climbing the first step. "Let me know if you want to play any games, too; we've got all kinds to keep you entertained while you're here."

Shadow listened while she continued on, following her up the stairs and periodically sipping his drink. She claimed, "And of course, whenever you're with me, everything'll be on the house! Dating a casino owner has its perks."

His expression changed to stunned bemusement as his crimson gaze snapped to her face. Immediately, the bat followed her statement with a teasing claim. "I'm joking, of course."

The twinkle in her teal eyes suggested that she was amused by Shadow's double-take. Trying to calm his slightly-raised heartbeat, the hedgehog let out a chuckling sigh, not so sure that he wanted her to be joking.

Rouge was capable of throwing him off his balance, a skill no one had possessed before in his presence. Always collected and calculating everything around him, the ultimate lifeform had previously thought it impossible for anyone to catch him off-guard, even in battle. But the sly woman's smooth-talking nature was different from those who tried to take him by surprise.

She was naturally confident and charismatic, refusing to turn off her charm because it was just a part of her personality. Whether flirting with Shadow would've yielded results or not, Rouge would still be doing it – her talents were effortless.

She spent the next half-hour showing him the second and third stories. The second floor was a disco, most of the space being a dance floor consisting of bright blue tiles. With no one dancing, the area was expansive, the only other attractions being the DJ booth at the back of the room and a small bar where patrons could serve themselves.

Rouge greeted the lone bouncer and briefly checked in with him before taking Shadow to the top floor. It was a lounge room with lighting much dimmer, but playing the same music over the speakers. Velvet sofas and loveseats lined the walls, and there were small dining tables in the middle of the room with chairs for seating.

"This is where people can hang out and relax if they're tired from dancing or have had too much to drink," she explained. "We have a toaster oven at the bar, so customers can order food, too."

"Very nice," complimented Shadow.

And he meant it, genuinely fascinated by Rouge's ability to keep everything running smoothly. It seemed like a lot to keep up with, and he had to commend her for her passion in creating such an environment. He declined her offer of food, and they finished their drinks before heading back downstairs, where the bat led him across the room to the other side of the casino bar.

There was an archway in the wall that occupied the corner, its entrance covered by a dark purple velvet curtain. Rouge took his hand in hers, smiling back at the hedgehog before grabbing one side of the curtain.

"This is my own private lounge area," she told him, pulling aside the heavy fabric and tugging on his gloved hand.

After entering the small, darkened room, Shadow was able to take off his sunglasses while Rouge flipped a switch that turned on the violet-colored light hanging from the ceiling. The thick curtain created a bit of a buffer from the noise of the casino, and also blocked the outside light from entering the bat's modest sanctuary.

Her space – surprisingly only big enough to be occupied by a few people at a time – consisted of a red velvet loveseat resting against the left-most wall, a plump beanbag chair sitting across from it, and several tables that all served a different purpose.

In the middle of the room was a coffee table, large enough to hold plates and drinks; and all four corners were decorated with smaller end tables, three of them carrying small sculptures. Sitting on the fourth table, on the far side of the loveseat, was a mini-fridge that whirred quietly as it chilled the contents inside.

"What'ya think?" Rouge asked, swaying her hips as she stepped towards the loveseat.

"It's very... you," responded the hedgehog, placing his shades on the coffee table as his baritone voice rumbled softly through the cozy space.

He moved to join her on the loveseat, the woman crossing one leg over the other once her form had sunken comfortably into the couch. She smirked and lowered an eyebrow at him, replying, "'Me'? I'd say it's a lot more subdued than my usual style. You don't find me gaudy, or my taste excessively extravagant?"

Her playful tone tipped him off that she was merely bantering again, but Shadow felt more serious about his opinions of her character. He didn't return the smirk curled across her muzzle, but instead scooted a little closer and held her hands once more.

"Sometimes," he answered, staring decidedly into her purple-tinted eyes. "But that's only a part of who you are."

Rouge's teasing expression changed to one of puzzled intrigue, the slight tilt of her head urging him to continue his train of thought.

The man's smooth, monotone voice was unwavering while he spoke on the deeper strengths of her personality. "You're also intelligent and resourceful, with a level of charisma that I will never possess."

She almost chuckled, but saw the sternness in his face and realized he wasn't just flattering her – he was being blunt. The bat felt a flush enter her cheeks again and she clung to his every word, leaning towards him, as well.

Shadow spoke honestly, "In the past, I've found it difficult to figure out my purpose in life. At times, it seemed I was just wasting away the days until something happened to pique my interest. And as you can imagine, that's not a simple task; I'll admit that I was unimpressed with most of the things around me."

Rouge gained a smarmy expression and sarcastically retorted, "Until you met me?"

He couldn't help but smile and let out a small chuckle, catching on to her mockery of the cliché line. "I wasn't going to say that. I'm still unimpressed by most things... you just have a different outlook on life that gets me thinking."

"Oh? Thinking about what?"

He paused for a moment, briefly looking down at her hands before darting his wine-hued eyes back to hers. "Who I want to be. I wonder how my life would change if my own mindset were to shift just a bit."

"Well, there's no harm in trying something new," Rouge claimed, one shoulder rising towards her cheek.

The musing hedgehog wasn't trying to be romantic – his body language stiff, his facial demeanor thoughtful and slightly somber – but his words were touching her heart nonetheless. To know that she was helping someone discover new perspectives, just by being herself, had Rouge feeling like she was being offered a partner.

In crime, in business, in life; she didn't care which. She just knew that Shadow had something that perhaps she was missing, as well: the power to reflect heavily on all of the things being presented to him, rather than just letting them pass over his person like water.

Her own quick-witted nature was useful in her lines of work, but it often kept Rouge from thinking deeply about the connotations of any casual encounter. If the situation seemed surface-level, or if the problem had a quick and easy fix, she let it be as it was and didn't worry further unless she could predict a ripple effect.

The bat had to admit to herself that perhaps she even made assumptions without considering every possible option; though to her credit, it had never caused a problem for her before. In that moment, she accepted him as a promising prospect for the kind of love she could have. Sitting on the maroon loveseat together, the pair were entranced by each other, and the charming woman saw Shadow's gaze trail down to her lips.

"I want to give us a try," he spoke softly. "Just to see where this goes."

Rouge squeezed his hands tightly, her eyelids lowering. "Me, too..."

This time, Shadow was the one to lean in for a kiss. The bat instantly reciprocated, her eyes closing while her heart nearly leapt out of her chest. The dark hedgehog finally let his body relax from the tension of opening up to her, relishing the intimate moment with his first love interest.

When they pulled away from each other, he could hardly keep his breathing steady; once again, she was effortlessly nudging the reclusive lifeform out of his usual nonchalant state. He consciously allowed himself to be more vulnerable around her, his eyes brightening a bit more as he smiled.

"You have a great smile," Rouge complimented, following with a wink.

"Yours is better," he retorted, guessing that she would appreciate the praise.

One of her bare hands lifted to run tan fingers through her curled locks. "Say, I've got a proposition for you."

"What's that?"

"How would you like a job here? You're still looking for work, right?"

Shadow's eyes widened a little, appreciative of her offer. "I am. What would you have me doing?"

"Well, I could use some more security around here," she said, lowering her hand from her hair to play with his chest fur. "The bouncers do an alright job, but there's only one for each floor. I could really use a security supervisor to do patrols around the building, make doubly sure that everyone's having a good time, and keep an eye out for troublemakers."

In a swift motion, she lightly tapped her index finger against the tip of his nose, causing the hedgehog to let out an embarrassed huff as he turned his head. "Interested?"

She leaned away from him and twirled a thick strand of white hair – painted lavender by the purple light – around the same index finger, smiling flirtily and fluttering her eyelashes at him. Shadow turned his gaze back towards her and looked the woman up and down, then raised the warm hand that was still resting in his, pulling it closer to his face.

"Sounds like my kind of job," he answered, then planted a kiss on her soft skin.

[dumbfinntales]

I'm finally done with Stellar Blade. It says I played it for about 25 hours, but honestly felt much longer. There's a lot of side content in this game. But it was a pretty fun experience and a great test for my reflexes. Maybe a bit too great. I dunno if my reflexes are getting worse, but damn this game was difficult. More below, with some spoilers!

Stellar Blade is a somewhat linear action game with slight RPG mechanics. The game is obviously inspired by Nier Automata and you can see it from the themes, the sexy protagonist and the music style. Honestly even though it was aping Nier I still enjoyed the music a lot. Especially in the first area and in the Plaza, something about the music felt atmospheric and otherworldly. I say the game is somewhat linear, because there are small open world segments where you can explore freely for cosmetics, sidequests and loot.

The combat was definitely the best part of the game. It combines a fast paced action game and something like a dark souls game to create an interesting hybrid. The game relies a lot on the parry, but the dodge as well. You can also unlock a lot of cool combat abilities and some of the later challenges really got me to use everything in my arsenal. The parry timing though was brutal. Even with an upgrade and an item that improves parry timing I still miss the parry, and what's annoying is that if you mess up one parry you get stunlocked with rest of the combo and that never felt nice.

The parrying honestly felt a lot more difficult than even Lies of P. There were a ton of moments when I felt like I should have reacted in time, but it wasn't enough. My jaw would drop on the floor and I'd utter out: "What do you mean that reaction wasn't fast enough?!" honestly I might just be getting old. I'm nearly 30 now after all.

The side content was nice, but I wasn't a big fan of it. By the Great Desert I was getting tired of the boring side quests and uninteresting locations. Some side quests were fun enough, like the one with Enya or the girl over at sisters junk. But most of it was like go see me friend, oh no friend is dead, fight monsters, report back death. Or go to a location and find an object. It doesn't help that the two open world areas look so similar. Wasteland and the Great Desert are pretty much the same. The Desert is just a big boring area that I got sick of real quick. The more linear story related areas were much better. I liked the Levoire areas where you're forced to use your gun only for combat, a fun change of pace.

But if there's one thing this game absolutely excels at it is the boss fights. They feel hectic, visceral and so good. Plus they're pretty difficult. Especially towards the end there are so many super difficult fights back to back. The final boss that I got in my story was so tough that it'd two to three shot me, and once more that parry timing was tough. Raven also nearly made me lose my sanity, her ridiculous combo chains would fuck you up if you'd miss even one parry. But the bosses feel and look great and offer a great challenge. Seriously the monster designs in this game are rad!

As for the story it was interesting, but I figured out the big "twist" right away. It was so damn obvious from the get go, but it was fun to watch play out. It was made obvious that you weren't a biological human, but some kind of a robot hybrid from the start, so I knew the Naytibas were the real humans. They kinda reveal that early on in the story and all the main characters just go "NUH UH! We can't know if this is real anyway haha, lets kill humanity :-) ". The only thing that caught me by surprise was Orcal being an alpha Naytiba who mended their ways. Interesting that some Naytiba can become more human and not become beasts.

So overall it was a damn tough, but fun experience. These developers are extremely talented. I don't see myself playing this game again any time soon, but maybe one day. Honestly I kinda wish this game didn't have as much "fluff" side content and was more of a linear action game. Or at least some areas that aren't just desert. We know earth is fucked, but the first linear level is set in an abandoned city so we know not everything is desolate.

[super-ion]

Ion & Emily

Honeymoon - part 3

(I can't find the link to part 2, so here's the AO3 link)

With a last furtive glance down the street, I knock on the door. It's a plain little townhouse on a plain little street, very easy to miss.

Actually, it actively tries to be very easy to miss. The only reason my attention doesn't slip right off is because I've been invited here before.

It sounds like magic, and honestly… I'm pretty sure it is… I mean there is super tech that can do that too, like variable perception fields or whatever. I honestly don't know how all that works. I could ask Sarah to explain it, but she's currently suffering a concussion.

Speaking of…

"No…" she hisses into my ear with a slur. "He's going to violate causality at us!"

I suppose I should clarify that she could explain variable perception fields. Magic straight up freaks her out. She's got like three PhDs, advanced physics and stuff. Nothing about Dr. Hands' powers make sense to her.

Before I need to knock again, the door opens and there's Hands, wearing nothing but a fluffy pink bathrobe and a pair of slippers. He's just like this portly guy, gray and balding. He could totally be someone's weird uncle or something.

The fact is he's almost literally older than dirt. Like, I'm pretty sure he was like a mischief deity in Mesopotamia or something. These days, he's a low stakes supervillain and the DM for our ttrpg group.

"Ah!" he says with delight. "Jennifer! I was hoping you and your…"

He pauses and takes in Sarah and me.

"This is not your beautiful wife," he declares.

"Hi Hands!" Sarah says with a weak wave. "I'm rescuing Jen!"

Dr Hands raises a bemused eyebrow.

"It's a long story," I interject. "Can we come in? We need a place to crash and she needs medical attention."

"Ah, well," he says with a welcoming grin. "I'll have you remember that I am a doctor."

"I thought you taught anthropology."

"Hm? Oh, yes. Well… I did serve as a field medic under Wellington during the Peninsular campaign. I do remember a thing or two about it."

Yeah, the great thing about villains is sometimes they just casually drop the fact that they served in the Napoleonic wars and you just gotta roll with it.

He gestures us in and lends a hand getting Sarah settled on a sofa in the sitting room.

Like, literally lends his hands. That's what he does, he conjures disembodied hands. It's one of the creepiest things I've ever seen, and that's saying something for my line of work.

"Will your bride be joining us?" he asks as he gets Sarah settled.

"Uh, yeah," I reply. "She's just cleaning up some… stuff. Listen, can I borrow your shower? I'm kind of gritty from being kidnapped."

He nods enthusiastically, and motions down a very long hallway. Did I mention that the interior of the house is impossibly spacious?

"Seventh door on the right," he says. "I'll keep the light on for her, don't worry."

"Thanks Hands! You're the best!"

He offers a genial bow and I make my way in the direction of the indicated room.

The adrenaline is wearing off and I'm exhausted. I'm worried sick about Emily, but I have no idea how long I'll be able to keep my eyes open. I tentatively reach out with my powers and am rewarded with a spike of pain in my head. That lightning bolt really did a number on me…

Yeah, I'm no good to anybody like this.

Emily can handle this.

She's fine. Totally fine. She used to do this all the time.

I'm worried sick.

I open the designated door and… holy shit.

It's like a whole honeymoon suite, giant bed, satin sheets, so many candles everywhere. Huge glass doors overlook majestic mountains and a lake that glitters in the moonlight.

Yeah, I know, the front door was in Paris and this room is in… the Alps? The Pyrenees?

Magic, remember?

Anyway, the shower is amazing. It's one of those lavishly big walk in things. Absolutely perfect temperature and pressure.

Of course, when I get out, there's a satin night dress and robe waiting for me.

Okay, that sounds creepy. I swear Dr Hands doesn't have a creepy bone in his body… or… well, not like that, at least. He's good people, trust me.

It fits perfectly, accenting my assets and downplaying the dysphoric bits. It's perfect and I finally let my guard down. Ion goes away and Jen takes over.

Jen is worried for her wife - desperately, achingly.

I pace the bedroom a few times, get tired, sit down and fidget for a few moments. Maybe I should just put my head down, rest my eyes for a little bit…

***

"Hey," someone murmurs softly in my ear.

I blink awake and there's the most beautiful woman in the world. Her hair is mussed and sweaty and the costume has a few scorch marks, but otherwise, she's perfectly unharmed.

I throw my arms around her and pull her into a desperate exhausted kiss. She relaxes into me in relief.

I try to drag her closer, but she grunts in protest.

"Babe," she gasps as she breaks the kiss. "I want nothing more than to fall asleep in your arms right now, but I very badly need to change my clothes."

I reluctantly let her go and she draws back, but her eyes linger on the gown.

"That's really fucking hot on you," she says.

There's a flutter in my chest and my face heats.

This woman is my wife. I'm somebody's wife.

God, I love her.

"How about you?" I ask. "You look fantastic."

She cocks a whistful grin and turns to show off her ass.

"Don't get used to it," she says. "Special occasions only… and don't you dare make a habit of getting kidnapped."

I smirk at that.

"Okay," she says reluctantly. "I gotta hand it to Sarah, she did a good job… don't tell her I said that, I'd never hear the end of it."

"Ah…" I say. "Yeah, about Sarah…"

A flicker of concern flashes across her face.

"Is she…?"

"She's fine… probably. She's in good hands."

I pause for a moment. She closes her eyes and lets out an exasperated sigh at the pun.

"Soooo… she uh… tried to kiss me," I admit.

Emily raises her eyebrows at that.

"She also told me breaking up with you was the biggest mistake of her life," I continue. "Or maybe breaking up with John and Dale was the biggest. She wasn't really super clear on how it stacked up."

Yeah, I'm rambling a little bit.

Emily sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose.

"I wasn't going to tell you," she said, "but she drunk texted me two weeks ago."

She takes me by the shoulders and fixes me with a desperate look.

"Jen. We need to get them back together."

I nod.

No idea how that's going to work given that they're archenemies… and Dale… I'm not super clear on how he fits into their super dynamic.

One thought has been nagging me though since the almost kiss. I chew on my lip and debate saying it.

"Okay, but consider… if we wanted to, you know Sarah would be totally down to… you know…"

"Excuse me?" she deadpans.

I raise my hands disarmingly and make a tiny laugh.

"Kidding! I'm kidding!" I say. "Mostly kidding…"

"Oh my god, you're a menace," she says and drags me into another kiss. "Listen, if you want to scratch that itch, go right ahead. I'm cool with it, but count me out. I do not want to have a threesome with my ex. Who, by the way, if you recall, is your brother's ex and also my brother's ex."

"Okay, fair point," I reply. "So how do we get them back tog-"

"No," she says, placing a finger to my lips. "That's a tomorrow problem. Right now, I am taking a shower and you are going to join me. Then we're going to bed."

A grin spreads across my face and I'm suddenly a lot less tired.