#I think about a scene like this happening a lot

[zorilleerrant]

I have a theory about this actually!

Okay, so, we've all seen the writing advice of 'just get the first draft done; it's easier to revise than write' and I do think that's mostly true. I just think that people come at it from two different angles, and nobody bothers to give different advice, even tho these are basically opposite problems from each other.

One group writes the first draft for The Vibe. And what they do is basically only voice - they get really distinct characters, settings, snappy dialogue, probably a decent amount of storybuilding. But their stories are either way too short or way too long, usually, and they don't always go in the right order. The second draft of these is just So Much Structure. At this point they might write an outline and move all of the scenes around.

The other group knows exactly what they want to happen. And so they write something that's probably beat for beat how the story should be shaped, with the plot laid out exactly how they want, only changing a few plot holes along the way. But there's only a ghost of thematic elements, not much interiority, and all of the places and people and times have a real placeholder vibe. The second draft is to start differentiating them, giving them motivations and ways of interacting with the world of the story.

But with editors being so much more pressed for time and the writers having their own crunch deadlines, people don't get to the rewrite stage. Or they only have time to get through the first pass of the rewrite, essentially the rough sketch stage. There were always books like this, but I think we're seeing them more, and more from experienced authors.

With TV it's harder to see the same type of problem, because the scenes can be rearranged after they're recorded, and because actors will put a lot of themselves even into very samevoice characters. But, still, we're seeing a lot more of this type of complaint for TV and movies, too, not just books. They're under the same type of timecrunch, even tho the system works really differently; if it were an education or training problem it would probably crop up in ways that didn't look so similar.

This is why I think another type of book that's appearing more and more is one with really well thought out characters and interesting motifs, but the pacing is just wildly off. It meanders. It's way too long in parts and too short in others, and often it just ends abruptly. Or tacks on way too many epilogues. It's not that it's too long overall, but just that your memory of the story and when you try to look at it, the elements don't look the same shape.

Anyway I think these are two sides of the same coin, and caused by the same problem. But there's only so many people who can hire freelance editors for their work.

another writing pet peeve that I'm noticing more and more is, voice.

So... the words you pick, express more than just their meaning? I've noticed more and more in books published a kind of wooden? overly formal tone, a lot of words to impress your SAT tutor.

Particularly in first person the words you pick the way your character speaks and thinks and the words in which they do that, tell us the readers things about them. Are they smart are they good at school, bad at school, not articulate, etc you can tell me a character likes poetry without ever mentioning that they read it by how they express themselves.

and oh btw if you have two characters in dueling narrative, I should get a distinct difference between them, two different people shouldn't be written just the same way, how they talk and think should be different.

[chaoticwriting]

YOU ARE MARRIED 4!!??

Part 3

Clockwork: Welcome back, my boy. How does the mission go?

Danny: I'm going to assume you ask that purely out of courtesy but it is going fine. I capture Vlad and only experience some minor inconveniences.

Clockwork: Hmmm, minor inconveniences for now it is.

Danny: I'm sorry what?

Clockwork: Nothing. Anyway, you should get ready to go pick up Ellie. Also take this.

Clockwork throws a bag full of things on to Danny as he clumsily catches it.

Danny: Oh no, you are not just brushing it off. Tell me wha- AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!

A green portal opens below Danny as he falls into it, leaving behind an unconscious Vlad on the floor and Clockwork standing there looking solemnly at the closing green portal.

Clockwork: I hope you will be able to face your future challenges well my boy.

-Gotham-

Batman is seriously not having a good night tonight. He just finished Riddler's riddles when he gets news that Black Mask and Bane are currently engaging in a shootout in the harbor.

It's bad enough that there are 3 rogues that are out tonight, his daughter is also not talking to him since he forced her to go on patrol tonight since she has been benched for far too long.

It's not that he doesn't understand her but he seriously needs help with both Red Robin and him injured, Red Hood is dealing with something in his territory and Nightwing is out of town. Only Spoiler, Black Bat and Robin are available since they are not supposed to patrol tonight.

When they arrive at the scene though, all they see is knocked out Black Mask and Bane, alongside a line of goons that are sitting on the ground with head hanging low like they are ashamed of something.

Upon closer inspection, they see a man standing in front of the line of goons, lecturing them about gun safety and how irresponsible they are for shooting and disturbing the night.

Batman has been doing this vigilante work for a long time and this still can easily be ranked in the top 10 of the wildest things he has seen.

But he is Batman. So he will adapt to the situation. Slowly approaching the man, he is startled and stunned when the man turns around and starts to lecture him about fighting while injured and the importance of rest.

He is about to refute the man when a black shadow passes by him and pushes towards the man. He sees the man equally startled at first and finally intercepts the fast shadow with a hug.

Everyone falls into awkward silence as everyone from the goons and the Batfamily watch as the man and Black Bat hug each other for a long time.

Batman: Ehem!

Batman's fake cough catches the attention of the two hugging figures as they separate with a clear (green?) blush on the man's face. The man turns towards the goons and urges them to go back home and thinks about what he says.

Normally, Batman would have stopped him to capture all the goons but right now, there is a lot more important matter at hand. Batman watches as the goons pick up their belongings and scramble away to what he assumes to be their home.

Batman: Are you Daniel Fenton?

Danny: Yes and I assume you are Batman.

Batman: *Grunts*

Danny: I'll take that as a yes.

Batman: What are you doing here?

Danny: I have come to pick up my daughter. Unfortunately, my luck isn't that good. I got caught up in the shootout between these two guys and their minions and decided to stop it.

Danny says as he points towards the unconscious Bane and Black Mask laying on the ground. Spoiler and Robin approach them and check their condition. After confirming they are just unconscious, they tie the two unconscious men and contact Jim to come collect the rogues.

While Batman is supervising their work, he could hear the subtle flirting happening between Danny and his daughter. He usually is very good at handling his emotions but right now, he really doesn't know how he is supposed to feel.

Batman: Let's go back first. We will continue this conversation later.

Batman then returns to the Batmobile to see only Spoiler, Red Robin and Robin following him. He stares at Spoiler as she replies with a shrugs.

Black Bat: I will show Danny the way.

Batman releases another sigh. As the Batmobile engine booms through the streets, a silent invisible car follows it from behind.

When they arrive at the Batcave, it is quite a surprise when a car suddenly appears right beside them. Its sleek black with neon green gives it a weird retro style design.

Exiting it are an unmasked Black Bat that is blushing a little and Danny that is grinning widely. Bruce can feel his eyebrows twitching when he sees the scene. He controls his impulse to go beat up Danny and calls Alfred to inform him of their guest.

They sit together in silence as all of them think of what they question they are gonna ask him when the elevator lets out a ding and comes out Alfred.

Danny turns towards the elevator and is surprised to see a familiar face.

Danny: Mr. Pennyworth. How are you doing?

Alfred: I am good, Mr. Daniel. How are you doing? Still traveling I assume.

Danny: I am also good. Hahaha. I try to do less traveling now that I have a family but you know how it is. I don't find problems, problems find me.

Stephanie: Wait, you two knew each other.

Alfred: Why yes. We go way back with him sometimes helping me and me sometimes helping him.

Danny: Anyway, what are you doing here? I thought you said you want to retire from fighting.

Alfred: A lot has happened since we last saw each other. I for one become the butler of this family.

Danny: A butler? Well you do make a good tea. Wait, you mean this family. As in all of you guys are one family?

Alfred: Oh, Miss Cassandra didn't tell you? I would have assumed you know.

Danny: You know I wouldn't pressure her to tell me if she isn't comfortable about it. After all, each of us has a secret of our own, right?

To that statement, both of them just let out a little knowing smile. The rest of them are pretty stunt at the revelation that both Danny and Alfred know each other.

Stephanie: Wait, Danny. How old are you?

Danny: I am 21. Why?

Stephanie: Then how did you know Alfred? Both of you have like half a decade of age difference.

Danny: Oh! I can time travel.

Tim: *While getting his hand bandaged by Alfred* You can time travel?

Danny: Well, not me. I know someone that can send me traveling through time.

Stephanie: So when Alfred said you are traveling, he means traveling through time.

Danny: Well, that and dimension too.

Tim: And why did you travel to these places?

Danny: Many reasons. Visiting someone, delivering items, and even capturing prisoners.

Tim: So you are a servant of someone?

Danny: Servant in a sense your parents ask you to do something. Sure, I could avoid him and just run away. But last time I did that, he made me write a 1000 word apology essay in an ancient language.

Bruce: Is it Clockwork the one you are talking about?

Danny: Oh you heard of him? Yeah. He is like my mentor/parental figure. He helps me train my power and solve my problems and such.

Suddenly, a little figure pounces on Danny as he easily intercepts it and spins the little figure.

Ellie: Hi Papa!

Danny: Hello, honey. What are you doing still not sleeping?

Ellie: I was waiting for Mama to return from work.

Danny: I see. But it is quite late isn't it. We should take you to bed now.

Cass: Ellie, I thought I already put you to bed before I went out.

Ellie: I woke up when you were getting out of bed. I wanted to follow you but Alfred doesn't allow me to.

Cass looks at Alfred apologetically. It seems that her daughter is more perceptive than she thought.

Alfred: I do believe that this conversation can also be postponed to the next morning. I would rather that all of you have enough energy to deal with your day tomorrow too.

Bruce & Tim: *Groan*

Stephanie: Can I have a cookie before going to bed?

Ellie: Oh, I want it too!

Cass: You shouldn't eat sweets before going to bed, sweetheart.

Ellie: But Aunt Steph is also getting a cookie.

Cass: Don't follow your aunt Steph. You don't want to have your teeth all fall off right?

Ellie: *Covering her mouth* No!

Alfred: I also agree with Miss Cassandra. It is a little too late to have a midnight snack. Master Damian is also tired from how he is holding himself.

Everyone turns towards the oddly silent Damian and sees that Damian is leaning against the wall as his head bops up and down dozing off to sleep. Bruce goes to pick up Damian that snuggles closer into Bruce's shoulder as he is being carried up to his room.

Under Alfred's insistence, everyone returns to their bedroom that night.

[miwiheroes]

okay time for my rant

i feel kind of upset that i know that a lot of people will be disappointed with season 5 byler because they have this one view: past byler moments need to be referenced.

assuming that it is endgame (bc yeah ofc it is), i don't think that will be enough for everyone, which i totally get <3 like if they do it in a poorly written way (i.e. no depth into mike's queerness or a cheating plot on el) i would totally get not being happy with it. but i know that some people will think that it's not that good because they may not reference past byler moments??

like some things that i've seen people hope for are understandable. for example, wanting a kiss with heroes in the bg, or wanting a mention of the painting. those make total sense because the writers set those things up in a way that implies it'll be referenced later on.

some things i just don't stand by. for example, wanting them to show ANY reference to them meeting each other for the first time, any reference to the crazy together scene. those are already canon moments. it's almost as if people needing these scenes to be referenced is a kind of insecurity in the existence of those scenes in the first place? like we need to them to be rehashed in order to make them like- double canon in a way?

now, i totally get wanting this to happen. for the reasons i have just expressed and the fact it would be really cool. but what i don't get is: saying that the new season's byler would be poorly written without a reference to a past moment.

i can almost see it now, post byler endgame, people getting mad there was no reference to their first meeting, people getting mad they didn't reference 'lets start a new party'. them saying it was poor writing. me going:

honestly......... i think it would be better written if they didn't reference these. More specifically, if the miwi flashback isn't them meeting each other for the first time, i would be equally as excited, because it means a NEW THING for us to reference, a new thing for me to explore in analysis.

the writers will hopefully give us some new lines. new soundtrack songs. new things to analyse and make memes about. i don't neeeed them to say they're crazy together for the third time*.

so if i catch anyone calling writers who have made an effort to create new, romantic, beautiful scenes that deepen the complexity of byler's relationship bad writing just because they didn't reference old moments, i am going to have an aneurysm <3 and then giggle in heaven, because why ur working urself up over literally nothing, i'll be sat, positive and happy, looking at fresh and new things to obsess over.

if you feel attacked by the post, im sorry, i just want to get you guys excited because no matter what we are getting new byler content, new lines and new complexities. sorry for making u feel bad in the future for criticising writers for taking the hard way out, and writing new lines LMAO

and in the possibility that they do reference these old moments, i'll also be happy, i just hate the idea that some people won't be happy if they don't do it, if that makes sense

*if you're wondering what the second time is, it's when mike gives will that post it note with the line on it.

[s--strawberry]

babes.

theres people on the tags saying this is crazy out of context or asking about the context or wondering what did crowley actually meant. but let me tell you: this IS in context. i didnt pick bits and pieces to make is sound bad. this is exactly how it happens on the show.

they made a deal. crowley think cas is not doing his part. cas is defending himself and says "im holding up my end [of the deal]". then crowley tells him all that. and yes he means dean's dick. he (and a bunch of other characters) makes the joke of cas and dean being lovers a lot, this is not his first time.

and in the scene is even worst because after that cas says he just talked with dean because he takes crowley's accusations literally so he tries to explain why he smells like the car,,, AND crowley says to cas "a whore is a whore is a whore...."

so yeah. im not saying is canon that they fucked but it is canon that a lot of characters think they did. including us btw because the fandom is a character in the show lmao.

i love it here,,,

im writing while watching and this stopped me on my tracks like ???

[letstalkaboutfandomsbaby]

╔══•.·.☆.·.♥︎.·.☆.·.•══╗

buff guy

╚══•.·.☆.·.♥︎.·.☆.·.•══╝

ʚ Part 4 ɞ

❥ CW: chubby fem reader x buff guy, fluffy date

❥ A/N: better call me butter bc i am on a roll!! Here's part 4!!

He picks you up again on Saturday, same car, casual clothes.

"You look nice," he says when you open the door.

"Thank you," you reply, staring at his biceps. "Your shirt is really tight." He looks down, then back at you.

"Do you not like it?" You scoff.

"I mean..." You press your lips together, smoothing out your lip gloss. "You're... very buff and very attractive... Anyone would love to stare at you in that shirt."

"You think I'm attractive?" You gulp, holding your purse close.

"I... I thought you knew that. I mean... I'm sure everyone finds you attractive."

"The only one I care about is you."

Your cheeks burn, and he holds his hand out for you.

"Shall we?"

You chose a horror movie, but now that you're halfway through the movie, you're not sure why.

There's quite a lot of suspense in this movie, too much in fact. Every time the main character turns a corner, you tense in your seat. You're so scared you can barely eat your popcorn.

"Are you okay?" he whispers gently, leaning close to you. You nod, but realize he can't see you in the dark.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just wondering when the jumpscares will happen." You hear him chuckle quietly.

And then, right on cue, there's a jumpscare. You jolt, hand reaching out, grabbing something solid to ground yourself. Once the scene is over and you're finally able to breathe, you realize what you're holding onto.

"I-I'm sorry," you whisper, beginning to pull away, but he grabs your hand, keeping it on his bicep.

"It's fine. I'm here." His hand is so big against yours, so warm, safe. It's insane how big his arm is. Is he flexing?

You keep your thoughts to yourself, trying to focus in on the movie, but the heat coming from his body is remarkable. You swallow hard, taking a leap of faith and resting your head against his shoulder. He tenses, but relaxes. You stay like that the rest of the movie.

"That ending was so predictable," you complain as you leave the theater. "I mean, the ghost is destroyed by the forces of good? That's so cheesy."

"You have a lot of opinions about the movie." You slow, looking back at him.

"Sorry, I—"

"Please." He reaches for your hand, squeezing it. "Don't ever apologize for telling me how you feel. I love hearing you talk, even about the things you don't like."

He's rubbing his thumb against the back of your hand. It's so so warm.

"...Okay."

"Would you like to go home?"

You did. You were tired, but you had fun. You liked hanging out with him, even if it was in the quiet dark.

"Did... you want to do anything else?"

"I want to do what you want."

You huff, pouting slightly, which he smiles at. You twist your mouth in thought, before lighting up.

"Oh! There's this Italian ice place closeby that I really like! We could go there..." You pause. "...If you want."

"I would love to." He pulls you closer by your hand, bringing your body towards his. "Show me where it is."

The Italian ice spot is not far from the theater. In fact, you're able to walk there, although your heels are starting to pinch. You ignore it, encouraged by the idea of a sweet treat as you enter the place of business.

There's a line, so the two of you get in it, looking at the menu.

"They have fruity flavors but also milk-based flavors, like cookie dough, and they also have custard you can mix in." You point to the menu. "I like getting the blue raspberry and cotton candy! But it looks like they don't have blue raspberry today."

"Would you like to go somewhere else?" You glance at him.

"What? No, I like this place! I'll just get mango or something." He nods, standing tall again.

"Excuse me." The two of you turn to see a blonde woman standing there, phone clutched in her hand. "I hate to bother you, but you're just so hot! I was wondering if I could have your number."

You feel your heart sink. Of course he would have other women interested in him. This probably happens all the time. Why would you bother trying to get to know him when he could have any woman he wants?

"That's very rude." A strong arm wraps around your shoulders and pulls you towards his side. "I am clearly on a date." The woman flushes and raises her hands.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I thought you guys were siblings." His face turns sour.

"Siblings? That's ridiculous. We look nothing alike. Do you need glasses?" She blushes darker and takes a step back.

"I-I'm sorry. My mistake. I'll leave you two be." She shrinks away to her other friends who are now glaring at the two of you. You want to disappear.

"You didn't have to be so rude," you whisper to Guy, and he grunts.

"I wasn't being rude. I was being honest. She needs to learn to mind her business."

You hum in thought, looking back at the menu. His arm doesn't leave your shoulders until you step forward to order.

"This is very good," he remarks as he stuffs spoonfuls of Italian ice into his mouth. Of course someone of his stature would get the Italian ice and custard in the largest size available.

"I'm glad you like it," you reply, taking dainty bites of your fruity ice. "This is my favorite sweet spot. It's more popular in the summer, but there's always something nice about a sweet frozen treat during the cold weather!"

He smiles, licking cream off his lips. You swallow at the action, clearing your throat and focusing on your dessert.

"So, um... what are your hobbies? I know you go to the gym but do you do anything else?" He shrugs.

"Not really. If I'm not doing my job or working out, I don't do much."

"Oh..." You pick at your dessert. "Don't you get bored?" He shrugs again.

"Sometimes. When I get bored at work or home, I usually come to see you."

You feel your cheeks warm up, but you try to hold your ground.

"Oh, so you only think of me when you're bored, huh?" His eyes go wide, but he relaxes when he sees you grin.

"You're fucking with me."

"Mm-hm!" you say with a nod, giggling. He shakes his head, but he's smiling.

"No. I think about you all the time, actually." You feel yourself melting like your Italian ice, but you try to stay strong.

"You must get tired thinking of me."

"Quite the contrary." He scoops up the last of his dessert, shoveling it into his mouth. "You're the most interesting person I've ever met."

"You barely know me."

"I know." He puts down his empty cup, staring at you. "That's why I'm trying to change that."

You bite your lip, taking a deep breath. You stare at the last third of your dessert.

"I don't want anymore."

"Do you want to take it home?"

"No, it'll melt and won't be good anymore... but I don't want to just waste it."

He holds out his hand, which you stare at before you slide your dessert over to him. He takes it from you, tipping the cup back and drinking the rest of the slush in your cup. You watch his Adam's apple bob in his throat, amazed at how it moves. He puts the cup down once he's done, giving you a thumbs up, which makes you smile.

"Thank you."

"No problem. I'll always be here to eat your leftovers."

You giggle at that, standing up.

"Alright, I'm ready to go home now."

You discard your trash and take about ten steps out of the Italian ice place before you have to stop. Guy slows beside you.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, I—" Your face twists in pain. "My heels really hurt."

"Oh..." He clenches his fists before unclenching them. "Here. Let me carry you to the car."

"Wha—"

Before you can ask what he's talking about, he's leaning down, arms outstretched as he picks you up bridal style, lifting you to his chest. He starts walking away.

"OH MY GOD! PUT ME DOWN!"

"Don't wiggle. I'll drop you."

"PUT ME ON THE GROUND RIGHT NOW OR I'LL SCREAM!"

"You're already screaming."

"PUT ME DOWN!!"

He stops at a bench, leaning down and resting you on it. You take heavy breathes, lightly slapping his arm.

"You can't just pick up a girl like that! You need to ask for permission!"

"I'm sorry."

The two of you rest in silence as you catch your breath, hand on your chest. He sighs, squatting down so that he's closer to eye level with you.

"Stay here. I'm going to go get the car and bring it to you."

"That sounds like a much better idea than carrying me to your car."

"I'm sorry." He puts his hand on your knee. "I'll be back. Don't move."

"I won't," you say as he stands, giving you one last look before he walks away swiftly.

You lean back on the bench and stare at the sky, taking deep breaths.

He picked you up. He picked you up and carried you, and he didn't complain about your weight or act like it was even hard. No one has ever picked you up like that before. Is he really that strong? He doesn't even seem real—

"Excuse me? Ma'am?" You blink, escaping your thoughts and looking at the young man who was now in front of you. "I'm sorry to bother you, but do you know the direction to the movie theater?"

"Oh! Yeah, of course."

You start explaining the route, the directions he would need to take, but he wasn't really getting it.

"Wait, so which street do I take a left?"

You sigh, explaining again, this time slower as Guy's car pulls up in front of you. You're still explaining as he gets out, approaches the two of you and aggressively grabs the young man's shoulder.

"She's taken," he grunts between gritted teeth. The young man looks up at him, frightened, starting to shake.

"I-I-I just wanted to know where the m-movie theater was." Guy blinks, his expression relaxing as he lets go of the young man.

"Oh. Sorry."

The young man scurries away from the two of you before you can finish giving directions. You look up at Guy, arching your brow.

"So I'm taken now?" He swallows, looking down at the ground.

"Only if you want to be."

You sigh, shaking your head as you stand.

"Alright, big boy. Take me home."

The drive home is silent, and Guy has a death grip on the wheel. You don't comment on it, instead looking out your window and watching the world go by. He pulls up to your apartment, opening your door for you as usual. He leans down with his arms outstretched, but you raise your hand.

"Do not carry me." He pulls back, letting you stand up on your own, closing the door behind you. He follows you up the steps, pausing when you turn around at the door.

"Before you go in," he starts, fists clenching, "I would like to apologize for a few things today."

"What?"

"I would like to apologize for carrying you without permission. That was very rude of me. I would also like to apologize for saying that you were taken. That's not my decision to make. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

You sigh, crossing your arms and leaning on one leg.

"You're a little rough around the edges, huh?" He twists his mouth, unable to look at you. You sigh again. "You're lucky you're cute, or else I'd be super pissed." He swallows, looking up at you.

"You think I'm cute?" You shrug.

"Yeah, in a rugged, scary kind of way. Like a pitbull that wears pajamas." He smiles softly at that, and it reaches his eyes.

"Thank you. That's the best compliment I've ever gotten." You laugh at that, throwing your head back. You calm yourself down, smiling at him.

"You're really something, huh, Guy?" He shrugs, still smiling at you. He suddenly frowns, glancing at the ground.

"I have to tell you something." Your heart sinks.

"W-What?"

"I have to go on a business trip this coming week. I'm leaving Sunday night."

"Oh! Oh, okay," you reply, relieved that it wasn't anything bad.

"But I should be back on Friday evening, if everything goes well." You nod.

"Got it. Thank you for telling me." He stares at you, shifting on his feet.

"Can I text you while I'm gone?" You think about it, then nod. He seems to light up at that. "Can I call you at night?" You shrug.

"Sure, if you want to."

"I would love to."

You rub your arms, thinking. You take a step closer, motioning him towards you. He tilts his head a bit, leaning closer. You lean in with little thought, pressing a chaste kiss against his cheek. It's light, barely there, but it was still something. You pull away, and Guy is staring off into the distance, like a deer caught in headlights.

"Are... you okay?"

"I..." He clears his throat. "I gotta go."

"Oh! Okay."

He spins on his heel, taking a few steps down before stopping, turning back and returning up the stairs. He grabs your hand gently, placing a kiss on the back of it before giving a swift 'goodnight' and going down the steps again. He practically races into his car, and once it's on, he speeds off. You watch his car leave, furrowing your brow.

"What a weirdo..."

[hpowellsmith]

Chemistry in Project Amble

All my games have slightly different romance structures behind the scenes.

Blood Money has a base level of romantic eligibility that can be gated first by the PC's orientation (so you can't romance Nico if you're a lesbian, for instance), and then by various actions. There are variables describing being in a committed romance and also being ineligible. (Fun fact, I did this in the same way that Baldur's Gate 2 does its romances, because modding BG2 was where I first wrote interactive romances.)

In Creme de la Creme, there are romance_expressed variables which represent having flirted with someone or having started a romance, then romance_locked which means you're committed to a particular character. Then there are seriousbreakup variables for each character that describe having been committed to someone before breaking up.

In Noblesse Oblige, it's simplified, with a romance variable, a friendship variable, and end-romance variables.

In Royal Affairs, there are romance_expressed variables and slowburn variables. This is the first one where there's a dedicated flirt variable tracked.

In Honor Bound, there's an added complication in which you can discuss romance with someone without officially starting a romance, either because you're keeping things casual or the other character is reluctant for whatever reason (the latter is what can happen if you make a move on one of the slower-burn characters early on). I also separated being interested in a character with flirting, so the PC can silently yearn without showing it if they wanted to. There are also different kinds of breakup, like in Creme, where the NPC is more upset with you afterwards if you've broken up under more fraught circumstances.

In starting Project Amble, I've already planned the different possible shapes of the romances. Each character's romance has distinct tones, but also includes a lot of variety in how you can engage with it. So for example, one character is up for having an early fling. It can be a one-off thing, something that remains emotionally casual throughout, or becomes romantic - slowly or quickly. Or you can not do the fling at all and get to know them over a longer period, becoming romantic later on.

I'm keeping the silent-yearning options from Honor Bound as I know players are into it (so am I!), and the potential fraught-breakup variables from it and the earlier games. Project Amble has the most dramatic breakup possibilities of any of my games.

What I'm adding for this one is a hidden chemistry meter. It's separate to the relationship meter, and it tracks when the PC does something that the NPC thinks is particularly attractive. It likely won't gate off starting a romance, but it'll add flavour, so for example if the PC initiates a romance there might be these sorts of responses:

"I can't believe I'm actually thinking of romancing you when you're SO frustrating, ugh, I can't stop thinking about you" - low relationship, high chemistry

"I've been thinking about this but wasn't sure how to say it - yes, I want to be with you!" - high relationship, high chemistry

"I've been really liking how close we've become and - wow, I never thought of it like that but I'd love to see how we can make it work" - high relationship, low chemistry

"You're serious about this? Well. Maybe we can try..." -low relationship, low chemistry

The reason I'm doing this is:

there are characters for whom I want to be able to have more specific interactions based on the sort of things listed above.

various characters will think the PC is doing something attractive... without necessarily liking the PC more.

I love the Dragon Age 2 style friendship/rivalry romance structure and while this is a bit different, it means I can stretch some muscles in that direction

I want to experiment with NPCs developing crushes on the PC and tweaking if/how/when they initiate or flirt with the PC. I did this a bit in Honor Bound with the more flirty characters and built in responses to the PC overtly flirting, but would like to develop this more for Project Amble.

Some of this was inspired by Michelle Clough's work. I'm not someone who necessarily minds a "do sidequests/bring gifts for NPCs and then they like you more" structure, but I do enjoy different ways of doing things and I especially like when NPCs respond in ways you don't expect (or when they cause trouble for the PC even if they're in a romance). I'd very much recommend Clough's Kindness Coins, or Chemistry Casino? for a deeper dive on this subject.

[meinkatzchen]

I saw these lovely scarfs on pinterest and thought it'd be cool to see ren and mist in them. Also if it's not to much of a odd question, dose mist have a favourite plush too??

(also hope your okay and doing well too mein!!)

THIS IS SOOOO CUTE!!-`♡´-`♡´- I wanted to draw something wintery and here it is :3

Mist would definitely take a red scarf, it's her favorite color, Ren will then get the yellow scarf ₊˚⊹ᰔ

Ohhh, actually, while I was drawing this scene, so many ideas for "normal life" AU came to my mind. For example, Mist has never seen snow before, she was born in a place where there is no winter, so walking through snowy Canada with Ren would be amazing for her. But cat-girl also doesn't handle the cold as well as the heat, so fox-boy could carry something like a thermos of warm tea or take-away coffee for her, as a caring gesture to warm her up -`♡´-

As for her favorite plush, I think she really likes different plush bunnies and kittens, they are just so cute and fluffy!

Since we're talking about "normal life", I'll answer this question right away too.

This is a difficult question and I would like to believe that everything could be fine for them, that they, for example, would somehow escape or Strade would simply die, and they would be found, sent to therapy with specialists, but…I don't know- I can imagine their normal life within the AU, yes. But…the human psyche is a very delicate mechanism and some breakdowns in it can be suppressed, driven deep into the subconscious, but if some trigger happens, everything will burst out again and cause even more damage. I'm not trying to say that it is impossible to cure victims after kidnapping and violence, but it could be lifelong treatment, including going to a psychologist, taking medication, a lot of support from relatives and friends. But I still want to believe that they would have their own chance for a happy ending, even if their therapy lasted the rest of their lives.

[postmoderntongues]

Why would I be disgusted with myself? 14 year olds have brains with empathy and decision making centers so underdeveloped that they cant do life in prison or be diagnosed cluster B. Why would I be ashamed of acting like a dopamine-seeker with impaired empathy if neurologically that is literally what I was. First of all as a survivor it wasnt healthy but made it less painful to joke about the subject so carelessly because it made what happened to me feel less devastatingly serious.

I don't think it was weird and creepy in a lot of ways, I think it was a social phenomenon to cope with our adolescent phobia of SA by trying to make associations with it less serious and de-fang the word.

I genuinely misread where it mentioned an adult subject which completely changes everything but for some reason i thought this post was addressing the behavior of 9-14 year old boys. Honestly me and the other trans guys (most of whom i later found out were fellow survivors) in my teens were probably the worst about throwing that word around. It was a joke that sticking your finger in somebody's navel for more than 7 seconds was rape so kids in my junior high used to playfully poke each other in the navel, count to 7, and then laugh "i raped you!"

Of the 3 most clear cut violent forceful rapes of my life, I was cracking jokes when i found my friends again every single time. I was bragging that "Ben's cute roommate liked me so much he gave me free roofies" in the cab ride home from the party where i was drugged with GHB and assaulted in the woods on the parameter and then robbed (which i was the most mad about of all the bullshit). When Luna saved me from Paul and literally broke up a forcible rape that it was not looking like I was going to win, i joked about it the whole walk back and called him a "fag" and made fun of his short dick and then joked about it with her mom who gave me a bottle of alcohol and a giant plate of weed infused mango and I remember it as having been a funny incident. After my assault the summer after 12th grade the next day I, not wanting to admit i was potentially no longer a virgin, i told my best friend he "rape-kissed" me and broke up with the boy I was dating but in reality he forced himself on me numerous times and i continued to see him because he convinced me he was just so in love and couldnt help himself and I was being an immature prude when i found out he was doing it to my mf girlfriend and then i still remember making those jokes but like i did not around her and did not allow people to make them around her.

In oldweb raised scene kid culture it was literally just a swear word. People would use it in place of saying "i want him to f me" theyd say "i want him to r me" like i think something about the hyperbole of the violence made it feel almost safer for young teens still ashamed of the concept of sexuality to say. A lot of things that are rightfully considered unacceptable slurs were openly and unashamedly used all the time within that subculture because part of the bit you were committing to was to be performatively edgy and shocking.

And not to make myself ancient but this was pre-normalized free internet porn. This was right when you stopped needing a credit card for all porn websites. We talked like that from watching exploitation horror movies and torrenting extreme cinema, my male peers grew up trying to glimpse static-obscured shape-distorted thigh or maybe the concept of the idea of a nipple on cinemax and flipping through decade-old deteriorating sun-bleached water damaged playboys in the tree house their older brother bult before their father left their mother for his secretary. These were little boys getting off to katy Perry videos and Megan Fox's scenes in Transformers and the Lady Marmalade music video, I wasn't exposed to actual flesh and blood internet porn until i was in 10th or 11th grade and neither were most of my peers. A lot of my peers were not virgins when they were first exposed to online porn. Also, even when online pron did become popular, it was NOTHING like the minefield of paraphelia that ti is today. It was naked people. There is a good chance most of it was simulated because penetration shots didn't become a popular thing until like 09. It was a lot of softcore and kissing and cheesy music and fireplace light on a bearskin rug. The fucked up shit you find on the front page of a porn site today would have still been behind a paywall in my teens.

Also I don't perceive it as "edgy" or "cool" because Im a grown-ass woman. Im saying boys in early adolescence who are boundary testing and often react to deep discomfort with machismo and offensive humor find it edgy and cool. Being shocking is one of those early dominance/masculinity contests that little boys partake in. As an adolescent transboy being included in this kind of language felt validating and induced gender euphoria just like red road and punch-for-punch and mercy and wall-ball pelting and wrestling and watching gore and telling dead baby jokes. Im not saying it is socially acceptable or doesn't need to be corrected when observed, Im saying it is developmentally appropriate in the age group that i mistakenly thought we were discussing.

I haaaaaate how porn-rotted men's brains are. You can't even have a normal conversation with most guys these days- especially Gen Z. Almost every word you say to these guys, they'll find a way to make it sexual. Seriously. With no context.

For example- I was telling a male I know about one of my friends who managed to convince an owner of a local bakery to give her one of his popular recipes. ALL I said was, "He wouldn't give her X (most popular recipe) so her gave her the Y." Of course... "that sounds weird!! hahahahaha! He gave her the Y."

Or when you mention the word "stuck" they follow it with something about step-brothers (absolutely vile). God forbid you say the word "size" in reference to anything!

...But noooooo, obviously, porn has no effect on the brain! It totally doesn't make men sexualize every single woman they see IRL.

[asterafroditis]

𐔌 . ⋮ 3 idiots in love .ᐟ ֹ ₊ ꒱

☓┆Ace Trappola x Deuce Spade x gn! reader

𓏵 1032 words

ᝰ.ᐟ 3rd Person POV, they/them pronouns used (once), fluff, polyfidelity!

first time writing 3 ppl together, hope I did well (-ω-；) feel free to like, reblog, or comment!

ᝰ.ᐟ masterlist

You were the ADeuce duo’s partner-in-crime; whenever they acted recklessly and caused trouble, you were always at the scene—whether reluctantly or not. It was practically a law of nature at this point. If Ace and Deuce were up to something dumb, you were either stopping them, helping them, or, more often than not, getting dragged into the chaos.

Which was exactly why you were currently seated in the Heartslabyul lounge, staring at them with mild suspicion as they fidgeted across from you.

Ace had his usual cocky smirk, but there was a nervous edge to it, like he was overcompensating. Deuce, on the other hand, looked like he was preparing for an intense training session with Vargas, sitting stiffly with his hands clenched into fists on his lap.

“Alright,” you said, folding your arms. “What did you two do this time?”

Ace scoffed, placing a hand on his chest as if you had deeply offended him. “Wow. Wow. Do you really think we’d drag you here just because we caused trouble?”

“Yes,” you and Deuce said at the same time.

Ace rolled his eyes but didn’t argue. Instead, he cleared his throat and exchanged a quick glance with Deuce—one that, unfortunately, did not go unnoticed by you.

You squinted at them. “Okay, seriously. What’s going on?”

Deuce straightened his back even more (which you didn’t think was physically possible), sucking in a deep breath like he was about to say something important. But just as he opened his mouth—

“Wait, wait, I’m supposed to go first!” Ace cut in, shooting him a glare.

“What?! No, we agreed that I would start!” Deuce shot back, looking scandalized.

Ace groaned. “Bro, rock-paper-scissors isn’t a legal contract!”

“It is when we both agreed to follow the outcome!”

You blinked. “What...?”

Ace turned back to you, suddenly looking just as tense as Deuce. “Okay, listen. Forget that. What I was trying to say is—”

“—That we both like you,” Deuce interrupted, crossing his arms with a determined nod.

Ace gasped dramatically. “Dude! You just ruined my build-up!”

“Why were you building it up?! We agreed to confess together!”

“Yeah, but in order!”

You stared at them, mouth slightly open, trying to process the absolute nonsense happening in front of you. “...What.”

Ace huffed, leaning back against the couch. “Okay, okay, let me explain before you think we’re total weirdos—”

“Too late,” you mumbled.

“—We both like you,” Ace continued, ignoring you. “Like, a lot. But since we both do, we figured it would be dumb to make you choose between us, and we didn’t wanna get into some tragic ‘best friends turned love rivals’ situation.”

Deuce nodded, looking serious. “So we came up with a plan to confess at the same time. That way, you don’t feel pressured, and we can just… you know, figure it out together if you like us back.”

You blinked again. “That’s... actually really sweet.”

Ace grinned. “Of course it is! It was my idea.”

Deuce glared. “We came up with it together.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Ace waved him off before looking at you again, the teasing glint in his eyes softening. “But seriously. We like you. A lot. And if you’d rather just be friends, that’s totally cool. But if you do like us back, we’d be down to, y’know... try this whole thing together. The three of us.”

Deuce nodded, his face tinged pink. “You don’t have to answer right away, either! We just… wanted to be honest.���

You looked between them, your two idiot best friends who had somehow come up with the most convoluted yet oddly heartfelt confession plan ever. And despite their bickering, despite the messiness of it all—there was nothing but sincerity in their faces.

You exhaled a laugh, shaking your head. “You two are unbelievable.”

Ace smirked. “Yeah, but that’s why you like us, right?”

You rolled your eyes, but the warmth in your chest was impossible to ignore. "I mean… yeah," you admitted, crossing your arms. "You two are ridiculous, but I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t like you, too."

Ace’s smirk faltered for half a second before it returned, bigger and cockier than before. "Hah! Knew it. I told you, Deuce, they were totally into us."

Deuce’s face went completely red. "Wait—really? You’re not just messing with us?"

You raised a brow. "Why would I joke about this?"

"I don’t know, maybe because Ace does it all the time?"

Ace gasped, clutching his chest. "Wow. You wound me."

Deuce ignored him, turning his full attention back to you. His hands clenched at his sides, like he was still trying to process everything. "So… you actually like us. Like, both of us?"

You let out a laugh. "Yes, Deuce. I like both of you."

Deuce blinked, his face still burning, but there was something soft in his expression—something like relief. Ace, meanwhile, had leaned back, hands behind his head, but the tips of his ears were definitely pink.

"Okay, cool, cool. So, uh, what now?" Ace asked, clearly trying to play it cool but failing miserably.

You tilted your head, amused. "Shouldn’t you two have planned that part out, too?"

Deuce groaned. "I told you we should’ve thought ahead!"

"Yeah, well, I was too busy making sure we didn’t sound like total losers, which, by the way, you nearly ruined by blurting it out early," Ace shot back.

"You were taking too long!"

You laughed, cutting off their bickering before it escalated. "How about this? Let’s just… keep things the way they are for now. We don’t have to rush into anything. We can just figure it out together."

Ace and Deuce both paused, looking at you.

"...That’s actually a really good idea," Deuce admitted.

Ace smirked. "See? This is why we like you. You’re way smarter than us."

"Not a high bar to clear," you teased.

"Hey!"

Deuce chuckled, and for a moment, all three of you just sat there, basking in the ridiculousness of what had just happened. It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t some grand, romantic moment. But it was yours—messy, chaotic, and kind of dumb, just like the three of you.

And honestly? You wouldn’t have it any other way.

[advluv4life]

I definitely felt like he thought that response was a bit dramatic and offensive. To be honest I think that scene makes me laugh the most though because of his facial reaction to her and how he turns to face her because 'What the fuck, Kitty?' 😂

With the way she's been acting throughout the season to him, her outright denial of being interested in him throughout most of it (from the audience's perspective) and then moments like that with Min Ho and after watching her basically pursue two different girls I can't see Min Ho confessing again anytime soon. I definitely feel like Kitty's going to have to step up her game because the last time he was vulnerable it didn't work out and he's going to need her to be pretty direct with him if she intends for anything to happen.

I don't know if he would actually go back to being a full-on playboy or flirt like in season 1 though. I feel like he really does kind of shine as an actual boyfriend but I could see him trying to use other girls as a distraction if Kitty's still going about any weird behavior like season 2. My hope (one of them) is that after the tour they're a lot closer- like friends that basically act like they're in a relationship but they just won't admit that they're in a relationship, but who knows... I can almost see him referring to himself as a 'playboy' but he never actually doing anything playboy-like just because he is so reliable/considerate to being there for her.

did anyone else notice how incredibly hurt min ho reacted when kitty and him were mistaken as a couple? kitty said "i would throw up and die" and that really got min ho's attention and he turned to look at her. i think he's picking up on how much kitty was almost intentionally avoiding her feelings for him but at the same time was getting a bit hurt by it. but i think he cares too much about her to push her to admit anything before she's ready and i really love him for that

[funishment-time]

What do you think the age range of the Hundred Line cast is going to be? I'm nervous that most are minors, and then some have weird scenes X(

this feels a little like a bait question and if it's not, i apologize. regardless, Kodaka's stated he doesn't really do "ages" as he feels they're limiting. we'll probably never know for sure how old they are.

and if you want a random Kuma's take:

they're not minors. to me, they're 18 and in high school, which is a thing a lot of people seem to forget is very much a real possibility in many countries. same with the Dangans. same with some of the younger Rain Code characters.

why? because i'm an old person and it saves my sanity. i don't want a game where a 15 year old falls coochie-out twice in the first three hours (Danganronpa 2). i don't want a game where one of our heroes is an extremely adult man trying to get with high schoolers (Rain Code: Desuhiko being 18 and out of school is not great, but loads better than if he's like, 25). i don't want a game where a minor is openly telling me about, and quite possibly climaxing to, her kinks on screen (V3).

contrary to popular belief, older fandom folk are not automatically predisposed to wanting to see underaged anime boys or whatever. (how about that.) i widely prefer that if Weird Fanservicey Things and other Weird Shit are going to happen to these young folks, then at least they're adults.

people can view these characters how they want, of course. i always say i am not an Arbiter of Fandom. i think if you see them as minors people should respect that, and those who don't see them that way should be respected, too. so in the end you'll have to make your own decision. me, though, i'd rather like to play these games without feeling like i accidentally stepped in on my little sister's strip poker game with her 10th grade buddies. it's uncomfortable otherwise.

[villa-dellamorte]

Who Said What in the Cut Romance Post Fade-Prison Dialogues

So I couldn't stop thinking about the cut dialogues from what I assume is a data dive that @merrinla posted. I wanted to take a swing at figuring out who each line belongs to.

First: Why it was cut

My best guess as to why this was cut is maybe there was supposed to be another quest between the fade prison and the final battle against Elgar'nan. Maybe the possible cut rescue quest that people have speculated about? Anyway, I think that having this dialogue, then the quest, then the bow-chika-wow romance scene, then the final quest would have made for good pacing, but who knows 🤷‍♀️

Opening Dialogue

Rook: Solas? (?): We're not sure. Probably searching for some way to defeat Elgar'nan. (?): We don't know. Not really. We were so busy looking for you we… lost track.

I think that these two (?) lines have to be between Emmrich and Lucanis for logistical reasons (i.e., the only three that are definitely going to be in the party/Lighthouse after Tearstone Island are Emmrich, Lucanis and Taash, but these dialogues just... aren't written in Taash's voice lol).

[Paraphrase] option: It's been two weeks. Rook: I was… what? Two weeks? option: A two-week long day. Rook: Apparently my hard day lasted two weeks.

My thoughts about this: the first option is probably the crying/empathetic option or thumbs up/agreeable option, and the second one is obviously the purple option. I wonder if a stoic/stern or otherwise third option would have been added or is buried in the data somewhere?

LI Worries About Rook

(?): Yes, you were gone two weeks. Which means you need rest, food, and water.

My assumption is that this is the dialogue that the player gets if the player hasn't romanced anyone. This has got to be Lucanis. Here's my reasoning: one, again, for logistics, the best choice for this line is between Emmrich, Taash, and Lucanis. This is not written in Taash's voice, and while I could see this as something Emmrich might say, it fits Lucanis so well. He is the mom of the group, and already is coded as Rook's BFF even in a non-romance playthrough, and the quick-to-the-chase attitude works for him, I think.

(Emmrich?): Yes, my love. Which is why you shouldn't rush out just yet.

I agree that this is mostly likely Emmrich's line. It seems like the logistic-safe companion dialogue options are placed first in this list, which makes sense, and Emmrich is notorious for his terms of endearment for Rook.

(?): Enough of this. You need food and rest. We'll talk business later.

I think this is Lucanis. This is Lucanis's way of caring for a romanced Rook-- making sure they are fed and taken care of. Plus, it leads into the follow-up line well (see below).

(Taash?): Yeah. So you need rest. We can talk about the other crap later. Davrin: We'll talk about this later. You need some rest and Assan needs feeding.

Yeah, this is definitely Taash and Davrin.

(?): Everyone please stop. Rook needs rest, and… food, probably…

So, with Davrin we're getting into the list of characters who are not logistically safe. That means this one is likely Bellara: the tone fits a shaken Bellara who has just lost Rook AND Neve, and also fits the clear followup well (see below).

(?): Yeah. A lot happened. But it can wait. Until you've had some rest. (?): Yeah. There's a lot to catch up on. After you rest, anyway.

If my guesses are right so far, that means this is either Neve or Harding. These last two lines could really fit either of them. I think that the slightly more hesitant tone of the latter one makes it fit Harding better.

LI Follow Up

Rook: Thanks, Bellara. Bellara: Of course. I'm here for you. Whenever you're ready.

This one is why the "everyone stop" line seems like Bellara's to me. Rook has got to be overwhelmed and hungry and exhausted after everything, and is thanking Bellara for noticing that.

Rook: Lucanis… Lucanis: Go get some sleep before you collapse. If anybody knows how bad that is, it's me.

This Lucanis follow up is why I think his line is the "enough of this" one. Again, he is putting Rook's wellbeing first-- which, is also SO sweet for "crow-always-puts-the-contract-first" Lucanis. Ugh!

Rook: Taash… Taash: You need rest. I'll make you tea. Do you want ginger or lavender? Rook: Emmrich, I can't… Emmrich: Please. For the sake of one who's missed your company.

These are quite obvious and fit the preceding lines well, and are both equally sweet and caring. I love them!!

Rook: Rest? There's so much… (?): There always is. Don't worry. I won't start without you.

Rook: I can't rest, there's too much— (?): Who knows you best?

I'm tossing these back and forth between Neve and Davrin. I'm assuming the first one is Davrin: because what would anyone else be starting? So I'm thinking it's Davrin talking about feeding Assan? LOL. And the second one feels like Neve, best detective in Minrathous.

Rook: But there's so much to— (?): Please, Rook. For me.

This leaves the last one to be Harding. But it could easily fit any of the companions, really.

Player Dialogue Choice

option: Then let's all take a break. Rook: Everything you've done, you all deserve a rest as much as I do. option: Not too long Rook: The gods can wait a little while longer. Rook: Not for too long. But fine, I'll go rest. And hey, it's nice of you to care.

I would guess the paraphrases here are for the thumbs up/agreeable choice and the second is the stoic/stern one. The "hey, it's nice of you to care" is probably coded to happen no matter which choice, because of the next lines:

Close

These all seem to be written to occur no matter who is romanced, because of Taash's:

(?): You're quite welcome.

Polite, well-mannered speech? Yup, it's Emmrich.

Davrin (?): Assan will be happy to see you.

Definitely Davrin.

(?): It didn't feel right with you gone.

This feels like something Bellara would say, especially with how emotional she already is in this scene.

(?): Yep. What they said.

I'm stuck on this one between Taash and Harding. One on hand, the clippy, aloof attitude seems like Taash. But the little "Yep" could be Harding, too.

(?): It's good to have you back. (?): I'm so glad we got you back. (?): Rest well, Rook.

That leaves these three a toss-up between Neve, Lucanis, and Harding/Taash. If the "yep" is Harding, I think the "it's good to have you back" would fit Taash, and since the theme of Lucanis's lines here seem to be focused on sleeping, the "rest well" may work for him.

(?): I'll see you in a bit.

This is probably a catch-all line for all companions to say depending on who's romanced.

[othervee]

I haven't been able to stop thinking about this point since I read it.

I wrote in an earlier post that I think that that aftermath of Wille's birthday party is the moment where Simon realises what their future will look like if he and Wilhelm stay together and Wilhelm remains Crown Prince. Wilhelm will keep fracturing under the weight of his role, but will convince himself that he can bear it as long as he has Simon. Simon's role will be to patch over the cracks and be Wilhelm's emotional comfort; his helpmeet but also his teddy bear and pacifier. Eventually the cracks will be too big to patch, or Simon will also be suffocated under the weight of Wilhelm's role. Or both.

And that is what they show us by way of Kristina and Ludvig in season 3.

In the very first scenes of season 3, Kristina doesn't even look at Wilhelm, she's holding herself together so tightly. Wilhelm needs reassurance, support, affection, but she's wound too tight to give it, and Ludvig can't give it either because he's totally focused on Kristina. He reassures her it won't take long, pats her hand, asks her if she took her pills; she barely responds and when she does it's just a mutter.

Wilhelm later tells Simon that people in his family don't burn out or have breakdowns, but shortly after the negotiations are concluded, Kristina has a panic attack. From Wilhelm's reaction, I don't think he's ever seen it happen before (and August certainly hasn't). We're led to wonder just how long Ludvig has been holding the Queen together behind the scenes, so privately that even their son wasn't aware of it.

And for virtually the rest of the series, Ludvig is the barrier between Kristina and everybody else, including her own son (and isn't it ironic to see Kristina ignoring Wilhelm's calls, just as he ignored hers in season 2?) Ludvig conveys little to no information to Wilhelm about what's going on, he scurries away when someone interrupts the phone call in which it's obvious that Wilhelm is struggling and needs to talk, and he stage manages Wilhelm's birthday; he makes the main speech, not the Queen who is the senior member of the royal family, and during the dinner he keeps the conversation going by asking Simon question after question so that Wilhelm has no opportunity to talk to Kristina.

And yet after Wilhelm's cake-related outburst, Ludvig has absolutely nothing to say except "I don't know". Because he doesn't know, nor is it his place to know. He has nothing to say or do for himself; he only exists in relation to the Queen. Again, he's a crutch, or a shield. As Simon sees he will be, if he stays.

I'm sick and tired of this position, hatched underneath your arm A crutch under stress, your rudder when it's calm [1]

(Incidental side note: I listen to a podcast called Rex Factor, which reviews and ranks the Kings and Queens of England and judges whether they have the special something that makes up the "Rex Factor". Once they ran out of monarchs, they moved on to ranking the consorts, which was actually a lot more fun since the consorts generally come from different countries and have had more varied lives. They talk about the difference in ranking consorts for what they did to support their royal spouse, versus what they did as themselves prior to, or while being, consorts. Some consorts they judged as having the Rex Factor as themselves, but once they became consorts, they were diminished and no longer so 'Rexy'.)

rewatching yr s2 and thinking about how it was always the point that ludvig was bland, was a nobody, did nothing... because that's what simon would've had to do, that's what we saw him trying to fit himself into in s3, flattening himself, losing his voice

[rmd-writes]

Favourite LS Fandom Memories

This is such a sweet game that @thisbuildinghasfeelings came up with! Thanks also to @strandnreyes and @welcometololaland for the tags (Lola, I’m assuming that was a tag and if not, just lie and tell me it was).

Here’s 5 favourite things:

1. That time I started thinking about the legalities of Carlos putting TK on the deed to the loft

I was doing my skincare late at night, started pondering, and ended up reading both the Texan standard sale of property contract and the Texan Property Law Act at midnight, then I woke up to a very lengthy fandom discussion about how it might have happened. Even better was that this discussion spawned a debate about the ownership of Schitt’s Creek and how that could possibly have worked elsewhere.

Which brings me to my next favourite thing:

2. The fandom Venn Diagrams

I was drawn into LS because @clottedcreamfudge kept sending me the Butt Bounce™️ gif (you know the ones, from 1x02) and then @three-drink-amy shared the proposal and I was sold. I’d already seen a lot about the gay howdy wee woo show a bunch of mutuals were watching so it wasn’t a hard sell.

The overlapping fandoms delight me though! I love seeing people from one fandom start with liking gif sets and then they start rb them and then I see them pop up in my ao3 emails so much. I love being told that I’ve posted so many Tarlos gifs that someone started watching just to see what it’s about. I especially loved those of you who tried so hard to resist the inevitable, only to end up creating gif sets and writing fics.

I love it so much because that was me too, desperately trying not to fall too hard into a third fandom 😅

3. Beta reading

I’ve had the privilege of getting to beta read, help plot and brainstorm some of the most (in my very objective opinion) iconic fics in the fandom and I loved doing it. Helping plot and brainstorm fics is actually my favourite part of writing and the fact that people are willing to hand their drafts over and trust me with their words means so much to me, whether it’s an epic AU, or someone’s first foray into writing for a new fandom. I still can’t believe that anyone let me beta read a sportsball AU, let alone three of them lol

4. The Soulmates Scene

Need I say more?

5. The baseball day!!

Something about a fandom that, generally speaking does not seem to be interested in baseball, collectively following the World Series and (in my case) learning how to read game stats was just so fun!

Bonus extra: the friends I’ve made along the way 😘💖

Open tag 💖

But also @liminalmemories21 @reasonandfaithinharmony @danieljradcliffe @reyesstrand @lightningboltreader

@guardian-angle22 @goodways @saguaroblossom @she-walked-away @detective-giggles @herefortarlos

@carlos-tk @carlos-in-glasses @never-blooms @freneticfloetry @whatsintheboxmh

@heartstringsduet @bonheur-cafe @firstprince-history-huh @chicgeekgirl89

[mr-payjay]

An essay on Clover :)

after having rewatched s3 in full again, i find that i finally understand the details of clover that had confounded me since forever. i didn't go in trying to study her, but a lot of my nickel analysis actually led me around back to understanding clover. she has a lovely story to her about kindness, generosity, and doing good things with purpose. i am pleased to have finally caught it (i have a few criticisms on the execution of it though, which i will address too). this isn’t a fancy essay, i’d say (i’ve been calling it a “freestyle essay”), but im just trying to summarize what i've talked about with friends and to put together some of my thoughts to present here.

Overview

so, an overview of her development. clover comes into the show, and she is… oblivious! she is self-centred and unaware of her surroundings (mind you, “self-centred” might sound like a negative word, but this is a neutral statement). she walks away from cabby’s presentation in snapshot showdown in the middle of it, not listening to her. in the same episode, she falls into some of nickel’s traps without even noticing, lost in her thoughts. she isnt a particular help to her team for a while. clover doesn't really think about other people or really get them, even thinking that nickel must've been following her around to admire her (self-centred, assuming only positive intent and a positive idea of her). only in tragedy at 60 feet, after box dies, does clover start to feel very self-conscious of her role in people’s lives. nickel specifically blames her, telling her that “what's lucky for her is painful for others”, and she Believes this. in try not to laugh challenge (the next episode), clover is trying to avoid people. she has realized how she can affect others and does not Wish to hurt anyone. nickel only makes this worse by continuing to remind her of it (“awful box-killer”). she refuses to look at the funny note at the beginning and gets awkward when [bow]bot tries to make her laugh, saying she doesn't deserve it. in the episode after that, best served cold, we see clover feeling guilty again after goo saves her when she falls, thinking that the luck had forced him to do it. for whatever reason candle agrees with this (kind of funny. why are you making it worse candle). through all of this, she does retain some of her classic optimism, but it is still very dampened by the guilt and discomfort shes going through now. and out of body experience is where this arc ends. clover starts off happy, telling nickel to stand next to her for a picture (he responds by saying her luck will knock him down a hill, and leaves). she idly goes to wish for an award, before silver spoon stops her, saying he wishes she wasn’t like this. she agrees (“Me too, Silver… Me too.”). and though we only find this out later, that’s what kickstarts the death of all the contestants and the subsequent bodyswaps. clover is overjoyed at losing her luck once she swaps with test tube! she tests out lots of things she could do before, reveling in losing her privilege. she’s comfortable again for once. she isn’t afraid of hurting others anymore and can go back to her regular, self-centred, oblivious mindset. no more Worrying. but then nickel realizes later on that the bridge collapse happened because of her and her wish to be “not like this” (to not have luck), so her luck, ironically, is what gave her this lucklessness. he blames clover for everyone dying, calling her a murderer as he yells about his frustration with her luck. as hurting people like this was clover’s worst fear—something she had been Vigorously avoiding for the past few episodes—she breaks down crying in guilt and runs away. there’s only one more scene before clover is eliminated. it’s when test tube goes to confront bot at the beach, where clover is.

she has calmed down on her own by now, but it’s only when she listens to test tube telling bot she’ll give them whatever she can offer to help that clover finally learns the lesson she was meant to. she forgives herself and finally lets go of that comfortable self-centred world she was living in. once we get to elimination, clover directly allows herself to be eliminated, now having realized she is in control of her luck. she has choices! she knows that now. nickel, still feeling remorseful from earlier, tells clover that her luck is the problem, not her. she responds by saying that the problem with her luck was that she was the only one benefiting from it. now, she realizes that she should put goodness into action, instead of trying to avoid doing something Bad. and she gives nickel the luck. she also tries to give everyone luck after that, but he stops her, insisting in a panic that it’s a curse. i think it’s interesting that she chose nickel for this first before anyone else, such a miserable, self-centred person. im surprised she figured it out so quickly, but they really do have their similarities, living in a self-centred mindset and pushing everyone away. though their situations are quite different, they both need to learn the value of community and supporting others to take the next step. she isn’t afraid of nickel. she isn’t angry at him. she wants him to learn the same lesson she did, which is why she tells him he’ll learn to “share the wealth” too, even after he freaks out on her again. and she remains this way, generous and kind, for the rest of the season. this was her arc.

Critique (constructive!)

i do have some criticisms on how her arc was executed. i think that her storyline is a wonderful lesson to teach children (as inanimate insanity IS a show for kids), and that once you can grasp it, it’s really beautiful to watch her mature. However. i do not think it is particularly clear. i think my biggest issue with it lies in out of body experience, after she runs away when nickel says it’s her luck who killed everyone. we only see one more scene with her before the elimination, where she is silently listening to test tube talk to bot while making little expressions about it. it is not clear what she is getting from this unless you sit down and Think about it. multiple of my friends actually said they thought clover was a stand-in for test tube because they had bodyswapped and that she was just reacting in general, not to signify anything about her story. i didn’t even remember her being here at ALL until i rewatched this episode specifically to find clover scenes. and ive watched s3 multiple times!! i should know she's there! i think the problem is that she is entirely quiet and that there are a ton of other scenes playing between her running away and the scene at the beach, which sort of fill your head and make you forget why she’s even here. bot really overshadows her too, their story reaching a very important point in this episode. and i think (with input from friends) that it would’ve made for a more harmonious episode, solid storyline, and well-rounded character relationships for clover to have been friends with bot. clover only has one interaction with bot before this (as far as i remember) while they are still very much bowbot, in try not to laugh challenge. if we had had an actual friendship between the two of them, their stories could’ve converged smoothly in out of body experience, instead of bot accidentally taking the spotlight and clover being relegated to a silent bystander listening to test tube’s speech. it could’ve led to them comforting each other (which fits into clover’s story as it’s about learning to help others) and providing clover with a connection to another character that isn’t nickel. clover and nickel’s stories are very interesting together, but the fact is that nickel isn’t really a friend to clover, even now. he’s her miserable therapy patient now, which is not friendship. i believe clover deserves someone who is truly her friend in canon to have helped her development come to light (ie a scene with her talking to someone would be much more memorable and comprehensible than her smiling at test tube and bot). it wouldn’t have to take away from her self-isolation either, it could add to it. bot trying to cheer her up and her awkwardly declining it in try not to laugh challenge is a great example of that. i’d love to have seen more of that. i can’t say for sure if this would be a flawless idea (as i do not know the process of writing the other storylines either), but i think it’s fun to ponder either way.

Clover’s perspective on Nickel

so i did learn how clover worked through understanding nickel first, as once i got what was going on with him, i could see through her eyes. for ages, i could not fathom WHY clover is so nice to him after he hurts her over and over, WHY she chooses to give him the luck, WHY she gets him to open up in blue buried and gives him advice. but now that i know him, i get why she has no hard feelings towards him. i lost all resentment towards nickel after analyzing him (even as a long time nickel fan, he still used to make me mad sometimes!). once you really grasp him, you realize that he is just… sad and scared! he acts like he’s constantly trying to survive. like a typical very traumatized and mentally ill person, in fact. clover, after learning that she can make her own choices and that she can Choose to help others, matured enough to understand him. she is not afraid of him or upset with him because she realizes that he feels helpless and like he isn’t able to change, like she used to worry about. he is self-centred like she used to be until she understood that she can make the choice to help. so she sympathizes. she tries to help him learn the same lesson. nickel never apologizes to clover, but she forgives him anyway without resentment, because she is above this now (note: completely different situation for suitcase, im not saying anyone and everyone should forgive nickel otherwise they’re immature, im just highlighting clover’s agency when making this choice). she recognizes that he is emotionally immature and approaches him with gentleness. i really love her persistence in trying to help him (even if i have qualms about the therapy thing). after nickel gains and loses her luck without learning the lesson she hoped for, clover doesn’t give up on him! she pushes further in blue buried, really trying to get him to understand this. she continues to give, to be kind, to help. she’s dedicated to her cause. it’s sweet. 

going back to the therapy thing, my issue with it is mostly the part in the interview where nickel implies he’s having continuous therapy with her. i would’ve preferred if it was a one-time thing in the episode itself, though i think it should’ve been presented a different way. as i don’t… really like that she’s a girl giving therapy to a boy and taking on his emotional issues as a whole job. rather than just someone helping another who’s in need. you know. a random act of kindness. and when it becomes a continuous thing (as mentioned in the interview), it feels like the wrong connection for them to have. they can be friends, but not a therapist and patient. that changes things a lot. i also don’t like the way it reduces clover to being a Literal therapist taking care of the emotions of someone who’s hurt her over and over in the past. yes, she is allowed to choose to help him even with what he’s done to her, but once it’s repetitive… it does feel kind of exploitative, if that’s the right word for it. more than a therapist friend, an actual therapist to someone you have personal experience with (which is also an issue for the therapeutic relationship, as you are Not supposed to take on a client you already know personally, even casually). i may be taking a one-off line a bit too seriously here, but where would i be without driving myself crazy over every single little detail in inanimate insanity that i could possibly notice? i sure wouldn’t be writing this essay!

i did start writing more about nickel and the luck and how clover affects him, but im going to put that into a nickel essay. this is about clover. and i love her! she is someone who started off with no bad intentions but a lack of awareness, who learned how she affects others around her and decided to use that power to be Good. putting Effort into being good, Choosing to be good. she is intelligent, kind, optimistic, and has shown great maturity through her development. i think she is a wonderful gem of a character.

[thisbuildinghasfeelings]

FINAL EMERGENCY THEORY

Obviously we have an asteroid coming, but in true Lone Star fashion, they are going big with this final emergency so an asteroid alone isn't enough!

For a while now, I've felt pretty sure that the asteroid impact itself wasn't going to be the true danger but would instead be the thing to trigger the true danger. Since the asteroid should be making impact at the end of episode 11 (according to the leaked episode 11 call sheet from back in June), it's clear that they will be dealing with a post-asteroid emergency/emergencies in episode 12.

I had some speculation about what exactly the final emergency would be, and that's come into clearer focus the last couple weeks.

In this TV Insider article from about 10 days ago, Rashad confirmed my suspicion that the place the asteroid is going to hit will be important.

Then in a few Natacha interviews from after episode 10 (like this one), Natacha kept mentioning the word NUCLEAR.

So from this we knew that the writers looked at places actually in Austin to find the worst possible place for the asteroid to hit, and we knew that NUCLEAR probably has something to do with it. This got me googling, and I came up with this:

There's a nuclear reactor at UT Austin!

The Owen sneak peek released this morning confirms that there is indeed a nuclear meltdown imminent. My guess is that it has to be happening at this UT nuclear reactor since there isn't another nuclear reactor in the city of Austin.

Some of the end of filming BTS also supports this conclusion. They did outdoor filming at a real university:

That's clearly going to be this scene from the episode 12 stills:

Around the same time, they were also filming in school hallways:

Here's a video of them filming

And Natacha also posted a picture taken in the same location

So based on all of this, my theory is that the asteroid makes impact and causes some kind of damage to the nuclear reactor at UT. The 126 arrive at the university and eventually make their way to where the reactor is located. When they get there, they either get trapped or they're in a position where they can't stop the meltdown and can't get away in time so attempting an escape seems futile.

Based on what we've seen in promos, I think only the firefighters get really close. (The moments at the end of this promo when they're in the dark and apparently fearing the worst only show firefighters, not paramedics.) We also know that Carlos is going to be wearing a headset at dispatch:

I think this sets us up nicely for a moment with everyone working together. The firefighters on the ground trying to stop a nuclear meltdown, Wyatt and Carlos helping from dispatch, maybe the paramedics fighting to get to the firefighters to help them since it seems like there are going to be injuries...

This all sounds a lot like what Rashad has told us, that the "final sequence" has everyone working towards a singular goal:

However, there's no way this is the very end of the episode. I think there has to be some kind of wrap up afterwards, but I also think it's possible that Rashad meant "final sequence" in a different sense. Maybe their final action sequence or the final sequence they filmed. You never can tell with the wording used in these interviews since often quotes are chopped up and presented out of context.

Well, anyway, that's it. My final theory 🥺

(Credit to @she-walked-away for first floating this potential theory of them all working together in this particular way, and I think it makes more sense the more we find out!)