#I was gonna work on ''Weird Little Critter''

[thelastspeecher]

spent today working on the final chapter of "A Case of Mistaken Identity" and lemme tell ya

you know it's gonna be a banger chapter when I have to whip out my copy of Journal 3 as a reference

[astonmartinii]

reluctant cupid | lando norris social media au

pairing: lando norris x fem bff!reader

you could set your bestie up with a driver or you could confess your feelings? lando norris is dumb.

based on this request: Could you write something about being best friends with lando and he tries to help set you up with another driver you have a crush on, but then he realises he actually likes you so he has to sabotage all the wingmanning he’s done and you end up together Idk if that makes sense 😭🫶🏼🫶🏼 -@mbappesleftthigh

MASTERLIST | TIP JAR

yourusername

liked by landonorris, oscarpiastri and 49,340 others

yourusername: someone please save me from the grips of hinge and this oh so lonesome life

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user1: girl knows the whole f1 paddock and looks like that and is still alone there is NO HOPE for me

user2: this post might have thrown me over the edge

landonorris: "i'm so lonely" "why don't you approach that guy" "no too scary"

user3: that's so real though

yourusername: thank you!

landonorris: how do you expect to find a boyfriend when you don't like to talk to anyone and treat hinge like a gameshow

yourusername: i didn't come here for actual advice let me commiserate in peace. god, can women have anything these days?

landonorris: ???

yourusername: oh! idea! pretty please set me up with one of your friends? they have to be great otherwise you wouldn't be friends with them, right? RIGHT?

landonorris: i guess...

yourusername: please lando, i've never asked for anything before

landonorris: i can feel you pouting through the phone

yourusername: so you'll consider ?

landonorris: fine...

user4: bro either gotta admit his feelings now or be condemned to be in the plot of a weird romantic comedy

user5: i personally don't think i can wait until the third act break up with this side character LANDO ACT NOW

oscarpiastri: you'd really trust lando's judgement?

yourusername: he's friends with me, he's got good taste?

oscarpiastri: touche

maxverstappen1: whatever you really wanna say oscar, you gotta keep it in, these idiots will figure it out eventually

yourusername: ???

landonorris: ???

user6: the grid are so done with their asses i can't 😭

user7: but what if the universe doesn't intervene and lando really has just lost the girl forever?

user8: bestie we can't be thinking like this

landonorris

liked by carlossainz55, yourusername and 812,047 others

tagged: yourusername

landonorris: being back home means being bothered by her (and whatever is her newest hyperfixation - it's sylvanian families this month if you couldn't tell)

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user9: i am so sorry but they are so in love

user10: it's cute in the movies, but these blind bitches are starting to piss me off

yourusername: THEY CAN HEAR YOU, BE A BETTER DAD

landonorris: they're not my children

yourusername: you take that back right now, you LOVE them

landonorris: you spent my money on them yes

yourusername: that's fatherhood, buddy. buckle up

user11: whoever he sets her up (if he's still dumb enough to do that) is gonna be the biggest third wheel in history

user12: who would willingly sign up for that

user13: me. i would. i have two working eyes and have seen y/n

maxverstappen1: who are these funky little critters and how can i procure some for p?

yourusername: finally a man with sense, literally any grocery store or toy store

maxverstappen1: perf

yourusername: if lando stops being mr. grumpy i'll ask him if i can come to a race and p and i can play animal families

landonorris: i am NOT mr. grumpy

maxverstappen1: you kinda are dude. is it the set-up is it stressing you out?

landonorris: nO

yourusername: then why are you putting it off !!! lando i might die from terminal yearning !!!

landonorris: i have an interested candidate

yourusername: really? do you think they'll actually like me? like this isn't a pity date right?

landonorris: nope!

user14: lando is typing through tears as we speak

user15: if y/n does go on a date with someone from the paddock i actually hope it goes well, as one lonely girl to another, it's tough out here we need one win

f1wagupdates

liked by user18, user19 and 11,043 others

tagged: yourusername & carlossainz55

f1wagupdates: turns out lando is a bit of a cupid as his childhood friend y/n y/ln was spotted out and about with carlos sainz.

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user20: HE ACTUALLY DID IT

user21: that moment when you're so down bad for a girl that you set her up with your best friend

user22: that moment when you're such a wimp you can't admit your feelings and set up the girl you like with a literal GREEK GOD

user23: i am so bamboozled by this move he literally looked like a kicked puppy on his stream bro this is your doing 😭

user24: she's a lover girl she's going to get her heart broken :(

user25: this has mess written all over it

user26: she's literally described herself as a terminal yearner i feel like she'll throw herself in and will get hurt

user27: UNLESS! this is all part of the plan? what if lando set her up with a messy guy like carlos so he can be the shoulder to cry on and that's how he slides in?

user28: that's very convoluted, very rom-com but i'll take it if it means we get lando and y/n together in the end

user29: i know this probably won't last long but can we all appreciate how hot this couple is?

user30: lando and y/n runs rings round y/n and carlos

user31: lol lando is a bad friend for setting her up with CARLOS him and charles are THEE red flags

user32: i hope y/n is prepared

user33: also lando hasn't thought it fully out if his plan is to be the shoulder to cry on because he's just opening her up to be called a homie hopper or a paddock bunny

carlossainz55

liked by charles_leclerc, pierregasly and 702,554 others

carlossainz55: productive weekend with my girl

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user34: well that's not y/n

user35: that finished faster than i expected

user36: lando DO NOT quit your day job

landonorris: call me bro

carlossainz55: si, cabron

user37: i don't think they'll be cabrons after this call

user38: maybe this is all just going to plan?

user39: yall gotta give up this conspiracy theory maybe these people are just as dumb and mean as they seem to be

user40: soooooo... what did we all do this weeekend?

user41: i broke a girl's heart @carlossainz55 twins 👯‍♂️

user42: AHHHH???

maxverstappen1: oh that's not-

yourusername: you're so chronically online :(

maxverstappen1: you're alive?

yourusername: yes. coming at you live from the bed i'm currently rotting in

maxverstappen1: not going to say i didn't warn you?

carlossainz55: really? in my own comment section?

yourusername: one second, we're having a conversation here

maxverstappen1: yeah carlos, gosh.

carlossainz55: i'm so confused

user43: okay power move to just start a conversation in his comments?

user44: the power of confusion is simply unmatched

yourusername

liked by maxverstappen1, landonorris and 56,309 others

yourusername: certified boy hater

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user45: a ferrari boy will do that to you

landonorris: feeling hashtag victimised rn

yourusername: obviously doesn't include you girlypop. but you seriously need to reevaluate your judgement

landonorris: carlos is attractive?

yourusername: he ghosted me?

carlossainz55: i am right here

yourusername: blocked.

landonorris: did you actually just block him?

yourusername: yes 😀 !

landonorris: god this is a nightmare

yourusername: not if you'd take a GOD DAMN HINT

landonorris: WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?

user46: yall this is a public instagram comment section

user47: don't say that, this is their argument in the rain moment

user48: lemme grab the popcorn 🍿

maxverstappen1: this better not include the real number one girlypop here

yourusername: of course not pookie

oscarpiastri: you gonna continue the lil spat above this?

yourusername: no?

oscarpiastri: well some people (max and i) would like to listen so please continue

yourusername: no, i don't think i will

oscarpiastri: GOD YOU PEOPLE ARE INSUFFERABLE

maxverstappen1: what oscar said

user49: oscar and max are so real

user50: they can't leave us on this cliff hanger

landonorris

liked by yourusername, danielricciardo and 1,043,788 others

landonorris: some snaps from '23

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user51: have we just been thirst trapped?

user52: i don't think it was intended for us

user53: this has "i am hotter than carlos sainz" written all over it

yourusername: posting tits on main, brave.

landonorris: i came second in singapore.

yourusername: sureeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. modesty, ever heard of it lan?

landonorris: slutshaming isn't cute y/n

yourusername: you kinda have to pull to be a slut lan. you are under qualified for the position

landonorris: if you keep being mean to me i will call your mum or my mum.

yourusername: try it. i see cisca more than you, i have faith in her

landonorris: the line is busy. are you on the phone to MY mum right now?

yourusername: maybe.

user54: we're so close to them getting their heads out of their asses

user55: don't get my hopes up

danielricciardo: i hope this works lol

landonorris: you don't think i'm sexy?

danielricciardo: it doesn't matter what i think

landonorris: i'm not sexy :(

danielricciardo: you're baiting me but yes, you are sexy.

user56: i'll fight anyone who made this man believe he's not beautiful

liked by yourusername

user57: I SAW THAT 📸

user58: someone just lock them in a cupboard at this point

oscarpiastri: noted.

yourusername

liked by maxverstappen1, landonorris and 89,034 others

tagged: landonorris

yourusername: yeah, yeah. you can stop yelling at us now.

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user61: LET'S FUCKING GO

user62: it was worth all that yelling. i expect an invite to the wedding now.

user63: wedding? girly they only just realised their feelings after a DECADE

maxverstappen1: it was about fucking time

yourusername: okay miss ma'am. some people are EMOTIONALLY VULNERABLE AND NOT VERY GOOD AT PROCESSING THEM

maxverstappen1: you must've been emotionally constipated because this was painful

yourusername: it was painful for me too

maxverstappen1: so painful that you dated CARLOS

yourusername: one date! ONE!

maxverstappen1: carlos said can you unblock him so he can be mean to me?

yourusername: fine.

carlossainz55: STOP MAKING ME LOOK LIKE A BAD PERSON. YES I AM NOT THE BEST AT RELATIONSHIPS BUT LEAVE ME BE

maxverstappen1: lol

yourusername: lol

user64: unblocking carlos to hit him with the lol max and y/n might be more iconic than lando and y/n

landonorris: not on our relationship announcement post 🤨

user65: OOP.

landonorris: i love you doofus

yourusername: i love you too muppet

landonorris: how much was the betting pool for your family?

yourusername: it got to over £300

landonorris: ours was £750

yourusername: are we dumb?

landonorris: no!

oscarpiastri: two dumbass girls saying 'yass' to each other

yourusername: LEAVE US BE

landonorris: oscar :(

user66: not their own families betting on when they'd get together 😭

landonorris

liked by maxverstappen1, yourusername and 1,430,778 others

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landonorris: first win, hopefully not my only one.

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user67: MY BABIES

user68: i feel like i've been on this journey with them

oscarpiastri: thank god you guys got your shit together, i was THIS close to jumping out the nearest window if i had to watch lando mope around like a kicked puppy when y/n had the lil thing with carlos

user69: so it wasn't some grand plan?

oscarpiastri: no he's just dumb enough to actually set up his first love with his best friend

landonorris: OSCAR!

oscarpiastri: am i wrong?

landonorris: no... but! i got there in the end

oscarpiastri: good thing you're faster on track

user70: the grid being just as done with them as us is killing me

maxfewtrell: finally this unnecessarily long and overly convoluted saga has come to and end, lets never do this again!

landonorris: i'm locked in for life bro no worries

yourusername: awwwwwwwwwwwwww i love you too bubs

maxfewtrell: stop being sappy under my comment

yourusername: you just complained we didn't sort out our shit fast enough and now we're too sappy?

landonorris: STICK TO A STORY BOZO

maxfewtrell: now you're even more ride or die... can we go back?

yourusername: nope!

landonorris: nope!

maxverstappen1: i for one am very happy for you both

yourusername: thank you max !!

landonorris: not so fast, he had the biggest bet on us in the paddock

yourusername: get that bag sis

landonorris: ???

yourusername: we can't fight it anymore, let them have their jokes, we actually have each other now :)

landonorris: yes we do :) xx

user71: golly gosh this is so fucking cute

fin.

note: i hope this is what you were looking for and that you all enjoyed!! i'm just waiting on my tester sticker sheets for my small business @badlydrawnf1cats on here and on instagram, if you wanna give it a follow x tHANK YOU FOR READING MY LOVES X

[r0semultiverse]

Mr. 6 made you do a good show to be released?? 👀 um....

This is already giving serious eye vibes.

A whole show dedicated to public humiliation?

The Mr. Bonzo suit started moving??? 👀 Serious stranger vibes. 🤡

"It actually became a sort of ritual"

I've seen people being like "don't cross tag" but buddy... the writing cross tags itself here I mean c'mon! 😂 Something something ritual of the stranger- okay, I'll keep listening!

Hey, what's with the music?? Hey, who is Terrance Menki???👀

"The police said there were eleven bodies in total and his wardrobe was full of all sorts of homemade costumes." BRO IS ACTUALLY MAGNUSPOD WILLIAM AFTON-

"It certainly had a profound effect on the Mr. Bonzo brand." Oh I'm sure it did, holy fucking shit. 👀

Oh, me using this image is rather ironic now.

"In a lot of ways I’m more his prisoner now than I ever was on my show." WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT? 👀

"The witness statements from three murders over the last five years that claim a person in a Mr. Bonzo costume was at the scene? Do you think there could be a copycat?" Has the fear of clowns manifested as an actual clown-guything?

"Don’t contact us again." "Us?" "Why am I still trapped dealing with all this this- Why won’t he let me go?! Why-" So Mr. Bonzo is absolutely a clown cryptid of sorts with some sort of hold over Nigel.

Oh no, Gwen's about to fuck around & find out, isn't she? 👀

Hey, is Colin still himself & is he supposed to be back?

Hmm, okay, I guess that's him (hopefully).

"Maybe don’t tell them I’ve been on their terminals. They’ll only get the wrong idea." "If Lena asks, I wasn’t here." Seems like everyone's got their own little secret investigations going on, fun! This can only go well! 🙃

One of the episodes absolutely no one shows up to work except Lena is there & is like "where the fuck did everyone go?"

"Time to get some new hires again I guess."

Let's go!! Ruin exploration gang!!

"Like, it’s Saturday night and I’m choosing to hang out in a hole with you. A wet hole. And not the good kind either."

Alice with the absolute best quotes. lmao

That sounds like something with giant wings like a bat or some sort of cloth flapping in the wind. Let's hope it's the latter!

Oh a rusty old filing cabinet! Wait tetanus- 😭

"That carved floor in the big atrium – I don’t know what’s going on with that." Ah so we're just gonna breeze past that then. 😶

These are probably the remnants of old avatar creation test areas like mentioned in the Gerry & Gertrude episode. I'm just assuming here.

A key? Big find! Let's go!

AS I WAS SAYING-

Gwen, it was nice knowing you. 🫡

"Now get out of his house."

Archivist! 👁👄👁

"symbols of ancient otherworldly power"

Wait could this be a timeline where this universe's Jane Prentiss actually did manage to invade the building & succeed? I'm thinking out loud.

21:10 that sounds like critters, insects specifically 👀

"I have memories of weird stuff I saw here, but no context. I want to know what was happening, why they chose us… why they didn’t choose me. Maybe find the bit where everything started to go wrong." I am so captivated & intrigued please recount said memories to us- I mean Alice so we can learn more. Please. 👀

EXCUSE ME, WHO THE FUCK WAS THAT?!? WHO IS "[ERROR]?"

WHY DO THEY SOUND DISTORTED AS FUCK?? ARE THEY FROM THE PRIME TIMELINE OR IS THIS A NEW THING?

ARE WE GAZING OUR EYES UPON A WRETCHED THING FROM THE MAGNUS ARCHIVES?!

edit:

Is Lucia Wright an avatar of The Flesh now (in this universe or from the original timeline somehow)? Because it sure fucking sounds like it! 👀 Well, at least that key was put to good use! 😂

Also, supposedly Mr. Bonzo is a reference to Mr. Blobby.

Gwen, I'd be quaking in my boots too. That thing is terrifying!

Late observation but this universe & story seems to focus a lot on the cryptids & I like the direction it's going in! Loving this plot of cryptid hunters, childhood avatar experiments, a strange institute where our main character has past trauma, & just all of it is so good! 💜

Amazing episode, 10/10, I was at the edge of my seat the entire time! 💜 That Bonzo scene & the sound design were absolutely horrifying, thank you! The ending too! 🔥

[infinite-hearts-333]

Smiling Critters Cartoon- Ouřa Thorn

I view the cartoon as the like. OG source of all other aus, even though the toys were probably made first, as well as the experiments, BUT I DO WHAT I WANT RWAH. So this is like. OG Thorn.

This is my explanation of where Thorn lives, and how they came into existence within the cartoon universe.

First of all, this story actually starts off with Bubbles. Although she wasn’t known as Bubbles back then- rather by her species, the Giant White-Tipped Wandering Tarantula- or ‘Big Blue’ as called by the rural farmers that would sometimes see her.

Wandering Tarantulas were a massive but mostly passive species of spider- known for patrolling expansive of land for food and water, and their freakishly good mimicry skills. Sometimes, if you were lucky, you’d see them clamber along the sides of wheat field, ever careful to not flatten any off the plants. They are tenders to the forest- a guardian to ward off any thing that threatens the beasts that reside inside.

One concept that I love and have burrowed is that there are ‘Critters’ aka Dogday ect, that are human like- and then ‘Beasts’ that are animals. And on some rare occasions, if a beast earns an emblem, they can become a critter, like Bobby bear hug from @novalizinpeace (who has a new blog now for their au, go check it out!!!!)

Bubbles was a beast- a very smart beast, just like how animals of our world can be very intelligent.

The way Thorn was born, was just like any other critter- by stork. And in this situation, by pure luck, fate and the animal intelligence that Bubbles possessed.

Litter happens. And sometimes, critters loose things. So whilst one fine morning, when Bubbles is wandering through the forest, they step on a paper, that had blown in, smudging a foot print on the bottom half. This note, was actually a letter- a half finished letter for a child that a parent must have lost.

Not that Bubbles knew that.

Unsure what to do with this paper, the tarantula did what most animals do- copy the creatures that normally have it. By watching the Critters, Bubbles witnessed Critters putting paper in a big red box. So they did the same. And, effectively, mailed a baby request, signed with their foot print.

Now I think there would be a little bit of slack in the Storks since in Nova’s au, King Canv(ass) got Crafty, and apparently Crafty and Dogday wrote a drunk letter and accidentally got another kid, so I’m gonna say that the storks are flexible, in case in more rural places were education isn’t the greatest, writing is a little hard.

And in the topic of rural- some farms just. Do not have addresses, and come on, it’s a magical place and babies come by storks- I’m allowed to bend the rules a little. So for rural places, you leave your finger print on the paper, and the storks use magic to track the print to exactly where you are! Hence why normally, the parent that leaves the print stays at home until the baby comes, cause you don’t want to get them like, at work.

And sometimes, since it’s such a tradition, the parents will leave the finger print instead of their name.

And well…… I feel sorry for that poor stork.

It was a first ever- that a Beast had ever snuck into the stork system. And after checking their equipment four times- nope, the letter was 100% from the Giant Tarantula. Also, there was no rules for this. Was the stork meant to leave a baby with this massive spider??? Take it back? Leave it at an orphanage? (Which was probably didn’t even exist if birth control wasn’t a problem if you get what I mean)

The stork contact their boss, and ofc, he/her/they, didn’t believe it at all. So the stork. Sat the baby down, and watch from afar, pray this animal would take the child.

And she did! The little spiky thing smelt weird, but when Bubbles pressed their pedipalps into the little things softer underbelly, it curled around them with the tiniest little purr ever. And well. Bubbles was therefore convinced that this little thing was their spiderling.

Between the half baked (defiantly a draft) writing and the crinkled, weathered paper with the dirty print- Ouřa Thorn turned out with some issues- the most prominent being that one of their horns had snapped. Whether the horn was to weak and broke, or if it never fully developed- no one knows- but it dreadfully impacted Thorns hearing, and therefore, their volume of their voice when they started interacting with other Critters.

Bubbles also being the Best Mum Ever tm, also was proven when it came to Thorns emblem- mainly because she found it. Thorns emblem is of course, the image of the world serpent- or Ouroboros.

Bubbles had found it deep within the forest, in a tiny old ruin- and well, knowing that their spiderling hoarded shinies like no one’s business, they took it back for them.

To Bubbles knowledge, they love it so much they wear it everywhere they go!

[twistedisciple]

"Oh hey! You're that weird guy from the ball!" Is it just the beach, or does this guy never wear a proper shirt? Tormod's not one to talk right now, but he's a sight to behold. The chains seem like they'd hurt in the sun, but this dude's such a freak he probably likes that. "Looks like we're gonna have to work together this time. Funny how things work out!"

Tormod hasn't forgotten the whole 'unhinged threat display' thing from earlier, no. But at this point, he's accepted the fact that The House of Mouse is filled with guys like this, for whatever reason. Briefly, he wonders who'd make it out alive if you locked Valter and Griss in a room.

Whaaaatever. He grins, tugging at his bandana. He's heard some choice things already about Griss's entrance, and boy-oh-boy.

"Seems you're popular around here."

By now, Griss has wandered away from the cluster of old cabins set up to house them all for the rest of the month and set his sights on more interesting ventures: like the tide pools and their fascinating ecosystem of prickly, slimy, and bizarre little critters. Tormod finds him with his arm plunged elbow-deep into one.

“Huh?” With an arc of water, Griss reels back and up onto his feet again, far more agile than he seems. “Oh.” Expression shifts into some semblance of recognition mixed with hints of surprise and, ultimately, disappointment (for what reason, he doesn’t even fully know).

“What’s up, short stuff?”

He’s popular? What a weird word, he thinks. Popular has never exactly been something he’s strived for. The opposite, in fact, if all the spikes and dangerous looks are anything to go by. So he snorts.

“Jealous? ‘Cause I got just the trick.”

He grabs Tormod by the wrist—

shlap.

And now he’s got a big, wet sea cucumber in his hand. No further explanation.

“There ya go.”

Griss flashes a grin, gives a wave (although it could very easily be that he’s slinging cucumber slime and water off of his hand), and turns on his heel to venture inland again, bored once more.

“See ya.”

[forthereaderinserts]

here it is

the writing

sorry if this is garbage lol I have smiling friends brain rot

tw for bad mental health

~|~|~

Your first meeting with the 'Smiling Friends' didn't go exactly as planned. When you had contacted them, you had been in one of the worst mental health spots of your life. This silly-sounding company was your last hope.

When they finally showed up at your doorstep, they were greeted by the stench of depression and old takeout, as well as your ragged form dressed in dirty clothes and sporting ratty hair.

Holding back a cringe at the smell that wafted out the wide open door, Pim put on a brilliant smile and introduced himself and his companion, Charlie. He was slower to suppress his reaction, causing you to blush in embarrassment.

"Hello! My name is Pim and this is my good friend Charlie. We heard you weren't feeling to good, so we're here to put a smile on that lovely face of yours!"

There was a pause in the conversation as he waited for your response, but the sheer force of his unbridled positivity had sent you into a spiral. Charlie, noticing your subtle yet labored breathing and the slight shake you had taken on, was quick to set a new pace.

"Uhm- Hey, why don't we come inside. Talking in the doorway is a little weird, huh?"

That snapped you out of your mental funk, ushering them in with small 'sorry's'. You nudge aside some trash in a feeble attempt to clear a path to your couch. The whole time, the two critters were accessing the situation and coming up with a plan to help you get into a better place.

Once everyone was able to sit down, Pim picked up where he left off, making sure to keep his enthusiasm low.

"So, it looks like you've been a bit depressed lately. I think I know exactly how to help!"

Charlie carried the flow, "We're gonna start by picking up some of the junk. A lot of studies say that your environment plays a big part in your mental health."

Nervousness clawed at your soul, trying to get a solid grip to sink it's teeth down and send you into a full panic. The thought of cleaning was so anxiety inducing and exhausting. It's not like you hadn't tried, but it usually ended with you crying and nothing getting done. You didn't notice but tears had started pricking at your eyes, trailing down your cheeks like hot lava.

When it was clear that you weren't responding anymore, Pim turned to Charlie and tried to figure out how they could turn this disaster of a job around. They decided that Pim would start by gathering up trash and spoiled food into the bin while Charlie sat with you and got you to calm down.

Nodding firmly at each other, they got to work. Charlie moved his chair closer to you and slowly grabbed your hands, stopping you from picking at your cuticles. Your head shot up and you locked eyes with the yellow man. Looking back down at your touching hands, your eyes flickered between that and his face. This might have been the first time you've felt physical contact, let alone comfort, in months.

As soon as he could tell you weren't on the verge, Charlie started to talk softly to you. About nothing important, just some posts he'd seen on the internet, what he'd eaten today, and his opinions on whatever he could think of. His main goal was to distract you while Pim cleaned enough so that it wasn't too overwhelming. He has even piped up a couple times to joke with his friend.

By the end of the day, the living room and adjacent hallway were livable and you were in a much better mood. Technically, you had smiled far earlier into the session, but Charlie and Pim were having such a good time just chatting and tidying that they kept working. This was one of their easiest jobs so far. No guns, no heartbreak, no death. Just talking and cleaning.

When it came time for the two of them to leave, you were disappointed. This was the happiest you'd been in such a long time. They knew that too, so before they walked out the door, they turned to you and offered their numbers. When you looked confused, they explained that they felt you weren't quite ready for normal life again, no offense. They wanted to get you set up with a therapist they had contacts with and maybe even start some medication.

At their words, you teared up again, but this time there was a giant smile stretching your mouth. Surprising the critters, you pulled them into a tight hug and whispered a gentle 'thank you'. This was the best day of your life, you think.

~|~|~

sorry the ending is so rushed I just wanted to get something out lol

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

s4 episode 7 thoughts

my very first thoughts: a CANCER MAN episode??? are we gonna get some backstory?? some CSM lore?!?!? 

part of me is deeply curious, but part of me also wants agent time, so… hmm! i’m intrigued. my curiosity? it’s been piqued.

and the lone gunmen have been mentioned!!

author's note: woah... i was expecting a lot of things, but cancer man being a flop author was not one of them. it's kinda sad, but mostly just pathetic.

judgement aside, i actually really liked this episode. there are things i would change, but i thought it was super intriguing to see certain parts of what is hidden beyond the curtain, but never enough to fully satisfy you, which i do love about this show (even if it is occasionally infuriating). the multi-part structure was also an interesting and unique choice that worked well, but i do have some... questions on writing/character motives and if they were well-received. but you'll see what i mean in a bit.

a lot happened in this episode, which i shall begin to recount below!

OH! we open with a shakespeare quote!!! “for nothing can seem foul to those that win” oooookay i suppose that is relevant to our ciggy man. damn. couldn’t be me. a lot of things are foul to me. such as killing melissa. 

we see a rat! a rat! cute little critter. oh. cancer man arrives, and is less cute. he's looking at some broken windows… damn, why is s4 so dark? i keep having to turn my brightness up. it's annoying!!

his lighter says “trust no one” omg… he’s so weird. just an overall strange fellow. seriously, who gets a custom lighter that says that? way to draw attention to yourself while trying to Not Do That.

so he’s opening a suitcase…. WHAT!! he is somehow listening to a bunch of conversations, including the “not everything is a dark labyrinth of conspiracy” one, which means he must have had bugs in all of the rooms where mulder and scully chat!!! who has time to sort through all of that audio content to find the juicy stuff?? probably his freak interns that i KNOW he keeps scattering about

okay, so he’s listening to a conversation now between the lone gunmen and mulder. frohike is freaked tf out, but mulder says no one would kill him because “you’re just a little puppy dog”. aww. that's a cute thing to say.

GAG!! the lone gunmen put on a special audio filter to hide their conversation, and CSM just pressed a button to totally ignore it, and turns to the camera with a smirk. EW! EW! creepy man. ugh, i can’t believe i paused and had to look at that awful creepy smirk for more than a few milliseconds.

oh my goodness, scully is also here during this conversation between the lone gunmen and mulder that we are listening to via CSM's technologically aided eavesdropping. frohike is saying he found stuff about cancer man, while cancer man loads what looks like a SNIPER RIFLE, and aims it out the window??? “what did you find?” “possibly everything”

GASP! i’m hooked. i DO want to know possibly everything. 

(watching the intro and that scene where they burst in with the gun always gets me, but today it’s making me ache in my chest because of how beautiful they are. so feel free to psychoanalyze that)

frohike is describing trotsky’s assassination. this is an area of history i am weak in, so i am seated for my lesson. it is actually entirely unrelated to the plot at hand, and is just some frohike nerd lore, but that's cool, i like a dude who knows these things.

frohike says “he” (presumably CSM) appears on august 20th, 1940, in louisiana. and his father was a communist activist, executed for espionage before his son would walk!!! and his mother died of lung cancer before he could talk!

damn. tragic backstory for this fellow. he pretty much said "i know cigarettes killed my mom but i'm different"

he was sent to various orphanages where he spent his time reading and not making friends. then he went off the grid until a year and a half after the Bay Of Pigs. weird way of measuring time- before and after the Bay of Pigs

OH! we get more text… “part 1: things really did go well in Dealey Plaza” hmmm....

some army men are jogging, while another dude reads the manchurian candidate, saying he would rather read the worst novel ever written than the best movie ever made. he must not know about the novels that are out there… i assume this is cig man?

OH MY GOD! he’s talking to MR. MULDER! wait, wait that means….

! MULDER LORE REVEAL ! his first word was JFK

that is... actually really adorable. and will make his toddler stage difficult as he has to break certain news to baby mulder.

why do i get the feeling, from the shaky way CSM just set the photo of mr. mulder’s wife and child down, that he is fighting suppressed romantic feelings for his buddy like the cold war depends on it? hmm....

these fancy looking men want to talk to the guy i assume is cancer man. they ask if he was involved in any of the big events from the early 1960’s, which he denies. you know, assassinations and whatnot.

oh! when they ask if his father was executed as a spy, he says his only regret is that “i was too young to throw the switch myself” which is kind of a crazy thing to say. "yes i never knew my dad but i wish it was me that killed him" is a wild hill to die on. but i guess this is what the 60's did to people.

OH! he also denies a cigarette when offered, saying he never touches them. well. some things went down between then and now, i assume. and hopefully, we shall gain a glimpse into what changed.

this general dude is yapping about extraordinary men and i assume he is referring to himself. and his father. and young CSM, too, can be an extraordinary man! 

“communism is without a doubt the most heinous personification of evil mankind has ever confronted” <- said by a guy who likely fought the nazis, this is an absolutely crazy line... but again, i guess that shows how deep everyone was into the propaganda

they are offering baby CSM a very important job… so important, his army service will be erased… he needs to assassinate an american civilian, former naval pt-boat commander…

OH MY GOD, DID HE KILL JFK???

this is wild. how many different characters across various medias have been responsible for killing JFK? does anyone have a spreadsheet? if not, DM me and let’s make one 

so what is the reason in universe for why JFK had to kick the bucket….

because of the bay of pigs failure??

i get it was bad, but i didn’t think it was THAT bad. that makes no sense though timeline wise… they said bay of pigs was “last week”, but that was 1961, and obviously he didn’t get shot until 1963. so are we expected to believe that they waited 2 years to kill him? 2 years in which a lot of stuff happened? or is this some sort of factual oversight i’m supposed to ignore. or am i misunderstanding the episode structure. did i mishear/read a line?

(digs my claws in) you guys i cannot ignore a JFK anachronism i’m sorry

and now we're off to texas to witness the inevitable. this dude playing lee harvey oswald is lowkey cute, a thing i never thought i would have typed more than a few minutes ago. CSM yells at him about how smoking is BAD!

baby cancer man is talking to lee harvey oswald (another wild sentence), telling him he’ll see the president today. he calls baby cig man “mr. hunt” which i assume is a fake name… and he lies and says he loves the movies!! how simply do the falsehoods slip from his tongue!

ooooookay i see what is going on here. “mr. hunt” is a member of a cuban loyalty group telling lee harvey oswald to hide some weapons. a fall guy is being carefully crafted.

and lee gives him his cigarettes… the same cigarettes baby cig man scolded him for smoking…. omg…. foreshadowing

you know, in all my years studying history, i have never imagined what the inside of the book depository building looked like. and OMG! in googling to try and see if this was an accurate representation, i learned that dealey plaza is where he was shot! so i guess i’m good with JFK lore, but bad at geography. but that answers what the whole opening quote was about.

baby cig man is getting in a sewer to do some crime… very eugene tooms of him. he's getting his gun out in the sewer for a sneak attack…. while lee gets a root beer… and it seems umbrella man was giving a signal on when to shoot! fascinating.

(jackie’s outfit that day looked less fuzzy irl than it appears in this episode, so please take note of that wardrobe people)

nah, this is gonna make me feel bad for a FAKE lee harvey oswald…

and while JFK was dying, baby cig man stayed in that sewer the whole time… wow. i feel like someone should have taken a peek.

soooo realizing he is a patsy, lee shoots a cop. which is actually just far more incriminating than had he done anything else. then he goes to the movies. where the cops find him. and baby cig man was watching all of this…. he pulls out a cigarette and starts smoking. OMG was that his first?? to cope with the Guilt?? damn.

it’s a bit of a ludicrous story that makes me giggle when i consider the real-world implications, but i will take it for what it is.

but back to modern cig man, listening to all of this being explained. he says nothing, seeming to confirm the accuracy of what is being said.

“part 2: just down the road from graceland”

no, don’t tell me he killed ELVIS, too?!?!?

wait, i read that wrong. “just down the road aways from graceland” okay, not sure if that clears anything up. but we hear the voice of martin luther king jr.

no… don’t tell me he killed HIM, too…..

notably, this whole part is in black and white. cigarette man is tap tapping on his typewriter. he’s writing a book! “take a chance: a jack colquitt adventure” <- sounds boring 

he’s listening to MLK talk about Marxist revolutions… is baby cig man a closet commie? no, for it appears he is deeply upset by these words!

he’s still in black and white, at a meeting about MLK, talking about how some claim he wishes to wage war against white america. baby cig man says “wouldn’t you?”, and i begin to wonder if he is based, but these hopes are quickly dampened as he explains that MLK's existence and activism are no longer civil rights issues… because he said something about communism. bro. what. is this how people actually felt…?

(you read about the paranoia and the terror of the red scare, but seeing an attempt at putting it in context still makes you think damn, times were weird)

this council is now talking about how they can best discredit MLK, and we see a guy who is blamed for the “there is but one way out for you” letter, which baby cig man says is stupid. oh, he blamed the director of the FBI for that. damn!

cigarette man says we need another patsy, and to make it a white man, so “it” (referring to king’s assassination) looks racially motivated. and oh! he says he’ll do it himself.

“i have too much respect for the man” <- so you’re gonna be the one that kills him? bro… what. we don't usually kill the people we look up to where i come from.

so. cig man lights up as he stands outside a building where MLK speaks. 

AND HE PULLS OUT THE PHOTO OF BABY MULDER AND HIS MOM???? WHAT THE FUCK

(is this like a “he’s grieving because his work demands that he never has a family” kind of thing or a “he’s longing for the embrace of mr. mulder” kinda thing….? does he love mrs. mulder….? what is this….)

cancer man gives the dude he’s framing a couple hundred dollars. and then gets in the bushes behind where dr. king is staying. i'm still processing the photo reveal.

and bam.

wow, i feel that this is… weird. idk, the whole “this character killed JFK” thing has been going on for so long that it doesn’t really feel that shocking, but dr. king’s death is a tragedy in a different way, and i’m not sure that using it in fiction is like, super appropriate? um.

while i am unsure if i feel that using a civil rights leader's assassination in your alien story is something we should brush past, i do understand what the writers are attempting to do here, which is show how dedicated to the anti-communist cause cig man is, and how he'll stop at nothing to do what he deems needed, no matter how ugly or horrific. i recognize what they are trying to tell me.

LMAOOOO WAIT. place my moral pondering aside for a brief second. if you pause, you can read the rejection letter baby cig man gets for his book. “my advice? burn it!” <- DAMN that book must have been god awful 😭

oh god. now the TV is mentioning RFK… don’t tell me cig man did that, too…

(author's note: thankfully, he was not involved with the killing of this kennedy brother; no clear statement on whether or not he was responsible for ted's whole thing)

AND WHY was cig man putting that photo of mrs. and baby mulder in his drawer…?!?!

cig man seems to be almost crying while quoting aeschylus along with RFK on the tv, as he speaks about the grief of losing both his brother and MLK…. damn. am i supposed to feel bad for CSM? because i don’t. 

back to modern cancer man. we now enter “part 3, the most wonderful time of the year”.

jump to 1991. he has saddam hussein on the phone?? and tells him to call back. and some other dude is working on the oscar noms LMAO wait... i lowkey love the idea that the government controls those... need to think what that would imply for every single winner ever

AND he rigs the superbowl so the bills don’t win LMAO what is his beef with buffalo?! AND he rigged the olympic hockey game in ‘80?

we’re getting the impression he kinda controls everything. message received loud and clear.

OH! now they’re talking about mulder… “that ‘spooky’ kid”, is how they refer to him. and CSM says that mulder is his to keep an eye on. i'm sure that's part of his decades long plot, to keep mulder under his watchful eye and use him as a pawn in his schemes. also, gorbachev has just resigned. no more enemies to fight.

and CSM gives his men some presents for christmas. how thoughtful…..? 

his men invite him to come with them to virginia for a family get together. damn, they like this guy? it seems they honestly do!

he got them all ties…. very strange fellow he is.

okay, so he lied and said he had to go see family to escape the gathering. and then ominously walks outside mulder’s office door. dun dun DUN!

he has some mail… and opens it to see something that displeases him. THEN HE STARTS WRITING AGAIN!! it seems like auto fiction, when you write about yourself but pretend it’s happening to a character. damn. crazy coping mechanism. good to know that he is kinda a loser all around. 

so, some days he longs for a second chance. okay, yeah, we all do cancer man, and most of us didn’t kill JFK.

the phone rings. it’s DEEP THROAT! my old friend!! were they tight?!

it seems that on christmas eve of 1991 was when a weird alien spaceship arrived to earth. and the occupant is in “critical condition”. also, deep throat mentions the UFO he had claimed to see before in vietnam, so we know he wasn’t lying entirely about that.

they have this fleshy pink alien hooked up to life support, which has me wondering how alien life support works, and also how many types of aliens we are dealing with in this universe. but i’ve mentioned that before. still! worth mentioning again!

lore reveal that is unsettling... DEEP THROAT’S NAME IS RONALD???? 

idk, i was expecting something like abernathy or shackleton or cromswell!

deep throat gives cigarette man the gun to handle the alien situation- but CSM protests, saying that a “living EBE” could advance bill mulder’s project by decades!!! MR. MULDER MENTIONED?!? he'd be willing to break protocol to help his buddy out?!?

but no, deep throat recites the rules from the security council resolution, which makes him remember what they came here to do.

can you just… shoot an alien??? to kill it? well. you can shoot some of them to kill them, but not the kind that need the special neck stabbing device. okay, keeping track of all this, just seems like maybe all aliens would need something a bit cooler to vanquish them.

they’re fighting over killing an alien…. cig man doesn’t want to do it, so he tosses a coin. so he makes deep throat do it?!?! deep throat says that this is their new enemy. honestly, the sad little alien does not look like he can hurt you, but okay.

(i mean, do they really need the gun? he’s an alien on life support, just pull the plug)

oh…. cig man rips the bandage off his neck as deep throat climbs into some gear to… gas the alien? now what is the significance of this bandage that has been on his neck but ONLY for part three of the story?

that alien is creepy. deep throat really does shoot the damn thing. and cig man lights up while this goes down. is every cigarette one dude he killed….? damn. that’s like 5 packs a day….

“part 4: the x-files”

OOOO, info on scully being brought in!!!

OMG!!! we see parts of her thesis.

did we know she went to the university of maryland? well, i didnt, so that counts as a…

! SCULLY LORE REVEAL ! she graduated from the university of maryland in 1986!

(looking back, i realize this was all flashback stuff from the pilot. but i didn't KNOW at the time that this show would do such things to me, so i wasn't taking detailed notes! wow! how much has changed)

but it’s cancer man reading her thesis. stay away from her!

okay, now we’re back to one of the earliest times we ever saw scully, in her pilot episode fit. and was cig man actually there in the pilot? i think he was, right?

aww, we get to relive the “FBI’s most unwanted” moment through cancer man’s listening. it’s creepy, but still a heartwarming time.

back to the modern day- frohike is talking about how cancer man is “the most dangerous man alive”, because he believes these actions are all that life allows him, and he can never escape himself. damn. that’s deep.

and then back to the 1991 christmas eve scene… an editor loved CSM's book! he used the pen name “raul bloodworth”… have we heard that before? well, i’ll keep an eye out on various shelves. so he calls the number they gave him… he is desperate for validation… and he’s going on about how he wants the cover to look. there’s a cutting comment about “working with young authors”, and the publisher says he’ll have to “relinquish some control”. and cancer man is SO excited.

oh my gosh… wait, why am i lowkey emotional now? but that emotion is very specifically second hand embarrassment.

so he’s typing his RESIGNATION LETTER?? for the day the story gets published. for some reason he thinks that getting one story published = a life of steady income. HAH! if only.

he even takes a wistful look at his cigarettes and crushes them in his hand!!! wow, a time to begin again.

lmao i see a reference to darin morgan in the background magazines… do not think you are slick, props team!

CSM’s going to go pick up his story from a newspaper… and his story was published in a porno… and they changed his ending… 

this is NOT a good thing omg

and the newspaper salesman says that the magazine is garbage…

we just watched his dreams die in real time. and with the magazine, he buys another pack of cigarettes. damn. no chance for a new life, i guess. 

CSM’s now monologing about how life is like a box of chocolates (disappointing), and this is an interesting juxtaposition, because he is next to a man who is digging through garbage while he says all this, so clearly his material status could be a lot worse but it’s probably a mental prison, being rich and important and also sad.

Frohike clarifies that this CSM theory is based on a story he read, but he’s going to check with some hackers. as frohike walks out the door, cancer man mumbles that he can kill him whenever he pleases, but chooses not to do so today. 

woah… very different, but i actually really liked this episode!

i liked getting a peek into the mystical lore surrounding CSM, but also it wasn’t THAT much of a peek, you know? we know a few of the things he did, and that he did them in the name of fighting communism. i guess when he thought that communism was “defeated” they switched to aliens, but also aliens had to be there the whole time, because they did make the agreement about it after ww2. so he’s been up to a lot of stuff.

do i feel a little bad that he can’t get his writing published? yeah, but like i said in a “it’s cringey” kinda way, which i think was the intention. it’s funny that he has amassed all this power but is still a flop. 

like i said, i feel weird about the whole MLK thing. i think the coloring going black and white was to illustrate CSM's black and white thinking, about how you are either right or wrong, and to be wrong requires punishment, no matter what anyone else says on the matter. that was interesting.

hmm, i'm pondering. what will happen next to our smoky- well, i was going to say "our smoky friend", but we are not friends at all, are we? where will our tobacco-filled creep lead us?

i liked this one! it was really different from the traditional episode structure, so it felt special and nice. i liked getting an idea of his line of work and how he got involved with it and why, even if the killing post-Bay of Pigs thing was weird, but i GUESS it did bring the soviets and cuba closer together, so i GUESS if you thought anything that advanced communism had to be avenged, you would think that is a logical conclusion.

hmm, i can't afford to try and figure out who actually did it IRL! too much on my plate. it's an interesting theory... i shall have to give it a long contemplation.

[empressgeekt]

Bruce would ask while Clay would lash out about it. While Branch is busy with Keith and Poppy (if it isn't a Crystal Poppy or Crystal Keith au), they both pull JD aside to demand answers. I wonder, though, in the JD Returns au, how does the infamous fight go down since I doubt JD is gonna say the same stupid shit he had about going their separate ways after everything they'd been through and know full well by now that something like that would be cruel to say to Branch.

Back in the grey days, Branch had took notice of how frustrated John has gotten at things not seeming right. And does not care for it. He calls him out gently every time he starts to get upset, and soon John is doing it to himself. Cause Branch has had similar issues and thanks to keith he's learn to step away from the problem for a moment (if possible).

One of these call out happen during the practice, and Branch pulls John aside. "Okay, take a breath and think logically costumes are not going to save floyd." "We wore those the last time and..." "And the last time didn't work. We need to adapt, let's just start shaking off the rust, relearning the song and dance okay?"

Bruce and Clay are shocked, like what type of magic or dirt does Branch have on John. SO, they actually get more practice in but when John asks for more reruns of the song, the tension in the room rises and....Branch Pulls them over and shoves them all outside "There's a critter in the room, we've all refused to acknowledge and not we have to. Now start talking before I start shooting."

Clay tries to claim there's nothing to talk about, as they will never see each other afterwards since all John cares about is Branch and that weird little kid they brought with them. And that hurts, really bad. Bruce for once tries to be a medium because that was a little uncalled for, but its a poor attempt.

Eventually Branch just snaps, and takes off his mask, "Cause he watched me almost die and is scared it's going to happen with Floyd!"

[humming-fly]

every year for my birthday I do something self-indulgent and THIS year it's me finally organizing all the doodles and lore for my kirby oc Fayre that I have yet to put on tumblr into one place!

because i love you all putting the vast majority of this under a readmore but yeah if you want a collection of doodles and vaguely coherent scraps of info about my little guy please read on and if you want to ask questions about 'em go for it i love talking about these idiots

gonna also be mentioning a few other OC's here so for the record Strix belongs to @alagaesia-overlord and Stell belongs to @aseuki, because everyone knows it's more fun being insane about something if you have company~

real quick gonna just link to the past main posts on fayre for posterity lol

Fayre Details/Backstory:

So as has already been established in prior posts fayre is a very fae-aligned little critter that pretty exclusively hangs out in the woods with their 1-way mirror mask behaving for all intents of the word like some sort of weird cryptid. In terms of defining characteristics they have a set of very odd wings that constantly emit a stunning aura that causes confusion/distress when observed at close quarters, as well as a permanent 0.0 expression that they can't change (so no blinking, smiling, etc.) which is a byproduct of their creation as a mirror clone.

How all that worked out is their 'original', Prism, landed right next to a mirror portal as a newborn and more or less immediately wandered into it - my general headcanon about how the mirror doubles work is that they're made up of Every reflection someone has made up to the point they look into the amazing mirror, but since prism only just existed her first and only reflection was the 0.0 expression of a child looking through the mirror before passing through it, so fayre is locked and loaded with that expression but nothin' else. This is also why fayre's wings are way different than prism's bird-of-paradise setup, as technically prism's back was never reflected by the mirror either so it got the randomizer setting instead.

Despite being 'born' more or less at the same time the two never formally met until many years later, as prism wandered right into the mirror world and fayre wandered right out into the primary world and neither ever looked back. Differences aside, when prism did eventually track fayre down they immediately hit it off and now consider each other to be twin siblings. (Prior to meeting Prism Fayre didn't know they were a mirror clone, but largely took learning that detail in stride, as they do with most things)

In terms of early life fayre was actually found and raised by a small village of broom hatters, who came upon this child in a little crater they'd made after falling off the cloud holding up the mirror

The broom hatters assumed that fall was what had paralyzed their face, but fortunately as the broom hatters are a race of faceless creatures themselves the lack of expressions wasn't ever a problem. Not being able to move or open their mouth means fayre can't talk with it, but instead uses the general telepathic way of speaking used by most species lacking that particular facial feature. The main benefit of that skill is being able to throw their voice and also talk in hieroglyphics if desired

Fayre stayed with the broom hatters until reaching early adolescence, after which they left to go explore the natural world - though now living on their own they do still come back to say Hi every year or so during the Sweeping Seasons.

Fayre got their wings sometime while off living by themselves in the woods, and after some trial and error did figure out a way to more or less 'replace' their wings with a funky cape (the trial and error being a learning curve whereupon getting near people with their wings would cause people to get dizzy/sick, so for a while they were wandering around in a little cape they found until they could puzzle out a way to properly tuck them away) - while the cape is replacing the wings they're more or less 'in stasis', so damaging the cape doesn't damage the wings and vice versa, and is more of a strange pocket dimensional swap than anything. Thus the cape can't actually be removed from fayre, trying to rip it off them won't hurt or anything but will probably just yank them around a bit (maybe they're somehow trading their wings with an equivalent in the yarn dimension? who knows, they certainly don't)

The wings themselves are pretty odd as they look sort of like dragonfly wings but are actually made up of individual feathers of varying traits - general consensus is they are indeed very pretty, but other than gliding fayre can't actually fly that well with them. The stunning aura on them Does keep bugs and wildlife away though making them ideal for forest exploration, and fayre will wrap themselves up in them every night when going to bed as the wings work to deter any predators from going after them, and it's Comfy

~Plot Stuff Begins~

Meeting Strix:

For quite a while Prism was the only consistent point of contact Fayre had with anyone else, and even then the two only visited one another infrequently, both happy to largely keep to the homes and lives they've carved out for themselves.

The first major change to fayre's day to day life was the introduction of another puffball named Strix, who happened upon them while looking for their wayward coworker

After conversing a bit it was discovered that Strix is actually employed as a Reaper, of the paper-pushing variety, and only tends to poke their head out of purgatory when hunting down their work-shirking coworker.

Said work-shirking coworker is also the reason strix is the only person fayre has met that isn't affected by their wing's wonky aura - spending a few centuries in close quarters with someone who puts out a very similar status effect tends to build up an immunity, which fayre tries their best to take full advantage of

Fayre and Strix managed to hit it off early on, and occasionally meet up every month or so for an hour or two to get their required socializations in before wandering back off from whence they came. Strix will often share their work bereavements, or encourage fayre to actually learn some self-defense, which is largely met with playful ambivalence, though despite fayre's general disinterest in combat some minor progress was made on strix's part

(To that end farther the line a more favorable and not at all ominous deal was struck between the two so time will tell how that pans out)

During one of these chats strix also shared some of their Tragic Backstory:tm:, which fayre empathized with in the only way they know how

These friendly meetings continued with regularity for some odd years, up until fayre accidentally rode-along on one of strix's business calls~

Meeting Stell (aka The 'Among-Us' Arc):

Unfortunately for Fayre, Strix had been called to investigate what was reported to be an erroneous wish caused by a faulty comet, one without its proper safety regulations in place. Fayre tumbled on through strix's portal and into the sidelines of an ongoing fight between strix and some new armored fighter apparently affiliated with said comet.

Hoping to avoid whatever anime-ass conflict was going on over there, fayre started drifting towards the only other point in space of any note, the giant cat-like mechanical comet. Unfortunately for fayre, whoever had maintained that comet had rigged it up with a series of perimeter defenses, which fayre became intimately familiar with as they were shot down and forced to land on the comet itself to escape the bullet-hell firing at them.

Suffering some fun knicks and scrapes predominantly on their wings fayre pushed that on the back burner with their cape and started to look for an exit from this weird mechanical death trap. (Past this point Fayre has a quasi-permanent notch in their left feather).

Thus began fayre's fun-filled two-ish weeks of impromptu among us where they had a jolly time hiding in the vents and cutting wires to stall the maniac doing their level best to eject them with lethal force

Eventually contact was made with the assailant, whose name was apparently Stell, and an agreement was brokered just as Strix finally decided to stop by again to see how fixing that busted-ass comet was going.

after that misunderstanding was cleared up Fayre finally got off that shitty comet and after being dropped off in the woods by strix managed to trudge all the way to the mirror dimension to visit prism and get some bandaids (slash bullet holes patched up)

Mirror Arc & Beyond:

Some additional fun is had with the twins in the mirror dimension, namely the whole kitten kaboodle becoming corrupted for a time and fayre becoming a bit of an asshole because of it, which predominantly ended up aimed at strix who popped by to help sort all that out

post-corruption fayre found out apparently strix took the verbal abuse personally and fixed that all right up in their own way by visiting them at their workplace

tragically for fayre's happy-go-lucky attitude they've come to be attached to strix, which only became obvious once strix relayed a recent near-death experience to them and they got to experience their first ever Bummer Emotion

making that extra fun was learning said near-death experience was caused by their good friend Stell, which in turn lead to fayre's first ever Catching Hands Emotion

fayre's emotional roller coaster topped out after more or less jumping stell in a convenience store and trying to forcibly shove their own negative emotions down his throat after he brushed off the encounter he'd had with strix (partially due to running a high fever but that sure wasn't fayre's problem) - since then they've leveled back out and are back to being the most emotionally well-balanced of the three, which is a low bar to clear but hey first place is still first place~

[jungle-angel]

A Rancher and His Boy (Bob Floyd x Reader)

Summary: Bob and his dad both show Auggie the ropes the same way Joe did for Bob

“Bud, c’mon, we’ve gotta hustle!” Bob called to Auggie. 

The little bespectacled three year old waddle-ran down the porch steps and into the grass, holding onto the wicker handbasket Bob used to collect the eggs from the coop. He followed Bob and Joe as they walked along through the fields, the morning still a little bit chilly as the April weather was beginning to turn warm. The horses grazed in the fields along with some of the cattle, but that didn’t mean that the other farm critters wouldn’t be hanging around. 

“Alright, hopefully that crotchety old bastard’s still asleep,” Joe chuckled. 

A crow from the roof of the coop made Bob groan a little. “If he pecks Auggie, I swear that bird is gonna end up on the dinner table.” 

Joe laughed a little before they finally arrived at the coop, the hens all making their way down the little plank and into the grass where they could peck away for bugs if they wished. Bob took a handful of chicken feed from the sack near the door, almost all of them flocking straight to it and pecking furiously at the ground. 

“Smokey!” Auggie cried happily as the big rooster practically flew from the roof of the coop, flapping his wings and following Auggie like an obedient dog. 

Bob gave his father a quizzical look. “How?” he asked. 

“Don’t ask,” Joe told him. “Animals can be weird sometimes.” 

Bob undid the hook latch and led Auggie inside when the door swung open, the smell of sawdust, hay and chickens hanging heavy in the air. Bob carefully inspected each and every egg in the nesting boxed to be sure none of them had any chicks growing inside. The ones that didn’t would be sold or eaten for breakfast, while those that did were carefully placed back in the nests. 

“Alright bud, go get some,” Bob gently instructed. 

Auggie reached into the boxes that were almost floor level while Smokey seemed to watch him carefully from his perch. Bob once again, carefully inspected the eggs and in no time, they had the entire basket full of eggs. 

“Any chance we’re getting a slot at the farmer’s market?” Bob asked. 

“You bet your ass we’re getting it,” Joe remarked, adjusting the black stetson cowboy hat on his head. “I’m not gonna have a fridge that’s just full of eggs. We’ll sell’em for two bucks a a dozen and leave it at that.” 

Bob and his father bantered back and forth before they returned the egg basket to the house. You had just come out with a mug of fresh coffee, still a little bit sleepy, but happy to see your husband, father-in-law and your son going about to start the day’s work. 

You kissed Bob right on the lips before handing him his coffee. “Did he have fun?” you asked. 

“More than you think,” Bob said, his smile broadening. “Cows still need to be milked though. I think the sow’s gonna have her litter soon because her mate’s going nuts.” 

“Well, until then, enjoy yourselves.” 

You knew that Bob would. It may have been early in the morning, but you two were out to enjoy it together. 

[genderlesssinner]

Welcome back nerds

These Fey horse things are giving me windwalk vibes

Ash wanting to go dodging trees makes me think about that post about them riding a motorcycle. Yeaaahh.

I love their naming vibes, these dweebs

Oh man I love it when Matt mixes sayings that was perfect

Not the Creed reference I can't

Dirty 20 (for 22) and he got nicked holy fuck

Dorian riding sidesaddle is amazing and I love him

Oof Braius ate shit a lil damn

Imogen going full racer stance love it

Oh no Ash got got by a bird

Fey art school? Oh boy

Startin us off right, get it little man

"we'll get to that in a moment" uh oh

Okay okay big fancy twin tower

Oh it's covered in skeletons fuck

Hooves are bad for verticale climbing, yall

Ooh I hope they get a moment for Chet to do the Psychometry thing in this town that would be neeaaatt

Robbie following his gut, I love it, yes

Ooohhh shit someone is watching, that damn hawk

EEEYYYY Get it Chet

(fucking fuck I missed a minute there ugh internet issues)

Fuck whatever it is poisoned the fucking land not just the people shit

Oh they brought a guard dog, interes- nope it has a people face mhn, nuh uh, nope

MAP TIME

'for spacial awareness'

So freaking cool every time

"I believe in our 80% rat."

*said rat rolls TRASH*

Ooop- Pâte gone

Sneaky sneaky plus Arcane Eye nice nice

Sneaky ass Fey boys man

I always wonder if they can send images with Telepathic Bond but they never mention it nahdjdhchc

Oh fuck Tal's right I bet that was fucken Gloamgut landing. Damn dragon is scary

Mhm yep yep yep

Weeeeiiiirrrdddd ass fey dragon

Fuck man I forgot there was gonna be a Snow Luda here sheesh. Spooked me for a sec

I kind of want them to like try and listen and learn more but also blow shit up like Travis said, bring the fucken building down (which is a shame, it's gorgeous). More info can only help us here but we gotta make this go sideways for Luda

Ira you creepy sonofabitch

I think everyone kinda forgot about Ira for a minute there

Fluffy fuckboy,, oh no

Love fighting with Ira so far

Liaaamm a one?? No luck reroll??

Duuuudde Travis with double Nat 20s

The quietest HWDYWTDT ever and maybe the nastiest damn boy

"You think you're pretty hidden" Uuhghhhhh maaaatt

Why are fey critters so.. Nasty?

Dorian with a go on, git. I cant

What the fuucckk is iitttt??

Ooh this fight could so bad so quick Silence is saving their asses right now ooofff

Having some issues again but Idk if this is my internet or what. Audio fine but the video is frozen, had to reload... Missed a little bit.

Crazy stealth rolls from Ash and Chet, love that

And a crit fuck yes

Chet getting super gorey and I kind of love it

Fuck him up Orym, get it boo

Yess boys get it. Do the weird shit Tal yes.

I'm so excited to see what Tal is planning, I love how feral he gets with Ashton sometimes

This is going so well and I'm kinda worried

Cosmic space stuff oh yes maaann the wormhole fuck yeah

Man. I wanna read this barbarian stuff so bad

Ludinus knows that they're planning to attack the key - but is that because it's the obvious move or is it because there's a leak?

I do love that the Unseelie are like 'nah we'll sit in the shadows and watch your centuries of work crash a burn, thanks though.'

Oooh animating the statue love it, makes me think of Laerryn summoning a construct, man

Oh this is gonna be either really good or really bad holy shit

So my thought here especially since Ash went ahead and went titan, they could go in and do massive structural damage. And then as shit falls they should be able to get out safe because they can move through stone and shit right? And between that and Fearne making everything squish that shit should go down

THE INSIDE MAP AAAAA

FUCK ME I hate how big that dragon is oh my gods but he is gorgeous

Oop no statue

I think the group should try to focus on distracting these guys and Ash needs to get in there and do some seige damage and fuck shit up and then they got to GO. Fuck they can't move through worked stone, that's what it is. Hell.

I'm not sure if the Hells have ever worked together this well before

MATTHEEEWWWWW

Ugh the cliffhangers yall

I'll totally be watching again Monday because I missed somethings and I'm so tired right now.

See yall then ♥️

[liviavanrouge]

Families

What's small turned to a friendship

Baizhu: Ming! Can you take Qiqi to collect those one herbs?

Ming: Yep! I got it!

Ming: Qiqi! Let's head out!

Qiqi: *Nods, hurrying after Ming*

Ming: *Heads down the stairs, her ponytail swaying behind her*

Baizhu: *Smiles, watching them go then turns away*

A friendship turned to a bond

Albedo: *Sits with his sisters and brother, working on his experiments*

Dorian: *Sits still, letting Klee do his hair* Careful

Klee: I will, you'll look awesome!

Goldina: *Stands beside Albedo, helping with his work*

Minata: *Smiles, finger painting nearby*

Elizia: *Watches Goldina and Albedo curiously*

And that bond will never be broken

Xingqiu: Xenia! Where are you?

Xenia: Qiu!!!

Xingqiu: *Kneels down, holding his arms out*

Xenia: *Leaps into his arms laughing, beaming up at him*

Xingqiu: *Stands up, carrying her back*

The love will never get lost

Gaming: *Walks up the stairs to Liyue* I'm gonna win!

Gilda: *Hops up the stairs, giggling* No you won't!

Gaming: Yes I will! I'm gonna win this time!

Gilda: *Hops up the last stair, beaming* I WIN!!

Gaming: Oh man! I was so close!

Gilda: Better like neck time, Big brother Gaming!

Gaming: *Chuckles* Let's go eat

And when brotherhood come first

Kaeya: *Summons his sword, holding an arm out in front of Vixo*

Vixo: *Stares at the rustling bushes*

Kaeya: *Perks up, a few squirrels scattering from the push* Ah little critters..

Vixo: *Sighs in relief*

Kaeya: *Smiles at Vixo amused and ruffles his hair*

Then the line will never be crossed

Avios: Old man? Dane?

Venti: Hey Avi!

Dvalin: *Nods in greeting to Avios, reading a book*

Avios: *Looks at Venti suspiciously* What are you up to? Where's your wine?

Venti: No wine today, Dane didn't have to drag me from the winery!

Avios: *Looks at Dvalin* Is this not weird to you?

Dvalin: *Smiles* Nope

Avios: *Sighs and walks away to his room*

Venti: *Smiles, hiding his stash of Mora to send Avios to a good school*

Established it on our own

Lilla: HEY GUYS!!

Lyney: LILLA!! *Runs over and throws his arms around her*

Lilla: Laughs, smiling at them all*

Lynette and Freminet: *Hurries over, joining the hug*

Kano: *Walks after them, smiling*

Lynelo and Leena: *Beams, running over* Hi Lilla!

Freya: *Leaps into the hug, Lilla catching her*

Lilla: Careful, hahaha!

Angelina: *Beams at her, holding Arla*

Lilla: Let's have fun! I'll take you all out

Lyney: Hahaha! YEAH!!

When that line had to be drawn

Thoma: *Smiles, Titan sitting in his lap, holding a sparkler*

Titan: *Beams, waving the sparkler around*

Thoma: Careful, you might hurt yourself

Titan: *Holds the sparkler still, beaming* Okay!

Titan: *Leans back against Thoma, smiling*

Thoma: *Chuckles, holding his own sparkler*

And that line is what we reached

Kioshio: *Throws several punches at Wriothesley, weaving around several thrown his way*

Wriothesley: *Lunges forward, holding an arm out*

Kioshio: *Shields his chest, tanking the attack*

Wriothesley: Good job, ready to catch the next criminal?

Kioshio: *Nods* I am.

Wriothesley: *Chuckles and ruffles his hair* You're too serious for your own good

Kioshio: *Fixes his hair, smiling* I know..

So remember me when I'm gone

Chiori: *Nods to Carmilla as the two finished the dress* Good job, 'Milla

Carmilla: *Beams up at her, giggling*

Chiori: *Perks up then fixes Carmilla's loosening bow* There, one should look her best you know

Carmilla: Yeah! A lady looks her best!!

Chiori: *Nods to her* Always

How can we not talk about family

Yoimiya: *Smiles, helping Yulis hold his sparker* There you go!

Yulis: *Waves his sparkler, running around*

Yoimiya: Oh! Be careful, Yulis!

Yulis: *Waves to her with his free hand*

Yulis: *Turns and runs away, running off with some Liyue kids*

Yoimiya: *Smiles after Yulis* Staying in Liyue for him to heal was a good choice

When family's all that we got?

Murkus: *Holds Shuyu with one arm*

Ganyu: *Pokes his cheek* You're too protective

Shenhe: Indeed..

Murkus: You both are too protective...

Xianyun: *Smiles amused* As your older sisters, it is within their right to be protective

Murkus: Mother Xianyun!!

Xianyun: *Chuckles* Fret not, I understand

Murkus: *Huffs embarrassed*

Everything I went through

Xiao: *Sits with Xayda beside him, watching the stars*

Xayda: *Stands up, laughing as she hopped in place*

Xiao: Training! Now! *Vanishes into thin air, smiling*

Xayda: *Leaps up, vanishing after him*

Xiao: *Reappears on top of the Inn*

Xayda: *Reappears two feet from him* I DID IT!!

Xiao: *Nods to her* Good job...

You were standing there by my side

Emilie: Enchantis!

Enchantis: *Runs over, smiling*

Navia: Phibee, time to head home!

Phibee: *Leaps into Navia's arms, beaming*

Clorinde: *Picks up Makio and Cherub, holding them both* Thank you for the invitation

Emilie: *Smiles, holding Enchantis' hand* It was my pleasure!

And now you gon' be with me for the last ride

Tighnari: *Smiles as Sahara finished writing* Nice job

Collei: That was so great, Sahara!

Amon: Indeed...

Cyno: *Pats Mahil's head amused*

Roma and Kael: *Looks over Cyno's shoulder then grabs his headpiece, running off*

Cyno: Boys!!

Zahid: AHAHAHA!!

Kaveh: *Laughs, Kaine sitting beside him

Kaine: *Looks over from his homework surprised*

Alhaitham: Dottie, read this one

Dottie: *Takes the book, his legs sprawled across Alhaitham's legs* Oh..this looks fun!

Alhaitham: *Nods, smiling slightly*

@queen-of-twisted @yukii0nna @zexal-club @albedomestic-airline

[sweetshrimpyboi]

how about 1a with Eddie? 👀

Sorry for the slow post but this is also a sorta followup to the other Eddie ask! The long necked critter in this pic is a floofraffe (their like giraffes and sheeps combined one of the creatures on the farm Eddie volunteers at his world has regular critters and weird discovered species too so thats why this critter is a little strange! But he learned how to care for the floofraffes and has worked his way up to be able to sheer their top layer of wool!) He was going to sheer them today but that morning sickness defo kicked in and he got a little bit feverish from it his body trying to process it but also his digestive function being low making his body work extra hard so he got pretty feverish! ;o; It doesn't help that he had just gotten off of break which involved him eating the heck out of cheese and jam to try and make his cravings leave him be but he cannot physically digest things properly because of the type of android he is so add that into the morning sickness and he is in for a doozy of a time ;o; (He tries to eat to claim that he is just big from being a fan of eating despite really only having limited digestive function! there arent tons of androids that volunteer at the farm so no one really questions him and other androids dont either.) He is in a pretty heavy denial of his pregnancy and like so anytime he is offered snacks to keep up his facade he eats but it comes back to bite him more often than not. He has really bad morning sickness so he defo struggles to keep it together when it decides to rear its head at the farm or his regular job. The farm volunteering was meant to be a distraction but pregnancy in his case especially is tough to ignore ;v; Eddie keeps to himself too so that defo doesn't help things either and even in this situation he absolutely will say he is fine but when the coworkers walk away absolutely hes gonna go lean back in the hay and try and rest the sickness off enough to get to sheering!

Thanks for the ask anon I really appreciate it a lot!! X3

[kaylacautio]

Smiling Critters Headcanon List

I'm having a weird hyperfixation with the Smiling Critters lately and I do want to make a comprehensible story out of my headcanons, but for more instant gratification, I'm just gonna make a list. So here goes! These will primarily pertain to the cartoon versions because that's where my head's at.

We shall start with one for each of the critters because they all deserve love.

Dogday's tail wags when happy, like the good boy he is.

Catnap purrs when happy. Also his tail is prehensile, which doesn't follow along with his species but it wouldn't fit anywhere else.

Bubba's trunk is prehensile. Helps when his hands are full.

Bobby scratches her back on trees when no one is watching. Works better than her own hands most of the time.

Hoppy likes hard chews/hard candies. A lot. Her teeth grow uncomfortable if she goes without one for a while.

Picky enjoys a good mud bath. This could be either the spa variant or the "It just finished raining" variant. Out of respect for her friends, she will take a normal bath afterward.

Kickin lives up to the stereotype of chickens being associated with cowardice. He's working on it but he's still the most susceptible to Catnap's sneaking around. However, if anything were to threaten his friends, he would kill for them.

Crafty probably has the most powerful legs out of the group. Followed closely by Hoppy who doesn't skip leg day. You do not want to be too close to Crafty if she's startled or, heaven forbid, angry.

So you know how friend groups may have some people more drawn to each other than others? If I had to make pairings for who in the group was closest to whom, it would go something like this.

Dogday and Catnap

Hoppy and Kickin

Picky and Crafty

Bobby and Bubba

And now we have a few that would be used in the fanfic if I have any motivation to write it after this. They're mostly Catnap-centric since he'd be the main character.

Each of the Smiling Critters has a scent that just sorta naturally happens (to correspond with the scents their toy versions dispense), but Catnap happens to have two. His natural scent is lavender, while his Red Smoke smells like poppies. This comes from the fact that Playtime Co. apparently put some weird ingredients in their Red Smoke that I think gave it a poppy smell? When the Catnap toy was supposed to smell like lavender. So he gets both in the cartoon world!

Catnap is in full control of his smoke, for the most part. It'll come out in small harmless puffs if he's sleeping, or if he does something like a sigh.

Catnap, ironically, is an insomniac. He has frequent nightmares that prevent him from sleeping and is immune to his own gas. (He'd probably be narcoleptic if he wasn't.) He tends to space out a lot during the day because of this.

Dogday is also an insomniac and suffers anxiety as the group's leader. He is the most dependent on Catnap's gas to help him sleep.

The gas is somewhat addictive. I'm not sure in this case that it would drive its consumers to manic episodes like that sleepover cartoon, especially considering it's meant to aid sleep, but regardless Catnap has learned to be careful with it. He's tried other methods of helping Dogday and the others sleep but usually ends up feeding the addiction.

He'll also use the gas for self-defense if left with no other options since a heavy enough dose can knock people right out.

Romance plays very little role in the Smiling Critters' world but Dogday and Catnap might have feelings for each other. (Yes I ship it, but only in the cartoon world.)

Catnap is by far the quietest of the group. Upon first meeting him one might think that he's mute. But rather, he can't (or at least doesn't) speak above a whisper. To talk with his friends in a group setting, he whispers to Dogday and lets his bestie relay his thoughts for him.

On that same note, Catnap's quietness often leads to him scaring his friends by just standing there when they don't expect it. Sometimes he does it on purpose.

And then we have the most important headcanon, the one that basically would set this whole story in motion:

Catnap still worships the Prototype

But with a few key differences because this is the cartoon world we're talking about.

He's not so much of a Prototype-Bible-Thumper. In fact, he doesn't tell the other Critters at all out of fear. Fear of mockery or rejection, and fear of what his god could do to them.

The Prototype shrine is underneath his house, is smaller, and is constructed out of various toys and scraps he's found lying around. The human skeleton at the front is more than likely some kind of doll instead.

The electrocution incident that leads to the worship is caused by some faulty/exposed wiring. Perhaps his natural curiosity leading him into dangerous situations.

I can't say for certain that the Prototype is a benevolent god in-game, but he's certainly not here. He keeps Catnap under his thumb through fear more than anything else, he's the cause of Catnap's nightmares, which often portray gruesome deaths of himself and his friends, and he could drive Catnap to insanity at any given point. He could also give the poor kitty an existential crisis by revealing that he lives in a TV show or giving him visions of his "Bigger Bodies" self, but I haven't quite decided on that yet. Basically, Prototype's an asshole and Catnap stays due to both a life debt and fear of punishment.

And that, I think, about sums up the whole story premise I had without me having a proper structure for it. So yeah! The instant gratification monkey is happy.

[indie-ttrpg-of-the-week]

Animon Stories

When am I gonna get my digivolution into Indie TTRPG of the Month?

Genre: Shonen, Mon Catcher (kinda)

Touchstones: Digimon, their new expansion seems to be pokemon themed

What is this game?: Animon Stories is about kids and their monsters exploring a strange and mysterious world

How's the gameplay?: Animon works on a system where players have to roll multiple D6 and count how many results of 4 or more they've rolled, then check the amount of 4+s they rolled against the task's difficulty, the amount of D6s is based on Traits and Talents, Talents are the abstract terms that represent specialized knowledges like academics, sports skills, juggling, etc, while Traits are less abstract numeric abilities, specifically Reflex (Physical aptitude), Logic (smarts), and Spirit (Willpower and Charisma), Kids are defined by their playbooks which show which role they'll take in the story, a brainiac, a jock, an older kid, a rich kid, etc, kids also get Bonds (which represent how close they are to their critter), and a Virtue (a positive quality they embody, think the crests from Digimon Adventure). Meanwhile, Animons are a different story, creating an animon is a whole thing, but the main things are Classification (what their design most resembles, demons are Infernal class, ghosts are Nightmare class, flowers are Plant class, etc), a Type (there's 3 individual type advantage triangles that don't interact at all, they're pretty simple to memorize), Nature (their personality, always has an upside and a downside), Base Stats (self explanatory), Qualities (physical traits that give them advantages), and a Signature Attack, Animons will also evolve throughout the campaign gaining new qualities, so don't sweat your first quality too much!

What's the setting (If any) like?: The setting isn't hard-set, but there's 3 universal constants: 1: Animon are intelligent and can speak to humans just fine 2: Animon can evolve into stronger (but temporary) forms with the power of friendship 3: Animon are not from this world, but an interdimensional other otherwise, everything is for the players and GM to decide!

What's the tone?: Well, its digimon, its cute, kid friendly, hopeful fun! That's not to say darker stories aren't possible, those who have played Digimon Survivors know that Digimon stories can get quite dark! but overall, its fun all around

Session length: Animon is not a particularly complex game, so 1-2 hours is realistic

Number of Players: 4-6 is recommended

Malleability: Animon's lack of setting mean that as long as you're willing to abide by the baseline rules it has, you can run any number of stories in it, the focus on child characters might also be restrictive but honestly the only thing aging up the cast would do is make two of the playbooks feel a bit weird

Resources: Foundry VTT has an add-on for Animon, so i'm sure you could find a sheet on Roll20, there's also form fillable sheets and a book coming out that focuses more on catching multiple animon instead of just one

the vibes of Digimon are usually less popular than Pokemon, since Pokemon is by far the more popular franchise, but if you're willing to go outside your comfort zone for a little bit, Animon is a great game to replicate the vibes of early Digimon, even if it falls short in a few places

[murdermeadow]

And now thoughts on Lanz? (I feel like we're gonna go through all the Ouroboros)

aheehee :3 (also that's totally fine I have many thoughts on all of them)

okay so for Lanz. Lanz-y boy. the man who always wants something a bit meatiah. he's so scroinkly to me. he's in that weird limbo between not exactly comfort character but not exactly high neutral either.

he's very <3 to me. just a little guy. fascinating soft little critter that has gone through too much for his own good. and as always, I'm a sucker for protector characters. they always mean so much to me...

but anyways. Lanz!! his character is very intriguing to me. I adore the fact they didn't just make him the classic himbo meathead like they did with the buff dudes in past games (Reyn and Zeke of course have their merits and moments of sincerity but at their root, they are the comedic relief). I like the fact they didn't put all the work on him to be the funny buff guy™. he's such an excellent subversion of that trope, which I really do adore.

I think my favourite scene of his has to be that soft moment with Sena in the Li Garte Prison Camp. it's just... it really sets his character solid. despite all this raw strength that he has, he is weak in his core. he feels he doesn't match up to the rest, that he constantly has to catch up or bear the brunt for them. he acts as their shield, both metaphorically and very physically. he feels he's nothing more than this, because he isn't at the same level of intelligence or wit compared to his friends. and yet - and I think this is the most important part - he doesn't let that weigh him down. he sees it as a sort of motivator, not a reason to never try again. he wants to be at their level, and has the conviction to get him there. Lanz is very stubborn, as a person. and that brings me to my next point.

I really love his temper! well, to watch, that is. he doesn't like people's rude words just brush over his head like some other himbo-esque character might. he's aware of when people are mean or don't like him, but he doesn't let that phase him either (at least not outright). yes it happens to really weigh on him sometimes, but yet again, he uses that as a motivator. no matter what, he'll prove them wrong. he'll get stronger. and that's just something I really admire.

his steadfast determination and solid personality make him an excellent anchor for his friends, constantly being there as a support. he'll stand up for them no problem, every time. he will always get up after a fight. even when all is lost, he won't let those he cares about get hurt.

all in all, he's a perfect protector and defender, inferiority complex and all. I hold him very gently.